Chapter 1: Return to Jinghai

Guo Baolin leaned against the wall of the carriage, a hint of a lewd smile playing at the corners of his mouth, as he recalled the obscene scene of a respectable woman struggling beneath him.

After the college entrance examination, Lin Quan learned that Guo Baolin's exam results were poor, and he did not have the heart to ask which school he was admitted to, so they each went their separate ways and no longer kept in touch

The young woman is approximately twenty-four or twenty-five years old, perhaps even a bit younger. Her haggard and fatigued appearance makes her look older. She is sleeping next to Lin Quan without any reservations, likely having endured a long time in the stifling train compartment before finally securing a seat at the provincial capital station. The young woman is dressed in a simple cotton shirt, and it is unclear how long she stood in the hard seat compartment. The shirt is wrinkled and stained with sweat, and there are several noticeable handprints on her sensitive areas such as her waist and chest. Lin Quan curls his lips, revealing a vague, shallow smile: in the crowded hard seat compartment, even turning around is difficult, and upon seeing a beautiful young woman, anyone would be unable to resist taking advantage of the situation.

Before boarding the train, the two shared the last pack of instant noodles. Once on the train, they kept discussing how they must go to "Eight Great Bowls" to satisfy their cravings upon returning to Jinghai. "Eight Great Bowls" is a restaurant owned by Guo Baolin's father, Guo Dequan. In Guo Baolin's own words, Guo Dequan is a shrewd businessman, and going to Eight Great Bowls to indulge in food and drink every day is a way of robbing the rich to help the poor

Geng Yimin is no different; he has only been in office for three months, yet he repeatedly emphasizes anti-corruption and integrity. I believe he is fundamentally very corrupt. At this point, the middle-aged man chuckled with satisfaction, holding a cigarette in his right hand, and as he became more animated, he couldn't help but wave it around, saying, "It would be better if Chen Ran continued to serve as the Secretary of the Municipal Committee..."

"Five hundred thousand, with five hundred thousand, who would still be happy to be a township secretary? It's only at the level of a regular department head's salary"

Lin Quan is an ordinary sophomore at Donghai Provincial University. Although he is described as ordinary, he is not far removed from the political circles of Jinghai. The former Secretary of the Jinghai Municipal Committee, Chen Ran, mentioned by the two middle-aged men, is Lin Quan's maternal grandfather. Lin Quan's mother is Chen Ran's adopted daughter, Chen Xiu. Interestingly, Lin Quan is not Chen Xiu's biological child; he joined the Lin family after the age of four.

On a certain day during the first month of military training at the provincial university, there was a sudden power outage on campus. All the freshmen were engulfed in a kind of ecstatic frenzy, feeling truly fortunate not to be crammed into the lecture hall singing revolutionary songs at the top of their lungs.

Guo Baolin comes from a wealthy family, but during the final exams, he had a fierce argument with his father, Guo Dequan, which led to his father cutting off his financial support. He usually spends lavishly on dating and does not practice frugality; even the eleven yuan for his transportation fare was covered by Lin Quan.

It's about the same, I've heard that his children are greedy for wealth. During Chen Ran's tenure as the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, his two sons each had assets worth tens of millions...

Guo Baolin is notoriously aggressive and competitive; however, he handles matters quite intelligently, never bringing messy issues to school. He has not left any incriminating evidence at school, and coupled with the reputation of his father, Guo Dequan, the school is somewhat cautious. Although Guo Baolin's academic performance is poor, he has successfully navigated three years at a provincial key high school like City No. 1 Middle School.

Although Chen Ran indulged his children in amassing wealth, he still possessed some genuine abilities. During his nine years in office, the development of Jinghai was remarkably rapid! After all, there is not a single official who is not greedy, so let us find a competent one among the corrupt officials... He noticed Lin Quan turning to look at him and slightly nodded, a gesture of courtesy between strangers

The middle-aged man sitting opposite him displayed a mocking expression: "Old Zhang, do you still not see through the current state of affairs? It has always been a collusion between officials and businessmen to rob the common people."

The development of Jinghai in recent years has significantly declined compared to the past. A few years ago, it ranked among the top coastal cities, but in recent years, Jinghai's ranking has become unnoticeable.

Lin Quan saw that Guo Baolin, sitting opposite, had his eyes slightly open, and he smiled at him with a sidelong glance. Guo Baolin bared his teeth, his face pressed against the cold window of the train, eyes closed in sleep, yet his head was jolted up and down by the rapid motion of the train.

During high school, although the two were in the same school, Guo Baolin was in Class 7 and Lin Quan was in Class 3. However, due to the intense academic atmosphere of the provincial key high school, students from different classes rarely developed extraordinary friendships. In his senior year, Guo Baolin rented a room off-campus, claiming it was for studying, but in reality, it served as a place for him to enjoy some freedom. Classmates from the same year regarded it as a venue for watching adult films. Lin Quan had visited there once with a boy from the neighboring class, and after that, he became familiar with the place. However, at that time, he did not know Guo Baolin. Occasionally, the two would sit on the same bench watching films, but they did not talk much. Using "having fought together with books, having gone to the countryside together, and having visited brothels together" as the standard for a close friendship, watching adult films together was enough to create a sense of intimacy between two strangers. From that time on, whenever Lin Quan and Guo Baolin encountered each other on campus, they would exchange friendly smiles.

This friendship quickly reached a point where Guo Baolin sometimes found himself in a hotel with his girlfriend, suddenly realizing that there was only one condom left in his pocket. Unable to find an opportunity to escape and buy more, he called Lin Quan using a code to ask him to purchase some. Later, during dinner, he discreetly passed the condom to Lin Quan under the table. However, he ended up returning to the hotel with the girlfriend he had deceived, while Lin Quan returned to his dormitory alone.

The Yangtze River, after traversing thousands of miles from the snowfields, surges and tumbles until it reaches the estuary, where the water flow becomes gentle and smooth like that of a maiden. The billions of tons of silt carried downstream accumulate at the river mouth, forming numerous sandbars and shoals. The river's current continuously veers to the right, incorporating the sandbars and shoals into the northern bank, creating a long and narrow sandy plain. This sandy plain nurtures a brilliant pearl of Eastern China—Jinghai. The river's current continuously veers to the right, incorporating the sandbars and shoals into the northern bank, creating a long and narrow sandy plain. This sandy plain nurtures a brilliant pearl of Eastern China—Jinghai

The sweet voice from the broadcast seemed like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing a stir in the carriage

What progress can be made? Chen Ran and Zhou Ping were secretly brought down by him. He is busy recruiting confidants and engaging in the buying and selling of official positions. How could he have time to develop the economy of Jinghai? Not to mention anything else, just the money he makes from selling positions is more than what Zhou Ping has earned. In Jinghai City, the prices are clearly marked; the salaries for township secretaries range from 200,000 to 500,000. With six counties and one city in Jinghai, there are over 300 townships. How much money can Yang Yun possibly make by cycling through them all?

Sigh. Lin Quan turned his head and saw two middle-aged men huddled together, engrossed in a magazine titled "Urban Investigation," which was densely filled with the names of various cities and their economic development data. One weary middle-aged man, upon hearing a shocking rumor from his companion, could not help but let out a long sigh, revealing a deep sense of helplessness and indignation.

The current Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, Geng Yimin, is not unfamiliar with Lin Quan. Geng Yimin is a university classmate of Lin Quan's father, Lin Mingda. When Chen Ran was in office, Geng Yimin served as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Committee and the Secretary of the Jingnan District Committee. Although he looked down upon currying favor with Chen Ran, he maintained a close relationship with the Lin family. After Chen Ran's departure, Geng Yimin successively held the positions of Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary, and Secretary of the Municipal Committee, and perhaps due to the need to avoid suspicion, his relationship with the Lin family gradually cooled. Geng Yimin's secretary, Zhao Zeng, who only became the Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Committee this April, was a student of Lin Mingda when he served as the Vice Principal at the First High School in the city. Although Geng Yimin's relationship with the Lin family has faded, Zhao Zeng has received too many favors from Lin Mingda. The expenses for Zhao Zeng's high school and university education were funded by Lin Mingda, and he has maintained close ties with the Lin family. When Zhao Zeng became the Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Committee, he even hosted a private banquet at home, prompting Lin Quan to take a special leave to return to Jinghai.

The discussion between the two middle-aged men attracted several young men to gather around them, who occasionally interjected with a few remarks, condemning the corrupt officials in Jinghai. Lin Quan sat back in his seat, his head resting against the greasy, dirty back of the seat, gazing out at the familiar scenery outside the window, feeling the immense power of the train pulling him back to that familiar yet strange city

The moonlight floated, shadows of people flickered, and in the darkness, it was difficult to discern each other's faces. Lin Quan speculated about the appearances of the girls who passed by, based on their soft or hoarse voices. He heard someone conversing in the dialect of Jinghai among a group of dark figures ahead. The Jinghai dialect is quite rustic, and people in the urban area of Jinghai rarely use it in conversation. During the more than half a month Lin Quan had been in the provincial capital, he had not dared to admit he was from Jinghai. Hearing someone speak in the Jinghai dialect brought him a sense of joy, as if encountering an old friend in a foreign land.

Sigh, a deep and long exhale, filled with a sense of indignation, "Where is Yang Yun? He has served as the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee for five years, yet there has been no improvement in Jinghai under his leadership"

The municipal committee has appointed a new leadership team, which may improve the situation in Jinghai. In previous years, Jinghai ranked second in the province; however, in recent years, it has dropped to third place. The economic total is significantly lower than that of the second place, and it is imperative to catch up.

From Geng Yimin's unexpected victory in the municipal party committee reshuffle, Lin Quan, far away in the provincial capital, clearly understood that his opportunity had finally arrived

Lin Quan tucked his feet under the chair, careful not to kick the middle-aged woman, while also fearing to wake the beautiful young woman sleeping closely beside him. He felt something bump against his foot; a coarse leg covered in sweat hair extended from under the seat. Looking down, he saw the big brother who had just been standing in the aisle, resting his chin on his hands against the back of the chair, dozing off with a book. Unable to endure any longer, he squeezed into the narrow space under the seat, stretching out his limbs and falling into a foreign dream.

Lin Quan sat there, unable to stretch his arms and legs. In the gap between two rows of chairs sat a middle-aged woman holding a baby. The baby's skin was dry and wrinkled, giving it a very aged appearance. The small head nestled into the mother's embrace, with drool dripping down its chin, glistening as it pooled at the neck. The middle-aged woman unbuttoned her low-quality synthetic shirt, slightly turning her body to reveal her brown breast, and placed a nipple the size of a jujube into the baby's mouth.

Isn't it also because of economic issues that Chen Ran stepped down

Sigh

Brother, you seem to lack vision. Being a township secretary in Jinghai is far more prestigious than being a county party secretary in the West. Are you aware of Zhenghuai Textile Factory? It was originally a collective enterprise in Zhenghuai Town, restructured two years ago, with assets nearing ten million and quite good profitability. However, the final assessment valued it at less than three million. As a result, the town secretary contributed one million five hundred thousand, and a private owner also contributed one million five hundred thousand, turning the factory into a private enterprise. I heard that the town secretary's one million five hundred thousand was actually advanced by that private owner. Just think about it, if he weren't holding onto the secretary position, how could such a good deal come about?

Guo Baolin was tall, with T-shirt sleeves rolled up to his shoulders, revealing bulging muscles. He had a buzz cut and two fresh scars on his face, the pink scars resembling a baby's lips, giving him a fierce appearance. Guo Baolin occupied two seats, leaning against the wall of the carriage, his bare feet curled up in the seat, a comfortable posture that made Lin Quan look on with envy

Lin Quan thought to himself: "A rogue businessman? God knows that my greatest ambition in this life is to become a rogue businessman"

The Jinghai Station is about to arrive. Lin Quan twisted his sore neck and pushed the young woman, who had been pressed against his side for several hours, away from him. He caught a glimpse of the exceptionally delicate skin beneath her neck, and her full breasts stretched the cotton shirt tightly, revealing a hint of flesh color. A wave of warmth rose from her lower abdomen.

Lin Quan greeted them in the Jinghai dialect, and Guo Baolin squeezed out from the group of shadows, walking towards Lin Quan and calling out his name first. Guo Baolin seized the favorable opportunity of the university expansion and enrolled in a program at the Donghai Provincial University Adult Education College, a program whose name he still cannot fully recall. He once again became an alumnus with Lin Quan. It is somewhat embarrassing to say that at that time, Lin Quan was still uncertain if he was indeed the renowned Guo Baolin, but this did not hinder the rapid advancement of their friendship

Lin Quan's father is the principal of a second-tier middle school, belonging to the type of person who is praised in novels but ridiculed in real life. As a result, Lin Quan's living expenses in university have always been tight. Guo Baolin ate instant noodles in Lin Quan's dormitory for two days, and only after Lin Quan finished all his exams did they take the train back to Jinghai together

Lin Quan nodded slightly, as a gesture of acknowledgment. In this day and age, many people feel frustrated and unfulfilled, yet the enthusiasm for discussing the secrets of the officialdom remains unabated. Although it may be based on hearsay, the individuals mentioned by this middle-aged man can indeed be found in Jinghai.

Although Lin Quan and Chen Ran are not related by blood, he is the most favored and indulged grandson of Chen Ran. After Chen Ran stepped down due to financial issues, the glamorous and wealthy aura shattered like a bubble in water, completely vanishing overnight. At that time, Lin Quan was only fifteen years old and suffered considerable psychological setbacks. Amidst endless ridicule and mockery, he developed a cold and composed personality

"Why is there no ranking? Turn to the last page and count back to the seventh position." A mocking voice interrupted the other's lament, "After Chen Ran stepped down, Zhou Ping and Yang Yun became wastrels. Seven or eight years have passed, and everyone claims they want to change Jinghai, but how much has Jinghai really changed? Zhou Ping served as the Secretary of the Municipal Committee for two years, and by the time of the reshuffle, it was revealed that he had two million in assets. Two million! Even without evidence of embezzlement or bribery, just the crime of having unexplained large assets would be enough to keep him in prison for a lifetime. Who would have thought that he would simply pack up and be reassigned as the mayor of Qingchi? However, he stumbled in Qingchi and was dismissed." Zhou Ping served as the Secretary of the Municipal Committee for two years, and by the time of the reshuffle, it was revealed that he had two million in assets. Two million! Even without evidence of embezzlement or bribery, just the crime of having unexplained large assets would be enough to keep him in prison for a lifetime. Who would have thought that he would simply pack up and be reassigned as the mayor of Qingchi? However, he stumbled in Qingchi and was dismissed.

The fare for an air-conditioned bus from the provincial capital to Jinghai is 83 yuan; the air-conditioned train costs 46 yuan, while the green train (referring to ordinary trains) offers a discount with a student ID, costing only 11 yuan. This is the reason why Lin Quan and Guo Baolin are enduring the discomfort in the hard seat compartment of the green train

Sitting in the carriage of an outdated green train, five people were crammed into a three-person bench. If it weren't for the beautiful young woman sitting closely next to Lin Quan, whose ample bosom pressed against his side, this kind of pressure would be quite unbearable