In less than a second, Bobo's phone froze and went black.
"What's going on?" Li Jiafeng asked, bewildered.
"Mr. Li, I don't know what's happening. It was working fine when I was filming," Bobo feigned ignorance.
In the current situation, there was no better approach than to play dumb.
Li Jiafeng was an experienced veteran, and saying more in front of him would only lead to mistakes.
"It's broken, I've fallen into the trap." Li Jiafeng, after a moment of stunned silence, immediately realized.
"What? Fallen into a trap? How is that possible? I took the photos myself, and you saw them just now," Bobo continued to play dumb.
"You're a woman, you wouldn't understand. Hurry up and get out, you're no longer needed here," Li Jiafeng, in his haste, dismissed her.
The urgent priority was to quickly consult his subordinates on how to rectify the situation.
Damn it, he had been too careless.
He thought Chen Feng was just an inexperienced young man from the countryside, but it turned out he was cunning and treacherous.
He had actually used photos to stall for time!
When Bobo heard Li Jiafeng tell her to leave, her heart soared.
In less than a second, Bobo vanished without a trace.
"Bad news, very bad news, Mr. Li."
As soon as Bobo left the office, and before Li Jiafeng could even call his subordinates in, several of them rushed in in a panic.
Li Jiafeng's heart sank.
It was over. Chen Feng had indeed set up a counter-attack.
"What's all this fuss about?" Li Jiafeng feigned composure and rebuked them.
"Mr. Li, I learned from a relative that several of us have been restricted from leaving the country." The subordinate said with a crying tone.
"How could this happen so suddenly?" Li Jiafeng continued to feign ignorance.
"My relative said that our past bribery of state-owned company executives has come to light. The authorities are investigating these matters, which is why we have been restricted from leaving the country," the subordinate explained, full of fear.
"Nonsense! The bribery of state-owned company executives was highly secretive, how could anyone know about it?" Li Jiafeng roared.
"I heard it was the work of Chen Feng, the director of the Development and Reform Commission in Ming Mountain District. This guy has gone mad, targeting us relentlessly. What's terrifying is that he managed to unearth such a secret. Is this guy really an ignorant young man from the countryside?" the subordinate asked in disbelief.
Nothing was more likely to expose them than a mishap in the gutter.
Several times, the inspection team from the State Audit Office couldn't find any clues, yet a young man from the countryside had achieved it inadvertently.
Fantasy novels wouldn't dare to write this!
"Damn it, it seems we all underestimated Chen Feng. This guy looks easy to bully, but in reality, he's not to be trifled with. Alright, things have come to this, each of you figure out how to save yourselves." Li Jiafeng sighed.
His usual arrogance had vanished completely.
Although Li Jiafeng hated Chen Feng to the bone, he was also inwardly impressed by this young man.
He had mastered the art of power struggles.
Fast, ruthless, and accurate, a fatal blow with a single move.
Upon hearing this, the subordinates didn't hesitate any further and scattered like a flock of birds.
The subordinates immediately rushed to the airport.
Even though it was highly likely they would be restricted from leaving the country, they had to try.
Staying in China, they would eventually be arrested.
China's surveillance cameras were the best in the world.
Once they were on the wanted list, arrest was only a matter of time.
Therefore, they had to try.
Upon arriving at the airport, a familiar acquaintance of Li Jiafeng's investment promotion team had set up a makeshift tent at the entrance.
Seeing the team members, the person loudly called them into the tent.
"Let's be frank, you are all restricted from leaving the country. You belong to a major bribery syndicate and are targets of the strict crackdown in Jiangcheng City," the acquaintance said sternly.
"Damn it, it's over, everything is over. Over the years, most of Li Jiafeng's investment promotion team has bribed state-owned company executives to secure investments. Once thoroughly investigated, they will definitely be sentenced," the group lamented.
"Don't worry, you are all semi-veterans in the political arena. You should know that there are always countermeasures to policies. Restriction from leaving the country only applies to civilian flights, not military ones…" the acquaintance replied with a smile.
"You mean we can escape via military flights?" The group was overjoyed.
"That depends on whether you are willing to provide evidence of Li Jiafeng's imprisonment," the acquaintance said calmly.
"As long as we can leave the country safely, we can give you the evidence of Li Jiafeng's imprisonment right now."
With that, everyone took out their phones and sent the incriminating WeChat messages they had saved to the acquaintance.
The acquaintance was stunned.
These people were truly remarkable. They were so loyal to Li Jiafeng in normal times, but in the face of life and death, they sold him out without hesitation.
To be fair, Director Chen's planning was truly divine.
From this perspective, Chen Feng's grasp of the political arena was incredibly precise.
The subsequent events unfolded exactly as Chen Feng had predicted. Li Jiafeng was arrested, tried specifically, and sentenced to twenty-five years with restricted parole.
"Chen Feng, isn't that a bit too harsh?" Qin Yan found Chen Feng to discuss her concerns after the Keras project for the expansion zone of Ming Mountain District was successfully landed.
She had been too busy with the Keras project before to even have time to drink water.
Now that the Keras project was settled, she had to have a talk with Chen Feng.
"Vice District Mayor Qin, are you referring to Li Jiafeng being sentenced to 25 years in prison?" Chen Feng replied calmly.
"Yes, after all, your dispute with Li Jiafeng was primarily over investment promotion. There was no need to sentence the man to 25 years. In political matters, it's best to de-escalate whenever possible," Qin Yan stated honestly.
"Vice District Mayor Qin, I agree with your statement. However, Li Jiafeng didn't think that way. Originally, I wanted to compete fairly with Li Jiafeng, based on who was more capable in attracting investment. But Li Jiafeng didn't see it that way and even sent a female internet celebrity to try and get me imprisoned. My personality is like this: whoever tries to kill me, I make them die. Whoever tries to imprison me, I make them go to prison, it's that simple," Chen Feng continued to reply calmly.
"Chen Feng, I apologize, I misunderstood you. So, it turns out Li Jiafeng made the first move. A benevolent heart cannot be a general; I acknowledge your decisive actions," Qin Yan said, her brow unfurling.
"Vice District Mayor Qin, Li Jiafeng's matter is a trivial one; let it pass. Currently, there is a very significant matter I would like to discuss with you." Chen Feng changed the subject.
"Ming Mountain District's expansion zone is booming right now. What other major matters need to be addressed?" Qin Yan asked, confused.
"It's still about the Keras new energy vehicle project," Chen Feng said with a frown.
"Isn't the Keras project a done deal? What else needs to be done?" Qin Yan asked, still perplexed.
"Vice District Mayor Qin, you have a good grasp of economics. You should know that in recent years, both globally and in China, there has been a trend of saturation in the new energy vehicle market. The Keras project being launched in the expansion zone of Ming Mountain District this time has a very large production capacity. If it starts production, it will become oversupplied within a few years," Chen Feng explained with concern.
"Chen Feng, I understand your analysis. However, it's alright. As you said, it will only become oversupplied in a few years. By then, we will have already moved to the provincial capital, and it will be no longer our concern," Qin Yan advised Chen Feng.