69novels Chapter 1088 What to do about Zhang Lineng?
Chapter 1088 What to do about Zhang Lineng?
The air in the room instantly became heavy, like a heavy dark cloud pressing down, making even breathing feel difficult. Only the old light bulb overhead seemed to have a faulty connection, occasionally emitting a soft "buzzing" sound, which was particularly jarring in the deathly silence, like a fine needle, disturbing one's peace of mind.
The high-ranking leader leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table. His tone softened, becoming more persuasive and patient: "Li Jianjun, by now you should know what's going on. We do have evidence of your actions, but we're giving you a chance to confess. Now, be honest and tell us everything clearly: who instigated you, what shady dealings you were involved in, where the money and valuables are located—tell us everything. I'll apply to my superiors, and it will be considered a meritorious service. That might help us get some leniency, which is better than stubbornly resisting, isn't it?"
Li Jianjun, however, seemed not to hear. He pursed his lips tightly, making them a pale line, and his eyelids drooped, not even glancing at the high-ranking leader. He was confident in his abilities—before coming here, his uncle, who was a deputy bureau chief, had specifically called him to his home, patting his chest and saying, "I'll hold up the sky if it falls," repeatedly instructing him, "The more you say, the more mistakes you'll make; the less you say, the fewer mistakes you'll make. As long as you get through these forty-eight hours, I guarantee no one can do anything to you; someone will come to your rescue." At this moment, he was determined to play dumb, refusing to respond no matter what the other party said, knowing he had a powerful backer.
The senior leader patiently questioned him for a long time, from old embezzlement of public funds to buy luxury goods a few years ago, to recent shady dealings like helping people get contracts through back channels, scrutinizing every detail. But Li Jianjun either shook his head or kept repeating "I don't know," his unyielding attitude preventing him from uttering a single useful piece of information, which infuriated the colleague taking notes, who gripped his pen tightly.
The high-ranking leader's face gradually darkened, the warmth in his eyes faded, and his tone turned cold: "Li Jianjun, let me make this clear: your lack of cooperation now will only make things worse. Once we've pieced together the entire chain of evidence, with witnesses and physical evidence, your crimes will only become more serious. At that point, no one will be able to protect you, understand?"
Li Jianjun remained defiant, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed and eyes closed, abandoning any pretense of politeness as if the person in front of him was nothing more than air.
The senior leader stared at him for a long time. Seeing his unyielding attitude, he knew that it would be a waste of time to ask him any further. He could only snort and wave his hand: "Take him back first and keep an eye on him."
The sound of an iron gate opening and closing echoed down the corridor. Li Jianjun's figure disappeared through the doorway. Only then did the senior leader rub his temples and say to the colleague who was taking notes, "Check his recent call records, especially his uncle's. He's definitely involved."
On the other side, when Zhang Li dragged his leaden legs home, the living room light was still on, casting a warm yellow glow through the crack in the door into the hallway. Zhang Xue was sitting on the sofa, clutching a handkerchief in her hand, her knuckles almost tearing the fabric. Seeing him enter, she jumped to her feet, her steps unsteady, her eyes filled with anxiety: "Dad, how is it? Jianjun... is he suffering in there? Did those people beat him? I heard the interrogations are really strict..."
Looking at his daughter's haggard face, her eyes dark and her hair disheveled, Zhang Li's anger flared up. That bastard Li Jianjun! If it weren't for his relentless pursuit of Zhang Xue, how could he have agreed to this marriage? Now look what's happened—he's in deep trouble, and he still holds the evidence that Zhang Li helped cover up his work mistakes years ago—a fatal wound that could ruin his reputation. Now that the kid's in trouble, if Zhang Li doesn't step in, Li Jianjun might desperately dig up all those old secrets, and then Zhang Li's old bones would suffer too.
On the way back, countless ruthless thoughts had crossed his mind—if he could secretly cause Li Jianjun to "have an accident," such as "accidentally" falling in the detention center or "suddenly falling ill," it would be a clean break, eliminating all future troubles. But then he thought, after all, he was his daughter's husband and his grandson's father. If he really did that, Zhang Xue would never forgive him, and his family would never have peace again.
After much deliberation, he could only suppress his ruthlessness and take it one step at a time. But he also secretly vowed to himself: if Li Jianjun misbehaved and ruined his plans by talking nonsense inside, then he wouldn't hesitate to defuse this time bomb himself, even if it meant his daughter would hate him for the rest of her life, rather than ruin the reputation he had worked so hard to build up.
Zhang Li took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his chest, and tried to make his tone sound calm: "Alright, don't worry. I asked someone to put in a good word with an old acquaintance at the detention center. He won't suffer any losses in there; no one will dare to touch him. You shouldn't linger here either. Go back and rest. You have children at home; don't let them notice anything amiss. Tomorrow morning, I'll try to pull some strings and find some old comrades-in-arms to see how to get him out."
Zhang Xue was still worried. She stepped forward and grabbed his arm, her eyes instantly reddening, her voice trembling with tears: "Dad, you have to do your best. What will happen to me and the child if Jianjun really gets into trouble? We're counting on him... If you don't help him, I... I won't come back!"
These words were like a sharp thorn, piercing Zhang Li's heart. He felt a surge of anger, but he couldn't vent it. He abruptly shook off his daughter's hand and said in a deep voice, "I know! Stop nagging! Go back first, don't cause trouble here! I have my own way!" After saying that, he turned and walked towards the study, leaving Zhang Xue alone in the middle of the living room, tears finally streaming down her face.
Zhang Xue went home in a huff, after all, she was helpless. She didn't know many people, so what could she do?
Zhang Li watched his daughter's retreating figure, feeling helpless. After all, Li Jianjun's mistake this time was indeed quite serious, and the matter needed to be resolved slowly.
Li Jianjun was taken away and remained silent there. After all, his father-in-law would surely save him at this point, since he knew quite a bit. He would explain everything and that would save him.
A night passed, and Yi Zhonghai woke up groggily in the morning, completely unaware of how he got back. Aunt Tan didn't say anything useless to Yi Zhonghai.