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

Chen Dapeng stared at this line of text for a long time.

"Find a way yourself"

It's always like this.

He felt sorry for her and really wanted to help her.

It wasn't just because of the absurdity he committed while drunk that night...

It wasn't because He Ying was her sister's classmate and best friend.

Rather, he felt that what He Ying did was right.

Therefore, when He Ying asked him to check the data of Liuhe Town, he did not hesitate at all.

He checked.

They found 1160 million, Fang Zhiqiang, and Hongda Trading.

He thought that was enough, and that the arrival of the audit team would bring Fang Mingyuan down.

But Fang Mingyuan hid himself too well.

Everyone knows he has a problem, but there is no direct evidence.

Now, Fang Zhiwen has turned himself in, Zhou Deming has submitted his materials, and the audit report has been released.

Fang Mingyuan is still sitting in his office, going to work and leaving get off work as usual, attending meetings as usual, and signing documents as usual.

It was as if nothing had happened.

But Chen Dapeng knew.

Fang Mingyuan was waiting, and He Ying was also waiting.

We await Zhou Mingyuan's decision, the intervention of the Discipline Inspection Commission, and Fang Zhiwen's response.

But Fang Mingyuan wouldn't give them much time.

He could run away at any time.

Chen Dapeng sat up, picked up his phone, and scrolled to Lin Chen's WeChat.

The last time he contacted Lin Chen was when Lin Chen warned him that someone was asking about him and told him to stop investigating.

He told Lin Chen to stop, and Lin Chen did so.

But Chen Dapeng knew that, given Lin Chen's personality, he wouldn't really back down.

He simply changed his approach, making it more covert and cautious.

Lin Chen was his best friend; he knew this person well during their four years of university.

He said he would "not investigate anymore," but he was definitely still thinking about it in his heart.

Chen Dapeng typed a message: "Lin Chen, what are you busy with?"

Less than ten seconds later, the other party replied: "Just bored. What's up?"

After thinking for a moment, Chen Dapeng briefly recounted the progress in Qingshun County.

Fang Zhiwen surrendered himself, Zhou Deming submitted materials, and the audit report was released. He Ying wanted to apply to the municipal party committee to open an investigation into Fang Mingyuan, but the evidence was insufficient, and Zhou Mingyuan was still considering it.

He did not mention He Ying's statement about "finding a way out on your own".

But Lin Chen should have been able to tell that they were stuck.

Lin Chen replied quickly: "So the problem now is, there's not enough evidence?"

"Yes. There isn't enough evidence directly pointing to Fang Mingyuan. Everyone knows he has problems, but there's no direct proof. Fang Zhiwen is protecting him, and no one else dares to mention him."

"What about the assets in the provincial capital? Can't we use those that I found last time?"

Chen Dapeng hesitated for a moment.

He Ying mentioned Fang Mingyuan's assets in the provincial capital to Zhou Mingyuan this morning, but Zhou Mingyuan did not respond.

The person directly associated with those assets is Fang Zhiqiang, not Fang Mingyuan.

Fang Zhiqiang is Fang Zhiwen's cousin. The money came from Liuhe Town, but there were several intermediaries involved. More evidence is needed to prove that Fang Mingyuan is related to these assets.

"That's not enough. Those assets are registered under Fang Zhiqiang's name, not Fang Mingyuan's. To prove that Fang Mingyuan is related to these assets, we need to find a connection in the financial chain."

"I had investigated part of the money chain issue before. I saw some of Hongda Trading's account statements through a friend at the bank. But then you said you wouldn't investigate anymore, so I stopped."

Chen Dapeng's fingers tightened slightly.

Lin Chen had checked Hongda Trading's account statements and seen where the funds went.

If he could obtain these transaction records, he might be able to find a direct connection between Fang Mingyuan and the money.

"Lin Chen, can you still find out?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Chen Dapeng knew Lin Chen was hesitating—

His father had already warned him before that someone was inquiring about him, and that the other party was someone with considerable influence.

If the investigation continues, those people will find that they are not just "inquiring".

"Lin Chen, if it's inconvenient for you—"

"No, it's not inconvenient," Lin Chen interrupted him. "I just want to ask you something."

"What?"

"If this matter is thoroughly investigated, can Fang Mingyuan be brought down?"

Chen Dapeng remained silent for a moment.

he does not know.

Fang Zhiwen surrendered himself, but he is protecting Fang Mingyuan;

The evidence is there, but it's not enough to point to Fang Mingyuan;

Zhou Mingyuan is considering it, but it's unclear what his decision will be.

He couldn't give Lin Chen a definite answer.

"I'm not sure. But if we don't investigate, he definitely won't fall."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

That's enough.

"Lin Chen—"

"I'll investigate the provincial capital. I'll check Hongda Trading's account statements, the source of Fang Zhiqiang's real estate funds, and the assets under Fang Mingyuan's wife's name, one by one. I'll find whatever I find."

"Your dad's side—"

"My dad is afraid something will happen to me. But if I don't investigate, Fang Mingyuan won't get into trouble. He still has connections in the provincial capital, and he can run away at any time. Once he runs away, there'll be no way to find out anything."

Chen Dapeng gripped his phone, his throat tightening slightly.

"Lin Chen, thank you."

"Stop talking nonsense. Keep me informed about the situation on your end, and I'll let you know what I find here as well."

"it is good."

"There's one more thing," Lin Chen's voice turned serious. "Are you planning to tell your sister?"

Chen Dapeng was stunned for a moment.

Chen Yang.

He hasn't contacted his sister for several days.

Last time, Chen Yang told him that her boss had talked to her, indirectly telling her "not to meddle in things that aren't your business."

After that, Chen Dapeng was less inclined to call her.

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't want her to worry.

"Don't tell her yet. We'll tell her when we have the results."

"Yes. Be careful yourself. If Fang Mingyuan finds out someone is investigating his assets in the provincial capital, he might do something desperate."

"I know."

The phone hangs up.

Chen Dapeng leaned back in his chair.

Lin Chen agreed to help him investigate things in the provincial capital.

The bank statements of Hongda Trading, the source of funds for Fang Zhiqiang's real estate, and the assets under the name of Fang Mingyuan's wife—

If these clues can be found, it might lead to a direct connection between Fang Mingyuan and the 1160 million yuan in Liuhe Town.

But Chen Dapeng also felt uneasy.

Lin Chen had already been targeted before; his father had warned him.

If the investigation continues, will those people harm Lin Chen?

he does not know.

But he knew that he couldn't stop Lin Chen from making a decision.

Chen Dapeng picked up his phone and sent a message to He Ying.

"Sister Ying, I asked Lin Chen to help investigate Fang Mingyuan's assets in the provincial capital. He's already investigated part of it, and he's continuing the investigation now."

After sending it, he stared at the screen.

He Ying quickly replied: "Lin Chen? Isn't he being targeted?"

"He knows. But he's willing to investigate."

"It's too dangerous. Tell him to stop."

"I couldn't stop him. He said that if he didn't investigate, Fang Mingyuan wouldn't have fallen."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Chen Dapeng could sense that He Ying was hesitating—

She didn't want Lin Chen to take any risks, but she needed clues from the provincial capital.

"Sister Ying, Lin Chen has connections in the provincial capital, so he has more options than us. Besides, he's smart; he won't get himself into trouble."

He Ying was silent for a moment, then replied with a single line: "Tell him to be careful. Don't keep any copies of what you find; delete it after you've read it. Don't send it via phone or WeChat."

"it is good."

Then, he sent Lin Chen another message: "County Chief He said to be careful. Don't keep any copies of what you find; delete it after you've read it. Don't send it via phone or WeChat."

Lin Chen quickly replied, "Understood. Let me know as soon as you have any news."

Chen Dapeng replied with a single word: "Okay."

……

at the same time.

Lin Chen sat at his desk.

He stared at the computer screen, which displayed a portion of the account statements of Hongda Trading that he had previously checked.

It's not very complete, but you can see the general flow of funds—money transferred from Hongda Trading's account passed through four companies and finally ended up in several personal accounts.

The account holder of one of the accounts is named Fang Zhiqiang.

Lin Chen looked at the data on the screen again.

Fang Zhiqiang's account had a large amount of funds, and the timing of the inflows and outflows closely matched the timing of project funding in Liuhe Town.

This is no coincidence.

This is the evidence.

However, this evidence is not direct enough—to prove that Fang Mingyuan is related to this money, we need to find the link in the financial chain that is closer to Fang Mingyuan.

Lin Chen picked up his phone and scrolled to a number.

The owner of this number is surnamed Song. He is the older brother of his college classmate and works as the director of the credit department at a commercial bank in the provincial capital.

Lin Chen had previously checked Hongda Trading's financial records through him.

But last time I just "took a look" and didn't keep any records or take any screenshots.

This time, he needs more.

He pressed the call button.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Lin Chen?"

"Brother Song, is it convenient for us to talk?"

"you say."

Lin Chen carefully considered his words.

"Brother Song, I'd like to investigate the flow of another sum of money. It's related to that company from last time."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Lin Chen, I felt something was off when you investigated that company last time. What exactly are you investigating?"

Lin Chen hesitated for a moment.

You can't say too much, but you can't say nothing at all either.

He thought for a moment and said, "Brother Song, someone is investigating this company. I'm not helping bad guys investigate, I'm helping good guys investigate."

There was another moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Lin Chen, I don't care what you're investigating, I can't give you anything official. But I can take a look for you. Tell me the account and the time, and I'll let you know when I find it. No records, no screenshots, no printouts. You'll forget about it after you've looked at it."

That's enough.

Lin Chen sent Hongda Trading's account information and the time range he needed to query.

After sending the message, he leaned back in his chair and stared at his phone screen.

He didn't know what Brother Song could find out, or whether the information he found would be useful.

But he knew that this was the only thing he could do right now.