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

Dangang.

Chen Ping mentally memorized the place name for three seconds, then locked the screen and dialed Qin Yu's encrypted line.

"We've deployed surveillance in the direction of Dandong Port, at the only alternate landing site within the country. Without alerting the local authorities, we've secretly placed stakes around the runway."

Qin Yu replied with only two words: "Received."

With Wu Shaoming's case handed over, the next forty-eight hours will be the battleground for Qin Yu and Zheng Xian. As for Chen Ping, he still has another tough battle to fight.

Three days later, the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology.

Two bronze plaques hang at the main entrance of the building: the left one reads "Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology," and the right one reads "Provincial Bureau for the Promotion of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Development." The plaques are polished to a shine, the steps are swept clean, and the security guard at the entrance is wearing a new uniform.

Chen Ping carried a black briefcase up the steps and glanced up at the building. Twelve floors, gray-white exterior, windows arranged neatly, just as orderly as He Hongru had been sitting here for six years.

Cai Minghui, the director of the General Office, was waiting in the lobby on the first floor. He was in his early forties, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and had his shirt cuffs buttoned up meticulously.

"Director Chen, welcome, welcome!"

Cai Minghui stepped forward, reached out and grasped Chen Pingfang's right hand with both of his, shaking it up and down three times. The force was just right, the duration just right, perfectly controlled.

"The Party Committee meeting is scheduled for nine o'clock. The meeting room has been set up. All the department leaders are here, just waiting for you."

Chen Ping withdrew his hand and walked towards the elevator.

"Has Deputy Director Qian arrived yet?"

Cai Minghui followed, half a step behind.

"Director Qian arrived the earliest, at eight o'clock, and even had the administration office prepare tea."

The elevator doors opened, and Chen Ping stepped in. Cai Minghui reached out to block the door, waiting for him to steady himself before following him in.

"Longjing. Director Qian said you came from Nanzhou, so you're more used to drinking Longjing."

Chen Pingfang didn't reply. The mirror in the elevator made their figures appear as one long and one short. Cai Minghui's shoulders were slightly forward, and his head was tilted five degrees, a standard "new leader taking office" posture.

The people He Hongru trained all exuded discipline.

Nine o'clock sharp.

In the conference room on the eighth floor, seven people sat on both sides of a long table. There were four deputy directors, two heads of the discipline inspection teams, and one secretary from an administrative department.

The teacups on the table were steaming, and the fruit platter was placed in the center, untouched.

Chen Ping walked in, and everyone stood up.

The seat directly opposite the door was empty; the back of the chair was two inches higher than the sides. Chen Ping walked around it, but didn't sit down. He first scanned the people present.

Executive Deputy Director Qian Bo sat in the first chair on the left.

He was 53 years old, with a square face and very black hair, without a single white strand.

He's wearing a dark gray suit today, not a Zhongshan suit.

Qian Bo was the first to stand up and speak, his face beaming with smiles. He said...

"Director Chen! You've finally arrived! We've been waiting for you for so long. After Director He's accident, a lot of work came to a standstill, and I couldn't manage everything on my own. Now that you're here, we have someone to rely on."

He spoke very politely.

Chen Ping pulled out a chair, sat down, and said to him, "Sit down, no need for formalities, let's get straight to the work report."

Qian Bo's smile froze. Clearly, he had much more to say, but Chen Ping had interrupted him.

After a while, Qian Bo sat down and opened a blue folder.

He said, "Then let me give you a brief report on my work."

His voice became steady as he began his work report.

For example, there are issues related to project funding, industrial policies, and cooperative projects with other provinces.

He explained each task in detail, demonstrating his familiarity with the data and speaking at a moderate pace.

Chen Ping listened without saying a word.

Qian Bo's report sounded perfect, but it was all just superficial.

Because he only talked about how the work was progressing, but didn't mention any problems he encountered.

About twenty minutes passed, and Qian Bo turned to the last page of the folder, speaking more slowly.

He said, "There's another project I feel I should mention."

After saying that, he pushed the folder in his hand to the middle of the table so that everyone could see it.

"Pollution remediation in Jinshan Chemical Industrial Park".

The air in the meeting room tightened slightly. The deputy director in charge, sitting on the right, lowered his head to reach for his teacup, while the pen of another discipline inspection team leader stopped moving in his notebook.

Qian Bo's finger tapped on the folder.

"This project has been stalled for three years, involving 127 chemical companies and directly affecting more than 40,000 jobs. There are orders for rectification within a time limit from the central environmental protection inspectors, and pressure from the local government to maintain stability. Director He studied it many times during his tenure, but still could not find a solution that could be accepted by all parties."

He raised his head and spread his hands.

"Director Chen, this matter really needs your approval."

After he finished speaking, the conference room was silent for five seconds.

Chen Ping glanced at the folder but didn't reach for it.

A hot potato, thrown away quickly and accurately. Something He Hongru hadn't touched for six years, Qian Bo brought out at the very first Party group meeting—the intention couldn't be clearer: to plunge the new director into a quagmire from the moment he took office, ensuring that no matter which direction he went, it would be wrong.

Next, make a decision; if you don't accept it, drag it out. Making a decision offends businesses, local authorities, and retired leaders. Dragging it out means the environmental inspectors' sword is hanging over your head.

Chen Ping did not express his opinion on the spot.

"All the approval documents, environmental impact assessment reports, and rectification plans for the Jinshan Chemical Industrial Park over the past five years have been collected and delivered to my office before the end of the workday today."

Qian Bo was stunned for less than a second.

"Okay, I'll have the Industry Department prepare immediately."

"No need for the Industry Department." Chen Ping pushed the blue folder back to Qian Bo. "You personally oversee the organization; originals only, no copies."

Qian Bo's smile froze for a moment, then he nodded.

"no problem."

The meeting adjourned.

The seven people filed out of the conference room, with Qian Bo at the very back. As he passed the door, he glanced back at Chen Pingfang, who was still sitting in his chair, paused for a moment, and then turned and left.

The door closed.

Chen Ping sat motionless in the empty conference room.

Jinshan Chemical Industrial Park, with 127 companies and 40,000 employees, has been plagued by bad debts for three years. This is a huge pit, big enough to bury a newly appointed department head directly in it.

But the pit was dug too hastily, and the bottom was exposed.

Qian Bo wasn't reporting on his work; he was marking territory. He wanted Chen Ping to plunge headlong into the murky waters of the Jinshan Chemical Industrial Park so he could continue to control other lines from the shadows.

It's unusual for an executive deputy director, personally mentored by He Hongru, to remain so calm and composed less than two months after his former employer was imprisoned.

Chen Ping took out his phone, opened the encrypted communication software, and found Su Qingwan's chat window.

His thumb paused on the screen for two seconds before he started typing.

"Please help me find out who the actual controllers are behind the three largest companies in Jinshan Chemical Industrial Park, and their personal relationships with He Hongru and Qian Bo."

The message was sent, and the read receipt appeared very quickly.

Darkness fell outside the window. Cai Minghui carried the files Qian Bo had compiled three times, piling them half a meter high on the desk. Chen Ping, however, sat in his swivel chair, staring at his phone screen without opening a single one.

At 11:47 p.m., Su Qingwan's reply popped up.

It wasn't a message, but a compressed file with six words attached: "Deeper than you think."

Chen Ping opened the document, and the first page was pinned to the largest company in Jinshan Chemical Industrial Park—Hongye Chemical, with an annual output value of 1.2 billion yuan and 16,000 employees.

Turning to the third layer of the equity structure diagram, a name emerges.

Twenty-three percent of Hongye Chemical's shares are held through a Shenzhen-registered trading company, with the actual holder being Ge Hengshan, Qian Bo's brother-in-law.

Chen Ping's thumb didn't stop; it continued to slide down.

Page two shows Hongye Chemical's financing history. Three years ago, in its Series B round, the lead investor was Dingsheng Venture Capital.

Dingsheng Venture Capital.

Chen Ping's thumb was fixed on the screen, motionless. Those three words had appeared half a month ago on page seventeen of Fang Zhiyuan's confession, right next to Sun Zhaohui's name.

The office desk lamp illuminated the words on the phone screen so brightly that the four characters "Dingsheng Venture Capital" seemed to bounce under the light.