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

Zhou Jianshe?

Chen Ping put down his pen to sign the document.

He remembered the man in Qingyuan County who wore an old jacket, accompanied him down into the mine, and drank until he had a stomach hemorrhage in order to attract investment.

Zhou Jianshe, Deputy Director of the Investment Promotion Bureau. A hard-working man who has aged prematurely.

"Let him come up." Chen Ping closed the file, his voice devoid of emotion.

A few minutes later, there was a gentle knock on the office door.

Zhang Chao led a man in. The man was in his early forties, but his hair was already gray. His suit was faded, and the collar and cuffs were frayed. He carried two heavy non-woven bags, and his leather shoes were stained with mud. He walked carefully on the shiny marble floor, looking out of place in the building.

"Director Chen... Director Chen." When Zhou Jianshe saw Chen Pingfang, his eyes immediately reddened, and his voice trembled slightly.

He awkwardly placed the two bags he was carrying in the corner. Inside were two pieces of cured meat wrapped tightly in oil paper and a few cans of simply packaged tea.

"I know you're busy in the city and don't have much good stuff... This is meat we smoked ourselves in the mountains, and some wild tea." He rubbed his hands together, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.

Chen Ping stood up, poured him a glass of water, and pointed to the chair opposite him: "Old Zhou, sit down and talk."

Zhou Jianshe held the water glass, his hands trembling violently. He took a deep breath and recounted the current situation in Qingyuan County in one go.

He had served as deputy director for five years. With the director about to retire, everyone thought it was his turn. But although Ma Changsheng had fallen, the people he had promoted were still there. Several factions joined forces to keep him firmly in place, and had even spread rumors that they were preparing to transfer him to the county annals office to retire.

"Director, the county's leadership reshuffle inspection team will be here soon." Zhou Jianshe's voice was pleading. "I know your status is different now, and I shouldn't bother you with such a small matter. I just wanted to... I wanted to ask if you could... make a phone call to the main leaders of the county committee and ask them to give you a little preferential treatment..."

As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer, and he lowered his head deeply.

The office was eerily quiet. Zhang Chao stood to the side, feeling somewhat awkward.

Chen Pingfang remained calm after listening. He picked up the document on the table, closed it gently with a soft "click".

Then, Chen Ping said something.

"I can't make this call."

Zhou Jianshe froze, the color draining from his face, leaving it deathly pale. He abruptly raised his head, unable to believe what he had just heard.

It's over. Zhou Jianshe felt a chill in his heart. It really was a case of "out of sight, out of mind"; he'd been too naive.

No one spoke in the office, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Chen Pingfang didn't explain. He stood up, walked to the old desk, pulled out a document from a pile of files, and spread it out in front of Zhou Jianshe.

"Chip Spark Phase II Industrial Chain Supporting Directory"

Chen Ping's finger landed on two inconspicuous entries in the document: "Special Gas Encapsulation" and "Precision Mold Processing".

"Old Zhou, instead of begging someone to give you a position, why not create a big project yourself and get a position that no one can take away from you?"

Zhou Jianshe was stunned and looked at him in confusion.

Chen Pingfang's voice wasn't loud, but every word was spoken clearly.

"Is there an abandoned former state-owned paper mill site in Qingyuan County? It has complete water and electricity supply, and the road network is already in place. These two projects are not technologically advanced, but they generate significant pollution and energy consumption, making them unsuitable for the Nanzhou High-tech Zone. However, placing them in Qingyuan County is just right."

"This is called city-county collaboration, an extension of the Chipfire industrial chain. You, Zhou Jianshe, as the project leader, bypassed those bureaucratic departments in the county and directly submitted the plan to the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology under the guise of connecting with key strategic projects at the municipal level."

Chen Ping stared at him and taught him word by word.

"Don't talk about your personal promotion, just talk about how much tax revenue and jobs this project can bring to Qingyuan County, and how much supporting work it can solve for Nanzhou City's 'Core Fire' strategy. Tie your personal future to the implementation of the city-level strategy at the grassroots level."

"Submit this report, and the city will directly hold Qingyuan County accountable for why such an important project wasn't put in the hands of the most knowledgeable person."

These words sent a chill down Zhou Jianshe's spine, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

He stared blankly at Chen Pingfang, his eyes shifting from confusion to shock, and finally lighting up completely.

Zhou Jianshe understood.

Chen Pingfang was teaching him a completely new method.

He could use key municipal projects to bypass personal connections in the county. Once this achievement was solidified, the county wouldn't even need to consider it; the municipal Party committee's organization department would directly request someone like him—someone who understands economics and can handle responsibility—when evaluating cadres. At that point, who in the county would dare to stop him? And who could stop him?

This is more effective than a hundred phone calls.

……

Zhou Jianshe left, completely different from when he arrived. He stood up straight, his eyes shining brightly.

In the office, Chen Pingfang said to Zhang Chao, "Register the items into the inventory."

"Yes, Director."

Zhang Chao picked up the two boxes of local specialties; they were quite heavy. He first unwrapped the oil paper package of the cured meat, finding nothing unusual. However, when he picked up the cans of tea, he noticed that one of them felt out of place, with what appeared to be a hard object at the bottom.

He carefully pried open the metal lid of the tea canister and found a small USB flash drive sealed underneath with beeswax.

Zhang Chao's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately handed the USB drive to Chen Pingfang.

Chen Ping inserted the USB drive into the encrypted computer.

On the screen, an encrypted folder was opened, containing densely packed account statements, transfer records, and several blurry surveillance videos.

The financial dealings between Ma Changsheng's remaining followers in Qingyuan County and Nanzhou Hongda Real Estate.

Transactions between Hongda Real Estate and certain department heads of the Municipal Power Supply Bureau using their private accounts.

These clues and names formed a huge network of relationships, clearly presented to Chen Pingfang.

He stared at the constantly changing numbers on the screen, his eyes growing colder and colder.

Wang Weidong's influence in Nanzhou was far deeper than he had imagined. This wasn't just a matter of electricity approvals; it was a vast network of corruption stretching from Qingyuan County to Nanzhou City, entrenched in the energy and real estate sectors.

What Zhou Jianshe sent was evidence that could completely bind him to his side.

A true pledge of allegiance.

Chen Ping pulled out the USB drive and locked it in the safe at the back of the drawer. He walked to the window, looked down at the bustling street below, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He originally only intended to give certain people a warning at tomorrow's mobilization meeting.

It seems we can get started now.