Me! A high-ranking official!

Zhang Baocheng exhaled a puff of smoke, sighed deeply, and said in a candid manner, "Sigh, you don't need to be modest. The people in our bureau used to just coast along in this stagnant department, losing all their drive. But since you transferred here and proposed these two groundbreaking projects, they've received high attention from Secretary Zhou of the County Party Committee and County Head Han. Only now has our Culture and Tourism Bureau truly caught the attention of the county leaders and stood tall!"

As he listened to the endless stream of compliments being bestowed upon him, his guard rose to his throat, but he still maintained a respectful smile: "It's all thanks to the capable leadership of the Party Committee of the Bureau. I'm just a gofer."

"Jianguo..." Zhang Baocheng suddenly changed the subject, leaned forward slightly, and said in a serious tone, "You are still young, only in your early thirties. Your future is definitely bright. As your director and your elder brother, I must consider your long-term future."

Zhang Baocheng paused for a moment, then revealed his trump card: "Recently, the central government issued an official document to continuously select and dispatch first secretaries and work teams to key villages. Our province and county also have supporting guidelines. The documents clearly state that if the village-based cadres perform well, they can enjoy priority promotion after their term ends!"

Upon hearing the words "first secretary stationed in the village," his mind went blank, and the humble smile that had been on his face instantly froze.

Zhang Baocheng continued his silver-tongued persuasion: "Those old hands in our bureau are completely incapable of getting anything done when they go down to the grassroots. I've been thinking about this for the past few days, and whether considering your future political capital or the actual poverty alleviation work in our bureau, you're young, energetic, innovative, and capable—you're absolutely the top choice for this batch of dispatched cadres!"

He sat upright on the sofa, his fingers gripping the seam of his trousers tightly at his knees, a surge of uncontrollable rage rising in his chest!

What a brilliant move to cross the river and then destroy the bridge! What a brilliant move to undermine the cause!

Zhang Baocheng is a master of political maneuvering! Just now in the county committee meeting room, he stood up for Zhou Qingyan and dealt with his fury. Now that he's back at work, before he can even catch his breath, they're going to kick him out!

What utter nonsense about preferential promotion! This kind of rhetoric might fool recent college graduates who just entered the system, but he's been working in the county government office for twelve years and knows all too well the shady dealings involved.

This work has been going on for several years. From the earliest poverty alleviation secretaries to the current rural revitalization village-based secretaries, each term lasts for two years. During these two years, they are exposed to the elements and do nothing but trivial matters. They are far away from the center of power. When they return after two years, how many of them can actually be promoted based on this? Whether they do a good job or not is just a matter of the head of their original unit saying a few words.

Zhang Baocheng's move, which appears to be a promotion but is actually a demotion, is a complete attempt to marginalize him, or even kick him out of the two core projects, Xiaozhai Village and Shanhai Zoo, which are just starting out!

He suppressed his anger, his mind racing.

He didn't understand why Zhang Baocheng was in such a hurry to get rid of him. He was the one who proposed both projects, and he was the one who rescued the projects from dire situations several times. Zhang Baocheng himself was an incompetent fool. He knew perfectly well that these projects couldn't function without him, so why did he have to destroy his own foundation at this critical juncture and kick him out?!

Isn't this killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?!

He was just about to say something tentative.

"Knock knock knock".

There was a sudden knock on the door, and then Deputy Director Guo Nanguo pushed the door open and walked in.

As soon as Guo Nanguo entered the office, he keenly sensed the stiff atmosphere. His gaze swept over Zhang Baocheng and his face, and he immediately put on a smile: "Oh, Jianguo is here too."

Guo Nanguo turned to Zhang Baocheng: "Director Baocheng, the Municipal Bureau has a document regarding the application for intangible cultural heritage status. There's something I need to discuss with you. Hope it won't be too late?"

Zhang Baocheng glanced at him, who remained silent, his eyes flickered, and then, adopting the air of a bureau chief, said in a deep voice, "Jianguo, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for training. Go back and think it over carefully, and give me an answer as soon as possible. Alright, you can leave now."

He stood up, didn't even glance at Zhang Baocheng, nodded slightly to Guo Nanguo, and left the director's office without saying a word.

Back in his quiet, unassuming office, Wang Pingping wasn't there.

He plopped down in the swivel chair, lit a cigarette, took two deep drags, and forced himself to calm down and analyze the situation.

Things happened so suddenly; he really hadn't thought about it this way beforehand.

Now, carefully weighing the pros and cons, the disadvantages of leaving the Culture and Tourism Bureau to work in the countryside are obvious. It means being completely detached from the core work of the Culture and Tourism Bureau. Zhou Qingyan is currently working hard to build the culture and tourism brand of Linshui County, which is the political hotspot for the whole county in the next two years. Once he leaves, this hotspot will be completely out of his reach. When he comes back in two years, it will be too late. It's like falling far behind others in his career.

But from another perspective, if you have money and want to find a place to relax within the system, going to the countryside to work in a village is undoubtedly the best place right now!

The mountains are high and the emperor is far away! Usually in the village, apart from dealing with inspections from above, there is basically no substantial high-pressure work. Moreover, he goes to the work team, which means that the bureau will also assign two or three young staff members or the elderly, weak, sick and disabled to accompany him. He is the rightful team leader and the top leader of the village. Any trivial forms or door-to-door visits can be directly handed over to the people below.

This is simply the perfect haven for paid leave!

Just as he was weighing the pros and cons, his cell phone on the table vibrated. It was an internal call from Guo Nanguo.

"Jianguo, come to my office."

He stubbed out his cigarette and hurried over.

As soon as he entered, Guo Nanguo had already brewed tea and gestured for him to close the door tightly.

"Old Zhang was looking for you earlier. What's up? You didn't look too well when you came out," Guo Nanguo said, handing you a cup of tea and asking in a low voice.

Facing this former leader who had strongly defended him at the meeting, he did not hide anything and revealed Zhang Baocheng's plan to send him to be the first secretary stationed in the village.

Upon hearing his words, Guo Nanguo paused, his brows furrowing deeply, and a look of extreme surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Has Old Zhang gone mad?" Guo Nanguo slammed his teacup on the table, utterly bewildered. "The Xiaozhai Village project just passed the county committee's review. There are still countless tough challenges ahead. Those few people in Dafang are simply not up to the task. He clearly knows he can't do without you, so why send you to the village now? Does he not want to be the bureau chief anymore?"

Guo Nanguo stood up and paced back and forth in his office, his brows furrowed and muttering to himself. As a veteran of twenty years in officialdom, he had an instinctive wariness of such an extremely illogical political move.