In name only: I will break the chess game in Handong!

After running for a full ten minutes, Chen Hai bent down and gasped for breath.

The sadness she felt at Lu Yike's rejection now left her only with lingering fear.

Chen Hai was genuinely worried that his disheveled appearance would be seen by the provincial leaders; ultimately, he was afraid of losing his current position as the head of Guangming District.

When Chen Hai got home, it was already seven o'clock in the evening. He silently pushed open the door and saw his father leading his son to eat at the dining table.

Chen Yanshi put down his chopsticks as Chen Hai returned, frowning as he asked, "Hai Zi, didn't you say you were having dinner with Yi Ke tonight? Why are you back so late? Where's Yi Ke? Did things go well between you two?"

Several questions left Chen Hai speechless; he simply didn't know how to answer them.

Seeing his son's miserable state, Chen Yanshi had a bad feeling.

"You two didn't end up together, did you?"

Chen Hai nodded emphatically, while Chen Yanshi felt that the food he had just eaten no longer tasted good.

"Sigh! If we had acted sooner, it would have been done much better. You kept putting it off, and now look what's happened. Hai Zi, I'm not trying to criticize you, but if you had listened to us a few years ago, you and Yi Ke would have been together long ago. Why did things have to come to this now..."

"Dad! Please stop talking!"

Chen Hai was somewhat defensive; weren't his father's words just like rubbing salt into his wounds?

"You won't tell me? I'm going to tell you anyway!"

You're just incompetent! You lost your position as bureau chief and then your position as deputy bureau chief. In the end, it was only because of my old face that I managed to get you a district chief position. You're no good at anything, and now you can't even catch up with Yi Ke. I, Chen Yanshi, have been a hero all my life, and in the end, I ended up with a son like you.

"If I'd known you were a hopeless case, I should have given all the resources to your sister back then!"

Chen Yanshi's anger was completely ignited, and he attacked anyone he could get his hands on, making Chen Hai suddenly lose his tough stance.

The father and son stared at each other, neither willing to back down first due to their stubborn natures. In this atmosphere, Little Ball was so frightened that he started to cry.

Until the door was pushed open, Wang Fuzhen entered.

In an instant, both Chen Hai and Chen Yanshi consciously looked away from each other, leaving only Little Piqiu crying as she rushed forward to hug her grandmother.

Ten minutes later, after Wang Fuzhen had understood the whole story, she sat down between Chen Yanshi and Chen Hai. She first looked at Chen Yanshi and said, "Old man, apart from the recent few months when Haizi had some accidents, he's always been your pride and joy. You saying such things about him must make him uncomfortable!"

After speaking of Chen Yanshi, Wang Fuzhen looked at Chen Hai.

"Hai Zi, your dad didn't do it on purpose. That's just his personality. We all know you've been having some trouble at work lately, and now you've hit a roadblock in your relationship. It's normal for you to lose control of your emotions at times like this."

You and your son are family after all. You can argue and fight behind closed doors, but once you step outside, you're still family. Remember, harmony is what makes a family!

After Wang Fuzhen finished speaking, Chen Yanshi and Chen Hai both lowered their heads and remained silent.

"Hai Zi, old man, you two stop blaming each other. To be fair, our family was so harmonious a few months ago. Why has it turned out like this now?"

It's all because of Hou Liangping!

If it weren't for him, Hai Zi wouldn't be where he is today...

Wang Fuzhen's words shifted the blame for the family conflict onto someone else. Chen Hai, who had been silent, gritted his teeth and said, "Yes! It's all Hou Liangping's fault! If he hadn't framed me, I wouldn't have ended up having to beg for help!"

"And Sha Ruijin!"

Chen Yanshi added.

"If it weren't for Sha Ruijin's ungrateful behavior and lack of gratitude, Hai Zi wouldn't have been suspended or dismissed twice in a row!"

Seeing this, Wang Fuzhen finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as there was no arguing at home and people were just blaming others, it was not worth mentioning at all.

Chen Yanshi's family temporarily returned to peace, but what Chen Hai had done gradually became known in the official circles of Handong.

Most people would just laugh it off as a joke when they hear such gossip, but for Zhao Donglai, Lu Yike's secret suitor, it was like leaves falling from the sky, turning their heads green with envy.

However, Zhao Donglai was clearly in better condition than Chen Hai, since Zhao Donglai was just trying his luck.

Fate always intertwines people together.

The next morning, Saturday.

At 9:30 a.m., Zhao Donglai, dressed in his police uniform, drove out as usual, but just as he arrived at the entrance of the municipal party committee and government, he bumped into Chen Hai.

There was no way to hide now; of course, it was Chen Hai who needed to hide.

Unfortunately, Zhao Donglai didn't give Chen Hai that opportunity.

"District Chief Chen, I heard you just broke up with your boyfriend yesterday. It's Saturday and you're actually working overtime? Tsk tsk tsk, I have to say, District Chief Chen's mental fortitude is truly impressive. Most people would have lost interest in work long ago after suffering consecutive setbacks in their careers and then another setback in their relationships."

But I forgot that District Chief Chen is no ordinary person. Would an ordinary person make solemn vows to their friends while secretly betraying them?

Chen Hai turned pale after being rebuked by Zhao Donglai's few words. He had anticipated this day would come from the moment he began to deceive Zhao Donglai.

"Donglai, I..."

"Heh, now you're pretending to be innocent?"

Chen Hai, how come I never noticed all these years? I have to say, your acting skills are quite good!

I'm very pleased that Director Lu didn't choose you. Who would dare to associate with a two-faced guy like you?

Let me tell you, don't think you're so great just because you're the district head now. Even a dog would shake its head at the job you're doing now. Sooner or later you'll be dismissed!

Just wait and see!

"Hmph! What bad luck!"

Zhao Donglai simply chose to walk past Chen Hai, leaving no possibility of easing the conflict.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Chen Hai could only keep it to himself, since he had indeed acted in a rather unethical manner.

Shaking his head, Chen Hai decided to focus on his work. Saturday's task wasn't difficult; it was simply to get Shanshui Group and Dafeng Factory to sit down and talk.

The government has already guaranteed the Dafeng Factory's safety; it should be demolished as it is, but the Guangmingfeng project cannot be affected.

When Chen Hai came to the municipal party committee and government, he was there to report to Li Dakang on the progress of handling the Dafeng Factory issue.

As for why it wasn't easy to learn...

In Yi Xuexi's words, he needed to stay at the district committee and district government to hold a meeting to resolve the conflict between the two sides and did not have time.

In the conference room of the district committee and government, Gao Xiaoqin, the person in charge of Shanshui Group, finally came forward. Sitting opposite Zheng Xipo, the worker representative of Dafeng Factory, Gao Xiaoqin had a faint smile on her lips.

"Mr. Gao, the employees of Dafeng Factory are now willing to transfer their shares to Shanshui Group in accordance with the agreement. We hope that you can expedite the demolition process as soon as possible."

After Yi Xuexi finished speaking in a serious tone, Gao Xiaoqin chuckled and said, "Our Shanshui Group will take responsibility for this matter."

but……

Secretary Yi, I've heard about the preferential treatment the Guangming District Committee and Government have given to Dafeng Factory. They've approved land and provided interest-free loans—tsk tsk tsk, I wonder if our Shanshui Group could also enjoy such treatment?

After all, Dafeng Factory has workers, and our Shanshui Group doesn't lack workers either!