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

Beijing, the office building of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Song Huai'an sat behind his desk, with two documents spread out on the table in front of him.

One document is an excerpt from the case file submitted by the special task force in Jiangnan Province, which includes a copy of Gu Huaiyuan's confession, with the parts involving Zeng Zhiyuan highlighted in red.

The other document was just forwarded from the petition office today. The kraft paper envelope had been opened, and the self-statement and several copies of "supporting evidence" were sandwiched together in order.

Song Huai'an had been sitting there for a long time.

A document told him that Zeng Zhiyuan was involved in a case.

Another document told him that Zeng Zhiyuan had been framed.

Two sets of materials, two different accounts, pointing in completely opposite directions.

He took off his glasses and placed them on the table, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and pondered for a moment.

Then he put his glasses back on and looked at the two documents side by side.

Gu Huaiyuan's confession was very detailed—

The article mentions Zeng Zhiyuan's name, his son Zeng Guosheng's food court and Shuiyunjian Club in the provincial capital, and mentions "shareholding on behalf of others" and "funding channels".

Although the details still need further verification, the confession itself is clear, specific, and includes a timeline and relationships between the individuals.

Zeng Zhiyuan's autobiographical material was equally neatly written—

The wording is precise and the logic is clear, making Yang Xiujiang's "motive" seem reasonable and plausible.

Because his request for a job adjustment was not met, he harbored resentment and then colluded with Gu Huaiyuan to frame him.

The sentence at the end of the document, "We reserve the right to appeal to higher authorities," is particularly well-written, both stating the attitude and hinting at the consequences.

Song Huai'an's gaze lingered on the word "appeal" for a moment, then moved away.

He picked up the landline on the table and dialed an internal number: "Come here for a moment."

Less than ten minutes later, Chen Yuanda pushed open the door and walked in.

He had just returned from Jiangnan Province two days prior, and some details of the case were still being finalized when he received the call, at which point he learned of new developments.

Song Huai'an pointed to the chair opposite him:

"sit."

After Chen Yuanda sat down, Song Huai'an pushed the two documents side by side in front of him:

"Take a look at this first."

Chen Yuanda looked down and glanced at it, his brows slowly furrowing.

He first looked at the excerpt of Gu Huaiyuan's confession—it was material he had personally handled, and he was familiar with its contents.

Then he picked up Zeng Zhiyuan's self-written statement and read it from beginning to end.

He paused when he read the last sentence: "The right to appeal to higher authorities is reserved."

When did this document arrive?

"This morning. It was transferred from the petition office; it came through the normal channels."

"Can the source be traced?"

"The petition office registers anonymous submissions, without leaving a name or contact information."

However, judging from the delivery method, the person who delivered the petition is very familiar with the petitioning process, knowing which window to go to, when to submit it, and how to leave no trace.

Chen Yuanda did not speak.

He weighed the weight of the two clues in his mind—Gu Huaiyuan was involved in the case, and his confession was corroborated by other evidence.

This self-statement is a one-sided account, and the accompanying "supporting evidence" is vague and cannot be directly accepted.

However, the material itself is written in a very convincing manner. If not handled properly, it could easily give people the impression that "someone is investigating Zeng Zhiyuan, and Zeng Zhiyuan is also defending himself."

Song Huai'an waited until he put down both documents before speaking:

"I called you here so you would know about this."

Investigate both lines simultaneously, without neglecting either one.

But there is one thing—

He paused for a moment:

"We need to investigate the source of Zeng Zhiyuan's self-statement. Who submitted it? Through what channels? Was there an intermediary? We need to find out."

Chen Yuanda nodded: "Understood."

Song Huai'an didn't say anything more. He put the two documents into a folder and placed it on the corner of the table.

Chen Yuanda stood up, turned around, and walked out of the office.

In the corridor, he slowed his pace, took out his phone, and dialed Hu Yuheng's number:

"I'm going back to the provincial capital tomorrow. There are new developments that need to be discussed in person."

……

The following afternoon, Chen Yuanda returned to the special investigation team of the Jiangnan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection with a copy of the self-report.

Without giving prior notice, he walked directly into the meeting room, placed the materials on the table, and then sat down in the head seat.

Hu Yuheng, Liu Chang, Wang Zhi, Chen Dapeng, and several other members of the task force arrived one after another.

After the door closed, Chen Yuanda spoke:

"The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection received a self-statement from Zeng Zhiyuan."

He paused for a moment, then briefly introduced the contents of the document—

Zeng Zhiyuan claimed that Gu Huaiyuan and Yang Xiujiang's accusations were framed, and that Yang Xiujiang's motive was that he harbored resentment because he was not satisfied with his job adjustment.

The document concluded with a sentence stating that if the organization failed to investigate the framing, he reserved the right to appeal to higher authorities.

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

Liu Chang was the first to speak: "What if Yang Xiujiang is really framing us? Is it possible that the evidence we have has been used by Yang Xiujiang?"

Wang Zhi shook his head: "Gu Huaiyuan's statement was made during his detention, not written outside."

Lin Meijuan's accounts are physical evidence, and Fu Hongyuan's USB drive is data evidence; every line matches up.

If these are all false accusations, then Yang Xiujiang and Gu Huaiyuan would have had to start planning this six months in advance—is that even possible?

The meeting room fell silent for a while.

Chen Dapeng spoke up: "I suggest that we proceed with both lines simultaneously."

We need to investigate Zeng Zhiyuan, but we can't slow down the investigation into Gu Huaiyuan and Yang Xiujiang just because of his self-report.

If his self-report is false, then the testimonies of Yang Xiujiang and Gu Huaiyuan will naturally expose it.

If his account is true, investigating the sources of his materials will reveal inconsistencies.

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Hu Yuheng.

Hu Yuheng continued:

I agree with Dapeng's opinion.

They're pursuing two lines of investigation simultaneously. Yang Xiujiang continues his investigation, while Zeng Zhiyuan verifies the authenticity of the relevant materials.

in addition--"

She paused for a moment: "I suggest that, if necessary, Gu Huaiyuan be interrogated again."

His confession already points to Zeng Zhiyuan. If there are loopholes in Zeng Zhiyuan's statement, Gu Huaiyuan may still have things he hasn't revealed.

The people in the meeting room nodded.

After listening to everyone's remarks, Chen Yuanda remained silent for a moment before speaking:

"Both lines are being pursued simultaneously. On Yang Xiujiang's side, they continue to delve deeper into the funding chain;

On Zeng Zhiyuan's side, we need to verify the source and authenticity of his self-reported materials.

The re-interrogation of Gu Huaiyuan is scheduled for within three days.

He glanced at the people present and said, "Meeting adjourned. Go your separate ways."

The sound of chairs being moved began to ring out.

Chen Dapeng stood up, tidied up his notebooks on the table, and was stopped by Hu Yuheng as he walked to the door:

"Dapeng, stay here for a moment."

Chen Dapeng stopped and turned around.

Only the two of them remained in the meeting room.

Hu Yuheng walked up to him, his voice lower than before:

"I agree with what you just said at the meeting about 'running two lines simultaneously'."

But you should be prepared – the fact that Zeng Zhiyuan's materials were submitted to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection means that he has already taken action.

He's not in the provincial capital, but he has connections in Beijing. More materials will likely be submitted next.

Chen Dapeng nodded: "I understand."

"Go."

Hu Yuheng did not say anything more.

Chen Dapeng walked out of the meeting room and stood in the corridor, mentally reviewing the content of the meeting.

Zeng Zhiyuan has made his move.

This is a strategic move, and regardless of whether it ultimately works, it signifies that Zeng Zhiyuan has begun to use his resources to try and influence the course of the case.

He wasn't in the provincial capital, but his materials had bypassed the provincial discipline inspection commission and were submitted directly to the petition office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, eventually ending up on Song Huai'an's desk.

He knew exactly what this meant.

Over the next three days, they will interrogate Gu Huaiyuan and verify the source of Zeng Zhiyuan's self-written materials.

Neither of these tasks is easy, but at least the direction is clear.

He returned to his seat, opened his notebook, drew a line under the three characters "Zeng Zhiyuan," and wrote a question mark next to it.

Then, he closed his laptop and sent a message to He Ying.

"Sister Ying, the situation has changed. Zeng Zhiyuan is taking action in Beijing."