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

On the way to the provincial party committee guesthouse, Lin Huahua kept staring at the street scenes rushing past the window.

She thought of Lu Yike.

Lu Yike used to teach her that she should be energetic and daring in handling cases, and that she should not be afraid of the powerful and wealthy or be bound by rules and regulations.

She was absolutely convinced.

But what happened next?

Later, when faced with Hou Liangping's toughness, Zhong Xiaoai's background, and Sha Ruijin's secret instructions, didn't Lu Yike still compromise?

Didn't they still trample procedural justice underfoot?

This is not just one person's problem; it's a problem of the entire political and legal circle in Handong being distorted by power!

A strong sense of grievance suddenly welled up in Lin Huahua's heart.

She made mistakes, such as blindly following her superiors and violating procedures, but she was just a nobody!

If her superiors tell her to rush, she has to rush; if they tell her to slow down, she has to slow down.

Now that the gods above have lost their battle, she, a lowly nobody, has to take the blame too.

...

The car stopped.

The interview room at the Provincial Party Committee Guesthouse.

Zhou Zhengming was already sitting behind the table waiting.

A female cadre from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection was sitting next to him, taking notes.

Lin Huahua went in and sat down properly in the chair opposite her.

Zhou Zhengming opened the materials in front of him and got straight to the point: "Comrade Lin Huahua, I'm here today to verify three types of issues. First, during Hou Liangping's stay in Wuhan, were the procedures for your participation in reviewing files, conducting inquiries, and carrying out peripheral investigations compliant? Second, when Lu Yike requested that some leads involving the Chen family and Lingang be investigated cautiously or delayed, were you aware of this and did you participate in it? Third, did you personally engage in any unauthorized copying, dissemination, or retention of classified materials?"

After hearing these three points, Lin Huahua breathed a long sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it only involved verifying irregularities, not directly classifying it as corruption or leaking secrets.

As long as the third point is not involved, there is still hope for her.

She took a deep breath, sat up straight, and said with utmost seriousness, "Team Leader Zhou, I will cooperate fully and will not hide anything."

Seeing how quickly she cowered, Zhou Zhengming nodded slightly: "Let's talk about Hou Liangping first. After Hou Liangping came to Handong, he did indeed have a lot of cases piling up. He often said, 'Special cases should be handled specially; we can't let corrupt officials escape by exploiting procedures.' Have you heard that?"

"I'm so tired of hearing it," Lin Huahua nodded repeatedly.

Zhou Zhengming asked, "Did you agree with that statement at the time?"

"At the time... I felt it was quite inspiring, and I agreed."

"And now?"

Lin Huahua fell silent.

The female cadre from the provincial discipline inspection commission didn't even look up, coldly reminding her: "Tell the truth, don't have any reservations."

Lin Huahua gritted her teeth and went all out: "Now I realize that this is just toxic positivity! It sounds righteous, but it's really just treating procedures as a hassle and the law as a tool. When we were working with him on cases, if anyone kindly reminded us, 'Director Hou, the paperwork isn't complete,' he would immediately accuse you of being afraid of taking responsibility."

Is it because they lack fighting spirit? Over time, everyone was manipulated by him, and no one dared to mention procedures; they only thought about rushing forward, afraid of being labeled as "backward elements without the determination to fight corruption."

A hint of a smile flashed in Zhou Zhengming's eyes. This little girl certainly dared to pour out her troubles.

He continued, "And what about Lu Yike?"

Lin Huahua hesitated.

Lu Yike is usually very good to her, taking care of her like an older sister.

She didn't want to step onto the ground to escape.

But she also knew that now, sitting in front of the supervisory team, was not the time to talk about loyalty or brotherhood.

Being loyal to someone is fine, but concealing the truth for someone else is courting disaster.

She lowered her voice and reported truthfully to her supervisor: "Director Lu initially emphasized procedures as well. But after Director Hou arrived, she clearly changed. She was extremely proactive in pushing forward the leads involving Gao Yuliang, Qi Tongwei, and the Shanshui Group, even voluntarily asking us to work overtime."

But whenever clues came up regarding the old accounts of Dafeng Factory, she would suppress them, telling us to put them aside for now, reasoning that "the clues aren't mature enough, and we shouldn't alert the enemy."

"Who pressured her to suppress these clues?" Zhou Zhengming kept a close eye on the matter.

"I really don't know."

Lin Huahua quickly waved her hand, afraid that Zhou Zhengming wouldn't believe her, and added repeatedly, "I don't have access to core secrets. I only vaguely heard her mention 'Director Hou's opinion' and 'the pace from above' when she was on the phone. She absolutely never mentioned the Zhong family to me, nor did she mention any 'red, yellow, or green lists'!"

The room fell silent the moment the words were spoken.

Zhou Zhengming stopped flipping through the documents, raised his eyelids, and stared at her with piercing eyes.

Lin Huahua was stunned, and wished she could slap herself.

He's been too quick to speak again!

In recent days, rumors about a "red, yellow, and green list" have been circulating privately within the provincial procuratorate.

Although no one dared to say it outright, everyone guessed that Hou Liangping was holding a "case-handling guide" given to him by the capital.

She had heard the gossip, but it was definitely not a word she should bring up in front of the supervisory team!

Zhou Zhengming's calm tone was chilling: "You even know about the red, yellow, and green lists? Where did you hear that from?"

Lin Huahua sighed and lay completely down: "Team Leader Zhou, there are no secrets within the system, only gossip that hasn't yet reached the hallway. The unit is whispering that Director Hou isn't here in Handong to fight corruption, but rather to take his driving test in Beijing—stop at red lights, go at green lights, and wait at yellow lights. Everyone's guessing he has a plan, a script."

Have you seen that list?

"Absolutely not!"

Lin Huahua shook her head vigorously, "If I had ever seen something that could kill me, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you right now. I would probably be crying on the table, scared out of my wits."

The female cadre from the provincial discipline inspection commission couldn't help but twitch her lips and glance up at her.

Zhou Zhengming paused, amused by her blunt words, and softened his tone: "You're quite good at describing yourself."

Lin Huahua gave a wry smile: "Team Leader Zhou, I don't need to play the hero now. I'm just scared. I'm afraid of being punished."

Looking at the honest, timid yet principled grassroots police officer before him, Zhou Zhengming's gaze softened: "Fear isn't the problem; the key is what you'll do after you're afraid. Can you explain yourself clearly?"

Lin Huahua immediately sat up straight, like a primary school student promising to complete a task: "I'm willing to write a complete statement! I'll write down every single detail of the case file retrieval, inquiry, and material transfer I participated in. Who arranged it, who was present, which procedures were completed afterward, and which haven't been completed yet—I will not hide anything!"

"Have you retained or copied any classified materials without authorization?"

"Absolutely not!"

Lin Huahua immediately shook her head, "I'm not that brave. Aunt Wu Xinyi was investigated for privately distributing drafts. I know how serious this is. Even if you gave me ten lives, I wouldn't dare to touch anything confidential."

Zhou Zhengming stared at her for a few seconds, making sure she wasn't lying, and then asked one last question:

"You and Lu Yike have a good relationship. Before she was questioned, did you tip her off or form a pact of silence?"

Lin Huahua paused for a moment, then said frankly, "I sent her a WeChat message the day before she was interviewed."

"What is the content?"

I said, "Director Lu, be careful, the wind direction has been off lately."

"Did she reply?"

"No reply. Not even a single punctuation mark."

Zhou Zhengming turned to signal to the staff, who immediately retrieved Lin Huahua's phone records for verification.

After a moment, the staff nodded. Indeed, there was only this vague reminder, which did not involve any substantive collusion in the case.

Zhou Zhengming closed the materials in front of him and set the tone for the conversation: "Lin Huahua, your problem, based on preliminary observation, stems from a weak awareness of case-handling procedures, blindly following the leader's erroneous arrangements, and participating in some irregular operations."

Whether further disciplinary action is necessary depends on the completeness of your subsequent explanation and your ability to provide a true and effective reconstruction of the case-handling process, assisting the organization in clarifying the issues concerning Hou Liangping and others.

Lin Huahua breathed a long sigh of relief, but didn't dare show it too obviously, nodding repeatedly: "I understand, I will definitely atone for my crime!"

Zhou Zhengming announced in a stern voice: "From today onwards, you are temporarily suspended from your duties to cooperate with the investigation. You are not allowed to access any files from the original case, and you are not allowed to contact Lu Yike, Hou Liangping, or any other related personnel privately. Do you understand?"

"I heard you clearly."

Lin Huahua stood up, picked up her bag, and prepared to leave.

As she reached the door, she suddenly stopped, turned back to Zhou Zhengming, and couldn't help but ask, "Team Leader Zhou, what about Director Lu...?"

Zhou Zhengming looked at her expressionlessly: "Take care of yourself first."

Lin Huahua lowered her head in disappointment.

Just as she was about to push the door open and leave, she stopped, hesitated for a moment, and said softly, "Team Leader Zhou, may I say something that might be inappropriate?"

"explain."

Lin Huahua took a deep breath, her tone revealing a sobering realization born from the harsh realities of life: "We used to think we were on the side of justice, so we spoke loudly and saw everyone as a corrupt official. Now I realize that speaking loudly doesn't equate to being right; having all the necessary paperwork is what gives you confidence."

Zhou Zhengming looked at her without saying a word, but a hint of approval flashed in his eyes.

Lin Huahua continued, as if swearing to herself: "If I ever have the chance to wear this uniform on a case again, and anyone tells me again that 'special cases are handled specially,' I'll ask them first—in the end, who will take the blame for all this special treatment!"

Zhou Zhengming nodded and, unusually, gave a comment: "Write this sentence into your reflection report."

Lin Huahua was stunned, pointing to herself: "You wrote this too?"

"Write."

Zhou Zhengming's lips curled into a very faint smile. "It's much more effective than your 'firmly support'."

Lin Huahua smiled awkwardly, pushed open the door, and walked out.

……

Stepping out of the provincial party committee guesthouse, it was already evening, and the afterglow of the setting sun spilled into the courtyard.

She wasn't taken away and detained, but she wasn't truly safe either.

She knew in her heart that this was just the beginning; the real test was what followed.

However, after this conversation, she understood at least one thing.

She used to think that Gao Yuliang, Qi Tongwei and his gang were black, and Hou Liangping and Sha Ruijin were white; the world was black and white.

Now she understands that the most terrifying thing in officialdom is never the clear distinction between black and white, but that someone is high above holding a palette and telling you at will: which area should be blacked out and which area must be left blank!

She let out a long breath and walked down the steps.

As I walked up to a black Passat, I suddenly smelled a strong odor of smoke.

She turned her head and saw Zhao Donglai, the director of the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau, leaning against the car door, smoking with a furrowed brow, with three or four cigarette butts scattered at his feet.

Hearing footsteps, Zhao Donglai looked up and saw her. He was somewhat surprised and raised an eyebrow: "Oh, you're here too?"

Lin Huahua gave a wry smile and walked over to tease, "Director Zhao, the way you're saying this sounds like you've bumped into an acquaintance outside the proctology department of a hospital, doesn't it?"

Zhao Donglai was taken aback by her analogy. He stubbed out his cigarette, threw it into the nearby trash can, and looked her up and down. "Finished talking? Didn't I give you a 'silver bracelet'?"

"Just surviving for now," Lin Huahua sighed.

Zhao Donglai nodded, deeply agreeing, and said, "That's good. Being able to walk out unscathed is a victory in itself."

Looking at his weathered appearance, Lin Huahua couldn't help but ask, "And you? After the Dafeng Factory debriefing meeting, are you happy with your role as the police chief?"

Zhao Donglai stroked the stubble on his chin and sighed helplessly: "I'm alive for now."

The two looked at each other, neither of them able to manage a smile.

One was a key member of the provincial anti-corruption bureau, and the other was the head of the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau. They were once considered two sharp knives in the political and legal circles of Handong.

Now look what's happened; they've all been put on the chopping block by the supervisory team and are like fish waiting to be slaughtered.

After a few seconds of silence, Lin Huahua looked at the sunset in the distance and said softly, "Director Zhao, I've got it. From now on, when handling big cases, I won't look at anything else; I'll look at the paperwork first."

Zhao Donglai sneered, patted the car door, and said with a self-deprecating tone, as if he had just escaped a disaster: "What's this? Seeing all the approval documents now is like seeing my own uncle!"

Lin Huahua finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

After laughing, she didn't feel completely relieved; instead, she felt even heavier.

Because she knew that the fact that she and Zhao Donglai were able to walk out today did not mean that the matter was over.