227: Chapter 227 Qi Tongwei, devoid of fighting spirit

Zhao Yang grabbed a quick bite on the road, returned to Building 16 of Dihao Garden, brewed a cup of tea, sat at his desk in the study, took a gentle sip, and slowly began to sort out the chess game that was Handong Province.

The pieces he had laid out before arriving had basically taken effect. Handong Province was already chaotic enough, and with the things he had done, while it seemed like he was defusing a few mines, he had actually stirred the waters even more.

In the original story, Secretary Sha Ruijin had arrived in Handong Province with the imperial sword, along with the imperial envoy Hou Liangping. While they couldn't be said to have slaughtered everyone in their path, they had certainly given the local Handong faction a hard time. Subsequently, Secretary Sha Ruijin brought Secretary Li Dakang to heel, and coupled with the fact that Director Qi Tongwei's own record was far from clean, the scandal involving Secretary Gao Yuliang and Gao Xiaofeng eventually exploded, leading to the total collapse of the Handong Zhao family faction.

Once the foundation of the Zhao family faction collapsed, the mines buried during Former Secretary Zhao Lichun's tenure naturally exploded in a chain reaction, directly blowing Former Secretary Zhao Lichun off his seat and making even a safe retirement a distant luxury.

Now, defusing mines for several key generals of the Zhao family faction was not only beneficial for the "Tragedy of the Humble" mission, but it would also make Handong Province even more chaotic. Chaos leads to change, and only when the changes are significant could the completion rate of "No Regrets in Playing the Move" be increased.

That very night, Director Qi Tongwei arrived at Shanshui Manor.

The Director Qi Tongwei of now had a completely different mindset from the one in the original story. In the original, he only wanted to advance, only wanted to prove himself, and only wanted to climb higher than anyone else.

But now, he had a fatal attachment—his two children. For anything, as long as the premise of "considering the daughter and son" was added, Director Qi Tongwei would weigh his actions a few more times.

In front of President Gao Xiaoqin, he didn't beat around the bush. He repeated the words Zhao Yang had said at the dinner table regarding Dafeng Factory almost verbatim, without hiding even the hidden meanings he had analyzed himself.

After listening, President Gao Xiaoqin slumped onto the sofa and muttered, "Is it not enough that the court ruled in our favor? Chen Qingquan said that this verdict absolutely cannot be overturned."

Director Qi Tongwei sneered, "Do you still not get it? Even if the land belongs to Shanshui Group, we would first have to come up with at least one billion in cash. Can you come up with that? Even if you managed to scrape it together, what would the state of the group be afterwards?"

President Gao Xiaoqin made a bitter face, "Can't we ask for some leeway? As long as we hoard this land for two years, then flip it and sell it..."

Director Qi Tongwei waved his hand, "You don't need to tell me that; I know it, of course. The problem is, can we even sell the land if we hold onto it? If Dafeng Factory and the Procuratorate keep harping on the equity dispute, which buyer would be willing to take over? If we can't sell it, is Shanshui Group going to develop it themselves?"

"Then what do we do? Does this Zhao Yang have to go against us?" President Gao Xiaoqin frowned, "Tongwei, why don't you invite Zhao Yang over, and I will personally plead with him?"

Director Qi Tongwei waved his hand, "It's useless. If it were useful, he wouldn't have spoken so clearly. Xiaoqin, actually, we've earned enough money; why don't we... stop now."

President Gao Xiaoqin was stunned and stared at Director Qi Tongwei in surprise, "Tongwei, what has gotten into you? Since Zhao Yang arrived, why have you become like this? Are you that afraid of him?"

Director Qi Tongwei closed his eyes and nodded, "Yes, I am afraid."

"He's just a chief prosecutor, what is there to be afraid of?" President Gao Xiaoqin frowned and said, "Even if he is half a rank higher than you now, aren't you about to be promoted to the vice-provincial level anyway? Plus, with your relationship with Secretary Gao, what exactly are you afraid of?"

"It is precisely because I am at this critical juncture that I am even more afraid of complications." Director Qi Tongwei was silent for a moment and said, "Let's do this: I will distance myself from Shanshui Group for the time being."

"Tongwei, what do you mean?" President Gao Xiaoqin stood up abruptly, "Are you abandoning me?"

Director Qi Tongwei shook his head, "Because I must get this vice-provincial promotion; I must be able to withstand any investigation. Once I move up another level, there will be more room to maneuver."

"Who in Handong Province would dare to investigate you?" President Gao Xiaoqin smiled dismissively.

"The new Secretary Sha would dare." Director Qi Tongwei said.

President Gao Xiaoqin looked puzzled, "Why would he investigate you?"

"He is a newcomer wanting to take charge; what do you think he would do?" Director Qi Tongwei retorted.

President Gao Xiaoqin paused, "Establish authority?"

Director Qi Tongwei nodded, "So I cannot reveal any flaws; I cannot become a target for Secretary Sha Ruijin. Distancing myself from Shanshui Group for now is good for me, and good for Shanshui Group as well."

"But why pick you to establish his authority?" President Gao Xiaoqin was puzzled.

Director Qi Tongwei sighed, "Before Secretary Sha arrived, Handong Province was under my teacher's control. Using me to establish authority carries enough weight."

President Gao Xiaoqin sighed dejectedly, "Then what should I say if Young Master Zhao asks? I dare not keep this from him."

Director Qi Tongwei answered without thinking, "Just say that the new Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, Secretary Tian Guofu, is investigating me, and if any problems are found, my vice-provincial promotion will be ruined."

"Alright. Then what about the Dafeng Factory matter?" President Gao Xiaoqin looked bitter, "Tongwei, it's not that I'm being stubborn; it's just that this is a major matter for Young Master Zhao, and he's been keeping a close eye on it."

Director Qi Tongwei thought for a moment and said, "My opinion is to stop. We will accept the loss of tens of millions. But if Zhao Ruilong doesn't agree, just try your best to drag it out. Xiaoqin, for your own good, you must never become an opponent of Zhao Yang. Never, never. You haven't had contact with him, nor have you had contact with the things he has created, and you don't know which cases he has investigated or which people he has dealt with. But I know a bit, so I know how terrifying Zhao Yang is. If we really become his opponents, I fear I won't even have the chance to resist."

"Tongwei..." President Gao Xiaoqin's expression was complex, "You weren't like this before. Why is it that as soon as Zhao Yang arrived, you seem to have lost all your fighting spirit?"

Director Qi Tongwei was silent for a good while before slowly saying, "Because the real me cannot defeat the 'perfect me.' And Zhao Yang is that 'perfect me' from my dreams. Xiaoqin, think about it carefully: are you willing to be an opponent of someone who has a clean record, no weaknesses, and whose abilities are far stronger than mine?"

"But... you have the Zhao family as your backing, and you have your teacher," President Gao Xiaoqin said.

Director Qi Tongwei shook his head, "Do you think Zhao Yang doesn't have his own foundation?"

"Is his backing stronger than the Zhao family and your teacher?" President Gao Xiaoqin asked.

Director Qi Tongwei opened his mouth, swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, paused, and only said, "A thirty-seven-year-old vice-provincial level official—think about it, could the Zhao family achieve that?"

In fact, he had even more explosive information in his hands. On the day of the 60th Anniversary Military Parade, in a fleeting shot on the rostrum, he had seen half a face. Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, he had recognized it—it was Zhao Yang. That place was not somewhere you could climb just by having a high rank. Former Secretary Zhao Lichun's rank was high enough, but even he couldn't go up there. Only people with special status could stand in that position. And yet, Zhao Yang was among them.

The amount of information in this directly overloaded Director Qi Tongwei's mental capacity. He imagined dozens of possibilities, and while he couldn't be sure, one thing was certain—no matter which possibility it was, it meant that Zhao Yang was an existence he absolutely could not afford to provoke, one that even Secretary Gao Yuliang could not afford to provoke.

However, for President Gao Xiaoqin, what Director Qi Tongwei had said earlier was enough. She was silent for a good while, then nodded solemnly.

After Director Qi Tongwei left, President Gao Xiaoqin immediately dialed Zhao Ruilong's number, "Young Master Zhao, Tongwei came over today, and he said he wants to distance himself from Shanshui Group recently."

Zhao Ruilong exploded instantly, "Distance himself from Shanshui Group? Has Director Qi Tongwei gone fucking crazy? What does he mean? Does he want to betray our Zhao family?"