0124 133 Incident (Part 2)
Zhou Xiye and Ling Xingzhi both looked at Qiao Senxi, who was covered in sweat. He was taken aback when he saw Zhou Xiye and Ling Xingzhi's intimate behavior. Zhou Xiye straightened her expression and stood up. "What's the rush?" she asked. As she spoke, she pulled out a few sheets of paper from the side and handed them to Qiao Senxi. "Take it easy, don't rush."
Qiao Senxi took the tissue and wiped his face, then threw the tissue into the trash can. He turned around and Zhou Xiye handed him a glass of water, which Qiao Senxi accepted without hesitation. He tilted his head back and drank the water in one gulp.
Ling Xingzhi turned his head to look at him, his fingers tapping lightly on his knees, patiently waiting for Qiao Senxi to speak.
After finishing his water, Qiao Senxi sighed and took out his phone to say to Zhou Xiye, who was leaning against the desk, "Something has happened at the agritainment business. Many people have filed real-name reports on various media platforms, accusing the agritainment business of collective prostitution."
Prostitution? Zhou Xiye thought she had misheard. Qiao Senxi held the phone in front of her, and Zhou Xiye frowned as she read through a series of seven or eight reports, each accompanied by a photo of someone holding up their ID card. Then she looked at the comments and likes—it had already exceeded a million.
Ling Xingzhi was taken aback when he heard about prostitution. He then considered the implications: prostitution, gambling, and drugs are inextricably linked. Yunnan is a unique region; drugs are nearby, and so are gambling dens. Prostitution involving dancers is somewhat normal. But… who would dare to be so audacious as to organize prostitution in a rural guesthouse under the leadership of the municipal party secretary?
Ling Xingzhi's gaze shifted to Zhou Xiye, and his tapping fingers stopped.
“Call the Municipal Bureau and tell them to open a case and investigate,” Zhou Xiye said to Qiao Senxi, then shook his head after thinking for a moment. “I told him myself, ‘Go and find out who is in charge of the district where the prostitution case occurred, and bring the district head and the village committee leaders over. Then go and call the new secretary to the conference room to give them a training session.’”
Qiao Senxi nodded, but he didn't move. Zhou Xiye said a lot, but didn't say how to deal with the video. Ling Xingzhi spoke up at this time, "Call Douyin's official account and tell them to take down all videos related to the Yunnan report first, and then we'll talk about it after we've investigated the situation."
Qiao Senxi looked at Zhou Xiye, waiting for her to nod. Ling Xingzhi had more experience in this area than Zhou Xiye, and after weighing the options, Zhou Xiye nodded. After Qiao Senxi left, Ling Xingzhi got up and walked to Zhou Xiye's side, saying, "They came for you."
"It's a declarative sentence, not a question," Zhou Xiye nodded with a stern face. "Who do you think it could be?" She picked up the landline on the table and dialed. After a short while, the call was answered. "Meng Qinggong, have you seen the videos reporting us on Douyin and Weibo?"
Meng Qinggong had just found out as well. "I saw it. Didn't Mayor Ling just say to keep the news under wraps?"
"Go find those whistleblowers and start an investigation," Zhou Xiye instructed again. "You go personally, take two trusted men with you, and don't let your subordinates interfere."
"good."
"Let me know once you find the whistleblower. I'll go to the Municipal Public Security Bureau when I have time," Zhou Xiye said before hanging up the phone.
Ling Xingzhi stood aside, and while Zhou Xiye was on the phone, he really thought about who could be causing trouble under Zhou Xiye's nose. After thinking about it for a while, he still couldn't come to a definite conclusion. "You've offended too many people, it's hard to say."
Zhou Xiye chuckled, sat back down in his seat, and said in a superior-to-subordinate tone, "I might be busy with this matter recently. Please keep an eye on other things in the city for me."
"Okay, don't worry," Ling Xingzhi understood Zhou Xiye's meaning. She had built the agritainment business from scratch, and as the project manager, she would naturally be responsible if anything went wrong. However, despite saying that, the mayor's hotline was ringing off the hook. Ling Xingzhi returned to the city and asked Li Qingshan to handle the calls. In the end, she had people from the offices of the First and Second Secretaries of the City take over the calls.
The biggest government matter in the city right now is dealing with the agritourism business. After Li Qingshan finished his call, he went outside for a smoke. Ling Xingzhi came out of the restroom, saw him smoking, and went over to ask, "A lot of people?"
Li Qingshan was taken aback, nodded, and tried to put out his cigarette, but Ling Xingzhi waved his hand and lit a cigarette as well. After exhaling a few puffs of smoke, he finally spoke, "I only brought you with me from Beijing. I trust you more than Chen Ran... I didn't expect that there would be so many things to do and so many different people in Kunming. Just hang in there, things will be better when we get back to Beijing."
This was the first time Li Qingshan had heard Ling Xingzhi speak to him so calmly. Li Qingshan lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Mayor, Secretary Zhou is the main person in charge of the agritainment business. This call should have gone to the municipal party committee, not the mayor's hotline. This is her..."
Li Qingshan had watched Zhou Xiye and Ling Xingzhi fight from Beijing to Kunming. He didn't quite understand the relationship between the two, but this matter of accountability really had nothing to do with Ling Xingzhi, and he felt sorry for him.
Ling Xingzhi shook his head and said with a smile, "Yes, it's Secretary Zhou's business, but we can't kick him when he's down." He took a puff of his cigarette. "We'll just answer the phone, and we don't need to worry about anything else." After saying that, he patted Li Qingshan on the shoulder. "If you're tired, let the people below do it. The people in the Propaganda Department and the Civilization Department are all free. You can use them as you like."
Li Qingshan remained silent, while Ling Xingzhi smiled, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and walked away.
On the other end, Zhou Xiye sat in his office for a long time.
Qiao Senxi knocked on the door but no one answered, so he assumed Zhou Xiye had left. With five minutes left until the end of the workday, Zhou Xiye, unusually, actually came out of the office. Qiao Senxi was taken aback. Zhou Xiye walked up to him and tapped on the desk. "Let's go, come with me to the Municipal Bureau."
Meng Qinggong arrested the man and interrogated him for an afternoon. He only called Zhou Xiye after he had a fairly good understanding of the case. Li Wei was driving with Zhou Xiye and Qiao Senxi in the back seat. There were people outside the municipal party committee compound. Some were holding banners, and some were holding wooden boards. The words on them were simply that they had come to demand fairness and justice.
Upon seeing this, Qiao Senxi muttered, "The truth of the matter hasn't even come out yet, but a bunch of people are already going to court and putting people on trial online..."
Zhou Xiye closed his eyes, leaned his head back in the chair, and heard Qiao Senxi's words, "People's emotions always need an outlet, plus so many people are waiting to see me make a fool of myself, so there's bound to be some public opinion guidance."
"You don't care?" Qiao Senxi felt that Zhou Xiye hadn't shown any emotional change except for locking himself in the office for an afternoon.
“What’s the use of caring?” Zhou Xiye kept his eyes closed. “Let’s solve the problem first. Those people forced into prostitution are much more pitiful than me. They are waiting for me to uphold justice for them. I don’t have time to think about myself.”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Senxi actually laughed.
Upon arriving at the municipal police station, Meng Qinggong reported on the case. Several other officials were also present: the district head and village committee members. They straightened their backs when they saw Zhou Xiye. Zhou Xiye sat down and waved his hand, "Speak, what happened?"
Meng Qinggong turned on his computer and projected a PowerPoint presentation. The gist of it was that the agritourism industry in Kunming had indeed boosted the economy of the surrounding areas, attracting many tourists from other provinces and cities. The incidents occurred during these trips; many female tourists disappeared in Kunming.
In a highly accidental turn of events, the parents of the missing girl discovered that their daughter had been forced into prostitution at a farmhouse in Kunming. The videos, sent via precise big data analysis to their phones by various platforms like Douyin, prompted the victim's parents to report the incident online.
The nature of this matter is no less than that of the Xuzhou Eight Children Incident. After hearing the details of the case, Zhou Xiye's expression became increasingly grim.
“In that case, let’s issue a notice about this case first. It’s a human trafficking and prostitution case…” Zhou Xiye sighed. “These families need to be settled properly. Their food, lodging, and transportation expenses will all be covered by the government.” After she finished speaking, she looked at Meng Qinggong. “You must find the missing people. Close off the Kunming section of the road if necessary. Report the progress of the case in a timely manner. The information on the internet should also be updated regularly. You have more experience in this matter than I do. My requirement is to resolve this matter within a week.”
"Okay," Meng Qinggong nodded.
Zhou Xiye didn't notice his nervousness and looked at him, emphasizing again, "If you can't handle this matter well, you can forget about being the director."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned. Zhou Xiye looked around at them and said, "You too, if you can't handle or resolve this matter within a week, then give up your positions and let someone more capable take over."
District Chief Wang Shengli hesitated for a long time before saying, "Secretary Zhou, what if... I mean, what if this prostitution case involves other people? I mean..." He hesitated, unable to finish his sentence, as if he had lost half his life.
Zhou Xiye understood what he meant. "Investigate thoroughly. Don't be afraid. If you find anything wrong, the municipal party committee and I will take responsibility for you. I will be held accountable if any problems arise. The premise is that you must investigate thoroughly!"
Upon hearing Zhou Xiye's words, District Chief Wang Shengli breathed a sigh of relief. Meng Qinggong remained silent, though he harbored resentment. Zhou Xiye always used him as a scapegoat, simply because he had been disobedient when she first arrived. After the meeting, Meng Qinggong's sour face finally softened a bit.
Zhou Xiye left the conference room and went to the room where the victim's parents were. The people inside became emotional as soon as they saw Zhou Xiye.
"Is this Secretary Zhou? My daughter is missing! We've called the police before, but it didn't help!"
"Yes, Secretary Zhou, it's a good thing that you've started this agritourism business, but my daughter is missing! My child came here to play, and after a few days she disappeared..."
"..."
A group of people were chattering. Zhou Xiye raised his hand and waved, "Everyone, please be quiet! I am Zhou Xiye, the Party Secretary of Kunming. You can talk about any issues you have, but can we sit down and discuss this calmly?"
After Zhou Xiye finished speaking, Qiao Senxi led a group of people in to maintain order in the room and let the victim's parents sit down.
Some parents still had red eyes, wiping away tears as they sat in their seats. Zhou Xiye sat down behind the table at the front, turned on the microphone, and said, "Hello everyone, my name is Zhou Xiye, you can just call me Xiao Zhou. Actually, whether you know me or not is not important. What's important is that you understand that I am someone who can help you solve your problems. I have a general understanding of the case. Your children went missing after coming to Kunming and have not been found to this day. Then, through big data analysis, your children were found in a farmhouse in Kunming. What's even more serious is that they were forced into prostitution."
Zhou Xiye briefly summarized the situation, "The first reason we met this time was to understand everyone's demands; the second reason was to understand the whole story. For example, when someone went missing, was the police notified in Kunming? What did the police say at the time, and what were their reasons for refusing to file a case, or what happened after the case was filed... I would like to ask everyone to tell me in detail."
Zhou Xiye's attitude was good, and his emotions were stable. Many parents realized that this official might genuinely want to help solve the problem, so they all spoke up. For a moment, the room was filled with chatter. Zhou Xiye looked at the group; they were very anxious.
"In that case, I can't hear what you're saying. Why don't you each send a representative to explain your situation?"
After Zhou Xiye finished speaking, the parents looked around, and finally a simply dressed woman stood up. "Hello, Secretary Zhou, I am a parent's mother. My child and her boyfriend went missing while traveling in Kunming, but when they returned home, only the boy was there... That night, my child went out to buy something, but she never came back. The boy reported it to the police, and the Kunming police went out, but they couldn't find her. They even reviewed the surveillance footage... but it was no use..."
As she spoke, she choked up and continued, "My only thought now is to rescue my daughter. I hope she can come back... Secretary Zhou, look at us parents, coming all over the country, traveling thousands of miles to Kunming to find our children. There have been so many cases of abduction and prostitution. Is this some kind of organized crime with a specific purpose? I think you have to give us an explanation."
In fact, the parents' demands are not high; they just want to find their children and bring the human trafficking gangs to justice.
The meeting went on very late, and in the end, Josh sent someone to drive the group back to their hotel.
Perhaps Ling Xingzhi's trick of deceiving people was indeed effective. In the shortest possible time, many plainclothes police officers sent by Meng Qinggong went to the farmhouse and arrested a number of henchmen of the prostitution gang.
The moment the man was caught, a notice with blue background and white lettering was issued.
Zhou Xiye didn't rest after leaving the Municipal Bureau; he instructed Qiao Senxi to notify the municipal leaders to attend a meeting. When Hu Rui received the notification, he got out of bed. His wife turned on the bedside lamp and watched him get dressed. "Zhou Xiye is calling you to a meeting so late?"
Hu Rui paused in his dressing, looking at Guo Haiyan. "Something happened at the agritainment business, of course I have to go," he said, turning back to continue dressing. "Don't overthink it."
Guo Haiyan remained silent, watching as Hu Rui finished dressing and prepared to leave.
“Let’s get a divorce after you’re done with the agritainment business,” Guo Haiyan suddenly said. Hu Rui turned to look at her, his hand on the doorknob. “What do you mean?”
“I want to retire and go live with my daughter. You can be the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee. I want to enjoy my retirement.”
Hu Rui thought for a moment, then looked at her and asked, "Do you think I'm doomed?"
Guo Haiyan chuckled, "Don't you know how many bad things you've done? I can't wait for you to be finished."
Hu Rui turned and left, slamming the door shut.
Sitting in the car, with the dim streetlights flashing past the window, Hu Rui had a feeling that something bad was going to happen this time, but he didn't know what it was.
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