Nominal: The Handong Game, the Energy System's Counterattack

At this time, Gao Yuliang still retained a touch of naiveté, thinking that a new official should make a strong first impression.

It's quite normal for the newly arrived Secretary Sha to give him a warning at the Standing Committee meeting.

Moreover, he's already at that age; if he doesn't get promoted this time, he'll only serve one more term before retiring.

The established rule is that as long as he doesn't cause trouble and cooperates with the new Sha Ruijin to maintain stability in Handong, the higher-ups won't do anything to him now.

Qi Tongwei's current fear that Sha Ruijin will cause trouble or target Gao Yuliang is wrong.

As for the personnel changes within the public security system, he knew that this was not Sha Ruijin's fault.

Zhao Donglai was careless; the matter came to light and was even reported to the ministry, so his downfall was inevitable.

Luo Junzhen was promoted by Governor Liu's side.

Since Lao Liu is going to serve another term, and Zhao Lichun is not here, the new secretary, Sha Ruijingang, will take over.

The provincial government will definitely take advantage of this window of opportunity to strengthen its defenses against the provincial public security department.

As for him and Qi Tongwei, they were merely affected by the situation, which was something they could not help.

It's because they had such a weak relationship with the provincial government before.

"Governor Liu needs to stay in his post, and we need people to fill that position."

"On the provincial department side, there's an executive deputy director who was promoted by the provincial government. It will be much easier for him to get involved in the work of the provincial department in the future."

"But after all, you've worked in the provincial department for so many years, and you have achieved something in your work."

"What you need to do now is to do your job well."

"Let your superiors see that you are a cooperative, obedient person who can find your place in the new system."

obedient.

These two words were like a thorn, stuck in the softest spot in Qi Tongwei's heart.

What he hates most in his life is being obedient.

He climbed out of a poor mountain village, got into the best university in Handong, and even became the student union president. He was once full of vigor and ambition.

Because he disobeyed, he witnessed the iron fist of power.

He rebelled, he was stubborn, and he almost lost his life.

However, even though he received a first-class merit and became a hero, he was still beaten into the mud by the iron fist.

He understood, knelt down and obeyed.

He hid his resentment and worked his way up to where he is today, becoming the top leader of the entire public security system in Handong Province.

But now, Gao Yuliang still makes him "obey".

Qi Tongwei stood up and walked to the window.

The sky outside the window had darkened, and the streetlights in the provincial party committee compound came on, casting dappled shadows among the trees in their dim yellow light.

Windows lit up in the provincial government building not far away. What kind of faces were behind those windows?

And there's the provincial party committee building where he works, which he frequents.

But he's not from here.

He suddenly remembered that after he knelt down before Liang Lu, he lived in his dormitory, licking his wounds in his heart while gritting his teeth.

At that time, he felt that he had submitted and that he would fly very high in the future, so high that everyone would have to look up to him.

But now? He's forty-seven years old, and he's almost at the threshold of becoming a vice-provincial level official.

But he was unable to take that half-step that he longed for.

He resigned himself to his fate, yet he was unwilling to accept it, but at this moment, he suddenly felt a sense of weariness that he couldn't quite describe.

"Tongwei," Gao Yuliang's voice came from behind, "Go home and get a good night's sleep. Starting tomorrow, go back to your normal routine."

Qi Tongwei turned around and nodded: "I understand, teacher. I'll be going now."

As he walked out, his steps were more steady than when he came in, but there was still an indescribable sense of heaviness in his back.

Gao Yuliang watched his figure disappear at the top of the stairs before slowly sitting back down at his desk.

The teacup was empty, and only two used tea leaves remained on the tea tray, curled up at the bottom of the cup like two people huddled together.

Gao Yuliang took away the cup that Qi Tongwei had drunk from and poured himself another cup of hot water.

He held his teacup, his gaze falling on Qin Jinhui's resume on the table.

The thin sheet of paper lay open before him, its dense asterisks forming a wall that stood coldly before him.

He had to admit that the personnel decisions made at today's Standing Committee meeting made Gao Yuliang feel very uneasy.

Governor Liu's retention of his post is ostensibly to provide Sha Ruijin with a partner who can stabilize the government's work.

However, Minister Zhang's behavior in Handong made him realize that things were not as simple as they seemed.

Qin Jinhui's arrival was a warning to Li Dakang and also a stab to the heart of the public security system in Jingzhou.

Luo Junzhen's promotion was to give Governor Liu one of his own people.

As the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, he relied on Qi Tongwei to connect him with the public security system, but now that connection seems too weak.

The three things are interconnected and leave no room for error.

The people above had a much deeper understanding of the situation in Handong than he had imagined, and they acted much faster than he had expected.

Gao Yuliang had been running his business in Handong for so many years and thought he had a brilliant plan, but today he found that he couldn't even figure out the ins and outs of these three personnel decisions.

He could only understand the surface meaning of Qin Jinhui's resume and guess his background.

As for who Qin Jinhui was working for and what he was here for, he couldn't guess a single word.

This feeling made him very uncomfortable.

He was used to being in control, used to watching others struggle in the open from the shadows.

But now he finds himself in the bureau, being watched by others.

The night outside the window grew deeper.

Gao Yuliang put the resume into a file folder and locked it back in the cabinet.

He walked to the door, turned off the light, and darkness washed over him like water, engulfing his figure.

......

"How did you end up in Handong?"

At a roadside barbecue stall on a street in Guangming District, Jingzhou City, Zhou Chuyi and the newly arrived director of the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau, Qin Jinhui, sat on stools and ate skewers.

"If you can come, why can't I?" Qin Jinhui picked up his beer bottle, took a sip, and looked at Zhou Chuyi with a smile.

"You can come, you can come. Who can stop you, Qin Xiaobawang, from going anywhere?"

Zhou Chuyi smiled and raised the wine bottle.

"Damn it, can you please not mention that nickname? I've been beaten up countless times since I was a kid because of those three words!"

Qin Jinhui gets a little nervous when the topic of Little Tyrant comes up.

"What are you afraid of? You're already so old. Besides, you're in Handong now, far from the emperor's reach. Those mountains above you can't even reach you if they want to."

Zhou Chuyi looked at Qin Jinhui with amusement.

"So, why do you think I came to Handong? Back in the ministry, wouldn't I still run into my second uncle?"

"The position of director of the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau is vacant, and I immediately went to my second uncle."

"Besides, I heard you're here as the vice governor, so they don't have much to stop you. It solves your rank problem and gives you more freedom."

Qin Jinhui said that his family agreed to let him come to Handong because Zhou Chuyi was here.

"When we were in Yanjing, I didn't have a chance to ask why you changed careers?"

Zhou Chuyi knew about Qin Jinhui's family situation, and logically speaking, he had a better future in the army.

Unexpectedly, he was transferred to the Ministry of Public Security a year ago.

"Truth or lie?" Hearing Zhou Chuyi's question, Qin Jinhui tilted his head, looking like a scoundrel.

"A lie? How do you tell a lie?" Zhou Chuyi was genuinely curious. "And how do you tell the truth?"

"The lie is that I've fought all the battles I was supposed to fight, experienced all the things I was supposed to experience, and I'm tired of being in the army."

Qin Jinhui nonchalantly finished the rest of the wine in the bottle, but his eyes were fixed on the sky, looking rather forlorn.