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

Chen Ping became famous overnight.

This surge in popularity was particularly intense; all the official media outlets in Yunzhou were pushing it hard, creating a huge buzz.

The next day, Chen Ping walked into the municipal government compound. Along the way, everyone he met looked at him differently.

There was envy, there was jealousy, but more than anything, there was a polite yet distant feeling.

Colleagues who used to greet him warmly now just nod from afar and quickly walk away, as if there's something about him that makes people afraid to get close.

Guo Xiaojun quickly caught up and lowered his voice: "Ping Fang, something's not right here, they're praising her too much."

"I know." Chen Ping stopped walking, his expression calm.

He walked into the General Affairs Office, and it immediately fell silent.

Several young colleagues who had been toasting him just a few days ago were now keeping their heads down, pretending to be busy, and didn't even call him "Section Chief Chen".

There was a sour smell in the office.

"Hey, our big star from Yunzhou is back." A sarcastic voice came from the corner.

He's an old clerk in the department. A few days ago, I was trying to curry favor with him, but now that the wind has changed, I've immediately changed my tune.

Chen Ping didn't even glance at him, and went straight to his office.

Just then, the secretary from the Municipal Party Committee Office jogged in, his voice echoing throughout the entire floor.

"Section Chief Chen Pingfang, Secretary Sun requests your presence at the auditorium. A city-wide cadre study conference is about to begin!"

The auditorium of the Yunzhou Municipal Party Committee.

A red curtain, a solemn national emblem, and the audience was packed with people, all of whom were heads of various departments in Yunzhou City.

The scene was very quiet.

Halfway through the meeting, Sun Chuanhong, the municipal party secretary, stepped onto the podium to speak.

He first summarized his recent work, and then changed the subject.

"Comrades, an outstanding young comrade has emerged from our cadre ranks!"

Sun Chuanhong's voice echoed throughout the auditorium through the microphone.

"He is Comrade Chen Pingfang, the head of the General Affairs Section of the Municipal Government Office!"

brush!

All the spotlights instantly shone on Chen Pingfang in the first row below the stage.

Countless gazes converged on them at the same time.

"Now, please welcome Comrade Chen Pingfang to the stage!"

Amidst enthusiastic applause, Chen Ping stood up, straightened his collar, and walked step by step onto the stage.

The flashes from cameras were going off wildly in front of him, hurting people's eyes.

Sun Chuanhong greeted him with a big smile, picked up a red velvet box, and took out a gleaming gold medal from it.

"Comrade Chen Pingfang, in your work on the Jinshuiwan project, you have overcome numerous difficulties, deeply engaged with the masses, and demonstrated both wisdom and courage, solving a major problem for our city! After deliberation by the Municipal Party Committee, it has been decided to award you the honorary title of 'Outstanding Young Cadre of Yunzhou City'!"

Sun Chuanhong personally pinned the medal to Chen Pingfang's chest and patted him on the shoulder forcefully.

"All young cadres in the city should learn from Comrade Chen Pingfang! Learn from his spirit of rooting himself in the grassroots and serving the people!"

The applause rang out again, even more enthusiastic than before.

Chen Ping stood on the stage, the medal on his chest heavy. He looked at Sun Chuanhong's smiling face below the stage, but felt nothing.

This is a case of "praise to death".

A very vicious method.

As soon as the meeting ended, he was immediately surrounded by cameras and microphones from dozens of media outlets.

"Section Chief Chen, how did you manage to resolve the demolition problem in just three days?"

"Section Chief Chen, there are rumors that you come from a prominent family. What's your opinion on this?"

"Section Chief Chen, are you currently single? Would you mind sharing your criteria for choosing a partner?"

The questions became increasingly pointed, and even reporters from entertainment newspapers began to pry into his private life.

Sun Chuanhong's plan to "praise him to death" began with turning him into an internet celebrity who had broken away from the cadre ranks.

Xiao Yuhan's office.

The curtains were drawn, blocking out all outside noise.

"Sun Chuanhong is trying to put you in the spotlight." Xiao Yuhan handed over a glass of water, her expression somewhat serious.

"They'll make you a role model, a star, to isolate you from the masses, and to make all your colleagues jealous and ostracize you."

"Then, he just needs to wait."

"When you make the smallest mistake, or even just do something slightly wrong, he can mobilize all the media to pull you down from your high position and make you fall so hard that you can never get back up."

Chen Ping took the water glass and took a sip.

"I see."

"So what do you plan to do?" Xiao Yuhan asked, looking at him.

"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it." Chen Ping put down his water glass. "He wants to watch a show, so I'll play along."

In the afternoon, Yunzhou TV broadcast a live interview.

The host is the station's leading lady, with a sweet smile, but her questions are very sharp.

"Section Chief Chen, you're now being called the 'Star of Yunzhou' online. You single-handedly solved a problem that had been troubling the city for months. What do you think is the key to your success?"

This is a trap.

To acknowledge personal achievement is to be arrogant and complacent.

Chen Ping gave the camera a humble smile.

"The host is too kind; I dare not take credit. The smooth progress of the Jinshuiwan project is primarily due to the effective leadership of the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government, especially the correct leadership of Secretary Sun and Mayor Xiao."

"Secondly, this is the result of the joint efforts of our General Affairs Section of the City Government Office and all participating departments. I personally only did a small part in it; I am just a cog in this big machine of the collective."

His words were impeccable, delegating all the credit and also praising Sun Chuanhong and Xiao Yuhan.

The host was clearly taken aback by his answer, paused for a moment, and then posed another question.

"We saw a photo that went viral online, showing you helping an elderly woman up. Everyone is saying you are a 'good public servant of the people'."

"I don't deserve such praise." Chen Pingfang shook his head. "Serving the people is the duty of every cadre. I believe that any colleague would have done the same if they were here."

Throughout the entire interview, Chen Pingfang never talked about himself, but only about his superiors and the collective.

Sun Chuanhong wanted to mold him into a lone hero, but he insisted on retreating back into the collective, the safest fortress.

After the live broadcast ended, Sun Chuanhong watched the replay on TV in his office, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

A few days later, a piece of news shook the business community of Yunzhou.

A delegation from Beijing-based investment fund, Beijing Huaying Capital, which has raised billions of yuan, came to Yunzhou to investigate the investment environment.

The municipal party committee and government attached great importance to this, and Sun Chuanhong and Xiao Yuhan personally attended the reception meeting.

Chen Pingfang, as the person in charge of the Jinshuiwan project, was also called to attend.

In the conference room, Chen Pingfang met the legendary representative for the first time.

Su Ruoxue.

A woman with an elegant demeanor and beautiful appearance, wearing a white Chanel suit.

The moment she entered, she attracted everyone's attention.

After the meeting began, Su Ruoxue displayed a professionalism and sharpness that was different from her appearance, and she had a thorough understanding of the various data in Yunzhou.

But Chen Pingfang noticed that this woman would always intentionally or unintentionally steer the conversation toward him.

"I have great confidence in Yunzhou's investment environment, especially after seeing the solutions for the Jinshuiwan project." Su Ruoxue's gaze fell on Chen Pingfang, with just the right amount of appreciation. "The idea behind that solution is very forward-thinking. I wonder which expert came up with it?"

The city government secretary quickly introduced, "This is the person who formulated the plan, Section Chief Chen Pingfang from our city government office."

Su Ruoxue's eyes lit up, and she raised her glass to Chen Pingfang.

"So it's Section Chief Chen. I've long admired your name; you're a young man of great talent."

Every movement and every word of praise she uttered was perfectly executed, displaying both professionalism and an indescribable, enigmatic quality.

As Chen Ping looked at Su Ruoxue's exquisite face, a long-sealed memory suddenly flashed through his mind.

Past life!

He'd seen that face before!

He saw it on a financial news report during his impoverished middle age. A woman named Lin Fei was arrested for commercial espionage, accused of using her beauty to seduce and corrupt a promising young mayor from a neighboring province.

The face in the news photo is exactly the same as the one in front of me.