167: Chapter 166 Strange Father and Son of the Dong Family 167: Chapter 166 Strange Father and Son of the Dong Family Song Yun held in his hands not only the data hacked from Totem’s computers but also a large part of it had been bought from underground sources.
Through official intelligence, the data encompassed Dong Linze’s promotions and his family background, while through unofficial channels, Tom had also gathered information on Dong Linze’s connections and his family members’ details, covering almost all information about him.
He had climbed up from the grassroots level, which made Dong Linze’s networks extremely complicated.
Now in a high position, his children, one studying at the university and the other engaged in business, were not exactly clean officials.
It was clear that Dong Linze was both very capable and extremely low-profile.
The data showed no negative information about Dong Linze, meaning all the information Wang Dong could gather through both official and unofficial channels failed to spark the interest of the supervisory authorities.
This was Song Yun’s predicament.
As Song Yun reviewed the confidential financial data copied by Skilled Hands from Totem, he discovered that under Dong Ling’s watch, there had not been any case of tax evasion; the taxes were fully paid every quarter, and investments were even made occasionally in government projects, making them exemplary citizens.
This was quite unusual.
How could a man, whose father held a high position, not engage in sly dealings?
Apart from Dong Linze’s second son, Dong Xin, who was a deadbeat, his eldest son, Dong Ling, was impressive.
Mentored at Fudan University, he had started his own business after graduation and even sporadically sponsored children in impoverished mountain areas.
In his business dealings, he followed the principle that stepping back gives a boundless vista, letting everyone make money together, ready to bear the brunt himself.
Seeing this, if one were to say Dong Ling was without flaws, Song Yun would think himself mad.
Children of officials, whether at home or abroad, usually possess a special sense of vanity and pride, not the humility to be trampled upon without complaints like Dong Ling; it was completely illogical.
Moreover, from the information gathered secretly, Dong Linze was a man plagued with insecurities, orphaned from a young age.
Despite his high position, he was just a minor police station officer in a county of Sunan City over a decade ago.
After his wife gave birth to Dong Xin and ran away with another man, he began working frantically, bending over backward, cautious as a grandchild, until he took the deputy director position in Sunan City.
According to Song Yun, such a person would, once powerful, desperately seek more power and wealth.
Not for grandeur, but for a sense of security—he had suffered greatly rising through the ranks, and now powerful, he would surely be voracious for money, enhancing his sense of security and superiority.
Yet Dong Linze was different; although he made money, neither covertly nor officially were there any indications of this, making it a non-viable angle for Song Yun.
Directly targeting Dong Linze buying off his position could provoke the entire political scene of Sunan City.
After all, he had clawed his way to this position, so making some money was not unjustifiable.
Whether Dong Linze had been making money or not, Song Yun did not plan to pursue this angle.
But it was peculiar concerning his son, who didn’t indulge in excesses despite having endured tough times, comfortably following the path laid out by his father.
Song Yun smelled a hint of conspiracy, but the lack of evidence was frustrating.
Song Yun was now looking at the data, worried.
This matter was too problematic; a misstep could not only startle the grass but also severely weaken him.
At this point, Song Yun was not aware that Dong Linze had been detained, nor did he anticipate that this situation could lead to Dong Linze’s downfall.
The political circles of Sunan City were quick to spread news; no sooner had Dong Linze been detained than connections-started officials sensed something, each outdoing the others in humility.
Meanwhile, Dong Ling was incessantly calling his father, but to no avail.
Now, he was like an ant on a hot pan, anxiously pacing in his office.
It was untenable; if he did not resolve this situation quickly, it would be disastrous.
Thus, he began calling an uncle, a longstanding ally of Dong Linze, almost considered family.
The uncle had even intended his daughter to marry Dong Ling, but under the circumstances, he could only call to stabilize the situation.
“Uncle Zhao De, Totem has had a mishap—all the servers were hacked, and now all the screens are broadcasting,” he explained, “although we’ve now managed to control the situation, it’s bound to negatively impact Totem.”
“The computers were hacked?” Zhao De frowned, “And then?”
“All the financial data from Totem’s finance department has been copied, but everything concerning the finances is normal, so there’s no need to worry about that,” Dong Ling said, “I just can’t figure out which competitor might have hired the hacker, or who would bear such a grudge against me.”
“It’s likely this hasmore to do with your father’s political enemies than with you.
I’ll give a heads-up below, trying not to trouble Totem.
You should also find out who was behind this,” Zhao De said after a moment of silence.
“There are some things that must not be leaked.
When you make a public announcement, just say it was an attack by an unknown hacker who compromised the client side, resulting in total data loss.
Apologize to the public, admitting the failure to prevent hacking, and acknowledging the significant impact it has had on Sunan’s public safety.
Say this at the press conference, understand?”
“Yes, I know what to do,” Dong Ling responded.
“Tell your brother to keep a low profile for now, not idling away his days.
At the very least, he should get known around the university, to pave the way for his future when he’s older,” Zhao De sighed.
“Thank you, Uncle Zhao.
I’ll convey the instructions immediately and plan to start the public relations crisis management within the next few days to turn our image around.”
“There’s another matter; your father has been detained, and it remains uncertain what the outcome will be.
Keep a low profile on your end while I think of a way to possibly get Old Dong out earlier,”
“My father has been detained?” Dong Ling asked, bewildered while holding the phone.
“Yes, I’m going to start making moves here, you handle things on your end,” Zhao De concluded.