Me! A high-ranking official!

Early the next morning.

He had just washed his face and was drying it with a towel when he saw several people walk in through the gate of the compound.

Leading the group was village chief Luo Shuishan, followed by three or four mud-brick factory workers covered in white dust.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Luo Shuishan greeted him with a loud laugh: "Oh, Secretary Zhao! Good morning! I'm so sorry, something urgent happened at my mud board factory yesterday, and I was really tied up. I completely forgot about that live stream you mentioned in the group chat. I'm so sorry!"

Although he said sorry, there wasn't a trace of remorse on his wrinkled face.

His gaze swept over the workers behind Luo Shuishan, a cold smile creeping across his face, but he remained outwardly composed, saying with a faint smile, "Village Chief Shuishan is a very busy man, running between the village and the factory. I understand, I understand."

"Haha, I'm glad you understand, Secretary." Luo Shuishan grinned and deliberately raised his voice, "The factory recently received two big orders, and we're incredibly busy! Secretary, I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you with the village's affairs from now on!"

At this point, Luo Shuishan changed the subject, a sly glint in his cloudy eyes: "By the way, Secretary Zhao, I heard from everyone who watched your live stream yesterday that you have a plan to get our village's 500,000 yuan road repair fund back in just one week? Oh my, the people in our village are so happy to hear that!"

"I knew it! The Party Secretary is a high-ranking leader sent down from the county. His abilities and skills are far beyond what we country bumpkins can match! He'll definitely be able to accomplish this incredible feat for our Luo Family Village! Don't worry, Party Secretary, as soon as this 500,000 yuan special fund arrives, I, Luo Shuishan, guarantee that I'll immediately assemble a team and do everything in my power to complete the road renovation in our village!"

Zhao Jianguo raised an eyebrow slightly and instantly understood Luo Shuishan's intention in bringing these workers to the village committee today.

That old fox has such a cunning scheme!

Last night during my live stream, I clearly said that I was going to the county to find out where the special funds were going and to put the road repair on the agenda. But when Luo Shuishan said it, he completely changed the concept and said that we would get the 500,000 yuan back within a week!

That was a special fund of 500,000 yuan! It had long been misappropriated by some hole in the county committee to cover up the money, and he was still completely clueless, not even knowing where to find the money. Yet Luo Shuishan forced this high praise on him in front of the workers.

These workers are Luo Shuishan's loudspeakers. As soon as they leave this yard, the news that Secretary Zhao promised to return 500,000 yuan for road repairs within a week will immediately spread throughout the village. This is creating a fait accompli and forcing him to make a solemn pledge!

If he can't get the 500,000 yuan back by the end of the week, he'll lose all credibility in the villagers' eyes and become a bragging liar.

"Trying to manipulate me with such underhanded tactics?" He snorted coldly, then instead of backing down, he adopted a humble and inquisitive demeanor, saying seriously, "Village Chief Shuishan, you've come at the right time. I was just about to discuss this with you. What's the progress on this 500,000 yuan special fund? Which department or leader in the county misappropriated it for what? Which units did our village committee visit before regarding this money? What work did we do? What inside information did we find out?"

He fired off a barrage of questions, then suddenly changed the subject: "I believe that you, Village Chief Luo, have served in our village for over a decade and are highly respected. You must have already made arrangements and long-term plans for this sum of money, which concerns the fate of the entire village. Why don't you tell everyone about your preliminary work and the next steps, and we can discuss it thoroughly?"

This bidding process, with its precise and overly flattering tone, left Luo Shuishan speechless.

Luo Shuishan opened his mouth, his old face turning bright red, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

What preliminary work? What long-term plan? He has no plan at all! That money was misappropriated with the approval of the town and county leaders. What nonsense does a mere village head like him dare to spout? Anyway, the town is backing him up. If the road can't be repaired, we'll all be stuck in the mud together. What does it have to do with him?

But now, in front of his workers, Zhao Jianguo has placed him on a pedestal of high prestige and preordained status. If he dares to say that he actually knows nothing and has done nothing, his prestige as the village chief will immediately be greatly diminished in front of the workers, and he will be seen as a useless person who does not fulfill his duties!

Luo Shuishan's eye twitched slightly. Seeing the workers behind him staring at him with concern, he could only swallow hard and force a dry laugh, "Ahem... I did consider this matter before, and I even went to the town a few times, but... unfortunately, I never managed to meet the main leaders, so it hasn't been settled yet. But now that Secretary Zhao is here, I certainly don't need to worry about it anymore!"

He quickly tried to pass the ball back to Zhao Jianguo.

"That won't do." Zhao Jianguo forcefully returned the ball without hesitation, then patted Luo Shuishan on the shoulder with a smile: "Village Chief Shuishan, this is a major event for our village, affecting the travel of hundreds of people. It must be done, and it must be done beautifully!"

"I'm planning to go to the county in the next couple of days to meet with the leaders, and while I'm at it, I'll invite a few key department heads to dinner to sound out their intentions regarding funding. But..." Zhao Jianguo looked at Luo Shuishan, a mocking smile playing on his lips, "You know I can't hold my liquor. I was just arriving in the village on my first day, and you got me completely drunk. So I was thinking of discussing with you whether we could go to the county together!"

"When we get to the dinner table, I'll handle the business with the leaders, and you'll help me fend off the drinks and keep them entertained. With you, the old village chief, on our side, and the two of us working together, we won't ruin this important village event because I got drunk, right?"

The courtyard fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Zhao Jianguo sang the praises of serving the entire village to the highest degree, but in the end, he casually assigned Luo Shuishan the menial task of being a drinking companion.

This is an open political conspiracy with no solution!

This is tantamount to putting Luo Shuishan on the hot seat. If Luo Shuishan goes along and the matter is resolved, it will be thanks to Secretary Zhao, and Luo Shuishan will just be a lackey who freeloads and drinks for others. If he doesn't go and the money can't be recovered, then Luo Shuishan will be seen as a selfish bastard who doesn't even care about the lives of the villagers and won't even drink a drink for them! Luo Shuishan is destined to take the blame!

Luo Shuishan's face instantly stiffened, looking worse than if he had swallowed a dead fly. He had lived most of his life, and today he finally witnessed the political skills of this young secretary. With just a few words, he not only defused his difficult situation but also put him in a vicious cycle.

He was caught in a dilemma: going or not going, he was stuck in the middle, feeling so uncomfortable he felt like his lungs were about to explode. But in front of the workers, he couldn't afford to lose his temper.