Please, mature women, have some self-respect. I just want a raise and a promotion.

Lin Zheng was taken aback, and when he looked up, he found that Li Zhengang was staring at him.

The roar of machinery outside the sand field office came through the wall, muffled, like distant rumble of thunder.

He didn't rush to answer, but instead pulled his chair back, leaned against the backrest, and lit another cigarette.

"Tell me about it."

Li Zhengang put down the thermos and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

He rarely does this action; the only time he does it is when he is seriously working on something.

"When Qiu Ruiming was around, Yang Wanshan needed you to deal with Qiu Ruiming, so he would help you, give you resources, and back you up."

"But once Qiu Ruiming falls, he'll have no rivals in Dianhai Town. Will he still need you then?"

Lin Zheng exhaled a puff of smoke, still remaining silent.

"If the first phase of the project is completed smoothly, Yang Wanshan will have achieved his political success."

"When the time comes, he can choose who to promote without going through you, and you won't have any leverage over him."

"Yang Wanshan isn't the type to be grateful. The more you help him, the more he feels indebted to you."

"You mean, once Yang Wanshan has secured his position, he'll turn around and target me?"

Li Zhengang neither nodded nor shook his head, but simply said, "It's best to plan ahead. Think about Wang Jianguo. He's following Yang Wanshan now, but once Yang Wanshan takes over, Wang Jianguo won't have his own power base. Won't Yang Wanshan suppress him like Qiu Ruiming did?"

Lin Zheng fell silent. The cigarette in his hand was half-burned, and a long pile of ash had accumulated, but he didn't flick it off.

He could sense that the possibility Li Zhengang mentioned did exist, and it wasn't just a guess, but a judgment based on experience.

Yang Wanshan has been the second-in-command in Dianhai Town for so many years, and has been suppressed by Qiu Ruiming for so many years. Once he takes that position himself, will he vent all the pent-up frustration he has suffered over the years?

He had been wary of Yang Wanshan before, but he had been preoccupied with too many things lately, one after another, which made him overlook this matter.

"So what do you want to do?"

Lin Zheng turned his gaze back to Li Zhengang's face and asked.

Li Zhengang turned to the side and took out another document from the drawer.

"Wang Jianguo has a lead that connects him with Qiu Ruiming privately. Although it's not conclusive evidence, it's enough to make Yang Wanshan suspicious of him."

Lin Zheng knew what Li Zhengang was talking about; he had also heard about Wang Jianguo's private contact with Qiu Ruiming during that period.

If this lead can be used effectively to make Yang Wanshan suspect that Wang Jianguo had once intended to betray him, then a rift will appear in the relationship between these two old foxes.

"How do you plan to get this lead to Yang Wanshan?"

Li Zhengang closed the file and said, "We don't need to hand it to him; just let Wang Jianguo reveal it himself."

"Wang Jianguo appears to be assessing the situation carefully, but in reality, he lacks composure."

"After Qiu Ruiming fell from power, he must have been panicking, afraid that his past contact with Qiu Ruiming would be brought up again. If you just mention it in the right place, he'll be so scared that he'll jump out on his own."

Lin Zheng frowned after hearing this, and slowly stubbed out the nearly burnt-out cigarette in the ashtray.

"You mean, let Wang Jianguo reveal his guilty conscience, and then let Yang Wanshan investigate?"

Li Zhengang nodded: "Wang Jianguo has the resources that Yang Wanshan needs, so Yang Wanshan won't touch him now. But if Yang Wanshan discovers that Wang Jianguo once wanted to join forces with Qiu Ruiming, his trust in him will be shaken. At that time, the two old foxes will be wary of each other, which will free up our resources to stabilize the project."

"Moreover, Wang Jianguo also has dirt on Yang Wanshan. The two old foxes may seem to be getting along well on the surface, but they are definitely wary of each other behind the scenes."

Lin Zheng was silent for a moment, then said, "This matter cannot be rushed. We must wait until Yang Wanshan officially takes over as the top leader before making any moves."

"Now that things have changed, in order to stabilize the situation, he will actually suppress the conflict."

Li Zhengang didn't speak, but just narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded.

Lin Zheng stood up, put the funding application materials into his bag, paused at the door, and glanced back at Li Zhengang.

Keep a close eye on the construction schedule; I'll handle the materials.

"As for the matter of Yang Wanshan and Wang Jianguo, let's put it aside for now and discuss it when the time is right."

Li Zhengang leaned back in his chair and waved to him.

Half an hour later, Lin Zheng returned to the village committee.

The lights in the courtyard were still on; Deng Hong hadn't left. The office door was ajar, and a sliver of warm yellow light shone through the crack.

When Lin Zheng pushed the door open, she was leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed, a half-read document open in front of her, and a pen between her fingers, as if she had fallen asleep while reading.

Hearing the door open, Deng Hong opened her eyes: "Why did you take so long?"

"I chatted with Li Zhengang for a while about the construction schedule and discussed how the funding would be allocated."

"I also plan to submit the materials this morning, just in case anything goes wrong."

Deng Hong asked, "When are you going?"

"I'm off work now, I can only wait until tomorrow morning."

"Yang Wanshan has already spoken to Li Guoshan, so things shouldn't be too difficult."

"Weren't you going to make soup tonight? It's getting late, shall we go back?"

Deng Hong blushed and nodded to Lin Zheng.

The two returned to Deng Hong's residence, where Deng Hong immediately took off her clothes and put on an apron used for cooking.

Upon seeing this, Lin Zheng's anger flared instantly.

He walked over, picked Deng Hong up, and placed her on the stove.

Deng Hong hugged Lin Zheng's head and responded enthusiastically.

Lin Zheng didn't stand on ceremony and helped Deng Hong up.

For the next half hour, the two kept switching places in the kitchen.

The two only stopped when a sumptuous meal was prepared.

The two of them were not dressed during the meal, and they were completely naked together.

After dinner, Lin Zheng shared his and Li Zhengang's thoughts.

After a moment's thought, Deng Hong also agreed with Lin Zheng's approach.

Whether it's Qiu Ruiming, Yang Wanshan, or Wang Jianguo, none of them are good people.

These old foxes are capable of turning their backs on anyone at any time, as long as their interests are involved.

With Qiu Ruiming gone, Yang Wanshan will have no one to check him, and Lin Zheng will lose his usefulness.

Therefore, Lin Zheng's use of the infighting between Wang Jianguo and Yang Wanshan was also a way to preserve himself.

"Sister Deng, I want to push you to the town," Lin Zheng said.

He had this idea a long time ago, but the timing wasn't right, so he didn't say it.

Now that Qiu Ruiming has fallen, it shouldn't be difficult for Yang Wanshan and Wang Jianguo to secretly support Deng Hong once they rise to power.

Deng Hong was taken aback: "You're pushing me into town?"

"Will this... will this work?"

"Sister Deng, do you have confidence?" Lin Zheng asked.

"Yes, but..."

"Don't worry, as long as you have confidence, I will definitely be able to push you up."

"What you need to do now is make me comfortable."

As Lin Zheng spoke, he pointed downwards.

Deng Hong's eyes widened, and then a look of longing appeared on her face.