Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

Lin Yang's gaze swept over the calligraphy and paintings by famous artists on the wall, over the tea set made of golden nanmu wood, and finally landed on the Cuban cigar still emitting blue smoke in the ashtray.

He walked to the desk, stretched out his calloused hands, picked up the half-smoked cigar with two fingers, and looked at it in front of his eyes.

"Authentic Havana Cohiba. This one is worth half a month's wages for an average worker." Lin Yang's voice was soft, yet it seemed to carry icy chills.

Zhao Lichun's legs suddenly went weak.

thump!

This powerful and influential regional official, who held absolute power in Handong, actually knelt heavily on the carpet in front of all his subordinates without any reservation.

"President! Please let me explain..." Cold sweat poured down Zhao Lichun's forehead like a waterfall, his voice filled with desperate fear.

The local officials were so terrified that they scrambled back to the corner of the wall, wishing they could disappear into the cracks, not daring to look at the horrifying scene any longer.

"Get out of here." Lin Yang didn't look at them, but simply uttered four words.

The officials, as if granted a pardon, scrambled out of the office.

He Yuzhu and Shen Yan walked in and slammed the heavy mahogany door shut behind them, standing like two guardian deities.

In the huge office, only Lin Yang and Zhao Lichun, who was kneeling on the ground, remained.

Lin Yang threw the half-smoked cigar into the trash can, walked to the large boss's chair, and slowly sat down.

He looked down at Zhao Lichun from his high position, his eyes showing no anger, only a cold indifference that seemed to see through everything.

"Zhao Lichun. I released you so you could be a wolf, to bite and kill those obstacles hindering reform." Lin Yang tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "But now, not only have you become a wolf, you also want to put on a dragon robe and become a local tyrant here?"

"I didn't! President, I would never dare to have any disloyalty to you!" Zhao Lichun kowtowed desperately, his voice cracking with fear.

"You don't have it?"

Lin Yang slammed his hand on the table.

boom!

The loud noise made Zhao Lichun tremble all over.

"Those security guards outside the construction site are more ruthless than gangsters. They can break someone's leg, and your men won't even blink! What piece of furniture in this office could you afford with your salary?"

Lin Yang stood up, walked around the desk, and stood in front of Zhao Lichun.

"What did I warn you back then? You can play politics, but you must never cross the line! Now you're using the power I gave you to line your own pockets and oppress the people!"

"President! You've wronged me!"

Zhao Lichun suddenly looked up, his pale face covered in tears and sweat. He scrambled to his feet and rushed to a hidden safe nearby, frantically turning the combination lock.

With a "click," the safe opened.

Zhao Lichun took out a thick stack of account books from inside, crawled back to Lin Yang on his knees, and held the account books high.

"President, look! Look for yourself!"

Zhao Lichun roared hoarsely, as if he wanted to pour out all the grievances in his heart.

"Everything in this office—cigars, calligraphy and paintings, tea sets—was a gift from those big coal bosses and clan leaders in Handong! I accepted them, and not only that, I lavishly spent them right in front of them!"

"But look at the ledger! Every single payment and item brought in has been converted into cash and deposited into the infrastructure account of the Jingzhou New District without keeping a single penny!"

Zhao Lichun opened the ledger and pointed to the densely packed transfer records stamped with the bank's official seal.

"They think they can bribe me with these things and protect their illegal coal mines and polluting businesses! I'm going to put on a show of being a greedy, arrogant local tyrant in front of them! Only then will these local bullies lower their guard and reveal all their cards!"

Zhao Lichun stared intently at Lin Yang, her eyes red.

"I'm a villain in Handong. I broke the legs of those village bullies because they colluded with local tyrants to extort tens of millions of yuan in project funds from the state! I cursed those officials because they were incompetent, drawing the state's salary without doing any work!"

"Chairman! You taught me that for the greater good, one can stop at nothing. I, Zhao Lichun, have taken all the blame and infamy in Handong! But I haven't embezzled a single penny of the country's money, nor have I approved a single project for my relatives! My heart will forever remain clean, hanging under the blade of your National Development and Reform Commission!"

Lin Yang looked at the account books that were being held high above his head.

He didn't look through it. Because with his intelligence network, if Zhao Lichun had really embezzled state funds, he wouldn't be alive today when Lin Yang walked into this office.

A complex emotion flickered through Lin Yang's heart.

Zhao Lichun was not lying. In this quagmire of Handong, he chose to use the darkest and most extreme methods to push forward reforms. He transformed himself into a ruthless dragon that devoured people without spitting out the bones, in order to intimidate all the wolves and tigers.

He upheld the bottom line of economics and corruption, but he sank deeper and deeper into the abyss of power. This twisted mentality of using any means to achieve one's goals, if not addressed early on, will eventually lead to an irreparable disaster.

Lin Yang reached out and took the thick stack of account books.

He casually tossed the ledger onto his desk.

"Get up." Lin Yang's voice finally softened a little, but the oppressive feeling still lingered.

Zhao Lichun felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and he stood up shakily from the ground, his legs still feeling a little weak.

Lin Yang looked at his face, which had lost all color due to extreme tension, and took a deep breath.

"You've protected your money, that's good. It proves you haven't completely lost your mind." Lin Yang's tone was deep, carrying a hint of admonition and guidance. "But, Lichun, remember this: those who slay dragons are most likely to become dragons themselves."

"Using private soldiers to suppress others and using greed as a pretense may be a temporary expedient. But once this method becomes a habit, you will feel that laws and rules are just pieces of paper, and you will really think of yourself as an omnipotent god."

Lin Yang stepped forward, his sharp gaze piercing straight into the depths of Zhao Lichun's soul.

"Now that the coal chemical base in Handong is on the right track, it's time for your 'local tyrant' act to come to an end. Dismiss all those privately hired security personnel, and clean up all the illegal items in this office before dawn."

"Yes... I'll take care of it right away!" Zhao Lichun nodded repeatedly, cold sweat still pouring down his back.

Lin Yang turned around and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the rapidly developing and ever-changing city of Jingzhou.