Qi Tongwei at the start: Not relying on Liang Lu, but winning by a single move against Heaven.

The farewell party ended, and the bright moon was already high in the sky, and the lanterns were just coming on.

People left the venue in twos and threes, each with their own thoughts.

Several classmates who usually get along well wanted to invite Qi Tongwei to a second round.

Qi Tongwei politely declined each of their offers, citing that he still needed to pack his luggage.

At a small farewell banquet, he saw through the myriad aspects of human nature and the coldness and warmth of human relationships.

As the saying goes, a petty person is always anxious and worried, while a virtuous person is always at ease and at ease...

In Qi Tongwei's view, there is nothing wrong with being a gentleman or a villain; it's just a personal choice.

He despises hypocrites and despicable people, such as Gao Yuliang and Hou Liangping...

Having already graduated, Qi Tongwei was the only one left in the dormitory.

Zhong Xiaoai completely let loose, allowing Qi Tongwei to personally experience what a gentle and loving environment truly is.

Feeling Zhong Xiaoai's intense love, he couldn't help but feel secretly fortunate.

I'm so glad I woke up early, and thankfully it's not too late...

But just past midnight, Qi Tongwei realized he was glad he had come early.

He began to regret it, regretting that there was no one in the dormitory and regretting letting Zhong Xiaoai stay.

The reason is simple: he was completely drained by Zhong Xiaoai.

After a night of turmoil, dawn was breaking.

Qi Tongwei opened his eyes, his gaze revealing not languor, but clarity.

He leaned against the headboard, smoking, and after a long period of contemplation, made a decision.

With fifteen days left until the reporting date, he needed to set off immediately.

Zhong Xiaoai was awakened by his movements, her eyes were glazed, and her face was slightly flushed.

Seeing that Qi Tongwei had already started packing his luggage, she instantly came to her senses.

"What are you doing? Didn't we agree that you wouldn't leave until three days later?"

"I did the math, it's too tight. I have to leave today... I'll go buy the tickets in a bit."

Qi Tongwei didn't turn around, rubbed his slightly sore lower back, and answered softly.

His unintentional action made Zhong Xiaoai blush.

Zhong Xiaoai misunderstood his meaning, biting her lip and murmuring softly.

"Fine...fine, I won't bother you at night anymore, can you stay a few more days?"

Qi Tongwei's heart softened when he saw his lover's shy and aggrieved appearance.

He gently patted her head, his movements tender and his voice full of affection.

"Silly girl. Don't overthink it. I'm just happy that you're so clingy to me."

"I'm going to the Organization Department of a remote western province, so I must maintain a proper attitude."

He sighed, his voice tinged with helplessness and reluctance.

"I calculated the time, and there are still fifteen days left. If there is even a slight delay on the road, I will have to report on time, so I have to leave early."

Qi Tongwei's words made sense; Zhong Xiaoai wasn't the type to argue unreasonably.

Although she was extremely reluctant, she did not want to jeopardize her lover's future.

Zhong Xiaoai stopped stopping him and got up to help him pack his luggage.

Actually, this reason was made up by Qi Tongwei on the spot.

Only he knows the real reason why he wanted to leave early.

Qi Tongwei didn't have much luggage, just a few faded clothes and a few pairs of shoes.

After everything was packed up, it was still before eight o'clock, but Zhong Xiaoai insisted that he eat breakfast before leaving.

Qi Tongwei did not refute, and the two walked hand in hand towards the cafeteria, their actions very intimate.

At that time, college students still had the habit of getting up early, and the cafeteria was already full of people.

The two found a seat by the window and began to eat breakfast.

Unlike usual, the two were somewhat silent, the sorrow of parting arriving ahead of schedule.

"Have you heard? The road construction fundraising in Jinshan County is driving people to their deaths!"

A male classmate sitting next to me suddenly spoke up.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear.

The students here are all studying law and political science, so they are particularly concerned about these kinds of incidents.

The students began to discuss the topic animatedly.

Seeing that everyone was interested, the male students also perked up and raised their voices a few decibels.

"It's said that a new county head came to Jinshan County, his name is... Li Dakang. Yes, that's Li Dakang. He wanted to build roads, but the county didn't have the money, so he asked the whole county to raise funds, and then the trouble started."

Upon hearing this, Qi Tongwei suddenly paused, his chopsticks momentarily still.

He couldn't help but frown slightly, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

In 1990, in Jinshan County, a road construction fundraising effort drove someone to suicide...

Li Dakang, you've finally made your appearance.

In your past life, you first rose to power by relying on your position as Zhao Lichun's secretary and then joined the Han University gang.

When Sha Ruijin arrived, you immediately switched sides, sparing no effort to trample on me, all to complete the Sha-Li pairing.

The common people all think you are an honest and capable official.

But who knows that you are nothing more than a bureaucrat who is adept at maneuvering and building up political achievements?

In your pursuit of advancement, you paved the way with human lives, made your colleagues take the blame, and caused ordinary people to suffer.

A bureaucrat focused on political achievements, Li Dakang, do you think you can hold onto your position for the rest of your life?

Thinking of this, Qi Tongwei lost his appetite for breakfast and felt even more pressed for time.

He ate a couple of bites hastily, then pulled Zhong Xiaoai away.

He originally intended to go to the train station alone, but Zhong Xiaoai absolutely refused.

Seeing the pitiful Zhong Xiaoai, Qi Tong's heart softened, and he stopped trying to stop her.

As someone who's been through it all, he understands Zhong Xiaoai's thoughts all too well.

A talented young man embarks on a long journey, accompanied by beautiful women who see him off, and then shed tears on the platform.

This is a classic scene from Qiong Yao's novels; which young girl in love could resist it?

They boarded the bus to the train station and were unusually silent.

Zhong Xiaoai nestled tightly in Qi Tongwei's arms, her brows furrowed, her face filled with reluctance.

She had begun to feel lost and began to fear the pain of unrequited love in the future.

She even considered asking her father to transfer Qi Tongwei back.

But she rejected the idea as soon as it came to mind.

With her father being so upright, if she dared to speak up, a scolding would be the least of her worries.

Zhong Xiaoai looked mournful, while Qi Tongwei looked solemn.

He held Zhong Xiaoai in his arms, inhaling the girl's fragrance, but his gaze was fixed on the window.

Outside the window, the street scene rushed past, and his thoughts also drifted back to his past life.

In his past life, Liang Qunfeng's suppression was just the beginning of his tragic life.

But what truly led him to his utter ruin was just one word: poverty!

He was truly terrified of being poor!

As the saying goes, poverty diminishes ambition, and a thin horse grows long hair.

Despite his humble origins, he was far from lacking ambition; on the contrary, he had lofty aspirations.

After seeing reality clearly, he chose to bow down to the powerful and wealthy in order to advance his career.

But when his back bent, his spine broke, leading him step by step into the abyss.

In this life, in order not to repeat the same mistakes.

In order to expose the true colors of those scheming political brokers and political stars in Handong.

He must address the money problem at its root.

This is the real reason why he set off early.

As my thoughts raced, the bus slowly came to a stop; we had arrived at Jingzhou Railway Station.

In 90, there hadn't been a migrant worker boom yet, and it wasn't the Spring Festival travel season, so the station didn't have a large passenger flow.

The huge Jingzhou Railway Station seemed rather deserted.

Qi Tongwei pulled Zhong Xiaoai along and quickly walked into the ticket hall.

Qi Tongwei walked ahead, his expression calm.

Behind him, Zhong Xiaoai frowned, her eyes glistening with tears.

The line for tickets was very short; Qi Tongwei got his turn almost immediately.

Qi Tongwei bowed slightly and smiled as he spoke to the ticket seller.

"Comrade, go to Pengcheng, take the nearest hard seat train."

The saleswoman was a woman in her thirties. She looked Qi Tongwei up and down.

A white shirt, navy blue trousers, and three-piece leather shoes—he looks every bit the intellectual.

She frowned slightly, her voice hesitant.

"It'll take two days to get to Shenzhen. Do you want a hard seat or a hard sleeper?"

Qi Tongwei gave an awkward laugh and replied.

"A hard seat is fine, my company didn't provide a letter of introduction..."

He understood what the ticket seller meant and made up a reason on the spot.

Actually, he didn't buy a hard sleeper ticket because he was poor.

During his seven years of university, the total amount of money he earned from scholarships and part-time jobs amounted to only a little over four thousand yuan.

No one knew that Qi Tongwei's first stop was not Bianxi.

Instead, it is Pengcheng who is about to embark on his second southern tour.