Nominal: The pinnacle of power began in the sixth province of Handong.

Chapter 66 Chen Qingquan

Two hours later.

Chen Qingquan was already sitting in the Anti-Corruption Bureau's interrogation room.

Hou Liangping felt that the Jingzhou Municipal Bureau was particularly cooperative today, especially Zhao Donglai. Last time, when he asked Zhao Donglai for Cai Chenggong, he had to communicate with his superiors to get 24 hours of interrogation time. He didn't expect that today, Zhao Donglai would be directly transferred to the Anti-Corruption Bureau without any complicated procedures.

Zhao Donglai also stated on the spot that he would fully support the work of the Provincial Anti-Corruption Bureau.

When Hou Liangping returned from this trip, he was so proud of himself that his nose was practically pointing to the sky.

He decided to strike while the iron was hot and demonstrate his interrogation skills to Lu Yike and the others.

"Chen Qingquan! We have obtained leads regarding your case. We urge you to proactively confess and try to atone for your crimes!"

Hou Liangping spoke confidently into the microphone to Chen Qingquan.

When Chen Qingquan heard Hou Liangping's voice coming from all directions in the interrogation room, he showed no confusion or panic. After all, as a member of the political and legal team, interrogation was a familiar routine for him.

Chen Qingquan adopted the gentle smile he had learned from Gao Yuliang, and replied in a calm and unhurried tone:

"Director Hou of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, right? I do have a problem, but I only had something happen between me and my foreign teacher because of student affection. It's normal for men and women to have sex. That's not illegal or against the law, is it? It's the police officers who broke into my home and forcibly took me away. That's the problem."

Hou Liangping nearly laughed out of anger at these absurd remarks. He braced himself against the back of his chair and shouted:

"Stop downplaying the issue. And who would believe that? Chen Qingquan, let me tell you, you were caught red-handed by the Jingzhou police while making a deal with a high-class foreign prostitute in a private club provided by the Shanshui Group. It wasn't about dating a foreign teacher."

Chen Qingquan looked completely innocent, spread his hands, and said:

"What Shanshui Group? That's a house rented by the foreign teachers. I usually teach there. Can't I even take a nap when I'm tired from teaching? As for the transaction you mentioned, are there any transfer records? Was any cash found on site? There are probably quite a few English textbooks."

Hou Liangping was nearly driven to madness by Chen Qingquan's twisted logic and was about to resort to his preferred method of intimidation-based interrogation when Lin Huahua leaned close to his ear and whispered a reminder:

"Director Hou, the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau only handed the person over to us; they haven't provided any other evidence. Our technicians checked Chen Qingquan's phone and indeed, there were no transaction records, only chat logs of him discussing grammar with his foreign teacher..."

Hou Liangping was unaware that all of this was the result of negotiations between Li Dakang and Zhao Donglai.

Chen Qingquan was arrested and handed over to the Provincial Anti-Corruption Bureau.

During this process, Jingzhou authorities neither filed a case, made any statement, nor provided any evidence.

After handing the person over to Hou Liangping, the Anti-Corruption Bureau was left to its own devices.

This move completely absolved Li Dakang and the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau of any wrongdoing.

Only Hou Liangping saw Chen Qingquan, this hot potato, as the key figure to seize leverage over the Shanshui Group and, consequently, over Gao Yuliang.

Hou Liangping's willingness to accept everything was exactly what Li Dakang had expected.

The trouble that may follow, including offending Gao Yuliang, is entirely Hou Liangping's personal behavior.

This was a complete and utter defeat of political wisdom.

Hou Liangping, completely oblivious, immediately adopted the air of a seasoned investigator after hearing Lin Huahua's words, and reprimanded her:

"Foolish! This precisely proves that Chen Qingquan has an inseparable connection with the Shanshui Group!"

He then turned to the large screen and addressed Chen Qingquan:

"Chen Qingquan, I don't want to discuss the prostitution issue any further. You should quickly explain the judgment regarding Dafeng Factory's shares and your relationship with Shanshui Group!"

Chen Qingquan was completely stunned, staring at the camera in the interrogation room as if he were a fool, and said incredulously:

"what?"

……

After a whole night of hard work.

The anti-corruption bureau got nothing out of Chen Qingquan.

Chen Qingquan vehemently insisted that his relationship with his foreign teacher was a normal one and that all his actions were reasonable.

Hou Liangping knew that Chen Qingquan had solicited prostitutes, and the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau must have information on this foreign teacher, but they hadn't provided it to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Hou Liangping called Zhao Donglai to inquire, but Zhao refused to provide any further evidence, citing that he had already signed the handover document.

As a result, the Anti-Corruption Bureau could not determine the nature of Chen Qingquan's case at the procedural level and could only let Chen Qingquan say what he wanted to say.

Hou Liangping planned to ask Chen Qingquan about the equity of Shanshui Group and Dafeng Factory, but Chen Qingquan refused to say anything after hearing these questions.

After all, he was arrested for learning a foreign language, but the Anti-Corruption Bureau found it difficult to define the nature of the case based solely on learning a foreign language. This resulted in a procedural loophole in the very process by which Chen Qingquan was arrested and brought to the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Hou Liangping's attempt to uncover deeper issues was nothing short of wishful thinking.

Chen Qingquan answered the questions with ease, while Lu Yike and Lin Huahua, who were watching from the side, almost burst out laughing.

When it was time for work in the morning, Lu Yike refused to continue working and insisted on going home to sleep. Despite Hou Liangping's stern face, she dragged Lin Huahua home.

With Lu Yike setting an example, the others also used the excuse of feeling unwell to go back and rest.

In the command center, only Hou Liangping remained, his eyes bloodshot and his hair a mess.

Even now, Hou Liangping is still thinking about how to break through Chen Qingquan's defenses, instead of considering whether he has been set up.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

Hou Liangping answered the phone instinctively, and Qi Tongwei's anxious voice came from the other end:

"Liangping, you're in trouble, you know that?! Chen Qingquan's matter isn't that simple!"

Hearing his senior, who had an ambiguous relationship with the Shanshui Group, express his concern for him, Hou Liangping replied with utter disdain:

"Senior, are you here to get Gao Yuliang out of trouble, or to get the Shanshui Group out of trouble? There's no need to be in such a hurry, is there?"

"What Gao Yuliang... call him Teacher Gao!" Qi Tongwei quickly corrected him, then said, his tone becoming increasingly urgent:

"Why would I try to rescue anyone? I'm here to remind you that you're heading in the wrong direction!"

Upon hearing Qi Tongwei's words, Hou Liangping became even more convinced of his guess: Qi Tongwei had come to bail someone out, which meant that Chen Qingquan was no ordinary person and that he had to be firmly held onto.

Hou Liangping then became even more arrogant and said:

"Senior, I'm on the right track, but you've gone down the wrong path! Even Gao Yuliang has gone down the wrong path! Chen Qingquan made a mistake; you might as well ask Gao Yuliang if he'll cover it up, and if he dares to!"

silence.

Qi Tongwei remained silent.

Seeing this, Hou Liangping became even more smug. Just as he was about to say a few more words of reprimand, he suddenly heard a voice from the other end that was inscrutable yet incredibly familiar:

"Director Hou, I dare not cover this up. I am Gao Yuliang from the Provincial Party Committee."