Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

In the early morning, the courtyard house is shrouded in a thin layer of autumn mist, carrying the unique coolness and tranquility of old Beijing.

On the mahogany carved canopy bed, Xi Wanqing's long eyelashes trembled slightly as she awoke from a dream that had left her exhausted yet deeply sweet. She instinctively turned over, wanting to snuggle into that broad, warm embrace, but only touched a slightly cool sheet.

She suddenly opened her eyes.

The seat next to me was empty, and even the warmth of the blankets was gradually dissipating.

"Liu Ming?"

Xi Wanqing put on her bathrobe and walked out of the bedroom barefoot.

On the living room sofa, the man who had whispered sweet nothings in her ear last night was now sitting there impeccably dressed. He wore a crisp white shirt, his tie undone, and held a cup of now-cold black coffee in his hand.

His brows were tightly furrowed, and his handsome face bore the marks of exhaustion from a sleepless night. Yet, his eyes gleamed with a chilling coldness and sharpness.

On the coffee table lay a secure, encrypted phone with its red indicator light flashing. It was the "red phone" that connected directly to Zhongnanhai (the central government compound), and it would never ring at this hour unless a momentous event shook the very foundations of the nation.

"What happened?" Xi Wanqing walked to his side and gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

Liu Ming put down his coffee cup, turned his head, and looked at his wife's face, which was slightly haggard due to lack of sleep but was still breathtakingly beautiful. A deep sense of guilt flashed in his eyes.

"I just received an urgent notification from the State Council." His voice was hoarse, carrying an undisguised chill. "Something terrible has happened in that national-level key development zone in Shanghai."

Shanghai is the economic powerhouse of China, and that national-level key development zone is the dragon pearl on that dragon's head. Its status is even more special than that of Pudong New Area back then, as it carries the hope of China's industrial upgrading for the next decade.

"What's going on? Didn't they say that foreign investment had already entered on a large scale and everything was going smoothly?" Xi Wanqing frowned, keenly sensing the seriousness of the situation.

"It was precisely because things went too smoothly that people took advantage of the situation."

Liu Ming rubbed his temples. "Last night, the largest multinational conglomerate in the development zone suddenly joined forces with more than a dozen foreign companies to unilaterally announce the suspension of all investment in the second phase of the project."

They also filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Arbitration, citing a "deteriorating business environment," demanding hundreds of billions of US dollars in damages for breach of contract. If we don't pay, they threaten to withdraw all their core technical personnel, turning the development zone into a ghost town!

Xi Wanqing gasped.

Hundreds of billions of US dollars? This isn't about protecting rights; it's blatant extortion!

"Are these foreign investors crazy? Don't they realize that if things completely fall apart, they'll lose all the billions they've invested upfront?"

"They're not crazy; it's the domestic parasites hiding behind them who are crazy."

Liu Ming's eyes instantly turned cold. "Although Zheng Desheng has fallen, those 'protégés and former subordinates' he cultivated in the southern economic circle haven't been completely purged. They're using Shanghai's economic lifeline as leverage to force the central government to compromise, forcing me, the deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, to put down the anti-corruption sword!"

"That's a ruthless move, like 'cutting off the fuel supply'."

Xi Wanqing quickly grasped the implications. If the development zone in Haishi were to shut down, the resulting chain reaction would be catastrophic.

This would not only lead to the unemployment of millions of workers, but also threaten the recently stabilized domestic financial market with another collapse. Even more frighteningly, it would severely undermine international confidence in the Chinese economy!

Those old foxes have figured out that we are currently in a painful period of economic transformation, and they dare not really let us all perish together!

"What did Elder Lin say?" Xi Wanqing asked.

"Old Lin was furious," Liu Ming sighed. "But economic warfare isn't a real battle; it can't be solved with guns and cannons. The central government's message is that the one who tied the knot must untie it. Since this fire is aimed at me, it's up to me to put it out."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the old locust tree in the yard, its leaves falling in abundance. His back view conveyed an indescribable heaviness and loneliness.

"Wanqing, I'm sorry."

He didn't turn around, his voice filled with deep remorse.

"Last night, I was still promising you the perfect honeymoon. We agreed to go to the Maldives to see the sea and to Switzerland to ski... But now, I don't even have time to have a peaceful breakfast with you."

He turned around and looked at Xi Wanqing, his eyes filled with painful struggle.

"They're forcing me. If I don't leave today, and the bomb in Haishi explodes, I'll be a sinner against the country. If I leave, I'll be the bastard who couldn't even keep his newlywed wife."

He rarely showed such vulnerability in public, and he had never backed down even when facing the most ruthless enemies. But when faced with the woman he had wronged for ten years, this powerful vice minister felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness and self-reproach.

Xi Wanqing looked at him, her eyes slightly red.

She stepped forward, reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, gently pressing her face against his broad chest, listening to his heavy and powerful heartbeat.

"fool."

She murmured softly, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze, dispelling all the gloom in his heart.

"You've forgotten, I was once the county magistrate of Qingyun County. I know better than anyone what I'm carrying on my shoulders in this position."

She lifted her head from his embrace, her clear, cool eyes revealing not a trace of resentment, but only the composure and pride of a woman from a great nation.

She let go of him, walked to the sofa, and picked up the dark blue silk tie.

"Lower your head," she commanded softly.

Liu Ming obediently lowered her head.

Xi Wanqing skillfully wrapped the tie around his neck, her fingers flying as she tied a perfect Windsor knot. Then, she gently patted the wrinkles on his shirt, stepped back, and looked him up and down.

"So handsome."

She smiled, a smile so radiant that it made the entire autumn scenery in the courtyard pale in comparison.

"Liu Ming, listen carefully."

She stopped smiling, and her expression became more serious than ever before.

"I married you because you are Liu Ming, the one who dared to be a pioneer, the one who valued the country and the people more than his own life. If you stay in this courtyard today for my sake, then you will no longer be the hero in my heart."

"You have to defuse the mines in the mirage. You have to crush those vermin lurking in the shadows, one by one!"

"As for the honeymoon..."

She stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and gently placed a kiss on his lips, which were a little dry from staying up all night.

"When the world is peaceful and the seas are calm, when no one in this country dares to hold us back anymore, we will have a lifetime to enjoy our honeymoon."

Looking at the righteous woman before him, Liu Ming's Adam's apple bobbed violently. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, kissing her fiercely and relentlessly.

This kiss was filled with gratitude, love, and the resolute determination to go to the battlefield!

"Wait for me to come back."

He whispered something in her ear, his voice hoarse but carrying a resounding force.

"I'm waiting for you."

Half an hour later, the Hongqi sedan with the special license plate, like a roaring black panther, rushed out of the courtyard gate and sped towards the airport.

inside the car.

Tank sat in the driver's seat, pressing the accelerator while glancing in the rearview mirror at the man in the back seat who was resting with his eyes closed. A hint of ruthlessness lingered on his rugged face.

"Boss, those bastards causing trouble in Haishi really know how to pick their timing! Is your wife angry?"

Liu Ming didn't open her eyes, but coldly uttered a sentence.

"They ruined my honeymoon, so I'll break their backs!"