Official statement: Tongwei is dead! You chose Ruijin, didn't you?

The secretary answered the phone, listened for two seconds, and her expression changed instantly. She covered the receiver and looked nervously at Li Dakang: "Secretary, it's a call from... a staff member working for Elder Bai in Kyoto."

The office fell into a deathly silence.

Yi Xuexi suddenly raised his head, and Li Dakang froze.

Bai Lao.

Baiwang Mountain.

One of Sha Ruijin's godfathers!

At this critical juncture, with Sha Ruijingang suspended from his post and the supervisory team frantically digging into old issues in Lingang, the appearance of this name is like a ticking time bomb!

Li Dakang cursed inwardly: "What I feared most has come to pass! This isn't a phone call, this is a death knell!"

He didn't answer immediately; his secretary's palms were already sweaty.

Yi Xuexi stared at Li Dakang and shook his head slightly, as if to say: This phone is too hot to handle.

Li Dakang knew exactly what was going on, but he also knew that he couldn't just reject a call of this level.

Refusing to answer is itself an extremely bad political attitude.

Li Dakang took a deep breath, adjusted his expression, and picked up the receiver: "Hello, this is Li Dakang."

The staff member on the other end of the phone spoke politely: "Comrade Dakang, Old Bai would like to speak with you, is that a convenient time?"

Li Dakang's mind raced, and he immediately played the evasive card: "Please wait a moment, I'm preparing to attend the provincial government's economic coordination meeting. How is Elder Bai's health?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone, followed by an aged, slow, yet extremely authoritative voice: "Dakang, it's me."

Li Dakang immediately sat up straight, adopting the standard posture of a subordinate reporting work: "Hello, Mr. Bai."

Bai Wangshan's voice was not loud, but it carried an unfathomable meaning: "Handong has been in a lot of chaos lately, you've had a tough time."

"It's all part of my job, nothing too hard."

"The economy can't be allowed to fall into chaos."

Bai Wangshan sighed. "Handong needs capable people right now. I'm heartbroken that Xiao Jinzi is in trouble. But Handong can't let a little trouble bring its development to a standstill."

As Li Dakang listened, his heart began to race, and his brain quickly analyzed what the other person was saying.

Is this statement simply out of concern for the economy, or is it a subtle hint about the governor's position?

Bai Wangshan didn't give him much time to think and continued, "Comrade Liu Ruian is getting on in years, and the organization will make overall arrangements for his future. Dakang, you need to stabilize Jingzhou and also take on greater responsibilities."

Greater responsibility!

The moment those five words were uttered, cold sweat instantly broke out on Li Dakang's palms as he held the phone.

He had always dreamed of hearing these words from the older generation of comrades in Beijing.

But now that he actually heard it, he felt a chill run down his spine and his hair stood on end!

Who is Baiwangshan?

That's the towering tree behind Sha Ruijin!

In the unfathomable web of the Lingang old case, can this old comrade really remain completely uninvolved?

If he answers this call, the supervisory team will immediately make a record of it; if he goes along with it and climbs the ladder, then Li Dakang will be completely tied to the Sha faction!

These old comrades always speak in a cryptic and ambiguous way. But when something really goes wrong, they can just pat their backside and say, "The people below are over-interpreting it," and they can sell you out completely.

Li Dakang steadied himself, employing his most refined and skillful communication techniques, his tone sincere and flawless: "Elder Bai, thank you for your concern. The most crucial political task for Jingzhou right now..."

The goal is to fully cooperate with the provincial party committee and the central supervision team to thoroughly investigate and resolve historical issues, while simultaneously stabilizing the economic fundamentals.

As for my personal work arrangements, I will resolutely obey the organization's decision, and will not inquire, run around, or express any opinions!

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Then, Bai Wangshan chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of meaning: "You're still the same Li Dakang, but you've become much more cautious."

Li Dakang mentally scoffed: Nonsense! Gao Yuliang was driven to the brink of suicide and ended up with a cast, Hou Liangping was stripped naked and placed under investigation, how could I not be cautious!

However, he answered respectfully, "I have recently received a profound education and have realized many of my shortcomings."

Bai Wangshan said calmly, "It's good to receive education, but we can't be timid and hesitant. Cadres can't stop doing their jobs just because they're afraid of taking responsibility."

"Your criticism is correct, and I will definitely keep it in mind."

"Okay, you go ahead with your meeting. We can talk again another day when you're free."

The phone hangs up.

"Beep—beep—"

The busy signal sounded particularly jarring in the quiet office.

Li Dakang slowly put down the receiver, feeling as if he had just finished a tough battle. He exhaled a long breath and turned to look at Yi Xuexi.

Like an emotionless mine-clearing machine, Yi Xuexi immediately turned to his secretary and asked, "Was that call recorded?"

The secretary was startled and waved her hands repeatedly: "The red office phone only has call logs, not recording permissions!"

Without hesitation, Yi Xuexi cut to the chase: "Immediately prepare a written explanation! Write down the time, the caller ID, and the content of the call from memory, word for word, and submit it to both the Provincial Party Committee Office and the Central Supervision Group for record-keeping!"

The secretary was stunned, holding the pen, at a loss for what to do.

Li Dakang frowned as well: "Report it now? That makes me look guilty, isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill?"

"Report it now!" Yi Xuexi stared at him defiantly.

"If we had waited even a minute longer, the supervisory team might have interpreted this phone call as you 'secretly colluding with senior officials in Beijing in an attempt to resist investigation'!"

"Secretary Dakang, if this accusation is pinned on you, you won't be able to clear your name even if you jump into the Han River!"

Li Dakang's face darkened. After a few seconds of silence, he gritted his teeth and waved his hand at his secretary: "Write! Write it down word for word!"

The secretary quickly opened her notebook and began taking notes in a flurry of activity.

Li Dakang leaned back in his chair, feeling as if he had swallowed a fly.

In the past, Bai Wangshan's phone call would have been a ladder to meteoric success; now, it's like a red-hot branding iron!

Does he want to be the governor?

Nonsense, why would he work so hard if he didn't want to climb the ladder?

But now, the position of governor is not a chair at all, it's a minefield!

Whoever takes the seat will have to deal with the mess that is now in Handong.

The Zhao family's account, the Liang family's account, the Chen family's account, the Zhong family's account, the Sha family's account, and his own Jingzhou account.

If he were to be pushed into this position by these people, before he could even settle in, Qin Yuanzhou and Zhou Zhengming would use the case files to elevate him and send him straight to Qincheng Prison!

Yi Xuexi looked at him and added in a low voice, "Secretary Dakang, Team Leader Qin Yuanzhou probably already knows about that phone call."

Li Dakang's eyelids twitched: "You suspect my mobile phone is being tapped?"

"No need to monitor."

Yi Xuexi shook his head, his insight clear. "The fact that Elder Bai is calling you at this time is itself an extremely strong political signal. Those who need to know will naturally find out immediately."

Li Dakang fell completely silent.

He suddenly realized with a start that he had been put on the table.

Some people want to push him down, some want to see how he reacts, and some want to use him to test the central government's bottom line.

The only thing Li Dakang can do now is to pretend to be more well-behaved and honest than anyone else!

Li Dakang abruptly stood up, grabbed his notebook from the table, and exclaimed, "Let's go to the provincial government for a meeting!"

As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at Yi Xuexi: "Yi Xuexi, be honest with me, do you think... there's any possibility for me?"

Yi Xuexi knew he was asking about the nomination for governor, so he didn't beat around the bush and said bluntly, "It's possible I'll be nominated."

Li Dakang's eyes lit up slightly.

Yi Xuexi immediately poured cold water on the idea: "But it might not be to put you on the job; it could very well be to make you fall. We'll put you on the fire and see how much oil and water you can extract."

Li Dakang remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he rubbed his face in frustration and cursed, "Being an official is fucking a brain drain!"

Yi Xuexi, head down, was organizing the filing materials, completely unafraid of him. He suddenly retorted, "Secretary Dakang, when you used to run your own 'one-man show,' you were the one who was racking other people's brains. Now that it's your turn, you'll just have to get used to it."

Secretary Xiaoyi was so embarrassed by her suppressed laughter that her face turned red. She quickly buried her head in the documents and pretended to be dead.

Li Dakang glared at Yi Xuexi, snorted coldly, and strode out the door.

He knew better than anyone else that Bai Wangshan's phone call was not the end; it was just a test.

There will definitely be more people throwing bricks into this mess later.

Li Dakang could no longer foolishly rush to the front and shout slogans like before.

This time, he needs to open his eyes wide and see clearly who this brick is meant to hit!