The crowd has dispersed.
The once chaotic and noisy area near the main entrance suddenly became quiet, littered with empty bottles and cans. Some people drove home, while others retreated to the other side of the street to watch the commotion from afar. Feeling disappointed, a few people from other provinces and cities decided to walk west, hoping to catch a glimpse of the event stage later—at least they wouldn’t have come in vain.
The situation had settled down.
No one dared to push forward anymore.
Director Dong had finally released his grip, rolling up his sleeves to check his watch. It was ten minutes to six o’clock, just in time to head to the event venue.
“Are you okay?” Several park staff members quickly approached.
Director Dong replied, “I’m fine. Did they bring the locks? Go ahead and install them. Add a couple for extra security.”
“Okay, okay.” The park staff hurried to put up the locks. The locks had already been brought earlier, but the situation had been unstable and somewhat dangerous, so Director Dong hadn’t allowed anyone to install them. Now that the troublemakers had dispersed, they could secure the gate.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Two Jiaolin County officials spoke up.
Director Dong unscrewed the water bottle and gulped down a few sips, then screwed the cap back on. “You guys handle the cleanup here. I don’t think anyone will dare to rush in again.”
The officials nodded.
Director Dong said, “If there’s a problem, contact me.”
“You take care, you take care,” the two replied unison.
Director Dong nodded and then headed inside, adjusting his clothes as he walked and smoothing his collar and sleeves.
The remaining Jiaolin County staff immediately began the cleanup. Those cleaning picked up the trash, while those in contact with the police made arrangements. When the incident occurred, police officers from the Public Security Bureau had already asked park staff to record everything on video, documenting the situation. The key agitators behind the disturbances would face consequences after the fact. Looking at the park’s big iron gate, which was already tilted and crooked, several bricks were knocked out on the outer walls of the park due to the crowd’s actions. Considering the sheer number of people involved, it hadn’t been practical to address those damages at the time. However, there would be repercussions later on. “The law does not punish a crowd,” but the ringleaders from Jiaolin County wouldn’t be allowed to escape unscathed—they would have to compensate for the damaged public property.
The time was already six o’clock.
This was the seating time, not the event time yet. The event was scheduled to start at half past six, so Director Dong wasn’t in a hurry; there was still half an hour left.
“Director Dong is back.”
“Secretary, how are you?”
Many officials gathered around. Su Yan and Meng Hanmei also immediately dropped what they were doing and approached. In truth, everyone had already gotten wind of the situation at the gate from phone calls—knowing Director Dong had single-handedly held off one or two thousand people without a scratch—but they still wanted to ask.
Director Dong smiled, “I’m fine. Thank you for everyone’s concern. Hmm, is everything ready for the event?”
“Everything’s ready.” Meng Hanmei and Sun Changzhi were mainly responsible for this.
Sun Changzhi said, “The magic show is ready, but we don’t have a host yet. We’re not sure what number you want to go on first.”
Director Dong replied calmly, “We’ll sort that out later. I haven’t decided yet.”
Still not decided? Sun Changzhi sighed, “It’s almost time for the show to start.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered. Just get everything else ready.” Director Dong glanced around, “All the guests are here.”
Secretary Su Yan said, “Two guest leaders haven’t arrived yet; there was a last-minute issue. The others are all here, and most seats are full.”
The scene was lively, and everyone’s enthusiasm was high. Except for the temporary two-meter-wide pathway marked with a warning line, the surrounding area was nearly filled with ordinary people—thousands, even tens of thousands. It was akin to a large concert, but thanks to the vast space of Central Park, they managed to fit all these people. A glance revealed a dense mass of heads. However, there were drawbacks. Although they managed to fit the crowd, they didn’t have the steeply-angled seating arrangements like those in the Bird’s Nest or Worker’s Stadium. Those in the front couple of thousand seats had a clearer view, but the tens of thousands behind them couldn’t see or understand much of the stage. It couldn’t be helped; not everyone could be satisfied. After all, standing tickets were free, and while there were some complaints from the common folk, they weren’t too serious.
Up ahead, someone called for Director Dong.
Director Dong looked over and headed towards the front rows of seats.
“Director Dong, I heard there was an incident at the entrance,” a middle-aged man said.
“Thanks for worrying, Mayor Li. No worries; it’s already resolved,” Director Dong smiled. “Oh, is this your child? She’s very pretty.”
Mayor Li chuckled, “She takes after her mother.”
Director Dong turned to another person, “And Director Chen is here too! Welcome, welcome! Today has been so busy; I was supposed to go out to greet you. Well, I’ll leave you to it for now. Don’t mind us too much, haha. If there’s anything, call me.”
With so many leaders coming today, Director Dong didn’t mind much about the officials from other counties. Still, many were local leaders from the city or even provincial officials here to attend the event. Director Dong naturally needed to greet everyone as the host and couldn’t afford to be too dismissive. However, this was relative; with so many leaders and retired officials, many people that Director Dong hadn’t even met or recognized yet—he couldn’t greet everyone. The rest could only rely on his secretary and Old Meng to fill the gaps.
After some socializing, Director Dong walked over to the seats reserved for investors.
Zhang Dongfang and the officials from the Investment Bureau were discussing business with the investors when Director Dong arrived. Only then did they realize he had come back from the entrance.
Zhang Dongfang immediately expressed concern.
The investors turned their attention to Director Dong, who showed more interest in Jiaolin County’s party secretary than Zhang Dongfang, the county mayor. Unsurprisingly, everyone had a clear view from a distance when Director Dong put on his big display at the entrance.
“Director Dong is amazing.”
“Haha, truly eye-opening.”
“I heard you have a show today. I’m so looking forward to it.”
Director Dong also exchanged a few pleasantries with everyone before heading to where the director Sun, called him.
“What’s up, Director Sun?” Director Dong walked towards the backstage.
“I heard you got injured,” Director Sun said worriedly, giving him a once-over. “You should skip it. You haven’t even had time to prepare the props for the magic show.”
Chen Ying was halfway through her makeup when she heard the noise and came out. “You’re hurt?”
Dong Xuebing moved his arm and laughed, “Do I look injured? No worries, I don’t need to prepare any magic props. I can go up there and perform.”
Behind the stage, many tents were set up, with designated dressing rooms and resting areas for the performers. Chen Ying emerged from one of them, and although she only showed her head on the side of the stage, her sharp-eyed fans spotted her immediately.
“She's even more beautiful in person than on TV!”
The previously chaotic atmosphere immediately became livelier, with many people shouting Chen Ying’s name. The sky was already getting dark, and the glow sticks many people held in their hands were particularly eye-catching.
Director Dong quickly said, “Alright, hurry up and do your makeup, Chen Ying. The event’s about to start. Don’t worry about me; I’m fit and fine, haha.”
Chen Ying confirmed again that Director Dong truly wasn’t injured before she finally felt relieved and went into the makeup room.
Director Sun had known Director Dong for a long time and took on a paternal tone, scolding him, “What were you thinking, going up there with all those people outside? What if something had happened? You’re the top official; the event might not even happen if you got hurt. And I couldn’t explain it to Sister Ci either.”
Director Dong replied, “It was a dangerous situation just now. I couldn’t stand there and watch my people get into trouble, could I? But I accept your criticism.”
“You, you’re impossible,” Director Sun gave up arguing.
Thump, thump—the lights came on.
The scene brightened up instantly.
The TV crew also perked up, adjusting their cameras for the final tweaks. This event was going to be broadcast live, a decision made by Director Dong himself, so the crew had to be on their toes. One tiny mistake could embarrass them nationwide. Given the event's high profile, with so many celebrities attending, it was bound to draw media attention from many provinces and cities, even being picked up by online videos. This level of attention was unprecedented for Jiaolin County. Everyone was paying close attention, feeling both nervous and excited. If they did well in this event, not only would it successfully attract investment, but the tourism and cultural industries would also benefit, driving development across the entire county.
There were only ten minutes left.
As Director Dong stepped out, Zhang Dongfang, who was with the investors, also came over and found Director Dong. “Secretary, will the speech be broadcast?”
Director Dong thought momentarily and said, “Let’s go with it. We might as well make an appearance, haha.”
Zhang Dongfang laughed, “Alright then. When you’re done, I’ll be the second speaker. That’s when the event will officially start.”
Director Dong suddenly thought, “How about this, Old Zhang? You go up first and speak. I’ll go second.”
Zhang Dongfang looked exasperated, “How can that be? You’re the Secretary. I can’t go up first. It’s not the right protocol.” Usually, if Zhang Dongfang spoke first, then Director Dong would deliver the summary remarks after the event, which was acceptable. However, the typical speaking order at an event was from the highest-ranking official to the lowest, and speeches in such a format didn’t prioritize the leader at the end.
Director Dong said, “Let’s just do it this way. I’ll go second. I’ve got other arrangements, and it’s not that important anyway.”