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

In the afternoon, at the county public security bureau.

Zhao Gang sat behind his desk with a piece of paper spread out in front of him—information about Liu Jun and Wang Lei.

He read it several times, memorizing every single word.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The person who pushed open the door was his partner—his deputy, Ma Jun, who was in his early thirties and the youngest deputy captain in the criminal investigation team.

He wasn't tall, but he was very sturdy, with a round face. He looked kind and gentle, but when it came to solving cases, he was ruthless.

"Team Leader Zhao, what's the mission?"

Zhao Gang handed him the paper.

"These two men are from Liuhe Town. Fang Zhiwen ordered them to beat people, specifically members of the audit team."

Ma Jun took the paper and glanced at it.

"Liu Jun, Wang Lei..."

He read the two names aloud.

"I think I've heard of him. He's a thug from Liuhe Town. He had a criminal record at the police station before—fighting, provoking trouble, he was detained for a few days, and then somehow he was released."

"Do you know him?"

"I don't know him. I've heard of him."

Ma Jun returned the paper to Zhao Gang.

"When will you arrest them?"

"As soon as possible. Just a day or two, but before that, there are a few things that need to be arranged."

Zhao Gang leaned back in his chair and gave the instructions:

"First, we can't alert the Liuhe Town Police Station when we make the arrest. We'll go ourselves, without their people."

Ma Jun nodded: "I'll take three teams with me; they're all trustworthy."

"Secondly, after they are arrested, they will be interrogated at the criminal investigation team. They won't go to Liuhe Town or the police station; they will be interrogated right here with us."

"clear."

"Third," Zhao Gang's voice turned serious. "These two might have already gotten wind of the operation and may be hiding. Finding them won't be easy, and arresting them after finding them will be even more difficult. If we encounter resistance during the arrest—"

"Follow the procedures."

Ma Jun took over the conversation.

"No." Zhao Gang shook his head. "It's not about following procedure, it's about bringing the person back. No matter what method we use."

Ma Jun looked at him, remained silent for a second, and then nodded.

"understood."

Zhao Gang stood up and walked to the map on the wall.

The map is a full map of Qingshun County. Liuhe Town is located southeast of the county seat, about 20 kilometers away.

He pointed to the location of Liuhe Town with his finger.

"Liu Jun lives in the old street of Liuhe Town, and Wang Lei lives in the new street of Liuhe Town. They don't live far apart, about a ten-minute walk. If they live together, we'll take them all down; if they don't live together, we'll arrest them separately."

"I'll lead the men to arrest Liu Jun. You lead the men to arrest Wang Lei."

"OK."

"The operation time depends on news from Director Su. She said it's safe to make the arrests, and we can leave at any time."

Ma Jun made a note in his notebook.

"Captain Zhao, what should we pay attention to during the interrogation after we've apprehended him?"

Zhao Gang thought about it.

"Interrogate Liu Jun first. He's timid and can't be easily intimidated. Tell him—'Liu Jun, we've investigated your assault case. How much money did Fang Zhiwen give you? Do you want to take the blame yourself or try to atone for your crime through leniency?'"

If he asks, "What will happen to Secretary Fang?", you should say, "Secretary Fang is in dire straits himself and can't take care of you."

If he still doesn't talk, show him the surveillance footage—even though it didn't capture his face, we've found out exactly what he was wearing that day, which route he took, and what time and direction he came from. Let him know we have something.

Where is Wang Lei?

"Wang Lei is bolder and more stubborn. Let him ignore us for a day and let him figure it out himself. Once he's figured it out, he'll tell us. If he still doesn't, have Liu Jun meet with him again. Once Liu Jun speaks up, he'll know he can't hold out any longer and will tell us."

"it is good."

Zhao Gang walked back behind his desk and sat down.

"This case is not simple. It's not just Fang Zhiwen who's being watched; there are people even higher up."

Ma Jun was stunned for a moment.

"You mean Fang..."

Zhao Gang didn't let him finish speaking.

"Just keep this to yourself. Don't tell anyone."

Ma Jun nodded.

"Team Leader Zhao, don't worry. I'm tight-lipped."

……

At four o'clock in the afternoon, in the office of Zhou Mingyuan, the county party secretary.

The door was closed, and the blinds were half-drawn.

Zhou Mingyuan sat behind his desk with a document spread out in front of him, but he wasn't looking at it.

He was waiting for He Ying to arrive.

After He Ying arrived in Qingshun County, she didn't come to see him alone very often.

We've met countless times at the Standing Committee meetings and talked about work together, but this is only the second time someone has proactively scheduled a time to "report on their work" like today.

The first time was on the day I arrived, a courtesy visit;

This is the second time I've come to report on a case.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

He Ying pushed the door open and came in, holding a folder in her hand.

She wore a dark suit jacket today, her hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she wore light makeup, looking very formal—much more formal than she usually is in the office.

Zhou Mingyuan noticed that she was gripping the folder with slightly more force.

This foreshadows that what is about to be said is important.

"Secretary Zhou."

"County Magistrate He, please have a seat."

He Ying sat down opposite him, placed the folder on the table, and did not open it.

She looked into Zhou Mingyuan's eyes, paused for a second, and then spoke.

"Secretary Zhou, I've come today to report on the latest developments in the Liuhe Town case."

Zhou Mingyuan leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped together on the table.

"you say."

He Ying recounted the whole story—Zhou Min confessed that Fang Zhiwen instructed Qian Cheng to arrange for Liu Jun and Wang Lei to beat up Chen Dapeng.

The audit team discovered several problems in Liuhe Town that were related to Fang Zhiwen.

Every time she mentioned something, Zhou Mingyuan frowned.

He had lived in Qingshun County for more than ten years; it was impossible for him to be completely unaware of the problems in Liuhe Town.

Knowing something is one thing, but having someone present you with evidence that forces you to take action is another.

He Ying finished speaking.

The office was silent for a few seconds.

Zhou Mingyuan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

"County Magistrate He, this is a serious matter. We must handle it with care."

He Ying looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"What are your plans regarding Zhou Min's testimony and the materials discovered by the audit team?"

"Hand it over to the Discipline Inspection Commission and follow the procedures."

"Have you communicated with Liu Zhiyuan regarding the disciplinary committee?"

"We've communicated with them. Secretary Liu said that as long as the materials are true, a case can be filed."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded.

"There's one more thing," He Ying said calmly, but every word carried weight. "Zhao Gang from the criminal investigation team is following up on Fang Zhiwen's instigation of the assault. As long as the two assailants are caught and their confessions are obtained, Fang Zhiwen can be criminally detained."

Zhou Mingyuan remained silent for a few seconds.

"County Chief He, are you reporting to me, or informing me?"

He Ying did not avoid his gaze.

"Secretary Zhou, I'm reporting to you. But this matter can't be delayed any longer. The audit team can only stay in Liuhe Town for a few more days. If we wait until the audit team leaves before taking action, Fang Zhiwen will have enough time to destroy evidence and collude with others. If we act now, he won't have time to prepare."

Zhou Mingyuan stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.

"County Chief He, before you came to Qingshun County, a leader from the province spoke to me on the phone."

He Ying was stunned for a moment.

"What?"

He said, "Xiao He is a capable cadre, you should support her more."

Zhou Mingyuan picked up his teacup, took another sip, and put it down.

"I didn't pay much attention at the time, thinking it was just polite talk. Now I know he wasn't just being polite."

He Ying's fingers tightened slightly. Who were the provincial leaders?

Zhou Mingyuan refused to reveal his name, so she couldn't guess it for a moment.

"County Chief He," Zhou Mingyuan said, leaning back in his chair and looking at her. "Go ahead and do what you want to do. But I have one request."

"Please speak."

"Every step must be done according to procedure. Report what needs to be reported, and seek instructions when necessary. Don't let me know what you're doing from other people's mouths."

He Ying felt a slight jolt in her heart—she had said this to Su Wanqing, and Su Wanqing had said it to Zhao Gang.

Now, Zhou Mingyuan told her the same thing.

Same wording, same requirements.

"Secretary Zhou, I know."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded and said nothing more.

The two sat facing each other for a few seconds, as if they were both waiting for the other to speak first, or as if they both felt that they had said everything they needed to say.

He Ying stood up.

"Secretary Zhou, I'll be going now."

"it is good."

She picked up the folder, turned around and took two steps, when she heard Zhou Mingyuan's voice behind her.

"County Magistrate He."

She stopped and turned around.

Zhou Mingyuan sat behind his desk, his face backlit, making it difficult to see his expression, but one could feel his gaze fixed on her, deep and intense.

"You should also be careful."

He Ying looked into his eyes, paused for a second, and her lips twitched slightly—not a smile, but a sense of relief after being understood.

"Thank you, Secretary Zhou."

She turned and left, gently closing the door behind her.