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

Zeng Zhiyuan did not leave the house for two days. He kept thinking about one thing in his study—how to find a safe way out.

He was unable to save Yang Xiujiang and Gu Huaiyuan.

He has already asked Wei Yuan to remind Yang Xiujiang to run away, but whether Yang Xiujiang will run away or whether he can escape is still unknown.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die!"

He made a tough decision.

"Now is the time to sacrifice pawns to save the king."

He picked up the phone and dialed Han Youde's number.

This is an old friend of his, now retired. He used to work in a department of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and still has some connections.

The phone rang a few times before being answered.

Zeng Zhiyuan considered his words carefully: "Old Han, are you free? It's been a long time. Shall we find a place to chat?"

"Okay. You decide the time and place."

Han Youde readily agreed.

"3 PM, Binhe District Retired Cadres Center."

"Okay, I'll be there on time."

……

At 2:50 p.m., Zeng Zhiyuan arrived at the agreed place.

Han Youde had already arrived.

He sat by the window, with a pot of tea and two cups in front of him.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and smiled.

"Old Zeng, you're here? Have a seat."

Zeng Zhiyuan sat down opposite him and took off his coat, draping it over the back of the chair.

Han Youde poured him a cup of tea.

"Old Zeng, you invited me out for more than just a chat and tea, right?"

Zeng Zhiyuan smiled faintly: "Old Han, you understand me best."

Han Youde smiled and said, "That's right, we've known each other for so many years."

Zeng Zhiyuan lowered his voice and got straight to the point:

"Old Han, someone is trying to frame me."

Han Youde paused for a moment, then didn't reply immediately.

He had known Zeng Zhiyuan for many years and knew that the man was always cautious in his speech. For him to utter the word "frame" meant that things had reached a point where he could no longer cover it up.

"Who?"

"In the provincial capital of Jiangnan, Gu Huaiyuan and Yang Xiujiang got into trouble, and now they want to shift the blame onto me."

Han Youde remained silent for a while.

He knew that Zeng Zhiyuan had worked in Jiangnan Province, and his highest position was the provincial party secretary. He must have had connections with many people over the years.

Who would frame a former provincial party secretary?

Having worked in the discipline inspection system for most of his life, he guessed there must be a very complicated reason behind this.

As Zeng Zhiyuan's old friend, he didn't press for details, but simply asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Zeng Zhiyuan leaned forward and lowered his voice even further.

"Could you hand me some documents?"

Han Youde looked at him, puzzled, and asked, "Hand it over to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection?"

"Um."

Han Youde tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

He had already retired and hadn't gotten involved in these things much since leaving the system, but Zeng Zhiyuan had a close relationship with him, so since he had asked, he couldn't just refuse.

"What materials?"

"I'll contact you when I'm ready."

Han Youde was silent for a moment. He was just helping to hand over some materials, which shouldn't be considered a violation of discipline, so he nodded: "Okay. Find me when you're ready."

Zeng Zhiyuan didn't say anything more, picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Han Youde stood up and said something.

"Old Zeng, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Zeng Zhiyuan nodded: "Old Han, then I'll leave it to you."

Han Youde smiled and said, "It was nothing, no need to be so polite with me."

After saying that, he walked towards the door.

Zeng Zhiyuan watched his retreating figure and murmured, "I hope it works."

……

After returning home, Zeng Zhiyuan locked himself in his study.

He sat at his desk, opened a blank notebook, picked up a pen, and began to write his self-introduction.

He needs to make two things clear in this document:

First, Yang Xiujiang and Gu Huaiyuan's accusations against him were fabricated;

Second, what was the motive for the false accusation?

He thought for a long time before putting pen to paper, carefully considering each word and revising his phrasing repeatedly.

He knew that once the material was submitted, it would be read word by word by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and every sentence could be dissected and analyzed, leaving no room for loopholes.

He put down his pen halfway through writing, stood up, walked behind the bookshelf, and squatted down.

He reached out and touched an inconspicuous groove on the edge of the bottom shelf, pushed it to the side with force, and the shelf loosened.

He removed the partition, revealing a flat, hidden space behind it.

Inside was a brown paper bag, sealed with a thin string wrapped around it several times, and a thin layer of dust had settled on the surface of the bag.

He placed the paper bag on the desk, untied the string, and took out the contents one by one.

The copies of several transfer records had the amounts and dates deliberately blurred, but the dates overlapped with a sum of money handled by Gu Huaiyuan.

The photos are blurry and show the entrance of a club in the provincial capital. You can see the outline of a person walking in from the side, but you can't see their face.

Several printed anonymous letters, unsigned, contained largely similar content, implying that Yang Xiujiang harbored resentment over not being promoted and conspired with Gu Huaiyuan to frame him.

He had kept these things for several years, not to report anyone, but to leave himself a way out.

He read through all of this from beginning to end, and then continued writing his autobiographical material.

When he wrote about Yang Xiujiang, he was more detailed than when he verbally told Han Youde during the day: "Yang Xiujiang had repeatedly expressed his requests to the organization regarding his personal job adjustment, but none of them were met. It cannot be ruled out that he was dissatisfied with the organization as a result, and then tried to divert attention by blaming others."

He paused, read the sentence over, confirmed that the wording was strong enough, and then continued writing...

He pondered for a long time before putting pen to paper on the last page:

"If the organization does not investigate and clarify the false accusations made by Yang Xiujiang and Gu Huaiyuan, I reserve the right to appeal to a higher level."

He doesn't really want to appeal.

He was gambling—gambling that the higher-ups didn't want to make a big deal out of it, gambling that those who saw the document would think more about it because of that sentence.

He put down his pen, waited for the ink to dry, and then put the self-written statement he had just finished along with the "evidence" he had taken from the secret compartment into a new brown paper bag, sealed it, and placed it on the right side of his desk.

……

The next morning.

Zeng Zhiyuan called Han Youde and arranged a time and place to meet.

The meeting was very short, less than ten minutes.

Zeng Zhiyuan handed the sealed brown paper bag to Han Youde and said, "This is it."

Han Youde took it without asking any questions and put it directly into the inside pocket of his coat.

The two didn't exchange many pleasantries and went their separate ways.

After leaving, Han Youde did not go home. Instead, he hailed a taxi and gave the address of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's Petition Office.

The car stopped opposite the gate. He paid the fare, got out, crossed the road, and walked to the window of the petition office.

There were several people queuing in front of the window, and he waited for a while before it was his turn.

He took the brown paper envelope from the inside pocket of his coat, placed it on the table, and pushed it over:

"Reflecting materials."

The staff at the window took the package, registered the incoming information according to procedure, and asked, "Name?"

"No name."

After Han Youde finished speaking, he didn't linger and turned to leave.

He walked out the door without quickening or slowing his pace, walked a distance along the sidewalk, and then hailed another taxi to leave.

He didn't open the envelope.

Zeng Zhiyuan said it contained a "statement of the situation," so he assumed it was a statement of the situation.

People who have spent most of their lives in this system know that there are some things they shouldn't see or ask.

After being registered by the staff, that envelope will definitely be transferred to the corresponding department according to the procedure for opening, reading, registration, and circulation.

Once the person in charge has reviewed the contents of the materials, they will process them according to the corresponding procedures and submit them to the relevant leader.

However, that's no longer Han Youde's business.

His job was simply to help deliver the materials.

Although he didn't see what was inside the envelope.

But one can guess that what's inside is definitely not simple...