Two days after the Yunbei Logistics scandal broke, Lu Zhen was summoned—not to the Reform Task Force conference room, not to Tang Wei's office—but to the Jingzhou Provincial Development Hall.
It was the real core of provincial decision-making. Where meetings shaped policy, budgets, and careers.
He had never been invited there before.
The message was short, stamped, and official:
> "By order of the Provincial Secretariat. Attend private evaluation, 9:30 AM, Development Hall, Room 403."
No name. No sender.
---
Tang Wei didn't brief him. She simply looked him over that morning, adjusted his collar, and handed him a folder.
"Do not speak unless addressed. Do not correct anyone. Simply answer what's asked."
Lu Zhen took the folder and nodded. "Understood."
She added quietly, "This is your first true test. They want to know if you're a pawn… or something more dangerous."
---
At 9:26 AM, he was escorted into Room 403.
The room was modest—frosted glass windows, a rectangular table, five middle-aged men in suits. One empty chair across from them.
He sat.
No introductions. No greetings.
A man in the center, with a hawk-like face and greying hair, flipped open a dossier.
"Lu Zhen. 20. Origin: Ninghe County. No party background. Degree in governance theory. Entered Jingzhou city government six weeks ago. Promoted three times. Now Special Advisor to the Task Force."
Lu Zhen didn't respond.
Another man interjected, "Your leak nearly cost the province 600 million yuan in bond negotiations with private partners. Did you consider the consequences?"
"I followed due procedure for internal exposure," Lu Zhen replied steadily. "The public leak only occurred after irregularities weren't addressed."
A third advisor added, "Or perhaps you intended to sabotage Provincial Executive Liu's economic track?"
Lu Zhen kept his tone neutral. "I only acted on verifiable financial inconsistencies. I did not target individuals."
The hawk-faced man closed the folder slowly. "And yet, the result was the same."
Silence lingered.
Finally, a different voice came from the corner. Softer. Feminine. But no less authoritative.
"Isn't that the point, gentlemen?"
Everyone turned.
A woman stepped in from a side door.
Mid-thirties. Crisp ivory blouse. Navy skirt suit. No makeup. But her presence filled the room immediately.
Lu Zhen stood instinctively.
He knew her face from online policy briefings and National Youth Cadre Forums.
Fang Qinglan. Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee. The youngest woman in provincial leadership.
More importantly—one of Tang Wei's hidden allies.
She walked past the seated advisors and stood near Lu Zhen's side.
"Exposure of corruption is not sabotage. It's service. And this young man has done more in six weeks than some departments do in six years."
The hawk-faced man frowned. "Secretary Fang, we do not question his performance—only the unintended fallout—"
"You mean the fall of Liu Qingxian's cousin?" she said sharply. "Which, I must remind you, triggered a re-evaluation by the Central Discipline Commission. That was long overdue."
The men fell silent.
Fang Qinglan turned to Lu Zhen. "You may go."
Lu Zhen blinked. "That's all?"
She smiled faintly. "For now."
He bowed respectfully and left, heart still pounding.
---
That afternoon, Tang Wei met him in the task force elevator. Alone.
"Well?"
"I survived," Lu Zhen said. "Barely."
"You did better than that," she said, smirking slightly. "Fang Qinglan has taken a liking to you. You've just stepped into the next tier."
"What tier is that?"
"The one where people stop trying to recruit you… and start trying to eliminate you."
---
System Notification
---
[Hidden Political Figure Contacted: Fang Qinglan – Favorability +10]
New Route Unlocked: Provincial Power Struggles
Your status has been elevated to: "Key Strategic Asset"
Unlocked: Passive Skill – Bureaucratic Defense (Lv.1)
Unlocked: Hidden Wealth Function – "Discreet Asset Channel"
---
Lu Zhen paused.
Discreet Asset Channel?
He tapped into the new system function—and his phone opened to a clean interface, showing four tabs:
1. Offshore Investment Pools
2. Private Mining Projects
3. Agricultural Innovation Patents
4. Anonymous Holdings in High-Tech Startups
Under each tab were numbers. Big ones.
His real-time net worth flashed at the top:
> ¥ 27,540,000
Over 27 million yuan. Quietly amassed.
The system explained:
---
"As you gained favor with key political actors, your economic sub-system has autonomously deployed early-phase investments using 'Future Value Nodes.' You now control dormant companies, patents, and mineral rights across three provinces."
---
Lu Zhen couldn't believe it.
He hadn't even interacted with the system's wealth functions in weeks.
And now… he was rich. Quietly. Invisibly.
His mind reeled with the possibilities.
He could fund his own political base. Support clean candidates. Purchase influence.
No. Not yet.
Tang Wei's warning echoed in his mind: "The knives are sharper now."
He needed to consolidate first.
---
That evening, he visited a small bookstore downtown. Quiet, old, full of political memoirs and dry governance manuals.
He picked up two: "Provincial Chess: A Memoir by Guo Fanhai" and "Tides of Reform: The Bureaucracy Beneath the Surface".
As he reached the cashier, a voice beside him said, "Those are unusual choices for someone your age."
He turned.
Fang Qinglan.
Dressed casually now, holding a cup of tea and a slim black book of her own.
Lu Zhen nodded respectfully. "Secretary Fang."
She smiled. "Off-duty. Just Qinglan is fine."
He hesitated. "You came to the bookstore… just by coincidence?"
"Let's say I prefer to test people outside the conference room," she replied. "Anyone who reads Guo Fanhai's work is either very naive… or very ambitious."
Lu Zhen said nothing.
She took a step closer. "Which one are you?"
"…Both," he said honestly.
She laughed. It was soft, clean, but tinged with something older than her years.
"Good," she said. "You'll need both if you're planning to reach the top."
---
System Message
---
[Potential Lead Affinity Formed – Fang Qinglan]
Status: Political Ally
Warning: Romantic Development Disabled – Already has hidden romantic subplot with another character.
---
Lu Zhen raised an eyebrow at the system's note.
So she was off-limits romantically.
Not that he was planning anything.
His heart, strangely, always slowed whenever Tang Wei stood close to him.
He still didn't understand why.
---
Back at home, Lu Zhen opened his laptop and accessed one of the anonymous shell companies listed under the system's "Discreet Asset Channel."
A logistics startup in Anhui Province. Registered under a generic local name.
It had just secured a minor government contract to digitize county records.
He smiled.
Small steps. Quiet moves.
While others played loudly in the spotlight, he would build in silence.
And when the moment came—
He would already be ten steps ahead.
---
End of Chapter 4