Chapter 53 Growing Bolder

"Who are you talking about? Say that again..." Unable to endure Hu Jiayun's verbal assault a second longer, Li Jing rushed directly toward her. Seeing this, Qin Feng immediately stepped in front of Hu Jiayun and said coldly to Li Jing, "What do you want? I'm warning you to back off."

"You're actually taking her side?" Li Jing stared at Qin Feng with a look of sheer disbelief.

"What? Shouldn't I? Do you still expect him to worship you like a goddess? When you were seeing someone else behind his back, did you ever think of him? Did you care about his feelings?"

"You've already cheated on him behind his back, yet you still expect him to cherish you? My dear, you think far too highly of yourself. Do you really think you're worthy?" Hu Jiayun said with a smile.

"You... This is between the two of us. It's none of your business to meddle and judge."

"Whether it's my business or not is not for you to decide. The person standing by his side right now is me, not you."

"My dear, you betrayed him and abandoned him. Since you weren't married, at worst it's a matter of moral condemnation. If you hadn't come over here today all high and mighty to cross-examine him, I would at most consider you a gold-digging woman."

"But now, I think you have zero self-respect. To put it bluntly, you're utterly shameless." Hu Jiayun spoke with an effortless smile, her tone light and casual.

"Say that again..."

"Let's go. What kind of taste did you even have back then? To actually set your sights on a woman like this..." Hu Jiayun pulled Qin Feng away as she spoke indifferently. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was just enough for Li Jing to hear.

"Qin Feng... You bastard... Just wait until he ruins your life, you deserve it!" Li Jing cursed fiercely from behind like a shrew.

"Who is he?" Hu Jiayun asked, linking her arm through Qin Feng's as they walked out.

"The executive deputy county magistrate's son," Qin Feng answered calmly. Since Hu Jiayun already knew, there was no point in hiding it.

"From Shannan County?" Hu Jiayun asked, somewhat surprised.

Qin Feng nodded.

Hu Jiayun frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "He's about to be the county magistrate's son."

Qin Feng was momentarily stunned. He nodded without speaking, not knowing what to say, as these matters had very little to do with him.

"Does Wang Yunfei's constant targeting of you have anything to do with him? Wang Yunfei is his father's old subordinate." Hu Jiayun continued to ask.

"Perhaps. It should."

"To throw yourself like this over the son of a deputy county magistrate... Heh, truly someone who has never seen the world." Hu Jiayun glanced back at the ranting Li Jing and said with a smile.

"Sister, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" Hu Jiayun asked.

Qin Feng pointed at the arm Hu Jiayun still had linked through his and smiled, "I know you did that on purpose for her to see."

"That's not necessarily true. What if I actually wanted to do it myself?"

Qin Feng froze for a second, then reached out and wrapped his arm around Hu Jiayun's waist, saying, "Then I genuinely wanted this too."

Hu Jiayun slapped Qin Feng's hand away and scolded, "You little brat, you're getting bolder by the day."

Chiding and chatting all the way, the two got into the car and drove straight back to Bishan.

Whenever she was with Qin Feng, Hu Jiayun felt her mood lighten considerably. In the few months she had spent with him, she had smiled more times than she had in the past two years.

She was starting to feel reluctant to leave Bishan, and even more reluctant to leave this younger man. But she knew her two years were almost up, and she had to go back. Even if she refused to return, her father would surely drag her back. Her time in Bishan was running out.

The car stopped downstairs. After getting out, Qin Feng handed the car keys to Hu Jiayun.

"Just keep those keys with you. Whenever you need a car, take it whenever you want without needing to ask me. I have a spare set anyway," Hu Jiayun told Qin Feng before heading upstairs.

On Monday, as forest fire prevention efforts officially commenced, Yang Delin also returned to Bishan. Having gone through this ordeal, Yang Delin seemed like a completely different person.

Yang Delin's return to work was the best possible news for Qin Feng. Given the intense workload of the inspection team, Qin Feng would have had to dedicate himself entirely to it without a moment of slack, leaving him with very little time to manage the Civil Affairs Office. However, if he were to hand the entire operation of the Civil Affairs Office over to Lin Xiaoyan, a problem would arise.

While Lin Xiaoyan's personal competence was beyond doubt, Qin Feng had put her in sole charge of financial affairs. In Qin Feng's view, regardless of circumstances, operational duties and financial duties should never be managed by the same person. Yang Delin's return completely resolved this issue.

Yang Delin would handle operations while Lin Xiaoyan managed finances. The two would keep each other in check and provide mutual supervision, ensuring that not a single problem would arise even if Qin Feng was not at the office.

With Yang Delin back, Qin Feng poured his heart and soul into the work of the inspection team.

Within just two days of operations, Qin Feng discovered a multitude of problems. The vast majority of the inspection team members merely went through the motions; very few actually carried out inspections with any genuine effort. According to the three-shift rotation schedule Qin Feng had arranged, basically only the day shift had people present, while the night shift was almost completely unmanned. Moreover, the day shift personnel simply put up a facade and slipped away at the first opportunity. Several of his inspections revealed that the designated patrol areas were completely deserted.

Qin Feng grew angry and reprimanded them, but it was useless—no one took it seriously. There was a fundamental issue: Qin Feng had no real authority over these people. Wang Yunfei had made him the team leader, but failed to grant him the corresponding power. The inspection team, along with the Forest Fire Prevention Office, was merely a temporary organization, leaving Qin Feng feeling helpless.

To prevent any disasters, Qin Feng had no choice but to shoulder the burden himself. He rode his motorcycle continuously throughout the forest zone, hunting for potential hazards while treating the village cadres of the surrounding villages to a round of drinks, asking them to keep a sharp eye out for any fire risks.

"Hong Haifeng, how are things going between your sister and Qin Feng?" Xu Guoli deliberately called Hong Haifeng into his office that day to inquire.

"I'm not really sure about that. Whenever I bring it up with her, the girl just clams up. But I can sense that while she was opposed to it at first, at the very least she isn't opposed to it anymore—she just doesn't say anything."

"Director Hong, you need to push a little harder and nail this down as soon as possible." Xu Guoli smoked his cigarette with a furrowed, troubled brow.