Title: Reborn in Handong, Starting with an Investment in Gao Yuliang

Su Qingyu doesn't understand political maneuvering.

But she knew that public opinion could be a powerful force.

In this day and age, spit can really drown a person.

Liang Cheng looked at the newspapers.

His facial expression remained completely unchanged.

It was as if they weren't reading a denouncing article aimed at them, but rather an irrelevant gossip magazine.

He took a cigarette from the cigarette box.

"Smack."

ignite.

Take a deep breath.

He slowly exhaled bluish-white smoke, blurring his angular face.

"What's the rush?"

Liang Cheng walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Looking down over this bustling and vibrant city.

His eyes were cold, revealing an indifference that seemed to control life and death.

"This fire isn't burning bright enough."

Su Qingyu was stunned.

"Not enough?"

"It's almost burning my eyebrows!"

Liang Cheng chuckled and flicked his cigarette ash.

"Doesn't Hou Liangping like to dance?"

"Doesn't the Zhao family like to incite public opinion?"

"Then let them jump all they want."

"The bigger the public outcry, the more it stirs up the emotions of ordinary people."

"Wait until the truth is revealed."

"The more severe the backlash, the stronger the reaction."

Liang Cheng turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"This is called 'killing with praise'."

"In everyone's eyes, the Liang family is now just a lamb to the slaughter."

"The Zhao family thought they were sure to win."

"Hou Liangping believed that he was the embodiment of justice."

"The more they revel now, the more desperate they will be in a few days."

Su Qingyu looked at Liang Cheng.

This moment.

She seemed to see a chess player standing on a cloud.

Heaven and earth are the game board, and all living beings are the pieces.

That confidence and domineering aura that emanated from his very being captivated her.

It also miraculously calmed her previously anxious heart.

"Then... how much longer?"

Su Qingyu asked in a low voice.

These days of being misunderstood and insulted by the whole world are really hard to endure.

Liang Cheng squinted.

Through the smoke, I looked out the window at the rolling dark clouds on the horizon.

That was the harbinger of an approaching storm.

"Soon."

"Wait until the day the province-wide police skills competition begins."

"That's when it's time to close the net."

Liang Cheng stubbed out his cigarette.

The movements were ruthless.

It's like strangling an ant.

"When the time comes, I will let the people of the whole province see it."

"Who is the real hero?"

"Who is the clown who should be nailed to the pillar of shame?"

Done.

Liang Cheng walked up to Su Qingyu.

Gently smooth out the wrinkles between her brows.

His tone softened.

Don't worry.

"The sky won't fall down."

"Even if it collapses, I'll hold it up."

Su Qingyu felt a lump in her throat.

The feeling of being protected and cherished made her want to cry.

She nodded vigorously.

"Yes, I believe you."

"Unconditional belief".

Liang Cheng smiled.

Her smile was bright and warm.

"Wait until this is over."

"Wait until all the dust settles."

"I'll take you to see Old Su."

"At that time, we'll take care of whether he agrees or not, and we won't care what people outside say."

"I want to introduce you to everyone openly and honestly."

"Tell them."

"This is Liang Cheng's woman."

This promise.

It's more beautiful than any sweet words.

It is heavier than any vow of eternal love.

Su Qingyu's face instantly turned bright red.

As if drunk.

She did not speak.

She simply lowered her head, revealing a section of her fair and delicate neck.

then.

Gently, yet with unwavering determination.

He nodded.

outside the window.

Dark clouds loom over the city; a storm is brewing.

But inside this office.

But it was a scene of spring warmth and blooming flowers.

......

The Provincial Party Committee compound in Handong.

一号楼。

The cicadas outside the window were chirping desperately, as if trying to tear apart the sweltering afternoon.

In the office of Provincial Party Secretary Lu Kangcheng, the air conditioning was blasting, but it couldn't dispel the oppressive, suffocating atmosphere.

The ashtray was full of cigarette butts.

Lu Kangcheng sat behind his large desk, his fingers lightly tapping on a copy of the day's "Handong Daily".

The front page of the newspaper was praising the achievements of reform and opening up.

But in an inconspicuous corner of the secondary page.

A commentary on "transparency in the recruitment of public officials" is like a thorn in the side, glaringly obvious.

Sitting opposite him was Liang Qunfeng, the secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission.

Both of them were seasoned veterans who had been navigating the political arena for decades.

There's no need for harsh words or stern expressions.

Even silence is a form of silent confrontation.

"Old Liang."

Lu Kangcheng finally spoke, his voice steady and unreadable.

"Did you hear the sounds outside?"

"Public opinion can sometimes be a raging flood. Now it's not just in Jingzhou, but even some veteran comrades in the province have their opinions."

Lu Kangcheng picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, but his eyes scrutinized his old partner through the rising steam.

"The Outstanding Graduate Program was proposed by you. It was originally intended to inject fresh blood into the political and legal system, which was a good thing."

"But now, this good thing has turned into a mess."

"With accusations of hiring radishes, bribery, and even one-man rule being leveled, the provincial party committee is in a very passive position."

Lu Kangcheng's words were brief and to the point.

But everyone here is intelligent.

The subtext of those words is quite clear.

Things got bigger.

In order to maintain the credibility of the provincial party committee and to quell public anger, someone must step forward and take responsibility.

In some cases, it might even be necessary to execute Ma Su with tears in one's eyes.

Liang Qunfeng's expression remained unchanged.

He stood up straight.

That was the chilling atmosphere cultivated from years of work in the Discipline Inspection Commission.

Faced with Lu Kangcheng's reprimand.

He was neither apprehensive nor eager to defend himself.

"Secretary Lu, I understand your concerns."

Liang Qunfeng's voice was steady and powerful.

"The recruitment of Comrade Qi Tongwei can withstand scrutiny from any organization in terms of procedures. He ranked first in the interview and also first in the physical fitness test."

"As for my personal relationship with him."

Liang Qunfeng paused for a moment, then calmly met Lu Kangcheng's gaze.

"I do admire this young man. He is a top student in the Department of Political Science and Law at Han University. He is capable, hardworking, and a rare talent."

"The relationship between him and me was one of senior mentoring junior; there was no exchange of benefits whatsoever."

"However, I also know that in the current situation, explanations alone are useless."

"Ordinary people only believe the inside stories they want to believe."

Lu Kangcheng put down his teacup and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Oh? So what do you plan to do?"

"Should we avoid suspicion? Or should we have Qi Tongwei voluntarily withdraw?"

If the Liang family chooses to back down.

Qi Tongwei was transferred out of the Jingzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau, and his recruitment was even cancelled.

That undoubtedly acknowledges the fact that "radish is being recruited".

The Liang family's prestige will plummet in the officialdom of Handong.

This is also the result that Zhao Lichun most wanted to see.

Liang Qunfeng shook his head.

He took out a draft official document that he had prepared beforehand from his briefcase and handed it to Lu Kangcheng with both hands.

That was a "Special Action Application Form" that was rushed out last night and polished by Liang Cheng.

"Giving in is a sign of a guilty conscience."

"Since they question whether Qi Tongwei rose to power through connections, whether he is a hothouse flower, and whether he is a Zhao Kuo who only knows how to talk about war on paper."

"Then let's give him a chance to prove himself."

Lu Kangcheng took the document.

His pupils contracted slightly as his gaze swept over the title.

Request for instructions on holding a province-wide practical skills competition for young police officers and an exercise to tackle major and long-standing cases.

Lu Kangcheng quickly flipped through the contents.

The more I looked, the more surprised I became.

This is no ordinary competition plan.

This is a declaration of war filled with the smell of gunpowder.