Duan, 61, a deputy to the current National People's Congress - China's legislature - began an intimate relationship with Liu, who was 30 years younger, in 1993 when she worked at a local hotel, he admitted to police. With Duan's help, Liu got a job in the Jinan Financial Bureau and later in the Municipal Bureau of State Land and Resources. Her two sisters also secured high-paying jobs. An investigation revealed that Liu owned three houses and had more than two million yuan (US$263,000) in personal assets. But the source of her property is unclear. Duan had been trying to break up with Liu since 1999 due to what he termed 'conflicts' in their relationship, but Liu refused, authorities said.