Names: Uncle Zhao Mengsheng, Father-in-law Pei Yihong

Fang Ping withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Song Yunhui beside him.

"Boss, what should we do now?"

Hou Liangping is clearly determined to keep targeting our energy sector, openly sending people to stake out and monitor us.

I asked, and the Anti-Corruption Bureau's procedures haven't been completed yet.

Song Yunhui, with one hand in his pocket and a pair of high-powered binoculars in his hand, said, "Fang Ping, look at you, you're in such a hurry again."

Haste makes it easy to make mistakes, and mistakes can easily give others a handle to use against you.

In the ups and downs of an official career, the worst thing is to lose composure.

Fang Ping frowned. "But the leaders, they've been watching us."

Marquis Changxin was also someone who didn't play by the rules.

If the monkeys start jumping around, our energy department will inevitably be thrown into turmoil.

Song Yunhui handed over the binoculars, "Fang Ping, don't stop him, and don't worry about it."

The initiative is no longer in Hou Liangping's hands, it's in ours.

We'll just wait and see, do nothing, and calmly watch him jump.

The pit is dug, monkey, come on!

The target has never been just Hou Liangping.

The Zhong family had overreached, and they had long since learned to restrain their ambitions.

Taking advantage of this situation, we can conveniently remove this tooth that the Zhong family has in Beijing.

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

As the workday ended, people began to leave the office building one after another.

outside the office.

A long queue stretched out to the end of the corridor.

They were all officials, business owners, and project managers who had come from all over the country.

Everyone had the same goal: to get Zhao Dehan to stamp their seal and obtain an approval document.

These days, energy sector permits are like hard currency.

Obtaining a license is like striking gold.

Inside the office.

There were only two people sitting opposite each other.

Sitting opposite Zhao Dehan was Mayor Han.

A high-ranking official at the department level.

Instead, he was as nervous as a primary school student.

Mayor Han gently tapped the document bag with his fingertips. "Director Zhao, could you please take two minutes to glance at it? All of our city's energy technology upgrade projects are waiting for this approval."

Zhao Dehan didn't even lift his eyelids, casually flipping through two pages of the submitted materials.

With a gentle snap, the document was pushed back.

"Mayor Han, the materials are incomplete. Please come back when you have everything ready."

Mayor Han's face stiffened, revealing a hint of helplessness. "Director Zhao, this shouldn't be the case. I checked everything repeatedly before I left, and it seems that all the required documents for the approval process are complete. May I ask what's missing?"

I'm really not convinced.

Zhao Dehan leaned back in his office chair, his expression indifferent, his tone flat and unwavering. "Mayor Han, look at the instructions on the list."

It's written clearly in black and white on white paper.

Mayor Han looked down and quickly flipped through the attached list, which was filled with a dense array of requirements.

Original documents, photocopies, and electronic versions are all required.

With a forced smile, he said, "Director Zhao, after a preliminary check, it seems that nothing is missing."

If you give me your name, I'll have someone make sure it's complete as soon as possible, so it won't delay your departure from get off work.

Zhao Dehan glanced at him, his arrogance revealing the air of someone in a key department. "Mayor Han, it's time to go home."

Rules are rules. I won't even glance at incomplete materials.

"Have all the materials ready by tomorrow, and come early to queue up."

Mayor Han sat in his chair, his heart filled with pent-up frustration and anger, not daring to show even the slightest displeasure.

As the mayor in charge of a prefecture-level city, he was the one whose word was law.

But in this office, the director across from me, a full-fledged division chief, could shut down a city project with a single sentence.

People have to bow their heads under the roof.

Who gave Zhao Dehan the power of approval?

Zhao Dehan glanced at the other person's restrained expression out of the corner of his eye and sneered inwardly.

What about local officials?

Without the approval authority of a ministry to back you up, you still have to sit obediently across from me and suffer in silence.

After seeing Mayor Han off, Zhao Dehan slowly picked up his canvas tote bag.

He walked quickly out of the office.

The people queuing outside all stared at him expectantly, not daring to urge him on.

He knew perfectly well that these bosses were all shrewd and cunning.

Just give up on one meal, and you'll be showered with fine wines, red envelopes, and luxury homes.

Never do business with strangers.

In public, one must maintain a proper demeanor.

The people in line stirred instantly, each taking a half-step forward.

The business owners were all smiles and extremely humble.

"Director Zhao, could you please make an exception for two minutes? We've been waiting all day."

Zhao Dehan interrupted, "Oh dear, there are too many people, it definitely won't work today."

It's already past closing time, and the office system shuts down on time. Even if I wanted to approve your work, the system can't process the data; I'm powerless to do so.

He secretly thought to himself, "Whether the system is off or not doesn't matter. If I say the system is off, then the system is off; if I say the system isn't off, then the system is on."

The important thing is that it's after get off work hours; no one should take up even a second of my personal time.

Among the crowd, several shrewd business owners seized the opportunity and moved forward.

Someone offered him a cigarette. "Director Zhao, the paperwork isn't urgent. Let's find a place to have a simple meal. You can choose the place; consider it making friends."

Several people around quickly chimed in, and the crowd began to stir.

Zhao Dehan's face darkened, and he immediately adopted a serious expression, waving his hand in refusal.

"No, you absolutely cannot eat."

Haven't you heard of my rules?

I, Zhao Dehan, have been honest and self-disciplined my entire life. I have never taken a single needle or thread from the people, and I have never attended any banquets.

He sneered inwardly. Public dinners are crowded and full of eyes and ears, making it easy to leave evidence against someone. Only a fool would go and join in the fun.

His simple attire conveyed an air of integrity and uprightness.

Anyone who doesn't know the truth would praise him as a great honest official.

Zhao Dehan glanced around and said, "Comrades, if you really want to get the approval, come early tomorrow and line up."

Prepare the materials thoroughly and neatly, and avoid falsification.

Let's keep this business separate and talk in the office; there's no need for a dinner.

No one dared to speak again.

Besides, you might offend this section chief who holds the power of approval.

The project is doomed to fail.

Zhao Dehan stood tall, his expression calm, and walked through the crowd without looking to the side.

Until he walked out of the office building and was out of sight of others.

His tense expression slowly relaxed.

There's no need to pretend when no one's around.

Once this group gets the permit, they'll be rolling in money. We can't rush to approve it; we have to keep them hanging on for a while.

Only then will they learn to be grateful and obedient.

In terms of acting skills, Zhao Dehan considers himself second to none, and probably no one in the entire Chemical and Energy Department would dare to claim to be first.

On the surface, he appears to be incorruptible, but behind the scenes, the situation is quite different.

They put on an act for outsiders, keeping the benefits for themselves.

However, it doesn't cost a single penny.

The abacus clicked and clacked.

As Zhao Dehan walked out of the office building, he rode an unremarkable electric scooter that was about 6% new.

Fang Ping could see everything clearly from the window upstairs.

He casually took out his phone and sent a message to Song Yunhui.

The fish has come out of the water.

Several plainclothes officers from the Anti-Corruption Bureau quietly got into the van, kept their distance, and followed the electric scooter silently.

One of them contacted Hou Liangping, "Director Hou, the target is Zhao Dehan. He left on an electric bike, and we've caught up with him."

Hou Liangping received the call and was somewhat excited. "Good, very good, make sure to keep a close eye on it."