Name: My father is Zhao Dehan, and I hope he will become a dragon!

The night was as dark as ink, but the courtyard lights of Building B17 in the Rose Garden were dazzlingly bright.

Zhao Chongming had just stretched on the sofa when he heard the iron gate being pushed open with a "bang".

Three plainclothes prosecutors filed in, their flashlight beams slicing through the darkness like swords.

The last to walk in was Hou Liangping—sharply dressed in a suit, with hawk-like eyes, his left hand tightly gripping Zhao Dehan's wrist.

Zhao Dehan's face was deathly pale, his lips trembled, and his old jacket was wrinkled like a piece of waste paper.

He collapsed to the floor as soon as he entered the room, muttering, "It's over...it's all over..."

"stand up!"

Hou Liangping gave a low shout, his gaze sweeping across the living room, "Is this the place?"

Zhao Dehan nodded tremblingly, his eyes not daring to look around—he knew the money was still there.

The refrigerator, under the bed, in the cracks in the wall... every place holds evidence of his crimes.

The search team members were absolutely dedicated and conscientious.

however……

The moment the refrigerator was opened, everyone was stunned.

The refrigerator was completely empty.

There's nothing there!

Hou Liangping was dumbfounded.

Zhao Dehan was dumbfounded!

He remembered that there were indeed piles of banknotes inside the refrigerator.

Now?

What about money?

"Who are you people, and why are you trespassing on my property?"

Just then, a lazy voice came from the stairwell.

All eyes turned to the stairwell, where Zhao Chongming yawned and lazily walked down the stairs step by step.

Zhao Dehan's pupils contracted sharply as he recognized his eldest son.

Zhao Chongming looked around and his gaze settled on Zhao Dehan.

"Hey, Dad, you're here too?"

Everyone turned around at the same time.

Zhao Chongming leaned against the stair railing, wearing a dark gray haute couture nightgown with the cuffs slightly rolled up, revealing his well-defined forearms.

He held a glass of water in his hand, looking as relaxed as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard.

Zhao Dehan looked up abruptly, his pupils shrinking: "Chong...Chongming? What are you doing here?"

"I live here."

Zhao Chongming smiled and walked down the stairs: "This house is in my name."

Hou Liangping frowned and quickly sized up the young man in front of him—

He is at least 1.82 meters tall, with broad shoulders and long legs. His skin is a healthy tan, and his eyes are calm yet sharp. There is not a trace of the "idle and lazy, studying abroad to get a degree" in his original file.

"Are you Zhao Chongming?" Hou Liangping asked warily.

"As real as fake."

Zhao Chongming nodded, casually placing his water glass on the coffee table with a crisp sound: "And who is this?"

Hou Liangping stated directly, "My name is Hou Liangping, I'm a prosecutor, and this is my identification!"

As he spoke, Hou Liangping took out his identification and waved it in front of Zhao Chongming.

Zhao Chongming smiled and said, "Officer, do you have any legal procedures for breaking into my house in the middle of the night?"

Hou Liangping didn't answer, but directly pulled a piece of paper from his briefcase: "Search warrant. Zhao Dehan is suspected of serious economic violations, and this villa is a place where he hides his assets. It is hereby searched in accordance with the law."

Zhao Chongming glanced at it and scoffed, "Concealing assets? Prosecutor Hou, are you mistaken?"

He slowly walked up to Zhao Dehan, squatted down, and patted his father's shoulder: "Dad, don't be afraid. I bought this house two years ago, and I earned the money myself. It has nothing to do with your meager salary. Don't worry, it's all a misunderstanding!"

"Misunderstand?"

Zhao Dehan looked bewildered: "You...you earned that?"

"yes."

Zhao Chongming stood up, turned to Hou Liangping, his smile unwavering, "I founded NovaQuant in the United States, doing quantitative trading, and exited last year, cashing out more than 30 million US dollars. This villa is my first investment since returning to China to start a business."

Hou Liangping narrowed his eyes: "Words are no proof."

"Of course there's evidence."

Zhao Chongming said, "There's a safe upstairs, the combination is... You can send your team members to get it!"

Hou Liangping frowned.

Then, a team member quickly went upstairs and returned a few minutes later with a stack of documents.

"Director Hou, you can take a look!" Zhao Chongming said calmly, "This is the property ownership certificate from the Housing Authority, it's in my name; this is the bank's foreign exchange settlement record, 2.4 million RMB, the source is clear; this is the MIT Technology Review TR35 selection certificate, and the Stanford lecture invitation letter, you can verify their authenticity!"

Hou Liangping fell silent.

Having handled cases for many years, he had seen far too many corrupt officials use "their son's business" to launder money, but this Zhao Chongming before him—

The information is complete, the logic is logical, and the demeanor is calm and composed; it doesn't seem like acting.

Even more bizarrely...

This villa doesn't look like a habitable place.

The refrigerator was completely empty; it didn't look like a place to live.

According to the intelligence he had gathered, this was where Zhao Dehan had hidden his ill-gotten gains.

But there's nothing here.

"Whether there's a problem or not, I still need to investigate. I have a search warrant here!" Hou Liangping placed the search warrant in front of Zhao Chongming: "I hope you won't obstruct official business!"

"Of course!" Zhao Chongming smiled. "I have the utmost respect for the country's laws!"

"Search," Hou Liangping ordered through gritted teeth.

The two prosecutors immediately took action, lifting the carpet, knocking on the walls, and dismantling the ceiling.

Half an hour later, they returned, covered in sweat: "Director Hou, no cash, no account books, all rooms have been searched, only normal household items."

"Impossible!" Hou Liangping exclaimed in shock. "Where's the money? Where's the two hundred million? Zhao Dehan, you clearly..."

Zhao Dehan's head was buzzing: "Yeah, where's the money? Where are the two hundred million?"

Zhao Chongming sighed, squatted down, and said softly, "Dad, are you sure you're not mistaken? Where did our family get two hundred million? Your monthly salary is four thousand eight, my mother's pension is two thousand three, and the whole family's savings add up to less than one hundred thousand."

Zhao Dehan froze, his eyes unfocused: "But...but I clearly..."

"You might be under too much stress and hallucinating," Zhao Chongming said with concern as he helped him up. "Why don't we go to the hospital for a checkup?"

Hou Liangping stared at Zhao Chongming and suddenly asked, "Why are you at the villa? Didn't you have dinner with your girlfriend tonight?"

Zhao Chongming shrugged: "How did you know? Director Hou, are you investigating our activities?"

"We're fighting corruption!" Hou Liangping said coldly.

Zhao Chongming shrugged and smiled: "I support the anti-corruption campaign. But using my father as a starting point, implicating him with fabricated charges, isn't that a bit... excessive? If you're going to accuse my father of embezzlement, you need to provide evidence!"

Hou Liangping didn't speak, but his eyes clearly wavered.

He knew that he was doomed in this case.

There was no embezzled money, no chain of evidence, only a "suspected corrupt official" and a "flawless" son.

He put away the search warrant and said coldly, "Zhao Chongming, we will continue our investigation. We hope that every word you say can withstand the organization's scrutiny."

"You're welcome anytime."

Zhao Chongming smiled. "By the way, remember to make an appointment in advance next time you come. My villa is strictly managed by the property management."

Hou Liangping turned and left, his back view revealing a suppressed anger.

Zhao Chongming smiled. Hou Liangping's trip was for "preliminary investigation" rather than formal filing of a case and arrest. He was also certain that Hou Liangping could not forcibly take them away on the spot. Forcibly taking away the father and son would constitute illegal detention, which would be a serious violation of procedure.

Zhao Dehan slumped to the ground, muttering to himself, "Where...where did the money go?"

Zhao Chongming said, "Dad, have you gone mad from being an official? Our family has been poor for eight generations. Where did you get the money?"