Chapter 628: So It Was You Playing Tricks!

Du Bin took a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Shen Mingcheng.

Shen Mingcheng's movements as he took the cigarette were somewhat trembling.

He quickly realized that Du Bin did not truly want to give him a cigarette to smoke, but rather wanted to observe whether his words and actions contained any suspicious signs through these subtle movements.

Du Bin took out a lighter, the flint sparked, and after a few "scratch, scratch, scratch" sounds.

The firelight reflected on his face, appearing gloomy and uncertain.

"Let's talk."

Shen Mingcheng responded calmly: "Talk about what? I have nothing to say. If you cannot find anything, I will absolutely not let this go. I am a Provincial Managed Cadre; the Discipline Inspection Commission has no authority to investigate me. I will report today's events truthfully to the higher-level departments—someone is abusing their power to retaliate against a National Cadre."

"At this point, you are still harboring wishful thinking!" Du Bin's tone was calm, "I know you are a Provincial Managed Cadre, but you should have guessed that if I hadn't grasped sufficient evidence, I would never have acted rashly."

However, he knew clearly in his heart that a person like Shen Mingcheng would not admit his guilt until the very last moment.

Only when iron-clad facts were placed before him, and when shackles locked his hands, would he truly realize his situation.

Shen Mingcheng was also calculating his own plans: as long as he did not admit guilt, there would always be someone who would find a way to save him;

But if he couldn't hold out and surrendered first, even if others wanted to save him, they would be powerless.

The Discipline Inspection Commission personnel had already searched the entire house and walked to Du Bin's side, their faces showing disappointment as they shook their heads at him.

All of this was within Shen Mingcheng's expectations.

"Secretary Du, I know you are acting under orders," he began, "but there is indeed a misunderstanding here. If you take your people and leave now, I will act as if nothing happened, and I won't hold it against you."

Du Bin took a puff of his cigarette and stood up with a smile: "Secretary Shen, you are a sophisticated man. But like you, once I decide to do something, I must do it to the extreme. Secretary Shen, take a look at these materials."

Shen Mingcheng took the materials from Du Bin's hand, a grave look appearing in his eyes: "What is this? I don't know!"

Du Bin sighed: "Noble people are prone to forgetting! Half a year ago, you ordered Gao Xiaoqing of Shuangshui Town to secure a villa for you in the resettlement residential area."

Shen Mingcheng narrowed his eyes and flatly denied it: "That is Gao Xiaoqing talking nonsense, framing and slandering me!"

"Is that so?" Du Bin said in a deep voice, "You were so intimate with Gao Xiaoqing, yet you belittle her like this?"

Shen Mingcheng put on a stern face: "Who said I was intimate with her? This is rumor and slander! We only have a superior-subordinate relationship, absolutely nothing else; you must not talk nonsense."

Du Bin laughed in spite of himself: "Secretary Shen, I am a staff member of the Discipline Inspection Commission; I must be responsible for every word I say. If you and Gao Xiaoqing were just ordinary superior and subordinate, then why did she become pregnant with your child?"

Shen Mingcheng looked at Du Bin with a face full of surprise, squeezing out an unnatural smile: "Don't joke! How could Gao Xiaoqing be pregnant? And I am clean and innocent with her; even if she is pregnant, it absolutely cannot be mine. You must not speak without evidence!"

Du Bin flipped out another piece of paper and handed it to Shen Mingcheng: "Gao Xiaoqing wrote the process of her pregnancy very clearly; the time, location, and the details of that day are all written down clearly. Now that scientific technology is so advanced, there are plenty of ways to test whether the child is yours."

Shen Mingcheng held Gao Xiaoqing's confession.

His eyes widened, his lips trembled, and his mind went blank.

He and Chen Lan had been married for many years without children; when he went to the hospital for an examination back then, professional tests showed that his sperm motility was insufficient.

Later, Shen Mingcheng received treatment, taking a pile of Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and folk remedies—could these medicines have actually worked?

If it were before, Shen Mingcheng might have felt excited, thinking he had finally succeeded.

But hearing this news now was no different from being struck by lightning.

Seeing that Shen Mingcheng refused to speak, Du Bin knew he was having trouble digesting this result for the moment.

"Please, Secretary Shen, come with us and take a look at that villa!"

At this moment, a staff member stepped forward to pull Shen Mingcheng, and he angrily brushed away the arm reaching toward him: "Don't touch me, I'll walk myself!"

Shen Mingcheng sat in the Discipline Inspection Commission's car, his entire face becoming ferocious.

He had already figured out the whole sequence of events by now—to put it bluntly, he had fallen into a meticulously laid trap.

He had originally thought that using Gao Xiaoqing as bait would lure Lin Qing into the trap and force her to stop meddling in other people's business.

He hadn't expected that Lin Qing was the bait, and that Gao Xiaoqing had long been targeted.

What was even more critical was that Gao Xiaoqing had actually become pregnant with his child; this was simply absurd to the extreme.

The car arrived outside the villa in Shuangshui Town, where police lines had already been set up, and police cars were parked outside for defense.

Seeing this display, Shen Mingcheng's heart went cold again.

Walking into the villa lobby, Shen Mingcheng saw a familiar figure—it was Tang Ye.

Tang Ye was discussing something in a low voice with Wan Ming; upon seeing Shen Mingcheng, their eyes met.

Tang Ye saw the unwillingness in Shen Mingcheng's eyes.

He still remembered how, once upon a time, Shen Mingcheng had spoken to him at the Du Residence in Pinghu Courtyard, with that arrogant air.

At that time, Shen Mingcheng was riding high and looking down on everyone, not even bothering to glance at him.

He had even clamored for him to follow him, to be his pawn, saying he would cultivate him well.

Yet, in less than a year, Shen Mingcheng no longer had his initial high spirits, becoming a spent force full of panic and unease!

Shen Mingcheng had to admit one fact: this trap, the predicament before him, were all thanks to Tang Ye!

Just because he had arrested Sun Hai, this bastard dared to retaliate!

Shen Mingcheng, who had been forcing himself to stay calm, suddenly clenched his fists and accelerated violently, wanting to rush toward Tang Ye.

The staff behind him reacted quickly, grabbing his shoulders and pinning him down firmly.

"Tang Ye, so it was you playing tricks behind my back!" Shen Mingcheng roared, "You must have received instructions from Du Chengfeng to deliberately frame me, right? I know what you are thinking; you just want to watch me be ruined! Chen Lan divorced me, and now the Discipline Inspection Commission is investigating me in violation of regulations—these are all your despicable means to fix me!"

Tang Ye looked at Shen Mingcheng's furious appearance, a cold sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth:

"You divorced Chen Lan because you were the one who committed adultery during the marriage. As a Party member and cadre, your lifestyle is chaotic; you should reflect deeply on yourself. As for the Discipline Inspection Commission investigating you, it is because you are riddled with crimes and suspected of violating discipline and the law."

"I admit that my lifestyle has problems," Shen Mingcheng quickly adjusted his stance, his mental fortitude astonishing, "My marriage with Chen Lan had long been a sham. Gao Xiaoqing and I came together because we had feelings, and I am already divorced; don't I have the right to pursue a new relationship? Furthermore, regarding violating discipline and the law, I have searched my conscience and have never touched the forbidden zone."

One must know that when ordinary officials encounter an investigation by the Discipline Inspection Commission, most will collapse directly.

Tang Ye cursed inwardly: This bastard Shen Mingcheng is not only disgusting, but he is also damnably cunning!