Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Sun Liancheng remained silent for a while, then grabbed a bottle of Red Star Erguotou from the table, and without even looking at the person who was coming, tilted his head back and took a big gulp.

The spicy liquor burned down his throat and into his stomach, choking him and causing him to cough repeatedly, even bringing tears to his eyes.

"Standing Committee Member Shen, you have a good eye for people." Sun Liancheng wiped his face, no longer caring about his demeanor, and plopped down on the floor, leaning against the expensive binoculars. "The whole of Jingzhou says that I, Sun Liancheng, am a good-for-nothing, a useless piece of trash who can't even fill out a form properly."

"But who the hell is born a slacker?"

Sun Liancheng suddenly raised his voice and pointed to the night sky outside.

"I'm also a top student from the architecture department of a prestigious university, and I wanted to do something practical. When I first became district head, I proposed developing a smart city and separating rainwater and sewage. And what happened?"

Sun Liancheng gave a wry smile and took another swig of wine.

"Secretary Li said that those things are invisible and intangible, and they can't bring honor to the governor of Jingzhou. What he wants are skyscrapers, the Guangming Peak project, and achievements that can be featured on television. In his eyes, my proposals are just a waste of money."

Shen Zhong sat quietly in the rattan chair, shelling peanuts in his hands.

"So you hid among the stars?"

"Otherwise what?" Sun Liancheng spread his hands. "The more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make; if you do nothing, you make no mistakes. I don't want to be as greedy as Ding Yizhen, nor do I want to be like the former deputy district head, working myself to death on the construction site and still getting scolded. I look at the stars; at least the stars won't scold me or make things difficult for me."

"That makes sense." Shen Zhong popped a peanut into his mouth. "But it's a pity."

"What's a pity?"

"It's a pity about all the real knowledge in your head." Shen Zhong pointed at Sun Liancheng's head. "Li Dakang doesn't understand technology; he's a typical bureaucrat. But in my opinion, an official who understands technology is more valuable than ten secretaries who only know how to bang on the table."

Sun Liancheng was stunned for a moment, his eyes staring blankly.

How long has it been since anyone said something like that to him?

"Old Sun," Shen Zhong changed his form of address, "if you didn't have to worry about Li Dakang, GDP, or funding right now, what would you most want to do?"

Sun Liancheng's wine glass stopped in mid-air.

He stared into Shen Zhong's eyes to make sure the other man wasn't joking.

A few seconds later, Sun Liancheng abruptly put down his wine glass and staggered to his feet.

"Wait a minute."

He rushed into the study, a forbidden area that even the nanny was not allowed to enter.

A sound of rummaging through drawers and cabinets came from behind.

Two minutes later, Sun Liancheng ran out carrying a blue file box covered in dust.

He slammed the box heavily onto the small round table on the balcony, making the peanuts jump.

"I've been making this for ten years."

Sun Liancheng opened the box and took out a thick stack of drawings and reports. The cover had a line of bold characters: "Planning Document for Underground Pipeline Network and Urban Drainage System of Jingzhou City".

"Jingzhou is an old city, and its underground pipe network is a legacy from the French a hundred years ago, and it's completely rotten. Whenever there's a heavy rain, the Guangming District can be seen as a sea."

Sun Liancheng flipped open the blueprints, running his fingers across them, his fingernails still stained with the dust he had picked up while rummaging through the boxes.

"I want to build a deep tunnel drainage system, connecting the entire underground of Gyeongju. It will serve as a sewage system in peacetime, a civil defense system in wartime, and a flood control system during heavy rains. This is a long-term project, a matter of the city's conscience!"

His eyes were shining; they were no longer those dead fish eyes that stared blankly at the stars.

"But this thing is too expensive to build, takes too long to complete, and since it's buried underground, nobody can see it. I reported to Li Dakang three times. The first time, he told me to get lost; the second time, he threw the report in my face; the third time..."

Sun Liancheng didn't continue, but just shook his head self-deprecatingly.

Shen Zhong reached out and took the heavy planning document.

The moment my fingertips touched the paper, that mysterious feeling resurfaced in my mind.

As a time traveler, he clearly remembered the massive rainstorm that swept through Jingzhou a few years later.

That was the calamity of Jingzhou, and the graveyard of countless officials.

This solution is the only cure.

Shen Zhong examined the drawings and data very carefully, each one revealing his professionalism and meticulousness.

This is not a report; it is the last stand of an idealist.

Ten minutes passed, and the only sound on the balcony was the rustling of papers.

Sun Liancheng nervously rubbed his hands together, like a primary school student waiting for the teacher to correct his homework.

"Smack."

Shen Zhong closed the planning document and pressed his palm on the cover.

"Li Dakang doesn't want it, I do."

Sun Liancheng suddenly looked up.

Shen Zhong looked at him, his tone calm but leaving no room for doubt: "Pack your things, report to Hexi District tomorrow."

"Huh?" Sun Liancheng was a little confused. "Go...go to Hexi District for what? An inspection?"

"Go and become the executive deputy district head."

Shen Zhong took out a pen from his pocket and signed his name on the cover of the planning document.

"You'll be demoted by half a rank, but I'll give you an extra responsibility—Chief Planner of Hexi District."

Sun Liancheng opened his mouth wide, half sobering up.

From being the top administrative official in Guangming District to becoming the second-in-command in Hexi District?

In official circles, this is called demotion or exile.

"What, you think your rank is too low?" Shen Zhong looked at him.

"No...this isn't about rank," Sun Liancheng stammered. "Standing Committee Member Shen, what are you after? That poor place, Hexi District, if I go there, this is..."

"Hexi District is poor now, but it will become the new center of Jingzhou in the future."

Shen Zhong interrupted him, tapping the planning document with his fingers.

"He Xia is the top leader. She understands people's livelihood and is open to opinions. You don't need to worry about anyone's attitude when you go there."

Shen Zhong stood up, walked to the edge of the balcony, and looked at the brightly lit city in the distance.

"I want you to turn this blueprint into reality in the Hexi District. As for the money, I'll have the military region and the province find a way; for personnel, the engineering regiment will transfer a battalion to you; and as for authority, you're in charge of everything related to the project."

"Three years." Shen Zhong turned around, held up three fingers, "I want to make Hexi District the most advanced urban area in Jingzhou and even Handong in terms of planning."

Sun Liancheng's breathing became rapid.

Give them enough money, enough people, and full authority.

This is a level of treatment that no technical official could even dream of.

In comparison, what is the district head of Guangming District, who has to be mindful of Li Dakang's feelings?

Those days when I could only look at the stars from the balcony all day, what's that?

A long-lost surge of passion rushed to his head, making his face burn.

"Standing Committee Member Shen, are you serious?" Sun Liancheng's voice trembled.

"There is no joking in the military."

Shen Zhong stretched out his hand.

Sun Liancheng looked at the hand and, without the slightest hesitation, clenched it tightly with both of his own.

"Let's do it!"

Sun Liancheng grabbed the remaining half-bottle of Erguotou on the table, didn't pour it into a cup, and blew it straight into the bottle.

"Bang!"

The empty wine bottle slammed heavily onto the table.

"Even if it's just as a junior staff member, as long as you can implement this plan and get this underground pipeline network working, I, Sun Liancheng, will give you my life!"