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

Two days later, in the morning, in the old city of the provincial capital.

The car stopped in front of a residential building. Hu Yuheng got out first, followed by Chen Dapeng.

He followed Hu Yuheng up to the third floor and knocked on the door on the left.

The door opened a crack, and Gu Xinming stood inside, wearing a gray sweater. His gaze lingered on Hu Yuheng for a moment, then shifted to Chen Dapeng, before he opened the door to let them in.

"Come in and sit down."

The living room is small and simply furnished, with a wooden sofa and a coffee table.

Gu Xinming sat down on the sofa and poured a cup of tea for each of them.

Hu Yuheng didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point:

"Comrade Gu Xinming, we are here today to verify some information."

He Ying contacted you before, saying you could recall some details of the provincial capital project from back then.

Gu Xinming's hand holding the teacup remained still for a few seconds before he spoke:

"When He Ying came, I told her some things. What she asked and what I saw largely matched up."

He paused for a moment, as if organizing his memories, and then began to speak:

"Sun Desheng did have several contacts with Zeng Zhiyuan during his time on the provincial capital project."

Not the kind of contact you see at a work meeting—

It's private; sometimes we talk in the office with the door closed, and sometimes we meet outside the project site.

I was Sun Desheng's secretary at the time. He often took me with him when he went out on business. I was present on some occasions, and although I wasn't directly involved in some matters, I could see some signs.

Hu Yuheng did not interrupt him, but listened quietly.

Gu Xinming took a sip of tea and continued:

There is one detail that I remember quite well.

There was a sum of money involved in the project approval process that should have been disbursed in two installments according to the normal procedure, but the final approval resulted in a one-time full payment.

The person in charge felt this was unusual and went to Sun Desheng for instructions. Sun Desheng didn't say much, only that "this is what the higher-ups want."

The person in charge didn't ask any further questions, and that was the end of it.

He paused for a moment:

"The person in charge didn't explicitly say who 'above' was, but I was there at the time and heard him mention on the phone, 'Secretary Zeng has already agreed.' It wasn't a direct order, it was 'already agreed.'"

Hu Yuheng asked, "What's the name of this person in charge?"

"His surname is Liu, and his full name is Liu Yuanzhou. He was in charge of fund allocation in the project office at the time, and later he was transferred to a state-owned enterprise in the provincial capital. I'm not sure if he's still there now."

Chen Dapeng wrote Liu Yuanzhou's name down in his notebook.

Gu Xinming remained silent for a while, as if hesitating whether to continue speaking.

Then he put down his teacup, as if he had made a decision:

"There's something else I heard about later; I didn't see it myself, but the source is reliable."

"you say."

Before Sun Desheng was transferred to the capital, a box of documents was sent to a designated place in the provincial capital.

It wasn't sent through official channels; it was brought there by someone else.

I overheard him explaining this outside the office.

He only said "deliver it to the usual place," without giving a specific address.

Later, I found out through other channels that the name on the box of documents was Zeng Guosheng.

He raised his eyes and looked at Hu Yuheng:

"I didn't see the contents of that box of documents, and I'm not sure if it belonged to Sun Desheng or if he received it on behalf of someone else."

But I know where that box of documents was sent.

Because Sun Desheng had given an address over the phone—

On that road in the provincial capital's development zone, in an office building, the recipient was listed as Zeng Guosheng.

I can write down the exact address, but I'm not sure if that box is still there.

Hu Yuheng didn't ask about the contents of the box of documents, but only confirmed one sentence:

Are you sure the recipient is Zeng Guosheng?

"Sure.

I was standing in the hallway, not far away.

Sun Desheng didn't lower his voice when he gave his testimony, probably because he felt everyone present was on his side and he wasn't deliberately avoiding the topic.

After saying this, Gu Xinming did not add anything further.

Hu Yuheng closed his notebook:

"We will verify what you said. Thank you for your cooperation."

Gu Xinming didn't say much, just nodded and stood up to see them to the door.

He paused at the door for a moment and said, "That box of documents is the only time I've ever heard Sun Desheng mention Zeng Guosheng's name. If that box is still there, we should be able to find some clues."

Hu Yuheng said "Okay" and then turned and went downstairs.

Chen Dapeng followed behind her, not saying a word as they walked down the stairs.

Back in the car.

She glanced at Chen Dapeng sideways: "Do you think that box of documents he mentioned is still at that address?"

Chen Dapeng thought for a moment:

"If that box of things is registered under Zeng Guosheng's name."

He has no reason to stay in a place he doesn't often go.

But Gu Xinming is right. If they can find that box, there might be some clues inside.

However, so much time has passed, it's uncertain whether that box of documents is still there.

After the car had driven for a while...

Hu Yuheng spoke again:

"Gu Xinming mentioned the person in charge, Liu Yuanzhou. Let's first verify whether this person is still in the provincial capital, which unit he works for, and whether he can cooperate with the investigation."

"it is good."

Chen Dapeng nodded, but in his mind he compared what Gu Xinming had just said with Old Master Shen's letter—

Mr. Shen's letter stated that Sun Desheng was present.

Gu Xinming's testimony confirmed that Sun Desheng and Zeng Zhiyuan had private contact;

When Mr. Shen mentioned Zeng Zhiyuan, he said, "I'm in charge of this project."

Gu Xinming mentioned that "the full amount was received in one lump sum" and that "Secretary Zeng has already agreed."

The two clues are pointing in the same direction.

They corroborate each other, and there are no contradictions.

That box of documents bearing Zeng Guosheng's name—

If we can find the box of documents that Secretary Gu mentioned, we can further confirm Zeng Guosheng's role in this case.

If it can be proven that the box of documents is related to the provincial capital project.

Zeng Zhiyuan's position in this becomes even clearer.

After the car was parked in the compound of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Hu Yuheng did not get out of the car immediately; she sat for a while.

Then, he turned to look at Chen Dapeng:

"List that box of documents separately, clearly indicate the source and credibility of the information, and put it in the case file."

Chen Dapeng nodded: "Okay."

He got out of the car, and Hu Yuheng also got out.

The two walked into the office building together.

Chen Dapeng glanced at one side of the hall out of the corner of his eye—

Zhou Haibo was walking out of the stairwell, holding a water cup in his hand.

His gaze lingered on Chen Dapeng and Hu Yuheng for a moment, then shifted away, as if he hadn't noticed anything.

Chen Dapeng did not slow down and continued to follow Hu Yuheng toward the task force office.

He walked to his seat, opened his notebook, turned to the page with Gu Xinming's testimony, and listed the two pieces of information separately: "Liu Yuanzhou" and "a box of documents - Zeng Guosheng".

After writing it, I reviewed it to make sure the timeline was complete.

Then, he closed the notebook, put it back in the drawer, and began working on the other materials at hand.

He didn't look up in Zhou Haibo's direction.

But he guessed that the call log from this afternoon should be updated soon...