Chi Heng and Jiang Si had known each other since childhood, including the fact that Chi Heng had bought a courtyard house in Capital City. Jiang Si had already mentioned this to Chris during their last meal together.
Moreover, Chris also knew that their families now lived just a lane apart.
This was precisely why she was so surprised. "You didn’t know?"
Jiang Si was taken aback by her question. "Know what?"
"About his illness." Seeing Jiang Si’s puzzled expression, Chris continued, "He’s been sick for days. I thought you’d visited him in the hospital, given how close you two are..."
Perhaps feeling it was inappropriate to say more, she trailed off.
Upon hearing that Chi Heng was hospitalized, Jiang Si immediately recalled the last time he’d been beaten.
No doubt, this was likely another act of his mother’s doing.
"How is he now?" Just as Jiang Si was about to ask for details, a knock sounded at the door.
"Engineer Jiang, Minister Zhao requests your presence." It was Assistant An’s voice.
As for Chris, since the matter involved high-ranking officials, it couldn’t be disclosed until the investigation was formally concluded.
Chris understood this perfectly.
"You go ahead and handle your business. I’ll take a walk nearby and come back later."
"Alright."
Jiang Si nodded, escorted her to the door, and then followed Assistant An to the conference room on the fourth floor.
By now, the investigation was nearing its end, and only a handful of people remained in the room.
Seated at the head were Minister Zhao and Father Huo.
Aside from them, there were Deputy Minister Xu and a few other department heads.
Without exception, everyone wore solemn expressions.
Jiang Si took a seat and, like the others, fixed her gaze on Secretary Yan.
Once everyone had gathered, Minister Zhao cut straight to the point. "Lao Yan, regarding the spreading of rumors about Comrade Jiang and the leaking of the recommendation list, do you have anything to say?"
Secretary Yan slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with complexity as he scanned the room.
After a long pause, he finally replied, "I don’t know."
"How could you not know?" Minister Zhao, having worked with him for years, didn’t want to push things too far. "At this point, why continue hiding the truth?"
"Minister, there must be some misunderstanding here," Deputy Minister Xu interjected. "I’ve known Lao Yan for years. He’s not that kind of person—he wouldn’t do such things."
Minister Zhao wished it were a misunderstanding too.
But the facts spoke for themselves.
Though the rumors had been spread discreetly, nothing left no trace.
Moreover, based on the testimonies of Xu Yamei and others, the police had followed the trail step by step, and all evidence pointed to one person—Secretary Yan’s personal secretary, Secretary Tan.
As for the recommendation list, only six people in the entire organization had access to it.
The only one who could have done both things was Secretary Yan.
This was something Secretary Yan himself clearly understood.
Yet he maintained an air of innocence. "I never discussed the recommendation list with anyone. I don’t know how Secretary Tan found out, nor why he spread those rumors."
He paused, then turned to Jiang Si.
Their eyes met, and he continued earnestly, "Comrade Jiang and I have never even crossed paths. Why would I target her? She’s the same age as my daughter..."
"Lao Yan, stop diverting the topic," Minister Zhao interrupted.
Earlier, he too had been baffled—why would Lao Yan go to such lengths to target Jiang Si?
But then Father Huo had shared a revelation: for years, Lao Yan might have been working for Sunset Country. Suddenly, everything made sense.
The thought infuriated Minister Zhao.
Of all things, to betray his own country!
But to avoid alerting him, Minister Zhao had to pretend ignorance for now.
The back-and-forth continued, with Jiang Si remaining silent, quietly observing Secretary Yan.
Perhaps her scrutiny was too obvious, because Assistant An, seated beside her, whispered an explanation.
Jiang Si then learned that Secretary Yan hadn’t been playing the emotional card—he truly had a daughter.
Around her age.
But she had passed away six months prior.
It was said that Secretary Yan had adored his daughter. When she was diagnosed with kidney failure, he had even donated one of his own kidneys to her.
The surgery had been performed at Capital City University’s First Medical College and was initially successful.
Unfortunately, immunosuppressive techniques were still rudimentary at the time.
Not long after the operation, his daughter succumbed to a post-surgical infection.
Secretary Yan never recovered from the blow and had been on leave ever since.
Meanwhile, the confrontation in the conference room raged on.
Only then did Jiang Si notice the absence of the central figure in this scandal—Secretary Tan.
"Secretary Tan didn’t come to work today. The minister has already sent someone to his home..."
Assistant An’s words were cut short by urgent knocking.
The two staff members sent to Secretary Tan’s home returned—but not with him. Instead, they brought shocking news.
"Minister, Secretary Tan... he’s gone!"
"What?" The room froze. "Gone? As in missing, or...?"
"He’s dead!" The messenger clarified. "When we arrived, his family had already set up a memorial altar."
The news struck like a thunderbolt, leaving everyone stunned.
"How could a healthy man just die like that?" Father Huo frowned.
"Apparently, last night after work, Secretary Tan went out for dinner with friends. On his way back, he wasn’t paying attention and fell into the river."
They had checked the area.
There was indeed a small river near Secretary Tan’s home, but the water wasn’t deep—only thigh-high.
"But he could swim, couldn’t he?" Minister Zhao suddenly recalled something. "Didn’t he win first place in last year’s office swimming competition?"
"He could swim, but the problem was—he was drunk!"
"Do we know who he was drinking with?"
"No idea." The messenger added, "Secretary Tan didn’t say anything before leaving, just that he was meeting an old friend."
Silence fell over the room.
The scandal had broken just yesterday, and now Secretary Tan was dead the very same night? The timing was too convenient.
"Wait, wasn’t Secretary Tan allergic to alcohol?" someone suddenly spoke up.
"Right! I remember him breaking out in hives at the slightest sip. How could he have been drinking?"
"What are you implying?" Deputy Minister Xu snapped at them. "If you’ve got evidence, say it outright. Stop insinuating things!"
But no matter how he defended, suspicious glances had already settled on Secretary Yan.
Before Minister Zhao could voice the question on everyone’s mind—
A loud thud suddenly echoed through the room.
Secretary Yan's body suddenly lurched, sliding straight off his chair and crashing heavily to the floor.
The meeting room instantly descended into chaos.
Today's discussion could only end here.
Secretary Yan was immediately rushed to the hospital, but the question of how to handle the situation afterward remained a major dilemma.
After all, he was a deputy-ministerial-level official. With the current evidence, taking action against him would likely fail to convince the public.
Yet Minister Zhao couldn’t bear the thought of simply letting him remain in his position unchecked.
