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

On Monday morning, Yang Xiujiang had just arrived at the office when the landline on his desk rang.

He answered the phone, and the voice on the other end was very formal: "Comrade Yang Xiujiang, please come to the special investigation team of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection at three o'clock this afternoon. There are some things we need to ask you."

Yang Xiujiang held the microphone but did not answer immediately.

He knew this day would come sooner or later, from the moment Zeng Zhiyuan turned on him, from the moment Old Master Shen handed him that letter.

He knew the task force would come looking for him sooner or later.

But he didn't expect it to happen today, nor did he expect it to be in the form of such a formal notification.

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

He hung up the phone and sat in his chair without moving.

Although it was a "talk" rather than "detention," he knew what reaching this point meant—the task force already had some information that he needed to "explain in person."

If it's explained clearly, there's a chance he can come back;

If things can't be explained clearly, the moment the door to the interview room closes, it will never open again in the normal way.

He sat in his office for a long time, wondering if there was anything he hadn't properly dealt with.

He went through it in his mind—

Bai Jiangfei's spending records can be explained, the flow of funds from Hongye Investment can be attributed to Zhao Mingjun, and he has also prepared his response to Zeng Zhiyuan's counterattack of "dissatisfaction with job adjustment".

However, he didn't fully understand the contents of Old Master Shen's letter, and didn't know exactly what it said, which was the biggest variable.

He stood up and walked to the window. Outside, it was a hazy gray, with the clouds hanging low.

He didn't open the window, but stood by it for a while before turning back to his desk and sitting down. He quickly finished processing the documents that needed to be signed, signed them, and put them aside.

……

At 2:50 p.m., Yang Xiujiang arrived at the special investigation team of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The staff member who received him led him into a meeting room.

The room was small, with a table, three chairs, a flag hanging on the wall, and those eight characters written next to it.

He didn't look around the room, but sat down in the chair against the wall.

The door opened, and Chen Yuanda walked in and sat down opposite him, with Chen Dapeng following behind, who was specifically responsible for recording the conversation.

Chen Yuanda placed a document on the table without opening it, and first glanced at Yang Xiujiang: "I called you here today to verify a few issues."

Yang Xiujiang nodded: "Okay."

Chen Yuanda opened the documents and the first question he asked was about the flow of funds at Hongye Investment:

Bai Jiangfei's spending records show that several payments were made through Huarong Investment.

In Huarong Investment's financial transaction records, Hongye Investment's transfer records appeared multiple times.

Zhao Mingjun is your distant nephew-in-law. How do you explain this financial chain?

Yang Xiujiang had already thought of the answer:

"I am aware of Hongye Investment's business. Zhao Mingjun is indeed my relative, but I am not directly involved in what projects his company undertakes or how the funds are transferred."

I don't know how Bai Jiangfei spends his money.

He's an adult now; I can't control every single expense he makes.

Chen Yuanda didn't press further, turning to the next page: "Zeng Zhiyuan's self-report mentions that you harbored resentment because your job adjustment wasn't satisfactory, and colluded with Gu Huaiyuan to frame him. How do you explain this?"

Yang Xiujiang paused for a moment.

He was thinking about how to answer—to deny it too absolutely would make him seem guilty; to admit it partially would leave room for criticism.

He opted for a compromise: "There were indeed job adjustments, but that was a normal organizational procedure."

I do not hold a grudge over this matter, and there is no truth to the claim that I conspired with Gu Huaiyuan to frame Zeng Zhiyuan.

I don't know what Gu Huaiyuan said, but my stance is clear.

Chen Yuanda closed the materials: "Comrade Yang Xiujiang, today's main purpose was to understand the situation. If there are any areas that need further verification, we will contact you again."

Yang Xiujiang was taken aback, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected the questioning to be so simple. He had originally thought the task force would press on with some questions.

His expression didn't change much as he stood up:

"it is good."

He walked out of the interview room, through the corridor, and out of the gate of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Standing at the doorway, he took a deep breath.

He didn't know if his answer would pass muster, but at least this time he could walk out of that door on his own.

He walked down the steps, hailed a taxi, and gave the address of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

The car drove out of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection compound and merged into the main road traffic.

He leaned back in his seat, looking out the window, his mind still replaying the conversation from earlier—

Chen Yuanda's questions were within his expectations, and he managed to get through them.

……

After returning to his office at the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Yang Xiujiang closed the door and sat down behind his desk.

He drew the curtains halfway, making the office dimly lit.

He sat there and went over the entire conversation from beginning to end.

Chen Yuanda's questions were all within his expectations—Hongye Investment's financial chain and Zeng Zhiyuan's counter-accusations.

His answer was quite comprehensive, leaving no obvious flaws.

But he knew in his heart that the conversation was only the first step.

If the evidence were more substantial.

The next conversation won't be so simple...

A thought popped into his head—should he run?

He rejected the idea as soon as it came to mind.

He glanced at the phone screen, then flipped it over and placed it face down on the table.

He stayed quietly for a long time, then turned on his computer and began to deal with the backlog of work from the day.

He acted as if nothing had happened.

……

Meanwhile, the provincial government.

Zhao Zhengping sat in his office with a document spread out in front of him, but he wasn't looking at it.

He had just finished a phone call with an old acquaintance from a relevant department in the provincial capital, who told him something:

"Yang Xiujiang was called to the special investigation team for questioning this afternoon."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhengping did not immediately respond, but remained silent for a moment before asking, "What were you discussing?"

"I don't know. But he went in alone and came out alone."

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Zhengping sat in his study for a long time without moving.

He was thinking that Gu Huaiyuan had implicated Zeng Zhiyuan, Zeng Zhiyuan had turned around and implicated Yang Xiujiang, and Shen Zhengqing had submitted materials mentioning a project from ten years ago.

Yang Xiujiang has now been summoned for questioning, which is a signal that the special task force is gradually closing in and moving upwards step by step.

Could he be the next target?

He recalled the scene a few years ago when Zeng Zhiyuan recommended him to be the governor, at a banquet after a meeting in the provincial capital.

Zeng Zhiyuan called him aside, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Zhengping, do a good job."

At the time, he didn't think much of it and just assumed that his former boss was encouraging him.

Now he understood that there was something unspoken behind "work hard"—"You're one of my people."

Zhao Zhengping picked up the pen on the table, twirled it in his hand, and then put it down.

He didn't know if his position on this chain would be discovered by the task force.

But if we keep digging, sooner or later someone will unearth the old files.

The page with his name—

He signed his name in the section for the inspection team members.

This wasn't his biggest worry; even if he violated the rules, the worst that would happen was a talk with him.

What worries him is that once the task force takes notice of certain matters, they will delve deeper into the underlying issues.

Has he violated any rules or laws?

He dared not say that there was absolutely none.

After all, he had been caught up in the power network woven by Zeng Zhiyuan for so many years.

Was he completely clean from head to toe?