Official statement: Tongwei is dead! You chose Ruijin, didn't you?

Qin Yuanzhou changed the subject, asking about the overseas leads: "How's the surveillance progressing with Chen Yang?"

Zhou Zhengming opened another document containing cross-border cooperation materials:

"Immigration and foreign affairs channels have been coordinated. Chen Yang is currently stranded in Hong Kong. Yesterday, she realized something was wrong and applied to change her flight to Singapore."

However, her exit approval process has been restricted, and she has not yet been arrested. Only some of her trust-related accounts have been frozen as a deterrent measure.

Qin Yuanzhou gave a cold laugh, his tone sarcastic: "She was so eager to leave the country to avoid trouble after the incident. It seems that this daughter of a 'clean and honest veteran cadre' has long been aware of her own limitations."

"In addition, according to the monitoring data this morning, Chen Yanshi went to the intensive care unit of the Municipal People's Hospital to visit Chen Hai early this morning."

Qin Yuanzhou tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, pondered for a moment, and then instructed, "Arrange for someone to accompany and care for him, but be careful not to disturb or agitate the old comrade. Right now, he's probably suffering more than anyone else."

……

The corridor outside the intensive care unit of the Municipal People's Hospital.

The regular beeping of the monitoring equipment filled the ward hollowly.

Chen Yanshi looked at his son, who had been in a coma for many years, his voice low and hoarse, full of helplessness and self-questioning.

"Chen Hai... Dad has finally lost his mind today."

He covered his face with his hands, tears streaming down his face.

"Throughout my life, I have upheld the principles of the Party and despised privilege and favoritism. I will not give face to anyone."

In the end, however, other people came to our door with the trust fund documents, saying that your sister and Zhao Ruilong jointly owned an offshore account, which involved old debts in Lingang!

I used to ignore all these things, thinking I was completely innocent. Now that they're right in front of me, I can't even tell what's true and what's false...

The only response in the ward was the silent medical equipment; there was not a single word of reply.

Chen Yanshi gripped Chen Hai's numb hand tightly, his eyes stinging with tears: "If you were conscious right now, you could surely distinguish right from wrong and help me untangle this mess, wouldn't you?"

Outside the ward, the elderly woman, Wang Fuzhen, stood quietly, tears streaming down her face.

In fact, she saw reality earlier than Chen Yanshi.

Chen Yanshi remained silent for a long time, then suddenly seemed to have made up his mind. He stood up abruptly, leaning on his cane, and started to walk out.

"No, I can't just sit here and wait to die. I have to go find the new Party Secretary, Lu Chengzhou!"

His wife, Wang Fuzhen, pushed open the door and entered, grabbing his arm and gently dissuading him: "Are you still going to argue with the leader? What do you have to argue with?"

"I'm not going to cause trouble!"

Chen Yanshi's jaw tightened, his tone carrying a lifelong stubbornness and arrogance. "The organization can investigate all my past records, but they can't just use a few pieces of material from overseas as a starting point to arbitrarily restrict my exit from the country! I want to see Lu Chengzhou in person and make things clear!"

Wang Fuzhen's pent-up emotions finally erupted at this moment.

Tears streaming down her face, she shook off Chen Yanshi's hand, her voice filled with despair and helplessness: "Old Chen, even now you still can't see the root of the problem? If she herself wasn't involved, who would bother to track down her? Flies don't land on eggs without cracks!"

Chen Yanshi suddenly raised his voice, like an enraged old lion: "Even you're joining the outside world in suspecting my daughter and me?!"

"I'm not being suspicious; I'm just making you face reality!"

Wang Fuzhen's voice trembled as she incisively pierced through his last veil of pretense.

"For so many years, Chen Yang has never detailed his travels abroad, deliberately concealing financial transactions. And you? You keep using Chen Hai's serious injury and hospital bed as a shield to protect your family from persecution! But a seriously ill son should not be used as a cover to cover up old, shady dealings!"

These words struck Chen Yanshi's heart like a heavy hammer.

He froze, the anger that had been burning within him, the urge to demand an explanation, all stuck in his throat, leaving him unable to utter a single word in rebuttal.

The integrity and family ties he relied on throughout his life could no longer stand firm in the face of ruthless capital and interests.

He turned around dejectedly and walked out of the ward with faltering steps, leaning on his cane.

Just as he reached the corner of the corridor, two supervisory team members who had been guarding the perimeter stepped forward and blocked his way.

Their demeanor was disciplined and restrained, yet it exuded the coldness of an invisible wall.

"Comrade Chen Yanshi."

The staff member said calmly, "We have been notified that Secretary Lu Chengzhou has a special meeting scheduled for the entire day, and there are no available time slots for a meeting. If you have any questions or concerns, please submit a written letter to the supervisory team's complaint channel as required."

Chen Yanshi stood there, stunned, the cane in his hand trembling slightly, making a soft "thump-thump" sound.

...

Meanwhile, more than a thousand kilometers away, at the VIP waiting area of ​​Hong Kong International Airport.

Chen Yang sank into the leather sofa, the cup of Blue Mountain coffee in front of him long since cold.

Her exquisite makeup couldn't conceal the lingering anxiety in her eyes, like that of a trapped beast.

She applied to change her departure ticket twice, but both times the system blocked her.

On the first flight to Singapore, a system pop-up message appeared saying, "There is an anomaly in your itinerary. Please go to the counter for verification."

On her second flight to Vancouver, the ground staff member politely, even with a professional smile, told her, "Ms. Chen, your exit credentials require a special review. Please wait patiently."

Wait patiently?

Chen Yang, who grew up in a government compound, broke out in a cold sweat the moment he heard those four words.

In layman's terms, "special verification" means to clearly inform you that border control has been implemented and you cannot escape.

The phone screen was dimly lit, displaying a dozen or so missed calls.

I had my home phone number, but several unfamiliar landlines from Jingzhou kept bombarding me with calls.

But she didn't want to answer any of them at the moment.

The image of Zhao Ruilong confidently guaranteeing the deal when the offshore trust was finalized is still vivid in my mind:

"Sister Yang, depositing this money overseas is purely a safe haven. A separate share of the profits from the Lingang project will be set aside; you can use it for overseas property investment and academic research without worry. No one will check how you spend it. If anything goes wrong, I, Zhao Ruilong, will take the blame!"

In her youth, she deliberately deceived herself, knowing full well that the money was rooted in the gray transactions of Handong land, yet she deliberately severed her ties with Handong.

Having lived abroad for many years, I always felt that as long as I wasn't in Handong, all the past messes could be wiped clean.

But now she realizes that physical distance is no match for the magical attacks brought by the money chain.

A short while later, a middle-aged man dressed in a dark suit and acting with composure walked slowly over.

He wasn't holding any documents, just a glass of water, and sat down opposite Chen Yang very naturally.

He didn't show any identification on the spot, but his formal and restrained aura gave him the unique "living Yama" feeling of a central inspector on the field.

"Ms. Chen, the mainland supervisory team has informed you through cross-border cooperation channels that they recommend you voluntarily return to Jingzhou to cooperate with the investigation and clarify all the facts related to the funds." The man's voice was not loud, but every word was sharp and pointed.

Chen Yang raised his eyelids, a cold, indifferent smile playing on his lips: "Just a suggestion?"

"At this stage, we are indeed actively persuading them."

The man's tone was calm, as if he were casually discussing what to eat for dinner, but beneath it lay an unyielding and imposing authority.

"If you insist on staying and repeatedly try to leave the country, we will have to coordinate with the Hong Kong Police Force to assist in the extradition. If it comes to that, the situation will be ugly. Putting a silver bracelet on you and making you use the VIP channel will not do you any good, nor will it save face for Mr. Chen."

Chen Yang remained silent for a long time.

She wasn't afraid of being investigated; her real unresolved issue was her father, Chen Yanshi.

She knew all too well that Chen Yanshi had spent his entire life taking the reputation of an honest official and a veteran revolutionary as the foundation of his character, and had always stood on the moral high ground to judge the corruption of others.

It was precisely because he held hidden shares in Dafeng Factory that Chen Yang was able to receive a share of the offshore trust derived from the Lingang project, thanks to this special connection.

Once the whole matter is exposed to the light of day, the integrity that the father has upheld all his life will completely collapse. This blow of "social death" will torment that stubborn old man far more than imprisonment.

But the shackles were already locked tight, leaving no room for concealment.

Chen Yang picked up the cold coffee and drank it all in one gulp. The bitterness went down his throat and into his heart.

The man took a document and a pen from his briefcase and gently pushed them onto the table: "Please sign the statement that you voluntarily return to the mainland to cooperate with the investigation."

Chen Yang stared at the word "voluntary" on the paper, a bizarre and bitter feeling welling up inside him.

The word games played in officialdom are truly devastating. Everyone knew she was desperate, yet the written documents still had to include the respectable excuse of "actively cooperating."

She didn't struggle anymore and quickly signed her name.

Late that night, under the escort of security personnel, Chen Yang secretly returned to Jingzhou.

The entire process was conducted without media coverage or public disclosure of the arrest procedures; all actions were tightly controlled within a very small, confidential scope.