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

It was 6:30 in the morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Wei Zhiqiang waited in the car all night.

He didn't sleep; his eyes were fixed on the main gate of the residential complex.

The driver leaned back in his seat and dozed off, emitting soft snores.

The two young cadres in the back seat also had their eyes closed, but neither of them was actually asleep.

Everyone knew that this night was crucial—if Fang Mingyuan left before dawn, they would have missed their target.

If not, daylight is the best time to make the arrest.

There was some activity in the neighborhood – people were talking downstairs, some were walking their dogs, and some were carrying breakfast bags back home.

Everything seemed normal, like an ordinary neighborhood, an ordinary morning.

But Wei Zhiqiang was on edge. He knew Fang Mingyuan was inside, perhaps observing the situation outside, or perhaps preparing to come out.

A voice suddenly came from the walkie-talkie.

"Director Wei, there's something going on at the side gate."

Wei Zhiqiang sat up abruptly and grabbed the walkie-talkie.

"explain."

"A man wearing a dark tracksuit, a baseball cap, and a mask came out of the side door. He was about 1.75 meters tall, thin, and carrying a black crossbody bag. He walked at a leisurely pace towards the east."

Wei Zhiqiang's heart started racing.

Fang Mingyuan's physical characteristics are: 1.75 meters tall and slender.

Dark sportswear, baseball cap, and mask—he was deliberately covering his face.

The side door—he knew the main entrance was being watched, so he chose the side door.

"Does it resemble the target?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the walkie-talkie.

"I couldn't see his face clearly. He was wearing a mask and his hat was pulled down low. But his height and build were similar. His walking style was also similar."

Wei Zhiqiang made a decisive decision.

If that person really was Fang Mingyuan, he might have taken a taxi and left after following him for a few more steps.

If not, at most it's just a matter of mistaking someone for someone else and apologizing.

"Follow him, but don't alert him. Make your move only after confirming it's him. The rest of you, go around to the side and intercept him at the intersection ahead."

"receive."

"receive."

Wei Zhiqiang pushed open the car door and got out.

He walked quickly toward the side door, keeping his eyes on the sidewalk to the east.

His eyes were fixed straight ahead.

Fang Mingyuan walked out of the residential area and headed east along the sidewalk.

His steps were neither hurried nor slow; he didn't turn around, didn't look around, and didn't even glance to the left or right.

He was just like an ordinary resident, going out to buy breakfast or do morning exercises.

He wore a dark blue tracksuit, a black baseball cap, a black crossbody bag, and a face mask that covered most of his face.

He wanted to go to the bus stop ahead, take a bus to the city center, and then transfer to the long-distance bus station.

He had calculated that buses and long-distance buses wouldn't check ID cards.

Once he gets on the bus, he can go somewhere where nobody knows him.

As for what to do next, he hasn't thought about it yet.

But leaving this neighborhood is the first step.

He walked about two hundred meters when he heard footsteps behind him.

It wasn't just one person's footsteps; it was the footsteps of several people.

The footsteps were not heavy, but they were frequent, as if someone was walking quickly.

Fang Mingyuan's heart sank.

He didn't turn around, but continued walking forward, quickening his pace, and the footsteps behind him also quickened.

He knew he had been recognized.

Fang Mingyuan did not run away.

Running is useless; two legs can't outrun a group of people, and running is like telling them, "I'm the person you're looking for."

He continued walking forward, maintaining his original pace, as if telling the people behind him—you've mistaken me for someone else, I'm just an ordinary passerby.

Fang Mingyuan.

Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder.

He stopped. The hand wasn't heavy, but he knew he couldn't walk anymore.

He stood there, motionless.

He didn't turn around, struggle, argue, or even ask, "How did you find me?"

Because he knew the answer—surveillance cameras, taxi drivers, and plainclothes officers staking out the entrance to the residential area.

He slowly turned around and took off his mask.

There were three people standing in front of me, all dressed in plainclothes.

Standing at the front was a middle-aged man. Fang Mingyuan didn't recognize him, but seeing his demeanor—that calm, composed, and intimidating aura—he knew that this was someone from the Discipline Inspection Commission.

"Are you Fang Mingyuan?"

It's not a question, it's a confirmation.

Fang Mingyuan opened his mouth, his throat was a little dry.

He wanted to say "yes," but the word got stuck in his throat and he couldn't get it out. He nodded.

The other person took out his ID from his pocket and held it up in front of him.

"We are from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. You are suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and we are now conducting an investigation into you in accordance with the law. This is our work ID; please take a good look at it."

Fang Mingyuan glanced at the red-covered work ID, which had the national emblem printed on it, with the words "XX Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection" below it.

"Come with us."

At this moment, Wei Zhiqiang also arrived.

He stepped forward, stood in front of Fang Mingyuan, looked at Fang Mingyuan, and did not say "You can't escape," nor "You should have thought of this day long ago."

He simply stood there, his gaze telling Fang Mingyuan: It's over.

Fang Mingyuan looked at him and remained silent for a few seconds.

He recalled the day Fang Zhiwen turned himself in.

When Fang Zhiwen left, at least he left with some dignity—he walked in on his own, not was taken away by someone else.

Fang Mingyuan was stopped on the street. He was wearing a baseball cap, a mask, and sportswear, looking like a fugitive.

"Let's go."

Fang Mingyuan's voice was somewhat hoarse and very low, so low that it was almost inaudible.

He didn't look at Wei Zhiqiang again, lowered his head, and followed the people in front of him.

Wei Zhiqiang followed behind him, neither pressing him down nor pushing him; he walked on his own.

As I walked to the roadside, a black sedan was parked there, its back door already open.

"Get in the car."

Fang Mingyuan bent down and got into the car.

As the car door closed, he glanced out the window—morning light streamed onto the street, steam rose from the breakfast shop's steamers, and several elderly people strolled along the roadside.

Everything was normal, as if nothing had happened.

But from that moment on, his world changed completely.

The car drove out of the street where the residential area is located and merged into the traffic on the main road.

Fang Mingyuan leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed.

He didn't ask where he was going—he knew it was to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, a place he had visited a few times before, but never in this capacity.

He didn't know what awaited him, but it wouldn't be much better than Fang Zhiwen's situation.

……

At eight o'clock in the morning, He Ying had just arrived at the office when her phone rang.

She picked it up and saw that it was a call from Wei Zhiqiang.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she answered.

"County Chief He, this is Wei Zhiqiang. We've caught him. Fang Mingyuan was recognized when he came out of the residential area this morning. He's on his way back to the city now."

He Ying held her phone and remained silent for two seconds.

"it is good."

She didn't ask any more questions, didn't say "thank you for your hard work," and didn't say "thank you."

She knew Wei Zhiqiang didn't need these polite words; his task was complete, but hers wasn't.

Wei Zhiqiang didn't say anything more and hung up the phone.

He Ying put her phone on the table and leaned back in her chair.

Fang Mingyuan has been arrested.

She had been waiting for this day for months, ever since the audit team arrived in Liuhe Town.

Now, he has finally been arrested.

She thought she would feel relieved, she thought she would be happy, but she wasn't.

She just felt tired, a kind of tiredness that seeped from the very marrow of her bones, a tiredness that she couldn't stop no matter what.

She picked up her phone, opened Chen Dapeng's WeChat, and typed: "Fang Mingyuan has been arrested. This morning, in the provincial capital."

After sending it, she stared at the screen.

Less than five seconds later, Chen Dapeng replied: "Great!"

He Ying smiled slightly as she looked at those three words.

She typed another line: "Dapeng, thank you for your hard work these past few days."

Chen Dapeng replied instantly: "I'm not tired, you're the one who's been working the hardest. Now you can finally get some rest."

He Ying felt a warmth in her heart when she read those words.

She didn't know if he said it on purpose or just casually, but she knew that those words made her feel that all the effort she had put in over the past few months had been worthwhile.

She typed another line: "After Fang Mingyuan's case is closed, I'll treat you to a meal."

Chen Dapeng replied instantly: "Okay."

He Ying looked at the word "good" and smiled.

Then she put away her phone, opened the folder, and continued looking at the materials.

The case is not over yet; there is still a lot to do.

Fang Mingyuan has been arrested, but he has not confessed yet. Those connected to him have not been investigated, and the transferred assets have not been recovered.

She can't stop.

On the other side, Chen Dapeng looked at the message He Ying sent, "Fang Mingyuan has been arrested," and a feeling he couldn't quite put into words welled up inside him.

He recalled that a few months ago, He Ying asked him to check the data of Liuhe Town. He checked and found 1160 million, Fang Zhiqiang, and Hongda Commerce.

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 knew he had a problem, but no one had direct evidence.

Later, Fang Zhiwen surrendered himself, Zhou Deming submitted his materials, the audit report was released, He Ying went to the municipal party committee to report, Liang Yuanzheng agreed to file a case, the people from the municipal discipline inspection commission went to Qingshun County, Fang Mingyuan fled, and was then arrested in the provincial capital.

Every step was difficult, and someone paid the price for every step.

He was transferred to the information department, where he was watched and even beaten up.

He Ying works overtime until late at night every day, and is threatened and reported by others;

Lin Chen was helping with the investigation in the provincial capital when he almost became a target.

My sister was in the provincial capital when her company leader called her in for a talk, a reminder and a warning...

But they all pulled through.

Chen Dapeng put down his phone and walked to the window.

Outside the window, in the parking lot of the county government compound, several cars were parked.

Fang Mingyuan's parking space is still empty.

He didn't know what would happen to Qingshun County after Fang Mingyuan was arrested.

But he knew that He Ying would continue to investigate, and he would continue to stay by her side.

It wasn't because she was her sister's classmate.

It wasn't because she was the woman at the hotel that night.

It's because what she did was right...