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

The chair furthest from the head seat.

Chen Ping didn't move, but glanced at the table. The other four people had agenda materials and teacups in front of them, but his seat was empty, without even a cup.

Sit down.

Qin Daguan, holding his teacup, slowly began to speak.

"Today's topic is simple. Chen Pingfang has just arrived in the provincial government system, so we need to clarify the division of labor."

Chen Ping recognized two of the three people sitting next to him. Zhou Lixing, the deputy secretary-general of the provincial government, was in charge of administrative affairs in the general office; the other deputy secretary-general, Han Zhiming, was the liaison for the provincial state-owned assets supervision and administration commission. The fourth person was unfamiliar; his nameplate read "Luo Guodong."

Qin Daguan put the lid on the teacup and took out a document.

"The Organization Department's proposed division of responsibilities has been released. The responsibilities of the Industry and Information Technology, Science and Technology, and Development and Reform Commission related to high-tech industries will be assigned to Chen Pingfang. However, at the Governor's Office meeting, the Governor added an additional point: the environmental protection department's approval and coordination responsibilities related to high-tech industries will also be assigned to Chen Pingfang."

Environmental friendly.

Chen Ping gently tapped his fingers on the edge of the table.

High-tech industries and environmental approvals have always been difficult to obtain in Nanzhou Province. The land use planning for the second phase of the Chipfire Industrial Park was once stuck on the environmental impact assessment for a full four months. Eight out of ten new energy projects and chip manufacturing projects in various places will be blocked by the environmental protection department.

This is not a good thing; it's a difficult problem to handle.

Luo Guodong coughed at this moment and opened the materials in front of him.

"Secretary-General Qin, I'd like to add a couple of points regarding environmental coordination."

Qin Da's opinion.

Luo Guodong glanced at Chen Pingfang, speaking steadily.

"The Provincial Environmental Protection Department just rejected the environmental impact assessment applications for three high-tech industrial projects last month. One of them was a photovoltaic module production line in Xingnan Economic Development Zone. The investors have already threatened to withdraw their investment if the project is not approved soon. To be honest, this is a difficult matter for anyone to handle."

He paused slightly after speaking.

"Chen Pingfang comes from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and isn't familiar with the environmental protection system. Should we hold off for now?"

That was a very polite way of speaking.

The meaning is clear: as a newcomer, don't rush to take on too much work.

Chen Ping leaned back in his chair, the hard cushion digging into his shoulder blades and causing pain.

"Secretary Luo means that this task won't be assigned to me yet?"

Luo Guodong shrugged.

"Take it easy. It's not too late to take over after you've sorted out your work in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology."

Qin Daguan took a sip of tea but did not express his opinion.

Chen Ping took out a pen from his pocket and twirled it halfway around the table.

What were the reasons for rejecting the environmental impact assessment report for the photovoltaic project in Xingnan Economic Development Zone?

Luo Guodong was stunned for a moment.

"Wastewater discharge standards are not met."

Which indicator?

Luo Guodong stopped flipping through the materials, clearly not having memorized the details at this level.

"I'll have to go back and check the details."

Chen Ping removed the pen cap and then put it back on.

"The COD emission concentration exceeded the standard by 12%, and the cadmium content exceeded the Class III water quality standard by 0.003 mg/L. The environmental protection department used the testing data from the sampling report of the fourth quarter of last year, but the photovoltaic module production line had already completed the wastewater treatment system upgrade in February of this year."

The meeting room was silent for three seconds.

Luo Guodong pursed his lips into a thin line.

Qin Daguan slowly put down his teacup, and his eyelids behind his glasses lifted slightly.

"Chen Ping has done a lot of homework."

Chen Ping didn't respond to the compliment.

"I'll take on environmental coordination work. But there's one condition: for environmental impact assessments and approvals related to high-tech industries issued by the Provincial Environmental Protection Department, copies should also be sent to my office."

Qin Da glanced at Luo Guodong. Luo Guodong remained silent.

"It's settled then." Qin Daguan made the decision and closed the folder.

The meeting was over. Chen Ping was the last to get up, and as he walked to the door, Qin Daguan called him back.

"Chen Pingfang, the conditions in office 307 are a bit poor. I'll have the administration department change you to another one."

"No need to change it."

Chen Ping opened the door and went out.

Back in room 307, I pushed open the door and went inside. The window faced north, so the 3 PM sunlight couldn't penetrate at all; the fluorescent lights cast a bluish-white glow. On the desk, there was a cup of tea and a folder. Beside it stood a young man of about twenty-six or twenty-seven, with a buzz cut and a neatly tucked-in shirt, waiting at the corner of the desk.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen, I am Fang Xudong, the secretary assigned to you by the Administrative Office."

Fang Xudong.

Chen Ping glanced at Fang Xudong for two seconds. The right cuff of his shirt was one button tighter than the left, his tie clip was positioned too high, and he stood upright but leaned slightly forward—his habitual ingratiating posture.

"Who arranged this?"

"The transfer order was signed by Secretary-General Luo."

Luo Guodong.

Chen Ping placed his briefcase on the table and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"Which department were you in before?"

"I worked for Secretary-General Luo for two years in the General Office, Section One."

The person who had worked for Luo Guodong for two years was transferred to be his secretary.

Chen Ping picked up the folder on the table and flipped through it. Inside were the supplies list and work handover documents for office 307—standard content with no apparent changes.

"Fang Xudong, do you know who my secretary was when I was in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology?"

"Lin Shaofeng, Director Lin."

They answered very quickly. They had done their homework beforehand.

Chen Ping closed the folder and inserted the pen into the pen holder.

"Go and get all the environmental impact assessment approval records of high-tech industrial projects from January to May this year from the Provincial Environmental Protection Department. Both electronic and paper versions are required."

Fang Xudong responded and turned to leave.

"besides."

Fang Xudong stopped.

"Please put the minutes of this afternoon's Secretary-General's office meeting on my desk before 8:00 AM tomorrow."

Fang Xudong nodded, opened the door, and went out.

The footsteps disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Chen Ping picked up the landline and dialed Lin Shaofeng's number.

"Shaofeng, help me investigate someone. Fang Xudong from the General Office of the Provincial Government, Section 1. His resume, family background, and social connections. Send them to my encrypted email address before tonight."

"What happened?"

"Nothing's wrong. Let's check first."

I hung up the phone.

Chen Ping leaned back in his chair, staring at the fluorescent light tube on the ceiling. The ballast of the tube emitted a faint humming sound, and the one on the right was dimmer than the one on the left, as if it was about to break.

At the meeting, Luo Guodong raised the difficult task of environmental protection and arranged for his own people to follow him closely.

Was it out of kindness?

impossible.

The people in the provincial government system are all shrewd; not a single action is superfluous.

The challenges of coordinating environmental protection are on the surface, and potential problems are also looming around us.

Chen Pingfang has a good memory. He had just come across some data while looking through the organizational chart sent by Zhang Shoucheng: among the high-tech projects rejected by the Provincial Environmental Protection Department last year, two of the investors had overlapping equity interests with Jinzuo Real Estate.

He Qishan has been arrested, but the network of interests behind him cannot be completely destroyed overnight.

The landline rang again.

Chen Ping picked up the receiver.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen? This is Xiao Xu from the Foreign Affairs Office. Delegations from three international semiconductor companies will arrive in Nanzhou tomorrow morning. ASML's Global Vice President will be leading the delegation personally."

"To whom was the contact proposal sent?"

"The International Cooperation Department of the National Development and Reform Commission drafted a preliminary plan, but the other party conveyed a request through the Commercial Counselor of the Embassy in China."

"What are your requirements?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

"The three companies issued a joint statement saying that the consultations will only be conducted with one person."

"Who?"

"You. The authorized representative documents for ASML, Infineon, and Texas Instruments all list the same name: Chen Pingfang."

The landline handset crackled with electrical noise.

Outside the window of office 307, the north wind whipped the plane tree leaves across the windowsill, slapping them against the glass with a loud crack.