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

The audit team's seventh and last day in Liuhe Town.

At 5:30 p.m., Han Bing closed the last voucher, stood up, and looked around the finance office.

"Everyone, that's a wrap."

The two older auditors took off their glasses and rubbed their noses. The two younger men shut down their computers and began organizing the materials on the table.

Chen Dapeng helped carry the stacks of vouchers back to the filing cabinet.

Zhou Deming stood at the door with a smile on his face, a smile that was much more relaxed than it had been a few days ago—the audit team was finally leaving.

"Director Han, you've worked hard." Zhou Deming rubbed his hands together. "Are there any major problems with the accounts these past few days?"

Han Bing glanced at him but did not give a direct answer.

"Director Zhou, the audit report will be sent to the town after it's officially released. We'll discuss any issues then."

Zhou Deming smiled and nodded: "Okay, okay, we will definitely cooperate."

Chen Dapeng put the last stack of vouchers into the cabinet and closed the cabinet door.

He turned around and glanced at Zhou Deming's face—the smile on that face made him feel very uncomfortable.

Zhou Deming knew better than anyone what the audit team hadn't found, but he wasn't afraid because the key materials were "missing," the supporting documents had been removed, and everything that needed to be hidden had been hidden.

He felt that the audit team couldn't do anything about him.

Chen Dapeng didn't say anything, picked up his bag, and followed the audit team out of the finance office.

As he walked into the corridor, his phone vibrated.

He Ying sent a WeChat message: "Is the audit team finished?"

Chen Dapeng replied, "Yeah. Just finished work."

"Are you staying in Liuhe Town tonight or going back to the county seat?"

Chen Dapeng was stunned for a moment.

The audit team has been making the same round trip every day for the past few days, coming from the county town in the morning and returning in the evening.

But today is the last day, and Han Bing said she would stay in Liuhe Town for one night to organize some materials and go directly back to the Audit Bureau tomorrow to draft the audit report.

"I'm staying in Liuhe Town. Director Han said he'll go straight back to the bureau tomorrow, not back to the county seat."

The other party remained silent for a few seconds.

Which hotel should we stay at?

"The one next to the town government, Liuhe Hotel."

How many people live there?

"I share a room with Engineer Wang. Director Han shares a room with another female colleague."

"Don't go out alone at night."

Chen Dapeng looked at these words and his heart stirred slightly.

He Ying was concerned about him.

"She shouldn't be angry about what happened that night, right?"

"Why is she angry? It's not my fault, she initiated it... even though she was drunk..."

He thought to himself, a slight smile playing on his lips, and replied:

"understood."

After sending the message, he put his phone in his pocket and followed the audit team downstairs.

……

We ate dinner at the town government canteen.

Fang Zhiwen did not appear, nor did Zhou Deming.

There were only a few people from the audit team and a few town government staff on duty in the canteen.

Chen Dapeng didn't have much of an appetite; he ate a few mouthfuls of rice and then put down his chopsticks.

"Xiao Chen, why are you eating so little?" Han Bing glanced at him.

I'm not very hungry.

"You've worked hard these past few days, go back and get some rest."

Chen Dapeng nodded, picked up his plate, and stood up.

It was already past seven o'clock when we got back to the Liuhe Hotel.

The hotel is small, four stories high, and the exterior is a bit old, but the facilities inside are fairly clean.

The audit team booked four rooms—Han Bing and a female colleague from the audit bureau stayed on the third floor, two young people stayed on the second floor, and Chen Dapeng and Engineer Wang stayed on the fourth floor.

Engineer Wang is 52 years old this year and has worked in the audit bureau for nearly 30 years. He is a quiet and experienced auditor.

He returned to his room and began organizing his notes for the day. He sat at the table, put on his reading glasses, and wrote carefully, stroke by stroke.

Chen Dapeng lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind filled with the things that had happened in the past few days—the missing attachments, the "missing" acceptance report, and the 17.5 mu of land under Fang Zhiqiang's name.

"Xiao Chen," Engineer Wang took off his reading glasses, turned to look at him, "Aren't you going to organize your notes?"

"I'll tidy it up in a bit."

Chen Dapeng sat up and picked up the notebook on the table.

He flipped through the records from the past few days and looked at Fang Zhiqiang's 17.5 mu again.

17.5 acres.

140 million.

Fang Zhiwen's cousin falsely claimed hundreds of thousands of yuan...

He mentally went through these keywords, then wrote a line in his notebook: "Fang Zhiqiang - land expropriation compensation - 140 million - Fang Zhiwen's cousin - handled by Zhou Min".

After finishing writing, he closed the notebook and locked it in his bag.

"Mr. Wang, I'm going downstairs to buy something."

"What should I buy?"

"Instant noodles. I'll eat them if I get hungry tonight."

"Why didn't you eat more just now?"

Chen Dapeng gave an awkward smile: "I couldn't eat anything just now."

Engineer Wang shook his head and didn't ask any more questions.

Chen Dapeng picked up his phone, walked out of the room, exited the hotel, and headed east along the street.

It was past 10 p.m., and there weren't many people on the street.

Although Liuhe Town is an economically important town, it is mainly an industrial park, and its streets are naturally not as bustling as those of the county seat.

At this time, most of the shops on both sides had closed, with only a few small restaurants and convenience stores still lit up.

Chen Dapeng walked for a while, then turned into a convenience store with the lights on. He took two buckets of instant noodles and a bottle of drink, and scanned the code to pay at the counter.

After leaving the convenience store, he walked back the way he came.

After walking for about two minutes, he vaguely heard footsteps behind him.

It wasn't the occasional footsteps of passersby walking the same way—it was a continuous, rhythmic sound of footsteps following behind him.

Chen Dapeng didn't turn back and kept walking.

He quickened his pace, and the footsteps behind him quickened as well.

His heart tightened.

He quickened his pace a little, and the footsteps behind him caught up.

Chen Dapeng stopped, pretended to tie his shoelaces, squatted down, and glanced back out of the corner of his eye.

Across the street, there were two dark figures, about fifty or sixty meters away from him.

One was taller, the other shorter; both were wearing dark clothes and had their heads down, so their faces were not visible.

Chen Dapeng stood up and continued walking.

This time, he didn't speed up; he maintained his original speed.

His mind raced—

When he came out of the hotel, he noticed that there were not many people on the street.

If they were just passing by by chance, it's impossible that these two people were still behind him after he came out of the convenience store.

They are with him.

Chen Dapeng's palms began to sweat.

He took out his phone, wanting to send a message to He Ying, but didn't know what to say—"Someone is following me"?

What good will it do to post it?

She was in the county town; she didn't have time.

He put his phone back into his pocket.

There's an intersection ahead. Turning left leads back to the hotel, while going straight leads to a more remote part of the town. Turning right leads to a small alley, at the end of which is the town's health center.

Chen Dapeng quickly assessed the situation—it was still a five or six-minute walk back to the hotel, with a section of road without streetlights in between.

If those two decide to fight there, he won't be able to escape.

Turn right to the health center. The health center has lights, people, and security guards.

He suddenly turned right at the intersection and entered the alley.

Hurried footsteps came from behind—they quickened their pace.

Chen Dapeng started running.

He wasn't the kind of person who ran very fast, but at that moment, his legs seemed to be equipped with springs, pushing off at lightning speed.

The footsteps behind them grew closer.

Chen Dapeng ran forward as fast as he could, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat.

The alley wasn't long, about two hundred meters. He saw lights ahead—the gate of the health center, illuminated by white fluorescent lights.

He rushed over, pushed open the glass door of the health center, and ran inside.

The door closed behind me.

He leaned against the wall, bent over, and gasped for breath.

Through the glass door, he saw the two dark figures stop at the entrance of the alley.

They stood there for a few seconds, then turned and left.

Chen Dapeng stared in the direction they disappeared, his mouth heaving violently.

The security guard from the health center came out and looked at him: "Young man, what's wrong?"

Chen Dapeng straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"It's nothing... someone's chasing me."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know...it was two men..."

The security guard glanced outside; the alley was empty, there wasn't a soul in sight.

"Should we call the police?"

Chen Dapeng hesitated for a moment.

Call the police? Report what? Say he's being followed? The person following him has already left, there's no evidence, and even if the police come, they won't find anything.

"No need. Thank you."

He leaned against the wall, catching his breath for a while before his heartbeat gradually calmed down.

He stood in the clinic for more than ten minutes, making sure the two dark figures hadn't returned, before pushing open the door and quickly walking back.

This time, he didn't take the road without streetlights.

He took a long detour, walked along the main street, and jogged all the way back to the hotel.

When Chen Dapeng opened the door, Engineer Wang was still organizing his notes at the table.

"Xiao Chen? What's wrong? Your face is so pale."

Chen Dapeng placed the instant noodles on the table, sat on the edge of the bed, and took a few deep breaths.

"Mr. Wang, I went out to buy instant noodles just now, and someone was following me."

Wang Gong put down his pen, took off his reading glasses, and looked at him.

"Following you?"

"Two men. They followed me as soon as I came out of the convenience store, and they only left when I ran into the health center."

Engineer Wang's expression changed.

"Did you get a good look at what they look like?"

"No. It's dark, I can't see clearly."

After a few seconds of silence, Engineer Wang stood up, walked to the door, and locked it from the inside.

"Xiao Chen, don't go out tonight. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Chen Dapeng nodded.

He sat on the edge of the bed, his heart still beating fast.

This is no coincidence.

These two weren't ordinary thugs; they were after him.

Who sent them?

Fang Zhiwen? Or Fang Mingyuan?

Chen Dapeng didn't know.

But he knew that those who were following him knew which hotel he was staying at and which direction he would take.

They had scouted the location beforehand.

Chen Dapeng picked up his phone and sent a message to He Ying.

"I was followed in Liuhe Town just now. Two men followed me all the way. I only managed to shake them off when I ran into the health center."

After sending it, he stared at the screen.

After waiting for about ten seconds, my phone vibrated.

He Ying replied: "What?"

Chen Dapeng typed: "I went out to buy instant noodles, and someone was following me. I turned into the health center, but they didn't follow me in."

He Ying fell silent.

Chen Dapeng could sense that she was trying hard to remain calm on the other end of the phone.

About a minute later, she replied: "Where are you now?"

"At the hotel. The door is locked from the inside. I'm sharing a room with Engineer Wang."

"Don't leave the room. Go back to the county town with the audit team first thing tomorrow morning. Call me when you arrive."

"it is good."

Chen Dapeng put down his phone and leaned against the headboard.

Wang Gong glanced at him, asked nothing more, and continued organizing his notes.

But Chen Dapeng noticed that Engineer Wang's hands were shaking a little more than before.

He worked in the audit bureau for thirty years and had seen it all.

But this was probably the first time he had ever encountered something like "audit team members being followed at their workplace."

In the middle of the night, Chen Dapeng was awakened by a faint sound.

He opened his eyes; the room was dark.

The sound of even breathing came from Wang Gong's bed—he was asleep.

Chen Dapeng listened intently.

It was a sound from outside the door.

Someone was walking in the corridor, their footsteps very light, as if they were deliberately keeping them quiet.

Chen Dapeng lay still, staring at the direction of the door.

A sliver of corridor light shone through the crack in the door—the light was blocked by something, flickered, and then came back on.

There was someone standing outside the door.

Chen Dapeng slowly reached under the pillow and touched his phone.

He held his breath, listening to the sounds outside the door.

After about ten seconds, he heard a sound—the sound of metal rubbing together, very light and faint, like a key turning in a lock.

Chen Dapeng's heart suddenly raced.

It's not a hotel room key.

The room key makes a "beep" sound when you open the door.

That's the sound of a mechanical key—someone is using a key to open his door.

Neither he nor Engineer Wang called a waiter. And in the dead of night, no waiter would come to open the door.

Chen Dapeng sat up abruptly.

"Who?"

No one answered.

The metallic scraping sound paused briefly, then resumed—this time faster and more forcefully, as if the other party knew he was awake and was no longer trying to hide it.

"Engineer Wang!" Chen Dapeng called out.

Startled awake, Engineer Wang sat up groggily, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Someone's opening the door!"

Before Engineer Wang could react, the door was kicked open.

With a loud bang, the door slammed against the wall, causing a piece of plaster to fall off.

Two people rushed in.

They were both wearing black hoods, only their eyes and mouths were visible. One was taller, and the other was shorter—Chen Dapeng vaguely recognized them as the two who had been following him that night.

The night wind blew in through the open door, making the curtains rustle.

Chen Dapeng jumped off the bed and stood barefoot on the ground.

"What do you want?"

The shorter one didn't say anything, but turned around and closed the door.

The tall man took a step forward and looked down at Chen Dapeng.

"You're Chen Dapeng?"

His voice was low, with a deliberately suppressed hoarseness.

Who are you?

The tall man did not answer his question.

"Someone asked us to tell you—"

He paused for a moment, then tilted his head.

"Stop investigating."

Chen Dapeng's fingers tightened slightly.

"If we continue investigating, next time it won't just be a scare tactic."

Chen Dapeng stared into his eyes.

"Who sent you?"

The tall man didn't answer; he glanced at the short man.

The short man walked over, grabbed Chen Dapeng by the collar, and slammed him against the wall.

Chen Dapeng's head slammed against the wall with a loud "thud," and his vision went black for a moment.

"I'm talking to you."

The shorter man's voice was a bit louder than his, carrying an impatient and fierce tone.

"Did you hear me?"

Chen Dapeng remained silent.

The shorter man punched him in the stomach.

That punch was so heavy that Chen Dapeng felt as if his internal organs had been turned inside out. He bent over, and a metallic, sweet taste filled his mouth.

"Xiao Chen!"

Wang tried to rush over, but the tall man pushed him down onto the bed.

"Old man, this is none of your business." The tall man pointed at Engineer Wang, "Sit still."

Engineer Wang sat on the bed, his face ashen, his hands trembling.

The short man pulled Chen Dapeng up from the wall and punched him in the face again.

Chen Dapeng's head was tilted to one side, and a cut appeared at the corner of his mouth, from which blood flowed.

The third punch landed on his ribs.

Chen Dapeng groaned and fell to the ground.

The shorter man let go, and Chen Dapeng fell to the ground, his knee hitting the concrete, which almost made him cry out in pain.

He lay on the ground, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth onto the floor, one drop, then two.

The short man squatted down, pinched his chin, and lifted his face.

"Remember this—don't check anymore."

He released his grip and stood up.

The tall man had already reached the door and opened it.

The two walked out one after the other.

The sound of footsteps gradually faded away in the corridor.

Chen Dapeng lay on the ground, his whole body aching as if it were falling apart, blood still flowing from the corner of his mouth, which had already accumulated into a small puddle on the floor.

"Xiao Chen! Xiao Chen, how are you?" Engineer Wang got off the bed, squatted down beside him, and hurriedly helped him up.

Chen Dapeng propped himself up on his arms and slowly sat up, leaning against the edge of the bed.

"fine……"

He reached up and touched the corner of his mouth; his hand was covered in blood.

Mr. Wang picked up his phone, his fingers trembling so much that he couldn't press the numbers accurately on the screen.

"I'll call the police, I'll call the police right now..."

"Engineer Wang," Chen Dapeng grabbed his wrist, "Don't call the police."

Engineer Wang was stunned for a moment: "Not going to call the police? You've been beaten like this, and you're not going to call the police?"

Chen Dapeng leaned against the bed and took a few breaths.

"If we call the police, who will investigate? The police station in Liuhe Town?"

His voice wasn't loud, but every word carried a calmness beyond his years.

Engineer Wang understood what he meant.

The police station in Liuhe Town—the station chief is one of Fang Zhiwen's men. Reporting the incident to Fang Zhiwen is tantamount to telling him that Chen Dapeng has been beaten up and that he is still investigating.

Moreover, there is no evidence to prove that they are from Fang Zhiwen's faction.

Both of them were wearing hoods, leaving no trace.

After reporting it to the police, all they did was take a statement and then nothing more was done.

"What should we do then?" Engineer Wang's voice trembled slightly.

Chen Dapeng remained silent.

He tried to stand up, but his legs gave way and he fell back down.

Engineer Wang quickly helped him up.

"Don't move, I'm going to find Director Han."

Engineer Wang stood up, opened the door, and staggered out.

Chen Dapeng sat alone on the floor, leaning against the edge of the bed, staring at the open door.

He felt the blood at the corner of his mouth congealing.

My ribs are aching in waves, and I'm having some difficulty breathing.

But he didn't cry or complain of pain.

He just sat there, staring out the door.

The tall man's words kept replaying in my mind—

"Stop investigating."

"If we continue investigating, next time it won't just be a scare tactic."

Chen Dapeng slowly clenched his fist.

A few minutes later, footsteps came from the corridor.

Han Bing rushed in, followed by Engineer Wang and the rest of the audit team.

She saw Chen Dapeng sitting on the ground, his mouth covered in blood, and her eyes changed instantly.

"Xiao Chen!"

She crouched down and reached out to help him.

"Don't touch him!" Engineer Wang shouted from behind, "He might have broken a bone!"

Han Bing's hand froze in mid-air.

She looked at Chen Dapeng, her eyes slightly red.

"Who did it?"

Chen Dapeng shook his head.

"I don't know. They were wearing a hood, so I couldn't see clearly."

"Did you call the police?"

"no."

Han Bing was taken aback for a moment, then understood what he meant.

She was silent for two seconds.

"I'll take you to the hospital first."

She turned to look at the two young men.

"You two, help him downstairs. Drive to the county hospital."

Two young men came over and helped Chen Dapeng up, one on each side.

When Chen Dapeng stood up, a sharp pain shot through his ribs. He gritted his teeth, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He put one arm around a young man's shoulder and walked out step by step.

As he walked down the corridor, he glanced at the stairwell.

Those two dark figures came up from here.

Next time, it won't just be a scare tactic.

Chen Dapeng withdrew his gaze and continued walking forward.

The car drove out of Liuhe Town and onto the road to the county seat.

Chen Dapeng leaned back in the car seat with his eyes closed.

The bleeding from the corner of his mouth had stopped, but his lip was swollen and his face was bluish-purple.

My ribs still hurt; it hurts with every breath.

He took out his phone; there were several unread messages on the screen.

They were all posted by He Ying.

"A roc?"

"How are you?"

The last one is a voice message.

Chen Dapeng opened the app and held the phone to his ear.

He Ying's voice came from the other end of the phone, carrying a tension he had never heard before—

"Chen Dapeng, reply to my message."

Chen Dapeng listened to the voice message and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he typed, his fingers moving slowly across the screen because his right hand fingers were also hurting.

"I'm fine. I'm on my way to the county hospital."

After sending it, he stared at the screen.

Less than five seconds later, my phone vibrated.

He Ying called.

Chen Dapeng answered the call.

"Are you injured?" He Ying's voice trembled slightly.

"Just a minor scratch."

Why go to the hospital for a minor scratch?

Chen Dapeng was silent for a second.

"I got punched a few times."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Chen Dapeng could hear He Ying's breathing—rapid, suppressed breathing, as if she was trying to control her emotions.

"County Magistrate He?"

"I'm here." Her voice regained its calmness, but that calmness was deliberate and forced.

"I'm going to the hospital now. I'll contact you again after the examination."

"Okay. Let me know when you arrive."

"Um."

The phone hangs up.

Chen Dapeng put down his phone, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes.

His mind was in turmoil.

What happened tonight happened so fast.

From stalking to breaking in, from warnings to beatings, it all took less than ten minutes.

But in those ten minutes, he realized one thing—

Fang Zhiwen wasn't bluffing; he really dared to take action.

The wound at the corner of my mouth is still throbbing slightly.

He reached out and touched it; there was a little blood on his fingertips.

"Next time, it won't just be a scare tactic."

He silently repeated the sentence to himself, then slowly clenched his fist.

"A gentleman would not leave this grudge unavenged!"

……

It was past 2 a.m. when we arrived at the hospital.

The emergency room lights were still on, a few cars were parked at the entrance, and a few people were going in and out.

The car stopped at the entrance of the emergency room, and two young men helped Chen Dapeng out.

Han Bing pushed open the emergency room door and shouted inside, "Someone's injured! Help!"

A nurse pushed a wheelchair out and helped Chen Dapeng sit down.

Chen Dapeng sat in a wheelchair, his eyes squinting. The blood at the corner of his mouth had dried and congealed into a dark red scab. His lips were swollen, and it hurt a little to speak.

The doctor on duty was a man in his forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a white coat, and holding a medical record folder in his hand.

He walked over, glanced at Chen Dapeng's face, and frowned slightly.

"How did you get hurt?"

"I got hit," Han Bing replied from the side.

The doctor paused for a moment, then didn't ask any more questions and bent down to examine Chen Dapeng's injuries.

He reached out and pressed on Chen Dapeng's ribs. Chen Dapeng gasped in pain and gripped the wheelchair armrests tightly.

"It hurts here?"

"Um."

The doctor pressed on several more spots, observing Chen Dapeng's expression as he did so.

"Let's take an X-ray first to see if there are any fractures. The wound on your face needs to be treated."

The nurse pushed Chen Dapeng to get an X-ray.

Chen Dapeng leaned back in his wheelchair with his eyes closed.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

He took out his phone—it was a message from He Ying.

"Where are we?"

"They've arrived at the emergency room. They're waiting for an X-ray."

Which hospital?

"County Hospital".

"I'm coming over here."

Chen Dapeng stared at those three words, his finger hovering over the top of the screen.

He wanted to reply, "You don't need to come," but after thinking about it, he didn't call.

Because she had already said "I'm coming"—three words, decisive and without room for negotiation.

"Okay. Drive slowly."

After sending the message, he put his phone in his pocket and leaned back in his wheelchair.

After the X-ray, the nurse wheeled him back to the emergency room; the cut on his face needed stitches.

The doctor prepared his instruments, stood in front of him, and held a needle and thread in his hand.

"It will hurt a little, just bear with it."

Chen Dapeng nodded.

The doctor bent down and began stitching.

When the first needle went in, Chen Dapeng's fingers gripped the edge of the bed tightly.

He didn't say anything, just gritted his teeth and stared at the ceiling.

The second stitch, the third stitch...

Each stitch felt like piercing a hole in the face and then threading the thread through it.

Chen Dapeng could feel the thread moving through his skin—not a sharp pain, but a dull, pulling pain that made his scalp tingle.

He closed his eyes, trying not to think about the needle or the thread.

He was thinking of He Ying.

Has she arrived?

How long will it take to get to the hospital?

She's the one he wants to see most right now...