Chapter Summaries

Dong Xuebin investigated the two million yuan deposited in Geng Yuehua’s account and found that the money had been routed from overseas. He used Wu Liang’s records of Geng Yuehua’s report to clear her suspicion with He Suien, while the search for the person who framed her continued.

• Zhu Zhu told Dong Xuebin that two million yuan had been transferred into Geng Yuehua’s account from overseas through another account, leaving its source untraceable.
• Dong Xuebin showed Wu Liang the account records, and Wu Liang produced a report and savings booklet that he said Geng Yuehua had submitted two days earlier.
• Wu Liang suspected Zhang Huo might have arranged the deposit to frame Geng Yuehua, citing threats received by their families after Zhang Huo was detained.
• Dong Xuebin took the records and told He Suien that Geng Yuehua had reported the money before the complaint arrived, and that Zhang Huo might be responsible.
• He Suien accepted that Geng Yuehua appeared uninvolved and ordered Dong Xuebin to find the mastermind behind the framing attempt.

After his assets were investigated, Dong Xuebin learned that the Discipline Inspection Committee would not publicly disclose the results. He helped Luo Haiting move into the committee dormitory, where Zhu Zhu joined them and revealed her connection to Director Liang Xuan.

• Wang Youfu told Dong Xuebin that investigators had found no problems with his assets, but officials would not publish the results.
• Dong Xuebin offered Luo Haiting a ride and warned her to be careful about accepting gifts in her new Discipline Inspection Committee role.
• Dong Xuebin helped Luo Haiting pack her belongings, including a box of clothes and personal items.
• Zhu Zhu met Dong Xuebin and Luo Haiting outside the guest house and helped load their luggage into the car.
• Luo Haiting told Dong Xuebin that Zhu Zhu was related to First Office Director Liang Xuan.

Dong Xuebin and Xie Huilan celebrated moving into their new home and her first day in office with a hot-pot dinner and wine. After teasing him throughout the evening, Xie Huilan joined Dong Xuebin in bed, where they began making love.

• Dong Xuebin finished setting up the apartment and preparing dinner while Xie Huilan watched the news, then she helped serve him at the table.
• Dong Xuebin poured wine to celebrate their move and Xie Huilan taking office, and they shared hot pot together.
• Xie Huilan undressed while they ate, and Dong Xuebin recalled that they had only made love once since their wedding.
• After dinner, Xie Huilan showered and teased Dong Xuebin before asking him to carry her to bed.
• Dong Xuebin carried Xie Huilan to bed, and they began making love under her stated boundaries.

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.

After Jiang Fangfang’s father died, Dong Xuebin and other county leaders visited the hospital to offer their condolences. Jiang Fangfang asked Dong Xuebin to temporarily take charge of the county government, leaving him to manage its work while worrying about her.

• Dong Xuebin asked Yao Cui about local funeral customs and arranged for county leaders to visit Jiang Fangfang’s family at the hospital.
• Dong Xuebin and the other officials paid their respects to Jiang Fangfang’s deceased father, but Jiang Fangfang was away picking up her mother.
• Li Xiaona told Dong Xuebin that Jiang Fangfang would be absent the following week and had authorized him to make decisions and handle the county government’s affairs.
• On the way back, Pu An’s wife worried about Jiang Fangfang and urged Dong Xuebin to help her find a suitable husband.
• Dong Xuebin returned to his office, reviewed pending proposals, directed the dormitory project to proceed as planned, and spent the afternoon handling county business while thinking about Jiang Fangfang.

Dong Xuebin saved Liu Hanqing and Ning Shaoyang from a collapsing wall at No. 3 Middle School, then was taken to the hospital for examination. As reporters questioned officials about the collapse, Dong Xuebin explained that he had saved his colleagues because it was simply his duty, and Liu Hanqing apologized for their past conflict.

• Dong Xuebin reassured his colleagues after lifting the collapsed wall, but collapsed from exhaustion once he was placed on a stretcher.
• Reporters confronted Feng Jie and Deputy District Governor Chu about the Teaching Building collapse, while they questioned Dong Xuebin about rescuing Liu Hanqing and Ning Shaoyang.
• Dong Xuebin told a reporter that he had saved people because it was the natural thing to do, with no need for a reason.
• Liu Hanqing and Ning Shaoyang accompanied Dong Xuebin in the ambulance, where the doctor said his life was not in danger but that further examinations were needed.
• Liu Hanqing apologized for their past conflict, and Dong Xuebin said he had saved them because he was responsible for his colleagues' safety.

Dong Xuebin and Xu Yan confronted Political Commissar Liu and took Chao Chao and the other students out of the Military Zone without a fight. Liu Guowei learned that Dong Xuebin had intervened and vowed to remember the affront.

• Dong Xuebin challenged Political Commissar Liu's authority to detain Chao Chao and his classmates and insisted on taking them away.
• Dong Xuebin and Xu Yan led the students past the wary soldiers, who did not dare stop them.
• Dong Xuebin drove Chao Chao and the other students out of the Military Zone while Political Commissar Liu ordered his men to stand down.
• Political Commissar Liu called Commander Liu Guowei and explained that Dong Xuebin and Xu Yan had taken the students away.
• Liu Guowei accepted Political Commissar Liu's decision but grew angry at Dong Xuebin and vowed to settle the score.

Dong Xuebin learned that County Chief Jiang was carrying heavy family burdens while sharing steamed buns with Yao Cui. The chapter ended when Ma Bin told him that County Chief Jiang’s father had died at the hospital.

• Yao Cui brought Dong Xuebin steamed buns and ate with him while they discussed his family and work.
• Dong Xuebin learned from Yao Cui that Jiang Fangfang’s father had late-stage liver cancer and her mother had Alzheimer’s.
• Dong Xuebin considered using reverse to help Jiang Fangfang’s father but concluded he could not rewind his illness far enough to make a meaningful difference.
• Ma Bin called Dong Xuebin and told him that Jiang Fangfang’s father had died at the hospital around ten thirty.

Dong Xuebin inspected Zhenshui County's Investment Bureau and discovered that it had only four staff members, cramped offices, and almost no investment results. After reviewing its records, he confronted Zheng Dayou with the bureau's average annual investment total of less than five million, leaving the scale of the bureau's problems clear.

• Dong Xuebin asked Yao Cui to notify the Investment Bureau that he would visit during the lunch break.
• Dong Xuebin walked to the bureau and met Zheng Dayou, Cheng Yujie, and Chen Yunsong, learning that its staff handled several overlapping duties.
• Dong Xuebin nearly fell on a broken stair and saw that the bureau had a shabby shared office with only a few desks.
• Zheng Dayou told Dong Xuebin that the bureau had only four employees and had struggled to attract investors because of the county's remoteness and poor conditions.
• Dong Xuebin read the bureau's investment records and questioned Zheng Dayou about its average annual investment task of less than five million.

Dong Xuebin questioned supplier Song Fei about the collapsed Xiping Third Middle School building and used a signed meeting document to trick him into confessing. Song Fei implicated Deputy District Governor Chu and admitted cutting costs on construction materials, while Dong Xuebin’s team continued its investigation.

• Dong Xuebin assigned his staff to investigate suspected officials and gather evidence, uniting the office behind him after he had risked his life to save Liu Hanqing.
• Luo Haiting reported that Song Fei’s company had supplied materials for the collapsed school building, and Dong Xuebin arranged for the Public Security Bureau to bring Song Fei in for questioning.
• Song Fei denied involving local officials, so Dong Xuebin warned that his company would face inspections and severe consequences if he stayed silent.
• Luo Haiting let Song Fei glimpse a signed document, which he mistook for Deputy District Governor Chu’s testimony, and Dong Xuebin ordered the questioning to end.
• Song Fei panicked and confessed that he had bribed Deputy District Governor Chu with 200,000 yuan and used substandard materials to make up for the low payment he received.
• After Song Fei signed his confession, Dong Xuebin revealed that the document had only been a meeting paper and that he had deliberately used Song Fei’s assumption to make him talk.

Xu Yan and Dong Xuebin confronted the military district after Xu Yan’s son was detained, but Political Commissar Liu refused to release the children or let Xu Yan see them. Xu Yan ignored the soldiers blocking her and found her son calling for help from a nearby building.

• Dong Xuebin challenged two sentries who pointed their guns at him, and Xu Yan disarmed one and threw both sentries down.
• An officer let Xu Yan enter the military district headquarters after checking her work ID, and Dong Xuebin accompanied her.
• Political Commissar Liu said Xu Yan’s son and several other children were being questioned for trespassing in a military forbidden zone and refused to release them.
• Xu Yan argued that the soldiers had chased her son there, offered to apologize and compensate Liu Haibin, and demanded to see her son.
• Xu Yan and Dong Xuebin left the command room, and Xu Yan called for Chao Chao until he shouted back from a nearby building for her to save them.

Xu Xianglin and Deputy Director Zhou rushed to prepare for Municipal Party Secretary Xie's unexpected arrival at the airport, where Dong Xuebin was being detained after a dispute. Secretary Xie revealed that she was Dong Xuebin's wife and demanded that they address their accusations to her.

• Xu Xianglin introduced his son Xu Dong to Zheng Fei and chatted with him and Deputy Director Zhou.
• A staff member reported that Municipal Party Secretary Xie had arrived alone, so Xu Xianglin ordered the airport staff to prepare for her visit.
• Xu Xianglin and Deputy Director Zhou went to greet Secretary Xie as she entered the terminal.
• Secretary Xie asked who had called her, then questioned Xu Xianglin about the commotion near the lounge.
• Xu Xianglin accused Dong Xuebin of disrupting order and assaulting Zheng Fei, while Dong Xuebin stood and waved to Secretary Xie.
• Secretary Xie told them she was Dong Xuebin's wife and that they should direct their complaints to her.

After Pang Dabing and Liu Gang were detained, Dong Xuebin confronted Nanqi Morning News President Dong Haitao over repeated attacks and the surveillance of him. Fearing State Security would implicate the newspaper, Dong Haitao convened its leaders, who voted to dismiss Liu Gang and suspend Pang Dabing.

• Xu Yan told Dong Xuebin that Pang Dabing and Liu Gang had been taken into custody, and Dong Xuebin planned to make sure they could not retaliate after their investigation.
• Dong Xuebin called Dong Haitao and angrily accused Nanqi Morning News of repeatedly framing him and having Pang Dabing send Liu Gang to surveil him.
• Dong Haitao contacted the Municipal State Security Bureau and learned that Pang Dabing and Liu Gang were suspected of espionage and had been arrested.
• Dong Haitao warned the newspaper’s senior leaders that Pang Dabing and Liu Gang’s surveillance of Xu Yan and Dong Xuebin had been confirmed.
• Chief Editor Lao Zhou proposed dismissing Liu Gang and suspending Pang Dabing, and the newspaper’s leaders approved the measures.

After her month of confinement, Xie Huilan prepared to leave for her new post as Municipal Party Secretary in the Southern Region, taking Little Chongchong with her. Han Jing revealed that the family expected Xie Huilan to establish herself and lead the younger generation's political rise.

• Dong Xuebin struggled with the demands of caring for Little Chongchong while Xie Huilan nursed him and prepared for her noon flight.
• Han Jing urged Xie Huilan to leave Little Chongchong in the Capital City, but Xie Huilan insisted on taking him and asked Aunt Wang to accompany them.
• Xie Huilan asked Han Jing whether she could act freely in her new post, and Han Jing confirmed that Old Master had approved it.
• Han Jing explained that the family had gained influence in the latest reshuffle and that Dong Xuebin's hard drive and actions had helped Xie Huilan secure the Municipal Party Secretary position.
• Han Jing told Xie Huilan to establish herself and set an example for the family's younger generation, and Xie Huilan agreed.

Lan Xuewen briefed Dong Xuebin on the backgrounds and personalities of his colleagues in Second Office. Dong Xuebin exchanged contact information with Lan and decided to keep enjoying his relatively easy post.

• Lan Xuewen told Dong Xuebin that Director Yin Cheng'an was easygoing with colleagues but strict and decisive when handling cases.
• Lan Xuewen outlined the family connections of Zhang Dongliang, Sun Zhaobang, and He Zhou.
• Lan Xuewen explained that Han Fei had the strongest background in Second Office because her father held a powerful post in the Central Organization Department.
• Dong Xuebin asked about Han Fei's father's faction, and Lan Xuewen said he did not know but that the man had an average relationship with the Xie Faction.
• Dong Xuebin thanked Lan Xuewen, exchanged phone numbers with him, and returned to his office after Lan left.

Dong Xuebin accepted Jiang Min’s invitation to Lian University’s 30th Anniversary Celebration, where she wanted him to arrive early and help. He left work on time and took the next day off, leaving his coworkers baffled by his lack of interest in office life.

• Jiang Min invited Dong Xuebin to the university’s anniversary celebration and asked him to arrive before six to help move things and keep order.
• Jiang Min suggested Dong Xuebin give a speech as a former student, but he declined because he wanted to keep a low profile.
• Dong Xuebin and Jiang Min arranged to have dinner together that evening.
• Dong Xuebin left the office at exactly five and declined Han Fei’s invitation to dinner with the Second Office.
• Dong Xuebin handed Yin Cheng'an the documents and requested the next day off, which Yin Cheng'an approved as annual leave to be made up later.
• After Dong Xuebin left, Han Fei complained about him, and Yin Cheng'an rebuked her before the group went to dinner.

Dong Xuebin and Zheng Fei waited at the airport for Director Xu Xianglin to resolve their fight, but Xu turned out to be an old acquaintance with a bitter history with Dong. The chapter ended with Zheng Fei realizing that Xu Xianglin and his son Xu Dong had serious conflicts with Dong Xuebin.

• Airport staff and police arrived, and Dong Xuebin stopped fighting Zheng Fei.
• Zheng Fei called for Xu Xianglin, citing his position at the Xiaxing City Agriculture Bureau.
• While waiting, Zheng Fei took a call about returning to report to Secretary Xie before two o’clock.
• Xu Xianglin arrived with Xu Dong and heard Zheng Fei accuse Dong Xuebin of starting the altercation.
• Xu Xianglin and Dong Xuebin recognized each other as former neighbors, and Xu refused Dong’s offered handshake.

Dong Xuebin ran into Xu Xianglin and Xu Dong at Xiaxing City’s airport, where they sided with Zheng Fei and had him restrained after a biased investigation. When airport officials demanded his wife’s number, Dong Xuebin let them call her, leaving them unaware of who she was.

• Dong Xuebin encountered Xu Xianglin and Xu Dong at the airport and learned Xu Xianglin had been transferred to Xiaxing City several years earlier.
• Xu Xianglin sided with Zheng Fei and accused Dong Xuebin of starting the altercation, while witnesses stayed silent.
• Xu Dong called the airport Police Station, and its deputy station chief reviewed the footage and records before ordering Dong Xuebin to stay.
• The deputy station chief had two officers restrain Dong Xuebin as Xu Xianglin and Zheng Fei watched.
• The deputy station chief demanded Dong Xuebin’s wife’s number, and Dong Xuebin gave it to them after confirming they wanted her to come over.

Dong Xuebin arrived in the Southern Region, struggled to find Aunt Wang’s home, and reunited with Little Chongchong. There, he overheard Aunt Wang’s family arguing with Xiao Shan’s boyfriend, Minghui, and intervened after Minghui insulted Aunt Wang.

• Xie Huilan gave Dong Xuebin directions to Aunt Wang’s home and the family compound before leaving for work.
• Dong Xuebin got lost, struggled to get directions, and eventually found Aunt Wang’s rented home by the river.
• Dong Xuebin held and soothed Little Chongchong while Aunt Wang explained that Xiao Shan’s boyfriend disapproved of their family circumstances.
• Dong Xuebin overheard Xiao Shan and Minghui arguing, and Aunt Wang and her husband told Minghui to leave.
• Minghui insulted Aunt Wang, prompting Dong Xuebin to decide he could no longer stay out of the dispute.

After airport officials and Zheng Fei apologized to Dong Xuebin, he left with Xie Huilan, who decided the people responsible would still face consequences. She began making calls as they drove away.

• Xie Huilan ordered the airport officials to investigate the incident, and Zheng Fei admitted he had started the fight and knocked away Dong Xuebin's bag.
• Deputy Director Zhou said Zheng Fei would be questioned and could be fined or detained, while Zheng Fei apologized and returned Dong Xuebin's bag.
• Xu Xianglin and Deputy Director Zhou apologized to Dong Xuebin, and he and Xie Huilan left the airport together.
• Dong Xuebin told Xie Huilan that Xu Xianglin had been a former neighbor and explained how their past conflicts had led to the airport confrontation.
• Xie Huilan said the officials would still have to bear responsibility for their actions, then made several calls as she drove away.