Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 126 Let the world churn and swirl, I remain serene and unperturbed.

The two methods revealed by the whistleblower—auctioning calligraphy and paintings and selling the same property twice—along with Zhou Hualong transferring benefits through Wang Xingxing's GG company, a specific associate of Chen Zhenglei, are simply a textbook example of meticulously designed corruption that legalizes the exchange of power for money.

The covertness of his methods and the meticulousness of his thinking far exceeded that of ordinary cash or money, which fully demonstrates Chen Zhenglei's strong ability to evade investigation and also confirms his two-faced nature of appearing honest but being greedy inside.

Wu Zhiyuan didn't know the whistleblower's name, but one thing was certain: he and Chen Zhenglei were very familiar with each other, because fortresses are always breached from within, and in the vast majority of whistleblower cases, the whistleblowers are insiders.

He pressed on calmly, "Do you have any more specific information about the painting and the auction house, as well as the house and the developer?"

For example, the painting's title, the auction house's name, the auction date, the house's exact location, and information about the developer and the other buyer?

The whistleblower said, "The painting is a landscape painting attributed to a famous modern artist, but it is actually a fake."

The auction house was a little-known company in a neighboring province called Jubaozhai Auction House, and the auction took place last June.

The developer of the house is Longteng Real Estate, and the lawsuit was filed in the Longdong District Court; the case file should be available.

Wu Zhiyuan then asked, "Wang Xingxing is Chen Zhenglei's mistress, but she also married Chen Jun. Was their marriage a sham?"

The whistleblower said, "It's a fake marriage. It's fake in some ways, but real in others. Legally speaking, the marriage certificate is genuine; it's registered with the Civil Affairs Bureau. Can you say it's fake? The law only recognizes the marriage certificate."

But anyone with eyes can see that this is just a cover-up, a way for Chen Zhenglei to deceive people and cover up his true relationship with Wang Xingxing. The birth certificate for the child is actually in the name of Wang Xingxing and Chen Jun.

Chen Jun is actually Chen Zhenglei's nephew. He has suffered from polio since childhood and is disabled. His family is also poor. After he agreed to marry Wang Xingxing, he received some financial assistance and opened a stationery store, which enabled him to support himself.

Chen Zhenglei and his first wife have a daughter who is in college. Their relationship is neither particularly good nor bad.

But Chen Zhenglei desperately wanted a son, and when Wang Xingxing gave birth to a son, he was overjoyed. He even bought a villa in Wang Xingxing's name as their cozy home.

Although Chen Jun was Wang Xingxing's wife in name, she couldn't even enter the villa, let alone share a bed with him.

The whistleblower's account is completely consistent with what Wu Zhiyuan has learned.

Wu Zhiyuan was very curious: who was this mysterious whistleblower? How did he obtain so much information about Chen Zhenglei?

The whistleblower just said that Chen Zhenglei is actually greedy and lecherous. He then asked, "You say Chen Zhenglei is lecherous because he has a mistress, Wang Xingxing? Does he have any other mistresses?"

Upon hearing Wu Zhiyuan press Chen Zhenglei about his other mistresses, the whistleblower, who had been relatively calm, became agitated: "Lustful? He's more than just lustful! He's a horny monster!"

Wang Xingxing was just one of the women he openly acknowledged or valued; behind the scenes, he had slept with countless other women!

He abused his power to sexually harass female subordinates, accepted sexual bribes arranged by businessmen, and was addicted to prostitution.

Every time he goes to Jiangzhou for meetings or business, he hires prostitutes, sometimes even two at a time, since he has plenty of money.

He's a complete hypocrite, a beast in human clothing!

The whistleblower took a sip of tea, seemingly to calm his anger, and then continued, "Let me tell you someone I know. There's a woman named Shen Bingbing at the district cultural center. She used to be a dancer in the performing arts troupe. She's beautiful and has a great figure."

Chen Zhenglei fell for her after watching a performance one time.

Later, under the guise of showing interest in arts and culture, he frequently sought her out for conversations, which eventually led to discussions about their sex lives.

This meeting with the whistleblower was very fruitful; we not only obtained clues about the issues but also some evidence.

The preliminary investigation into Chen Zhenglei is being carried out intensively under a high degree of secrecy.

Based on the clues provided by the whistleblower, Wu Zhiyuan and his colleagues secretly retrieved relevant records from Jubaozhai Auction House and verified the fact that the fake landscape painting was auctioned for 300 million yuan, but the funds were ultimately transferred to Wang Xingxing's mother.

The Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection formally initiated an investigation into Chen Zhenglei, establishing a special task force with Ding Yiyi as the team leader.

Detaining corrupt officials does not presuppose that all their problems have been investigated.

If there is sufficient evidence to prove that an official has committed serious violations of laws and regulations, he or she can be placed under detention.

Investigating all the facts of the violations and disciplinary infractions is something that needs to be done after the detention.

After careful planning, the task force decided to detain Chen Zhenglei when he attended a public event in order to achieve the greatest deterrent effect.

That afternoon, a meeting of the Longdong District Party Committee's Theoretical Study Group was being held in the District Party Committee's conference room.

District Party Secretary Song Leyi, District Mayor Zhao Qiang, Deputy District Party Secretary Chen Zhenglei, and other leaders of the four major district bodies who were present at the time, as well as the principal responsible persons of some key district departments, attended the meeting.

The person speaking is Chen Zhenglei.

He spoke with measured intonation: "As leading cadres, we must be consistent in word and deed, and never be two-faced. We must speak the truth, do honest work, and be honest people."

Only by having the people in our hearts and shouldering our responsibilities can we truly remain steadfast amidst the chaos of the world.

Only then can one "walk by the river without getting their shoes wet"...

The attendees appeared focused, but in reality, each had their own agenda.

Some were hoping the meeting would end quickly, as they had a dinner party that evening.

Some are thinking about their sweethearts waiting for them, and tonight will be another carefree night.

Just then, the meeting room door was gently pushed open, and Ding Yiyi, deputy secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, entered with a serious expression, accompanied by several discipline inspection cadres, including Wu Zhiyuan and Qian Long, who were dressed in formal attire and had solemn expressions. Their appearance instantly broke the tranquility of the meeting room.

Ding Yi walked straight to the podium and whispered a few words to Song Leyi.

Song Leyi remained calm and spoke into the microphone: "The meeting is temporarily suspended. Comrades from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection have an important announcement to make."

Everyone knows that the municipal discipline inspection commission is making a big fuss to arrest people. Anti-corruption is not a dinner party.

The entire venue was completely silent; the air seemed to freeze.

All attendees held their breath, and an invisible, suffocating tension quickly spread.

Some people subconsciously lowered their heads, afraid of making eye contact with the disciplinary committee members;

Someone nervously rubbed their hands under the table, fine beads of sweat forming on their forehead;

Even worse, some people's faces turned deathly pale instantly, and their bodies trembled slightly.

Of the dozens of people in the meeting, apart from a few like Song Leyi, everyone was on high alert because they didn't know who the Discipline Inspection Commission would arrest, and it might be themselves.

Song Leyi wasn't nervous, not because he was fine, but because he knew about it beforehand.

When the municipal discipline inspection commission wants to arrest members of its leadership team, it usually consults with the district party secretary in advance. This reflects a level of trust, and the arrest also requires cooperation. For example, arranging a meeting.

Besides, the district party secretary is a provincial-level cadre, so even if he is arrested, it is usually the provincial discipline inspection commission, not the municipal discipline inspection commission, that will handle it.

A few people weren't nervous because they knew they didn't have any major problems. Although they received cigarettes, alcohol, local specialties, and shopping cards during holidays, these issues couldn't possibly lead to their detention.

At that moment, a foul odor wafted from the venue.

Someone whispered: Has someone lost control of their bladder or bowels?

Many people covered their noses with their hands.

The person who was so frightened that he lost control of his bowels was Huang Haibo, the deputy district head.