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

Looking through the window, Zhou Jianjun's face was somewhat distorted and haggard. He knew all too well that Zhao Dagong's repeated disagreements with him were aimed at replacing him.

With a heavy sigh, Zhou Jianjun waved his hand and drew the curtains shut before taking out his phone and dialing his father's number.

The call was connected quickly.

"Feed Dad..."

"Oh, it's Jianjun. It's so late, aren't you resting yet?"

"Soon, Dad. How have you been feeling lately?"

"Don't worry about my health, I'll definitely outlive Sha Ruijin's father-in-law!"

Zhou Jianjun didn't respond to this, but remained silent for a moment.

"Jianjun, how's things going in Handong?"

"It went fairly smoothly..."

"Sigh! You're still the same old you. You always ask what you need to ask and say what you need to say. I know you've been working in Handong all this time. You're so sure about everything just because of Chen Hai. You've never made that kind of mistake in all these decades. Don't you find that unusual?"

"Dad, I..."

"I know you want to get revenge for me, but that doesn't mean you can lose your mind."

Struggle is not your first task when you come to work in Handong.

As the governor, your main task is to develop Handong and bring benefits to the tens of millions of people in Handong.

In this respect, you are clearly inferior to Chen Luo, who worked with you a few years ago.

I heard that during the six months that Chen Luo served as the Party Secretary of Lüzhou City, the city's economic growth accelerated dramatically. In just over six months, the GDP has already surpassed that of the entire previous year. No wonder the higher-ups included him in their talent development program."

"A list of candidates for training? Dad? Is it for real?"

"Really? Do you think I would hide something from you like this? The higher-ups value his abilities highly!"

Most importantly, Chen Luobie is in a very good situation. He is indifferent to money, has a good lifestyle, and his thoughts are all about serving the people. It is perfectly normal for someone like him to be valued by those above.

I'm telling you this to tell you not to try and extort money from people for no reason. A few years ago, they were your soldiers, that's true, but now you're all members of the same unit. You need to show them respect. Do you understand what I mean?

Zhou Jianjun's face was somewhat bitter; it seemed a bit late to talk about this now.

"I understand, Dad. I called to ask how much you know about Zhao Dagong. He's been hostile towards me ever since he came to Handong!"

Getting back to the main point, the Zhou family patriarch thought about it for a while before giving his answer.

"This Zhao Dagong is no simple character. Didn't you say you wanted to call two people who could stir up trouble? Zhao Dagong was the executive vice governor when he was in Bianxi Province. However, his strength lies in his extravagant lifestyle but his impeccable adherence to principles. He can even force the secretary to back down when faced with constant pressure. He is a ruthless character!"

Has Zhao Dagong stirred up trouble in the Handong River?

Zhou Jianjun was internally cursing. It wasn't just muddying the waters; the other side was practically going berserk, and even the top two leaders were rendered speechless by his attacks.

"Yes, the water is very murky!"

Zhou Jianjun emphasized the last character, "浑".

"Hahaha, that's good. With Zhao Dagong dealing with Sha Ruijin, he'll definitely make Sha Ruijin suffer."

You can just sit back and watch the show.

"Okay, that's settled for now, Dad. You should get some rest."

Zhou Jianjun felt a little heartbroken after hurriedly ending the call, but he had to bear the consequences of his own actions, even if he cried.

"Come on, come on, it's just a struggle, isn't it? Who have I, Zhou Jianjun, ever been afraid of?"

......................................................

On Saturday morning, Chen Hai finished washing up and changed into a fairly well-fitting business jacket. He had also shaved his beard and looked clean and refreshed.

After going downstairs, he drove straight to Handong University.

Chen Hai's purpose in coming to Handong University was simple. In the past few days, he had met a female college student from Handong University through online chat. She was a little intimidated by his identity as the deputy director of the Department of Justice. Although the position did not have much real power, the benefits were good!

A 42-year-old deputy director is a catch that no college student with even a little ambition would refuse; some might even be eager to try their luck.

One is ambitious, the other is lustful. Chen Hai has now come to terms with it. Just like Hou Liangping said, what's wrong with marrying a female college student in her early twenties?

Once in the car, which was newly purchased last week, Chen Hai abandoned his old Santana, which he had driven for several years, just as he abandoned the unpleasant past.

The car he was in was a new one, a Volvo S90. The price wasn't too high for Chen Hai. He got in the car, stepped on the gas, and arrived at the gate of Handong University in just twenty minutes.

Without any obstruction, Chen Hai drove straight into the university.

The lake at Handong University is not very large, about 10,000 square meters. Willow trees are planted on both sides of the lake, and the lake surface ripples when the summer breeze blows.

When Chen Hai arrived, he saw a beautiful young girl sitting on a swing from a distance. She looked exactly like the girl in the photo, and was even prettier in real life.

"Is that Liu Shanshan?"

Chen Hai stepped forward with a smile and asked, and the other person immediately got off the swing and looked at Chen Hai with a curious gaze.

"Are you Director Chen?"

"Yes, it's me, Chen Hai!"

Half an hour later, the two were sitting on a wooden bench by the lake, chatting and laughing. They were clearly in love and things were progressing quickly!

Just as Chen Hai was engrossed in his conversation with Liu Shanshan, two figures walked over from behind them.

"Brother Liangping, Shanshan said she's also met a cadre. I'm worried she'll be scammed. You'll have to keep an eye on her later. She's my only close friend."

Hou Liangping nodded confidently.

"Don't worry, Youyou. I know every official in Handong who's at least at the division level. I definitely won't let your best friend get scammed!"

Youyou is Hou Liangping's girlfriend; it's just too much of a coincidence.

The closer Hou Liangping got, the more familiar Chen Hai's back seemed.

When they were about ten meters apart, Youyou called out to her best friend.

"Shanshan!"

With a whoosh, Liu Shanshan turned around, and at the same time Chen Hai also turned around to see who it was. They were both stunned when they saw who it was.

"Hou Liangping?"

"Chen Hai?"

Immediately following was a unanimous response.

"What are you doing here?"

Both of them were stunned.

Ten minutes later, after Chen Hai and Hou Liangping explained things to each other, Liu Shanshan and Huang Youyou finally understood their relationship.

"So Liangping, he really is a deputy director-general?"

Huang Youyou's gaze was somewhat complicated. Her best friend had really found a boyfriend, but her own boyfriend was no less impressive; he was also a deputy director-level official!

Liu Shanshan's eyes were full of confidence, and she was practically leaning on Chen Hai. These past few days, she had been incredibly jealous after learning that her best friend was dating a deputy director-level official.

As a best friend, I'm afraid she'll suffer, but I'm also afraid she'll become too rich. Of course, I don't want to fall behind!