They were the third group to arrive at the City Government. The door to the conference room was open, so they walked in directly.

Otherwise, Yao Guangsong would have to talk to each one, which would take effort.

Song Guanchao noticed that Cheng Xiang turned on the recording on his phone, listening very intently, not wanting to miss any detail.

After listening for more than ten minutes, they came out.

They found an empty small conference room and began their discussion.

Chen Yirou said, "What I heard from Director Yao is not much different from what Professor Wang said."

Cheng Xiang's mouth twitched, clearly wanting to sigh, but he held it in.

He looked at Song Guanchao: "Old Song, what do you think?"

Song Guanchao said, "Director Yao only gave a general overview. There are still many areas we need to investigate."

Jiang Yiren asked, "What should we investigate?"

She also felt that there wasn't much difference between what Director Yao and Professor Wang had said.

Song Guanchao picked up a pen and paper and wrote down the word "responsibility."

"What is the most important thing in a car accident?"

"It's the division of accident responsibility."

"Is the driver responsible for this accident, or are the deceased? We must clarify this first."

The two women blinked and instinctively wanted to say that it's definitely the driver's responsibility.

But when it came to their mouths, they held back.

Without investigation, there is no right to speak.

Speaking without understanding the situation is very irresponsible.

Cheng Xiang nodded, "Old Song is right; the division of accident responsibility is the most important point."

"That's also why I say, don't rush to a discussion without understanding. Because if the core issues aren't clear, there's no point in discussing."

"Moreover..."

Cheng Xiang paused before saying, "I think the driver might very well be not at fault."

At this, even Song Guanchao looked at him in surprise.

He knew because he and Wu Qiangwei had visited in the morning, so he had a better understanding.

But Cheng Xiang could reach this conclusion despite the lack of transparent information.

This guy is quite capable.

Song Guanchao, with interest, said, "Tell us your analysis."

Cheng Xiang spread his hands, "It's very simple. If this matter were that simple, it would just be an ordinary traffic accident. Would we need to handle an ordinary traffic accident? Any random traffic cop could take care of it."

"So, I strongly suspect that the driver is not at fault."

"Not at fault?" Chen Yirou said, "If there's no fault, doesn't that mean these deceased won't get compensation money?"

Cheng Xiang said, "That's why the City Government handed this matter to the party school, hoping that through the party school, they could pressure some people to pay compensation."

Song Guanchao smiled and said, "Old Cheng's analysis is correct and aligns with my own thoughts."

Cheng Xiang sighed, "Just knowing this is useless; seven people died. Even if the driver is not responsible, compensation not being in place will not pacify the families."

"Moreover, there are definitely issues within the City Government, and they probably can't shell out the money either."

"Without external intervention, this driver might go bankrupt."

Song Guanchao remained calm, "Let's go to the traffic police first to find out who's responsible, and then we can talk about this matter."

Cheng Xiang thought he seemed quite calm and asked, "Do you have an idea?"

Song Guanchao hummed and didn't hide it from them, "If the driver is not at fault, the district government will have to pay. Don't worry, as long as the driver is not at fault, the district government will definitely be able to pay."

Chen Yirou asked, "Do you know the district chief of Nanhu District?"

"I don't know him," Song Guanchao said. "It's precisely because I don't know him that it's easier to handle this matter impartially."

She wanted to ask how Song Guanchao would get the district government to pay.

But he clearly had no intention of continuing the explanation.

"Come on, let's go to the traffic police."

They drove to the traffic police brigade of Nanhu District, and as they got out of the car, Cheng Xiang raised his chin, "Zhou Xin and his group are here too."

Song Guanchao was quite surprised; he didn't expect this young man to know how to make his way here too.

Zhou Xin also saw them and smiled, "District Chief Song, you're here too."

"Yes, here to ask about the situation."

The two sides walked inside together, and soon they met Captain Ma of the traffic brigade.

Song Guanchao requested to see the on-site surveillance footage and the driver's dashcam recording.

Captain Ma said, "Sorry, you can't see these things. If you want to see them, you need to contact Mr. Cao first, and once Mr. Cao makes the call, I can show you."

The group exchanged glances, and without making a scene, quietly left Captain Ma's office.

Zhou Xin's group remained inside.

"Seems like the driver really is not at fault,"

Chen Yirou said.

You could basically tell from Captain Ma's attitude.

If the driver were responsible, Captain Ma wouldn't refuse to let them see it.

Jiang Yiren asked, "What should we do now?"

"My suggestion is to go to the district government and talk to Mr. Cao."

Cheng Xiang said, "Old Song, what do you think?"

Song Guanchao hummed, "Let's go and have a talk."

They left, while Zhou Xin remained in the office.

All of them were old hands in the officialdom. When they heard Captain Ma refusing to show them, they understood what was going on.

However, their way of handling things was different from Song Guanchao's.

Zhou Xin, smiling, handed over a cigarette, "I heard seven people died and several others are in critical condition. In such a serious car accident, the driver would go bankrupt paying for damages."

"Captain Ma, did the driver have commercial insurance?"

"Yes."

"That's good, then, the compensation funds have a source."

Captain Ma assessed him and also smiled, "Do you want to handle this matter?"

"Well, the party school assigned us this task to handle it properly,"

"So, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

"How else? By following the rules," Zhou Xin said, "If the driver is responsible, they should pay compensation, and if they need to go to jail, they go to jail."

"Once the families have received the money, they won't cause trouble, don't you think, Captain Ma?"

Captain Ma laughed, "I think that's good. In that case, I'll call Mr. Cao, and you can go to the district government and talk to Mr. Cao."

"Alright!"

Zhou Xin knew that the matter was basically settled.

Captain Ma not letting Song Guanchao see the surveillance was not about making things difficult for them but about not bearing the consequences.

After hearing about this in the office today, Mr. Cao immediately called them over to the district government for a meeting.

Mr. Cao's intention was clear: the driver must be fully liable.

So how could they let Song Guanchao see the surveillance?

If these young people are not sharp-witted and insist that the driver has no responsibility after seeing the surveillance, it conflicts with Mr. Cao's directive.

But this Zhou Xin was a clever person. After a few words, he knew how to handle the matter.

It's beneficial to handle the accident in the name of the party school.

No matter what happens afterward, it has nothing to do with him.

…

Upon arriving at the district government, there were no obstacles, and Song Guanchao's group quickly met with Mr. Cao.

"Please have a seat."

Mr. Cao served good tea and water to receive them.

Without speaking, Song Guanchao let Cheng Xiang articulate their purpose.

Mr. Cao directly said, "I've seen the surveillance; it's the driver's responsibility."

Upon hearing this, they all understood Mr. Cao's intention.

He wanted to set the tone for the incident.

Simultaneously, he was conveying a message to them.

If they wanted to handle the accident, they had to follow his direction.

Otherwise, they shouldn't hope to see the surveillance.

Cheng Xiang glanced at Song Guanchao, wanting to know his decision.

Would he follow Mr. Cao's intention or insist on seeing the surveillance?

If it were up to Cheng Xiang's own desire, he would leave immediately and stay out of the matter.

Mr. Cao plainly wants to create a miscarriage of justice. Even if he could suppress the repercussions, making it impossible for the driver to appeal.

But injustice is injustice, a ticking time bomb.

If, in the future, his political opponents want to target him, this injustice could be used against him.

Therefore, if this can't be handled as a regular accident, it'd be best not to get entangled, acting as if today never happened.

Song Guanchao cheerfully said, "So it's the driver's responsibility. We understand. We won't disturb your work, Mr. Cao."

After speaking, he stood up and left.

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