Reborn as a Noble's Son-Chapter 930 - 886 The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

Chapter 930: Chapter 886: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

Chapter 930 -886: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

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Chen Qingdong’s mood was undoubtedly tumultuous at this moment as the whistleblower letter landed on Director Nie’s desk. The letter outlined three major pieces of incriminating evidence. First, the abuse of his position to cultivate loyalists. Second, occupying key departments, practicing nepotism, excluding those who are different, and suppressing opponents. Third was the issue of his personal conduct – it listed facts suggesting that Chen Qingdong had an improper relationship with Ms. Wang, a family member of a worker from Factory 38.

Chen Qingdong felt quite alarmed upon seeing this. Clearly, the other side had come prepared. The allegations were very well-backed, and indeed, each of the three issues had a certain degree of credibility. This was why, after reading the whistleblower letter, Chen Qingdong felt somewhat shaken, excited, and even more so, frightened.

However, Nie Zhenbang’s words and demeanor calmed Chen Qingdong down. Huaxia Group was a new department, a new unit, and Director Nie was new to the scene. Previously, although they weren’t in the same system, Chen Qingdong had learned a bit about Director Nie, who had once held a significant position in the party and government departments. Based on that alone, Chen Qingdong understood that Director Nie was not so easily fooled.

A state-owned enterprise, Huaxia Group, should also be considered a state enterprise. Competition within state enterprises is very intense and ruthless. However, compared to the party and government departments, this was minor league. Director Nie, having fought his way up from the party and government sectors, had seen it all and would not be swayed by such trivialities.

Looking at it now, it was indeed the case; otherwise, Director Nie wouldn’t have called him here. Coming here and seeing the whistleblower letter meant Director Nie wasn’t planning to take action against him yet.

Thinking this, Chen Qingdong’s understanding of Nie Zhenbang deepened. He glanced surreptitiously at the young man sitting across from him with a serene posture. Yes, within the level of provincial and ministerial leadership, Chen Qingdong thought the term “young man” was the most appropriate to describe him.

But in this moment, Chen Qingdong realized that no one’s success was accidental, especially not the success of the man before him, a 38-year-old provincial and ministerial high official. He was exceedingly young, but he genuinely had talent. The strategems he was now employing were not something an ordinary person could match.

Inwardly, Chen Qingdong put away any underestimation he might have harbored, decisively resolving to closely follow the leadership’s pace in the coming process. With the likes of Zhang Shengshan’s strategies, he feared they would not even realize how they met their end.

After a moment of silence, Chen Qingdong raised his head and looked at Nie Zhenbang with great respect and humility. “Director Nie, I may have been somewhat careless with the methods and approaches in my work. I invite Director Nie’s criticism,” he said.

Chen Qingdong’s words were quite skillful. In saying this, he conveyed the attitude of a subordinate to Nie Zhenbang—respectful, cautious—but in essence, he did not actually admit to anything in particular.

‘Being careless with methods and approaches in one’s work’—the implications were broad. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang couldn’t help but smile. This Chen Qingdong was indeed not simple.

Nie Zhenbang’s gaze fixed on Chen Qingdong, and he became serious. “Comrade Qingdong, evaluate for yourself the three major issues mentioned in the whistleblower letter. What is your perspective on them?”

Despite the seriousness, Nie Zhenbang’s tone and attitude had completely changed. Before, he kept his distance, slightly aloof, referring to him as Vice Minister Chen. His words carried a tone of remoteness. But now, he called him Comrade Qingdong, which indicated a sense of closeness. It was a noteworthy change in detail.

Chen Qingdong pondered for a moment. Although the leader’s mindset had shifted, he couldn’t be careless at this juncture. This sort of situation was like self-inspection and self-correction. The way he responded needed careful calibration. To dismiss everything outright might give Nie Zhenbang the wrong idea. To admit to everything would be akin to digging one’s own grave.

After a brief pause, Chen Qingdong raised his head. “Director Nie, regarding these three major issues, I admit, there is a bit of truth to the first and second points. However, I assure the organization, on my party spirit and principles, that I have never engaged in any activity that harmed the public for personal gain. All my work has been done with the collective interest, the organization’s interest in mind. As for the third point, the supposed personal conduct issue, it is entirely unfounded. I voluntarily submit to any investigation by the organization, to prove my innocence,” he declared.

At this point, Chen Qingdong became somewhat agitated. Cultivating loyalists and practicing nepotism—these things were not uncommon within the system. As a leader, if you don’t trust the people you are confident in, would you really promote someone completely unrelated to yourself for no reason? Especially since Chen Qingdong occupied a highly sensitive position in the disciplinary department, which inherently needed to maintain a certain independence. It was likely that the former leadership of Factory 38 had arranged to have people in various positions. But of course, Chen Qingdong would have naturally trusted important tasks to his own people; this was not a matter of nepotism, but a perfectly normal occurrence.

At this moment, Chen Qingdong continued, “Director Nie, regarding the matter involving Ms. Wang, there are some things I need to report to you. Ms. Wang’s late husband was a close friend of mine. We once shared an experience of working in the countryside, and during those difficult times, Ms. Wang’s husband provided me with considerable help. After returning to the city, Ms. Wang’s husband tragically lost his life in a production accident and left behind a widow and orphans. Based on the moral obligation and stance of a friend, I have provided a certain amount of care and help to Ms. Wang and her family. As a result, this has led to some criticisms and dissatisfaction among my comrades. I didn’t take into account the impression this might give; it has caused some negative impact to both Ms. Wang and the organization. I request that the organization discipline me.”

Chen Qingdong’s words bore an implication of a strategic retreat. Nie Zhenbang offered a wry smile. Chen Qingdong was asking for punishment, and he had gauged the situation very well, clearly assuming that he himself would not be too harsh on him. Nie Zhenbang did not feel any loss of face over this matter; on the contrary, he actually admired Chen Qingdong’s tactful attitude.

After a pause, Nie Zhenbang also nodded and said, “This matter should serve as a lesson for you. Helping the widow of an old friend is commendable, and it shows that Comrade Qingdong is a man of loyalty and friendship. However, you still need to be careful about maintaining proper boundaries in your assistance. Do not get excessively close, and as a man, there will inevitably be some inconvenience. You could have your wife help out.”

Following his piece of advice, Nie Zhenbang then pointed to the anonymous letter on the table and said, “Take this letter back with you. In the future, you should dedicate more effort to your work, especially in the discipline inspection field. This is a job that can offend people. Nowadays, leaders fear the discipline inspection, and inevitably, they will attempt to smear the reputation of the inspectors, even resorting to throwing mud. This is a very realistic issue. If you want to correct others, you must first be beyond reproach yourself. This applies to you as well. Pay attention to all aspects. The work you need to do must still be carried out firmly and completed well.”

Nie Zhenbang finally issued this advice, confident that Chen Qingdong understood the underlying message. Moreover, Nie Zhenbang believed that even without his explanation, Chen Qingdong would take the initiative to investigate. As the saying goes, “One cannot tolerate others sleeping soundly by their bedside.” Now, the issue wasn’t about sleeping peacefully beside the bed; someone was already making moves against him. Under such circumstances, Chen Qingdong would hardly be able to sit still without uncovering who this person was. It seemed unlikely that Chen Qingdong would rest until he did so.

With a nod, Chen Qingdong took the hint and stood up, “Director Nie, I understand. I appreciate your and the organization’s trust and recognition. Please rest assured, Director Nie. I will certainly keep a tight watch, and in the work of discipline inspection, there will be no lapses. I will dedicate all my energy to fulfilling my duties, to ease the leadership’s worries.”

Chen Qingdong didn’t hesitate to express his determination. His summing-up statement conveyed both his loyalty and his understanding of Nie Zhenbang’s intentions.

…

As he walked out of the hotel and gazed up at the Sun hanging high in the sky, Chen Qingdong let out a long sigh. At this moment, he felt somewhat damp on his back, although it was already September and the weather was still rather hot. Moreover, the air conditioning in the hotel room had been on for 24 hours, and it was early in the morning. It definitely wasn’t hot, but Chen Qingdong was somewhat fearful in retrospect.

Thinking back carefully on the scenes that had just unfolded, Chen Qingdong was also in deep thought. Who was behind all this? Who was the one pulling the strings from behind the scenes? What was their target? These were the points that Chen Qingdong had to consider.

As Huaxia Group was a newly formed company, it wasn’t likely that any other units would be involved. Therefore, the scope of suspects could only lie within Factory 38. However, within Factory 38, whom had he offended to such an extent? Narrowing it down like this, the range of suspects significantly decreased.

Pausing for a moment, Chen Qingdong’s eyes suddenly lit up, followed by a hint of sinister determination. In Factory 38, the only person he had had a direct confrontation with was Zhang Shengshan. Now it seemed that, in all likelihood, this issue was related to Zhang Shengshan.

On the third floor of the hotel, Nie Zhenbang stood by the window, watching as Chen Qingdong got into a car and left. A faint smile appeared on Nie Zhenbang’s lips. After having received the anonymous letter, Nie Zhenbang had quickly formulated such a strategic plan, and now it seemed that he had succeeded in igniting Chen Qingdong’s anger. With Chen Qingdong now leaning toward his side thanks to the letter, and given the powerful weapon of the Discipline Inspection Committee in his grasp, Nie Zhenbang no longer had much fear of any behind-the-scenes manipulators. Furthermore, this would serve as a breakthrough for Nie Zhenbang to completely consolidate Factory 38 and Huaxia Group under his control.

Thinking this, Nie Zhenbang turned to his secretary Yun Fei and said, “Secretary Yun, what time is it? Prepare the car, we’re heading to the Ganzhou Municipal Committee.”

At that moment, Yun Fei glanced at Nie Zhenbang, then said, “Director Nie, it’s almost nine o’clock, but I just received a call from Comrade Huang Dayong of the Ganzhou Municipal Committee, saying that he hopes to cancel today’s relocation coordination meeting.”

As she spoke, Yun Fei continued, “Director Nie, according to the news, there was some friction this morning between the villagers in the High-tech zone and the demolition work group from the Ganzhou Municipal Committee.”(