After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

As the two were talking, the screen of Lin Wei's phone, which was on the table, lit up.

When she opened the message, the sender surprised her—it was Engineer Sun from the High-tech Zone.

The message was brief: "Mr. Lin, are you still outside? I heard you're acquainted with Mr. Gong, who won the bid today? Would it be convenient for you to come over and have a chat?"

Lin Wei raised an eyebrow and turned her phone screen towards Gong Yuelong: "What a coincidence. Engineer Sun is looking for you. He's right next door."

Gong Yuelong glanced at the message and nodded: "I'll follow President Lin's arrangements."

"Let's go then, don't keep them waiting." Lin Wei stood up, picked up her bag.

"Sun Wukong may seem short-tempered, but he doesn't easily make plans with people. If he's contacting you, there's probably a reason behind it."

The two left the private room and turned a corner to reach a more elegantly decorated Huaiyang cuisine restaurant next door.

As soon as he sat down, Engineer Sun said directly, "I called you here for just one thing. Engineer Ma from Xin Ke gave me a heads-up privately."

He put down his cup and looked at Gong Yuelong:

"Their head office has increased the weight of safety assessment this year. If a project has zero accidents throughout, in addition to the contract payment, the client will receive an extra safety performance bonus upon final acceptance, which is quite substantial."

Lin Wei's eyes lit up: "This is something new. Usually, it's good enough if a project can be paid on time."

"It's not common," Engineer Sun nodded. "But the rules are strict. Engineer Ma said they will send people to conduct random checks on the records, the site, and the workers' operations. If they catch a non-compliance, the entire reward will be forfeited, and they may also be fined."

They were genuinely afraid of something going wrong and affecting the IPO.

He stared at Gong Yuelong: "I chose you because you wrote the safety terms in detail and you are a reliable person."

Whether you can earn this extra reward is up to you.

But since Party A dared to bring this up, it means safety is on their side, and saving money is more important now.

Gong Yuelong understood. This wasn't a windfall; the client had clearly stated the price of safety and made it a hard requirement.

He nodded: "Mr. Sun, I understand. We'll do everything we're supposed to do. It would be great if we could get the extra bonus, but even if we don't, we still want to make the most of the opportunity you've given us."

"I've given you the opportunity," Sun said calmly. "Good job. If there are any urgent or difficult jobs in the High-tech Zone in the future, I'll know who to turn to. If you mess it up..." He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

He didn't say much, but his words carried weight.

……

Yu Lili huddled in the back seat of the taxi, the dazzling street scene outside the window flashing across her absent-minded face.

The more she thought about it, the brighter her eyes became, and her small chest heaved.

"My current brother-in-law, Li Shida, is such a good-for-nothing. Asking him to do something is harder than climbing to heaven, and you even have to pay him out of your own pocket!"

If my sister could reconcile with Brother Gong... no, I mean with Brother Gong, why would I worry about not having projects to work on or not making money?

"At that time, wouldn't Lin Wei's small projects and Sun's odd jobs be a breeze to come?"

She even began to fantasize: that she would accompany Gong Yuelong to various occasions as his sister-in-law and business partner, that people would treat her with great courtesy because of Gong, and that she would get easy and lucrative jobs...

"Yes! That's what we'll do!"

Yu Lili's earlier dejection vanished completely, and she even couldn't help but grin, as if those benefits were already within her grasp.

She anxiously patted the driver's seat: "Driver, please hurry! Hurry!"

She couldn't wait to see her sister, Yu Yue.

I must have a serious talk with my sister right now!

……

……

The Planning Approval Section is located on the east side of the third floor of the District Government Building.

Li Shida, Yu Lili's current brother-in-law, was huddled in his office chair by the window, sipping warm tea.

He was already sitting here a quarter of an hour before his shift started.

Everyone in the planning department knows that Section Chief Li is extremely punctual, even a bit rigid—he's always the first to arrive and the last to leave, and even if he works overtime on the weekend, you can always find him in the office.

In fact, the specific approval files and drawing reviews in the department are handled by several young staff members, so there is no need for him, the department head, to scrutinize every detail.

Other department heads, even those at the same or slightly higher level, don't necessarily do everything themselves; they just go through the motions of signing and affixing their seals.

But Li Shida was still not at ease.

He habitually moved his chair forward again and again, almost embedding himself into the large desk, his fingertips tracing the pages as if he were not reviewing documents, but performing a grand ritual.

From the start of the workday to the end, I didn't feel tired at all.

"Back then, my dad worked in the countryside, toiling in the fields from dawn till dusk, sweat pouring down his face. For the sake of owning a single plot of land, he would squat outside the village chief's house for three days and three nights, not daring to breathe..."

Li Shida's thoughts quietly stirred:

"Offering a few good cigarettes and saying a few heartfelt but never overstepping boundaries is a great skill. If you can get the village chief to give you that plot of land with a wave of his hand, you'll be able to show off for half a year in the surrounding villages."

"It's truly a blessing from my ancestors that I've been able to earn this government job and sit in this chair with a backrest."

Footsteps grew louder outside the office, and telephones rang incessantly.

He straightened up, picked up his thermos, and like a cautious old tortoise, paced to the door. He didn't go far, but leaned against the door frame, his gaze sweeping over his subordinates bustling about in the cubicles.

Planning approval is related to land transfer and project implementation; it has far-reaching consequences.

There are countless eyes eyeing this piece of fat meat; a slight misstep could lead to an abyss.

His position—a powerless bureaucracy? That's just the kind of foolish talk outsiders wouldn't understand. The profits are hidden between the lines, and the risks are buried in the procedures.

Li Shida returned to his seat, his mind racing with calculations.

"Over the years, I've been cautious and timid, carefully concealing what needed to be concealed and releasing what needed to be released. I've managed to accumulate some wealth and connections. If I can persevere for another two years, steadily and surely, perhaps... I can even move up half a step?"

He just turned thirty this year, in the prime of his life, a golden period that bridges the past and the future.

As long as nothing major goes wrong, and you can peacefully retire and steadily receive a substantial pension, it will be a stroke of good fortune.

As for Yu Yue and Lili's jumpy and unruly behavior, he actually scoffed at it in his heart.

"What do women know?"

There was a light knock on the office door twice, and before he could answer, it was pushed open.

A young and pretty face peeked in; it was Xiao Su, a college graduate who had just been assigned to the position this year.

She wore light makeup, her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she was dressed in a well-fitting light-colored sweater and skirt. She held a document in her hand and had a sweet smile.

"Li Ke, excuse me, this report needs your signature."

Xiao Su walked in, bringing with her a faint scent of perfume.

She placed the documents on the table and leaned over to point out where a signature was required.

From this angle, the neckline is slightly open, revealing a small section of fair and delicate collarbone.

Li Shida's eyes involuntarily darted away, several dirty jokes he had heard at the dinner party flashing through his mind. He thought it would be hilarious to tell her these jokes, hahaha...