The car stopped in front of the military headquarters building in the city center.
Zhou Qiqi was "escorted" by her left and right as she walked through the solemn hall and up the stairs.
Finally, it stopped in front of a heavy door with a sign that read "Military Region Discipline Inspection Commission".
The door was pushed open, and an air thick with a sense of oppression and judgment rushed out.
The lights in the conference room were dazzling, and at the very top of the long conference table sat a middle-aged military officer.
His face was long and stern, exuding an air of authority, and the epaulets on his shoulders shone so brightly in the light that they made one's eyes dizzy.
His gaze, like a searchlight, instantly fixed on Zhou Qiqi, who had just entered the room, making her neck feel a little stiff.
No need to ask, this must be the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission.
Zhou Qiqi's eyes quickly scanned the room.
On the other side stood Lin Yao, Xu Shu, and Xu Zao.
Lin Yao's eyes were as red as a rabbit's, and she was clutching a handkerchief in her hand, pressing it to the corners of her eyes every now and then. She looked as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Xu Shu hung his head, his face trying hard to show "deep sorrow" and "regret", but his eyes darted around, and he couldn't hide his guilt.
Xu Zao, on the other hand, stuck out her neck, looking defiant and her eyes filled with resentment, as if she wanted to devour someone.
But what made Zhou Qiqi's heart skip a beat was that she caught sight of Zhou Shuhua!
That old woman is here too!
No wonder, with Lin Yao's incompetence, she probably wouldn't have figured this out.
Zhou Shuhua sat upright in a chair slightly behind and to the side of the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, her back ramrod straight, as if she were an honest official who had come to uphold justice.
Zhou Qiqi's gaze continued to move, sweeping over several unfamiliar, serious faces, and finally settling on the corner of the conference room.
Shen Huaichuan! He's here too!
He sat in a chair against the wall, his face ashen.
There were two soldiers standing next to him, their faces as stern as iron. Although they hadn't actually tied him up, their posture clearly indicated that they were restricting his movement.
"Huaichuan!" Zhou Qiqi instinctively wanted to walk towards him.
"Qiqi!" Shen Huaichuan also stood up abruptly, wanting to greet her.
"sit down!"
The secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission spoke in a deep and authoritative voice.
"Comrade Shen Huaichuan! Be mindful of your position! The organization is investigating you, and you must recuse yourself! Before the matter is clarified, do not engage in any words or actions that could interfere with the investigation!"
His gaze swept sternly over Shen Huaichuan, carrying a warning.
Shen Huaichuan's chest heaved violently, his jaw clenched, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
"That's an order!"
The secretary added sternly.
Shen Huaichuan gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the anger and worry that was about to burst forth.
Finally, he stared intently at Zhou Qiqi with his eyes, which were burning with anxiety yet also brimming with determination and trust, as if to say something.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Zhou Qiqi was led to sit down in an empty chair diagonally opposite Shen Huaichuan, which put her face to face with Zhou Shuhua and Lin Yao, creating a confrontational situation.
She could feel Shen Huaichuan's gaze, and she could also clearly feel the hostile and accusatory gazes from the person in the main seat and the people opposite her.
"Everyone is here."
The secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission spoke in a low voice, his gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on Zhou Shuhua.
"Comrade Zhou Shuhua, as one of the main whistleblowers and a veteran comrade from the military dependents area, please tell us the situation first. Remember, be truthful and do not exaggerate."
His tone was calm, yet it carried an invisible pressure.
Zhou Shuhua immediately straightened her back, picked up the thick stack of "report materials" in front of her that were obviously carefully prepared, cleared her throat, and began her accusation.
"Commander, comrades! I stand here today with a heavy heart! I am here to expose a heartbreaking matter with a sense of responsibility to the organization and to the honor of the army!"
Her gaze swept sadly over Shen Huaichuan.
"Comrade Shen Huaichuan is a combat hero of our military region and a pillar of the nation! He has impeccable family background and excellent work style, and his future was originally very promising! He and Comrade Lin Yao were betrothed since childhood. Comrade Lin Yao is a proper medical school graduate, with good character and excellent medical skills. The two were childhood sweethearts and had a deep affection for each other! They originally planned to get married this year, which is a wonderful thing that everyone in our military dependents area knows about!"
Goodness, Director Zhou truly lives up to his reputation as a university professor; this material he wrote is indeed quite good.
It has that flavor...
Zhou Qiqi, seemingly unconcerned, was silently making her own assessment when she heard—
Zhou Shuhua abruptly changed the subject, her voice suddenly becoming sharp and filled with hatred as she pointed at Zhou Qiqi:
"But! All this beauty was completely destroyed by this vicious woman—Zhou Qiqi!"
"Zhou Qiqi, what's her background? A rural girl from a poor mountain village! Moreover, she's already been Comrade Xu Shu's child bride!"
She deliberately emphasized the words "child bride," and her gaze swept over Xu Shu. Xu Shu cooperated by lowering his head and making a distressed expression.
Zhou Shuhua picked up a piece of paper and read it aloud with great seriousness.
"According to my investigation, three months ago, Comrade Shen Huaichuan went to the provincial capital to discuss marriage with Lin Yao. He stayed at the guesthouse under the provincial military hospital. Zhou Qiqi was also in the provincial capital at the time. She learned about Comrade Shen Huaichuan's room number from some source, most likely from the gossip of the women in the guesthouse, and that he was a young, promising, and high-ranking single military officer! She immediately had wicked thoughts and evil intentions!"
She described it vividly, as if she had seen it with her own eyes:
"So, she deliberately barged into Comrade Shen Huaichuan's room! Then she deliberately created that kind of... that kind of 'caught in the act' scene! So that many people saw it! She forced Lin Yao to break off her engagement with Shen Huaichuan and marry her! Commander, just think about it, an unmarried girl being caught embracing a man in disheveled clothes, her reputation would be completely ruined!"
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