Chen Bin was left completely dumbfounded upon hearing this.
Li Lu has connections and will probably get promoted soon.
Going after him? That’s like an old man eating arsenic—courting death!
But to maintain the lie he had just spun, Chen Bin slowly raised his head to look at Dong Lili.
"Taking him down isn’t impossible, but why should I do that? You need to give me a reason."
"I... I can be your woman, whatever you ask me to do, I’ll do it."
With a dismissive laugh, Chen Bin asked again.
"Do you think I’m lacking women? I don’t even care about Xu Ruoxuan, so what makes you qualified to be my woman?"
Upon hearing Chen Bin’s words, Dong Lili felt as if she’d been slapped hard in the face.
She always thought she was good-looking, with an attractive figure.
But apparently, these weren’t worth mentioning in Chen Bin’s eyes!
In the past, she would’ve turned around and left in a huff.
But as things stood now, Chen Bin was the only one who could help her get revenge.
Taking a deep breath, Dong Lili slowly said.
"As long as you’re willing to help me get revenge, I’ll do anything for you."
Even though her face was full of sincerity, Chen Bin still shook his head.
"Sorry, whatever you can do for me, others can do too. To me, you’re of no value."
Dong Lili opened her mouth, intending to say more.
But aside from her body, she had absolutely nothing worth offering.
She sighed deeply, her earlier arrogance completely gone.
Her whole demeanor now resembled a wilted eggplant as she slowly turned to leave.
Just as Dong Lili left, Chen Bin’s phone rang.
Seeing it was Xu Ruoxuan calling, he immediately picked up.
"I just got word that my dad’s promotion probably fell through."
Xu Ruoxuan’s tone was somewhat downcast, making her sound pitiful.
Chen Bin was surprised and asked, "Even with your father-in-law helping out?"
"The issue lies with my father-in-law! If my dad becomes Municipal Committee Secretary, he’ll likely make the Provincial Committee, and the higher-ups are worried about the ties between him and my father-in-law forming factions. That’s why my dad’s promotion is out of the question."
"So you’re saying Wu Liang just gets what he wants now?"
"Tianhai is the provincial capital, and under Wu Liang’s tenure as mayor these past few years, Tianhai’s economic performance hasn’t been impressive. Forget promotion—if he doesn’t deliver results during his term, he might even get demoted away from frontline politics."
Seeing the top two competitors likely knocked out, Chen Bin grew curious.
"Then who’s going to be the big boss in Tianhai in the future?"
In Chen Bin’s mind, this name didn’t ring a bell.
Xu Ruoxuan explained, "He’s a key cadre being groomed by the higher-ups, highly capable, and very nurturing of talent. During his previous tenure as Municipal Committee Secretary elsewhere, he even promoted several individuals against protocol."
Promoted against protocol?
In Chen Bin’s experience, most officials climbed step by step.
Instances of promotions bypassing protocol were exceedingly rare.
This boldness from Cao Sanjin surely indicated a strong backing and an exceptional knack for recognizing talent.
At this point, Xu Ruoxuan sighed again before continuing.
"Given my dad’s current age, if he misses this opportunity, his future prospects might only go as far as one term as mayor."
Noticing a hint of bitterness in her tone, Chen Bin quickly offered comfort.
"Your dad’s achieved a lot already to reach this level. Honestly, there aren’t many cadre positions above the deputy bureau level in our country, and you’re still young. As long as you keep working hard, you’re bound to surpass him one day."
These words made Xu Ruoxuan feel slightly better.
After chatting a bit more casually with Chen Bin, she hung up.
As Chen Bin was about to stow his phone away, he noticed 300,000 yuan had suddenly been deposited into his UnionPay account.
Looks like it came from Wu Liang.
With a faint smile, Chen Bin was quite pleased with the unexpected windfall.
That afternoon, staff from Tianhai Municipal Propaganda Department, Tianhai Daily, and Tianhai City TV Station, among other related departments, all arrived in Qingshi County.
Their purpose for coming was to interview and commend Chen Bin.
Chen Bin’s act of bravery had already gained attention on short-video platforms. Now, with coverage by major official media outlets, he had become the talk of Tianhai—a bona fide hero.
From then on, the slogan "Learn from Comrade Chen Bin" gradually began spreading.
After the interview ended, Chen Bin’s phone nearly exploded with calls.
The first person to call was Ma Juan, who said Chen Bin truly lived up to her expectations of a man—so brave and fearless—that he was her hero.
These words made Chen Bin a bit smug, though he humbly responded with a few pleasantries.
Next came a call from Zhao Xinmei.
Her attitude was the exact opposite of Ma Juan’s.
She even went so far as to threaten to sever their mother-son relationship, warning him never to engage in such dangerous actions again.
Chen Bin naturally knew she was just worried about him, so he quickly promised he wouldn’t do it again.
After much reassurance, Zhao Xinmei finally hung up the call, albeit reluctantly.
Just then, Wang Jun suddenly pushed the door open from outside.
He stared at Chen Bin expressionlessly.
"What’s this? Feeling like a big celebrity now?"
"Honestly, it does feel pretty awesome."
Noticing Chen Bin’s obvious delight, Wang Jun decided to douse him with a dose of reality.
"If you let this get to your head, you’re not far from making big mistakes. We’re in politics; everything we do must be cautious and calculated. Do you understand me?"
Chen Bin knew Wang Jun was saying this out of concern, hence he nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Don’t worry, godfather. I definitely won’t disappoint you."
Wang Jun simply grunted in response and then asked.
"How much do you know about the situation in the city?"
Chen Bin didn’t hesitate and answered directly.
"The province has decided to appoint Cao Sanjin to replace Li Lu. Beyond that, I’m not privy to other details."
Wang Jun had heard of the name but had never interacted with the man.
With Li Lu about to be reassigned, Wang Jun felt it was time to gather more information.
"Is this news reliable?"
"Should be reliable; it’s from Xu Ruoxuan."
"Then what do you think I should do next?"
Initially, Wang Jun thought Xu Tai becoming Tianhai’s top leader was virtually guaranteed.
Considering Chen Bin’s ties with Xu Ruoxuan, he assumed his position as secretary of the County Committee would only grow more secure.
Now, however, a completely unfamiliar top leader had abruptly emerged.
This left Wang Jun feeling unsettled.
After some thought, Chen Bin answered.
"Rumor has it that Cao Sanjin values talent highly. So you should focus on doing your job well. But don’t neglect maintaining your relationships with Li Lu and Xu Tai—especially Li Lu. He’s a rising star and must be taken seriously."
"Got it, I’ll keep that in mind."
After work that evening, Chen Bin had just stepped downstairs when he encountered He Chaoping, who had been waiting for some time.
"Mr. He, what brings you here?"
With a smile, the latter replied, "We already agreed earlier—you’re coming to my place for dinner tonight. Didn’t want this slipping your mind amidst your busy day, so I came to personally fetch you."
Hearing that, Chen Bin’s expression instantly turned strange.
In his memory, He Chaoping was a rather rigid individual.
He’d even been squeezed out of Tianhe Old Winery for not knowing how to curry favor.
So why was he suddenly fawning over him now?