Me! A high-ranking official!

Zhao Jianguo picked up his phone and glanced at the time: 2:30 PM.

Today is Zhou Qingyan's first day in office. According to the county's usual practice, a cadre meeting will be held in the morning to announce the appointment, and in the afternoon he will familiarize himself with various departments and have separate talks with the heads of several important departments. In the evening, there will be a welcome banquet. This whole process will take until at least 9 p.m.

He's going to look for Zhou Qingyan now, but he won't be able to find him. He'll have to wait until tonight.

Zhao Jianguo stood up from the restaurant, turned around and walked towards the bedroom. He pushed open the door and saw the 1.8-meter-long bed.

The bed sheet was a new one Xu Qingqing bought last month; it was light gray, made of silk, and cost almost two thousand yuan. The quilt was folded neatly, and the two pillows were placed side by side at the head of the bed.

The image of Xu Qingqing and Qi Xiongwen on this bed uncontrollably flashed through his mind.

"Hold."

He cursed and turned to leave.

The second bedroom is on the north side and is usually unoccupied. Cao Wenting occasionally comes to stay one night. The room is small, with a 1.5-meter bed, a wardrobe, and a small desk. It is simple and clean.

Zhao Jianguo closed the door, drew the curtains, and lay down on the bed.

The bed was rock hard, nothing like the soft bed in the master bedroom, but he now felt that this hard bed was more comfortable than anything else.

I didn't sleep well last night, and I was up all day today, so I was under a lot of stress. Now that I've relaxed, sleepiness is washing over me like a tidal wave.

He turned over, closed his eyes, and fell asleep in no time.

When I woke up, the room was pitch black.

Zhao Jianguo reached for his phone, turned on the screen; it was 7:30 PM.

He slept for almost five hours.

He sat up, stretched his neck, went to the bathroom to wash his face, and saw that his eyes were a little swollen, and there was a layer of bluish stubble on his chin. He looked a bit haggard.

He splashed cold water on his face, put on his coat, grabbed his phone, and went out.

There's a small stall selling jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes) at the entrance of the residential area. The owner is a woman in her fifties, and Zhao Jianguo used to buy breakfast from her often in the mornings.

"Brother Zhao, are you taking a break today?" the older woman greeted him as she made pancakes.

"Hmm," Zhao Jianguo responded without saying anything more.

"The usual? With sausage and egg?"

"Just add sausage."

After the jianbing guozi was made, Zhao Jianguo scanned the code to pay and carried the plastic bag out of the community, eating as he walked. When he reached the intersection, he finished the jianbing guozi and threw the bag into the trash can.

New Neighbor Hotel.

The county's designated hotel is not far from here, about a ten-minute bike ride away.

He rode his electric bike there, and when he arrived at the entrance of the Xinlin Hotel, Zhao Jianguo found a flower bed across the street and sat down.

Several county government vehicles were parked in front of the hotel. He recognized all the license plates. One belonged to the county head, one to the executive deputy county head, and two to the county party committee office.

The welcoming banquet was still going on.

He took out his phone and browsed the news for a while.

A local news outlet pushed out a message: Zhou Qingyan, the newly appointed Party Secretary of Linshui County, took office today.

He clicked on it.

The news report included a photo of the cadre meeting this morning. On the stage, Zhou Qingyan sat upright with a microphone in front of her, speaking. The photo was very formal, but her face was so striking that she stood out from the group of middle-aged men.

Zhao Jianguo zoomed in on the photo and examined it carefully.

That's her. She has delicate features, cool eyes, and is wearing a dark suit with her hair pulled back. She exudes a sense of competence and aloofness.

Scrolling down the news article reveals Zhou Qingyan's resume.

Zhou Qingyan, female, Han nationality, born in November 1987, from Linjiang, Jiangxi Province, joined the Communist Party of China in June 2008, started working in July 2010, and graduated with a master's degree in economics from Tianhai University.

From July 2010 to September 2012, he served as a staff member of the Second Cadre Section of the Organization Department of the Gucheng Municipal Party Committee.

From September 2012 to March 2014, he served as the deputy section chief of the Second Cadre Section of the Organization Department of the Gucheng Municipal Party Committee.

From March 2014 to May 2016, he served as the Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Office of Gushui Subdistrict, Gucheng City.

From May 2016 to July 2018, he served as a member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Civil Affairs Bureau of Gucheng City.

From July 2018 to October 2020, he served as a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Qinghe County Committee and Deputy County Head of Qinghe County, Gucheng City.

From October 2020 to March 2022, he served as a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Qinghe County Committee and Executive Deputy County Head of Qinghe County, Gucheng City.

March 2022 – May 2024: Director of the General Affairs Division of the Provincial Department of Commerce.

He has served as the Secretary of the Linshui County Party Committee since May 2024.

Zhao Jianguo read the resume twice from beginning to end.

I graduated and started working in 2010. Now, in 2024, it has been fourteen years. I have risen from a staff member to the county party secretary, a position equivalent to a full-fledged department head.

He counted on his fingers.

It took two years to rise from clerk to deputy section chief.

It took him a year and a half to go from deputy section chief to section chief.

It takes a little over two years to go from a section chief to a deputy division chief.

He went from deputy director to director in less than four years.

Every promotion was perfectly timed, without wasting a single moment.

This kind of resume isn't something you can achieve just by being capable. He worked in the government office for five years and knew all too well the promotion logic within the system. Strong ability is just the foundation; without connections, even the strongest ability is useless. A rocket-like promotion like Zhou Qingyan's is impossible without powerful connections behind him.

Especially the last step, where he was directly parachuted from the deputy director of the Comprehensive Division of the Provincial Department of Commerce to the county party secretary.

The deputy director of a provincial government agency is at the deputy division level, while the county party secretary is at the division level. This step is not just about rank, but more importantly, it's about going from a provincial government agency to a local leader. These are completely different tracks, and the power behind those who can make it through this path is something he can't even imagine.

He turned off the news, put his phone back in his pocket, and stared at the cars in front of the hotel across the street, feeling uneasy.

If this woman with such powerful connections knew that she had slept with him and even contracted a disease from him...

Killing him would be too lenient!

He sat by the flower bed, his mind racing, the more he thought about it, the more uncertain he felt.

After thinking for a long time, he suddenly stood up and stretched his neck out.

What's there to be afraid of!

A real man should take responsibility for his actions! He slept with her, he infected her with the disease, he should admit it. Whether he sticks his neck out or not, he'll still get hurt. There's no escaping it. If he doesn't speak up, and Zhou Qingyan finds out himself, then he'll truly be doomed.

Having said it, at least I can face my own conscience.

Zhao Jianguo sat down again, lit a cigarette, and waited patiently.

9:20.

There was some commotion at the hotel entrance.

First, several staff members walked out quickly and stood in position at the door. Then the glass door was pushed open, and a group of people filed out from inside.

Leading the way was County Head Han Baomin, in his early fifties, short and stout, with his hair neatly combed and a standard official smile on his face.

Zhou Qingyan was standing next to him.

Zhou Qingyan changed her clothes. Instead of the dark suit she wore at the cadre meeting during the day, she wore a navy blue business suit with a silver brooch at the collar. Her hair was still pulled back, revealing a section of her fair neck. She had a just-right smile on her face and was listening to Han Baomin speak, nodding occasionally.

Behind the two were three deputy county heads, followed by the director of the county party committee office, the director of the county government office, and the heads of several important departments, including the heads of the finance bureau, the development and reform commission, and the public security bureau.

A group of people stood at the hotel entrance, exchanging handshakes and pleasantries once again.

Han Baomin held Zhou Qingyan's hand and said something with a smile. Zhou Qingyan replied with a smile. After they shook hands, Han Baomin turned around and got into car number two.

Next came the executive deputy county head and several deputy county heads, who shook hands with Zhou Qingyan in turn to say goodbye.

Zhao Jianguo squatted by the flower bed, watching Zhou Qingyan handle these situations. The time he shook hands with each person was about the same, and the curve of his smile was also about the same, neither too cold nor too warm, just right. It was obvious that he had been in such situations for many years, and his every move was impeccable.

After everyone got into the car, Zhou Qingyan turned around and walked towards car number one parked to the side.

Black Audi, license plate number North D00601.

The driver had already opened the back door. Zhou Qingyan bent down and got in. The door closed, the car started, the lights came on, and it slowly drove away from the hotel entrance.

He jumped up, ran to the roadside in a few strides, hopped on his slightly worn electric scooter, turned the key, and floored the accelerator.

The electric scooter made a muffled thud and sped off.

Fortunately, there weren't too few cars on the street at around 9 a.m., and the car in question wasn't going very fast, only about 40 or 50 miles per hour, which Zhao Jianguo's electric scooter could barely keep up with.

The convoy drove east along Jianshe Road for about a kilometer, then turned onto a side road and stopped in front of a building.

Zhao Jianguo braked the car from a distance, bracing one foot on the ground as he watched the commotion ahead.

This is a six-story hotel with a newly renovated facade. The sign at the entrance reads "Xinlin Hotel". The hotel is right next to the county government compound. It's only a three- to five-minute walk from the back door to the county party committee office building. The county uses this hotel to accommodate exchange cadres who are temporarily without accommodation.

The driver got out of the car and opened the back door.

Zhou Qingyan got out of the car and said something to the driver. The driver nodded and parked the car in a parking space on the side.

Zhou Qingyan walked alone toward the hotel entrance.

He parked his electric scooter by the roadside, pulled out the key, took a deep breath, and strode after him.

Zhao Jianguo rushed into the hotel lobby in three quick steps.

The lobby wasn't large, and the decor was in an old-fashioned official style, with beige marble floors, dark brown leather sofas, and a calligraphy piece by a local calligrapher that read "Guests feel at home." The two receptionists were looking down at their phones; they glanced up when they heard footsteps, then looked down again.

Zhou Qingyan had already reached the elevator entrance, holding a room key in one hand and preparing to press the elevator button with the other.

Zhao Jianguo's throat tightened, and he hurriedly called out, "Secretary Zhou... Secretary Zhou!"

The sound echoed in the lobby for a moment, and both waiters looked up at the same time.

When Zhou Qingyan turned around and saw Zhao Jianguo, her face turned as red as if someone had splashed a basin of red paint on it, from her neck all the way to her forehead. Her clear, cold eyes were filled with anger, shame, hatred, and a complex emotion that was hard to describe. It was as if she wanted to devour him alive, but she was desperately suppressing it.

Seeing Zhou Qingyan's expression, his heart skipped a beat; there were still waiters in the lobby.

Xinlin Hotel is a designated reception point for county officials. These two waitresses are used to seeing county leaders and know almost all the heads of various departments. If Zhou Qingyan were to lose her temper here and say something she shouldn't, the entire county party committee and government would know by tomorrow morning.

Quick-witted, he raised his voice an octave and put on a respectful expression: "Secretary Zhou, I'm Zhao Jianguo from the government office! I have something to report to you!"

As he spoke, he strode towards the elevator.

Zhou Qingyan stared intently at him, her chest heaving, her lips pressed into a thin line, and the room key in her hand was so tightly gripped that it almost broke.

The elevator dinged, the doors slowly opened, and Zhou Qingyan coldly withdrew his gaze, squeezing out a single word through gritted teeth.

"explain."

The sound wasn't loud, but the chill sent a shiver down his spine.

He walked up to Zhou Qingyan, lowered his voice, and spoke very quickly: "Secretary Zhou, I really have something important to report to you."

He paused, lowered his voice even further, and said almost in a whisper, "It concerns your life and safety."