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

Han Zhengke.

Chen Ping flipped through the name twice in the elevator. The pilot plant for the second phase of Chipfire had just been set up, and all three core pieces of equipment were dependent on Han Zhengke's company for delivery. One high-temperature silicon carbide crystal growth furnace and two epitaxial growth devices, with a total contract price of 16 million yuan, and 40% of the deposit had already been paid.

The elevator reached the first floor and the doors opened. Jiang Fan followed behind without saying a word.

Chen Ping stood on the steps of the No. 3 building of the Provincial Party Committee and dialed Su Qingwan's number.

I answered it after it rang twice.

"When did this happen?"

"At 10:00 AM this morning, the Jiaxing Economic Investigation Detachment. The charge is suspected of issuing false value-added tax invoices."

Su Qingwan's words were very short, each sentence ending with a period.

"Han Zhengke's company was registered in Jiaxing. The tax authorities investigated for three months but found no problems. Suddenly, the economic crime investigation department intervened and took him away."

Chen Ping walked towards the parking lot, clutching his phone. His leather shoes clicked on the concrete, his pace a beat faster than usual.

"Who approved it?"

"The deputy head of the Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Jiaxing Public Security Bureau is named Sun Keming. I checked his resume; he was transferred from Guangling Public Security Bureau three years ago."

Guangling.

Chen Ping paused for a second.

Fang Zhiyuan had just suffered a setback in the conference room, so he turned around and took action. He didn't come head-on; instead, he went around to Jiaxing and cut off the supply chain.

That's a dirty trick.

Where is Han Zhengke now?

"The Economic Crime Investigation Division's case-handling area. Lawyers can't get in; they say the case is still in the preliminary investigation stage."

Chen Ping opened the car door and sat in the back seat; Jiang Fan had already started the engine.

"Jiacheng, let's go now."

Jiang Fan glanced at the rearview mirror, didn't ask any questions, and drove off.

The journey from Nanzhou to Jiaxing takes an hour and a half on the highway. Chen Ping leaned back in his seat and took out his phone to browse information about Jiaxing's officials. The vice mayor in charge of industry was Qian Weiguo, 51 years old, a graduate student at the provincial Party School, and a pragmatic man who had worked his way up from the township level. The two had never met before, but last year at the provincial industry matchmaking conference, Qian Weiguo sat diagonally opposite him, and his speech was very pragmatic, without a single wasted word.

Chen Ping dialed the municipal party committee office and asked someone to find Qian Weiguo's office number.

Three minutes later, the number arrived.

I dialed it, and it rang four times.

"Mayor Qian, I am Chen Pingfang from Nanzhou High-tech Zone. I apologize for bothering you, but I have something I would like to ask you in person."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Secretary Chen, I've heard so much about you. What's the matter?"

"The supplier of three key pieces of equipment for the Chipfire Phase II project is located in Jiaxing, and is called Jiacheng Precision Equipment Co., Ltd. Today I heard that the boss, Han Zhengke, was taken away by your city's Economic Investigation Department on suspicion of issuing false value-added tax invoices. These three pieces of equipment are related to the delivery schedule of a key provincial project. I would like to understand the situation and see if it will have any impact on the overall semiconductor industry in the province."

He spoke in a measured and businesslike manner.

Qian Weiguo was silent for two seconds on the other end of the phone.

"I know a little about Han Zhengke's matter. Where are you now?"

"It takes about forty minutes to get to Jiaxing on the highway."

"Then come directly to the city government when you arrive. I'll be waiting for you in my office."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Ping placed it on his lap.

Jiang Fan glanced at the mirror again.

"Director, should we report this to Mayor Li?"

"Let's talk after we meet Qian Weiguo. We won't make any moves until we know what's going on."

After the car passed the Jiaxing toll station, it was already dark. Jiang Fan followed the navigation and turned onto Zhongshan Road, where the Jiaxing Municipal Government is located. The streetlights cast long shadows of the roadside trees.

The city government building was half-lit. Jiang Fan parked his car in the visitor's parking space, and Chen Ping got out of the car. He didn't bring his briefcase, only his mobile phone and a notebook.

The security guard verified his identity, and a young clerk came downstairs to meet him, leading Chen Ping up to the fourth floor.

Qian Weiguo's office was small, with the bookcase crammed with file boxes and a set of ordinary white porcelain tea set on the coffee table.

Qian Weiguo stood behind the desk. He was not tall, had a round face, and his temples were already streaked with white. When he saw Chen Ping let him in, he walked around the desk to greet him.

"Secretary Chen, you've arrived quickly."

"Mayor Qian, I'm sorry to trouble you."

The two sat down on the sofa. Qian Weiguo poured tea himself and pushed the cup towards them.

"To be honest, I only found out about Han Zhengke's matter this afternoon."

Qian Weiguo held the cup, rubbing his thumb back and forth along the rim.

"The Economic Crime Investigation Division opened the case directly, without going through me. Sun Keming wasn't in the Jiaxing system before; he was transferred from Guangling three years ago. He usually gets close to the deputy director in charge, and this isn't the first time he's bypassed me, the vice mayor in charge of industry."

Chen Ping took a sip of tea but didn't reply.

Qian Weiguo glanced at him and continued.

"I've looked into Han Zhengke's company; it's a major taxpayer in Jiaxing, with annual tax payments exceeding 20 million yuan. The tax bureau investigated the case of issuing false value-added tax invoices for three months, concluding 'no abnormalities were found.' The economic crime investigation department suddenly intervened, bypassing the tax bureau's conclusion and arresting him directly, which is procedurally problematic."

Chen Ping placed the teacup on the coffee table.

"Mayor Qian, Han Zhengke's company has undertaken the manufacturing contract for three core pieces of equipment for the second phase of Corefire, with a delivery date of the 15th of next month. With people detained and production lines shut down, the equipment cannot be delivered, leaving the pilot production platform for the second phase of Corefire idle. The provincial approval deadline for project progress reporting is the end of June; even a day's delay is a major issue."

Qian Weiguo put down the cup and placed his hands on his knees, crossed over each other.

"Secretary Chen, please explain yourself clearly. What do you need me to do?"

"I won't interfere with the case. But Han Zhengke's company's normal operations cannot be affected. People can be investigated, but the production line cannot be stopped. The Jiaxing City government intervened to coordinate, allowing the Economic Investigation Department to continue to fulfill existing contracts while investigating the case. Is that too much to ask?"

Qian Weiguo thought for a moment and nodded.

"I can make that exception. I'll talk to the deputy director in charge first thing tomorrow morning."

Chen Ping stood up.

"Mayor Qian, once the second phase of Chipfire is completed, the supporting precision machining industrial park will require a large number of local suppliers. Chiayi City has a strong manufacturing base, so there will be plenty of opportunities for cooperation."

Qian Weiguo stood up as well, his brows relaxing a little.

"Secretary Chen, you're too kind. Jiaxing welcomes any industrial cooperation opportunities."

The two shook hands, and Chen Ping left the office.

The corridor was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. When the elevator doors opened, Jiang Fan ran over from the other end of the lobby.

"Director, I've booked your accommodation at the Jiacheng Hotel, which is a five-minute drive from the municipal government."

Jiacheng Hotel, a three-star hotel, is not particularly eye-catching.

Jiang Fan parked the car in the underground garage, and the two entered the lobby through a side door. While registering at the front desk, Chen Ping glanced at the sofa area in the lobby out of the corner of his eye.

There's a person sitting over there.

He was thirty-five or thirty-six years old, wearing suit pants and a white shirt, his hair neatly combed, and an Omega watch on his left wrist. He was looking down at his phone, and when he came across something, his lips moved slightly, as if he were reciting something silently.

Chen Ping's thumb lingered on the ID card, taking another look.

He recognized that face.

It wasn't in Jiaxing that we met. It was in Nanzhou, even earlier, in the provincial party committee compound.

Yan Qinghua's former secretary.

What was that man's name again? Chen Ping racked his brain for a couple of seconds... Wu Shaoming. When Yan Qinghua was a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, Wu Shaoming was always by his side, never leaving his side. After Yan Qinghua's downfall, Wu Shaoming was dismissed from his post, and no one has mentioned his whereabouts since.

Now, he has appeared in Jiaxing.

On the same day that Han Zhengke was taken away.

Chen Ping put his ID card back in his pocket, took the room key, and walked into the elevator with Jiang Fan one after the other.

The moment the elevator doors closed, Wu Shaoming, who was sitting on the sofa in the lobby, looked up and glanced in the direction of the elevator.

There was no surprise in that glance, nor did it look away.

Chen Pingfang pressed the floor button, and the elevator went up. Jiang Fan, standing beside him, noticed that Chen Pingfang's pace had changed.

"director?"

Chen Ping stared at the constantly changing floor numbers on the elevator door, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Fang Zhiyuan alone doesn't have the ability to plan this.

Han Zhengke's case, the deputy head of the Economic Investigation Detachment transferred from Guangling, the person sitting in the lobby of Jiacheng Hotel—this is not Fang Zhiyuan's revenge.

This is the net left behind by Yan Qinghua.

The elevator reached the sixth floor and the doors opened. The emergency light at the end of the corridor flickered, casting a flickering shadow on Chen Pingfang's face. He didn't step forward; Jiang Fan held the door open, waiting for him.

Chen Ping took out his phone and dialed a number.

It rang once, and the other end answered.

Su Qingwan's voice came through the receiver, very softly.

"Wu Shaoming is in Jiaxing."

The typing on the keyboard suddenly stopped on the other end of the phone.