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

Sunday evening.

Old Master Shen sat at his desk, on which lay a stack of letter paper and a fountain pen.

He remained silent for a long time before he began to write.

He wrote the first line and then crossed it out; he wrote half of the second line and then stopped.

It's not that I don't know what to write, but I'm thinking about how to write it in a way that will make the person who reads this letter believe that what's written here is the truth.

He laid out a new sheet of paper, and with the tip of his pen on the paper, he wrote stroke by stroke, his handwriting very neat, as if he were bringing an end to the past ten years of silence.

He wrote down the time first—

That autumn ten years ago, specifically within the range of months and dates.

Then the location was written: a project site of a unit in the provincial capital.

At the time, he was a member of the supervisory team sent by the higher-level unit to inspect the project progress.

He wrote about the people present at the time, starting with Zeng Zhiyuan.

At that time, he was already a major leader in the province. Wearing a dark jacket, he stood under a temporary shed at the project site, talking with several construction workers.

Old Master Shen was standing not far away at the time. He listened for a few minutes but did not go over. However, he saw Zeng Zhiyuan hand an envelope to one of the people while he was talking to him.

That envelope wasn't an official letter, a document, or anything that should be delivered on-site at the project site.

Grandpa Shen didn't see what was in the envelope, but he did see who was receiving it—a person in charge from the construction company.

He wrote that Zeng Zhiyuan said something in public at the project site. He couldn't remember the exact words, but the gist was, "I'm in charge of this project."

This statement wasn't outrageous in the context of the time, but when considered in conjunction with the envelope and the subsequent destination of the funds, it becomes more complex.

After writing these paragraphs, Mr. Shen stopped writing and read through the pages he had already written.

He added another paragraph, writing down what Zeng Zhiyuan said at the celebration banquet after the project was completed—

"Everyone deserves credit for making this project a success."

This statement is fine on its own, but in the context of the time, Mr. Shen felt it implied that "everyone has taken the benefits that should have been taken."

He didn't include the word "hint," only the original words and the scene at the time.

He knew that every word in the letter could be checked word for word, and he could not make any subjective judgments; he could only write what he had seen and heard with his own eyes and ears.

Finally, he signed his name at the end of the letter, indicating his identity and his workplace at the time.

Then he pulled out an old photo from the drawer. It was a group photo taken when he participated in the supervision of that project. The photo included Zeng Zhiyuan and the person in charge of the construction company who was present at the time.

He placed the photo between the pages of the letter, then put it in the envelope and sealed it.

It was past midnight when I finished writing the letter.

He didn't go to sleep immediately. He sat at his desk, looking at the sealed letter, then stood up and put it into the inside pocket of his coat.

The next morning, he contacted a former subordinate who was still in the system. He didn't say much, only that "there is a document that needs to be submitted to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection."

The old subordinate took it without asking what kind of material it was.

That afternoon, the letter was delivered to the petition office of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Just like when Zeng Zhiyuan submitted his materials, he placed them on the counter at the window without leaving his name or contact information.

But the contents of the letter were much more specific than Zeng Zhiyuan’s self-written account—it contained clear descriptions of the time, place, people, and scene, photographic evidence, and the writer’s signature.

After confirming that the letter had been picked up, Mr. Shen made a phone call to He Ying.

On the phone, he only said one sentence: "I've already handed over the items."

He Ying gripped her phone tightly and remained silent for two seconds.

She didn't ask, "Grandpa, are you alright?", she just said, "Okay, I understand."

Grandpa Shen didn't say anything more and hung up the phone.

He stood by the study window, looked outside for a while, then turned and walked out of the study, gently closing the door behind him.

……

After the letter went through the registration process at the petition office, it was transferred to the corresponding business department according to its category.

The clerk opened the envelope, saw the letter and an old photograph inside, read a few paragraphs, and without passing it on, marked it as "important material" and sent it to Song Huai'an's desk.

Song Huai'an glanced at the envelope first—there was no sender's address, only the words "Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Petition Office".

He tore open the seal, pulled out the letter inside, and unfolded it.

The letter was handwritten, with neat handwriting, and did not seem to have been written hastily.

He paused after reading the first page, read the second page even more slowly, and paused for a moment while pinching the corner of the paper with his fingers on the third page.

He turned to the last page and saw the signature—Shen Zhengqing.

A line of text next to it explained his identity and position at the time.

Song Huai'an put down the letter and picked up the old photo tucked between the letters. The photo showed a group of people standing in two rows, with a project site in the background.

He looked at it for a while, then put the photo next to the letter, picked up the letter again and read it over and over again. This time he didn't stop and read the whole letter in one go.

The letter mentioned Zeng Zhiyuan's name, his words and actions at a project site in the provincial capital, and the words he said to the person in charge of the construction company after the project was completed.

The content itself is not sufficient to directly constitute evidence, but the description in the letter is very specific—

It includes a specific time, a specific location, specific dialogue content, and a photograph taken at that time and place.

In terms of timing, it coincides with the period when He Ying was investigating the financial connections between Shuiyunjian Club and the food court some time ago.

But Song Huai'an's gaze ultimately settled on a name.

In the middle of the letter, Mr. Shen mentioned that besides Zeng Zhiyuan and the construction manager, there was another person present at the time—

Zhao Zhengping, then director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, is now the governor of Jiangnan Province.

Song Huai'an looked at the name but did not immediately put down the letter.

He mentally went through the relationship between Zhao Zhengping and Zeng Zhiyuan—Zhao Zhengping had served in the provincial capital for a long time, from director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission to vice governor and then governor, while Zeng Zhiyuan was a key leader in the provincial capital during that period.

The two men intersected in time and space. It was normal for them to have business dealings, but in Mr. Shen's letter, Zhao Zhengping was mentioned in the same scene, indicating that he was also there and saw the same thing.

Song Huai'an sat for a long time, putting the letter and photos into a folder instead of putting them in the regular case file, storing them separately.

He read the part of the letter that mentioned Zhao Zhengping again—

"Zhao Zhengping was also present at the time. He listened to the project report with Zeng Zhiyuan and told the person in charge of the construction company in person: 'The project funds are in place, you just need to proceed according to the schedule.'"

This sentence is fine on its own, but it takes on a different weight when placed in the same scene where Zeng Zhiyuan hands over the envelope.

Song Huai'an did not draw any conclusions about the letter, but he put it together with the timetable that Chen Yuanda had previously submitted.

Then he picked up the landline on the table and dialed Chen Yuanda's number: "Come to Beijing again, there's new information."

Chen Yuanda didn't ask what the situation was, only replying with one word:

"it is good."

……

Chen Yuan arrived in the capital the following afternoon.

He went straight to Song Huai'an's office after getting off the plane.

Song Huai'an was sitting behind his desk. When he saw him come in, he didn't exchange many pleasantries and directly pushed the letter from Old Master Shen in front of him:

"Take a look at this."

Chen Yuanda sat down and picked up the letter, unfolding it.

He looked at the first page, then turned to the second page, and then the third page.

He paused when he saw Shen Zhengqing's signature, as if searching for the name in his memory, but found no corresponding information.

He continued reading, and when he saw Zhao Zhengping's name mentioned in the letter, his finger paused on the edge of the page.

He put down the letter and looked up at Song Huai'an:

Was Zhao Zhengping also present at the scene?

"That's what it says in the letter." Song Huai'an leaned back in his chair. "Shen Zhengqing's identity has been verified. He was indeed a member of the supervisory team sent by the higher-level unit at the time, which matches the situation described in the letter."

The projects and photos mentioned in the letter match the records kept in the provincial capital. You know the weight of this letter.

Chen Yuanda did not respond immediately.

He picked up the letter again, read the part about Zhao Zhengping again, and then put it down:

"Zhao Zhengping is currently the governor of Jiangnan Province. If the information in this letter is true, then the scope of this case needs to be reassessed."

"That's why I called you here."

Song Huai paused for a moment.

"After you go back, you don't need to disturb Zhao Zhengping himself, but you should first sort out Zhao Zhengping's work experience, areas of responsibility, and projects he handled during his tenure in the provincial capital."

At the same time, the project mentioned in Shen Zhengqing's letter needs to be verified—the fund disbursement records, approval process, and participating personnel must all be investigated.

Chen Yuanda nodded: "I'll make the arrangements when I get back."

Song Huai'an didn't say anything more.

Chen Yuanda stood up, picked up the photocopy of the letter, and turned to leave the office.

As he went downstairs, he slowed down, took out his phone and found Hu Yuheng's number, but after thinking for a moment, he turned off the screen and didn't call immediately.

He planned to go back to the provincial capital to discuss it further.