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

After returning from Beijing, Chen Yuanda immediately convened a meeting of all members of the special task force.

He stood in front of the whiteboard and briefly conveyed Song Huai'an's instructions:

"Secretary Song said that the materials we currently have all point indirectly to this, and we are still missing one link in direct evidence - the financial records handled by Zhao Zhengping himself."

The next key step is to find this direct evidence.

Hu Yuheng sat on the left side of the conference table and opened his notebook:

"The envelope that Li Xiushan mentioned has been retrieved."

The technical department is verifying the account information and expects preliminary results tomorrow.

In addition, I have already arranged for someone to check the business registration and bank statements of the company under Zhao Yike's name.

Chen Yuanda nodded:

"Run two lines simultaneously."

The source of funds for Li Xiushan's envelope account needs to be investigated, and Zhao Yike's company needs to find out the flow of funds.

If the two lines intersect, the direct evidence will have a direction.

He glanced at Chen Dapeng:

"Dapeng, continue along the line of Zhao Zhengping's signature and see if there are any materials that have been missed."

Chen Dapeng responded:

"it is good."

After the meeting, Chen Dapeng returned to his seat and reorganized the documents that Zhao Zhengping had signed.

He listed the time, amount, and destination of each fund separately, and marked the corresponding approver next to it.

After listing them, I also pulled up the registration date of Zhao Yike's company and some financial statements for comparison.

He discovered a temporal overlap between the two, but a clear connection point was missing.

He picked up a pen and drew a question mark next to it.

He needs to find records signed by Zhao Zhengping himself that are directly related to the funds of Zhao Yike's company.

This clue is still missing one link, but the direction is clear.

……

Qingshun County.

He Ying was processing documents in her office when her phone rang.

She glanced down at the caller ID—her uncle.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Her uncle rarely calls her during the day; he usually sends messages when he needs something.

She answered the phone; her uncle's voice sounded somewhat hurried.

"Yingying, your grandfather fainted this morning and is in the hospital now. The doctor said he is not in immediate danger, but he needs to stay in the hospital for observation."

He Ying's hand gripping the phone tightened suddenly:

Which hospital?

"The Cardiology Inpatient Department of Beijing First People's Hospital"

He Ying stood up.

"I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, she dialed Chen Dapeng's number.

After the call connected, she didn't exchange pleasantries and went straight to the point:

"Dapeng, Grandpa has fainted and is in the hospital. I need to go to Beijing."

Chen Dapeng could hear the urgency in her voice:

"I'll go with you. When are you leaving?"

"I plan to leave now."

He Ying's voice trembled slightly.

"Dapeng, my maternal grandfather has always doted on me since I was little, I'm afraid..."

"Don't worry, I'll be waiting for you at the provincial capital airport in two hours."

"it is good."

The phone hangs up.

Chen Dapeng immediately went to Hu Yuheng's office and briefly explained the situation.

"Is He Ying's maternal grandfather ill?"

Hu Yuheng was somewhat surprised.

"Then you should go quickly."

"Okay, thank you, Director Hu."

After finishing his sentence, Chen Dapeng hurriedly left.

As Hu Yuheng watched Chen Dapeng's hurried departure, a question suddenly occurred to him.

"Why is Chen Dapeng so worried about He Ying's grandfather's illness?"

"Could it be...?"

……

More than two hours later.

Chen Dapeng met He Ying at the airport.

She was wearing a dark coat, carrying a bag, and looked unwell.

Chen Dapeng went up to him and comforted him, "Sister Ying, don't worry, Grandpa will be alright."

He Ying nodded gently: "Let's board the plane right away."

Three hours later.

Beijing, the First People's Hospital.

The two arrived at the inpatient department at around 5 p.m.

He Ying asked for the ward number at the nurses' station and quickly went inside.

Grandpa Shen lay on the hospital bed with an IV tube inserted in the back of his hand. His face was a little pale, but he was conscious.

Seeing He Ying enter, he slightly moved his head, his voice somewhat weak:

"Yingying, you're here."

He Ying walked over and sat down by the bed, taking her grandfather's hand in hers:

"Grandpa, how are you feeling?"

Old Master Shen smiled slightly, his voice very soft:

"Don't worry, it's just an old problem that's flared up again. It'll be fine in a while."

He Ying didn't say anything, but just held her grandfather's hand, looked down at the back of his hand, and let go after a while.

As if sensing her emotions, Grandpa Shen gently patted the back of her hand.

Then his gaze passed over her and landed on Chen Dapeng behind He Ying.

He looked him over for a moment, then spoke:

"Yingying, is this the boyfriend you mentioned? Chen Dapeng?"

Chen Dapeng took two steps forward and stood by the bed:

"Hello Grandpa Shen, I'm Chen Dapeng."

Old Master Shen looked at him for a while, his gaze lingering on his face for a few seconds, then nodded:

"You look energetic. Yingying told me about you, saying that you took a knife for her."

Chen Dapeng didn't reply; he just stood there.

Old Master Shen said another thing:

"Not bad, young man."

He Ying sat beside her, neither interrupting nor laughing, but her tightly clenched hands finally loosened.

Chen Dapeng stood by the bed without saying much.

After a moment, He Ying turned to Chen Dapeng:

"Dapeng, wait for me in the corridor. I need to say a few words to Grandpa."

Chen Dapeng nodded, turned around and walked out of the ward, gently closing the door behind him.

Grandpa Shen paused for a moment, looking at He Ying.

"Yingying, what do you want to say? Why did you send him away?"

He Ying blushed slightly, but quickly returned to normal.

"Grandpa, what do you think of Dapeng?"

Old Master Shen remained silent for a few seconds.

"He's quite nice; he looks very energetic and is also very upright. Why are you suddenly asking this?"

He Ying paused for a moment.

"I took Dapeng to meet my father. He didn't give a clear answer, whether he agreed or disagreed. I'm with Dapeng."

Old Master Shen smiled.

Are you worried that your dad won't agree?

He Ying nodded: "I'm a little worried... My mother passed away early, and my father raised me. I don't want to go against his wishes. If he doesn't agree... I don't know what to do. But I also don't want to..."

Old Master Shen remained silent for a few seconds.

"Yingying, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Your dad is just worried about you. As long as Chen Dapeng is a reliable person, I believe he won't object."

"Grandpa, so you have no objections?"

Grandpa Chen smiled again.

"What opinion can I possibly have? What good is it if others object to something you've loved since you were a child?"

He Ying was a little embarrassed and gave a soft laugh.

"Alright. Don't worry. I'll talk to your dad about it sometime. You're not getting any younger; it's time for you to settle down."

He Ying blushed and lowered her head without saying anything more.

……

Meanwhile, in Jiangnan Province.

Zhao Zhengping sat in his study and dialed his daughter Zhao Yike's number.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

"dad?"

Zhao Zhengping didn't exchange pleasantries, and his voice was very low:

"Li Xiushan has been summoned to the provincial discipline inspection commission's special investigation team for questioning. She has some things on her that may involve companies under your name."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Zhao Yike's voice changed:

How did she know about my company?

"It doesn't matter anymore."

Zhao Zhengping interrupted her.

"What you need to do now is to clean up what needs to be cleaned up and cut ties where necessary. Deal with accounts, contracts, and cash flow records—take care of everything that can be dealt with."

Zhao Yike was silent for a moment, then asked, "What about the company?"

"Leave the company alone for now; don't make any moves."

Zhao Zhengping paused for a moment.

"It's your personal matter. If you can leave the country, do so as soon as possible, otherwise it will be too late."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Zhao Yike's voice lowered:

"Dad, what about you?"

Zhao Zhengping gripped his phone tightly, paused for a moment, and then spoke:

"I'm too big a target, I can't leave."

He didn't say anything more, but added one more piece of advice:

"Listen to me, leave as soon as possible. Once you get there, don't contact me first."

Then he hung up the phone.

He put his phone on the table and sat at his desk without moving.

He knew he had done all the arrangements he could.

The rest was beyond his control.