After breaking up with my boyfriend, I made a fortune and rose rapidly in my career.

In the morning, the sun came out, and its rays shone into the courtyard of the Qingyuan County government.

The sound of sirens from last night still seems to linger, but the atmosphere in the county town is different now.

At 10 a.m., a new sign for "Qingyuan County State-owned Sand and Gravel Company" was hung in front of a building next to the county government.

The ceremony was very simple, and no reporters were invited.

Chen Ping stood on the steps and said a few words to the company's new employees and dozens of contractor representatives who had invested in the company.

"First of all, starting today, all the sand in Qingyuan County will be under the jurisdiction of the state."

"Secondly, every penny the company earns will go through the Finance Bureau and become the welfare of all the people in the county and their year-end bonuses."

"Finally, my office phone number is publicly available. If anyone discovers any problems with the company, just call me directly, and I guarantee I'll investigate thoroughly."

As soon as Chen Ping finished speaking, applause broke out.

Those contractors who used to demand unpaid wages now have a gleam in their eyes when they see the new sign. They're shareholders now, working for themselves.

Back in his office, Chen Ping had just taken a sip of water when the red phone on his desk rang.

It's a secure phone number.

Chen Ping answered the phone, and a gentle voice came through the receiver.

"Put it flat, congratulations. It's done well in Qingyuan County. I've heard about it."

Chen Ping immediately stood up and said respectfully, "Director Sun, why did you call me personally?"

The person making the call was Sun Chengzhi, a retired director of the Provincial Department of Transportation.

Sun Chengzhi helped Chen Pingfang a great deal back then, and Chen Pingfang always remembered that favor.

"I'm retired now, why bother calling me Director? Just call me Uncle Sun." Sun Chengzhi smiled. "Your sand and gravel company is doing quite well. My grandson just graduated this year from a finance university with a degree in financial management. How about we arrange for him to work under you and gain some experience?"

coming.

In officialdom, the most difficult thing to repay is a favor owed to someone.

Especially the favor of someone who helped you in a crucial moment.

The sand and gravel company is lucrative, and everyone's watching it closely. Finance is a crucial department. Bringing in an inexperienced insider is like planting a time bomb.

Chen Ping's mind worked quickly, but he didn't hesitate to speak his mind.

"Uncle Sun, look at what you're saying, your little grandson is like my own brother. When are you free? Bring him to Qingyuan, and I'll show you around to see the new changes and let him get acquainted with the environment."

Chen Ping extended an invitation.

"Good, good. I knew you were a good kid who wouldn't forget your roots," Sun Chengzhi said happily. "I'll come over tomorrow."

The next day, Sun Chengzhi arrived with a young man.

Chen Pingfang personally greeted them at the entrance of the county government, showing them great respect.

"Uncle Sun, this must be Xiao Jie, right? He looks very energetic." Chen Ping warmly shook hands with the young man.

After exchanging a few polite words, Chen Pingfang took them directly to the newly established sand and gravel company.

"Uncle Sun, you're a former boss with a lot of experience. You'd be perfect to help me vet this new company."

The company's office space is not large, but it is quite tidy.

Chen Ping led them directly into the finance office.

In the office, a large electronic screen is very eye-catching, with data scrolling across it.

"Uncle Sun, this is our company's financial disclosure system," Chen Pingfang said calmly, pointing to the screen.

"Orders for sand and gravel leaving the warehouse, the cost of even a single screw—all the accounts are displayed here in real time. Expenditures exceeding five thousand yuan require approval online from myself, the deputy county head in charge, and the director of the finance bureau; the records are always there."

Chen Ping pointed to an inconspicuous logo in the lower right corner of the screen.

"Moreover, the county discipline inspection commission and the county audit bureau can access the data in this system at any time. They can pull up our accounts whenever they want to investigate."

Sun Chengzhi looked at the screen, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared.

He was a seasoned official, and he immediately understood the significance of this system.

This isn't a finance department; it's completely under the watchful eyes of all supervisory departments.

Chen Ping turned his head, looked at the somewhat reserved young man beside him, and said seriously, "Xiao Jie studied finance, so he knows more than I do. Working in this kind of system, you can't afford to make even the slightest mistake. A small oversight could be a clue to a disciplinary violation."

Chen Ping looked at Sun Chengzhi one last time, his tone sincere but also somewhat troubled.

"Uncle Sun, tell me, would I dare put your little grandson, my own brother, in such a dangerous position?"

"This is harming him."

Sun Chengzhi remained silent for a long time.

He looked at the numbers on the screen, then at his somewhat bewildered grandson, and finally gave Chen Pingfang a deep look.

Sun Chengzhi felt uneasy, but mostly he felt lingering fear and relief.

He understood that Chen Pingfang was protecting his grandson, and also protecting Sun Chengzhi's reputation for life.

After a long while, Sun Chengzhi sighed and patted Chen Pingfang on the shoulder: "Pingfang, you did the right thing. I'm getting senile and my thinking hasn't kept up."

The atmosphere immediately eased.

Chen Ping smiled, took out a business card from his pocket, and handed it to Sun Chengzhi's grandson.

"However, Xiao Jie is so outstanding, we can't let his talent go to waste. This is the phone number of the HR director of the Provincial Construction Investment Group. I gave him your resume. Their management trainee program this year is quite good, the platform is bigger and more formal than our small county. I believe that with your abilities, you will definitely make a name for yourself."

In this way, principles were upheld, favors were repaid, and a good solution was found for the other party.

Sun Chengzhi held Chen Pingfang's hand, looking at him with a complex expression, and finally said four words: "Qingyuan's good fortune."

After seeing off Sun Chengzhi and his grandson, Chen Ping returned to his office and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as I sat down, my secretary, Xiao Li, came in carrying an old cardboard box.

"County Magistrate, this is your package. There is no sender information, and it doesn't look like a document."

Chen Pingfang found it strange, as he hadn't bought anything recently.

Chen Ping used a utility knife to cut the tape and open the cardboard box.

Inside were stacks of old account books, the paper all yellowed.

Chen Ping picked up the top book and opened it.

A musty smell wafted over.

The ledger was filled with neat, small handwriting in pen, densely packed together.

"On [date], for the S301 provincial highway project, Wang Heng gave Secretary Ma a writing fee of 200,000 yuan."

"On [date], the Qingyi River dredging project was fraudulently reported, resulting in the misappropriation of 1.2 million yuan in government funds. Wang Heng received 70% of the funds, and Secretary Ma received 30%."

"On [date], at Secretary Ma's instruction, a consultation fee of 500,000 yuan was deposited into the account for the renewal of Wang Heng's illegal sand mining permit..."

The time, place, people, and amount were all written down clearly.

This is the ledger of Ma Changsheng and Wang Heng's collusion over the years, evidence that can pin Ma Changsheng to the ground.

Who delivered it?

Chen Ping took out all the account books and found an envelope at the bottom of the box containing a USB flash drive and an old Nokia phone.

Chen Ping plugged the USB drive into the computer.

There's only one file inside, and when you open it, it contains a single sentence.

"A county can only have one person in charge. Some people must be eliminated."

No signature.

Chen Ping picked up the Nokia phone and pressed the power button.

There was a pre-edited draft text message on my phone, addressed to Chen Pingfang's private number.

The message was very simple, containing only four words.

"County Magistrate, take care."

Chen Ping stared at those four words, and a person immediately came to mind.

He was the man who always kept his head down and didn't say much at the Standing Committee meetings, as if he didn't exist, but who knew every penny of the county's money perfectly.

Director of the Finance Bureau, Liu Wenhai.