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

Tuk Tuk~

There was a gentle knock on the car window.

Zhao Ruilong vaguely saw that it seemed to be He Shuji's secretary from Lincheng City.

"Keep a close eye on him. I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning. That's all."

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Ruilong rolled down the car window.

"Secretary Sun, what's going on?"

"Would it be convenient to hop on the bus and chat for a bit?"

Secretary Sun wore a fawning smile.

After speaking, he looked around.

He seemed a little guilty, afraid of being seen.

Seeing his expression, Zhao Ruilong immediately guessed what he wanted to talk about.

"It's convenient, come on up!"

"okay."

Secretary Sun was overjoyed and quickly went around the front of the car to get in through the other door.

Zhao Ruilong quickly reached into his pocket.

I turned on the voice recorder that I always carry with me so that I can easily record my father's voice.

"Smoking?"

Zhao Ruilong took out a cigarette case.

"Take mine, take mine, Brother Long."

Secretary Sun hurriedly took out a cigarette and respectfully handed one to Zhao Ruilong.

He served as the secretary of He Shuji in Lincheng City.

His rank was naturally quite high.

In Lincheng, he was absolutely the object of countless people's fawning and flattery.

But now...

He, however, wore a forced smile and was extremely polite.

After lighting Zhao Ruilong's cigarette, Secretary Sun said with a smile:

"I heard from people at CCTV that the deeply moving, tear-jerking, yet inspiring short film that aired on the news tonight was edited and dubbed by you, Brother Long. You are truly amazing."

“Those TV station people said they needed to take the recorded tapes back to the station and use a special editing machine to edit the videos. You actually managed to do it all with just one computer. That’s amazing.”

Zhao Ruilong smiled faintly.

"What's so impressive about it? The actual editing work was all done by the TV station staff. I just used a computer and temporarily set up a small software program."

Secretary Sun smiled and said, "That little software of yours has proven to be very useful!"

"Otherwise, how could they have produced such a good short film so quickly?"

Zhao Ruilong took a puff of his cigarette.

The saying goes well.

The upper beam is not straight and the lower beam is crooked!

Why has Lincheng, which once ranked among the top in the province in terms of economy, continued to decline in recent years and become the last place?

Is it really just because coal resources are nearing depletion and coal revenue has been lost as a source of income?

But the Longxi Coal Mine, where the shocking mining accident occurred, is enough to slap that in the face.

Lincheng is not out of coal to mine.

Instead, it was large-scale illegal mining, with the money ending up in the pockets of many people.

As the top leader of Lincheng.

The jurisdiction is plagued by numerous illegal small coal mines and frequent mining accidents.

How could He Shuji be completely unaware?

Without his collusion and indulgence.

How did Lincheng end up ranking last in the entire province?

How could this sizable illegal coal mine have existed for so many years?

Today I saw his ruddy face and well-dressed, greasy appearance.

Then look at the local people, thin and frail, poor in their clothes and food.

I knew this guy was in Lincheng, and I don't know how much money he had siphoned off the people.

at the moment.

The mining accident has shocked the entire nation.

The special task force from the General Affairs Department has also arrived.

Anyone with a modicum of intelligence knows that with so many people dead, Lincheng will inevitably be swept up in an anti-corruption storm.

Secretary Sun sneaked into her car.

There's no need to ask; everyone knows he came on behalf of He Shuji.

I want to turn danger into safety and land safely.

The simplest and most effective way at this moment, of course, is to get on his father's good side.

"Secretary Sun, stop praising me. Tell me what you want to see me about!"

"Actually... there's nothing else."

Secretary Sun glanced around, then chuckled and whispered:

"It was He Shuji who wanted to give a separate report to Governor Zhao about this mining accident."

"But Secretary Zhou said that Governor Zhao is too busy, so he wanted to ask Brother Long if you could help make some arrangements."

Zhao Ruilong sneered inwardly.

A separate report?

I think he's begging for mercy on his knees!

Isn't it too late to jump out and pledge allegiance now?

In an attempt to extract valuable information, Zhao Ruilong feigned curiosity and asked:

"Really? The rescue channel has been opened, the bodies of the deceased miners are being found one after another, and there's a special task force investigating the aftermath of the accident. Is there anything else He Shuji wants to report separately?"

Secretary Sun turned her head and lowered her voice, saying:

"What He Shuji is going to report is not this mine disaster, but what exactly happened in this coal mine, and even the entire private coal industry in Lincheng."

“Governor Zhao has always been very angry. Why have these coal mines been able to operate illegally for so many years without any permits? There are many circumstances involved, which need to be reported separately.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ruilong knew.

When He Shuji met with his father alone, it wasn't to report on his work.

They're 100% after something in return.

That gang of people has been a menace to Lincheng for so many years.

They've eaten their fill and gotten their fill.

Now that something big has happened, it has alarmed the higher-ups, and someone has to step up and take responsibility.

Therefore, they have clearly already discussed and decided to sacrifice the small to save the big, and to abandon the pawn to save the king.

As long as the father agrees, there are plenty of supervisors who will obediently comply.

Moreover, in order to appease public anger and to allow the task force to return and report back, it was also necessary.

Besides a basketful of small fish and shrimp, there will definitely be one or two big fish.

After all, no one would believe that a group of lowly thugs could allow this coal mine to operate illegally for many years.

but……

They deceived their superiors and subordinates, and colluded with each other for many years.

Before the incident, I didn't know who Governor Zhao was.

When something goes wrong, they're quick to try and curry favor with powerful figures.

This kind of idiot is capable of making Lincheng's economy the worst.

Who has the right to suck up to powerful figures?

Zhao Ruilong took a deep drag on his cigarette and smiled slightly.

"Secretary Sun, there is no third person in this car."

"You must be a smart person to have reached the position of secretary of the municipal party committee, but please don't treat me like a fool, okay?"

Secretary Sun shook his head and waved his hands repeatedly.

"No, no, I absolutely didn't!"

Zhao Ruilong snorted, "Since I came to Lincheng, I have never called Governor Zhao 'Dad.' Many people treat me as a staff member, but you know that I am Governor Zhao's son."

"And the fact that you were able to come so quickly when I just came to the car to take a call proves that you've been watching me all along and have been looking for an opportunity to get close to me alone."

The interior of the car was dimly lit as the lights were off.

But Secretary Sun's smile clearly betrayed her embarrassment.

"Since you know who I am, you must also know about my past."

"I really want to know, do you think I'm a good person?"

Secretary Sun immediately said, "Of course you're a good person! You helped edit the videos, you distributed boxed lunches to the families of the murdered miners, you..."

As she spoke, Secretary Sun couldn't continue.

Zhao Ruilong took a puff of his cigarette.

"It seems you are well aware of my every move!"

"Since you know me so well, you must know that I've been to prison and was only released this year, right?"

Secretary Sun nodded slightly.

"I know."

"Since you know that, do you still think I'm a good person? Would a good person kill someone in a car accident and go to jail for seven years?"

Zhao Ruilong countered with a series of questions.

Secretary Sun remained silent.

After a few seconds, he said in a deep voice:

"Alright, Brother Long, I'll tell you the truth!"

"In fact, due to vested interests, the coal mining industry in Lincheng has been very chaotic for many years."

“Not only are illegal small coal mines rampant with illegal mining, but even coal mines with legitimate permits are subcontracting and illegally mining at multiple levels in order to make more money.”

"He Shuji did consider cracking down on it, but from villages and towns to cities and counties, the interests are deeply intertwined, and far too many people are involved."

"Most importantly, those coal bosses not only used money to corrupt and win people over, but also used violence and coercion to force relevant personnel to turn a blind eye."

"Like this coal mine where the accident happened, one of the behind-the-scenes bosses is the particularly ruthless He Biao, known as Brother Biao. He has hundreds of brothers under his command, all of whom are daring to fight and kill. Who would shut down his coal mine?"

Zhao Ruilong scoffed.

"Stop making excuses, okay?"

"Even the most ruthless villains can't defeat the violent authorities?"

"How many guns does he have? Any armed police platoon could wipe him out in a minute."

"They're clearly in cahoots, colluding to rake in money like crazy. And you call them difficult to deal with, vicious and ruthless? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

If it were anyone else, would they dare to talk to me like that?

Secretary Sun was already furious.

But when you live under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

How could he dare to lose his temper with Young Master Zhao?

"Brother Long, He Shuji really has a lot of unspeakable suffering."

"There are too many people below who have close ties with coal bosses."

"If they are severely punished according to the law, the entire city of Lin will probably be in complete chaos."

"Now that a serious mining accident has occurred, the higher-ups are furious and the people are in uproar. Finally, we can put a lot of effort into punishing them. In fact, He Shuji is very happy."

"However, because it involves too many people, he still wanted to report to Governor Zhao alone. He didn't mean anything by it; he just wanted to learn from past mistakes and save the patient."

"Those who have committed serious crimes and are unrepentant should be arrested and sentenced, but those who are forced into this situation and are willing to correct their mistakes should be given a chance, and not condemned outright."

Zhao Ruilong asked with a smile, "So, does your Secretary He not want to be arrested and sentenced, and is willing to actively correct his behavior?"

Secretary Sun said with a fawning smile:

“I believe that as long as you, Brother Long, are willing to help, Governor Zhao will definitely be willing to give He Shuji a chance to reform himself.”

As he spoke, Secretary Sun handed over an Audi car key.

It goes without saying that it's definitely not as simple as just one car.

I reckon the trunk is full of local specialties that are abundant in Lincheng...