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

Zhou Zhixing disappeared completely after being taken away from the hospital by state security personnel.

Now, only a signature remains, appearing in a place it shouldn't be.

Chen Ping hung up Lin Shaofeng's call but didn't sit down. He stood by the window, looking down at the lights of the Jizhou Laboratory.

By eliminating Zhou Zhixing, this expendable pawn, his disappearance can conveniently hinder the subsequent investigation.

He withdrew ten million in cash and then vanished completely. This money was enough to start over anywhere and could also fund a secret operation. Zhou Zhixing's disappearance left all leads dead ends, turning it into a cold case.

Good tactic.

Shen Yayun. This person who controls the entire province's shadow banking network is ruthless and meticulous in her actions.

Chen Ping took the crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and threw it into the trash can.

The next morning, Chen Ping was returned to the provincial government office.

The elevator doors opened, and people came and went in the corridor. Several department heads who had greeted him warmly at the conference center yesterday now looked down at their documents or turned to talk to the people next to them when they saw him today. They kept walking and deliberately avoided eye contact.

This is the cold shoulder approach in office politics.

Qin Daguan didn't even need to show his face personally. He had been operating in this building for twenty years, and his connections and authority were enough to create pressure. Now that pressure was directed at Chen Pingfang, aiming to prevent him from obtaining any information.

Chen Ping's office was unusually clean. The piles of documents that usually lay on the desk were gone, as were the departmental briefings and today's meeting schedule.

Without information, you can't move an inch in this building.

A young man in a white shirt knocked on the open door and came in carrying a cup of tea.

Han Zhiming. Chen Pingfang's liaison, a young man who graduated from a prestigious university two years ago, is quick-witted and doesn't talk much.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen, here's your tea." Han Zhiming placed the teacup on the corner of the table, his movements very gentle.

He put down his teacup, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered his body to speak in a low voice.

"The General Affairs Department just sent an internal notification about a personnel adjustment plan."

Chen Ping picked up his teacup, blew away the foam, and said nothing.

"My name is on it." Han Zhiming's voice was even lower. "I'm being transferred to the Provincial Archives Bureau to organize historical materials from before the founding of the People's Republic of China."

A young man with a bright future was assigned to sort out old files.

This is intended to make him a lonely figure.

Chen Ping took a sip of tea; the temperature was just right. "When will it be carried out?"

"Next Monday."

Who signed it?

"Director Qin."

Chen Ping put down his teacup, the bottom making no sound as it touched the table. He looked at Han Zhiming; although the young man tried his best to remain calm, the fingers hanging by his trouser seam betrayed his nervousness.

"Okay. You can go ahead and get back to work. Just hand over your tasks as usual."

Han Zhiming opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he nodded, turned around and left.

Qin Daguan was forcing him.

If Chen Pingfang were to go to someone's door to argue and make a scene over the transfer of a liaison officer, it would make him seem petty and unbecoming of his status.

Chen Ping didn't move. He sat behind his empty desk, picked up the internal phone, and dialed the governor's office directly.

"Secretary Wang, this is Chen Pingfang. I have urgent work to report to Governor Liu in person, which will take about ten minutes."

Fifteen minutes later, Chen Ping sat on the sofa in Liu Mingyuan's office.

He remained silent about Han Zhiming and the personnel changes, and didn't mention Qin Daguan at all.

Chen Ping took out a document from his briefcase. The document was titled "Request for Establishment of an Independent Office for the Jiangsu Province Chip Spark Project."

"Governor, the Chip Spark Program has been included in the list of key national support projects. After yesterday's meeting, several directors from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology called to inquire about the details of its implementation. This project involves too many aspects, covering fourteen cities and requiring coordination with national ministries. It would be too inefficient for me to handle all the coordination on my own."

Liu Mingyuan flipped through the request, his brows furrowing slightly.

What are your thoughts?

"Establish an independent project office, operating as a formal entity. The office will be at the level of a full-fledged department head, directly responsible to you. This will facilitate the coordination of resources within the province and can also serve as a provincial platform for direct dialogue with national ministries and commissions."

This is proceeding entirely according to the standard procedures for large-scale national projects, with sound reasoning that leaves no room for argument.

Liu Mingyuan tapped his finger on the organizational chart. "What about staffing? Where will the people come from?"

"In the initial stage, we don't need a large team, but rather a high-quality one. I will also serve as the office director. In terms of technology, I suggest that Professor Gu Weizhen from Jizhou Laboratory serve as the chief consultant. On the specific execution level, I need two capable people."

Chen Ping paused for a moment.

"One is Lin Shaofeng. He has handled many technical crises on the front lines, is familiar with every aspect of Chipfire, and has strong coordination skills."

Liu Mingyuan nodded; he recognized the name.

"Another one," Chen Pingfang looked up and stared directly at Liu Mingyuan, "I'd like to transfer someone from within the General Office. Han Zhiming. My current liaison. This young man has a clear mind, solid writing skills, and most importantly, he followed the entire process of the Chipfire Project from its initiation to the hearings, and he knows the background and details of the project like the back of his hand. Putting him in the project office will allow him to get started immediately."

Liu Mingyuan put down the documents, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Chen Pingfang.

He couldn't possibly be unaware of the personnel turmoil within the General Office.

Chen Ping's move was even more ingenious than filing a complaint. Instead of complaining about his situation, he resolved his problem with a solution that was entirely within the bounds of the rules.

This is called an open conspiracy.

Liu Mingyuan remained silent for more than ten seconds, then picked up the red-headed telephone on the table.

"Have Old Zhang from the Organization Department come to me."

An hour later, an official document jointly issued by the General Office of the Provincial Government and the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee was delivered to the desk of Qin Daguan, the director of the General Affairs Division.

The document's content is simple: Due to work needs, and with the approval of the provincial governor, the Jiangsu Provincial Chip Spark Program Project Office is established. Chen Pingfang is appointed concurrently as the office director, and Lin Shaofeng and Han Zhiming are transferred to the project office.

Qin Da looked at the three characters "Han Zhiming" on the document, his fingers tightening around the document, causing deep creases to form on the edges of the paper.

He wanted to weaken Chen Pingfang's power, but Chen Pingfang took the opportunity to legitimately expand his own manpower, which was personally approved by the provincial governor.

It's almost time to leave work.

Han Zhiming carried a box of his personal belongings into Chen Pingfang's office. The sign for the Corefire Project Office hadn't been hung up yet, but his desk had already been moved in, into the suite of Chen Pingfang's offices.

He put the box down, his eyes shining, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something to express his gratitude.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen, I..."

"From now on, call me Director Chen." Chen Pingfang was looking at a summary of an audit report without looking up. "Pack your things. Starting tomorrow, you'll be busy."

"Yes, Director Chen."

Han Zhiming neatly tidied his things. Only after he placed the last book on the bookshelf did he seem to make up his mind and walk to Chen Pingfang's desk.

He looked around to make sure the secretary at the door had already left work.

"Director," he said, lowering his voice to a whisper, "there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

Chen Ping finally looked away from the document.

"Director Qin booked a private room at Ya Yun Tea House this afternoon through the intranet system," Han Zhiming said quickly. "The time is 8 p.m. tonight. He was very careful when he booked it, using his driver's private account, but I saw the notes."

"What did you write in the notes?"

"Receiving old friends from the capital."