After breaking up with my boyfriend, I made a fortune and rose rapidly in my career.

In the darkness of night, a black Passat drove along an empty road.

Chen Ping hung up the phone, and the carriage fell silent instantly, with only Guo Xiaojun's anxious last words, "Zhou Wenyuan wants to take our peaches," still echoing in his ears.

The unpleasantness at the class reunion just now is nothing compared to what's happening now.

A chill ran down my spine and slowly climbed up to the back of my neck.

He glanced at the rearview mirror; the Yundingge Hotel in the distance was brightly lit. Without hesitation, Chen Pingfang abruptly turned the steering wheel, turning the car around and heading towards the brightly lit Jinshuiwan Project Command Center, flooring the accelerator instead of heading home.

……

At 1 a.m., the conference room of the Jinshuiwan Command Center was filled with smoke, and the atmosphere was very oppressive.

Guo Xiaojun's eyes were bloodshot as he recounted all the information he had just gathered.

"The news has been confirmed. Zhou Wenyuan personally went to the provincial capital and used his teacher's connections, under the pretext of 'improving the professionalism of the project's later operations,' to push a provincial state-owned enterprise called 'Changqing Group' to take over all commercial operations of Jinshui Bay after its completion."

Guo Xiaojun's voice was filled with anger: "This isn't just picking the peaches, it's uprooting us! We worked so hard to transform Jinshui Bay from a muddy wasteland into a provincial model, and he wants others to reap the benefits with just a few words. This isn't just kicking us out, it's handing over a huge chunk of the revenue that rightfully belongs to Yunzhou City to the province as a favor!"

The core members present all looked grim.

Chen Ping listened in silence, without immediately expressing his opinion. Instead, he picked up his phone and dialed Xiao Yuhan directly.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered, and Xiao Yuhan's obviously tired voice came from the other end.

Chen Ping got straight to the point and repeated what Guo Xiaojun had said.

Xiao Yuhan was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone before speaking: "The news is true. Zhou Wenyuan's move was very clever. He completely bypassed Yunzhou City and went straight to the provincial level. Changqing Group has a deep background, with a provincial leader who is about to retire standing behind them."

She paused, then continued, "I tried contacting a few old connections in the province, but when they heard it was about this matter, they all advised me not to confront it head-on. Zhou Wenyuan resolved this issue at a level beyond our reach."

After hanging up the phone, no one spoke in the conference room.

The pressure was transformed into a tangible document the very next morning.

A red-headed document bearing the official seal of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission was formally forwarded to the Jinshuiwan Project Command Center through the Municipal Party Committee Office in the form of a recommendation letter.

The document is politely worded, with reasons throughout such as "in order to better leverage the demonstration effect of the model project" and "to introduce advanced management experience." However, the core content is only one point: it recommends that the provincial state-owned enterprise Evergreen Group, which has "rich operational experience," immediately form an expert inspection team to enter the Jinshuiwan project for a week to provide "assistance and guidance" in order to make preliminary preparations for a smooth handover of subsequent operations.

The news quickly spread throughout the command center.

The morale boost from driving away Liu Jianguo from the quality supervision station a few days ago vanished instantly. Everyone felt the pressure. This wasn't just picking a fight; it was outright robbery.

"Damn it!" Guo Xiaojun slammed his fist on the desk in anger after reading the documents, making the teacup vibrate loudly. "We worked so hard to cultivate the land, and they just send people to harvest the fruit? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

In the office, the other staff members were also furious, but helpless. The other party was from the provincial level and held the title of the municipal party secretary; they, as grassroots workers, didn't even have the right to resist.

The whole team was demoralized.

However, just when everyone was feeling pessimistic, Chen Pingfang remained unusually calm.

He put the official document aside, looked at his dejected subordinates, and slowly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Cheer up, everyone."

He reassured everyone for a few moments, then issued an order that surprised everyone.

"Xiaojun, find a few trustworthy people right now. Don't worry about this document or any connections with the province. Investigate every single public project, financial statement, personnel change, media report, and even online rumors related to Changqing Group over the past five years."

Based on his hazy memories from his previous life, he vaguely remembered that this company, which had a great reputation in the province, seemed to be a company that looked impressive but actually had many problems.

In less than half a day, a detailed investigation report was placed on Chen Ping's desk.

When Guo Xiaojun and several core members finished reading the report, everyone was stunned.

The report reveals that Changqing Group, despite its seemingly glamorous facade as a provincial state-owned enterprise, has actually suffered huge losses for three consecutive years. Of the seven large-scale projects it led, four are abandoned or halted, and the other three are barely surviving. Internal management is chaotic, nepotism is rampant, and scandals involving corruption and infighting abound online with even a little digging.

The so-called professional operations team is nothing more than a bunch of incompetent people who only know how to cultivate relationships and have no practical skills.

"Holy crap!" Guo Xiaojun's eyes gleamed as he looked at the report. "This isn't Changqing Group, it's Changqing the Deadbeat! A hollow radish!"

They found each other's biggest problem.

Just as Chen Ping was preparing to deploy the next steps based on the report, the receptionist called to inform him that the Changqing Group's inspection team had arrived at the entrance of the command building ahead of him.

The team was led by the group's vice president, Sun Hongwei, a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair and an arrogant demeanor. As soon as he got out of the car, he specifically demanded that Chen Pingfang, the general commander of the Jinshuiwan project, accompany him throughout the visit. His attitude was very high and mighty; he didn't seem like someone who had come to inspect the project, but rather like a leader who had come to oversee the work.

In the conference room of the command center.

Surrounded by a group of people, Sun Hongwei sat arrogantly in the main seat. He picked up the business plan that embodied countless efforts of Chen Pingfang's team, glanced at a few pages, and then slammed it down on the table with a "thud."

He cleared his throat and, in front of all the core members of the command center, spoke slowly in a lecturing tone:

"I've read it. Well, the idea is good, but the plan is too narrow-minded. The vision is completely limited to your little corner of Yunzhou. It has no highlights and lacks imagination."

He glanced around, noticing the grim expressions on Guo Xiaojun and the others' faces, and his sneer deepened.

To put it bluntly, it boils down to two words—rustic!

Upon hearing this, Guo Xiaojun and the others' faces instantly turned red, and their fists clenched tightly.

This is no longer an evaluation; this is public humiliation.

However, Chen Pingfang, who was the one who was humiliated, was not angry at all. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

He calmly met Sun Hongwei's arrogant gaze, and only spoke slowly after he finished speaking, his tone particularly sincere, as if he were humbly seeking advice:

"Mr. Sun's criticism is correct. We are indeed a grassroots unit, lacking experience and with limited vision. We would very much like to learn from the advanced experience of Changqing Group."

He changed the subject abruptly, his voice still steady, but he went straight to the other person's most crucial question.

"Does your company have any benchmark success stories in recent years that could be promoted throughout the province, so that those of us who haven't seen much of the world can broaden our horizons?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Hongwei's arrogant expression froze instantly.

The tense and oppressive atmosphere in the conference room became extremely subtle.