Sent to the countryside, I turned the health center into a top-tier hospital.

After the introductions were completed, everyone took their seats.

The waiter started serving the hot dishes, which were indeed quite good: steamed sea bass, braised beef brisket, steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli, dry-pot tea tree mushrooms, several home-style stir-fries, and a large bowl of free-range chicken soup.

County Head Fang raised his glass and made a few simple opening remarks, expressing his gratitude to the provincial and municipal leaders for their support of grassroots medical work in Cangyang County and to Chen Ping for his excellent report. He then raised his glass to indicate that everyone should feel free to make themselves at home.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the table gradually relaxed.

County Chief Fang chatted with Section Chief Liu about the recent provincial policies to support primary healthcare, the Deputy Director of the Finance Bureau discussed next year's equipment procurement budget with Dean Ma, and the Office Director occasionally chimed in to liven up the atmosphere.

Director Yang deliberately moved his chair closer to Chen Ping, raised his wine glass and clinked it with Chen Ping's. The two were old acquaintances here.

The two chatted for a bit about the health center. Director Yang actually knew quite a bit about the situation in Siping Township, knowing that they had just finished renovations and that a medical center was being built in the backyard.

Chen Ping responded half-heartedly, but he remained on edge.

After having two more drinks, he finally couldn't resist and asked in a low voice, "Director Yang, I heard that Director Su was supposed to come at the beginning. Why didn't Director Su come?"

Director Yang paused for a moment, the rim of the glass just touching his lips before he put it down.

His expression changed for a moment, but he quickly concealed it, turning his head to the side and casually glancing around the table, as if looking at the plate of dry-fried tea tree mushrooms.

He picked up his glass again, took a sip, and mumbled, "I've been busy at the bureau these past few days, so I haven't been able to get away for a while!"

Chen Ping put down his chopsticks, looked into Director Yang's eyes, and asked again.

Director Yang felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. He lowered his head, picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, chewed for a while, and then said, "I'm not quite sure about the specifics either." After saying that, he turned his head to talk to the deputy director of the Health and Family Planning Commission next to him.

As Chen Ping observed Director Yang's reaction, his bad premonition grew stronger.

The banquet ended in a lively atmosphere.

County Chief Fang had drunk quite a bit; his face was flushed, but he was in good spirits. As he left, he patted Chen Ping on the shoulder and told him to get some rest that night.

As Director Yang left, he glanced at Chen Ping, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he shook his head and followed Section Chief Liu out the door.

Xiao Li took Chen Ping to the county guesthouse.

The room was on the third floor, and you could see the dark mountain shadows in the distance when you opened the window.

Xiao Li handed the room key to Chen Ping, saying, "Dr. Chen, please call me anytime if you need anything."

After saying that, Xiao Li turned and left.

The room quieted down, and the footsteps in the hallway faded into the distance.

Chen Ping stood on the balcony, looking at the night view of the county town.

The streetlights formed two winding ribbons of light along the street, while neon lights in the distance flashed red and green. Occasionally, a car would drive by, its headlights tracing an arc in the darkness before disappearing.

The night breeze was cool and a bit chilly. He didn't go back to his room to get a coat; he just stood there, taking his phone out of his pocket.

He scrolled to Su Meng's name, hovered his finger above the screen for two seconds, and then pressed it.

This was the first time he had taken the initiative to call Su Meng since their divorce.

A cold, electronic female voice came through the receiver: "The user you dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later."

He hung up and dialed again.

The same sound.

Dial again.

It's the same sound again.

He took the phone away from his ear and stared at the two words "Su Meng" on the screen for a long time.

The last time she came to see him, under that pine tree on the mountain, she said that someone in the health bureau wanted to get rid of her, that she might not be able to stay for long, and that she wanted to take the doctoral entrance exam.

At the time, he didn't think much of it, assuming that she had been the deputy director for so many years and her position was secure. Even if someone tried to squeeze her out, she could just be transferred to another department.

Looking back now, Su Meng probably already knew that she had no other way out.

He put his phone back in his pocket and stood on the balcony for a long time.

…………

Tianhai City, detention center of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The room at the end of the corridor has no windows, only white walls, and two fluorescent tubes on the ceiling that light up day and night, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night.

There was an indescribable smell of disinfectant in the air, mixed with the musty smell of dust, and it was chilly.

A camera was installed in the corner of the wall, and the red light on the lens flashed every few seconds, as if reminding the people in the house that everything they did was being watched.

Su Meng sat on a hardwood chair. Behind the table opposite her sat two people, a man and a woman, both wearing dark uniforms, with a thick stack of documents spread out in front of them.

Today is the second day. Since she was brought in, the same two people and the same questions have been repeated over and over again, like a broken cassette tape.

"Qi Guofu's testimony mentioned you, saying that you improperly approved special funds for the Siping Township Health Center, bypassing normal financial auditing procedures, simply because your ex-husband works at the Siping Township Health Center. How do you explain that?"

Su Meng raised her head and looked at the table lamp opposite her.

The lamp has a metal casing, and several patches of the white paint on the outside have been worn away, revealing the mottled rust underneath.

She remembered answering this question several times, but just as she was about to speak, her throat became as dry as if she had sandpaper in it.

The water glass was empty, and the thermos next to it had been taken away. She licked her chapped lips, her voice hoarse.

"I didn't bypass any procedures. Every allocation to Siping Township Health Center has a complete approval record, from application to disbursement, all of which are on file. You can go to the finance department to check the records."

"Then why would Qi Guofu expose you? Do you two have a grudge? And the current director, Xu Wenshan, can also testify."

"I should ask you, have you investigated the financial transactions between Xu Wenshan and the Xiao family's enterprises? Wasn't anyone involved in fueling Qi Guofu's misconduct?"

Su Meng's voice was filled with anger.

The woman turned the page of the document and said calmly, "We are conducting an investigation according to regulations. Please cooperate and be mindful of your attitude and behavior."

Su Meng leaned back in her chair.

The lamp in the corner was humming, the light was too bright, she closed her eyes and opened them again, closed them again, opened them again.

She was a little confused about what time it was, whether it was day or night.

There were no windows, no clock, and not even any items related to time in the room.

In such an environment, if you stay for a long time, you are likely to lose your sense of space and become irritable and easily angered.

At midnight, the iron gate was pushed open.

Two female staff members entered from outside, unlocked the door, and gestured for her to stand up.

Su Meng did as instructed, but her legs felt a little numb, so she moved very slowly.

She reached out and let them put a tracking device, similar to a bracelet, back on her wrist; the metal buckle was cold.

She was led out of the door, through a long corridor, through one iron gate after another, and finally into a small detention room.

The door closed behind me, very softly, but the sound of it locking was crisp.

She didn't know if she had gone up to the fourth or fifth floor, or if she would be taken back to that room after dawn.

There was only a narrow bed in the detention room, and the pillow was very low.

She lay down, facing the wall. There were no reference points outside the window, only a sliver of light coming in from the ever-burning lamp at the end of the corridor.

Tears welled up in Su Meng's eyes. It was unclear whether she regretted entering politics and becoming the deputy director of the health bureau.