Me! A high-ranking official!

"Secretary Zhou! I want to file a report! I want to file a report under my real name! Please, Secretary Zhou, do me a favor!"

He shouted as he rushed toward the car, but the two people from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection immediately blocked his way, one of them reaching out to stop him.

"What are you doing? Get out of the way!"

Zhao Jianguo ignored them completely, shoved aside the arm blocking his way, and rushed toward the back seat of the car. The person he pushed staggered a couple of steps, a look of shock flashing across his face. How could this kid be so strong?

The other person reacted quickly, immediately giving chase and shouting, "Stop right there! We're from the First Inspection Division of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection!"

Ignoring the warnings, Zhao Jianguo rushed to the back door of the car and yanked it open.

Zhou Qingyan sat in the back seat, leaning back with her eyes closed. Her face was even paler than when she was downstairs, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. She exuded an icy aura that kept people at a distance. When she heard the car door being opened, her eyelids twitched, but she didn't open them. Clearly, she didn't want to look at Zhao Jianguo again!

"Secretary Zhou! I want to report Cao Wenting! You have to help me! Cao Wenting ruined me, her daughter ruined me, they've ruined my whole life! If you don't help me, I'm finished!"

He shouted as he crawled into the car, so excited he was incoherent, his hands reaching out haphazardly and bumping into Zhou Qingyan's clothes.

Zhou Qingyan suddenly opened her eyes, all the disgust, resentment and anger in them exploding in that instant. She raised her hand and slapped Zhao Jianguo hard across the face.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound exploded in the carriage.

Zhao Jianguo covered his face, staring at Zhou Qingyan in astonishment.

Just then, the two people from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection rushed up from behind, grabbed his clothes, and started to pull him out. He realized what was happening, pretended to struggle desperately, lunged forward, and grabbed Zhou Qingyan's hands with both of his.

Zhou Qingyan's hands were icy cold and trembling slightly as he forcefully shoved the pill from his palm into her hand.

Zhou Qingyan's expression changed instantly. His eyes, which had been filled with disgust and resentment, flashed with astonishment. His fingers instinctively tightened and gripped the pill.

Zhao Jianguo continued shouting at the top of his lungs, "Secretary Zhou! You have to stand up for me! I want to report Cao Wenting! I want to report Xu Qingqing! Those two, mother and daughter, have ruined me like this! You can't just abandon me!"

Two people from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection worked together to pull him out of the car. He stumbled back several steps, his back hitting the parking lot railing. He was still struggling to rush back to the car, shouting and yelling.

"Secretary Zhou! I've found the medicine! But the doctor said it takes 24 hours! The effect is best within 24 hours! It's almost guaranteed to work! Secretary Zhou, please help me!"

Two officers from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection blocked his way, one on each side. One of them pulled out his badge, held it up to his face, and shouted sternly, "Look carefully! We're from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection! Do you know what you're doing? You're obstructing the Commission's investigation!"

Zhao Jianguo seemed stunned by the words on the certificate. His movements suddenly froze, his eyes widened as he stared at the certificate, his lips trembling slightly, filled with a belated shock.

"The Municipal...the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection? You're from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection? Why are you arresting our Secretary Zhou?"

He suddenly covered his mouth, his eyes wide open, and his voice squeezed out from between his fingers, filled with the fear of discovering a shocking secret.

"Could it be... that our Secretary Zhou has been placed under investigation?"

The two people from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection changed their expressions at the same time. The term "shuanggui" (double regulation) was too sensitive. A county party secretary being subjected to "shuanggui" was a major case that would make the news. They were only here today to conduct inquiries and verifications according to regulations. Procedurally, it didn't even qualify as detention, let alone "shuanggui." If this got out, and rumors spread, they would be in deep trouble.

"Shut up!" one of them interrupted him sharply. "We're just asking Secretary Zhou to go back and assist with the investigation. If you keep spouting nonsense, you'll face the consequences!"

Chen Yongjun, who had been standing silently to the side, finally spoke up. He took two steps forward, stood in front of Zhao Jianguo, and looked him up and down.

"Comrade, if you have any questions or concerns, you can report them to your county discipline inspection commission. If you really need to report to the municipal discipline inspection commission, you can do so through the online reporting platform or by submitting materials to the municipal discipline inspection commission's petition office. Now, please move aside and do not disrupt our normal work."

Zhao Jianguo seemed to be intimidated by his aura, and hurriedly nodded and bowed, his expression changing from excitement to guilt.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. I just... I just wanted Secretary Zhou to help me, I didn't know..."

As he spoke, he took two steps back, then stopped and glanced into the car.

Chen Yongjun opened the car door and sat in the back seat. The other two people also got into the car, one driving and the other sitting in the passenger seat.

The car started, slowly drove out of the parking space, turned a corner, and headed towards the hospital gate.

Zhao Jianguo stood there, watching the black sedan drive further and further away, his face still showing the fear and guilt he had just feigned. But as the taillights disappeared outside the hospital gate, he let out a long sigh.

Zhou Qingyan is so smart, he should have understood.

The best effect is achieved within 24 hours. This tells her that the drug's effects will be fully realized after 24 hours. If she needs to have any tests done, it's best to wait until after 24 hours. Once that 24 hours have passed, no tests will find any problems.

As for how to drag it out, that's not his concern. Zhou Qingyan has been navigating the officialdom for over a decade, from the city level to the province and then to the county level. She knows the procedures and rules of the Discipline Inspection Commission better than anyone else. If she's determined to drag it out, she'll definitely have her ways.

The black sedan smoothly drove out of the county hospital gate and merged into the traffic on the main road.

Zhou Qingyan leaned back in the back seat, her right hand hanging by her side, her fingers clenched tightly, the pill in her palm getting warmer and warmer from her body heat.

Her eyes were closed, her breathing was steady, and her expression was unreadable, but her mind was racing.

She mentally reviewed every word Zhao Jianguo had just said.

24 hours.

Did he find the medicine?

Didn't they say it would take more than a month?

How can something just appear out of nowhere?

I understand. He should have received the medicine a long time ago. Perhaps he wanted to use it himself, but for some reason, yes, maybe because he felt guilty and was afraid that her condition might change, so he hadn't used it, just in case. Today was an emergency, so he took it out and gave it to him.

The effect is best within 24 hours, which means that it will take 24 hours after taking this medicine to completely clear the virus from her body.

If the municipal discipline inspection commission arranges for her to undergo a serological test within these 24 hours, there is still a possibility that she will test positive. She must find a way to postpone any possible tests until after 24 hours.

Zhou Qingyan's lips twitched slightly, the movement so subtle it was almost imperceptible.

drag.

On her way here, she had already thought about the whole thing from beginning to end. The person who spread the news was skilled, the timing was precise, and the channels were cleverly chosen. The news was released simultaneously on grassroots work groups, local self-media, and multiple platforms, and the whole county knew about it overnight.

At the same time, a formal complaint was sent to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection. Public opinion and investigation were used in tandem to deliver a fatal blow, leaving her no time to react.

She had just been taken away and had resigned herself to her fate. After all, the fact that she was sick was true, and it would definitely be found out. Once this happened, her future was ruined.

Even if he now has the medicine Zhao Jianguo gave him, and it turns out he was wronged, rumors can be deadly. Those rumors won't disappear anytime soon; people will only remember that "the female secretary of Linshui County got a venereal disease," not what the investigation concluded. Her career and her reputation were ruined the moment the news spread.

Being taken away was originally a dead end, but now things are different. If we make good use of this opportunity...

Zhou Qingyan's eyelashes fluttered, and a thought surfaced from the depths of her mind, gradually becoming clearer.