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

After a moment of silence, Qi Tongwei said, "Teacher, according to news from Beijing, the person who will succeed you as Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission is Chen Luo, the mayor of Suzhou City in the neighboring province."

He's only 38 years old!

As he said this, Qi Tongwei's lips twitched slightly, and his expression was clearly somewhat unnatural.

The gap is simply too large.

Qi Tongwei is almost forty-seven years old, and he is still only a provincial-level public security bureau chief.

Even his long-awaited appointment as vice governor has been repeatedly delayed in the past two years.

Chen Luo was nine years younger than him.

He even skipped the ordinary deputy provincial level and entered the provincial party committee standing committee in one step. It would be a lie to say I wasn't envious.

On the other hand, Qi Tongwei also wanted to see if his teacher knew the deeper background of the soon-to-be-appointed Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

Sure enough, Gao Yuliang picked up the conversation.

"Tongwei, although the new Secretary Chen is young, he has a wealth of experience!"

Gao Yuliang naturally wouldn't waste words on the information that was readily available.

"When this Secretary Chen served as the Vice Mayor of Kunming, he was a member of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and the Secretary of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee. Now, he is in charge of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission in Beijing, and he values ​​him highly."

Upon hearing the name "Old Xu," Qi Tongwei turned pale. This was one of the Twenty-Four Heavenly Beings.

Compared to Zhao Lichun, the former Party Secretary who had already moved to Beijing, although they held the same rank, the power they wielded was worlds apart!

That wasn't all. Gao Yuliang continued, "Besides all that, this Secretary Chen also completed his undergraduate, master's, and doctoral studies at Peking University."

"Teacher, you mean...?"

Qi Tongwei understood the meaning behind this. Just like their Han University group, Beijing also has resources, and compared to Han University, its resources are much richer.

"Sigh, Tongwei, you can think about the rest yourself. Remember, you must cooperate well with Secretary Chen!"

Qi Tongwei nodded thoughtfully.

Two weeks later, in the capital city.

As the flight from Suzhou landed, Chen Luo picked up his briefcase, tidied his clothes, and stepped off the plane.

The staff responsible for receiving the delegation from the Beijing Liaison Office were already waiting.

Once in the back seat, Chen Luo looked out the window at the familiar yet unfamiliar buildings.

What felt familiar to Chen Luo was that he had lived in Beijing for nearly ten years, while what felt unfamiliar was that Beijing had changed so much in the past ten years of his work there.

Bringing his thoughts back, Chen Luo had come to Beijing for work. Before taking office, according to organizational procedures, Chen Luo still needed to have a conversation.

The vehicle drove directly into the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

2:30 PM.

Guided by staff from the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Chen Luo arrived at an office.

As soon as Chen Luo entered the office, he saw a familiar face, and two other people sat on either side of him.

"Minister Xu, hello!"

The Minister Xu mentioned by Chen Luo is the middle-aged man sitting in the middle. He is 55 years old and is the Vice Minister of the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, responsible for presiding over the daily work. He is at the ministerial level!

The reason for their familiarity is that Minister Xu is also a graduate of Peking University. Chen Luo met him during the university's anniversary celebration when he was pursuing his doctorate, and even after more than a decade apart, he could still recognize him.

"Comrade Chen Luo, you've arrived? Please have a seat..."

After Minister Xu spoke, Chen Luo smiled, nodded, and sat down.

The two of them understood each other implicitly, and their conversations consisted of nothing more than the same old topics.

Besides Minister Xu, the two people on either side were from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the Political and Legal Affairs Commission (PLAC). About an hour later, the conversation ended, and the two people from the CCDI and the PLAAC left one after the other.

Before leaving, the official from the Political and Legal Affairs Commission greeted Chen Luo with a smile, and Chen Luo responded warmly.

"Chen Luo, it's been more than a decade. You've come this far in the blink of an eye."

Once only Chen Luo and Minister Xu remained in the office, the atmosphere of the conversation became noticeably more relaxed.

"Minister Xu, it's been over a decade, but you still look as dashing as ever!"

"Hahaha, you little rascal, this isn't the time for work. The conversation is over, and you're still calling me 'Minister'?"

Chen Luo smiled and then shook his head.

"Senior!"

"Ah, that's right. You're a famous talent from our Peking University. You've done a great job in Kunming and Suzhou over the years. You've managed to grow a prefecture-level city into the fifth largest city in the country. The organization has seen your contributions, which is the main reason why you were able to go to Handong this time."

Chen Luo understood that one must be strong to succeed.

"You flatter me, senior. I was just doing my job..."

"Don't be modest, this is not my praise for you, these are the exact words of Elder Li from the State Council."

"Old Li?"

Chen Luo was somewhat shocked; he and this Elder Li from the State Council seemed to have absolutely no connection whatsoever…

"Surprised?"

Minister Xu smiled, but the hint of envy in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"Have you forgotten, kid? Old Li also graduated from Peking University, just like you, studying both law and economics."

Besides, the development of Kunming and Suzhou is real and substantial; it's hard for them to go unnoticed.

"I am indeed somewhat apprehensive."

Chen Luo spoke frankly, but Minister Xu changed the subject and said seriously, "By the way, junior, the newly appointed provincial party secretary Sha Ruijin is also going to Handong with you this time."

In a few days, I will accompany you to Handong to take up your posts. There are some things you need to know about Secretary Ruijin.

"Please speak, senior, I'm listening!"

Chen Luo could tell from the tone of their conversation that things were not simple.

"This Secretary Ruijin is a graduate of Tsinghua University, majoring in Marxism-Leninism. Although he later obtained a master's degree in economics, he is not very sensitive to economic development."

He's a rather domineering person. Once you get to Handong, just remember to do your job well.

The implication was simple: to remind Chen Luo to keep some distance from Sha Ruijin.

"Okay, I understand. Thanks for reminding me, senior!"

"Alright, I won't keep you any longer. You've come all this way to the capital to visit your teachers at the school. It's been over ten years since you left, and our friendships have grown a bit distant."

Chen Luo nodded and did not linger.

After saying goodbye, Chen Luo left the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

As night fell, Chen Luo spent the entire afternoon at school visiting his former teachers, directors, and deans.

The phone rang in the evening.

"Hey, old boss!"

"Chen Luo, I heard you came to Beijing. Where are you now? I'll have my driver pick you up. Let's have dinner together tonight and you can tell me about the situation in Suzhou these past few years."

A glint of light flashed in Chen Luo's eyes.

"No problem, old boss, I'm at the gate of Peking University right now."

"Okay, wait a moment, I'll have the driver come right away."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Luo slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

Chen Luo was grateful to his former leader who had shown him great kindness; in a way, the two had a mutually beneficial relationship.

Chen Luo's development in Kunming has driven the economic growth of the entire Suzhou City.

This allowed the then-secretary of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee, now a former leader, to break through the encirclement and take a crucial step forward.

At the same time, Chen Luo also made rapid progress, taking one step at a time every two years.