Official excuse: I've put you on patrol in Handong, and the whole province is in a panic.

Hu Wenbin's lips moved, but he didn't dare to say anything more.

"I see."

Hou Liangping added another sentence.

"Also, no one is allowed to be late for the afternoon meeting. Anyone who is late must explain the situation."

"OK."

Hu Wenbin left the office, glancing at Hou Liangping before closing the door.

After the door closed, he stood in the hallway and let out a breath.

In the office of the Second Investigation Division, Chen Hai was organizing the case files on the table.

The original director's office has been handed over.

The new office is much smaller, and the windows are smaller too.

He placed several law compilations on the bookshelf, and just as he sat down, Lin Huahua knocked on the door and came in.

"Director Chen..."

Chen Hai looked up.

"Don't call me Director anymore, I'm the head of the Second Investigation Division now. Hua Hua, what's up?"

Lin Huahua placed the notice on the table.

"Director Hou has announced that there will be a special meeting to advance the Ding Yizhen case at 3 PM this afternoon. All department heads are required to attend, and you are also required to attend."

Chen Hai glanced at the notification.

"Ding Yizhen Project Advancement Meeting?"

Lin Huahua pouted.

"They're already handling the Ding Yizhen case as soon as they arrive. They even said anyone who's late has to explain their situation."

Chen Hai put down the notice.

"The director will assign tasks; you will participate as usual."

Lin Huahua was somewhat unconvinced.

"Director Chen, he said those things about you at the meeting just now, and you still spoke up for him?"

Chen Hai gave a wry smile.

"I didn't speak up for him. He's the director now, and the work of the bureau can't be messed up."

Lin Huahua sat down opposite her and lowered her voice.

"Director Lu is definitely going to explode. She went back and closed the door. None of us dare to go in."

Chen Hai frowned.

"Go tell Yike that she will definitely attend the meeting this afternoon. If she has any objections, she shouldn't argue with her during the meeting."

Lin Huahua sighed.

"Director Chen, you're incredibly patient."

Chen Hai did not respond.

After a while, he finally spoke.

"Hua Hua, whether you can hold back or not is a matter of personal emotion, but work is work. We are prosecutors, not street brawlers. The more chaotic things are inside the bureau, the more ridiculous it will be for outsiders."

Lin Huahua said softly, "But the reason you were demoted like this is clearly because of Hou Liangping."

Chen Hai closed the case file.

"Don't say that again."

Why?

"Because it's useless to say it."

Chen Hai looked at the disciplinary document on the table.

"What I should be doing right now is managing the Second Division well. The same goes for you; don't waste your energy on bickering."

Lin Huahua was about to speak when footsteps came from outside the door.

Lu Yike walked in, a notebook tucked between her fingers.

"Chen Hai, you're really something."

Chen Hai looked up.

"That's fine too."

Lu Yike looked at the notice on the table.

"Is Hou Liangping going to hold a meeting to advance the Ding Yizhen project?"

Chen Hai nodded.

"Yes."

Are you going or not?

"go."

Lu Yike chuckled.

"He climbed to his position by stepping over you, and the first thing he did was to use the Ding Yizhen case to gain favor. And you still went to support him?"

Chen Hai felt somewhat helpless.

"That's fine, but don't put it so harshly."

"Is it unpleasant to listen to?"

Lu Yike put the notebook on the table.

"He just told you you made a mistake in front of all the cadres, and that you have to start over. You just sat there without saying a word. Chen Hai, I used to think you were honest, but now I see you're just a coward!"

Chen Hai rubbed his temples.

"I've already been disciplined. This is a punishment issued by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. What's the point of arguing about this anymore?"

Lu Yike said, "The point is that we can't let the wrong people stand on the stage and say the right things."

Chen Hai looked at her.

"So what do you want to do?"

Lu Yike said, "I'll go this afternoon."

Lin Huahua quickly said, "Director Lu, please stop arguing."

Lu Yike glanced at her.

"When did I argue? I'm stating the facts."

Chen Hai sighed, "That's fine, but sometimes it depends on the situation."

Lu Yike picked up the notice.

"The occasion? If Hou Liangping really wants to handle the case, I'll cooperate. But if he wants to use the Ding Yizhen case to keep pinning the blame on you, I won't sit idly by."

Chen Hai stood up.

"That's fine. I'm the head of the Second Division now, and you're the head of the First Division. I beg you, please don't let me cause you any conflict with him this afternoon."

Lu Yike paused for a few seconds.

"Chen Hai, the most infuriating thing about you is that even when you're being bullied, you're afraid others will speak up for you."

Chen Hai sighed.

"Liangping is the bureau chief now, after all. If you go against him head-on, you'll only end up suffering a loss."

Lu Yike smiled.

"He has that kind of ability? He's just the Zhong family's son-in-law. If he were Zhong Zhengguo's biological son, I wouldn't dare mess with him. A son-in-law... pshaw!"

After saying that, she took the notice, turned around, and left.

Lin Huahua watched her retreating figure, then glanced at Chen Hai.

"Director Chen, is there a chance something else will happen this afternoon?"

Chen Hai sat back down in his chair.

"Go and gather everyone from the Second Division. There will be a meeting this afternoon. Listen to the instructions and don't interrupt."

"What about Director Lu?"

"I can't control what happens on her end."

......

3 PM.

The small conference room of the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Hou Liangping arrived ten minutes early.

He placed a stack of case files on the table, with a notebook next to them.

Hu Wenbin sat on the right and was in charge of taking notes.

Zhao Wei, the head of the Technical Department, several cadres from the General Affairs Department, and Chen Hai from the Second Investigation Department all arrived one after another.

Lu Yike entered right at 3 o'clock.

She sat in the first row on the left, put down her notebook, and didn't look at Hou Liangping.

Hou Liangping glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Director Lu has a good long-term perspective."

Lu Yike opened her notebook.

"I'm not late."

Hou Liangping coughed lightly.

never mind...

Don't mess with this woman anymore.

"Now that everyone is here, let's start the meeting."

He opened the case file.

"The Ding Yizhen case was the first case I focused on after arriving in Handong. This case had a great social and political impact, and it was also directly related to whether the Handong Anti-Corruption Bureau could salvage its image."

Lu Yike raised her head.

"Director Hou, let me correct you. The Ding Yizhen case wasn't the first case you handled after arriving in Handong. From the discovery of the clues to the failed arrest and the pursuit of the fugitive, there was already a lot of groundwork laid beforehand."

Hou Liangping's expression darkened.

"Director Lu, when I said to focus on key areas, I didn't mean that no one did any work in the early stages."

"That's good."

Lu Yike lowered her head and made a note.

Hou Liangping looked at her and held back his anger.

"Ding Yizhen is currently on the run in the United States. The pursuit and recovery of his assets requires the cooperation of multiple departments, including the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Discipline Inspection Commission. However, we cannot wait. The Handong Anti-Corruption Bureau must first thoroughly investigate Ding Yizhen's network of interests in Handong."

Chen Hai said, "Director Hou, I agree with this direction. Ding Yizhen served as the deputy mayor of Jingzhou for many years, and was involved in multiple fields such as urban construction, planning, land, and investment promotion. He has connections with both the Guangmingfeng project and the equity dispute of Dafeng Factory."

Hou Liangping nodded.

"Comrade Chen Hai has finally hit the nail on the head."

Chen Hai paused for a moment, his pen still in his hand.

Hou Liangping continued, "My initial consideration is to establish three groups."

"The first group is responsible for investigating the flow of funds before and after Ding Yizhen's escape."

"The second group is responsible for the approval of projects in the areas under the jurisdiction of the Jingzhou Municipal Government, which are handled by the Second Investigation Division."

"The third group will investigate the communications and whereabouts of relevant personnel, with the technical department cooperating with the general affairs department."

Zhao Wei said, "Director Hou, the inspection team has already investigated the communications aspect once. The abnormal calls were made using anonymous SIM cards, and the location range was also quite coarse."

Hou Liangping asked, "Who transferred them?"

Zhao Wei replied, "The central inspection team is led by Deputy Team Leader Su Zhe."