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

As soon as the emergency Standing Committee meeting ended, Zhou Wenyuan was the first to stand up and leave, his back ramrod straight, but his footsteps were heavy, and everyone could tell that he was holding back his anger.

One by one, the Standing Committee members left, and no one took the initiative to speak to Chen Pingfang. Xiao Yuhan walked last, and as she passed by Chen Pingfang, she didn't stop, but only glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

One look is enough.

Both men knew that tonight's action had only temporarily blocked Zhou Wenyuan's path. The new Party Secretary certainly wouldn't let it go so easily.

The very next morning, the document regarding the establishment of a special supervision account for the Jinshuiwan project was jointly issued by the Municipal Party Committee Office and the Municipal Government Office, demonstrating high efficiency. From the Municipal Finance Bureau, the newly appointed acting director immediately called, his attitude very respectful, saying that the first batch of 300 million yuan in project start-up funds had arrived and could be transferred at any time.

Zhou Wenyuan personally dealt with Liu Dezhi, intending to create obstacles for Chen Pingfang, but ended up doing Chen Pingfang a great favor instead.

The somber mood of the previous days was gone from the command center office; everyone was chatting and laughing, full of energy.

Chen Pingfang, however, showed no sign of laughter. He sat in his office, watching the people moving about in the municipal government compound outside the window, his eyes calm. He knew that Zhou Wenyuan's second move should be coming soon.

"Knock knock knock".

There was a knock on the door, neither too loud nor too soft.

"Please come in."

The door was pushed open, and Zhao Gang, deputy director of the Municipal Development and Reform Commission and deputy commander-in-chief of the Jinshuiwan Project Command, walked in with a big smile.

Zhao Gang is in his early forties, wears frameless glasses, looks refined, and always has a smile on his face, but people at the National Development and Reform Commission know that he is not easy to deal with.

"Director Pingfang, congratulations!" Zhao Gang greeted him warmly with both hands as he entered. "I heard about what happened last night, and it was truly gratifying. You solved the problem directly, clearing away an obstacle for our project. I, Old Zhao, admire you."

Chen Ping stood up, shook hands with Zhao Gang, and said with a smile, "Director Zhao, you're too kind. I'm only doing this for the project. In the future, I'll need your support as the leader in charge of planning and approval for the project."

"Of course, of course. It's all for work." Zhao Gang's smile became even more genuine. He sat down on the sofa, took a document from his briefcase, and gently placed it on the coffee table.

"Director Pingfang, now that the funding issue is resolved, we need to get the other aspects of our project in order as soon as possible." Zhao Gang pushed up his glasses, his tone becoming more serious. "Our Development and Reform Commission has reviewed the project plan according to regulations and found a small problem that requires the command center's cooperation in rectification."

coming.

Chen Ping's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show it on his face as he reached out and picked up the document.

On the cover, several bold black characters stand out: "Notice on Rectification Regarding the Suspension of Construction in Parts of the Jinshuiwan Project".

Chen Ping opened the document, which was written in a very official style, listing several environmental regulations. The core message was the same: the core start-up area of ​​the project overlapped with an ecological protection red line drawn by the city twenty years ago, and according to regulations, construction had to be stopped immediately, and a new environmental assessment and planning adjustment had to be carried out.

"Director Zhao, I haven't seen this ecological red line in the previous approval materials." Chen Ping put down the documents and looked up at him.

"Oh dear, this has stumped me." Zhao Gang spread his hands innocently. "This is an old plan from 1998. Back then, computers weren't common, and a lot of the documents were on paper. They were practically falling apart in the archives. One of our meticulous old colleagues found it recently while sorting through the old files."

Zhao Gang leaned forward, lowered his voice, and spoke from the heart: "Ping Fang, this matter could be big or small. Secretary Zhou just arrived, and he values ​​rules the most. These red lines are written in black and white in the documents; no one dares to pretend they didn't see them. I'm bringing this to you as a reminder first. Let's resolve this internally first, so that outsiders don't use it as a pretext for gossip, which would make everyone look bad."

Zhao Gang's words were so well-written that there was not a single fault to be found.

If we follow the rules, who can say it's wrong?

But a regulation that almost no one remembered twenty years ago, which had long been ignored in the process of urban development, was suddenly brought up by a meticulous old comrade.

Zhao Gang's words were intended to block Chen Ping's path.

Liu Dezhi's withholding of funds was merely a delaying tactic, but Zhao Gang's bringing up this red line was a clear attempt to completely stall the project. This move was far more sophisticated, leaving no room for rebuttal.

"I understand." Chen Ping nodded, put the document away, and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Director Zhao. We will study and handle it immediately."

"That's good, that's good." Zhao Gang stood up with a smile. "If there's anything we at the National Development and Reform Commission need to help with, just let us know. I'm leaving now, I won't disturb your work any longer."

After seeing Zhao Gang off, Chen Ping's smile vanished instantly. He stood by the window, watching Zhao Gang's figure disappear downstairs, his eyes cold.

……

After getting off work in the evening, Chen Ping didn't drive; he walked slowly along the road by himself.

As Chen Ping passed by the city newspaper building, he saw a familiar figure carrying a cardboard box coming out of it.

The girl was wearing faded jeans and a T-shirt, her hair was tied in a ponytail, and her lips were tightly pursed, revealing a sense of defiance.

"Lin Xiaoxiao?" Chen Pingfang tried calling out.

The girl looked up at the sound, paused for a moment when she saw Chen Pingfang, then her eyes lit up: "Chen Pingfang? What are you doing here?"

Chen Pingfang remembered that this was his college classmate, Lin Xiaoxiao. The two had a very good relationship. Lin Xiaoxiao was a well-known talented woman in the department back then, and she was single-mindedly devoted to journalism. After graduation, she joined the city newspaper.

"I work here." Chen Ping pointed to the city government building not far away, then looked at the cardboard box in her arms. "What's this?"

Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes darkened, and she forced a smile: "I got fired. The editor-in-chief said my articles weren't positive enough and told me to get out."

Seeing his old classmate's expression, Chen Ping paused for a moment before saying, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come on, let me treat you to barbecue as a farewell gift."

The roadside food stalls, with their plastic stools and greasy tables, were similar to the ones they frequented when they were in college.

After a few bottles of beer, Lin Xiaoxiao became more talkative, and she cursed all the leaders in the newspaper who only knew how to flatter her.

Chen Ping listened quietly, occasionally handing her the grilled meat skewers.

After Lin Xiaoxiao had finished speaking, Chen Pingfang finally asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

"I don't know, let's rest for now." Lin Xiaoxiao took a sip of beer, her eyes looking somewhat lost. "Maybe I'll leave Yunzhou and go somewhere else."

Chen Ping didn't speak for a while, then suddenly said, "I'll give you a news lead, an exclusive one. Interested in writing it?"

"What clue?" Lin Xiaoxiao perked up.

"You know about the Jinshuiwan project, right?"

"I know, it's the biggest project in the city."

"Outsiders think this project is just about demolishing buildings and building new ones, it's real estate development."

Chen Pingfang looked at her and slowly said, "But one of the core ideas of this project is to protect ancient villages and let them develop together with the new city. There are three ancient villages in the planning area that are over 400 years old. We will spend a lot of money to renovate them and make them cultural landmarks of the new city. This is a new idea even in China."

Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes brightened, and she immediately grasped the key point: "You mean...you're not destroying, but protecting and creating?"

"Yes." Chen Pingfang nodded. "You can write this report from a completely new angle, with depth, and it aligns with what you want to write about. Moreover, it's definitely positive energy."

Lin Xiaoxiao stood up abruptly and looked at Chen Pingfang: "Chen Pingfang, you've really helped me a lot."