In name only: The land of Handong, I shall rule its fate.

Qi Tongwei didn't understand.

I don't know if Teacher Gao evolved through repeated setbacks or shed his shackles to return to his true self, but the old man's spirit seems very strange now.

He is laughing.

A smile that comes from within, as if one is not in a predicament at all, as if one has never fallen into the abyss of despair.

But his hair turned white again.

"Tongwei, you have grown a lot in all aspects. Governor Zhiyuan is a very good teacher, more professional than me."

Gao Yuliang picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and ate it in big bites, showing the spirit of an old horse still eager to run. "I taught you the theory, but I didn't teach you the way of officialdom. You, Hou Liangping, and Chen Hai, I didn't teach any of them. I'm unworthy to call you Teacher Gao."

Qi Tongwei listened quietly without saying a word.

He couldn't figure out Gao Yuliang now, but as an official, one must be calm and composed. Saying less, doing less, and thinking less will lead to fewer mistakes. He should wait for the other party to reveal his true intentions.

But in terms of position, he was a subordinate; in terms of personal relationship, he was a student. Blindly defending himself would only lead him into the vortex created by Teacher Gao.

"You're like this even with your teacher."

Gao Yuliang chuckled, but then changed his tone, "But you did the right thing."

"As long as we wear this mask for one day, I have to wear it for the rest of my life, otherwise the moment we let our guard down will be the moment we fail."

"The teacher is a naturally excellent organizer."

Qi Tongwei finally spoke.

"Are you mocking me!"

Gao Yuliang's expression remained unchanged. He smiled and shook his head, a hint of bitterness in his eyes. "People are swept up in this vast and mighty torrent of society, unable to control themselves."

"So you chose the three of us?"

Qi Tongwei asked.

"When did you start to doubt your teacher?"

Gao Yuliang asked in return with great interest.

"You never hid it, did you?"

Qi Tongwei looked at the kind teacher and said, "Executive Lin once said that I had wasted my time studying and had not yet become wise, so I read a lot of books, especially the history of the Ming Dynasty, which you like."

"Because I am your student, following the path my teacher has walked is probably the right thing to do."

So I thought about it a lot.

What?

Gao Yuliang listened attentively.

"Why did Liang Lu take a liking to me? My job assignment after graduation? Why did I propose to Liang Lu? What's the reason Chen Yanshi was able to establish the 'Second Procuratorate'? What kind of power do you, as the full-time deputy secretary and secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, truly possess? And when did I, Monkey, and Chen Hai start being collectively referred to as the 'Three Heroes of Han University'?"

Qi Tongwei spoke very slowly, almost word by word, his gaze fixed on the other person as if trying to see through his heart.

Gao Yuliang did not respond, but gestured for them to continue.

"I received help from Chen Yang and the Chen family during my freshman year, but we started to get together in my senior year. We decided to take the postgraduate entrance exam together. Liang Lu had been my tutor for many years, but she had never expressed this intention before. Her intervention was too abrupt, as if someone had forcibly pulled me into her field of vision."

"As the department head, my job assignment after graduation would have been determined by the teachers. Even if they couldn't decide, they should have known in advance. You didn't tell me in advance, and you didn't even tell me that at that time, a master's degree would have been enough to enjoy the 12th grade treatment even if assigned to a remote township, as long as I was officially hired. My rank and benefits have disappeared."

"A proposal on the playground, haha. How would I, someone who works so hard in the police force, know that Liang Lu wanted to propose on the playground? Of course, someone must have told me, but I just can't remember who it was."

Qi Tongwei couldn't help but laugh out loud and raised his glass in invitation.

"It's me!"

Gao Yuliang nodded. "I instructed Teacher Wu to mention you to Liang Lu so that Liang Lu would notice you. It was also Teacher Wu and I who worked together to give you subtle hints and guidance when you came to visit my home."

"Teacher Wu's connections can only help me improve within the school, and further develop or expand my career. The Wu family is stingy and unwilling to invest in me, their son-in-law, or an outsider."

"But Teacher Wu and Liang Lu are best friends, and Liang Lu is Secretary Liang's beloved daughter whom he raised with great affection. I need a gift that can touch Liang Lu's heart."

"Tongwei, you are the gift I carefully crafted, and also the good thing I bought for Chen Yanshi, because Chen Yanshi has a clear plan for Chen Yang's marriage. It's okay for him to sponsor your studies, but it's not okay for you to become his son-in-law."

"This gives me a wider range of opportunities, and you also have a bright future. Your teacher wants to help you grow together."

"Compared to one's future, what does marriage matter, and what does love matter?"

"But you're too stubborn."

"The teacher can only change your perspective."

Gao Yuliang's tone still carried a hint of disappointment, "But Secretary Liang's ship didn't last long, so I could only take the opportunity to jump back onto the Zhao family's ship. Sure enough... I rose step by step, from Secretary of the Luzhou Municipal Party Committee to Standing Committee member, then to Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee, and finally to full-time Deputy Secretary."

"But there's never a smooth road."

"After I took over the political and legal affairs, I realized something was wrong. I couldn't transfer any of the public security, procuratorate, court, or judicial departments, so..."

Gao Yuliang smiled, as if satisfied with his opponent's move in chess. "I tacitly approved of Chen Yanshi's plea for the people, while also placing Chen Hai'an in the procuratorate. Furthermore, I have been grooming you, who is rotating through the four major systems, towards becoming the director of the Public Security Bureau, and I have also tacitly allowed you to privately network with your classmates to form the Han University Clique."

"But it's too late for me. The Wu family is putting too much pressure on me. I want to achieve my goal in one step, but I know that the chances are slim."

"If danger strikes, I can't guarantee I won't become the target of everyone's criticism. I need a game-changer."

"And among my students, who is more suitable than Liangping, who is the son-in-law of the Zhong family?"

"So six years ago, I secretly began to spread the good name of the Three Heroes of Han University step by step."

"But I still can't move."

"In some people's eyes, I am a traitor who has served three masters. My reputation is already half ruined, and the other half cannot be ruined. Therefore, I cannot bear the infamy of being betrayed."

"Fortunately, God had mercy, and Lin Zhiyuan arrived."

"Although the price I paid was quite high, I finally gained true freedom."

"Me now..."

"It's complete!"

Gao Yuliang laughed heartily, his cheerful laughter echoing in every corner of Villa No. 3.

That feeling of exhilaration.

"But teacher, you've already stepped halfway down the cliff! No, you've been swallowed up by the abyss."

Qi Tongwei advised, "You have no time left! You have no chance left!"

"Yeah?"

Gao Yuliang chuckled and retorted, "Tongwei, you helped your teacher build the Han University clique, but have you ever seen the real Han University clique?"

"It's not those scoundrels under your command, nor is it the Yao or Lin families."

Qi Tongwei's pupils dilated, not understanding the intention but feeling inexplicably afraid. "Aren't you afraid I'll tell Executive Director Lin?"

"It's alright."

Gao Yuliang said confidently, "I am invincible now."

"Tongwei, it was my idea to send you to Lin Zhiyuan's side in the first place. But now I want you to come back..."

"Are you still willing?"

"If you help your teacher live a second life, your teacher will leave everything to you, after all, you are my eldest disciple."