Me! A high-ranking official!

In the rearview mirror, Zhou Qingyan gave him a deep look. How could someone as shrewd as her not understand the meaning behind his words? She knew very well what kind of people were in the Bureau of Culture and Tourism, and she knew even better how much Zhang Baocheng was capable of. Zhao Jianguo didn't complain, but instead pushed the credit forward. This watertight smoothness made her look at the subordinate driving in front of her with higher regard.

"The idea has some feasibility, at least it's attractive to me." Zhou Qingyan's tone softened a bit, but then she changed the subject, stabbing at the sore spot like an awl: "But the plan is too thin, it lacks substance. How will the fire safety be approved? How will the NPCs' labor be paid? More importantly, although this investment is just a trial, once it becomes popular, surrounding counties and cities will definitely follow suit like weeds. Without a moat and follow-up upgrade plans, this is at best a quick-money project, and it won't play a stabilizing role for the county's overall cultural tourism."

He secretly sighed in admiration. When Zhang Baocheng saw the project, he was thinking about how to cut a slice of the government funding into his own pocket, while Zhou Qingyan was thinking about how to prevent plagiarism and how to make the most of the project. That's what vision is all about.

He perked up and no longer held back, revealing his core strategy in a deep voice: "Secretary, regarding labor services, my idea is not to pay fixed wages. The villagers will be fixed NPCs, attracting traffic. Their income from selling things at stalls will be considered labor services. The mobile NPCs will be responsible for creating an atmosphere. All consumption will be settled with copper coins and silver notes. We won't do the same old martial arts city with its monotonous swordplay and fighting. We'll do something more down-to-earth, like storytelling at tea stalls, monkey shows on the street, or even an ancient-style gambling den. The silver notes that tourists tip will be split 50/50, with half going to the NPCs as commission and the other half going to us as operating expenses."

"As for the follow-up..." Zhao Jianguo paused, "Once the trial is successful, we will immediately use Xiaozhai Village as a template, incorporate several surrounding villages to build a city, and create an immersive experience of a large-scale siege murder mystery game, county government case-solving, and chivalrous seal theft. This is an upgraded version. If others want to copy it, they won't even be able to gather the venue and script in a short time."

The back row was quiet for a full minute before Zhou Qingyan slowly nodded.

"Was that booklet about the Classic of Mountains and Seas science zoo also your idea?" She suddenly changed the subject.

He nodded: "It was a chance inspiration. That abandoned martial arts city was just a rotten asset, so why not put it in the shell of the Classic of Mountains and Seas to popularize science, revitalize the idle asset, and catch up with the trend of Chinese culture?"

"The idea is good, but the timing isn't ideal." Zhou Qingyan's tone was slightly somber. "The city has already expressed interest and is preparing to allocate the quota for this 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' project to Yong'an County. Yong'an County is keeping a close eye on it and is determined to get it."

"However..." Zhou Qingyan sneered, revealing a ruthless determination to not be outdone: "I already spoke with Director Yue of the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism yesterday. As long as the official document from the city hasn't been stamped and issued, there's still room for maneuver. We can intervene and thwart their plans!"

Zhou Qingyan stared at Zhao Jianguo in the rearview mirror: "Don't do anything today. Just write up the report on the Shan Hai Jing Zoo. Make it detailed and thorough. Tomorrow I'm going to the city for a safety accident review meeting. I'll also visit Director Yue on the way and ask him to sound out his opinion."

He felt his blood boil. Such a big thing had happened; he would definitely be scolded severely when he went to the city to give a self-criticism tomorrow. Yet Zhou Qingyan was still thinking of taking the opportunity to run projects in other government departments! This woman is a crazy woman who does big things!

"Understood, I'll definitely hand in the paper today!" He nodded emphatically.

Before we knew it, the car had reached the national highway entrance on the edge of the county town. Ahead was the toll station, and after the toll station, we would be in a familiar neighborhood.

He very politely pulled the car over to the side of the road, removed the keys, and turned around apologetically, smiling, "Secretary Zhou, a fellow villager of mine has taken on a small construction project nearby and asked me to go and take a look. I can get off here; I won't go back to the compound with you."

Zhou Qingyan didn't say anything, but gave him a deep look, got out of the car, walked around to the driver's seat and got in. He stepped on the gas, the car kicked up a cloud of dust, and sped toward the county committee compound.

Watching the car disappear into the distance, he breathed a sigh of relief. His boss's private car, especially the private car of a female boss who had just experienced a miscarriage and was about to face a major accident, was being driven into the county town by a male subordinate like him in broad daylight. He was asking for trouble.

He smoked a cigarette by the roadside, then hailed a motorcycle taxi back to the budget hotel.

Upon entering the room, he didn't even bother to drink some water before immediately opening his laptop.

The keyboard clattered loudly, and the cigarette butts in the ashtray quickly piled up into a small hill. This idea had been repeatedly shaped in his mind, making writing it down feel like an extension of his own arm.

From revitalizing obsolete assets and elevating their scientific significance to comparing the mythical beasts in the Classic of Mountains and Seas with real animals on a tour route, the entire piece spans five thousand words.

Two and a half hours later, I typed the last period, converted the document to PDF, and sent it to Zhou Qingyan via WeChat.

A dozen minutes later, my phone vibrated, displaying only two very brief words: "Received."

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the dim light of the computer screen, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Zhang Baocheng, do you think that just because I've been kicked out of the Xiaozhai Village project, I'll be stuck on the sidelines eating dust?"

I'll skip you and go straight to the city to snatch meat from the county head!

Once the holiday was over, the fatigue from the May Day holiday adjustment spread like mold throughout the government compound.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Zhao Jianguo walked into the office building of the Culture and Tourism Bureau on time. Along the way, the air was filled with a sour smell of medicated oil and strong tea left overnight. Almost every department door was open, and the people inside had dark circles under their eyes and were typing weakly on their keyboards.

At the corner of the corridor, I bumped into Xu Ling, the director of the planning department.

Xu Ling usually pays great attention to skincare, but today her eye bags were almost drooping down to her cheekbones, and even her foundation couldn't cover her sallow complexion.

"Oh, Director Xu, you went on a long trip during the holiday? You look more tired than when you were working!" He stopped and asked, feigning surprise.

Xu Ling lifted her eyelids and glanced at him, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips: "Go out my ass! For the past five days, I've been stuck in the office until past 10 p.m. every night, working non-stop. My bones are about to fall apart." She paused, a complex envy flashing in her eyes: "Director Zhao, you're so carefree. These past few days, the bureau has been in complete chaos, but you haven't even gotten a ripple. I'm so envious of you."