I slept with my sister's classmate, and she turned out to be my boss.

Chapter 101 The Reaction of Liuhe Town

The news of Fang Zhiwen turning himself in reached Liuhe Town that afternoon.

I don't know who said it.

Perhaps someone in the town government had a relative who heard the news in the county town.

Perhaps Fang Zhiwen was seen by someone when he went to the county discipline inspection commission, and he has not come out since.

In any case, the news spread like wildfire within the Liuhe Town government.

Everyone in the town government building knew that Fang Zhiwen had turned himself in.

The office erupted in chaos.

Some people applauded.

Most of these people are cadres who have been suppressed by Fang Zhiwen in recent years, or people who disapprove of Fang Zhiwen's way of doing things.

They dared not say it openly, but in private, they would exchange glances and a slight upturn of their lips, understanding each other without saying a word.

Some people were deathly pale.

Most of these people were promoted by Fang Zhiwen or had participated in Fang Zhiwen's "projects".

They knew that if Fang Zhiwen fell, they might be next.

Some people were making phone calls secretly.

In the corridors, stairwells, and restrooms, you could see people holding their phones, speaking in hushed tones, as if confirming messages with someone or discussing countermeasures.

The office was filled with anxiety; no one was able to concentrate on their work.

Zhang Haidong was looking at documents in his office when his phone rang. It was a friend from the county party committee office calling.

"Mayor Zhang, Secretary Fang is in trouble. This morning, the county discipline inspection commission..."

Zhang Haidong held his phone, remained silent for a few seconds, then said "I understand" and hung up.

Zhang Haidong, the mayor of Liuhe Town, is a cadre dispatched by the county and has worked in Liuhe Town for three years.

He is not one of Fang Zhiwen's people.

He was the kind of cadre who "got things done" and didn't get involved in factional struggles or take sides.

When Fang Zhiwen was in power, he cooperated with Fang Zhiwen in his work;

When Fang Zhiwen wasn't around, he knew what he should do.

Zhang Haidong stood up and walked out of the office.

In the corridor, several cadres were gathered together and talking in hushed tones. When they saw him come out, they immediately dispersed.

Zhang Haidong didn't say anything and walked to the entrance of the Party and Government Office.

Wu Xiaoqi sat behind her desk with a document spread out in front of her.

Upon seeing Zhang Haidong enter, he abruptly stood up.

"Mayor Zhang—"

"Xiaoqi, come with me."

Zhang Haidong didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

Wu Xiaoqi was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed.

Upon arriving at Zhang Haidong's office, he closed the door.

"Xiaoqi, you know about Secretary Fang's matter, right?"

Wu Xiaoqi nodded, her Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"understood."

"What's the situation in the town right now?"

"It's a mess."

Wu Xiaoqi's voice sounded a little hoarse.

Everyone's talking about it, saying all sorts of things.

Some say that Secretary Fang was taken away by the Discipline Inspection Commission, while others say that he turned himself in.

People are filled with anxiety; no one is focused on their work.

Zhang Haidong remained silent for a moment.

"Xiaoqi, do a few things now."

"Please speak."

"First, inform the team members that there will be a meeting in the conference room at 4 PM. Don't tell them the content of the meeting; just say it's a routine meeting."

"Second, go to the finance office and the economic development zone office and make sure the people there work normally and don't cause any chaos. If anyone needs to take leave, have them come to me for approval."

"third--"

Zhang Haidong looked at him:

"You should inform all the cadres in the town: don't spread things that shouldn't be spread, and don't say things that shouldn't be said. Anyone who can't control their mouth will bear the consequences."

Wu Xiaoqi nodded, took out her notebook, and wrote down the points Zhang Haidong had made.

"Mayor Zhang, is there anything else that needs to be done?"

"That's all. Go and take care of it."

Wu Xiaoqi turned and left.

Zhang Haidong walked to the window and looked outside.

The atmosphere in the Liuhe Town government compound was completely different from usual.

At this time of day, people are usually walking around in the courtyard, chatting, or smoking.

Now, the courtyard is empty; there's not a single person in it.

Everyone was hiding in the office, with the doors closed, doing who-knows-what.

Zhang Haidong sighed.

……

Four o'clock in the afternoon, in the small conference room.

All members of the leadership team have arrived.

Twelve people sat on either side of a long table, each with a different expression.

Some people were expressionless, some had solemn faces, and some lowered their heads, not daring to look at others.

Zhang Haidong sat in the main seat—

That was the seat Fang Zhiwen used to sit in.

He glanced around and then spoke.

"Everyone, you've all heard about Secretary Fang's matter. I don't know the specifics, but there are a few things I'd like to say to you."

The meeting room was quiet.

"First, no matter what happens to Secretary Fang, the work in Liuhe Town cannot stop."

Meetings that need to be held should be held, materials that need to be submitted should be submitted, people should go to villages where they need to go, and people should go to enterprises where they need to go.

Anyone whose work is delayed because of Secretary Fang's matter will have a talk with me.

"Secondly, the organization will investigate and clarify Secretary Fang's issues."

Before that, no one should spread rumors, make wild guesses, or say anything inappropriate.

Making statements without basis is spreading rumors. Spreading rumors carries consequences.

"third--"

Zhang Haidong paused for a moment.

"If anyone feels that they did anything they shouldn't have done while working under Secretary Fang, I suggest that you take the initiative to explain it to the organization."

There's a difference between voluntarily confessing and being found guilty.

This principle is self-evident.

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

No one spoke, no one asked a question.

Zhang Haidong knew that they weren't without questions, but they were afraid to ask.

"Alright, meeting adjourned."

The sound of chairs being moved could be heard, and people gradually stood up and walked out.

Zhang Haidong remained seated in the main seat, without moving.

He watched those people walk out; some walked quickly, some walked slowly, and some stopped at the door to whisper something to someone before hurrying away.

He knew that among these people, some were afraid, some were relieved, and some were making plans.

……

The finance office is the most stressful place in the town government building.

Fang Zhiwen's case involves the finance office the most.

Every single penny of those 1160 million yuan in special funds came from the finance department.

Every single payment of Fang Zhiqiang's land expropriation compensation was issued by the finance department.

Most of the fake contracts and fake acceptance reports of Hongda Trading were handled by the finance office.

Zhou Deming did not come to work.

Some say he's sick, some say he's hiding at home, and some say he's already been summoned for questioning by the disciplinary committee.

The people at the finance office didn't know where he went; they tried calling him, but his phone was off, and he didn't reply to messages.

There was no one in charge of the work in the institute. Several staff members sat in the office, no one spoke, no one did anything, they just sat there doing nothing.

Zhang Haidong went to the finance office in person.

"Where's Zhou Deming? He didn't come to work today?"

Zhang Haidong asked.

An older clerk looked up, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Mayor Zhang, Chief Zhou didn't come today. His phone is off, and he's not replying to messages. We don't know where he went."

Zhang Haidong remained silent for a moment.

"You all work normally. Do what you're supposed to do. Zhou Deming is back; have him come see me."

He turned and left.

He stood in the corridor for a while as he walked out of the finance office.

Zhou Deming didn't come to work, his phone was off, and no one knew where he went.

Did he hide away, or did he go to see someone else?

Zhang Haidong guessed that Zhou Deming must have something in his possession.

Those things could be evidence of Fang Zhiwen's crimes, or they could be his own shield.

……

at the same time.

After hearing the news that Fang Zhiwen had turned himself in, Zhou Deming turned off his phone and locked himself in his house.

He sat in the living room, a canvas bag on the coffee table in front of him, with a line of faded red lettering printed on the opening—

"Liuhe Town Finance Office, 1998".

Inside the bag were things he had kept hidden for many years.

He worked at the finance office for twenty-three years.

Over the past twenty-three years, he has handled every account and every financial transaction in Liuhe Town.

He knows whether something is clean or not.

The documents that Fang Zhiwen made him burn.

He burned a portion of it in front of Fang Zhiwen, but he hid the original.

Zhou Deming stared at the canvas bag for a long time.

He recalled the day the old director retired, when he held his hand and said:

"Deming, those of us in finance need to have steady hands and upright hearts. If your hands are unsteady, you won't keep good records; if your heart is not upright, you won't go far."

He kept this record for twenty-three years.

But he failed to do so.

His hands were never steady, and his heart had long since strayed.

Now that Fang Zhiwen has turned himself in, what should he do?

Should he continue to hide and wait for the disciplinary committee to come looking for him?

Or should you take the initiative to step forward and hand over the items?

Zhou Deming picked up his phone and turned it on.

Dozens of unread messages popped up on the screen.

A colleague asked him where he was, and there were unfamiliar numbers calling from unknown numbers.

He didn't look at it, but went straight to Chen Dapeng's WeChat.

He first met Chen Dapeng when the audit team entered Liuhe Town.

At that time, he thought this young man was just there to go through the motions and didn't have any real skills.

Later he learned that it was this young man who had turned the accounts of Liuhe Town upside down.

Later, Chen Dapeng was beaten in Liuhe Town, requiring three stitches to his lip and suffering rib contusions.

When Zhou Deming heard about this, he felt very uncomfortable.

He knew Chen Dapeng was innocent.

The person who made the arrangement should be Fang Zhiwen.

That's something he dared not say, and could not say.

But now, he no longer wants to remain silent.

Zhou Deming typed a message: "Chen Dapeng, I have some things that might be useful to County Chief He."

After sending it, he stared at the screen.

After waiting for about two minutes, Chen Dapeng replied: "What is it?"

Zhou Deming thought for a moment and typed a few words: "Fang Zhiwen's original documents. I didn't burn all of the ones he asked me to burn. The originals are with me."

The other party remained silent.

Zhou Deming could sense that Chen Dapeng on the other end of the phone was processing the news.

About a minute later, the message came:

"You mean you kept a copy?"

"Yes. He thought I burned it all. But I kept some. The most important parts are all here with me."

Why did you keep these things?

Zhou Deming stared at the line of text and remained silent for a long time.

What should he say?

Is this a way out for yourself?

In the end, he said nothing.

Then, Chen Dapeng asked:

"Are you willing to hand over these things?"