Chapter 345: Cut Off the Opponent's Right Arm!

Wan Ming knew well that Tang Ye's intuition was always sharp, so he lowered his voice and asked, "Should we bring them in now and interrogate them properly?"

Tang Ye waved his hand, his expression steady: "Don't act rashly just yet. Arrange for people to keep a close watch on them; the fox's tail will show eventually. By the way, when are they returning to South Korea?"

Wan Ming looked solemn as he opened his notebook and said, "I checked their itinerary; they bought tickets for tomorrow afternoon. There are fifteen Huaguo women accompanying them, claiming they are going to South Korea for plastic surgery under the guise of tourism. Cao Lingling is among them."

Tang Ye rubbed his chin, his gaze turning sharp: "We must get to the bottom of this before they depart. I have a feeling they are being sneaky—they're no good!"

Afterward, Tang Ye hurried to the Municipal Government with the materials and handed the heavy evidence to Jiang Jing.

Jiang Jing quickly scanned the materials, her face turning as gloomy as water, and in front of Tang Ye, she picked up the red desk phone and dialed Zhou Chengwu's number.

"Secretary Zhou, I have a major matter to report to you. Comrade Tang Ye met with Lin Ru today, and through patient communication, he obtained key materials regarding Cao Zhengchun's illegal and disciplinary violations."

A long silence fell on the other end of the line; Zhou Chengwu knew in his heart that this call meant a storm was about to hit the Hanzhou officialdom.

—As Cao Zhengchun was a capable lieutenant of Xiao Jingyu, once he fell, Xiao Jingyu's power would be severely weakened.

"Bring Little Tang to my office," Zhou Chengwu commanded briefly.

When Tang Ye followed Jiang Jing into Zhou Chengwu's office, the atmosphere in the room was so heavy it could almost be wrung out like water.

Besides the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection Secretary Du Bin, the Municipal Party Committee Secretary-General Du Chengfeng, Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary Li Chaoyang, and Head of the Municipal Publicity Department Xia Hong were all present.

Jiang Jing handed the materials to Zhou Chengwu and turned to say to Tang Ye, "Little Tang, explain the situation to everyone in detail."

Tang Ye understood that Jiang Jing was giving him a chance to shine.

So, he took a deep breath and began to speak clearly and logically:

"These materials came from Lin Ru. Her son and Cao Zhengchun's daughter were once lovers, and the two families even held an engagement ceremony. It was through this connection that Lin Ru repeatedly used her position to help Cao Zhengchun cover up issues... Take the newly built Administrative Center in Chengzhong District, for example; Cao Zhengchun secretly manipulated everything, and the incident where migrant workers blocked the gates to demand unpaid wages a while ago was also instigated by him through the construction unit."

Zhou Chengwu furrowed his brows, flipping through the materials page by page with an increasingly severe expression, then handed the materials to Li Chaoyang.

As Li Chaoyang read, his brows knitted into a "chuan" shape: "This Cao Zhengchun, it's one thing to be a thief while in charge, but he even turns around and blames others; he has absolutely no regard for the law!"

Du Bin sighed heavily: "He always had 'principles' and 'integrity' on his lips, but I never expected it was all just an act!"

Xia Hong also shook her head with a sigh: "When he declined the appointment as Director of the Finance Bureau, I thought he was indifferent to fame and wealth. Now it seems he was just afraid it would affect his ways of raking in money; it's truly ironic!"

Listening to the Standing Committee Members taking turns labeling him, Tang Ye sighed inwardly—truly, when a wall is about to collapse, everyone gives it a push.

"Secretary Zhou, Mayor Xiao is currently in Yanjing. Should we report Cao Zhengchun's issues now or wait until he returns to discuss it?" someone asked.

Zhou Chengwu's eyes were as cold as ice: "The evidence is ironclad; there is no need to delay. I will report to the Provincial Party Committee immediately and apply for special handling. We are establishing a special Investigation Team now, with Comrade Du Bin as the Team Leader. Everyone, raise your hands to vote!"

Tang Ye watched as Du Bin, Li Chaoyang, Xia Hong, Jiang Jing, and Du Chengfeng raised their hands in turn.

Only then did Zhou Chengwu slowly raise his hand.

The six Standing Committee Members present passed it unanimously, meaning the matter was basically settled.

As for Xiao Jingyu, he was kept completely in the dark!

By the time he returned from Yanjing, his right arm would be gone, and the world would have changed!

Under the cover of night, Cao Lingling, dressed in silk pajamas, lounged lazily on a recliner on the balcony, her fingertips fiddling with her phone as she chatted on the line with Feng Lin.

"Feng Lin, I'm leaving tomorrow. Do you really not plan to come and keep me company today?" Her voice was filled with a mix of coquetry and resentment.

A helpless, bitter laugh came from the other end of the phone: "It's because of those two South Koreans. My dad is strict and won't let me run around. Just bear with it; I'll definitely go to South Korea to find you after the New Year."

Cao Lingling suddenly lost her temper, her tone cold and hard: "Hmph, if you don't come to see me today, don't ever come looking for me again!" With that, she hung up the phone directly.

Just then, the doorbell rang abruptly.

Cao Lingling's eyes lit up, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth unconsciously, and she muttered to herself: "This Feng Lin, he really knows how to create surprises!"

She stepped into her slippers and ran to open the door, unable to wait.

But the moment she saw who it was, the smile on her face froze, and she stood there stunned.

"Dad? Why are you here?" Cao Lingling's tone was full of surprise.

Cao Zhengchun's eyes were as sharp as a hawk's as he looked his daughter up and down, his face full of displeasure: "You snuck back to the country, why didn't you tell me? If your mother hadn't let it slip, I wouldn't have known you were so disobedient! What did I tell you before? Spend this time taking good care of Hu Yang; his mother just had an accident, you need to look after him well."

Cao Lingling sat back down in her chair, full of irritation: "Dad, I broke up with Hu Yang a long time ago! Being together in the first place was your own decision; I don't like him at all. Now that his mother has had an accident, I have even less reason to waste my time with him."

Cao Zhengchun had always doted on his daughter, but at this moment, he realized the severity of the situation and knew he had to make her understand the circumstances.

He darkened his face, his tone serious: "Lingling, it is precisely because Hu Yang's mother had an accident that you must keep him steady. I won't hide it from you: your mother's company has weathered one crisis after another over these years thanks to his mother's secret help. Once the heat dies down and we confirm we won't be implicated, it won't be too late for you to break up."

"In your eyes, am I just a tool? I hate that mama's boy! His family used to be rich, but now they have nothing; why should I still be with him?" Cao Lingling was so angry her face turned red, and her voice rose an octave.

"Nothing?" Cao Zhengchun's expression turned vigilant instantly. "That money I told you to transfer to him—you didn't give it to him?"

Seeing she had let it slip, Cao Lingling hardened her heart. "That money was ours to begin with! Do you expect me to keep supporting him forever? I've completely cut ties with him, and I have a new boyfriend—Feng Lin!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Zhengchun's anger surged to his head, and he raised his hand and slapped Cao Lingling across the face.

"I am not discussing this with you! That money must be transferred to Hu Yang, every cent of it! Until I give the word, you are not allowed to mention breaking up, or else we will sever our father-daughter relationship!"

With that, Cao Zhengchun left the room in a huff.

Cao Lingling clutched her face, tears of grievance spilling from the corners of her eyes.

She gritted her teeth and swore, "Even if I die, I will never be with that mama's boy!"