Everything was fine today. How much could go wrong tomorrow?
Dong Xuebing found himself doubting his judgment. He wasn’t entirely sure about his gut feeling, but the possibility was significant. Even if everyone planned to start moving tomorrow, it would still be a gradual process. Dong Xuebing and a few key leaders would remain in the old office for the first few days. With so many items to relocate and the complexity of the task, it wasn’t feasible to complete everything in a single day. Since Dong Xuebing would still be working from the old building for the next day or two, receiving newspapers shouldn’t be interrupted. So why did he try three times and still find nothing in the drawer?
Dong Xuebing tried to stay optimistic, hoping that perhaps Su Yan was sick and didn’t bring the newspaper, and no one else delivered it either, leading to a one-day gap. But Dong Xuebing wasn’t exactly an optimistic person. A male official, especially at his level, rarely harbors a cheerful outlook because they’ve seen too much, know too many dark truths, and have faced countless unexpected crises. Dong Xuebing was no exception. At that moment, uncertainty was gnawing at him, making him anxious. It’s the uncertainty that is the most tormenting.
What exactly is happening?
Dong Xuebing felt increasingly uneasy. He was never someone who could sit idly by or hide his concerns, so he decided to try one more time.
If there’s no newspaper for tomorrow, let’s check the day after tomorrow.
Acting immediately, Dong Xuebing reached for the drawer.
He didn’t have much time left, truly very little. So this time, Dong Xuebing went all in, as he couldn’t afford to waste more time.
A sudden "ding" sound startled Dong Xuebing when the time manipulation took effect. It caught him off guard because he was highly focused. In the next instant, he noticed that the drawer handle was damaged—the screws were loose, and it was barely hanging on, as if someone had yanked on it forcefully. This made Dong Xuebing’s expression tense. The only person who could be sitting at this desk was himself, meaning he was the one who damaged the handle.
Why did I yank on the drawer so hard? Did I get angry?
Dong Xuebing didn’t know. He took a deep breath and slowly pulled open the drawer.
Finally, there was something inside—three newspapers. He took them out and looked. One was the evening newspaper for the neighboring county for tomorrow, and the other two were the morning and evening newspapers for the day after tomorrow.
There was no newspaper for tomorrow morning.
These were delivered the day after tomorrow.
Dong Xuebing quickly picked one up to check. One glance made him gasp in shock, and he shot up from his chair.
Something did happen—and it’s a huge disaster.
Dong Xuebing's face turned pale instantly. He had feared this might happen, and now, unbelievably, his gut feeling had been proven right.
There was no need to flip through the newspapers; the front-page headlines of each one carried the same story.
Early tomorrow morning, someone either reported or exposed the story online. Almost every major domestic news portal would have a massive exposé on Baohong City—or perhaps Baohong Province. The report listed several counties under Baohong City’s administration, exposing the opulent government complexes and officials’ residential quarters. There was one county with a twenty-to-thirty-story county committee office building, another with villa-style houses overlooking lakes and mountains, and then their own Jiao County’s newly-built, palace-like county committee complex. The whistleblower had posted it all online, questioning whether Baohong City had lost all sense, as each county’s buildings rivaled those of central government departments and some billion-yuan state-owned enterprises. Even the provincial committee headquarters wasn’t as luxurious. ℞𝒶ℕỐ₿Ěș
Once the exposé was posted, it was shared rapidly, spreading like wildfire.
Within an hour, it was everywhere—on major websites and news outlets. It sparked heated debates and accusations, with the public decrying them for wasting taxpayer money and calling them corrupt officials. The impact was huge. In today’s world, public opinion is powerful, and no one can ignore it. The provincial government immediately ordered a special investigation team to conduct a rapid inquiry. Before the counties in Baohong City could respond, the team had already arrived.
They were auditing accounts.
Inspecting unauthorized construction.
Investigating officials involved.
Almost all of Baohong City was caught in the turmoil, and Jiao County was one of the worst affected. Since Dong Xuebing, the current county committee secretary, had tense relationships with city and provincial officials, they were too eager to target him. So, Jiao County ended up bearing the brunt of the storm.
Many officials were implicated in the fallout.
Dong Xuebing even saw the news in the newspaper that he had been suspended and placed under investigation.
This was nothing short of a massive political earthquake for Jiao County.
Granted, Dong Xuebing was new to the position, and the new county committee complex wasn’t approved under his watch. But things weren’t that simple. When the plan for the new county committee complex was first discussed, County Mayor Zhang Dongfang opposed it, significantly reducing his responsibility. The county committee had taken charge of the project. After Dong Xuebing succeeded Li Gui’an as county committee secretary, the project fell under his purview with the relocation order he gave. So, even if Dong Xuebing hadn’t misappropriated funds, as the head of the county committee, he couldn’t completely escape responsibility.
Dong Xuebing’s face went pale at this moment, and he suddenly understood many things.
Now he realized why, in that distant future newspaper he’d seen, Zhang Dongfang was listed as the county committee secretary and then promoted to city committee secretary due to urban development rather than Li Gui’an.
Because Li Gui’an had been implicated.
Implicated in this matter.
That’s how Zhang Dongfang took over as county committee secretary of Jiao County.
Dong Xuebing’s face darkened. Was he about to follow in Li Gui’an’s footsteps and be dragged down in this crisis, too?