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

But instead of knocking and going in immediately, he stood quietly outside in the hallway and waited.

Less than five minutes later, Sun Liancheng, the district head of Guangming District, also came running over, panting, his face showing confusion and displeasure at being woken up from his home.

"Mayor Ding," Sun Liancheng asked in a low voice, "what's the matter that Secretary Li urgently summoned me so late?"

Ding Yizhen glanced at him, lowering her voice even further: "On the surface, it's definitely about the demolition of Dafeng Factory. But actually..."

He paused, then nodded slightly toward the provincial party committee. "Secretary Sha and Governor Qi took office today, and you saw how big the commotion was. The 'Gao-Li pairing' that was rumored so vividly before is completely off the table. Secretary Li's anger needs to find a place to vent. Well, we just happened to walk right into each other's trap."

Because of Qi Tongwei's sudden arrival, the rumors of a "Sha-Li pairing" that briefly appeared in the previous life will no longer exist in this timeline.

But before Sha Ruijin arrived, rumors of a "Gao-Li pairing" had indeed been circulating in the officialdom of Handong for a while. Now that his hopes had been dashed, Li Dakang's frustration was understandable.

Upon hearing this, Sun Liancheng could only sigh deeply, his face full of exhaustion, as if saying, "It's always like this."

The two straightened their clothes and expressions, then knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Li Dakang's voice was impatient.

The two pushed open the door and entered.

Li Dakang was standing by the window with his hands behind his back, looking at the night sky. Hearing the noise, he turned around and saw Ding Yizhen. He was about to speak when his gaze fell on Sun Liancheng behind him, and his brows immediately furrowed: "Sun Liancheng? What brings you here?"

Sun Liancheng was taken aback by the question and subconsciously looked at Ding Yizhen: "Didn't you say you were looking for me..."

Ding Yizhen immediately took over the conversation, her expression natural: "Secretary Li, District Chief Sun is more familiar with the specific situation of Dafeng Factory than I am, and the district government has always been in charge of coordinating and handling it. I thought that reporting together would be more comprehensive, so I invited District Chief Sun as well."

His words were perfectly watertight, explaining the reason for Sun Liancheng's appearance while subtly shifting the main responsibility to the district government.

Sun Liancheng opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed it back.

Li Dakang didn't hesitate. His sharp gaze shot directly at Sun Liancheng, his tone filled with anger: "Sun Liancheng! How long are you going to drag this out for the Dafeng Factory land? The Guangming Peak project is worth hundreds of billions, and the whole province and the country are watching it closely. Are you going to let me down at this most crucial step?!"

Sun Liancheng's scalp tightened, and he quickly explained, "Secretary Li, it's not that we don't want to demolish it, it's just that the difficulties are really great. Chen Yanshi, a retired leader from the procuratorate, has been involved all along, speaking up for the workers at Dafeng Factory. With him around, many conventional... uh, methods of advancement are difficult to implement, for fear of escalating the conflict and having a bad impact."

"Can't you implement your plans? Can't you coordinate? Otherwise, what's the point of having you as the district head? Are you just here to do nothing?" Li Dakang didn't listen to any explanations; he only wanted results.

Seeing this, Ding Yizhen immediately chimed in, his tone heavy and seemingly worried: "Old Sun, the Guangming Peak project is of paramount importance to Jingzhou and even the entire province. It's a major project that Secretary Li has poured countless efforts into! You must keep it in mind. If there are difficulties, you must overcome them and move forward! At this time, we cannot be afraid of difficulties, let alone make any demands!"

Sun Liancheng felt a surge of frustration. He looked at Ding Yizhen and couldn't help but say, "Mayor Ding, I've already given you a detailed report on the difficulties of this matter! The district government has submitted the relevant meeting minutes and reports to the district committee and the city!"

Ding Yizhen's smile froze slightly, and he cursed inwardly, "This old Sun is a real tough guy, he doesn't play by the rules!"

According to the general logic of officialdom, subordinates should silently share the burden for their superiors in such situations, and the superiors will naturally remember this and provide compensation afterwards.

But Sun Liancheng was the kind of person who was "unyielding because he had no desires"—he felt that he had no hope of being promoted, so he lost his timidity and gained a bit of the toughness of "not afraid of those wearing shoes even if he has nothing to lose".

Li Dakang glanced coldly at the two of them and asked Ding Yizhen directly, "Ding Yizhen, tell me specifically what work you've done regarding Dafeng Factory? What progress has been made?"

Ding Yizhen was prepared and immediately put on a worried look: "Secretary Li, I have been mediating between Shanshui Group and the employee representatives of Dafeng Factory. We have held three formal communication and coordination meetings this month alone! But the problem is that Shanshui Group insists that they have paid the compensation according to the agreement and that it was Dafeng Factory that went back on their word."

"As for Dafeng Factory, relying on Old Chen's backing, they refuse to budge and have even organized a factory protection team! I'm worried that if we force it through, it might trigger a mass incident, which would have a terrible impact and betray your trust..."

"I don't want to hear this!" Li Dakang interrupted him rudely, his fingers slamming heavily on the table with a dull thud. "I'm giving you another month! If I see the Dafeng Factory site still the same after a month, Ding Yizhen, that will be a serious dereliction of duty on your part!"

In the following time, Li Dakang gave the two a stern reprimand, talking about their sense of the big picture, their ability to execute, their sense of responsibility, and their spirit of commitment.

Ding Yizhen nodded repeatedly, making assurances; Sun Liancheng remained silent, occasionally offering a word or two in defense, but was suppressed by even greater firepower.

Finally, the two of them, heads hanging low, were "kicked" out of the office by Li Dakang.

The corridor was dimly lit.

Ding Yizhen took a deep breath, adjusted his expression, and took the initiative to approach Sun Liancheng. His tone returned to its usual "leadership concern": "Old Sun, come on, let's go to my office. Let's have another good talk and see how to break the deadlock in the Dafeng Factory matter. Secretary Li has given a firm order, and we need to come up with a plan as soon as possible."

Sun Liancheng, however, kept a cold expression, glanced at his watch, and said in a curt tone, "No, Mayor Ding. There's a Quadrantid meteor shower tonight, and the best time to observe it is in the latter half of the night. I have to go back; it's a rare opportunity."

After saying that, he didn't wait for Ding Yizhen's reaction, turned around and left, his pace much faster than when he came.

Ding Yizhen watched his retreating figure, snorted through her nose, and muttered to herself, "Ungrateful!" before turning away as well.

Sun Liancheng took a car back to the municipal party committee's residential compound.

The temperature was even lower at night, and the snow that hadn't melted during the day froze, gleaming coldly under the streetlights.

He was furious, thinking about how Ding Yizhen had tricked him into coming here to share the burden, and how he had been harshly criticized by Li Dakang for no reason. He didn't pay attention to his footing.

I had barely taken two steps after getting off the bus when my foot slipped, and I cried out "Ouch!" as I fell hard on my backside.

The driver was startled and quickly ran over to help him up: "District Chief Sun, are you alright?"

The fall wasn't serious, and my winter clothes were thick, but I was in a mess. More importantly, the fall completely ignited the anger in my heart.

Although Sun Liancheng was not considered a great villain in the Han Dong officialdom, and was even fairly decent in his daily life, he was ultimately not a saint.

His attempt to shift blame to the director of the petition office and his subsequent criticism during the "kneeling window" incident revealed that he is still a "qualified" bureaucrat at heart.

At this moment, his emotions surged, and he got up, brushed the ice shards off his body, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

He took out his phone and dialed the number of the director of the district government office. Regardless of the fact that it was late at night, he immediately launched into a tirade of reprimands:

"What have you done?! It snowed and ice formed, did you even take any anti-skid and de-icing measures on the main roads? Don't you care about the lives and property of the people?"

He angrily cursed for several minutes until the other party repeatedly assured him that they would arrange for someone to handle the situation. Only then did Sun Liancheng hang up the phone, still furious, and limp home—he probably wouldn't be in the mood to watch the Quadrantid meteor shower tonight.

Meanwhile, Cheng Du, the director of the Guangming District Public Security Bureau, received a call from Ding Yizhen.

Over the phone, Vice Mayor Ding asked him in a serious tone to "think of a solution," "negotiate with the Shanshui Group again," and "come up with a sound solution as soon as possible to resolve the problem at Dafeng Factory." He also made it clear that this was "something that Secretary Li was very concerned about."

Cheng Du hung up the phone, rubbed his throbbing temples, and then dialed his trusted aide, preparing to devise some "unconventional" pressure tactics. Unexpectedly, his aide complained bitterly on the other end of the line:

"Director Cheng, this won't do! We just received a notice from the district government office requiring our branch to mobilize all available police forces, except for essential on-duty personnel, to cooperate with the district-wide snow removal and ice clearing operation tomorrow! It's said that District Chief Sun personally gave the order, emphasizing the need to ensure the safety of people's livelihoods! We simply can't spare any manpower!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Du paused for a few seconds, then couldn't help but spit on the ground and scratched his hair in frustration.

"Damn it! What kind of mess is this?!"

So, on this Saturday in January 2017, a special "scene" appeared in Guangming District of Jingzhou City: except for those on duty, all levels of administrative organs, public institutions, state-owned enterprises, and even teachers and staff of primary and secondary schools in the district were mobilized to take to the streets for a massive snow removal and ice clearing campaign.

Chapter 104 Ding Yizhen ran away

Qi Tongwei certainly understood that appearing more humble and compliant might earn him more favor from Gao Yuliang, making the handover of the "Handa Gang" smoother.

But for him, "smooth sailing" is not the primary goal; "speed" is the key.

Time is his scarcest resource.

If he always communicates with Gao Yuliang as a student looking up to his teacher, the initiative will always be in the teacher's hands. When and how much power he relinquishes will depend on the other party's mood and pace, which is unacceptable to Qi Tongwei.

On the other hand, although Gao Yuliang himself was clean in this life, the "Han Da Gang" inevitably absorbed many former members of the Zhao Family Gang during its expansion, resulting in a mixed bag of people, both good and bad.

Qi Tongwei had no intention of accepting this "gift package" entirely; what he needed was to discern and eliminate it. An overly compliant attitude would actually hinder his subsequent actions.

Therefore, he chose to show moderate toughness. He knew Gao Yuliang well; with a teacher's cultivation and political wisdom, even if he was unhappy, he would maintain a "struggle without breaking down" situation and not let the conflict escalate to an uncontrollable level.

As for the rift in the teacher-student relationship? Qi Tongwei believes that once he has successfully taken over and reorganized the situation, and Gao Yuliang has also safely stepped down to the second line, he will have plenty of time and methods to mend it.

Now, he must race against time.

The next day, when he officially started work, Qi Tongwei's first activity was to visit Governor Liu.

If Gao Yuliang was "reluctant to accept defeat," then Governor Liu was a typical example of "waiting to retire."

He rarely gets involved in specific matters anymore, pushing things aside whenever possible to avoid making any major decisions that might cause controversy, seeking only a smooth landing.

Qi Tongwei held a meeting with this nominal government leader for more than an hour.

The communication was pragmatic, and both sides quickly reached a basic understanding:

Governor Liu is willing to relinquish some decision-making and leadership authority over daily operations to Qi Tongwei, enabling him to truly operate the government system as the Executive Vice Governor. In exchange, Qi Tongwei must adhere to two principles before Governor Liu officially steps down: First, he must fully uphold Governor Liu's authority as Governor and maintain respect in public and in procedures; second, during this period, he must not initiate any new projects or decisions with significant political or economic risks, so as to avoid unforeseen complications.

Qi Tongwei readily agreed with this.

Having served as the Director of Public Security under Governor Liu for many years in his previous life, he was already familiar with the man's mentality and style of doing things, so this deal was not unexpected. This was exactly what he needed at the moment—a space where he could carry out substantive work without having to immediately assume all the highest responsibilities.

In the following week, Qi Tongwei entered a high-intensity work mode: studying the government work reports and economic data of previous years, holding consecutive work meetings in his area of ​​responsibility, and summoning key department heads one by one to hear their reports.

In just seven days, he gained a preliminary understanding of the economic and social conditions of Handong Province, the government's operational structure, and the capabilities and characteristics of key officials.

That evening, Qi Tongwei had just finished a video call with He Xuan and their two children in Beijing and was preparing for bed when his phone rang. It was Luo Xuejun, Gao Yuliang's secretary.

"Governor Qi, I apologize for disturbing you so late. Secretary Gao requests your presence at the Provincial Party Committee now, as there is an urgent matter that needs to be discussed."

Qi Tongwei's spirits lifted.

coming.

When he strode into Gao Yuliang's spacious office, several people were already seated inside, and the atmosphere was heavy.

Gao Yuliang, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission;

Li Dakang, member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee;

Ji Changming, Chief Prosecutor of the Provincial People's Procuratorate;

Xiao Gangyu, Director of the Provincial Public Security Department;

Chen Hai, Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Provincial Procuratorate.

Qi Tongwei nodded to the others and sat down in the spot indicated by Gao Yuliang.

Ji Changming immediately spoke, his tone serious:

"Governor Qi, this is the situation. While investigating the case of Zhao Dehan, a section chief in a certain ministry, the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Supreme People's Procuratorate discovered a major bribery lead linking him to Ding Yizhen, the vice mayor of Jingzhou City in our province. The Bureau has ordered us to immediately take measures to control Ding Yizhen."

Qi Tongwei nodded calmly. He knew the whole story perfectly well, but at this moment he was just a listener.

Next, it was Li Dakang's "performance time".

He was slightly agitated and insisted that Ding Yizhen be kept under control within the province and investigated by the provincial procuratorate or the provincial discipline inspection commission. He emphasized that this was to "control the impact" and avoid unnecessary panic from the outside world regarding Jingzhou, especially the Guangmingfeng project involving hundreds of billions of yuan in investment, so as to avoid repeating the mistake of "the mass exodus of investors from Lincheng" in the past.

The two sides—mainly Li Dakang and Ji Changming and Chen Hai—engaged in a heated debate over "control methods," "impact assessment," and "case-handling authority."

Gao Yuliang chaired the meeting.

Midway through, Gao Yuliang specifically turned to Qi Tongwei: "Governor Tongwei, you are the Executive Vice Governor, in charge of economic work. What is your view on the impact of the Guangming Peak project?"

Qi Tongwei bowed slightly, his tone calm yet detached: "Secretary Yuliang, this matter is special, involving judicial procedures and cadre management. I work for the government and am not familiar with the specific case-handling procedures. I trust the judgment of the Provincial Party Committee and the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and I will listen to the opinions of Secretary Yuliang and everyone else."

He gently pushed the ball back, neither supporting Li Dakang's "local protection" tendencies nor echoing the prosecution's "immediate control" demands, maintaining a delicate neutrality.

The debate continued for a long time, and Gao Yuliang could not reach a consensus. Finally, he made a decision: "In this case, this matter is of great importance. I will immediately report to Secretary Sha Ruijin by phone and ask for the opinion of the Provincial Party Committee."

As the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Gao Yuliang had considerable decision-making power to take coercive measures against a provincial-level official at the ministerial level.

However, this matter involves too many people—the Guangmingfeng project is the face of Li Dakang and even the entire province, and Ding Yizhen is the core operator. Once arrests are made and a chain reaction is triggered, no one will be able to bear the responsibility.