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

On the fifth day after the audit team arrived in Liuhe Town, things began to get tricky.

At 8:30 a.m., Chen Dapeng followed the audit team to the finance office.

The door was open, but no one was inside.

Zhou Deming was not there, nor were the other staff members of the finance office. The stacks of vouchers on the table were still in their original places, but their arrangement was different from yesterday—the top stack had been flipped through and the order was messed up.

Han Bing stood at the door, glanced around the room, and frowned slightly.

She didn't say anything, walked in, sat down in her usual spot, and opened the vouchers she hadn't finished reading yesterday.

The two veteran auditors sat down and continued their work.

Two young people were organizing spreadsheets, their keyboards clattering loudly.

Chen Dapeng stood by the window, his gaze sweeping around the room.

He noticed a detail—the bottom shelf of the filing cabinet was closed.

Yesterday, after he finished looking through the 2019 voucher, the cabinet door was ajar.

But now, the cabinet door is tightly closed, as if someone had specifically checked it.

He walked over, squatted down, and opened the cabinet door; the contents inside had changed.

The stack of yellowed old receipts is still there, but the order is wrong.

The 2019 voucher he flipped through yesterday, which was originally on top, has now been moved to the bottom.

Chen Dapeng pulled out the voucher and opened the cover.

He was stunned; it was empty.

The receipts are still there, but the attachments are gone—the payment voucher for 50 yuan, the contract, and the acceptance report are all missing.

Chen Dapeng flipped through the bottom books again: the 2020 ones, the 2018 ones, and the appendix ones were still there, but the 2019 one had been tampered with.

Someone removed the key documents from this voucher.

He didn't make a sound, put the voucher back, closed the cabinet door, and stood up.

Han Bing was flipping through the tent and didn't look up.

Chen Dapeng walked over, stood beside her, and lowered his voice: "Director Han, the documents and attachments from 2019 in the bottom cabinet are missing."

Han Bing's fingers paused for a moment.

She didn't look up, her voice very low: "When did this happen?"

It was there yesterday. It's gone today.

Han Bing remained silent for two seconds.

"Understood. Don't tell anyone."

She continued flipping through the accounts, her expression unchanged.

Chen Dapeng stepped back to the window, took out his phone, and sent a message to He Ying.

"The supporting documents from 2019 were removed. They were there yesterday, but they're gone today."

After sending the message, he put his phone in his pocket and continued to observe.

……

Zhou Deming appeared at 9:30 a.m.

He pushed the door open and came in with a smile on his face, but that smile was different from the first day—the curve of his lips hadn't changed, but there was no smile in his eyes.

"Director Han, I'm so sorry, I had something to do this morning and I'm late."

Han Bing looked up at him and said, "Director Zhou, could you please bring over the 2021 project acceptance report? We need to see it today."

Zhou Deming's smile froze for a moment.

"Director Han, the 2021 acceptance report... I searched for it all afternoon yesterday, but I couldn't find it."

Han Bing put down her pen and looked at him.

"Didn't find it?"

"It might have been misplaced during filing. Let me look for it again." Zhou Deming rubbed his hands together. "Director Han, why don't you look at something else first? I'll bring it over as soon as I find it."

Han Bing stared at him for two seconds.

"Director Zhou, the acceptance report is a mandatory document for auditing. If it cannot be found, we need to note it in the audit report."

Zhou Deming's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.

"Let me look again, and look again. I'm sure I'll find it."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left the finance office.

Chen Dapeng noticed that when he left, he walked very quickly, much faster than when he came.

……

Fang Zhiwen arrived at 10:30 a.m.

When he walked into the finance office, his smile was even wider than it had been a few days ago, almost deliberately so.

"Director Han, you've worked hard. Don't eat in the canteen for lunch. I've arranged a simple meal; there's a good restaurant in town."

Han Bing looked up and glanced at him.

"Secretary Fang, you cannot accept banquets from the audited entities during the audit period. This is a regulation."

Fang Zhiwen smiled and waved his hand: "It's not a banquet, just a casual meal. A working meal, a working meal."

"Secretary Fang," Han Bing's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, "the audit team will take care of their own meals. You don't need to worry about it."

Fang Zhiwen's smile finally faded.

He stood at the door, looked at Han Bing, and remained silent for two seconds.

"Director Han, then I won't insist. Please let me know if you need anything."

He turned and left.

The door wasn't closed. Through the crack in the door, Chen Dapeng saw Fang Zhiwen walk to the end of the corridor, take out his phone, and put it to his ear.

His lips were moving, but the sound was very faint; Chen Dapeng only vaguely heard a few words—

"Not cooperating... completely unresponsive... bro, what should I do...?"

……

At noon, the audit team ate lunch at the town government canteen.

Chen Dapeng, carrying a tray, sat down opposite Han Bing.

There weren't many people in the canteen; a few town government staff sat in a corner, occasionally glancing over.

Han Bing ate with her head down, eating very slowly.

Halfway through her meal, she put down her chopsticks, looked up at Chen Dapeng, and

"Xiao Chen."

"Director Han?"

"About what you said this morning—" she said in a low voice, "that certificate, after you looked through it yesterday, did anyone else see it?"

Chen Dapeng thought for a moment.

"Zhou Deming came back once yesterday afternoon. He stayed in the finance office for about ten minutes. When he left, I glanced at the filing cabinet, and the door was closed. But I didn't notice that something was missing from inside."

Han Bing nodded.

"Zhou Deming".

She read the name aloud, her voice very soft.

"Director Han, do you think he took it?"

"He may not have taken it himself, but he definitely instructed him to do so." Han Bing picked up his chopsticks, then put them down again. "He's worked at the finance office for over twenty years; he knows the location of every single voucher better than anyone. If something goes missing, and he says 'can't find it,' do you think that's possible?"

Chen Dapeng shook his head.

"So he's stalling," Han Bing said in a low voice, "stall until the audit is over. The audit team can't stay in Liuhe Town indefinitely; they have to leave after a certain period. As long as he stalls past this time, we won't be able to find anything."

Chen Dapeng's heart sank.

"What should we do then?"

Han Bing did not answer.

She picked up the soup bowl, took a sip, put it down, and stood up.

"Let's go, we still have work to do this afternoon."

……

At 2 p.m., Han Bing called He Ying.

Chen Dapeng stood at the door of the finance office. Through the crack in the door, he saw Han Bing standing at the end of the corridor, her back to him, her voice very low.

He couldn't hear what she was saying, but he could read something from her body language—

She had her left hand on her hip, her right hand holding the phone to her ear, her shoulders slightly tense, as if she were talking to the person on the other end of the line about a difficult matter.

The call lasted about five minutes.

She hung up the phone, stood by the window, looked outside, and stood there for more than ten seconds before turning around and walking back.

As she passed by Chen Dapeng, she whispered, "The county magistrate said she would find a way."

Chen Dapeng nodded without asking any further questions.

……

At 3 p.m., things got worse.

Engineer Wang—the veteran auditor who had worked at the audit bureau for nearly thirty years—put down the vouchers in his hand, took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Director Han, this certificate is also problematic."

Han Bing walked over and glanced down at it.

"An expenditure of 1.8 million yuan in July 2022 was recorded under the category of 'Other Expenses,' with Hongda Trading as the payee. The only attachment was an invoice; there was no contract, no acceptance report, and no transfer record."

Engineer Wang flipped to the back and pointed to the blank space.

"According to regulations, such large expenditures should at least have a contract and an acceptance report. This voucher is completely empty. From the cover to the back cover, the voucher is entirely blank except for this invoice."

Han Bing remained silent.

She picked up the voucher and slowly flipped through it, page by page. After she finished, she put the voucher down, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes for a while.

"Engineer Wang, continue your investigation. Mark all the problematic areas."

Wang nodded, put his glasses back on, and continued flipping through the pages.

Chen Dapeng stood to the side, his heart growing heavier and heavier.

The "missing" supporting documents, the "unfinished" acceptance report, and the "disappeared" key materials—this is not a coincidence; someone is systematically destroying evidence.

Moreover, this person is very familiar with the audit process.

He knew what the audit team would look for, which materials were key, and how to take things away without attracting attention.

A thought flashed through Chen Dapeng's mind—could it be Zhou Deming? He had worked at the finance office for over twenty years and knew the audit process inside and out.

But Zhou Deming was just the director of a finance office. If he dared to do this, there must be someone behind him.

Fang Zhiwen.

Fang Mingyuan.

……

At 4:30 p.m., Han Bing's phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID, stood up, and walked to the window to answer it.

"County Magistrate He."

On the other end of the phone, He Ying's voice came through: "How's the situation?"

Han Bing lowered her voice: "It's not very optimistic. The 2021 acceptance report is 'missing,' the supporting documents for 2019 have been removed, and for an expenditure of 180 million yuan in 2022, there's only an invoice, no contract or acceptance report. Fang Zhiwen is dragging his feet; he wants to drag it out until the audit is over."

He Ying remained silent for a few seconds.

"Director Han, how many more days can the audit team stay in Liuhe Town?"

"It was originally scheduled for a week, but there are still two days left."

"Is two days enough?"

Han Bing thought for a moment: "If all the materials are complete, two days should be enough. But right now, the key materials are either 'unavailable' or 'missing,' so two days won't be enough."

He Ying remained silent for a few more seconds.

"Director Han, continue the investigation. Investigate as much as you can. I'll figure out the rest."

The phone hangs up.

Han Bing stood by the window, holding her phone, looking out the window.

Chen Dapeng stood not far behind her and heard her last words—

"I know, I'm trying to figure something out."

A thought struck him: his sister had just contacted Director Gu of the Provincial Audit Office that morning.

He Ying said she was "trying to find a solution," so is she also contacting people in the province?

……

When Chen Dapeng returned to his residence that evening, it was almost seven o'clock.

He washed his face, sat on the sofa, and stared at the ceiling.

My mind is filled with today's events—the missing attachments, the "missing" acceptance report, and the 180 million yuan for which there is only an invoice but no contract.

Fang Zhiwen is stalling, He Ying is trying to find a solution, and Han Bing is just holding on.

And he—couldn't help at all.

He was just a liaison, responsible for communication and coordination. All he could do was stand by and watch, write down what he saw, and send it to He Ying.

But what's the point of writing it down?

The evidence has been destroyed, and the notes that were written down cannot be used as evidence.

Chen Dapeng picked up his phone and scrolled to He Ying's WeChat.

He typed a message: "Is there anything I can do for you?"

After sending the message, he stared at the screen, waiting for a reply.

After waiting for about two minutes, my phone vibrated.

He Ying's reply was only one sentence: "Take care of yourself."

Looking at these five words, Chen Dapeng felt a surge of indescribable emotions.

"Take care of yourself"—this isn't an answer to his question; it's a rejection of his help.

She didn't want him to take any bigger risks, but he didn't want to just be a bystander.

He typed another line: "There's not much I can do about the audit team. But in the provincial capital, my sister contacted people at the Provincial Audit Office today. She said that if the Provincial Audit Office could get involved, the situation would be different."

After sending it, he waited for a while.

He Ying replied, "Your sister told me. I'm following up on the matter with the Provincial Audit Office."

Chen Dapeng was stunned for a moment.

He Ying said, "I'm following up," which means she has already contacted people in the province.

Perhaps she had thought of this long ago, or perhaps she had been waiting for the right opportunity.

"County Chief He," he typed another line, "I know you don't want me to take any risks. But I'm not an outsider in this matter."

After posting it, he himself felt that his words were too blunt.

But he didn't want to take it back.

After waiting for about ten seconds, He Ying replied: "I know you're not an outsider."

Just that one sentence.

There were no explanations, no promises, and not a single extra word.

Chen Dapeng stared at this line of text for a long time.

"I know you're not an outsider"—she admitted.

It wasn't an acknowledgment from the county magistrate to his subordinates, but rather...

He didn't know what to say.

The audit team encountered difficulties. He Ying was trying to find a solution, her sister was helping out in the provincial capital, and Lin Chen was investigating the background of Hongda Trading.

He is not fighting alone.

My phone vibrated again.

He picked it up and saw that it was the last message He Ying had sent.

"The audit team is going to Liuhe Town tomorrow. Get some rest."

Chen Dapeng replied with a single word: "Okay".

Then he typed another line: "You too. Don't stay up too late."

After sending the message, he put down his phone, turned off the light, and lay down on the bed.

He stared at the ceiling, his mind replaying He Ying's words: "I know you're not an outsider."

Chen Dapeng closed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved slightly.

……

Meanwhile, He Ying sat at her desk in the office, staring at her phone screen.

The last message Chen Dapeng sent is still on the screen—"You too. Don't stay up too late."

She looked at it several times, then put her phone face down on the table and leaned back in her chair.

Fang Zhiwen was uncooperative, and key materials were "lost." Han Bing said, "Two days is not enough."

She made several phone calls to people in the province, but did not receive a clear answer.

Fang Mingyuan's network in the provincial capital was larger and deeper than she had imagined.

But Chen Dapeng said, "I'm not an outsider in this matter."

She knew he wasn't an outsider.

From that absurd night onward, he was no longer an outsider.

But the phrase "not an outsider" has a different meaning when it comes from her versus when it comes from him.

When she said, "I know you're not an outsider," she was acknowledging that she considered him one of her own.

"Chen Dapeng".

She read the name aloud, her voice very soft.

"Do you even know what you're saying?"