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

The audit team was stationed in Liuhe Town on the sixth day.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Chen Dapeng arrived at the finance office half an hour earlier than usual.

It wasn't that he was diligent; he just hadn't slept well last night—his mind was constantly racing with thoughts of the "lost" materials, the "missing" acceptance report, and the 180 million yuan for which there was only an invoice but no contract.

I tossed and turned until 2 a.m. before finally falling asleep, and woke up at 6 a.m., so I decided to come over early.

The finance office door was locked.

He took out his key and opened the door—this key was given to him by Han Bing yesterday, for temporary use during the audit.

The room was quiet, the filing cabinet was closed, and the stacks of vouchers on the table were still in the same state as when we finished work yesterday.

Chen Dapeng walked to his seat, sat down, and turned on his computer.

The audit team is reviewing a new batch of materials today—records of land expropriation compensation payments.

This was the request Han Bing made to Fang Zhiwen yesterday afternoon. Fang Zhiwen didn't look too happy at the time, but he still agreed to send it over this morning.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Chen Dapeng looked at the photos he had taken yesterday again.

The vouchers with missing attachments in 2019, the 180 million yuan invoice without a contract in 2022, the acceptance report that was "missing" in 2021—each of these things is problematic on its own. But when put together, it feels like something is missing.

There's a missing thread that can connect everything.

He put his phone in his pocket, stood up, and walked to the filing cabinet.

The bottom cabinet door was closed. He squatted down, opened the cabinet door, and pulled out the certificate from 2019.

It's still empty; the attachments haven't returned.

Chen Dapeng put the voucher back, closed the cabinet door, and stood up.

Han Bing arrived at 8:20.

When she walked into the finance office, her expression was more serious than yesterday—her brows were slightly furrowed, her lips were pursed, and she was carrying a briefcase, looking like she hadn't slept well all night.

"Good morning, Director Han." Chen Dapeng stood up.

"Good morning." Han Bing placed her briefcase on the table, sat down, and turned on her computer. "Xiao Chen, have the records for today's land expropriation compensation arrived?"

"Not yet. Secretary Fang said it would be delivered this morning."

Han Bing nodded and didn't say anything more.

At 8:40, a young woman pushed open the door and came in, carrying a stack of documents.

Chen Dapeng recognized her—Zhou Min, the woman from the Economic Development Zone office.

Today she wore a dark gray suit jacket, her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she wore light makeup. She looked more capable than when she last conducted research in Liuhe Town.

"Director Han, these are the land expropriation compensation payment records you requested." Zhou Min placed the documents on Han Bing's desk. "They're from the last three years, arranged by year."

Han Bing flipped through a few pages, then looked up at her: "Who are you?"

"Zhou Min, Economic Development Zone Office. Secretary Fang asked me to deliver this."

Han Bing nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Zhou Min didn't say anything, turned around and left. The moment the door closed, Chen Dapeng felt a slight tremor in his heart.

Zhou Min signed the transfer record for 960 million yuan.

She was one of Fang Zhiwen's subordinates.

……

At nine o'clock in the morning, the audit team members had all arrived.

Han Bing divided the records of land expropriation compensation into several stacks, one stack for each person, and began to check them.

Chen Dapeng also received a stack of documents—a thick list of compensation payments for 2023, probably over a hundred pages long.

He sat down and turned to the first page.

This is a summary table of land acquisition compensation payments for Liuhe Town in 2023, listing the names of each household whose land was acquired, the area of ​​the acquired land, the compensation standard, and the compensation amount.

Chen Dapeng read through them one by one, very slowly.

He wasn't an auditing major and couldn't understand those complicated accounts, but he had one skill—a knack for numbers.

From a young age, he has had an almost instinctive sensitivity to numbers. He can spot any discrepancy between a string of numbers that flashes before his eyes.

His finger paused for a moment when he turned to the third page.

This page contains compensation records for more than a dozen villagers, with each household's expropriated land ranging from a few fen to several mu, which seems quite normal.

However, there was one household with incorrect numbers.

He examined the record carefully—

Household Head's Name: Fang Zhiqiang

Land acquisition area: 4.8 mu

Compensation standard: 8 yuan/mu

Compensation amount: 38.4 yuan

Chen Dapeng stared at the line of numbers, quickly reviewing them in his mind.

4.8 mu multiplied by 8 equals 38.4. The number itself is correct, but the family next door—Zhang Defu—had 2.4 mu of land requisitioned and received 19.2 in compensation.

The proportions are also correct.

But he had seen the name Fang Zhiqiang elsewhere.

Chen Dapeng thought for a moment, then flipped through the records from 2023 and looked back.

On the second page, he saw another "Fang Zhiqiang"—3.6 mu of land was expropriated, and the compensation amount was 28.8 yuan.

The same person's name appeared twice in the records of the same year.

He continued flipping through the pages.

On page five, another "Fang Zhiqiang" appears—2.1 mu of land was expropriated, and the compensation amount was 16.8 yuan.

On page seven, yet another one—1.5 mu of land was requisitioned, with a compensation amount of 12 yuan.

Chen Dapeng extracted these records one by one:

First transaction: 3.6 mu (approximately 0.16 acres), 200,000 yuan.

Second transaction: 4.8 mu (approximately 0.2 hectares), 144,000 yuan.

The third transaction: 2.1 mu (approximately 0.16 acres), 168,000 yuan.

Fourth transaction: 1.5 mu (approximately 0.1 hectares), 120,000 yuan

Total land acquisition area: 12 mu

Total compensation amount: 96

He thought for a moment, opened the cover of the summary table, and found the description of the land acquisition project—the project involved a total land acquisition area of ​​48 mu, affecting 23 households.

12 mu, accounting for a quarter of the total land requisitioned area.

Fang Zhiqiang alone accounts for a quarter?

Chen Dapeng became suspicious.

He turned to the last page and looked at the summary of the land expropriation area for each household—

Fang Zhiqiang owns four properties totaling 12 mu (approximately 1.8 acres).

Other farmers have a maximum of just over 2 mu (approximately 0.33 acres), with most having only a few fen (approximately 0.06 acres) to a little over 1 mu (approximately 0.06 acres).

Fang Zhiqiang's land acquisition area is several times that of other farmers.

But that's not the strangest thing.

The strangest thing is that Fang Zhiqiang's four land acquisitions are listed separately in four rows on the summary table, without being merged.

According to normal record-keeping practices, multiple land acquisitions by the same household should be combined in the statistics, or at least noted in the remarks column.

However, these four records are scattered across different pages and have no connection or explanation between them.

It looks like someone deliberately separated them so that others wouldn't immediately realize that Fang Zhiqiang received compensation for 12 mu of land by himself.

Chen Dapeng dug out the records from 2022 and found Fang Zhiqiang.

In 2022, Fang Zhiqiang had two land acquisitions registered under his name—

First transaction: 2.5 mu (approximately 0.16 acres), 200,000 yuan.

Second transaction: 1.8 mu (approximately 0.2 hectares), 144,000 yuan.

Total: 4.3 mu (approximately 0.2 hectares), 344,000 yuan.

In 2021, Fang Zhiqiang had a property under his name—1.2 mu (approximately 0.8 acres) worth 96,000 yuan.

The total area over three years is: 12 mu + 4.3 mu + 1.2 mu = 17.5 mu.

Total compensation: 96 + 34.4 + 9.6 = 140.

Chen Dapeng took a pen and did some calculations in his notebook.

The land acquisition compensation standard in Liuhe Town is 8 yuan per mu.

17.5 mu multiplied by 8 equals 140 million.

The numbers themselves are correct, and every calculation is accurate.

But the question is—how could 17.5 mu of land under Fang Zhiqiang's name have been requisitioned?

He is Fang Zhiwen's cousin, not a large-scale grain farmer or a business owner.

How could an ordinary villager have 17.5 mu of land requisitioned in three years?

Chen Dapeng then looked through the records of other farmers.

The largest amount accumulated over three years was less than 3 mu (approximately 0.2 hectares).

Most farmers own only a small plot of land.

Fang Zhiqiang's 17.5 mu is five or six times that of an ordinary farmer.

He wrote the number in his notebook—17.5 acres.

A question mark was added next to it.

Then he picked up his phone, put it on silent, and took pictures of the records with Fang Zhiqiang's name on them—one entry in 2021, two entries in 2022, and four entries in 2023, taking clear pictures of each one.

After taking the photos, he did not send them to He Ying immediately.

He thought for a moment, then flipped back to the records from 2023 and took pictures of the basic information of the land acquisition project—project name, project location, total land acquisition area, and number of households involved.

Then I opened WeChat and sent the photos to He Ying one by one.

The accompanying text reads: "Records of land expropriation compensation payments in Liuhe Town. Fang Zhiqiang, Fang Zhiwen's cousin. 17.5 mu of land was expropriated over three years, five or six times that of other farmers. Multiple expropriations by the same household are listed separately and not combined in the statistics, as if something is being covered up."

After sending it, he placed his phone face down on the table and continued reading the materials.

His heart was racing, but his expression remained unchanged.

About ten minutes later, my phone vibrated.

Chen Dapeng picked it up and saw that it was He Ying's reply.

"17.5 mu? How much is the average for other farmers?"

Chen Dapeng thought for a moment and typed: "Most farmers have less than 3 mu (0.2 hectares) in total over three years. The most they have is just over 3 mu. Fang Zhiqiang's 17.5 mu (1.1 hectares) is about six times the average."

He Ying fell silent again.

Chen Dapeng waited a minute, then posted another message: "It's impossible for an ordinary villager to have so much land requisitioned. There's something fishy going on here."

This time, He Ying replied quickly: "Send the photos to my email."

"it is good."

Chen Dapeng exited WeChat, opened his email, and uploaded the photos one by one.

After sending it, he sent He Ying a message: "Sent."

He Ying replied with a single word: "Okay".

Then she posted another message: "Don't mention this to anyone. Not even the audit team."

Chen Dapeng was stunned for a moment.

Including members of the audit team?

Even Han Bing isn't suitable?

He didn't ask any further questions, replying with a single word: "Understood."

……

At lunchtime, Chen Dapeng sat down opposite Han Bing with his tray in hand.

Han Bing was drinking soup when she saw him sit down and put down her bowl.

"Xiao Chen, how's the material you studied this morning?"

Chen Dapeng picked up a piece of food and chewed it slowly.

He was thinking about how much to say.

He Ying said, "Don't mention it to anyone, including the audit team."

But Han Bing is the head of the audit team, and she's checking the accounts of Liuhe Town. She'll find out about the land expropriation compensation sooner or later.

If he doesn't tell her now, will Han Bing feel that he's hiding something when she finds out later?

But if he says it now, he will be going against He Ying's instructions.

"It's alright." Chen Dapeng put down his chopsticks. "Some data doesn't match, I've marked them. We'll check it again this afternoon."

Han Bing nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

Chen Dapeng lowered his head and continued eating.

……

In the afternoon, Chen Dapeng continued to review the materials.

He reviewed Fang Zhiqiang's records again to confirm that he had not made any mistakes in his calculations.

17.5 mu, 140 million.

He then looked through the records of other farmers and found the one with the largest land expropriation area—Zhang Defu, whose land totaled 3.1 mu and 24.8 yuan over three years.

Fang Zhiqiang's 140 million is more than five times that of Zhang Defu.

But Zhang Defu is a long-time livestock farmer in Liuhe Town, and his family does indeed own dozens of acres of land.

Who is Fang Zhiqiang?

Chen Dapeng recalled the information Lin Chen had found last time—Fang Zhiqiang had no registered land contract management rights in Liuhe Town, nor any agricultural business entity.

How could someone who has no land be forced to requisition 17.5 acres of land?

Unless—those lands aren't his, but lands registered under someone else's name, and his name has been written on them.

Or—those lands never existed at all; they were created out of thin air.

Chen Dapeng closed the materials, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes for a while.

He recalled something He Ying had said: "The matter of Liuhe Town is not just about money."

Now he understands the meaning of that sentence a little better.

This is definitely not just a matter of money.

This is an abuse of power, a monetization of relationships, and a trampling of the system.

Fang Zhiwen worked in Liuhe Town for ten years and treated the town as his own territory.

He can give money to whomever he wants, and he can claim whose land as his own whenever he wants.

And that "who" was his cousin.

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

He wanted to send her a message asking what she planned to do.

But after thinking about it, he didn't send it.

She must be thinking about this.

Moreover, she must be more anxious than he is.

……

The audit team finished their work at 4:30 p.m.

Chen Dapeng helped organize the materials and put them back in the filing cabinet.

Han Bing stood at the door, looking at him.

"Xiao Chen, tomorrow is the last day."

Chen Dapeng turned around: "I know."

"Did you find anything else over there?"

Chen Dapeng hesitated for a moment.

"Some data doesn't match, I've marked them. I'll check it again tomorrow."

"Okay. Let's get to it tomorrow."

She turned and left.

Chen Dapeng stood in the finance office, watching her figure disappear at the end of the corridor.

He took out his phone and sent He Ying a final message.

"Tomorrow is the last day for the audit team. Director Han doesn't know about Fang Zhiqiang's matter yet."

He Ying quickly replied, "I know."

"Aren't you going to tell her?"

"I won't tell you now. I'll wait for the right opportunity."

Chen Dapeng stared at the words and remained silent for a few seconds.

"At what time?"

He Ying did not reply.

Chen Dapeng waited a while, then sent another message: "County Chief He, Fang Zhiqiang's case, although not as direct as the interception, is still an important clue. If the audit team leaves, these things may be lost."

This time, He Ying replied.

"The audit team has left, but there are other audit teams. Trust me."

Chen Dapeng stared at the line of text and suddenly understood something.

The "other audit team" that He Ying mentioned refers to the Provincial Audit Office.

She's already making plans.

Fang Zhiwen thought that everything would be fine once this week was over, but he didn't know that He Ying didn't want the audit results for this week; she wanted the intervention of the Provincial Audit Office.

The county audit team's audit was just a prelude.

The real killer move is at the provincial level.

Chen Dapeng put his phone in his pocket, locked the door, and went downstairs.

When he reached the entrance of the town government building, he stopped and looked back.

This building is even more impressive than the county government building.

……

In the evening, Chen Dapeng organized his notes for the day at his residence.

He meticulously copied Fang Zhiqiang's records into his notebook—year, land area acquired, compensation amount—and compiled them into a table.

2021: 1.2 mu (approximately 1 hectare), 960,000 yuan

2022: 4.3 mu (approximately 1 hectare), 960,000 yuan

2023: 12 mu (approximately 1 hectare), 960,000 yuan

Total: 17.5 mu, 140 million

Then he wrote a few lines of analysis:

"1. Fang Zhiqiang had 17.5 mu of land requisitioned over three years, which is six times the average for other farmers, and this is unreasonable."

"2. Land acquisition records are split into multiple entries, scattered across different pages, not combined in the statistics, and deliberately concealed."

"3. Fang Zhiqiang has no registered land contract management rights in Liuhe Town, and the origin of these lands is unknown."

After he finished writing, he locked the notebook in the drawer.

Then, he picked up his phone and scrolled to Lin Chen's WeChat...