I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 113: Chapter 89: A Change in Status (Part 2)

Over the next few days, the mountain of documents piled on the desk shrank at a visible rate. The expression on Huanmin’s face when delivering files also changed from one of professional detachment to one of sincere admiration.

During this process, Yang Wenqing quickly familiarized himself with the internal personnel structure of the Major Case Team, its case-handling procedures, available resources, and its customary methods of collaboration with other departments.

Three days later, in the afternoon, Yang Wenqing finally finished processing the most urgent batch of backlogged files. He then contacted Yan Yan through the Communication Array: ”Chief Yan, if you’re free, please bring the ledgers over.”

A short while later, Yan Yan appeared in the office again, carrying that stack of ledgers.

”Yang Group Leader, you’ve worked hard these past few days.” Yan Yan set the ledgers down, his tone tinged with respect. News of Yang Wenqing’s swift, decisive, and methodical handling of official business had clearly spread throughout the team.

”It’s all part of the job.” Yang Wenqing smiled and motioned for him to sit.

With that, Yang Wenqing began to meticulously examine the ledgers.

He examined them slowly, looking beyond just the numbers. He delved into the reasoning behind each expenditure, the approval process, and its connection to other events. At times, he would visit the warehouse to cross-reference inventory; at others, he would question Yan Yan about a project’s specific background or have him explain the basis for a particular expense.

Yan Yan was well-prepared, answering clearly and in detail. For expenses with vouchers, he could immediately produce the corresponding attachments. For certain routine expenditures or expenses decided by the group, he could also explain the relevant meeting minutes or Vice Director Gao’s verbal approvals.

Yang Wenqing paid special attention to several types of expenses that were prone to issues, such as informant fees, special equipment procurement, and some of the larger entertainment expenses. He had Yan Yan provide more detailed explanations and supporting evidence, even going so far as to review the case files of related incidents for verification.

For two consecutive afternoons, Yang Wenqing and Yan Yan reconciled the accounts. He did not involve colleagues from the General Affairs Division. His reasoning remained the same: these were, after all, Vice Director Gao’s accounts. If any real problems were to surface, the Major Case Team could deal with them internally.

Yan Yan’s initial caution gave way to a composed openness, and he even began to occasionally take the initiative to explain the original purpose behind certain accounting entries.

When he closed the final ledger, Yang Wenqing let out a breath. The accounts weren’t perfect, but there were absolutely no major issues that crossed any fundamental red lines, let alone any evidence of embezzlement.

”The accounts are very clear. You’ve gone to a lot of trouble, Chief Yan.” Yang Wenqing gave his final conclusion. ”We’ll continue with this procedure going forward. Send me the monthly reports on time, and if there are any new developments or policies, we’ll communicate promptly.”

”Yes, Yang Group Leader!” Yan Yan was completely relieved.

After seeing Yan Yan out, Yang Wenqing sat alone in his office. The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the room in a warm, golden light. The past few days of high-intensity work and confrontation had left him somewhat weary, but his heart was unusually steady.

Power brought not just a thrill, but also the heavy weight of responsibility and a journey that required careful navigation at every step. And Yang Wenqing was just beginning to learn how to enjoy and master this journey.

As his workload stabilized, Yang Wenqing began to consider finding himself an assistant.

The first person who came to mind was Liu Qin.

The young woman was smart, quick-witted, and meticulous. She had performed quite well as a communications specialist in the Third Squad. Most importantly, Liu Qin was someone he had brought over from the Third Squad himself, so her loyalty was relatively reliable.

But Yang Wenqing didn’t make a decision right away.

’Liu Qin is too young and still unmarried,’ he thought. ’If she gets married in the future, her attention will inevitably be divided. More crucially, I know very little about her family background and social connections. In a place like the City Defense System, you have to thoroughly vet the people close to you, or you risk planting hidden dangers.’

After thinking it over, Yang Wenqing decided to first investigate through official channels.

That afternoon, after finishing the documents on his desk, he checked the time, got up, and walked out of his office. He went to the office of Qin Feng, the deputy head of the Archives Division on the first floor.

The two chatted for half an hour, and Yang Wenqing entrusted the matter of investigating Liu Qin’s more detailed background information to the Archives Division.

Back in his office, Yang Wenqing was pondering when and how to get in more contact with Wang Ming, the deputy head of the Internal Affairs Inspection Division. The two had interacted frequently in recent days, and it was highly likely they would continue to communicate in the future.

He had just made a note in his schedule when a sudden, urgent fluctuation of Spiritual Power came from the badge at his waist.

’A meeting notice from Internal Affairs? And a top-level one at that!’

Yang Wenqing immediately stood up and walked briskly out of his office. When he reached the top floor and pushed open the heavy doors of the main conference room, quite a few people were already seated inside.

Lei Dan, the head of the Operations Division, sat upright in the first seat on the left, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the tabletop. Beside him, Deputy Head Li Yi’s brow was furrowed as he stared down at a newly distributed document in front of him.

The head of the General Affairs Division, Wang Ren, was personally placing a bound document at each seat. The top-right corner of the document cover was stamped with a bright red ’Top Secret’ seal. Seeing Yang Wenqing enter, Wang Ren looked up and gave him a meaningful glance.

Yang Wenqing nodded in response. As he walked to his seat and sat down, Deputy Director Zhou and Deputy Head Wang Ming from the Internal Affairs Inspection Division entered the conference room, taking their seats near the front on the right side.

Following them, the chiefs of the public security bureaus from East City, South City, West City, North City, and the Port District arrived one after another, taking their seats in the designated area at the back with solemn expressions.

Next, Vice Director Gao and Director Zhang Qiming entered, accompanying Director Qin from the municipal bureau. After the three leaders took their seats at the head of the table, Director Zhang Qiming cut straight to the point:

”What you all have in your hands is a top-secret intelligence summary compiled by the municipal bureau. It is based on information extracted and consolidated from the recent Soul-Searching Technique performed on individuals involved in the Zhenyuan Mining case, particularly on the core members of the Wang family.”