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

Inside the command post, everyone was still immersed in the joy of victory.

Guo Xiaojun, beaming with excitement, sat around the conference table with several department heads, holding a series of compiled supplier quotations.

"Old Li, look at this company. Their cement price is 18% lower than Zhao Decai's price back then! And this steel price has hit rock bottom! If we sign these contracts, the total cost of our project can be reduced by at least another significant amount!"

"Great! Now let's see who dares to say our Jinshuiwan project is spending money recklessly!"

"It's all thanks to the director's excellent leadership!"

Everyone's face radiated relief and confidence after winning a tough battle. They felt that the biggest external obstacle, Zhao Decai, had been eliminated, and now they could go all out and make a big splash.

Just then, the heavy wooden door to the command post office was gently pushed open.

The heated discussion fell silent.

An officer from the Municipal Party Committee's Organization Department walked in, his serious expression and impeccably tailored suit making him stand out from the somewhat casual atmosphere in the command center. Behind him followed two equally stern-faced colleagues.

The clerk held a manila envelope with a prominent red header. He walked straight to Chen Pingfang, who sat at the head of the conference table, and said in a formulaic tone, "Director Chen, this is the appointment notice from the Municipal Party Committee."

The sudden scene stunned everyone in the conference room. Dozens of eyes were fixed on the file folder, and the previously lively atmosphere instantly fell silent.

Chen Pingfang remained calm, reached out and took the document bag, and broke the seal.

Guo Xiaojun and the others exchanged glances, their faces showing a hint of anticipation. They instinctively assumed this was a reward from the city for their efforts in regulating the Yunzhou market.

However, when Chen Ping pulled out the document and saw its contents, the smiles on Guo Xiaojun and the others' faces instantly froze.

The title of that document stunned everyone—

Notification regarding the appointment of Comrade Wu Zhiyuan as the Executive Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Jinshuiwan Project Command.

The notice was brief: To strengthen the organizational leadership of the Jinshuiwan provincial key project, the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee decided to appoint Comrade Wu Zhiyuan as the Executive Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the project, assisting Commander-in-Chief Comrade Chen Pingfang in his work, and specifically in charge of the project's finance department and personnel department…

"In charge of... finance and human resources?"

Guo Xiaojun read it out almost subconsciously, only to feel a "buzz" in his mind, and his mind went completely blank.

The command center became eerily quiet; you could hear a pin drop.

All the core members present clearly understood how important finance and human resources were to a project.

This isn't a help-making effort; it's clearly a power grab, a way to reap the benefits! They want to take away Chen Pingfang's absolute control over the entire project!

The previously relaxed atmosphere in the command post suddenly became extremely oppressive. A chill rose from the soles of everyone's feet and quickly spread throughout their bodies. They suddenly realized that an enemy even more difficult to deal with than Zhao Decai had silently appeared from within.

……

The morning after the appointment was announced, a black Audi A6L pulled up steadily in front of the command headquarters building.

The car door opened, and a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking refined stepped out. He was wearing a crisp, wrinkle-free white shirt, and his hair was neatly combed. He was none other than Wu Zhiyuan, the newly appointed executive deputy commander-in-chief.

Guo Xiaojun and his core members stood at the door with stern faces and unfriendly eyes. They had discussed it last night; they had to teach this person who came to reap the benefits a lesson today, letting him know that Jinshui Bay wasn't a place anyone could just come to. The atmosphere at the door was tense.

However, after getting out of the car, Wu Zhiyuan wore a humble and warm smile. He didn't even wait for the driver to come around and open the door; he quickly stepped forward and firmly grasped Chen Pingfang's hands, bowing very low.

"Director Chen! Oh my, I've heard so much about you! I'm here today to be your assistant and serve you! You're the commander-in-chief, the one who takes the lead, so I'll follow your instructions in all aspects of the work from now on!"

His voice was loud and clear, and his attitude was as warm as if he were meeting an old friend he hadn't seen for many years.

Guo Xiaojun and his team were bursting with anger, but suddenly they had nowhere to vent it. They looked at each other, completely bewildered by Wu Zhiyuan's unconventional actions.

Wu Zhiyuan warmly shook hands with everyone, saying politely, "Please take care of me in the future," his words sincere and his demeanor humble. When following Chen Pingfang into the office, he even took a half-step ahead and offered to lift Chen Pingfang's briefcase on the desk, saying, "Director Chen, you are so busy, I can handle this small matter."

This scene made Guo Xiaojun and the others following behind twitch their eyelids.

Their vigilance didn't lessen; instead, it heightened. This smiling tiger was far more difficult to deal with than the flamboyant Zhao Decai.

In the afternoon, the command center held a brief welcome meeting for Wu Zhiyuan.

At the meeting, Wu Zhiyuan reiterated his position of serving and assisting all department heads, adopting an even more humble stance than in the morning, and expressing his admiration for the young commander-in-chief, Chen Pingfang.

Midway through the meeting, the logistics department delivered a financial document regarding the payment of the first batch of advance payments to several newly awarded suppliers, which required the commander-in-chief's signature.

As was customary, Chen Ping was about to pick up his pen to sign when Wu Zhiyuan, who was sitting next to him, stood up with a smile.

He took the pen and document from Chen Ping's hand naturally, his movements fluid and not at all abrupt.

"Director Chen, how could we trouble you to come personally for such a trivial matter as running errands and getting signatures?"

As Wu Zhiyuan spoke, he skillfully flipped to the last page of the document and quickly signed his name—Wu Zhiyuan.

Only after the signing was completed did he look up, smile, and add to everyone, "The organization appointed me to be in charge of finance precisely to reduce your burden. From now on, I'll handle these procedural tasks, so you can focus your energy on more important matters like project coordination."

His words were flawless, and his reasons were plausible, yet in front of everyone, he directly took away the most crucial financial approval authority for the project.

The atmosphere in the entire conference room suddenly turned cold.

Guo Xiaojun and the others turned ashen-faced, their fists clenched tightly under the table, their knuckles turning white from the force. Only then did they realize that the other party's humility and smile were nothing but a facade for seizing power.

This was a silent power grab, but the opposing side launched its operation openly with a reason that no one could refute.

All eyes instinctively turned to Chen Pingfang's face, to see how he would deal with this sudden internal coup.

After the meeting, the news that Executive Deputy Commander Wu Zhiyuan had successfully taken over the financial approval authority spread like wildfire throughout the command headquarters, causing widespread anxiety. The confidence and morale that everyone had just built up suffered a heavy blow.

As evening fell, the sun began to set.

Guo Xiaojun walked into Chen Pingfang's office with a worried look on his face. He closed the door, lowered his voice, and spoke with anxiety and resentment.

"Director, this Wu Zhiyuan is a venomous snake! He's biting our lifeline with a smile! Are we just going to hand over the empire we've worked so hard to build to him? What... what should we do now?"

Chen Pingfang stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the construction site that had fully resumed normal operation, with towering cranes and trucks shuttling back and forth, a bustling scene.

Upon hearing Guo Xiaojun's words, he maintained his calm expression and didn't even turn around.

He simply spoke calmly, his voice steady as if nothing had happened.

"Once the outer walls are torn down, the internal termites will naturally become restless."

Chen Ping slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Guo Xiaojun's anxious face, a meaningful smile curving his lips.

"The game has only just begun."