The pushover offended a top-tier boss

"Then why did you transfer 100,000 yuan to Meng Chen as hush money and compensation? Why would you give money to someone who had a bad breakup with their ex? What was your motive?" the man questioned her sharply.

Ye Zhenzhen calmly said, "I ran into Meng Chen in Beijing. He tearfully told me that his mother was sick and needed money. I felt sorry for him because of our past relationship, so I lent him 100,000 yuan. As for the hush money you mentioned, that's completely unfounded."

"Miss Ye, you're quite the sophistry."

Ye Zhenzhen retorted, "You're also very good at framing people."

"Meng Chen claims it's hush money, but what evidence do you have? Audio or video recordings or written records? Please present them to convince me."

The two choked.

Ye Zhenzhen countered, "No? Then who's lying?"

The man was silent for a moment, then changed direction. "Since you got together with Zhou Huaijin, your financial situation has improved significantly. According to our investigation, you used to live in a rented apartment and only received a meager teacher's salary each month. Now you wear luxury goods, buy designer bags, and live in the most expensive apartment building in Bin City. Do you know that all this money is illegal income he embezzled?"

Ye Zhenzhen recalled what Zhou Huaijin had told her—that all financial transactions involved cards belonging to Yuji CEO Zhou Chenyu.

He specifically emphasized Yu Kee CEO Zhou Chenyu, his purpose being to tell her that all the money was clean and came from Yu Kee's operations.

She took a deep breath, her voice steadying: "Embezzlement? How much tax does his Yuji pay to the country every year? Does he need to embezzle? Or extort 100,000 yuan from officials? You calculate for me, how many 100,000 yuan would he need to extort to buy which house in Bin City? Or how many handbags?"

"Then how do you explain the large sums of money involved in your transactions?"

"It's just a small gift from the Zhou family. My future sister-in-law will give me a few handbags and a house before the wedding. It's that simple."

"Ye Zhenzhen, you're still trying to deny it! This is clearly Zhou Huaijin's ill-gotten gains from keeping his mistress!" The man slammed his hand on the table in frustration.

Ye Zhenzhen sneered and retorted sharply, "Tell me, what is a mistress? We are both unmarried, so who is the mistress? Let me repeat, we used to have a normal romantic relationship, but now we are a legally recognized married couple."

The group of people were stunned, clearly not expecting this. They had actually gotten their marriage certificate?

Looking at their astonished faces, Ye Zhenzhen suddenly felt a little more confident. "Do I need to show you our marriage certificate? Or do you have objections to a legally recognized marriage?"

The two exchanged a glance. After a moment of silence, they changed the subject: "Even if you are now legally married, there is conclusive evidence that Zhou Huaijin abused his power for you and gave you preferential treatment in your work position."

"Abuse of power for personal gain? I was seconded to the secretariat, but I've always been on the school's payroll, and all my salary during this time has been paid by the Education Commission. I neither became a district committee employee nor received double pay. I don't know where the abuse of power is going!"

"After returning to the school, I was appointed as the deputy secretary of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences because I had performed an act of bravery during my secondment and received a third-class merit award. During my tenure, I made contributions to the development of Nanjing County, and a letter of thanks from Nanjing County Magistrate Yang Guanyu was delivered to the school. What does all this have to do with Zhou Huaijin? Or do you think that such work performance is not worthy of a deputy secretary of a department?"

The two men fell silent. They hadn't expected that Ye Zhenzhen, who looked so gentle and weak, would be so calm and unyielding.

I thought I could break her down by coercion and bribery, but I didn't expect her to withstand it all by herself.

"Ye Zhenzhen, were you aware that Zhou Huaijin, along with Zhang Wei and others from the Chamber of Commerce, colluded to subcontract government projects privately and line their own pockets?"

"I've never heard of any of this. It's confidential work; he never discusses it with me. You surely understand the most basic principles of confidentiality, right?"

The interrogation room was silent for about ten seconds. Then the man became a little annoyed: "Ye Zhenzhen, please correct your attitude and cooperate with the organization's investigation."

Ye Zhenzhen raised her head, her gaze sharp, and she refused to back down: "Police badge number 72451, please correct your attitude. From the very beginning, you have been leading and framing my husband. You have the right to question, and I have the right to raise questions."

She stared at her, then deliberately added in a cold voice, "You'd better be confident you can convict me today."

She can naturally apply what she's learned to psychological pressure tactics.

The woman's eyes flickered. Of course, she knew she couldn't be sure Zhou Huaijin would be convicted; she only knew that Ye Zhenzhen's testimony was very important.

But if Zhou Huaijin is exonerated and released, she, the culprit who forced her wife to confess, will certainly not have a good end.

The two investigators looked at each other for a few seconds, then closed the folder and left.

The detention room was silent once again.

Someone brought her food halfway through the journey: a simple bowl of porridge and a small dish of side dishes. Ye Zhenzhen glanced at it but didn't touch it; her stomach felt bloated, and she couldn't eat anything.

Then an older woman came in, with a kinder face, carrying a glass of warm water.

"Comrade Ye Zhenzhen, please take care of your health. The organization is just asking according to regulations, so there's no need to be nervous."

She sat down and started chatting casually, as if they were old friends.

"I've heard that Comrade Ye achieved many outstanding results during his tenure. The organization also knows there are many things you were unaware of, and you are also a victim. Speaking out now is giving you a chance; think of your parents."

Ye Zhenzhen glanced at her but didn't say anything.

She understood; the approach had changed, and a different person had come. A combination of persuasion and pressure was employed, with different tactics used in turn.

"I've already made myself clear. That concludes my statement," she replied with just that one sentence.

After that person left, different people came in.

Instead of interrogating her, they started by chatting with her, making small talk about the scenery of Nan Jing and the shops in her hometown. Then, at some unexpected moment, they would suddenly set a trap. The same questions were asked repeatedly by different people, in a jumbled order and with a reversed timeline, all in an attempt to find a loophole.

Ye Zhenzhen didn't know how much time had passed.

These past few days, her throat has been very sore, her lips are chapped, and she has almost no energy left.

Finally, someone walked in and said, "Ye Zhenzhen, you can leave now."

She was as if she had woken up from a long nightmare, standing there stunned, unsure of how to react.

Zhou Chenyu was waiting at the door. When he saw her come out, he quickly went to greet her and pulled her outside. Once in the car, Zhou Chenyu's voice was urgent: "Zhenzhen, I'm sending someone to take you abroad now. You need to leave immediately."

Ye Zhenzhen didn't react for a moment: "How is he?"

"No news yet." Zhou Chenyu was driving fast, the streetlights outside the window rushing past. "You can't stay in the country anymore; there might be more danger ahead."

"No, I can't leave..." Zhou Huaijin was still unaware of the situation, and she wanted to see him and stay with him.

Zhou Chenyu turned to look at her, his eyes filled with heartache. "Zhenzhen, before he went in, he told me that if anything happened to him, I must send you away. He has his plans, and you staying here will only leave him with a weakness."

"But sister—"

"There's no time to be sad, you have to leave right now." Zhou Chenyu shoved a file folder into her hand. "Inside are your documents and materials, two cards with money on them. There are people waiting for you there; they'll take care of everything. Go quickly."