Chapter Summaries

At a Standing Committee meeting, Jiang Fangfang opposed using special education funds, while Secretary Meng's faction pushed to spend them. After Chu Peng abstained and left Jiang Fangfang apparently isolated, Dong Xuebin surprised everyone by supporting her proposal.

• Jiang Fangfang rejected using the special education allocation and insisted the county seek funding from the central government.
• Secretary Meng called for a vote, and six committee members supported his proposal to use the funds.
• Jian Xiangrong and Pu An abstained, and Chu Peng unexpectedly abstained instead of siding with Jiang Fangfang.
• Dong Xuebin grew furious at Jiang Fangfang's isolation and declared that he supported her proposal.

Dong Xuebin openly backed Jiang Fangfang at the Standing Committee meeting and refused to let the county divert earmarked education funds, setting himself against Meng Rui's faction. Meng Rui gave him one week to obtain money from the central government, and Dong Xuebin agreed to go himself.

• Dong Xuebin supported Jiang Fangfang's proposal and declared that the county must not use the education funds.
• Dong Xuebin argued with the other Standing Committee Members that the funds belonged to children and refused to sign off on diverting them.
• Meng Rui challenged Dong Xuebin to solve the county's financial problem, and Dong Xuebin proposed seeking funds from the central government.
• Meng Rui gave Dong Xuebin one week to bring back money, and Dong Xuebin agreed to go himself.
• News spread that Dong Xuebin had backed Jiang Fangfang and argued with the whole room, shocking officials across the county.

After siding with Jiang Fangfang at the Standing Committee meeting, Dong Xuebin agreed to seek central government funding for Zhenshui County. He planned to leave for the Capital City soon, while Yao Cui came to understand why he had chosen Jiang’s side.

• Jiang Fangfang apologized for involving Dong Xuebin in the funding dispute and said she would go to the central government herself.
• Dong Xuebin insisted that he should go instead and promised to bring back funding within a week.
• Jiang Fangfang told Dong Xuebin that the county faced a shortfall of more than ten million yuan this year.
• Dong Xuebin asked Yao Cui to recommend capable people to accompany him on the trip.
• Yao Cui questioned his decision to support Jiang Fangfang, and Dong Xuebin explained that he wanted to follow his conscience and serve the people.
• Yao Cui said she finally understood how Dong Xuebin had become Executive Deputy County Chief at such a young age.

Dong Xuebin left Zhenshui County for the Capital City to seek central funding, leaving Yao Cui behind to coordinate county work. He departed with Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei, whose loyalties to Secretary Meng made the journey tense but quiet.

• Dong Xuebin explained to Yao Cui that she needed to stay in Zhenshui County and coordinate work while he was away, and she agreed to handle minor matters and contact him about major ones.
• Dong Xuebin packed his belongings and met Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei, who were accompanying him to seek funding in the Capital City.
• Dong Xuebin traveled with Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei to the airport in a county car, exchanging little conversation along the way.
• Dong Xuebin thanked driver Lao Li and wished him a safe trip before entering the small airport.

Dong Xuebin arrived in the Capital City with Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei for a funding trip and treated them to dinner at Wangfu Restaurant. The restaurant covered the meal because its manager recognized Dong Xuebin, and Dong arranged business rooms for the group.

• Dong Xuebin called Xie Huilan after landing, checked on her pregnancy, and heard that she and his mother were doing well.
• Dong Xuebin noticed Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei expected their trip to the Ministry of Finance to fail, then took them to Wangfu Restaurant and offered to pay for dinner.
• Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei hesitated over the expensive menu, but they gradually relaxed and enjoyed the meal with Dong Xuebin.
• A deputy manager told Dong Xuebin that the general manager had recognized him and covered the bill, offering congratulations on Xie Huilan's pregnancy.
• Dong Xuebin thanked the deputy manager and arranged three business rooms for five days, saying he would pay for the lodging himself.

Dong Xuebin brought Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei to stay at Wangfu Restaurant and discussed their plan to seek funding from the Ministry of Finance. The chapter ended with the three arranging to meet in the hotel lobby at nine the next morning.

• Dong Xuebin told Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei that he had booked rooms at Wangfu Restaurant for five days and led them upstairs.
• A floor supervisor welcomed Dong Xuebin and instructed the staff to treat him carefully without asking for payment.
• Dong Xuebin asked Yan Yizhi about the county's previous attempts to obtain funding from the Ministry of Finance, and Yan Yizhi said they had never received money.
• Chen Xiaomei agreed to contact her cousin, who could take them to the Ministry of Finance.
• Dong Xuebin arranged for the group to meet in the hotel lobby at nine the next morning.

In the Capital City, Dong Xuebin planned to seek funding through official channels after learning Xie Guoliang was away and feeling awkward about approaching him. Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei also prepared to pursue the funding, despite expecting little chance of success.

• Dong Xuebin called Xie Jing, learned Xie Guoliang was on a business trip, and decided to seek the ten million through proper channels first.
• Chen Xiaomei asked Yan Yizhi whether they should hinder Dong Xuebin because of his conflict with Secretary Meng, but Yan Yizhi said they would go through the motions since the money was unlikely to come.
• Chen Xiaomei's cousin at the Ministry of Finance warned her that securing funding would be difficult, then offered to help contact the relevant leaders when she arrived the next morning.
• After hearing that Chen Xiaomei's cousin had become a deputy director, Yan Yizhi told her to ask him to make every effort to help secure the allocation.

Dong Xuebin declined a hotel Mercedes so his delegation would not look wealthy while seeking funds at the Ministry of Finance. He and his colleagues reached the ministry late because of traffic, and Chen Xiaomei's cousin Zhang Hui told them the official they hoped to meet had gone to a meeting.

• Dong Xuebin refused the hotel’s offer of a Mercedes and told the waitress he might borrow a car another day.
• Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei discussed the hotel’s refusal to charge them for their drinks and cigarettes, then met Dong Xuebin in the lobby.
• Dong Xuebin, Yan Yizhi, and Chen Xiaomei took a taxi to the Ministry of Finance, where traffic delayed their arrival until after ten.
• Chen Xiaomei called her cousin Zhang Hui, who came out and said Director Qian had gone to a meeting because they had arrived late.
• Zhang Hui led the delegation to the ministry gate, where Dong Xuebin, Yan Yizhi, and Chen Xiaomei registered before entering.

Dong Xuebin, Yan Yizhi, and Chen Xiaomei asked Director Qian at the Ministry of Finance for emergency funds for Zhenshui County, but he refused to help. As they prepared to leave, Zhang Hui announced that Minister Xie Guoliang had returned and was leading an inspection of the building.

• Zhang Hui brought Dong Xuebin, Yan Yizhi, and Chen Xiaomei to wait for Director Qian, and they remained there for hours.
• Dong Xuebin told Director Qian that Zhenshui County could no longer afford salaries or basic protections and asked the ministry for financial help.
• Director Qian said the ministry had no spare funds, refused even a small loan, and told the three to go back.
• Dong Xuebin led Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei out after Director Qian dismissed them.
• Zhang Hui rushed in and told Director Qian that Minister Xie Guoliang had returned from a business trip and was inspecting the building.

Dong Xuebin encountered his uncle Xie Guoliang during a Ministry of Finance inspection and learned that Xie Guoliang was not angry with him. Afterward, Xie Guoliang called Director Qian and asked him to bring the Zhenshui County officials to his office, leaving Director Qian wondering why he wanted to see them.

• Director Qian kept Dong Xuebin and the Zhenshui County officials in his office while Ministry of Finance leaders inspected the building.
• Xie Guoliang spotted Dong Xuebin during the inspection, smiled at him, and continued on without stopping.
• After Director Qian dismissed them, Dong Xuebin received a call from Xie Guoliang and explained why he had not visited him.
• Xie Guoliang told Dong Xuebin he was not angry about Sun Kai and advised him to let Sun Kai prove himself.
• Xie Guoliang called Director Qian and instructed him to bring the Zhenshui County officials to his office.

Dong Xuebin and his Zhenshui County colleagues were summoned to meet Minister Xie at the Ministry of Finance. The meeting revealed that Dong Xuebin was personally related to Xie Guoliang, leaving Director Qian, Yan Yizhi, and Chen Xiaomei stunned.

• Zhang Hui told Chen Xiaomei and Yan Yizhi that Minister Xie wanted to see them, and Director Qian led the group upstairs.
• Secretary Zhang greeted Dong Xuebin warmly and called him Brother Dong, surprising Director Qian and Zhang Hui.
• Secretary Zhang let Dong Xuebin, Yan Yizhi, Chen Xiaomei, and Director Qian enter Xie Guoliang's office.
• Dong Xuebin called Xie Guoliang Uncle, and the others realized Dong Xuebin was related to the minister.

Dong Xuebin asked his uncle, Ministry of Finance First Vice Minister Xie Guoliang, for emergency funding to keep Zhenshui County running. Xie approved fifty million yuan, which Dong expected to reach the county within ten days to a month.

• Yan Yizhi, Chen Xiaomei, and Director Qian realized Dong Xuebin and Xie Guoliang were close relatives as they watched them speak familiarly.
• Dong Xuebin explained that Zhenshui County faced paralysis because it could not pay salaries or operating costs, and he gave Xie Guoliang documents outlining the crisis.
• Xie Guoliang initially agreed to approve twenty million yuan, but Dong Xuebin pressed him for more.
• Xie Guoliang raised the amount to thirty million yuan, then finally wrote an approval note for fifty million after Dong continued pleading.
• Xie Guoliang told Dong Xuebin to take the note to Director Qian and said the funds might arrive within ten days or about a month.

Dong Xuebin secured a fifty-million-yuan allocation for Zhenshui County and completed the funding procedures in the Capital City. Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei concealed his connection to Minister Xie from Secretary Meng, while Chen Xiaomei suggested they might join Dong Xuebin’s camp.

• Dong Xuebin told Xie Guoliang that the matter was settled, then left with confirmation of the fifty-million-yuan allocation.
• Director Qian apologized for his earlier treatment of Dong Xuebin and quickly completed the funding procedures.
• Dong Xuebin told Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei not to reveal his connection to Minister Xie, then gave them time to rest at Wangfu Restaurant.
• Zhang Hui called Chen Xiaomei and urged her to build a relationship with Dong Xuebin after learning about his status.
• Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei discussed whether to tell Secretary Meng about Dong Xuebin, and Yan Yizhi told Zhang Feng that nothing else was happening.
• Chen Xiaomei suggested that she and Yan Yizhi join Dong Xuebin’s camp, leaving Yan Yizhi stunned.

Dong Xuebin waited in his hotel room for Geng Yuehua, but accidentally pulled Chen Xiaomei inside and groped her in the dark before realizing his mistake. After apologizing and giving her cigarettes, he learned that she and Yan Yizhi had not told Secretary Meng’s secretary about the Ministry of Finance funds.

• Dong Xuebin called Geng Yuehua and invited her to his room, then showered and waited for her to arrive.
• Dong Xuebin mistook Chen Xiaomei for Geng Yuehua when she rang the doorbell and pulled her inside, touching her before recognizing her.
• Dong Xuebin apologized to Chen Xiaomei and made her coffee, while she explained that she and Yan Yizhi had withheld information about the Ministry of Finance funds from Secretary Meng’s secretary.
• Dong Xuebin told Chen Xiaomei to keep the funding situation quiet until the money arrived and gave her two cartons of cigarettes as an apology.
• Chen Xiaomei left Dong Xuebin’s room, and he reflected on the lingering warmth of the encounter.

Dong Xuebin met Geng Yuehua at his business suite and tried to draw her into an intimate evening. The chapter ended with them having sex in his bed.

• Dong Xuebin welcomed Geng Yuehua to his suite and asked whether she had missed him, but she rebuffed him.
• Geng Yuehua said she was in Capital City on district business and initially prepared to leave when Dong Xuebin claimed he had nothing to discuss.
• Dong Xuebin persuaded Geng Yuehua to stay by saying he wanted her advice about problems in Zhenshui County.
• After Dong Xuebin took a bath, he carried the apparently sleeping Geng Yuehua to bed, and she told him to turn off the light.
• Dong Xuebin undressed Geng Yuehua and initiated sex despite her protests; she eventually responded and followed his direction.

After spending the morning with Geng Yuehua, Dong Xuebin sent Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei sightseeing and planned to visit Hui Lan’s parents. Han Jing called and told him something had happened at home, leaving him worried as he hurried to see her.

• Dong Xuebin learned that Geng Yuehua’s cancer had not recurred, then spent the early morning with her before she left the hotel.
• Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei asked Dong Xuebin what to do, and he told them to explore Capital City at his expense.
• Dong Xuebin planned to visit Han Jing and Xie Guobang, but Han Jing called him first and asked him to come over.
• Dong Xuebin heard Xie Guobang object to Han Jing telling him about the situation and learned that something had happened at home.
• Dong Xuebin agreed to hurry over so Han Jing could explain what had happened.

Dong Xuebin learned that Zhong Lizhen, Han Jing’s close relative and a defense researcher, had been confined in America after making a major breakthrough. The family and higher-ups wanted her brought home, and Xie Guojian asked whether Dong would attempt the rescue, while Xie Guobang firmly opposed putting him in danger.

• Dong Xuebin rushed to the Xie family home, where Han Jing and Xie Guobang told him something had happened.
• Han Jing explained that Zhong Lizhen was a close family friend who had gone to America and become a leading defense researcher.
• Han Jing and Xie Guojian said America had confined Zhong Lizhen and cut off contact after she sought to return home with her research.
• Xie Guojian told Dong that the higher-ups had ordered Zhong Lizhen brought back safely and asked how confident he would be about going.
• Xie Guobang opposed sending Dong on a dangerous rescue mission and warned that Xie Huilan would be furious if she learned of it.

Dong Xuebin told the Xie family he could not safely rescue Zhong Lizhen from America, given the uncertain intelligence and lack of a return plan. Xie Huilan learned that he had been asked to go, warned her Second Uncle not to pressure her husband, and Dong Xuebin stayed in the Capital City before returning to Zhenshui County.

• Dong Xuebin questioned Xie Guojian about the intelligence and rescue arrangements for Zhong Lizhen, then said he had no confidence in the dangerous mission.
• Han Jing accepted Dong Xuebin's refusal and took a call from Xie Huilan, who had heard that Zhong Lizhen was being held by America.
• Xie Huilan demanded to speak with Xie Guojian and confirmed that Dong Xuebin had been asked to rescue Zhong Lizhen.
• Xie Huilan warned Xie Guojian not to make Dong Xuebin take risks, citing her approaching childbirth and her husband's safety.
• Xie Huilan told Dong Xuebin to rest in the Capital City for a few days and then return to Zhenshui County.
• Xie Guojian apologized to Dong Xuebin for raising the rescue mission, and Dong Xuebin reassured him.

Dong Xuebin wrestled with whether he could rescue Zhong Lizhen after hearing Han Jing’s grief and meeting her former teacher, Academician Chen Xuekai. Chen begged him to bring Zhong back, leaving Dong uncertain whether he should go.

• Xie Guojian left to discuss other ways to rescue Zhong Lizhen, while Dong Xuebin stayed at the Xie home and struggled with his decision.
• Dong Xuebin overheard Han Jing crying over Zhong Lizhen and felt increasingly distressed about refusing to help.
• Back at his hotel, Dong Xuebin received a visit from Academician Chen Xuekai, who asked him to rescue his former student Zhong Lizhen.
• Chen Xuekai bowed and pleaded with Dong Xuebin to bring Zhong back for the country, and Dong promised to consider it but remained unsure.

Dong Xuebin refused Academician Chen Xuekai’s plea to rescue Zhong Lizhen, insisting he could not risk his life, but he secretly decided to travel to America and assess the situation himself. He concealed his plan from his family and colleagues and called Xu Yan to book an international flight.

• Chen Xuekai begged Dong Xuebin to rescue Zhong Lizhen, but Dong initially refused, citing the danger and his family responsibilities.
• Chen Xuekai and his students left after Chen stopped them from pressuring Dong further.
• Dong told Han Jing and Xie Huilan that he would not go, then warned them his phone might be unreachable because its battery was low.
• Dong told Yan Yizhi and Chen Xiaomei he might be away and instructed them to return to Zhenshui County without him if necessary.
• Dong secretly called Xu Yan to book an international flight to America so he could find Zhong Lizhen and decide whether he could rescue her.