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

When Lin Yuanzhou called, Chen Pingfang was in his office looking through the equipment list for the second phase of Corefire.

"I laid it flat; I was tidying up old equipment in the lab, and there was an envelope underneath."

"What envelope?"

"Three sheets of paper. The title reads 'Details of Industrial Guidance Fund Allocation in Nanzhou High-tech Zone, 2022, Internal.' A company called Dingsheng Venture Capital appears many times. The third sheet has a signature in the bottom right corner: Sun Zhaohui."

Chen Ping removed his thumb from the equipment list.

"Don't touch those papers. Put them back in the envelope, and lock the envelope in your drawer. I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Ping jumped up from his chair, grabbed his coat, and headed outside.

Jiang Fan followed behind, jogging to catch up.

"Director, where are we going?"

"Building B, Room 304"

The laboratory door was ajar. Lin Yuanzhou stood beside the high-temperature microscope, clutching the key in his hand, his expression complex.

Chen Ping let him in and went straight to the lab bench.

"Which drawer is it locked in?"

Lin Yuanzhou opened the leftmost metal drawer and handed over the kraft paper envelope.

Chen Ping pulled out three sheets of paper and flipped through them one by one. The paper was yellowed and the printed text was blurry, but the numbers in the data columns were still legible.

The first document shows that in the first quarter of 2022, the industry guidance fund allocated 80 million yuan to Dingsheng Venture Capital, with the purpose listed as "investment in the localization project of semiconductor equipment".

The second document shows that a total of 120 million yuan was allocated in the second and third quarters combined. The recipient was still Dingsheng Venture Capital, but the purpose was changed to "Industrialization Project of Silicon Carbide Substrate Materials".

The third document states that 100 million yuan will be allocated in the fourth quarter. This time, the purpose section only lists four words: "Special Funding Support".

In the bottom right corner, Sun Zhaohui's signature is crooked and the ink has smudged in a small patch.

The three pieces of paper together amount to 300 million.

It all went into Dingsheng Venture Capital's pocket.

Chen Ping spread three sheets of paper on the lab table, took out his phone and took six photos, one on the front and one on the back.

"Yuanzhou, how did these papers end up under the equipment?"

Lin Yuanzhou adjusted his glasses.

"The base of the high-temperature microscope rusted. When I was unscrewing it, I pulled out the cushioning pad, and the envelope was stuck underneath it. It looks like it's been there for a long time."

Chen Ping put the envelope back in the drawer and locked it.

"Don't mention this to anyone."

Lin Yuanzhou nodded without asking any further questions.

Chen Ping left the laboratory and stood in the corridor, dialing a number.

Zhao Deshan, Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The phone rang twice.

"Secretary Zhao, this is Chen Pingfang from the High-tech Zone. I have some internal documents concerning the flow of industrial guidance funds that I need to report to you in person."

Zhao Deshan paused for a moment on the other end.

"How big is the number?"

"Three hundred million."

There was a three-second silence on the phone.

"I'll be waiting for you on the fourth floor of the Discipline Inspection Commission at 2 PM."

At 1:45 PM, Chen Pingfang walked into the gate of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection carrying a briefcase. Zhao Deshan's office was at the far end of the fourth floor; the door was closed, and the blinds were drawn tightly.

Chen Ping placed six printed photos and the guidance fund ledger exported from the Corefire Center's financial system on the table.

"Secretary Zhao, I have something to tell you. In 2022, our High-tech Zone's industrial guidance fund gave a lot of money to a company called Dingsheng Venture Capital, a total of 300 million yuan."

"The person who signed it was Sun Zhaohui, who was the deputy director of the management committee at the time."

"But there's a problem: for these three sums of money, we can't find the project proposal, due diligence report, or investment committee resolution in our financial system."

Zhao Deshan flipped through two pages of the ledger, then pointed to the Dingsheng Venture Capital column.

"Have you looked into this Dingsheng Venture Capital? What's its background?"

"I checked, and it's registered in Guangling. The legal representative of the company is a person named Zhou Quan. In addition, the company's equity structure changed once last October. As for who the shareholders were before the change, I couldn't find it because the business registration information says it has already been filed."

Chen Ping thought to himself, "Guangling again. This is the second time I've heard this place name today."

Zhao Deshan closed the ledger and put it aside.

"Old Chen, you're giving me these things, so you mean you want the Discipline Inspection Commission to handle this matter?"

"That's not what I meant. But that's the situation. There's a 300 million yuan fund, but the paperwork is incomplete. The money was given to a company from another city, and the person who signed it is one of our people. I think this matter should be handled by your Discipline Inspection Commission. Secretary Zhao, you're a professional, you definitely know what to do."

Zhao Deshan remained silent for more than ten seconds.

"I arranged for someone to meet with Sun Zhaohui."

"Can you move around today?"

Zhao Deshan looked up and glanced at Chen Pingfang.

"What's your hurry?"

"Something just happened in Jiaxing, and the clues for Han Zhengke's case came from Guangling. I'm worried that the information might leak out, so the relevant personnel are trying to cover up the evidence in advance."

Zhao Deshan stood up and walked to the window. A ray of light shone through the gap in the blinds, illuminating half of his face.

"Okay. At four o'clock this afternoon, the Discipline Inspection Commission will send someone to the High-tech Zone to have a face-to-face meeting with them."

Chen Ping nodded, got up, and left the Discipline Inspection Commission building.

At 3:55 PM, two black Passats pulled up in front of the Management Committee building. Four people got out of the cars; the one leading them was Zheng, the deputy director of the Third Investigation and Review Office of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Chen Ping left it in the lobby on the first floor.

"Director Zheng, Sun Zhaohui is in the finance office area on the third floor. I'll have someone notify him to come to the meeting room."

Director Zheng waved his hand.

"No need for the meeting room. Let's go directly to his office."

The four of them went up to the third floor. Chen Ping followed behind, but didn't enter Sun Zhaohui's room.

At the other end of the corridor, several staff members peeked out, but when they saw the disciplinary committee's work badges, they withdrew.

Fifteen minutes later, Sun Zhaohui was "invited" out of the office. He was a man in his early fifties with gray hair, and his left leg dragged a little when he walked.

As Sun Zhaohui walked down the corridor, he saw Chen Pingfang leaning against the wall.

"Secretary Chen, what does this mean?"

Chen Ping did not answer.

Director Zheng spoke up from the side.

"Comrade Sun Zhaohui, the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection has summoned you for a talk. Please cooperate."

Sun Zhaohui stood motionless in the middle of the corridor.

"I need to call Deputy Secretary Wang Cheng."

"Communication devices will be temporarily confiscated during the meeting."

Director Zheng extended his hand.

Sun Zhaohui didn't hand over his phone. He took a half step back and raised his voice a notch.

"I've worked in the High-tech Zone for twelve years! The guidance fund was decided by the previous leadership, what does it have to do with me? What right do you have to summon me for questioning?"

The office doors on both sides of the corridor opened one after another, and more than twenty people rushed into the corridor, forming a semi-circle.

Chen Ping straightened up from the wall.

"Sun Zhaohui".

The three words echoed in the corridor, silencing everyone's whispers.

Chen Ping took out a document with an official seal from his briefcase, unfolded it, and held it up to a distance that Sun Zhaohui could reach.

"The Party Working Committee of the High-tech Zone has decided to suspend you from your duties for investigation, effective immediately. The reason is that the flow of 300 million yuan of industrial guidance funds is unclear and the approval process is seriously irregular. The disbursement details you signed have been filed with the Provincial Department and the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. You can make phone calls now, but I suggest you think carefully about who to call."

The moment the number 300 million exploded, someone in the corridor gasped.

The senior accountant in the finance department was leaning against the door frame, his knees trembling.

Sun Zhaohui's face went from red to white, then from white to green. The screen of his phone was lit up, the contact list was stuck on the page starting with the character "Wang," and his thumb hovered in mid-air, hesitant to press it.

Director Zheng stepped forward and snatched the phone from Sun Zhaohui's limp fingers.

"Come with us."

Two disciplinary committee staff members grabbed Sun Zhaohui's arms, one on each side, and led him toward the elevator.

Sun Zhaohui tripped over the threshold on the ground, fell forward, and was pulled back by someone.

As they passed through the office area in the lobby, everyone at their thirty-odd workstations stood up. Some stared at Sun Zhaohui, some stole glances at Chen Pingfang, and most kept their heads down, avoiding eye contact.

The elevator doors opened.

Sun Zhaohui was pushed into the elevator by the staff. Just then, he suddenly turned his head, his expression looking extremely angry.

He shouted loudly outside, "Chen Pingfang!"

The sound echoed back and forth in the corridor.

"You've taken a bite out of Guangling's territory; you won't live much longer!"

Then, the elevator doors closed, and Sun Zhaohui's face disappeared from view.

The more than thirty people in the hall were all frightened and stood frozen in place, afraid to move.

Chen Pingfang stood in front of the elevator door, staring at the stainless steel door panel without moving.

Jiang Fan leaned over from the side and spoke in a low voice.

"Director, he just mentioned things about Guangling..."