"Yes, a scoundrel,"

Having finally made up her mind, Ling Li said firmly.

The scoundrel Ling Li mentioned was Ma Cheng, the editor-in-chief of an obscure magazine in Guyang City.

Let's first talk about the relationship between Ling Li and Ma Cheng.

She told Chen Fang that she originally held the position of deputy secretary in a district of Xianguan City and had given up the opportunity to be promoted to district head to move to Guyang City, all to avoid Ma Cheng.

Ma Cheng was 32 years old this year, a year older than Ling Li.

Before this, Ma Cheng had been the chief editor at Xianguan Daily.

A top position in a government-owned institution.

Ling Li's family background was good; her father had once held a leadership position in Xianguan City. This precondition enabled Ling Li to assume such a role at her age.

In her 24th year,

Ling Li graduated from university and immediately passed the civil service exam.

Then, she started working at the Xianguan City Finance Bureau.

Working diligently and responsibly, with the added support of her father as a leader,

In just five years, Ling Li became the youngest leader in Lucheng District of Xianguan City.

This speed was astonishing.

Seeing that she was about to cross the threshold of thirty,

Her family began to grow anxious.

They started arranging blind dates for her, wanting to settle her marital affairs.

As a woman of the new era, Ling Li was unwilling to accept an arranged marriage.

It was that year, at a public event, that she met the handsome and scholarly Ma Cheng.

Ma Cheng was immediately attracted to this beautiful woman with a strong family background.

With the man interested and the woman willing, they quickly developed into a boyfriend and girlfriend relationship.

After half a year, they moved in together.

In the beginning, Ling Li was quite satisfied with Ma Cheng, but just a year later, many of his bad habits gradually came to the surface.

Ling Li discovered,

He was a person addicted to gambling, and although he had a decent job and seemed well-off on the surface, Ma Cheng had accumulated a lot of debt.

To help him pay off the debts,

Ling Li would give him her entire salary as soon as it was paid each month.

Moreover, she also took a lot of money from her parents to cover his deficits.

Hoping he would change, but Ma Cheng only got worse. When he had no money left, he not only misappropriated public funds from the newspaper, but also forced Ling Li to take bribes, squandering whatever money they obtained.

Time and again, she held hope for him,

But all she received in return was disappointment, time and again.

Last year,

Ling Li couldn't stand it anymore and suggested they break up.

But unexpectedly, this also enraged Ma Cheng.

At this point, Ling Li stopped speaking, her eyes beginning to moisten.

"He has evidence of your bribes, doesn't he?"

Chen Fang asked.

Ling Li nodded and said, "Yes, every time I took a bribe, I gave the money to him. This heartless man actually recorded every single transaction, and he's using this information to blackmail me. If I dare to break up with him, he'll turn this evidence over to the Disciplinary Committee, not only ruining my reputation but also tarnishing my father's lifetime of integrity."

"So, you arranged a transfer to Guyang City?"

Chen Fang asked.

Ling Li hummed in affirmation and said, "I thought if I left Xianguan City, he would give up on me, but unexpectedly, he had already come to see me as nothing more than an ATM. After getting fired from Xianguan Daily for misusing public funds, he showed up in Guyang City two months ago, started a magazine, and continued to cling to me."

"How much money does he want?"

Chen Fang asked.

Ling Li held up a finger.

"Ten thousand?"

"It's ten thousand a day, which amounts to three hundred thousand a month."

"Three hundred thousand?"

Hearing this figure, Chen Fang was quite astonished.

You see, as the third in command, her entire salary added up to just over seven thousand a month.

Three hundred thousand a month was practically forcing Ling Li into corruption and bribery, wasn't it?

"Did you give it to him?"

Chen Fang asked.

Ling Li shook her head and said, "No, I couldn't make that mistake again, but if I didn't give it to him, he was going to destroy me. I've been almost too anxious to eat or drink; I truly didn't know what to do."

Chen Fang furrowed his brows and asked, "I've been in Guyang City for even less time than you, so why did you choose me?"

"Because what you've done makes me feel that you are a man of ideas, and with the incident in Heshou Village, I believe you weren't looking for publicity—you just wanted to help those victims. You are more trustworthy than any of them."

This compliment was indeed the ultimate.

"Another very important reason I didn't seek help from them is that I didn't want to have my weakness in their hands. They could have helped me with this issue, but after that, I fear I would not be able to think independently anymore; whatever I decide would then serve their interests."

Chen Fang asked, "Then how can you be sure I won't exploit your weakness and force you to do something you don't want to do?"

"You won't!"

Ling Li said.

Chen Fang immediately became interested and asked, "Why?"

"Although I've made some foolish mistakes, having grown up in a systemized family, I still have a good eye for people. Someone who spares no effort to help the common folk can't be all that bad, no matter what."

Chen Fang stood up.

He paced back and forth in the office.

He paused and then said, "I can try."

"Really?"

Ling Li stood up excitedly.

Chen Fang waved his hand and said, "Don't get too excited just yet. This matter is actually quite tricky. Ma Cheng used to head the media department, and he knows too well how to manipulate public opinion, so if it gets tough with him, endless problems could arise. Even if we snatch all the evidence from his hands, he surely has backup plans. And being soft won't work either; with someone so greedy, once you show weakness, his desires become limitless. It's like a hole that can never be filled, and one could be ruined by him for a lifetime."

"What should we do then?"

Ling Li asked with a worried expression.

Chen Fang pondered for a while and said, "Don't worry, since I promised you, I will do my best to sort this out. I will first send someone to feel out his situation."

"Director Chen, I... I don't even know what to say, I can only thank you."

Ling Li said somewhat emotionally.

Chen Fang smiled and said, "Who hasn't made foolish mistakes when young? Let's not talk about other things for now, let's focus on resolving this matter first. Wait for my message."

"Okay."

Ling Li nodded, then took her leave.

As soon as she left,

Chen Fang called Yu Zhengchuan inside.

"When are the others arriving?"

Chen Fang asked.

Yu Zhengchuan pondered for a moment and said, "Fang Mei and Fang Gui, the two of them should arrive by this afternoon. Cheng Ge transferred the management of the Tiancheng Group's Jiangdong Province branch to them. Lulu's bath city and Zifei's restaurant will soon be involved as well."

Chen Fang nodded.

He said, "Contact all the soon-to-arrive personnel and instruct them not to contact me directly. If anyone notices that I am bringing in my team from Yong'an Province, it will certainly provoke a backlash. You should also try to keep to telephone contacts only with them."

"Understood,"

Yu Zhengchuan said.

Bringing his Yong'an Province team to Guyang City was a decision Chen Fang made after learning about Sister Hua's identity.

Sister Hua held tremendous power in Wulan City, which was a considerable problem.

If they were to form a new team in Guyang City from scratch, it would take too long; hence, he decided to transfer Yu Zhengchuan first.

Of course, since Yu Zhengchuan was coming, others had to follow.

It was not just about helping himself, but also about laying the groundwork for strengthening his own key businesses.

After all, a showdown with Jiang Chuo was inevitable in the future.

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