"Song Guanchao, be prepared mentally, the City Disciplinary Inspection Committee will come looking for you in the next few days."
"Who are you?"
"You don't need to know who I am, I will only say the following once. If you have connections in the officialdom of Lingjiang City, contact them immediately after I finish speaking. Don't wait for the Disciplinary Committee to come knocking; by then, it will be too late."
"Go on."
"You've been sold out by Li Fuhai!"
Song Guanchao was stunned.
Li Fuhai, the Vice Mayor of Lingjiang City.
And he had just retired from the military a month ago and had been assigned to drive for Li Fuhai.
He had only been the Vice Mayor's driver for half a month.
Sold out by the Vice Mayor after just half a month of working?
That sounded absurd.
He didn't argue but continued to listen.
"Some people paid Li Fuhai to arrange jobs, but he failed to accomplish the tasks and didn't return the money either; he was reported. The whistleblower went to the Disciplinary Committee, accusing Li Fuhai of corruption, bribery, and selling of positions."
"The intermediary who took the money has already been arrested, and Li Fuhai had this intermediary adamantly claim that you, the driver, took the money on your own initiative."
"By tonight at the latest, the Disciplinary Committee will be looking for Li Fuhai. If nothing unexpected happens, by tomorrow at the latest, they will be coming for you."
"You're on your own."
The person on the other end of the line was about to hang up when Song Guanchao suddenly spoke up, "You're Secretary Zhang Ming."
The caller hesitated, then laughed, "Quick thinker."
Although Zhang Ming had deliberately altered his voice and used an unfamiliar number, Song Guanchao had still guessed it.
It was a simple reasoning.
A matter like Li Fuhai framing him was confidential, not known to anyone less than highly trustworthy.
Yet the caller was keenly aware of a Vice Mayor's misconduct.
The only people who could have such information were the spouse or a secretary.
Now, Li Fuhai's secretary was tipping him off.
This meant that Zhang Ming had been sold out too!
As for why Zhang Ming made this call, alerting Song Guanchao...
It was simple; Zhang Ming did not want to take the blame!
However, as the Vice Mayor's secretary, Zhang Ming was certainly not clean.
This blame, whether he wanted to take it or not, he would probably have to bear!
Making this call was a desperate move, a last resort, to see if Song Guanchao had any powerful connections that could turn the tide.
Song Guanchao said, "Secretary Zhang has probably been sold out by the Vice Mayor as well, hasn't he?"
"Yes, but not as severely as you," Zhang Ming didn't deny.
"Understood, thanks."
After hanging up, Song Guanchao squinted his eyes.
"Li Fuhai, I've been driving for you for half a month and I haven't even received my first month's salary, and you fucking sell me out?"
"Damn!"
Cursing aside, Song Guanchao quickly calmed down and started to analyze his situation rapidly.
Firstly, since Li Fuhai planned to frame him, he must have prepared conclusive evidence to pin the crime on him.
Evidence that would make it impossible for him to turn the situation around!
He needed to find a solution before the Disciplinary Committee came knocking.
Once the Disciplinary Committee showed up, it would be too late to clear his name just by talking.
Speaking of connections, he indeed had some, and not just a few, with fairly high ranks.
But there was no need.
He had already left the army; it was better if he could avoid contacting them.
Besides, it wasn't like he had no other options.
After pondering for a moment, he quickly formulated a plan.
He glanced at the time, 2 PM.
He started the Vice Mayor Li Fuhai's official car and drove out of the city government building.
As he left, he deliberately grazed the gate with the car, then headed to a repair shop.
"Fix the scratch."
After leaving the repair shop, he took a taxi to his rental housing and adjusted the home surveillance cameras to more hidden positions.
Then putting on a helmet, he rode his dust-covered motorcycle out of the neighborhood.
As the Vice Mayor's driver, he had taken Li Fuhai to many places over the past half month.
Drivers and secretaries, they are the closest subordinates to a leader.
Some things can be hidden from others, but not from these two.
He had only driven for Li Fuhai for half a month and had not yet gained Li Fuhai's trust.
No matter where they went, he only drove to a general location and then stopped.
But Song Guanchao was, after all, a military elite who retired just a month ago and still retained his professional habits.
Every time Li Fuhai got out of the car, he secretly followed to protect him.
In just a few days, Song Guanchao had figured out several of Li Fuhai's residences in Lingjiang City and the places he frequently visited.
What Song Guanchao needed to do now was simple: find evidence!
Find evidence that he accepted money for services!
With evidence in hand, even if he was framed, he wouldn't need to worry.
Li Fuhai had three residences in Lingjiang City, one was a high-end flat in the city center where he lived with his wife.
Another was a high-end apartment where he lived with his mistress.
The last one was in an old district of the old town.
Li Fuhai usually didn't live with his wife, but with his mistress.
The old district, this half month, he had only visited twice.
If Li Fuhai was hiding evidence, the old district was the most likely place.
Song Guanchao rode his motorcycle to the old district and stopped at Building 8.
He had already observed that there were no surveillance cameras in this neighborhood.
After parking, he went to room 102 and knocked on the door.
No one answered.
After a few seconds, he knocked again.
Sure there was no one inside, he took out a card, slid it down the door gap, caught the latch, and pulled the handle—the door opened.
He put on shoe covers and quickly walked around the apartment.
Two bedrooms and a living room, about sixty square meters.
From the dust on the floor and furniture, it was clear this place wasn't meant for living, but it was convenient for hiding things.
A few minutes later.
He found a safe in the wardrobe, it required a code he couldn't crack.
After searching the room again and making sure there was nothing else, he picked up the safe, ready to leave.
At that moment, his phone suddenly rang.
Li Fuhai was calling.
"Hello, Mayor Li."
"Xiao Song, bring the car over."
"I'm really sorry, Mayor Li, the car accidentally got scratched, so I took it to the repair shop."
"How could you be so careless," Li Fuhai said somewhat discontentedly, then after a while, he asked, "Where are you now?"
"Still at the repair shop waiting for the car, it probably won't be fixed until six or seven in the evening."
"Drive it back once it's fixed."
Li Fuhai spoke coldly and then hung up.
Song Guanchao sneered, he knew Li Fuhai intended to leave evidence in the car.
Now that the car was gone, if he wanted to frame him, he could only leave the evidence at his own house.
He would give Li Fuhai that chance.
Carrying the safe out, he tied it onto the back seat of his motorcycle and headed to an abandoned factory.
After some forceful effort, the safe opened.
When he saw what was inside the safe, Song Guanchao was a bit stunned.
A stack of cash, a few bank cards, a hard drive, and a notebook.
He put on gloves, picked up the cash, and counted it, about two hundred thousand.
There were five bank cards, each with a sticky note attached with the bank information and PINs noted down.
He picked up the notebook and flipped it open.
When he saw the recorded contents, he was taken aback.
"[March 4, Liang Hao organized a dinner party and introduced me to his sister Liang Hui...]"
"[March 28, Principal Liu from the Third Middle School brought his wife and gifts to visit my house...]"
A thick notebook, recording the bribes and power-for-sex trades that Li Fuhai had accepted over the years.
Liang Hao, he remembered him, the secretary of the Huayuan District.
Liang Hui, he remembered her too, the mistress Li Fuhai kept in the apartment building.
He hadn't expected that man to have actually offered his own sister to Li Fuhai's bed.
He picked up the hard drive.
Inside, there must be even more explosive content.
"Accepting money for services, even if reported, wouldn't be a big issue. But if these things get exposed, hehe, just wait for lifelong imprisonment!"
He had originally just wanted to find evidence of abuse of power for personal gain by Li Fuhai, but he had found a pleasant surprise.
"Li Fuhai, you are digging your own grave—you can't blame me!"