Me! A high-ranking official!

However, he quickly calmed down. Zhou Qingyan was forced into this situation. If word got out that she was pregnant out of wedlock and had an abortion, her political future as the newly appointed county party secretary would be ruined. Even if it was a medical abortion, she needed someone to take care of her, pay the fees, and get the medication. She couldn't trust anyone else. Only he, the father of the child, who was in the same boat as her, was the safest way to ensure a safe and secure environment.

He sighed, tossed his phone onto the bed. To say he felt sorry for the child would be a lie. He felt nothing at all about an embryo that shouldn't have existed in the first place, one that was only a little over half a month old.

But since he had been assigned this task, he had to do it flawlessly. He picked up his phone again, opened a webpage, and started searching for "how many days of pregnancy is the safest for medical abortion", "precautions after medical abortion", and "what necessities need to be prepared".

Medically, the number of days of pregnancy is calculated from the last menstrual period. He calculated that Zhou Qingyan chose Wednesday, the last day of the holiday, to go. The embryo would be about 35 days old and there would be a gestational sac, which would be the best window for medical abortion. Moreover, going during the holiday would allow him to avoid the familiar eyes and ears in the county.

During the next two days of holiday, Zhao Jianguo experienced what it meant to be "completely marginalized".

The Xiaozhai Village project is in a rush, and I heard that the thresholds of several departments in the bureau are almost worn down. People from the Industrial Investment Group have also come twice, but no one has come to see Zhao Jianguo. The so-called summary materials arranged by Zhang Baocheng have not been delivered to him, not even a single piece of paper.

Since people are treating him like a thief, he's happy to have some peace and quiet. These past two days, he's devoted all his energy to decorating his new house, watching his fellow villagers demolish walls and plaster the walls.

On Tuesday evening, he sat on the curb smoking and called Guo Nanguo: "Director Guo, I'm really sorry, but there's an urgent matter at home, and I'd like to ask for two days off."

According to the bureau's rules, for leave of two days or less, the deputy director in charge only needs to give his approval; there's no need to bother Zhang Baocheng.

On the other end of the phone, Guo Nanguo was probably watching TV; the background noise was quite loud. Without even asking a question, he readily replied, "Okay, family matters are more important. Don't get involved in those messy things at the bureau these days. Out of sight, out of mind. Go ahead and divorce me. Granted........................................................................."

Eight o'clock in the morning, in the outpatient hall of Huai'an County People's Hospital in the neighboring province.

A strong smell of soda water and disinfectant hit him right in the head. He squatted by the door and smoked half a cigarette when he saw Zhou Qingyan coming over in flat shoes. Today she was wearing an inconspicuous gray trench coat, a baseball cap on her head, and a black mask covering her face, walking briskly.

He had just stood up and waved when Zhou Qingyan's exposed eyes swept over him as if they were poisoned, filled with disgust and defensiveness. She didn't even stop walking, simply ignoring him and heading straight for the gynecology clinic.

He touched his nose, said nothing, and followed behind like a lackey.

After registering and consulting with the doctor, who gave them an ultrasound order, Zhou Qingyan went into the ultrasound department. Zhao Jianguo instinctively wanted to follow her in, since he was, after all, also one of the parties involved in the accident.

"Get out!" Zhou Qingyan turned around abruptly and uttered the two words through her mask.

He didn't utter a sound, obediently retreated to the corridor, and watched the white wooden door close shut.

A dozen minutes later, Zhou Qingyan came out holding the form, walked back without saying a word, and then asked after taking a few quick steps:

"What did the doctor say?" Zhou Qingyan completely ignored him.

Back in the clinic, the doctor glanced at the report: "The gestational sac is there, the size is right, and it's quite healthy. You're sure you don't want it, right? Then let me prescribe the medication. You'll need to take it for two days for a medical abortion, once today and once tomorrow..."

"Is there a faster way?" Zhou Qingyan's brows furrowed instantly.

The doctor looked up at her and said, "The fastest way is a D&C, but I have to warn you that a D&C is very damaging to the uterine lining and recovery is slow. However, medical abortion has a risk: if the abortion is not complete, you will have to go through a second D&C. A D&C is a clean and quick procedure."

"Then let's cleanse the palace!" Zhou Qingyan said decisively without even a second's hesitation.

"Do it today, the sooner the better..."

The doctor, used to this kind of thing, didn't waste any words and directly wrote out a prescription for blood tests.

After all that fuss, running around paying fees and getting forms, he finally stood in the corridor and watched Zhou Qingyan change into a blue sterile gown and walk into the door with the sign for the abortion room.

The door slammed shut, the red light came on, and he plopped down on a plastic bench in the corridor. A bittersweet feeling welled up inside him. He knew this child absolutely couldn't be kept; it was barely thirty days old, not even fully formed. But when it came to actually taking it, was it a human life, or his offspring...?

As he sat there shivering, a sudden, rapid vibration came from the handbag next to him. Zhao Jianguo picked up the bag, took out Zhou Qingyan's phone, and saw two words flashing on the screen: Lü Da.

Lu Da, Director of the Public Security Bureau and Deputy County Head.

He didn't answer. A dozen seconds later, the ringing stopped, but then, less than two seconds later, the ringing started again, and it was Lü Da again!

His expression changed. There are rules within the system, especially for deputy county-level cadres. Unless it's something catastrophic, there would be no way they would make such a series of urgent calls. Normally, a single ring on the phone for the top leader means a report, but two rings mean a death is being reported!

He didn't dare delay. Grabbing his phone, he rushed to the door of the abortion room, knocked a crack, and shouted inside, "Lu Da called you twice, without stopping for a second. Shouldn't you answer it first..................................................................."

A moment later, the nurse inside came over with a frown, and he quickly handed her his phone.

A dozen seconds later, Zhou Qingyan's shocked and angry voice suddenly came from behind the curtain:

"What did you say........................................................................."

The sound was so loud it sent chills down your spine even through the door, followed by the rustling of clothes being put on. Zhou Qingyan spoke extremely quickly:

"Doctor, I'm so sorry, I absolutely can't do it today! I'll come back another time..."

Just two minutes later, the door was flung open, and Zhou Qingyan, her face ashen, rushed out without even bothering to put on a mask.

"What happened in the county?" He quickly caught up and asked in a low voice.

As Zhou Qingyan walked quickly outside, she gritted her teeth and said:

"A major safety accident has occurred at the Songlinyuan residential complex developed by Linhai Construction Group! A dump truck lost control and crashed into a newly poured load-bearing wall, causing the building to collapse. Two people were killed instantly, and two more are still buried inside..."

Upon hearing this news, he gasped in shock.

More than three deaths constitute a major safety incident! It's a certainty that it will alarm the city and even the province, and the entire county will be held accountable! No wonder Zhou Qingyan didn't even have an abortion; if she had a D&C, she would be too weak to even stand, how could she go back to take charge? If the top leader isn't present at this time, it's a political incident!

The two jogged out of the outpatient building and headed straight for the parking lot.

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