Chapter 1579: Being a Scapegoat
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Aside from Li Dawei, no one else in the ministry would have such thoughts and perspectives and give another kick to Qiao Nan at such sensitive times.
However, Li Dawei himself knew that he didn’t do this. He wasn’t willing to be a scapegoat.
Qiao Nan closed the information so that Li Dawei couldn’t see anything. After hearing Li Dawei’s explanation, Qiao Nan didn’t have a particularly big reaction. “Is that so? I understand the situation now. Go back and do your work.”
It was apparent that Qiao Nan didn’t believe his words. How was Li Dawei willing to return to work? If he didn’t explain this matter clearly, he wouldn’t even have a ten percent chance of being promoted without Qiao Nan’s help. “Minister Qiao, I’m speaking the truth. I was framed. I didn’t send that post. Minister Qiao, you have to believe me. I… I’ll find someone to prove my innocence. The IP address will be enough to prove everything. This matter has nothing to do with me!”
The more Li Dawei said, the more agitated he was. His voice became sharper uncontrollably.
Li Dawei was too anxious when entering Qiao Nan’s office and didn’t close her office door properly. Once Li Dawei raised his voice, everyone outside could hear his words clearly.
A few people revealed sarcastic looks. Did he treat them and Minister Qiao as fools? How would other people know about their affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Li Dawei was probably the only one who believed that he had nothing to do with the post. Even the blind could tell that Li Dawei was the author of the post who had described everything.
IP?
What was an IP address? Couldn’t Li Dawei go to an Internet café outside to post this? If that was the case, then the IP address of the post would be different from the IP address of Li Dawei’s home. Although they weren’t experts in IP addresses, they still understood this basic knowledge. Don’t bully them for studying too much!
“Okay, I get it. You can go out now.” Qiao Nan still didn’t have any big reaction. She didn’t say that she believed Li Dawei, and neither did she say that she didn’t believe Li Dawei.
Qiao Nan wasn’t willing to give him a heartfelt remark. Li Dawei had butterflies in his stomach. How was he willing to leave? “Minister Qiao, tell me. How do you want me to prove it to you before you deem me as innocent and that the post has nothing to do with me?”
It wasn’t easy for Qiao Nan to run into such big trouble. He definitely couldn’t let any problems occur at his end. He was in his thirties, slightly older than Qiao Nan. If Qiao Nan stepped down now and he couldn’t step up, he probably wouldn’t have such a chance in the future anymore.
He could only sit at his little desk and be unknown for life until his retirement.
“You don’t have to prove anything.” Qiao Nan put down the pen in her hands. “No matter how you prove it, you can’t remove yourself from this matter and claim your innocence.” It was set that Li Dawei was involved.
“Why?!” He really didn’t do it. On what basis should he be the scapegoat? “This has nothing to do with me. If I did this, I would have admitted to it long ago. I really didn’t do this!” Li Dawei felt like crying. Forget it if he really did it. However, he didn’t. That was why he felt depressed and pained.
He was being wronged to death.
Since Li Dawei insisted on an answer, Qiao Nan gave him an answer. “Why? Let me ask you. Why would outsiders know so clearly about what is going on in the ministry? Who exposed these little matters in the ministry to outsiders? If it’s not you, could it be me? The description of that post was based on your role. People generally wouldn’t have such thoughts and feel that I was suppressing them. These should have been said by you, right?”
Perhaps the author of this post was really not Li Dawei. However, it was afraid that someone had moved Li Dawei’s real thoughts into the post.
If Li Dawei didn’t tell others his inner thoughts, how would others have known?
“I…” Li Dawei’s face turned pale. The moment he saw the contents of the post, he already had a hunch. It should be that he had been complaining to his friend when he felt that he was receiving unfair treatment, and the other party had remembered his words. That person then posted such a post in his capacity during such sensitive times. “I… I complained a little to Xu Xinming before when we were drinking. I feel that the main content of the post is Xu Xinming’s inner thoughts.”
Li Dawei didn’t dare to casually badmouth Qiao Nan. He was afraid that he would be blacklisted. However, there was one person he wasn’t afraid of being betrayed by, and that was Xu Xinming. Qiao Nan had personally transferred Xu Xinming out. Compared to Li Dawei, Xu Xinming bore a bigger grudge against Qiao Nan.
Li Dawei knew that if Qiao Nan was doing well, Xu Xinming would have stronger emotions than him. What Li Dawei didn’t expect was that Xu Xinming would frame Qiao Nan at this time not by posting his own affairs but by betraying him.
Indeed, there was Xu Xinming’s shadow on that post. However, he was very careful and only a small proportion of the content was his own inner thoughts. Everyone would just focus on Li Dawei and see his affairs as the main content.
Li Dawei sniffed. He felt very wronged at this moment. “Can the blame be put on me?” He was just used by Xu Xinming. Xu Xinming had used his affairs to deal with Qiao Nan.
“If I don’t blame you, should I blame myself?” Qiao Nan wrapped her arms around her chest. “I’m not the one who has such a deep friendship with Xu Xinming that we could talk about anything under the sky and badmouth our superior behind her back. Xu Xinming did this, but you should understand that your friendship with him had provided him this chance. You were framed by Xu Xinming. Who should you blame if not yourself?”
Xu Xinming left the ministry early. There were a lot of situations in the ministry he couldn’t intervene in. If not for Li Dawei providing Xu Xinming so many details, would the post written by Xu Xinming be so deeply rooted among the people?
Li Dawei was responsible for this post as well!
“We have already finished talking. Go out.” Li Dawei should be prepared for some things as well. She would definitely not let a person like Li Dawei who dared to bite his superior behind her back to continue staying in the ministry. The Li family didn’t have any face for Li Dawei to continue staying either. As to which department Li Dawei would go to after leaving the ministry of foreign affairs to harm the next supervisor or minister, Qiao Nan expressed that she wouldn’t care.
Anyway, the central government should know how she had taught him a lesson. Everyone should know clearly in their hearts how to treat Li Dawei in the future.