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

After meeting with Fang Mingyuan, Lao Nie did not go straight back to the company, but instead drove along the riverside road.

"Qian Cheng has been arrested and has confessed to his crimes."

"The case in Liuhe Town is about to be investigated."

"If something happens, don't bite anyone indiscriminately. If you bite me and I bite you, we'll both die. If you don't bite me and I don't bite you, there might be a chance to survive."

Although they formed a defensive alliance, you can't judge a book by its cover.

He couldn't guarantee that Fang Mingyuan wouldn't betray him.

After thinking for a long time, he stopped his car in a quiet place, took out his phone, and found a number that he hadn't saved in his contacts.

He remembered that number for ten years but never saved it in his phone.

He pressed the call button.

beep - beep - beep -

The phone rang for the fourth time before it was answered.

"Who is it?"

His voice was deep, carrying a habitual, authoritative calmness.

"Old Gu, it's me."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

That silence wasn't because they hadn't heard clearly, but because they were confirming whether they should answer the call, whether what the other person had to say was worth listening to, and whether this call would become leverage against them in the future.

Old Nie waited for five seconds, ten seconds, fifteen seconds.

His palms started to sweat, and the phone screen became slippery.

"What happened?"

Old Gu finally spoke.

The tone remained unchanged, still unhurried, as if asking a very ordinary question.

Old Nie took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound calm.

"Old Gu, something's happened in Qingshun County. The provincial audit team has uncovered the case in Liuhe Town. Fang Mingyuan's men have been arrested and confessed. Fang Mingyuan came to see me today—"

Before he could finish speaking, Old Gu interrupted him.

Where are you now?

"Provincial capital, Riverside Road."

"The usual place. Eight o'clock tonight."

The phone hangs up.

Old Nie took the phone away from his ear and looked at the screen; the call lasted for forty-seven seconds.

In those forty-seven seconds, he revealed his trump card that he had kept for ten years.

"Old Place" is located in a residential area on the east side of the provincial capital. It's not a club or a teahouse, but the top floor of an ordinary residential building.

From the outside, it looks no different from the surrounding houses, with gray exterior walls, old windows, and clothes hanging on the balcony; it looks like an ordinary family home.

But the interior decoration is not something ordinary people can see.

Old Nie first came five years ago.

By then, Lao Gu had risen from the director of the National Development and Reform Commission to a more important position in the province, becoming a true "big shot".

Old Gu never saw him in the office, nor did he ever have any contact with him in public.

Every time they met, it was on the top floor of this ordinary residential building.

It was just Old Gu and him.

When Lao Nie arrived, it was 7:40.

It was twenty minutes earlier than the agreed time.

He parked his car, lit a cigarette downstairs to calm himself down, then stubbed it out, threw it in the trash can, and went back inside.

When the elevator reached the top floor, he walked to the door and knocked a few times.

Not too heavy, not too light, the rhythm was what he and Lao Gu agreed on—two short, one long, then one short again.

The door opened.

Old Gu stood at the door, glanced at Old Nie, said nothing, and turned to walk back into the house.

Old Nie followed him inside and closed the door.

The sofa was covered with dark cushions, and a pot of freshly brewed tea sat on the coffee table, the tea liquor golden and steaming.

Old Gu sat down on the sofa, picked up his teacup, blew on it, and took a sip.

Old Nie sat down opposite him without drinking tea.

"Speak."

Old Gu put down his teacup, leaned back on the sofa, and looked at him.

Old Nie recounted everything Fang Mingyuan had said in detail—the provincial audit team had uncovered problems in Liuhe Town, Qian Cheng had been arrested, Fang Zhiwen might not be able to hold on any longer, and Fang Mingyuan had records of the projects he had handled.

Old Gu's expression didn't change, but Old Nie noticed that his hands were on his knees, and his fingers were tapping lightly.

"Does Fang Mingyuan have anything of yours?"

"Yes. He has records of several projects I handled, and if something happens to him, it's enough to implicate me."

Old Gu knew very well that if Old Nie got involved, he might also be affected.

He was silent for a moment, then picked up his teacup and took another sip.

"Old Nie, I've told you many times—be careful in everything you do."

Old Nie lowered his head, not daring to respond.

"When you were working on those projects in the Qingshun County Economic Development Zone, I told you not to get involved with Fang Mingyuan. Now that things have gotten into trouble, you've come to me."

Old Nie was also helpless. It wasn't that he wanted to be tied to Fang Mingyuan, but that Fang Mingyuan wanted to rely on him as a backer and had even prepared a backup plan.

"Fang Mingyuan has things in your possession, and you have things in Fang Mingyuan's possession. You're locked in a bitter struggle, and neither of you can escape."

"I know. But he has something else in his possession—"

Old Nie raised his head and looked at Old Gu.

"Does he know about me?"

"He didn't say it explicitly. But from what I heard, he probably knew something."

Old Gu fell silent.

Old Nie knew that Old Gu was doing some calculations—how much did Fang Mingyuan know?

Is what Fang Mingyuan has enough to drag him into this?

If there's enough, how do we shut Fang Mingyuan up?

If that's not enough, how can we shut Fang Mingyuan up?

Finally, Old Gu spoke up.

"Old Nie."

"Um."

"After you go back, do a few things."

Old Nie sat up straight and listened attentively.

"First, organize everything you have that is related to Fang Mingyuan. Don't destroy it; store it in a safe place."

Old Nie was stunned for a moment—it wasn't destroyed, it was preserved.

This is to leave himself a way out; his way out might also be Old Gu's way out.

"Secondly, don't contact Fang Mingyuan for now. If he contacts you, just say 'the higher-ups are trying to figure something out,' and stall him. Stall until the audit team leaves and the heat dies down."

"third--"

Old Gu looked at him, his gaze darkening.

"Have you investigated He Ying's background thoroughly?"

Old Nie shook his head.

"We only found the surname Shen. We can't find out who it is."

Old Gu remained silent for a few seconds.

"The Shen family's influence runs deeper than you or I think. He Ying was able to become the county magistrate at this age not because of her ability, but because she has powerful backers."

"Old Gu, then we—"

"Stop investigating. Continuing will only get you into trouble. What you need to do now isn't investigate He Ying's background. It's about controlling yourself and what you have. He Ying is targeting Fang Mingyuan, not us. As long as Fang Mingyuan doesn't implicate us, this fire won't reach us."

Old Nie's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"What if Fang Mingyuan implicates us?"

Old Gu did not answer.

He picked up his teacup, took another sip, and seemed to be thinking.

"Old Nie, you've been with me for ten years."

"I know."

"I have never mistreated you in these ten years."

"no."

"Now that things have gone wrong, I won't abandon you, but don't expect everything from me. You'll have to deal with your own problems; I'll handle mine. That's the rule."

Old Nie lowered his head; he understood the rules, of course.

"Old Nie."

"Um."

"Have someone keep a close eye on Fang Mingyuan. If he can't hold on, you need to know immediately. It's not about helping him, it's about protecting yourself."

"I see."

Old Nie stood up and turned to leave.

"Old Nie."

He stopped and turned to look at Old Gu.

Old Gu also looked at him, his gaze containing something indescribable—not a warning, not a reminder, but more like a farewell.

"From today onwards, this is the end of our business."

Old Nie's fingers tightened slightly.

"Old Gu—"

"I said, this is the end."

Old Gu picked up his teacup and took another sip.

Old Nie stood there, looking at Old Gu.

The face appeared calm under the light, as calm as a stagnant pool, but he knew that beneath that stagnant pool, there were undercurrents.

He finally nodded, turned and left.

The moment the door closed, he stood in the hallway and took a deep breath.

He walked towards the elevator, took a few steps, stopped, and looked back at the door.

He didn't know if that door would ever open for him again; perhaps it never would.

When Lao Gu said "this is the end," he wasn't just temporarily avoiding the limelight; he was completely severing ties.

He recalled the first time he met Lao Gu ten years ago.

That day, he stood below the National Development and Reform Commission building, looking up at the gray building, and felt that it was very tall, so tall that it made him dizzy.

He clutched the project materials he had revised more than a dozen times, his palms sweating, and mentally rehearsed what he was going to say countless times.

Later, he went upstairs, entered Old Gu's office, and said the words he had rehearsed countless times in his mind.

After listening, Old Gu didn't immediately express his opinion. He remained silent for a long time before saying something that he would remember for ten years—

"I've reviewed your materials. The project is feasible, but there must be rules."

At the time, he thought that Lao Gu was talking about "rules," the rules of the business world—kickbacks, shares, and the transfer of benefits.

Later he realized that the "rules" Old Gu was referring to weren't the rules of the business world, but rather Old Gu's own personal rules.

"You can use my resources, but you can't let me get involved. I don't care if you make money; I won't take responsibility if something happens to you."

For the past ten years, he has lived within these "rules," made a lot of money, built many connections, and undertaken many projects that he never dared to even dream of.

But he was never at ease, because he knew that this "rule" was a double-edged sword.

Old Gu can let him go up, and he can also let him come down.

The elevator arrived at the first floor and the doors opened.

As Lao Nie stepped out of the building, the night wind rushed towards him, carrying a chill that made him shiver.

He walked to the car, opened the door, and got in.

He didn't start the engine immediately, but leaned back in his seat, staring at the sky outside the windshield.

When Lao Gu said "That's the end," his tone was very calm, as if he were talking about something he had already decided long ago.

Perhaps he had wanted to cut ties for a long time, but just hadn't found the right opportunity.

The time has come—the provincial audit team has investigated Liuhe Town, Fang Mingyuan's people have been arrested, Fang Mingyuan has Lao Nie's things, and Lao Nie has Fang Mingyuan's things.

If Fang Mingyuan can't hold on any longer and bites out Lao Nie, will Lao Nie bite out Lao Gu?

Old Gu didn't want to gamble, so he cut his losses.

Old Nie lowered his head and looked at his hands.

These hands, which have signed countless contracts, shaken countless hands, and handed out countless envelopes, are now trembling.

He took out his phone and found Fang Mingyuan's number.

My finger hovered above the screen, hesitating for a long time before finally dialing.

Old Gu said, "Don't contact him for now," and dragged it out until the audit team left and the storm passed.

He put down his phone and started the engine.

The car drove out of the residential area and merged into the traffic on the main road.

He drove around aimlessly for a few minutes, not knowing where he was going.

In the end, he drove home.

I parked the car, sat in it for a while, then got out and went upstairs.

When the door opened, his wife peeked out from the living room.

"You're back? Have you eaten?"

"have eaten."

Actually, he didn't eat, because he couldn't eat.

He changed his shoes, didn't look at his wife, and went straight to the study.

"Old Nie, what's wrong? You look terrible."

"It's nothing. I'm just a little tired."

He went into the study and closed the door.

Leaning against the door, staring at the ceiling.

Old Gu said, "That's the end of it." The four words sounded light, but they carried such a heavy weight that he could hardly breathe.

He walked to the desk, sat down, and opened the drawer.

Inside the innermost part was a file folder containing all the records he had made with Lao Gu over the years—transfer records, project approval documents, each with Lao Gu's signature, or at least proof that Lao Gu was aware of them.

He pulled the top document out of the file bag; it was a project approval document, with Lao Gu's name signed on the last page.

He stared at the signature for a long time, then put it down and pulled out another document—a bank transfer record. The money transferred from the account designated by Lao Gu passed through four companies and finally ended up in his pocket.

Each one is evidence.

Every single one of them was enough to get Old Gu inside.