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

City Hall, top-floor office.

Li Jianguo carefully put the report, which stated "the total investment is expected to exceed eight billion," into his briefcase. His movements were slow and his expression was serious.

He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 2:30 p.m., half an hour before the executive meeting.

Li Jianguo stood up, straightened his tie, and walked to the window, looking towards the High-tech Zone.

There, the factory buildings in the Chipfire Industrial Park are reflecting the light.

"Put it flat, I'll take the blame for you today."

Li Jianguo said something softly, then turned and strode quickly toward the conference room.

---

The entire leadership team of the municipal government was present in the first conference room.

Wang Weidong, the vice mayor in charge of industry, sat to Li Jianguo's right, holding a teacup, his eyes scanning the conference table, seemingly lost in thought.

The other vice mayors and secretary-general were also present, and no one had any expression on their faces; the room was very quiet.

Li Jianguo sat down in the main seat and raised his hand.

"Send me the materials first."

The secretary immediately sent out a copy of the report.

Wang Weidong took the document, glanced at the title, and frowned.

Report on the preliminary results of the industrial ecosystem co-construction plan of Nanzhou Chip Spark Demonstration Zone.

It was Chen Ping again.

Li Jianguo didn't give everyone much time to watch before he started speaking, and his voice was very loud.

"Comrades, let me tell you something first. The Chip Spark Demonstration Zone held a technology matchmaking meeting the day before yesterday. There were no leaders invited, no ceremony, just semiconductor companies from all over the province gathered to discuss technology. What was the result?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire room.

"In just two days, 127 companies have formally submitted applications to move in, including 34 with provincial-level or higher core technology patents and 9 that can fill gaps in the domestic industrial chain. The total investment is estimated at 8 billion yuan."

The sound of documents being turned over filled the conference room.

Several deputy mayors stopped what they were doing and looked up at Li Jianguo as they looked at the numbers in their hands.

Eight billion?

Two days?

How is that possible?

The annual investment target for the entire city of Nanzhou is only 30 billion yuan, but Chen Ping accomplished more than a quarter of that in just two days.

Seeing everyone's reactions, Li Jianguo had a better understanding of the situation.

He cleared his throat and got to the point.

"Comrades, Xinhuo has made great strides, but it has also been very steady. I have a suggestion: in order to better coordinate the city's industrial resources with Xinhuo, let Chen Ping take on more responsibilities and appoint him as the deputy secretary-general of the municipal government to coordinate all industrial projects in the city."

As soon as he said that, the room fell silent.

Everyone stopped moving, and the deputy mayors looked at each other.

Deputy Secretary-General?

Chen Ping was promoted to the position of full division chief only a few days ago?

That's too fast.

Wang Weidong slammed his teacup heavily on the table, making a loud "bang".

"Mayor Li, I object."

Wang Weidong's voice was loud, breaking the silence in the room. Everyone's eyes were drawn to him.

"Chen Ping was promoted to full division chief just a few days ago? Now he's being appointed deputy secretary-general; it doesn't make sense procedurally."

Wang Weidong leaned forward, his tone sharp.

"Moreover, his land-for-technology scheme has messed up the land and investment regulations in Nanzhou. Other districts and counties have a lot of complaints. He's taking all the benefits for himself, what's the point of everyone else doing anything?"

The moment Wang Weidong opened his mouth, the atmosphere in the conference room immediately became tense.

Several deputy mayors who were about to speak shut up and exchanged glances.

Everyone knows that Wang Weidong has deep connections in the Nanzhou industrial sector, and he controls most of the project approvals and resources.

His objection has made things complicated.

Li Jianguo didn't speak, but just looked calmly at Wang Weidong.

Seeing that no one objected, Wang Weidong assumed he had the upper hand and continued speaking.

"Besides, I heard that Chen Ping kicked out General Manager Guo of the Provincial Construction Investment Company a few days ago. By doing that, he offended people in the province. How can he get support from the province for projects in Nanzhou in the future?"

Saying this is tantamount to telling everyone that he has connections with the provincial authorities.

There was some commotion in the meeting room again.

The expressions of the deputy mayors became even more complicated.

Li Jianguo finally made a move.

He flipped open another document expressionlessly, his voice turning cold.

"Vice Mayor Wang mentioned other districts and counties, that's perfect, let's take a look at the data."

He began reading aloud the projects introduced by various districts and counties across the city over the past year.

"The 1.2 billion yuan chemical project in the East District last year failed to pass the environmental impact assessment and is now stuck there, a complete mess."

"And the steel plant in the western district, which invested 800 million yuan, closed down after less than three months of operation due to losses."

"Not to mention the garment factories in the North District. They invested 500 million yuan, and now the workers are still demanding their wages."

With each word Li Jianguo read, Wang Weidong's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Which of these projects isn't a polluting, unprofitable, and outdated undertaking? Which one has paid taxes to Nanzhou or provided jobs?"

Li Jianguo slammed his hand on the table, his voice rising in volume.

"The eight billion yuan that Chen Pingfang attracted in two days is all genuine high technology! Whoever can bring in such technology, I'll give them a thousand acres of land! As for those in the provincial capital who want to take advantage, if Chen Pingfang doesn't chase them away, I will!"

Wang Weidong's face flushed red and then turned pale, and he was speechless.

Someone in the conference room gasped.

Several deputy mayors looked at the list of companies to be invested in by Xinhuo, and then thought about the mess they were in charge of, and felt uneasy.

They then realized that although Chen Ping hadn't come to release the people, his achievements were undeniable and unmatched by anyone.

Wang Weidong's lips trembled as he tried to bring up the procedures.

"Mayor Li, the procedures..."

"program?"

Li Jianguo interrupted him directly, staring intently at Wang Weidong.

"The 3 billion yuan from the Provincial Finance Department was personally approved by the Governor! The province's intention is very clear: Corefire is a key project for the entire province, and Nanzhou must provide full support."

Li Jianguo leaned forward, his voice becoming even stronger.

"Chen Pingfang has the ability and the courage; he's qualified for the position of deputy secretary-general. Anyone who thinks it's unsuitable can go and ask the provincial authorities themselves!"

When the provincial level was mentioned, Wang Weidong was completely speechless.

He slumped back into his chair, his face extremely pale.

No one spoke.

Everyone was stunned by Li Jianguo's words.

Li Jianguo looked around, then his voice returned to calm.

"I'll say it again: Chen Ping will be appointed as the deputy secretary-general of the municipal government on a temporary assignment to coordinate industrial projects throughout the city. If you have any objections, please raise them now."

No one spoke.

"Okay, that's settled then. Meeting adjourned."

Li Jianguo closed the document, stood up, and walked straight out of the conference room.

---

The resolution was passed without any doubt.

The news that Chen Pingfang was to be appointed as deputy secretary-general quickly spread throughout the municipal government building, sparking a great deal of discussion.

In the corridor, several staff members huddled together, talking quietly.

"Have you heard? Chen Pingfang has been promoted again—to Deputy Secretary-General!"

"That's too fast! He's only been in Nanzhou for a short time!"

"They're capable; they raised eight billion in two days. Can you do that?"

"I heard that Vice Mayor Wang was speechless after Mayor Li said something to him at the meeting."

"Now, Chen Pingfang has the final say on the industry in Nanzhou."

---

Li Jianguo returned to his office, closed the door, and dialed Chen Pingfang's number.

I answered the phone after it rang twice.

"Mayor Li."

Chen Pingfang's voice was very calm.

"Put it flat. The city's decision has been passed, Deputy Secretary-General."

Li Jianguo's tone was calm, but carried great weight.

"This is a huge pit of fire; the entire industrial mess in the city is now weighing on your shoulders."

There was a two-second pause on the other end of the phone.

Chen Pingfang's voice remained calm.

"I'm willing to wade into a fire pit as long as it benefits the Chipfire supply chain."

Li Jianguo smiled.

"Okay, I'll wait for your good news."

After hanging up the phone, Li Jianguo leaned back in his chair and looked out the window at the sky.