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

It was a little after five in the afternoon.

Zhao Zhengping was reviewing a document when his phone rang.

The screen displayed a string of unmarked numbers, but he recognized the first few digits at a glance—

That's a phone number from Beijing.

He had seen it but never kept it.

He hesitated for two seconds, but still answered the call.

The voice on the other end of the phone was very calm, with a deliberate politeness:

"Governor Zhao, it's been a long time. I'm sending my regards to Elder Zeng. He asked me to tell you that the weather has turned cooler recently, so please take good care of yourself."

Zhao Zhengping held his phone but did not answer immediately.

The other party didn't say anything substantial, didn't mention any projects, proposals, or any sensitive topics; it was just like a regular greeting call.

But Zhao Zhengping has known Zeng Zhiyuan for so many years.

I know what this phone call at this time means—

Zeng Zhiyuan was testing his attitude.

The case has been investigated to this point.

Zeng Zhiyuan needs to confirm whether Zhao Zhengping will cooperate.

Will they remain silent at crucial moments?

Would you help him cover up his mistakes if he needs to?

He paused for a few seconds before speaking:

"Mr. Zeng is very kind. Please thank him for me and ask him to take care of himself."

Zhao Zhengping's voice was steady, and there was nothing unusual about it.

"Okay, I will definitely pass it on. I won't bother you any longer."

The phone hangs up.

Zhao Zhengping placed his phone on the table without immediately moving it away.

He sat there, his fingers resting on the edge of the table, motionless for a long time.

He was wondering how he should interpret this phone call.

Zeng Zhiyuan did not call in person, but instead relayed the message through an intermediary, indicating that he was also keeping his distance and did not want to leave a record of a direct conversation.

But the act of "greeting" itself is a signal.

This means that Zeng Zhiyuan is still keeping an eye on his movements.

They still consider him one of their own.

Zhao Zhengping thought about it for a long time, but ultimately did not call Zeng Zhiyuan.

He knew that if he called, no matter what he said, the call would be recorded.

Silence itself is a response.

He heard it, but made no comment.

He neither took sides nor distanced himself from the situation.

He just left that greeting hanging there, neither answering nor replying.

……

The next afternoon, Zhao Zhengping's phone rang again.

This time it was his wife calling, her voice tinged with confusion:

"Zhengping, someone delivered a box of tea to our house today. They left it at the door and left. When I opened the door, I only saw a figure from behind and couldn't see who it was."

Zhao Zhengping gripped his phone tightly and remained silent for a moment:

"What kind of tea?"

"The packaging was quite exquisite, and it looked like an established brand. There was no card or signature."

Zhao Zhengping knew perfectly well that it was sent by someone through Zeng Zhiyuan.

It's not tea leaves, it's a signal.

He was telling Zhao Zhengping in this way: I'm still here, and so are you.

He didn't say, "You can come to me if you need help."

But anything delivered at this point in time conveys the same message.

"Return it."

Zhao Zhengping said.

"Who should we return it to? It wasn't given a name or address, so we don't know who sent it."

"Then leave it there, don't touch it, and don't drink it."

The lady didn't ask any further questions: "Okay, then I'll put it in the cabinet."

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Zhengping looked out the window and began to ponder—

Zeng Zhiyuan first asked someone to make a phone call, and then delivered things to his home.

This indicates that Zeng Zhiyuan is tightening his contact with him to confirm whether he has wavered.

If Zhao Zhengping answered the phone and accepted the tea, Zeng Zhiyuan would know that he was still secure.

If Zhao Zhengping refuses or returns it.

Zeng Zhiyuan knew that he might have already sided with the other side.

Zhao Zhengping's final decision was not to return the box of tea, because he didn't know who to return it to.

But he didn't let his lover open it either—

Just leave it in the cabinet, don't touch it, don't throw it away, and don't mention it.

He sat in his office and went over the matter in his mind.

He cannot cut ties completely, because if he cuts too drastically, Zeng Zhiyuan might turn around and bite back.

He also can't get too close if the scope of the case continues to expand.

He needs to make others see that there is a distance between him and Zeng Zhiyuan.

……

On the morning of the same day.

Another person was sitting in the interview room of the provincial discipline inspection commission's special investigation team—

Gu Huaiyuan's wife, Li Xiushan.

She sat in a chair against the wall, her hands on her knees, her posture upright, her expression calm, showing no obvious tension.

Hu Yuheng sat opposite her, while Chen Dapeng sat next to her, taking notes.

Hu Yuheng opened the folder.

The question concerns Gu Huaiyuan's financial situation during his tenure in the provincial capital.

Did Gu Huaiyuan mention to you that he had other sources of income besides his job while he was in the provincial capital?

Li Xiushan's voice was very steady:

"I don't know. He doesn't talk to me much about work."

Did he ever mention Lin Meijuan?

"no."

Hu Yuheng chuckled softly.

Do you know who Lin Meijuan is?

"I don't know..." Li Xiushan paused for a moment, "Who is Lin Meijuan?"

Hu Yuheng remained silent for two seconds without saying anything.

Perhaps Li Xiushan really didn't know that Gu Huaiyuan had such a lover.

She decided to save her words for the most crucial moment, hoping to break down Li Xiushan's psychological defenses in one fell swoop.

Ask yourself, wouldn't a normal woman be unmoved upon hearing that her husband has a mistress?

Hu Yuheng changed the question:

Did he mention Shuiyunjian Club or the food court?

"no."

Her answers were always "I don't know" and "I've never heard him say that."

His tone was calm, and his expression showed no obvious fluctuation.

Her level of cooperation was far lower than that of Lin Meijuan, who had been questioned earlier.

Every sentence was an answer, but none of them provided any useful information.

Hu Yuheng turned to the last page and asked a question about Zeng Zhiyuan:

Has Gu Huaiyuan ever mentioned Zeng Zhiyuan to you?

Or has this person's name appeared in your daily conversations as a couple?

Li Xiushan's expression changed slightly for a moment.

It was an emotion that was hard to describe—

It was as if she had been asked a question she knew the answer to but didn't want to answer.

She remained silent for two or three seconds before answering:

No. It wasn't mentioned.

Hu Yuheng noticed the two or three-second pause.

She didn't ask any further questions, but she had already made a mental note of it.

After the questioning ended, Lee Soo-shan was led out of the interview room.

Hu Yuheng remained seated and flipped through the records he had just kept.

My gaze lingered for a moment on the line corresponding to that two or three-second pause.

Then close the notebook.

He stood up and went to Chen Yuanda's office.

Chen Yuanda was reviewing materials when he saw her come in, and he put down his pen.

"How's Lee Soo-shan doing?"

"I'm done asking."

Hu Yuheng sat down opposite him.

"Her answers were always 'I don't know' or 'I've never heard him say that,' so she wasn't very cooperative."

But when asked about Zeng Zhiyuan, she paused for two or three seconds before answering.

That pause wasn't hesitation, but more like making a judgment—whether or not to speak.

Chen Yuanda paused for a moment:

"Anything else?"

That's all for now. But that pause suggests she knows something. Just because she's not saying anything now doesn't mean she'll never say anything.

Chen Yuanda leaned back in his chair:

"Then investigate. Keep investigating until she confesses on her own."

"Start by examining the people and events around her to see if she has had any contact with Zeng Zhiyuan's side."

Hu Yuheng nodded: "Okay."

Then he stood up, turned around, and walked out.

Chen Yuanda sat alone in his office, his gaze fixed on the transcript of Li Xiushan's interrogation, pausing for a moment.

Then he picked up a pen and wrote a line in the blank space of the record:

"Note the connection between Zeng Zhiyuan and Gu Huaiyuan's family—indirect contact."

Then he put down his pen and leaned back in his chair.

Currently, several leads are progressing simultaneously:

Zeng Zhiyuan's self-written account contains time discrepancies;

There are doubts about Han Youde's financial situation;

Lee Soo-shan exhibited an unusual reaction when asked about Tsang Chi-yuen.

Each clue is not enough to form a complete chain of evidence on its own.

But taken together, they are enough to show that the direction is correct.

The rest is just a matter of continuing to verify...