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

An old friend from the capital.

These four words flashed through Chen Pingfang's mind. Qin Daguan's purpose in meeting someone from the capital at this time and in this way was definitely not simple.

He did not act immediately. Qin Daguan was a veteran of the provincial government office, and his every move was under the watchful eyes of countless people. Any rash action against him would invite unnecessary trouble.

Chen Ping tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound. He picked up the encrypted phone and dialed Lin Shaofeng's number.

"Ya Yun Tea House, 8 PM tonight. I need to know who came out of that private room, what they look like, and what their license plate number is. Don't make a sound, keep your distance."

"Understood." Lin Shaofeng's answer was straightforward.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Ping's gaze fell on the calendar on the table. November 8th, Journalists' Day.

He then dialed another number, which belonged to Su Qingwan.

"Happy Journalist's Day, Reporter Su."

Su Qingwan on the other end of the phone seemed a little surprised, and paused for a moment before replying, "Thank you, Deputy Secretary-General Chen. You too."

"Will you be attending the provincial journalists' association's awards ceremony tonight?"

"...I will go." Su Qingwan's answer sounded tired. Although there was no official conclusion yet regarding the twenty-seven letters of complaint, rumors were already circulating in the industry, and she was now the focus of public attention.

"I just received an invitation too. See you at the venue." Chen Pingfang's tone was casual, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

Su Qingwan remained silent. She knew very well that Chen Pingfang wasn't attending an ordinary awards ceremony. He was there to support her.

"Okay." She said only one word, but that word was powerful.

That evening, the banquet hall on the third floor of the Jiangsu Provincial Radio and Television Building was brightly lit.

At the annual Journalists' Day commendation ceremony, elites from major media outlets across the province were all present. Su Qingwan sat in the seating area of ​​the Nanzhou Metropolitan Daily. She was wearing a well-fitting beige suit, but the subtle gazes around her made her sit very upright, her back muscles stiffening.

Chen Pingfang did not enter through the main entrance. He entered the venue through a side door without disturbing anyone and sat down in an inconspicuous reserved seat in the back row. From his seat, he could see the entire venue, especially the stage and the seating area for the Nanzhou Metropolitan Daily.

The awards ceremony was halfway through, and the atmosphere was lively. The host had just announced the winners of the annual Outstanding News Stories award when the open discussion began.

A sudden voice rang out.

"Teacher Su Qingwan!"

In the crowd, a man wearing a media vest stood up, holding a microphone. He was a reporter from another newspaper in the province, and he had a provocative smile on his face.

"I've heard that we've received over twenty whistleblower letters recently, all related to you. As a candidate for this year's Outstanding Journalist Award, could you share your views on the relationship between journalistic truthfulness and journalistic ethics?"

The moment the question was posed, the entire venue fell silent. All eyes turned to Su Qingwan, some with sympathy, some with curiosity, but most with a desire to see the drama unfold.

This was to embarrass her in public.

Su Qingwan's face paled slightly, and her hands on her knees tightened unconsciously.

Just then, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. It was a text message from Chen Pingfang, containing only one word.

"wait."

Su Qingwan took a deep breath and stood up. She ignored the reporter who had asked the question and walked directly to the stage. Her high heels clicked crisply on the wooden floor, each step drawing everyone's attention.

She took the microphone from the host, and it seemed as if all the lights in the room were shining on her.

"Thank you for the question, colleague. I do have a story I'd like to share about the veracity of news."

Her voice was steady, without the slightest tremor.

Before answering your question, I'd like to show you a photo.

Su Qingwan turned around and nodded to the technicians backstage. The huge LED screen behind her lit up instantly, displaying a high-definition photo that filled the entire screen.

The background of the photo is a hotel room. A middle-aged man is lying on the floor with a dagger stuck in his chest. On the carpet next to him are several disassembled chips. On one of the chips, two Chinese characters engraved in seal script can be clearly seen: "Sky Shield".

A collective gasp filled the room. Many recognized the man in the photo as a senior technical executive at M-Tek, who had recently been reported to have died of a heart attack.

"This photo was sent to me at the risk of my life by one of my informants. The chip in the photo is a core component of the SkyShield system, classified as a top-level state secret. It shouldn't be in the hotel room of a foreign company executive."

Su Qingwan turned around, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the audience.

"My informant disappeared after sending me this photo. And since that day, I've received all sorts of concern, including the whistleblower letter that my colleague just mentioned."

Her voice suddenly rose, becoming sharp and powerful.

"Some people don't want this photo to be seen, they don't want SkyShield's secrets to be revealed. They're trying to use so-called professional ethics to blackmail me, trying to silence me with public pressure. Do they think this will stop the truth from spreading?"

She paused for a moment, then spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I am here today to officially announce that starting next Monday, the *Nanzhou Metropolitan Daily* will launch a brand new column entitled 'Domestic Substitution Security Base'! We will continue to track and report on all events involving the security of national core technologies, and we will use the most truthful writing to safeguard our own core technologies and security systems!"

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent for three seconds.

Then, someone started clapping. The applause, which started sparsely, quickly became deafening.

In the first row of the rostrum, a leader from the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department stood up and applauded vigorously. Several officials beside him also stood up.

Su Qingwan stood bathed in light, receiving applause from the entire audience. At this moment, she was no longer the one being questioned, but the reporter revealing the truth.

The reporter who asked the question had already slunk down amidst thunderous applause, his face alternating between red and white.

In the back row, Chen Ping's phone vibrated again.

This time, the message was encrypted and sent by a friend from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

"Su Qingwan's case is closed. All twenty-seven letters came from overseas virtual numbers, with IP addresses pointing to the same proxy server. Tracing the source of the funds, it was found to be a shell company of Jinzuo Real Estate overseas. The case is characterized as malicious false accusation and interference with the judiciary."

After reading the messages, Chen Ping deleted them all from his phone.

He stood up, didn't even look into the venue, and turned to walk towards the fire escape backstage. The situation at the venue was now resolved, but the important thing was what followed.

The corridor was quiet, completely deserted. As soon as he left, the overhead lights came on.

He was just about to push open the fire escape door when his personal cell phone suddenly rang in his pocket. The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number, and he couldn't tell where it was from.

Chen Ping answered the phone, but did not speak first.

The voice on the phone was that of an elderly man, speaking slowly and deliberately, and sounding as if he were laughing.

"Was that Deputy Secretary-General Chen himself?"

Chen Pingfang remained silent.

"Let me introduce myself first. My name is Shen Yayun," the voice continued. "The speech you gave in the venue just now was excellent, and it touched me deeply."

"So, I'd like to invite you to come and hear what I have to say about something new."