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

However, the people behind him want more than just control.

Regarding the handling of Zhao Lichun, there have been two opposing views at the top: one is to expel him from the Party and remove him from public office, handing him over to the judiciary; the other is to preserve his dignity and allow him to retire peacefully. The faction to which Sha Ruijin belongs leans towards the former.

For officials of Zhao Lichun's rank, economic issues alone are not enough.

More compelling evidence is needed.

We need a more effective "handle" to explain the problem.

That's why Sha Ruijin relentlessly pursued Gao Yuliang, who was about to retire, and was eager to take action against Liu Changsheng, who had already been laid off. What he wanted was not to bring down these people, but to use them to uncover deeper problems with Zhao Lichun.

Li Dakang has many problems, but none of them implicate Zhao Lichun. On the contrary, because of the breakdown in his relationship with Zhao Lichun, he has become someone who can be won over.

It's better to use mistakes than to use merits—Sha Ruijin protected him because he was useful.

But Gao Yuliang is different.

Gao Yuliang was someone Zhao Lichun personally promoted to the Standing Committee, and he was Zhao Lichun's most trusted person in Handong. He held too many secrets about Zhao Lichun within him.

The question is, how do we uncover these secrets?

Sha Ruijin had high hopes for the food court project. It was a project of Zhao Lichun's son, Zhao Ruilong, a project personally approved by Gao Yuliang, and a problem that had remained unresolved for years. If they could delve deeper along this line, they might find a loophole to break through Zhao Lichun's defenses.

But at today's meeting, Gao Yuliang blocked that path.

He proactively admitted his mistakes, offered self-criticism, and took full responsibility for the problems. He then built a wall around himself using "procedural compliance" and "support from superiors." The people and events behind that wall were thoroughly protected.

Sha Ruijin stood by the window, silent for a long time.

"Let's just demolish the food court as usual," he finally said, his voice tinged with weariness, "to attract the Zhao family's attention."

Tian Guofu nodded: "Okay, Secretary Sha."

He understood what those words meant—since Gao Yuliang's side couldn't break through for the time being, they would try a different approach. They would make the Zhao family think they were still watching the food court, thus lowering their guard.

“You guys should investigate Liu Xinjian discreetly.” Sha Ruijin turned around and looked at Tian Guofu. “Don’t touch the Qingshan Gas Field yet, investigate other things first. He’s also Zhao Lichun’s secretary, so investigate his dealings with the Zhao family for any benefits.”

This approach is much smarter than directly targeting Gao Yuliang. Liu Xinjian is merely a state-owned enterprise chairman at the department-level, a lower rank than Gao Yuliang, making the investigation less difficult. Moreover, he operates within the enterprise system, maintaining a distance from local officialdom, making him easier to break through.

Most importantly, he had been Zhao Lichun's secretary, so he must know a lot.

"I understand." Tian Guofu stood up. "I'll make the arrangements when I get back."

Chapter 171 Gao Fangfang's Blind Date

After the democratic life meeting concluded, Handong entered a period of peace.

Minor ripples may still exist, but the major storms have subsided.

It seemed as if something was brewing.

Aside from Yi Xuexi still sparring with Zhao Ruilong in Lüzhou, the biggest topic of conversation in Jingzhou was Gao Yuliang's daughter, Gao Fangfang's, blind date.

Strangely enough, Gao Yuliang, the "professor" who was unyielding in democratic life meetings and left Sha Ruijin speechless, revealed some of the anxieties of an ordinary father when it came to his daughter's marriage.

Gao Fangfang has been back in China for almost two months. She is 38 years old, holds a PhD in biology from a prestigious American university, and specializes in gene editing. Gao Yuliang can barely understand the Chinese abstracts of her published papers.

Over the years, she studied, did postdoctoral research, and taught in the United States, resulting in the father and daughter seeing each other very little. This time, her return to China was said to be due to the marginalization of Chinese scholars, but Gao Yuliang knew in his heart that part of the reason was also for his daughter to come back and be with him.

I can spend time with people, but I can't stay single forever.

This is probably a deep-seated belief of their generation, and it has nothing to do with status or education level.

---

The first person I was arranged to meet was a division chief from the Provincial Department of Science and Technology.

His surname is Zhou, his given name is Zhou Zhengming, he is 41 years old, and he holds a bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree from Peking University. His major is physics—he and Gao Fangfang can be considered half of the same profession.

He was in charge of the Basic Research Division at the Science and Technology Department, holding considerable funding and projects in his hands. Qi Tongwei had specifically looked up his resume: a native of Zhejiang, both his parents were middle school teachers, he had no connections, and relied entirely on his education and ability to get to where he was now. He was also handsome, about 1.78 meters tall, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and had a refined and scholarly air.

The meeting was scheduled for a Saturday afternoon. The location was chosen to be a small tea room in the provincial government guesthouse—unassuming yet respectable. Qi Tongwei personally accompanied them, but after ten minutes he excused himself, leaving the two of them alone to talk.

Gao Fangfang wore a beige knit sweater that day, her hair casually tied back, and she wasn't wearing makeup, but she looked clean and tidy. Zhou Zhengming arrived early, dressed in a suit and tie, and was holding a bouquet of flowers—not the tacky red roses, but elegant white lisianthus, clearly thoughtfully chosen.

The meeting started smoothly. They introduced themselves, exchanged pleasantries, and chatted about their respective situations. Zhou Zhengming had clearly done his homework and knew that Gao Fangfang worked in gene editing, so he immediately said, "I've heard so much about you. Your field is so cutting-edge. I've read some materials on CRISPR technology; it's truly a revolutionary breakthrough."

Gao Fangfang smiled and said, "Thank you, are you interested in this?"

“Of course I’m interested.” Zhou Zhengming’s eyes lit up. “Our department has a grant for basic research every year. Your field has broad application prospects. If there’s an opportunity, we can exchange ideas.”

Gao Fangfang nodded but didn't reply.

Then Zhou Zhengming began to introduce himself. He talked about his academic experience at Peking University, who his mentors were, what articles he had published, and why he later chose to go to the Science and Technology Department instead of continuing to do scientific research—he spoke in great detail, as if he were giving a work report.

Gao Fangfang listened politely, but gradually, she sensed something was amiss.

When Zhou Zhengming talked about his research project at Peking University, he mentioned some technical terms. Gao Fangfang casually asked, "The method you used back then must have been replaced by newer technologies by now, right?"

Zhou Zhengming's smile paused for a moment: "Well... I don't remember the specific technical details very well, after all, I haven't touched this for many years. Now the main focus is on management, on macro-level matters."

Gao Fangfang said "Oh" and didn't ask any further questions.

But the more they talked, the stranger it seemed to her. Zhou Zhengming's understanding of scientific research appeared to be stuck more than a decade in the past.

When asked if he had read any papers recently, he said he was too busy to have time; when asked about his views on the development of a certain cutting-edge field, he started talking about national policies, funding, and industrial layout—every question could circle back to his familiar field.

He wasn't unaware, Gao Fangfang thought; he simply didn't care.

After a moment of silence, Gao Fangfang asked, "What do you usually do after get off work?"

"Overtime," Zhou Zhengming answered quickly. "There's a lot going on in the office, often until eight or nine o'clock. I can occasionally rest on weekends, but I have to be on call at any time; I have to go back if the leader calls."

Do you like your current job?

Zhou Zhengming paused for a moment, as if he had never thought about this question before. "I like it," he said. "I can get things done, there's a platform, and the leaders recognize me. If I work here for a few more years, I should be able to move up a rank."

Gao Fangfang nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

They sat for another half hour before politely saying goodbye. Zhou Zhengming saw her to the door, saying they would meet up again later. Gao Fangfang smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

That evening, Qi Tongwei called to ask about the situation. Gao Fangfang thought for a moment and said, "He's a nice person, but we can't really connect."

"Why can't we connect on a conversation?"

“He kept talking about leaders, projects, and promotions,” Gao Fangfang said calmly. “I was wondering, if he were to stop being the section chief one day, what would he still have to talk about?”

When Qi Tongwei relayed these words to Gao Yuliang, Gao Yuliang remained silent for a long time.

“Let’s take another look,” he said.

---

The second person mentioned was someone Qi Tongwei hadn't even arranged a meeting with.

There are indeed not many outstanding people of the right age.

In Jingzhou, besides Zhao Donglai, there's Chen Hai.

Zhao Donglai and Qi Tongwei certainly wouldn't take the initiative to introduce him, and as soon as he opened his mouth to say "this person Chen Hai," he was interrupted by Gao Fangfang.

"Is it the Chen Hai I'm thinking of?"

Qi Tongwei nodded.

Gao Fangfang shook her head: "No, we're too familiar with each other."

Qi Tongwei opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

He suddenly remembered Lu Yike's face. If he really introduced Chen Hai to Gao Fangfang, Lu Yike would probably come to talk to him with a knife.

Forget it.

---

Since there was no suitable candidate available, Qi Tongwei temporarily stopped his part-time job as a matchmaker.

After all, given Gao Fangfang's qualifications, she wouldn't be considered an outstanding talent.

He went to work as usual that day. His secretary, Huang Qiaosong, reported with a complicated expression that Liao Qingyuan, the newly appointed deputy director of the Second Comprehensive Division of the Provincial Government Office, wanted to report to Qi Tongwei.

Liao Qingyuan.

He was his secretary when he was the county party secretary of Daokou County.

He was from Lincheng, graduated from Luzhou Normal University, and later went on to study at Handong University for three years. He was a man of few words, reliable in his work, and an excellent writer of documents.

When Qi Tongwei was transferred to the position of vice governor, they wanted to transfer Liao Qingyuan over, but Liao Qingyuan had been promoted to vice county head and still had projects in hand, so a handover period was needed.

I just arrived today.

Anyone with eyes can see that this is Qi Tongwei's true ally. After Qi Tongwei takes the provincial second-highest position next year, Huang Qiaosong will naturally be released.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the position of Director of the First Division of the Provincial Government Office is practically Liao Qingyuan's for the taking.

People of this caliber are our own people, so naturally we should meet with them immediately.

Liao Qingyuan was wearing a dark gray jacket, looking clean and neat. He was around 40 years old, but his appearance gave people a clean and handsome feeling.

He stood properly after entering the room: "Governor Qi".

Qi Tongwei pointed to the sofa: "Sit."

Liao Qingyuan sat down, his back straight, and his hands on his knees.

Qi Tongwei inquired about Liao Qingyuan's accommodation arrangements, salary, and party membership—all routine concerns.

I casually asked, "Is everything settled at home?"

Liao Qingyuan said, "Governor Qi, I am divorced and have a daughter who lives with my parents in my hometown. I am now taking office alone and I am fully focused on my work."

Qi Tongwei looked at him with a slightly strange expression, and remained silent for a long time.

This made Liao Qingyuan very nervous.

Qi Tongwei suddenly laughed: "Don't be so nervous. How old is the child?"

"Four years old."

"what is it call?"

"Liao Sisi. The 'Si' in 'longing' or 'yearning'."

Qi Tongwei nodded, then asked, "What was the reason for the divorce?"

Liao Qingyuan lowered his eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, then raised his head, his tone calm: "We're incompatible. For the life she wants, I have to make mistakes."