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

Chen Pingfang remembered the way Shen Congwen snapped the cigarette in half for a long time.

But what happened next shattered things even more completely than that cigarette.

The USB drive handed over by Shen Yayun was decrypted by the National Security Bureau's Technical Department. It contained 47 video clips of M-Tek's bribery activities in China, spanning from 2016 to 2023, involving three provinces, eleven bureau-level officials, and twenty-three division-level officials. Zheng Weiyuan's name was listed sixth. In the video, he was seen receiving a dark blue briefcase with the zipper not fully closed, revealing a bundle of US dollars.

The special investigation team from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection entered Sujiang within 48 hours.

The day Zheng Weiyuan was taken away, Jizhou experienced its heaviest snowfall of the winter.

For the next two months, Chen Pingfang barely slept a full night. He worked with the special task force to trace the financial chains of Songhe's accounts, coordinated with the Provincial Public Security Department for joint enforcement against M-Tek's affiliated companies in China, and simultaneously monitored the mass production progress of Chipfire 2.0. Han Zhiming had lost weight, Shen Congwen's acting directorship had been officially promoted, and Director Chu, at an internal meeting, took off his reading glasses and wiped them three times without saying a word.

In early March, the first batch of domestically produced, independently controllable chips from Chipfire 2.0 rolled off the production line at the Sujiang Semiconductor Industrial Park.

The yield rate was 91.3%, exceeding the expected target by four percentage points.

The investigative report written by Su Qingwan was published on the front page of "Sujiang Economic Observer" with a title of only eight characters: "The Spark of Chips Spreads, Domestic Products Must Stand Firm".

When the news reached the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Vice Minister Lin Shouzheng added a handwritten note to his instructions: "The Jiangsu experience should be promoted nationwide."

April 17, Provincial Party Committee Auditorium.

Provincial cadre meeting.

Chen Pingfang sat in the second row by the aisle, with a twelve-page speech draft spread out on the table in front of him. He had been revising it until 3 a.m. last night.

On the stage, the provincial discipline inspection commission secretary is announcing the final results of the "Clean Internet Campaign".

"An investigation revealed that the network of illicit gains centered on Ren Shaoting spanned 23 years and involved 61 officials at the provincial, municipal, and county levels. Among them were one vice-ministerial level official, nine bureau-level officials, 34 division-level officials, and 17 officials at the section-level or below. The total amount involved exceeded 1.2 billion yuan. All those involved have now been transferred to judicial authorities."

No one in the meeting room was whispering.

Sixty-one people. When this number came in, the entire auditorium was so quiet you could hear the water running through the heating pipes.

Chen Ping turned to a page of his speech and drew a vertical line next to a paragraph on page seven with a pencil.

After the provincial discipline inspection commission secretary finished his report, the host read out the next item on the agenda.

"Please invite Comrade Chen Pingfang, Director of the Chip Spark Project Office and Secretary-General of the Provincial Government, to release the Global White Paper on Domestic Independent Standards."

Chen Ping stood up, buttoned up his suit jacket, and walked onto the stage.

The audience was packed with over four hundred people. Members of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee sat in the first row, with key leaders from various cities and prefectures in the middle, and department heads scattered on both sides.

He placed his speech on the podium without looking down at it.

"Dear leaders and colleagues."

"The global white paper for Chipfire 2.0 is officially released today. You all have the materials at your fingertips, so I won't read it aloud. I'll just say three things."

Several people in the audience who were flipping through materials looked up.

"First, every technical parameter in this white paper has been cross-verified by international third-party laboratories. Our 28-nanometer process chips have reached the international mainstream level in terms of the three core indicators of power consumption, yield, and stability. It's not 'approaching' or 'catching up,' but 'reaching'."

He paused for a moment.

"Secondly, the appendix of the white paper lists the domestic substitution plan for the entire industry chain of the Chipfire project. From photoresist to packaging materials, from EDA tools to testing equipment, there are 107 key nodes, and the domestic substitution rate has increased from 23% at the time of project initiation to 81% now. The timetable for the remaining 19% has been arranged, and it will all be in place by the end of next year at the latest."

He turned to the last page of his speech.

"The third thing."

"From its inception to today, the Chipfire project has faced technological blockades, funding shortages, internal infiltration, and external containment. Some people have gone to jail for this project, some have lost their jobs, and some..."

His finger rested on his speech notes for two seconds.

"Someone paid the price for this 23 years ago, but nobody knew it at the time."

In the first row, Governor Liu rested his hand on the armrest and nodded slightly.

"On the last page of the white paper, there's a line printed on it. Let me read it."

Chen Ping picked up his speech.

"This book is dedicated to all those who hold fast to their principles in the darkness."

Applause erupted in the auditorium. It wasn't the kind of perfunctory, polite applause; the applause started from the back rows and moved forward row by row.

Chen Ping walked off the podium and returned to his seat.

Han Zhiming, who was sitting in the row behind him, handed him a bottle of mineral water.

"Director, the sentence reduction ruling for Gao Ran has been issued."

Chen Ping unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip.

"How much weight did you lose?"

"The original sentence of eight years has been reduced to three years and six months. The court recognized his significant meritorious service. In addition, the Provincial Department of Science and Technology has approved the appointment of a technical consultant, who will directly oversee the subsequent research and development of the Chipfire project upon his release."

Chen Ping screwed the bottle cap back on. The two secret reports Gao Ran had leaked from prison—one pointing to Song He's account, the other sealing off the financial loop between M~Tek and Zheng Weiyuan—were crucial. Without these two documents, the entire chain of evidence was missing a key link.

"Tell Gao Ran that I will personally deliver the appointment letter for the technical consultant."

Han Zhiming responded and looked down to take notes on his phone.

After the meeting, the crowd surged out of the auditorium. Chen Pingfang was stopped by several city and prefecture leaders, who shook hands with him and exchanged pleasantries.

Shen Congwen and others stood at the end of the corridor, leaning against a fire hydrant box, clutching an unopened cigarette box in his hand.

"The white paper is well-written. When did you add that last sentence?"

"Three o'clock last night."

Shen Congwen turned the cigarette box over and stuffed it back into his pocket.

"Your dad would be very happy if he could see this day."

Chen Ping didn't respond to that. Outside the corridor window, Jizhou in April was already beginning to turn green again, with tender buds sprouting from the roadside trees.

My phone vibrated.

The number for Governor Liu's office.

"Put it flat and come to my office at 7 PM. No need to bring any materials."

The call ended. Not needing to bring materials meant no official business was discussed.

At 7 p.m. sharp, Chen Ping pushed open the door to the governor's office.

Governor Liu stood by the window, holding a teacup in his hand, not sitting behind his desk.

"close the door."

Chen Ping closed the door behind him.

Governor Liu turned around and placed the teacup on the windowsill.

"The Organization Department of the Central Committee informed me yesterday."

Chen Ping stood still.

"Your work in Sujiang is visible to those above. The Chipfire Project and the Clean Internet Campaign—these two things combined carry significant weight."

Governor Liu walked back to his desk, leaned against the edge, and crossed his arms.

"There's a position available, and I'd like to hear your opinion."

"What position?"

"High-Tech Industry Department of the National Development and Reform Commission"

Chen Pingfang's back tensed up.

The High-Tech Industry Department is responsible for the planning and policy formulation of strategic emerging industries such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing nationwide. The national-level competent authority for the Chipfire project is under this department.

From Secretary-General of the Provincial Government to Director of a Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, the administrative rank was transferred horizontally, but the radius of power expanded more than tenfold.

Governor Liu looked at him.

"No rush to answer. But the Organization Department of the Central Committee's opinion is that the sooner the better."

The office was silent for a few seconds. Outside the window, the lights of thousands of homes in Jizhou City were gradually coming on.

Chen Ping opened his mouth and only said two words.

"I'll go."

Governor Liu straightened up from the edge of the table, patted his shoulder with considerable force.

"You will walk the path your father didn't finish."

Chen Ping walked out of the governor's office and stood in the corridor for a moment. The old voice recorder was still in his pocket, the date engraved on the back of the device warmed by his body heat.

1999.11.17.

Twenty-five years.

The elevator doors at the end of the corridor opened, and Han Zhiming ran out, waving a piece of paper in his hand.

"Director! The second batch of orders for Chipfire 2.0 has just been signed, from two overseas clients in Malaysia and Brazil, with a total amount of..."

Chen Ping took the paper, glanced at the numbers at the bottom, folded it, put it in his suit pocket, and placed it with the voice recorder.