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

There wasn't a sound in the corridor outside the interrogation room of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division.

Chen Ping stood in front of the one-way glass, looking at Zhao Defu inside.

This well-known entrepreneur in Yunzhou was sitting cross-legged in the interrogation chair, holding a thermos in his hand, a slight smile on his lips. His top lawyer was shouting loudly at the interrogator next to him.

"My client is only here to cooperate with the investigation. You have no evidence to suggest he committed a crime." The lawyer adjusted his glasses. "Furthermore, Mr. Zhao has diabetes, and it's very serious. He needs to see a doctor immediately."

The interrogator was speechless and could only look down at the case file.

Chen Ping gripped the USB drive he had snatched from the fire so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Secretary Chen." Section Chief Li walked in from outside, his face very grim. "There's a call from above."

Chen Ping turned his head away.

Section Chief Li wiped the sweat from his brow and continued,

"The higher-ups said to handle matters involving private entrepreneurs carefully. If there is no irrefutable evidence to prove that Zhao Defu committed a crime, he must be released within 24 hours."

He paused, then lowered his voice, "We can even get him released on bail."

Chen Pingfang frowned.

In the interrogation room, Zhao Defu seemed to sense something, looked up at the one-way glass, and curled his lips into a smirk, as if in a provocation.

"I want to see Mayor Wang!" he shouted. "I'm telling you, you're arresting people arbitrarily, and I'm going to file a complaint against you!"

The lawyer immediately stood up, slammed his fist on the table, and shouted, "We'll sue you!"

The atmosphere in the corridor became even more tense.

Just then, the sound of a car engine turning off came from downstairs.

A black Audi pulled up in front of the Public Security Bureau, and Wang Jianzhong's secretary, Li Ming, strode in, holding a document stamped with a red seal.

Li Ming went straight up to the second floor and saw a group of police officers standing in the corridor. A slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone." He held up the document in his hand and said loudly, "This is a letter from the Municipal Government Office regarding optimizing the business environment and protecting the rights and interests of entrepreneurs."

He cleared his throat and read aloud: "...Some comrades have been too rough in their enforcement of the law, disregarding procedures, which has seriously affected the business environment of our city..."

These words were clearly meant to provoke Chen Ping into letting them come.

After Li Ming finished reading, he walked directly to Section Chief Li and said, "Section Chief Li, General Manager Zhao's diabetes is very serious. He needs to be released on bail immediately to see a doctor. Please sign the papers."

Li Ming shoved the document into Section Chief Li's hand, his tone completely commanding.

The surrounding police officers looked at each other, and none of them dared to speak.

Section Chief Li took the document, his hands trembling slightly. He glanced at Chen Pingfang, then at Li Ming, and finally gritted his teeth to pick up the pen.

Li Ming looked at Chen Pingfang and said with a forced smile, "Secretary Chen, young people are naive. There are some troubles you shouldn't get involved in."

The door to the interrogation room was pushed open.

Zhao Defu walked out with the help of his lawyer, deliberately pretending to be weak, but he couldn't hide the smugness in his eyes.

As Zhao Defu passed by Chen Pingfang, he stopped and said in a low voice, "You, Chen, we'll see. This isn't over yet."

The corridor fell silent instantly.

Everyone watched as Zhao Defu walked toward the elevator, and no one dared to stop him.

"Wait a minute."

Chen Pingfang suddenly turned around and stood in front of Zhao Defu.

Zhao Defu frowned: "What do you want to do?"

Chen Pingfang didn't say anything, but took out a photocopy from the file bag and handed it to Zhao Defu.

Those were fragments of account books salvaged from the fire. Although half of them were burned, the remaining parts were still clearly legible.

"What is this?" the lawyer asked immediately, wary.

Chen Pingfang pointed to a line of text on the tattered page: "This line of text has been analyzed by handwriting analysis, and it is exactly the same as President Zhao's signature."

He paused, his voice cold: "It says above that the waste disposal fee is settled monthly."

Zhao Defu's face stiffened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure: "So what? I've signed a lot of documents, which only proves that I've approved money, not that I know the specifics."

The lawyer immediately said, "This alone is not enough to convict you!"

Li Ming also sneered: "Secretary Chen, you're just messing around."

He waved his hand, signaling the police to move aside: "Let Mr. Zhao go."

Several policemen hesitated, preparing to make way.

Just then, the sound of hurried high heels came from the end of the corridor.

Everyone turned their heads.

Xiao Yuhan walked quickly with two members of the Discipline Inspection Commission, followed by Detective Lao Zhang, who had just come out of the interrogation room.

With a stern face, she stood directly in front of Zhao Defu, her voice icy: "Who dares to release them?"

The scene fell silent instantly.

Li Ming hesitated for a moment, but still forced a smile and said, "Mayor Xiao, this is a document from the municipal government office, and General Manager Zhao is not feeling well and needs to see a doctor..."

"Follow procedure? Show humanity?" Xiao Yuhan interrupted him. "Then let me ask you, can a suspect who organizes a criminal gang and destroys evidence be released on bail?"

Li Ming's expression changed: "Mayor Xiao, you're talking nonsense..."

"Old Zhang." Xiao Yuhan ignored him and turned to look at Detective Zhang.

Old Zhang held up the newly printed confession and shouted, "Ten minutes ago, Scarface Li confessed everything in order to get a reduced sentence! The mastermind behind him setting fire to the evidence last night was Zhao Defu!"

He paused, then raised his voice even higher: "The call records have been retrieved too; the evidence is right here!"

Many people in the corridor gasped in shock.

Zhao Defu's face immediately turned pale.

Xiao Yuhan took the statement and slammed it onto the table in front of Li Ming, her voice echoing throughout the corridor: "According to Article 79 of the Criminal Procedure Law, suspects involved in organized crime who pose a risk of destroying evidence or colluding to fabricate testimonies cannot be released on bail!"

She stared at Li Ming and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Zhao Defu not only cannot leave, but his case must be immediately transferred to criminal detention!"

Once those words were spoken, all excuses became useless.

Li Ming's hand holding the document froze in mid-air, his face turning pale and then red.

Upon hearing that Scarface Li had confessed, Zhao Defu's legs went weak, and the thermos in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, rolling into the corner of the wall.

His arrogance vanished instantly, and he slumped down, only to be caught by the lawyer next to him.

"Impossible..." Zhao Defu muttered to himself, "Scarface Li wouldn't..."

"Take him away," Xiao Yuhan said coldly.

Two criminal police officers stepped forward and handcuffed the limp Zhao Defu.

This is a formal detention, unlike the previous summons.

Zhao Defu was dragged back to the depths of the interrogation room, where the iron door slammed shut with a dull thud.

Li Ming sensed that the police officers around him were looking at him differently, so he quickly put away his documents, didn't dare to say another word, and slunk away.

The atmosphere in the corridor finally eased.

Chen Pingfang and Xiao Yuhan exchanged a glance.

Xiao Yuhan's tense shoulders relaxed, and she said softly, "Thank you for your hard work."

Chen Ping nodded without saying anything.

He knew that although he had managed to hold out for those crucial 24 hours, the matter had only just begun with Zhao Defu's formal criminal detention.

At the end of the corridor, several policemen began to whisper among themselves.

"The deputy mayor is really daring..."

"Mayor Wang is definitely going to be furious now."

"Who cares? We're just following the law."

The news quickly spread throughout the police station.

Yunzhou is likely to undergo a major reshuffle.