Nominal: My senior brothers are all big shots

In Lin Feng's living room, Qi Tongwei and Lin Feng sat facing each other on the sofa. The light from their phone screens had just gone out; it was the latest message from Han Bin.

Qi Tongwei put down his phone, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee. "Han Bin's news, Ouyang Jing's bombshell... it's exploded, but not completely. Sha Ruijin reacted quickly, and Ji Changming personally stepped in and made a deal with her."

Lin Feng picked up his teacup, a slight smile playing on his lips. "As expected. Sha Ruijin isn't Li Dakang. He won't risk a hornet's nest that could trigger systemic risks just for a momentary gratification or a purely political attack. Administrative measures first, then judicial ones; stability first, then reckoning. That's the standard approach for people at their level when dealing with these kinds of issues."

"Did Ouyang Jing say what we taught her?" Lin Feng asked.

"I did," Qi Tongwei nodded.

"The effect was excellent. It directly made Hou Liangping and Ji Changming realize the seriousness of the problem, forcing them to seek instructions from their superiors. Sha Ruijin seized the opportunity and shifted the focus from investigating Ouyang Jing personally to using her whistleblowing to rectify the industry's practices. As for Ouyang Jing herself, she returned the embezzled funds, took early retirement, and landed smoothly. For Sha Ruijin, this both put pressure on the banking system, avoided large-scale upheaval, and made him appear prudent and considerate of the overall situation."

Qi Tongwei pondered, "In this way, although we didn't cause Sha Ruijin the big trouble we expected, we have basically achieved our goal."

"That's right." Lin Feng put down his teacup. "First, the bombshell of Ouyang Jing was safely defused. She didn't go to jail, nor did she go crazy. She just retired early, preserving her basic dignity and preventing Li Dakang from going insane immediately. As for Li Dakang, although he lost face, he preserved his substance. No matter how angry he gets, he has a buffer."

Lin Feng continued his analysis, "Secondly, and most importantly, Ouyang Jing characterized the problem as an industry unspoken rule, without revealing a specific chain of interest transfer, and without implicating Handong Oil and Gas Group. This is the core issue we are most concerned about."

Qi Tongwei nodded; this was indeed the most important point.

"Third," Lin Feng's smile deepened, "we've put Hou Liangping to good use, and the results have exceeded our expectations. As a newcomer, he was eager to make a name for himself, and sure enough, he chose the most direct and drastic method: he intercepted Li Dakang's car in public and took Ouyang Jing away. Li Dakang will remember this great gift for the rest of his life."

Lin Feng looked at Qi Tongwei, "After this incident, how do you think Li Dakang will view Sha Ruijin? Will he think it was just Hou Liangping's personal recklessness, or that Sha Ruijin instructed or tacitly approved it?"

Qi Tongwei sneered, "Li Dakang is arrogant and overly sensitive. Hou Liangping was transferred back with Sha Ruijin's approval, and the moment he returned, he went after Hou's family members with such swift and intense action. In Li Dakang's eyes, this is not just Hou Liangping's personal behavior. He will believe that this is Sha Ruijin's way of showing off and warning him. Sha Ruijin's subsequent handling may just be a calculated retreat after weighing the pros and cons in Li Dakang's eyes, but the initial intention has already been confirmed."

"Exactly." Lin Feng clapped his hands. "Once a rift of trust is formed, it is very difficult to mend. In the future, even if Li Dakang does not openly confront Sha Ruijin in the provincial party committee, he will never sincerely gravitate towards him and become Sha Ruijin's right-hand man. They will always maintain a sense of vigilance and distance between them."

Qi Tongwei let out a long sigh of relief and leaned back on the sofa. Although the process had been somewhat bumpy, and the initial plan to escalate the Ouyang Jing case and directly damage Sha Ruijin's prestige had not been fully realized, the strategy of using leverage against each other and using one enemy to defeat another ultimately yielded a rather ideal result. It protected their core, eliminated their hidden dangers, sowed discord among potential rivals, and even allowed the newly arrived Hou Liangping to successfully draw most of Li Dakang's anger.

"Hou Liangping..." Qi Tongwei murmured the name, "My junior is probably feeling pretty frustrated right now, isn't he? He made the arrests swiftly and decisively, but then an order from above changed the case, the man was released, and he himself became the target of public criticism."

"It's good that he's frustrated," Lin Feng said calmly. "Let him slowly experience the depths of the waters in Handong. The more he tries to investigate a major case, the more obstacles he'll likely encounter. Li Dakang's hatred is just the beginning. Han Bin in the bureau will cooperate fully with his work."

The two exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.

Hou Liangping's office in the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Handong Provincial Procuratorate

As night deepened, Hou Liangping was still poring over case files under the lamp, trying to piece together a clearer picture from the fragmented information in the Cai Chenggong and Ouyang Jing cases.

The office door was tightly closed; the only sounds were the scratching of the pen on the paper and his own slightly heavy breathing.

The phone on the table suddenly vibrated, and the screen flashed the name "Xiao Ai".

Hou Liangping's heart tightened; a bad premonition welled up inside him. He put down his pen, took a deep breath, and then pressed the answer button.

"Hey, Xiao Ai..." Hou Liangping said with a smile.

"Hou Liangping!" Zhong Xiaoai's voice came from the other end of the phone, unusually cold. "Do you think you're particularly powerful and capable right now?"

Hou Liangping was taken aback by the barrage of questions. "Xiao Ai, what's wrong? What happened?"

"What happened?" Zhong Xiaoai's voice suddenly rose. "You still have the nerve to ask me what happened?! Director Hou! The good deeds you did in Handong have even reached Beijing! In broad daylight, with police cars leading the way and sirens blaring, you intercepted the official car of Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee member Li Dakang on the airport expressway! You even dragged his wife out of the car in public! Hou Liangping, you've really grown some guts, haven't you? Are you on a case investigation or filming a Hollywood blockbuster?"

Every word struck Hou Liangping like a whip. He knew this matter would have a bad impact, but he didn't expect it to reach Zhong Xiaoai so quickly and directly, and judging from the tone of his voice, Zhong Xiaoai knew the details very well.

"Xiao Ai, let me explain," Hou Liangping tried to explain, "The situation was urgent at the time. We received a tip that Ouyang Jing might have fled..."

"Emergency? Escape?" Zhong Xiaoai interrupted him.

"Hou Liangping, is this your first day as a prosecutor?! What about basic case-handling procedures? What about basic political sensitivity?! That's Li Dakang! He's a member of the Standing Committee of the Handong Provincial Party Committee! Even if you have the most conclusive evidence and need to take coercive measures, can't you choose a more prudent and discreet approach?! Why make such a huge fuss and let everyone laugh at Li Dakang, and at our family?"

Zhong Xiaoai grew angrier as she spoke, "Do you know what's going on outside? They're saying that you, Hou Liangping, are making a big show of things as a new official, and your first move was against a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, all to curry favor with Sha Ruijin and to get some personal attention! They're saying you don't care about the consequences at all! Where do you think I'm supposed to put my face? Where do you think I'm supposed to put my face?"

When Hou Liangping heard the mention of his father-in-law, Zhong Zhengguo, his heart sank. He knew that this was one of the real reasons why Zhong Xiaoai was so angry.