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

Monday morning, Information Technology Department.

Chen Dapeng sat by the window, with a thick stack of materials in front of him—information briefings, work summaries, and typical cases recently submitted by various townships and departments.

Liu Zhiguo went out in the morning. Before leaving, he said, "Xiao Chen, organize these materials. File the useful ones and destroy the useless ones." Then he picked up his bag and left.

Chen Dapeng was the only one left in the office.

He picked up the top document and opened it.

This is the "Economic Performance in the First Quarter" report submitted by Liuhe Town.

Chen Dapeng's gaze lingered on the line "The added value of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 9.2%".

9.2%.

He wrote a number in his notebook: 6.8%.

This is the actual growth rate verified by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The difference is 2.4 percentage points.

He calmly set the document aside and moved on to the next one.

I looked at each document one by one and took notes on each item one by one.

Some data matches, some don't.

He silently noted down the ones that didn't match up.

His fingers stopped when he flipped to the seventh copy.

This is a document titled "Typical Experience Materials on Rural Revitalization" submitted by the County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau.

The title is: "Qingshun County takes multiple measures to promote rural revitalization, and distinctive industries drive income growth for the masses."

Chen Dapeng flipped to the first page and quickly browsed through it.

The content is fairly standard, describing the overall situation of rural revitalization work in the county, with data, case studies, and achievements.

When he turned to the second page, his eyes were drawn to a passage.

"Since the beginning of this year, our county has actively sought special funds for rural revitalization from higher levels, focusing on supporting the construction of the edible fungus deep processing project in Liuhe Town. The project has a total investment of 300 million yuan and, once completed, will benefit more than 200 households in the surrounding area, with an estimated annual increase in income of more than 5000 yuan per household."

Chen Dapeng stared at the passage and read it twice.

300 million.

Liuhe Town.

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind—of that 810 million, the 2023 sum was 260 million.

300 million, close to 260 million, but not the same.

Chen Dapeng pulled this document out separately and set it aside.

He thought for a moment, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed the number for the county finance bureau office.

The phone rang twice and was answered.

"Hello, Finance Bureau Office."

"Hello, this is Chen from the Information Section of the Government Office." Chen Dapeng's voice was natural, with a businesslike tone. "There's something I'd like to ask you to verify."

"you say."

"We received materials from the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau that mention a 300 million yuan rural revitalization special fund has been invested in a project in Liuhe Town. We would like to promote this project as a model on the government website. To ensure the accuracy of the information, we would like to ask you to help verify the relevant data."

"Wait a moment, I'll transfer you to the budget department."

A call was transferred to another number.

After waiting for about half a minute, a man's voice rang out: "Budget Department, who is this?"

"Hello, this is Xiao Chen from the Information Section of the Government Office. I would like to verify some financial data."

Which funds?

"The rural revitalization special fund is 300 million yuan, which is used for the edible fungus deep processing project in Liuhe Town. Could you please take a look at the details of this fund?"

"Hold on."

The sound of typing came from the other end of the phone.

Chen Dapeng held the microphone, his heart beating faster than usual.

He's gambling.

It's unlikely that someone from the Finance Bureau would refuse a request to "verify information for publicity purposes."

They're betting the other party won't suspect anything.

"Feed?" The voice on the other end of the phone rang out again.

"Here I am."

"I found the funds you mentioned. In December 2023, 3 million yuan was allocated to the Liuhe Town Finance Office, under the category of..." The other party paused for a moment, "...other expenditures."

Chen Dapeng's heart skipped a beat.

But he didn't let anything unusual show.

"Other expenditures?" he asked, feigning confusion. "Shouldn't it be 'Special Funds for Rural Revitalization'?"

"That's how it's written in the books." The other person's voice was devoid of emotion. "They might have entered the wrong account on their end, or they might have adjusted it later. We only record the destination and account of the disbursement. You'll have to ask the Agriculture Bureau or Liuhe Town for the specific purpose."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome."

The phone hangs up.

Chen Dapeng put down the microphone and stared at the document on the table.

300 million.

"Special Funds for Rural Revitalization".

However, the Finance Bureau recorded this money under the "Other Expenses" category in its accounts.

It's exactly the same as that 810 million.

He recalled the data he had looked up earlier.

2021: 310 million.

2022: 240 million.

2023: 260 million.

The total amount over three years was 810 million, all of which was under the "Other Expenses" category, and there were no clear records of any allocations.

Now, there's another expense—3 million in December 2023, listed as "Other Expenses".

He calculated that the original 260 million plus this 300 million would actually amount to 560 million in 2023.

Total over three years: 310 million + 240 million + 560 million = 1110 million.

Chen Dapeng felt a chill run down his spine.

It has increased from 810 million to 1110 million.

The extra 300 million yuan was referred to as "Special Funds for Rural Revitalization" in the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau's materials, but in the Finance Bureau's accounts, it was put into the "Other Expenditures" category, just like the previous 810 million yuan.

What exactly is the nature of this money?

He leaned back in his chair, his mind racing.

Two possibilities—

First, the finance bureau may have entered the wrong account. However, a large sum of 300 million yuan goes through several procedures from approval to disbursement, and the account is checked at each stage. The possibility of entering the wrong account is extremely low.

Secondly, it wasn't a mistake; it was intentional. The money was placed under "Other Expenses" to avoid drawing attention.

If it's the second one, then there's a much bigger problem.

The "Special Fund for Rural Revitalization" has clear regulations on its use—it can only be used for projects related to rural revitalization, and the destination of every penny must be traceable and subject to supervision by multiple departments such as auditing and discipline inspection.

However, if this money is classified under the "Other Expenses" category, it will be outside the management track of special funds and enter the gray area of ​​"Other Expenses".

What are "other expenses"?

In the financial statements of many organizations, "other expenses" is a catch-all category—anything can be put in it, and nothing can be clearly explained.

Because there is no clear indication, it will not attract attention.

Because it won't attract attention, you can do a lot of things.

Chen Dapeng recalled what He Ying had said: "If we trace this money further, who knows how much more we could uncover?"

He is now beginning to understand the weight of those words.

This money is more than just a sum of money.

It is an entry point.

Entering through this portal, you can see a lot of things—who approved the change of purpose for the money, who signed under the "Other Expenses" category, where the money ultimately went, what it was used for, and whether anyone profited from it.

Every problem has the potential to implicate many more people.

Chen Dapeng took a deep breath. He needed to tell He Ying all this.

but not now.

Now, Liu Zhiguo could return at any time.

He cannot leave any evidence against him in this office.

Chen Dapeng stood up, walked to the filing cabinet, and put the materials he had just looked through back one by one.

When he placed the last document—the typical material from the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau—his hand paused for a moment.

There is a passage in this material that is quite intriguing:

"The project is being implemented by the Liuhe Town government, with the County Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau providing technical guidance. As of now, the main construction has been completed, and it is expected to be put into use before the end of the year."

Project implementing unit: Liuhe Town Government.

In other words, the 300 million yuan was allocated to Liuhe Town, and the Liuhe Town government was responsible for spending it.

Chen Dapeng put the document back in the filing cabinet and closed the cabinet door.

He walked back to his seat, turned on his computer, and began organizing the materials to be archived that day.

The keyboard was being pounded away, and everything seemed normal.

But his mind was racing.

1110 million.

Three years.

Liuhe Town.

Fang Zhiwen.

Fang Mingyuan.

These words strung together in his mind like beads, and he couldn't stop them.

At 11:20, footsteps could be heard in the corridor.

Chen Dapeng paused for a moment, then continued typing without looking up.

The door was pushed open.

Liu Zhiguo walked in, his face expressionless.

"Xiao Chen, how's the material preparation going?"

Chen Dapeng looked up, his expression natural: "It's almost done. The ones from each township have been filed, and the ones from each department are still being organized."

"Have you found any problematic materials?"

Chen Dapeng's heart tightened, but his face remained impassive: "Problematic materials? Section Chief Liu is referring to..."

"It means the data is obviously incorrect, or the content has obvious errors." Liu Zhiguo walked to his chair, turned around and looked at him. "The work of the information department is not just filing, but also checking. If any problems are found, they must be returned to the original unit for correction."

"Understood." Chen Dapeng nodded. "No obvious problems have been found yet."

Liu Zhiguo grunted in agreement and sat down opposite him.

He turned on his computer, picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Chen Dapeng's desktop.

"What are you looking at?"

Chen Dapeng followed his gaze and looked over—there was a document spread out on the table, a work progress report submitted by a certain township.

"I'm looking at the materials from Jiangxiang." Chen Dapeng picked up the document. "Their information reporting isn't very timely; they only submitted two reports last month."

Liu Zhiguo nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

But Chen Dapeng noticed that Liu Zhiguo's gaze lingered on the table for a few seconds, as if he were confirming something.

Then he looked away and started looking at the computer.

The office fell silent, save for the sounds of keyboards and mouse clicks.

Chen Dapeng lowered his head and continued organizing the materials.

He could feel Liu Zhiguo's gaze occasionally sweeping over him, landing on him for a second or two, and then moving away.

The feeling of being watched made him very uncomfortable!

But he didn't look up or show any unusual behavior.

At twelve o'clock, Liu Zhiguo stood up.

"Xiao Chen, want to go to the cafeteria?"

"Section Chief Liu, you go ahead, I'll finish what I'm doing."

Liu Zhiguo glanced at him, picked up his meal card, and went out.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Chen Dapeng waited a minute to confirm that Liu Zhiguo had walked away.

He took out his phone and took photos of the relevant materials.

He put his phone in his pocket, stood up, and left the office.

The corridor was empty; people from other departments had gone to eat.

He took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to He Ying.

"County Chief He, I've found some new information. Let me know when it's convenient."

After sending it, he turned and went downstairs.

When he reached the corner on the second floor, he paused for a moment.

At the other end of the corridor, a person was standing there, looking at him.

Liu Zhiguo.

He was holding his meal card, as if he had just come back from the cafeteria.

"Section Chief Liu, didn't you go to lunch?"

Chen Dapeng smiled.

"I forgot my phone, I'll come back for it."

Liu Zhiguo's gaze lingered on him for a moment, then he didn't say anything more and turned to walk towards the information department.

Chen Dapeng stood at the top of the stairs, watching his back, his heart pounding.

The way Liu Zhiguo looked at him just now was different from usual.

It wasn't a casual glance, but a scrutiny—as if confirming something, or perhaps doubting something.

Chen Dapeng took a deep breath and went downstairs.

He didn't go to the cafeteria, but went straight back to his residence.

He closed the door, took out his phone, and looked at the photos he had just taken for a long time.

Then I opened WeChat and sent the photo to He Ying.

The accompanying text reads: "The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau's materials state 'Special Funds for Rural Revitalization,' but the Finance Bureau's accounts record it under 'Other Expenditures.' The actual amount in 2023 was not 2.6 million, but 5.6 million. The total for the three years is 11.1 million."

After sending the message, he put his phone on the table and stared at the screen.

One minute.

Two minutes.

five minutes.

My phone vibrated.

He Ying replied: "Are you sure?"

"Confirmed. I called the Finance Bureau to verify, and they confirmed the item and amount."

"Where are the materials?"

"The typical materials from the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau are in the filing cabinet of the Information Section. The Finance Bureau doesn't have any written proof, only telephone verification."

"Find a way to get written proof. The sooner the better."

Chen Dapeng looked at the line of text and typed two words: "Understood."

He put down his phone and closed his eyes.

1110 million.

The true nature of this money is gradually coming to light.

But at the same time.

Liu Zhiguo's gaze today also made him realize one thing—every minute he spent in the information department was being watched.

Everything he does, every document he flips through, and every phone call he makes is likely to be observed.

He Ying asked him to get the written proof.

But how do I take it?

The finance bureau does not readily issue written receipts, especially for such sensitive data.

Moreover, if he goes to the Finance Bureau to inquire about the money again, the news will definitely reach Liu Zhiguo's ears.

Once Liu Zhiguo found out, Fang Mingyuan found out as well.

At that time, not only will he be watched more closely, but He Ying will also be put in a passive position.

Chen Dapeng opened his eyes, picked up his phone, and sent another message to He Ying.

"I need to figure out a way to get written documentation. Asking the finance bureau again might attract attention. Is there any other way?"

He Ying quickly replied: "What channel?"

Chen Dapeng thought for a moment and typed a message: "Director Su. She contacts the Finance Bureau more frequently than I do, so it won't arouse suspicion if she goes to ask for it."

The other party remained silent.

Chen Dapeng knew that He Ying was hesitant—He Ying had said before that Su Wanqing could not be fully trusted for the time being.

But this is a special case.

After waiting for about three minutes, He Ying replied: "I'll think about it. You stay calm and don't make any rash moves."

"it is good."

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

He looked out the window at the county town, his gaze settling on the distant Liuhe Town.

1110 million.

He didn't know what was hidden behind this money.

But he knew he had gone too far and couldn't turn back.

My phone vibrated again.

He picked it up and saw that it was sent by He Ying.

"Dapeng, be careful."

Chen Dapeng's lips twitched slightly.

"Okay. You too."

After replying, he put his phone in his pocket, picked up his coat, and went out.

I have to go to work this afternoon.

The information technology department still has a pile of materials waiting for him to "organize".

Liu Zhiguo was still there, waiting to see every document he had flipped through.

He cannot reveal any flaws.