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

Zhao Xiaohui still had a furrowed brow; she felt her father was being too optimistic.

"But Dad, Lu Kangcheng has been operating in Handong for so many years, his roots are too deep."

"The Liang family now controls the public security, procuratorate and judiciary, so even if Chung Heping takes office, it will be difficult for him to achieve anything in the short term."

Zhao Xiaohui bit her lip and voiced her deepest fear.

"I'm afraid that Zhong Heping, in order to protect himself, will treat our Zhao family as a pawn and simply throw it away."

These words were spoken.

Zhao Lichun's face suddenly darkened.

He stared intently at Zhao Xiaohui, as if he wanted to devour her.

"Shut up!"

Zhao Lichun roared, which made Zhao Xiaohui tremble all over.

"He dares to throw me away? What would he use to throw me away!"

Zhao Lichun suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the living room.

His breathing was extremely heavy, like that of a mad beast.

Zhao Lichun walked around three times before finally stopping.

He walked up to Zhao Xiaohui, lowered his voice, and spoke with an extremely terrifying confidence.

"I have some news for you."

Zhao Lichun stared intently into his daughter's eyes.

"Chung Heping made that promise to me personally at the hotel yesterday."

"At tomorrow morning's provincial party committee standing committee meeting, his first move will be to re-discuss my case!"

"He intends to publicly propose at the Standing Committee meeting that I be reinstated as the Party Secretary of Jingzhou City!"

With a loud bang.

Zhao Xiaohui felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded in her head.

She could hardly believe her ears.

"Reinstated...reinstated?"

Zhao Xiaohui asked, stammering.

"How is that possible? The disciplinary committee is still investigating you!"

Zhao Lichun laughed arrogantly.

"An investigation? Did they find any concrete evidence?"

"Unless there is concrete evidence, I am innocent!"

"Zhong Heping is the governor; he has the right to raise personnel reconsideration at the Standing Committee meeting!"

Zhao Lichun was so excited that he was trembling all over, his hands gripping the back of the sofa tightly.

"As long as I can be reinstated, I can immediately gather my old subordinates!"

"When the time comes, I'll make sure Liang Qunfeng and Lu Kangcheng die a horrible death!"

"I'm going to skin that little brat Liang Cheng alive!"

Zhao Lichun fell into extreme fanaticism.

He could almost see himself regaining control of Jingzhou and crushing his enemies under his feet.

Zhao Xiaohui felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at her father, who seemed to have gone mad.

She always felt that this matter was not so simple.

Will Zhong Heping really break ties with Lu Kangcheng on his first day in office for the sake of the Zhao family?

But she dared not argue with her father any longer and could only silently lower her head.

……

the next day.

The morning sun pierced through the clouds and shone on the gray building of the Hantong Provincial Party Committee compound.

A suffocating sense of oppression filled the air.

Today is a day that will be recorded in the annals of the officialdom of Handong.

All the cadres in Handong had their eyes fixed on the No. 1 building of the Provincial Party Committee.

Newly appointed Governor Chung Heping officially took office today.

The atmosphere in the provincial party committee compound was extremely strange.

No one made a loud noise.

The footsteps in the corridor were much quieter than usual.

Every few minutes, someone would peek out and look towards the gate of the compound.

Everyone is waiting.

Waiting for that powerful figure who will be parachuted in.

In every corner of the office building, hushed discussions flowed like an undercurrent.

"Have you heard? The Standing Committee is having a meeting this morning."

"Governor Zhong came with imperial authority this time, he's definitely not going to be a nobody."

"Secretary Lu has managed Handong so well these past two years that it's become an impregnable fortress, with its economic indicators ranking first in the province."

"Both of them are top-tier leaders in their prime; the landscape of Handong is about to change."

Several section chiefs huddled together in the tea room, whispering amongst themselves.

Everyone was trying to glean clues about the future direction of the officialdom in Handong from these subtle hints.

Especially those marginal cadres who usually choose the wrong side or have poor career prospects.

Their eyes gleamed with fanaticism.

In their view.

Chung Heping is like a dragon that can stir up a stagnant pool.

As long as the water is murky.

Only then do they have the opportunity to take advantage of the chaos and climb the ranks.

Everyone knows that Zhong Heping is backed by the Zhong family in Beijing, and his background is unfathomable.

Although Lu Kangcheng is the top leader of Handong, he absolutely dares not underestimate him in the slightest.

This fierce battle is bound to be extremely brutal.

……

At the same time.

General Office of the Provincial Party Committee.

Zhong Xiaoai strode into the office and placed her handbag on the table.

She made a point of wearing a smart black business suit today.

He was trying to use this serious attire to mask his inner anxiety.

But as soon as she sat down, she felt a gloomy atmosphere.

She knew all too well what kind of situation her brother, Zhong Heping, was facing today.

Yesterday's farcical scene at the Linhu Hotel, where hundreds of officials blocked the entrance, has already spread throughout the provincial party committee compound.

Although Zhong Heping managed to save face temporarily by having the provincial government officials forcibly clear the area.

But this was undoubtedly a huge hidden loss before he even took office.

Zhong Xiaoai picked up her water glass and took a sip of warm water, forcibly suppressing the panic in her heart.

Her biggest worry wasn't Lu Kangcheng.

It was the young man hidden behind Lu Kangcheng.

Liang Cheng.

That ruthless and cunning business tycoon.

Zhong Xiaoai repeatedly replayed Liang Cheng's previous plans in her mind.

Each time, they precisely hit the nail on the head, cornering their opponents.

Zhong Heping officially took office today, which will definitely affect Liang Qunfeng's position in the provincial party committee.

Given Liang Cheng's personality, he would never stand idly by.

He will definitely make a move today.

Moreover, it's definitely the kind of deadly move that's impossible to defend against.

Zhong Xiaoai rubbed her temples hard, feeling a headache coming on.

"Xiao Ai, you're here quite early today."

A female colleague with short hair came over, her face full of ingratiating smiles.

This female colleague usually ignores Zhong Xiaoai.

Today, however, their enthusiasm is so overwhelming it's nauseating.

Zhong Xiaoai forced a smile.

"The roads were in good condition this morning, so there was no traffic jam."

Two more male colleagues then joined in.

They exchanged a glance, and one of them lowered his voice.

"Xiao Ai, there's a rumor going around that the new Governor Zhong is your older brother?"

"Is this really true?"

The man rubbed his hands together, his eyes filled with a gossipy desire to find out more.

Zhong Xiaoai placed the water glass on the table, making a crisp sound.

"Let's not talk about these personal matters during work hours."

She neither admitted nor denied it.

This ambiguous attitude only made those colleagues more convinced of the rumor's veracity.

"Oh, what's wrong with saying this?"

The short-haired female colleague pulled over a chair and sat down, getting even closer.

"We're all colleagues, so if you need any help in the future, just let me know."

"By the way, what are Governor Zhong's hobbies? For example, what kind of tea does he drink, and what newspapers does he read?"

Zhong Xiaoai looked at her colleagues who were usually aloof and superior.

They're buzzing around me like flies right now.

She felt a pang of sadness.

This is the officialdom.

Power is the best passport.

She took a deep breath, stood up, and picked up a document.

"Sister Wang, Brother Li, I need to deliver some documents to the confidential office, please excuse me."

Zhong Xiaoai didn't want to get entangled with these people anymore, so she quickly walked out of the office.

In the corridor.

Many eyes were still secretly observing her.

She could only quicken her pace to escape those suffocating gazes.

Time passed by, second by second.

The atmosphere in the provincial party committee compound grew increasingly tense.

The clock finally struck 8:30 a.m.