Chapter 1840
What's going on?
Everything was fine today. How much could go wrong tomorrow?
Dong Xuebing found himself doubting his judgment. He wasnât entirely sure about his gut feeling, but the possibility was significant. Even if everyone planned to start moving tomorrow, it would still be a gradual process. Dong Xuebing and a few key leaders would remain in the old office for the first few days. With so many items to relocate and the complexity of the task, it wasnât feasible to complete everything in a single day. Since Dong Xuebing would still be working from the old building for the next day or two, receiving newspapers shouldnât be interrupted. So why did he try three times and still find nothing in the drawer?
Dong Xuebing tried to stay optimistic, hoping that perhaps Su Yan was sick and didnât bring the newspaper, and no one else delivered it either, leading to a one-day gap. But Dong Xuebing wasnât exactly an optimistic person. A male official, especially at his level, rarely harbors a cheerful outlook because theyâve seen too much, know too many dark truths, and have faced countless unexpected crises. Dong Xuebing was no exception. At that moment, uncertainty was gnawing at him, making him anxious. Itâs the uncertainty that is the most tormenting.
What should I do?
What exactly is happening?
Dong Xuebing felt increasingly uneasy. He was never someone who could sit idly by or hide his concerns, so he decided to try one more time.
If thereâs no newspaper for tomorrow, letâs check the day after tomorrow.
Acting immediately, Dong Xuebing reached for the drawer.
The function of forwarding isnât continuous. It only moves time to a specific future moment. Once forward stops, its effect also ceases. It doesnât turn the drawer into a permanent "window to the future." You wonât open it every time and see future items, as the connection between the drawer and the future only exists momentarily during the use of forward. Thereâs no lasting effect. Thus, Dong Xuebing didnât worry about causing any temporal errors from using forward repeatedly.
He didnât have much time left, truly very little. So this time, Dong Xuebing went all in, as he couldnât afford to waste more time.
Forward two minutes.
A sudden "ding" sound startled Dong Xuebing when the time manipulation took effect. It caught him off guard because he was highly focused. In the next instant, he noticed that the drawer handle was damagedâthe screws were loose, and it was barely hanging on, as if someone had yanked on it forcefully. This made Dong Xuebingâs expression tense. The only person who could be sitting at this desk was himself, meaning he was the one who damaged the handle.
Why did I yank on the drawer so hard? Did I get angry?
Dong Xuebing didnât know. He took a deep breath and slowly pulled open the drawer.
Finally, there was something insideâthree newspapers. He took them out and looked. One was the evening newspaper for the neighboring county for tomorrow, and the other two were the morning and evening newspapers for the day after tomorrow.
There was no newspaper for tomorrow morning.
These were delivered the day after tomorrow.
Dong Xuebing quickly picked one up to check. One glance made him gasp in shock, and he shot up from his chair.
Damn it.
Something did happenâand itâs a huge disaster.
Dong Xuebing's face turned pale instantly. He had feared this might happen, and now, unbelievably, his gut feeling had been proven right.
There was no need to flip through the newspapers; the front-page headlines of each one carried the same story.
Early tomorrow morning, someone either reported or exposed the story online. Almost every major domestic news portal would have a massive exposĂ© on Baohong Cityâor perhaps Baohong Province. The report listed several counties under Baohong Cityâs administration, exposing the opulent government complexes and officialsâ residential quarters. There was one county with a twenty-to-thirty-story county committee office building, another with villa-style houses overlooking lakes and mountains, and then their own Jiao Countyâs newly-built, palace-like county committee complex. The whistleblower had posted it all online, questioning whether Baohong City had lost all sense, as each countyâs buildings rivaled those of central government departments and some billion-yuan state-owned enterprises. Even the provincial committee headquarters wasnât as luxurious.
Once the exposé was posted, it was shared rapidly, spreading like wildfire.
Within an hour, it was everywhereâon major websites and news outlets. It sparked heated debates and accusations, with the public decrying them for wasting taxpayer money and calling them corrupt officials. The impact was huge. In todayâs world, public opinion is powerful, and no one can ignore it. The provincial government immediately ordered a special investigation team to conduct a rapid inquiry. Before the counties in Baohong City could respond, the team had already arrived.
They were auditing accounts.
Inspecting unauthorized construction.
Investigating officials involved.
Almost all of Baohong City was caught in the turmoil, and Jiao County was one of the worst affected. Since Dong Xuebing, the current county committee secretary, had tense relationships with city and provincial officials, they were too eager to target him. So, Jiao County ended up bearing the brunt of the storm. ÉœĂ€Ná»đĂáč§
Many officials were implicated in the fallout.
Dong Xuebing even saw the news in the newspaper that he had been suspended and placed under investigation.
This was nothing short of a massive political earthquake for Jiao County.
Granted, Dong Xuebing was new to the position, and the new county committee complex wasnât approved under his watch. But things werenât that simple. When the plan for the new county committee complex was first discussed, County Mayor Zhang Dongfang opposed it, significantly reducing his responsibility. The county committee had taken charge of the project. After Dong Xuebing succeeded Li Guiâan as county committee secretary, the project fell under his purview with the relocation order he gave. So, even if Dong Xuebing hadnât misappropriated funds, as the head of the county committee, he couldnât completely escape responsibility.
Dong Xuebingâs face went pale at this moment, and he suddenly understood many things.
Now he realized why, in that distant future newspaper heâd seen, Zhang Dongfang was listed as the county committee secretary and then promoted to city committee secretary due to urban development rather than Li Guiâan.
Because Li Guiâan had been implicated.
Implicated in this matter.
Thatâs how Zhang Dongfang took over as county committee secretary of Jiao County.
Dong Xuebingâs face darkened. Was he about to follow in Li Guiâanâs footsteps and be dragged down in this crisis, too?
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