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

“It’s me.” Li Dakang said calmly. “Go home tonight and we’ll have a good talk. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have the civil affairs bureau staff come to our house to process the divorce.”

Chapter 134 Taking Action 2

The divorce proceedings went smoothly.

In Li Dakang's living room, staff from the Civil Affairs Bureau spread out documents; two copies of the divorce agreement were neatly placed on the coffee table. Ouyang Jing picked up a pen, her fingers trembling slightly, but she still signed her name in the signature section.

Before signing, she probed one last time: "Dakang, there's a project over by Wang Dalu—"

"Don't mention it again," Li Dakang interrupted her, his tone calm but unequivocal. "These things have nothing to do with me."

Ouyang Jing bit her lip, but finally signed the document.

She knew that if she continued to refuse a divorce, Li Dakang, with his power and current position, could easily prevent her from leaving the country. Rather than a fight to the death, it was better to end things cleanly and go their separate ways.

Compared to her own future, she found that she didn't care that much about Wang Dalu.

After signing, the staff put away the documents and left, and Li Dakang saw them to the door.

Once the door was closed, the living room was quiet.

Li Dakang stood by the window, his back to Ouyang Jing, gazing at the sky outside, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him. Now that the marriage was truly over, he felt a pang of guilt—after all, they had been married for over twenty years, and it had all ended just like that.

"Let's have a meal together." Li Dakang turned around, his voice unusually gentle.

Ouyang Jing had no appetite at the moment; she was busy packing her luggage and didn't even look up. "Let's eat at the airport then. I've already bought the tickets."

"What good food is there at the airport? And it's expensive." Li Dakang frowned.

"Then I won't eat it." Ouyang Jing said as she stuffed clothes into the box, her movements somewhat flustered.

She stopped, turned around, looked at Li Dakang, her eyes pleading: "Dakang, please take me to the airport."

Li Dakang was taken aback. This request was somewhat sudden and unusual. Ouyang Jing was always assertive and rarely spoke to him in this tone.

Ouyang Jing knew very well what having Li Dakang take her to the airport meant—if something really happened, Li Dakang's car and his identity would be the best protection. But she couldn't worry about that now.

Over the years, she has become accustomed to regarding the invisible advantages that Li Dakang's position brings her as her own ability.

In addition, her daughter's education abroad exposed her to foreign ideas, and she has long viewed the domestic situation as a constraint.

Now that her freedom for the rest of her life is at stake, how could she possibly care about her ex-husband who remained in China?

"He's a vice-ministerial level official. The little money I embezzled isn't even a fraction of what he handled in the projects," Ouyang Jing thought. "It's all Li Dakang's fault for being so ruthless, only caring about his own future. If I tell him, he definitely won't let me leave. As long as I leave, he'll surely protect me for his own future."

Li Dakang looked at Ouyang Jing, his brows furrowing even more: "What's wrong with you today? You're behaving strangely."

"It's nothing," Ouyang Jing avoided his gaze and continued packing her luggage. "I just suddenly missed my daughter."

"Won't I see my daughter soon?" Li Dakang walked over and stared at her face.

"The closer I get to seeing her, the more I miss her," Ouyang Jing explained, her voice trembling slightly.

A question arose in Li Dakang's mind, but he also knew that they were already divorced and Ouyang Jing would go abroad sooner or later, so leaving sooner would be a good thing for him.

He wasn't unaware that there might be problems; rather, he knew that before the divorce, Ouyang Jing was his wife, and investigating Ouyang Jing was investigating him—the two were one.

To take action against his position, one must obtain Sha Ruijin's permission to have the authority to investigate.

He received Sha Ruijin's support regarding the divorce yesterday, so he is confident that nothing will affect him.

He also knew that Ouyang Jing might have taken some money that she shouldn't have from the banking system, which could be seen from her usual spending habits.

But he also knew that the amount wouldn't be very large, and he could keep it under control—especially now that Sha Ruijin had accepted his surrender.

The main reason he divorced Ouyang Jing was that she wanted to go abroad, and he couldn't become a "naked official" (an official whose family members have emigrated abroad).

"Alright, I'll take you." Li Dakang finally agreed.

No one expected Hou Liangping, a person who doesn't play by the rules.

Yesterday, when Ouyang Jing decided to go abroad, she began to deal with the RMB she had. She converted her legitimate salary into foreign currency, and as for her illicit income, she went to the most upscale shopping mall in Jingzhou and bought a bunch of designer clothes, cosmetics, and jewelry.

When she swiped the card Cai Chenggong had given her, the bank system immediately triggered an alarm.

In the anti-corruption bureau's monitoring room, the technical investigators immediately reported: "Chief Hou, the target used that card! He just swiped it for five thousand yuan at the Jingzhou International Trade Mall!"

Hou Liangping immediately stood up, his eyes shining: "Keep a close eye on her, see where she goes next!"

Now that Ouyang Jing has gotten into Li Dakang's car, Hou Liangping has also received the news.

"Li Dakang's car is heading towards the airport." Lu Yike walked into the office with a serious expression.

Hou Liangping immediately made a decision: set up roadblocks at highway toll booths to intercept them!

Lu Yike proactively mentioned, "Regarding the Ding Yizhen incident last time, there was a lot of speculation outside, saying that Comrade Li Dakang was involved in tipping off Ding Yizhen. That time it was a covert operation, but this time it's a blatant act!"

She took a deep breath and lowered her voice, "Director, I think we need to report this to Chief Prosecutor Ji. This is beyond our authority. Li Dakang is a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee; to take action against him, we need the Provincial Party Committee's approval."

Lu Yike has acted recklessly in the procuratorate over the years. Although she claims it's for upholding the law and handling cases, she actually relies on Gao Yuliang's backing. She knows that as long as Gao Yuliang is around, most people won't make things difficult for her, and even the chief prosecutor, Ji Changming, gives her some face.

But when it came to directly taking action against Li Dakang, a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee and Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, who was at the same level as Gao Yuliang, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

Hou Liangping replied, "There's nothing inappropriate about it. We've just issued a summons for Ouyang Jing."

Hou Liangping's support was Zhong Zhengguo. Although his father-in-law had previously neglected him, this appointment was facilitated by his father-in-law, so he believed that if anything happened, his father-in-law would not abandon him.

He didn't care about anyone in the entire Handong region except for Sha Ruijin and Qi Tongwei.

Secretary Xiao Jin drove the car, Li Dakang sat in the back, and Ouyang Jing sat next to him. The car was quiet, with only the low rumble of the engine.

Li Dakang watched the scenery rushing past the window, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. He turned his head to look at Ouyang Jing.

She sat upright, her hands gripping her bag tightly, her eyes darting around, and fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

"Ouyang, what's wrong with you today?" Li Dakang asked again, his tone becoming serious.

Ouyang Jing forced a smile: "I feel a little sad and lost about suddenly having to go to a strange country."

She turned to look at Li Dakang, her eyes pleading, "Dakang, we've been husband and wife, could you at least see me off at the airport before you leave today?"

Li Dakang's vigilance immediately went off: "You're not hiding something from me, are you?"

Feeling guilty, Ouyang Jing turned her head away and looked out the window.

"You're usually very assertive, so I'm not used to you being like this today." Li Dakang stared at her profile.

Ouyang Jing suddenly became emotional, her voice filled with resentment: "What can I do if I'm not assertive? Relying on others is unreliable, I've been forced into this situation! All these years in the bank, every step I've taken has been earned through my own hard work! What do you think you've helped me with? You've never helped me at all!"

Li Dakang frowned, about to say something, when Xiao Jin in front suddenly stepped on the brakes.

"Secretary Li, ahead..." Xiao Jin's voice trembled slightly.

Li Dakang looked up and saw through the windshield that there were seven or eight police cars parked at the highway toll gate ahead, their flashing lights illuminating the entire toll gate in red.

A dozen or so anti-corruption bureau staff members in uniform stood at the intersection, with Hou Liangping leading the way.

Li Dakang's heart skipped a beat.

He knew something was wrong.

"Go down and ask," Li Dakang said to Xiao Jin calmly, "Watch your attitude."

Xiao Jin opened the car door, got out, and walked towards Hou Liangping. Li Dakang, inside the car, turned his head and looked at Ouyang Jing.

Her face was deathly pale, her lips were trembling, and her whole body was shaking.

"Do you know what happened?" Li Dakang asked in a low voice.

Ouyang Jing took a deep breath, raised her head, and said with a resolute look in her eyes, "Even if something happens, it has nothing to do with you. We're divorced."

She wanted to maintain her last shred of dignity, her voice trembling but trying to remain calm: "Dakang, thank you for seeing me off. You... take care."

After saying that, she opened the car door and got out.

A spring breeze blew into the car, carrying a hint of chill.

Two female staff members from the anti-corruption bureau immediately stepped forward and took Ouyang Jing's arms, one on each side. Ouyang Jing did not struggle and let them lead her to the prosecutor's office car.

Li Dakang sat in the car, rolled down the window, and watched this scene.

Hou Liangping stood not far away, hands in his pockets, his face displaying professional composure. He felt Li Dakang's gaze, turned his head, and met Li Dakang's eyes.

Li Dakang's gaze was complex—it contained anger, warning, and a certain calm scrutiny. He stared at Hou Liangping for one second, two seconds, three seconds.

Hou Liangping felt a chill run down his spine, but he still straightened his back and didn't look away.

After a long while, Li Dakang rolled up the car window and said to Xiao Jin, "Let's go."

The car started and slowly drove away.

Hou Liangping watched the black limousine disappear from sight, a sense of unease rising within him. He vaguely felt that something was amiss—Li Dakang's reaction was too calm, unlike someone whose wife had just been arrested.

In the car, Li Dakang sat in the back seat, his face gloomy.

Xiao Jin glanced at him furtively through the rearview mirror, not daring to speak. The atmosphere in the entire carriage was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Li Dakang took out his phone and dialed Ji Changming's number.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Comrade Changming," Li Dakang's voice was filled with anger, but he still tried to remain rational, "I'm asking you, did someone report Ouyang Jing? Is the evidence conclusive? Has your procuratorate's anti-corruption bureau opened a case?"

He paused, then emphasized, "I'm making this call for no other reason than to plead for Ouyang Jing. After all, I should know what's going on when someone close to me is in trouble, right?"

This is both a test and an attempt to distance themselves from the situation.

Ji Changming was no ordinary man; he knew something was wrong as soon as he heard it. He smiled and replied, his voice tinged with doubt, "Secretary Dakang, what's wrong? Have you heard something?"

This is to show that one knows nothing.

Li Dakang's temper flared instantly, his voice rising eight octaves: "What do you mean, 'heard what'? Your men kidnapped Ouyang Jing from my car! Police cars chased her all the way to the highway, setting up roadblocks at the highway entrance, just like in an American blockbuster!"

Ji Changming's tone immediately turned serious: "Secretary Li, I can tell you responsibly that I have absolutely no knowledge of this matter!"

This is the first step, reiterating our position—he was completely unaware.

"As for whether the evidence against Ouyang Jing was conclusive or not, they didn't report that to me."

This indicates that he cannot control the anti-corruption bureau chief from Beijing.

"However, I cannot judge the nature of this matter," Ji Changming said, then changed the subject. "But you just said that the police car chased them to Airport Road, right? That raises a question—is Ouyang Jing planning to leave the country today? If so, I would stop her too."

This is putting Li Dakang in a difficult position. If Ouyang Jing leaves the country with problems, and Li Dakang personally sees her off, then the situation will become even more serious for Li Dakang.

At this moment, Li Dakang was emotional and failed to notice a detail—when he was on the phone with Ji Changming, he kept talking about "setting up roadblocks at highway entrances" and never mentioned "airport road".