Chapter Summaries

Dong Xuebin secured Han Zhenghe’s help with his planned transfer to Jiaolin County but still needed Fang Wenping’s support to make the move possible. He found Fang Wenping drunk at home, and she insisted that he drive her out into the snowy night.

• Han Fei helped clear the guests from Han Zhenghe’s home so Dong Xuebin could speak with him privately.
• Dong Xuebin asked Han Zhenghe to help arrange his transfer to Jiaolin County, and Han Zhenghe agreed once a suitable vacancy was confirmed.
• Dong Xuebin realized he still needed the Fang family’s approval and went to Fang Wenping’s apartment.
• Fang Wenping answered the door drunk, grabbed a bottle of liquor, and ordered Dong Xuebin to drive her out for a ride.

Dong Xuebin accompanied the drunk Fang Wenping to Taoranting Park after she insisted on going for a walk, and helped her climb over the closed park’s fence. They made their way up a snowy hill inside the empty park, with Fang Wenping carrying her whiskey.

• Fang Wenping insisted that Dong Xuebin drive her to a park and demanded that he drink whiskey with her on the way.
• Dong Xuebin drove Fang Wenping to Taoranting Park, where she decided they would enter despite the park being closed.
• Fang Wenping tried to climb the fence, so Dong Xuebin crossed first and helped her over.
• Dong Xuebin caught Fang Wenping as she slipped down from the fence, then set her down inside the park.
• Fang Wenping picked up her whiskey and led Dong Xuebin up a snowy hill inside the park.

Dong Xuebin accompanied Fang Wenping to a pavilion in Taoranting Park, where she admitted that her feared reputation left her lonely during the New Year. He asked her to help arrange a transfer to Jiaolin County, and she agreed to move its County Party Secretary, leaving Dong Xuebin owing her a favor.

• Dong Xuebin stayed with Fang Wenping in the snowy park as she described how her family and colleagues feared her and how she often spent New Year alone.
• Dong Xuebin tried to comfort Fang Wenping by recalling how people had avoided him when he worked at the grassroots level.
• Fang Wenping noticed that Dong Xuebin had come to ask her something and pressed him to explain.
• Dong Xuebin asked Fang Wenping to arrange a vacancy in Jiaolin County so he could transfer there.
• Fang Wenping agreed to arrange an adjustment for Jiaolin County's County Party Secretary, provided Dong Xuebin owed her a favor.

Dong Xuebin celebrated Fang Wenping’s agreement to help him become Jiaolin County’s County Party Secretary, then stayed with her in the snowy pavilion and shared stories about his defiant past. The two continued drinking and talking as Fang Wenping asked him to tell more.

• Fang Wenping agreed to help Dong Xuebin take the County Party Secretary position in Jiaolin County, and he promised to repay the favor as long as it did not violate his principles.
• Dong Xuebin gave Fang Wenping his coat and agreed to stay with her in the pavilion despite the bitter cold.
• Dong Xuebin told Fang Wenping that they were alike in their unpopular, uncompromising ways of dealing with other people.
• Dong Xuebin recounted cursing and beating superiors and refusing to help a district Party secretary who had previously treated him badly.
• Fang Wenping laughed at Dong Xuebin’s stories and asked him to tell more.

Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping bonded over drinks and stories in a snowy park pavilion. Fang Wenping asked her Second Brother to arrange a transfer that would let Dong Xuebin become County Party Secretary of Jiaolin County, and he agreed to look into it.

• Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping traded stories about their past troubles and exploits while drinking together.
• Fang Wenping asked Dong Xuebin how many people he could fight, and he boasted about handling large groups.
• Fang Wenping received a call from her Second Brother and asked him to arrange the transfer of Jiaolin County’s current County Party Secretary.
• Fang Wenping told Dong Xuebin to wait for news, and he thanked her, relieved that his appointment was moving forward.

Dong Xuebin learned that his transfer to Jiaolin County was nearly settled, despite Han Jing’s warnings about the Fang family’s influence and the risks to his career. He stayed determined to go, received Xie Guobang’s support, and arrived at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, where Zhu Weiye asked about the transfer.

• Over breakfast, Han Jing told Dong Xuebin that he would take over as Jiaolin County’s Party Secretary after the current secretary was reassigned following the fifteenth.
• Han Jing warned Dong Xuebin that Fang Wenping and the Fang family might have ulterior motives and urged him to reconsider the move to northern Shaanxi.
• Dong Xuebin insisted that he had made up his mind, and Xie Guobang said the family would support his choice.
• Dong Xuebin left the Standing Committee Family Compound and drove to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
• Zhu Weiye greeted Dong Xuebin at the compound and asked about the impending transfer, then invited him to have a meal before he left.

Dong Xuebin attended a Supervision Office meeting while news spread that he was being transferred to a small county in northern Shaanxi. His subordinates struggled to accept his apparent demotion, but he kept the reason to himself and intended to prove the move was not a mistake.

• Dong Xuebin arrived early, reviewed documents, and passed the time playing a movie on his phone during the Supervision Office meeting.
• Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping left the meeting together without speaking, and Director Wang asked Dong whether he was being transferred.
• Luo Haiting, Zhang Lili, Han Fei, Li Hong, and the others questioned Dong about leaving for a County Party Secretary post in northern Shaanxi.
• Dong Xuebin avoided explaining his decision and resolved to prove his subordinates wrong through his actions.

Dong Xuebin confirmed that he wanted to transfer to the grassroots and discussed the move with personnel officials and Fang Wenping. His wife, Xie Huilan, questioned his choice of Jiaolin County, but Dong Xuebin insisted he had a plan and was certain the decision was right.

• Personnel officials met with Dong Xuebin in Fang Wenping's office and asked for his thoughts on a possible grassroots transfer.
• Dong Xuebin said he wanted grassroots experience, and Fang Wenping told him an Order of Transfer should be issued around the fifteenth.
• Dong Xuebin had another leadership meeting that afternoon to discuss the transfer.
• Xie Huilan called Dong Xuebin and challenged his decision to go to Jiaolin County, which she called the Fang family's territory.
• Dong Xuebin told Xie Huilan he had reasons he could not yet explain and promised to work toward promotion to deputy department level.

Dong Xuebin learned that rumors about his transfer had made colleagues avoid him, though his subordinates and senior officials knew he had arranged it himself. Fang Wenping warned him that his appointment in Jiaolin County would bring pressure from her powerful family, but Dong Xuebin remained determined; the chapter ended with his transfer order arriving.

• Colleagues at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection grew distant from Dong Xuebin, believing he had offended a leader and been sent away.
• Dong Xuebin invited his Second Office subordinates to a barbecue at his home, and they suspected it would be their last meal together before he left.
• Fang Wenping told Dong Xuebin that she had arranged his transfer under family pressure and warned him about the influence her family held in Shanbei Province.
• Dong Xuebin told Fang Wenping he had thought it through and would go to Jiaolin County regardless of the obstacles.
• Dong Xuebin received his order appointing him County Party Secretary of Jiaolin County, with instructions to report in ten days.

After stepping down from his post, Dong Xuebin packed up the Houhai courtyard and prepared to leave for Jiaolin County. He learned that Fang Wenping had also been transferred to Shanbei Province as a vice governor, leaving him to consider how their paths would cross there.

• Dong Xuebin dismantled the West Room stove and packed most of the courtyard after finishing his work handover and officially stepping down.
• Han Jing called to offer help and discuss his departure, and Dong Xuebin told her he planned to drive and would return to visit.
• Luo Haiting called to ask whether anyone should see Dong Xuebin off, and he told her not to arrange a send-off.
• Luo Haiting told Dong Xuebin that Fang Wenping had received an order transferring her to Shanbei Province as vice governor.
• Dong Xuebin recalled Fang Wenping's desire to leave the Capital City and thought her transfer was understandable.

Dong Xuebin prepared to leave the Capital City for his new post in Northern Shaanxi, but Fang Wenping called and asked him to drive her there as well. After picking her up and waiting while she packed, he set off with her as his passenger.

• Dong Xuebin loaded his belongings into his Land Rover and left his home in the Capital City for Northern Shaanxi.
• Fang Wenping called Dong Xuebin and told him she had also been transferred there as a vice governor.
• Fang Wenping asked Dong Xuebin to pick her up and drive her to Northern Shaanxi, and he agreed.
• Dong Xuebin found Fang Wenping packing at her apartment and waited as she finished getting ready.
• Dong Xuebin made lunch while Fang Wenping packed, then carried her heavier suitcase downstairs.
• Fang Wenping put her luggage in Dong Xuebin's Land Rover, and Dong Xuebin drove away with her.

After driving for hours, Dong Xuebin followed Fang Wenping off the highway to eat and explore a county town instead of stopping to rest. Their evening walk ended in a confrontation when a stall owner demanded that Fang Wenping pay for a bracelet she had opened.

• Dong Xuebin told Fang Wenping he was too tired to keep driving, but she suggested they take an exit and look around since neither had to report for work soon.
• Dong Xuebin drove Fang Wenping off the highway, and they ate dinner at a restaurant in a county town.
• After dinner, Fang Wenping walked around the town’s roadside stalls while Dong Xuebin followed her.
• Fang Wenping opened a bracelet package at a stall, rejected the bracelet after hearing its price was one hundred yuan, and tried to leave.
• The stall owner stopped Fang Wenping and insisted she had to buy the bracelet because she had opened it.

Fang Wenping and Dong Xuebin were surrounded by dozens of local vendors after she refused to pay for a bracelet she had opened. The police took them away, but the crowd chased their cars toward the Police Station.

• The Brawny Stall Owner demanded that Fang Wenping pay one hundred yuan for an opened bracelet, and Dong Xuebin stood by her as they argued.
• The stall owner called for help, and dozens of people surrounded Fang Wenping and Dong Xuebin, threatening them and raising the price to one thousand yuan.
• Fang Wenping called the Police Station, but the officer initially responded dismissively and told her to wait.
• When the police arrived, an older officer urged Fang Wenping and Dong Xuebin into a police car, while the stall owner insisted they pay first.
• The officers drove Fang Wenping and Dong Xuebin away, and the crowd chased after the police cars.

Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping were brought to the Police Station after a hostile crowd followed them, but the officers admitted they were afraid to confront the locals. Furious at the officers’ refusal to act, Dong Xuebin declared that he would handle the situation himself.

• Police officers hurried Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping into the station while the Brawny Stall Owner and a crowd carrying tools entered the courtyard.
• An older officer explained that the locals often banded together and had even attacked police, so the station planned to wait for the crowd to leave.
• Fang Wenping challenged the officers for failing to stop the locals from robbing and forcing tourists to buy things.
• Dong Xuebin argued with a young officer, condemning the police for hiding instead of enforcing the law.
• Fang Wenping insisted on getting an explanation, and Dong Xuebin declared that he would handle the matter himself.

Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping argued with the police over their failure to stop a group of stall owners from extorting them, while the crowd outside demanded payment for a bracelet. Chief Zhu returned and told them to pay one thousand yuan, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping berated the officers for sheltering the crowd and refusing to address the attempted extortion.
• Chief Zhu entered, heard the officers’ account, and went outside as the crowd banged on the window and demanded the pair come out.
• The Brawny Stall Owner and others refused Chief Zhu’s orders to go home and insisted on one thousand yuan for the bracelet.
• After speaking with the crowd, Chief Zhu returned and told Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping to settle the bracelet payment first.
• Dong Xuebin asked Chief Zhu to repeat himself after being told to pay.

Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping refused to pay off the crowd that had extorted them, while the Police Station urged them to compromise. Fang Wenping agreed to let Dong Xuebin handle the roughly sixty people outside, and he prepared to act.

• Chief Zhu urged Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping to pay the crowd a thousand yuan so the Police Station could escort them away safely.
• Fang Wenping refused to hand over their money, and Dong Xuebin berated the police for siding with the extortionists.
• Dong Xuebin demanded to know whether the Police Station intended to let the crowd go unpunished, and Chief Zhu asked what he expected them to do.
• Fang Wenping told Dong Xuebin they would handle the crowd themselves, and he boasted that he could take on all sixty within five minutes.
• Fang Wenping left the confrontation to Dong Xuebin, who eagerly prepared to take action.

Dong Xuebin decided to confront the peddlers who were threatening him and Fang Wenping outside the Police Station, despite the officers’ warnings and refusal to help. Fang Wenping followed him and said she would call provincial contacts, while Dong Xuebin headed out to face the crowd.

• The peddlers shouted threats and demanded payment outside the Police Station, insulting Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping and pounding on the window.
• Dong Xuebin took off his coat and prepared to go outside, but an older police officer warned that the crowd might attack him.
• Chief Zhu let Dong Xuebin leave after warning him that the Police Station would not take responsibility for what happened.
• Dong Xuebin criticized the officers for siding with the peddlers and told Fang Wenping to stay inside.
• Fang Wenping followed Dong Xuebin toward the door and said she would call provincial officials she knew.

Dong Xuebin confronted the stall owner and the crowd demanding money from him, insisting they confess to their crimes instead. The stall owner struck Dong Xuebin over the head with a club, but Dong Xuebin smiled afterward.

• Fang Wenping stayed inside the Police Station as Dong Xuebin walked into the courtyard, where dozens of Ethnic Minorities had gathered.
• The Brawny Stall Owner demanded one thousand yuan and an apology, but Dong Xuebin refused to pay and called the demand extortion.
• Dong Xuebin warned the crowd to enter the Police Station and accept punishment, or face him.
• The Brawny Stall Owner hit Dong Xuebin on the head with a club, which snapped, and Dong Xuebin smiled as the crowd watched.

After being struck by the Brawny Stall Owner, Dong Xuebin used the attack as justification to defend himself and fought back against the mob. He left dozens of attackers stunned and ten men down, while the remaining crowd hesitated to approach him.

• Dong Xuebin reassured Fang Wenping and told the onlookers that he had not started the fight after the Brawny Stall Owner struck him with a stick.
• The Brawny Stall Owner thrust his broken stick at Dong Xuebin, who grabbed and twisted his wrist, driving the stick into the man's chin and knocking him unconscious.
• Dong Xuebin taunted the fallen man, provoking the ethnic minority group to charge him with clubs and daggers.
• Dong Xuebin quickly defeated the first waves of attackers, sending several flying and injuring others with their own weapons.
• After Dong Xuebin knocked down ten men in a dozen seconds, the remaining attackers hesitated while Fang Wenping, Chief Zhu, the officers, and the civilians watched in shock.

Dong Xuebin fought off the armed crowd at the Police Station, leaving many of them injured and the rest fleeing. He stayed behind without pursuing them, conserving his remaining time before taking office.

• Two ambulances arrived, and Dong Xuebin challenged the crowd to rob him.
• The men hurled rocks, bottles, tools, and knives at Dong Xuebin, but he dodged them and returned a knife and a brick to their throwers.
• Dong Xuebin charged into the crowd and knocked down one man after another while the officers and bystanders watched.
• The remaining men fled, leaving their injured companions behind.
• Dong Xuebin did not pursue them and wiped the blood from his hands.