"Dad, I don't believe it. How can anyone twist facts and call a deer a horse? If Deputy District Chief Xiao isn't responsible, why should he go to jail? There's no such logic in the world!" Cheng Lu said, biting her lip.
"Xiao Lu, your words only show one thing: you're too young. Matters of power aren't simply about right or wrong. Take Deputy District Chief Xiao's case, for example. The entire building in the residential complex collapsed, and it's true he wasn't directly involved. However, he's in charge of Red Rock District's economy. The residential building in Red Rock District is part of real estate, and real estate is a major economic driver. Doesn't that connect him?" Cheng Liren explained patiently to Cheng Lu.
This was his daughter; for anyone else, he wouldn't bother explaining. If you understand, you understand. If not, you're destined to suffer.
"This can also be the case?" Cheng Lu was left speechless by Cheng Liren's explanation.
"What else? Xiao Lu, the day you decided to enter the political arena, I told you that it's a complex martial world. A slight misstep and you'll be sacrificed as a chess piece. Let me put it this way, I don't know if the people imprisoned in the political arena actually committed crimes, but I can be sure that they either chose the wrong side or lacked foresight and offended the wrong people... Conversely, I don't know if the people who weren't imprisoned have clean hands, but I can be sure of one thing: they are flexible people. They withdrew before danger arrived," Cheng Liren continued to explain patiently.
"Dad, I understand the reasoning, but you still have to help me with this matter. Find a way to get Deputy District Chief Xiao out. Not for anything else, but because I've already promised someone." Cheng Lu said with a serious expression.
"You can tell him that the matter you promised is too difficult to handle, and you have to break your promise." Cheng Liren replied casually. People should be flexible; if they can't keep a promise, there's no need to force it. Just explain it in advance.
"Dad, he's my colleague, and I don't want to be untrustworthy in front of my colleagues," Cheng Lu pouted.
"Xiao Lu, tell me the truth. Is this colleague you're referring to perhaps Chen Feng, the driver for that deputy town mayor?" Cheng Liren tested.
"Dad, how did you know?" Cheng Lu's face blushed.
"Never mind how I know. Just tell me, do you like this young man?" Cheng Liren stared intently at Cheng Lu.
"Not at all." Cheng Lu vehemently denied it. Her face turned even redder.
"Xiao Lu, I don't care if you truly like this young man or pretend not to. I'll say it again: that young man is just a driver, and he comes from a rural background. Although he's smart and handsome, he's too far from our Cheng family. I will never agree to him marrying you," Cheng Liren said earnestly to Cheng Lu.
"Dad, you're thinking too much. You know me. I just want to make a name for myself in the political arena through my own abilities while I'm young. I'm not considering romantic relationships for now. As for why I want to help Chen Feng as much as possible, it's mainly because Chen Feng took good care of me in Mingshan Town. I just want to repay him a little, that's all," Cheng Lu said with a serious expression.
"If that's the case, it's simple. Call Chen Feng and ask him to come over. If Chen Feng can come up with a reasonable solution to get Deputy District Chief Xiao out, as long as it's reasonable enough, I'll do as he says without question. If he can't come up with a reasonable solution, then neither of you can mention this matter again," Cheng Liren said dismissively. The collapse of the residential building was too big and too complicated. It wasn't just driver Chen Feng who couldn't think of a good solution; he, the top leader of Jiangcheng, couldn't either.
"Okay." Cheng Lu agreed and immediately called Chen Feng.
Half an hour later, Chen Feng arrived at the agreed-upon coffee shop.
"Chen Feng, my friend said that this matter is very difficult to handle unless you have a feasible plan. Otherwise, Deputy District Chief Xiao will have to go to jail," Cheng Lu explained seriously.
"The matter is too big; I don't have a feasible plan," Chen Feng replied truthfully.
"Cheng Lu, did you hear that? Your colleague says he has no way to solve such a major issue," Cheng Liren said, intentionally pretending not to be Cheng Lu's father.
"However, I can ask someone to help figure it out," Chen Feng continued unhurriedly.
"Really?" Cheng Lu asked excitedly.
"Of course, it's true."
"But Chen Feng, you don't have any connections in Jiangcheng. Who can you ask for help?" Cheng Lu asked, confused.
"Simple! Hire an experienced insurance manager. An experienced insurance manager only needs one day to determine that Deputy District Chief Xiao is not responsible for this matter, and they can also identify an acceptable responsible party," Chen Feng explained word by word.
Cheng Liren, standing beside them, was stunned. This young man was indeed extraordinary, with high intelligence and a knack for finding breakthroughs in difficult problems. Insurance managers are shrewd individuals who can quickly investigate who is responsible and who is not.
The matter proceeded as Chen Feng and Cheng Liren had anticipated. A team of insurance managers, hired for a few thousand yuan, took a day to resolve the issue. This insurance team didn't focus on whether Deputy District Chief Xiao was responsible. Instead, Deputy District Chief Xiao was in an awkward position: if there was no designated responsible person, he would be held responsible. If there was a responsible person, he would not be. Therefore, the main focus had to be on finding the actual responsible party.
After a day of on-site investigation, the insurance team identified the real culprit: the cement manufacturer. It turned out that every step of the construction of the residential building, before and after, was without issue. Furthermore, every step was compliant and legal, with signed records archived. The cement manufacturer, for the sake of petty profit, intentionally used cement of model AS. The AS model cement was not significantly different from the cement model commonly used in real estate and looked very similar; it was impossible for non-professionals to distinguish. However, cement of model AS was much cheaper than the cement model commonly used in real estate because cement of model AS had a fatal weakness: it would turn to dust if exposed to excessive moisture. The cement manufacturer assumed the moisture level in the residential area wasn't very high and secretly used cement of model AS. As a result, while the moisture on the ground wasn't very high, the moisture underground was considerable. This caused the cement used for the foundation to become extremely brittle due to moisture, turning into dust. The building's structure, however, was still strong due to normal moisture levels, which was the reason for the entire building's collapse.
"Uncle Liren, Chen Feng has already provided the method and completed the preliminary work. Now it's your turn to step in, right?" Cheng Lu called her father "Uncle," suppressing a smile.
"Chen Feng's method is brilliant, a method that won't be objected to by any party. Don't worry, you can take up your new posts in a different location after one day." Cheng Liren looked at Chen Feng with admiration.
"Uncle Liren, why should I take up a new post in a different location? Isn't it good to continue serving as the Deputy District Chief of Red Rock District?" Cheng Lu asked, confused.