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

"Don't look at me like that. I'm almost retired, so it's okay for me to be a little temperamental. Besides, you're the only one I can talk to so freely. The higher the official position, the more cautious you have to be."

The more cautious you are with former friends and classmates, the more distant you become, until finally you have no one left to talk to or boast to.

Chen Luo fell silent upon hearing this, though he was actually close to it himself.

Aside from being at home where you can still feel the trust and casualness between people, you have to wear a mask at all other times!

"Choosing this path means being destined to be alone."

"That's true, but let's not talk about it. Anyway, I'm retiring soon, so I won't have to be so careful about what I say or do anymore."

I will approve your proposal at the meeting.

"Yes, thank you!"

Chen Luo's gratitude was sincere.

Governor Liu shook his head.

"You're welcome. I'm retiring soon."

It's always good to maintain some goodwill; who knows, I, Old Liu, might need your help someday?

Helping others is helping yourself. It's getting late, you should go home now and avoid gossip.

"Um!"

After nodding emphatically, Chen Luo left the provincial government building.

Chen Luo has secured the support of Governor Liu, while Sha Ruijin is currently conducting an inspection tour of the Lincheng Economic Development Zone.

The person in charge of receiving the guests was Tang Ze, the Party Secretary of Lincheng City.

Sha Ruijin arrived at nine o'clock in the morning, while Li Dakang arrived a little later, as he had been notified at the last minute.

When the Audi with license plate number Han O·00009 slowly stopped in the Lincheng Economic Development Zone, before Li Dakang's driver had even gotten out of the car, Tang Ze, the secretary of the Lincheng Municipal Party Committee, had already jogged to the car door and opened it for Li Dakang.

"Former boss, welcome, welcome!"

Li Dakang nodded indifferently.

"Whether you welcome me or not, I'm here. Where's Secretary Sha?"

"Secretary Sha is waiting for you behind us, saying he wants to race you on bicycles!"

After a brief handshake, Li Dakang's gaze fell on a spot a few dozen meters ahead, where Sha Ruijin was waiting.

The same jog, but different people.

As Li Dakang jogged up to Sha Ruijin, his smile bloomed like a flower.

"Secretary Sha, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"

"It's alright. You received the notice at the last minute. I wasn't planning to trouble you, but the Lincheng Economic Development Zone is your masterpiece. Having Comrade Dakang accompany you on the inspection will allow us to better see the strengths and weaknesses of the development zone."

"Secretary Sha, you've thought of everything so thoroughly!"

"Alright, let's not talk about anything else."

Now we're just waiting for your command so we can have a competition and see how well Lincheng has been managed.

"No, you've arrived, you must give the order!"

"Stop being so dramatic. You're the one who built this development zone; it's a masterpiece! You have to go!"

Looking at the bicycles next to him, Li Dakang nodded and agreed.

As the starting gun fired, Sha Ruijin, Li Dakang, Tang Ze, and Secretary Bai boarded the car almost simultaneously.

The result was completely different...

Li Dakang was noticeably half a body length behind Sha Ruijin, while Secretary Bai and Tang Ze, the municipal party secretary, were steadily trailing behind them, about ten meters behind.

"Secretary Sha, is it possible for you to walk 27 kilometers around the lake?"

"If you can do it, so can I!"

The two chatted as they rode their bikes, mainly about the development ideas and achievements of the Lincheng Development Zone.

After listening for about ten minutes, Sha Ruijin clearly gained a better understanding of the Lincheng Economic Development Zone.

"Comrade Dakang, it's clear you have outstanding abilities in economic development. I see your Jingzhou City is short of a vice mayor and a secretary of the Guangming District Party Committee. Would you like me to recommend someone for you?"

The conversation veered from Lincheng to personnel matters in Jingzhou. Although Li Dakang was reluctant to discuss this topic, he still smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Secretary Sha, please speak!"

"Comrade Yi Xuexi, the acting mayor of Lüzhou, is quite good. I plan to appoint him as the vice mayor of Jingzhou and secretary of the Guangming District Party Committee. You two have worked together before and know each other well. What do you think of this suggestion?"

Li Dakang frowned as he listened, almost cursing under his breath, but when he thought about how Ouyang Qing had landed safely, he could only grit his teeth and accept it.

"Secretary Sha, I completely agree with your opinion, but I think Comrade Sun Liancheng, the current head of Guangming District, would be more suitable to concurrently serve as the secretary of the Guangming District Committee."

Since he couldn't stop Yi Xuexi's arrival, Li Dakang simply made Yi Xuexi a vice mayor, promoted Sun Liancheng, and assigned Yi Xuexi to oversee some less important departments.

Sha Ruijin immediately became interested upon hearing this.

"Comrade Dakang, I have heard of Sun Liancheng, whom you mentioned. He is conscientious and responsible in his work, does not seek favors or bribes, and has a strong sense of Party principles. It is a pity to keep him as the secretary of Guangming District."

My idea is to send Sun Liancheng to Luzhou as mayor so that he can make good use of his strengths.

As for the vacant district head position, do you think it's feasible to have former Anti-Corruption Bureau Director Chen Hai take charge?

Li Dakang was almost laughing in anger; this guy really didn't take his opinions seriously.

Is this the price to pay for protecting Ouyang Qing?

Li Dakang remained silent for a moment.

"Secretary Sha, I agree to everything!"

Li Dakang forced a smile and continued, "However, Comrade Chen Hai has just been disciplined and dismissed from his post, so we still need to consult Secretary Chen Luo about this matter."

"You don't need to worry about that. Comrade Chen Luo is a man of principle and considers the big picture; he will agree."

"That's good...that's good..."

Li Dakang stopped talking and fell silent.

Sha Ruijin did not press the issue further; he needed to curb Li Dakang's domineering personality but could not push him too far.

As it is, it's just right.

The inspection of Lincheng Development Zone is still ongoing, and Sha Ruijin is satisfied with Lincheng's economic work.

In the afternoon, on the way back to Jingzhou.

Sha Ruijin, sitting in the back, took out his phone, found Chen Yanshi's number, and dialed it.

"Hello, is this Mr. Chen?"

At Chen Yanshi's home, Chen Yanshi was overjoyed to receive a call from Sha Ruijin after waiting for two days.

"It's me, Secretary Sha!"

It's clear that both sides were very restrained in how they addressed each other...

"Old Chen, we now have a direction for Comrade Chen Hai's work arrangements."

Do you think Comrade Chen Hai is capable of serving as the head of Guangming District in Jingzhou City?

Chen Yanshi's eyes lit up!

"Secretary Sha, my son Hai Zi not only studied politics and law, but also has a deep understanding of economics. I believe he is fully capable of handling the job of the district head of Guangming District!"

"Alright, Mr. Chen, this is a very rare opportunity. Comrade Chen Hai must learn from this lesson."

The provincial party committee may give him one or two chances, but that doesn't mean they're always willing to let him make mistakes. That's very important!

"Please rest assured, Secretary Sha, I will definitely convey the message properly!"

"Okay, then I'll hang up."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yanshi felt his back straighten up a bit. It was definitely Tiangong's word that mattered! One sentence, and the locals had to obediently do as he was told!