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

He could only instruct his subordinates: "Make preparations for the reception, and arrange the meeting to the highest standards."

The following morning, in the conference room of the Jingzhou Municipal Government.

The oval conference table was full of people.

On one side were relevant leaders from the provincial and municipal governments, and on the other side were the heads of the major investment companies of the Guangming Peak project.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy, with everyone's face showing scrutiny and unease.

Qi Tongwei sat in the main seat, his expression calm.

Li Dakang sat to the side, with several leaders from the provincial and municipal finance, development and reform, and construction departments, as well as Sun Liancheng, the head of Guangming District, lined up in order.

"Distinguished entrepreneurs," Qi Tongwei began, his voice steady and strong, "I've invited you all here today primarily to gather your opinions on the progress of the Guangming Peak project and to address any practical difficulties. The Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government attach great importance to this project; it is not only an engine for Jingzhou's development but also a significant benchmark for industrial upgrading and urban renewal across the province."

He started with some general, encouraging platitudes, then abruptly changed the subject and got to the point:

"I know everyone is concerned about the Ding Yizhen case. The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Provincial Procuratorate are currently investigating it in accordance with the law. Here I can tell you clearly: the province's attitude towards the issue of Ding Yizhen soliciting bribes from you is clear—after the investigation is completed, his illegal gains will be recovered in accordance with the law, but it will absolutely not implicate compliant businesses. Whoever is responsible will be held responsible; the legitimate rights and interests of the businesses that need to be protected will definitely be protected by the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government."

After he finished speaking, the conference room fell silent for a moment.

These words, spoken by Qi Tongwei, carry a completely different weight. He is not merely conveying policy, but rather endorsing it as the future governor.

Which of the businessmen present wasn't shrewd? They immediately grasped the deeper meaning behind his words—as long as their own involvement wasn't too deep, their "transactions" with Ding Yizhen could be classified as "forced bribery" or "being extorted," and they wouldn't be held accountable.

You can almost hear a few barely perceptible, relaxed exhales.

Next, several business leaders spoke in turn, raising some specific issues encountered in the project's progress: approval process, supporting infrastructure, funding coordination, etc. Qi Tongwei listened attentively, occasionally turning his head to whisper a few words to Li Dakang or relevant bureau chiefs, giving principled answers or arranging follow-up on the spot.

The atmosphere gradually warmed up.

Just as the meeting was entering its second half, the meeting room door was pushed open.

Two elderly people came in.

The man in front, though old and frail, stood ramrod straight, his face bearing a stubborn air of "righteousness"; the man behind him wore glasses and appeared refined, but his eyes betrayed an undisguised shrewdness and cowardice.

It was Chen Yanshi and Zheng Xipo.

As soon as Chen Yanshi entered, his gaze locked onto Qi Tongwei, who was sitting in the main seat. His voice was loud and clear, yet carried an air of self-righteous arrogance stemming from his age:

“Governor Qi! I wrote to Secretary Dakang before, but he didn’t reply; I went to his office to find him, but he wouldn’t see me. Today you’re holding a meeting about the Guangmingfeng project, but what about the rights and interests of the more than 1,000 employees of our Dafeng Factory? We can’t just look after the capitalists and neglect the workers!”

A huge hat was slapped down on my face.

Li Dakang's expression darkened slightly as he stood up and introduced, "Governor Qi, this is Comrade Chen Yanshi, a retired leader from our provincial procuratorate."

Qi Tongwei remained seated, nodding slightly with a hint of a smile on his face: "Old Chen, I know him."

Chen Yanshi looked at Qi Tongwei's calm and composed posture, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes—there was scrutiny, memories, and perhaps even a trace of regret.

When he realized that Qi Tongwei had not gotten up to greet him as he had expected, a surge of inexplicable anger welled up inside him.

He took two steps forward, his voice suddenly rising, carrying a deliberate emphasis on "origins":

"Tongwei, you're a provincial governor now, not that poor kid from the countryside who passed the exams. Your status has changed, but your heart can't change. You can't side with the capitalists, and you can't forget your roots!"

These words were quite blunt, bringing up Qi Tongwei's background and laying it out on the table.

It's as if in this way he can regain some moral or seniority.

Qi Tongwei's smile remained unchanged as he turned to look at Li Dakang, his tone as calm as if he were asking about something unrelated to him: "Secretary Dakang, what's going on?"

Qi Tongwei knew perfectly well what was going on at Dafeng Factory; this was just going through the motions and putting on a show.

Li Dakang explained, “Governor Qi, Dafeng Factory is located in the core area of ​​the Guangmingfeng project. The factory’s shareholding structure is that the original factory director, Cai Chenggong, held 51% of the shares, and the employees held 49%. In previous years, the factory was in financial difficulty, and Cai Chenggong used all of his shares as collateral to borrow 45 million yuan from Shanshui Group for working capital. Later, he defaulted on the loan, and the shares were used to offset the debt to Shanshui Group.”

“We workers were unaware of that pledge agreement! The signature was forged by Cai Chenggong, so it doesn’t count!” Zheng Xipo, who was supporting Chen Yanshi, couldn’t help but interject.

Li Dakang frowned—he didn't know Zheng Xipo.

Just as Sun Liancheng was about to introduce them, Qi Tongwei waved his hand.

“Master Zheng Xipo, right?” Qi Tongwei’s gaze fell on Zheng Xipo’s face.

Zheng Xipo was taken aback: "You...you know me?"

“When Dafeng Factory was being restructured, I came here with my mentor, Professor Li Yiqing, to conduct research. At that time, the factory was still called the First State-owned Textile Factory of Handong Province.” Qi Tongwei said calmly, “In the initial restructuring plan, the employee shareholding was only designed to be 30%. It was Professor Li who led our research group to repeatedly demonstrate and argue on the grounds that it was increased to 49%.”

He paused, then turned his gaze to Chen Yanshi, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Old Chen, you just said I 'stood on the side of the capitalists,' but that's a misrepresentation. Putting aside everything else, I've been fighting for the rights of workers for a long time."

Chen Yanshi was momentarily speechless at these words, but immediately retorted, "Then you should make Shanshui Group return the shares to the workers right now!"

Qi Tongwei ignored that question and instead asked, "Where is Cai Chenggong, the current head of Dafeng Factory?"

"They ran away! I don't know where they've hidden for ages!" Chen Yanshi said irritably.

"In other words, from the current perspective, Shanshui Group is also a victim—they paid 45 million yuan but did not receive complete and legal equity." Qi Tongwei analyzed in detail, "Who should the workers ask for that 49% equity? They should ask Cai Chenggong, who absconded with the money, not Shanshui Group, which paid the price but is now embroiled in disputes."

Chen Yanshi reacted quickly, immediately grasping another line of reasoning: "The workers are also victims! They didn't sign, so their shares shouldn't be used to offset debts! Shanshui Group should return the shares to the workers first, and then they can go and collect their debts from Cai Chenggong themselves! Why should the workers be wronged instead of Shanshui Group being wronged?"

This statement sounds rather arrogant, like "I am weak, therefore I am right," but it cleverly shifts the focus of the conflict from "Shanshui Group is the victim" to the dilemma of "workers having to choose between Shanshui Group and the workers."

He's a shrewd and experienced rhetorician.

Qi Tongwei naturally wouldn't choose from these options, or rather, he would never choose an option given to him by others.

He leaned back slightly, his tone turning serious:

"Were legal avenues explored? What was the court's ruling?"

"The court?" Chen Yanshi scoffed, his face full of disdain. "The court, Ding Yizhen, and the Shanshui Group are all in cahoots! Of course the verdict is biased towards them!"

That's exactly what I was waiting for.

Qi Tongwei's face suddenly darkened. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling intensity that instantly seemed to lower the temperature in the conference room.

"Comrade Chen Yanshi!"

He used the title "comrade" instead of "Old Chen".

"You served as the deputy chief prosecutor of the provincial procuratorate for nearly twenty years, and you are a veteran party member with over seventy years of party membership. Don't you know what you can and cannot say?"

Chen Yanshi had not been reprimanded so harshly in public for many years, and his old face immediately turned red: "What did I say? I..."

“You just said, ‘The court is in cahoots with Ding Yizhen and the Shanshui Group.’” Qi Tongwei repeated, enunciating each word clearly, his gaze sharp as a knife. “You’re not an ordinary citizen; you’re a veteran cadre of the Party. In such a formal setting, in front of so many entrepreneurs and government officials, you openly made such baseless remarks that seriously damage the credibility of the judiciary—have you considered the consequences?”

He paused slightly, letting each word strike the silent air:

"To put it more bluntly, you are separating the Party from the people!"

Labeling? Anyone can do that.

Chen Yanshi's forehead veins bulged, and his age spots were particularly noticeable under his excited expression: "They're all in cahoots! Who in Jingzhou doesn't know? Ding Yizhen and that Chen Qingquan from the court are always running to Shanshui Manor!"

"Where's the evidence?" Qi Tongwei remained unmoved. "If you have solid evidence, produce it now, and I can arrange for someone to record it on the spot and hand it over to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection for investigation. If you don't have evidence—"

His gaze swept across the entire room, finally settling on Chen Yanshi's face, his voice deep and powerful:

"The masses can say such things; that's their right to supervise. But as a senior cadre who has received Party education for many years, can you publicly characterize and accuse the judicial system of corruption based on hearsay and subjective conjecture? Mr. Chen, you have retired, but the discipline and political awareness of Party members cannot retire as well."

Chen Yanshi's chest heaved violently as he pointed at Qi Tongwei, his fingers trembling, but he was speechless for a moment.

Qi Tongwei stopped looking at him and spoke clearly throughout the conference room, as if to himself:

“The night before last, I severely criticized Comrade Chen Hai, the director of the Provincial Anti-Corruption Bureau. His lack of organization and discipline, and his unauthorized actions, led to the death of Ding Yizhen, a key suspect. At the time, I was thinking, Comrade Chen Hai is also from the political and legal system, his father is a highly respected senior procurator, and he himself has worked in the system for many years. How could he make such a big mistake in basic principles and procedures?”

He shook his head slightly, his sigh filled with undisguised disappointment:

"Now it seems... sigh..."

Qi Tongwei didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood his unspoken meaning:

If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too.

"You...you..." Chen Yanshi trembled all over, his eyes wide open, pointing at Qi Tongwei. Suddenly, he took a deep breath, made a "hoarse" sound in his throat, and fell straight backward!

"Old Chen!"

"Quick, help her up!"

Zheng Xipo and Li Dakang were closest to each other, and hurriedly stepped forward to help him up.

Chen Yanshi closed his eyes, his face turned pale, and he collapsed into Zheng Xipo's arms, looking as if he had fainted from anger and distress.

A commotion broke out in the conference room.

Whether or not one likes Chen Yanshi, he is, after all, an elderly man over eighty years old. If something were to happen to him here, no one could bear the responsibility.

Qi Tongwei knew all too well—this old guy was faking unconsciousness.

In his previous life, when he ordered someone to run over Chen Hai and turn him into a vegetable, Chen Yanshi did not fall down.

This old man's willpower and resilience are far beyond what ordinary elderly people can match.

Could this little verbal exchange really make him "flustered"?

Qi Tongwei sneered inwardly, but suddenly put on a "concerned" expression, stood up abruptly, and strode over.

"Quick! Lay Old Chen flat! Keep his airway clear!" he commanded, while using his size to push aside Li Dakang and Zheng Xipo who were surrounding him.

Zheng Xipo, at a loss, gently laid Chen Yanshi flat on the carpet.

Qi Tongwei quickly unbuttoned the top two buttons of Chen Yanshi's shirt, then turned to Huang Qiaosong, who had just followed in, and said, "Call 120, call an ambulance!"

Then, without hesitation, he slightly bent his knees, folded his hands, found the right position, and began to perform CPR on Chen Yanshi.

The movements were standard, and the force was steady—even a little too "steady".

Each press was firm and solid, accompanied by a slight "creak" from the sternum. Although Chen Yanshi kept his eyes tightly closed, pretending to be unconscious, the veins on his forehead and neck bulged uncontrollably, and the corners of his mouth even twitched slightly.

As Qi Tongwei pressed the button, he kept an eye on Chen Yanshi's reaction: This old man is really good at enduring.

Qi Tongwei had an idea. His lips twitched slightly, but he forced a smile and turned to Zheng Xipo, saying:

"Master Zheng! Quick! I can't free my hands, you give Old Chen CPR! Alternate, don't stop!"

"Ah? I...I?" Zheng Xipo shuddered, his face turned pale, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

Qi Tongwei turned his gaze to Li Dakang beside him.

Li Dakang's heart skipped a beat. He immediately put on a stern face and said to Zheng Xipo in a deep voice, "Zheng Xipo! Old Chen has been working so hard for the workers of your Dafeng Factory. Now the situation is critical. What are you hesitating for? Saving lives is the priority!"

"Yes, Master Zheng!"

"Quick!"

"Careful respiration: pinch the nose and blow air into the mouth!"