Human beings are driven by desires. If Zhao Changsheng's only goal before was to find a place to scrape by, then after receiving the one million from Uncle Long, his heart began to undergo a revolutionary change. He could never forget the morning he left Chenziyu and shouted that declaration on the mountain—he wanted to live a life superior to others.

He no longer cared who Yang Hualing was; he wanted to forget this woman. Although he had always held her in his heart as a dream lover, he could disregard whether she was pure or if she had children. But now he realized that there were some people he simply couldn't afford to think about. Even though he didn't show it, the thought of Uncle Long's cold eyes made him shiver involuntarily.

Having money doesn't necessarily equate to having status, a reality that has persisted in China for thousands of years. In ancient times, merchants might have been wealthy, but their status was inferior to that of an old farmer. Although China now has many billionaires with a lot of money, it's uncertain where their wealth stands in the face of power—it could be stripped away in an instant. Therefore, having money doesn't necessarily mean having power.

"These funds are the ladder to my start; I will use this money to build a ladder that reaches the heavens for myself," Zhao Changsheng thought to himself. Thus, he began to consider investments—not in business, but in the investment of human relationships.

"What did you say, Secretary Tian? Which Secretary Tian?" Dou Changhe was momentarily confused.

"There's only one Secretary Tian," Zhao Changsheng said, pointing upstairs.

"You little brat, don't stir up trouble. He's not someone you can afford to provoke."

Dou Changhe looked displeased, having just been reprimanded by Tian Jialiang, and he was still angry. "Cousin, I'm telling the truth, listen to me..." So Zhao Changsheng recounted the scene he witnessed at Lujialing in the evening to Dou Changhe. "Hmm? Are you telling the truth?" Dou Changhe narrowed his eyes at Zhao Changsheng, staring at him until Zhao Changsheng felt a bit uneasy. Only then did Dou Changhe realize that he had gone too far today. Although he meant well, he forgot that the town mayor Dou Changhe in front of him had also done such things and had been caught by himself. Why does he always encounter leaders doing such things? Could there be an intention to follow and monitor the leaders? "Cousin, I am utterly loyal to you, I haven't told anyone about this." "Are you telling the truth?" "Of course it's true, I swear." "Alright, alright, but I'm curious, why do you always seem to catch leaders doing something bad? Are you doing it on purpose?" "Cousin, you're wronging me by saying that. I'm doing this for your own good. If you can become the top leader of Linshan Town, wouldn't I be able to follow you and enjoy the good life? From now on, I'll be like a dog raised by you; whoever you tell me to bite, I'll bite." Zhao Changsheng said ingratiatingly. "You kid, you dare to think about such things, you have potential, work hard, I won't treat you unfairly." "Hehe, I'll listen to my cousin." "You kid, not bad, it's been a long time since I've had such a conversation with someone. How about it, come home with me tonight for a few drinks."

Dou Changhe was so excited that he actually managed to invite Zhao Changsheng to his home. 'Oh, that would be wonderful. I haven't even met my aunt yet. I'll come find you after work,' Zhao Changsheng said with a bow and left. Dou Changhe stared at the ceiling of the room and muttered to himself, 'Tian Jialiang, don't blame me. If there's anyone to blame, it's your bad luck. Getting caught having an affair by a hooligan, you're really out of luck.' Thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel fortunate for his own good luck once again. If he could make good use of Zhao Changsheng, he would indeed be a talented person. He also thought that on his future path to promotion, sometimes he really couldn't do without such people who resort to underhanded tactics. Therefore, his interest in Zhao Changsheng increased once more.