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

Chen Ping hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. Lin Shaofeng's side had already begun their operation; a massive net set up for Gao Ran was quietly being laid out.

But his own battlefield was elsewhere.

He glanced at his watch; there was still half an hour until the governor's office meeting.

The atmosphere in Conference Room No. 1 of the Jiangsu Provincial Government was solemn and oppressive.

On either side of the long conference table sat the heads of various core departments of the provincial government. Governor Liu Mingyuan sat in the main seat, his expression calm, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

With the meeting halfway through, the discussion turned to the allocation of the fiscal budget for the next quarter.

After the Finance Minister finished reading the report, a brief silence fell over the conference room. Everyone knew that the real challenge lay ahead.

Sure enough, Qin Daguan, the director of the General Affairs Department, cleared his throat and adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.

He picked up a document in front of him and began to speak slowly and deliberately.

"Governor, colleagues. Regarding the budget supplement request for the second phase of the Chip Spark Program, our General Affairs Department has conducted a preliminary assessment and believes there are some issues that require careful consideration."

His opening remarks were steady and flawless.

"The first phase of the Chipfire project has already invested huge financial resources and achieved phased results, which is obvious to all. However," Qin Daguan changed the subject, "we must also see that our province is currently under great financial pressure, with huge funding gaps in many areas such as people's livelihood, education, and infrastructure construction."

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, finally settling on Chen Pingfang's face.

"My personal suggestion is that the budget for the second phase of the Chipfire project should be reduced by 30%, and the saved funds should be invested in more urgent livelihood projects. This will not only ensure the continued progress of key projects, but also reflect our government's concern for people's livelihood issues. High technology needs to develop, but the people's food supply must be more secure."

His words were presented in a grand and reasonable manner, and he even occupied the moral high ground.

Several department leaders who were on good terms with Qin Daguan immediately nodded in agreement.

"Director Qin is right. We should always act within our capabilities."

"Yes, the core is the future, but we must take care of the present even more."

The pressure instantly fell on Chen Pingfang and Liu Mingyuan, who was in the main seat.

Liu Mingyuan did not express his opinion, but just looked at Chen Pingfang, seemingly waiting for him to figure out how to resolve the situation.

Chen Ping leaned back in his chair, placed his hands on the table with his fingers interlaced, and even had a faint smile on his face.

Instead of immediately refuting Qin Daguan's point of view, he casually posed a completely unrelated question.

"Director Qin has an excellent grasp of the province's financial situation; it's truly admirable."

A hint of smugness flashed behind Qin Daguan's glasses.

Chen Ping continued speaking, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"I've also been paying attention to the development of the cultural industry in our province recently. I heard that the province allocated a considerable amount of special funds this year to support a number of promising cultural enterprises. I wonder if Director Qin has any impression of a company called 'Ya Yun Culture'?"

Elegant culture.

Upon uttering those four words, Qin Daguan's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

He reacted quickly and immediately shook his head.

"Deputy Secretary-General Chen is joking. There are tens of thousands of cultural companies in the province. How could I possibly remember every single one of them?"

"Really?" Chen Ping's smile remained unchanged. "That's such a pity."

He took something out of his briefcase and gently placed it on the conference table.

It was a black USB drive.

Under the bright lights, the USB drive stood out conspicuously.

Everyone in the conference room was drawn to the small USB drive.

"This Ya Yun Culture Company is quite interesting." Chen Pingfang tapped on the USB drive with his finger. "In the past three years, it has received more than 80 million yuan in subsidies from the Provincial Department of Culture. But the company's cash flow shows frequent transactions with several overseas accounts."

Qin Daguan's breathing became rapid, and his hands under the table were clenched into tight fists.

Chen Ping didn't look at him, but instead surveyed the entire room.

"What's even more interesting is that for each of these funds, the approval process involved coordination opinions from the General Affairs Department. And the person who signed each coordination opinion was Director Qin Daguan."

He paused, then delivered the most fatal blow.

"This USB drive contains all of Ya Yun Culture's accounts, a complete chain of evidence of fund flows, and... a recording of Director Qin's secret meeting with a representative of M~Tek Company through an intermediary."

boom!

It was as if an invisible bomb had exploded in the entire conference room.

Everyone was stunned.

Embezzling public funds, transferring benefits, or even colluding with the enemy?

Each of these charges is enough to completely end a person's political life.

Qin Daguan's face turned deathly pale in an instant, devoid of any color. He stood up abruptly, pointing at Chen Pingfang, his fingers trembling violently with agitation.

"You...you're making baseless accusations! This is slander! It's a frame-up!"

His voice was shrill, completely out of control.

"Slander?" Chen Pingfang finally stopped smiling, his voice turning cold. "The disciplinary committee's technical experts will give you a fair conclusion."

Liu Mingyuan, who had been silent all along, slowly stood up.

His movements were slow, but everyone could feel the anger that was about to erupt.

boom!

Liu Mingyuan slammed his hand heavily on the conference table, making a loud noise that even made the teacups on the table jump.

"Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission!"

His roar echoed through the conference room.

"Qin Daguan should be immediately suspended from his duties pending investigation!"

Outside the door, two discipline inspection staff members who had been waiting walked in quickly and stood on either side of Qin Daguan.

Qin Daguan felt as if all his strength had been drained in an instant, and he slumped into his chair. He knew it was all over.

The other officials present didn't dare to breathe. Those who had just been echoing Qin Daguan now had their heads down, wishing they could bury their faces in the table.

The way they looked at Chen Pingfang had completely changed.

It was no longer about looking at a young upstart, but about feeling awe and fear.

This young man, when he does strike, it's with overwhelming force, killing instantly.

Two staff members helped the distraught Qin Daguan and carried him out of the meeting room.

As Qin Daguan passed by Chen Pingfang, he struggled to stop.

He turned his head, leaned close to Chen Pingfang's ear, and whispered a venomous sentence in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"You think I'm the end?"

His face wore a strange smile, a mixture of mockery and despair.

"I'm just a doorman."