Right path to power

After Wei Shaogong completely left the Party and Government Office, Wu Di immediately scurried up to Ding Shangkun and said with a strong sense of "righteousness," "Director Ding, that Lin Xiao is really outrageous! Not only did he anger Secretary Wei, but he also made us take a beating on his behalf. I think he must be severely punished this time, otherwise he'll be able to get away with anything..."

At this moment, Ding Shangkun rolled his eyes at him with utter disdain, causing Wu Di to stop talking and stare blankly at Ding Shangkun.

"Wu Di, you've really grown up! You're even teaching me how to do things now. How about you take over as the director?"

"Director, Director, you've misunderstood. How could I dare to instruct you on how to do things? I was just expressing my dissatisfaction on your behalf. Alright, if you have no further instructions, then I'll get back to work."

Looking at Ding Shangkun's dark face, Wu Di felt a sense of satisfaction. He would rather see Lin Xiao being targeted by the leaders than be reprimanded himself. As he turned to walk back to his seat, he winked at his colleague on his right, signaling him to continue stirring things up.

"Director Ding, bad apples like Lin Xiao must be dealt with seriously. Otherwise, everyone will follow his example, and how will we carry out our work?"

"Okay, I understand."

Ding Shangkun was furious. He felt that his authority in the Party and Government Office had been seriously challenged ever since Lin Xiao returned.

He also used very strong language in the text message he just sent.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao, who was still lying in bed, was finally awakened by the buzzing noise in the corridor.

He sat up groggily, feeling sore all over and with a dry mouth. He grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the bedside table and gulped down most of it before feeling a bit better.

Lin Xiao subconsciously touched the side of him but didn't find anything. He then quickly looked around and realized that his phone was on the other side of the bedside table.

As she fell to her side, Lin Xiao instinctively reached out and grabbed her phone. Then she sat up on the bed, pressed the power button, and realized that the phone was off.

Finding no charger in the drawer, Lin Xiao had to call the front desk to have one delivered. Soon after, a waiter brought the charger over, and after plugging it in, Lin Xiao went to wash up.

After washing up and drying her hair, Lin Xiao came out of the bathroom, sat on the edge of the bed, and turned on her phone.

"Ding-dong... Ding-dong..."

The text message notification kept ringing. Lin Xiao opened it with a puzzled look and saw that the first five messages were all from He Saihua.

"Xiaolin, where are you? Why is your phone off?"

"Come back quickly, at least call back first. Wei Shaogong said you were absent from work without cause and will be severely punished."

"The township is holding a meeting. I heard that Secretary Yan has already agreed to Wei Shaogong's proposal. You should quickly find a reason to plead with Township Head Kong on his behalf."

"Don't think it's nothing serious. This matter could be a big deal or a small one. If they hold it against you and you really get punished, it won't be good for your future."

"Oh, by the way, didn't you used to be the county magistrate's secretary? If you still have connections in the county, then hurry up and have the county leaders put in a good word for you."

Next came a text message from Ding Shangkun, which essentially said one thing: Lin Xiao was required to report to the Party and Government Office before 10:00 AM, otherwise yesterday afternoon would be counted as unexcused absence.

Lin Xiao glanced at the time and muttered to himself, "It's already eleven o'clock. Even if I took a rocket, I wouldn't make it."

Based on the distance, it takes nearly an hour to get from the city to Nangang Township; it's practically impossible to fly there.

After thinking it over, Lin Xiao still dialed Ding Shangkun's number.

As soon as the call connected, Ding Shangkun's reprimanding voice came through: "Lin Xiao, do you not want to work anymore? Don't you know it's working hours? You're really something, disappearing without a trace? Do you have any sense of discipline? Let me tell you, the township has already made you a negative example and will deal with you severely. You get back here right now. The township is going to hold a rectification meeting to announce your punishment. You're supposed to be a selected graduate from the province? You're a disgrace."

Ding Shangkun probably didn't expect to say so much in one go. It seems that he vented all the anger he felt from being criticized by the township party secretary Yan Zhao on Lin Xiao.

In his view, all of this was Lin Xiao's own fault!

"Director Ding, I accompanied Secretary Gong of the county party committee to the city on business yesterday. My phone died, and I overslept. It wasn't an unexcused absence."

Faced with Ding Shangkun's barrage of sarcastic remarks, Lin Xiao felt a stir in her heart but didn't care too much. Instead, she patiently explained.

"Accompany Secretary Gong? Are you even qualified? Don't give me that nonsense. Even Secretary Gong can't save you."

Ding Shangkun certainly didn't believe that a former county head's secretary who had been sent back to his hometown could still have connections with the county leaders. If Lin Xiao really could do things for Secretary Gong, why would he have been sent back to his hometown?

Therefore, he concluded that these words were nothing more than Lin Xiao's trick of borrowing power.

"Director Ding, I'm telling the truth. I can't possibly lie to you about the leadership, can I? If you don't believe me, you..."

Regardless, being late this morning is an undeniable fact. Therefore, Lin Xiao wanted to try to explain it, but he seemed to have overestimated himself, as Ding Shangkun interrupted him before he could finish speaking.

"Stop talking nonsense, come back and accept your punishment. That's what you should be doing." After saying this, Ding Shangkun hung up the phone.

Lin Xiao sat on the bed with a wry smile on her face, holding her phone.

Just then, He Saihua called.

"Sister Hua..."

"Xiao Lin, where have you been? The township says you've been absent from work without permission and haven't been answering your phone. You'd better come back right now, or you'll really be punished."

"Sister Hua, I accompanied the county leaders to the city on business yesterday. I drank too much and overslept. My phone died and turned off. I called Director Ding to explain as soon as I plugged it in, but he didn't believe me."

Lin Xiao felt quite "wronged." She was clearly telling the truth, so why didn't Ding Shangkun believe her?

In fact, even he himself overlooked a very important thing, which is that no matter what the reason, not reporting in advance is not an excuse to lose "self-discipline".

"If that's the case, you should quickly give the county leaders a heads-up. I heard that Secretary Wei is very angry and is determined to make an example of you. Did you offend him before? Otherwise, why would he be so forceful?"

"It's alright, I'll call my boss right away."

"Alright, this matter can't be delayed. If you really get punished, it will have a big impact on you."

"Yes, thank you, Sister Hua."

"Don't be so polite with me, sister."

After hanging up the phone, He Saihua shook her head, feeling a surge of emotions. In the end, she couldn't help but sigh that perhaps this was her destiny.

Lin Xiao dialed Gong Lei's number while standing up and walking towards the door, but the phone rang five or six times without being answered, so Lin Xiao had to hang up. Perhaps Gong Lei was busy at that moment.

Dragging her slightly tired body, still smelling of alcohol, Lin Xiao went downstairs to return the charger and casually checked out, only to find out from the front desk that she had already paid.

Lin Xiao understood that this should be the money Su Anji paid for the room, and thought she would pay him back the next time they met.

On the way back to Nangang Township, Gong Lei called back. Upon hearing Lin Xiao's account, he immediately said, "Xiao Lin, don't worry, I'll call Yan Zhao right away. I'll handle this."

"Okay, thank you, Secretary Gong."

After ending the call with Lin Xiao, Gong Lei immediately called Yan Zhao.

Upon seeing that it was Gong Lei calling, Yan Zhao gave a cold laugh before answering the phone and asking, "Secretary Gong, what are your instructions?"