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

The next day, Hu Yuheng arranged all the records in chronological order.

By marking each approval stage of the provincial capital project, key names, dates, amounts, and key points of conversations were extracted, forming a complete timeline document.

She sealed the original document and took the organized materials to Chen Yuanda's office.

Chen Yuanda didn't immediately flip through it, but first asked:

"Does this match Gu Xinming's testimony?"

"The time, place, and participants all match up."

The memo contained more detailed records than those given by Gu Xinming and You Yuanming.

Some of this content has not appeared in any previous materials.

Hu Yuheng placed the neatly arranged materials on the table and continued:

"For example, there was an adjustment to the funding approval process. The memorandum stated that the adjustment was made after Zeng Zhiyuan and Sun Desheng met alone."

The timing is related to the approval process for that one-time full payment.

This information has never been provided by anyone before.

Chen Yuanda picked up the document and flipped through it, pausing on the pages that involved Zeng Zhiyuan:

I'm going back to Beijing tomorrow morning.

……

The next morning.

Chen Yuanda boarded the train to Beijing with the timeline material and copies of several memos from You Yuanming's box.

He did not make an appointment in advance, and went directly to Song Huai'an's office after arriving at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's office building.

The door was ajar. Song Huai'an was looking at documents when he looked up and saw Chen Yuanda:

"Any results?"

Chen Yuanda placed the materials on the table:

"You Yuanming, Sun Desheng's secretary in the provincial capital, handed over a batch of handwritten memos, which recorded many meetings and funding approval processes during the provincial capital project."

The content corroborates Gu Xinming's testimony, and the time, place, and participants all match.

The adjustments to the funding approval process were decided after a private meeting between Zeng Zhiyuan and Sun Desheng.

Song Huai'an picked up the stack of materials and flipped through them, but did not immediately express his opinion.

When he turned to the page detailing the adjustments to the funding approvals, his gaze lingered for a moment before he closed the document.

"We can make arrangements for Sun Desheng's side; let's schedule a meeting first."

Chen Yuanda nodded: "Okay."

……

In the afternoon, Sun Desheng was summoned for questioning in a quiet meeting room of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

He was not taken into a formal interview room.

The meeting was held in an ordinary meeting room.

"Sun Desheng, we've invited you here today to verify some information regarding the provincial capital project. You have the right to explain and clarify any questions you raise."

Sun Desheng nodded: "Please go ahead."

Chen Yuanda did not mention the memorandum, but first cited Gu Xinming's testimony:

"Gu Xinming was your secretary during your time in the provincial capital."

He confirmed that you had several private contacts with Zeng Zhiyuan during your time on the provincial capital project.

On one occasion, it involved the approval of a one-time, full-amount payment. After the approval, you replied to the person in charge with one sentence: "This is what the higher-ups want."

Sun Desheng's gaze shifted slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Gu Xinming is my secretary, and he is indeed present at some work events. But most of the contacts he mentioned were normal work communications."

Chen Yuanda didn't ask any further questions. He took a document out of the folder, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Sun Desheng.

It was a copy of a memo page, with the date, location, and a brief note written on it:

"Zeng Zhiyuan had a private conversation with Sun Desheng for about twenty minutes. After the conversation, Sun Desheng went directly back to his office and notified the person in charge to adjust the fund approval method."

Sun Desheng looked down at the page, his gaze lingering on the line "about twenty minutes of private conversation" before shifting his gaze away.

He didn't pick up the page, but he didn't deny it either.

Chen Yuanda didn't say anything, but placed the second copy next to the first page.

This page records the explanation of the adjustments to the funding approval process later that day.

The name of the person in charge, the content of the adjustment, and the time frame are all clearly listed.

Chen Yuanda also placed the third page on the table.

This is a summary of Gu Xinming's testimony on the same event, and the time, place, and content are consistent with the record in the memorandum.

Sun Desheng's gaze moved back and forth between the three documents once, and then stopped.

He leaned back on the sofa and remained silent for a long time.

The reception room was quiet for a moment.

Sun Desheng finally spoke, his voice lower than before:

"The approval process for that funding was indeed adjusted; it was Zeng Zhiyuan who proposed it."

He said at the time, "The project needs to be accelerated, and it would be more efficient to have the funds in place all at once."

I made the adjustments as he suggested.

Chen Yuanda asked, "At the time, were you clear whether this adjustment complied with regulations?"

Sun Desheng paused for a moment:

"Looking back, the procedure was indeed incomplete."

But at the time—I thought his reasons were reasonable, and I didn't think much about the underlying reasons.

Chen Yuanda didn't ask any further questions. He jotted down the key information in his notebook, then closed the folder.

"That concludes our discussion for today. We will contact you again if there are any further developments."

Sun Desheng stood up and walked out of the reception room.

……

The day after Sun Desheng's meeting.

Chen Dapeng found Liu Yuanzhou in the provincial capital.

The state-owned enterprise he was transferred to had already undergone restructuring, and its staff had been dispersed to different subordinate units.

Chen Dapeng made two trips to confirm his current office location.

In an office building in an industrial park on the western outskirts of the provincial capital, he had already stepped down from his position.

When Chen Dapeng found him, he was sitting in his office reading a newspaper.

Hearing the door open, he looked up, his gaze lingering briefly on the work ID Chen Dapeng showed him, before putting down his newspaper.

"What is it?"

Chen Dapeng sat down opposite him:

"Master Liu, I'd like to verify with you the details of the funding approval process for a project in the provincial capital back then."

You were in charge of fund allocation in the project office at the time. One sum of money arrived in full at once, but according to the normal procedure, it should have been disbursed in two installments.

Liu Yuanzhou did not answer immediately, but looked down at the table.

After a while, he spoke up: "That money happened too long ago, I don't remember it very clearly."

Chen Dapeng didn't urge him, but said, "Sun Desheng has already spoken. He admitted that the approval method for that money was proposed by Zeng Zhiyuan."

Liu Yuanzhou's fingers paused on the edge of the table.

He didn't look up, but his silence lasted even longer than before.

After a long while, he raised his head: "The approval method for that money was indeed explained by Sun Desheng himself."

He said at the time, "It has been approved by the higher-ups," so I didn't need to go through the process of phased review and the funds were disbursed in one go.

I didn't ask why, and did as he said.

Chen Dapeng asked, "Did you feel at the time that this was unreasonable?"

"Yes. But Sun Desheng is my direct superior. He said that since the higher-ups have agreed, I have no choice but to carry it out."

Chen Dapeng didn't press further. He took out a formatted testimony template and a pen from his bag: "Would it be convenient for you to write down what you just said?"

Liu Yuanzhou hesitated for a moment, seemingly weighing whether or not to leave his handwriting.

"You don't need to worry about it. Our task force already has a lot of information. This is just for verification."

Liu Yuanzhou nodded, glanced at the testimonies template, and then picked up a pen to start writing.

It took about twenty minutes.

After he finished writing, he pushed the testimony back in front of Chen Dapeng:

"The content is true, I will sign."

Chen Dapeng took the testimony, glanced at it, and put it into the file bag:

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Liu."

Liu Yuanzhou remained silent.

Chen Dapeng put away the file bag, turned around and walked out of the office.

He stood at the entrance of the office building in the industrial park and sent a message to Hu Yuheng:

"Director Hu, we have obtained Liu Yuanzhou's testimony, and its content is basically consistent with Sun Desheng's account."

He confirmed in writing that the funds were personally instructed by Sun Desheng to be disbursed in a single payment.

The testimony has been received.

Hu Yuheng only replied with one word:

"it is good."