Chapter 80 Hou Shuangquan’s ‘Defection’

Following Yintiejun’s advice, Yang Dong returned to his hospital room, taking a proper rest to restore his strength. He slept soundly until nine o’clock the next morning, and the fatigue had vanished.

After washing his face, Yang Dong stepped out of his room, planning to grab breakfast before heading to work. The enemy’s counterattack loomed ahead, and he needed to be prepared.

But as he reached the doorway, he spotted Hou Shuangquan, who was anxiously staring at him.

“Team Leader, I’ve made up my mind!”

Yang Dong almost forgot that this young man was still in the hospital.

His feelings toward Hou Shuangquan were rather complex. A pitiful figure, a pawn easily discarded by Xu Yuncai. If Hou Shuangquan truly mattered to the other side, he wouldn’t have ended up in the same accident as Yang Dong, nor suffered even graver injuries.

Yang Dong had his own plans for this traitor; he could use him. Therefore, he hadn’t exposed Hou Shuangquan as a mole, nor revealed his betrayal. This kept Hou Shuangquan safe from discovery, and in the eyes of the opposition, he remained their man.

“Shuangquan, what have you decided?” Yang Dong asked with a faint smile.

Seeing Yang Dong’s smile, Hou Shuangquan mustered his courage to state his position, “Team Leader, I’ve decided—I’ll listen to you from now on! Please give me a chance to rejoin the team.”

His mood had been terrible these past days, hard to describe. He was injured, yet the other side hadn’t called, nor sent anyone to visit him. By rights, Xu Yuncai, as Deputy Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, could have dispatched someone to check on him; the commission’s staff at the ward wouldn’t have stopped them. But no one came. No one cared, let alone showed concern.

This left Hou Shuangquan cold inside, even filled with anger—anger toward Xu Yuncai and his associates. Used as a pawn, discarded when spent, his fate ignored. If that was how things stood, he owed them no loyalty.

Moreover, after Jiang Hu delivered Yang Dong’s three messages a few days ago, Hou Shuangquan had long since understood their meaning. Yang Dong’s intentions were clear: if you want to follow me, you’ll have to help with something, because you owe me a favor. Yang Dong had concealed the fact that Hou Shuangquan was a mole, preserving his career and sparing him from disciplinary scrutiny. But in exchange, Hou Shuangquan must do something for him—a pledge of allegiance, so to speak.

A pledge that wasn’t particularly onerous: just deal with He Wu, a deputy director at Yunbei District Public Security Bureau. If Hou Shuangquan could bring He Wu down or hand over evidence of his crimes, it would suffice.

This, Hou Shuangquan surmised, was what Yang Dong wanted. He wasn’t sure of the specifics, but he could guess well enough.

Seeing Hou Shuangquan so astute and adaptable, Yang Dong nodded in satisfaction. “Good. I appreciate your attitude toward work.”

“Come, let’s get something to eat, then we’ll get to business.”

Although Hou Shuangquan was a mole, Yang Dong had always been aware of him. He posed no real threat and hadn’t caused any loss. Instead, Yang Dong could take advantage of the situation, making Hou Shuangquan work for him.

A seasoned political figure never judges a person simply by right or wrong, nor insists on punishing someone for a single act of disloyalty. Hou Shuangquan’s status as a mole made him a useful tool—a blade to break through Xu Yuncai’s faction.

Now, the blade was firmly in Yang Dong’s hand, turned against the enemy.

“Thank you, Team Leader!” Hou Shuangquan’s face lit up, relief flooding him. Yang Dong’s invitation to eat meant he’d been accepted—his ‘surrender’ was acknowledged.

“Shuangquan, do you know He Wu?”

They left the city hospital, heading toward the noodle shop, chatting as they walked.

“I do. We’ve had meals together before,” Hou Shuangquan replied promptly.

But seeing Yang Dong’s odd expression, he quickly realized Yang Dong wasn’t asking about acquaintance—he wanted to know if Hou Shuangquan had evidence of He Wu’s crimes.

“Team Leader, I know He Wu sold auxiliary police positions at Yunbei District Public Security Bureau—two thousand yuan each. Does that count?”

Hou Shuangquan lowered his voice as he spoke.

“Shuangquan, it’s not about the amount of corruption, but the gravity of the act. You’ll have to weigh these things yourself.”

“Come, let’s eat noodles.”

Yang Dong patted Hou Shuangquan’s shoulder with a broad smile and walked into the noodle shop. He didn’t give Hou Shuangquan a clear answer, but if he wasn’t foolish, he would know what to do.

Only when He Wu was brought down by Hou Shuangquan could Yang Dong be truly at ease in employing him. The pledge of allegiance was vital—a double insurance. With evidence of Hou Shuangquan’s betrayal and his pledge, Yang Dong needn’t worry about him turning against him.

Simple people rarely succeed in officialdom.

Yang Dong never regarded his methods as distasteful; in fact, they were exceedingly gentle compared to threats against family or manipulation with money and women. His approach was quite upright.

The two entered a noodle shop opposite the hospital and ordered two bowls of noodles. Before eating, Yang Dong notified Jiang Hu to send a car for him.

“Team Leader, what’s our next task?” Hou Shuangquan ventured to ask about work, but Yang Dong waved him off.

“Eat your noodles!”

Yang Dong glanced around the noodle shop, then at Hou Shuangquan. Hou Shuangquan immediately fell silent; confidentiality rules of the discipline commission had to be observed.

After finishing their meal, Jiang Hu arrived in a Jetta at the noodle shop entrance. Yang Dong and Hou Shuangquan got into the car.

“Team Leader, are you alright? Did the city procuratorate give you trouble? Did they lay a hand on you?” Jiang Hu asked with concern as he drove. He paid Hou Shuangquan no mind; some people just don’t get along, even at first meeting, let alone become friends. That was how Jiang Hu felt about Hou Shuangquan—just as Ji Hongyu, Deputy Section Chief of the Comprehensive Section, had an instinctive aversion to Yang Dong.

“Don’t worry. It’s not like they’re bandits in a den; why would they beat me?” Yang Dong shook his head with a laugh. He was touched by Jiang Hu’s concern. In less than a month, gaining Jiang Hu as a friend was a stroke of luck.

“Team Leader, what’s our next step?” Hou Shuangquan, unable to ask in the noodle shop, finally spoke up in the car.

“Interrogate Tian Guanghan!”

Yang Dong’s expression grew stern at the mention of the next task. He was determined to dig deep into Tian Guanghan and ensure he faced the full weight of party discipline and the law. Such a corrupt official should not continue to bring harm to the people of Lingyun City.

“Team Leader, that might not be possible…” Jiang Hu frowned at Yang Dong’s words.

“Hmm? Why not?” Yang Dong looked at Jiang Hu, puzzled and surprised.