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

In addition, he borrowed another million from the bank at normal interest rates. Given his salary and rank, this loan was not against regulations.

The two sums of money, when combined, amounted to over six million yuan, which could be returned to Wang Dalu.

He put down his phone, leaned back in his chair, and had a feeling he couldn't quite explain.

It's not ease, it's an emptiness of having lost something.

It has nothing to do with the price. The final selling price was more than a million less than the high prices offered by those people.

But he doesn't regret it.

He couldn't accept those high prices; accepting them would be digging a hole for himself.

As for the missing 50,000, consider it a small help to that young couple.

This young couple genuinely need this house. They're not here to do someone a favor, nor are they here to create problems; they're just two ordinary people who want to settle down in this city.

He's willing to help someone like that.

The day we moved was Saturday afternoon.

Li Dakang went alone and didn't ask anyone for help.

He had long been living in the municipal party committee villa, and there wasn't much left in the old house except for some items with sentimental value.

He packed the things he needed to take into several cardboard boxes—books, documents, and the photos.

Everything else—furniture and appliances—was bought by Ouyang Jing years ago. They were of excellent quality and quite valuable, and were all left to the new homeowner.

The young couple said they were willing to buy the furniture as well. Li Dakang said it was free and would be given to them.

He carried the boxes downstairs, called a car to load them, and then went back into the house one last time, walking through every room.

The living room, bedroom, study, balcony, and Li Jiajia's room.

On the wall of Li Jiajia's room, there are still doodles she drew when she was a child: a sun, a cloud, and three people holding hands.

He watched for a while, then turned around and walked out of the room.

When he reached the entrance hall, he stopped and looked back at the place where he had lived for nearly twenty years.

In 1995, Zhao Lichun persuaded him to buy the house and even lent him some money.

At that time, he had just gotten married and he and Ouyang Jing were full of hope for the future.

Later, Li Jiajia came along, and the three of them lived here. Although the space wasn't big, it was very warm.

Later, he went to Lincheng and then returned to Jingzhou. His official position rose higher and higher, and the houses he lived in became better and better, so this house was left empty.

But he kept it because it was his first real home.

Now, this family is going to be gone too.

He took a deep breath, closed and locked the door, put the key in an envelope, slipped it under the door, and left it for the new homeowner.

Then he went downstairs, got in his car, and left the neighborhood.

As he drove through the streets of Jingzhou, he looked out the window without turning around.

We've arrived at the municipal party committee villa.

The villa is spacious, a three-story building with a garden, and is staffed with dedicated guards and service personnel.

But it's also quite empty.

It's even emptier now.

Li Dakang carried the boxes inside, making trip after trip, and placed them in the study on the second floor.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and the streetlights came on, casting a faint light inside.

He sat for a while, then stood up, opened one of the boxes, took out the calligraphy that read "Serve the People," and hung it on the wall.

Then he took out the documents, spread them out on the table, sat down, and began to work.

Outside the window, the city of Jingzhou was brightly lit as night deepened.

He was looking down, writing something on a document, the pen tip making a soft scratching sound as it moved across the paper.

a long time.

He has no home anymore.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

He doesn't need a home now.

All he wants to do right now is work.

But fate can be quite cruel.

When Li Dakang was focused on climbing the ranks and pursuing political achievements, everything went smoothly for him, as if divinely aided. But now that he genuinely wants to do something for the people of Jingzhou, he faces obstacles at every turn.

Zheng Hong's coercion grew heavier day by day.

Zheng Hong would come to "report" on personnel issues at the Guangming Peak project every few days.

Every time he comes, it's the same old story: "Secretary Dakang, Comrade Zhu Hongyi is indeed very suitable for the position of Commander-in-Chief of Guangming Peak. Do you think we can finalize the appointment as soon as possible?"

On the surface, it's a request for instructions, but in reality, it's urging, or even implying: if you don't agree, I'll keep going until you agree.

Li Dakang wanted to stall, but he couldn't delay for long. Guangming Peak was his last card in Jingzhou, and he had to make this project a success. However, if things remained deadlocked with Zheng Hong, the project's progress would be hampered without government cooperation.

This is a dilemma.

Sun Liancheng's problem was even more of a headache for him.

Sun Liancheng is now the on-site commander of the Guangmingfeng project, but he is in such a state that he is almost completely exhausted.

He was late for meetings, gave perfunctory reports, delayed completing assigned tasks, and pushed problems upwards, claiming he lacked the authority to make decisions and forcing Li Dakang to make the final decision.

Li Dakang knew what Sun Liancheng was thinking—the officialdom in Handong was currently in turmoil, full of unpredictable twists and turns, and one could easily be implicated if one wasn't careful. Anyway, I didn't want a promotion, so I'd just coast along, not seeking merit, but only avoiding mistakes.

Li Dakang wants to replace him, but who should he replace him with?

Replacing him with Zhu Hongyi? That would be compromising with Zheng Hong.

Replace him with someone else? Sha Ruijin has frozen personnel matters; he can't promote anyone he wants.

So he could only endure it, watching Sun Liancheng gradually wear down the progress of Bright Peak. He was anxious, but there was nothing he could do.

Chen Yanshi's urging never stopped.

After the Dafeng Factory incident was over, Chen Yanshi came several times, and each time the topic was the same—Chen Hai's promotion.

He did owe Chen Yanshi. If Chen Yanshi hadn't helped him with the Dafeng Factory matter, he wouldn't have been able to clean up the mess so easily.

But now he really can't push it.

We're back to the crux of the matter: Sha Ruijin has frozen personnel matters. It's not just targeting him personally; personnel matters are frozen across the entire Handong region. Even if he goes to Sha Ruijin, there's no guarantee he'll get an exception.

He can only wait for the right opportunity.

Moreover, Qi Tongwei has also made a move, and it was extremely deadly.

Li Dakang recently received a notice that the provincial government will conduct a special audit of the Guangmingfeng project.

Chapter 149 Qi Tongwei's Day

Qi Tongwei's day begins at seven in the morning.

When the alarm rang, he was already awake, lying in bed with his eyes closed, mentally reviewing the things he needed to do that day.

His phone vibrated. He picked it up and saw it was a text message from his secretary, Huang Qiaosong:

"Provincial Governor Qi, today's three scheduled meetings are: 1. The Party Secretary of Binhai City wishes to consult on port expansion matters; 2. Director Kong of the Provincial Department of Transportation will report on the expressway network plan; 3. The Chairman of Handong Construction Group will visit. Additionally, Vice Chairman Ma of the CPPCC, Secretary-General Liu of the Provincial People's Congress, and Mayor Zhang Haijun of Lincheng City have all called, hoping to meet with you. Depending on your availability..."

After reading the message, Qi Tongwei didn't reply immediately. He put down his phone, got up, and washed up.

While he was having breakfast, his secretary called again: "Provincial Governor Qi, there's another matter. Chen Zhuxi from the Provincial Federation of Industry and Commerce would like to invite you to a working lunch, saying that he has an important entrepreneur to introduce to you."

After listening, Qi Tongwei calmly said, "The working lunch for lunch has already been arranged. Let's cancel Chen Zhuxi's appointment. As for the other calls, you can handle them. Arrange what you can, and postpone them if necessary."

"Okay, Governor Qi."

After hanging up the phone, Qi Tongwei picked up his soy milk and took a sip.

Such situations are becoming increasingly common recently.

My long-standing habit of getting up early to exercise has been neglected for quite some time.

Since he returned to Handong as executive deputy and assumed some provincial-level powers, more and more people have been seeking him out.

Some were for work purposes, some were to curry favor, and some wanted to get things done through him.

He knew perfectly well that these people weren't after him as a person, but rather after the power he held.

But he was already used to it.

9:00 AM, Provincial Government Conference Room

Qi Tongwei sat in the host's seat, flanked by the heads of various departments: the director of the Development and Reform Commission, the director of the Finance Department, the director of the Industry and Information Technology Department, the director of the Commerce Department, the director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the director of the Natural Resources Department, and more than a dozen others, filling the seats to capacity.

On the conference table, each person had a thick document in front of them.

Qi Tongwei tapped on the table, and the conference room fell silent.

"There are two agenda items for today's executive meeting," he began, his tone calm but weighty. "The first is the adjustment of the layout of major industrial projects during the 13th Five-Year Plan period; the second is the implementation plan for mixed-ownership reform of provincial state-owned enterprises. Time is limited, so let's get straight to the agenda. I'd like to ask Director Sun from the National Development and Reform Commission to report on the first item."

Sun Zhengqing, director of the National Development and Reform Commission, stood up, turned on the projector, and displayed a map of Handong Province with densely packed project sites marked on it.

"Distinguished leaders, in accordance with the arrangements of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government, we have optimized and adjusted the layout of major industrial projects in the province during the '13th Five-Year Plan' period," said Sun Zhengqing, as he traced a laser pointer across a map. "The main adjustments are in three directions: First, the new energy industry cluster will be concentrated in coastal areas, leveraging port advantages to develop wind power equipment manufacturing and the hydrogen energy industry; second, advanced manufacturing will be concentrated in central cities such as Jingzhou and Lincheng to form a supporting industrial chain system; third, strategic emerging industries will be primarily located in provincial high-tech zones and economic development zones."

"Specifically, this adjustment involves 127 major projects with a total investment of 3850 billion yuan, among which..."

As Qi Tongwei listened, he underlined key points on the materials with his pen.

He interrupted Sun Zhengqing: "Director Sun, what is the positioning of the Guangmingfeng project in this adjustment?"

Sun Zhengqing paused for a moment, then opened the document: "The Guangming Peak project falls under the category of comprehensive urban development, with a total investment of 280 billion yuan. It is listed as a key provincial project, and its current progress..."

“I am aware of the progress,” Qi Tongwei said. “My question is, has Guangmingfeng’s strategic positioning changed in this restructuring?”

Sun Zhengqing hesitated for a moment: "According to the adjustment plan, Guangming Peak is positioned as a 'regional business and commercial center and high-end service industry cluster,' which is basically consistent with the original positioning, but its priority at the provincial level... has been lowered."

"How much has it been reduced?"