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

The day after the audit team left Liuhe Town, Fang Zhiwen received news of the provincial discipline inspection commission's attention.

It was Zheng Hai who told him.

On the phone, Zheng Hai's voice was very low, filled with a tension Fang Zhiwen had never heard before—

"Secretary Fang, I heard that the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection is paying attention to the audit of Qingshun County. The news came from the province, so it should be reliable."

Fang Zhiwen held his phone, sitting behind his desk, and remained silent for a long time.

Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

It's not the county discipline inspection commission, nor the municipal discipline inspection commission, it's the provincial discipline inspection commission.

He hung up the phone, placed it on the table, and looked deathly pale.

He knew better than anyone what the provincial discipline inspection commission's attention meant.

long silence.

He opened the drawer and took out the notebook from the very back.

He has finished writing his statement.

He wrote down everything he had done in Liuhe Town over the years, from beginning to end.

The whereabouts of the 1160 million yuan special fund, the related-party transactions of Hongda Commerce and Trade, Fang Zhiqiang's 17.5 mu land acquisition, and the fake contracts and fake acceptance reports handled by Qian Cheng—

Each entry includes the time, place, participants, and details of the process, written in great detail.

He looked at the last passage written there—

"The above are the main violations of rules and regulations I committed during my tenure in Liuhe Town. I am willing to accept any disciplinary action taken by the organization."

He stared at those words for a long time.

These were the words he had rehearsed countless times in his mind.

It's not that I want to shirk responsibility, but that I want to leave myself some dignity at the end.

He didn't want to be led out of the town government building like a stray dog ​​when the disciplinary committee took him away.

He wanted to walk in himself, into the gates of the county discipline inspection commission, hand over the materials, and say, "I'm here to confess my problems."

This was his last vestige of dignity.

Fang Zhiwen closed his notebook, stood up, and walked to the window.

He picked up his phone and found Fang Mingyuan's number.

My finger hovered above the screen, hesitated for a long time, and then pressed the call button.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Zhiwen".

"Brother, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection is paying attention to this matter."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"I know."

"Brother, I'm planning to turn myself in..."

"What did you say?"

Fang Mingyuan's voice rose a few decibels.

"I told them that I planned to turn myself in to the county discipline inspection commission. I've already written the statement. I've clearly written down everything I did in Liuhe Town over the past ten years."

"Zhiwen, are you crazy?"

"I'm not crazy. Brother, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection is paying attention. You think they're just going to sit idly by?"

Once they take notice, the next step is to inquire about it;

Once someone asks about it, the next step is intervention;

Once the authorities intervene, the next step is to file a case.

At that point, it won't be a question of whether I go or not, but rather when the disciplinary committee will arrive.

Fang Mingyuan fell silent; of course he understood what these words meant.

"Brother, I'm going to turn myself in and take all the blame. You stay out there and take good care of the Fang family."

"Zhiwen—"

"Brother, listen to me."

Fang Zhiwen's voice sounded somewhat hoarse.

"Qian Cheng's matter, Liu Jun's matter, Wang Lei's matter, Zhou Min's matter, they are all related to me. You are just the county leader in charge, at most you will bear leadership responsibility. If I take all the blame, you will be fine."

On the other end of the phone, Fang Mingyuan's breathing became rapid.

"Zhiwen, you can't handle this."

Fang Zhiwen was stunned for a moment.

"What?"

I told you you couldn't handle it.

Fang Mingyuan's voice turned somber.

"That 1160 million, and that 300 million in special funds from the province, were intercepted by Du Jianguo at my request. You think you can get away with it just because you took the blame?"

Du Jianguo will confess, Zhou Min will confess, and Qian Cheng will confess.

You can bear your own burdens, but you can't bear other people's.

Fang Zhiwen's fingers tightened slightly.

"Brother, what do you suggest we do?"

"I told you, stay calm."

"How long will this 'stability' last? Until the disciplinary committee comes knocking on our door?"

Fang Mingyuan remained silent.

Fang Zhiwen waited a few seconds, then asked another question:

"Brother, tell me the truth. Is there any way to get there in the provincial capital?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

Fang Zhiwen could hear Fang Mingyuan's breathing, rapid and suppressed, as if he was trying to control his emotions.

He had never seen Fang Mingyuan like this before.

No matter what happens, his voice never falters.

But today, his breathing betrayed him.

"Let me think of another way."

Fang Mingyuan finally spoke, his voice very low.

"What method?"

"I'll go to the provincial capital again."

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

"Go find Old Nie?"

"Um."

"Didn't Lao Nie already cut it off?"

Fang Mingyuan's voice carried a hint of coldness.

"Completely severing ties isn't that easy. He has things in my possession, and I have things in his. If it comes to the last resort, we might as well go down together and both of us will perish."

Fang Zhiwen remained silent for a moment.

"Brother, what are you planning to do about the people behind Lao Nie?"

"What? What should we do?"

"The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection is paying attention, not because of Lao Nie, but because He Ying has powerful backers. Can the people behind Lao Nie control the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection?"

Fang Mingyuan fell silent.

Fang Zhiwen knew that Fang Mingyuan couldn't answer this question.

Because in the provincial capital, there is no one who can keep the provincial discipline inspection commission in check.

The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection is an institution under the leadership of the Provincial Party Committee and is not subject to the influence of any individual.

No matter how high the rank of the person behind Lao Nie, they cannot directly order the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

He can only delay or postpone things for a while, but not for long.

"Zhiwen".

Fang Mingyuan's voice returned to calm.

"Listen to me."

Fang Zhiwen remained silent.

"First, don't hand over the materials you have. No matter who asks you, no matter what happens, don't hand them over."

"Secondly, during the two days I'm away, you don't need to do anything. Just work normally, come and go as usual, and don't let anyone notice anything unusual about you."

"Third—" Fang Mingyuan paused for a moment, "If I don't succeed in negotiating in the provincial capital this time, you can leave."

Fang Zhiwen was stunned for a moment.

"Go? Where to?"

"Anywhere is fine. Leave Qingshun County, go somewhere no one knows you."

Fang Zhiwen remained silent for a long time.

"Brother, you want me to run away?"

"It's not running away. It's just temporarily leaving to avoid trouble. You can come back after I've sorted things out here."

Fang Zhiwen was taken aback; he knew what Fang Mingyuan meant.

"Let me sort things out on my end." But what if I can't?

What if Fang Mingyuan himself gets arrested?

Will he be able to come back?

"Brother, I'm not leaving."

"Zhiwen—"

"I'm not leaving."

Fang Zhiwen's voice was firm.

"If I leave, it's tantamount to admitting defeat. If I stay, there might still be a chance. But if I leave, there's no turning back."

Fang Mingyuan fell silent.

"Brother, you go to the provincial capital. I'll handle things."

Are you sure?

"Sure."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then the call ended.

Fang Zhiwen walked back to his desk, sat down, opened a drawer, took out the notebook, and opened it.

He read the last paragraph again—

"The above are the main violations of rules and regulations I committed during my tenure in Liuhe Town. I am willing to accept any disciplinary action taken by the organization."

Fang Zhiwen stared at this passage for a long time.

He closed the notebook and locked it in the drawer.

Then, he picked up the cigarette case on the table, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

A thought kept running through my mind—

Fang Mingyuan said, "You can't handle it."

He said, "I'm not leaving."

If we don't leave, what will happen next?

It was the disciplinary committee, the detention notice, and those cold handcuffs.

He didn't know when that day would come.

At this moment, his entire fate rested on his cousin's shoulders...