Nominal: My senior brothers are all big shots

Three days later, in Hou Liangping's office at the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Handong Province.

Several blurry photos were spread out on the desk, taken by investigators while they were tracking Qi Tongwei. In the photos, Qi Tongwei's car was parked at the entrance of an upscale residential complex. A young man in his thirties got out of the car, and the two talked for a few minutes by the car before the young man walked into the complex alone.

Hou Liangping carefully examined the young man's face with a magnifying glass—he had delicate features, a tall and straight figure, and sharp eyes. Although he was dressed casually, he had a special air about him.

"Who is this person?" Hou Liangping asked Xiao Wang, the detective sitting opposite him.

"Lin Feng, 30 years old." Xiao Wang flipped through the documents in his hand. "The documents show that he works at the National Policy Research Institute, at the deputy director-general level. Strangely, his resume is very simple, but his promotion speed is extremely fast."

Hou Liangping frowned. "What's his relationship with Qi Tongwei?"

"We checked, and Lin Feng's mother is named Qi Yulan, who is Qi Tongwei's aunt. In other words, Lin Feng is Qi Tongwei's cousin."

Cousin? Hou Liangping's heart skipped a beat. Why was Qi Tongwei contacting his cousin so frequently at this time? Could there be some hidden reason behind it?

"Have they been seeing each other frequently lately?"

"Very frequently." Xiao Wang pointed to the date on the photo. "In the past few days, Qi Tongwei has gone to Lin Feng's residence four times, each time at night, staying for one to two hours. And he's very cautious; his driver and secretary are waiting downstairs, not letting anyone get close."

Hou Liangping pondered. Qi Tongwei, as the vice governor, was extremely busy, yet he frequently met privately with a cousin—this was illogical. Unless… they had something important to discuss.

"Have you investigated Lin Feng's background thoroughly?"

"We're investigating. But this person is very mysterious," Xiao Wang said, somewhat troubled.

Hou Liangping leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table. This Lin Feng was becoming increasingly suspicious.

The most direct way to investigate Lin Feng's background is through the internal database of the public security system.

However, Hou Liangping is currently unable to directly access public security resources—the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Public Security Department belong to different systems, and Qi Tongwei is also the Director of the Public Security Department. If he were to use formal channels, it would be easy to alert the enemy.

Hou Liangping thought of someone—Chen Hai.

Although Chen Hai has been transferred out of the Public Security Bureau, he has worked in the public security system and certainly still has connections there. Moreover, Chen Hai is now the vice principal of the Party School, which is relatively relaxed, and he has time to help out.

More importantly, Chen Hai must harbor resentment towards Qi Tongwei and Gao Yuliang because of the previous incident. This might be an opportunity.

Hou Liangping picked up his phone and dialed Chen Hai's number.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered. Chen Hai's voice sounded tired. "Feed?"

"Hai Zi, that's me, Hou Liangping."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone. "Monkey? What's up?"

"I need your help with something," Hou Liangping said bluntly. "Would it be convenient for us to meet?"

"What can't be said over the phone?" Chen Hai asked warily.

"About Qi Tongwei," Hou Liangping said in a low voice.

There was silence on the other end of the phone. After a long while, Chen Hai finally said, "I'm at the Party School, come over."

The provincial party school is located in the suburbs of Jingzhou, in a quiet and peaceful environment. Chen Hai's office is on the third floor of an old-fashioned office building; it's not large, but it's very clean.

When Hou Liangping knocked and entered, Chen Hai was reading a book. Upon seeing Hou Liangping, he put down his book, his expression complex.

"You're here? Have a seat." Chen Hai gestured to the sofa. "What would you like to drink?"

"No need." Hou Liangping sat down and got straight to the point, "Hai Zi, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"What kind of help?"

"Help me find out about someone." Hou Liangping took out Lin Feng's photo from his bag and placed it on the coffee table. "This person is called Lin Feng, 30 years old, and he is Qi Tongwei's cousin."

Chen Hai picked up the photo and looked at it, his brow furrowing slightly. "What do you want to investigate about him?"

"Everything. His identity, background, resume, social connections, financial situation—everything that can be found," Hou Liangping said. "I suspect there might be an improper relationship between him and Qi Tongwei."

Chen Hai put down the photo and stared at Hou Liangping. "Monkey, do you know my current situation? I'm no longer the executive deputy director of the Public Security Bureau. I'm just the vice principal of the Party School. I don't have the authority to access the public security system's files."

"I know," Hou Liangping nodded, "but you've worked in the Public Security Bureau, so you must have people you can trust. Help me check; no formal procedures are needed, just a simple inquiry."

Chen Hai shook his head. "Accessing citizens' personal information without proper authorization is illegal. Besides, if Qi Tongwei finds out..."

"He won't know," Hou Liangping interrupted him. "Hai Zi, I know you're wronged. Teacher Gao and Qi Tongwei teamed up to kick you out of the Public Security Bureau. Don't you hate them? Now there's an opportunity to investigate their problems. Don't you want to seize it?"

Chen Hai said calmly, "Monkey, I don't hate them. Teacher Gao and the senior students were just following the rules."

Hou Liangping hadn't expected Chen Hai to say that. He changed his strategy, "Hai Zi, I'm not asking you to break the law. I'm just doing a simple investigation to get a feel for the situation. Besides, this person is indeed suspicious; his resume is mysterious, and he frequently meets privately with Qi Tongwei. Don't you think there's something wrong with that?"

"If there are any problems, you can investigate through the proper channels," Chen Hai said. "As the executive deputy director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, you have investigative powers and can send a letter requesting the cooperation of the public security department."

"If we went through the proper channels, Qi Tongwei would have found out immediately," Hou Liangping explained. "By then, we wouldn't have been able to find any clues."

The two stared at each other, and the atmosphere in the office became somewhat tense.

After a long silence, Hou Liangping sighed. "Chen Hai, do you still remember when we studied together at the University of Political Science and Law?"

Chen Hai paused for a moment, then said, "I remember."

Hou Liangping continued, "Back then, we said that after graduation we would work together to uphold the dignity of the law and fight crime and corruption. Do you remember what we said when we got drunk and hugged each other at the graduation party?"

Chen Hai remained silent.

Hou Liangping answered for him, "You say, Monkey, no matter who becomes an official in the future, they must not forget their original aspirations and must serve the people. I say, Haizi, no matter who breaks the law in the future, we will investigate to the end and never tolerate it."

Hou Liangping stood up and walked to the window. "Now, Qi Tongwei may have problems, he may be involved in corruption, and he may be harming the interests of the country and the people. As Party members, can we turn a blind eye?"

Chen Hai lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously stroking the teacup.

Hou Liangping turned to look at him. "Hai Zi, I'm not asking you to break the law. I'm hoping you can help me find out the truth. If Qi Tongwei is innocent, that's best. If he is, we should expose him and stop him. Isn't that what we originally wanted to achieve when we studied law?"