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

All that remained on the table was the circuit diagram drawn by Lin Yuanzhou, the blue ink from the ballpoint pen still wet.

Chen Ping stared at the lines on the drawing, quickly calculating in his mind.

Handing the evidence directly to the disciplinary committee? That's too slow; Company M will definitely cut off all contact immediately.

Let Ma Donglin arrest people directly? That's too simplistic. Arresting Han Zhengke alone won't do any good; the people behind him will come back.

Chen Ping had a better idea in mind.

He folded the blueprints and stuffed them into his briefcase.

"Yuanzhou, how long does reverse engineering take to get results?"

Forty-eight hours.

"There's still time."

Chen Ping opened the conference room door, and the light from the corridor shone on his face. He turned and glanced at Ma Donglin.

"Donglin, don't release the acceptance report yet."

Ma Donglin was stunned for a moment.

"Wait for my call."

Chen Ping didn't say anything more and walked straight to his office. His leather shoes trod on the terrazzo floor, each step firm and resolute.

His solution was to treat everyone to a meal.

Please have everyone who is supposed to be here stand on the same stage.

Back in his office, Chen Ping closed the door, sat down in his chair, and didn't turn on the light. The streetlights from outside shone through the blinds, casting a horizontal line across his desk.

Chen Ping picked up the landline and dialed Han Zhengke's number.

It rang twice, and then the other end answered.

"Director Chen?"

Han Zhengke's voice was half a tone tighter than it had been in the conference room that afternoon, with the last note rising slightly, carrying a hint of probing.

Chen Ping leaned back in his chair and spoke very slowly.

"Mr. Han, I have good news."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Today's joint acceptance inspection by the three parties has all passed. Old Zhao from the Provincial Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision told me that the quality of this batch of equipment from Jiacheng Precision is, in his own words, excellent."

Han Zhengke did not respond immediately.

Chen Ping could hear very light breathing on the other end of the phone. One breath, two breaths, and then Han Zhengke finally spoke on the third breath.

"Director Chen, this is what we should do."

Smooth and appropriate. But the speed of his speech was faster than usual, a rhythm only someone who has just relaxed would have.

Chen Ping gently rubbed his thumb against the landline handset.

"President Han, a donation of one billion yuan is no small matter. The second phase of the Chipfire project is a key provincial project. We can't just accept your kindness quietly."

"Director Chen means..."

"Hold a ceremony."

Chen Ping turned the chair halfway around so that it faced the window.

"The donation ceremony, along with the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement, will be held. In my capacity as the deputy head of the Provincial Semiconductor Industry Leading Group, I will send a letter inviting leaders from the Provincial Government, the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, and the Provincial Development and Reform Commission to witness the event. We will also invite a group of entrepreneurs from the upstream and downstream of the industry chain to make it a grand occasion."

There was a three-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Chen Ping counted the seconds, not a second more, not a second less.

Han Zhengke hesitated. People of his status dreaded being thrust into the limelight. But conversely, a public ceremony attended by provincial leaders was tantamount to an official endorsement for Jiacheng Precision.

Will he agree to this proposal?

"Director Chen, isn't this... a bit too much?"

Testing the waters is not a rejection.

Chen Ping's lips twitched, but he didn't laugh.

"Mr. Han, one billion. Tell me, is this a big deal?"

There was a two-second silence on Han Zhengke's end, then he laughed.

"Director Chen is right, I was narrow-minded."

He agreed.

Chen Ping didn't give him time to process it and continued speaking immediately.

"There's something else I need to tell you. Director He attaches great importance to this cooperation and has already verbally agreed to attend in person."

When He Hongru's name was uttered into the phone line, Han Zhengke's breathing visibly paused for a moment.

Chen Pingfang remembered this pause.

The relationship between Han Zhengke and He Hongru is deeper than it appears on the surface. In the offshore chain structure diagram drawn by Wang Dexin, He Hongru's approval process and Han Zhengke's equipment supply process are separated only by a shell company in Singapore.

He Hongru's arrival meant that Han Zhengke's protective umbrella was still in place, and that he was still being shielded by those above him. This donation was no longer a simple commercial transaction, but a public display of their entire chain of interests.

Han Zhengke will not refuse.

He dared not refuse.

"Director He will be attending in person?" Han Zhengke's voice warmed. "Then Jiacheng Precision must prepare even better."

"Um."

"Director Chen, I have an idea, but I don't know if it's appropriate."

"you say."

"Our headquarters in the Netherlands has always wanted to find opportunities to establish deeper cooperative relationships with industrial parks in China. With such a grand ceremony, I would like to invite representatives from our headquarters in the Netherlands to come and take a look, and also to give Chipfire Phase II a boost on the international stage."

Chen Ping's thumb stopped on the receiver.

Headquarters in the Netherlands.

Nexvance B.V.

People from Company M will come in person.

The office lights were off, and the horizontal lines of the blinds cast shadows on Chen Pingfang's face, creating an alternating light and shadow. He stared at the canopy of the roadside tree outside the window; a gust of wind blew, and the leaves flipped over, revealing their lighter-colored undersides.

"Good idea."

Chen Ping's answer was straightforward, without the slightest hesitation.

"International cooperation is the direction of the second phase of Chipfire. It will be a great honor for the provincial leaders to have representatives from the Dutch headquarters come. Mr. Han, you can make the arrangements. Please provide me with the number of people and the list in advance, and I will make all the necessary arrangements for the reception."

"Okay, okay." Han Zhengke said "okay" twice. "Director Chen, what about the timing of the ceremony..."

"Next Friday."

"So fast?"

"The provincial leaders have tight schedules; they only have a few days free. Do you have enough time?"

Han Zhengke paused for a moment.

"There's still time."

"Okay, then next Friday. I'll have Jiang Fan handle the specific procedures with you."

"Okay, Director Chen."

"Mr. Han, get ready."

Chen Ping hung up the phone.

The crisp sound of the receiver being put back into the landline was particularly clear in the dark office.

He didn't move, sitting in the chair with his hands on the armrests.

Representative from the Dutch headquarters.

Han Zhengke is proactively sending people from Company M over as well.

Chen Pingfang never expected that the other party would be so greedy.

He took out his phone from his briefcase, scrolled to his contacts, and sent Ma Donglin an encrypted text message.

"The acceptance report will be released tomorrow, and the conclusion is: all items are qualified. The donation ceremony is next Friday, a provincial-level event, with He Hongru in attendance, and Han Zhengke will bring representatives from the Netherlands. You need to prepare two things: first, arrange for people to record the entire ceremony; second, contact the Economic Investigation Department of the Provincial Bureau and have them ready to cooperate at any time."

After sending that message, he sent another one to Jiang Fan.

"Come to my office tomorrow morning and bring the share information of all Jiacheng Precision's affiliated companies."

After sending the two messages, Chen Ping turned off his phone and threw it on the table.

The office was completely dark, with only the red standby indicator light on the landline phone flashing in the darkness.

Next Friday.

Leaders from the provincial government, the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, entrepreneurs from upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, He Hongru, Han Zhengke, and people from Company M.

All the characters who are supposed to be there will stand on the same stage, bathed in bright lights, with cameras pointed at them, and the moment the pen is raised...

Chen Ping stood up from the chair, walked to the window, and pulled open one of the blinds.

The parking lot downstairs was empty, the security booth lights were on, and occasionally a car would drive by on Jianshe Road in the distance, its taillights leaving a red trail.

He released his grip, and the slats of the blinds snapped back, making a soft metallic clanging sound.

Almost everyone has arrived.

Meanwhile, he was already prepared.