"What did you say?"

Inside a pricey residential community in the Silver Beach Area of Northern Mountain City.

A middle-aged man with a receding hairline and a ferocious appearance had been enjoying a massage from a seductive young woman. However, when his phone rang and he answered it impatiently, his expression changed drastically as he flew into a rage.

He shoved the young woman aside. "Damn it, you bitch, get lost!" he snarled, gesturing angrily for her to leave.

Taking a deep breath, he then yelled into the phone, "Zheng Shuhan, you better explain this to me right now! What the hell happened? Why did Huang Tao's people screw up the investment, and how did they steal the credit for it?"

This balding, ferocious-looking middle-aged man was none other than Zhou Zhuo, the immediate superior of Secretary Zheng. He was one of the current Deputy Mayors of Northern Mountain City and a member of the Direct Lineage of Mo Cheng, the Municipal Party Secretary.

Zhou Zhuo had originally worked in the police force. After being recruited and heavily relied upon by Secretary Mo Cheng, he experienced a meteoric rise. He went from a lowly district-level criminal investigation captain to the high position of Deputy Mayor in just a few years. It was evident that Mo Cheng had pulled a lot of strings for him.

Yet, despite having climbed to such a height, his past as an investigator who frequently dealt with the most vicious criminals had left him with an explosive temper and a cruel streak. This led many people to keep a respectful distance, though some were simply afraid of him.

On the other end of the line, Zheng Shuhan trembled, his back soaked in a cold sweat. "Mayor Zhou, please listen to me," he stammered. "This is what happened…"

He proceeded to give his superior a full account of the events involving Chen Fei. When he finished, the line went silent.

"This is ridiculous! Are you telling me that because of some worthless doctor, Huang Tao just lucked into such a massive political win? Don't you realize that if he gets credit for this, I'll have basically no way to compete with him? The next mayor will definitely be Huang Tao!"

Zhou Zhuo was in a foul mood, seething with anger.

He had placed immense importance on the matter of Italy's Saint Laurent Group scouting Jiangnan Province for investment opportunities. This was about more than just tens of millions, or even over a hundred million, in foreign investment political capital. If he could entice them into a long-term partnership with Northern Mountain City's enterprises, the provincial government would take great notice, adding a brilliant entry to his political resume.

That was why he had dispatched his own secretary to shadow them, constantly searching for an opening.

In the end, he had failed. The group chose to partner with a company in Tongzhou City, the provincial capital of Jiangnan Province. While he felt it was a great pity, he hadn't dwelled on it. After all, if he were in their shoes, representing a Fortune 500 company seeking investment in Jiangnan Province, he would have chosen Tongzhou City over Northern Mountain as well. Such was the difference between a provincial capital and a regular Earth Level city.

Most importantly, their choice didn't conflict with his interests, so it hadn't mattered.

But now, his rival and arch-nemesis, Executive Deputy Mayor Huang Tao, had inexplicably stumbled into this huge advantage.

It was common knowledge that the Executive Deputy Mayor ranked first among all deputy mayors and was the rightful successor to the mayorship. With such a tremendous achievement added to his record, it would be difficult for even Zhou Zhuo's patron, Secretary Mo, to turn the tables. This was the true source of his fury.

"Mayor Zhou, there was nothing I could do. That Italian was just too stubborn. It was impossible to reason with him," Zheng Shuhan said, his face a mask of misery.

"Alright, shut your mouth!"

Zhou Zhuo was clearly in no mood for excuses. His face was grim as he fell silent for a long moment before speaking again, his voice cold. "A mere doctor dares to ruin my plans. I can't just let this slide."

Feeling the bone-chilling cold in Zhou Zhuo's words, Zheng Shuhan shivered. "Mayor Zhou," he stammered, "should I look into that kid's background? See what his relationship with Deputy Mayor Huang is?"

He addressed Zhou Zhuo, a Deputy Mayor, as 'Mayor,' while calling Huang Tao, the Executive Deputy Mayor, 'Deputy Mayor.' This was a clear display of the art of language—what else could one expect from Zhou Zhuo's own secretary? As the old saying goes, attending to a ruler is like attending to a tiger. Facing an unreasonable and explosive boss like Zhou Zhuo, the slightest misstep could lead to serious trouble, so caution was a necessity.

"Investigate him. Do it thoroughly. I want that kid's entire file on my desk within twenty-four hours. When the time comes… heh." With a grim face, Zhou Zhuo hung up. He paused for a moment, then dialed another number. "Hello, Deputy Mayor Huang? It's me, Zhou."

「In his home in the Jinliang District of Northern Mountain City.」

Deputy Mayor Huang Tao, who had just been discharged from the hospital, was watching television when his phone rang. He answered and was stunned by the voice on the other end. He never expected a call from Zhou Zhuo.

The competition for the mayor's seat had placed the two of them in complete opposition. Furthermore, Huang Tao didn't get along with Secretary Mo Cheng's faction. He truly couldn't figure out why the other man was calling him.

However, despite his deep suspicions, he had to maintain appearances. "Well, if it isn't Zhou," Huang Tao said, feigning surprise. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Come now, Deputy Mayor Huang. It wasn't the wind, but the news of your great service to Northern Mountain City. A truly solid accomplishment," Zhou Zhuo said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I imagine the mayorship is practically in your hands now, isn't it? Congratulations, truly."

"A great service? A solid accomplishment? As for the promotion, there's been no official notice yet, so I wouldn't dare presume. Zhou, what are you getting at? I'm afraid I don't understand," Huang Tao replied, puzzled by the man's strange behavior.

Hearing this, Zhou Zhuo understood that his rival was completely unaware of the situation and had lucked into this huge advantage. This only deepened his jealousy and his resentment toward Chen Fei for ruining his plans.

But he kept these thoughts to himself. He continued to smile as he said, "Ah, so you don't know yet, Deputy Mayor Huang. In that case, I've spoken out of turn. I'm sure someone will inform you soon enough. I'll leave it at that for now. Goodbye."

After he hung up, Huang Tao was left feeling utterly bewildered. Just then, his phone rang again. This time, the call was from Chen Fei.

"Hello, is that Doctor Chen? May I ask... huh? What did you say? Is that true?" He began the call respectfully, but upon hearing Chen Fei's next words, his face lit up with unrestrained joy, and he cried out in excitement.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.