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

Then, they stared intently at Sha Ruijin.

---

At this very moment, Xiao Gangyu sat calmly in his office at the Public Security Bureau.

The calmness was a facade, but a very good one.

Even someone who has spent thirty years in officialdom can maintain a composed demeanor, even if they have a knife churning in their heart.

He received Liao Qingyuan's reply. He had already guessed the answer—Governor Qi was unavailable recently.

He had studied Qi Tongwei. Not recently, but since the day Qi was transferred back to Handong. He had reviewed Qi's thick resume at least ten times, from his Peking University PhD to the Economic Commission, to assistant county head of Daokou County, to county party secretary, then to the Development and Reform Commission, to municipal party secretary, to vice mayor of Shuntian County—every step was steady and well-founded, none of them were unsuccessful.

Such a person is down-to-earth, upright, and peaceful. Even without the Liang family's involvement, they wouldn't accept him.

He hadn't had high hopes for this.

It's just a matter of taking a shot, whether there's a chance or not.

He's now counting on something else.

He picked up his phone from the coffee table and glanced at the time. 2:17 PM.

It should be soon.

Three minutes later, there was a soft knock on the office door.

"Director, Xiao Ma is here."

"Let him in."

The man who entered was a young man in his early thirties, dressed in plain clothes and carrying an ordinary cloth bag, looking like an ordinary citizen who had come to run errands. He was Ma Xiaokang, a deputy section chief in the Technical Investigation Department of the Public Security Bureau, whom Xiao Gangyu trusted most; he had been with him for seven years.

Xiao Gangyu pointed to the chair opposite the sofa: "Sit."

He didn't sit down. He placed the cloth bag on the coffee table, looked around, and then said in a low voice, "Director, I've investigated everything I could."

"explain."

"The Qingshan gas field..." Ma Xiaokang paused, lowering his voice even further, "is more complicated than expected."

Xiao Gangyu didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly.

Ma Xiaokang took a sealed document bag from his cloth bag and placed it on the coffee table without handing it to him: "Director, I suggest you look at this first, then tell me what you want to do, and I'll do as you say."

He paused, then added, "I investigated this matter entirely by myself; I didn't let anyone else handle it."

Xiao Gangyu nodded without saying anything, picked up the file bag, opened it, took out a few pages of paper, and slowly began to read.

After reading the first page, his hand paused for a moment.

After finishing the second page, he leaned back in his chair.

After reading the third page, he put the pages down, picked up the tea that had long since gone cold from the table, took a sip, and said nothing.

He knew there was something wrong with the Qingshan gas field, he guessed that Liu Changsheng was related to the Zhao family, and he deduced that there was more to it than met the eye.

But I never expected it to be so complicated.

Liu Changsheng's name did not appear directly in any of the transactions related to the Qingshan Gas Field. However, the chain of events—a retired senior official, an intermediary using an alias, and a small energy consulting company registered in a county in Handong—points to Liu Changsheng's brother-in-law.

Brother-in-law.

Wife's brother.

If the relationship is not close enough, there is no direct legal recognition that "relatives are engaged in business activities," so it can be argued that there is no conflict of interest.

But the relationship isn't distant enough to sever ties completely.

More importantly, the consulting firm obtained an exclusive geological assessment report during the exploration of the Qingshan gas field. This report was originally commissioned by the Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources at a high price and was part of the government archives, subject to strict confidentiality regulations.

How did the report get out? Does anyone know?

But if you follow this clue further, there's another layer to it.

The real trouble for the Qingshan gas field is not funding.

In terms of numbers.

There is a subtle discrepancy between the officially announced reserves of the Qingshan gas field and the figures in the geological assessment report from that consulting firm.

It's down by about 23 percent.

This deviation can be explained by measurement error. If not…

Xiao Gangyu wasn't a professional, but having spent many years in officialdom and served as the Director of the Public Security Bureau, he knew what that meant.

Concealing reserves.

He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, going over the names, addresses, and numbers in his mind again.

This is not just Liu Changsheng's problem.

Liu Changsheng was the fuse, and what was lit at the other end of the fuse was still the Zhao family's landmine.

He understood why Liu Changsheng reacted so strongly when Hou Liangping first investigated the Qingshan gas field—he acted swiftly and decisively, disrupting Hou Liangping's plans and suppressing the investigation.

Liu Changsheng also secretly joined the Zhao family's group!

Indeed, given the authority and methods of former Party Secretary Zhao Lichun, Liu Changsheng must have made some sacrifices to remain firmly in his position at the provincial level.

So they were originally the same kind of people, right?

No, if the Zhao family's business fails, it doesn't necessarily mean everyone will drown.

What he needs to do now is to help Liu Changsheng save himself, and incidentally, drag him along as well.

Xiao Gangyu slowly opened his eyes.

He looked up at Ma Xiaokang.

"How did you find this information?" he asked calmly.

"It was done through internal channels," Ma Xiaokang said. "I've already erased all traces."

Xiao Gangyu nodded.

He picked up the file folder, weighed it in his hand, and then put it down.

“I’m asking you,” he said, “do you have a backup?”

Ma Xiaokang paused for a moment, then shook his head: "No. The director told me to investigate, so I did. I brought it to you; I didn't keep anything."

Xiao Gangyu stared at him for a long time.

Over the years, Ma Xiaokang had worked with him on several projects, some of which were shady, but he always handled them cleanly and never made a mistake. He was a cautious, tactful, and sensible subordinate.

He sighed.

“You did a great job,” he said, “but this is the end of it. Don’t tell anyone, not even your wife.”

Ma Xiaokang nodded: "I understand."

"Let's go back."

Ma Xiaokang picked up his cloth bag, got up, went out, and closed the door behind him.

Outside the window, the afternoon sun of Jingzhou slanted in, falling on the floor in a dazzling golden hue.

Xiao Gangyu lowered his head and looked at the file folder again.

This is a card.

But how do we fight?

Should we go directly to Liu Changsheng?

He thought for a moment, then shook his head.

He had dealt with Liu Changsheng before. He was an extremely shrewd and meticulous man, a provincial second-level official who had come from the brutal battlefield of Handong, what kind of situation hadn't he seen?

He barged in, holding some material of dubious origin, and threatened, "I know your secret, and I hope you will save me."

—He secretly sabotages you, and you won't even know where you're going to die?

Moreover, Xiao Gangyu's current bargaining chip is not enough in Liu Changsheng's eyes.

He's just a police chief who got dragged into the Liang family's mess. What makes Liu Changsheng think he can cooperate with such a disgraceful company?

He needs a middleman.

An intermediary who got Liu Changsheng to sit down and talk.

Who?

He went through his mind, listing all the people he knew in the officialdom of Handong.

The first name that came to his mind was one.

Gao Yuliang.

His relationship with Liu Changsheng was neither close nor distant. The two had worked together in Handong for many years and were both "veterans" of Handong. They shared a subtle, inexplicable understanding that had developed over their long years of working together.

No.

He immediately dismissed the idea.

Gao Yuliang won't help him. That old fox is now focused on protecting his own reputation; he can't afford to make any mistakes on this final stretch. Even if Xiao Gangyu goes to him, he won't interfere, and will likely tell Qi Tongwei about it the very next day.

Gao Yuliang couldn't help him.

Similarly, the Zhao family is also out of the question.

He reconsidered.

Let's look at it from a different angle.

He didn't need a middleman to relay his message; what he needed was for the right person to know the value of this matter before it reached Liu Changsheng's ears—to make Liu Changsheng believe that if Xiao Gangyu wasn't protected, this matter would reappear in his presence in another form, with uncontrollable consequences.

But what is "the other way"?

Tian Guofu.

Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

If he secretly passes some of the materials to Tian Guofu, Tian Guofu will definitely investigate. Halfway through the investigation, Liu Changsheng will realize someone is targeting him. What will Liu Changsheng do then?

He will definitely find a way to stop this.