Chapter 64: Tian Guanghan, You Are Under Double Discipline!

For reasons he couldn’t explain, Tian Guanghan felt his heart ache at this moment, pounding uncomfortably in his chest. He had the persistent sense that something was bound to happen today. This ominous feeling hadn’t just appeared this morning—it had lingered for days now. That was why, two days earlier, he’d refused Lin Yaodong’s request to stand up for Han Wen’s mother. After all, he had no personal ties to Han Wen’s mother; offending the director of the municipal hospital for the sake of a single doctor simply wasn’t worth it. Besides, Yin Tiejun had been released, which posed a real threat to him. The principal is always the principal, he told himself—he, as the deputy, needed to keep his place. Stirring up more trouble would only draw him deeper into the mess. In fact, his shadow had been present in the case against Yin Tiejun; he’d been fanning the flames behind the scenes. Now, he barely had time to extricate himself—how could he possibly risk offending Yin Tiejun again?

Lin Yaodong, in his political naivety, didn’t understand any of this. But for Tian Guanghan, a deputy division-level cadre, such games were second nature.

Just then, a commotion broke out in the corridor outside his door.

“What’s going on?” he muttered, frowning in displeasure as he rose and strode toward the noise. The City Administration Office couldn’t afford any incidents—these people, who’d all gotten in through connections, had no sense of discipline. Why were they making a scene during work hours?

On the floor of the City Administration Office, outside the General Affairs Section, Lin Yaodong glared fiercely at Yang Dong, blocking his way.

“Yang Dong, what are you doing here? Don’t forget, you’re still suspended and under investigation! Who gave you permission to come back without Secretary Tian’s approval?” Lin Yaodong jabbed a finger at Yang Dong, his face twisted in rage. The past few days had been a torment for him; his failure to reinstate Han Wen’s mother had become a source of deep humiliation, and he hadn’t dared to contact Han Wen as a result. Han Wen, for her part, had neither reached out nor explained her silence—perhaps she was angry, perhaps not—but the uncertainty gnawed at him, making him short-tempered. Even his loyal followers received harsh tongue-lashings if they so much as annoyed him.

Now, seeing Yang Dong before him, was it any wonder his mood darkened further?

“Yang Dong? You’ve got the nerve to show your face here?” Zhou Hui waddled out, her eyes narrowing as she caught sight of Yang Dong standing in the corridor, a sneer curling her lips. “Didn’t you get suspended? Why come back now? Trying to beg the secretary to give you your job back?”

Gu Chen, too, emerged, his voice dripping with mockery. Neither he nor Zhou Hui had any inkling of Yang Dong’s secondment—they wouldn’t have, since it wasn’t public knowledge. Lin Yaodong, who did know, had no interest in making life easier for an old rival, so he’d kept silent. Li Chen, as Yang Dong’s friend and colleague, was even less likely to make trouble or invite gossip on Yang Dong’s behalf. Thus, to everyone in the General Affairs Section, Yang Dong was still suspended.

“Back to work? Dream on!” Zhou Hui scoffed. “Now that Yin Tiejun’s out, what work could Yang Dong possibly have? You might as well go home and farm the fields—otherwise you’ll end up penniless, ha ha ha!” She doubled over in laughter, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Yang Dong had insulted her once before, and she’d never forgiven him.

“Hey, hey, that’s enough,” Lin Yaodong said, restraining his two ‘right-hand men’ as he squinted at Yang Dong. “Maybe Group Leader Yang just missed us and wanted to come for a visit.”

“He, miss us?” Gu Chen snorted, his face full of disdain. “As if we need him here. He should take a good look in the mirror.”

Zhou Hui folded her arms and shot a sidelong glance at Yang Dong. “Exactly. We don’t need him.”

Yang Dong’s expression remained calm, his gaze level as he watched their petty performance. “Are you done?” he asked quietly once their voices trailed off.

“Group Leader, why are you back? Have you been reinstated?” Li Chen, who’d been drafting a report, finally noticed the commotion. Spotting Yang Dong, he hurried over, his concern evident. Yang Dong saw that Li Chen looked more haggard than before—clearly, life hadn’t been easy for him since his departure.

“No, I haven’t been reinstated,” Yang Dong replied with a smile and a shake of his head. With that old dog Tian blocking the way, it was never going to be so easy. Besides, his secondment to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection was set for two months—there was still over a month left.

“I see,” Li Chen muttered with a bitter smile and a glimmer of resignation. He’d hoped Yang Dong was back for good. These days had been terribly hard: Lin Yaodong deliberately made things difficult for him, rejecting every report he wrote as worthless. Gu Chen and Zhou Hui constantly undermined his morale, leaving him on edge. Tian Guanghan sent him out for cigarettes and errands, treating him like a menial laborer. All because he was ‘one of Yang Dong’s people.’ Still, despite the hardships, Li Chen had never considered betraying Yang Dong; he had gritted his teeth and endured.

“Yang Dong, what are you really here for?” Lin Yaodong pressed, frowning at him. His earlier outburst had been fueled by temper, but now he realized something was off. He needed to get to the bottom of it. After all, Yang Dong wasn’t just anyone—he was with the Commission for Discipline Inspection. His presence here at the City Administration Office was suspicious.

Yang Dong didn’t answer. Instead, he looked past Lin Yaodong at the middle-aged, balding, heavyset man who had just appeared in the corridor.

Tian Guanghan had stepped out of his office to see the crowd gathered in the hallway. He barked angrily, “What the hell do you all think you’re doing? Don’t you have work? Get back—Yang Dong?”

He stopped short when he saw Yang Dong standing before him, staring intently.

Yang Dong strode over, reached into his pocket, and drew out his Commission for Discipline Inspection credentials. “Comrade Tian Guanghan, I am Yang Dong, leader of the Tenth Special Task Force of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. We have some matters that require your cooperation. Please proceed with us to the designated time and place to make your statement.”

Shock swept through the staff of the City Administration Office. Everyone stared at Yang Dong, eyes wide with disbelief. Lin Yaodong blanched, stumbling three steps backward.

Zhou Hui, on the other hand, stormed forward, jabbing a finger at Yang Dong and shouting, “Yang, who the hell do you think you are, putting on this act here? Do you even know where you are? What nonsense are you spouting?”

Gu Chen, however, had already recoiled in terror, having glimpsed the official order from the Commission in Yang Dong’s hand, its black-and-white print burning into his memory. ‘Shuanggui’—double designation. Secretary Tian… was under shuanggui!

It was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, leaving him utterly stunned.

Yang Dong glanced at Zhou Hui, then turned and called down the stairs, “Jiang Hu, Donglai!”

“Here!” Jiang Hu and Hou Donglai hurried up from the fourth-floor stairwell, arriving in the corridor.

“Clear the area. All unrelated personnel, do not obstruct the Commission’s investigation!”

Yang Dong’s voice was icy as he glared at Zhou Hui and the others. Zhou Hui, finally realizing this was no bluff, stammered, “You… you’re from the Commission for Discipline Inspection?”

Her face turned ghostly pale as she noticed everyone else had already retreated to their offices—only she remained standing foolishly in the corridor. Even Lin Yaodong, whom she trusted most, had distanced himself by several meters.

“I—”

“Step back!” Jiang Hu barked, his presence radiating the authority of a seasoned detective. Zhou Hui immediately retreated. Hou Donglai and Jiang Hu quickly cleared the corridor and stood guard on either side of Tian Guanghan to prevent his escape.

But by now, escape was the last thing on Tian Guanghan’s mind—his brain was frozen in shock.

At that moment, the other deputy secretaries, office deputy directors, and all the section chiefs and deputy chiefs of the municipal government emerged, watching the scene from a distance in astonishment. The Commission for Discipline Inspection had come to place Tian Guanghan under shuanggui? How could this happen twice in one month? The Secretary of the City Administration had been placed under shuanggui twenty days ago, and now the Executive Deputy Secretary was being taken as well? Something unusual was in the air.

“Yang Dong, you… you…” Tian Guanghan trembled all over, his eyes bloodshot as he pointed at Yang Dong. “This is revenge! I want to see Secretary Wu—I’m going to report you to Secretary Wu! You scoundrel, you villain!”

“Enough, Tian Guanghan!” Yang Dong had been suppressing his fury for a long time, but now he could no longer contain it. He roared, “You know exactly what you’ve done! You have disregarded party discipline and the law, betrayed the people—you must have realized this day would come! Take him away!”

At his command, Jiang Hu and Hou Donglai moved forward, each seizing one of Tian Guanghan’s arms, and escorted him out.

Tian Guanghan’s face was ashen, his pulse racing. He recalled how, just days ago, he’d sought revenge against Yang Dong by targeting his younger brother. Regret filled him—why had he allowed himself to be swayed by Lin Yaodong’s schemes and gone after Yang Dong’s family?

“It was Lin Yaodong! It was his idea! He told me to go after your brother! Yang Dong, Comrade Yang, Little Yang—it wasn’t me; I was just an accomplice!”

His wailing echoed down the corridor like the cries of a slaughtered pig.

Yang Dong, who had been heading downstairs, froze and turned sharply to glare at Lin Yaodong. Lin Yaodong, feeling Yang Dong’s murderous gaze, could barely breathe, his whole body turning cold.

But the fury in Yang Dong’s eyes vanished as quickly as it had come. His expression returned to normal, and he even smiled and waved at Lin Yaodong.

“Yaodong, until we meet again.”

Instinctively, Lin Yaodong took a step back, missed his footing, and landed hard on his backside.