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

Zhao Gang's face turned deathly pale instantly, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"But... we don't have a copy of these meeting minutes in our National Development and Reform Commission's archives..." His voice trembled slightly.

"The lack of archives indicates an oversight in your work," Li Jianguo's voice deepened. "Provincial government documents are all filed in the provincial archives. Does your municipal development and reform commission lack even this basic common sense?"

Zhao Gang opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

At this moment, Wang Haifeng, who was sitting next to Li Jianguo, also spoke up.

"Let me add something," Wang Haifeng said, taking out another document. "The 'Development Plan for the Yangtze River Urban Agglomeration in Jiangnan Province,' approved by the National Development and Reform Commission last year, clearly lists Yunzhou as a candidate for national-level new area development. The plan specifically mentions optimizing Yunzhou's industrial layout and urban space, reserving development space for major projects."

Wang Haifeng stared at Zhao Gang with sharp eyes.

"The Jinshuiwan project is a key part of this plan. To use outdated blueprints from over a decade ago to obstruct the project—is this a lack of professional competence, or a disregard for higher-level policies?"

Zhao Gang's face turned a deep purplish-red, and sweat streamed down his forehead. He wanted to explain, but couldn't utter a single word.

Xiao Yuhan spoke up at this moment: "Comrade Zhao Gang, as the deputy director of the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, your understanding of policy documents is so greatly skewed, which is a serious work error."

Her tone of voice was very calm, but it sounded particularly grating to Zhao Gang's ears.

"After you get back, you must write a thorough self-criticism and submit it to the municipal party committee and the municipal government."

Zhao Gang lowered his head, his voice trembling: "Yes...I...I will definitely reflect deeply on my actions..."

Li Jianguo glanced at his watch and softened his tone.

"Alright, the planning issues are clear now. The Jinshuiwan project does not violate environmental protection red lines, so we can proceed."

He looked at Chen Pingfang and nodded.

"Director Chen, your command center has done a very thorough job. It's great that you took the initiative to invite us to conduct the feasibility study."

Chen Ping stood up and bowed to the stage: "Thank you for your guidance, Director Li and Director Wang."

The symposium concluded, and the experts rose to leave.

Zhao Gang slumped in the chair, his face ashen, as if all his bones had been removed.

Chen Ping walked up to Zhao Gang, bent down, and placed a document on his desk.

"Director Zhao, since the planning is fine, please sign the resumption of work procedures now."

His voice wasn't loud, but his enunciation was very clear.

"Experts from the province are waiting to go to the site to check on the progress."

Zhao Gang looked up, saw Chen Ping's calm gaze, picked up the pen with trembling hands, and signed his name on the document.

……

Zhao Gang quickly left the command post building.

His hand, still trembling as he held the pen, signed his name as if all his strength had been drained away. The sun shone on him, yet he felt a chill.

In the command center office, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Director Chen, you're awesome!"

"Let's see how those people at the National Development and Reform Commission can stop us now!"

Despite everyone's excitement, Chen Ping remained expressionless. He walked to the window, watching Zhao Gang's hurried retreat into the car, his eyes calm.

Chen Pingfang knew that this was only Zhou Wenyuan's first move, and a very clumsy one at that.

"Old Li, Old Zhang," Chen Pingfang turned around, and the office immediately fell silent as soon as he spoke, "Immediately notify all construction units to resume full operations first thing tomorrow morning."

He paused, looking at the core members with a serious expression: "Also, convey one more requirement. From today onwards, all work areas of the Jinshuiwan project must strictly implement the 'Green Construction Standards White Paper' I previously issued. Control dust, monitor noise, dispose of waste, and implement safety regulations. Keep a close eye on every single one. If any link has a problem, I'll deal with it before anyone else even investigates!"

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. They had seen the white paper; its standards were far higher than those of the city and province, and some clauses were quite harsh. They had initially thought Chen Pingfang was just putting on a show since he had only recently arrived.

Now it seems things aren't that simple.

……

Office of the Municipal Party Committee Secretary.

After listening to his secretary Zhang Mingyuan's report on the symposium, Zhou Wenyuan's face remained expressionless. The Parker pen in his hand sat motionless on the white paper in front of him.

Zhang Mingyuan stood cautiously to the side, even holding his breath. He knew that the quieter Zhou Wenyuan was, the more dissatisfied he was.

"Using superiors to pressure subordinates..." Zhou Wenyuan suddenly muttered, his lips twitching slightly. "He directly invited people from the provincial level to solve the city's problems. This Chen Pingfang knows how to use Xiao Yuhan, and he also knows how to use the power of his superiors. Interesting."

He looked up at Zhang Mingyuan and said, "Have Zhao Gang come over here."

Half an hour later, Zhao Gang cautiously pushed open the door to Zhou Wenyuan's office.

The thunderous rage he had anticipated did not occur.

Zhou Wenyuan was standing by the window, holding a cup of hot tea. When he saw Zhao Gang come in, Zhou Wenyuan even nodded to him and pointed to the sofa opposite him.

"sit."

This one word sent chills down Zhao Gang's spine. He felt his legs go weak, and the back of his shirt was soaked with cold sweat.

"Secretary, I...I've embarrassed you, I apologize..."

"A self-criticism?" Zhou Wenyuan turned around and gently placed the teacup he was holding on the coffee table in front of Zhao Gang. "Have you figured out where you went wrong?"

Zhao Gang was taken aback, and stammered, "I shouldn't... I shouldn't have brought up expired documents; my work wasn't thorough..."

"Stupid!" Zhou Wenyuan's voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill down Zhao Gang's spine. "Your mistake lies in your clumsy methods and low skill level!"

He sat down in the main seat opposite Zhao Gang, leaning slightly forward, his gaze sharp: "You want to use a red line to stop him, that's a good idea. But the red line you found is a loophole that's easy to break. You gave him the opportunity to bring in experts from the province to back him up, and in the end, you made a fool of ourselves in Yunzhou!"

Zhou Wenyuan picked up his teacup and gently blew on it: "A real game can't rely on these one-off tricks. The Jinshui Bay project is so large, and the construction period is so tight, how could we possibly not find any problems?"

Zhao Gang held his breath and listened intently to Zhou Wenyuan's words.

"Environmental protection, safety, labor employment... these are the issues we can address, and they change every day. You need to organize a joint inspection team for me, including the Municipal Safety Supervision Bureau, the Environmental Protection Bureau, the Construction Commission, and all the experts who know their stuff." Zhou Wenyuan's tone was calm, but the content of his words sent a chill down Zhao Gang's spine.

"Don't give any advance notice, organize a surprise inspection. Check it thoroughly, from a single screw on the scaffolding to the workers' safety helmets, check every inch. As soon as you find a real problem, issue an indefinite work stoppage notice for rectification under the pretext of a major safety hazard."

Zhou Wenyuan looked at Zhao Gang, his eyes filled with coldness: "Don't mess this up again this time."

Zhao Gang suddenly stood up, his back ramrod straight, and solemnly declared, "Secretary, rest assured, I guarantee the mission will be accomplished this time!"