"Right, it's Li Hongling. Because my god-sister used to be a factory worker, Hong Tianchao wanted to use Li Hongling as an entry point. In Hong Tianchao's view, Li Hongling was a factory girl at heart and couldn't resist temptation."
Chen Feng explained.
"Chen Feng, to be frank, it's not just Li Hongling who thinks that way; I do too. Factory girls are all rural migrant workers. Faced with huge interests, it's hard for them to maintain control."
Sister Xue said along.
"Sister Xue, actually, your thinking is biased. Think about it, I'm also from a rural background. In the past few decades, have I ever been defeated by interests? Haven't I always stuck to my original intention?"
Chen Feng said calmly.
"You mean, you believe your god-sister?"
Sister Xue asked seriously.
"I believe her unconditionally, but I still need to go find my god-sister."
Chen Feng replied.
"Chen Feng, I don't understand this. Don't you believe your god-sister a million percent? Why do you still need to find her? Isn't that contradictory?"
Sister Xue asked, looking confused.
"Sister Xue, actually, this is not contradictory. The reason I'm going to find my god-sister is mainly to get Hong Tianchao's entire plan out of her, and then I can easily strike back at Hong Tianchao."
Chen Feng replied calmly.
"Since that's the case, there's no time to delay. You should go find Li Hongling quickly."
Sister Xue said anxiously.
Chen Feng didn't hesitate and went to find Li Hongling immediately.
"Brother Feng, why have you come to see me?"
Li Hongling, with Chen Feng's decades of continuous support, is now the head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) in Mingcheng City, a direct-administered municipality in China.
The head of a direct-administered municipality's SASAC can mobilize astronomical sums of funds.
This position, in a sense, can be considered high-level in China's political arena.
"Xiaoling, our decades of god-sibling relationship, so I won't beat around the bush. Let's speak frankly. Recently, has Hong Tianchao come to find you?"
Chen Feng asked directly.
"No."
Li Hongling replied without blushing or skipping a beat.
Chen Feng felt a strange flutter in his heart, but it quickly subsided.
Chen Feng is now a top figure in China's political arena, and maintaining an impassive expression is a basic skill.
"It's good that it's no."
Chen Feng replied calmly.
"Brother Feng, why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Li Hongling continued to play along.
The reason she lied to Chen Feng was that the conditions offered by Hong Tianchao were too tempting.
Hong Tianchao said that as long as Li Hongling stood with him, he would guarantee her appointment as mayor of Mingcheng City.
For a woman to become the mayor of a direct-administered municipality in China, that is an absolutely enticing prospect.
Chen Feng didn't hide anything and explained the reasons behind his question.
The reason Chen Feng didn't hide the truth about Hong Tianchao was simple: not to alert the enemy.
From the moment Li Hongling started to set him up, she was no longer his god-sister.
She was an enemy, a mortal enemy.
He didn't want it this way either, but political struggles are that cruel; it's either you die or I die.
Although Li Hongling had helped him a lot over the past few decades, always being his most important right-hand man and having a knack for managing the economy.
However, in politics, loyalty always trumps ability.
No matter how great the ability, without loyalty, it's all in vain.
"Brother Feng, I think you might be overthinking it. Hong Tianchao is the mayor of a northern direct-administered municipality, and you are the mayor of Mingcheng City, a southern direct-administered municipality. The two have always minded their own business; Hong Tianchao has no reason to set you up."
Li Hongling pretended to be naive.
She had to make Chen Feng complacent, so that Hong Tianchao's scheme would succeed.
Once Chen Feng was dead, the position of mayor of Mingcheng City would be hers, Li Hongling's.
"Perhaps I am overthinking it."
Chen Feng replied calmly.
Inwardly, he felt infinite sadness.
It wasn't because of losing a woman that he was sad.
To tell the truth, he had many women around him.
Moreover, each of these women had extraordinary identities.
There were daughters of the Wang family from the capital, and even princesses from the royal family of Qingjiu country...
The reason he was sad was that, in this world, interests were too powerful.
It was because of interests that decades of affection were instantly shattered.
This proved the saying, it's not that there's no betrayal, but that the interests weren't great enough.
With enough interests, nothing can't be betrayed.
It's like men.
If a woman is very beautiful and tells a man, "You have a wife, I won't disturb your family, just be happy secretly, and we can have a secret affair like this forever. We won't contact each other via WeChat, you contact me, and I'll come whenever you call."
In such a situation, how many men could resist?
"Brother Feng, you are now the mayor of Mingcheng City, a direct-administered municipality. You hold significant power. There's no need to mistreat yourself. How about this, since you're here, I'll help you find some young and beautiful girls..."
Li Hongling said, feigning enthusiasm.
Li Hongling believed that during the time Hong Tianchao was setting up Chen Feng, she should try to let Chen Feng indulge himself, which would give Hong Tianchao more confidence in taking him down.
Chen Feng, being an old hand in politics, immediately understood Li Hongling's little scheme.
"Okay."
Chen Feng smiled and nodded.
Thus, the events that followed need not be described.
After a period of revelry, Chen Feng returned to Li Hongling's office.
"Brother Feng, is there anything else?"
Li Hongling asked guiltily.
"Yes, Xiaoling, it's like this. As a return for your favor, I want to repay you well. First, for decades, you have been my right-hand man. You not only cooperated with me to develop Mingcheng City's economy and make Mingcheng City's SASAC the largest local SASAC in China, but more importantly, you have also made the domestic businesses under my umbrella smoother. Therefore, I must repay you well."
Chen Feng put on an act, as if treading on snow without leaving a trace.
"Brother Feng, please don't be like this, it's too formal."
Li Hongling replied modestly.
Inwardly, she was overjoyed.
As the ancient Chinese saying goes, even the wisest can make mistakes.
For decades, Chen Feng had been highly vigilant, and basically no one could trick him.
As a result, Chen Feng stumbled over a woman.
Chen Feng was too emotional and trusted women too easily.
"This isn't formality; it's heartfelt gratitude. Xiaoling, I've made up my mind. I'm taking a long vacation anyway, why don't we go abroad and have some fun for a few days?"
Chen Feng deliberately emphasized the word "abroad."
"What? Go abroad to play?"
Li Hongling indeed fell for the bait.
"Yes, to go abroad. We've played enough in many places in China; it's time to see the world abroad."
Chen Feng continued his act.
"Brother Feng, since you are so hospitable, I respectfully accept your invitation."
Li Hongling said, feigning reluctance.
Chen Feng didn't waste any time and chartered a private jet immediately.
And so, Chen Feng and Li Hongling spent a week indulging themselves abroad.
Within a week, Chen Feng transformed himself into the useless Prince of Shu from ancient China.
Li Hongling was ecstatic and excited.
Hong Tianchao's main task for her was to find a way to make Chen Feng leave China's political arena for a while, so that he could unscrupulously set traps for Chen Feng.
She was initially worried that Chen Feng was too vigilant and had planned to deceive Chen Feng step by step under the guise of a god-sister.
Who knew that Chen Feng, with his dull mind, actually took the initiative to invite her, his god-sister, on an overseas vacation.
Wasn't this foolishly cooperating with Hong Tianchao?
"Xiaoling, are you having fun?"
Chen Feng asked Li Hongling deliberately on the hotel bed overseas, after some exertion.
"Of course, I'm having fun, Brother Feng."
Li Hongling replied excitedly.
"It's good that you're happy. By the way, there are no outsiders here, so I'll tell you about the major economic arrangements for Mingcheng City. This matter is very important and cannot be revealed to anyone, not even Sister Xue. This is crucial for whether I can become the supreme leader of China."
Chen Feng said, feigning a serious expression.
"Brother Feng, such a major economic arrangement, perhaps you shouldn't tell me. I'm afraid I'm not capable enough."
Li Hongling said, playing hard to get.
"Xiaoling, you are too humble. To be honest, your economic ability is the most outstanding among all the women around me. My major economic arrangement requires your scientific advice."
Chen Feng continued his act.
"Brother Feng, since you trust me so much, then tell me, I will listen carefully."
Li Hongling said, suppressing her joy.
"In order to strike back at Hong Tianchao, I plan to make a big move in Mingcheng City, so that no matter how Hong Tianchao tries to trap me, it will be in vain."
Chen Feng said, feigning excitement and mystery.
"A big move? Really? That's amazing?"
Li Hongling was stunned.
Looking at Chen Feng's expression, he didn't seem to be lying.
This complicated matters. Originally, Hong Tianchao had a 100% chance of killing Chen Feng, and it was progressing normally.
Who knew that Chen Feng would make a comeback?
No, she had to tell Hong Tianchao about this comeback plan, otherwise, if Chen Feng didn't die, she would never become the mayor of Mingcheng City.
To be fair, if Hong Tianchao had used other financial temptations, she would not have betrayed Chen Feng.
To be honest, Chen Feng was indeed her benefactor and mentor in life.
Because of money, she wouldn't betray Chen Feng for ordinary political positions.
The reason was simple: she was now the head of the SASAC in Mingcheng City, a direct-administered municipality, and she lacked neither money nor high political positions.
From this point of view, Hong Tianchao truly understood human nature.
He knew what people in her position most desired.
People in her position most desired honor.
For example, in Chinese history, no woman had ever been the mayor of a direct-administered municipality. She was truly envious of this honor.
Without hesitation, she agreed to collude with Hong Tianchao to frame Chen Feng.
"Of course, it's true. China's political arena is like this. If you want to advance, you find the right path and achieve political achievements, and you can advance in minutes."
Chen Feng explained word by word.
"Brother Feng, I admire you more and more. If I were you, and I suddenly heard that a big shot wanted to kill me, I would definitely panic. But you calmly came up with a strategy to deal with it. Ordinary people really can't do this."
Li Hongling said, suppressing her excitement.
Seeing that Chen Feng trusted her unconditionally and was about to tell her the core secrets, how could she not be excited?
"Xiaoling, let's not exchange compliments; let's get down to business. What do you think about Mingcheng City issuing local currency?"
Chen Feng deliberately lowered his voice.
"What? Issuing local currency? This is too crazy!"
Li Hongling said, feigning surprise.
"The power struggles at the top require madness. Small-scale skirmishes are suitable for the lower ranks of politics."
"The question is, will the central government agree to Mingcheng City issuing local currency?"
Li Hongling asked tentatively.
"Of course, they won't agree. If localities could easily issue currency, then the mayors of those direct-administered municipalities would have issued currency like crazy long ago."
Chen Feng explained calmly.
"Brother Feng, to be honest, I really don't understand how successfully issuing local currency would be considered a great political achievement."
Li Hongling continued to probe casually.
"Xiaoling, think about it. If a locality can issue currency, doesn't that mean the locality can implement strong financial regulation? If the local economy is sluggish, issue more currency to stimulate it. If the local economy is overheated, issue less currency to cool it down. This was previously done by the state, but now it's devolved to the localities, which means what? It means it's more flexible than before."
Chen Feng said, feigning seriousness.
In reality, it could only be described as nonsense.
The reason was simple: no country would allow localities to issue currency.
Although issuing currency locally could indeed boost the economy, a country could not give decision-making power over the economy to localities for the sake of this so-called local economy.
The reason he told Li Hongling this was mainly to trap Hong Tianchao.
Through Li Hongling's mouth, he wanted Hong Tianchao to issue local currency in the direct-administered municipality where he served. As long as Hong Tianchao dared to issue local currency, his career in the central government would be over.
"Brother Feng, this astonishing idea sounds really good. But the problem is, does China's central government allow localities to arbitrarily issue currency?"
Li Hongling retorted subtly.
The idea of issuing local currency was good. If Hong Tianchao were to complete it first, then Chen Feng would have been working for others.
To make Hong Tianchao preemptively implement the issuance of local currency, she had to extract the solutions to the obstacles of issuing local currency.
"Xiaoling, your economic talent is as good as ever. To be honest, among so many direct-administered municipalities in China, none have issued local currency over the years, not because the localities didn't want to, but because the difficulties were too great."
Chen Feng continued as if nothing had happened.
"Brother Feng, what you said is exactly what I'm worried about. How to deal with the central government and successfully issue Mingcheng City's currency is the top priority. Brother Feng, you are an old hand, you must have thought of a countermeasure, right?"
Li Hongling stared intently at Chen Feng.
"I have, but the issuance of local currency in Mingcheng City is no small matter. You must not leak a single word, otherwise, Hong Tianchao will surely get there first."
Chen Feng said intentionally.
"Brother Feng, don't worry. I am your god-sister. Your god-sister for decades. I would rather harm myself than harm you."
Li Hongling immediately declared.
Although Chen Feng showed no outward reaction, his heart was shaken.
He had always hoped Li Hongling would have a change of heart at the last minute, but in reality, Li Hongling had no such intention.
Although Li Hongling was the last woman he met and developed a deep relationship with among many women, he truly treated Li Hongling the same as other women.
Putting aside other things, the fact that Li Hongling was able to go from a factory worker to the head of a direct-administered municipality's SASAC was enough to show how much he, as her god-brother, valued her.
As for money, there was even less to say.
His domestic companies under his umbrella gave Li Hongling significant dividends every year.
Given all this, logically speaking, she should have followed him devotedly for a lifetime.
Who knew that she couldn't resist the allure of fame and fortune in the political arena.
There was no other way. He had given Li Hongling a chance to repent, but since she didn't cherish it, she could only die.
This was also the first time he had to kill a woman close to him.
There was no other way; this was the cruelty of the top echelons of China's political arena. It was either you die or I die, and it allowed no room for sentimentality.
"Xiaoling, I believe you. Here's what I'm planning: the central government will definitely not approve Mingcheng City's issuance of local currency, but we can do it quietly and without leaving a trace."
Chen Feng said, feigning mystery.
"Quietly and without a trace? What do you mean by 'quietly and without a trace'?"
Xiaoling said, suppressing her excitement.
As soon as she got this method, she would tell Hong Tianchao immediately.
"Quietly and without a trace is like this: we won't directly issue Mingshan Currency; we'll use local digital currency as a vanguard..."
Chen Feng said seriously.
"Mingcheng City's local digital currency?"
"Yes, it's Mingcheng City's local digital currency. My idea is that Mingcheng City separates itself from China's digital currency system and creates its own system. Then, the central government will discover that Mingcheng City's digital system, even without the overall Chinese system, can develop very well, or even better. They will inevitably believe that Mingcheng City can independently issue currency, just like Xi'an."
Chen Feng continued to speak seriously.
"Brother Feng, you truly are an economic genius."
Li Hongling's heart was shaken.
No wonder Hong Tianchao made such a grand offer. Someone like Chen Feng, a genius, could not be easily handled by ordinary people.
"Xiaoling, you flatter me. I'm just good at talking big when it comes to economics; my practical skills are not as good as yours, or Ye Meizi's and Feng Dao Huizi's. You three women have been功臣 (meritorious officials) in building my business empire over the years. Therefore, this time, whether we can deal with Hong Tianchao and issue Mingcheng City's local currency is crucial. Can you quietly handle this for me?"
Chen Feng continued his act.
"Brother Feng, don't worry, I guarantee the mission will be completed."
Li Hongling said, feigning determination.
"Alright, I can rest assured leaving this matter to you. Next, I need to go abroad for a trip. You know, I've been quite tired recently and urgently need to rest. With you helping me, I can rest assured."
Chen Feng said intentionally.
"Brother Feng, you can rest assured playing abroad; I guarantee I will complete the task beautifully."
Li Hongling said, suppressing her excitement.
After chatting for a while longer, Chen Feng made an excuse and left Li Hongling.
After leaving Li Hongling, Chen Feng didn't actually go to rest overseas but found a room in a five-star hotel and hid.
It couldn't be said that he was hiding, but rather observing from the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment. As soon as Hong Tianchao fell for the trap and actually issued local currency, he would crush Hong Tianchao to death.
The reason was simple: China has always attached great importance to local control. Any local troublemaking, even very minor troublemaking, is met with zero tolerance from the top.
Li Hongling thought Chen Feng had truly fallen for the trap and immediately ran to find Hong Tianchao.
"What did you say? Chen Feng decided to use Mingcheng City's local currency to strike back at me?"
Hong Tianchao exclaimed in shock.
"Yes, Elder Hong, I can guarantee with my life that all of this is true."
Li Hongling quickly pledged.
"Hmm, Chen Feng's brain is indeed sharp. No wonder he became the mayor of a direct-administered municipality at such a young age. He has some skills. Humph, Chen Feng miscalculated after all. He calculated everything, but he didn't calculate that you were bought by me, hahaha..."
Hong Tianchao laughed maniacally.