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

Wang Dexin's photo was still hanging on the phone screen when Chen Ping finally pressed his thumb down.

He typed "Wait a minute" in the reply box, sent it to Ma Donglin, then locked the screen and put his phone in his coat pocket.

Wang Dexin is a retired employee of the Provincial Government Office and now runs a shop called Songtaoge.

Putting these pieces of information together, it's clear that Wang Dexin is no ordinary person; she has her own set of rules and connections. Trying to investigate this kind of person using methods typically used for corruption investigations is likely to lead to a dead end, with the leads never to be recovered.

Chen Ping stood in the corridor for two minutes, then turned around, went downstairs, and got into his car.

Cuiwei Lane is located in the old city area in the south. At the entrance of the lane stands a locust tree, whose roots have arched a crack in the paving stones. Chen Pingfang didn't let Ma Donglin follow him; he went in by himself. Twenty meters later, the wooden sign for Songtao Pavilion was hanging on the left.

At exactly nine o'clock in the morning, Chen Pingfang pushed open the wooden door of Songtao Pavilion.

Incense was burning in the shop, a wisp of smoke quietly rising from the incense burner against the wall. Wang Dexin was sitting in the inner room, a chessboard in front of him, with a dozen or so black and white pieces on each side, a half-finished game. He wondered where the other person he was supposed to play chess with was.

Wang Dexin raised her head.

He wore round-framed reading glasses, a dark blue cotton Tang suit, and had completely white sideburns. His expression was calm, and he looked almost exactly like the photo in the business registration file.

"Director Chen is here."

His tone suggested he had been waiting for Chen Ping for a long time.

Chen Pingfang went into the inner room, placed his briefcase on the back of a chair, and sat down opposite the chessboard.

"Is Old Wang studying a chess game?"

"Boring, I'll just play against myself." Wang Dexin picked up a white piece, twirled it halfway between her fingers, and then put it back in the box. "You've come here today for something important, haven't you?"

"right."

Chen Ping spoke directly.

"Songtao Pavilion, Cuiwei Lane, the seventh book in the third row of the old bookshelf—this contact information of Old Wang's is quite old, isn't it?"

Wang Dexin paused for a moment before closing the lid of the small box.

"How much did you find?"

"Liu Chang confessed last night."

"Liu Chang," Wang Dexin muttered the name, letting out a snort. "That child, he still can't keep his composure."

Chen Ping placed his hand on the edge of the chessboard without moving a piece.

"Mr. Wang spent thirty years in the General Office of the Provincial Government, overseeing the science and technology sector. You led the early patent applications for the Nanzhou High-tech Zone. You also handled the approval process for those core silicon carbide patents."

Wang Dexin did not deny it, but took her hands off the chessboard and placed them on her knees, folded over each other.

"That was in 2016."

"Yes. But the Gate-7 memorandum was signed in 2019, and the witness's code name was 'Old Musician.' The handwriting was neat, and there was no hesitation in writing it. Old Wang had already retired at that time."

Chen Ping paused for a moment.

"Even after retirement, you're still stamping Veridian's documents. Mr. Wang, you're not after the money."

After Chen Ping finished speaking, he stared intently at Wang Dexin, waiting for his reaction.

Wang Dexin looked up, took off her reading glasses, placed them next to the chessboard, and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Director Chen, have you read 'Discourses on Salt and Iron'?"

"I've read it."

"Industries need circulation, and technologies need integration. Working in isolation will only lead to a dead end." Wang Dexin put his glasses back on and pointed to the pieces on the chessboard. "Back in 2016, Nanzhou's silicon carbide technology was practically worthless. The patents were sitting in warehouses, collecting maintenance fees every year, and no company was willing to buy it. Veridian's willingness to take it on provided an outlet for this technology."

Chen Ping picked up a black piece and placed it in the empty space next to the white piece.

"Internationalization is the direction of development, and Mr. Wang is right."

Wang Dexin relaxed her back slightly.

"but."

Chen Ping pressed the chess piece onto the chessboard, making a crisp sound.

"Internationalization is not about selling off national assets at a low price."

"Twelve million US dollars in exchange for eleven core patents, with a market value of eight hundred million, this is a fire sale. Five million US dollars of Gate-7's offshore trust were transferred to the Chinese coordinator, Mr. Wang. This line is in the Cayman Islands, but I can find out who the money ultimately ended up in."

Wang Dexin's back straightened up again.

The two men faced the chessboard, neither making a move.

Chen Ping took something out of his briefcase and placed it next to the chessboard.

It was a black hardcover notebook with no markings on the cover and frayed edges at the corners.

Wang Dexin's gaze fell on the notebook and lingered for a full four seconds.

"The contents of the 074 hard drive." Chen Ping pushed the notebook towards the other person, but not across the center line. "There's a handwritten memorandum of profit distribution inside, the handwriting is even neater than the signature on the Gate-7 witness document."

Wang Dexin moved her hand off her knee and placed it on the edge of the chessboard.

He didn't go to get the notebook.

Neither of them spoke. The incense stick in the burner burned to its end, and the last wisp of smoke swirled along the burner wall before disappearing into the air.

"Director Chen, you didn't come here today to send me to the Discipline Inspection Commission, did you?"

"no."

What do you want?

"The whole line." Chen Ping put the notebook back into his briefcase. "Yan Qinghua is in charge of operations, He Hongru is handling the approval process, and you, Mr. Wang, are responsible for witnessing and coordination. It's a three-tiered structure. I only have 70% of the information; the remaining 30% is with you."

Wang Dexin began to tidy up the chessboard. He picked up the white pieces one by one and put them back in the box. His movements were slow, and he looked no different from an ordinary old man.

"I have a son who runs several businesses outside the system."

"I know."

"He doesn't know what I promised Veridian back then."

"As long as you fully cooperate," Chen Pingfang continued, "the investigation results will clearly state who the principal offender is and who the accomplices are, and your role will also be clearly defined."

Wang Dexin closed the lid of the white box and looked up.

"I helped He Hongru set up his offshore chain."

Chen Ping pressed his thumb firmly against the briefcase clasp, remaining silent as he waited for Chen Ping to continue.

Wang Dexin took out a folded piece of paper from a hidden pocket in the chest of her Tang suit, placed it in the center of the chessboard, and pushed it over.

"I drew the account structure diagram myself; even Yan Qinghua has never seen the full diagram."

Chen Ping picked up the piece of paper, but without unfolding it, he put it into the inner pocket of his briefcase.

"I will report Mr. Wang's cooperation today truthfully."

He stood up and picked up his briefcase.

Wang Dexin did not see him off. She sat in her original position, reopened the box of black pieces, and placed them one by one on the chessboard.

Chen Ping walked to the wooden doorway and placed his hand on the door frame. Wang Dexin's voice came from behind him.

Lay it flat.

Chen Pingfang did not turn around, but only tilted his head to the side.

"You need to be careful in Jiaxing," Wang Dexin said in a low voice. "There's a precision equipment supplier there named Han Zhengke; he might be more than just a supplier."