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

The appointment notice had only been posted for two weeks, and Chen Ping had barely settled into his deputy section chief office when the problems at Jinshuiwan erupted completely.

The air conditioning was blasting in the conference room on the third floor of the city government building, but everyone felt uneasy.

Xiao Yuhan sat in the main seat, her face grim. In front of her lay a thick stack of petition materials, all complaints from homebuyers in Jinshui Bay.

"Mayor Xiao, more than thirty people have arrived downstairs." The secretary pushed open the door and said in a low voice, "The banners have even been unfurled at the main entrance of the city hall."

The atmosphere in the meeting room became even more oppressive.

Director Zhang of the Finance Bureau wiped the sweat from his brow and opened the report in his hand: "The soil remediation of the Jinshuiwan site will conservatively cost three to five hundred million yuan. The municipal budget for this year has already exceeded its limit, and we simply cannot afford this amount of money."

"Then let's re-auction it," the planning bureau official said, "and let the acquiring party bear the repair costs."

"Who dares to take it on?" The director of the Land Management Bureau smiled bitterly. "Now the whole city knows it's toxic land; touching it is suicide."

Xiao Yuhan rubbed her temples and remained silent.

Chen Ping sat at the record table behind her, quietly taking notes. The gauze on his forehead was still on, the white bandage standing out under the light.

Just then, the conference room door was pushed open.

Sun Zhigang walked in with a document in his hand, a smile on his face.

"Mayor Xiao, esteemed leaders, I apologize for being late." Sun Zhigang sat down opposite Xiao Yuhan and pushed the documents to the center of the table. "Advisor Wang reviewed the Jinshuiwan handling plan overnight and specifically asked me to bring his instructions."

Xiao Yuhan took the document, glanced at it, and frowned even more.

"A high-standard restart plan?" She looked up and stared at Sun Zhigang.

"Yes." Sun Zhigang nodded and said slowly, "Advisor Wang said that the lesson of Jinshui Bay was too painful, and we must be responsible to the people and prevent secondary pollution. Therefore, he proposed to set a stricter threshold for bidding on the Jinshui Bay plot."

He paused for a moment, then turned to the second page of the document: "The bidding deposit has been increased to 500 million yuan, and the bidders must possess a national Class A soil remediation qualification."

The meeting room suddenly erupted into noise.

"Five hundred million?" The Finance Bureau Director's eyes widened. "Which real estate company in Yunzhou could come up with that much cash?"

"Class A qualification?" The planning bureau official was also alarmed. "There's no such company in the area!"

The director of the land management bureau slammed his fist on the table: "Isn't this just blatantly letting this land rot in our hands?!"

Sun Zhigang calmly took another document out of his briefcase and held it up in the air.

"Gentlemen, this is the directive personally signed by Advisor Wang last night." His voice rose slightly. "It's very clear—strict oversight is required to prevent another Zhao Defu from emerging."

Sun Zhigang placed the written instruction on the table and looked at Xiao Yuhan: "Mayor Xiao, Advisor Wang is considering the long-term development of Yunzhou. I think you can understand that."

Xiao Yuhan stared at the instruction, her knuckles turning white from gripping it so tightly.

She certainly understood what that meant.

Wang Jianzhong is using environmental protection as an excuse to set an impossible threshold for Jinshui Bay. A 500 million yuan deposit plus a Class A qualification—no local company in Yunzhou can meet that standard. By this standard, the land will inevitably fail to sell, Jinshui Bay will be a complete failure, and she, as the vice mayor in charge, will have to bear all the blame.

"Secretary-General Sun," Xiao Yuhan's voice was cold, "do you think this plan is reasonable?"

"Of course it makes sense," Sun Zhigang said with a smile. "Mayor Xiao, we're all doing this for the good of Yunzhou."

The conference room was deathly silent.

Everyone knew that this was Wang Jianzhong's revenge.

Just then, Chen Pingfang, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

"Secretary-General Sun, could you let me take a look at the plan?"

Sun Zhigang paused for a moment and looked at Xiao Yuhan.

Xiao Yuhan nodded.

Chen Ping took the document and quickly flipped through it. His fingers traced the lines on the paper, his eyes focused intently.

A dozen seconds later, he chuckled softly.

"interesting."

Sun Zhigang frowned: "Secretary Chen, what are you laughing at?"

Chen Ping looked up and put the document back on the table.

"Secretary-General Sun, this plan looks very rigorous, but it actually has a major loophole."

"What vulnerability?"

"It implicitly assumes that only real estate developers can bid for this land. But everyone is overlooking the most important issue for this land right now: environmental remediation."

Everyone in the conference room was stunned.

Chen Ping stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and picked up a marker.

"The threshold set by Consultant Wang has indeed filtered out all speculators who want to make quick money." He wrote "500 million in margin" and "Class A qualification" on the whiteboard. "But at the same time, only large companies with abundant funds can participate."

He turned around and looked at Sun Zhigang.

"Secretary-General Sun, since Advisor Wang's requirements are so high, why are we only focusing on Yunzhou?"

Sun Zhigang's smile froze.

Chen Ping took a document out of his briefcase and placed it on the table.

"This is the 'Notice on Applying for Pilot Projects for the Application of Soil Pollution Control and Remediation Technologies,' which was just released by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment last month." He pointed to the title of the document. "The notice clearly states that the state will provide special funding subsidies for eligible pilot projects and will give priority to introducing central enterprises with Class A qualifications to participate."

The air in the meeting room froze.

The finance bureau chief suddenly stood up: "You mean...?"

"Yes." Chen Pingfang nodded. "We can use the high threshold set by Consultant Wang to directly apply for Jinshui Bay to become a national pilot project. In this way, we can not only attract qualified central enterprises, but also obtain national subsidies, which is a win-win situation."

The people from the planning bureau gasped in shock.

The director of the land management bureau stared wide-eyed.

Sun Zhigang's face turned deathly pale instantly.

He never expected that Wang Jianzhong's scheme would be foiled by Chen Ping's few words.

This not only solved the problem, but also gave Xiao Yuhan a great political achievement for free.

Xiao Yuhan stared at the notice, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"Secretary Chen, when will the application process begin for this policy?"

"Early next month," Chen Ping said, returning to his seat. "But the application materials need to be prepared in advance, and time is very tight."

Xiao Yuhan took a deep breath and glanced at everyone present.

"Then let's proceed as Secretary Chen suggested." Her voice was firm. "Start the application process immediately. The Finance Bureau will assist in preparing the materials, and the Planning Bureau and Land Management Bureau will be responsible for liaising with the central enterprises."

She turned to Sun Zhigang and said coldly, "Secretary-General Sun, please go back and tell Advisor Wang that we will strictly follow his instructions and will never let him down."

Sun Zhigang's lips twitched, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back.

He stood up, picked up his briefcase, and slunk away.

The moment the door closed, a burst of suppressed laughter erupted in the conference room.

"Secretary Chen, that was a brilliant move!" The Finance Bureau Director gave a thumbs up.

"Wang Jianzhong has dug his own grave this time." The people from the planning bureau laughed.

Xiao Yuhan did not laugh.

She walked to the window and looked down at the homebuyers holding banners, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Secretary Chen, come here."

Chen Ping walked to her side.

"How did you know about this policy?" Xiao Yuhan asked in a low voice.

"I heard about it at a meeting in the province last month." Chen Pingfang's expression was calm. "I thought it might come in handy, so I wrote it down."

Xiao Yuhan looked at the gauze on his forehead and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Thanks to you this time."

"Of course."

Outside the window, the setting sun is slowly sinking.