Chapter 744: Someone Must Be Held Responsible

On the drive back to Yunhai, Chen Fan received a call from Luo Wenjie.

"It's done. They've surrendered."

"They'll withdraw all the newspapers and publish apologies in several mainstream Yunhai newspapers, along with compensation of 500,000 yuan for damage to reputation."

Chen Fan wasn't surprised. While driving, he asked, "How did you manage that?"

Luo Wenjie laughed on the other end of the line.

"Don't worry about the method. I have more experience dealing with such scoundrels than you do."

"By the way, send me an account number. I'll have them transfer the money to you."

Chen Fan smiled faintly, "How could I accept such dirty money?"

"Why not? It's 500,000 yuan!" Luo Wenjie was puzzled.

Chen Fan said, "Donate the money for me. Give it to Project Hope, specifically for improving school supplies or extracurricular books for students in mountainous areas."

"You're really generous. Alright, I'll handle it for you."

Luo Wenjie then asked, "By the way, when are you coming back?"

"Today. I'm on my way now."

"You'd better hurry back. I heard there's some trouble in the shantytown area. People are protesting."

"Hm?"

Chen Fan frowned, "What's going on?"

Luo Wenjie: "I'm not sure of the details. I just overheard some customers talking about it in the store."

"Seems like it's a big deal. Many people have gone to protest."

"Okay. I got it. I'll head back right away."

After hanging up, Su Ruochu, sitting in the passenger seat, asked softly, "What happened?"

"It's hard to explain in a few words."

"By the way, Brother Jie just called. The newspaper has decided to publish an apology, so you don't need to worry about it anymore."

As he spoke, Chen Fan found a phone number in his contacts and dialed it.

He wanted to call Guo Wendong to ask about the details of the situation.

...

Yunhai.

City Hall.

The security guards in the courtyard were tense and on high alert.

Outside the compound, a large crowd of people surrounded the entrance.

Some were sitting on the ground, some were holding banners, and they were all shouting slogans.

Clearly, these people had come to protest today.

In the office.

Tong Haoran was studying a map of the shantytown area, seemingly ignoring the shouting from outside the window.

There was a knock on the door, and Secretary Li Wei entered.

Looking at Tong Haoran, Li Wei's expression was a mix of tension and worry.

Tong Haoran remained calm, not looking up, still focused on the map.

"How is it?"

Li Wei quickly stepped forward.

"I went out to take a look. There are at least 200 to 300 people."

"They're all shouting slogans. Their demands are mainly about insufficient compensation, having nowhere to live after their houses are demolished."

"Some say the money given is barely enough for a down payment on a house, and they'll face a heavy mortgage burden in the future. They don't have the ability to earn money and don't want to move."

"Others want an extra house because their son is getting married soon."

Li Wei became increasingly agitated as he spoke: "A large portion of the people are tenants living in the shantytown. These people don't even own houses, but they've come to make trouble too."

"Their reason is that we're demolishing the shantytown, leaving them with nowhere to live. They want us to arrange new accommodations for them..."

Li Wei was somewhat angry: "Mayor Tong, it's clear these people are deliberately causing trouble."

Tong Haoran stood up straight, taking his eyes off the map for the first time.

He looked at his secretary and was about to speak when someone knocked on the door.

"Secretary Li says there will be a meeting in 10 minutes."

As the staff member left, Li Wei's expression became tense.

"Mayor Tong, they're likely to question you about this incident."

Tong Haoran sighed.

"There's nothing we can do. I voluntarily handed them leverage against me."

In the entire Yunhai leadership team, they weren't a united front.

When Tong Haoran strongly advocated for the new district renovation last time, there were quite a few people who voted against it during the meeting.

Because this project was costly and time-consuming, if not handled well, it could easily result in no achievements and a lot of trouble.

However, Tong Haoran was very forceful and pushed the resolution through at the meeting.

Although people didn't say anything openly, there were still those who opposed it behind the scenes.

Especially those deputy leaders, who had been waiting for Tong Haoran to make a mistake.

If he made a mistake, the people below would have a chance to move up.

The sudden call for a meeting, especially one personally chaired by Secretary Li, was clearly not going to be a good one.

But things had come to this point, and Tong Haoran had no choice but to steel himself and head to the meeting room with a pack of cigarettes.

Sure enough, as soon as the meeting began, Secretary Li looked at Tong Haoran.

"Old Tong, what's going on? You've seen the people outside today. How much impact does this have on our work?"

Tong Haoran spoke up: "It's due to my negligence in work. I've already arranged for people to persuade everyone to leave immediately."

"Just leaving isn't enough. We need to find a practical solution," Secretary Li admonished.

This meeting didn't have much impact on him.

After all, this project was strongly advocated by Tong Haoran from start to finish.

But as the top leader, he had to stand up and show his authority at this time.

Moreover, in some sense, he actually admired Tong Haoran's style.

Although his approach to some matters was a bit aggressive, it was clear that he was a good leader who got things done.

So today, Secretary Li didn't say anything harsh, just urged him to quickly find a way to solve this problem.

However, as soon as Secretary Li finished speaking, someone else chimed in.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy to resolve."

"Almost half of the demolition has already been carried out. Yet there are still so many people who refuse to agree to the relocation."

"If not handled properly, this kind of situation could easily turn into big news."

The person speaking was Sun Gang, the Executive Deputy Mayor sitting opposite, a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee.

As the First Deputy Mayor, if Tong Haoran were to fall, he would be the most qualified candidate for promotion to Mayor.

Moreover, Tong Haoran was a Mayor parachuted in from elsewhere, with a short tenure and shallow roots.

Sun Gang, on the other hand, was a native of Yunhai who had worked his way up to this position over more than a decade.

Therefore, Sun Gang had quite a few supporters.

Usually, Sun Gang often disagreed with some of Tong Haoran's ideas, and now that he finally had a chance, he naturally wouldn't let it slip by.

Sure enough, as soon as Sun Gang spoke up, others below began to echo his sentiments.

They mainly said that if this matter escalated, it wouldn't be good for anyone.

They must find a way to resolve it perfectly, and to everyone's satisfaction.

Of course, if it couldn't be resolved, someone would have to take responsibility for it.

However, everyone present was an old hand, so they naturally wouldn't speak so directly.

But no matter how they phrased it, their meaning was essentially the same.

Tong Haoran sat in his seat without speaking, maintaining silence.

To be honest, he hadn't expected this outcome either.

When this project started, he had made full preparations.

For the relocation compensation alone, not only did they hold mobilization meetings, but the compensation terms were also far above the national baseline.

Originally, in Tong Haoran's estimation, there would certainly be people who disagreed with the relocation, but at most it would be a few dozen households.

He never imagined that in the end, so many people would disagree with the relocation.

According to rough estimates, there were at least 500 to 600 people, which was about the population of a small ordinary administrative village.

Seeing Tong Haoran remaining silent, Sun Gang naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass.

"Ahem, I think we still need to find a way. We should talk to those people properly."