Chi Chunhua arrived at the Radio and Television International Hotel and immediately called Chen Bin.
Following the directions, she quickly reached the top floor.
Entering Chen Bin's private suite, she removed her hat and mask, her expression troubled, and asked,
"Secretary Chen, what did you call me here to discuss?"
"No rush to discuss. Let me show you something first."
As he finished speaking, Chen Bin played a repaired video.
Even though Chi Chunhua had mentally prepared herself in advance, she was still filled with fear.
At this moment, Chen Bin said,
"Secretary Chi, you're a mother yourself. How can you justify ignoring the lives of other people's children for money and still live with your conscience?!"
Chi Chunhua hung her head low, unsure of how to respond.
Chen Bin continued, "I now have solid evidence, even a statement from your sister. What do you plan to do?"
With both hands clasped, Chi Chunhua pleaded desperately with Chen Bin.
"Please give me a break. I'll do anything you want if you spare me."
Slightly nodding, Chen Bin righteously said,
"By rights, I should bring you to justice. However, seeing your pitiful state, it's not impossible to let you off."
Hearing this, Chi Chunhua was overjoyed and quickly bowed repeatedly to Chen Bin.
"Thank you, Secretary Chen, thank you so much!"
"Don't rush to thank me. Letting you go comes with conditions."
"What conditions? As long as it's within my power, I won't refuse."
"Very simple, in Tianhe, no matter what happens, I hope you can unconditionally support me."
Without any hesitation, Chi Chunhua repeatedly nodded.
"You can rest assured. I can definitely do that."
"I hope you don't play both sides, or the consequences will be severe."
Chi Chunhua hurriedly assured, "Secretary Chen, my fate is in your hands. How could I possibly play tricks?"
Chen Bin found her words reasonable and then asked,
"Did you tell Gan Qiu about your sister's disappearance?"
"I did, because I was so anxious at the time that I could only seek his help."
"So what are you planning to tell him when you get back?"
After pondering for a moment, Chi Chunhua replied,
"I'll say my sister's phone was stolen, and she has now safely landed in the Beautiful Country."
"You're a smart person. I hope you don't do anything foolish in the future."
"Please rest assured, Secretary Chen. I won't disappoint your expectations. By the way, my sister..."
"Don't worry, I can assure you she's safe and sound."
Having dealt with Chi Chunhua, Chen Bin felt confident about handling others.
For the next half month, Tianhe's political scene was deathly silent, as if nothing had happened.
But those with insight knew that underneath, it was already turbulent.
On this day, the front page of the Tianhe Daily featured an article authored by Chen Bin.
The gist of the article was that to wholeheartedly serve the people, every Tuesday and Friday, City Party Secretary Chen Bin and Disciplinary Committee Secretary Chi Chunhua would be accepting public reports.
Everyone was encouraged to expose and report, making it impossible for corrupt or negligent officials to hide.
Moreover, as long as the reported content withstands scrutiny, the informant will receive a certain reward.
The article, once published, shocked the entire political scene in Tianhe.
People originally thought Chen Bin had no moves left, but he pulled this sudden maneuver.
Now, almost no official could withstand scrutiny.
In fact, everyone understood that Chen Bin did this to make those in Tianhe's political circles bow down.
Thus, to show loyalty, cadres from all levels lined up to report their work to Chen Bin.
The standing committee members, led by Gan Qiu, were both anxious and angry when they learned of this.
But suddenly faced with this situation, they too were helpless.
However, Chen Bin understood in his heart that those who wanted to see him only feared being caught.
Thus, to maintain the proper identity of a City Party Secretary, he was willing to meet only two people each day.
This worried everyone.
But they didn't sit still and began using questionable means.
From then on, they started currying favor with people close to Chen Bin,
hoping to use them as a medium to approach Chen Bin.
Fortunately, with Chen Bin's prior instructions, Shan Liqiang and others refused all temptations.
Since that was the case, some turned their attention to Bao Shanshan's family.
When Bao Chili returned home from outside, seeing the pile of gifts on the ground, he curiously asked,
"Guilan, what's going on? Why are so many people giving gifts recently?"
Ruan Guilan chuckled proudly and handed over a copy of the Tianhe Daily.
Pointing to the article, she said, "Chen Bin wants to clean up the political scene, and those with guilty consciences want to please him but have no channel, so they naturally try to ingratiate themselves with us, as Shanshan is Chen Bin's secretary."
Since Chen Bin took office in Tianhe, Ruan Guilan had been closely following political affairs.
After all, he was the son-in-law she looked up to the most, and no accidents could occur.
Upon learning that Chen Bin was facing resistance from Gan Qiu and others, Ruan Guilan had been very worried at the time.
After all, it's hard for a strong outsider to overpower a local strongman. Chen Bin was still so young; if anything happened, the ideal son-in-law would be lost.
Seeing Chen Bin displaying such political savvy now, Ruan Guilan finally sighed in relief.
Meanwhile, after skimming through the article, Bao Chili solemnly said,
"From now on, we can't accept any gifts from anyone; we can't cause trouble for Shanshan."
Bao Tianci also nodded, "Exactly, if Secretary Chen finds out about this, my sister's job could be gone."
However, Ruan Guilan shook her head.
"The gifts are for me; they have nothing to do with Shanshan. Besides, Chen Bin, as my son-in-law, doesn't even come gift-bearing himself; why shouldn't I accept gifts from others?"
"Nonsense!"
Bao Chili slammed the newspaper onto the table with a "slam," looking very angry.
"It's not even a certainty; what are you talking about? Secretary Chen is young and promising; him favoring Shanshan is a blessing for us, developed over generations. You better not mess around."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Guilan also got angry.
Hands on her hips, she pointed at Bao Chili and scolded him.
"You fool! Once Shanshan is married, she's someone else's. If we don't seize the opportunity to accept some gifts, are you planning to ask her for things in the future?"
Bao Tianci, hearing this, also seemed somewhat displeased.
"Mom, listen to what you're saying. Even if my sister marries someone else, she'll still be my sister—one of us."
"Shut up! Adults are talking. What does a kid have to do with this?!"
Just as Ruan Guilan was asserting her authority, Bao Shanshan came home from work.
While changing her shoes, she asked in confusion,
"What are you talking about? Who's getting married?"