Chapter Summaries

Dong Xuebin returned to the Investment Bureau, praised its recent results, and prepared for County Chief Xie Huilan’s inspection and the Chicken Manure Disposal Project signing. The inspection went smoothly, but President Peng had not arrived by 2:30, leaving the signing in doubt.

• Dong Xuebin met with bureau staff, learned they had secured fifty million yuan in projects, and heard that Dafeng County’s Pan Zhou may have plotted the earlier disruption at the bureau.
• Dong Xuebin told his staff not to spread the unconfirmed allegations about Pan Zhou, though he remained furious about the suspected scheme.
• Xie Huilan and other county leaders inspected the Investment Bureau, approved its cars and work environment, and planned to attend the chicken manure project signing.
• Hu Silian told Dong Xuebin that Xie Huilan had to leave before about 3:15 and intended to preside over the signing.
• Lin Pingping told Dong Xuebin that President Peng had not arrived by 2:30 and could not be reached by phone.

Dong Xuebin and the Investment Bureau waited for Peng Kenong to sign an investment contract while Xie Huilan and other county leaders toured the compound. Peng Kenong canceled the signing and demanded a one-million reduction in the land price, leaving Dong Xuebin and the others furious and suspecting another county had offered him better terms.

• Dong Xuebin repeatedly called Peng Kenong after he missed the scheduled signing, while Hu Silian and the others delayed the county leaders’ inspection.
• Lin Pingping’s staff searched for Peng Kenong, but he was not at home, and the county leaders continued waiting as the afternoon wore on.
• Peng Kenong answered Lin Pingping’s phone and told Dong Xuebin that his company was postponing the signing because of financial problems.
• Peng Kenong offered to sign only if the county reduced the land purchase price by another one million, prompting Dong Xuebin, Sun Shuli, and Lin Pingping to accuse him of exploiting the county’s investment in the project.
• Peng Kenong hung up after Dong Xuebin challenged him, and Sun Shuli drove off to speak with him while Hu Silian suspected another county had offered better policies.

Dong Xuebin tried to contain the fallout after Peng Kenong canceled the planned investment signing, then discovered Dafeng County had poached the project. As the county officials confronted each other, Dong Xuebin suddenly attacked Pan Zhou, knocking him into Li Feng.

• Dong Xuebin called investors in search of a replacement project, but failed to secure one before Zhao Xinglong demanded that he explain the canceled signing to Xie Huilan.
• Sun Shuli blocked Peng Kenong's Mercedes outside the bureau and confronted him for eating nearby while county officials waited for him.
• Dong Xuebin and the others discovered that Dafeng County's Li Feng and Pan Zhou had been riding with Peng Kenong, revealing their attempt to take the investment.
• Xie Huilan and Zhao Xinglong challenged Li Feng and Pan Zhou over poaching the project, while Sun Shuli had to be restrained from confronting Pan Zhou.
• Dong Xuebin told Sun Shuli to come back, then punched Pan Zhou and sent him crashing into Li Feng and the Mercedes.

Dong Xuebin stopped time and beat Pan Zhou after Pan Zhou and Li Feng provoked Yantai County, then claimed he had not touched him when time resumed and Pan Zhou crashed into Li Feng. As Li Feng prepared to report the incident and Xie Huilan’s staff backed Dong Xuebin’s denial, Dong spotted something that gave him an idea for a bigger move.

• Dong Xuebin stopped time and punched Pan Zhou repeatedly, then restored him to his original position before time resumed.
• When time resumed, Pan Zhou flew into Li Feng, and both men crashed into Peng Kenong’s Mercedes.
• Dong Xuebin denied attacking Pan Zhou and accused him of staging the fall, while Zhao Xinglong berated Dong for causing trouble.
• Xie Huilan said she had not seen Dong hit anyone, and Luo Haiting and the other Yantai County staff supported her account.
• Li Feng began making a phone call as Pan Zhou expected Dong to be removed from his post, but Dong spotted something and formed a new plan.

After a clash with Dafeng County officials sparked city-level pressure, Dong Xuebin was dismissed as Director of the Investment Bureau despite insisting he had not beaten anyone. Furious that the fallout had angered Xie Huilan and made his mother cry, he decided to retaliate and promised he could turn the situation around.

• County officials rushed back for an emergency meeting as news spread that Dong Xuebin had allegedly beaten Pan Zhou and County Chief Li Feng.
• Dong Xuebin calmly discussed preparations with a glasses-wearing middle-aged man, while Cao Xupeng and Duan Zheng'an called to scold him and he denied hitting anyone.
• Hu Silian told Dong Xuebin that city pressure had led to his immediate dismissal, though Xie Huilan was still trying to protect his future.
• Dong Xuebin learned that Xie Huilan was angry and his mother, Xiao Ping, had cried from worry, and he told Yang Zhaode he had a way to reverse the situation.
• Dong Xuebin decided to make a bigger fight of the dispute with Dafeng County.

Dong Xuebin was formally dismissed from his post after the fight with Dafeng County officials, but he rejected the punishment and refused to apologize. As Li Feng prepared to escalate the matter, Xiang Daofa’s secretary received a sudden phone call.

• News spread through Yantai County that Dong Xuebin had been dismissed, while he calmly listened to music in his office.
• Luo Haiting, Guo Panwei, and Lin Pingping worried about the dismissal, but Dong told them not to worry.
• Cao Xupeng’s secretary summoned Dong to the County People’s Hospital, where Xiang Daofa, Li Feng, Pan Zhou, and other county leaders were gathered.
• Xiang Daofa formally notified Dong of his dismissal and ordered him to apologize to Li Feng and Pan Zhou.
• Dong refused to apologize, disputed the dismissal, and challenged the leaders to investigate whether anyone had seen him hit the two men.
• Li Feng prepared to call the higher-ups, but Zhou Jun’s phone rang suddenly.

A video of Pan Zhou’s staged dive spread online, revealing that Dong Xuebin had never touched him and setting off outrage in Yantai County. Li Feng and other officials realized Pan Zhou had fabricated the accusation, leaving Pan Zhou exposed and Dong’s dismissal in doubt.

• Zhou Jun told Xiang Daofa that a video of the Investment Bureau incident had been posted online, and Xiang ordered officials to watch it.
• Hu Silian, Zhao Xinglong, and Lin Pingping hurried to view the footage as it spread across websites under the title “World-Class Dive.”
• Viewers saw Pan Zhou launch himself backward and strike his own face to fake a nosebleed, while Dong Xuebin stood away from him without making contact.
• Luo Haiting and Guo Panwei realized Pan Zhou had staged the incident, and Zhao Xinglong confronted Xie Huilan about Dong’s wrongful removal from office.
• At the hospital, Cao Xupeng, Xiang Daofa, and Duan Zheng'an saw the footage, while Li Feng angrily ordered Pan Zhou to shut up and recognized that the video left him no credible defense.

A video exposed Pan Zhou’s staged fall, leading Yantai County to revoke Dong Xuebin’s punishment and leaving Pan suspended pending investigation. Dong suspected the conflict with Dafeng County was far from over, while Pan’s friend Tang Xiaojun concluded that Dong was a walking disaster.

• Li Feng called the staged-fall incident a misunderstanding, but Xiang Daofa and Duan Zheng'an condemned Pan Zhou and said he would face an investigation.
• Duan Zheng'an told Dong Xuebin that his punishment had been revoked and he could return to his original post without a record in his personnel file.
• Dong Xuebin had a follow-up examination, then saw Li Feng leave the hospital with Peng Kenong for Dafeng County.
• Pan Zhou accused Dong of altering the video, but Dong rebuked him for repeatedly scheming against him.
• Pan Zhou received a call suspending him pending investigation and left the hospital as Tang Xiaojun later told him the original video had passed examination.

After his dismissal was revoked, Dong Xuebin apologized to Xie Huilan and hosted his trusted colleagues and friends for a celebratory dinner. News of his reinstatement spread through Yantai County, leaving his opponents frustrated and many others wary of provoking him.

• Dong Xuebin called Xie Huilan, admitted he had beaten Pan Zhou, and learned she was heading to the city to demand an explanation from Dafeng County’s leaders.
• Dong Xuebin invited Luo Haiting, Guo Panwei, Lin Pingping, Liu Dahai, Chen Fa, Feng, and Hu Silian to his home for dinner and drinks.
• The guests criticized Dafeng County over the incident, while Guo Panwei described Dong Xuebin’s past brushes with dismissal in the Capital City.
• Hu Silian recognized that Dong Xuebin’s repeated survival of political trouble reflected his ability as well as his reputation for causing trouble.
• Word spread that Dong Xuebin’s dismissal had been revoked, frustrating his adversaries and making county officials even more reluctant to provoke him.

After the dinner party, Dong Xuebin learned that Peng Kenong held a stake in a Huamei District tea house and decided to have it inspected for health and fire-safety violations. He intended to punish Peng for backing out of his investment deal and humiliating Yantai County, while presenting the inspections as protection of the public interest.

• After the guests left, Luo Haiting, Lin Pingping, and Guo Panwei cleaned Dong Xuebin’s home, and he gave each of them three cartons of cigarettes.
• As the group chatted, Luo Haiting secretly slipped her stocking-clad foot against Dong Xuebin’s leg beneath the table.
• The group discussed Peng Kenong’s canceled project and learned that he had shares in the Strong Tea tea house in Huamei District.
• Dong Xuebin said the county should not deliberately target Peng’s business, then proposed that the Health Bureau and Fire Brigade inspect it before May Day.
• Dong Xuebin decided to settle scores with Peng Kenong for insulting Yantai County and undermining its investment-promotion work.

Dong Xuebin watched Yantai County departments seal Peng Kenong’s teahouse after Peng backed out of an investment deal, while Peng tried to enlist Li Feng’s help. Li Feng heard that Peng might steer investors toward Dafeng County’s upcoming conference.

• Dong Xuebin met with Investment Bureau staff, then learned from Qin Yong that county departments planned to inspect Peng Kenong’s teahouse.
• Dong Xuebin, Luo Haiting, and Guo Panwei watched as Fire Brigade, Health Bureau, and Industry and Commerce Bureau staff fined the teahouse and sealed its doors.
• The teahouse’s co-owner called Peng Kenong to complain that the closure and fines had cost him his business.
• Peng Kenong called Li Feng to protest the shutdown and threatened to send investors to Dafeng County’s Investment Conference.
• Li Feng listened as Peng Kenong raised the possibility of redirecting investors, and his eyes flickered at the prospect.

Dong Xuebin learned that the city favored Dafeng County despite its taking Yantai County’s investor, while provincial pressure forced Yantai County to reopen the investor’s unsafe teahouse. The city refused to challenge Dafeng County, leaving Dong furious and ready to retaliate.

• Dong Xuebin and Jiang Hailiang read a front-page article promoting Dafeng County’s Investment Conference and compared its investment record with Yantai County’s.
• Dong Xuebin saw Health Bureau staff remove the seals from Peng Kenong’s teahouse and stopped their vehicle to demand an explanation.
• Dong Xuebin called Health Bureau Director Xu Xu and learned the county had ordered the seals removed after Peng paid a fine.
• Hu Silian told Dong Xuebin that a provincial leader’s secretary had criticized Yantai County after Peng complained, and that the intervention was linked to Li Feng.
• Hu Silian told Dong Xuebin that the city had ignored Yantai County’s complaint and valued Dafeng County’s upcoming investment conference more.
• Dong Xuebin blamed Li Feng and the city for forcing his hand.

After Dafeng County refused to apologize for its actions against Yantai County, Dong Xuebin took responsibility and drove to Dafeng County as its Investment Conference was about to open. Xie Huilan realized he intended to poach Dafeng County’s investors, leaving Yantai’s leaders stunned by his plan.

• Hu Silian told Dong Xuebin that Dafeng County had dismissed Pan Zhou but refused to apologize, prompting Dong to vow to handle the matter.
• Dong summoned the Investment Bureau leaders, assigned Sun Shuli to oversee the bureau, and announced that he was going to Dafeng County’s Investment Conference.
• Dong refused to let Guo Panwei accompany him, then drove toward Dafeng County with his phone switched off.
• Hu Silian told Xie Huilan that Dong had gone to handle the dispute, and Xie called Zhao Xinglong to find him.
• After learning Dong had gone to Dafeng County, Xie Huilan concluded that he meant to poach its investors, alarming Cao Xupeng, Zhao Xinglong, and Hu Silian.

Dong Xuebin went to Dafeng County to challenge its effort to take Yantai County’s investment project and watched the investors arriving at Ruihe Hotel. The chapter ended with him confronting County Chief Li’s secretary Wang Bo, who demanded that he leave the hotel.

• Dong Xuebin learned that investors for Dafeng County’s Investment Conference were staying at Ruihe Hotel and booked a room there.
• Dong Xuebin saw Wang Bo escort Korean martial arts grandmaster Park Yong-hee into the hotel and wondered whether the Koreans were there to invest.
• County Chief Li Feng arrived and noticed Dong Xuebin in the lobby, then spoke to Wang Bo.
• Wang Bo confronted Dong Xuebin about Yantai County’s Investment Bureau and ordered him to leave.
• Dong Xuebin argued that he was on vacation and accused Dafeng County of discrimination for letting foreign visitors stay while trying to exclude him.

Dong Xuebin confronted Dafeng County officials over their treatment of Yantai County and openly tried to lure investors away from Dafeng County’s conference. After Dafeng County complained to the city, Xie Huilan angrily challenged the deputy mayor’s criticism of Yantai County.

• Dong Xuebin argued with Wang Bo, demanding an explanation for Dafeng County’s false accusation against him and questioning whether the county had barred Yantai County residents from its hotel.
• Li Feng ordered Wang Bo to keep Dong Xuebin from causing trouble, while Dong began chatting with an investor and inviting him to consider projects in Yantai County.
• Luo Haiting and Lin Pingping heard about Dong Xuebin’s clash and worried that the dispute would be difficult to resolve.
• Dafeng County complained to the city after Dong Xuebin approached its investors, and city officials criticized Yantai County again.
• Xie Huilan challenged Deputy Mayor Zheng Shizhang, arguing that Yantai County should have the same right to approach Dafeng County’s investors as Dafeng County had to approach theirs.

Xie Huilan confronted Vice Mayor Zheng Shizhang over the city’s treatment of Yantai County, then ordered Strong Tea teahouse shut down and enlisted her aunt’s help to pressure Zheng. The city’s criticism abruptly stopped, leaving the county uncertain what had changed while Dong Xuebin’s dispute with Dafeng County remained unresolved.

• Xie Huilan argued with Zheng Shizhang over Dafeng County’s repeated provocations and ended their call by questioning his political awareness.
• Xie Huilan ordered Hu Silian to have the Health Bureau and Fire Brigade close Strong Tea teahouse over safety and sanitation violations.
• Xie Huilan asked her aunt Xie Guoyue to look into Zheng Shizhang’s son and later spoke with Xiang Daofa.
• Health Bureau and Fire Brigade personnel resealed Strong Tea teahouse and ordered its fire escape widened, despite Peng Kenong’s confidence that the provincial secretary’s intervention had protected it.
• Zheng Shizhang fell silent, and the city stopped commenting on Director Dong’s attendance at Dafeng County’s Investment Conference.
• Huang Li connected Xie Huilan’s backing of Dong Xuebin with Dong’s confrontation with Dafeng County and worried about the trouble ahead.

Dong Xuebin learned that Hui Lan had confronted Zheng Shizhang and helped shield him from repercussions, so he continued his actions in Dafeng County. After Li Feng ordered the Public Security Bureau to monitor him, Dong caught two officers following him and warned Deputy Director Sun Pengpeng not to do it again.

• Luo Haiting told Dong Xuebin that Hui Lan had challenged Zheng Shizhang and had Peng Kenong's teahouse sealed, while Yantai County issued no order for Dong to return.
• Dong decided to stay in Dafeng County for the week and make the county pay for what it had done.
• Li Feng ordered Wang Bo to have Sun Pengpeng's officers monitor Dong around the clock.
• Dong spotted a Beijing Hyundai trailing him and stopped the car, confronting the two officers inside.
• Sun Pengpeng arrived and denied that his officers had followed Dong, who warned him against trying it again.

Dong Xuebin met with Xu Yan in Dafeng County after she took office as director of the Municipal State Security Bureau, and told her how Dafeng County had mistreated him and monitored him. Xu Yan drove around with him to look for the people following him, leaving Dong Xuebin realizing she had come to support him.

• Dong Xuebin waited at a roadside teahouse in Dafeng County and received a call from Xu Yan, who had officially taken office the day before.
• Xu Yan joined Dong Xuebin at the teahouse and explained that she was inspecting Dafeng County’s Investment Conference and had come to see him.
• Dong Xuebin recounted Dafeng County’s attempt to take his county’s project and said Li Feng and Bie Pengpeng had people follow him; Xu Yan agreed their conduct was overbearing but warned him not to offend the city.
• Xu Yan sent her driver away and asked Dong Xuebin to drive her around the county seat so they could talk privately.
• Xu Yan searched the roads for anyone following Dong Xuebin, and he realized she had come to stand up for him.

Dong Xuebin accompanied Xu Yan to a swimming pool, where she planned to exercise and use the visit to watch for anyone from Dafeng County tailing them. They swam together until Wang Bo arrived with Korean investor Park Yong-hee, apparently to inspect the facility, leaving Dong wondering whether their meeting was connected to a sports-center investment.

• Dong Xuebin and Xu Yan circled the county town and found no one following them, then thanked each other for their help.
• Xu Yan brought Dong Xuebin to a swimming pool near their hotel and arranged for her people to watch for suspicious followers.
• Dong Xuebin and Xu Yan bought swimsuits, entered the pool, raced, and Xu Yan corrected his swimming form.
• Wang Bo arrived with Park Yong-hee and other Korean investors to inspect the swimming facility, and Dong suspected they were considering a sports-center project.

At a swimming pool, Korean visitor Li Xiaoan photographed swimmers without permission and assaulted a man who confronted him, while Wang Bo and the county officials tried to get the visitors to leave. Dong Xuebin became furious as the injured man’s family and other swimmers demanded action, and he prepared to intervene.

• Xu Yan swam in the cold-water lane while Dong Xuebin stayed in the warm-water area and watched the Korean visitors inspect the pool.
• Li Xiaoan photographed swimmers despite their objections, including a woman whose swimsuit had slipped, and Xu Yan’s picture was also taken.
• Wang Bo and the Investment Bureau staff defended the visitors and proposed leaving, prompting swimmers to protest and demand that Li Xiaoan delete the photos.
• After swimmers mentioned the humiliation of Seoul Martial Hall, Li Xiaoan struck the quiet man and kicked him down when he reached for the camera.
• The quiet man’s wife and daughter rushed to him as the crowd condemned Li Xiaoan, but Wang Bo still tried to take the Koreans away, angering Dong Xuebin.