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

In the small conference room of the provincial party committee, the "warning shot" against Zhao Donglai had just ended, but the political landmine buried deep in Handong, Dafeng Factory, remained unresolved.

Its fuse has already traveled along the intricate chain of interests, sparking and flashing all the way to its true source.

Li Dakang was restless in the municipal party committee office.

Meanwhile, on the other side, in Handong Province, there lies a moral high ground that has long shone with the halo of "integrity and incorruptibility"—

Chen Yanshi's family is now facing its darkest moment.

...

Chen Yanshi sat on his sofa, holding an old photo album in his hands, his thin, bony fingertips stroking each photo.

There are photos of him in military uniform carrying explosives during his youth, a group photo of young Chen Hai saluting, and a family photo of Chen Yang on the day he graduated from university.

As he turned the pages, he felt a heavy weight pressing down on his heart.

Having spent his entire life in officialdom, he had seen many corrupt officials who amassed wealth through greed and opportunism.

He was always outspoken and outspoken, practically a living "Hai Rui" in the officialdom of Handong.

But now, the supervisory team has sent two documents—

The hidden shareholding records of Dafeng Factory and Chen Yang's offshore trust certificates were like two resounding slaps, shattering his lifelong conviction to remain innocent.

...

The sound of an official vehicle's engine shutting off came from outside the gate, and the sound of the car door opening and closing was particularly jarring in the quiet old cadres' family compound.

When his wife, Wang Fuzhen, got up to open the door and returned, her face was so grave it looked like it could be wrung out.

"The supervisory team has arrived."

Chen Yanshi's hand trembled as he closed the photo album. He took a deep breath, slowly stood up with the help of his cane, and habitually straightened his back, trying to regain his former commanding presence.

Wang Fuzhen grabbed his arm, her voice filled with suppressed anxiety and a rare clarity:

"Old Chen, don't bring up your old seniority during our conversation later! They're not here today to hear you talk about how you carried explosives back then, they're here to investigate how you planted explosives at Dafeng Factory!"

Chen Yanshi frowned, his stubbornness resurfacing, and he reprimanded sternly, "What nonsense are you spouting! I know what I'm doing during this meeting with the organization!"

"Where do you even begin to express your sense of propriety?!"

Wang Fuzhen lowered her voice and ruthlessly shattered his self-hypnosis.

"You always think that because you didn't take a single penny of cash, you're completely innocent and superior. But your veteran revolutionary credentials and the respect you command outside have long been used by Zhao Lichun and Zhao Ruilong as their most useful political shield! Even Chen Yang was dragged into it and lost hundreds of millions in trust funds, and you're still pretending to be confused. Is that what you call having a sense of propriety?!"

Chen Yanshi was speechless for a moment, his lips trembled twice, and he couldn't find a way to refute it.

He quickly tidied his old jacket, leaned on his cane, and slowly walked out the door, getting into the accompanying official car.

Throughout the journey, the carriage was eerily quiet. The staff of the Discipline Inspection Commission were like two stone Buddhas, and no one spoke a single word to him.

The "Old Chen" who used to be greeted with kindness and concern wherever he went has now finally experienced what it means to be treated like a "person involved in a case".

...

Arrived at the interview room of the Provincial Party Committee Guesthouse.

Zhou Zhengming and the deputy secretary of the provincial discipline inspection commission were already seated and waiting.

As soon as Chen Yanshi sat down, before the other party could even begin, he habitually adopted the airs of a former leader and stated his request directly in his first sentence: "I request to meet with Chen Yang."

Zhou Zhengming didn't even lift his eyelids. He opened the transcript of the conversation in front of him and said in a calm but coldly businesslike tone, "Comrade Chen Yanshi, today's conversation is only to verify case leads and does not constitute an arrangement for family visits."

"She's my biological daughter! I want to see her and ask her what's going on!" Chen Yanshi raised his voice, trying to use his seniority to intimidate her.

"Precisely because they are father and daughter, it is even more important to avoid the risk of collusion and unified statements. This is a strict rule in disciplinary investigations, and no one has special privileges."

Zhou Zhengming's words were reasonable and well-founded, without a trace of emotion, instantly blocking Chen Yanshi's rebuttal like an iron plate.

Chen Yanshi felt a tightness in his chest, unable to express the pent-up grievances he felt.

He suddenly realized that in this room, he was no longer "Uncle Chen" who could call the provincial party secretary at any time, but a person stripped of his halo and under investigation.

The deputy secretary of the provincial discipline inspection commission got straight to the point, getting straight to the point without beating around the bush:

"We've invited you here today to verify three core facts one by one. First, were you aware of the hidden equity reserved specifically for you at Dafeng Factory? Second, were you aware of the source of funds in Chen Yang's offshore trust and its connection to the Lingang Old City redevelopment project? Third, at the scene of the January 16th Dafeng Factory conflict, did you use your status as a retired senior cadre to indirectly interfere with the police's on-site handling of the situation?"

Chen Yanshi gripped the armrest of his cane tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white.

After a long silence, he finally spoke up, offering a pretext: "During the restructuring of Dafeng Factory, someone did suggest leaving me a symbolic share, saying it would make it easier for me to coordinate the workers' demands. But I explicitly refused on the spot!"

"We don't ask whether you received any dividends, we only ask whether you knew about it beforehand." Zhou Zhengming accurately seized the core loophole, like a sharp knife inserted into the logical gaps of Chen Yanshi.

"It's been too long, I can't remember the specific names." Chen Yanshi was still using the "forgetting technique" most commonly seen in officialdom.

Zhou Zhengming sneered and calmly pushed the signed copy of Chen Yang's confession onto the table:

"It doesn't matter if you can't remember, someone else remembers very clearly. Chen Yang has already given a full account. Zhao Ruilong explicitly told her that these shares were specifically reserved for the Chen family as 'political compensation,' and would be transferred through an offshore trust in the future. You were aware of the whole process, but you didn't directly handle the funds to avoid suspicion."

Chen Yanshi suddenly looked up, his tone stubborn with the determination of a cornered beast: "She has lived abroad for many years and was deceived by that playboy Zhao Ruilong! What she says cannot be taken entirely at face value!"

"Please abide by the rules of the interview and view the evidence objectively. Shifting responsibility to your children is not the attitude a veteran Party member should have." The deputy secretary of the provincial discipline inspection commission said in a stern tone, giving a direct rebuke.

Chen Yanshi breathed heavily twice, still stubbornly refusing to open his mouth.

Zhou Zhengming was in no hurry to argue. To deal with this self-righteous old fox, you had to use your own words to slap him in the face.

Zhou Zhengming then produced a copy of the minutes of the internal coordination meeting for the restructuring of Dafeng Factory years ago, with Chen Yanshi's original speech clearly printed on the paper.

"Comrade Chen Yanshi, at the meeting you clearly stated: 'The rights and interests of veteran workers must be guaranteed, and the historical contributions of veteran comrades must also be reasonably arranged.' What a wonderful 'reasonable arrangement'!"

Zhou Zhengming stared into Chen Yanshi's eyes, his words piercingly incisive, "Combined with the subsequent transfer of shareholding under the Zhao family's affiliated companies, the actual beneficiary corresponding to the nominee shareholder was none other than Chen Yang. Do you dare say this is merely a coincidence?"

Chen Yanshi stared intently at his own handwriting on the paper, his face gradually turning ashen.

Zhou Zhengming gave him no chance to catch his breath, pressing for key questions about the conflict scene, which were also the core issues he had just reprimanded Zhao Donglai about:

Were you aware at the time that a large amount of gasoline was stored at the Dafeng factory site?

"……clear."

"You told Zhao Donglai and other police officers on the spot that the handling of the situation must be done with caution, which indirectly restrained them from taking forced clearing measures, right?"

"I'm afraid the situation will escalate and cause a fatal tragedy!" Chen Yanshi was still using "speaking out for the people" as a shield.

"But your status is what it is! All the law enforcement officers on site will be mindful of your seniority and won't dare to properly manage hazardous materials, which is tantamount to allowing a major safety hazard to occur!"

Zhou Zhengming shoved the photos he'd taken at the scene right in front of him. "The gasoline cans, the crowd, the standoff—it's all clear! You're not just an ordinary bystander; your attitude directly influenced the enforcement of the law. Objectively, you've interfered with law enforcement!"

Chen Yanshi lowered his head and remained silent, his whole body like a deflated balloon, completely powerless to refute.

...

Zhao Donglai was sweating profusely that day and repeatedly tried to persuade him to leave the dangerous area, but he insisted on staying, considering himself the "pillar of stability" to support the workers.

Faced with irrefutable evidence and logic, he had no choice but to confront the extremely ugly truth: what he had been desperately protecting was perhaps not just the workers' jobs, but also the hidden equity interests that would be completely exposed once Dafeng Factory went bankrupt!

After a long silence, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally whispered the deepest, most genuine conflict in his heart:

"I admit... I had selfish motives at the time. I was afraid that once Dafeng Factory went bankrupt and was completely liquidated, all the old debts in Lingang and the financial chains associated with the Chen family would be exposed."

I'm afraid outsiders will gossip about me behind my back, laughing at me for claiming to be incorruptible all my life, only to end up tainted by money and entangled in personal interests...

The recorder's pen kept moving, scratching away, capturing the crucial self-recognition that had torn off the mask.

Zhou Zhengming picked up his thermos, took a sip of water, and continued to ask, "Are you willing to provide a written statement truthfully regarding all the above facts?"

Chen Yanshi's old revolutionary spirit completely crumbled, as if he had aged ten years in an instant, and he replied in a low voice, "I'll write it."

"At the same time, can you cooperate with the organization and fully return all the corresponding equity and trust proceeds involved in the case?"

"I'll cooperate."

Chen Yanshi's tone shifted abruptly, his previously firm words now tinged with a pleading glint in them, "But Chen Yang... she's a girl after all, could you perhaps..."

Zhou Zhengming interrupted promptly, coldly drawing a line on the line: "Chen Yang's actions in the case are her sole responsibility. You only need to objectively state all the facts you know, without trying to cover for her or fabricating stories. Before the law, there is no room for father-daughter affection."

Chen Yanshi remained silent for a moment, tears streaming down his face, and then made a humble request: "Then... at least let me go to the hospital to see Chen Hai again."

"Yes, that's possible. But staff will accompany you throughout the process, and you must not exchange any information privately during the conversation."

Chen Yanshi felt a pang of sorrow, his old face flushed red, and an endless sense of desolation and absurdity arose within him: "I'm an old man who's dedicated my entire life to the political and legal system, and now when I go to see my own son who's in a deep coma, I need someone to watch me the whole time?"

Zhou Zhengming's words were restrained yet sharp, shattering his illusions: "Old Chen, your current status is that of a major suspect in the case, no longer the respected retired cadre you once were. Investigative discipline will not be relaxed for anyone. This is an objective fact."

These words showed no mercy, stripping away Chen Yanshi's long-held aura of being a veteran revolutionary and chief prosecutor, leaving him completely naked, except for an ordinary, even hypocritical, old man who harbored illusions and deliberately avoided any conflicts of interest.

Chen Yanshi picked up the pen on the table with trembling hands, his fingertips shaking slightly uncontrollably.

Throughout his life, he wrote countless reports and suggestions, and commented on the fates of countless people, yet he never felt that a pen could carry such a heavy burden.

Just then, outside the corridor door, Xiao Lin, a member of the supervision team, gently knocked on the door and handed over a newly compiled summary of Chen Yang's supplementary confession.

Zhou Zhengming quickly scanned the contents, his eyes flashing slightly, before gently pushing the paper in front of Chen Yanshi.

"Comrade Chen Yanshi, I just received supplementary information from Chen Yang. The original intention of reserving shares in Dafeng Factory was to provide political resettlement for you, this 'old comrade.' Chen Yang was merely holding the overseas profits on your behalf."

Chen Yanshi's hand, which was holding the pen, suddenly froze in mid-air.

Words lingered on the blank spaces of the paper.

On one hand, there's the cruel truth her daughter revealed to protect herself; on the other hand, there's her own selfishness, which she's been deceiving herself for years and refusing to admit.

The two clues converged before him, completely shattering his last fig leaf, leaving him with nowhere to hide.