Me! A high-ranking official!

Zhou Qingyan's eyes welled with tears as she glared angrily, her voice ringing out: "Since I am healthy, then I want to ask the comrades of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection: where did this inexplicable error in the positive report issued by the city hospital come from?! Was it a machine malfunction, or was someone deliberately forging it to frame me?!"

Faced with Zhou Qingyan's sudden outburst, Chen Yongjun frowned and said in a deep voice, "Secretary Zhou, please calm down. It might be a problem with the machine calibration, or the specimen might have been contaminated during preservation. We are still investigating the specific cause..."

"Investigate? By the time you've investigated, I, Zhou Qingyan, will be a dead man in Linshui County!" Zhou Qingyan interrupted him sharply, his tone undisguisedly sharp: "I've only been in office for less than three days! I haven't even settled in yet, and this shocking scandal has already surfaced! What about my reputation? What about public support?!"

She took a deep breath, her words piercingly scathing: "Your Discipline Inspection Commission took me away from the county hospital in such a high-profile manner, causing so many cadres and ordinary people to misunderstand me! How am I supposed to maintain my standing in Linshui County after this? How am I supposed to lead the county committee in carrying out our work?!"

"Director Chen, Secretary Zheng! As a cadre who has received years of Party education, I strongly suspect that this matter is a premeditated political frame-up! Someone is deliberately using this as an excuse to completely discredit me and drive me out of Linshui! And your Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, even if your initial intentions are good, in objective reality, your hasty actions have already made you an accomplice to those political thugs!"

That hat is too heavy!

Chen Yongjun and Zheng Haiyang's expressions changed simultaneously. Before they arrived, they had prepared themselves for Zhou Qingyan to lose her temper. After all, anyone would be furious after being wronged so much. But they never expected Zhou Qingyan's counterattack to be so sharp, directly escalating the issue to the level of "political conspiracy" and "disciplinary violations," leaving them completely defenseless.

Zheng Haiyang gave a wry smile and softened his tone: "Secretary Zhou, this is something our Discipline Inspection Commission didn't want to see happen, but the Discipline Inspection Commission has its own rules for handling cases. Public opinion has escalated so quickly, and the higher-ups are also paying close attention. We must take action as soon as possible. I hope you can understand the organization's difficulties."

"If you want to investigate, you have countless ways to verify things covertly!" Zhou Qingyan retorted angrily, completely unconvinced. "But you chose the most direct and disastrous one! Taking me away—what does that look like to outsiders? It's not just a sign of extreme distrust of me personally, but it's also like giving those rumors an official stamp of verification! You're not quelling the rumors; you're fueling them!"

Faced with Zhou Qingyan's barrage of questions, Zheng Haiyang sighed, knowing that the Discipline Inspection Commission was indeed in the wrong at this point, and that the connections and background of the other party were not to be underestimated.

"Secretary Zhou, on behalf of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, I sincerely apologize for the reputational damage and psychological stress this investigation has caused you." Zheng Haiyang said solemnly, "Since you've already suffered this injustice, you can directly raise any reasonable demands you may have. Within our authority, the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection will do its utmost to cooperate with you in resolving them!"

Zhou Qingyan had been waiting for these words! The extreme political pressure was all for this moment's exchange of interests!

She suppressed her anger, a shrewd glint in her eyes, and without hesitation, held up three fingers, saying coldly, "Fine! Since Secretary Zheng has spoken, I have three demands!"

"First! The Linshui County Party Committee bears undeniable responsibility for this malicious rumor-mongering incident! When the public opinion stormed, the propaganda department and the internet monitoring department did nothing, allowing the rumors to spread exponentially! The Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection must issue a notice and hold the leaders of the relevant departments in Linshui County accountable for their dereliction of duty!"

Zheng Haiyang's eyelids twitched. This was a really ruthless move. They were using the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection as a tool to purge those disobedient forces in Linshui County.

"Second! Immediately cooperate with the public security organs to severely punish the whistleblower! Start the investigation from the county hospital—who leaked my medical report? Who was behind it all? We must get to the bottom of this, bring them to justice, and show absolutely no leniency!"

"Third! Since the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection took me away in such a high-profile manner, I now demand that they coordinate with authoritative municipal and even provincial media outlets to issue an official statement to seriously clarify the facts and restore my reputation!"

After speaking, Zhou Qingyan leaned back in his chair and looked coldly at the two of them.

These three conditions are all reasonable, but their implementation will inevitably trigger a significant political upheaval in Linshui County and even the entire city.

Zheng Haiyang and Chen Yongjun exchanged glances. After a brief exchange, Zheng Haiyang nodded: "Secretary Zhou's request is not excessive. This is what we should do. On behalf of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, I agree to these three points."

Seeing that he had obtained all the political leverage he wanted, Zhou Qingyan's anger subsided considerably, and his tense nerves relaxed slightly.

However, just when she thought this absurd farce was finally coming to an end.

Zheng Haiyang suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming serious again: "Secretary Zhou, please calm down. We've finished discussing what just happened. Now, there's one more thing I need to do on behalf of the Discipline Inspection Commission to conduct a routine inquiry with you."

Zhou Qingyan's heart skipped a beat; the relief she had just felt instantly turned to anxiety again. She asked in a low voice, "What is it?"

Zheng Haiyang didn't speak, but instead pulled out the last test report from the bottom of the folder and slowly pushed it in front of Zhou Qingyan.

Zhou Qingyan took the test report with a puzzled look. Looking down, he realized that it was not an infectious disease screening, but an endocrine test report that had been urgently issued late last night. The report clearly stated: Serum HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) test.

In the subsequent numerical column, the test results were more than twice the normal reference value!

Zhou Qingyan, who wasn't a medical student, frowned and looked at Zheng Haiyang suspiciously: "What does this mean?"

Zheng Haiyang's gaze seemed to pierce through people's hearts as he asked in a deep, deliberate voice, "Secretary Zhou, I am now on behalf of the organization to inquire about your personal life. Please answer seriously: Do you currently have an engaged fiancé or a boyfriend with whom you are in a stable relationship?"

Zhou Qingyan's brows furrowed sharply. Although she didn't understand what the report meant, her keen intuition as a politician told her that Zheng Haiyang had definitely set a trap in this matter!

She hesitated for a moment, then tried to brush it off with official jargon: "Secretary Zheng, this is a matter of my personal life and seems to have nothing to do with the disciplinary committee's investigation. I'm not at liberty to answer."

"Secretary Zhou!" Chen Yongjun tapped the table beside him, his tone stern. "Please correct your attitude! This isn't casual conversation; this is the organization questioning you!"

Seeing that the other party did not give her any room to avoid, Zhou Qingyan's mind raced. Of course she didn't have a boyfriend. Influenced by her family since childhood, she had devoted almost all her energy to her studies and career for the past thirty years. She was a complete workaholic. She usually interacted with leaders and colleagues. Although she had no shortage of suitors, she rejected them all.

But now, Zheng Haiyang is pressing her relentlessly with that cryptic lab report. If she answers no, and there's something fishy in the report, she won't even have a chance to lie!

After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Qingyan said, half-jokingly, "Yes, I do have a male friend I'm currently getting to know and who I'm getting along with quite well."

Zheng Haiyang's eyes flashed, and he pressed on, "Would it be convenient to tell the organization who you are? What's your name? Where do you work? Please rest assured, Secretary Zhou, the Discipline Inspection Commission has strict confidentiality rules and will never leak your personal privacy."