Duan Weihong, who had been detained by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection system for six years, successively made public appearances in Nanjing and Fujian, gaining limited freedom.
Desmond Shum received the first phone call from Duan Weihong four years after her disappearance, just on the eve of the book's publication, followed by the official release of 'Red Roulette'.
Duan Weihong went missing from her Beijing office a few weeks after Sun Zhengcai was brought down, with her executives and assistants disappearing simultaneously, and was subsequently detained by the CCP Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Duan Weihong was introduced to Wang Qishan by Zhang Peili, wife of Wen Jiabao, and after 2008 began frequently having multi-hour tea meetings with Wang Qishan.
Duan Weihong began befriending Sun Zhengcai, then-Party Secretary of Beijing's Shunyi District, in 2001, laying the foundation for her future political connections.