"Retire it? That's several million, just like that?" Principal Ding asked, stunned.
"Or what? The matter has blown up this big, and you think you can just swallow the money? Do you really think the parents are idiots?" Chen Feng questioned, his brow furrowed. If the head of the education bureau wasn't there, he would have cursed.
"Deputy Town Mayor Chen, I want to return the money too. But, I've already bought stocks, and I'm locked in. How can I return it?" Principal Ding replied with an indifferent expression.
"Oh, right. I forgot to introduce you. The head of the education bureau, Old Wu, is my high school classmate," Principal Ding added deliberately.
"Director Wu, what are your thoughts?" Chen Feng ignored Principal Ding and asked Director Wu directly.
"Deputy Town Mayor Chen, Principal Ding is my high school classmate and a close friend. Can you see if there's a way to resolve this without returning the money?" Director Wu asked softly.
"Director Wu, are you joking? News spreads so fast on Douyin now. A multi-million dollar embezzlement incident – returning the money is already the best outcome," Chen Feng explained, suppressing his anger.
"Chen Feng, I understand what you're saying. But the problem is, my classmate is truly trapped in the stock market. If he cashes out now, he'll lose half."
"Then he loses half, and Principal Ding sells his house to cover the other half," Chen Feng stated directly.
"Chen Feng, I think we should consider other options. My classmate definitely won't accept this solution," Director Wu said, observing Chen Feng's expression.
"Okay, if that's the case, then I'm not dealing with this anymore." Chen Feng replied crisply.
"Deputy Town Mayor Chen, you are in charge of education in Mingshan Town. If my classmate's scheme is exposed, we will both be implicated. Are you sure you're not dealing with it?" Director Wu said coldly.
Chen Feng paused. No wonder Principal Ding was so audacious; it turned out he had Director Wu backing him up. This meant Director Wu must have received a significant portion of the money, otherwise, there was no reason to protect Principal Ding so fiercely. In this society, classmate friendships weren't as deep as imagined.
"Director Wu, are you saying that the three of us will rise and fall together?" Chen Feng retorted calmly.
"Isn't it?" Director Wu replied coldly.
"Director Wu, since you've put it this way, I'll be honest too. When you and Principal Ding were dividing the spoils, I wasn't included. Now that we're facing the consequences, I'm included?" Chen Feng asked.
"Deputy Town Mayor Chen, I know you're not satisfied and unwilling. But this is the unwritten rule of officialdom. Once a major incident occurs, the primary responsible person must bear the responsibility."
"Director Wu, you've miscalculated." Chen Feng responded with a cold smile.
"Oh, I've been in officialdom for decades, do you think I would miscalculate? Let me tell you, if this matter is exposed, Principal Ding and I aren't worried at all. You, as the deputy town mayor in charge of education, are the primary responsible person. You should be the one who's worried." Director Wu openly threatened Chen Feng.
Initially, Director Wu didn't want to threaten Chen Feng. He hoped that Chen Feng, out of respect for his position as the head of the education bureau, would turn a blind eye and let the matter pass. After all, these high school students were about to take their college entrance exams, and their parents wouldn't dare to escalate the issue. Who knew that Chen Feng would act like a saint from the start, insisting that Principal Ding return the money? In this day and age, it was easy to earn money, but difficult to return it! No one would disgorge millions that had already been pocketed just because someone made a fuss!
"Director Wu, your decades in officialdom have been wasted. You haven't seen the essence of the matter. In every major accident, the responsible person is indeed dealt with. To be honest, I am responsible for such disgraceful events happening at Mingshan Town High School. However, the responsible persons dealt with are always those without connections. Don't you know my relationship with Town Mayor Qin?" Chen Feng replied unhurriedly.
"I fear Town Mayor Qin won't be able to protect you!" Director Wu continued to threaten Chen Feng.
"Then we shall see." With that, Chen Feng turned and left. Talking more with Director Wu and Principal Ding, whose consciences had been corrupted by money, was a waste of breath.
"Town Mayor Qin, are you aware of the highly publicized tablet incident in Mingshan Town these past few days?" Chen Feng went directly to Qin Yan upon returning to the town government.
"I just found out today. Didn't you go to Mingshan Town? How was the matter handled?" Qin Yan asked.
"It wasn't handled very smoothly," Chen Feng replied truthfully.
"What? Not very smoothly? How is that possible? Anyone with half a brain knows that once the tablet incident is exposed, returning the money to quell public anger is the best outcome. Didn't you do that?" Qin Yan asked, bewildered.
"Town Mayor Qin, I wanted to do that. But the head of education in Mingshan Town doesn't want to. His intention is to have me take the blame."
"What? The head of education in Mingshan Town, and that Principal Ding, have they lost their minds? They're threatening someone to take the fall for this kind of thing? How can they take the fall? There are already several videos exposing the tablet incident on Douyin. It's not just you who can't handle it; people from Jiangcheng won't be able to either. Hmm, wait a moment, let me think, did the head of the education bureau also take a cut?" Qin Yan probed.
"There's no other reason for this. Qin Yan, the head of the Mingshan Town Education Bureau and Principal Ding are risking their lives for money. How should this be handled? If it's left unresolved, I'll still be implicated," Chen Feng said, feeling dejected. The head of the Mingshan Town Education Bureau was emboldened precisely because of this calculation. Honestly speaking, the head of the Mingshan Town Education Bureau wasn't being alarmist. The reality of officialdom was indeed like this. For example, if there was an accident in a coal mine and several people died, then, regrettably, the relevant leaders in the mining bureau would definitely be held accountable. In reality, these leaders were sometimes truly wronged, as the subordinates had concealed things from them. Such situations were difficult to prevent!
"We can only strike first," Qin Yan said calmly after a moment's thought.
"Strike first?"
"Yes, strike first. You go to the Yongming County Education Bureau right now and report everything about the Mingshan Town Education Bureau head and Principal Ding embezzling student money to the head of the Yongming County Education Bureau. Remember, it's best to bring some media reporters with you..." Qin Yan said seriously.
"Town Mayor Qin, won't this affect Mingshan Town's evaluation as a civilized town?" Chen Feng hesitated.
"You don't need to worry about that. These kinds of incidents happen in every town every day; it's commonplace and won't affect the civilized town evaluation. Alright, that's all for now. You hurry to the Yongming County Education Bureau. This kind of matter requires a swift and decisive approach!" Chen Feng agreed wholeheartedly. The head of the Mingshan Town Education Bureau and Principal Ding thought he wouldn't expose the matter to avoid embarrassment, but he would expose it. He could overlook minor issues, after all, "water that is too pure has no fish." He didn't need to act like a saint. However, when it came to doing bad things with a clear conscience, pretending not to see them, or even colluding with them, that was something he couldn't do. There were many unwritten rules in officialdom, and one had to adapt and be flexible, but there had to be a bottom line. Without a bottom line, what was the difference between him and a beast? Thus, Chen Feng immediately drove to the Yongming County Education Bureau. Unexpectedly, upon entering the office of the head of the Yongming County Education Bureau, Chen Feng was surprised to find that Director Wu and Principal Ding were already inside...