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

"Director Chen, my surname is Pei, from the Sixth Bureau of the Ministry of State Security. Regarding Zhou Zhixing, whom your department transferred... we need to talk to him in person."

"Time, place," Chen Ping asked, holding the receiver.

"One hour later, at Building 3 of the Provincial Party Committee Guesthouse. Bring all the information he provided." Director Pei's tone was completely flat.

"Okay. I'll have Zheng Xian take the person over."

He hung up the phone. Chen Ping pushed Zhou Zhixing's case file aside.

The takeover by the National Security Bureau means that the shadowy organization's level has exceeded the jurisdiction of the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology. Chen Pingfang's current target is He Qishan.

Call Lin Shaofeng's inside line.

"Shaofeng, bring your men to my office."

Three minutes later, Lin Shaofeng pushed the door open and came in.

"Director."

Chen Ping tapped on a red-headed document on the table.

"The provincial party committee has officially approved the policy on the red line for scientific research. Anyone who acquires land under the guise of high-tech industry but actually engages in commercial development will be investigated retroactively for ten years."

Lin Shaofeng pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Who should we start investigating?"

"Jinzuo Real Estate. Get all their cash flow records for land acquisitions in Nanzhou over the past ten years."

"Understood. I'll contact the Provincial Tax Bureau's Inspection Department immediately."

"Focus on investigating those two plots of land in the High-tech Zone. Make a legitimate entry, act quickly, and make a big splash." Chen Ping pushed the documents to Lin Shaofeng.

Lin Shaofeng picked up the documents, turned around, and quickly left.

Chen Ping dialed Zheng Xian's encrypted number again.

"Is the handover complete?"

"It's been handed over. The Sixth Bureau took over." Zheng Xian lowered his voice.

"Keep an eye on someone for me. He Qishan."

"He transferred 100 million yuan overseas a while ago. Now the situation is urgent, and he may have to flee." Chen Ping stood up and walked to the window.

"I immediately checked his entry and exit records and ticket purchase information. We deployed surveillance at the airport and high-speed rail station."

"Notify me immediately if there is any movement."

The call ended. Chen Ping looked out the window at the traffic in Nanzhou City.

It's time to take action.

~

The top floor of the Nanzhou Jinzuo Building.

He Qishan smashed his phone on the mahogany desk. The screen shattered into a grid pattern.

"Still can't get through to Old Zhou on the phone?" He Qishan stared at his assistant on the other end of the line.

The assistant was so frightened that he dared not speak, shrinking his neck and shaking his head.

"Useless!" He Qishan kicked over the leather seat.

Sun Heming has been arrested, and Fang Qinian has been suspended from his duties. Now, even Old Zhou has been cut off from contact.

The provincial discipline inspection commission acted much faster than He Qishan had anticipated.

Those people always disappear without a trace when something goes wrong.

The office door was flung open. The finance director rushed in, sweating profusely.

"Mr. He, the tax and auditing officials have come in and sealed off the finance department's ledgers and servers!"

He Qishan's mind was racing.

Chen Pingfang had no intention of letting him off the hook.

"Did you stop them?"

"We couldn't stop them. The one leading them was Lin Shaofeng from the Industry and Information Technology Department, who was holding an official document from the Provincial Party Committee, saying they would investigate the land acquisition records for the past ten years."

He Qishan shoved the CFO aside and strode to the safe.

Rotate the keypad and enter your fingerprint.

The safe door popped open.

He Qishan pulled out a stack of cash, two anonymous bank cards, and a passport belonging to Wannadou.

"Book a flight to Hong Kong tonight." He Qishan stuffed the things into his black leather bag.

"Mr. He, if we leave now, what about the things in China..." the assistant stammered.

"What's the point of assets if you're dead?" He Qishan grabbed his coat and strode out.

That 100 million has already been transferred out. It's enough for him to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

"Take the internal elevator to the underground parking garage. Don't alert anyone."

~

8:40 PM. Nanju International Airport.

International Departure VIP Lounge

He Qishan sat on the sofa in the corner, his baseball cap pulled low.

Holding a cup of black coffee in my hand, the surface of the coffee trembled slightly.

He Qishan glanced down at his watch. Twenty minutes until boarding.

Once he's on that plane, Chen Ping will be powerless against him.

The boarding announcement sounded. Boarding for the flight to Hong Kong had begun.

He Qishan stood up, picked up his black leather bag, and walked toward the boarding gate.

I've only taken two steps.

The glass door to the VIP room was pushed open.

Chen Ping walked ahead, wearing a black jacket.

Zheng Xian lagged behind by half a body length, followed by two plainclothes officers.

He Qishan stopped in his tracks.

"Mr. He, are you in such a hurry to leave?" Chen Ping stopped a meter in front of He Qishan.

He Qishan’s Adam’s apple bobbed violently as he forced a smile.

"Director Chen, I'm going to Hong Kong for a meeting. I'll be right back."

"Going to Hong Kong for a meeting, using Vannadu's passport?" Chen Pingfang stretched out his hand, palm up.

He Qishan gripped the briefcase tightly in his hand, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

"I don't understand what you're talking about. This is my private trip."

"Or are you planning to go to Southeast Asia to check out your batch of granite building materials?" Chen Ping took a half step closer.

He Qishan's blood rushed to his head instantly.

Granite building materials. That 100 million yuan fraudulent trade.

This was done very discreetly; even his most trusted vice president was unaware of the details.

How did Chen Pingfang know?

"You have no evidence. There must be proper procedures for arresting people!" He Qishan raised his voice.

Several passengers in the VIP lounge turned their heads to look.

Zheng Xian stepped forward and showed his identification.

"He Qishan, you are suspected of illegally transferring huge amounts of assets, bribery, and embezzling state-owned land. Come with us."

He Qishan took half a step back and bumped into the coffee table behind him.

The coffee cup tipped over, spilling dark brown liquid all over the floor.

"I need to make a call, I need to find my lawyer!" He Qishan reached into his pocket for his phone.

Chen Ping ignored his shouting and took out a folded A4 sheet of paper from the inside pocket of his jacket.

Unfold it and hand it to He Qishan.

A copy of the guarantee letter issued by Nanzhou City Investment.

Chen Ping pointed to the signature on it.

"The person who signed this afternoon confessed that you gave him a kickback of three million. There are also the transaction records from the International Settlement Department of the Provincial Commercial Bank."

He Qishan stared at the paper, and his legs went weak.

He slid down the edge of the coffee table and fell onto the carpet.

"Old Zhou... Old Zhou won't let you get away with this..." he muttered to himself.

"Old Zhou?" Chen Ping bent down and stared at He Qishan's face.

"The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection sent people to pick up Old Zhou from the sanatorium at 3 p.m."

Chen Ping straightened up and looked down at him.

"You think you can't get through on the phone because of a bad signal?"

These words made him completely collapse to the ground, unable to utter a single word.

That escape route of 100 million yuan is completely cut off.

Two plainclothes officers stepped forward, grabbed He Qishan from both sides, and dragged him outside.

He Qishan hung his head, one of his slippers falling onto the carpet in the VIP room.

Chen Ping stood there, watching He Qishan being taken away.

"Well done." Zheng Xian walked over and handed Chen Ping a cigarette.

Chen Ping waved his hand, refusing to take it.

"He Qishan is just an agent. Only after he goes in can Jinzuo Real Estate get back the land it holds."

"The land for the second phase of the Corefire Industrial Park has been secured." Zheng Xian put his cigarette back in the pack.

"What about that 100 million?"

"I have notified the Anti-Money Laundering Center and frozen all the related accounts of that Vietnamese shell company." Chen Pingfang turned and walked out.

"The money won't run away."

The airport terminal was brightly lit and glaringly white.

Chen Ping's phone vibrated.

He took out his phone.

A message from Su Qingwan.

"I'm downstairs at your place. I bought some late-night snacks."

Chen Ping put his phone back in his pocket.

"Fall back." Chen Ping said to Zheng Xian, then strode toward the terminal exit.

The night wind blew in from outside the automatic door, making the hem of my jacket flutter.