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

A black Passat was driving on the mountain road to Qingyuan County.

The road was full of potholes, and the car bounced constantly. The view outside the window changed from the bustling city of Yunzhou to the backwardness of the mountainous area. The continuous mountains surrounded the county town, making it difficult to get in and out.

Chen Ping drove the car himself, his expression calm.

There was a brown paper bag on the passenger seat, given to him by Xiao Yuhan. Inside were files on officials at the section chief level and above in Qingyuan County; the relationships were quite complicated.

Chen Ping was quickly reviewing the information and materials given to him by Minister Qian in his mind, preparing for the trouble that was about to come. Unpaid wages, sand mining, and County Party Secretary Ma Changsheng—behind all these issues lay complex networks of relationships.

An hour later, the Passat drove into Qingyuan County.

The situation here was even worse than Chen Ping had imagined. The streets were narrow, and most of the buildings on both sides were old and dilapidated, with peeling paint revealing the gray walls underneath. The air was filled with dust and a sense of decay.

As soon as the car pulled up in front of the county government building, Chen Ping braked from a distance.

A large crowd had gathered at the main entrance, holding a white banner with black lettering that read, "Qingyuan Construction, give me back my hard-earned money," which was very conspicuous in the sunlight. The crowd blocked the entrance, and shouts and arguments mingled together, creating a tense atmosphere.

As soon as Chen Ping parked his car on the side of the road, a middle-aged cadre wearing gold-rimmed glasses walked over quickly with a smile.

"You must be County Chief Chen? Oh, we've been waiting for you!" The visitor extended both hands and warmly shook hands with Chen Pingfang. "I am Li Wei, Director of the County Party Committee Office. Welcome, County Chief Chen, to Qingyuan County for your guidance."

Li Wei wore a standard smile, but his tone was somewhat anxious: "County Chief Chen, you've finally arrived. These are workers from Qingyuan Construction. The county owes them money for a project, and they've been blocking the gate all morning."

Before Chen Ping could ask for details, Li Wei changed the subject, a troubled expression on his face.

"Secretary Ma is holding an emergency meeting on poverty alleviation for the whole county. It's very important, and he can't leave." As he spoke, he deliberately raised his voice so that the workers who were making trouble around him could hear him clearly. "You see, you are the new county head. On your first day in office, you have to deal with this troublesome matter first."

After saying that, Li Wei pushed Chen Ping to the front of the crowd in front of everyone, and took a half step back himself.

The workers' eyes immediately turned to the unfamiliar young man. Their anger, which had been directed at the government building, suddenly found a new target for their venting.

"A new county magistrate?"

"Is it him? So young?"

"Who cares who they are? Nobody's getting in until they pay up."

The crowd began to surround Chen Pingfang, their emotions even more agitated than before. The faces of the several municipal Party committee organization department cadres who had come with Chen Pingfang changed; they knew things were going to get bad.

This is a classic example of a show of force, and it's done openly; there's no way to avoid it.

Li Wei, director of the county party committee office, quietly stepped back a few steps and stood not far away with several local cadres, a slight smile on his lips, ready to watch the show.

Just when everyone thought the young new county magistrate wouldn't know what to do, Chen Pingfang's reaction surprised everyone.

Faced with the crowd surrounding him and the scene that was about to get out of control, he did not back down. He raised his hand to signal his colleagues from the Organization Department behind him to stay where they were and not to be nervous.

Chen Ping calmly stepped out of the car, alone. He didn't enter the government building, but went directly to the foreman in the crowd who was the most agitated and shouting the loudest.

Chen Pingfang didn't shout to comfort him or make any promises. He simply stood two steps away from the foreman and spoke in a calm tone.

"I am Chen Pingfang, I just arrived today."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was very penetrating, silencing the surrounding noise.

"Everyone, please calm down. It's so hot, and shouting is tiring. Who's in charge? Let's find a cool place to sit down and settle the accounts one by one."

The moment these words were spoken, the excited workers were stunned.

Before they could react, Chen Ping picked up a piece of cardboard from under a worker's feet and, to everyone's astonishment, sat down on the steps in front of the county government building.

Chen Ping patted the empty seat next to him and said to the dazed foreman, "Come on, sit down and let's talk."

This unconventional approach, this attitude of equality and this calm demeanor immediately eased the tense atmosphere on the scene.

The smiles of Li Wei and the others in the distance froze.

They had considered that Chen Pingfang might be so frightened that he wouldn't know what to do, might yell at people, or might even drive away, but they never expected him to break the deadlock so easily in this way.

The foreman was stunned for a moment. Urged by his fellow workers, he sat down next to Chen Pingfang with some doubt and began to stammer about how Qingyuan Construction owed them millions of yuan in project funds and wages.

Chen Ping listened attentively without interrupting him, only nodding at the key points.

After the foreman finished speaking, Chen Pingfang asked only one question: "Is the company's full name 'Qingyuan County Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.'?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, Chen Ping stood up and took out his phone in front of everyone.

Everyone was puzzled. Chen Ping didn't call any county leaders; instead, he dialed an unfamiliar number. As soon as the call connected, he put it on speakerphone.

A crisp male voice came from the phone, making it audible to everyone: "Director Chen, hello."

"It's me, Chen Pingfang." Chen Pingfang's tone was very calm. "Could you check if there is a supplier in our Jinshuiwan project called 'Qingyuan County Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.'? Check if they still have a quality assurance deposit on our project that hasn't been refunded by the due date."

Jinshuiwan Project.

As soon as those words were uttered, the entire room fell silent.

The rioting workers were stunned. They might not know what Jinshui Bay was, but they could tell that this "project" was not simple. Li Wei, the director of the county party committee office, turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat.

Those within the system know best the scale of the Jinshuiwan project; it's a provincial-level model project personally overseen by Secretary Zhou Wenyuan. This new county head can directly mobilize the finance department there with a single phone call. This means he can directly control Qingyuan Construction's core operations from a place they have no access to.

The person on the other end of the phone was very efficient, replying in less than thirty seconds: "Director Chen, we found it. This company exists; it's one of our second-tier suppliers. They do indeed have a quality assurance deposit of 3.6 million yuan in our account, with the contract stipulating payment due next month."

Chen Ping hummed in agreement and hung up the phone.

He calmly looked at Li Wei, whose face had turned pale and whose body was beginning to tremble, and spoke in a tone that left no room for argument.

"Director Li, could you please inform Secretary Ma that the poverty alleviation meeting will be temporarily suspended?"

"Also, please have the boss of Qingyuan Construction come to my office within half an hour."

Chen Ping paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire room before finally settling on Li Wei.

"I think he should have time now."