Chapter 2917 The Difficult Problem is in Your Hands

"Besides, I'm not some kind of enlightened person. What benefit would I get from handing this over? If I get nothing, why would I do it? Mayor, I'm telling the truth," Feng Changjun said.

Qin Feng nodded: "I understand."

“Of course, I can’t hand it over to the Yang family and Chang Yunbing. As you know, I have no connection with the Yang family, and I keep to myself with Chang Yunbing. I have no motivation to give this to them, because I would not benefit from it at all. On the contrary, it would only cause me trouble and make things difficult for myself,” Feng Changjun said.

"Actually, I did intend to destroy this USB drive because I knew it was a time bomb. If it were to leak out one day, it would either blow up the entire Shazhou City or kill me. Destroying it and pretending nothing ever happened was the best option."

"But in the end I didn't do it. I don't know why. Maybe... it's because of my conscience. Deep down I always thought I should keep this. If the political situation in Shazhou changes one day, I can take this out to exonerate Comrade Qi Yaqiu."

“I am well aware that this may be the only evidence in Qi Yaqiu’s case. If I destroy this, there may be no chance of Qi Yaqiu’s case being overturned.”

"Actually, I was conflicted. My reason told me I should destroy it, but my conscience told me I couldn't do that, so I kept it. No one except Tian Zehua knew about it."

"After realizing the seriousness of the matter, Tian Zehua was so frightened that he was trembling all over and did not dare to reveal a single word to anyone."

“So you are now the third person to know that this thing exists,” Feng Changjun said.

"Then why are you handing him over to me now?" Qin Feng asked.

“Because I know you need it,” Feng Changjun said with a smile.

Hearing this, Qin Feng smiled. Feng Changjun was indeed clever; he could guess many things.

“You are my benefactor, and this is my way of repaying you. I also think it’s time to bring this out. At least with you here, the Yang family no longer holds absolute power in Shazhou.” Feng Changjun finished speaking and toasted Qin Feng with a glass of wine.

After finishing his drink, Qin Feng kept his cigarette lit. He didn't speak, but looked at Feng Changjun for a while before asking, "Have you thought about the consequences of giving me this?"

“I’ve thought about it, I’ve thought about it a lot. I’ve thought about the impact this will have on me personally, and on the political situation in Shazhou. But in the end, I’ve decided not to think about it anymore. After I hand this over to you, these are the kinds of things you should be thinking about,” Feng Changjun said with a smile.

Qin Feng laughed heartily after hearing this, understanding the meaning behind Feng Changjun's words.

"Okay, then tell me, what exactly happened in the Qi Yaqiu case? How deeply were you involved? How deeply was Jiang Longjun involved? Some people suspect that both Jiang Longjun and you were deeply involved in the Qi Yaqiu case," Qin Feng asked directly.

“I didn’t,” Feng Changjun shook his head.

"I don't know if Jiang Longjun was directly involved, but he definitely covered up the Qi Yaqiu case. Otherwise, this matter wouldn't have been left unscathed even with people coming from Beijing. Jiang Longjun was under pressure from certain leaders in the province, and he was also acting in his own political interests. Just like the Shao Hongli death case, if it is confirmed that Qi Yaqiu was murdered, can he still serve as the municipal party secretary?"

“Such a big case, it’s impossible for Chang Yunbing or our Shazhou City Public Security Bureau to handle things so perfectly. Jiang Longjun came to me at the beginning and told me to make sure this case was treated as a traffic accident and not to allow any complications.”

“I understand Jiang Longjun’s meaning, but I also know the risks involved. I don’t want to get involved in this mess, so I deliberately didn’t participate in any specific work when investigating this case. Chang Yunbing was also afraid of my involvement, so he took over the entire case. I guess this is a tacit understanding between us,” Feng Changjun said.

“But you were the police chief back then. If this case is overturned, even if Chang Yunbing was in charge of the specific case and you were misled by Chang Yunbing, you can’t escape the responsibility for the leader’s dereliction of duty,” Qin Feng said.

Feng Changjun nodded: "Yes, that's why I thought about it for so long before handing this over to you after you specifically hinted at it last time."

“Your words woke me up. The downfall of the Yang family is highly probable, it’s only a matter of time. Once the Yang family falls, the truth about both the Shao Hongli case and the Qi Yaqiu case will come to light. At that time, everything will be laid bare, and I will not be able to escape it. Perhaps on that day, Tian Zehua will also come out and expose the fact that he gave me the USB drive. At that time, I will be guilty of heinous crimes.”

“Instead of doing that, I might as well hand this problem over to you now and put it in your hands,” Feng Changjun said with a smile.

In fact, what Feng Changjun was saying was that he hoped Qin Feng would protect him. What he meant was that if he handed the USB drive to Qin Feng, Qin Feng would have to find a way to protect him.

“My problem isn’t serious. At most, it’s a matter of leadership responsibility. I estimate that at most I’ll get a disciplinary action. It would be best if I could make amends, but if not, that’s fine too. I’m already very satisfied to have gotten this far thanks to you,” Feng Changjun continued.

Hearing Feng Changjun's words, Qin Feng smiled again, clinked glasses with Feng Changjun, and said, "I will keep this USB drive for now. It's not time to make this public yet. The Yang family's fate is not over yet, and our Shazhou cannot withstand further turmoil."

"When the time is right, I will return this USB drive to you. You can then hand it over to the organization and expose everything. The credit for making amends will be yours," Qin Feng said slowly.

Feng Changjun smiled: "Thank you, Mayor."

"You were right to keep this a secret tonight. Don't let anyone know about this," Qin Feng said.

“I understand, you can rest assured.” Feng Changjun nodded.

Next, Qin Feng asked Feng Changjun many detailed questions about the aftermath of Qi Yaqiu's death, most importantly, what role Jiang Longjun played in it.

When Qin Feng left, Feng Changjun personally saw him into his car, and Feng Changjun's car only left after Qin Feng's car had driven away.

Sitting in the car, Qin Feng kept his eyes closed, resting. Most of what Feng Changjun said tonight was definitely true. He had no reason to lie to Qin Feng. He was now on Qin Feng's ship, and he couldn't jump off even if he wanted to.

However, Qin Feng did not believe that Feng Changjun's failure to destroy the USB drive and his efforts to protect Tian Zehua were for the sake of so-called conscience. In this circle, conscience is worthless; profit is the only thing that matters.

Feng Changjun's decision to keep the USB drive and protect Tian Zehua was undoubtedly for his own political gain should the situation in Shazhou change someday. His thinking was exactly the same as Tian Zehua's when he copied the USB drive.

However, what Qin Feng said to him that day had enlightened him, so he took out the USB drive and handed it to Qin Feng.

Regardless, this USB drive was of paramount importance to Qin Feng and was also a tremendous surprise.