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

The day after Fang Mingyuan returned from the provincial capital.

A call came in from an unknown number, a number from the provincial capital.

His heart skipped a beat—was it Lao Nie?

no--

Old Nie wouldn't call him from an unfamiliar number.

He answered the call.

"County Magistrate Fang?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was a man's, very low, with a deliberately calm tone.

Fang Mingyuan did not recognize the voice.

Who are you?

"You don't need to know who I am. Someone asked me to pass on a message to you."

Fang Mingyuan's fingers tightened slightly.

"What did you say?"

"Go inside; the Fang family will take care of you. If you make false accusations, the Fang family will have to figure it out themselves."

Fang Mingyuan was taken aback.

He knew who had sent him that message.

Lao Nie, this isn't a threat, it's a deal.

If you take the blame, I'll protect the Fang family; if you bite, the Fang family will be responsible for it.

Fang Mingyuan remained silent for a long time, and the person on the other end of the phone did not urge him.

"I see."

He hung up the phone and put it on the table.

Old Nie was telling him—don't even think about dragging me down with you.

If you pull me down, your Fang family will suffer the consequences.

Fang Mingyuan leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

Old Nie is right, he doesn't dare to pull.

It wasn't because I was afraid of Lao Nie, but because I was afraid something would happen to the Fang family.

Fang Zhiwen is preparing to turn himself in. Fang Zhiqiang's assets in the provincial capital are also questionable, and there are other hidden matters concerning the Fang family...

If Lao Nie were to lift a finger, the Fang family would truly be finished.

Fang Mingyuan picked up his phone, found Fang Zhiwen's number, and pressed the call button.

The phone rang twice and was answered.

"Zhiwen".

"Brother," Fang Zhiwen's voice was a little hoarse, "How's it going in the provincial capital?"

Fang Mingyuan remained silent for a moment.

"Zhiwen, I'm telling you the truth."

Fang Zhiwen's voice was deep: "Brother, I'm listening."

"Old Nie can't be relied on. He won't help us."

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

"Brother, then I—"

"Don't speak yet," Fang Mingyuan interrupted him. "Listen to me."

"Um."

"Old Nie sent someone to tell me. He said—if I go in, he'll take care of the Fang family; if I make baseless accusations, the Fang family can figure it out themselves."

Fang Zhiwen fell silent.

He understood what those words meant.

"Brother, then I'd better turn myself in."

Fang Mingyuan's fingers tightened slightly.

"What did you say?"

I said, I'm going to turn myself in.

Fang Zhiwen's voice was very calm, so calm that it didn't sound like he was talking about something that concerned his own fate.

"I turned myself in and took all the blame. If the higher-ups want to investigate, they'll investigate me. You're the supervisor in charge, so at most you'll only bear leadership responsibility. The Fang family won't be affected too much."

Fang Mingyuan remained silent for a long time.

"Zhiwen, do you know what you're saying?"

"I know."

"Once you leave, you'll never come back."

"I know."

Fang Mingyuan held his phone, his fingers trembling.

When Fang Zhiwen said, "I'm going to turn myself in," his tone was as calm as if he were saying, "I'm going to eat in the cafeteria."

This is not courage, it's despair.

When a person is in utter despair, they will no longer be afraid.

"Brother, listen to me."

Fang Zhiwen's voice carried an unprecedented calmness.

"I worked in Liuhe Town for ten years, taking what I was entitled to and embezzling what I could. I knew this day would come sooner or later. Rather than waiting for the Discipline Inspection Commission to come knocking on my door, I might as well go in myself. I'll confess proactively and try to get a lighter sentence. Maybe I can still save something."

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

"Zhiwen—"

"Brother, you don't need to try to persuade me anymore. I've made up my mind. I'm going to turn myself in. Take care of yourself. The Fang family is counting on you."

Fang Mingyuan closed his eyes.

He recalled how Fang Zhiwen used to follow behind him when he was a child, calling him "brother".

They were brothers back then.

Now, his brother is going to jail in his place.

"It's not the final step yet."

Fang Mingyuan opened his eyes, his voice returning to calm.

"elder brother--"

"I told you, it's not the final step yet. Just wait a little longer."

Fang Zhiwen fell silent.

"Give me a few more days. If things don't improve within these few days, I won't stop you from doing whatever you want."

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

"Okay. I'll wait a few more days."

Fang Mingyuan hung up the phone and placed it on the table.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

Fang Zhiwen is going to turn himself in; Lao Nie can't be relied on anymore; there's no way out in the provincial capital.

He was all alone.

Fang Mingyuan sat up straight, picked up the landline on the table, and dialed a number.

"Zheng Hai, come to my office."

Less than five minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Zheng Hai pushed open the door and came in, holding a notebook in his hand.

He didn't look well; he had deep bags under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well for several days.

Fang Mingyuan knew that Zheng Hai was also worried—he had followed him for so many years, and if something happened to him, he wouldn't be able to escape either.

"County Chief Fang, you wanted to see me?"

"sit."

Zheng Hai sat down opposite him and placed his notebook on the table.

Fang Mingyuan didn't beat around the bush.

"Could you help me deal with those two houses in the provincial capital?"

Zheng Hai was stunned for a moment.

"What should we do?"

"Transfer of ownership. Transfer the ownership to someone else's name."

Zheng Hai's fingers tightened slightly.

"To whose name should the property be transferred?"

"I don't care," Fang Mingyuan said calmly. "As long as it's not under my name."

Zheng Hai remained silent for a moment.

He had been following Fang Mingyuan for five years and knew the origin of those two houses—they weren't bought by Fang Mingyuan himself, but were "gifted" by someone else.

It's called a gift, but it's actually a transfer of benefits.

The property certificate is in the name of Fang Mingyuan's wife, but the actual controller is Fang Mingyuan.

Fang Mingyuan's decision to transfer ownership of these properties indicates that he has prepared for the worst.

"County Chief Fang, what are you trying to do—"

"I told you, I just want to get things organized. Just do as I say."

Zheng Hai lowered his head and remained silent for a few seconds.

"County Chief Fang, are you trying to run away?"

Fang Mingyuan stared at him for a few seconds.

"no."

"Then why—"

"Zheng Hai," Fang Mingyuan's voice deepened, "you've been with me for five years. In these five years, have I ever mistreated you?"

"no."

"Then don't ask why. Just do it."

Zheng Hai remained silent for a long time before finally nodding.

"Okay. I'll take care of it right away."

Fang Mingyuan watched Zheng Hai's retreating figure, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welling up inside him.

Zheng Hai asked, "Are you going to run away?" He replied, "No."

But he wasn't sure if he was telling the truth.

Perhaps he is indeed preparing to run, but hasn't made up his mind yet.

Perhaps he just wanted to arrange things in a way that would prevent him from panicking if he needed to leave someday.

Zheng Hai walked out of the county government building, opened the car door, and sat in the driver's seat for a long time.

Fang Mingyuan asked him to handle the two houses in the provincial capital, not just a simple "transfer of ownership," but a transfer of assets.

He was helping Fang Mingyuan transfer the stolen goods.

He knew what that meant, but he didn't refuse.

It's not that I'm afraid, it's that I have no choice.

He had followed Fang Mingyuan for five years, and the two were now bound together by shared interests.

Zheng Hai started the engine and drove out of the parking lot.

……

The next morning, Zheng Hai went to the provincial capital and found a real estate agency.

He pushed open the door and went in. The boss was a man in his forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and looked shrewd.

"Hello, I would like to transfer ownership of two properties."

The shop owner glanced at him: "Where are the properties?"

"Downtown location. One unit is 120 square meters, and the other is 90 square meters."

The boss's eyes lit up.

The combined market value of these two houses exceeds five million.

"To whose name should the property be transferred?"

"Find me two reliable people."

The boss paused for a moment, then lowered his voice: "Brother, what's going on here—"

"You don't need to worry about it," Zheng Hai interrupted him. "Just do your job. All the paperwork is in order, and you'll get every penny you're owed."

The boss stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Okay. I'll help you find one. But the agency fee—"

"Follow the rules."

Zheng Hai took two property ownership certificates out of his bag and placed them on the table.

This was given to him by Fang Mingyuan, who told him to "get rid of it".

His hands were trembling when he received the property certificate.

Fang Mingyuan didn't look at him, but simply said, "Go."

The boss picked up the property certificate, flipped through it, and made a few notes in his notebook.

"Come pick up the paperwork in three days."

"it is good."

Zheng Hai stood up, turned around, and left.

As he walked out of the agency, he stood at the door and took a deep breath.

He served as Fang Mingyuan's secretary for five years, handling countless matters for him.

But this time, he knew he had crossed the line.

It's not just crossing the line, it's going over the line.

Those two houses were not Fang Mingyuan's legitimate income. By helping Fang Mingyuan transfer the ownership, he was essentially helping Fang Mingyuan transfer stolen goods.

If the disciplinary committee finds out, he won't be able to escape.

But he had no other choice.

Zheng Hai got on the bus but didn't rush back to Qingshun County.

He circled the provincial capital several times, his mind preoccupied with one thing—Fang Mingyuan asked him, "Are you going to run away?" He replied, "No."

But Fang Mingyuan was preparing to run.

Transferring property ownership and assets is standard procedure before absconding.

He had looked it up online—before fleeing, corrupt officials would first transfer their assets abroad, then take their passports, buy a plane ticket, and fly to a country without an extradition treaty.

Fang Mingyuan won't run away, he told himself. Fang Mingyuan has been operating in Qingshun County for so many years, he won't be willing to leave.

But another voice is asking – if he's not going to run away, why transfer the house?

Zheng Hai parked his car on the side of the road, picked up his phone, and found Fang Mingyuan's number.

He wanted to call, but after thinking about it, he didn't dial.

He was just a secretary; he did whatever Fang Mingyuan told him to do.

Zheng Hai put down his phone and drove onto the highway back to Qingshun County.

……

Three days later, the transfer of ownership was completed.

The two houses were transferred to two unrelated people—one was a migrant worker in the provincial capital, and the other was a retired old lady.

Zheng Hai didn't recognize them, nor did he know where the boss had found them.

All he knew was that, starting today, Fang Mingyuan would have two fewer houses under his name.

The money was transferred to a temporary account.

Following Fang Mingyuan's instructions, Zheng Hai transferred the money several times, from one account to another, and from another account to a third account.

After four transfers, the money arrived in an overseas account.

Zheng Hai's hands were trembling as he did these things.

He didn't ask Fang Mingyuan whose overseas account it was, nor did he ask where the money ultimately went.

Fang Mingyuan was reviewing documents in his office when he received Zheng Hai's message.

His phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw a message from Zheng Hai: "County Chief Fang, the house matter is settled. The money has been transferred to the account you designated."

Fang Mingyuan stared at the line of text for a few seconds, then deleted it.

He stood up, walked to the filing cabinet, opened the cabinet door, and took out a file folder from the innermost part.

Inside was his passport and several documents related to overseas bank accounts.

His passport still had several years of validity remaining, but he had hardly ever used it.

These overseas bank account details were obtained by Zheng Hai a few years ago.

He said at the time, "Just in case," and Zheng Hai didn't ask any further questions.

Now, the "unexpected need" has arrived.

Fang Mingyuan opened his passport and looked at the photo on it.

That was taken five years ago.

At that time, he was a spirited and ambitious executive deputy county head.

He felt he could still rise in rank, perhaps even become a county magistrate, or maybe even move to the city.

Now, he is looking at his passport, wondering when he might need it.

Fang Mingyuan put the passport back into the file folder and locked it in the safe.

He walked back to his desk, sat down, picked up his phone, and found Fang Zhiwen's number.

Fang Mingyuan stared at the two characters "Zhiwen" on the screen for a long time.

He wanted to tell Fang Zhiwen that the house had been taken care of and the money had been transferred, so that if things really didn't work out in the end, he would still have another option.

But after thinking about it, he didn't make the call.

What good would it do to tell Fang Zhiwen?

Fang Mingyuan put down his phone, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the ceiling.

He checked the flight information online—there are daily flights from the provincial capital to foreign countries, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening.

The flight to a country without an extradition treaty takes more than ten hours.

He didn't know if he would ever need this information.

Perhaps Fang Zhiwen turned himself in, and the Discipline Inspection Commission came looking for him, so he won't need him anymore.

Perhaps he will board that plane before the Discipline Inspection Commission arrives, fly to a place where no one knows him, and start a different life.

Fang Mingyuan closed his eyes.

He didn't know what his future held, only that he had reached the edge of a cliff.

One step forward is an abyss, and one step back is also an abyss.