The other was signed privately by Wu Zongxu in Wu Jingzhong’s name, requesting 100 million from the three relatives when they got the contract.
The total investment into this road was 334 million. Wu Zongxu took 200 million, and the remaining 134 million went to the three relatives.
The three relatives were desperate. With this 134 million, they immediately began organizing for workers to start construction. However, there was no clear road design, sketches to review, specific measurements, or even a basic step-by-step construction plan. All they did was have the workers level the road and lay the tar.
They spent 300 million building a road that should not have cost even 20 million. The workers were promised half a year’s pay, but before they could receive it, the boss left. The workers began making trouble but let off when they were told that the contractor was a relative of the governor. Even if the boss ran away, how could the governor do the same? The workers continued working obediently until an earthquake suddenly hit the area, affecting many parts of Sea District. Even though it was only a low magnitude earthquake, due to the fact that the road had been built without a foundation and the soil erosion had occurred due to the continuous rain, the road gave way. The road had been empty besides the workers. When the earthquake struck, a large hole formed. Several workers actually fell in and got injured.
Coincidentally, someone passed by and saw this. They decided to post about this matter on Weibo. The news spread like wildfire. When it reached the ears of a few important people, Wu Jingzhong was promptly taken away by the Ministry of Justice.
“Beast! He’s simply a beast!”
If he had heard Wu Zongxu’s words before, Elder Wu would have been furious—which would have triggered his heart condition. However, with Nangong Nuannuan already having treated him twice, Elder Wu’s cardiovascular system was stronger than it had been before his last heart attack. Thus, even though he was still livid, his heart condition did not flare up.
“You made such a grand deal with Secretary Xu. You must have a video or audio recording of your negotiation with him as evidence, right?”
Wu Zongxu chuckled. “Every time I met with him, he’d have someone search me and use some special equipment to check if I had a recording device on me. However, after the first time, I invested heavily into a pinhole camera that could be hidden in the buttons of my shirt and wouldn’t be detected by their equipment. So I do indeed have evidence of every time I met him.”
“Where’s the evidence?”
“Under my bed. It’s near the back wall, under the second row of the solid wood floor.”
“Since you were wary of Secretary Xu from the very start, you probably know that his words aren’t at all reliable. He’s just using you. When the time comes, things will unfold as he’s planned. If you’re no longer of use to his plan, you’ll be abandoned. You’ve helped them so much, yet you’ve only received 200 million in benefits. Moreover, once they gain power, I’m afraid they’ll probably not be in the mood to entertain you. Didn’t you prepare a backup plan for yourself?”
Wu Zongxu smiled smugly. “Of course I have a backup plan. The person I’m planning to work with isn’t Secretary Xu, but Governor Lan. Governor Lan is a member of the Shi family. I started discussing things with him from the very beginning. He thinks highly of me and helped me set up my own company. He wants to control the entire Sea District and build a reputation for the Shi family so the 13th Officer can successfully run for president. The Wu family supports the 12th, while the Xu family supports the 14th. With these two big families around, controlling Governor Lan is a challenge.”
