"Alright!" Qin Shou nodded and said, "Just this once!"
Qin Shou knew very well that the only reason Wu Dexing had slapped Wu Fan four times was because of Secretary Yang's influence.
So, naturally, he knew to quit while he was ahead.
After all, if he pushed Wu Dexing too far and things went south, it would be difficult to clean up the mess.
Haste makes waste.
To be an official, you had to be patient. You needed to be shrewd and take things slow.
Wu Dexing and his cronies had operated in Changle County for many years; their roots ran deep. Toppling them wouldn't happen overnight.
He had to slowly loosen the soil around them and sever the roots they had sunk deep into the ground, one by one.
***
Over at the County Committee, a woman wearing a blazer, with a graceful figure, a delicate oval face, and a very refined air, walked into the County Party Secretary's office.
This woman was named Xiao Yue, a staff member of the Secretariat Division.
She had graduated from Yanjing University with a master's degree last year and passed the exam to become a selected candidate for a civil service position, with excellent scores.
But she was assigned to Changle County, placed in the County Committee's Secretariat Division as a mere staff member, not even managing to become a deputy section chief.
Her colleagues at the County Committee all thought Xiao Yue had no family connections. That was why, despite graduating from a prestigious university and being a selected candidate, she had been sent off to this impoverished county, destined to live a life of obscurity.
No one knew that the reason Xiao Yue had come to Changle County, joined the Secretariat Division, and become a junior staff member was that her mission was to be the advance party—to lay the groundwork for Yang Wenqing.
Xiao Yue's father, Xiao Hongyang, used to be Yang Yuanjun's secretary. Now, he was the Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee for Bashu Province.
Although Xiao Yue was just a junior staff member in the Secretariat Division now, she was Yang Wenqing's person.
Yang Wenqing was three years older than Xiao Yue, but they had played together since childhood. She had always treated Xiao Yue like her own sister, and the two women were the best of friends.
According to Yang Wenqing's plan, after she had familiarized herself with the lay of the land in Changle County, she would promote Xiao Yue to be her chief secretary, making her her right-hand woman.
The position of chief secretary had to be filled by the most trustworthy person.
Xiao Yue was undoubtedly Yang Wenqing's most trusted confidante.
*Knock!*
*Knock, knock!*
Xiao Yue knocked softly on the office door.
"Come in," Yang Wenqing called out from inside the office.
With permission, Xiao Yue gently pushed the door open and walked into the office with light steps. Even though she was wearing high heels, her heels didn't make any clacking sounds on the floor.
After entering, Xiao Yue gently closed the office door. Just as the door was about to shut, she turned her wrist, gently twisted the doorknob to retract the latch.
This way, the door wouldn't make even the slightest sound as it closed.
This was Xiao Yue's profession. The profession of a secretary.
After all, Xiao Yue's father had been Yang Yuanjun's secretary, so she had naturally inherited his expertise and knew how to be a secretary.
"Sister Qing, as a secretary, I have to be professional! Otherwise, if people find out about our relationship, how can I be your undercover agent?" Xiao Yue replied with a grin.
"So, what has my undercover agent found out?" Yang Wenqing asked.
"Gossip from the county bureau has come back. That guy Qin Shou not only got his Santana back, but he also got that Wu Fan slapped several times by his father, Wu Dexing," Xiao Yue replied, incredibly excited.
As she said this, her beautiful oval face was practically splitting with a grin.
Because she knew that neither Wu Fan nor Wu Dexing were good people. So, she was genuinely happy that Qin Shou had caused Wu Fan to be slapped by Wu Dexing.
In this world, was there anything more satisfying than seeing a bad guy get beaten?
If there was, it was seeing a bad guy get beaten again!
"Wu Dexing slapped Wu Fan?" Yang Wenqing furrowed her willow-leaf brows in thought, her lips parted slightly, and said, "Interesting! This Wu Dexing is very interesting!"
"Sister Qing, I've been here in Changle County for over half a year now, and I've managed to get a handle on some things. That guy Qin Shou isn't part of Wang Rende's group, so he probably hasn't taken any bribes.
"As for his private life, the guy is actually a devoted man, and he was especially good to his wife. It's just that his wife always looked down on him, thought he was a good-for-nothing, and divorced him.
"So, last time you asked me if Qin Shou was a scoundrel with bad morals, the answer is clearly no. I just don't know if you and Qin Shou have some kind of misunderstanding, Sister Qing?"
"There's no misunderstanding. Someone just complained to me that Qin Shou acted like a hooligan toward her."
"It wasn't Liu Shuang who complained, was it?"
"You don't need to ask so many questions."
"Oh, alright!"
Since Yang Wenqing was unwilling to say more, Xiao Yue naturally didn't press the issue.
"You can get back to your work."
"Yes, Sister Qing!"
Xiao Yue left.
Xiao Yue's assessment of Qin Shou, far from earning him points in Yang Wenqing's eyes, actually caused him to lose quite a few.
As for whether Qin Shou was a scoundrel, Yang Wenqing herself had more right to say than anyone!
Just now, Xiao Yue had said Qin Shou was a devoted man who was very good to his wife?
A man is very good to his wife. And in the end, his wife still looks down on him and divorces him?
Isn't that his fault?
***
By the time he left the county bureau, it was already three-thirty in the afternoon, with an hour and a half left until the end of the workday.
But as the Station Chief of the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station, Qin Shou couldn't be late or leave early; he had to lead by example! So, he drove his beat-up Santana to the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station to finish his shift. The source of this chapter is novelping(.)com.
When Qin Shou arrived, the parking lot was completely empty. There wasn't a single car.
Qin Shou walked into the office area and found that both the large open-plan office for regular employees and the private offices for the leadership were all empty.
The Jigong River Hydroelectric Station had not yet officially begun operations and was still in the preliminary preparation phase.
With this kind of work ethic, they had all slipped away before quitting time?
Preparations, my ass!
A new broom sweeps clean.
As the new Station Chief, Qin Shou's first order of business had to be tackling workplace discipline.
He had to let everyone know the meaning of professional dedication.
As the man in charge, seeing the station he managed in such a sorry state, Qin Shou was furious!
After searching the entire office building, Qin Shou finally found a few living souls in the Safety Production Department.
The head of the Safety Production Department, Qiu Bo, and a few of his department's employees were still at their posts.
Of all the departments, only the head of the Safety Production Department didn't have a private office and worked alongside his employees in the department's large open office.
Working in the office during work hours was the most basic requirement.
And yet, only one department could manage to meet this most basic requirement?
Qin Shou walked up to Qiu Bo and asked, "Where is everyone else?"
Qiu Bo hadn't seen Qin Shou before, and he instinctively turned his head upon hearing the question.
The moment he saw Qin Shou, he flinched, his eyes filled with a look of someone who had just seen a ghost.
"Station Chief Qin, weren't you taken away by the Disciplinary Committee?"
"Yes! I was taken away by the Disciplinary Committee! They just wanted to ask me a few questions, not arrest me. Is there a problem with that?"
"No! Absolutely no problem! I knew you wouldn't have any problems, Station Chief Qin. You're an honest official! A great, honest official!" Qiu Bo quickly tried to backtrack.
Qin Shou didn't dwell on it with Qiu Bo. Instead, he ordered, "Get everyone back here, now! We're having a meeting in the plaza downstairs in half an hour. Anyone who doesn't show up will be fired on the spot! No exceptions!"
"Yes, Station Chief Qin!"
Qin Shou didn't leave, but instead waited in the office of the Safety Production Department.
Qiu Bo divided the list of names among his subordinates and had them start making calls.
By dividing the labor, they managed to contact everyone in less than five minutes.
After the calls were made, Qiu Bo reported to Qin Shou, "Station Chief Qin, Deputy Station Chief Gou says he's playing mahjong with County Mayor Wang and doesn't have time for this 'stupid meeting.' He also dared you to fire him if you have the guts!"
Qiu Bo was relaying the message word for word; Gou Zhongcheng had told him to, and he didn't dare disobey.
"Good! I understand!"
Qin Shou knew, of course, that Gou Zhongcheng was openly challenging him.
If the work at the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station was to proceed smoothly, this Deputy Station Chief, Gou Zhongcheng, had to be taken down.