Reborn as Zhao Ruilong of Handong, I will defy fate.

"What? Cai Chenggong?"

Who is Cai Chenggong?

Du Bozhong and Xu Jiye both looked at Zhao Ruilong in astonishment.

Zhao Ruilong put down the photo and smiled faintly.

"Although he was wearing a mask and a hat, his build, his eyes, his eyebrows... I'm 100% certain that he is Cai Chenggong!"

At this point, Zhao Ruilong looked at Xu Jiye.

You don't know him?

"Previously, Handong Dafeng Garment Group won several projects in Linjiang Province and was featured in a report by CCTV's financial channel..."

Xu Jiye seemed to wake from a dream, his eyes wide open.

"I know him! So it was that bastard!"

"I mean, how could someone from Handong be collecting bribes for others in Linjiang?"

"It turns out he really has powerful connections in our Linjiang Province, and I reckon his position isn't low-ranking."

“I helped him win several projects before. Even if it gets out of hand, it won’t matter because someone will take the fall.”

"Now that he's in charge of the education rectification work, he can also unscrupulously let Cai Chenggong help him collect bribes."

Zhao Ruilong looked at Cai Chenggong's photo.

I think I should have realized it sooner; it was Cai Chenggong who was taking bribes for Zhong Zhengguo.

Previously, Cai Chenggong had visited Su Jinyi at the Huilong Hotel in Luzhou.

That afternoon, Su Jinyi and I returned to Jingzhou, but there was a traffic jam on the highway.

The root of the problem was that Cai Chenggong's Santana car broke down on the road.

Clearly, Cai Chenggong had already partnered with Zhong Zhengguo by that time.

However, Su Jinyi, who is worth tens of billions and has accumulated a lot of connections in Linjiang Province, did not agree.

Since they didn't want to lose money to avoid trouble, they still invested billions in Handong.

Such blatant disrespect prompted Zhong Zhengguo to retaliate without hesitation.

and so……

Su Jinyi has been formally placed under investigation and has been charged with multiple crimes.

Terrified, he didn't even return to Linjiang Province, but instead fled overseas.

Having failed to deliver a fatal blow to Su Jinyi, Zhong Zhengguo and his group turned to Xu Jiye and his associates.

Even the smallest mosquito is still meat!

Just like Xu Jiye agreed to cooperate, that's a whopping 25 million!

That's 25 million in 2001!

For ordinary people, a salary of 2,500 yuan is already quite good.

And twenty-five million...

That was merely the price they offered Xu Jiye.

What about the rest?

Those who can be educated and disciplined are naturally not ordinary people.

They were almost certainly not corrupt officials or unscrupulous businessmen, but rather leaders of organized crime.

At the very least, they are bosses like Xu Jiye, whose businesses have problems.

If it weren't for wanting too much, it wouldn't be 25 million, but 5 million.

Xu Jiye had already readily agreed to their request.

and so……

How many people did they contact?

How much money have you already collected?

The exact figures are difficult to estimate.

But one thing is certain.

They were so treacherous and colluded with each other.

They've probably made a lot of money during this period.

"No wonder Cai Chenggong was so quick to provide ample compensation, causing Dafeng Factory to go bankrupt. It turns out he came to Jiang Province to do a huge, risk-free business!"

Du Bozhong's sarcastic remark immediately infuriated Xu Jiye.

"Damn it, he's making a fortune with no investment!"

"I even paid for the tea on the day we met!"

Du Bozhong laughed and said, "Didn't he say he would give you a proper invoice? Taxes are also a cost!"

Xu Jiye could only manage a wry smile.

"Can that be considered his cost? Aren't the taxes all coming from the money I give him? It's all coming from the money he pays, brother!"

Zhao Ruilong smiled without saying a word.

I still have some doubts.

That's Zhong Zhengguo. Why would he collude with Cai Chenggong, that unscrupulous businessman?

Wasn't he always eager to improve and climb the ranks?

Therefore, he supported Liang Qunfeng and suppressed his father, Zhao Lichun.

How come now that Linjiang Province is carrying out educational rectification, Cai Chenggong is using it to amass wealth?

Could it be that they failed to revitalize Dafeng Factory and instead caused Cai Chenggong to incur a mountain of debt, only to be dragged into the mess by Cai Chenggong's persistent pleading?

But that possibility is not very high!

With his strength, crushing Cai Chenggong would be incredibly easy for him.

If he hadn't developed his own greed, Cai Chenggong would never have been a threat to him.

Could it be that he sensed something was wrong, felt he couldn't get promoted, and decided to give up?

Yet he became the third deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision.

Even if they can't go any further, they shouldn't give up and start frantically making money, right?

"Bosses, Uncle Tai said you would help me."

"Now I've told you everything that I should and shouldn't have said."

"Shouldn't you also tell me how you plan to help me?"

Xu Jiye pleaded with his hands clasped together, looking distressed.

Zhao Ruilong smiled faintly.

"Of course we want to help you, but you have to tell us your situation honestly first."

"Otherwise, we wouldn't even know your situation, why you were being educated and disciplined, so how could we help you?"

Xu Jiye glanced around subconsciously, then asked with an awkward laugh:

"You guys wouldn't be secretly recording this, would you?"

Du Bozhong almost burst out laughing.

"Why are you recording us? Do you think we're cops trying to trick you into giving a confession?"

"Besides, recordings are easily edited and cannot be used as legal evidence. Don't you even have this basic common sense?"

Xu Jiye quickly waved his hand and shook his head.

"No, no, no, I didn't suspect you were cops."

"Since you were introduced by Uncle Tai, I'll trust you!"

"To be honest, I'm actually a very timid and fearful person. I only do business to make money."

"I never caused anyone's death. When I forced people to sign the demolition agreement, I just sent people to scare the holdouts..."

Zhao Ruilong listened silently to Xu Jiye's story.

The information he provided largely matched the case details provided by his second uncle, Zhao Lidong.

Anyone with a bit of life experience and legal knowledge knows that economic crimes can be serious or minor.

Just like the crime of bribery, which refers to the act of giving money or property to public officials in order to obtain improper benefits.

The key to whether a crime of bribery has been committed lies in whether or not an improper benefit was sought.

If the purpose of giving a red envelope is not to secure engineering projects for personal gain, but simply to expedite the receipt of due project payments, then it does not constitute bribery.

Another crime is tax evasion.

Many business owners try to pay less tax in order to make more money.

If done well, it's called legitimate tax avoidance; otherwise, it's called tax evasion.

From a legal perspective...

The elements constituting the crime of tax evasion are quite complex.

It means using deception, concealment, or other means to make false tax declarations or fail to declare taxes.

Or, after paying taxes, they may use various methods to fraudulently obtain tax refunds.

The amount must be substantial, exceeding 10% of the tax payable.

So……

Does paying less tax constitute tax evasion?

Can we pay the outstanding taxes and late fees, receive an administrative penalty, and not pursue criminal charges?

Another reason was to forcibly move the holdout family away in order to start construction as soon as possible, and then demolish their house.

Is this considered intentional damage to other people's property, or disorderly conduct?

An accident involving injuries and fatalities occurred at the construction site.

He was a worker who was outsourced and lacked safety knowledge. He did not follow safety regulations and fell to his death because he was not wearing a safety belt properly.

So, is this considered an accidental incident, or a serious accident due to negligence?

Many of these kinds of problems can be either big or small.

If we really want to nitpick and strictly follow the legal provisions, then Xu Jiye's problem is very serious, enough to warrant a sentence of ten or eight years.

on the contrary.

His problems weren't too serious; basically, it would just involve paying some money, imposing some fines, and having some of the people in charge detained for a lesson.

but……

The power to interpret the law does not lie with Xu Jiye.

Therefore, he naturally became like fish on a chopping board, at Zhong Zhengguo's mercy.

After finishing speaking, Xu Jiye took a sip of tea and said pitifully:

"I know my problem could be big or small, and whether I'll be severely punished or leniently let off depends on their word."

"But I've asked a lot of friends and used all the connections I can, but it still doesn't work."

"This time, the level of the education rectification working group is too high, and they can't get a word in edgewise."

Zhao Ruilong smiled coldly.

"Do you know that the team leader is Ji Zhongzhengguo, the third deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision?"

"of course I know!"

Xu Jiye hurriedly said, "I also know one of the deputy group leaders, who is Sha Ruijin, the political and legal secretary of our Linjiang Province."

"Our Linjiang's richest man, Su Jinyi, was personally led by Sha Shuji to take over Linjiang Xinyi Group and search for victims everywhere to mobilize them, ultimately breaking through and dismantling the group, and successfully initiating an investigation."

“I’m terrified right now. I’m Sha Shuji’s next target. If he leads a team to my company and deals with everything severely, I’ll definitely be arrested!”

Du Bozhong casually asked with a smile, "Didn't you ever think about running away?"

"Run? Why should I run?"

Xu Jiye shook his head repeatedly.

“I asked a lawyer, and he said that even if all my problems are taken into account, I would only get ten years in prison.”

“Su Jinyi is different. His group is involved in organized crime and has killed many people. If they are caught, they will be executed.”

"Besides, I've expanded my investments and operations whenever I've had a little money over the years, and I haven't transferred any assets abroad in advance."

"If I rashly go abroad, I'll be unfamiliar with the place, won't speak the language, and won't have much money. I'd be lucky to survive!"

Zhao Ruilong took a sip of tea and nodded slightly.

"You were right not to run away!"

"If we don't run away, there's still room for maneuver, and there's still a chance to turn a big problem into a small one and a small one into nothing."

"If you run away, you will be severely punished. All the hard work you've put in for most of your life will be completely drained and exploited!"

Xu Jiye leaned forward and hurriedly asked:

"So how do you plan to help me?"

Du Bozhong asked, "Tell me first, how much money have you raised so far?"

"Less than eight million!"

“Call him and tell him you’ve raised some money, then arrange to meet him.”

"and then?"

"We'll help you negotiate the price, and we'll make up the difference no matter how much you're short."

"Really? But why are you willing to pay this money for me?"

"Firstly, I wanted to make friends, and secondly, I wanted to test whether he could really help."

"I see. It seems you're also being targeted for re-education and rectification, and your problems are even bigger than mine!"

Zhao Ruilong smiled slightly and put down his teacup.

"Our problem is too big to tell you, but remember, you still don't know his true identity."

Xu Jiye quickly took out his phone.

"Don't worry, if I couldn't even pretend to be stupid, what would I be doing here?"

Soon, the call was connected.

Xu Jiye was quite sensible and turned on speakerphone.

"Hey Lao Cheng, this is Xu Jiye. I've made up my mind. Even the wealthy and powerful Chairman Su is scared and has fled abroad. I have no choice but to spend money to avoid trouble."

"That's right! Did you think this education and rectification campaign was a joke? If you don't want to go to jail, you have to be willing to spend money!"

A strange sound came from the phone, like someone was speaking through a pinched throat.

However, judging from his tone, one could tell that Cai Chenggong was very proud.

With the powerful Zhong Zhengguo by his side, he could easily make a lot of money, which could easily make him complacent.

Xu Jiye sighed.

"Yes, you're right. When are you free? I'm afraid things might change if I wait too long, so I want to meet you as soon as possible!"

"Is the money ready?"

"Pretty much. Aren't we going to split the payment into two parts? I've already prepared the first payment."

"Okay, then come to the Grand Hyatt Linjiang Hotel. Call me when you arrive, and I'll tell you where to meet!"

"Okay, got it!"

Seeing that the call had been disconnected, Xu Jiye immediately said:

“He was very careful and cautious. He definitely didn’t ask me to meet him at the hotel. Last time he said he wanted to have tea at a teahouse, but he ended up sending me to the riverbank.”

Zhao Ruilong frowned and asked, "Then where do you think he will meet this time?"

Xu Jiye thought for a moment.

“I remember there was a park next to the hotel, so I guess he would meet there.”

"The park is dark right now, so it's relatively secluded and safe. If things go wrong, he can make a quick escape!"