Name: My father is Zhao Dehan, and I hope he will become a dragon!

Four o'clock in the morning, at the Provincial Party Committee's residential compound.

The light in Gao Yuliang's study was still on.

He leaned back in his leather chair, his eyes sunken, the tea in his hand long since cold.

He didn't close his eyes all night, staring at the calligraphy "Great virtue carries all things" on the wall.

That was something he wrote when he was teaching at Han University.

Now, and back then, I truly have two different states of mind.

Now it feels like an irony.

There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in," he said in a hoarse voice.

Qi Tongwei pushed open the door and entered, his suit wrinkled, but his eyes held a hint of relief: "Teacher, it's done."

Gao Yuliang sat up abruptly: "The extent?"

"My people met with him this morning through a 'lawyer's meeting' arranged by the provincial procuratorate." Qi Tongwei lowered his voice. "Chengdu said the charge is 'colluding with Chang Chenghu and acting as a protector of organized crime,' that he accepted a bribe of 500,000 yuan, and knows nothing else."

"Didn't he mention you? Didn't he mention me?" Gao Yuliang pressed.

Not a single word was mentioned.

Qi Tongwei nodded: "He said, 'I did all of this myself. I couldn't withstand Chang Chenghu's corruption, and that's how I ended up on this path!'"

"What about Chang Chenghu's side?" Gao Yuliang asked.

"No matter what, Chang Chenghu won't implicate us. At most, it'll affect Chengdu. Once Chengdu's side is cut off, it won't affect us at all. Besides..." Qi Tongwei said coldly, "Chang Chenghu won't dare to talk nonsense. As long as he behaves himself, whether it's three years, five years, or ten years, he can still continue to live a life of wealth and luxury after he gets out!"

Gao Yuliang let out a long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

He closed his eyes and murmured, "Good...good. Chengdu, this dog wasn't wasted."

Qi Tongwei sighed, "We're safe for now. I never expected that old dog Zhao Dehan would be so insidious. He targeted Cheng Du just as the Central Organization Department's investigation team arrived, catching us completely off guard!"

"Our response was too slow!" Gao Yuliang sighed. "There were too many intermediaries!"

Gao Yuliang and Qi Tongwei cannot do it themselves.

The only option was to have Cheng Du notify Chang Chenghu to take action.

Chang Chenghu contacted Lao Ma, a worker at Dafeng Factory, and then Lao Ma contacted Wang Wenge.

There are just too many steps involved.

The more steps involved, the easier it is to be exposed.

Zhao Chongming, however, is different.

Once a problem is discovered, Zhao Chongming will personally take charge.

He personally directed Wang Wenge, personally arrested people, and personally went to find Li Dakang.

There are few intermediaries involved, and they are acting from the official perspective, so they can do whatever they want to you without any problems.

"I was careless!"

Gao Yuliang sighed, his eyes sharp: "However, we cannot let our guard down. Zhao Dehan will not give up so easily. He will definitely use the Chengdu case to dig deeper into the 'network of connections behind it'."

Qi Tongwei hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Then...should we temporarily put this on hold? For example, let's put aside Sun Liancheng's 'window issue' for now?"

Gao Yuliang squinted and said, "Let it go?"

"That's right," Qi Tongwei said. "Back then, Ding Yizhen raised the windows of the government service hall to half a meter high, forcing people to squat or kneel to get things done. Sun Liancheng hasn't changed it since he took over. We were planning to use the resettlement compensation for the Dafeng Factory workers to negotiate with Sun Liancheng!"

He paused, then said cautiously, "But things are too tense right now. If this causes a public outcry, it might backfire. Should we put the Sun Liancheng matter on hold for now?"

Gao Yuliang remained silent for a moment, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"no."

He declared firmly, "That's exactly what we're going to do!"

Qi Tongwei was taken aback: "Teacher?"

"You don't understand."

Gao Yuliang stood up, walked to the window, and said in a low but sharp voice, "Once we switch to defense, Zhao Dehan will focus all his firepower on Cheng Du, interrogating him, using the media, conducting internal investigations... layer upon layer of pressure, and sooner or later we will pry his mouth open."

Qi Tongwei frowned: "But the degree..."

"I believe what he said, but who can guarantee the future?" Gao Yuliang asked Qi Tongwei in return.

Qi Tongwei was stunned.

Gao Yuliang sighed and continued, "But if we launch an attack on another front at the same time—he'll have to divide his forces, and we'll have to deal with one thing at a time!"

He turned, his gaze intense: "Sun Liancheng is a trusted confidant personally promoted by Zhao Dehan. This is an open secret, and he's also a benchmark for 'pragmatic cadres' that Zhao Dehan has cultivated. It doesn't matter if Dafeng Factory fails; the extent of the losses is a huge blow to us. Especially now, we must stick to our original plan and drive Zhao Dehan and his cronies away!"

At this point, Gao Yuliang clenched his fist: "As soon as the 'kneeling window' video is released, the public will ask: 'Is Zhao Dehan's political achievement built on the knees of ordinary people?'"

Qi Tongwei suddenly realized: "You mean...you want to use public opinion to control him?"

"Yes!" Gao Yuliang nodded. "The Central Organization Department's investigation team will have a private talk with me this afternoon. Zhao Dehan is getting a promotion, so they'll definitely have to have a private talk with us. You'll have to cooperate with me then!"

Qi Tongwei immediately replied, "Understood!"

"As long as things escalate!"

A cold glint appeared on Gao Yuliang's lips: "I won't name names, but they'll investigate. They'll find Sun Liancheng; they'll find Zhao Dehan's poor personnel management. It's a pity there wasn't a workers' riot; he's destined to become the Executive Vice Governor anyway. But it doesn't matter. If our Han University clique is unhappy, we'll make Zhao Dehan unhappy too!"

"I'll handle the public opinion aspect. Should we use our people?" Qi Tongwei asked.

"Of course we need them, let's use our people!"

Gao Yuliang's tone was stern: "Find a few elderly people, film them squatting down to apply for social security, use the method of a reporter stakeout, and remember, it's still the same point, it has to look like it's a spontaneous act by the masses!"

Qi Tongwei nodded emphatically: "Understood!"

Gao Yuliang leaned back on the sofa, feeling exhausted. He glanced at Qi Tongwei again and couldn't help but remind him, "Remember, we're not seeking victory now, we're seeking stability. Don't cause any unnecessary trouble. We've already suffered enough losses; we can't afford any more!"

Qi Tongwei nodded again and said, "Understood!"

Gao Yuliang continued, "As long as we can stall for this month, and once Zhao Dehan's appointment is finalized and things settle down, we can try to find a way to reduce his jail time and get him out sooner. That's all we can do now!"

He looked out the window; the sky was already turning a pale white.

"Go."

Gao Yuliang said softly, "We can't let Zhao Dehan be too comfortable. If he's comfortable, we'll be in big trouble!"

Qi Tongwei turned and left, his steps firm.

Gao Yuliang slowly sat down, picked up the phone, and dialed a number:

"Old Zhang, this is Gao Yuliang. You and Qi Tongwei, get ready. I want the video of the 'kneeling window' to be trending on social media before noon."

After hanging up the phone, he picked up the cold tea and drank it all in one gulp.

It tastes bitter in the throat.

But he couldn't suppress the fire in his heart—

Either burn the enemy to death.

Either burn yourself.