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

As winter deepens, the capital city has welcomed its heaviest snowfall of the year.

Snowflakes, as fine as goose feathers, fluttered down onto the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City, and also draped the courtyards hidden deep in the alleys in a layer of silver.

A month has passed since the Zhao family went bankrupt.

In that month, Liu Ming swiftly completed the internal purge of the High-Tech Industry Department. Those comprador officials who had colluded with Zhao Ruihu and attempted to sell out their interests were uprooted by the disciplinary inspection department and sent to Qincheng Prison.

As a highly significant official document was issued by the organization department, another piece of news, enough to cause a sensation among the younger generation in the capital, quietly spread.

[Xi Wanqing has been appointed as Deputy Director of the Department of Social Development of the National Development and Reform Commission.]

A 27-year-old deputy director-general with real power at the deputy department level.

This promotion speed, while not comparable to Liu Ming's "monstrous" promotion, is still extremely rare within the entire system.

Moreover, the Department of Social Development is a super department that controls the allocation of core resources such as education, health, and culture nationwide.

This is not only an affirmation of Xi Wanqing's achievements in leading the "Jiangnan New Policy" social reforms in Ningzhou, but also a clear signal to the outside world that the Xi family of Yancheng is working hard behind the scenes.

—This proud daughter of the Xi family has officially returned to the center of power in the capital.

……

3 PM, Beijing Capital International Airport.

A flight from Jiangnan Province landed smoothly.

At the VIP exit, several black Audis with special license plates had been waiting for some time. They were special cars sent by the General Office of the National Development and Reform Commission to pick up the newly appointed deputy director, with several smiling department heads standing beside them.

The automatic glass door opens.

Xi Wanqing wore a camel-colored cashmere coat over a black turtleneck sweater, her long hair casually pulled back. She had no entourage, only dragging a simple black suitcase. Her cool and beautiful face carried the composure and calmness of someone long accustomed to a position of power.

"Director Xi, welcome to the capital! We're from the General Office. The car is ready. Would you like to report to the ministry first, or return to the apartment arranged for you to rest?"

A section chief quickly stepped forward and enthusiastically offered to take the suitcase from her hands.

"Thank you, but no need."

Xi Wanqing slightly turned her body to avoid the other person's hand, politely but distantly declining, "I just got off the plane today and have some personal matters to attend to. As for reporting for duty, I will go to the ministry on time tomorrow morning. You can take the car back; I've already called a car."

After saying that, she ignored the astonished expressions of the department heads and walked straight to an inconspicuous black Volkswagen parked by the roadside.

He opened the car door, got in, and did it all in one smooth motion.

"Driver, to Xicheng, Nanluoguxiang."

The car smoothly entered the traffic, leaving the people waiting to pick up passengers with lots of questions behind.

As Xi Wanqing watched the snow rushing past the window, her tense body finally relaxed. She leaned back gently in her chair, a tender smile unconsciously curving her lips.

What new appointment, what family arrangements?

At this moment, all of that was forgotten.

All she wants to see right now is one person.

A man who haunted her dreams day and night in Jiangnan Province, a man she was willing to defy her family's arranged marriage to follow.

……

Deep within Nanluoguxiang lies a quaint and tranquil courtyard house.

This was a residence that Old Lin had privately given to Liu Ming. The courtyard was not large, but it was quiet and peaceful. An old locust tree stood in front of the door, its branches covered with snow.

"Knock knock knock".

A very faint knock sounded on the door.

Liu Ming was sitting in his study, studying the final draft of the "Proposal on Establishing a National Semiconductor Strategic Fund," which was about to be submitted to the State Council. Hearing the knock on the door, he assumed it was Old Chen delivering the documents and didn't look up.

"Come in, the door's unlocked."

With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open.

A breeze carrying the crisp, cool scent of snowflakes blew in, accompanied by a very familiar, delicate fragrance, as subtle as orchids.

Liu Ming's fingers, which were typing on the keyboard, suddenly stopped.

He suddenly looked up.

At the doorway, Xi Wanqing stood quietly. Her clear, cold eyes were now filled with an unyielding mist as she stared at him, as if trying to etch his image into her soul.

"Director Liu."

She gently bit her lower lip, her voice trembling slightly with excitement, "I'm here...reporting for duty."

"Wanqing?"

Liu Ming suddenly stood up, his movement so abrupt that he knocked over the coffee cup beside him, spilling brown liquid all over the table. But he ignored the documents, taking three steps at a time to leap over the desk and rushing straight to the door.

He looked at the travel-worn yet breathtakingly beautiful woman before him, and a look of unbelievable ecstasy flashed in his eyes.

"Why are you here? Didn't you say your flight was tomorrow?"

"I miss you."

Four words: simple, direct, and without any of the bureaucratic ambiguity.

Xi Wanqing threw down her suitcase and, like a fledgling returning to its nest, rushed into Liu Ming's arms without reservation.

Liu Ming hugged her tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his own body.

He greedily inhaled the fragrance of her hair and felt her body tremble slightly. The fatigue and pressure he had been fighting alone in the capital for some time vanished in an instant.

"It's cold outside, come inside."

Liu Ming scooped her up in his arms and kicked the study door shut.

The snow in the yard was falling even harder.

Inside, the heating was on full blast.

Liu Ming gently placed Xi Wanqing on the sofa and was about to get a towel to wipe the snow water off her hair.

"Don't go."

Xi Wanqing suddenly reached out and grabbed his collar, pulling hard.

Caught off guard, Liu Ming pressed down on her, his hands barely touching her ears, their noses almost touching.

Breaths mingled.

The temperature rose rapidly in the confined space.

Xi Wanqing's usually dignified peach blossom eyes were now so misty they seemed to drip with water. She looked at Liu Ming, who was so close to her, and stretched out her fair fingers to gently stroke his handsome brow bone and glide over his chin, which was covered with stubble from days of staying up late.

"You've lost weight," she murmured with a touch of heartache.

"You've lost weight while guarding the rear for me in Jiangnan Province, haven't you?" Liu Ming's voice became extremely low, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

He was a normal man, a man full of vigor and vitality, facing the woman he deeply loved. This distance, this gaze, was like a deadly poison.

"Liu Ming".

Xi Wanqing suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, tilted her head slightly, and parted her red lips.

"I told you when I was in Ningzhou that once we got to the provincial capital, I would protect you."

"Now, I've arrived in the capital."

"I want to protect you."

"I want... to have you completely."

Before she could finish speaking, she kissed his lips.

boom!

This kiss was like a spark thrown into a powder keg, instantly igniting the longing and desire that the two had suppressed for so long!

The last thread of "reason" in Liu Ming's mind snapped completely.

He took the initiative, responding to her passionately with an almost predatory arrogance, prying open her teeth and conquering her. His hands were no longer idle, tracing their way up her slender waist, skillfully unbuttoning her camel-colored coat.

"Well……"

Xi Wanqing let out a muffled groan, a sound that mingled with pain and extreme pleasure. She did not back down; instead, she responded to him even more closely, letting him roam freely in her territory.

His clothes slipped off.

Outside the window, the cold wind howled and the snow fell heavily, completely isolating this ancient courtyard house from the outside world.

Inside the house, dry wood blazed fiercely, and red waves surged.

That night, there was no infighting in officialdom, no power struggles or backstabbing.

Only two souls, warming each other in a cold world, completely merged into one in a primal and frenzied symphony, breaking through that final step.