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

Economic Development Zone Office, 4 PM.

Zhou Min sat at her desk, lost in thought.

The audit team discovered a problem with the cement. Team leader Meng took photos as evidence on the spot, Qian Cheng squatted in the corner of the warehouse covering his face, and Fang Zhiwen stood at the door with a livid face.

These images kept playing in her mind, and she couldn't stop them.

She opened the drawer, took out the envelope, which contained an "Explanation Regarding the Use of Funds in the Liuhe Town Economic Development Zone".

She opened the envelope, pulled out the three pages, and read them again from beginning to end.

"In March 2019, a road repair project was carried out in the Economic Development Zone, amounting to 500,000 yuan. The person in charge was Zhou Min, the approver was Fang Zhiwen, and the recipient of the payment was Hongda Commerce and Trade. This project was not put out to tender, and the contract was supplemented later."

"In June 2021, the Economic Development Zone infrastructure maintenance project, amounting to 3.1 million yuan, was handled by Zhou Min, approved by Fang Zhiwen and Qian Cheng, and received by Hongda Commerce. The project did not pay in installments as agreed in the contract, but was paid in full at once without any written approval procedures."

"In March 2022, the Economic Development Zone road hardening project, amounting to 2.4 million yuan, was handled by Zhou Min, approved by Fang Zhiwen and Qian Cheng, and received by Hongda Commerce. The project's acceptance report was signed retroactively and using a black ballpoint pen, which violated regulations."

"In March 2023, a sewage treatment project in the Economic Development Zone, amounting to 3 million yuan, was handled by Zhou Min, approved by Fang Zhiwen and Qian Cheng, and received by Hongda Commerce. The bidding process for this project was irregular, with only 7 days between the issuance of the bidding documents and the deadline for submitting bids."

"In June 2023, a building materials procurement project in the Economic Development Zone, amounting to 1.8 million yuan, was handled by Zhou Min, approved by Fang Zhiwen and Qian Cheng, and paid by Hongda Trading. Some building materials in the contract for this project were not actually delivered to the warehouse, corresponding to an amount of approximately 1.5 million yuan. In addition, there was a 5 million yuan building materials procurement contract where the actual supply was insufficient, and the whereabouts of the difference are unknown."

Three pages, sixteen records.

Each entry includes the date, amount, person in charge, approver, and a description of the issue.

She personally handled every single one of them.

Each of these points could become evidence of Fang Zhiwen's crimes, or it could become evidence of hers.

Zhou Min's gaze lingered on the last line, "Where is the difference going?", and stared at it for a long time.

She doesn't know where that 500 million went.

All she knew was that the money came from the finance office, went into Hongda Trading's account, and then was transferred away.

She couldn't remember if it was transferred four or five times, or which accounts it passed through.

She only remembered the recipient of the last transfer—Fang Zhiqiang.

Fang Zhiwen's cousin is an ordinary villager in Liuhe Town with no legitimate source of income.

With that 500 million yuan, plus the money transferred from other projects, Fang Zhiqiang bought two houses, a Porsche, and started a company in the provincial capital.

She knew these things, but she didn't write them down in the materials.

Because those were things she heard about, not things she handled herself.

She cannot write about things she has heard about; she can only write about things she has seen with her own eyes and done with her own hands.

Zhou Min put the materials back into the envelope and placed them in the drawer.

She then took out the USB drive—a small, silver one, barely bigger than a thumbnail—and placed it next to the envelope.

The USB drive contains scanned copies of these materials, as well as several PDF contracts, photos of acceptance reports, and screenshots of transfer records.

If the envelope is lost, she still has a USB drive;

If the USB drive breaks, she still has envelopes.

Two lives, save one.

Zhou Min closed the drawer and leaned back in her chair.

She picked up her phone and opened Chen Dapeng's WeChat.

"Chen Dapeng, are you there?"

After sending it, she stared at the screen.

After waiting for about ten seconds, the other party replied.

"exist."

She typed another line.

"I heard that Team Leader Meng had a private talk with Fang Zhiwen today. It lasted for half an hour. Fang Zhiwen looked very upset when he came out."

After sending the message, she waited for a while.

Chen Dapeng replied quickly: "What did we talk about? Do you know?"

"I don't know. I was in the office, not at the scene. But Qian Cheng walked back and forth in the corridor several times, smoking the whole time."

"Is he panicking?"

"Yeah. He rarely does that. Usually, he sits down and smokes slowly, but today he was walking around in the hallway, smoking one cigarette after another, leaving cigarette butts all over the floor."

Chen Dapeng remained silent for a while.

"Zhou Min".

"Um?"

"You asked me before if I had made up my mind. You said you were waiting for the right opportunity."

Zhou Min's fingers tightened slightly.

"Is now the right time?"

She stared at the words for a long time.

"The fact that Fang Zhiwen was summoned for a private meeting by Team Leader Meng indicates that the audit team no longer trusts him and is bypassing him to directly discuss the evidence. Qian Cheng panicked, which means he also sensed that Fang Zhiwen might not be able to withstand the pressure. Fang Mingyuan's network of connections in the provincial capital may also be in trouble, otherwise he wouldn't have resorted to such a desperate measure as a whistleblower letter to deal with you."

She typed slowly, word by word, as if giving herself an explanation.

"Chen Dapeng, you asked me before if I had thought it through. I have."

Chen Dapeng did not urge her.

"But I have one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

Zhou Min's finger hovered above the screen for a long time.

She was thinking about how to phrase her fear clearly without sounding like she was making demands—she wasn't making demands, she was trying to survive.

"I need protection."

She typed that sentence, then felt it was too weak, so she added: "If I stand up to testify and Fang Zhiwen falls from grace, will his relatives and friends retaliate against me? I'm also implicated in this matter; will I be held accountable as well?"

After sending it, she stared at the screen.

She knew her problem was very real and selfish—she wanted to save her life, to get a reduced sentence, and to be able to live and hold her head high after coming forward.

But she didn't dare tell Fang Zhiwen these things, didn't dare tell Qian Cheng, and even when she told herself, she had to think about it several times before she dared to admit it.

She could only say these things to Chen Dapeng.

Because Chen Dapeng was the one who was beaten—he had three stitches in his lip, rib contusions, and was beaten alone in a hotel in Liuhe Town.

He will know what fear feels like.

Chen Dapeng replied.

"Zhou Min, the questions you raised are very important. But I can't answer them."

Zhou Min was stunned for a moment.

"I'm not trying to push it away. I genuinely can't answer that—what kind of protection do you need? How will you be protected? What will the organization do with you after you step forward? These are things that a junior staff member in the information department can't decide."

Zhou Min looked at the words and her heart sank, but she knew that Chen Dapeng was telling the truth.

"But I can ask someone for you."

"Who?"

"County Magistrate He."

Zhou Min's fingers stopped.

He Ying —

The county magistrate of Qingshun County, a cadre parachuted in from the province, Fang Mingyuan's rival, and the person behind Chen Dapeng.

If He Ying could give her an explanation—tell her what she would face after standing up, what protection she would receive, and what responsibilities she would have to bear—she wouldn't have to guess anymore, and she wouldn't have to be afraid anymore.

Do you think County Chief He would be willing to see me?

"She had been waiting for this day."

Zhou Min stared at the line of text and remained silent for a long time.

"Chen Dapeng, I would like to see County Chief He. To talk in person."

"Okay. I'll make the appointment for you."

Zhou Min put down her phone, her heart pounding.

She said it out loud—"I've made up my mind. I need protection. I want to see County Chief He."

These words had been bottled up in her heart for too long. She had been holding them in since the first day the audit team arrived, since Chen Dapeng first messaged her asking, "Have you thought it through?", and since she saw Qian Cheng squatting on the ground in the warehouse, covering his face.

Now they've finally said it.

She didn't regret it, but she was a little scared.

She was afraid that He Ying would refuse to see her, afraid that He Ying wouldn't be able to give her the promise she wanted, and afraid that things wouldn't turn out the way she expected after He Ying stepped forward.

But she was even more afraid of continuing like this—not being able to sleep every night, having nightmares every night, and spending her days in the office flipping through fake contracts, fake acceptance reports, and fake transfer records, pretending that she was still a normal person.

……

It was 7 p.m. at Chen Dapeng's residence.

He had a notebook open in front of him, but he hadn't written a single word.

He was looking at his phone—reading through the messages Zhou Min had sent, one by one, from beginning to end.

"I need protection."

"If I stand up and testify, and Fang Zhiwen falls from grace, will his relatives and friends retaliate against me?"

"I'm also involved in this matter; will I be held accountable as well?"

These are very real issues.

Zhou Min didn't not want to stand up; she was afraid to.

It wasn't that I was afraid of Fang Zhiwen, but that I was afraid that even if I stood up, I wouldn't have a good ending—I was afraid of retaliation, afraid of being held accountable, afraid of becoming a pawn, afraid of offending the Fang family and losing the organization's trust, ending up pleasing neither side.

Every single one of her fears was real.

Chen Dapeng took screenshots of the messages Zhou Min sent, opened He Ying's WeChat, and sent them to her one by one.

After sending it, he typed a line of text.

"Sister Ying, Zhou Min wants to see you. To talk in person."

Chen Dapeng stared at the screen, watching the "typing" notification flash and then disappear, then flash again—she was considering how to reply.

About a minute later, the message came through.

"She's absolutely right. These aren't the questions she's asking alone; they're questions that anyone who wants to stand up would ask."

Can I protect her? What will she face after she comes forward? The answers to these questions are not something I can decide—protecting witnesses must follow procedures, and holding people accountable must also follow procedures.

I can't give her empty promises, but I can give her a clear answer: if she voluntarily confesses and cooperates with the investigation, it can be considered as surrendering herself and making meritorious contributions, and she will be treated leniently when being held accountable.

Chen Dapeng looked at the text and felt that He Ying's words were too "official" and not direct enough.

He thought for a moment and sent a message: "Sister Ying, she understands what you're saying, but she'd rather hear it from you in person. Let's talk face to face. She'll bring the things to you, and you can tell her what you want to say in person. She's hesitating and needs someone to give her a push."

After sending it, he waited for a while.

He Ying replied:

"Okay. You arrange to meet her for me. Tomorrow night, at my place. Don't tell anyone."

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

He put down his phone, scrolled to Zhou Min's WeChat, and typed a message.

"County Chief He has agreed to see you. Tomorrow night, at her residence. I'll send you the specific time and address tomorrow. Don't tell anyone."

Zhou Min quickly replied, "Okay."

Chen Dapeng looked at the word, put down his phone, and leaned back in his chair.

Thinking to myself:

"Zhou Min will see He Ying tomorrow."

"She might submit the necessary documents."

"If she pays, Fang Zhiwen will be completely finished."

A feeling he couldn't quite describe welled up inside him—not excitement, not tension, but a sense of "finally" relief.

The audit team spent so many days investigating in Liuhe Town and found problems with contracts, signatures, bidding, and cement. Every single one of these issues was evidence, but none of them were fatal.

These problems can all be attributed to "non-standard management", "inadequate procedures", or "operational negligence", and do not qualify as "cases".

But Zhou Min was different; she was the person in charge.

I handled those funds, signed those documents, and created those fake materials.

She knows where the money came from, where it went, who approved it, who signed it, and how much each person took.

Her testimony could transform "improper management" into "violation of laws and regulations," "inadequate procedures" into "transfer of benefits," and "operational negligence" into "collusion between insiders and outsiders."

Zhou Min is the most crucial bead, the one that strings together all the evidence.

Chen Dapeng picked up his phone and read the message Zhou Min had sent him again.

"Chen Dapeng, you asked me before if I had thought it through. I have."

He stared at the words, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Fang Zhiwen thought he was playing it safe, but he didn't know that Zhou Min had already decided to step forward. Tomorrow, everything will be different.

……

Meanwhile, at Zhou Min's residence.

She sat on the edge of the bed, with the brown paper envelope and the silver USB drive spread out in front of her.

These things need to be handed over to He Ying tomorrow.

Once she handed it over, she had no way out.

Fang Zhiwen will find out that she did it, Qian Cheng will find out that she did it, and Fang Mingyuan will find out that she did it.

She would be seen as a traitor by the Fang family, ostracized by their connections in officialdom, and regarded as an oddity by those who had once eaten and drunk with her.

She might not be able to stay in Qingshun County, or she might not be able to stay within the system.

But what if I don't pay?

The audit team has already found the cement.

Next, they will find the steel bars, the contracts, and every discrepancy in the accounts.

Even if she doesn't hand it over, the audit team will find out sooner or later.

At that point, she would no longer be "voluntarily confessing," but rather "passively being investigated."

Voluntary confession is treated leniently, while passively confessed is treated severely.

She understood this principle better than anyone else.

Zhou Min picked up the envelope and USB drive, put them in her bag, zipped it up, and placed the bag next to her pillow.

She lay in bed and turned off the light.

In the darkness, she stared at the ceiling, a single thought swirling in her mind—what should she say to He Ying when she sees her tomorrow?

Did he simply hand the materials to her and say, "County Chief He, these are all documents I handled; Fang Zhiwen's issues are all in here"?

Let's hear what He Ying has to say first, see what promises she can make, and then decide whether to hand it over or not.