Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

The provincial party committee's official vehicle was escorted by two white police cars, one in front and one behind.

With their police lights flashing, they filed out of the dedicated passageway at Gyeongju International Airport.

The sirens weren't blaring, but the two blue and white police lights spun rapidly, and the vehicles in front instinctively moved to the sides, just like Moses parting the Red Sea.

In the passenger seat, Xiaobai, the personal secretary, sat upright with her hands neatly placed on her knees.

In the rearview mirror, Zhao Lichun leaned back in the leather seat of the back seat, his legs crossed, his right hand resting on the armrest by the window, his index finger tapping rhythmically.

His face was expressionless.

It wasn't anger, it wasn't anxiety, it was nothing at all.

Xiao Bai swallowed hard. This calmness was far more frightening than someone getting angry and yelling.

"Go to the provincial party committee compound."

Xiao Bai was taken aback, and subconsciously replied, "Secretary, why don't you go home to the family compound and rest for a while?"

I said I wanted to go to the office building.

"yes!"

The convoy turned onto the main road of the provincial party committee compound. It was a little after 2 p.m., just after the morning rush hour.

In the square in front of the office building, groups of two or three cadres walked and chatted while carrying enamel cups, and several young staff members jogged around with folders in their arms.

The first car came to a steady stop right in front of the steps.

Xiao Bai nimbly jumped out of the car, went around to the back seat, and opened the car door.

The moment Zhao Lichun stepped out of the car, the air in the entire square seemed to pause for a second.

His suit was impeccably tailored, the collar was buttoned up tightly, his hair was perfectly styled, and his back was as straight as a pillar. The way he stepped up the stairs was exactly the same as usual.

Several section-level cadres who happened to be passing by saw him and their legs went weak, and they tried to shrink to the side.

Zhao Lichun did not tell them to shrink back.

"Xiao Zhang, how's your investment promotion plan coming along?"

The section chief who was called out almost dropped his enamel cup on the ground, but quickly straightened up after regaining his senses.

"Secretary, Secretary! The initial draft of the plan is complete and is currently undergoing approval—"

"Okay, hurry up. If you encounter any difficulties, just contact Chen Huai for assistance."

He was all smiles and incredibly kind.

Normally, Zhao Lichun wouldn't even glance at either side when walking this route. Why did he stop to chat today? And even ask about the work progress?

The section chiefs looked at each other, and only dared to whisper among themselves after Zhao Lichun had walked away.

"Secretary Zhao seems to be in a good mood?"

"Didn't they say they were going to Kyoto to get reinforcements? Judging from this situation, Secretary Shen is probably going to be in trouble."

"I knew it! Secretary Zhao has incredibly strong connections up there. No matter how arrogant that guy surnamed Shen is, can he be more arrogant than the big shots in Kyoto?"

The news traveled faster than a telephone line.

In less than half an hour, the entire provincial party committee compound knew that Secretary Zhao had returned from Beijing, full of energy and beaming with joy, and was even exchanging pleasantries with the cadres below him.

Those marginal members of Zhao's faction who had begun to waver due to the Standing Committee's defeat, and who were already considering their options, have now stuffed their resumes back into their drawers.

The wind direction seems to have changed again.

Fourth floor.

The office of Gao Yuliang, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.

The curtains were only half drawn open, and Gao Yuliang stood by the window, looking down through the glass.

Zhao Lichun's figure was disappearing into the building's lobby from the square, his steps steady and unhurried.

Gao Yuliang tapped his fingers silently twice on the windowsill.

The phone on the table rang.

Gao Yuliang walked back to his desk, glanced at the number, and picked up the receiver.

"Teacher, it's me, Tongwei."

"explain."

"Secretary Zhao is back, you saw that? I just received word that Secretary Zhao went to Beijing to meet with some important figures, and there's also news that—"

Qi Tongwei lowered his voice and spoke faster.

"It's said that Secretary Zhao may want to take another step forward."

Gao Yuliang remained silent.

"Teacher, I think we need to make a statement at this time. Your performance at the Standing Committee meeting that day might have caused Secretary Lichun to misunderstand."

"Why don't you take the initiative to reach out and ease the tension?"

"Tongwei".

Gao Yuliang spoke, unhurriedly.

"You've worked in the Public Security Bureau for so many years, when did you learn to believe everything you hear?"

"Teacher, I didn't mean to—"

Gao Yuliang didn't respond, only leaving out a sentence.

"Get involved less, observe more, and don't take sides."

The phone hangs up.

Gao Yuliang put the receiver back down, turned around, and walked back to the window. The square had returned to normal flow of people; the scene just now had come and gone quickly.

But his fingers tapped twice more on the windowsill.

The office building of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee.

Li Dakang was flipping through a report on the second phase of Guangming Peak in his office when his secretary knocked on the door and came in.

"Secretary Li, news has come from the Provincial Party Committee—Secretary Zhao Lichun has returned from Beijing and just arrived at the Provincial Party Committee office building."

The hand that was flipping through the documents stopped.

"Anything else?"

"I heard that when Secretary Zhao came back, he was in very good condition. He even chatted with a few section chiefs in the square and asked about investment promotion."

Li Dakang slammed the materials on the table.

"Okay, get out."

The secretary left, closing the door behind her.

Li Dakang was the only one left in the office.

On the day of the Standing Committee meeting, he jumped out and stabbed Zhao Lichun in the back.

Although he was forced into this situation, Shen Zhong was riding high at the time, and Zhao Lichun clearly couldn't withstand him, so he had no energy to retaliate.

But now that Zhao Lichun has returned from Kyoto, he still acts as if he has "everything under control."

If Zhao Lichun really has found a powerful backer, then those few people who are jumping the gun at the Standing Committee meeting—

If Li Dakang ranks second, no one dares to rank first.

A thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Oh shit."

He squeezed those two words out between his teeth, not too loud, not too soft, just enough for him to hear.

Office of the Provincial Party Secretary.

The moment the door closed from the inside, Zhao Lichun's face, which had been covered in a smile the whole way, looked as if it had been erased cleanly, leaving nothing behind.

He took three steps to the desk, braced his hands on the edge of the desk, and put all the weight of his upper body on it.

My shoulders are shaking.

It's not that it's cold, it's that it can't hold on any longer.

From the airport to here, it took half an hour in the car and five minutes on stage in the square. That short time was more tiring than sitting for three hours at a provincial party committee meeting.

Sweat trickled down his forehead and nose, dripping onto the glass of his desk and spreading in a small patch.

Zhao Lichun held on for a few seconds, then straightened up and plopped down in the chair.

The dark green secure phone on the table was right next to me.

He reached for the receiver, picked it up, and then put it down again.

He picked it up again and dialed an internal number.

Three beeps, connection established.

"Chen Huai, inform Gao Yuliang and Qi Tongwei—"

His voice had switched back to the tone befitting a provincial party secretary—calm, composed, and leaving no room for argument.

"Let's have a little meeting at my house at 8 pm tonight."