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

Guo Xiaojun paced anxiously in Chen Pingfang's office, repeatedly saying, "Director, that Wu fellow is a venomous snake! We have to find a way!"

Chen Pingfang still had his back to Guo Xiaojun, looking at the scattered lights on the construction site outside the window, his figure appearing very calm in the setting sun.

After a long while, Chen Pingfang finally spoke calmly, his voice devoid of any emotion: "Snake, strike its vital spot."

One sentence left Guo Xiaojun speechless.

Guo Xiaojun stared blankly at Chen Pingfang's retreating figure, his mind a complete blank.

Hit the seven-inch mark? Where is the seven-inch mark? How do you hit it?

He wanted to ask more, but saw Chen Pingfang had already turned around, sat back down at his desk, picked up the documents, and was acting as if to see him off. Guo Xiaojun had no choice but to swallow his questions and, completely bewildered, quietly closed the office door.

On the second day after Wu Zhiyuan took office, everyone in the command post witnessed what humility truly meant.

Wu Zhiyuan didn't seem like a deputy commander-in-chief appointed by the municipal party committee at all; he seemed more like a college student who had just arrived for an internship.

At 7:30 a.m., Wu Zhiyuan arrived earlier than everyone else. He stood at the door and greeted each employee with a smile. When he saw the clerk struggling to carry a box of A4 paper, he offered to help without hesitation, carrying it all the way to the storage room and saying with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work."

This action made everyone in the command center feel extremely uncomfortable.

Guo Xiaojun and several core members met in the corridor. They all looked very unhappy as they watched Wu Zhiyuan bustling around.

"Like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken, it's all up to no good!" a department head muttered under his breath.

Guo Xiaojun remained silent, his gaze growing even more grave. He knew that the more polite Wu Zhiyuan appeared, the more vicious his true intentions were.

On the morning of his third day in office, Wu Zhiyuan convened a meeting with the heads of all departments in the command center, saying it was a short meeting to familiarize them with their work.

In the conference room, Wu Zhiyuan was still all smiles. He first praised the work of each department, then changed the subject and showed an extremely serious expression.

"Gentlemen, Jinshui Bay is a key project of the province, and we cannot afford to make any mistakes. Before I came here, the city leaders repeatedly instructed me to ensure that management is standardized and that nothing goes wrong."

Wu Zhiyuan paused, his gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on Chen Pingfang, who was seated at the head of the table. He said earnestly, "In order to help Director Chen share the workload and to prevent problems from arising from one person having too much power, I have a small, albeit immature, suggestion."

"I suggest that, starting today, all financial expenditures exceeding 10,000 yuan for the project, as well as all personnel appointments and dismissals at the middle and senior management levels, shall be subject to a dual-signature system."

Wu Zhiyuan adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his smile appearing exceptionally sincere: "In other words, it only becomes effective with the joint signatures of both me and Director Chen, the chief commander. This way, we can keep an eye on each other and also add an extra layer of insurance for the project's safety. Ultimately, it's all to lighten the burden on you, Director Chen!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of Guo Xiaojun and several other core members changed drastically.

They almost immediately understood the conspiracy behind the double-signing system.

This is the veto power!

If Wu Zhiyuan does not sign, the personnel appointments and financial flows of the entire Jinshuiwan project will be frozen instantly and come to a complete standstill!

Wu Zhiyuan is trying to use regulations to completely tie Chen Pingfang's hands and feet as the commander-in-chief, turning him into an empty shell with a title but no power!

The atmosphere in the meeting room suddenly plummeted to freezing point.

Wu Zhiyuan smiled and calmly met everyone's gaze. Finally, he looked at Chen Pingfang with an expression that said, "I'm doing this for the good of the project. You have no reason to object, right?" It was obvious that he was trying to force Chen Pingfang to take over the project.

Guo Xiaojun and the others were so angry that their temples throbbed, and their fists clenched tightly under the table until their knuckles turned white. They stared intently at Wu Zhiyuan's smiling face, their eyes burning with rage. Everyone was waiting for Chen Pingfang's strong counterattack.

Just as Guo Xiaojun was about to slam his fist on the table and stand up, Chen Pingfang, who was in the main seat, suddenly smiled.

Snap, snap.

He clapped lightly twice, breaking the silence in the conference room.

Amidst everyone's surprised gazes, Chen Ping said in a relaxed tone, "Deputy Commander Wu's suggestion is excellent! I fully agree. A rigorous process is also a way of being responsible for the project."

Everyone was stunned when those words were spoken.

Wu Zhiyuan's perfectly timed smile froze for a moment. All the words he had prepared were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single one.

Guo Xiaojun and the others were completely dumbfounded.

They looked at Chen Pingfang in disbelief, their eyes filled with incomprehension, confusion, and even a hint of disappointment.

Director... you're just admitting defeat like that?

The empire we worked so hard to build, just like that, was given away?

Chen Pingfang seemed oblivious to the surprise on everyone's faces. He leaned back in his chair and changed the subject, continuing along with Wu Zhiyuan's words: "Since we want to standardize processes and improve efficiency, let's go all the way."

Chen Ping looked at Wu Zhiyuan with a calm and composed gaze.

"I propose that, in order to facilitate the implementation of the dual-signature system, the command center should immediately go live with a fully digitalized OA office system. All approval processes should be moved online and made completely open and transparent."

OA system?

The word shocked Wu Zhiyuan and everyone else.

Chen Pingfang's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears: "That's right. All applications requiring approval are initiated online. Who the applicant is, who the reviewer is, who finally signed, which process the document is in, and how long it was delayed—all of this is permanently recorded in the system with time stamps, making it all very clear."

Chen Pingfang looked at Wu Zhiyuan, a faint smile playing on his lips: "This way, it will work well with the dual-signature system, making the work more efficient and transparent, and better reflecting our responsible attitude towards the project. What do you say, Deputy Commander Wu?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Guo Xiaojun's mind went blank, and he instantly understood everything!

He was so excited he almost jumped out of his chair!

Wu Zhiyuan's expression turned somewhat ugly at this moment.

Wu Zhiyuan suddenly realized that under the OA system proposed by Chen Pingfang, the veto power he had just obtained instantly turned into a big problem!

Every time he delays or refuses to sign, it will be clearly recorded by the system, becoming irrefutable evidence that he deliberately delayed the progress of key provincial projects!

At that point, he won't even be able to use the excuse of "too many documents to see"!

Faced with Chen Pingfang's seemingly reasonable and irrefutable argument, Wu Zhiyuan felt as if he had thrown a punch with all his might, only to miss and almost strain his back.

He was speechless, his facial muscles twitched a few times, and finally he could only force out an ugly smile, squeezing out a few words through his teeth: "Director Chen... has considered things very thoroughly, I... agree."

After the meeting, Chen Pingfang agreed to the dual-signature system, but at the same time, the news of the launch of the OA system spread like wildfire throughout the command center.

The previous worries and discussions vanished instantly.

The way everyone looked at Chen Pingfang changed completely, from initial worry and confusion to current admiration.

Guo Xiaojun followed behind Chen Pingfang, walking back to the office. Looking at the director's still calm back, only one thought remained in his mind.

Before Wu Zhiyuan could even make a move, the director seized on his weakness, not only defusing the crisis but also putting him in a difficult position.