"What's the ruckus, what's the ruckus!" Secretary Ma suddenly erupted at my dormitory door, thoroughly startled by the crowd inside. The moment Secretary Liu spotted Secretary Ma, he lunged as if grabbing a lifeline: "Secretary Ma, you've arrived perfectly! My dorm was checked, and now they’re here for Zhao Qian's, but he's been obstructing these two comrades' work every way he can, and he even slapped me without reason! What should we do? In front of President Zhang and Assistant Su, I trust Zhao Qian won't misbehave, right?"

It seemed Secretary Liu still had reservations about my capabilities. Secretary Ma, however, had no patience for him now. Although the idea was his, Secretary Liu was dragging his feet; it was nearly noon and still unresolved. Liangshan had been too eventful these past two days. Just now, he'd received notice that the top brass from Galaxy International were personally leading a delegation to inspect the hot spring resort project. But before they’d exchanged more than a few pleasantries, he got another call: a major figure from the Central Government was arriving, demanding he meet them personally at the county entrance.

He had just returned to hear the commotion upstairs. The important dignitary was clearly displeased, forcing him to come up himself to sort out these obtuse individuals. After all, this important visitor was the Vice Minister of the National Supervisory Department. The Supervisory Department shares offices with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, is listed within the State Council structure, and its organization falls under Central Direct Organs—it wields immense power. A single oversight could cost him his official cap.

Secretary Liu shot Secretary Ma a meaningful glance, signaling that the item had been hidden; success was mere inches away once the sheet draped over the bed frame was flipped. Secretary Ma had initially considered setting this aside, but upon realizing success was imminent, he wavered. Gritting his teeth and stamping his foot, he signaled Secretary Liu to proceed!

The click-clack of small leather heels echoed into my dorm. A girl of astonishing beauty appeared at the doorway. She surveyed the room coldly: "What are you doing? Is there an issue that can't be resolved?" Her severity and ice made Secretary Liu and the others involuntarily shiver.

At that moment, Zhang Xiaoya and Su Xue genuinely wished they could pull the blanket over themselves and hide inside. Anyone but her. But then they reconsidered; since she had come in person, surely she wouldn't side with these few men.

"Minister Li, why have you come up in person? Just some unruly children making a scene. Come, come, it’s too hot in here. We have air conditioning in my office." Secretary Ma spoke with extreme deference. After saying this, he quickly introduced County Magistrate Zhao, as the magistrate of a county, one could not neglect introducing him to such a high-ranking visitor. "Old Zhao, this is Vice Minister Li Qi from the Supervisory Department. Minister Li's visit was quite sudden, so we didn't have time to arrange a formal introduction. Let's gather President Zhang and head downstairs to discuss."

Li Qi acted as if nothing was amiss. "Oh? What a coincidence to run into you all here."

Su Xue secretly gave her a thumbs-up, silently suggesting Li Qi should go into acting. Zhang Xiaoya chimed in, "We saw the investment invitation posted online by the Liangshan Investment Promotion Office, so we came here to investigate. Zhao Qian is the Director of the Investment Promotion Office, so naturally, we needed to speak with him. That's how it is."

I offered my own explanation: "Classmate Li Qi—no, I suppose I should call you Minister Li now. I passed the civil service exam, and the higher-ups assigned me here, so I came. Thanks to Secretary Ma’s support, I'm currently the Director of the Liangshan Investment Promotion Office."

Secretary Ma, County Magistrate Zhao, and Secretary Liu all asked in unison, "You are classmates too?"

Li Qi maintained her cold expression toward the trio. "Is there something unusual about that? For that matter, I'm only in my fourth year of university."

Secretary Ma whispered conspiratorially to County Magistrate Zhao and Secretary Liu, "Don't doubt her. Do you know who her grandfather is? Li Zhenyu!"

Upon hearing that the Minister before them was the granddaughter of the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, their doubts about her age and position vanished completely. It was entirely plausible they were classmates in college, and it seemed all these young women knew each other.

Ouyang Qian flinched as Li Qi stared at her, shrinking further under the blanket and quickly explaining, "I'm here to invest too. The factory and workers are all in place; I was worried and came to check on things."

Li Qi turned to the two police officers standing by and the trio of officials. "You all may leave now. We have matters to discuss."

That command was electric. The five figures vanished instantly. As the door clicked shut, Li Qi burst into laughter. "You all—you're killing me! You come all the way to invest, and you invest right into someone's bed... and still deny you're here to see your sweetheart?"

Su Xue, never one to be mild, pouted at Li Qi. "Aren't you?"

Li Qi lunged onto me, declaring, "I am! I won't hide it anymore. I missed Zhao Qian. I want him to hold me, to tease me. My skin is so itchy."

"Ah!" Su Xue and Zhang Xiaoya tumbled onto the bed beside me, giving Li Qi a collective thumbs-up: "You're formidable, Li Qi. You beat us all."

Li Qi was indeed bold and unrestrained, kissing me passionately for a good while even in front of the others before letting go. Then she said, "Now I realize I was wrong. I thought I would prioritize my work and abandon personal affections. Now I see that one must have both fish and bear’s paw. When I return, I will conduct a self-critique and offer a formal apology to everyone."

The three women whispered on the bed, "This matter is actually not much of your concern. We had planned this beforehand. But since you're here, don't waste any time. What should we do next?"

I tossed Li Qi onto the bed too. The four women had to sit side-by-side, and I aggressively squeezed in among them. "What should we do? Naturally, one word: Do it!"

Secretary Ma desperately wanted to hear what was being said inside, but not only would President Zhang’s bodyguard not allow it, neither would the people Minister Li brought. He had no choice but to retreat reluctantly to his second-floor office. Secretary Liu stood by, drooping like a wilted eggplant. The three of them said nothing, but their minds were churning furiously. Finally, Secretary Liu couldn't contain himself and asked, "This Zhao Qian is too lucky. How does he have so many capable classmates? I am consumed with jealousy."

Secretary Ma slammed his desk. "A miscalculation! I shouldn't have come out just then; we should have searched under the bed first. If Zhao Qian said anything foolish in front of Minister Li, wouldn't we be finished?"

County Magistrate Zhao chimed in, "I believe Little Zhao isn't that sort of person. However, with one big leader after another coming to Liangshan, it clearly shows that things here are exposed. Old Ma, confess now. Dragging this out won't benefit anyone."

Secretary Ma glared viciously at the County Magistrate. "No! This involves many friends in the Shimen City Committee and at the provincial level. If anything goes wrong, we all go down! We have to hold the line!"

The phone on the desk rang urgently. County Magistrate Zhao opened his mouth but let Secretary Ma answer first. After listening for just a couple of sentences, Secretary Ma jumped up. "What! Two Colonels from the military are coming to the former garrison camp to conduct an experiment! And they’re already at the gate!"

County Magistrate Zhao and Secretary Liu immediately pulled open the blinds to look at the main gate. Sure enough, over a dozen military vehicles were parked outside, and squads of fully armed soldiers were beginning to enter the compound.

Secretary Ma muttered into the phone, "Which deity have we relied upon? Why are only these kinds of things happening to us?"