Old Files, New Proof

Liang's gaze finally darkened. "What do you think recording all this will do?" he asked. "It'll do enough," Xu Zhixia said. "At least it will tell you we don't only ask questions. We keep evidence." She took the phone back and stood. "Give us the survey file, or tell us where it is. If you don't hand it over today, we'll ask at the archive bureau, at the discipline office, in an open letter." Liang looked at her. The smooth smile slowly faded from his face. He was silent for a long while before finally pulling a manila envelope from his drawer. The flap had worn pale from use. "I don't have the original," he said. "But I have a copy from back then. And a receipt for supplemental materials. The original record was taken away. It wasn't lost."