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

"Governor!"

"I'll probably stay in Beijing for about three days. I'll leave the provincial government matters to you and Standing Committee Member Fang."

Lin Zhiyuan greeted Liu Changsheng.

"rest assured."

"I still have some energy and spirit, so keeping an eye on the provincial government for you should be a breeze."

Liu Changsheng laughed.

Bathed in the golden sunlight of dawn, Liu Changsheng was in high spirits. He even dyed his white hair back to black, looking ready to fight again.

"OK!"

"When I come back, I'll bring you local specialties from the capital."

Lin Zhiyuan walked away without looking back.

Li Dakang had been waiting at the entrance of Building 10 for a long time. Since it concerned the development of Jingzhou, he naturally wanted the two of them to go together.

"Secretary Dakang, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Lin Zhiyuan and Li Dakang both got into the car. "Have the arrangements for the Jingzhou affairs been completed?"

"Thank you for your concern, Governor Zhiyuan."

"Now Jingzhou is peaceful and prosperous, with Sun Liancheng at Guangming Peak and Mayor Fang overseeing the renovation of the old city. I'm quite relaxed."

"It has been a great trouble for Governor Zhiyuan to make this trip for Jingzhou. On behalf of the people of Jingzhou, I thank you, Governor."

Li Dakang spoke these words sincerely.

Lin Zhiyuan had only been in Handong for less than ten days when he rushed back to Beijing to run projects. To outsiders, this seemed like an attempt to use the influence of his former position to boost his political achievements.

"I hold up the torch for the masses, and the people send me to the forefront of the tide."

Lin Zhiyuan smiled noncommittally.

"Governor Zhiyuan, those are profound words!"

Li Dakang, with a beaming smile and a fawning tone, said, "As cadres of the organization and the leaders of Handong, only when we put the people in our hearts will the people hold us high."

"Secretary Dakang, is there something you want to tell me?"

Lin Zhiyuan, however, saw right through the other party's thoughts.

"Ahem!"

"Governor Zhiyuan, it's like this. Ding Yizhen had a lead about bribing a director at the Energy Bureau, and the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee planned to report it to the higher-level Discipline Inspection Commission and the Energy Bureau according to procedure. However, Ouyang Jing was involved in it, and I planned to make up for those funds for her, but..."

Li Dakang awkwardly patted his pocket. "Governor Zhiyuan, I don't have any money. Even with Ouyang Jing's, it's not enough."

For someone holding a substantive vice-ministerial position, money is more symbolic than practical.

"for you."

"They said I would ask you to contact them, go through the proper loan process, sign an IOU, and then the money would be in your account."

Lin Zhiyuan handed over a black business card.

Li Dakang solemnly accepted the business card with both hands. The card only had ten large, gold-embossed characters and a phone number:

Tianshan Capital, Chairman Mu Sihua.

Tianshan Capital?

Li Dakang's pupils dilated instantly. This was the largest investment institution in China at the time. To be precise, it had been number one in China since the early 2000s. More importantly, it had always been doing very well, and he had never heard of anyone causing it any trouble.

This implies a massive backend.

There are even rumors that this is an investment company launched by the government.

Ninety-eight percent of the companies that are selected by Tianshan Investment to enter the angel round have already taken off.

"You have a very good relationship with Tianshan Capital?"

Li Dakang had barely uttered the question when he had already given a clear answer in his mind, frantically calculating how to bring the behemoth that was Tianshan Capital into the land of Handong.

"I did it with a few roommates back then."

Lin Zhiyuan said it casually.

"Forehead!"

Li Dakang's throat tightened.

He admitted that he was indeed impressed by Lin Zhiyuan's boasting.

But I was even more excited.

"Don't look at me like that. I withdrew my shares a long time ago after graduation because I was considering the potential impact."

Lin Zhiyuan said directly.

"hehe!"

Li Dakang showed no disappointment whatsoever; even a three-year-old wouldn't believe such a statement.

If you say no, then no.

Anyway, I'm resigned to my fate.

"Governor Zhiyuan, what made you and your roommate decide to found Tianshan Capital? Did you ever imagine it would grow to its current scale?"

Li Dakang asked for guidance almost like a student seeking instruction from a teacher.

"Back in my first year of graduate school, my living expenses weren't enough."

"My roommates happened to have some connections, and since they weren't only children or the eldest son in their families, they didn't have much conviction. When they saw the stock subscription certificates being issued, they bought a bunch of them, and as a result, they made a small fortune two months later."

"After that, he bought shares in state-owned enterprises, acquired import and export quotas, and also bought several small coal mines in Lantian Province. He made the most money."

"I don't know much about what happened after that."

Lin Zhiyuan spoke in a scattered manner, as if reminiscing about his youthful days, and finally added, "At first, I just wanted to earn more pocket money."

Li Dakang thought he was mentally prepared, but he still couldn't help twitching his lips.

What a show-off!

The worst part is that he actually succeeded in faking it, damn it!

The joys and sorrows, the partings and reunions of people are indeed not shared.

At this moment, Li Dakang was jealous, truly jealous. How could someone be as successful as Lin Zhiyuan? He entered Peking University at 14, earned two doctorates at 20, had a roommate who was the son of a high-ranking official, became a vice-minister at 31, married the beloved daughter of his former leader, and now at 41, he would be the top official in the provincial government in six months.

It was so smooth that it didn't create any sense of immersion.

I wish I could switch lives! Can I play with this ultimate VIP account?

The second half.

The usually eloquent Secretary Dakang became somewhat silent, which startled Lin Zhiyuan, who glanced at him a few more times. However, seeing his small eyes darting around slyly as he plotted something, Lin Zhiyuan realized his worries were unfounded.

Li Dakang is not emo.

Now that we know about his relationship with Tianshan Capital, he's probably scheming frantically to figure out how to get more funds from Tianshan Capital.

But you can start plotting.

Haha, it's like planting a landmine in advance.

It's unclear whether the gerbil poison will continue along its original course once it reaches Handong.

whee!

I'm really looking forward to it.

There's more than one landmine planted, but of course, this isn't aimed at our beloved gerbil poison.

The plane took off from Jingzhou Airport at 8:00 a.m. sharp and landed in Beijing at 10:00 a.m. The special car arranged by the Handong Liaison Office in Beijing had been waiting for a long time.

"Executive Director Lin, Secretary Li, shall we go back to the office first?"

The driver asked respectfully.

"Go directly to the National Development and Reform Commission. I've already made an appointment; we'll have lunch there."

"I'll have a chat with the Department of Basic Industries and the Department of Investment this afternoon."

"After all the procedures are completed, follow Secretary Dakang's instructions; I need to go home."

Lin Zhiyuan said.

As a cadre from the provincial government's Beijing office, the driver naturally knew Lin Zhiyuan's basic information and quickly nodded in agreement.

It's common for many local officials whose families live in Beijing to use business trips to Beijing as an excuse to go home.

"Yes, Governor Zhiyuan."

Li Dakang naturally had no objections.

The only sound was the slight vibration of his cell phone inside his trousers. He didn't need to look to know that it was his old boss who had learned of his trip to Beijing and was looking for him.

Regardless of what happens in the future.

Considering Zhao Ruilong's 500 million yuan in ticket revenue and the funds he received, he still had to go and pay his respects to his former boss.