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

Chen Yanshi's tears fell onto the paper, blurring the false reputation he had built up over half a lifetime.

Zhou Zhengming expressionlessly put away the weighty transcript, turned around, and walked out of the interview room.

Having obtained the closed-loop statement, Qin Yuanzhou drafted a special report overnight and sent it directly to Kyoto through the highest-level confidentiality channel.

The entire text is extremely concise, without a single word of emotional expression or speculation; the title goes straight to the point.

"Emergency Verification Report on Issues Related to Wang Zonghui, the External Funding Agent for the Handong Port Project Involving Beijing".

The main text lists a complete set of hard evidence: Chen Yang's handwritten confession, Ji Changming's written explanation of dereliction of duty, Zhang Jianmin's complete confession sealed by the judiciary, the old vehicle dispatch ledger kept by the Provincial Party Committee Reception Office, the eyewitness testimony of a retired driver, the supplementary confession record of Chen Yanshi involved in the case, the original voucher for the hidden shares held by Dafeng Factory, and the verification materials for the frozen offshore trust account.

"These old comrades from Handong are wasting their talents if they don't win an Oscar."

Looking at the thick stack of documents, Zhou Zhengming couldn't help but quip, "What a pity, our supervisory team doesn't give out golden statuettes, only silver bracelets. Take any single document, and they can come up with an excuse like it's from a long time ago or they have hazy memories. But now these clues interlock, nailing them to the pillar of shame!"

This is a complete chain of interests spanning twenty years and connecting the local area of ​​Handong with the hidden circles of Kyoto.

The speed at which Kyoto's top management makes judgments far exceeds what ordinary people can imagine.

...

At two o'clock in the morning, the red confidential hotline on Qin Yuanzhou's desk suddenly rang.

The voice on the other end of the phone was calm and stern, without any unnecessary pleasantries; every sentence set the tone and every word sealed the deal.

"The special materials have been received, and the chain of evidence is true."

"The disclosure of clues related to the Zhong family will be temporarily suspended in order to strictly control public opinion and stabilize the overall situation."

"Wang Zonghui will be placed under immediate detention for investigation and on-site verification."

"The special task force in Handong will continue to investigate peripheral individuals involved in the case, stabilize the local cadre base, and prevent secondary public opinion incidents."

"Any clues involving higher-level connections will be sealed off on-site and await the arrival of the central special task force for overall coordination."

A few words were enough to set the overall tone.

Qin Yuanzhou responded softly, hung up the phone, and gently rubbed his throbbing temples with his fingertips.

Zhou Zhengming, sitting opposite him, looked up and asked, "Team Leader Qin, what's the decision from above?"

"Wang Zonghui, take control of the landing site," Qin Yuanzhou replied in a deep voice.

A flicker of excitement crossed Zhou Zhengming's eyes, but he quickly suppressed his emotions and cautiously pressed on, "What about the Zhong family? Has an investigation been launched simultaneously? This is a big fish!"

Qin Yuanzhou slowly shook his head: "The time is not right. We have to take things one step at a time; this is called the 'salami slicing' tactic. The instructions from above are clear: wait for the high-level special task force to be in place."

Zhou Zhengming suddenly understood.

The authority of the Handong Supervisory Group is limited to cleaning up local factions and breaking down the interest chains of middle-level officials.

Wang Zonghui was a tentacle that extended from the Beijing elites into Handong. Cutting off this hand was the limit that local inspectors could reach.

As for the roots and the top tree behind the tentacles, it's never the local authorities of Handong's place to cut them down.

"We only have two things to do right now."

Qin Yuanzhou had sharp eyes and a clear mind. "First, we must thoroughly nail down all the evidence in the outer perimeter of Handong, solidify the foundation, and leave no loopholes. Second, we must strictly control the situation and prevent those involved from taking advantage of gaps in the hierarchy to collude to destroy evidence and files."

"Key targets for surveillance?" Zhou Zhengming asked.

"Luo Jianping, Du Qishan, and all the hidden networks of connections left behind by the Zhao family."

Qin Yuanzhou made precise arrangements: "Also, inform Gao Yuliang that we will continue our special interview tomorrow. Since he has proactively offered the knife to break the deadlock, he has to cooperate with us to complete all the verification procedures and reveal all his cards. This old fox, don't even think about hiding anything anymore."

"This man is cunning and calculating; he will surely take this opportunity to negotiate," Zhou Zhengming said.

"We can talk."

Qin Yuanzhou spoke calmly and with perfect tact, "He can be allowed to negotiate for leniency, but the bottom line remains: only a reduced sentence is permissible, absolutely no pardon!"

...

At the same time, in a quiet courtyard in Beijing.

The surprise raid in the dead of night came without warning. Wang Zonghui, dressed in an expensive silk nightgown, showed no panic when the staff came to his door. He appeared completely calm, as if he had expected it, and even maintained a bit of the airs of a young master from Beijing.

Before being taken away, he straightened his collar and asked casually, "Is the data from Handong fully closed-loop?"

The staff member sneered and retorted humorously, "We even remember whether you sat in the front passenger seat or the back seat on the dispatch order from twenty years ago. Don't try to act all high and mighty. Change your clothes and come with us."

Wang Zonghui chuckled to himself in a low voice, "It seems Chen Yang has finally given in."

This casual whisper was recorded and archived.

This extraordinary composure precisely confirms that he had been deeply involved in the hidden chess game in Handong for twenty years, and had long predicted the final outcome, but had always held onto a sliver of hope.

The news is being kept secret and has not yet been made public, but the top circles and related families are already fully aware of it.

...

The Zhong family's old house was brightly lit all night long.

Zhong Xiaoai sat quietly on the outer corridor of the study. The cup of warm water in her hand had long since gone cold, and the biting chill spread from her palm to her limbs.

Inside the house, the father lowered his voice to answer a secure phone call. The words were obscure, but a few keywords clearly reached his ears: Wang Zonghui, old accounts in Handong, cutting, Hou Liangping, Chen Yang.

Every word is like an ice spike piercing the heart.

She had already signed the divorce agreement with Hou Liangping, and she thought that this was the best way to cut ties and minimize losses for the family.

Only now did she realize that Hou Liangping was never the storm itself; he was merely a "disposable consumable" that the Zhong family first threw out to shield them from the disaster.

What truly engulfed everything was the old grievances of Handong, buried for twenty years and intertwined with the very foundations of the family!

After a long while, Mr. Zhong hung up the phone and walked out of the study with a tired and gloomy expression.

Zhong Xiaoai suddenly stood up, her voice hoarse with suppressed emotion: "Dad, is Wang Zonghui really being detained?"

Mr. Zhong's eyes darkened, and he adopted an official tone: "Don't ask about matters that are classified or shouldn't be asked."

"Hou Liangping has already been completely cut off and abandoned by you. Now, who else do you want to cut off? Is it me too?" Zhong Xiaoai couldn't suppress the chill in her heart and questioned in a low voice.

"Xiao Ai, watch your manners and your words!" Mr. Zhong frowned, his tone stern.

Zhong Xiaoai smiled sadly, her eyes filled with clear disappointment: "What else do I have to pay attention to? It was you who instructed Liangping to go to Handong to join the scheme. After the incident, you immediately forced me to divorce and cut ties."

Now that old grievances have resurfaced, you're telling me to keep quiet. Dad, am I a child of the Zhong family, or just a high-level firewall used by the family for protection?

In a single sentence, the coldest survival rules of the top families were exposed.

Mr. Zhong remained silent for a long time, and the atmosphere in the room became so suffocatingly tense.

Powerful families make choices based solely on profit and loss, with no regard for kinship.

After a moment, he said in a calm tone, "Do you think political maneuvering is child's play? Even without Hou Liangping's radical handling of the case, the Chen family's long-standing black hole in Lingang would have exploded sooner or later. Sending him to Handong was intended to take advantage of the anti-corruption campaign to controllably wrap things up, seal off old debts, and lock the risks within a localized area."

"So, it was just a chamber pot you used to plug the hole? You used it, found it smelly, and kicked it away?" Zhong Xiaoai asked, her eyes red.

"He has enjoyed all the connections, resources, and platforms provided by the Chung family, so he must bear the corresponding political responsibility!" Chung's father said calmly.

Looking at her father, who was both familiar and unfamiliar, Zhong Xiaoai felt for the first time that the house she had lived in for many years was cold and devoid of any warmth.

"And what about me?" she asked softly.

Zhong's father avoided answering, implicitly acknowledging all the answers.

Zhong Xiaoai slowly put down the now-cold water glass in her hand, her tone resolute: "I'm going to see Hou Liangping tomorrow."

"You're not allowed to go," Zhong's father firmly rejected.

"I want to ask him directly how much he actually knows and how much he's been kept in the dark."

"Any contact at this stage will be labeled as collusion and a united front, you don't understand the implications!" Mr. Zhong said solemnly.

Zhong Xiaoai looked directly at him, a stubborn clarity in her eyes: "Are you afraid I'll collude with others, or are you afraid I'll be soft-hearted and unwilling to completely sever ties?"

Mr. Zhong's expression turned completely cold: "Zhong Xiao'ai, you are a cadre cultivated by the system, not a child who can throw tantrums!"

"The system educated me to uphold principles and respect rules, not to watch my husband become cannon fodder for the family while I pretend to be innocent and stay out of it!" Zhong Xiaoai's voice trembled slightly.

"Hou Liangping violated regulations in handling the case and acted recklessly. His predicament is his own choice and his own responsibility, and has nothing to do with the family!" Zhong's father said firmly, completely disassociating himself from the situation.

Zhong Xiaoai's eyes reddened, but she laughed sarcastically: "You don't need to tell me this set of official platitudes. I know him. He's arrogant, radical, loves to show off, and has a weak sense of procedure, but without years of cultivating political shrewdness, he simply can't understand the old accounts and arrangements of Handong over the past twenty years. From beginning to end, he's just a pawn you've pushed out to settle accounts!"

"Enough!" Mr. Zhong interrupted sharply.

Zhong Xiaoai stopped arguing and turned to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the unit."

"From today onwards, you are hereby placed on immediate leave at home and all work is suspended!" Mr. Chung's tone left no room for argument.

This is not a show of compassion and a period of rest; it is protective house arrest, a complete isolation from risk.

Zhong Xiaoai paused, but didn't turn around. Her voice was cold and sorrowful: "Now, you don't even believe me anymore."

The night was deep, and a car was already waiting outside the courtyard. Zhong Xiaoai got into the car, looking at the streetlights passing by outside the window, feeling only a cold and desolate feeling in her heart.

No matter how reckless or arrogant Hou Liangping may be, he was still the person she personally chose.

But in the Zhong family's game of chess, there is never any kinship, no favoritism, only pieces that can be discarded at any time based on advantages and disadvantages.