Nominal: Starting with an entrance exam for a PhD in Economics at Peking University

"Yes, yes, please wait a moment while I go in and inform them."

Bai Jingwen went in and came out in less than a minute: "Secretary Sha said he would like to invite you in."

Li Dakang straightened his clothes and pushed the door open to go in.

Sha Ruijin sat behind his desk with a stack of documents beside him. When he saw Li Dakang come in, he put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and said in a casual tone, "Comrade Dakang, what brings you here? You didn't even tell me beforehand."

"I had a few things I wanted to report to Secretary Sha, and I just remembered them, so I came over," Li Dakang said, sitting down in the chair opposite him with a humble yet assertive demeanor.

Sha Ruijin glanced at him and nodded: "Go ahead and speak."

"The first thing is to wrap up the 116 incident." Li Dakang took out a document from his briefcase, placed it on the table, and pushed it forward. "The demolition of Dafeng Factory was completed today. The last demolition agreement was signed on-site just now, and I came directly here. This matter caused trouble for Secretary Sha and the Provincial Party Committee, but today we have a result. I would like to formally report to Secretary Sha."

Sha Ruijin picked up the document, flipped through a few pages, and didn't speak immediately.

"The second matter is the Guangming Peak project," Li Dakang continued, his tone calm and businesslike as always. "The project is progressing smoothly. Land acquisition is 93% complete, and the bidding plan has been drafted. Construction is expected to officially begin next month. Judging from the forecasts, the project's ripple effect should significantly improve Jingzhou's annual data."

He paused, then added, "I'm having the specific figures compiled into a report, which will be formally submitted to the provincial party committee later."

Sha Ruijin put down the materials, his gaze fell on Li Dakang's face, and he said calmly, "The matter at Dafeng Factory has been handled well. You've worked hard these past few days."

"Of course," Li Dakang replied succinctly.

The office was quiet for a moment.

Sha Ruijin picked up his teacup, took a sip, and waited without saying a word.

He could sense that Li Dakang had come in today for more than just these two things.

Sure enough, Li Dakang spoke again, his tone less businesslike and carrying a hint of confusion or inquiry that was hard to pinpoint. His pace was neither too fast nor too slow:

"Secretary Sha, there's one more thing I don't quite understand."

"You said."

“Some time ago, Secretary Tian spoke with me on behalf of the Provincial Party Committee. He mentioned that my daughter had been living abroad for a long time, which was a special case and she was suspected of being a ‘naked official’ (an official whose family members have emigrated abroad). He suggested that she come back to work. I thought this suggestion was very correct and timely, so I contacted my daughter, Li Jiajia, and did a lot of work to persuade her to come back.”

Li Dakang paused for a moment, his expression showing just the right amount of confusion, but his tone remained calm, so calm that no one could find fault with him: "Jiajia flew back from the United States today. As soon as she landed, Wang Dalu went to the airport to pick her up, but the inspection team took them both away at the airport."

"I'd like to ask Secretary Sha, is there some misunderstanding in this matter?"

After saying this, Sha Ruijin's teacup remained suspended in mid-air, without being put down.

Li Dakang sat there, his expression completely unchanged. He showed neither anger nor resentment, but rather the calm that comes from years of handling complex matters, as if he were genuinely asking for advice on a technical issue.

But the issue itself is very sensitive.

Tian Guofu's suggestion that his daughter return to work was at Sha Ruijin's behest. Sha Ruijin had Li Dakang bring his daughter back to resolve the issue of officials with family members residing abroad; he was protecting Li Dakang, and it was Sha Ruijin who did the work.

Now, his daughter has just been born, and he's already been taken away by the inspection team.

How does Sha Ruijin explain this sequence of events?

If he said it was the inspection team's mistake, it meant he had to step in and get Li Dakang back, making it clear once again in front of everyone in Handong that he was protecting Li Dakang.

If it wasn't a misunderstanding, then what about what Tian Guofu said back then? What about what the provincial party committee said? Were they trying to trick him into bringing his daughter back for investigation?

Li Dakang's brilliance lies in combining these two matters, wrapping them in the guise of "seeking advice," neither being forceful nor showing weakness, but simply placing Sha Ruijin in a position where he had no choice but to express his opinion.

Moreover, he chose the right time to come.

The problem at Dafeng Factory was just resolved today, and he immediately went to the Provincial Party Committee building. He didn't come to ask for help when things were at their worst, but rather waited until he had finished the job, had a great report card in his hands, and then walked in to casually ask this question.

Sha Ruijin understood perfectly what this meant.

This is Li Dakang telling him – I have finished what you asked me to do, so I have the right to ask this question.

Sha Ruijin put down his teacup, remained silent for a few seconds, his expression unchanged except for a hint of contemplation, before speaking in a steady tone:

"I haven't received a report on this matter yet, and I'm not clear on the specifics. I'll communicate with the inspection team later."

He paused for a moment, then said, "But it's rare for Jiajia to come back. It's always a good thing that she's here, so don't worry too much."

These words were spoken softly, without promises or excuses. They sounded like comfort, but upon closer examination, they seemed to say, "I understand, I'm watching."

Li Dakang nodded and stood up: "That's good. I just came to ask. I was afraid it was a misunderstanding and that I had taken up Secretary Sha's time."

He pushed his chair back, stood up, and resumed his usual obsequious smile in front of Sha Ruijin: "If there's anything I'm unsure about at Guangming Peak that requires the provincial party committee's coordination, I'll report back to you. I won't bother Secretary Sha today."

"Thank you for your hard work," Sha Ruijin replied, watching him walk towards the door.

As Li Dakang left the provincial party committee building, the bright sunlight outside made it hard for him to open his eyes.

Xiao Jin quickly opened the car door and let Li Dakang in.

The situation is becoming increasingly complex and dangerous; a slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.

Li Dakang got into the car, closed his eyes to rest, and kept thinking about all the events that had happened recently, hoping to find a thread in this mess.

Suddenly, he frowned, wondering if he had forgotten something.

I went through it again, but I still couldn't remember what it was.

Never mind, it's probably not important.

P.S.: Happy Lunar New Year's Eve!!!

Chapter 143 Li Dakang's Dilemma

After Li Dakang left, Sha Ruijin sat in his chair for a while, neither calling anyone in immediately nor touching the documents on the table.

He got up, walked to the window, put his hands behind his back, looked out the window for a moment, then returned to the table, picked up the phone, and dialed Tian Guofu's number.

"Comrade Guofu, I am Sha Ruijin."

"Secretary Sha, hello." Tian Guofu's voice was as steady as ever, with his unique tone.

“The inspection team has been stationed in Handong for several days now, but there has been no mobilization meeting or formal briefing. Many comrades on the provincial party committee are unaware of the situation, making it difficult for them to cooperate.” Sha Ruijin spoke calmly, as if discussing a technical procedural issue. “Comrade Guofu, could you perhaps communicate with the comrades on the inspection team so that we can better cooperate?”

These words were spoken politely and respectfully, without any faults. The inspection team was supposed to work closely with the provincial party committee of the area being inspected, and Sha Ruijin's request was justifiable in any procedural sense.

But Tian Guofu could tell that the underlying meaning was: Help me find out what the inspection team is investigating, how far they have gone, and what Li Dakang's current situation is.

Tian Guofu paused for half a second, then agreed: "Okay, Secretary Sha, I will contact the head of the inspection team and make arrangements in the next few days."

"Thanks for your hard work."

After hanging up the phone, Sha Ruijin sat in his chair for a moment, then dialed a second number.

"Comrade Changming," Sha Ruijin said casually, as if chatting about everyday matters, "before Ouyang Jing was handed over to the inspection team, how far had your investigation of her progressed? Approximately how much was embezzled, and did she have any financial dealings with Wang Dalu?"

Ji Changming, a cunning old fox, obtained all of Ouyang Jing's materials from the Anti-Corruption Bureau the moment the inspection team took her away. He read them word by word and got a general idea of ​​the situation. Now, facing Sha Ruijin, he spoke calmly and with an impeccable professionalism: "Secretary Sha, before the transfer, in addition to the initial 500,000 yuan, Ouyang Jing confessed to an additional 1.5 million yuan to the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Time is limited, and this is all the information we have at the moment."

"Based on your judgment," Sha Ruijin paused, his tone becoming more serious, "did she receive any other bribes?"

"I can't say for sure," Ji Changming said calmly, but his answer was skillful, neither denying it outright nor giving a conclusion that could be pursued. "However, based on the current investigation, there shouldn't be too many."

Sha Ruijin remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"My judgment is based on working backwards from her quality of life," Ji Changming explained, his voice carrying the calm characteristic of a veteran prosecutor. "Ouyang Jing's standard of living is not low, but it's not to the point where she needs a large amount of embezzled funds to maintain it. Besides, if the amount of her embezzlement far exceeded this level, she wouldn't have gone out of her way to spend the remaining five thousand yuan on the card Cai Chenggong gave her before leaving the country, nor would she have been arrested on the spot at the airport."

Sha Ruijin went over these words in his mind, then asked his third question: "Li Dakang, were you involved or aware of this?"

Ji Changming didn't speak immediately, pausing for a moment as if considering his words: "According to the information from Ouyang Jing, she believes that Secretary Dakang was focused on his work and was unaware of the situation. As for involvement—in my personal judgment, he probably wasn't."

"reason?"

“It’s the same logic as before,” Ji Changming said in his unchanged tone. “If Secretary Dakang had been involved, the amount of corruption wouldn’t be what it is now. Ouyang Jing isn’t the type to be petty, so the current situation wouldn’t have occurred. Once corruption starts, there’s no way to stop it.”

“This morning,” Sha Ruijin changed direction, his tone subtly tense, “Li Dakang’s daughter and Wang Dalu were taken away by the inspection team at the airport. As for Wang Dalu, did he have any dealings with Li Dakang and Ouyang Jing?”

Ji Changming switched the phone to his other hand and said calmly, "We haven't fully verified this yet, but in the interrogation record, Ouyang Jing denied it. She said that she had taken the initiative to approach Secretary Dakang and asked him to arrange a project for Wang Dalu, but Secretary Dakang directly refused. This is Ouyang Jing's one-sided statement, and we haven't done any cross-verification yet."

Sha Ruijin hummed in agreement, said "I understand," and hung up the phone.

He sat in the chair for a while, piecing together the information from the two phone calls to form an outline. There were still many blank spaces, but at least the direction was a little clearer.

Then he pressed the intercom on the table and called Bai Jingwen in, saying briefly, "Go and contact the industry and commerce bureau and the tax bureau to investigate Wang Dalu's Dalu Group. Pay special attention to whether it has undertaken any projects during Li Dakang's administration, and also verify the financial transactions."

Bai Jingwen wrote it down and turned to leave.

About an hour later, Bai Jingwen pushed open the door with a stack of documents and placed them in front of Sha Ruijin. He said cautiously, "Secretary Sha, I checked and found that Dalu Group is a relatively well-regulated company in Handong. It ranks among the top in terms of tax payment, construction, and employment. In addition, I made a careful comparison and found that the projects undertaken by Dalu Group do not overlap with the time periods and jurisdictions of Secretary Dakang's previous tenures."

Sha Ruijin didn't speak, but lowered his head and looked through the stack of materials.

Page after page, turning the pages very slowly.

Bai Jingwen stood there, neither moving nor retreating, waiting.

Sha Ruijin turned to the last page, closed the document, placed it on the table, pressed his palm on it, and remained silent for a long time.

Li Dakang's situation is now roughly clear to him.

Li Dakang was probably unaware of Ouyang Jing's corruption, and there was no substantial transfer of benefits between him and Wang Dalu.

But Li Dakang is now in a predicament. His spouse is corrupt, and she is his long-time wife, so it's not so easy to explain.

Moreover, this predicament cannot be resolved in the short term.

At the same time, the provincial government was also busy.

In Qi Tongwei's office, Jingzhou Mayor Zheng Hong sat in the chair opposite him, his back unconsciously ramrod straight.

It's perfectly normal for a provincial governor to summon a mayor, but Zheng Hong knew that today's meeting was not a routine work report.

Qi Tongwei sat in the main seat, holding a pen in his hand. He circled something on the document, then put the pen down, looked up, and first discussed Jingzhou's economic data from last year with him for a while. He spoke slowly and deliberately, raising a few questions and asking Zheng Hong to explain them one by one.

Qi Tongwei listened, nodding occasionally and asking a follow-up question now and then, as if it were a routine work inquiry.

Zheng Hong mentally reviewed each of his answers, ensuring they were neither out of line nor concealing his shortcomings, showcasing what needed to be shown, but also avoiding any rash moves.

In Handong, he had already developed his own set of survival strategies to get to where he is today.

When discussing the Guangming Peak project, Qi Tongwei's tone became slightly more serious, as if he had inadvertently changed the channel: "The Guangming Peak project involves 28 billion yuan in funding and is one of the most important projects in Jingzhou and even the entire province. We must ensure its stable progress."

“Ding Yizhen was corrupt before, and I’ve also heard about the current commander-in-chief, Sun Liancheng. He’s not a capable person. But now that Secretary Sha has frozen personnel appointments and can’t appoint a new district party secretary, you have to take on the responsibility.”

Zheng Hong: "Governor Qi, this project has always been personally overseen by Secretary Dakang—"

Qi Tongwei interrupted him before he could finish, his tone carrying a hint of light criticism: "I know Secretary Dakang is energetic and hands-on, but that's no excuse for you, as mayor, to slack off. The municipal party committee is in charge of overall coordination, but isn't the responsibility of the municipal government to implement the specifics? If the municipal party committee does everything, what's the point of having a municipal government?"

Despite the criticism, Zheng Hong sat up even straighter, his expression even slightly invigorated: "Governor Qi is right. I have been negligent, and I will correct it immediately."

"Regarding Guangming District," Qi Tongwei continued, his tone returning to calm, "after Ding Yizhen's incident, the position of district party secretary has been vacant. Sun Liancheng has been managing both teams by himself, but he doesn't have the energy to take care of the Guangming Peak project. Are you aware of this situation?"

"I know," Zheng Hong answered quickly, but then paused, as if waiting for Qi Tongwei's next sentence.