Chapter 299: The Hidden World

The news that Ji Ruiming and Dai Jinshan would be staying in the county shocked the entire Nanhui County. When Chen Da first conveyed this news, the entire Nanhui County Committee was abuzz as if boiling water had been suddenly brought to a boil.

"Heavens! Secretary Dai and Secretary Ji are going to stay in our county? Is this true? Did I hear it wrong?"

"It's absolutely true. Secretary Chen himself said so. Secretary Gu is already working with the Public Security Bureau County Committee Office to arrange the security and logistics of the guesthouse. It's truly rare. We never expected that two provincial deputy secretaries from Jiangnan Province would stay in our county. This is an honor Nanhui County has never experienced since its establishment!"

"Not long ago, a big boss from Port City came over, and now even the deputy secretaries from Jiangnan Province are here and staying with us. It's like Nanhui County is on the rise. Thanks to Boss Zhou!"

Zhou Ming was also in the County Committee building, listening to the surprised chatter from these people. He gave a slight smile.

Zhou Ming understood their surprise. In fact, if he hadn't guessed some things, he would probably be just as baffled about why two provincial deputy secretaries were staying in the county.

Generally, when provincial leaders come for inspection or research, they usually stay in the city unless there is a special need. This is partly for security reasons, as city security is generally better than in the county; and partly because the conditions in the county are lacking, even if the county committee secretary's room were given up, it would still be inadequate.

Because of this, while provincial leaders have visited Nanhui County in the past few decades, none have ever stayed here. This is not only the case for Nanhui County but also for the vast majority of counties across the country.

Therefore, the fact that Dai Jinshan and Ji Ruiming were staying in Nanhui County today was a huge shock to the county officials, as if they had seen aliens.

But compared to other Nanhui people, only Zhou Ming knew that Ji Ruiming staying in Nanhui County had another reason. In fact, from another perspective, Ji Ruiming staying here might be the main purpose of his visit to Nanhui. As for Dai Jinshan, he was merely accompanying Ji Ruiming. He couldn't leave Ji Ruiming alone in Nanhui and return to the city, so he had to stay as well.

That evening, at the County Committee guesthouse, Gu Ping hosted a grand banquet for Ji Ruiming and Dai Jinshan. After the banquet, everyone returned to their rooms, and Zhou Ming also stayed at the guesthouse.

Around ten o'clock, Zhou Ming's mobile phone, which he had placed by the bedside, rang. The mobile communication base stations had already been under construction since Cao Jianning came over. Now, some important places in Linyang had mobile signal coverage. Although Linyang's economy was not developed and there weren't many mobile phone users, Zhou Ming still carried his phone with him.

He answered the call, and Ji Ruiming's voice came through: "Comrade Zhou Ming, hello. This is Ji Ruiming. Are you still in Nanhui County? Could you come over to my room?"

As expected!

Ji Ruiming's request was not surprising to Zhou Ming. He quickly replied, "Alright, Secretary Ji. Please wait a moment. I'm at the guesthouse and will come right over."

After hanging up, Zhou Ming immediately went to Ji Ruiming's room. Ji Ruiming was staying in a suite. His secretary opened the door for Zhou Ming, and whether Ji Ruiming had been keeping an eye on the outside or the room was not soundproof, Ji Ruiming came out as soon as Zhou Ming entered.

Ji Ruiming looked at Zhou Ming with surprise and said, "I didn't expect Comrade Zhou Ming to be so responsible, not going home to stay. I know Comrade Zhou Ming's home is not far from here."

Zhou Ming responded, "Secretary Ji, since you and Secretary Dai are staying at the guesthouse, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go home. I also guessed that you might look for me."

Ji Ruiming asked, "You're so sure?"

"I'm not entirely sure, just a guess. But it seems I guessed right," Zhou Ming said.

"You're quite the clever comrade. I heard about you being smart and having personality back in Jiangnan. Now it seems that's true," Ji Ruiming said.

After saying this, Ji Ruiming returned to his room. Zhou Ming followed, and Ji Ruiming's secretary entered, making tea for both Ji Ruiming and Zhou Ming before leaving and closing the door behind them. Ji Ruiming took a sip of tea and then asked Zhou Ming, "Since you guessed I would be looking for you by staying in the county, I assume you can also guess why I'm looking for you, right?"

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be about Xing Yuan," Zhou Ming said.

Ji Ruiming clapped his hands and said, "Clever! That's exactly why I'm here. Originally, the team leader was supposed to be the Deputy Secretary-General of the Provincial Government, but I requested to lead the team myself."

Even though Zhou Ming had guessed this, hearing Ji Ruiming admit it made him sigh inwardly. 

An illegal fundraising case involving billions of yuan, with no high-level interest groups involved? Not even a primary school student would believe that. After all, when this illegal fundraising case was exposed in the future, it directly caused a political earthquake in Jiangnan Province, with numerous officials from the provincial level down to local levels losing their positions. It even reached Yanjing, where a vice-ministerial official fell as a result.

The level of officials involved shows how significant the political struggle behind this case was. Although the case might not have reached such an uncontrollable level yet, the scale of billions was already considerable. According to Zhou Ming's memory, Xing Yuan grew from ten billion to a hundred billion in just two or three years, especially in the last year when there were basically no new investments, and it was just a matter of waiting for the collapse.

It is not hard to guess that those who will be involved with Xing Yuan in the future are already connected in some way now.

Thus, even though Jiangnan Province appears calm on the surface, with no visible official being implicated by Xing Yuan, there are surely undercurrents. Jiangnan Province is like a volcano ready to erupt. Zhou Ming's report on Xing Yuan made the entire Jiangnan political scene uneasy, which is why Ji Ruiming came to Nanhui to find him.

But it's only Ji Ruiming who could come. After all, Zhou Ming was just an ordinary person, and such matters were not entirely aboveboard. It would be too undignified for the provincial party secretary or governor to come personally for such issues. However, sending officials of too low a level would not be reassuring, so Ji Ruiming, the provincial deputy secretary and head of the provincial discipline inspection commission, was chosen.

While thinking about this, Zhou Ming joked with Ji Ruiming, "I thought Secretary Ji might also be here to inspect our party-mass and discipline work construction in Jingchu Province!"

"That joke isn't funny at all," Ji Ruiming said淡淡, taking another sip of tea. He continued, "Well, since you've already guessed, I won't beat around the bush. I want to know how much you know about Xing Yuan."

Facing Ji Ruiming's question, Zhou Ming put away his relaxed attitude. Instead of answering immediately, he pondered for a moment and then asked Ji Ruiming, "Secretary Ji, pardon my ignorance, but which aspect are you referring to?"

Ji Ruiming didn't answer immediately. He fixed his gaze on Zhou Ming and after a while said, "The registration of Yuanye Company was two years ago. Before that, Xing Yuan was working in another emerging unit in Zexi City. Xing Yuan's involvement in illegal fundraising didn't start after registering Yuanye Company. According to the Zexi City Public Security Bureau's investigation, Xing Yuan had been involved in illegal fundraising for at least three years. From having nothing three years ago to now, do you know why the provincial government hasn't moved against him? Do you know what kind of unit Xing Yuan's previous company was?"

Zhou Ming raised his eyebrows. He knew that Yuanye Company was a shell company used by Xing Yuan for illegal fundraising. As for Ji Ruiming's statements, Zhou Ming had thought about them. That's why he was waiting for Ji Ruiming at the guesthouse.

"So, Secretary Ji wants to say that the root of the problem lies with this emerging company? And my report was too early to reveal this, right?" Zhou Ming asked.

Ji Ruiming suddenly smiled and said, "You're quite interesting, Comrade Zhou. If it were someone else, they would just answer whatever I asked, but you, on the other hand, ask questions back."

"I can't help it; I'm just that way," Zhou Ming shrugged and said, "But if I were as straightforward as others, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to sit down and chat with Secretary Ji face to face."

Ji Ruiming nodded solemnly and said, "Indeed. If you were an ordinary person, you wouldn't have been able to uncover this."

At this point, Ji Ruiming suddenly changed the topic and said, "However, just like your question earlier, you revealed this too early. You don't understand what's behind that emerging company or what it involves. Ten billion is an astronomical figure for ordinary people, but for some people and groups, it's still far from enough."

Although Zhou Ming had experienced various storms since his rebirth and had excellent mental resilience, he still felt his heart race upon hearing Ji Ruiming's words. He felt like he had touched upon a hidden world, a world not mentioned in news or forums, hidden under the sunlight, another world controlled from the shadows, visible only to those who had reached a certain level.

This thought excited Zhou Ming, as in his previous life, he often heard about the struggles of interest groups, but what these interest groups were and who was involved from central to local levels was never clear. Now, with the fall of Xing Yuan, the shifting political landscape in Jiangnan, and Ji Ruiming coming to him, he had the opportunity to touch upon it.

With this thought, Zhou Ming held his breath and asked Ji Ruiming earnestly, "Secretary Ji, please enlighten me. What exactly is this emerging company?"