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

On the third day, at nine o'clock in the morning, in the conference room on the third floor of the town government building.

The six audit team members each occupied a corner; some stared at spreadsheets on computer screens, some flipped through yellowed pages, and some were making dense notes in their notebooks, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones.

Team Leader Meng sat in the middle of the long table, with three open vouchers spread out in front of him, each one turned to the folded corner.

He wore reading glasses, held a red pencil in his hand, and his gaze slowly moved across the pages.

Fang Zhiwen sat in the corner of the conference room, with a cup of tea that had gone cold in front of him.

He didn't look at his phone or flip through any documents; he just sat there, his gaze falling on the audit team members, from left to right and from right to left.

When a young female auditor on the audit team flipped to a contract, her finger paused for a moment.

She didn't speak immediately, but instead looked at the contract over and over again, then flipped through the vouchers next to it and compared them for a while. Then she stood up, walked to Team Leader Meng, bent down, and whispered a few words.

Fang Zhiwen couldn't hear what she was saying, but he saw Team Leader Meng frown slightly.

Team Leader Meng took the contract, opened it, and read it from beginning to end.

He read very slowly, pausing for more than ten seconds on each page, his eyes moving back and forth between contract terms, amounts, signatures, and dates.

After reading it, he put the contract on the table, picked up the corresponding voucher, and turned to the page with the payment records.

His fingers slowly slid across the paper, from the payee's name to the amount, from the amount to the approver's signature, and from the signature to the date.

Then he put down the voucher, took off his reading glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Fang Zhiwen's heart started racing.

Team Leader Meng raised his head and his gaze fell on Fang Zhiwen.

"Secretary Fang."

Fang Zhiwen stood up and walked over, trying to make his steps appear calm. But only he knew that his legs were slightly weak.

"Team Leader Meng, what's the problem?"

Team Leader Meng did not answer immediately, but turned the contract over and pushed it in front of Fang Zhiwen.

"This contract, numbered LH-2023-018, is for a total amount of 3 million yuan and was signed in March 2023. The corresponding payment vouchers show that the full amount was paid at the end of March 2023. However, I looked at the project progress clause in the contract—according to the agreement, this money should be paid in three installments: 30% after the contract is signed, 40% after the project is half completed, and 30% after final acceptance. Why was the full amount paid at once?"

Fang Zhiwen glanced down at the contract; it was his signature.

He remembered the contract. It was for an expansion project in the Economic Development Zone. The construction company was pressing for payment, and Qian Cheng pleaded for leniency, so he approved it.

At the time, he didn't think too much about it, figuring that since the money had to be paid anyway, it didn't matter whether he paid it sooner or later.

Now he knows that this "not thinking too much" could become a handle against him.

"Team Leader Meng, the construction company for this project was facing financial difficulties at the time. In order not to delay the construction period, we specially approved a one-time payment. This is a special case."

Team Leader Meng nodded, his expression unchanged, picked up a red pencil, and drew a circle on the contract.

"Special circumstances are understandable. But special approvals require special procedures. Where are the approval documents for this one-time payment? Who approved it? Are there meeting minutes? Is there a written request?"

Fang Zhiwen opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Secretary Fang, 300 million is no small sum. A one-time, full payment of such a significant amount should be documented." Team Leader Meng put down his pencil and looked at Fang Zhiwen. "Without written approval documents, the legality of this payment is questionable."

The conference room fell silent.

Fang Zhiwen could feel the eyes of everyone else in the audit team on him.

Those gazes felt like countless needles, making him extremely uncomfortable.

"I'll have the person in charge find the approval documents."

His voice was dry and lifeless.

"Okay. Once you find it, bring it over."

Team Leader Meng lowered his head and continued reading the materials.

Fang Zhiwen stood there, staring at the top of Team Leader Meng's head.

He wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing and turned back to his corner.

His hands were trembling as he sat down.

He hid his hands under the table, clenching them into fists.

At 11 a.m., the second problem was discovered.

The problem was discovered by the young female auditor.

Her surname is Wu, she is in her early thirties, and she is the youngest key staff member in the Agricultural Division of the Provincial Audit Office.

She was flipping through a stack of acceptance reports from 2022, covering several projects in the Liuhe Town Economic Development Zone.

She walked up to Team Leader Meng with an acceptance report in her hand.

"Director Meng, please take a look at this."

Team Leader Meng took it and glanced at it.

This is the acceptance report for the road hardening project in Liuhe Town Economic Development Zone. The total cost of the project was 240 million yuan, and the acceptance conclusion was "qualified". The signature of the person in charge of the acceptance was "Qian Cheng".

"What's the problem?" Team Leader Meng asked.

Engineer Wu flipped to the last page of the acceptance report and pointed to a small print in the lower right corner: "Director Meng, look at this date."

Team Leader Meng lowered his head and took a closer look.

The date is December 20, 2022. It was written with a black ballpoint pen, and the handwriting is clear with even ink.

"And this too."

Engineer Wu placed another document next to him, which was a payment application form for project funds in 2022. The date on it was also December 20, 2022, but it was printed with blue-black ink, and the handwriting was slightly faded with a bluish tinge at the edges.

"Director Meng, two documents were signed on the same day, one with blue-black ink and the other with a black ballpoint pen. According to the regulations of the finance system, in 2022, the entire county was required to use blue-black ink for signatures. A black ballpoint pen does not meet the requirements."

She didn't continue—but her meaning was clear.

Either the regulations were violated at the time, or the signature on this acceptance report was added later.

Fang Zhiwen's expression changed upon hearing Wu Gong's words.

He recognized the acceptance report.

That was a document Qian Cheng signed last month.

The original acceptance report was "lost". In order to deal with the county audit team, Qian Cheng asked Zhou Deming to reprint a copy, and Qian Cheng signed it again.

But they forgot to check the date.

Qian Cheng casually wrote down a date using a black ballpoint pen on the table. He hadn't thought about switching to blue-black ink, imitating his handwriting from two years ago, or even checking the ink color.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Fang Zhiwen's forehead.

He reached for the teacup, but the tea inside had gone cold. He took a sip.

He put the teacup down, but with too much force, and it made a dull thud on the table.

Several members of the audit team simultaneously looked up at him.

Fang Zhiwen forced a smile, but it looked worse than a grimace.

He didn't say anything more, lowered his head, took out his phone, and sent a message to Qian Cheng.

"The acceptance report was signed with a black ballpoint pen. The audit team discovered this."

After sending the message, he stared at the screen, waiting for Qian Cheng's reply.

About two minutes later, Qian Cheng sent a message.

"Secretary Fang, I didn't notice at the time... There was only a black pen in the office that day, so I used it."

Fang Zhiwen stared at the words, his fingers clicking rapidly on the screen.

"Didn't you say there were no problems on the books? Using the wrong pen to sign—you call that no problem?"

"Secretary Fang, I can explain..."

"Explain what? Explain that you can't even hold a pen?"

He typed that line, then deleted it.

It's useless to criticize Qian Cheng now; the problem is that the audit team has already discovered this "minor issue."

Today we discovered the color of ink, what will it be tomorrow?

Is the contract paper new or old?

The signature handwriting?

What is the logic behind the dates on the acceptance report?

A "small problem" is not scary; what is scary is that the audit team will dig deeper into the problem.

They would ask: Why use a black ballpoint pen?

Is it because this acceptance report was added later?

If it was added later, why was it added?

Where did the original acceptance report go?

Every question leads to more questions.

Every question mark could become a bomb.

Fang Zhiwen placed his phone face down on the table, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

His chest felt tight and suffocated.

The air conditioning was on in the conference room, but he felt hot and was sweating profusely.

At 2 p.m., the audit team discovered a third problem.

This time, it was Team Leader Meng who discovered it himself.

He was looking at a 2021 engineering contract for the Liuhe Town Economic Development Zone sewage treatment project, with a contract value of 500 million yuan.

他在合同里夹着的一份招标文件上，发现了一个问题——招标公告的发售日期是2021年3月10日到3月16日，但投标截止日期是3月17日。

According to relevant bidding regulations, the period from the issuance of bidding documents to the deadline for submitting bids shall not be less than twenty days.

However, the tender document only gave seven days.

Team Leader Meng put down the contract and picked up another one—another contract for the same project, with the same problem.

He closed the folder, leaned back in his chair, and took off his reading glasses.

"Secretary Fang."

Fang Zhiwen was sitting in the corner when he heard Team Leader Meng call him, and his heart skipped a beat.

He stood up, walked over, and tried to make his steps appear composed.

But he knew his face had given him away—he had just glanced at his phone's front-facing camera and his face was as white as paper.

"Team Leader Meng."

Did you oversee the bidding process for the wastewater treatment project in Liuhe Town Economic Development Zone?

Fang Zhiwen glanced down at the contract, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"This project was initiated during my tenure. The bidding process was specifically handled by the Economic Development Zone Management Committee."

Team Leader Meng nodded, placed the two contracts side by side on the table, and pointed to the date on the bidding announcement.

「招标文件发售3月10日到3月16日，投标截止3月17日。方书记，你知道招投标法对招标文件发售到投标截止的期限是怎幺规定的吗？」

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze.

The audit team members all stopped what they were doing and their eyes fell on Fang Zhiwen.

Some people were expressionless, some frowned slightly, and some were writing something in their notebooks.

Fang Zhiwen stood there, beads of sweat growing thicker and thicker on his forehead.

He reached out to wipe it, but put his hand down when his fingers touched his forehead.

"Well... I'm not too clear on the specific timeline. The people in charge of bidding at the Economic Development Zone probably know better."

"Secretary Fang, as the town's Party Secretary, you're unfamiliar with the bidding process for a 500 million yuan project?"

Team Leader Meng's tone wasn't harsh, but every word struck Fang Zhiwen's heart like a hammer blow.

"Bidding is the first hurdle in project construction. If this hurdle is not strictly controlled, problems are likely to arise later."

Fang Zhiwen opened his mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't say anything.

His lips were trembling slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down twice, as if something was stuck in his throat.

"Secretary Fang, I have another question for you. How was the construction company for this project selected? Was there a formal bidding process?"

Fang Zhiwen stood there, his hands slowly clenching at the seam of his trousers.

He knew what Team Leader Meng was asking.

The construction company for this project was Hongda Trading Co., Ltd., which is owned by his brother-in-law, Zhao Zhiyong.

Zhao Zhiyong's company does not have the qualifications for municipal engineering at all, so it is impossible for them to win this project through formal bidding.

The operation at the time was to have three companies collude in the bidding process, with Hongda Trading winning the bid with the lowest price.

This kind of thing is not uncommon in the industry.

But if we put it out into the open, it's illegal.

"Team Leader Meng, I don't remember the specifics of this project very clearly. It's been too long, I need to go back and check the records."

Team Leader Meng looked at him with a deep gaze.

"Okay. Secretary Fang, go back and investigate. Once you've found out, we'll talk again."

Fang Zhiwen nodded, turned around and walked back to the corner.

His hands were still shaking.

……

At 4:30 p.m., the audit team prepared to wrap up.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was much more somber than in the morning.

Fang Zhiwen sat in the corner, not leaving that chair for the entire afternoon.

His phone vibrated several times, all messages from Qian Cheng.

He read one, didn't reply, and didn't read the rest.

The audit team members were packing up—shutting down their computers, closing folders, and organizing their notes.

The movements were very quiet, and no one spoke loudly.

Team Leader Meng stood up, tidied up the materials on the table, and put them into his briefcase.

He zipped up his briefcase, looked up, and his gaze fell on Fang Zhiwen.

"Secretary Fang, we will compile the issues we discovered today into a written report and formally communicate with the town tomorrow. You can also conduct a self-inspection to clarify the relevant situation."

Fang Zhiwen stood up, trying his best to appear calm.

"Okay, Team Leader Meng. We will take the issues discovered by the audit team seriously, rectify what needs to be rectified, and provide explanations where necessary."

Team Leader Meng glanced at him, said nothing more, picked up his briefcase, and walked out of the conference room.

The audit team followed behind him.

Fang Zhiwen was the only one left in the conference room.

He stood there, looking at the empty long table.

Several receipts that hadn't been taken away were still scattered on the table; they were the ones that had been found to have problems today.

Fang Zhiwen slowly sat down in the chair he had been sitting in all day.

He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders trembling slightly.

My phone vibrated again.

He picked it up and saw that it was a message from Fang Mingyuan.

"What did the audit team find today?"

Fang Zhiwen stared at the line of text for a long time, his finger hovering above the screen.

He typed a few words: "I've discovered a few problems."

Then I deleted it.

He typed a few more words: "The contract, the acceptance report, and the bidding process all have problems."

It was deleted again.

He knew that the problems the audit team had discovered today were just the tip of the iceberg.

Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, even more questions will be brought up.

Contracts, signatures, ink color, tender dates—every detail can be fatal.

Finally, he replied, "Brother, I might not be able to hold on here. How are you doing over there?"