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

Fang Zhiwen's office in Liuhe Town, 8:00 AM

The last day of the three-day deadline.

He sat behind his desk, with a pile of materials he had been working on for three days straight spread out in front of him—meeting minutes, explanations, supply instructions, and acceptance reports.

Each document was "completed" as required by Team Leader Meng, each document bore his signature, and each document was stamped with the town government's official seal.

But he knew that these things couldn't fool Meng Qingshan.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Secretary Fang, the provincial audit team's car is downstairs."

Fang Zhiwen's fingers tightened slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

"I understand. Please have Team Leader Meng come up to the conference room; I'll be right there."

Wu Xiaoqi, director of the Party and Government Office, nodded and closed the door.

Fang Zhiwen stood up, gathered the pile of materials together, aligned the corners, and put them into a folder.

He picked up the folder, walked to the door, paused, and glanced at the office.

This is the office he has worked in for ten years. He knows every corner of it like the back of his hand: the map on the wall, the calendar on the desk, the potted green ivy on the windowsill.

He didn't know whether the office would still be his after the audit was completed.

When Fang Zhiwen arrived at the meeting room, Team Leader Meng was already seated in the main seat.

He had a notebook open in front of him, and a freshly brewed cup of tea beside him.

Several members of the audit team sat on either side of him, with materials on the table in front of them.

Fang Zhiwen walked over, sat down opposite Team Leader Meng, and placed the folder on the table.

"Team Leader Meng, we have prepared the materials you requested."

Team Leader Meng glanced at him but didn't say anything.

He opened the folder and looked through it page by page.

The meeting room was quiet, with only the sound of papers turning.

Fang Zhiwen sat opposite him, watching Team Leader Meng's expression—his brows were slightly furrowed, his lips were pursed, and his gaze moved slowly across the paper.

When I got to the meeting minutes, I paused, read them twice, and then turned the page. When I got to the situation report, I paused again, picked up the page, looked at it closely, and then put it down.

When he came to the supplier's instructions, he flipped right past them without stopping.

When he came to the acceptance report, he looked at it for a long time, then pulled that page out and put it aside.

Fang Zhiwen's heart started racing.

Team Leader Meng closed the folder, took off his glasses, placed them on the table, and looked at Fang Zhiwen.

"Secretary Fang, the date on your meeting minutes is March 15, 2023. There were nine members of the town leadership team who attended the meeting."

Fang Zhiwen didn't speak; he knew what Team Leader Meng wanted to ask.

"Tell me the truth, did this meeting even take place?"

Fang Zhiwen's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

He said he had driven it, and when Team Leader Meng went to verify it, all nine members of the leadership team knew the truth after asking around.

He said he hadn't driven it, which is an admission of fraud.

"Team Leader Meng, the meeting minutes for this meeting were indeed missing at the time. We filled them in later."

Team Leader Meng stared at him for a few seconds, picked up the meeting minutes, glanced at them again, and put them down.

He picked up his teacup and took a sip, his movements slow, as if he were thinking about something.

"Secretary Fang, I have another question for you."

Fang Zhiwen looked at him.

"Who approved that one-time payment of 300 million?"

Fang Zhiwen's fingers tightened slightly.

"I approved it."

"What about the approval procedures?"

"There were no written procedures. I gave verbal approval and had Qian Cheng handle it."

Fang Zhiwen knew he was walking a tightrope—acknowledging verbal approval was tantamount to admitting to illegal operations.

However, if he denies it, Team Leader Meng has bank records, transfer vouchers, and Qian Cheng's confession, so he can't deny it.

Team Leader Meng wrote a line in his notebook, speaking softly, but Fang Zhiwen heard it clearly: "Verbal approval, no written record."

"Secretary Fang, what about the signature on the acceptance report? Why was it added later?"

Fang Zhiwen knew he couldn't avoid this question.

"We couldn't find the original acceptance report. The audit team wanted to see it, so we made a replacement."

"Can't find it?" Team Leader Meng looked at him. "Secretary Fang, you're saying you can't find a project acceptance report worth 240 million?"

Fang Zhiwen remained silent.

Team Leader Meng closed his notebook and leaned back in his chair.

"Secretary Fang, let me tell you the truth."

Fang Zhiwen's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"Of all the materials you've submitted, only the supply specification is credible. The meeting minutes were added later, the explanation lacks attachments, and the signature on the acceptance report was forged. Do you think you can get away with using these materials to address the issues raised by the audit team?"

Fang Zhiwen's face was expressionless, but his heart was sinking.

Team Leader Meng stood up.

"Secretary Fang, the audit report will be released by next Friday. Before then, you still have the opportunity to proactively explain the issues to the Discipline Inspection Commission."

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

Team Leader Meng didn't look at him again, picked up the notebook on the table, turned around and walked out of the conference room.

The rest of the audit team followed behind, their footsteps fading into the distance down the corridor.

Fang Zhiwen stood there, looking at the open door.

He stood for a long time, then slowly sat down.

The materials on the table were still spread out, those black and white words he had spent three days working on, thinking they could at least get by, were glaringly white under the fluorescent light.

He asked for the supplementary meeting minutes, and Team Leader Meng said, "Did you even hold this meeting?"

He said he couldn't find the acceptance report, so he signed a replacement. Team Leader Meng said, "You said you couldn't find it."

He said the 300 million was approved verbally, and Team Leader Meng wrote down "verbal approval, no written record".

Every explanation became a documented piece of evidence of violation.

Fang Zhiwen gathered the materials together, put them back in the folder, stood up, and walked out of the meeting room.

The corridor was empty; the doors to the other offices were all closed, and no one was coming out or going in.

As he walked past the finance office, the door opened a crack, and he could hear the sound of papers being turned over inside—the audit team was still checking the accounts.

He didn't stop, but walked all the way to the stairwell and went downstairs.

Inside the town government compound, several staff members were moving things.

When they saw him come out, they all lowered their heads and pretended to be busy with their own things.

No one greeted him, no one even glanced at him.

It wasn't like this before—before, when he walked through the compound, everyone would stop and say, "Hello, Secretary Fang."

Nobody dares to talk to him now, not out of disrespect, but out of fear of getting involved.

Fang Zhiwen didn't pay any attention and walked towards the parking lot.

He opened the car door, got in, and closed the door.

Suddenly, the world seemed to quiet down.

He leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed.

He recalled what Team Leader Meng had said last: "You still have the opportunity to proactively explain the problem to the Discipline Inspection Commission."

It's not "can", it's "there's still a chance".

This isn't a suggestion; it's an ultimatum.

He sat in the car without starting the engine.

He placed both hands on the steering wheel and remained motionless.

When the three-day deadline was up, Meng Qingshan left.

He didn't get through it, nor did he give any explanation.

He neither satisfied the audit team nor absolved himself of responsibility.

All the materials he provided were rejected—the meeting minutes were fake, the explanation was fabricated, and the acceptance report was added later.

Meng Qingshan did not accept any of the reports.

Fang Zhiwen opened his eyes and looked out the window.

Several people were walking out of the town government building, chatting and laughing.

He didn't know what they were laughing about; maybe it had nothing to do with him, or maybe they were just talking about what to have for lunch.

But in Fang Zhiwen's view, those smiles seemed to say—look, Fang Zhiwen is finished.

He started the engine, shifted gears, stepped on the gas, and drove out of the parking lot.

Instead of going home, he drove south along the main road of the town.

He walked through the main street of Liuhe Town, through the Economic Development Zone, and through the factories he had built with his own hands.

Ten years ago, this land was farmland; now it is filled with factories and has wide roads.

One after another, enterprises attracted by investment promotion have settled in, and fiscal revenue has doubled again and again.

Liuhe Town became the number one town in the county.

He did all of this.

But the audit team didn't accept these claims, the disciplinary committee didn't accept these claims, and He Ying didn't accept these claims either.

They only recognize those contracts, those acceptance reports, those accounts that don't match, and those materials that have been supplemented again and again but still can't be completed.

Fang Zhiwen parked the car on the side of the road and turned off the engine.

There was a field by the roadside, and an old farmer was squatting in the field pulling up radishes.

The white radish was just pulled from the soil, still covered in mud.

The old farmer looked up at him, didn't recognize him, and lowered his head to continue pulling.

Fang Zhiwen looked at him for a long time.

He recalled that when he first came to Liuhe Town ten years ago, he also squatted in the field chatting with the old farmers.

Back then, he was wearing rubber shoes, his trousers were covered in mud, and he would squat on the edge of the field and chat with the old farmer for an entire afternoon.

"Mayor Fang, do you know anything about farming?"

The old farmer asked him.

"I don't understand, but I know how to sell the radishes you grow."

He did it.

The radishes were sold in the provincial capital and in other provinces.

The radishes from Liuhe Town have become a brand, and their price has tripled.

The old farmers smiled when they saw him, saying, "Secretary Fang is capable."

He can't squat down now.

It's not that my body can't squat down, it's that I'm afraid to squat down.

He was afraid that if he squatted down, the old farmer would say, "Secretary Fang, you're really something!"

These words used to sound pleasant to him.

Now, he feels like he's being pricked...

He started the engine, turned around, and drove back.

It was almost noon when we got back to the town government.

He parked his car and went upstairs.

The corridor was quiet; the audit team had already returned to the county town, and the finance office door was closed.

Fang Zhiwen pushed open the office door, went in, and closed it.

He sat down, opened the drawer, and took out the notebook—his half-written confession.

I opened it and saw the words I had written.

"The following are the main violations of rules and regulations I was involved in during my tenure in Liuhe Town..."

I've written three pages, and I'm still not finished.

He didn't know whether he should continue writing or not. If he did, and handed it in, it would be like turning himself in.

If you don't write it down, you'll be investigated when the audit report comes out.

He picked up his pen and continued writing.

Half an hour later, I finally finished writing.

Then, at the end of the article, he wrote his name—Fang Zhiwen.

The date has fallen again...