The New County Government Building.
Well, maybe it’s not appropriate to call it that anymore.
On this flat piece of land, now somewhat resembling a ruin, two members of the provincial investigation team were busy taking pictures with their cameras, clicking away silently. They weren’t saying much, just going through the motions, as they were unsure how to handle this situation. Even the team leader, Cheng Wei, might not have had a clear plan yet. They’d follow standard procedure, report the findings to their superiors, and wait for further instructions. This unexpected twist threw off their original expectations—previously, with clear evidence, they could have easily controlled some of the key leaders in Jiaolin County and launched a detailed investigation. However, an unexpected element now is complicated matters, necessitating consultation with higher-ups.
After gathering all the on-site evidence, Dong Xuebing approached.
"Director Cheng, is there anything else you need to investigate?" he asked.
Cheng Wei glanced at him. "Even though the building is demolished, we still need to verify the financial details. Please cooperate with us."
Given Dong Xuebing’s stance, Cheng Wei didn’t expect him to join the inspection or anticipate full cooperation. "No problem; we’ll get to the bottom of this."
Dong Xuebing turned to Meng Hanmei, "Director Meng, please take the provincial colleagues to the records."
"Sure," Meng Hanmei responded without hesitation. She gathered a few staff members and led the way to the car.
Cheng Wei and the provincial investigation team followed in their vehicles to investigate the financial details of the new county office building. Although they maintained a stance of "investigating thoroughly and showing no leniency," the leaders of Jiaolin County could sense a shift—the investigatory team’s attitude was no longer as aggressive as when they first arrived. Seeing the demolished site had visibly softened their demeanor. They likely realized that it wouldn’t be easy to severely penalize the county officials under these circumstances even with further digging.
The investigators left, and the Jiaolin County leaders gathered together.
Deputy Secretary Wei Zhixuan let out a deep sigh of relief—he had been quite tense moments before.
Chang Lin chuckled, giving Dong Xuebing a thumbs-up. "Secretary, that was a brilliant move. You shut them up completely."
Zhang Dongfang’s attitude had softened considerably as well. After all, Dong Xuebing hadn’t backstabbed him earlier; instead, he helped cover for everyone. Naturally, Zhang Dongfang couldn’t afford to give him the cold shoulder now. "Did you know this was going to happen beforehand?"
Dong Xuebing waved it off. "I don’t have eyes in the back of my head. How could I have known in advance?"
Zhang Dongfang wasn’t entirely convinced, nor were the others. But it made sense when they thought about it—Dong Xuebing wasn’t a fortune-teller. How could he have predicted what would happen the next day and preemptively make such a decision? Yet, despite this explanation, it still didn’t fully convince them. The timing of everything was just too coincidental. How could something happen so perfectly? It didn’t seem logical at all!
Dong Xuebing, naturally, wasn’t going to tell them the whole truth. He looked around at the group and said, “I genuinely felt that this new county office building was inappropriate, bound to cause issues sooner or later. I know everyone's stance on this. It definitely wouldn't have passed if I had brought it up in a party committee meeting. So, I approached the Director of the Urban Management Bureau, Huo Yibang, and asked him to call some enforcement officers to demolish it immediately. You could say I acted on my initiative. I did it for the good of our county. I ask for your understanding if there were any shortcomings or inappropriate actions.”
At this moment, Dong Xuebing adopted a humble and courteous tone, quite different from his earlier assertiveness. This is Dong Xuebing’s approach and style—knowing when to be tough and humble. When others thought he was wrong, he stood firm; now that his actions were proven right, he showed humility, increasing his authority. There was no need to press his advantage and make things difficult because they would all continue working together in the future.
Sun Changzhi quickly responded, "Secretary, you're being too modest. Your decision was entirely correct."
Discipline Inspection Secretary Wang Bin, still shaken, added, "Phew, it's a good thing you had it demolished. Otherwise, it would’ve caused a lot of trouble. Judging by the province’s attitude, they wouldn't have let up without finding something. It could've escalated into a big issue if the building were still standing, and we might have faced a major shakeup." ṛ𝒶ΝŐꞖĘŠ
The group nodded in agreement.
Even the people aligned with Dong Xuebing didn’t mind that he hadn’t given them a heads-up because they knew they would have opposed it anyway. Even Zhang Dongfang and his faction had to admit this time that Dong Xuebing's decision was spot on—the demolition came at just the right moment. Otherwise, Jiaolin County would have been put in a passive and precarious position facing the provincial investigation team. From top to bottom, there could have been issues exposed. What seemed to be a reckless decision by Dong Xuebing ended up saving everyone!
Some sighed with relief, while others wiped sweat from their brows. Although they didn't know how the provincial investigation team would proceed, it was clear that Jiaolin County had narrowly avoided a major crisis for now. Any future problems would depend on the province's attitude and the investigation team's findings, which remained uncertain.
Meanwhile, in the car, heading to the city center.
The investigation team wasn’t riding with Meng Hanmei and her staff, making it easier for them to talk freely.
"Director Cheng, how should we proceed with the investigation now? What angle should we take?" a female cadre asked.
Dong Xuebing’s actions had placed a dilemma squarely on the investigation team. If they had continued investigating, the county would have already demolished the new office building proactively, showing a strong attitude toward acknowledging and reflecting on their mistake. And it wasn’t done under external pressure but rather as a voluntary decision. As the new county party secretary, Dong Xuebing overturned a decision made by his predecessor, which was a standard move, leaving little room for criticism. How could they continue to dig? But if they didn’t investigate, they wouldn’t be able to report back either—someone had to be held accountable for this incident.
Cheng Wei pondered for a long time before finally consulting his superiors.
"Hello, Leader," he said respectfully once the call connected.
The voice on the other end gave a slight acknowledgment, "Have you clarified everything?"
Cheng Wei smiled wryly, "No, it’s a bit unexpected. Jiaolin County preemptively demolished the new county office building. We went to check, and it was already a flat piece of land, with only some rubble left. I had the experts sent by the province review it, and they said that to tear down the building to this extent, work must have started at least last night. In other words, Jiaolin County issued the demolition order well before the provincial news and online reports surfaced..."
"Is that so?" The leader's tone was heavy.
"Yes," Cheng Wei sighed. "So now we’re not sure about the direction of the investigation, and I wanted to consult with you on how to proceed..."
The leader asked, "Who ordered the demolition of the building?"
"It was Dong Xuebing," Cheng Wei replied. "And it's clear that it was his decision alone. It seems the rest of the county was unaware."
"Dong Xuebing..." With a hint of admiration, the leader said, "This guy really does have some skills."
Cheng Wei understood the implication—that the investigation was likely aimed at Dong Xuebing this time. Still, he hadn't handled it properly and was worried about being blamed by his superiors.
However, it seemed the leader wasn’t upset with him. If they had genuinely understood Dong Xuebing, they would have known he was never easy to deal with. A director of the provincial disciplinary committee's second office wasn’t enough to match him. Let alone Cheng Wei even if the leader had personally arranged the investigation, they likely wouldn’t have been able to take action against Dong Xuebing. It wasn’t a matter of rank or political experience, but because... Dong Xuebing was too unpredictable. He always managed to do something unexpected to resolve any crisis he faced. His way of handling crises was something no one could foresee. This precisely made Dong Xuebing difficult for many leaders and political rivals to handle. He was just too tricky.
"Alright," the leader mused for a moment. "Just gather some information and then wrap it up. As long as you can give the public a proper explanation."
A "proper explanation"?
Meaning find someone to take the fall?
Shouldn't the person taking the fall be too high-ranking? Just enough to alleviate the situation?
"So, are we not handling Jiaolin County anymore?" Cheng Wei asked.
The leader responded, "No need. Just send the details to the other investigation teams."
Cheng Wei understood, "Rest assured, we will complete the task as promised." He knew the investigation couldn’t go much further here. At best, they could find something minor to explain away and move the responsibility onto lower-level leadership. However, the higher county leadership would likely be untouched. This investigation was essentially over.
Meanwhile, Dong Xuebing received a call from Fang Wenping.
Fang Wenping immediately asked, "You demolished the new county office building yesterday? How did you know?"
Dong Xuebing chuckled, "I just thought that building was too extravagant and luxurious, so I demolished it. Heh, you know how I am. When I want to do something, I do it." Since they had become closer, Dong Xuebing had become more casual with her.
Fang Wenping, unsure whether to believe him, replied coldly, "This decision of yours saved you. You should count yourself lucky. Otherwise, this matter wouldn’t have been so easily settled."
Dong Xuebing raised an eyebrow and is waiting for this response: "So, what you’re saying is that it’s already resolved?"
"I've received word that the investigation team will likely withdraw from Jiaolin County this afternoon. That’s it," Fang Wenping said and abruptly ended the call without warning.
Hearing this, Dong Xuebing couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief!