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

The next day, Chen Ping went to work on time as usual.

His office, which used to resemble a storage room, had been tidied up meticulously by himself. The desk was spotless, the files were neatly categorized, and he had even reinstalled the operating system on his old computer.

At 9:30 a.m., the office door was pushed open from the outside without knocking.

Zhang Chao rushed in, sweat still beading on his forehead. "Director Chen, something bad has happened! A group of people have come downstairs, claiming to be the contractors for the Xinhuo Industrial Park, here to demand payment for the project."

Chen Ping was reviewing the files for the Chipfire Industrial Park without looking up. "How many people came?"

"Seven or eight of them, all bosses. They're sitting in the lobby on the first floor right now, saying they won't leave until they get an explanation. A lot of people are watching." Zhang Chao's voice sounded urgent. "Director Hu and the others... they all seem to be in their offices and haven't come out yet."

"understood."

Chen Ping closed the file, stood up, picked up his briefcase from the table, and walked out.

The atmosphere in the lobby on the first floor of the management committee building was indeed very tense.

Seven or eight middle-aged men in suits sat casually on the sofa in the lobby, with several assistants standing behind them. They didn't make a sound, just sat there silently, and their mere presence made them seem like a force to be reckoned with.

The leader was bald, with a string of Buddhist prayer beads around his neck and a gold watch on his wrist. His name was Zhao Sihai, a well-known construction contractor in the provincial capital with a powerful background.

Inside the lobby, many management committee staff members craned their necks to watch from a distance, whispering among themselves.

"See that? Zhao Sihai is here. This is going to be interesting."

"The new Director Chen is really unlucky; he ran into this on his very first day."

"Whoever takes over this mess is doomed. Let's see what they do."

Chen Ping stepped out of the elevator, his footsteps making a distinct sound in the quiet lobby.

All eyes immediately turned to him.

Zhao Sihai raised his eyelids and looked Chen Pingfang up and down, thinking to himself, "So young? Zhou Wenyuan found such a greenhorn to fill the hole?"

"Hello, bosses." Chen Pingfang walked up to them with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere. "I'm Chen Pingfang, the new deputy director, in charge of the Chipfire Industrial Park project. If you have anything to discuss, feel free to talk to me."

Zhao Sihai slowly stood up. He was half a head taller than Chen Ping, which made him look very imposing.

"Director Chen, is that right? Young and promising." Zhao Sihai's face was devoid of a smile. "We don't have any other demands, except that Xinhuo Industrial Park owes several of our companies three years' worth of construction fees, totaling 780 million yuan. We need to get an explanation today. Our hundreds of workers also need to eat."

"Of course," Chen Ping nodded. "Paying back debts is only right and proper."

Chen Ping's words surprised Zhao Sihai and the others. They had prepared a lot of arguments, but they didn't expect the other party to be so easy to talk to.

Chen Ping turned around and waved to Zhang Chao, who was not far away. "Zhang Chao, go and bring a table and two chairs over, and put them here."

Zhang Chao quickly ran off to take care of it.

Soon, a simple desk was placed in the center of the hall.

Chen Ping took off his coat, draped it over the back of the chair, sat down, opened his briefcase, took out paper and pen, and looked up at Zhao Sihai.

"Mr. Zhao, right?" Chen Pingfang's tone was as if he were in a regular meeting. "Since we're going to talk, we need to go over the accounts one by one. The government's money isn't my personal money. Every penny spent must be documented and in accordance with regulations."

He paused for a moment, his voice not loud, but loud enough to be heard throughout the entire hall.

"Now, please bring out your original contracts with the Management Committee, receipts for each payment, and supervision and acceptance reports for each phase of the project. We will verify them on-site and calculate each item. As long as the procedures are complete and the accounts are clear, the Management Committee will not shortchange you on any amount due."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sihai's smile froze.

The other bosses also looked at each other.

They came to collect their money, not to settle accounts. And why would they do it in public, digging up all their secrets?

"Director Chen, what do you mean by this?" Another tall, thin boss frowned. "Our accounts were already settled with previous leaders, there are no problems. Are you saying you don't trust us?"

"These are the rules." Chen Ping's gaze was calm. "The predecessor is the predecessor, and I am me. I took over this project, so I must be responsible for every single expense. This is also being responsible to everyone involved and to the state's assets. What, can't the bosses even produce the most basic acceptance report?"

These words carry a lot of weight; no one can withstand them.

Zhao Sihai stared at Chen Pingfang for more than ten seconds, and finally squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: "Give it to me."

His assistant immediately opened a heavy briefcase and took out a large stack of documents. The other bosses also had their assistants hand over the prepared materials.

"Okay." Chen Ping nodded. "Let's do it one at a time. Mr. Zhao, you can start first."

Zhao Sihai pushed a stack of documents onto the table.

Chen Ping didn't rush to look at the numbers. Instead, he picked up the top document, the completion and acceptance report of the main project of the first phase of the Corefire Industrial Park, and read it carefully page by page.

Time passed second by second.

The hall was quiet, with only the sound of papers turning.

On the second-floor corridor, Hu Jinshan and several deputy directors stood by the railing, looking down at the scene below.

"Old Hu, this kid's got some skills, he doesn't play by the rules," a deputy director whispered.

Hu Jinshan snorted: "Just for show. He thinks he can solve a debt of 10 billion by checking reports? He's too naive. Do you think Zhao Sihai and his gang are so easy to deal with? Just wait and see. If he can't reconcile the accounts or can't come up with the money, this kid will be humiliated in public."

Downstairs, Chen Ping had already finished reviewing Zhao Sihai's documents.

He jotted down a few numbers on the paper and then pushed the document back. "Mr. Zhao, I've reviewed your materials. The paperwork is basically complete. We'll verify and make the arrangements as soon as possible."

Zhao Sihai breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression relaxed.

Next came the second one, then the third one...

Chen Ping reviewed the documents at a moderate pace, his face remaining expressionless.

When it was the turn of the tall, thin boss, Mr. Li from Hongyuan Construction, Chen Ping suddenly stopped flipping through the documents.

His gaze lingered on the last page of an acceptance report for the pipeline laying project in Zone C.

That page was stamped with the official seal of the High-tech Zone Engineering Quality Supervision Station, which was red.

When General Manager Li saw Chen Pingfang's actions, his heart skipped a beat, but he still tried to remain calm: "Director Chen, is there a problem?"

Chen Ping did not answer.

He gently touched the date on the official seal with his fingertip.

The date on the official seal is: "June 28, 2019".

The ink on the number "two" was a bit darker than the other numbers, and there were also some slightly blurred marks at the edges.

Chen Ping raised his head and stared at President Li.

"Mr. Li, if I remember correctly, the official seal of the High-tech Zone Engineering Quality Supervision Station was replaced in March 2019 due to institutional reforms. Why is your acceptance report from June still stamped with the old seal?"

The air in the entire hall became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Mr. Li's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and fine beads of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

"How...how would I know? Maybe their staff made a mistake..." he explained incoherently.

Chen Ping smiled and didn't ask any further questions.

He pulled out the problematic acceptance report separately, gently placed it on the corner of the table, and then said to the remaining documents, "Mr. Li, we'll accept and review your other materials first."

Then, in front of everyone, Chen Ping picked up the separate report and said to Zhang Chao next to him.

"The official seal on this report is suspected of being forged, and the document has been confiscated."