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

He wanted to call Xiao Ai, but when he checked the time, it was too late, and he was afraid of waking her up.

Lying on the soft bed in the guesthouse, Hou Liangping stared at the ceiling, his mind racing.

He drifted off to sleep after an unknown amount of time.

The next morning, Hou Liangping was woken up by his cell phone ringing.

He rubbed his eyes and looked at the screen—Ji Changming.

"Hey, Lao Ji?"

He subconsciously still used that form of address.

"Liangping, are you awake?" Ji Changming's voice on the other end of the phone was unreadable. "I have something important to tell you."

"what's up?"

"Secretary Sha is back." Ji Changming paused. "He wants to see you."

Hou Liangping suddenly came to his senses.

Sha Ruijin?

"When?"

"At 10:00 AM this morning, at the Provincial Party Committee building. Comrade Liangping, Secretary Sha has personally requested to see you, so please prepare accordingly."

After hanging up the phone, Hou Liangping sat on the edge of the bed, his heart filled with complex emotions.

Sha Ruijin has finally concluded his research in Handong. This meeting in Jingzhou is to convene a standing committee meeting regarding personnel appointments.

Before that, he needs to see himself.

what does this mean?

Hou Liangping didn't dare to think too much. He quickly got up, washed up, and changed into the dark suit that Zhong Xiaoai had specially prepared for him.

In the mirror, a slightly tired but spirited middle-aged man looked at him.

He took a deep breath in front of the mirror, straightened his tie, and muttered to himself:

"This is your opportunity, and also your test."

"Don't mess this up, Director Hou."

PS: This is 7.5k words for the third update, which is indeed the author's limit. If it's convenient for you readers, could you please give it a 5-star review? You can click the three dots in the upper right corner to rate it. Many readers won't read a book unless it gets a 9-star rating.

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Thank you!

Chapter 126 The Meeting with Sha Ruijin

The provincial party committee compound is located in the center of Jingzhou City, with red walls, gray tiles, and ancient cypress trees, exuding a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Hou Liangping followed Ji Changming's car into the compound, and the journey was unimpeded—the provincial procuratorate's license plates were naturally a familiar sight here.

The car stopped in front of Building No. 1, and the two got out and walked up the white marble steps.

Building No. 1 is the office of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee. It is a five-story building with a simple exterior, but a surprisingly spacious interior.

The corridor was covered with a deep red carpet, which made no sound when you stepped on it.

Several landscape paintings hung on the wall, all signed by famous artists. A faint scent of sandalwood permeated the air, its origin unknown.

The provincial party secretary's office was on the fifth floor at the far east end. A young staff member stood at the door. When he saw Ji Changming and Hou Liangping walking over, he nodded slightly and gently knocked on the door.

"Please come in." A steady voice came from inside.

The staff member pushed open the door and stepped aside to let the two people in.

The moment Hou Liangping stepped across the threshold, he subconsciously glanced around.

The office is large, at least 60 or 70 square meters. Directly opposite the door is a large mahogany desk, on which are placed files, a telephone, and a green-shaded desk lamp, all neatly organized.

Behind the desk was a row of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, crammed with all sorts of books and file boxes.

To the left is a set of dark brown leather sofas, with a coffee table in the middle, on which sits a set of blue and white porcelain tea set; on the right wall hangs a huge map of Handong Province, densely marked with various cities, counties and districts.

The windows were large, and sunlight streamed in through the white sheer curtains, bathing the entire room in a warm glow. Several potted plants sat on the windowsill, exuding vitality.

Hou Liangping sighed inwardly. He had never been to his father-in-law Zhong Zhengguo's office, but he had seen the offices of some provincial and ministerial-level officials over the years, none of which were as grand as this one.

Come to think of it, a regional governor who governs a region is definitely more free than an official in a ministry in the capital.

The emperor is far away, so the sky is high and the emperor is far away.

Sha Ruijin had not yet arrived. The two were led by staff to sit on the sofa in the reception area and were served two cups of hot tea.

"Secretary Sha will be here shortly, please wait a moment." After saying this, the staff member quietly withdrew.

Hou Liangping picked up the teacup and took a symbolic sip. It was good tea, Longjing, with a refreshing aroma and sweet aftertaste.

He glanced at Ji Changming and found that the old chief prosecutor was sitting upright, looking straight ahead, with a calm and expressionless face that revealed no emotion.

Hou Liangping secretly admired him.

That's the composure of an old fox.

His own heart was beating a few beats faster than usual. Although he appeared calm on the surface, his palms were already slightly sweaty.

After all, it was the provincial party secretary who personally summoned him. Although he had his father-in-law's background and the endorsement of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, who can say for sure what will happen in officialdom?

Whether Sha Ruijin's attitude is supportive or perfunctory, whether he will be given important responsibilities or left out, will all be revealed in today's conversation.

It should be noted that his organizational affiliation had been transferred to Handong, and Sha Ruijin could decide his promotion.

Time ticked by, second by second. Hou Liangping felt as if he were sitting on an oven, every second an ordeal.

Just past ten o'clock, footsteps sounded outside. The door was pushed open, and a burly middle-aged man strode in, followed by a young man wearing glasses.

Hou Liangping immediately stood up.

The visitor was none other than Sha Ruijin, the Secretary of the Handong Provincial Party Committee.

He was fifty-seven or fifty-eight years old, tall, with a square face, slightly graying temples, and deep, sharp eyes.

He wore a dark gray jacket, dressed simply, but the aura he exuded was not to be underestimated.

The phrase "walking with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger" perfectly describes him.

"Old Ji!" Sha Ruijin greeted him with a smile as soon as he entered the door, his voice loud and friendly. "Sit down, sit down, don't stand."

Ji Changming quickly stepped forward and bowed slightly: "Hello, Secretary Sha!" He then turned to the young man behind Sha Ruijin and extended his hand: "Hello, Director Bai."

The young man was Bai Jingwen, the director of the First Comprehensive Division of the Provincial Party Committee Office, and Sha Ruijin's chief secretary.

He adjusted his glasses, politely shook hands with Ji Changming, then stepped aside and stood silently.

Hou Liangping also stood up, but did not speak immediately.

He was waiting for Ji Changming's introduction.

This is the rule in officialdom. When two strangers meet for the first time, an intermediary must introduce the person of lower status to the person of higher status. The person of lower status must wait until the introduction is complete before greeting the other person.

Ultimately, this is to give those in higher positions more information and initiative.

If Ji Changming hadn't introduced him yet, Hou Liangping would have greeted him along with Ji Changming. But Sha Ruijin was busy and only remembered that his surname was Hou. How should he reply? Should he say, "Hello, Director Hou"? What if he only remembered that his name was something like Ping? Should he ask Ji Changming who this was? It was clearly Sha Ruijin who invited him.

Of course, given Sha Ruijin's rank and memory, it's impossible that he would forget the person he personally requested to see.

However, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

These are all trivial matters, but after staying in this system for a while, you naturally start to pay attention to these details and try to understand the leader's intentions. On the contrary, those who don't pay attention to these things become the odd ones out.

Power alienates people.

Sure enough, Ji Changming quickly picked up the conversation: "Secretary Sha, let me introduce you. This is Comrade Hou Liangping, sent by the Supreme People's Procuratorate."

Hou Liangping then stepped forward and respectfully extended both hands: "Hello, Secretary Sha."

Sha Ruijin shook hands with him, the pressure just right, with a warm smile on his face: "Thank you for your hard work, Comrade Liangping. I have a meeting later, so I'm sorry to have troubled you to come all this way."

Useless but essential polite phrases.

The three of them sat down on the sofa.

Ji Changming pulled Hou Liangping to sit to the right of Sha Ruijin, while he himself sat to the side opposite.

After all, Sha Ruijin specifically requested to see Hou Liangping.

Sha Ruijin leaned back on the sofa with an air of nonchalance, legs slightly apart, right hand on the armrest, left hand holding a teacup, took a sip, and then spoke:

“You’ve come at the right time. I’ve just arrived in Handong, which is only twenty-six days in total. I’ve spent these twenty-six days traveling around the districts and counties, looking around, listening to what’s going on, and doing some research. I can’t just come here and start pointing fingers without understanding the situation.”

Hou Liangping nodded without hesitation: "Yes."

Ji Changming's eyelids twitched slightly, and he glanced at him in surprise.

You dare to comment on this? Do you agree with Sha Ruijin that "you can't make decisions without understanding the situation," or do you agree with him that "making decisions is just meddling"?

Hou Liangping seemed to sense Ji Changming's gaze, smiled and turned to look at him, then took out a notebook and pen from his briefcase, placed them on his lap, and assumed a posture of preparing to take notes.

Ji Changming: "..."

Do you want me to write this down? Should we have Secretary Sha sign and affix his seal?

Sha Ruijin's smile faltered slightly, and he waved his hand: "No need to memorize it, it's not that important. Just use your brain to remember it."

(The above is the original dialogue from the TV series, unchanged. Attached is an image.)

Hou Liangping put away his notebook and nodded with a smile.

Sha Ruijin didn't mind and smiled as well, continuing, "A lot happened in these twenty-six days. One of them was the infamous 116 Incident."

Hou Liangping continued, "That night, I also saw the live video of Dafeng Factory in Beijing."

Sha Ruijin nodded: "That's why I said it has a widespread notoriety. Also, there was an 'unexpected' incident involving a corrupt deputy mayor, Ding Yizhen." He emphasized the word "unexpected," with a hint of sarcasm.

Hou Liangping understood the underlying meaning and continued, "It seems that this corrupt deputy mayor was tipped off by someone in a high position in Handong Province."

Ji Changming, standing to the side, tensed up. This kid has some nerve.

Sha Ruijin remained unperturbed, instead spreading his hands and revealing a helpless smile: "Your Director Qin called me about this. It was a gift from them to me, the newly appointed provincial party secretary."

He shook his head, a hint of self-deprecation in his voice: "Fine, I'll take it all. There's nothing I can do about it; they just forced it on me."