Chapter 20: Her Mysterious Identity

The Disciplinary Inspection Commission task force spent three days in Bishan Township before departing. With their departure, Xiao Bo, Yang Delin, and the remaining staff of the Civil Affairs Office vanished completely. Following the task force's exit, Xu Guoli and Wang Yunfei were urgently summoned by the county authorities for questioning.

Once the task force left, the heavy stone that had been pressing down on the chests of the entire Bishan Township government staff finally lifted, but it was immediately replaced by a sense of unease as rumors began to fly.

In front of the county committee office building, Xu Guoli and Wang Yunfei emerged one after the other. Hong Haifeng hurried over to welcome Xu Guoli into his Mitsubishi SUV. Shortly after, Deputy Township Head Chang Yong ran over to pick up Wang Yunfei in his Volkswagen sedan. Both vehicles pulled away from the county committee courtyard one after the other.

Xu Guoli sat in the car with a gloomy face. The leadership had been furious this time, berating both him and Wang Yunfei mercilessly.

"Secretary Xu, how did it go?"

Hong Haifeng had been on tenterhooks for days, unable to eat or sleep. It wasn't that he feared for his own conduct, but rather that he feared Xu Guoli would be implicated; if Xu fell, his own career path would effectively come to an end.

"It’s fine. This time it was primarily focused on the Civil Affairs Office incident. No other people or matters were involved."

Xu Guoli let out a long sigh of relief. He, too, had been terrified these past few days; his hair had turned nearly half-white from the stress.

"That's good, that's good!" Hong Haifeng’s heart finally settled.

"However, because of this incident, my move to the County Finance Bureau at the end of the year is basically ruined," Xu Guoli sighed again.

To leave Bishan Township as quickly as possible and secure a top position in a county-level department, Xu Guoli had been racking his brains and maneuvering for years. It had been all but set in stone that he would take over once the incumbent head of the Finance Bureau retired at the end of the year.

Now, because such a major incident had erupted in Bishan, he, as the Party Secretary, bore unavoidable responsibility, and the transfer was effectively off the table.

Hong Haifeng’s heart sank once more. He had envisioned that if Xu Guoli went to the county, he would either follow him or take a step up within Bishan Township. Now, both options were clearly dead.

"Four people from the Civil Affairs Office were taken in. I doubt Xiao Bo will ever see the light of day again. However, I was a bit surprised that Yang Delin wasn't taken in; he was merely dismissed from his post."

"He wasn't implicated?"

"How could he not be implicated if he was dismissed? It’s just that he didn't take any money, so his involvement wasn't as severe as Xiao Bo's."

"I originally thought all these dealings in the Civil Affairs Office were Yang Delin’s doing. I never expected that in the shadows, it was all Xiao Bo—the man who usually seemed so honest and timid. He nearly caused all of us to crash because of him. He deserves to die!" As he said this, Xu Guoli gritted his teeth tightly.

"Li Dejun received a demerit, and Wang Yunfei was given a warning. Both of them bear leadership responsibility. Wang Yunfei was supposed to be transferred as well, but now he has a disciplinary mark on his record. Ha, he can just stay here and behave himself."

Recalling Wang Yunfei, Xu Guoli let out a cold, gloating laugh, feeling much better inside.

"Secretary Xu, I’ve always felt that the arrival of the Disciplinary Inspection Commission this time was strange," Hong Haifeng said.

"Tell me what you think."

"They arrived without any prior notice to us from the county. That’s very strange," Hong Haifeng analyzed.

"It wasn't the county that came to investigate this time, but the city," Xu Guoli said.

"What? The city?" Hong Haifeng was stunned. For the people of Bishan Township, Dongyang City was a strange and unreachable place.

"I made some inquiries. The city’s Disciplinary Inspection Commission handed this case directly to the county commission for investigation, and they even sent special supervisors to oversee it on-site. Even the county leaders couldn't interfere directly."

"This... how is that possible? How could this matter have reached the city? And why so quickly?"

"Because of Hu Jiayun," Xu Guoli said, his tone enigmatic.

"Secretary Hu? What about her?"

"She was the one who called the people from the city’s Disciplinary Inspection Commission. It took a great deal of effort for me to find that out. Even the county leaders don't know the inside story."

"She has that much influence?"

"Never underestimate her. When she first arrived, we analyzed that her background couldn't be simple. It’s just that my repeated investigations turned up nothing about who she actually is. Later, because she rarely interfered in our affairs, I gradually forgot about her mysterious identity and stopped taking her seriously."

"But this time, it’s clear she was retaliating against me and Wang Yunfei, and giving us a lesson. The last time, we made Qin Feng the scapegoat without any regard for her objections."

"Fortunately, she only targeted the Civil Affairs Office this time and didn't expand the investigation. If she had been any more ruthless, I might have been completely finished. I suppose this was her showing some mercy," Xu Guoli said, still shaken.

Hearing this, Hong Haifeng felt a jolt in his heart. Recalling that beautiful woman, he felt a sudden sense of dread.