Chapter Four: The Sudden Appearance of a Fortune (Part Two)

The door was left ajar, and the stifling heat from the living room flowed in a steady stream through the gap, pouring into the narrow hallway.

Just as Zhang Maolin arrived at the entrance and reached out to push the door open, Tao Shouli—stooped and wearing a look of deep misery—had already opened the security gate and stood before him.

"Oh, it seems I’ve troubled your wife again!" Zhang Maolin said, feeling embarrassed as he caught sight of the steaming meal laid out on the kitchen table.

"Not at all. I ordered the food from the restaurant downstairs. Xiao Ye has been in a very bad state of mind these past few days, and your sister-in-law was worried something might happen, so she went over early to keep the child company," Tao Shouli replied slowly. He took the down coat Zhang Maolin had removed and hung it on the coat rack.

In the corner of the living room, the heater from the air conditioner hummed loudly.

...

"Maolin, you don't need to worry about my health. My mind is clear, and my blood pressure is normal. I invited you over tonight because I want to talk to you about Wen Lu in private. Let’s eat and chat. We can make a preliminary assumption: let’s not view Wen Lu as my son-in-law, but simply as an independent third party—an ordinary section-level cadre—to analyze and evaluate him. This way, our conclusions might be more rational and objective. An important part of this is to give me a reason to force myself to make the necessary mental adjustments as I face how the situation unfolds. Otherwise, I really don't think I can hold on. I never imagined that someone like this could be hidden within the Tao family home."

Tao Shouli spoke with deep emotion.

Faced with Tao Shouli’s lengthy preamble, Zhang Maolin could only try his best to calm his own emotions, affecting a detached expression as he replied:

"Shouli, that unexpected scene this morning truly left me bewildered! To be honest, the 'blunt blow' Wen Lu left behind has me spinning. It has completely overturned every prediction and speculation I had about this matter. The results of the search through the items left in Wen Lu’s office, I dare say, exceeded everyone's imagination. This magical, surreal situation—as if it had sprung out of a crack in the ground—far surpasses the shock of the car accident itself. It is beyond description!"

"Everyone? Do you mean the members of the city branch leadership team?" Tao Shouli asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Do you think that besides those of us in leadership, there is anyone else who knows Wen Lu better, or perhaps, anyone who is more unwilling to believe or face this surreal scene?" Zhang Maolin countered.

"Yes, that’s true. It’s as if I’ve only just met the man. I never imagined my son-in-law could be so multifaceted and complex. Behind him, especially within those three million yuan, how many secrets are hidden? Just thinking about it is terrifying!" As Tao Shouli spoke, the light from the ceiling’s incandescent bulb reflected off his sweat-beaded forehead.

"It is not just terrifying; it is lamentable! Who could imagine that a section chief, who competed for excellence every year and was even identified by the provincial branch as a 'reserve' cadre, would leave behind such a fortune? I suspect that everyone present today is privately wondering how many bizarre mysteries this sum of money will involve. This cold, hard fact shows how superficial our branch leadership’s understanding and cultivation of young people have been over these years! From the perspective of line supervision alone, I, as the Discipline Inspection Secretary, have failed in my duty!" Zhang Maolin sighed, wringing his hands.

Tao Shouli said slowly, "Maolin, I have a vague feeling that Wen Lu is merely one end of a tangled knot. If we pull on this thread, who knows how many unspeakable inside stories will be shaken loose! The scenes in Wen Lu’s office this morning truly jolted me out of my grief, replacing it with immense shock and agonizing thought. Perhaps your leadership team is unwilling to make such guesses, because once this triggers other cases, it will inevitably have a huge negative impact. This impact could very well harm others, starting with the severe accountability from the provincial branch toward your branch leadership team. To imagine it further, it could even threaten the official positions of certain leaders! The three million yuan under Wen Lu’s name didn’t fly in from thin air, nor will it vanish into thin air. It likely runs through the entirety of one dirty deal after another. Who will end up holding this hot potato?!"

Zhang Maolin nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Tao Shouli’s insightful analysis: "Old Tao, to tell you the truth, I really hope your worries are groundless. Otherwise, if an investigation into such a large-scale case is triggered, our Songyang Xing-Shang Bank will face a devastating earthquake in its internal management!"

Tao Shouli replied, "I hope we are both just worrying for nothing! But don't forget, Maolin, I am also a part of Xing-Shang Bank. Even if I am no longer in an active position, my livelihood and financial reliance still come from the pension the bank provides. Which one of us old folks doesn't hope that the Songyang Xing-Shang Bank remains peaceful and prosperous forever? But... but..."

Tao Shouli’s expression was agitated, his pale lips trembling uncontrollably. On his thin, wrinkled neck, the protruding artery pulsed like a wriggling earthworm.

Tao Shouli continued in a low voice, "Maolin, I have mentioned the loan issues at the Songyang branch to you more than once, but every time you found an excuse to keep silent or simply brushed it aside. Actually, I can understand your feelings because it is indeed a very sensitive issue, especially concerning the chaotic state of credit management at our branch; anyone would want to keep their distance. But now, even if you can still avoid this topic, the Songyang Xing-Shang Bank cannot bypass this stage. I can conclude this: even if there were no other human factors involved in Wen Lu’s accident, is there really no story behind the three million yuan he left behind? In my view, it is like a torch that nothing can extinguish! It will eventually burn and spread to everything around it. This money will likely involve numerous irregular accounts, which in turn will inevitably involve more financial matters and credit operations. These conditions will unavoidably lead to complex relationships with various enterprises and clients, and these abnormal relationships will eventually form inextricable, tangled ties with illicit interests.

"Looking back now, I think I can filter out some leads—Wen Lu must have been involved in numerous cases of trading loans for personal gain and exchanging money for power. Now that he cannot speak, that three million yuan can speak for him! Once the many clues surrounding these funds are clarified, all the inside stories will be laid bare."

"That’s right. In fact, the amount under Wen Lu’s name already speaks to the severity of the problem. Based on my experience in discipline inspection and supervision, the story behind this cannot be simple. However, how many internal personnel, which professional departments, and what levels of leadership will be involved remains unknown," Zhang Maolin added.

"Take a guess—what attitude will your city branch party committee take toward this in the end?" Tao Shouli pressed.

"Hmph! What do you think? What kind of attitude could it be?" Zhang Maolin gave a bitter smile, then continued: "Knowing President Wang Weixin’s character, I estimate he will not let 'family shame' spread easily! As far as I know, several major violations in previous years were handled exactly like this—first hide, then deceive, then cover up! Take the case from two years ago, where the director of the business department, Mei Yanmu, used self-made vouchers to illegally transfer corporate deposits. It happened during a 'cross-check' of financial institutions in Songyang. These obvious violations had already been discovered by the inspection team and written into the summary report, yet President Wang used his connections to 'smooth it over' behind the scenes! At the time, my stance at the bank meeting was firm; I demanded a serious investigation! You can imagine—the head of our grass-roots business unit daring to privately use corporate client deposits—what a serious violation that is! But our President Wang and Vice President Yin repeatedly emphasized that the department’s irregular operation was merely an involuntary act to complete the excess savings target set by the city branch, and that they had already privately communicated with the relevant units, so there was no moral risk. As a small Discipline Inspection Secretary under the leadership of the city branch party committee, I could only reserve my opinion. Even if I insisted, I couldn't bypass the party committee to report to the provincial branch, could I?!

"Sometimes I feel so stifled, and I feel I have failed the title of Discipline Inspection Secretary! Shouli, the way you talk today, you might as well just call me a derelict official! I can tell that Wen Lu’s case is likely to head in an increasingly complex direction. If that happens, no matter how 'resourceful' or 'clever' President Wang Weixin is, I’m afraid he won't be able to hide it. In my opinion, the provincial branch might send people down to investigate soon. When the truth comes to light, what kind of terrible situation will we all face? The Songyang branch is already at the bottom of the province’s performance rankings. If we cause such a massive disaster in internal management for the provincial branch—hmph—it wouldn't be surprising if all of us in the leadership team have our official caps removed!"