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

Chen Ping turned and left the office. He had just sat down at his temporary workstation when his phone vibrated.

It was a short message.

An unfamiliar number, but from a local area.

"Young man, you have potential, but choosing the wrong side can lead to dire consequences. Think carefully before you associate with Xiao Yuhan. — Someone who cares about your own well-being."

The text message was sent just five minutes after the meeting ended.

Chen Ping raised an eyebrow and looked up at the end of the corridor.

A middle-aged man in a suit was leaning against the wall, looking at him with a half-smile.

Their eyes met.

The middle-aged man smiled, turned around, and disappeared at the top of the stairs.

Chen Ping stared in that direction for a few seconds, then looked away and put his phone back in his pocket.

……

Banquet Hall, Yunzhou International Conference Center.

The crystal chandelier overhead was very bright, and a red banner reading "Yunzhou City Investment Promotion Policy Conference" hung on the stage, but the atmosphere at the scene was a bit off.

There were over three hundred people sitting in the audience, like extras whose seats had been assigned.

Chen Ping stood to the side and behind the podium, his gaze quickly sweeping across the seats in the first row.

The local business owners, dressed in expensive suits, all wore polite smiles, but their eyes were devoid of warmth. Several of them simply lowered their heads and started playing on their phones, not even bothering to put on a show.

The atmosphere here is more like someone trying to sabotage the event than a business promotion conference.

Xiao Yuhan stood in front of the podium, pointing at the PPT with a laser pointer, her voice crisp and clear.

"The third section concerns preferential measures for intensive land use. We will give preferential treatment in land use quotas to enterprises whose tax revenue per mu reaches more than 150% of the district's average level..."

Her voice rang out in the hall, but there was no reaction from the audience, as if they hadn't heard it.

At the other end of the stage, Vice Mayor Ma Jianguo slowly twirled the pen in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips.

His gaze fell on a middle-aged man with a receding hairline, right in the middle of the first row.

Zhao Defu, president of the Yunzhou Chamber of Commerce and chairman of Defu Group, carries considerable weight in Yunzhou.

The two men met eyes, and Ma Jianguo nodded slightly.

Zhao Defu understood, put down his thermos, and suddenly raised his hand.

"Mayor Xiao, I have a question!"

Without waiting for Xiao Yuhan's consent, he stood up, and a staff member next to him immediately handed him a microphone.

Xiao Yuhan frowned slightly, but still said politely, "President Zhao, please speak."

"I'm not asking a question, I just have a few things on my mind that I can't keep quiet about!" Zhao Defu said, his voice suddenly tinged with grievance as he held the microphone.

"Mayor Xiao, your policy is good, but what future do we local businesses have?"

His shout immediately drew the attention of all the reporters.

"Which of these environmental protection thresholds and tax standards you mentioned isn't putting us at a disadvantage? Are you trying to kill off local businesses just to attract investment?"

These words immediately enlivened the atmosphere.

"You're right! Isn't this forcing us to close down?"

"We need food! We need a way to survive!"

Some small business owners stood up and shouted, and the reporters' flashbulbs went off non-stop.

Xiao Yuhan's face turned even paler.

She had expected some people to object, but she never imagined that the other party would use such a confrontational approach to exert pressure.

"President Zhao, the policy was formulated through thorough research; we did not..."

"No targeting?" Zhao Defu's voice suddenly rose, directly interrupting her speech.

"Then tell me, how many companies in the entire Yunzhou can meet the standard of 150% tax revenue per mu? Aren't you trying to drive us all away?"

At this point, the commotion intensified.

The security guard tried to step forward to maintain order, but was stopped by a look from Ma Jianguo.

"Let the people finish speaking."

Ma Jianguo spoke slowly and deliberately.

"When we do our work, we must listen to the truth and not have one-man rule."

These words essentially defined the nature of Zhao Defu's actions.

Zhao Defu grew even bolder, practically waving his arm to incite the people around him to protest.

The situation was about to spiral out of control.

A steady voice came through the backup microphone.

Chen Pingfang walked over at some point and gently adjusted the angle of the microphone.

"Chairman Zhao, when you mentioned that local businesses are being driven out of business, are you specifically referring to the new policy's standards for eliminating high-energy-consuming and low-output enterprises?"

His voice was neither fast nor slow, sounding like he was asking for advice.

But this question immediately hit the nail on the head regarding Zhao Defu's incitement of emotions.

The noise from the audience immediately subsided.

Zhao Defu was stunned, not expecting his secretary to dare to interrupt in such a situation.

He immediately retorted, "Standards are rigid, but people are flexible! My Defu Group pays tens of millions in taxes every year, how is that considered low productivity?"

"That's right, standards are indeed rigid."

Chen Ping nodded, turned around and walked behind the podium, switching the PPT in front of everyone.

A bar chart showing the comparison appeared on the big screen.

"According to last year's data from the tax system," Chen Pingfang picked up a laser pointer, and a red dot landed steadily on the chart, "Defu Group enjoyed land dividends for three years, covering an area of ​​327 mu, but the tax payment per mu was only 30% of the district average."

He paused for a moment, his tone still calm, but the meaning behind his words was clear.

"If this is considered high output, then this output is far too low."

Whoosh—!

Another murmur arose from the audience, but this time the tone had completely shifted.

Investors and reporters from other places began to discuss quietly, and some even took out their phones to check data on the spot.

Zhao Defu's face flushed instantly, and he slammed his fist on the table: "What do you, a mere secretary, know?! This is an industry cycle! You're discriminating against local businesses!"

He wanted to muddy the waters again.

Ma Jianguo frowned, about to reprimand Chen Ping for not knowing the rules.

"Whether it's discrimination or not, the data will tell," Chen Pingfang's tone suddenly turned cold. "But whether it's against the law will be determined by the law."

He raised his head and looked straight at Zhao Defu.

"Chairman Zhao, since we're talking about ways to make a living, could you explain why your Jinshuiwan Industrial Park project has been idle for four years without any investment?"

"Not only that, you also used this land to illegally obtain 300 million yuan through mortgage loans."

Chen Ping's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clearly heard by everyone present.

"This money...it seems it wasn't used for company operations either, was it?"

The entire room fell into a deathly silence.

You could hear a pin drop.

All eyes, which had shifted from sympathy to skepticism, were now fixed on Zhao Defu with shock and disdain.

Zhao Defu felt a chill run through his body, his legs went weak, and he slumped back into his chair, cold sweat pouring down his face.

These things are all confidential! How could this new kid possibly know?

"Clatter".

Ma Jianguo dropped his pen on the table, his face was extremely pale, and he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word.