1985, the year of the great writer, began with Infernal Affairs!

"What's wrong?" he asked the security guard.

"County Chief Wei," the security guard said, recognizing the visitor as Wei Dong, the deputy county chief. "This comrade says he wants to report something."

Wei Dong, who was called County Chief Wei, looked at Party Secretary Wang.

He looked closely and recognized Secretary Wang: "Aren't you... Secretary Wang from Shuangshui Village?"

Secretary Wang was taken aback and looked at the other person carefully.

He remembered; it was Wei Dong, the deputy county head.

He spoke on stage last year when the township conference was held.

Party Secretary Wang was sitting below; I've met him before.

"Yes, that's me," Party Secretary Wang quickly admitted. "Vice County Head Wei, you remember me?"

"I remember, I remember." Wei Dong smiled. "You even gave a speech at last year's conference, talking about rural water conservancy construction. You spoke quite well. So, what brings you here today...?"

He glanced at the security guard, who quickly said, "He said he wants to report it."

Upon hearing this, Wei Dong's expression immediately turned serious.

He looked at Secretary Wang, then at the surroundings, and said, "Secretary Wang, come in, let's go inside and talk."

He pulled Secretary Wang into the building.

The building was quiet, and the corridors had terrazzo floors that were polished to a shine.

Several paintings hung on the wall, including landscapes and portraits of leaders. Occasionally, people would walk by, all dressed in neat Zhongshan suits and carrying documents.

Wei Dong led Secretary Wang to a room on the second floor. The room was small, with a desk, two chairs, a filing cabinet, and an open window that offered a view of the street outside.

"Sit down." Wei Dong pointed to a chair, then went to pour water.

He poured two cups of tea, ordinary jasmine tea, and placed them in two porcelain bowls.

He placed a cup in front of Wang Zhishu, took a cup himself, and sat down opposite him.

Wei Dong sat down and calmly began to speak, his tone very gentle: "Secretary Wang, don't be nervous, speak slowly. Who do you want to report? What is it about?"

Party Secretary Wang picked up his teacup, his hand trembling slightly.

He took a sip of tea, which was so hot that he quickly put down the cup, took out the cloth bag from his pocket, and placed it on the table.

Because he was too nervous, Secretary Wang's hands were shaking badly. He wanted to smoke a cigarette to relieve the tension, but he didn't have one. He could only take a deep breath and speak after a while: "Deputy County Chief Wei, I want to report two people. One is our village clerk, Li Hanwen."

The other one is his brother-in-law, Zhang Dongchao, who is the deputy secretary of the county education bureau.

Wei Dong paused for a moment upon hearing the two names, his brow furrowing slightly before he quickly regained his composure and nodded. "Hmm, what are you reporting them for?"

"They conspired together to withhold a college admission letter from one of the children in our village."

"That boy's name is Xie Lü. He was admitted to Wuhan University this year. The admission notice was sent to the village committee, but Li Hanwen withheld it."

He initially wanted his nephew to take the place, but when word got out, he pressured the Xie family for 200 yuan, threatening not to issue the notification letter otherwise.

Secretary Wang spoke slowly, word by word, but his reasoning was very clear.

Wei Dong listened attentively and did not interrupt at all.

After Secretary Wang finished speaking, he asked, "Is there any evidence for this?"

"Yes." Party Secretary Wang opened the cloth bag and took out a stack of materials: "These are all collected by me. Over the years, Li Hanwen has embezzled village funds, falsified accounts, and bullied villagers... It's all in here. His brother-in-law, Zhang Dongchao, is also in here. He formed cliques and arranged jobs for relatives and friends. I've also inquired about some of that."

After speaking, Party Secretary Wang pushed the materials over.

Wei Dong took them and looked at them one by one, very carefully, his brows gradually furrowing.

The room was very quiet.

The only sound was the soft rustling of turning pages.

Party Secretary Wang looked at Wei Dong nervously, his palms sweaty.

About ten minutes later, Wei Dong put down the materials, looked up at Secretary Wang, and a playful expression appeared on his face.

"Secretary Wang, have some tea first."

Although Secretary Wang didn't know what Wei Dong meant, he still picked up the teacup as Wei Dong had instructed and took another sip. By this time, the tea had cooled down and wasn't as hot as before.

Wei Dong changed his form of address and spoke in a gentler tone: "Old Party Secretary, you don't need to be so nervous."

Party Secretary Wang looked at him, not understanding what he meant.

"Actually, the organization had already received reports about Zhang Dongchao and Li Hanwen before you came to report them."

Party Secretary Wang was stunned.

"What?" He thought he had misheard.

Wei Dong knew that this matter would be difficult for Secretary Wang to accept for a while, so he repeated it again patiently: "I said that the organization has received the materials of the report, and there is more than one, some anonymous and some with real names."

The content is more detailed and specific than what you've described.

Party Secretary Wang opened his mouth wide, unable to utter a word for a long time.

"The organization takes this very seriously," Wei Dong continued. "After discussions within the organization over the past few days, it has been decided to take this matter seriously. Zhang Dongchao has been temporarily suspended from his duties and placed under control. The Discipline Inspection Commission is currently investigating."

As for Li Hanwen, I reckon it'll be over in the next day or two. The township has already sent people to Shuangshui Village, and they'll probably take action tomorrow or the day after.

Party Secretary Wang still didn't realize what was happening.

His mind went blank.

He painstakingly collected materials and mustered the courage to report it to the county, only to find that the organization already knew about it?

Is it already being processed?

"Then...the matter of Xie Lu," he stammered.

"This matter concerning Attorney Xie has been a key focus of the organization's discussions these past few days."

"This is not only because of the detention notice, but also because it involves an attempt to impersonate someone else, which is a serious violation of laws and regulations. The organization will definitely deal with it seriously."

He paused, then said, "Old Party Secretary, your willingness to report this shows that you have Party spirit and principles. The organization thanks you, but don't worry too much. The organization is already working on resolving this matter, and I believe you will receive a satisfactory reply soon."

Party Secretary Wang sat in the chair, completely dumbfounded.

He recalled the struggles of the past few days, the tragic moment when he made his decision, and the anxiety he felt riding his bike all the way.

As it turns out, they already knew and had already started taking action.

He suddenly felt a little ridiculous.

But more than anything, it's a feeling of inexplicable ease.

"Then, then these materials of mine..." He pointed to the stack of papers on the table.

"I've accepted it. Although the organization already has more detailed materials, yours is also very important."

"Especially regarding Li Hanwen's situation in the village, your records are very detailed; I will forward them to the investigation team shortly."

He organized the materials and set them aside.

He looked at Secretary Wang and said earnestly, "Old Secretary, you are a good Party member and a good cadre."

Go back and do what you were doing before; the organization will give you an explanation.

Party Secretary Wang nodded; his legs felt a little weak when he stood up.

"Then, shall I go back?"

"Old Party Secretary, let me see you off." Wei Dong also stood up.