Li Lin hesitated for two seconds, then showed a calm smile on his face and said, "Director Qi, please calm down. Control your emotions and talk slowly. Come, have a cup of tea to calm down!"

As he spoke, he pushed the carefully brewed tea in front of Qi Xu, his eyes showing peace.

Qi Xu moved his lips and wanted to say something else, but when he saw Li Lin's calm expression and thought about his own misconduct just now, he held his words back.

He sighed softly, picked up the teacup and took a sip obediently.

Seeing Qi Xu calmed down a little, Li Lin said seriously, "Director Qi, we have only been investigating for a long time. Do you think it is appropriate to call the provincial leaders to complain now? Will the provincial leaders think that we are not serious at all, and will they think that we are incompetent? I won't say anything. The province sent me here mainly to coordinate the overall situation, not to investigate the case directly.

You are different. You are all elites in handling cases in the Commission for Discipline Inspection. Aren't you afraid that this will affect your status in the hearts of the leaders? As long as you don't care, I can make this call now. I won't call Secretary Chen, but report directly to Secretary Wang. Do you think this is enough?"

As soon as these words came out, Qi Xu felt a buzzing in his head, as if he was struck by lightning.

His face turned red instantly and he stammered, unable to speak.

Only then did he realize what a mistake it was to let Li Lin call the provincial leaders to complain!

He wanted to embarrass Li Lin in front of the leaders, but he almost got himself involved.

Because these three are the ones who are actually responsible for handling the case. If the case goes wrong, they will be the first to be considered incompetent.

Grass!

Qi Xu cursed inwardly, then looked at Li Lin with gratitude, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Director Li, I didn't think it through. We have just started the trial and haven't really put in any effort yet. It is indeed too early to report to the provincial leaders at this time. You are the one with a clear mind. I am a little confused when I get busy, haha."

As he spoke, he smiled awkwardly, his face red all the way to the back of his ears.

Li Lin didn't intend to dwell on this matter. After all, it was very common for subordinates to complain to their superiors. As long as he could make the other party realize his mistake, it would be fine.

He smiled and said to Qi Xu, "Director Qi, you are an old hand at handling cases. As the saying goes, 'a strong general has no weak soldiers'. The two comrades under you must be top-notch in the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. I think we should try harder and try not to disappoint the provincial leaders. Don't you agree, Director Qi?"

Qi Xu quickly smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, yes, yes. The provincial leaders have high hopes for us, and we must not let them down. Director Li, don't worry, you just sit back and command, Xiao Qu and I will charge into battle, and we will not sleep tonight, and try to capture Chu Yao, hehe."

Although he was smiling on the surface, he felt helpless in his heart.

After all, Li Lin holds the power to report to the provincial leaders. Even if he is resentful, he can only pretend to be obedient, because his future depends to a large extent on how Li Lin reports.

"Well, I have confidence in you. Let's drink tea." Li Lin said, and added some water to Qi Xu's cup. This action can be said to be a combination of kindness and force.

Seeing this, Qi Xu hurriedly and carefully protected the cup with both hands, with a respectful expression on his face.

Suddenly, Li Lin asked again, "You said Chu Yao was resistant, what's going on?"

Qi Xu quickly put down his teacup and said seriously, "It's like this. She kept clamoring to see the provincial leaders, and of course we couldn't agree. So she kept pestering us. Later, when I went, she even complained that I was too low-ranking and unworthy of talking to her. I think she was just making trouble."

"Oh?" After hearing this, Li Lin secretly tried to guess what Chu Yao was thinking at the moment.

He thought that Chu Yao was the child of a provincial and ministerial leader, and was usually surrounded by senior officials. She might be familiar with Wang Jin and other major provincial leaders, and might even call them uncle or aunt in private.

So she probably still had a glimmer of hope in her heart, hoping to find a chance to evade sanctions by meeting with provincial leaders.

But Li Lin knew in his heart that this was simply a fantasy.

Chu Guoan was imprisoned for involvement in the case, and now everyone is avoiding him. How could anyone take the initiative to get involved with them?

In this realistic society, people have close relationships when they are in power, but once they lose power, the relationships will automatically end.

What's more, Chu Guoan was in prison for a serious crime...

Qi Xu did not suggest that Li Lin go meet Chu Yao, because he knew that Li Lin's actual position was lower than his own, even lower than Qu Junfeng's, and Chu Yao would definitely look down on Li Lin.

Li Lin himself had no plans to meet Chu Yao right now.

He felt that he should first dampen Chu Yao's arrogance and wait for the right opportunity to show up again.

If he appeared rashly, it would not only be of no benefit to the trial, but might increase Chu Yao's resistance and even intensify the conflict.

So, Li Lin told Qi Xu, "Okay, I got it. You guys continue to communicate with her, and I'll think of a solution."