MMB Chapter 927: Planning to Admit Defeat
Chapter 927: Planning to Admit Defeat
"Objectively speaking, considering the geological structure of southwestern Sichuan and the on-site construction plan, it's somewhat far-fetched to rate the school buildings of these two schools as meeting quality standards. Sometimes, we can't rigidly apply building codes. For buildings in special areas, we can't simply assess them as qualified just because they meet the lower limit of the codes. We must remember that my country's building codes are constantly being improved!"
At this point, another person said, "I have doubts about whether the school buildings of these two schools can withstand an earthquake of magnitude 6 or above. Of course, this is my preliminary judgment based on the construction data and archives of these two schools and the geological conditions of the area. We still need to conduct an on-site inspection."
"Our idea at the Trinity Foundation is very simple. We don't want to lose the reputation we've built up over the years because of something, and we won't forget our original intention. These two schools were not built according to our Trinity Foundation's construction requirements, so we cannot bear the consequences. That's why we asked the experts to help study this case. After all, the users of the schools are the future of our country, and we must be responsible for their safety." These words were spoken by Zhou Chengyu.
Under immense pressure, Zhou Chengyu's execution ability exploded, and in a very short time, he was able to invite a number of experts in the fields of building structure and geotechnical engineering in China, including an academician.
The speaker at this seminar just now was this academician and geotechnical expert.
Of course, the emperor didn't lack hungry soldiers; all of this cost real money.
Despite the tight schedule and urgent task, Zhou Chengyu still managed to contact top experts in these fields in a very short time by leveraging his network and the foundation's strong financial resources.
Zhou Chengyu was experienced in dealing with these experts. He first promised them that he would provide substantial funding for their current research projects or those that lacked funding.
In this way, goodwill was instantly improved. The brick was thrown out, and now it was time to attract jade. Zhou Chengyu did not directly ask the experts to evaluate the two schools in southwestern Sichuan as unqualified. Instead, he invited them to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the two schools under the guise of a research project, which could also be considered a kind of academic research.
Zhou Chengyu had already thought of a title for the research project: "Is the lower limit of the building code requirements appropriate in geologically active areas?"
The goal is to overturn the original acceptance result.
As the saying goes, a generous reward will surely attract brave men, especially when it is done under the guise of pure academic research.
Zhou Chengyu had another reason for inviting these experts: these experts were all top figures in their respective fields, with students and associates all over the country. They even had students and followers in the provincial and municipal construction commissions of Sichuan Province. This way, they could achieve twice the result with half the effort.
So, less than a week later, these experts, accompanied by relevant leaders from the provincial and municipal construction commissions, arrived in Nanfeng County, where the two schools are located.
At that time, Ma Cheng and He Bi felt like the sky was about to fall. They never expected that the Trinity Foundation would come back in this way.
Moreover, judging from their attitude, they seemed determined not to give up until they thoroughly investigated the school building issues of these two schools.
They had no way to stop them. First, the people accompanying them were leaders from the provincial and municipal construction departments, and second, the people were there under the guise of academic research. They, with their own ulterior motives, were truly at a loss for words.
Dare not cooperate? Do you think those leaders in the provincial and municipal construction departments are just sitting around doing nothing?
They could only consult Du Qihong for a solution.
Du Qihong was also at a loss!
.
Although he was still unclear about the Sany Foundation's true intentions, based on his years of experience, he judged that the Sany Foundation was definitely there to demand an explanation, only they had changed the name to one that left them no room for refusal.
If the Sany Foundation comes directly to them demanding an explanation, Du Qihong has plenty of ways to deal with them; stalling is all she needs, and time will solve everything.
Don't they know who he is? His family has been in this area for generations, and he has relatives and friends in various departments. He's the local bigwig. To put it bluntly, his intervention is more effective than the law in some matters.
But now there's a problem. Du Qihong has also found some people, but it's still hard to say what to say. How can he say that Nanfeng County doesn't welcome experts to come here for academic research?
If he dares to say that, he'll soon be sidelined and subjected to various investigations because he broke the rules. Of course, he won't stand up to scrutiny.
"How about we give each of those experts a gift and ask them for help?" Why bother with the strategy of using sweet talk?
Ma Cheng originally wanted to agree, since it was indeed a viable approach.
But Du Qihong didn't think so, glaring at He Bi and scolding him: "Get out of my way."
Then, with a look of exasperation, he gritted his teeth and asked, "How much are you planning to give? Do you think they'll accept it? This whole group of twenty or thirty people has come, plus the provincial and municipal construction department leaders accompanying them—that's almost forty people. How are you going to deliver that?"
In fact, Du Qihong had already tried this trick. One of his classmates from his advanced studies happened to work in the city's construction department, and he visited him as soon as he arrived.
Of course, he couldn't go empty-handed. His classmate was very polite and enthusiastic, but he resolutely refused to accept any gifts.
Out of consideration for their past as classmates, he frankly admitted that he was there to accompany them on their research trip, as the case of Nanfeng County was quite typical. Before coming, the group had already held several seminars in the province, and the tone had been basically set.
If Du Qihong still doesn't understand after they've already said all that, he'd be a fool.
It's clear that the Sany Foundation was furious about their skirting the rules and brought in a group of experts and bigwigs to demand an explanation.
The three of them were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, but couldn't come up with any good ideas for the time being.
Du Qihong came up with a solution: the one who tied the knot must untie it. She went directly to talk to Zhou Chengyu, the chairman of the Sany Foundation, since he was also there.
They should just admit defeat to Zhou Chengyu and return the money to the Sanyi Foundation. They only did this because they had embezzled their donations!
They firmly believe that this is the purpose of the Trinity Foundation, because they still believe that the buildings of the two schools meet the building codes. They think that the Trinity Foundation's big fuss is to express their dissatisfaction that the money was embezzled by them.
As the saying goes, when faced with two evils, choose the lesser. Now that things have come to this point, it's best to make a decision sooner rather than later. Every day we delay increases the danger. Even if we lose the money, at least we can save our lives and have something to rely on in the future.
Du Qihong told Ma Cheng and He Bi about his idea, and they naturally agreed wholeheartedly. They weren't stupid; if this could solve the problem, that would be the best. Although it hurt to take the money out of their pockets, it was better than going to jail, right?
This matter will be left to He Bi. It is definitely inconvenient and inappropriate for Du Qihong and Ma Cheng to discuss this matter with Zhou Chengyu.