Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Li Dakang snorted.

"Now that you're the executive vice governor, your words have started to take a roundabout way of being?"

"I haven't taken office yet, so I'm considered a patient for now."

"Patients should drink less alcohol."

Qi Tongwei sat down and picked up the plastic cup.

"If Deputy Director Lu heard you say that, she would send you a letter of thanks."

Li Dakang glanced at him.

"She's right to manage things. If you don't manage things, things will easily go wrong."

Qi Tongwei smiled and did not refute.

The sound of brakes came from the street corner.

A black luxury car pulled up.

When Shen Zhong got out of the car, his major general's uniform jacket was draped over his arm, his top button fastened all the way, and he had a cigarette in his hand, but he didn't light it.

He walked out of the night, and the noise from the stalls seemed to be suppressed by half a level.

Li Dakang stood up.

"Major General Shen, the special plane just landed and we dragged you to a roadside stall. I'm sorry to have done you a disservice."

He sat down heavily.

"As long as I can eat, that's fine."

Qi Tongwei pushed a plastic cup over.

"No military orders or official documents today, just barbecue and beer."

Shen Zhong glanced at the cup.

"Half a cup."

Li Dakang was amused.

"Okay, half a cup is a courtesy."

Three plastic cups bumped together.

The sound was very soft.

But this one move resulted in the closure of the northern route, the protection of provincial authorities' certificates, and the forced repatriation of overseas funds.

They also encountered the economic landscape of Handong, which was almost torn apart.

Li Dakang took a sip and put down the cup.

"I rarely say thank you. I'll say it this time."

He looked at Shen Zhong.

"If the 3 billion doesn't come back, the loan chain of Handong Heavy Machinery Plant will break, and the jobs of hundreds of thousands of workers will be hanging in the balance. You pressed the button on the northern line and brought back half of Jingzhou for me."

Shen Zhong held a cigarette between his fingers.

"The money should have been returned anyway."

Li Dakang then looked at Qi Tongwei.

"You're the same. That night at the provincial headquarters, you rammed your gun into the wall, forcing Sha Ruijin's lead to come out. If you had backed down even half a step, Handong would still be stuck in the mud today."

Qi Tongwei held the cup, his left arm firmly in place.

"Secretary Li, you didn't back down either. On the day the head office cut off the supply, you cornered the technicians in the computer room, which prevented Jingzhou's corporate account from being completely cut off."

"I said it was for work purposes."

"I also call this a work requirement."

Li Dakang was momentarily speechless.

"Qi Tongwei, now that you've been promoted, your tongue has become quite sharp too."

Shen Zhong, with a cigarette between his fingers, watched the two bicker.

He didn't smile, but the hard, imposing feeling he had on the battlefield was gone from his eyes.

The owner brought out a plate of grilled eggplant and a plate of lamb skewers.

Li Dakang divided the sticks into lots.

"Come on, eat. Don't just review the game; the battle is over, and people need to eat too."

Qi Tongwei picked up a string of pearls.

"Secretary Li, has the organization in the neighboring province already notified us to pick up the vehicle?"

"What kind of car are you picking up?"

Li Dakang patted the old briefcase.

"One package is enough. In the past, we would first look at the accounts, the projects, and the list of officials. Unfinished buildings, fiscal holes, and platform debts were all dismantled one by one."

Shen Zhong raised his eyes.

"Don't just look at the books."

Li Dakang put down his chopsticks.

Qi Tongwei also looked at Shen Zhong.

Shen Zhong placed the unlit cigarette on the edge of the table and tapped the tabletop with his finger.

"The province you're going to has waters that are even muddier than those in the Han River basin. Behind the infrastructure projects is a new kind of foreign shadow network, which appears to be investment by funds, but is actually disguised as consulting, design, and supply chain shells."

Li Dakang frowned.

"Are you here for the project?"

"It came from debt and border issues."

Shen Zhong spoke in a very flat tone.

"They don't cross the red line, they just go around it. Highways, port areas, industrial new cities, environmental protection equipment—they can write off any of them beautifully. Once local finances are tied up, they use breach of contract clauses to strangle them."

Qi Tongwei put the skewer down.

"A new frontier coordination group?"

"The form is different, and the technique is softer."

Shen Zhong looked at Li Dakang.

"Once you get there, first check three types of contracts: foreign investment priority repurchase clauses, local government platform guarantee commitments, and contracts for the outward transfer of project revenue rights. If you see any of these three, stop the process and then proceed with the review."

Li Dakang picked up a tissue and wiped his hands.

"I understand. Money can come in, but the noose can't be around your neck."

"right."

"Major General Shen, this meal was worth it; it saved me three months of investigation."

Shen Zhong picked up the cigarette again.

"I'll only remind you once."

Li Dakang nodded.

"That's enough. I'll take the rest apart myself."

Qi Tongwei picked up his glass, and only a thin layer of wine remained.

"I'll hold this position in Handong."

Li Dakang looked at him.

Qi Tongwei's voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to drown out the fumes on the table and the noise from the street.

"I will settle the mess left by Sha Ruijin one by one. I will oversee the follow-up review of the Q series agencies to the end. The political and legal system, the financial system, and the project system need to be re-established with new rules."

He raised the cup.

"I will stay in Handong like a nail, and build the cleanest political and economic foundation for this place."

Li Dakang paused for a few seconds, then raised his glass as well.

"Stop just talking tough, get the project moving."

"run."

"The cadre team must be stable."

"stable."

"Don't make the government service windows for ordinary citizens pile up with forms again."

"cut."

Li Dakang was finally satisfied.

"Okay, you're starting to look like an executive vice governor."

Shen Zhong picked up half a glass of wine.

The three of them bumped into each other again.

This time, no one mentioned the credit.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the table far away next door.

Several drunk young men were banging on the table, causing a row of beer bottles to fall over. The proprietress went over to try and calm them down, but the leader of the group hurled an unpleasant remark at her.

Qi Tongwei put down his cup.

He didn't get up, but just turned his head to look over.

The leader had just looked up when his eyes met.

His gaze was steady, as steady as a stamped summons, saving him the trouble of even speaking.

The bottle in the other person's hand stopped in mid-air.

Someone tugged at his sleeve.

"Let's go, check out."

The group quickly took out their money, didn't even ask for change, and slipped away from the street corner with their heads down.

The proprietress stood there holding the plate, taking a long time to come to her senses.

"Comrade, your eyesight works!"

Li Dakang picked up a peanut.

"He used to be in charge of public security."

The proprietress nodded.

No wonder.

Qi Tongwei picked up the cup.

"Secretary Li, your introduction is too brief."

"I'll go into more detail, lest you become arrogant."

Shen Zhong glanced at Qi Tongwei.

"His aura has reached a sublime level."

Qi Tongwei chuckled.

"Does Major General Shen also know how to praise people?"

"State the facts."

Li Dakang slapped the table.

"Alright, if you keep praising him, the carpet at the entrance of the provincial party committee compound will have to be replaced tomorrow."

All three of them laughed.

The laughter was not loud, and mixed with the cooking fumes, it quickly dissipated into the night breeze.

One o'clock in the morning.

The stall was half closed, and there were fewer cars on the street.

The heavy limousine was parked on the side of the road, facing north.

He put the cigarette back between his fingers, but still didn't light it.

"There are still some areas to be sealed off along the northern route. I'll head to Beijing after dawn."

Li Dakang reached out his hand.

"Take care of yourself."

Qi Tongwei also reached out his hand.

"Leave the situation in Handong to me."

Shen Zhong shook hands with each of them.

"Don't let the vulnerability grow a second time."

"Won't."

The car drove out of the old street, its taillights quickly merging into the main road.

Li Dakang picked up the old briefcase.

Qi Tongwei looked at him.

"Where's the driver?"

"I don't want it."

"Where's the secretary?"

"I didn't want it either."

Li Dakang pulled the zipper of his jacket up.

"I'm going to the station to catch the next overnight train to the neighboring province. I'll arrive tomorrow morning, listen to a briefing in the morning, and visit the project in the afternoon."

Qi Tongwei remained silent for a moment.

"Secretary Li, you really don't take a break at all."

"The projects don't stop, the debts don't stop, and the officials' minds don't stop either. Why should I stop?"

Li Dakang took two steps, then turned back.

"Qi Tongwei, this is a heavy responsibility in Handong. If you mishandle it, I can scold you back from the neighboring province."

"I'll be waiting."

"Don't wait, get it done."

Li Dakang waved his hand, picked up his old briefcase, and walked towards the street corner.

The lights on the night bus came on quickly.

The car door closed, the tires rolled over the puddles on the side of the road, and the car left Handong with the person who always liked to take apart the planners.

Qi Tongwei stood in the night wind, watching the car taillights disappear. He glanced down at his watch; there were still four hours before he officially took office at the provincial party committee.