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

Location of the provincial audit team.

Team Leader Meng arrived at the office at 8:00 a.m.

Since its establishment in Qingshun County.

He has a habit of going through the materials he needs to check that day half an hour in advance, arranging them in order, and then assigning tasks directly to the team members once they have all arrived.

He turned on his computer, pulled up the project list for the Liuhe Town Economic Development Zone, and prepared to include the problems he had discovered in the warehouse yesterday.

Hurried footsteps came from outside the door; it wasn't the audit team.

They didn't walk that fast, nor were they in such a hurry.

Team Leader Meng looked up; there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and a staff member from the county audit bureau stood in the doorway, holding a manila envelope.

"Team Leader Meng, the security guard received this this morning, saying it was for you."

Team Leader Meng took the envelope and glanced at it.

He curled the corner of his mouth slightly, and immediately understood what it meant.

The envelope contained no sender information, only the recipient's address.

"To Meng Qingshan, Head of the Audit Team of the Provincial Audit Office stationed in Qingshun County."

The words were written with a black pen, the handwriting was neat and precise, each stroke carefully placed, as if deliberately concealing the author's handwriting.

"Who delivered it?"

"The security guard said it was a man wearing a mask who left the item and left. He didn't leave his name or say what he was."

Team Leader Meng nodded and placed the envelope on the table.

The staff member turned and left, and the door closed.

Team Leader Meng stared at the envelope for a few seconds—he had seen many anonymous letters like this before.

After working in auditing for a long time, you'll inevitably receive all sorts of "whistleblower materials".

Some are true, some are false; some are real, some are fabricated; some are cases of insiders having a change of heart; and some are cases of internal power struggles where someone "uses another to do the dirty work."

You should read and verify every single one, but you can't believe every single one.

Team Leader Meng tore open the seal and pulled out two sheets of A4 paper.

It was printed, not handwritten.

He put on his glasses and started reading from the beginning.

The first line of text made him frown.

"A report has been filed against Chen Dapeng, a staff member of the Information Section of the County Government Office: for stealing classified documents, privately retaining classified materials, and abusing his position to provide unverified information to the audit team."

Team Leader Meng's finger paused on the page for a moment.

Chen Dapeng —

The young man with the scar on his lip was the liaison officer, one of He Ying's men.

He continued reading and found that the letter of complaint was written in a very "professional" manner, listing each point in a well-organized and detailed "report of the situation".

The first point states that during his time working in the General Affairs Section, Chen Dapeng took advantage of his access to County Head He Ying's work documents to privately retain multiple classified documents, failed to file them as required, and took them out of the office without authorization.

The second point states that after Chen Dapeng was transferred to the Information Department, he still used the excuse of "work needs" to retrieve data from multiple departments that exceeded his scope of responsibility, including the financial revenue and expenditure details and special fund allocation records of Liuhe Town for the past three years.

Article 3 states that Chen Dapeng provided these materials to the audit team with the intention of "interfering with the audit work" and "creating false clues".

The last paragraph is particularly well-written—

"The above information is true. Please take this matter very seriously, audit team leaders. Chen Dapeng, as a staff member of the county government office, has seriously violated confidentiality and work regulations. If this is not dealt with seriously, it will have an irreparable impact on the impartiality of the audit work."

Team Leader Meng read the letter again from beginning to end.

"Theft," "unauthorized retention," "beyond the scope of duties," "interference with audit work"—each word is used aptly, pointing out the problem while leaving room for maneuver.

The goal is not to completely condemn Chen Dapeng, but to "suspend him from work and allow him to undergo investigation."

The goal is achieved as long as the audit team doesn't use him.

Team Leader Meng put down the letter, took off his glasses, and leaned back in his chair.

He was thinking about three questions.

First, who wrote this letter?

He is not an ordinary person.

Ordinary people cannot write such wording, nor can they grasp so many details.

The letter writer knew Chen Dapeng's work trajectory, the data he transferred, and the documents he came into contact with in detail, and also knew that Chen Dapeng was the liaison officer of the audit team.

This person works within the system and holds a high position; he is very familiar with Chen Dapeng's situation.

Second, why was this letter sent at this time?

The audit team spent four days investigating in Liuhe Town and has already discovered problems with contracts, signatures, and warehouses.

Fang Zhiwen was under increasing pressure, and Fang Mingyuan was also starting to get restless.

The timing of this letter was too perfect.

It wasn't before the audit began, nor when the audit was nearing its end, but at the most critical juncture of the audit—when the problems in Liuhe Town had just surfaced and the next step was to delve deeper.

Removing Chen Dapeng from the audit team at this point is tantamount to cutting off He Ying's eyes and ears within the audit team.

Third, is the letter true?

Chen Dapeng had accessed the data from Liuhe Town, as Team Leader Meng knew—He Ying had told him before the county audit team arrived that "Xiao Chen had done some preliminary work and was quite familiar with the situation in Liuhe Town." But He Ying was referring to "preliminary work," not "stealing documents."

Accessing data and stealing classified documents are completely different in nature.

The former is a normal work requirement, while the latter is a violation of discipline and law.

This letter conflates two issues, portraying "work requirements" as "theft," "normal retrieval" as "unauthorized retention," and "providing information" as "interference with the audit."

This is a typical example of "exaggerating the nature of the issue"—making the matter sound serious, but not entirely fabricated.

This is the most difficult part.

It was all made up; he could see through it at a glance and threw it directly into the shredder.

It's all true. He handled it according to regulations, so there was nothing to hesitate about.

But this kind of half-true, half-false is the most troublesome. Because it contains elements of truth, it cannot be completely ignored; but because it contains elements of falsehood, it cannot be completely believed.

Team Leader Meng picked up the phone, dialed a number, it rang twice, and then it was answered.

"Team Leader Meng?"

On the other end of the phone, He Ying's voice came through, tinged with surprise—Meng Qingshan rarely needed to contact her directly for anything.

"County Chief He, I have received a letter of complaint. It concerns Chen Dapeng."

He Ying didn't speak immediately, remaining silent for two seconds.

"What are you reporting?"

"He stole classified documents, kept classified materials without authorization, and used his position to provide unverified information to the audit team. The account is very detailed, even listing which data he retrieved."

Who wrote the letter?

"Anonymous. No signature, no sender information. The text is printed, and the handwriting is unreadable."

He Ying fell silent again, this time for an even longer period.

"County Chief He, tell me the truth. Where did Chen Dapeng get those materials?"

On the other end of the phone, He Ying seemed to be considering her options.

"Team Leader Meng, the issue in Liuhe Town was investigated by me. The data he retrieved followed normal procedures in the name of the county government office. There was no 'theft' or 'unauthorized retention' involved."

"What about providing information to the audit team?"

"I asked him to provide it. He was the liaison officer, and it was his job to provide information to the audit team."

Team Leader Meng tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

That's enough.

"What's enough?"

"County Chief He, I believe what you're saying is true. But the whistleblower letter has already been sent to me, and I can't pretend I didn't receive it. According to procedure, I must report to the department and suspend Chen Dapeng's work as a liaison officer until the investigation is complete."

He Ying's voice was tense: "Team Leader Meng, someone is doing this on purpose—"

"I know," Team Leader Meng interrupted her, "but procedure is procedure. County Chief He, you've worked in the provincial department, you know better than I do."

He Ying fell silent.

Team Leader Meng knew what she was thinking—she was thinking that after Chen Dapeng was relieved of his liaison duties, the audit team in Liuhe Town would have one less pair of eyes, one less pair of ears, and one less pair of hands for recording.

He was thinking the same thing.

"County Chief He, Chen Dapeng can't come to the audit team for the time being. But if you have any materials, you can send them to me through other means. The audit team will investigate everything that needs to be investigated."

There was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the phone.

"Team Leader Meng, I understand. I'll have someone investigate that letter."

"An investigation is fine, but don't alert the enemy."

"I know."

The phone hangs up.

Team Leader Meng put down his phone and looked at the letter of complaint on the table.

He picked it up again and looked at it once more.

The more I looked at it, the more something seemed off—Chen Dapeng was just a liaison officer. Transferring him would affect the audit work, but it wouldn't be fatal.

The audit team will not be unable to continue its investigation just because one liaison officer is missing.

The other party's target was not the audit team, but He Ying.

Chen Dapeng is He Ying's man.

Transferring Chen Dapeng away is like cutting off He Ying's "hand".

But even though He Ying's "hands" were cut off, she still had "feet"; even though her "feet" were cut off, she still had "mouth".

What the other party wanted was not to cut off her "hand," but to make He Ying lose the trust of the audit team and make all the materials she provided "suspicious."

That is the true purpose of this letter.

Team Leader Meng locked the letter of complaint in the drawer, stood up, and walked to the window.

He looked down at the courtyard and thought to himself—the person behind this letter was very shrewd.

Instead of confronting you directly or going head-to-head, they gradually corner you through procedures, systems, and rules, making it impossible for you to ignore or disregard their authority.

These kinds of people are the most difficult to deal with.

……

Meanwhile, in the Information Department, at 9:10 AM

Chen Dapeng sat at his workstation, a briefing spread out in front of him, revising the wording.

Liu Zhiguo arrived later than usual today.

When he pushed the door open, he was holding a folder in his hand, and his face was expressionless.

Chen Dapeng looked up at him and said, "Section Chief Liu, good morning."

"morning."

Liu Zhiguo walked to his seat, put down the folder, and sat down.

He didn't turn on the computer immediately, but leaned back in his chair and looked at Chen Dapeng.

That kind of gaze made Chen Dapeng feel uncomfortable—it wasn't the usual casual scrutiny, but a more purposeful gaze, as if it were confirming something.

Chen Dapeng pretended not to notice and lowered his head to continue revising the materials.

The keyboard was being pounded away.

"Xiao Chen," Liu Zhiguo said.

Chen Dapeng looked up: "Section Chief Liu?"

"You don't need to go to the audit team today."

Chen Dapeng paused for a moment, then continued typing.

Why?

"The arrangements from above."

Liu Zhiguo spoke in a very calm tone, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

"The audit team's work isn't finished yet; I'm the liaison officer—"

"Someone will take over the liaison officer position," Liu Zhiguo interrupted him. "You stay in the information section today and organize the information briefings you have on hand."

Chen Dapeng stared at him for two seconds.

"Section Chief Liu, whose decision was this?"

Liu Zhiguo did not answer.

Chen Dapeng sat there, his heart starting to race.

He was suddenly suspended from his position as a liaison officer, which means something happened.

What's wrong?

he does not know.

But he knew that this was not something Liu Zhiguo could decide—he didn't have that authority.

They must be people at a higher level.

who is it?

Fang Mingyuan?

still is……

Chen Dapeng picked up his phone, intending to send a message to He Ying.

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

It's not appropriate to send a message now—Liu Zhiguo is right across from me; he can see me using my phone.

Liu Zhiguo sat opposite him, staring at the computer screen without looking up.

But Chen Dapeng could feel that his peripheral vision was always on him, observing his every move.

……

Meanwhile, in He Ying's office.

After hanging up with Team Leader Meng, she fell into deep thought.

The whistleblower letter, Chen Dapeng's suspension from his liaison officer job, and Team Leader Meng's words, "Procedure is procedure"—these words kept swirling in her mind.

She picked up the phone and dialed Su Wanqing's number.

"Director Su, please come to my office."

Less than three minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

Su Wanqing pushed the door open and entered. Seeing He Ying's expression, she paused for a moment.

"County Magistrate, what happened?"

"Someone wrote a whistleblower letter and sent it to the audit team, accusing Chen Dapeng of stealing classified documents and keeping classified materials without authorization."

Su Wanqing's expression changed.

Who wrote it?

"Anonymous. Printed, no handwriting visible."

"What the letter said..."

"It's true that some of it was." He Ying's voice was a little hoarse. "He did access the data from Liuhe Town, and he did handle those materials. But it was for work purposes; I arranged it. It wasn't 'stealing' or 'keeping it for himself.'"

Su Wanqing remained silent for a few seconds.

"This letter is addressed to you."

"I know."

"So what do we do now?"

"Team Leader Meng said we have to follow the prescribed procedures. Chen Dapeng can't go to the audit team until the investigation is clear."

"And what about the audit team—"

"Team Leader Meng said that if we have any materials, we can provide them to the audit team through other means. Nothing that needs to be investigated will be overlooked."

Su Wanqing nodded and made a few notes in her notebook.

"Director Su," He Ying sat up straight, "Could you help me find out who wrote this letter? The fact that it's printed means the sender didn't want to leave their handwriting. The anonymity means the sender didn't want to reveal their identity."

She paused for a moment.

"There aren't many people like that in the county."

Su Wanqing thought for a moment: "People who have access to Chen Dapeng's work include those in the Information Department, the General Affairs Department, and..."

"And Fang Mingyuan's people too."

The two exchanged a glance.

"County Chief, I'll start the investigation with the Information Section. Liu Zhiguo is Chen Dapeng's direct superior; he should know something."

"If you ask him directly, he definitely won't tell you. You'll have to think of another way."

Su Wanqing nodded: "Okay, I've been in the office for so many years, I should be able to find reliable channels."

He Ying's lips curled up slightly.

"Go ahead. Be careful. Don't alert them."

Su Wanqing stood up, turned around and walked out.

When she reached the door, she stopped and turned around.

"County Magistrate."

"Um?"

Did you tell Xiao Chen?

He Ying shook her head: "I haven't told him yet, but I guess he probably already knows. Some people know even faster than me..."

Su Wanqing was silent for a moment.

Without saying anything, he pushed open the door and went out.

He Ying sat alone in the office.

Just then, my phone vibrated.

She picked it up and saw that it was a message from Chen Dapeng.

"Sister Ying, I've been suspended from my liaison duties. Liu Zhiguo just informed me, saying it was 'an arrangement from above.' He didn't say what the specific reason was."

He Ying stared at the line of text, her finger hovering above the screen.

She wanted to tell him the truth—"Someone reported you."

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

Telling him now will only make him more worried.

Moreover, she hasn't found out who wrote the whistleblower letter yet, so telling him wouldn't help and might even affect his mood.

"I understand. You stay in the IT department for now, don't worry. I'll handle it."

After sending it, she waited for a while.

"it is good."

Chen Dapeng only replied with one word.

Looking at the word "good," He Ying felt a pang of sadness.

He never asks "why", never complains, and never says "this is unfair".

He simply said "okay".

She owed him more and more.

He risked his life for her and even got beaten up.

The person who orchestrated the attack and the perpetrator have not yet been identified, but this matter cannot be left unresolved.

He Ying put down her phone and opened the folder in front of her.

It was a copy of the ledger that Du Jianguo had handed over—the destination of all the large sums of money in Liuhe Town over the past three years, every single one of which was clearly recorded.

She turned to the page about the 300 million yuan provincial special fund for rural revitalization.

Fang Mingyuan's name appeared in the approval column.

He Ying stared at those three words for a long time.

Then she closed the folder, picked up the phone, and dialed Meng Qingshan's number.

"Team Leader Meng, it's me. He Ying."

"County Magistrate He."

"I will investigate the matter of the whistleblower letter thoroughly. Every single document in Chen Dapeng's possession is verifiable. If needed, I can provide a complete written explanation."

"County Chief He, I trust you. But procedurally, we still need to go through the process. The department will send someone to verify, and once it's clear, everything will be fine."

"How long will it take?"

"If it's fast, it will take three to five days."

He Ying's fingers tightened slightly.

Three to five days.

The audit team can stay in Liuhe Town for a maximum of ten days.

Five days, that's half the time.

This is exactly what Fang Mingyuan wanted.

"Team Leader Meng, I have a question for you."

"you say."

Did you notice when this letter was received?

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"The envelope was received this morning. In other words, the sender prepared this letter after the audit team discovered the warehouse issues."

He Ying's lips twitched slightly.

"Team Leader Meng, you've already thought of that."

"I've thought of something. But without evidence, I can't just say it."

He Ying paused for a moment.

"Team Leader Meng, I accept the suspension of Chen Dapeng's work. But the audit team's work cannot stop. You still need to investigate the problems in Liuhe Town."

"Don't worry. The audit team won't be affected by losing one liaison officer."

He Ying hung up the phone.

She stood up and walked to the window.

The sunlight was lovely in the courtyard outside the window.

But her heart was heavy.

……

At noon, Liu Zhiguo went to the cafeteria.

Chen Dapeng sat alone in his office, the information briefing in front of him unchanged.

He took out his phone and scrolled to the message He Ying had sent him—

"I understand. You stay in the IT department for now, don't worry. I'll handle it."

He stared at the line of text and read it over and over again.

"I'll handle it"—these four words.

He Ying often said this.

She is the county magistrate, and she is indeed capable of handling many things.

But Chen Dapeng also knew that He Ying was under a lot of pressure, and he hoped to help her share some of it...

Liu Zhiguo.

Fang Mingyuan.

Qian Cheng.

Fang Zhiwen.

He silently recited these names in his heart.

This afternoon, the audit team will also be going to Liuhe Town.

But he couldn't go.

He didn't know if Team Leader Meng would really find out the truth, but he knew that now was not the time to sit and wait.

He picked up his phone and opened his chat window with Zhou Min.

"Zhou Min, the provincial audit team has already uncovered some issues and is currently conducting an in-depth investigation. If you have any information, now is the best time."

After sending it, he stared at the screen.

There was no reply.

Chen Dapeng posted another message.

"Zhou Min, I'm not forcing you. Fang Zhiwen has already started to fight back, but he's only protecting himself; he can't care about most of the others. You know too much; he won't let you off the hook."

This time, Zhou Min made a move.

Chen Dapeng stared at the screen, watching the "typing" message flash and then disappear, then flash again.

Finally, a message arrived.

"Let me think about it some more."

Chen Dapeng knew that Zhou Min had not yet made up her mind.

She was still hesitating and observing.

She won't take the final step until she sees the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

Chen Dapeng didn't press her any further, but simply typed a single line of text.

"Don't overthink it. If you miss the best opportunity, what you offer will become useless."

After sending the message, he put his phone in his pocket.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor; Liu Zhiguo had returned.

Chen Dapeng walked back to his seat, sat down, picked up his pen, and continued revising the information briefing.

Liu Zhiguo pushed the door open and came in, glancing at Chen Dapeng.

"Xiao Chen, aren't you going to have lunch?"

"I'm not hungry, I'll go later."

"What were you doing all by yourself in the office just now?"

He stared into Chen Dapeng's eyes, as if trying to see through his thoughts.

Chen Dapeng didn't even look up, and replied with a single sentence.

"Edit information".

Seeing that he was indeed looking at the messages, Liu Zhiguo knew he wouldn't get any more information and stopped asking.

He walked to his seat and sat down.

Chen Dapeng kept his head down, the pen scratching softly on the paper.

His expression was calm, as calm as if nothing had happened.

But a fire was burning in his heart.

"I've been reported."

"I was kicked out of the audit team."

"But I won't stop."

"Just you wait and see!"

A few minutes later.

He closed the compilation of information in his hand, put it in the drawer, and locked it.

He glanced at Liu Zhiguo.

"I'm going to eat."

Liu Zhiguo didn't even look up: "Go."

After Chen Dapeng left the office.

Liu Zhiguo took out his phone and sent a message.

"This morning, we didn't notice anything unusual about that kid surnamed Chen..."