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

Beneath that blot of black ink lay a face that had been deliberately erased.

Chen Ping put the photos into his inner bag and left Qin Daguan's office. The corridor was empty, the fluorescent lights overhead humming and making the floor tiles appear white.

The news of Qin Daguan's downfall spread throughout the provincial government compound in less than a morning. The General Affairs Division was the core department of the Provincial Government Office, responsible for the circulation of all documents, the preparation of meetings, and the issuance of government orders. With the division chief's position vacant, the entire office's operation was disrupted.

Many people started to get active.

That afternoon, five recommendation letters piled up on Chen Pingfang's desk. Some were handed over by the deputy secretary-general in charge, some came from the provincial party committee office, and one was even sent directly in the name of a retired senior leader. All five candidates had impressive resumes, but Chen Pingfang didn't open a single one.

Han Zhiming came in carrying a teacup and glanced at the stack of recommendation letters.

"Director, two of these people are from the same cohort at the Provincial Party School, so we're not strangers to them. Should we arrange a meeting?"

Chen Ping stood up from the chair and walked to the window.

"Zhiming, how many years do you think Qin Daguan has been working in the General Affairs Department?"

"Seven years."

"Seven years." Chen Pingfang repeated the number. "During those seven years, he completely controlled the General Affairs Department. He could issue or intercept government orders from above at will. He could report or conceal information from below at will."

Han Zhiming put down his teacup and remained silent.

"These five people now," Chen Pingfang pointed with his chin at the stack of documents on the table, "each of them has someone standing behind them. Whoever I let in today, tomorrow that position will be controlled by someone else, but the control is not in my hands."

Han Zhiming pondered for a few seconds, then tentatively asked a question.

"So you mean~"

Who is currently handling the daily operations in the General Affairs Department?

"Deputy Director Shen Congwen," Han Zhiming answered quickly. "After Qin Daguan was taken away, he was the highest-ranking cadre in the department and took over the position voluntarily."

"What's the deal with this person?"

Han Zhiming rubbed his hands together, organizing his thoughts.

"He's a veteran, having worked in the General Affairs Department for eleven years, even before Qin Daguan. His professional skills are unquestionable; he knows everything, big or small. But he's too introverted and doesn't know how to get along with people. When Qin Daguan was there, he was completely suppressed. Every year, his performance evaluation was 'competent,' and he never received an 'excellent' rating."

"Is there a problem?"

"Clean," Han Zhiming said with certainty. "He's not on the list for the 'Clean Internet' operation, and he's passed the National Security Bureau's investigation. He's a reliable and hardworking person; he's always the first to arrive at the office and the last to leave."

Chen Ping turned around.

"He's the one."

Han Zhiming was stunned for a moment.

"Let Shen Congwen temporarily take charge of the General Affairs Department, but don't give him a permanent position yet; give him a three-month probationary period."

"But what about those recommendation letters?"

"No reply." Chen Ping sat down again, pulled over a blank approval document, and said, "Just leave the letter of recommendation there. If anyone asks, just say the governor is still considering it. Drag it out and don't give any indication."

A thin layer of sweat broke out on Han Zhiming's back. This was a ruthless move. Neither refusing nor accepting, leaving everyone who reached out with nothing. After three months, once Shen Congwen had streamlined the affairs of the General Affairs Department, the matter would be settled, and those recommendation letters would naturally be invalid.

"There's one more thing." Chen Ping put down his pen and looked up at him.

Han Zhiming stood up straight as if by reflex.

"From today onwards, you are no longer just a liaison officer for the project office. I have reported to Governor Liu and appointed you as the Executive Deputy Director of the Chipfire Project Office, responsible for the overall daily operation and external coordination of the project."

Han Zhiming's hand trembled slightly.

"Director, I..."

"Don't refuse." Chen Ping pressed down on the pen cap, making a click. "How long have you been following me?"

"Three years and two months."

"You know how many troubles you've handled for me over the past three years. It's time to give you more important responsibilities."

Han Zhiming opened his mouth, but didn't say anything; he just nodded emphatically.

That evening, Chen Ping went to the General Affairs Department in person.

The office area was deserted. Several items on the desks had been cleared away by the Discipline Inspection Commission, leaving only empty drawers and scattered folders. A desk lamp was lit in the corner, where Shen Congwen was busy organizing a stack of file boxes.

He was in his early fifties, with most of his hair turned gray. He wore old-fashioned black-rimmed glasses, and the cuffs of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his two thin forearms.

Hearing footsteps, Shen Congwen looked up and quickly stood up after seeing who it was.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen."

"Busy?"

"We're doing a handover and cleanup. Director Qin—oh no, it turns out Director Qin has handled too many documents, and some approval processes have been interrupted. We need to catch up as soon as possible, otherwise all the work below will be stuck."

Chen Ping pulled up a chair and sat down, looking around the office.

"Director Shen, the organization has decided that you will be temporarily in charge of the General Affairs Department."

Shen Congwen pushed up his glasses.

"I've heard about it."

There were no surprises, no unexpected events, not even the usual polite refusals. He simply nodded and added a single sentence.

"I will do the job well."

Chen Pingfang couldn't help but glance at him again. Eleven years of not being given important responsibilities hadn't done anything to this man; on the contrary, it had made him very composed.

"Director Shen, just asking a casual question," Chen Ping said casually, "Your resume states that your degree is a correspondence bachelor's degree, but I saw a note in an earlier file mentioning that you audited classes in Beijing?"

Shen Congwen paused and tapped his hand on the file box.

"Yes. It happened more than 20 years ago. My family was poor back then, and I couldn't get into a regular school, so I rented a basement near the school and sneaked into the classroom to listen to lectures."

Which school?

Shen Congwen gave a name.

It's the university that's inscribed on the stone tablet in the background of the photo.

Chen Pingfang's breathing remained unchanged, but his entire attention was instantly drawn to Shen Congwen.

"Did you see Qin Daguan over there?"

Shen Congwen took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with the hem of his shirt, a very slow motion.

"I've seen him. I've seen him from afar a few times. Back then, he was very popular in the student council. He often got close to a female student who did cultural studies, and a lot of people gossiped about them."

A female student who studies cultural studies.

Shen Yayun.

Chen Pingfang didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

Shen Congwen put his glasses back on, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke again.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen, there's something I shouldn't have said. But since Qin Daguan has already gotten into trouble, I think I should tell you."

"you say."

"I found that hidden compartment when I was moving his desk during the handover and cleaning this afternoon."

Chen Ping's body remained motionless. He had already taken the photo from the hidden compartment.

Shen Congwen's next words sent a chill down his spine.

"There are indentations on the inner wall of that hidden compartment; they are indentations from at least three photographs."

Shen Congwen picked up a file folder from the table and handed it over.

"I traced the outline of the indentation with a pencil. You see, on the cork backing of this compartment, there are three rectangular marks of different sizes, the largest of which is at least twice the size of the one you took."

Chen Ping took the file folder and pulled out the rubbing. The three rectangular marks were clearly visible, varying in depth, indicating that they had been pressed underneath for different periods of time.

The group photo he took was only the top one.

There are two more pictures below.

Who took it? When was it taken?

Shen Congwen turned up the lamp a little, his eyes behind his glasses fixed on Chen Pingfang.

"When the disciplinary committee came to search, they didn't find this hidden compartment. It only opened because I bumped into the mechanism while moving the table. In other words—"

He lowered his voice and uttered each word carefully.

"Before the disciplinary committee's search, someone had already taken away the other two photos."