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

Chen Ping put the kraft paper envelope into the inner layer of his briefcase and zipped it up.

"Li Shuheng, I'll accept this. But Xingxing Semiconductor won't receive any special treatment in the Chipfire certification system."

Li Shuheng stood up and straightened his cuffs.

"I never expected any special treatment."

The door closed behind him. Fang Xudong jogged over from the other end of the corridor, clutching his phone.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen, Deputy Director Zhang of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission invites you to dinner tonight. It's a welcome dinner at our usual place—Liqun Hotel."

Deputy Director Zhang. Zhang Xiaoru.

Chen Pingfang was familiar with this name. He was the deputy director of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, in charge of fixed asset investment and land use approvals. He had served in that position for eight years and held the power to allocate land use quotas for major projects across the province. The application for the expansion of the second phase of the Xinhuo Industrial Park had been submitted three months ago, but the Development and Reform Commission had been holding it back.

"Who orchestrated this?"

"The Secretary-General's office made the arrangements."

It's Qin Daguan again.

Chen Ping switched his briefcase to his left hand and walked towards the elevator. Qin Daguan acted as matchmaker, and Zhang Xiaoru hosted a dinner; the welcome dinner was just a pretext, the real topic of discussion was definitely the land use for the second phase of Xinhuo.

But the other party had the upper hand at the dinner.

"Fang Xudong, please get me a copy from the Land and Resources Department. It's the approval ledger for industrial land in Nanzhou City from 2019 to 2023, with a focus on the approval process and the person in charge for all plots under Jinzuo Real Estate. A hard copy, not an electronic one. Deliver it to the entrance of Limin Hotel before 6 PM."

Fang Xudong blinked, didn't ask any more questions, and turned to leave quickly.

At 6:40 p.m., in a private room on the third floor of Limin Hotel.

The round table was covered with a burgundy tablecloth, and eight cold dishes were laid out on a lazy Susan. Two bottles of Moutai had already been opened. When Chen Ping pushed open the door, there were five people sitting at the table.

The man in the main seat stood up. He was rather overweight, his belt was fastened tightly, and the second button of his shirt was bulging open.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen, we've been waiting for you!"

Zhang Xiaoru walked around the table to greet him, his outstretched palm thick and hot.

Chen Ping shook hands and glanced around the table. Qin Daguan wasn't there, but his secretary sat in the corner, acting as an informant. The director of the Investment Department of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission sat to Zhang Xiaoru's left, along with two other faces Chen Ping didn't recognize; judging by their attire, they were probably from the business world.

Sit down. Zhang Xiaoru personally poured the wine, filling the glass to eight-tenths full.

"We've all heard about what Deputy Secretary-General Chen did in Sujiang. The Chipfire team saved half of Sujiang's electricity supply; that's remarkable."

It was just a polite remark. Chen Ping picked up his wine glass, clinked it against his own, took a sip, and put it down.

After three rounds of drinks, Zhang Xiaoru wiped his mouth and steered the conversation to the main topic.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen, our Development and Reform Commission has studied the expansion plan for the second phase of the Chipfire Industrial Park several times. The project itself is fine, and the province also supports it. But there are indeed difficulties with the land use quota."

Chen Ping didn't reply. He picked up his chopsticks, took a slice of beef, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

Zhang Xiaoru lowered his voice by half a notch.

"The state has just issued a new round of farmland protection assessment notices, and the amount of farmland in Nanzhou this year is already close to the red line. The 370 mu of land that the second phase of Xinhuo wants is right on the buffer zone of the basic farmland protection area. If I sign this document, I will be in deep trouble when the audit comes out in the future."

The reasons are quite valid. The red line for arable land is a high-voltage line; whoever crosses it will suffer the consequences.

But after Chen Ping finished chewing the piece of beef, he wiped his fingers with a tissue and picked up the brown paper bag from beside the chair.

Fang Xudong delivered the bag to the hotel entrance at 6 o'clock sharp.

"I understand what Director Zhang is saying. The red line for arable land cannot be crossed; it applies to everyone."

Zhang Xiaoru held his wine glass, waiting for the next part to follow.

Chen Ping took out a stack of bound documents from the bag, placed them on the turntable, and pushed it, causing the pages to slide to Zhang Xiaoru's face.

"But I'd like to ask Director Zhang to take a look at something for me."

Zhang Xiaoru looked down and opened the cover.

Nanzhou City's industrial land approval ledger from 2019 to 2023.

The first page is a table of contents, arranged by year. Chen Ping reached out and turned to the 2020 entry for him, pointing to the third line.

"Jinzuo Real Estate, in April 2020, obtained the land use rights for 4 mu of industrial land in the Chengdong New Area, approved by the Provincial Development and Reform Commission. The land parcel number is NZ~2020~0417. Director Zhang, do you remember the approval process for this land?"

Zhang Xiaoru stopped flipping through the documents.

Chen Ping turned another page.

"In August of the same year, Jinzuo Real Estate acquired another 310 mu (approximately 20 hectares). The land parcel number is NZ~2020~0831. The relevant department was the Investment Division of the National Development and Reform Commission, and the approver was..."

My finger swiped across the signature bar.

The name of the head of the investment department was printed on it, and in the adjacent signature column, the three characters "Zhang Xiaoru" were written neatly.

The private room fell silent. The investment director's hand, holding a wine glass, hovered in mid-air, his smile frozen.

"After He Qishan fell, all of these lands were included in the list of illegally used land to be recovered by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. The two plots together total 730 mu, which is more than double the 370 mu that I needed for the second phase of Xinhuo."

Chen Ping closed the file and pulled it back half an inch.

"Director Zhang, I just want to ask one question. How did those 730 mu of land get approved for He Qishan? Wasn't that land located in the buffer zone of the basic farmland protection area?"

Zhang Xiaoru's face went from red to white very quickly. A fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his fingers gripped the rim of the wine glass, his knuckles stiff.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen, the events of that year... were complex and cannot be compared so simply..."

"I have no analogy."

Chen Ping didn't raise his voice by even a fraction.

"I just want to remind Director Zhang of something. He Qishan's case has entered the judicial process, and the relevant records of illegal land use will be unearthed sooner or later. The Discipline Inspection Commission also has a copy of the list of those who signed it."

pause.

"The 370 mu of land for the second phase of Chipfire has followed compliant procedures. The environmental impact assessment has been passed, and the industrial positioning is in line with the province's high-tech development plan. Whether or not to approve this land is up to Director Zhang to decide. But if the project is delayed because of the delay, it will be difficult for the National Development and Reform Commission to write an explanation when the higher authorities come to question it in the future."

Zhang Xiaoru put his wine glass back on the table and then wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

The investment director glanced at Zhang Xiaoru furtively, his chopsticks resting beside his plate, not daring to touch a single bite of food.

In the corner, Qin Daguan's secretary was also holding his phone, swiping his fingers across the screen, presumably sending messages to Qin Daguan to report on the situation.

Zhang Xiaoru remained silent for ten seconds, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen, this matter... I'll look into it again when I get back."

"Okay. I'll wait for Director Zhang's good news. But it's best if it doesn't take more than a week. The strategic alliance framework agreement with Sujiang has been signed, and the progress of the second phase of the Chipfire Industrial Park is directly related to the delivery schedule of the cooperation between the two provinces. I've already reported it to the governor."

As the last sentence struck, Zhang Xiaoru leaned back in his chair, his body shrinking.

After the dinner ended, no one mentioned toasting anymore.

Chen Ping opened the door of the Liqun Hotel, a night breeze blowing into his collar, carrying the damp warmth of early summer. Fang Xudong was waiting by the roadside and opened the car door for him.

After getting on the bus, Chen Ping took out his phone.

An encrypted message from Lin Shaofeng.

"The initial investigation into Fang Xudong's background is complete. His father, Fang Jian'an, is a retired cadre from the Provincial Government Office; his mother, Zhao Min, is the head nurse of the Provincial People's Hospital. He has clean social connections and no unusual financial transactions. However, one thing is worth noting: Fang Xudong was seconded to the Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission Office for three months in 2021, during which time his direct superior was Han Zhiming."

Han Zhiming. Deputy Secretary-General of the Provincial Government, also serving as the liaison for the Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. He was the man sitting opposite Chen Pingfang at the Secretary-General's office meeting this afternoon.

From Luo Guodong to Han Zhiming, Fang Xudong was bound by two lines.

Chen Ping saved the message and was about to lock the screen when a second message popped up.

The sender was Su Qingwan.

There were no titles, no small talk, just a sentence and a photograph.

"The paper fiber test results for the threatening letter are in."

After the photo was magnified, the fiber arrangement pattern under the microscope was clearly visible, and the comparison conclusion of the testing agency was attached in the lower right corner.

Paper type: Jinlong brand 80g double-sided offset paper, batch number GJ~2023~09.

Supplier: Nanzhou Jinlong Paper Industry Co., Ltd.

Targeted supplier (exclusive): General Office of the Government of Nanzhou Province.

Chen Ping's thumb hovered above the screen. Streetlights flashed past the car window one after another, their orange light sweeping across half of his face before dimming again.

Internal paper used by the General Office of the Provincial Government.

The person who wrote the threatening letter lived in the building where he worked every day.