Chapter 63 You Are the Handsomest

The laptop was brought by Hong Yue, resting on the small dining table of the hospital bed. Qin Feng lay in bed, while Hong Yue sat by the head of the bed. Playing on the screen was an idol drama she favored, and she fed Qin Feng orange segments while discussing the plot with him.

"Is this guy even handsome?" Qin Feng protested, unsatisfied with Hong Yue repeatedly praising the pretty-boy actor in the show as the most handsome man alive.

"Not handsome to you? At least he's way better-looking than you." Hong Yue giggled as she popped another orange segment into his mouth.

"Bulls***, he looks neither male nor female. Back in ancient times, he'd be cut out for a career as a eunuch." Qin Feng muttered in extreme displeasure.

"Oh, you. You're just jealous and bitter."

"Me? Jealous of him? I'm done eating, I'm mad. What kind of taste do you even have..."

"Alright, alright, you're the most handsome, okay?" Hong Yue coaxed him gently.

"That's more like it."

As the two bickered and played, Qin Feng felt as though he wasn't hospitalized at all, but rather on vacation. He thoroughly enjoyed the feeling.

While Qin Feng was living a cozy life in the hospital, others were having a far less pleasant time.

Early the next morning, the head of the Publicity Department of the Shannan County Committee furrowed his brow deeply. Overnight, news of the forest fire in Bishan had spread across the internet. Of course, the forest fire was just the backdrop; what netizens were praising and fiercely discussing was the grassroots "hero" cadre who had risked his life to fight the fire and was carried out covered in blood.

Originally, this incident should have been positive publicity—a stroke of immense good fortune for Shannan County. The problem, however, was that upon making inquiries, he discovered the county government wasn't commending the "hero" at all, but rather holding him accountable—harshly so, having already issued a disciplinary decision for dismissal. This stood in direct opposition to public opinion on the internet.

This put him in an extremely passive position. First, he had failed to grasp the situation before it went viral; second, the Shannan County government had taken a stance diametrically opposed to public sentiment.

The Publicity Department head lit cigarette after cigarette. He knew the matter was far too massive and had to be reported to the County Party Secretary. Yet, before doing so, he needed to devise remedial measures, and that was precisely what gave him the worst headache.

Meanwhile, in another office, a middle-aged man was reading the newspaper. This was his daily warm-up before starting work. No matter how major the issues at hand, he always spent the first half-hour of every day reading newspapers and news, ranging from national headlines to various bulletins across Dongyang City.

This middle-aged man was none other than the person who had encountered Qin Feng during his unannounced visit to Bishan.

"Leader, these are all the news reports concerning Shannan County from the past two days." A young man placed a neatly compiled folder on the middle-aged man's desk.

Because the middle-aged man was soon to assume office in Shannan County, he had instructed the young man to compile current affairs news related to Shannan County every few days and leave it on his desk.

"Ah, good, I see. Just leave it here, I'll read it later," the middle-aged man nodded.

"Leader, a major piece of news broke in Shannan yesterday. I thought you might be interested." The young man, initially preparing to leave, hesitated and added another sentence.

"Oh? What news?" The middle-aged man put down his newspaper and asked.

"Take a look and you'll understand." The young man pulled out his phone, opened a short-video social media platform, and showed the middle-aged man several representative clips he had saved earlier.

After watching the videos, the middle-aged man asked with genuine surprise, "Is this the same young cadre we ran into hiding under a tree eating instant noodles that day?"

"Yes, his name is Qin Feng, and he is the director of the Civil Affairs Office of Bishan Township, Shannan County. Before coming here, I secretly inquired around Shannan County. This incident started when he was appointed captain of the forest fire patrol team. A fire broke out past midnight that night, and he happened to be on patrol, spotted the fire at the very first moment, and organized all the villagers to fight it."

"To save the homes and properties of dozens of households near the fire zone, as well as the lives of over a hundred villagers, he led by example, rushing alone into the blazing fire to reconnoiter the situation. Then he spearheaded the villagers in cutting trees to build firebreaks, ultimately controlling the fire and preserving the villagers' homes. He himself sustained severe injuries and was ultimately carried out from the heart of the fire by the villagers."

The young man was exceptionally sharp. Having followed his leader for several years, he knew what the leader wanted to know and, even more importantly, what the leader wanted to hear. Thus, he knew how to thoroughly investigate a situation before reporting it, and how to frame his report. The exact same event presented through different narrative angles could evoke entirely different responses.

"The Dongyang City News Simulcast broadcasted this story last night, and the evening news also featured it as a key report. It's also been published across various new media platforms, triggering a nationwide frenzy of discussion. Everyone is calling him a hero," the young man continued.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man smiled with deep satisfaction and said, "If anyone else pulled something like this, I'd remain skeptical, wondering if it was a promotional stunt cooked up by Shannan County itself. But him? I believe it, because the eyes of the masses are discerning, and ordinary people don't lie."

"This definitely isn't a publicity campaign orchestrated by Shannan County, because I just checked, and not only has Shannan County failed to commend him, they've subjected him to severe accountability measures, issuing an administrative dismissal—though the disciplinary notice hasn't been officially handed down yet."

"What is Shannan County doing, playing the piano with their feet? They lack a sense of right and wrong, lack the bigger picture, and completely lack political awareness!" The middle-aged man was furious.

"I suspect this matter might not be that simple. If you watch this segment of the evening news report, some villagers noted that before the fire broke out, someone was seen sneaking away from the fire zone, and villagers even found a gasoline drum right in the center of the blaze," the young man continued.

With a dark and gloomy expression, the middle-aged man asked, "What is this young comrade's condition right now?"

"That's not entirely clear. Shannan County doesn't seem to care how badly he was hurt, so I couldn't get any details on that."

The middle-aged man remained silent for a moment before saying, "Minister Xu wants me to stay at the Organization Department for a few more months, until the appointments and dismissals for this batch of young cadres are concluded, before I head over to assume my post in Shannan. So for now, I shouldn't directly intervene in Shannan County's affairs. However, I will certainly not sit by and watch a comrade like this get buried."

"Go find the relevant comrades. In the name of the Municipal Party Organization Department, issue a letter of commendation to the Shannan County Organization Department. Additionally, put him on the shortlist for this year's Outstanding Party Member candidates in Dongyang City, and have the Shannan County Organization Department prepare the documentation. When the comrades in Shannan County see this, they will understand our attitude."

The young man nodded and stepped out of the office. He understood his leader's temperament completely. Having spent half a lifetime in the Organization Department, his leader possessed a unique eye for spotting talent and placed immense value on the cultivation of young cadres. He knew full well how fond the leader was of this Qin Feng, which was why he had gone out of his way to cater to the leader's preferences by digging up information on him.

Left alone in the office, the middle-aged man sank into silence. After a long while, he picked up his pen and wrote two words in his work notebook: "Qin Feng."