Chapter 183: Disaster Starts from Within

I didn't see Zhu Shizhen, but at dusk, I was called to the Discipline Inspection Commission.

Under the surveillance of the Discipline Inspection Commission, I sat blankly for three days without saying a word.

For three days, the Discipline Inspection Commission cadres were neither annoyed nor anxious. Every day, two people would come, call me to sit in a chair, spread out paper and pen, and wait for me to speak. I had nothing to say; the sudden "double-regulation" by the Discipline Inspection Commission left me unable to adapt.

On the third day, I finally understood: all of this was the result of Guan Peishan's deep calculations.

I had always thought Zhu Shizhen's double-regulation was him "sacrificing the rook to save the king." The land issue of the Martyrs Cemetery was a chasm Guan Peishan couldn't cross. Zhu Shizhen himself was a loyal dog by Guan Peishan's side, who could even lick his master's ass clean when needed.

Cousin-in-law He Zhi had visited Chunshan County twice in less than a year, each time paying special attention to the Martyrs Cemetery, making Guan Peishan feel like a sword was hanging over his head. Finding a scapegoat to resolve the crisis was Guan Peishan's consistent method. But this time, he hadn't made any agreement with Zhu Shizhen; he needed Zhu Shizhen to reveal something when he felt despair.

What he needed was me.

Guan Peishan double-regulating Zhu Shizhen was a case of "the drunkard's heart not being in the wine"—it was a feint to the east while attacking the west. I became the only chess piece for his "secretly crossing the Chencang Pass." Grabbing me was equivalent to grabbing the Achilles' heel of Cousin-in-law He Zhi.

What Guan Peishan grabbed was precisely the Township Government Farmers' Market and Native Products Company that I was still confused about.

"Tell me, where did the money you donated to Suxi Middle School to build the playground come from?" The Discipline Inspection Commission cadre asked earnestly, staring at me, seemingly having seen through everything.

I didn't open my mouth; I had to think clearly before answering. A donation of one hundred thousand yuan in the early nineties was a huge sum.

Seeing me not open my mouth for a long time, they took out a donation receipt and waved it at me, "Better to be clear; it's good for you."

What could I say? Was it earned? Where was it earned from? Some things are more beneficial if left unsaid.

The Discipline Inspection Commission cadre again showed great disappointment. The two whispered a few words and stood up together, "You can think about it and tell us later."

As soon as they left, the two young men watching me came over and asked, "Township Head Chen, what do you want to eat? We'll help you buy it."

I knew the rules of the Discipline Inspection Commission: cadres under investigation are not only mentally devastated but also oppressed materially. All expenses during the double-regulation period are borne by the person being investigated.

"What do you want to eat?" I replied with a smile, "Just say it."

In three days, I had become familiar with these two young men. Being together twenty-four hours a day, even a stone could be warmed up.

I originally wanted to probe the case with them, but seeing they were completely clueless, I lost all interest. Since I was here, even if I had the ability to fly to heaven or escape to earth, I couldn't escape their two pairs of eyes that were like thieves.

This was the County Committee Guesthouse, a standard room.

The two young men watching me sat on the bed opposite me, looking at me with a grin.

One of them got up and looked at the door, and when he returned, he slipped me a note, signaling me to go to the restroom.

Entering the restroom, I turned to close the door, but heard them shouting outside, "Better not close the door."

I hesitated, but finally gave up closing the door. Sitting on the toilet lid, I unfolded the note, which had one line: "I'm going to find Aunt," signed with the character "Bing."

My nose soured, and I almost shed tears. Locked in the heavily guarded double-regulation site, I didn't know how she managed to bring this note in. She was telling me to hold on!

I crumpled the note and threw it into the toilet, pressed the flush valve, and let the note be washed away along the sewer pipe.

Going out, I saw the two young men looking at me steadily with a smile. The one who slipped me the note said, "Secretary Huang of the Youth League Committee asked me to bring it. Just know that."

Television couldn't be watched, the working group had taken away the power socket, and the three people in the room sat blankly in boredom.

I suggested playing cards, which received an enthusiastic response from the two. So, one of them went out to find cards. As soon as he left, I said to the one who slipped me the note, "Help me pass a message out."

I tore off a piece of paper, wrote down Huang Weiwei's phone number, handed it to him, and exhorted, "Go out and call this person, tell her where I am."

I had to cast a wide net now!

Just after eating in the afternoon, the Discipline Inspection Commission cadres came again. This time it was different from usual; from the moment they entered until they sat down, the two cadres had no smile on their faces.

I was calm and composed. As soon as I sat down opposite them, they looked at each other, turned a desk lamp toward me, let the light cover me, and began the routine questioning.

"Can you move the light away a bit?" I probed, wanting to get up and move it.

"Don't move! Stay honestly, if there's something to say, say it; if not, you think." They scolded me sternly, which shocked me.

It seemed the situation had escalated! I thought to myself, sitting honestly, hands on my knees, eyes slightly closed, looking like an old monk in meditation.

"Open your eyes." They scolded me again.

I had no choice but to open my eyes and look at them quietly.

"Still haven't thought it through? Today is the fourth day; we don't have the patience to wait any longer. Township Head Chen, this attitude of yours is clearly not cooperating with the work, which is not conducive to the transformation of your thinking." They said with certainty, "You also know that the Discipline Inspection Commission wouldn't find you for no reason. We wouldn't easily move a cadre without evidence in our hands."

I smiled and said nothing.

"If you don't confess, you won't even have a chance to die." They looked at each other and pulled a piece of paper from their bag, slapping it on the table with a *thud*: "Zhu Shizhen has confessed. During your time in charge of the Township Government Native Products Company, you embezzled collective assets and misappropriated public funds. The evidence is conclusive."

I said lightly, "Since you have evidence, you should have transferred it to the judicial organ; why bother asking me?"

"We are doing this for the purpose of protecting cadres; if you have something to say, you can appeal to the organization."

"I have nothing to say." I threw down a hard sentence.

They were bluffing; I understood. If they really had evidence, would they waste so many words?

"A dead pig isn't afraid of boiling water, Chen Feng." They began to call me by my name: "Fine, since you don't want to say, we'll sit with you, sit until you want to say it."

The intense light stimulated me, making me unable to open my eyes, making me exposed in the light.

"Don't hold any illusions." They exhorted, "This case is being handled directly by Secretary Guan; you know the consequences."

I stared at Zhu Shizhen's transcript on the table, blurry, vaguely able to see the fingerprints he had pressed.

The Discipline Inspection Commission cadre clearly caught my action, looked at the transcript, and said, "Want to see? You can see it if you talk."

I smiled and shook my head, "Don't want to see, it has nothing to do with me."

They stopped talking and called the young guard to pour boiling water.

I felt my lips dry, extremely thirsty, so I said, "Can I drink water?"

"Can you talk now?"

I shook my head to refuse.

They shouted, "Then wait until you confess before drinking."

Sitting like this until midnight, two new cadres came to replace them. The three of them still sat opposite each other, speechless.

At dawn, a need to urinate made me very uncomfortable. I begged, "I want to go to the restroom."

They looked at me with contempt and spat out two words: "Hold it."

People have three urgencies; can this be held? I wanted to get up, but as soon as I moved, the newly replaced guard rushed over and pressed me into the chair, not letting me move at all.

"You are inhumane!" I protested, waving my hands.

They ignored me completely, turning their eyes away and not looking at me.

"I just want to pee." I begged, "Just one pee, are you afraid I'll run away?"

The Discipline Inspection Commission cadre laughed, "Not afraid of you running; where can you run to? We are afraid of you dying. If you can't think straight and jump off the building again, you'll be smashing our rice bowls."

"Rest assured, I won't jump off the building." I patted my chest, "You're thinking too much."

"We are also doing this for your own good. We have to be responsible for your life." They teased me, "Actually, as long as you promise to confess your problems properly, let alone going to the restroom, you can do whatever you want."

"And if I don't say it?" I sneered, a fire rising in my heart.

"Then sit honestly, sit until you want to say it."

"I really have no problems to confess; these are all groundless." I argued.

"It doesn't matter, you sit and think about it carefully. We have time and energy." They laughed, "Wait until the next shift change, you continue sitting, we are going back to sleep."

"This is fascist behavior." I almost roared. I had heard stories about the Discipline Inspection Commission handling cases, and I had been interviewed by them two years ago. I hadn't expected such an aggressive result.

"Attention, we are currently in an internal contradiction, watch your wording, Chen Feng. We are fascists, what are you? Don't escalate internal contradictions among the people to contradictions between the enemy and us."

"I didn't."

"Good if you didn't." The Discipline Inspection Commission cadre got up and went to the restroom. Soon after, the sound of urine hitting the toilet water came from inside, tempting me to feel even more bloated below.

"Fine, I promise you." I said firmly, "I'll talk after I pee."

The Discipline Inspection Commission cadre stared at me for a long time, the corner of his mouth lifted, signaling the guard to loosen his hand.

I rushed into the restroom at the speed of a hundred-meter dash, bumping into the cadre who was about to come out.

After peeing, I exhaled a long breath of relief, turned on the faucet to wash my hands, and took the opportunity to tidy my messy hair. Coming out, I sat in the chair and opened my mouth, "Alright, what do you want to know?"

The Discipline Inspection Commission cadres looked at each other with joy and seriously spread out paper and pen, "Let's talk about the one hundred thousand yuan donation first."

Just as I was about to speak, the door was knocked. In came County Magistrate Liu Qimeng, followed by a weary-looking Huang Weiwei. ===== CHAPTER 184 =====