Book One by Zhixing Qianli Yuan

In the summer of 2010, Qin Feng, a top student at Huaqing University, gave up a promising future and insisted on returning to his impoverished hometown of Qinghe County to serve as a government-selected trainee official. On a stormy night, a road in Qingshan Village collapsed. A ledger soaked in mud and water exposed a web of corruption that had been festering in local government for a decade. Through challenge after challenge, Qin Feng continued to grow, transforming from a green young trainee into a mature, steady leader deeply loved by the people.

On one side, Lin Miaoxue, the daughter of a high-ranking official, helps break the deadlock with her economic expertise. On the other, business heiress Qiu Yuyan tests the waters by bringing capital into play.

This is the ultimate showdown between an idealist and the unspoken rules of the times. Can the torch of fighting for the people burn through an iron curtain entrenched for thirty years?