Many women hope to find a man they can rely on.
Zheng Xiaoyun was a gentle, fragile girl. She longed to find someone who could give her a strong sense of security. Even though she knew Chen Jian had countless flaws, as long as he could make her feel safe, she was willing to overlook one or two of them.
But today, after Chen Jian publicly admitted defeat and left her behind to run away in disgrace, Zheng Xiaoyun's heart went completely cold.
Liu Fusheng knew Zheng Xiaoyun's personality well, which was why he chose the simplest, most direct way to help her escape the flames.
He also knew Zhang Wenwen even better.
When they arrived at the agreed coffee shop, Liu Fusheng saw the familiar look of grievance on Zhang Wenwen's face and immediately guessed what she was about to say.
"Fusheng, my dad stopping you from taking the civil service exam was a bit over the line, I admit. But he's still my father. Can't you just forgive him, please?" Zhang Wenwen said softly after taking a sip of coffee.
Liu Fusheng smiled casually. "Someone who wanted to destroy my future—are they really worth forgiving?"
Zhang Wenwen bit her lip. "But you still passed the exam and became a civil servant. Your future wasn't ruined. Or… is it that you just don't want to be with me anymore?"
Liu Fusheng also took a sip of coffee. "Let's speak plainly. You came here today to dig up information for your father, didn't you? You want to know whose backing I've secured, right? Based on that, you'd decide how to deal with me. I know your family's ways far too well."
Zhang Wenwen's face changed—because that was exactly what she had in mind.
Seeing her reaction, Liu Fusheng's eyes held a trace of disdain.
"Liu Fusheng, I never thought you were this kind of person," Zhang Wenwen said through gritted teeth. "Were all the promises you made to me back then lies?"
"You know better than I do whether they were lies," Liu Fusheng cut her off, standing up. "The only reason I came today was to see if you and your father had any new tricks. But it's all the same old routine, so I won't waste my time. Oh, and since you're the one who invited me—don't forget to pay the bill on your way out."
Zhang Wenwen slammed her hand on the table in fury. "Liu Fusheng, you bastard! What right do you have to challenge me? I'm giving you a way out, and you won't take it. When you end up dead, don't blame me!"
At the door, Liu Fusheng turned back with a calm smile. "I've never thought of challenging you. You're nothing more than a pebble in my path—if I kick you aside, that's the end of it. You're not worth the brainpower."
In this life, Liu Fusheng's ambition was to climb to the very peak of the political ladder.
And of course, Zhang Wenwen, Zhang Zhenting, and those who framed him in the past—he wouldn't let a single one of them go.
While waiting for his job placement notice, Liu Fusheng spent almost all his time playing chess with the retired secretary, Li Hongliang, except for the occasional phone call with Zheng Xiaoyun.
He didn't follow the usual etiquette when playing chess. Instead, he and Li Hongliang had a little agreement: only when Li won a match would Liu Fusheng hand over a handwritten "Dream Into the Divine Machine" endgame puzzle.
The result? After more than a week, Li Hongliang had managed to get only one puzzle. The old man was so anxious he scratched his head every day, studying the board late into the night until his eyes were bloodshot.
"Uncle Li, I'm afraid today will be the last time I can play chess with you for a while," Liu Fusheng said one sunny afternoon as they sat at the stone table, tea and peanuts ready, the chessboard set.
"You got your placement notice?" Li asked, as if he had already guessed.
"Yes," Liu nodded. "Tomorrow I report to the city bureau. After that I'll be waiting for my assignment… Once I start, I won't have much time for chess."
Li sighed in regret. "What a shame. Playing with you these days has really improved my game! You know, back in the day at work, I—" He stopped short, swallowing the words "in the provincial committee compound."
Liu smiled knowingly. "Before you retired, Uncle Li, I'm guessing you were a leader in a government agency?"
"You figured it out?" Li narrowed his eyes.
Liu chuckled. "Only senior leaders can say they've beaten everyone at their workplace… but once they retire, they can't beat anyone anymore."
Can't beat anyone… and can't be beaten by anyone—two very different things.
Li understood the joke and burst into hearty laughter. "Kid, you haven't even entered the political arena yet, but you already see how it works!"
"Politics is a place to gain insight," Liu replied with a faint smile. "I may not like it, but I can still learn from it."
"What have you learned?" Li asked, sipping his tea.
"I think in many things, you can compete during the process—but in the end, the result has to be a win-win."
With that, Liu pulled out a stack of A4 papers from his bag and handed them to Li.
"What's this?" Li asked, puzzled.
"The missing part of the 'Dream Into the Divine Machine' chess manual," Liu said. "I tried hard to recall it over the past couple of days, and this is all I could piece together."
A chess manual!
Li's eyes lit up instantly. His hands trembled slightly as he held the pages. For a true chess lover, these were priceless treasures.
Then he remembered Liu's earlier words and smiled meaningfully. "Kid, as long as you don't lose sight of your original purpose, you'll ride the waves and go far."
Liu's gaze grew thoughtful. "The etiquette of human interaction is just surface work. The real core is the righteous path."
Li's expression turned serious. "I knew I wasn't wrong about you."
Monday.
It was the day Liu Fusheng officially started work.
He lined up with the others to register. Soon, they would be assigned their posts—either staying at the city bureau, going to one of the branch offices, or to a grassroots police station.
Among them were, of course, people who had already used connections to secure their spots. They chatted and laughed easily, showing no concern about where they would be sent.
The rest looked tense. After all, if you could stay at the city bureau, who would want to go suffer in the wind and sun at a grassroots station?
"Do you know who's in charge of this round of assignments? It's Chief Chen from the city bureau's personnel division—he's my buddy's uncle!" a handsome young man announced proudly.
At once, several people crowded around him to fish for more information.
Liu Fusheng didn't join in. In his eyes, this young man had no idea how to conduct himself in the system—this kind of thing was never something to boast about.
"Heh, so you just found Chen Qingbo from personnel? A newly promoted deputy section chief—what's there to brag about?" the young man sitting beside Liu scoffed.
Chen Qingbo?
Liu Fusheng's eyes narrowed slightly. He remembered that name.
In his past life, on his very first day at work, he'd heard about a deputy section chief in the city bureau who was dismissed on the spot. That man's name… was Chen Qingbo.
It couldn't be that much of a coincidence, could it?
As Liu was recalling the incident, the meeting room door suddenly swung open.
Everyone immediately fell silent—only for a slick-haired, over-groomed young man to walk in instead of Deputy Chief Chen.
Liu's eyelid twitched. He hadn't expected to see Chen Jian here.
The braggart from earlier stood up with a grin when he saw Chen Jian, greeting him with a hug. Chen Jian's eyes scanned the room—then landed on Liu Fusheng. His expression instantly turned dark.
"So, you're here? Ha! You're just a rookie cop waiting for assignment? Do you even know who my third uncle is?"