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

The interrogation lasted for nearly three hours.

Qian Cheng's confession was very detailed—how Fang Zhiwen instructed Liu Jun and Wang Lei to beat Chen Dapeng, how he instructed him to forge contracts, supplement acceptance reports, and modify signature dates, and how he arranged for him to embezzle special funds, falsely report project expenses, and misappropriate fiscal funds.

Each entry includes the time, place, participants, and details of the process.

Some details were new to Su Wanqing—for example, the whereabouts of the 1160 million yuan; Qian Cheng provided a complete account of the financial chain:

The money left the "Other Expenditures" account at the Liuhe Town Finance Office, went into Hongda Trading, and then was transferred to two other companies controlled by Zhao Zhiyong. After four transfers, it finally entered Fang Zhiqiang's account in the provincial capital.

Fang Zhiqiang used the money to buy a house, a car, and register a company.

The architect of this financial chain was Fang Zhiwen.

However, to Su Wanqing's slight disappointment, Qian Cheng did not mention Fang Mingyuan.

He said Fang Zhiwen instructed him to do things, but Fang Zhiwen said it was "from above".

Qian Cheng did not ask who "above" was.

Perhaps he knew something, but he didn't ask; he simply did as instructed.

After the interrogation, Su Wanqing prepared to return to the county government to report to He Ying.

Before leaving, Zhao Gang reminded him, "There's one more thing. Qian Cheng's USB drive contains several recorded phone calls. One of them is Fang Zhiwen asking him to arrange for someone to be beaten up. His exact words were—'Find two people to scare that guy surnamed Chen and tell him to stop investigating.' Qian Cheng recorded it."

Su Wanqing's fingers tightened slightly.

If this recording falls into the hands of the Discipline Inspection Commission, Fang Zhiwen will have no room for defense.

"Is the recording on the USB drive?"

"Yes. I've already copied it."

Su Wanqing nodded and returned the transcript to Zhao Gang.

"Once it's all sorted out, deliver it to County Chief He's office."

"it is good."

Su Wanqing turned and left.

……

It was a little after 7 p.m. in He Ying's office.

She sat behind her desk, with Qian Cheng's interrogation record spread out in front of her.

It took a full twenty minutes to turn from the first page to the last.

With each page she turned, her brow furrowed more deeply.

It wasn't because she didn't know these contents—she had already seen most of them in Zhou Min's materials.

It was because Qian Cheng's account was so detailed, down to the destination of every penny, the person in charge of each step, and the motivation and psychological state behind each operation.

Once this transcript reached the hands of the Discipline Inspection Commission, Fang Zhiwen wouldn't even have a chance to speak.

"County Chief He, Qian Cheng also told me something else."

"What is it?"

"Fang Zhiwen asked him to prepare a document, saying it was something 'above' needed. He didn't say who 'above' was, but Qian Cheng guessed it might be Fang Mingyuan. The document contained a list of all the 'inconvenient to process' projects in Liuhe Town over the past five years, totaling more than 20 million yuan."

He Ying's fingers paused for a moment.

Twenty million, more than double the 1160 million previously found.

Where is this document?

"It's in Fang Zhiwen's hands. Qian Cheng said that after he finished organizing it, he handed it over to Fang Zhiwen, who locked it in a safe."

He Ying paused for a moment.

She knew Fang Zhiwen's office; it was on the third floor of the Liuhe Town government building, the one on the east side, with a solid wood door and the most expensive kind of lock.

But even the strongest lock can't stop the disciplinary committee. As long as the procedures are followed, the door will open when it's time.

Su Wanqing stood up: "County Head, shouldn't we report to Secretary Zhou now?"

He Ying glanced at her watch—it was almost eight o'clock.

"Okay. I'll make an appointment with Secretary Zhou."

After saying that, she dialed Zhou Mingyuan's number.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"County Chief He, what brings you here so late?"

"Secretary, I'm sorry to bother you tonight, but I have something urgent to report."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

"Okay, come to my office in half an hour."

He Ying hung up the phone, packed her things, and prepared to go to Zhou Mingyuan's office.

"County Chief He, would you like me to come along?"

"Okay, I'll report to Secretary Zhou in person. You wait for my message at the door."

"it is good."

……

After half an hour.

Zhou Mingyuan's office.

He Ying sat down opposite him, holding a file folder in her hand.

"Secretary Zhou, there's been a major breakthrough in the case in Liuhe Town." He Ying placed a file folder on the table. "This is Qian Cheng's interrogation record. He's confessed to everything."

Zhou Mingyuan glanced at her, reached for the file bag, pulled out the materials inside, and flipped through them page by page.

His expression remained unchanged, but the page-turning speed slowed down, indicating that he was looking at the details.

He Ying didn't urge him, and sat opposite him waiting.

After waiting for nearly ten minutes, Zhou Mingyuan put down the materials and looked at He Ying.

"Fang Zhiwen's problems aren't limited to these, are they?"

"That's not all. Among the materials submitted by Zhou Min, there is also a complete record of the whereabouts of 1160 million yuan in special funds. Qian Cheng's statement also confirms this. Comparing the two, the chain of evidence is complete."

"Anything else?"

"Land expropriation compensation. Fang Zhiqiang's 17.5 mu of land received 140 million yuan in compensation, which is five or six times that of other farmers. The person in charge was Qian Cheng, and the person who signed it was Fang Zhiwen."

Zhou Mingyuan leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a long time.

He wasn't hesitating; he was weighing his options.

"County Chief He, what are you planning to do?"

He Ying had already made up her mind.

"It is recommended that the county discipline inspection commission detain Fang Zhiwen."

Zhou Mingyuan looked at her, his gaze darkening.

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

"Not yet. I wanted to report to you first."

Zhou Mingyuan nodded.

He knew why He Ying had come to him first.

Fang Zhiwen is the Party Secretary of Liuhe Town, a section-level cadre. To detain him, one must first consult with the County Party Secretary.

This is a rule, and also a sign of respect.

"Go find Liu Zhiyuan. He'll handle it according to procedure."

Zhou Mingyuan paused for a moment, and just as He Ying was about to get up, he raised his hand to stop her.

"But not now."

He Ying was stunned for a moment.

"Secretary Zhou?"

"The provincial audit team is still in Liuhe Town. Let them investigate thoroughly. Once all the evidence is verified, then we'll proceed with the trial."

If you take action now, some issues may become unclear once the audit team leaves. Fang Zhiwen has been in Liuhe Town for ten years, and his network covers every department.

If you take action, he will destroy evidence, collude with others to fabricate testimonies, and obstruct the investigation.

The audit team hasn't left yet. Once news of his detention gets out, his subordinates will immediately redo the accounts, rewrite the contracts, and re-sign the acceptance reports. What you'll get in the end will just be a pile of worthless paper.

He Ying remained silent for a moment.

She knew Zhou Mingyuan was right.

"Secretary Zhou, how long will it take?"

"The audit team was originally scheduled to finish this week, but I asked them to extend it for another week. Within that week, you need to secure all the evidence."

The disciplinary committee will take action after the audit report is released.

He Ying thought for a moment and nodded.

"Okay. Then let's wait another week."

Zhou Mingyuan looked at her, his face expressionless.

"County Chief He, you handled the case in Liuhe Town very well."

But you should be prepared – Fang Zhiwen's downfall does not mean Fang Mingyuan will fall as well.

Fang Mingyuan has been operating in the county for over a decade, and his connections are deeply entrenched. Without solid evidence, we can't touch him.

He Ying said, "I know."

Zhou Mingyuan didn't say anything more.

"Go."

He Ying stood up, picked up the file bag on the table, turned around, took two steps, and stopped.

"Secretary Zhou."

Zhou Mingyuan looked at her.

"thank you."

Zhou Mingyuan did not answer, but simply nodded slightly.

He Ying left the office and gently closed the door behind her.

Su Wanqing stood in the corridor waiting for her.

"What did Secretary Zhou say?"

"Wait another week. Once the audit report is released and the evidence is solidified, then we'll take action."

Su Wanqing nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

The two went downstairs and left the county committee.

"Director Su, you can go back now. Tomorrow morning, take Qian Cheng's statement and the audio recordings on the USB drive to Secretary Liu Zhiyuan."

"it is good."

After Su Wanqing left, He Ying took out her phone and found Chen Dapeng's WeChat.

"I just came out of Secretary Zhou's office. He agreed to the disciplinary committee detaining Fang Zhiwen, but it has to wait until the audit team finishes and all the evidence is verified."

Chen Dapeng replied instantly: "How much longer?"

"About a week."

Will Fang Zhiwen run away?

"He can't escape. Zhao Gang has people watching him. As soon as he leaves Liuhe Town, someone will follow him."

Chen Dapeng was silent for a moment, then sent another message: "Sister Ying, will Fang Mingyuan make any moves this week?"

He Ying stared at the line of text.

Will Fang Mingyuan make a move?

He definitely will.

Qian Cheng, Liu Jun, and Wang Lei were arrested and confessed.

Zhou Min has switched sides.

He should already know all this information.

He couldn't just sit and wait to die.

"It's possible. But no matter what he does, it won't change the outcome."

After sending the message, she opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.

The car slowly drove out of the county government compound and merged into the traffic on the main road.

The streetlights shone through the car window, sweeping across her face in streaks.

She thought to herself: Fang Zhiwen is probably waiting for news from Qian Cheng, or thinking about what to do next, or maybe he's on the phone with Fang Mingyuan.

He was unaware that he was being targeted.

A week later, the audit report will be released, and the county discipline inspection commission will appear before him.

By then, all his struggles will be in vain.

The car turned into the residential area and stopped.

He Ying got out of the car, locked the door, and went into the building.

I went upstairs, opened the door, changed my shoes, walked to the sofa, and sat down.

The living room was quiet.

She leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.

Qian Cheng spoke up, and Fang Zhiwen couldn't escape anymore, while Fang Mingyuan was still making a last-ditch effort...

After Fang Mingyuan's matter is settled.

It's time to tell Chen Dapeng some things.

She picked up her phone, scrolled to Chen Dapeng's WeChat, and wanted to send him a message asking, "Are you asleep?"

But the finger didn't touch it.

Asking him if he's asleep—what kind of question is that?

Like a couple expressing their love?

……

at the same time.

Chen Dapeng was lying in bed, texting Lin Chen.

"The case has made significant progress. Fang Zhiwen's evidence has been basically verified. We're just waiting for the audit to be completed before we can take action."

Lin Chen quickly replied, "Yes, I also have some important news."

Chen Dapeng sat up abruptly.

"What big news?"

"I found out about Lao Nie's information, or more precisely, his network of connections."

Chen Dapeng was taken aback: "Old Nie is Fang Mingyuan's biggest asset in the provincial capital. Does Old Nie have connections behind him?"

"Hmm. Think about it, someone like Lao Nie, with such good connections in the provincial capital, who can get things done in crucial moments, must have a powerful backer."

Chen Dapeng's heart sank:

There are even bigger connections behind Lao Nie, which means that Fang Ming is far more complex than he appears.

If we want to win over Fang Mingyuan, it will probably take a lot of effort...

This news must be told to He Ying immediately.

"I understand. Let me know immediately if there's any new information."

"Of course, but I'd like to ask, how's your relationship with that beautiful county magistrate going? You're working so hard for her. Don't try to fool me by saying you're just on the side of justice!"

Chen Dapeng's lips curled up slightly.

"Lin Chen, now is not the time. I will tell you when the time is right."

"Chen Da Niao! You're not being fair!"