Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

The sewage was murky and turbid, mixed with plastic bags, rotten vegetable leaves, and even some unidentifiable excrement, flowing freely on the busiest street in Jingzhou.

Li Dakang shuffled forward, his steps uneven.

The expensive leather shoes were already filled with mud, and each step made a strange "gurgling" sound, as if mocking someone.

"Secretary, the water is too deep. It looks like a manhole cover has been washed away. Let's take another route."

Secretary Xiao Jin tugged at Li Dakang's arm from behind, her voice trembling with tears.

He was soaked to the bone, his glasses were fogged up, and the broken rib of his umbrella was awkwardly propped up in his hand.

"Change routes? Which route?"

Li Dakang flung Xiao Jin's hand away and pointed to the vast expanse of water all around.

"The entire Bright District is in this state, where is there any way out? If you're afraid of dying, then go back!"

Xiao Jin didn't dare to say a word and could only grit his teeth and follow.

The shops on both sides of the street were damaged.

The floodwaters poured into the store, soaking and ruining the goods.

Several shop owners were frantically splashing water out of plastic buckets and basins, cursing under their breath.

"What a terrible drainage system! They're building roads and digging ditches every year; all the money's going to waste!"

A middle-aged, overweight man who ran a tobacco shop watched as a newly arrived case of Moutai floated in the water, his eyes turning red.

He looked up and saw a group of people wading through the water.

Although Li Dakang was in a sorry state, his soaked white shirt and the air of someone who had long held a high position still made him stand out in the crowd.

The fat man paused for a moment, wiped the rain off his face, and suddenly shouted.

"That's Li Dakang! The municipal party secretary!"

That shout drew everyone's attention.

Li Dakang paused in his steps.

Normally, he would stop and say a few words earnestly, or even work on the spot.

But right now, all he wants is to get out of here as soon as possible.

"What are you looking at! How dare an official like you show your face!"

The fat man grew angrier the more he thought about it; that box of Moutai made his heart bleed.

He happened to be scooping up a full bucket of black water mixed with silt, which he was originally going to pour onto the street, but in a moment of impulsiveness, his wrist jerked.

Whoosh!

The bucket of dirty water wasn't spilled on the street; most of it was poured onto Li Dakang.

"What are you doing!"

Xiao Jin screamed and tried to block in front of him, but it was too late.

That thick, foul-smelling black sludge was firmly stuck to Li Dakang's chest.

The white shirt instantly turned into a black rag.

Mud splattered all over Li Dakang's face and neck.

"That's assaulting a police officer...no, assaulting an official! That's the municipal party secretary!"

Several accompanying guards instinctively tried to rush forward and restrain the person.

The fat man regretted it after splashing the water; he stood there frozen, holding the bucket, his face ashen.

The surrounding crowd, however, objected.

"What? Are you going to hit me?"

"The local shops are all flooded, what's wrong with splashing some water?"

"If you're so capable, then drain the water properly! What are you doing, trying to act tough with the common people!"

The crowd began to stir, and the already angry affected merchants gathered around.

The atmosphere was extremely tense.

The guard's hand was already reaching for his waist.

"stop!"

Li Dakang wiped the mud off his face, his voice hoarse.

"Get out of my way!"

He stared at the trembling fat man, his chest heaving violently, a burning anger rising in his throat.

If they arrest people now, tomorrow's headlines won't be "City flooded by torrential rain," but rather "Party Secretary condones his subordinates beating disaster victims."

He can't afford to wear that hat.

"Walk!"

Li Dakang gritted his teeth, squeezed out a word through the gaps between his teeth, and without even wiping the mud off his clothes, turned and left.

That figure looked utterly disheveled.

After finally crossing this street, the core area of ​​the Guangmingfeng project—Future City Commercial Plaza—is just ahead.

This place was originally planned by Li Dakang as a new landmark in Jingzhou.

Now, however, it has become a huge reservoir.

The only highlight is the huge outdoor LED display screen in the center of the square.

Because this screen uses an independent backup line, it is still stubbornly working, shining brightly in the dim rainy weather.

The screen is broadcasting a special report from Jingzhou TV.

Li Dakang subconsciously raised his head.

The scene shifts from the devastated Guangming District to the Hexi District.

The once noisy square suddenly became quiet.

On the screen, there was no standing water, no broken-down cars, and no mud-covered pedestrians.

The main roads in Hexi District are dry and clean, and the asphalt surface even looks a bit shiny after being washed by the rain.

The camera zoomed in on a drain on the side of the road.

The immense suction created a visible vortex, and the rainwater, as if being pulled by something, surged wildly into the ground.

In the voice-over, the host's voice was unusually excited:

"Dear viewers, this is Hexi District. Thanks to the deep tunnel drainage system that was launched six months ago, Hexi District withstood the test of this once-in-a-century torrential rain!"

"Currently, there is no flooding in any part of Hexi District, traffic is running smoothly, and residents' lives have not been affected."

The scene changes again.

He Xia, wearing a simple blue raincoat and without an umbrella, was visiting elderly people living alone in an old residential area.

She had a gentle smile on her face and was carrying rice, flour, and oil in her hands.

In the background, several middle-aged women from the community are holding her hands, smiling broadly.

This scene is so ironic.

On one side is hell on earth, and on the other is a peaceful and idyllic life.

On one side was the municipal party secretary, looking utterly disheveled, and on the other side was the district party secretary, looking completely calm and collected.

"Oh my, look, isn't that Hexi District?"

The crowd around him pointed at the big screen as if they had discovered a new continent.

"Really? Our entire floor is flooded, but their ground is dry?"

"I heard it was that 'crazy district chief' who built some kind of underground utility tunnel. Back then, people criticized it for wasting money, but now it seems like it was saving lives!"

"The leaders of Hexi District are really capable. Here... hey, all we do is build buildings and fill in lakes."

The murmurs grew louder and louder, like slaps to Li Dakang's face.

He stood in the muddy, murky water, which was knee-deep and icy cold.

He looked up at the glamorous world on the screen.

He Xia's smile became particularly irritating to him.

That wasn't just a smile; it was Shen Zhong mocking him through He Xia's face.

A few months ago, he mocked Sun Liancheng as a good-for-nothing at a Standing Committee meeting, saying that he had dumped people on the Hexi District like garbage.

Now, this "useless" official has used a torrential rain to wash away Li Dakang's most prized political achievements, leaving not a trace.

That feeling of shame was even more unbearable than the dirty water that had just been splashed on me.

"Quick, take a picture and post it on WeChat Moments!"

"I've already thought of the title: No comparison, no harm!"

Several young people took out their phones and snapped photos of Li Dakang standing in the water, both on the screen and in front of him.

Li Dakang felt like a clown who had been stripped naked and was standing in the center of the stage being watched by everyone.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh, and a piercing pain shot through his palms.

Lost.

They were utterly humiliated.

He wanted to boost GDP, but he ended up creating a water curtain cave.

The public works projects he looked down upon became his lifeline.

"secretary……"

Xiao Jin leaned closer, her voice low and tinged with panic, "Over there... it seems like a reporter from the provincial newspaper is coming."

Li Dakang suddenly came to his senses.

If this photo were to appear in the newspaper—him looking up at He Xia from the mud—it would be a perfect image.

Then his political life became a complete joke.

"Call up."

Li Dakang stared at the large screen that was still playing a loop of footage of the Hexi District's prosperity, his eyes bloodshot, as if he wanted to devour someone.

"Call the publicity department!"

"Make them shut down this live stream! Immediately! Right now!"

"Tell the director of the broadcasting bureau that if I see this footage again, he can quit his job!"