Right, Gu Lou was also a member. Perhaps he was the one who let this matter slip.
Although he was dead now, it was entirely possible that before his death, he told his son, Gu Sanqing, about it. Gu Sanqing then might have told Zhang Liunian, leading to the current situation.
He also recalled that Gu Sanqing had intervened to save Zhang Liunian several times. Although he didn't understand why Gu Lou wanted Zhang Liunian dead while Gu Sanqing wanted to save him, and found their father-son dynamic baffling, it didn't stop him from suspecting that Gu Sanqing and Zhang Liunian were close.
This had to be the case, it absolutely had to be.
Besides the Gu family, no one else would act this way.
Everyone else was his member, and like him, they had come from Hong Kong. They wouldn't possibly reveal this matter to a mere national businessman.
At this moment, Chen Jiayuan had completely forgotten that Gu Sanqing had stood by indifferently while Zhang Liunian ordered them to attack the day before yesterday.
His relationship with Zhang Liunian was not as good as he had imagined.
All he wanted now was to find someone who wasn't one of them to scapegoat.
"Whether it's true or not, won't it be clear if we investigate?" Zhang Liunian smirked, appearing to have everything under control.
This made Chen Jiayuan's expression even more flustered.
This scene was precisely what Comrade Sun, who had been watching him, saw. He inwardly thought that this document might be genuine.
This was too shameless. How could they come up with such a heartless scheme and plan?
If Zhang Liunian hadn't presented it, he wouldn't have believed that some people could be so wicked.
Intentionally setting a trap for the wealthy people of Pengcheng to fall into, and then absconding – wasn't this the same pattern as the previous wealth scams?
It had merely taken a different form.
Damn it, why were there so many people who wanted to bring Pengcheng down before it had even truly grown?
Did these people simply resent Pengcheng's development?
"President Chen, do you have anything else to say?" Comrade Sun stared intently at Chen Jiayuan, as if trying to bore a hole through him.
"Of course, I do. I am innocent. My members and I have never conceived of such a monstrous plan, nor would we ever do such a thing.
Comrade Sun should know that we are all here to help everyone build the economy. We would absolutely never do anything like this." Chen Jiayuan would never admit to such a crime. If he did, wouldn't he be spat upon by everyone in Pengcheng?
However, some things, once done, cannot be undone simply by refusing to admit them.
"President Chen, you're like someone who won't shed tears until they see the coffin. The evidence is right in front of your face, yet you pretend not to see it. Your thick skin is truly beyond ordinary." Zhang Liunian mocked him.
Chen Jiayuan glared at him with a dark expression. "What evidence? This is just your one-sided story, something you've used to frame me. Don't think that these two pieces of paper are enough to tarnish the reputation of us Hong Kong businessmen. We will not admit it, nor will we let your scheme succeed."
When he came here, he had expected Zhang Liunian to beg for peace in a subservient manner. Instead, Zhang Liunian had shoved evidence in his face, which made him furious.
"Do we need me to slander you for what you've done in Pengcheng?"
Zhang Liunian sneered. If all their actions were exposed, their reputation would stink nationwide.
Even in Hong Kong, they would likely be looked down upon. After all, using all sorts of illicit means to scheme against others and gain wealth was truly shameful and worthy of ridicule.
Chen Jiayuan was stunned. His gaze towards Zhang Liunian became unprecedentedly serious and grave. What did he mean by that? Could it be that he knew about their other misdeeds?
Impossible. Gu Lou would never have told his son, Gu Sanqing, about everything they had done, because he knew the consequences for his son.
So, was Zhang Liunian trying to probe him?
Whether it was a probe or not, he would not admit it, nor could he let Gu Sanqing live another day.
If that old fellow Gu Lou had indeed told his son Gu Sanqing everything and had a contingency plan, then Gu Sanqing would be a ticking time bomb for them.
Such a person absolutely could not continue to exist.
At this moment, Chen Jiayuan suddenly became impatient to kill Gu Sanqing. Although he had had this thought a few days ago, he hadn't been in a hurry. Now, he couldn't wait a moment longer.
"Zhang Liunian, I don't know what kind of cooperation you've reached with Comrade Sun to have him help you like this, personally appearing to deal with me. However, I must regretfully tell you that we have not committed these actions."
Chen Jiayuan put on a facade of complete innocence, refusing to admit his wrongdoings.
Zhang Liunian was not overly disappointed. He shook his head and sneered, "Then why don't we just call the police about it?"
With the evidence presented, and him still stubbornly denying it, it was better to go through the proper channels. This would surely clarify whether these things were true or false.
Chen Jiayuan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Calling the police? This was the worst outcome. Zhang Liunian, that son of a bitch, was truly his nemesis; he clearly had no desire to see him prosper.
"President Chen, since you claim you haven't done these things, then calling the police and transferring the case to the industrial and commercial bureau to personally verify the truth of these matters will not have any negative impact on you, will it?"
Comrade Sun strongly agreed with Zhang Liunian's idea. Chen Jiayuan was too stubborn; he had to be dealt with forcefully. "After all, if you haven't done it, they'll just come and go. Right?"
"..."
Chen Jiayuan was speechless. How could he possibly answer?
"No, we do not accept that." The young man with dyed blonde hair, who had been standing behind Chen Jiayuan, couldn't stay silent any longer and immediately spoke up to object.
What they had done could not withstand scrutiny, especially if the industrial and commercial bureau was involved. If an investigation were to take place, it might expose their past schemes against the national trade association, and they would never be able to operate in Pengcheng again.
General Manager Ren also thought of this and spoke up, "You are bullying us too much. Why should you call the police if you want to, and do as you please? There is law in this world. You cannot make baseless accusations without factual evidence."
"You still know that this is a world with laws? I thought you had no such concept, otherwise, why would you be able to plan such deceitful schemes?" Zhang Liunian pointed to the plan he held regarding how they had harmed the people of Pengcheng, his sarcasm palpable.
"You're talking nonsense, we didn't." The young man with dyed blonde hair was not foolish and naturally would not admit to such a fatal thing, which was the product of their joint planning.
When they had devised it, they had been extremely excited, as if they could already see the people of Pengcheng working for them.
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