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

"Um?"

Why did you take a liking to me back in Hanzhong University?

Zhong Xiaoai paused for a moment, then laughed: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"I just... want to know."

Zhong Xiaoai thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Because you are a clean person."

"clean?"

"Yes, clean." Her gaze softened. "Back then, the male students in the Law Department of Han University were either from powerful backgrounds like Chen Hai, or deep-seated thoughts like Qi Tongwei. I've seen plenty of those people at home. Only you seemed the most ordinary, yet also the most transparent. What you thought was written all over your face; what you did was never hidden. I like that feeling, it's reassuring."

Hou Liangping was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this.

She paused, then added, "Of course, you're not bad looking either."

Chapter 123 The Monkey Takes Office

Just do what you're told.

Knowing that he was about to leave Beijing for Handong, Hou Liangping worked extra hard these past two nights.

Zhong Xiaoai lay in his arms, her forehead beaded with sweat, and sighed softly, "They say power is the best aphrodisiac for men, and it's certainly true."

Hou Liangping's mind was wandering as he pondered the situation in Handong. He didn't hear clearly and casually replied, "What weakness? Where is there weakness?"

Zhong Xiaoai was both annoyed and amused. She turned to the side and drew a circle on his chest with her finger: "How could Director Hou be weak? Then... let's do it again?"

Hou Liangping's expression changed drastically: "I have to catch the high-speed train first thing tomorrow morning! It's my first day on the job, I can't possibly go to report for duty with dark circles under my eyes..."

"Oh?" Zhong Xiaoai smiled faintly. "Who just said it wasn't a lie?"

Hou Liangping muttered things like "the pressure is immense" and "the mental tension is no joke," filling the room with a cheerful atmosphere.

The next morning, the high-speed train departed from Beijing South Station on time.

The scenery outside the window rushed past, gradually transitioning from the bleak autumn colors of the North China Plain to the open fields of the Central Plains. Hou Liangping leaned back in his chair, holding a document about Handong Province in his hand, but his eyes were fixed on the view outside the window, lost in thought.

What kept echoing in my mind were my father-in-law Zhong Zhengguo's words—

"This may be your only chance in this lifetime."

More than three hours later, the train slowly pulled into Jingzhou Station, the capital of Handong Province.

After leaving the station, Hou Liangping made no announcement or notified anyone to pick him up. He took a taxi and went straight to the Provincial Procuratorate.

The provincial procuratorate building remains unchanged; its gray-white exterior appears somewhat worn under the autumn sun, while the two stone lions at the entrance stand majestically, like two loyal guards, silently watching over the coming and going crowds.

Hou Liangping registered at the gate, stating his name and purpose of visit.

The gatekeeper was an older man in his fifties, wearing reading glasses. Upon hearing that he was the new head of the anti-corruption bureau, his eyes gleamed noticeably behind his glasses. He quickly put down his teacup and called the office to report.

Before long, a young staff member rushed down and led him up to the fourth floor with a big smile.

Ji Changming's office door was ajar. The clerk knocked on the door, and a calm "Come in" came from inside.

Pushing open the door, I saw Ji Changming sitting behind his desk reading documents, his reading glasses perched on his nose, drawing something on the edge of the document with a pen in his hand. Upon seeing Hou Liangping, he immediately took off his glasses, stood up, and his face was full of smiles.

"Oh, Liangping, you've finally arrived!"

He walked around the desk and warmly extended his hands, "You must have had a long journey. Why didn't you let me know beforehand so I could have sent someone to pick you up?"

Hou Liangping shook hands with him and said with a smile, "Prosecutor Ji, I was just afraid of causing you trouble. Besides, this isn't my first time in Handong. I could find the Provincial Procuratorate with my eyes closed."

"That's true, you're a graduate of Hanzhong University too." Ji Changming gestured for him to sit down, personally filling a glass of water from the water dispenser and handing it to him. "Come on, have some water and rest a bit. Didn't you eat anything on the train? Want the cafeteria to get you something?"

"No need, no need." Hou Liangping took the water glass but didn't drink it. He got straight to the point, "Prosecutor Ji, I want to familiarize myself with the situation as soon as possible and get involved in the work and the case."

Ji Changming's smile faltered slightly, but then returned to normal.

“I admire your enthusiasm for your work.” He drew out his words, sat down opposite Hou Liangping, and leaned back slightly. “However… without the official appointment document from the Provincial Party Committee, you are not yet the Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Handong Province, and you cannot officially handle cases.”

"Has the Supreme People's Procuratorate already sent a letter?" Hou Liangping frowned.

"The letter has been sent, but the provincial Party committee's organization department still needs to go through the procedures, which will probably take another two or three days," Ji Changming said with a smile, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "Don't worry, just make do for now. Stay at our procuratorate's guesthouse, it's upstairs. I'll go with you to take a look. It's a suite, and the facilities are quite good."

Hou Liangping was a little impatient: "It doesn't matter where I live, I just want to get back to work as soon as possible."

Ji Changming's smile remained on his face, but his eyes narrowed, and his tone became more meaningful: "Comrade Liangping, what's the rush? The necessary procedures still need to be followed. Don't worry about the case for now, come with me to see the room..."

Hou Liangping blurted out, "Procedures, procedures... Last time, it was because of following the procedures that Ding Yizhen made such a big mess?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he had made a mistake.

The air in the office suddenly froze.

Ji Changming's smile slowly faded, as if it had been erased bit by bit with an eraser.

He stared at Hou Liangping for a few seconds, his voice low but clear:

"Comrade Hou Liangping, now that you've arrived in Handong, you need to change your mindset. This isn't the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and you're not here on behalf of the Supreme People's Procuratorate to hold people accountable. The Provincial Party Committee has already set the tone for Ding Yizhen's case, and Chen Hai has already paid the price. Don't say things you shouldn't."

He pronounced the last four words with exceptional clarity.

Hou Liangping took a deep breath to suppress the irritation in his heart.

I had just talked to Xiao Ai the night before last, emphasizing the need to follow procedures, rules, discipline, and the law. However, he's used to "acting expediently" at the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and today, being his first day in office, he was so excited that his true nature was revealed.

And to be honest, like Chen Hai, he had always looked down on this cautious chief prosecutor who always sought instructions.

"I misspoke." His tone softened. "I was just anxious. Cai Chenggong's accusation involves the wife of an important leader in the Handong Provincial Party Committee. If anything happens to Cai Chenggong, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

Seeing that he had softened, Ji Changming's expression also relaxed, and he put on a smile again: "Comrade Liangping wants to get back to work as soon as possible, which is a good spirit. But there's really no need to rush. You just arrived today, so I'll give you a day off to settle in first."

He paused, then said casually, "By the way, you can also go and chat with Chen Hai. Although he's been transferred to the oil and gas group now, he's still your old classmate and partner, and he knows the situation in Handong better than anyone else."

Hou Liangping shook his head: "No need, Inspector Ji. I have something that needs to be done immediately—Cai Chenggong, an important witness to the January 16 Incident, needs to be protected right away."

Ji Changming narrowed his eyes, his smile unwavering: "Oh? Cai Chenggong?"

"Yes. This person holds crucial evidence in the Dafeng Factory equity dispute. If something goes wrong with him, the breakthrough in the entire case will be lost."

Ji Changming pondered for a moment, tapped his fingers on the table twice, and nodded: "Alright, then, I'll take you to meet your colleagues from the Anti-Corruption Bureau first, so you can get to know each other. We'll arrange Cai Chenggong's matter after you meet with them."

He stood up and patted Hou Liangping on the shoulder: "Let's go, Monkey King."

Chapter 124 Conflict

The Anti-Corruption Bureau occupies half a floor of the third floor of the Procuratorate building.

Several faded propaganda slogans were posted in the corridor, with old sayings like "Fight corruption and promote integrity, keep the alarm bells ringing," which looked like they had been hanging there for many years.

When Ji Changming led Hou Liangping into the conference room, all the cadres above the section level had already arrived.

A dozen or so people were sitting around the oval conference table. Some were looking down at their phones, while others were talking quietly. When they heard the door open, they all looked up at the table.

In their gazes, there was curiosity, scrutiny, and alienation—but no welcome.

Deputy Director Lü Liang sat in the front seat. He was in his early fifties, with most of his hair already gray. His expression was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger. He held a thermos in his hand, slowly unscrewing the lid and blowing on the steam inside.

Section Chief Lu Yike stood to the side, arms crossed, her eyes filled with undisguised scrutiny, even a hint of hostility. She wore a smart business suit, her short hair neatly tucked behind her ears, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.

Lin Huahua stood beside Lu Yike, her young face showing a hint of naivety, but her gaze toward Hou Liangping was equally cold, clearly following Lu Yike's lead.

Zhou Zheng stood at the very back, hesitant to speak, and finally just gave an awkward smile as a greeting.

The atmosphere was so subtle it felt like it had frozen.

Ji Changming said with a smile, "Let me introduce you. This is Comrade Hou Liangping, sent by the Supreme People's Procuratorate. He will be serving as the director of our Anti-Corruption Bureau from now on. The appointment document is being processed. Comrade Liangping has a case to handle, so we will handle it on a case-by-case basis."

He patted Hou Liangping on the shoulder: "Comrade Liangping, please introduce the case to everyone. I have a meeting to attend, so I'll take my leave first."

After speaking, Ji Changming nodded to everyone, turned around and left the conference room, leaving Hou Liangping alone in front of this group of people who "didn't welcome" him.

No one spoke.

Silence hung like a leaden weight over the conference room.

Lu Yike gave a cold "humph," her voice not loud, but loud enough for everyone present to hear. She lowered her head, flipping through the materials in front of her, muttering to herself, or perhaps deliberately speaking to someone: "Some people would go to great lengths for their brothers, while others... well, they'll stab their brothers in the back right away. Tsk."

Lin Huahua couldn't help but chuckle, then quickly covered her mouth, pretending to cough.

Hou Liangping smiled bitterly to himself, but remained outwardly composed.

He knew that these people were Chen Hai's old subordinates, who had followed Chen Hai through thick and thin for many years and had long formed a close-knit group. Now that Chen Hai had been transferred away and he, an outsider, had been parachuted in, it was normal for them to feel uncomfortable.

“I said, beautiful section chief—” he began.

Lu Yike suddenly turned her head and glared at him, her eyes almost spitting fire.

Hou Liangping quickly waved his hand, softening his tone: "Director Lu, although Chen Hai's matter was caused by me, it really wasn't me who stole his bureau chief position. This matter... is a long story, we can talk about it slowly when there's a chance in the future."

No one responded.

The atmosphere in the meeting room remained as stiff as a rock.

Lü Liang broke the silence. He put down his thermos, slowly stood up, and nodded to Hou Liangping: "Director Hou, you two continue discussing the case. I'll take my leave first."

Hou Liangping quickly stopped him: "Wait, Deputy Director Lü, where are you going? I'm counting on you here!"

Lü Liang waved his hand, a helpless smile on his face: "No, no, no, Director Hou, you mustn't count on me. I'm unreliable, I might collapse any day now."

"Where are you going?" Hou Liangping pressed. "Let's go. We have to give everyone an explanation."

Lü Liang sighed, looking exhausted: "Of course there are explanations. Now that you're here, I can finally go to the hospital for treatment."

"Treat the illness?" Hou Liangping was taken aback. "Before treating the illness, could you please tell me about the case?"

Lü Liang shook his head, picked up his thermos, and walked towards the door: "The comrades all know about the case, you can talk to them. I won't keep everyone from working."

After saying that, he walked out without looking back.

The conference room door closed softly behind me with a muffled thud.

Hou Liangping stood there, watching Lü Liang's departing figure, secretly lamenting his misfortune.

Lü Liang was older and more experienced than both Chen Hai and himself, and he had assumed that with Chen Hai's transfer, the position of bureau chief would surely be his. Unexpectedly, the Supreme People's Procuratorate parachuted in Hou Liangping, effectively blocking any path for advancement. His resentment was perfectly understandable.

He took a deep breath, turned to Lu Yike and the others, and tried to make his tone sound amiable: "Colleagues, I know you're all upset. Chen Hai is my college classmate and a good brother of many years. I'm more heartbroken than anyone else that something like this happened to him. But sadness aside, work still needs to be done. The Dafeng Factory case, and Cai Chenggong's side..."

Lu Yike coldly interrupted him: "Director Hou, you're right, the work needs to be done. But how to do it and to what extent, I think we should first communicate with Chen Hai. After all, he handled this case from the ground up, and he knows it best."

The words were spoken politely, but the meaning was very clear—you were parachuted in, and we only recognize Chen Hai.