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

Thursday afternoon.

The technical department's appraisal report was sent to the special task force.

Chen Yuanda was reviewing supplementary materials for a provincial capital project file when Hu Yuheng knocked on the door and placed a sealed document bag on his desk.

"The technical department just sent over the authentication results of the transfer records attached to Zeng Zhiyuan's self-report."

Chen Yuanda put down the materials in his hand, opened the file bag, and took out the report inside.

The report was short, only three pages long, and the wording was very restrained. Every sentence had been carefully considered and no biased vocabulary was used.

But after Chen Yuanda finished reading, his gaze lingered on the last paragraph.

The technicians wrote their conclusions very cautiously:

"Upon comparison of the signature with signatures on similar documents from the same year, slight differences in ink composition were found, and further verification is recommended."

It didn't say "forged" or "re-covered," it only said "there are minor differences" and "further verification is recommended."

But in this case, the phrase "differences exist" is enough to explain the issue.

Chen Yuanda put down the report without immediately expressing his opinion.

He leaned back in his chair and thought for a while, then picked up the report again and read it over.

Those transfer records were "supporting evidence" attached to Zeng Zhiyuan's self-report, used to prove that Yang Xiujiang's transfer occurred after "the job adjustment was not satisfied".

Technical analysis now indicates that the date of the signature is questionable.

If these records were added later, then the chronological logic of Zeng Zhiyuan's entire autobiographical material needs to be reassessed.

"Director Chen, although this appraisal report cannot directly refute Zeng Zhiyuan's own account, it is enough to shake his 'counterattack'."

Hu Yuheng stood in front of the table and spoke.

Chen Yuanda nodded: "Leave it here with me for now. Don't touch Zeng Zhiyuan's report for now, but keep this report on file."

Hu Yuheng didn't say anything more, turned around and walked out.

Chen Yuanda put the appraisal report into a folder and placed it on the corner of the table.

He knew the report wasn't conclusive evidence, but in this case, any loosening of the chain of evidence could affect the entire outcome.

Just then, the phone rang.

He answered the call and heard the voice of an investigator from the special task force: "Director Chen, we checked Han Youde's situation and found that his financial situation after retirement was somewhat unusual."

He owns properties in both the provincial capital and Beijing, one of which he purchased in the third year after his retirement.

Given his pre-retirement salary, it's unlikely he could afford it.

Chen Yuanda asked, "Are you sure it's registered under his name?"

"Confirmed. The property registration information is in Han Youde's own name, and there is no nominee ownership. The purchase was made in the third year after his retirement, and the payment method was a lump sum payment."

Chen Yuanda was silent for a moment: "Anything else?"

That's all for now. No other abnormalities have been found.

"Understood. I will report to my superiors."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yuanda sat behind his desk and went over Han Youde's situation in his mind.

He retired five years ago. Before retirement, he worked in a department of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and held the rank of director-general.

With his salary level, buying property in Beijing or the provincial capital wouldn't be easy—not entirely impossible.

However, paying in full at once is not in line with the spending habits of normal retirees.

This information alone doesn't prove anything, but considering his role in helping Zeng Zhiyuan submit materials, it requires careful evaluation.

He picked up the landline on the table and dialed Song Huai'an's internal number.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

He briefly reported on Han Youde's real estate situation: "Han Youde owns several properties, one of which was purchased in the third year after his retirement, and the payment was made in a lump sum. Judging from his income level, there may be some doubts."

Song Huai'an didn't answer immediately. After a while, he asked, "How many years has Han been retired?"

Five years.

Song Huai'an did not ask any further questions, nor did he give any instructions on whether further investigation was needed.

He simply said, "Just keep it in mind."

Chen Yuanda understood Song Huai'an's attitude.

Song Huai'an didn't say "investigate," nor did he say "don't investigate," but his statement "Just keep it in mind" was itself a signal—

If Han Youde does indeed have problems, the task force can continue the investigation.

If there is insufficient evidence at the moment, it can be left aside for now.

This standard is determined by Chen Yuanda himself.

Chen Yuanda replied, "Understood."

Then he hung up the phone.

He singled out Han Youde's case for a moment—Zeng Zhiyuan had Han Youde in Beijing to submit materials for him, and there were doubts about Han Youde's financial situation after retirement.

If these two points of doubt can be connected, it means that there is a new direction to focus on in this case.

……

Chen Dapeng didn't leave after the workday ended.

A pile of materials was spread out in front of him—

Copies of Bai Jiangfei's testimony, Huarong Investment's registration information, Hongye Investment's transfer records, and Zeng Zhiyuan's personal statement.

There are also several documents that were recently retrieved from the project archives in the provincial capital.

In front of him was a blank A3 sheet of paper, its edges already creased.

He held a pen in his hand and first wrote the name "Bai Jiangfei" in the upper left corner of the paper.

Then a line was drawn connecting to "Huarong Investment", and two lines were drawn from there, one connecting to "Hongye Investment" and the other connecting to "Provincial Capital Project".

He wrote down "Yang Xiujiang", drew a question mark next to it, and connected it to Zeng Zhiyuan's name with a dotted line.

After thinking for a while, he wrote "Han Youde" under the name "Zeng Zhiyuan" and then drew a dotted circle around it.

Then he picked up a red pen, circled Zeng Zhiyuan's name, and wrote a line of small print next to it: "Top of the capital chain - currently pointing to".

He stared at the picture for a long time, then stood up, took it, and walked to the door of Hu Yuheng's office.

Hu Yuheng has not yet left work.

The door was ajar. He knocked, pushed it open, walked over, and placed the drawing on her desk: "Director Hu, please take a look at this."

Hu Yuheng looked down for a while, his gaze shifting from Bai Jiangfei's name to Huarong Investment, then following the line to the provincial capital project, and finally settling on Zeng Zhiyuan's name.

She looked at it for a while without saying anything, then looked at it again, and finally looked up: "Did you string these together?"

"Bai Jiangfei mentioned that person with a Beijing accent, and I took note of it at the time."

The registration information of Huarong Investment, the transfer records of Hongye Investment, and the flow of funds in the provincial capital project—all these indicators point in the same direction.

Chen Dapeng pointed to the red lines on the diagram and explained:

"The person Bai Jiangfei mentioned is very likely an intermediary controlled by Zeng Zhiyuan."

This chart may not directly prove that Zeng Zhiyuan participated in every single transaction, but it at least proves that his position in this financial chain was not merely at the end.

Hu Yuheng looked at the picture for a long time, then picked it up and looked at it again before putting it back on the table.

"Leave the map with me. You should go back and rest."

Chen Dapeng nodded, turned around and walked out of Hu Yuheng's office.

He returned to his office and began tidying up the materials spread out on his desk, folding up the used papers and putting them back in the file box.

Then he stood up, stretched his shoulders, and walked out of the office.

All the way there, he kept thinking about that picture—

If his drawing is not too far off.

All the clues in this case are converging in the same direction.

And at the end of that direction is—Zeng Zhiyuan.

As for Zhao Zhengping's position in the middle, more evidence is needed to confirm it.

But at least the direction is clearer than before.