Me! A high-ranking official!

Although he didn't have Zhou Qingyan's status to exploit the situation, as long as he played the role of a framed clerk convincingly, he could not only help Zhou Qingyan secure his position but also gain enough political capital for himself. Having fought alongside the top leader was a valuable connection that would be very useful in the future.

After hanging up the phone, he returned to the hotel, closed the door tightly, summoned the Treasure Basin from his mind, and swallowed the Rejuvenation Pill he had exchanged.

A warm current slid down my throat into my stomach, and then quickly spread to my limbs and bones. The joints that had been aching slightly due to the illness and the occasional low-grade fever miraculously subsided within ten minutes.

3:30 p.m.

In the third interview room of the county discipline inspection commission, two nurses in protective suits, in front of the municipal discipline inspection commission, drew three large tubes of venous blood from Zhao Jianguo's arm, sealed them, and took them away.

"Go back and wait for the results." The person from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection waved his hand.

Since the county's appointment had not yet been issued and the handover of work was basically completed, he was now completely free. He called Liu Tao, and the two agreed to meet at the crossroads in the new urban area.

These next few days, he has to get things going as soon as possible. He still has a debt of 20 million yuan to his name. Now that he's out of danger, he has to make money!

The supermarket's location had been decided, and Liu Tao found a familiar decoration company. The two of them worked on the design drawings, making circles and sketches, until after 7 p.m. Liu Tao received a phone call and turned to Zhao Jianguo, saying, "Jianguo, Li Gan said he's almost recovered and wants to be discharged tomorrow. He just called to say he wants to see you."

"Okay, let's go take a look."

In the orthopedic ward of the county hospital, Li Gan still had a bandage wrapped around his head, but his spirits were much better. When he saw Zhao Jianguo and Liu Tao come in, the rough man immediately sat up straight on the bed.

"Brother Zhao, Brother Tao," Li Gan smiled憨厚ly, "My sister is having a bone marrow transplant tomorrow. I'm so grateful to you both for taking care of her these past few days. I'll never thank you enough. If you ever need my help again, I, Li Gan, will go through fire and water for you!"

"Alright, enough with the formalities, it's just about making friends." He pulled up a chair and sat down, glancing at Li Gan. He noticed that although the man was smiling, his eyes were darting around, and he was fidgeting with his hands on his hospital gown, clearly preoccupied with something.

"Just say what you have to say, men, be straightforward." He chuckled.

Li Gan gritted his teeth, his face flushed red, and hesitantly began, "Brother Zhao, Brother Tao... I... could I... borrow another 50,000 yuan from you?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Tao's eyebrows immediately furrowed: "Old Li, isn't this a bit much? Just a few days ago..."

He reached out to stop Liu Tao, signaling Li Gan to continue.

"My sister has been hospitalized these past few days. The pre-operative tissue matching and all those unnecessary tests have already cost us tens of thousands of yuan. Our money... is almost gone." Li Gan said, his eyes red and his neck stiff, "I know it's inappropriate for me to say this in my current situation, but I can write an IOU! Brother Zhao, I'm willing to pay high interest! As long as I can get back to work, my life is yours!"

"Who wants your life?" He chuckled. "Fifty thousand yuan is no problem, and I won't ask for any high interest. Just pay back the principal when you're able. But since you're in such a hurry to pay back the money, I have a job for you. Liu Tao and I are planning to open a big supermarket and we need help. If you're willing, you can come and help out after you're discharged from the hospital. Consider it working to pay off your debt. How about it?"

Li Gan was taken aback, his eyes brightening for a moment, but then he asked hesitantly, "Then... how much salary will I get?"

"Damn it!" Liu Tao finally couldn't hold back anymore, jumping up and cursing, "I lent you money in an emergency and even offered you a job, and you're already haggling before you've even started working?!"

"Don't get excited." He patted Liu Tao on the shoulder, then smiled at Li Gan: "Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. You're right to ask. We're not like the old days where we were forced into labor. You probably know what supermarket work is like. With your skills, you're more than capable of being a security captain. The probationary salary is five thousand, plus security performance bonuses, depending on future profits. What do you think of these terms?"

After listening, Li Gan breathed a heavy sigh of relief and rubbed his hands nervously as he explained, "Brother Tao, don't misunderstand. I'm not concerned about the money. I just wanted to calculate whether I could earn enough to cover my sister's expensive anti-rejection medication for the next six months if I worked one job at this supermarket and then did a ride-hailing or delivery job after work. Now I know for sure, it's enough."

After saying that, Li Gan suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Zhao Jianguo and Liu Tao: "Thank you, brothers!"

Liu Tao then realized he had misunderstood, his face flushed, and he coughed awkwardly twice: "Um... Lao Li, I just blurted out, don't take it to heart. As long as you work hard, you'll definitely get a share of the supermarket's profits in the future."

"Health is the most important thing." He took out his phone: "Don't push yourself to the point of collapse. If you collapse, your sister's support will really be gone."

"drop!"

The 50,000 yuan was transferred cleanly and efficiently.

As he stepped out of the hospital, the night breeze made Zhao Jianguo feel more clear-headed than ever before.

Having witnessed enough of the backstabbing and intrigue within the government compound, he found Li Gan, a rough and tough man who was willing to risk his life for his family, to be more reliable.

Power, connections, and loyal subordinates.

The team is starting to take shape. Now, let's see how big a fish will be caught in the waters of Linshui County by tomorrow's false positive report from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The next day, as soon as I started work, the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection called right on time, as if it were a clock.

Zhao Jianguo was already prepared and entered the third interview room of the county discipline inspection commission with ease. It was the same man and woman from yesterday, but this time, they didn't let him sit down. Instead, they threw a stack of test reports on the table in front of him.

"Zhao Jianguo, take a look for yourself!" The male disciplinary committee member's tone turned stern, even carrying a hint of annoyance at being fooled: "HIV antibody positive! Treponema pallidum-specific antibody positive! Double positive!"

Zhao Jianguo picked up the form, glanced at it pretending to look at it, then looked up with an incredulous expression, his voice trembling: "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

"The facts are right here in black and white; are you trying to deny it?!"

"Sir, I'm not denying it!" Zhao Jianguo's face flushed red with excitement, his hands gripping the table. "You asked yesterday yourself, this disease is transmitted through cohabitation. But since I'm positive for both, why did Secretary Zhou test completely negative? Does the virus in my body have eyes and selectively infect people?!"

He stared intently into the eyes of the two disciplinary committee members, and following Zhou Qingyan's instructions over the phone yesterday, he dropped the bombshell, word by word: "I strongly demand a re-examination! Investigate at the city level, investigate at the provincial level! Get blood drawn from three or five of the most authoritative tertiary hospitals simultaneously! There's definitely something fishy going on here! Someone is definitely trying to frame me and smear Secretary Zhou!"

The two disciplinary committee members were rendered speechless by his logic.