Reborn as a Noble's Son

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang immediately lifted his head. With the Eastern Development Forum approaching, urban redevelopment and expansion projects had also reached a critical moment. All projects were working overtime in an attempt to be completed before the opening of the Eastern Development Forum. As the Mayor, Nie Zhenbang was inevitably swamped. Fortunately, An Na and others had gone to Jingcheng, allowing him to have a peace of mind knowing that someone was taking care of things there.

Nie Zhenbang was momentarily surprised at Chen Le’s arrival, followed by a smile, “Quickly let Chen Le in. There are some things I need to discuss with him.”

Normally, Chen Le and Nie Zhenbang’s relationship didn’t require any formalities. However, since Nie Zhenbang got a new secretary, Chen Le and Yi Jun had been strictly observing this boundary.

Nie Zhenbang was clearly aware of this change; Chen Le didn’t abuse the favor, he remembered his place.

Nie Zhenbang didn’t bother with formalities when Chen Le walked in. With a wave of his hand, he directly asked, “I heard that a few days ago, the family members of Li Yaozu, who committed suicide by jumping off a building in Liangjiang District, came to you to cause trouble. Is that true?”

The incident had already spread through Jiangbei TV station, newspapers, and media outlets throughout Jiangbei Province. It was now quite common knowledge in the province.

Looking at Chen Le, Nie Zhenbang sternly said, “It was reckless of you. There were no prior signs of such a big scandal. Not reporting it to the Municipal Committee and the City Government initially, as soon as the media reported it, the incident of a Liangxi City Government official visiting prostitutes and committing suicide to evade inspection, has now become a laughingstock throughout the province. It has put the Municipal Committee and the City Government in a very passive position. Secretary Fan has quite a few complaints about you.”

Chen Le was familiar with Nie Zhenbang’s character, and he quickly responded with a smile, “Mr. Mayor, don’t you know me? I have found out that Li Guohua deliberately incited Li Yaozu’s wife to create a scene. They thought I didn’t have any evidence and wanted to take this opportunity to get me. They didn’t expect to offend Huang Qiue in the process.”

Pausing for a moment, Chen Le became serious, “Mayor, I’m here specifically for this matter. Li Yaozu’s wife agreed to cause trouble for Li Guohua and Guo Yulong, but now, Guo Yulong does not want to honor his promise. Yesterday, Huang Qiue came to me and reported some things about Li Guohua.”

After Chen Le repeated the things reported by Huang Qiue, at this moment, Nie Zhenbang’s complexion also became serious.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang was also weighing the options. This was indeed an opportunity, but the current situation in Jingcheng was delicate. Any move could have serious consequences. Taking action against Li Guohua may provoke a backlash from the Li faction, potentially leading them to target the Nie family.

Now, Nie Zhenbang was not just carrying his own future, but also the fate of his family. The Nie family must have someone enter the Politburo during this change of guard, which would provide a basic guarantee for the Nie family.

If this caused his uncle to fail to enter the Politburo, the loss would be significant. This was the reason for Nie Zhenbang’s hesitation.

After pondering for a while, Nie Zhenbang had made a decision. Looking at Chen Le, he said seriously, “Old Chen, I don’t need to speak much about the importance of this matter. I believe you understand it well. This must be kept confidential. Do not act rashly without absolute assurance of success. Keep me informed about this at all times.”

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang made his decision. Opportunities to pull down Li Guohua were not common. It would be a pity to let it pass. If he could use the opportunity of the Eastern Forum, he could even get Li Guohua transferred elsewhere over the provincial-ministerial threshold. After that, it would be even more difficult to pull down Li Guohua.

As for the impact on the overall situation in Jingcheng, there certainly would be drawbacks. However, every benefit has its cost. Risk often coexists with opportunity. Even if the Li family suppressed them, wouldn’t it also be an opportunity? At this time, perhaps Vice-Chairman Shen would think that the Nie family would be more receptive.

After finishing, he looked at Chen Le’s expression. Nie Zhenbang was quite pleased; there were no emotional fluctuations. In this aspect, Chen Le had proven his qualifications.

“Mr. Mayor, I understand. rest assured, I will personally follow up on this matter.” With that, Chen Le stood up.

…

Outside the Liangxi Grand Hotel, a black sedan was parked on the sidewalk across the street. Inside the car, two young men watched the constant stream of people coming and going from the Liangxi Grand Hotel.

Around nine in the evening, a black Audi drove directly into the hotel. Feng Kuang, who was in the control center, spoke into his microphone, “Target has entered the hotel, all units be on the lookout.”

At that moment, upstairs in the hotel, two young men, drunk as skunks, staggered arm in arm, mumbling gibberish now and then. The elevator took them straight to the eleventh floor of the Liangxi Grand Hotel. As the elevator doors opened. The two men stumbled out. A waiter, who had been waiting for them, came forward: “Gentlemen, I’m afraid this floor is reserved for city government officials and is not available to the public.”

At the waiter’s words, one of the men cursed, “What do you mean this floor is off-limits? Is there an inaccessible area in a hotel? Get us a presidential suite, I have plenty of money, cash ain’t an issue.”

The waiter stood his ground, responding, “Sir, it’s not about money. This floor is specifically for government officials. If you want a presidential suite, please go up to the top floor. Please understand my predicament, otherwise, I’ll have to call for security.”

On hearing the waiter mention calling security, the other man stepped forward with an apologetic smile, “Sorry, my friend is drunk. We’ll leave immediately.”

After stepping out of the eleventh floor, the two men found a secluded spot. Their drunken stupor visibly gone, they spoke quietly, “Commander Feng, we couldn’t get in. There’s someone on duty in the corridor 24 hours a day. It’s impossible to get close to Li Guohua’s room and check the situation.”

Listening to the report from the team upstairs, Feng Kuang frowned, angered. Nothing was more frustrating than watching an offender roam freely while powerless to apprehend him.

At this moment, an observer nearby spoke, “Commander Feng, look, a few more people went in. Among them is a prominent American professor from Liangxi University. According to our week-long observation, Li Guohua visits here approximately every three days, and this man is always present. It seems that they are in frequent contact.”

Feng Kuang watched the foreigner enter the building and cursed softly, “Such hypocrisy. The Li family has really produced a rare kind. If the Li family knew that all that he learned abroad were such things, they would be literally pissed off.”

After a moment of contemplation, Feng Kuang commanded in a steady voice, “Inform all other groups to continue monitoring. Find out where they meet. These people have unique identities and high-profile statuses. They wouldn’t just pick any place.”

After another week of observation, it was now early September. The Eastern Development Forum was less than a month away.

Feng Kuang and his team, after observing for a while, had basically figured out the meeting place of Li Guohua and his company. What shocked Feng Kuang even more was that among the participants in Li Guohua’s gatherings, apart from a few fixed sex workers, there were some seemingly honorable family women.

“Chief, we have now more or less traced the accounts. Just as Huang Qiue said, Li Guohua has a long-term private room at the Liangxi Grand Hotel. Moreover, Li Guohua, every three days, meets foreign nationals or famous entrepreneurs in the presidential suite on the top floor of the Liangxi Grand Hotel,” Feng Kuang reported, then continued, “According to statistics, the number of participants is generally between three to five. They go in individually, and approximately ten minutes later, women follow. If we weren’t paying close attention, we wouldn’t have noticed it. Their operations are quite secretive.”

Additionally, due to the special feature of the top floor, there are dedicated waiters outside the floor providing 24-hour service, along with stationed security personnel. It would be extremely difficult to catch them red-handed. If they wanted to control the outside without alarming Li Guohua and his company, they would have to act swiftly.

Listening to Feng Kuang’s report, Chen Le started to ponder, such action couldn’t be handled by him alone. One mistake and if they couldn’t catch Li Guohua red-handed, there would be a fierce counterattack from Li Guohua. The charge of privately investigating a superior leader is unavoidable. This matter must be decided by Nie Zhenbang.

With this in mind, Chen Le stood up and said in a deep voice, “Feng Kuang, prepare for action at any time. I’m heading to the city government to report to Mayor Nie.”

In the city government office, Nie Zhenbang furrowed his brow. This was a rare opportunity. If they could expose Li Guohua this time, his political career wouldn’t just hit a snag, but the backing and focus from the Li family would also cease. However, Li Guohua’s father, Li Jiangshan, who currently served as secretary of the Hucheng Municipal Committee and member of the Political Bureau, along with the Li family’s patriarch still being alive, whether they could withstand these pressures was an issue. Most importantly, what will they do if they failed to catch him on the spot?

All these were considerations and challenges to face. Chen Le too was deep in thought. After a while, he clenched his teeth and said, “Mr. Mayor, why don’t I lead the team personally to arrest Li Guohua? If we succeed, all will be well. If not, I will take the blame. This way, you won’t be implicated.”

“Chen Le! Do not say that again,” Nie Zhenbang interrupted, not waiting for Chen Le to finish. Looking at Chen Le, Nie said seriously, “In my life, I have never abandoned a comrade. I will shoulder whatever comes. Now, how certain are you about this operation?”

Chen Le was solemn and quiet for a moment before saying, “Considering Li Guohua’s status and their covert nature, I don’t think these people are wary. If we can control the floor’s service staff and security guards swiftly, I am 90% confident.”

After hearing Chen Le’s words, Nie Zhenbang pondered for a moment and then stood up, “Chen Le, go to the military sub-district immediately and ask Commander Peng to dispatch some unfamiliar faces. Act as foreign businessmen and rent a presidential suite. Take control of the situation as quickly as possible. Whether we can bring down Li Guohua depends on you. My political future and career are now in your hands.”