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

The meeting room was quiet.

Chen Pingfang's voice wasn't loud, but what he said stunned everyone present.

To dismantle the power supply bureau's authority and establish a new center directly under the municipal government office? This young man wants to have complete control over the energy sector in Nanzhou!

Wang Weidong's pale face jerked upwards, his empty eyes fixed on Chen Pingfang. His lips moved, but no sound came out. Wang Weidong finally understood: what Chen Pingfang had wanted from the very beginning was the chair beneath him and his control over the city's industrial lifeline!

All eyes involuntarily turned to the Party Secretary and Mayor Li Jianguo, who were seated in the main seats.

Li Jianguo's eyes narrowed, and he exchanged a glance with the municipal party secretary. The two instantly reached a consensus.

The municipal party secretary cleared his throat and tapped his fingers lightly on the table, breaking the silence of the meeting room. "I think Comrade Pingfang's suggestion is excellent. The city's industrial electricity consumption problem definitely needs a lot of effort to address." The municipal party secretary paused, his gaze sweeping across the room. "This Industrial Energy Coordination Center can first establish a preparatory group as a pilot project. The specific plan will be led by Comrade Jianguo, with Comrade Pingfang assisting."

That's settled.

There was no argument, and no discussion.

The term "pilot program" was used lightly, but it directly ruined Wang Weidong's political future and paved the way for Chen Pingfang's rise to power.

Wang Weidong's body trembled violently, as if all his strength had been drained away. He slumped into the chair, his eyes completely darkening.

He knew that this time he had not only lost, but was completely finished.

Chen Ping bowed slightly to the person in the main seat, then turned and left the conference room.

After Chen Ping left, a hushed murmur arose in the conference room.

……

The next day, an office in the municipal government building that originally belonged to the archives department was quickly emptied, and a new sign was hung on the door—Nanzhou Industrial and Energy Coordination Center (in preparation).

This movement was incredibly fast.

Looking at the white sign with black lettering, Zhang Chao still felt like he was dreaming.

"Director, this...this is done?" Zhang Chao's voice still sounded a little incredulous.

"This is just the beginning." Chen Pingfang's expression was calm as he placed a stack of documents on the table. Sitting in the office were people transferred overnight from the Finance Bureau and the Audit Bureau.

All eyes were on Chen Pingfang, their gazes filled with awe and curiosity.

"Everyone, time is tight and the task is heavy." Chen Pingfang's gaze swept over everyone. "I only have three things to say."

"First of all, from today onwards, you are only responsible to me."

"Secondly, I want you to re-verify the electricity consumption indicators, actual electricity consumption, and subsidy amounts of all large-scale industrial enterprises in Nanzhou over the past year within 72 hours."

Chen Ping's words surprised everyone present; the workload was enormous.

Chen Pingfang seemed oblivious to their expressions and continued, "Finally, and this is crucial." He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the cars passing by below, his voice devoid of any warmth. "Using the same standards as the six zombie companies investigated yesterday, immediately cancel the electricity quotas of 30% of all similar and inefficient businesses in the city. All canceled electricity quotas will be collected by the center for unified allocation."

The office fell silent instantly.

Thirty percent!

This figure is enough to completely reshape the industrial sector in Nanzhou. The interests involved are extremely complex, enough to give even a seasoned deputy mayor a headache.

But on his very first day in office, Chen Ping wanted to take a bite out of this biggest piece of the pie.

An elderly section chief from the audit bureau couldn't help but raise his hand and cautiously asked, "Director Chen... what if the companies don't cooperate with the clearing-out standards, or even obstruct us?"

Chen Ping turned around and glanced at the man.

"Your task is to notify, not to negotiate."

"Anyone who doesn't cooperate, write their name, company information, and the people behind them on a list and report it to me. As for those who dare to obstruct..." Chen Ping sneered, "that's a matter of public order."

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines, and no one dared to speak again.

As commands were issued, the newly established coordination center began operating efficiently. This event caused quite a stir in the entire industrial sector of Southern State.

Just as Chen Ping was busy handling center affairs, his encrypted phone vibrated again.

It was Jiang Fan calling.

As soon as the call connected, Jiang Fan's panting voice and the roar of machinery could be heard from the other end.

"Director Chen! We did it! We did it!" Jiang Fan's voice was hoarse with excitement. "Just now, using the core component parameters derived from reverse engineering, we built a temporary experimental platform and started the first plasma arc! We etched the first complete logic gate onto the experimental silicon wafer!"

Chen Ping's breathing suddenly stopped.

Become!

A key breakthrough has been achieved in the reverse engineering of EUV light source systems!

This means that they have taken a very important step from theory to practice. After so much suppression, the Chipfire project has finally made substantial progress.

Chen Ping gripped his phone tightly, his nerves, which had been taut for days, finally relaxing at this moment. He could clearly hear his own heartbeat, fast and strong.

"Great, that's excellent." Chen Ping took a deep breath and said into the phone, "Protect all the experimental data and immediately apply for high-level technical confidentiality. I'm coming right away!"

After hanging up the phone, Chen Ping finally showed a genuine smile.

Everything he had done paid off at that moment.

Chen Ping picked up his coat, preparing to head to the Corefire Industrial Park.

But just as he reached the office door, he suddenly stopped.

Downstairs, a black Audi sedan silently stopped at the entrance. The license plate was not local; it only had a red provincial prefix.

The car door opened, and two middle-aged men in dark suits stepped out.

The two men had serious expressions and walked steadily, seemingly without any personal feelings, as they walked directly into the building.

Chen Pingfang's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart tightened.

A few minutes later, the two men appeared at the door of Chen Pingfang's office.

The man at the head of the group showed his identification and said in a businesslike tone, "Comrade Chen Pingfang, we are from the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee."

The man put away his identification and stared sharply at Chen Pingfang.

"Regarding your 'illegal use of security forces and violent resistance to law enforcement,' the province has received a joint report from relevant departments, and the situation is very serious. Please come with us to cooperate with the investigation."