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

Taking a deep breath, Zhong Xiaoai forced herself to calm down.

Only then did I muster the courage to make the call.

"Feed Liangping."

"Xiao Ai, where are you? You disappeared while you were dancing last night, are you okay?"

Zhong Xiaoai shook her head, trembling all over.

"It's nothing. My phone died last night and I couldn't reach you, so I booked a room at the hotel next door."

Hou Liangping paused for a moment.

"Okay, Xiao Ai, I'll come pick you up now."

"No need, no need, I'll go home by myself."

"Okay, then I'll wait for you to come back."

Hou Liangping had very mixed feelings after hanging up the phone.

A vast green grassland lies above my head, and the grass was planted by my own hands.

Upon dialing Zhao Ruilong's number, Hou Liangping went straight to the point: "Zhao Ruilong, this matter is over. I hope you will never show your face again!"

Zhao Ruilong simply smiled faintly.

"Don't worry, Director Hou. I'm a man of my word. I'll hang up now if there's nothing else."

"屮!"

After hanging up the phone, Hou Liangping slammed his fist against the wall, unable to shake off the frustration in his heart.

At 11:30 a.m., Zhong Xiaoai pushed open the door and looked at Hou Liangping sitting on the sofa. She was extremely worried.

He forced himself to walk normally, but the more Hou Liangping saw Zhong Xiaoai trying to hide her emotions, the more overwhelming they became.

"Xiao Ai, you're back?"

Hou Liangping's smile was somewhat bitter, and Zhong Xiaoai had no interest in paying attention to these details.

"Um."

After uttering only a single "hmm," Zhong Xiaoai went into the bathroom, while Hou Liangping got up and went to the balcony, sighing repeatedly.

A once happy family has now deteriorated to the point where both members are burdened with worries and have even forgotten the purpose of their trip to Handong.

However, while the couple forgot about others, they didn't.

At the provincial party committee building, Sha Ruijin frowned. Zhong Xiaoai had been in Handong for almost a month, but she hadn't achieved anything. She just went to work and came home every day. If that's the case, what's the point of coming to Handong?

"Forget it, if your Zhong family isn't worried, why should I be? Really..."

Shaking his head, Sha Ruijin stopped thinking about these things.

The original intention was to bring down the Zhao family as agreed, but unfortunately, Zhong Xiaoai and Hou Liangping were both half-baked.

Tian Guofu was not very obedient either.

Sha Ruijin has no one else available, so when Director Zhong urges him to step in, he can just pass the buck to his daughter and son-in-law.

The atmosphere at the chess game in Handong became increasingly strange.

On Monday, Chen Luo went to Luzhou to take charge of the work. On the same day, Hou Liangping officially returned to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Hou Liangping is now filled with resentment, not only because he was tricked and cheated on by Zhao Ruilong, but also because he feels resentful and aggrieved about what happened to him.

He desperately needed to vent, and the best target for that venting was Chen Hai, for no other reason than that Chen Hai was easy to bully.

Like a machine, the Anti-Corruption Bureau started operating quickly after Hou Liangping's return, especially since Hou Liangping's focus was now on the Guangming District, and they actually discovered some unexpected surprises.

The current renovation project in Guangming District is being undertaken by a local construction company from Jingzhou. The owner of this company is accustomed to bribing the staff responsible for supervising quality, using inferior materials to pass off as high-quality ones.

This discovery thrilled Hou Liangping!

However, now is not the time to reveal the truth. They need to jump out when the construction is halfway done and use the power of the media to force Guangming District to demolish and rebuild. Hou Liangping is willing to do anything that increases the cost of Guangming District!

Compared to Hou Liangping, who quickly adapted to the hat on his head, Zhong Xiaoai was clearly much slower.

She had been on her guard these past few days, afraid that her husband would find out something was wrong. Even so, Zhong Xiaoai's balance was still disrupted by a phone call.

"Hey, Miss Chung, I miss you again!"

It was an unfamiliar phone call, but Zhong Xiaoai recognized the voice immediately; it was the same man from that day.

"Who are you! I don't know you!"

Denial tactics are clearly ineffective.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Miss Zhong, how heartless! That's not what you said that day. You told me to keep the secret and that you would help me in a critical moment."

Miss Zhong, Secretary Zhong, it seems I already know your identity. I heard your husband's name is Hou Liangping?

"You're the director of the anti-corruption bureau of the procuratorate, right? I really don't understand, how could someone from a high-ranking family like yours fall from grace?"

"What exactly do you want to do!"

Zhong Xiaoai broke down.

"What are you doing? Didn't I tell you? I miss you!"

Zhong Xiaoai fell silent.

"At 4:30 pm, in the same hotel and room, I'll be waiting for you. If you don't come, I'll have to send the video to your husband and your workplace."

"You're threatening me?!"

"Oh dear, Secretary Zhong, don't put it so harshly. I know you have a powerful background and can easily deal with someone like me. But even a nobody has their own ways of protecting themselves. To be honest, you're not that good-looking, not as youthful as a twenty-year-old college student, but the kind of temperament you have is something that young girls can't compare to."

I'm absolutely fascinated by it!

"You're shameless!"

"Secretary Zhong, you're right. I was shameless, but I'm very proud of your assessment!"

It was like punching cotton. Zhong Xiaoai's eyes turned bloodshot, and the murderous intent she felt rose and then gradually dissipated like a roller coaster.

"Alright, that's all I wanted to say. I'll be waiting for you, Secretary Zhong. Don't break your promise!"

The call was disconnected. Zhong Xiaoai gritted her teeth. To go or not to go, that is the question.

Time slipped away little by little as I struggled with this dilemma.

In the end, Zhong Xiaoai compromised. She didn't want her name to be exposed, and she didn't want her family to be broken up.

Of course, the compromise is only temporary.

Zhong Xiaoai vowed that as long as the time was right, she would definitely make this man wish he were dead!

At 6 p.m., Zhong Xiaoai walked out of the hotel. Her body, which had recovered after a few days of rest, was severely damaged again. Without saying a word, Zhong Xiaoai left in a gloomy mood. Hou Liangping could never know any of this.

At the Shanshui Manor, listening to his subordinates' report, Zhao Ruilong laughed heartily. He had only been in Handong for a few days and had already ruined the Zhong family's daughter and son-in-law. Was this all the kind of trash they wanted? Did they really think they could mess with the Zhao family?

Zhao Ruilong began to doubt the veracity of the information Liu Sheng had provided.

At the same time, Gao Xiaoqin passed the message to Qi Tongwei, who then called Chen Luo.

After receiving the call and hearing Qi Tongwei recount Zhao Ruilong's outrageous actions, Chen Luo could only say "Awesome!"

There's no need for him to start anything now; neither the Zhong nor the Zhao family will stop.

Indeed, this was the case. In the past few days, Zhong Xiaoai had people investigate information about that man, and the final clues pointed to the Shanshui Group and Zhao Ruilong.

This result left Zhong Xiaoai in disbelief, and she also realized that she had been tricked by Zhao Ruilong.

King against king, general against general, a real battle is about to unfold!