Me! A high-ranking official!

Zhao Jianguo thought this news would strike like a thunderbolt into the hearts of traditional parents, since divorce is a very shameful thing in rural areas, especially since the woman's family used to be high-ranking officials in the county.

However, there was no shock or scolding as expected.

Zhao Dayong's hand holding the cigarette suddenly paused, and the ash fell onto his shoes in a flurry. Wang Xiulan seemed to have all her strength drained away, and her body slumped slightly.

After a long while.

Zhao Dayong tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe and let out a long, even somewhat relieved sigh.

"Sigh..." The old man squatted on the stone roller by the roadside, his voice a little hoarse: "Actually... there have been some rumors circulating in the village for a while now, saying that your mother-in-law was arrested, and that your family has done something shameful... Others spread them as a joke, but when your mother and I hear them, it feels like being stabbed with a knife."

Wang Xiulan stepped forward, grabbed her son's hand, and tears streamed down her face. "Jianguo, Mom isn't stupid. Last time you called, I could tell you weren't feeling well. But your father said that working at the county government isn't easy for you; you're always walking on thin ice. If we keep asking you questions, we'll only add to your stress and pressure!"

His mother's rough hands rubbed the back of his hand, her voice filled with heartbreaking tenderness: "Divorce is divorce! That family is arrogant and has never treated you like a human being! You are a college student whom our Zhao family has supported with our clean conscience. Since they don't care about us, we won't serve them anymore! Now that we have the ability and the money, we'll live our own lives properly!"

Looking at his parents' gray hair and their eyes full of tolerance and love, Zhao Jianguo's heart, hardened like iron by his experience in officialdom, was completely melted at this moment.

In this dog-eat-dog world of power, where the strong prey on the weak and devour people without spitting out the bones, Cao Wenting is scheming against him, Zhang Baocheng is using him, Du Yu is intimidating him, and even Zhou Qingyan is engaging in cold-blooded exchanges of interests with him.

Only this elderly couple, who had never left the Loess Plateau their entire lives, would carefully swallow all the gossip and rumors, just so as not to add the slightest pressure to him.

Zhao Jianguo gripped his mother's hand tightly, his eyes slightly red: "Dad, Mom, don't worry, the past is over. From now on, no one will ever be able to ride roughshod over me again!"

The summer evening breeze finally dispelled some of the daytime heat.

Zhao Jianguo was strolling with his parents through the streets of the old town when he pointed to a brightly lit department store ahead and said, "Dad, Mom, that's the biggest department store in our county. It's changing seasons, so I'll take you in to pick out some nice clothes..."

Before he could finish speaking, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

He took it out and saw the words "Deputy Director Guo Nanguo" flashing on the screen.

He raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. Guo Nanguo was usually a good-natured person who believed in "it's better to do less trouble than more trouble." Although he was in charge of industry and tourism, he rarely called his subordinates to assign tasks at this time, especially on a night right after a holiday. Moreover, yesterday, Guo Nanguo had stood up for him against the pressure in front of Director Zhang Baocheng, and he remembered that act of loyalty.

This phone call must be urgent.

He walked to the side and answered, "Director Guo."

"Jianguo, where are you?" Guo Nanguo's deep voice came through, tinged with seriousness: "Is it convenient for you to come to the bureau now? Come to my office."

"It's convenient, I'll be right there," he replied readily.

After hanging up the phone, he walked back to his parents and smiled apologetically: "Dad, Mom, there's an urgent matter at the bureau, and my boss wants me to go back and work overtime. I'm afraid I won't be able to buy the clothes today."

"Oh dear, this is a matter of utmost importance, you go quickly! Don't worry about us!" Zhao Dayong urged anxiously as soon as he heard that it was a leader looking for him.

Wang Xiulan nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right. We can wear these clothes for several more years. You go and get busy, don't keep the leaders waiting."

He felt a warmth in his heart, took out his phone, and transferred 10,000 yuan directly to Zhao Dayong's WeChat: "Dad, take this money. I've booked rooms for you at the Yuepeng Hotel up ahead. You can walk around some more. If you get tired, go back to the hotel to rest. Don't skimp on anything you want to eat or buy. I'll come find you when I'm done with my work."

After settling the elderly couple in, he grabbed a shared bicycle on the roadside and headed straight for the old county committee compound.

The Cultural and Tourism Bureau office building was dark at night, except for the window of the deputy director's office on the third floor, which was still lit.

He hurried upstairs and knocked on the door.

Guo Nanguo was wearing reading glasses, his brow furrowed as he stared at a document on the table. Seeing him enter, he took off his glasses, rubbed his nose, and forced a smile: "Jianguo's here. Come, have a seat."

He pulled out a chair and sat down, leaning forward slightly. "Director Guo, what happened that you called me over so late?"

Guo Nanguo didn't speak, but pushed the document on the table in front of him and pointed to it: "Take a look at this first."

He looked down and his pupils suddenly contracted.

This document was the very one he had worked on all night, which Zhang Baocheng had dismissed as worthless: "A Plan for Breaking the Homogenization of the Cultural Tourism Industry in Linshui County and a Pre-May Day Report"! However, now this document had rows of red and blue comments from leaders, especially the strong and powerful penmanship at the top, which was clearly the handwriting of Zhou Qingyan, the county party secretary!

He looked up at Guo Nanguo in surprise.

Guo Nanguo picked up his teacup, took a sip of strong tea, and gave a wry smile: "This afternoon, the county held an expanded executive meeting, which Director Zhang and I both attended. County Chief Han personally selected key personnel at the meeting, saying that Linshui County must compete for the city's wildlife park relocation project! Moreover, he explicitly stated that we should use the model of the Shan Hai Jing Zoo to win the city's favor!"

Guo Nanguo paused, staring intently at him: "The county requires that our Culture and Tourism Bureau take the lead, with all other bureaus and commissions fully cooperating, to ensure that this project is secured. This document is a copy that I retrieved from the County Party Committee Office after the meeting this afternoon."

Upon hearing this, he understood everything.

Zhou Qingyan acted swiftly! Not only did she introduce this concept at the meeting, but she also successfully persuaded Han Baomin to turn it into a political task for the entire county!

"But..." Guo Nanguo sighed and pointed to the document: "Director Zhang Baocheng abandoned his post on the way back. He believed that the planning for Xiaohuashan in Yong'an County had already been completed, and the city leaders also preferred Yong'an. It was wishful thinking for our county to compete with them with an unfinished martial arts city. It was impossible to succeed. Therefore, he pushed the specific implementation of this Shan Hai Jing Zoo to me on the grounds that the bureau had other overall coordination work."

Shifting the blame!

He sneered inwardly. Zhang Baocheng, that old fox, seeing that there was no hope of taking credit and that he was going to take risks, ran away faster than a rabbit.

Guo Nanguo looked at him, his eyes revealing a keen insight: "Jianguo, let's not beat around the bush. Although Director Zhang handed over the Xiaozhai Village project to Li Dafang, I know perfectly well that both the 'Borderless Ancient Style Experience' and the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas Zoo' concept were absolutely your work. Old Xie's pen couldn't have written such a menacing article."

"Since this heavy responsibility has fallen on my shoulders..." Guo Nanguo placed his hands on the table, "I have no choice but to call you over. You proposed this plan, so you must have some ideas in mind. Tell me, how exactly do you plan to implement it?"