Zhang Wen's name

Han Dongjingzhou International Airport.

Hou Liangping walked out of the airport pulling a suitcase.

Upon seeing Hou Liangping, Zhong Xiaoai immediately pounced on him.

"Ryoping, you're finally back! I've waited so long for this day. I'm so happy to see you."

Hou Liangping was initially about to throw a small tantrum when he saw Zhong Xiaoai.

But seeing Zhong Xiaoai's genuine emotions, his anger immediately vanished.

"Xiao Ai, I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime. It's so good to see you."

After saying this, Hou Liangping hugged Zhong Xiaoai. The two star-crossed lovers embraced for a long time.

Zhong Xiaoai felt a little embarrassed as more and more people gathered around.

"Alright, Ryoping, let's live a good life from now on and not offend anyone anymore."

Hou Liangping disagreed, saying, "You called me here just to be the scapegoat."

"Okay, Xiao Ai, let's go back first. Tell me about the political landscape in Handong."

"Okay, Liangping, I made your favorite dishes today. I'll tell you about the layout of Handong later."

Zhong Xiaoai's residence.

Hou Liangping followed Zhong Xiaoai inside. He was thrilled to see the large table of food. He'd had enough of staying in X province these past few years.

Zhong Xiaoai saw Hou Liangping staring wide-eyed at the dishes, looking somewhat incredulous.

"Ryoping, you were a cadre there, you shouldn't have made that face when you see these vegetables."

Hou Liangping felt a little embarrassed after hearing this.

"Xiao Ai, you have no idea what kind of life I was living there. I ate noodles for three meals a day. How could a southerner like me get used to that?"

Zhong Xiaoai was also incredulous after hearing this.

"What about those cadres who came from the south? They can't even get used to the food, how can they work properly?"

Hou Liangping was a little annoyed after hearing this.

"Xiao Ai, don't even mention it. Apart from local cadres, everyone knows that the cadres who can go to the west don't have any background. So if you want to eat something good, it's not easy, and it can easily give people a bad impression."

After hearing this, Zhong Xiaoai understood the hardships of life in the West.

"Didn't Secretary Yuliang give you any special treatment?"

"Teacher, they just promoted me to deputy director of the anti-corruption bureau and then stopped paying attention to me."

Zhong Xiaoai was a little angry after hearing this.

"Teacher Gao, how could you do this? You're his student, after all."

Hou Liangping looked bitter after hearing this.

"Professor Gao has changed. He doesn't even care about his ex-wife anymore. I heard that Qi Tongwei rarely calls him anymore. Once, I wanted to eat something nice, but Professor Gao scolded me, saying that I couldn't endure hardship and was not up to the task."

Zhong Xiaoai was stunned after hearing this.

"How can Teacher Gao be so impartial?"

"Xiao Ai, you have no idea how much more powerful he is now than he was in Handong. Even Li Dakang doesn't dare to offend him anymore."

Zhong Xiaoai was a little puzzled after hearing this.

"When Teacher Gao does this, his subordinates respect him. I remember when Tian Guofu did this, his subordinates treated him like a monkey."

Hou Liangping swallowed the pig's trotter in his mouth and immediately replied.

"There's nothing we can do. I don't know where he learned it, but he promoted a bunch of grassroots cadres with no connections. Also, Teacher Gao is fair in rewarding and punishing, and X Province is different from before now."

Zhong Xiaoai fell silent after hearing this.

"Didn't Li Dakang ever resist? I remember Li Dakang was very domineering."

"Li Dakang did resist, but by the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. You don't know, Teacher Gao also created a chat group. The name is quite interesting, let me show you."

After saying this, Hou Liangping took out his phone.

Hou Liangping opened the group chat and was completely bewildered, as it showed that he had been removed from the group chat.

Zhong Xiaoai was also curious when she saw Hou Liangping's expression.

"Ryohei, why do you have such a strange expression?"

Hou Liangping was a little angry. He had just arrived in Handong when he was kicked out of the group chat.

"Xiao Ai, why is Teacher Gao so petty? All I did was not greet him, and he immediately kicked me out of the group chat."

Zhong Xiaoai felt a little uneasy when she heard him greet her again.

"Liangping, you said you didn't greet Teacher Gao. Didn't I tell you you should?"

Hou Liangping felt a little embarrassed after hearing this.

"Xiao Ai, I was too excited, so I forgot. How about I make a call now?"

Zhong Xiaoai knew that Gao Yuliang was already angry.

"Hou Liangping, have you lost your mind? How could you come back without saying goodbye? What do you think your job is? And you said you'd call back now? Do you think Gao Yuliang is your subordinate?"

Hou Liangping felt a little flustered after hearing this.

"Xiao Ai, what should I do? What if he asks Qi Tongwei to sabotage me?"

Zhong Xiaoai was also a little flustered, and suddenly she seemed to have realized something.

"Liangping, you said Qi Tongwei hasn't called Teacher Gao in a long time, right?"

Although Hou Liangping was a little confused, he still nodded.

"Yes, I heard it from someone. Qi Tongwei hasn't called in a long time."

"Liangping, you're alright now. Maybe Qi Tongwei doesn't want to associate with Gao Yuliang anymore."

Hou Liangping could hardly believe it.

"Xiao Ai, how could that be? Everyone in Handong knows that Qi Tongwei is Gao Yuliang's most prized disciple. How could they possibly part ways?"

Zhong Xiaoai was not angry after hearing this, but instead gave Hou Liangping a proper analysis.

"Didn't you just say that Gao Yuliang has become very heartless? Maybe that's scaring Qi Tongwei a little. You know our senior brother is very sentimental."

Hou Liangping thought about it for a while after listening.

"That's not right either. Teacher Gao is Qi Tongwei's backer. It was Teacher Gao who recommended him for the position of vice governor."

Zhong Xiaoai was speechless. Was calling him back really going to cause trouble for the Zhong family again?

"Liangping, when Qi Tongwei was promoted, it seems like I was destined to be promoted when my time came, so whether Gao Yuliang mentioned it or not, he would have been promoted anyway."

"Xiao Ai, do you think it's okay for me to align myself with Governor Zhang? I am, after all, the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau."

Zhong Xiaoai felt a headache after hearing this.

"Liangping, you're just a deputy director-level anti-corruption bureau chief. What qualifications do you have to curry favor with Governor Zhang? Even your superior, Wang Shan, the provincial procuratorate chief, wanted to curry favor with Governor Zhang, but he refused."

This time, it was Hou Liangping's turn to be surprised.

"Xiao Ai, why doesn't Governor Zhang have more departments with real power?"

"Liangping, do you know how many Standing Committee votes Governor Zhang controls?"

"How many."

"There are a total of 13 votes in Handong. Governor Zhang has 9 votes, and I heard that Secretary Sha is also preparing to join. Now only the military region and the two newly appointed secretaries remain neutral. Do you think Zhang Wen would even look down on you lowly pawns?"

Hou Liangping was shocked upon hearing this; was Zhang Wen really that strong?

"Secretary Sha, aren't you going to put up a fight? You're just surrendering like this?"

Zhong Xiaoai is feeling a bit tired.

"Ryoping, people only surrender when they can't win. If there's a chance, who would be willing to give up their rights?"

Hou Liangping greatly admired Zhang Wen after hearing this.

"Xiao Ai, I promise I will never offend Governor Zhang again."

"Liangping, as long as it's legal, Governor Zhang is quite easy to talk to. He hates evil the most. You must always follow the proper procedures when handling cases in the future."

"Okay, Xiao Ai, I won't take any action unless I have a cop."

Zhong Xiaoai wasn't sure either, hoping he would be more careful, as the Zhong family no longer had the ability to save him.