Me! A high-ranking official!

"Alright, no need to be so polite with an old classmate. I still have to see patients, so I won't keep you any longer. Please make yourself at home." Lin Jiaojiao was a decisive person. She turned around and went back into the consultation room. She knew she couldn't keep the patients waiting, so she didn't disturb them any longer.

After leaving the clinic, he wandered around the neighborhood, buying some essential items for postpartum recovery from a miscarriage at a pharmacy and supermarket: hand warmers, brown sugar, special sanitary napkins, and some oral liquid to replenish qi and blood. He put the items in a black, opaque tote bag, then went into a coffee shop across from the clinic, ordered an Americano, sat by the window, and stared at the intersection across the street while drinking.

Time passed slowly, and the sky outside the window gradually darkened, with the streetlights coming on.

He waited until after 8 p.m., but Zhou Qingyan still hadn't shown up. He called Lin Jiaojiao, wanting to ask her to have dinner first. Lin Jiaojiao said on the other end of the phone, "Jianguo, I still have to rush to the daycare to pick up my little monster. Since he hasn't arrived yet, I'll go and settle the child first. Call me as soon as he arrives, and I can get back to the clinic in ten minutes."

He couldn't force the issue, so after agreeing, he continued to sit idly in the coffee shop.

As the clock approached nine o'clock, he grew increasingly anxious. He didn't mind waiting around, but Lin Jiaojiao was there to help, and he couldn't let her stay up all night with him. He took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Zhou Qingyan to inquire about the situation, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea; there was no reply for a long time.

He felt a little frustrated, but he also knew that Zhou Qingyan was now the top official in the county party committee, and her position was too sensitive. If she hadn't replied to his message at this hour, she was most likely tied up with some sudden emergency. He didn't know the situation and didn't dare to call her rashly, so he could only patiently continue to wait.

It wasn't until 9:30 p.m. that the phone on the table finally vibrated.

He breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw the name flashing on the screen, and quickly answered, "Feed?"

"I'll be right there." On the other end of the phone, Zhou Qingyan's voice was tinged with deep fatigue and hoarseness, consisting of only four simple words.

"Okay, I'll meet you downstairs." He hung up the phone and immediately dialed Lin Jiaojiao's number, telling her that he would arrive in about ten minutes. Lin Jiaojiao readily agreed to come right away.

He carried his things downstairs and stood on the cool night breeze by the street. After waiting for more than ten minutes, an inconspicuous green taxi slowly pulled up in front of the outpatient building.

The car door opened, and Zhou Qingyan stepped out, dressed in a low-key black trench coat, wearing a baseball cap and a large mask covering his face completely.

He hurried to greet her, and seeing her weary expression, he couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Why are you so late? Did something happen in the county?"

Zhou Qingyan glanced at him indifferently, his eyes appearing somewhat cold under the streetlights, and said coldly, "Last night there was a heavy rain, and a landslide occurred in Yong'an County, killing one person. This afternoon I went to the city and urgently met with the leaders of the Municipal Tourism Bureau and the former Party Secretary."

He raised an eyebrow, momentarily confused: "Landslide in Yong'an County? What does that have to do with our Linshui County? Why did you go to see the Tourism Bureau and the old Party Secretary?"

Zhou Qingyan coldly uttered a few words: "The relocation of the city zoo."

Upon hearing this, he instantly understood, his eyes gleaming with delight: "I get it! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! So, has the city agreed to change course?"

He was genuinely excited. Previously, the city had planned to relocate the old city zoo to the surrounding counties. They had acted too late, and the city had already basically made its decision. Although they tried to persuade Yong'an County with their proposal, Yong'an County had done its public relations work early and promised to "return the animals to the mountains and forests," allocating a large area in the deep mountains within their county. So, the city had recently issued an official document approving the move to Yong'an County.

But when it comes to tourism, what's most important? Safety!

The project in Yong'an County was about to break ground when a landslide occurred due to heavy rain, resulting in a major safety accident that killed people. This has practically crossed the red line of the tourism plan!

Imagine if the zoo were built in a mountainous area prone to geological disasters. With a constant stream of visitors, what if a landslide occurs during heavy rain and hits a visitor? Who would bear such a huge responsibility?

Zhou Qingyan's political acumen and ruthless decisiveness are so sharp they're chilling! Despite being pregnant, at this crucial juncture, she's capitalizing on this safety incident, striking at the heart of the city leadership's weaknesses! Plus, their previous proposal had already received praise from the old Party Secretary; now, by "snatching food from the tiger's mouth," they have a chance to turn the tide!

Looking at Zhao Jianguo's delighted expression, Zhou Qingyan's tone remained calm and unwavering: "After hearing this, the old secretary's expression was very serious. He promised to bring it up at tomorrow's Standing Committee meeting, but the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism's attitude is rather ambiguous; they're still playing coy."

He nodded: "That's normal. After all, the city leaders have already issued an official document approving the zoo's establishment in Yong'an County. The Culture and Tourism Bureau is just an implementing department; they don't have the authority to directly overturn the leaders' decision. If they strongly suggest modifications, it might embarrass the city leaders who issued the document, making them feel like they're being contradicted. So, their ambiguous attitude and waiting to see how things develop is the safest approach. But as long as the old Party Secretary is willing to bring up the words 'safety hazards' at the Standing Committee meeting, we have a chance to win back this project in order to prevent any potential problems!"

At this point, he sincerely gave a thumbs up and laughed, "Secretary Zhou, you really played your hand brilliantly, striking while the iron was hot! If we can really get the zoo project back to our county, it will absolutely be a lifeline for the cultural tourism industry in Linshui County!"

Faced with Zhao Jianguo's flattery, Zhou Qingyan merely glanced at him coldly without uttering a sound, but the weariness in her eyes was undeniable.

Knowing that her identity didn't please him, Zhao Jianguo wisely kept quiet.

The two stood silently facing each other downstairs at the outpatient building. After a few minutes, Lin Jiaojiao still hadn't arrived.

A night breeze blew by, and Zhou Qingyan suddenly turned her head, her deep eyes fixed on Zhao Jianguo. She asked calmly, "I watched the live stream the village did a couple of days ago when you were stationed there. How are those three projects you were working on progressing now, two days have passed?"

He reported with a smile: "The progress is going well, quite smoothly. We made a substantial breakthrough in garbage collection yesterday. I set up an environmental bank that doesn't charge the villagers money, but instead implements a points system for garbage sorting and storage. I also recruited two extremely poor households in the village to be specifically responsible for sorting and collecting the garbage."

He explained clearly, "The villagers exchange garbage for daily necessities. The village composts the garbage that can be fermented and sells it to the orchard in the future. The recyclable cardboard and plastic are resold to the recycling station. This income can not only cover the cost of purchasing the exchanged goods, but also solve the wages of the two poor households. It is a good thing that solves two major problems: the village's appearance and poverty alleviation."

Upon hearing this, a subtle ripple flickered in Zhou Qingyan's calm eyes.

"Then there's that 500,000 yuan special fund for road repairs." He spread his hands helplessly and sighed. "I went back to the county today to inquire, and it turns out the county has misappropriated that money. I know what the county's finances are like right now, and the hope of getting it back is almost zero. But the main road in the village is so badly damaged that it's impossible to walk on it. The road has to be repaired. I'll think about it for the next few days and see if I can find another way to raise some money." He was careful not to mention the 80,000 yuan for the lighting project that he had just come up with at noon. After all, Zhou Qingyan was the county party secretary. What if he heard his complaints and was willing to help him out? If he revealed the 80,000 yuan, and Zhou Qingyan heard that there was something else to add, he might simply refuse to give it to him. That would be terrible.

After hearing this, Zhou Qingyan turned her head in surprise and looked Zhao Jianguo up and down again.

She had assumed that throwing someone like Zhao Jianguo, who had always been a writer in government offices, into the grassroots would leave him helpless in the face of real difficulties, forcing him to resort to bureaucratic tactics of asking for money and policies from above. However, she never expected that Zhao Jianguo would find a unique solution to the village's persistent garbage problem: an environmental bank. This unconventional yet incredibly practical approach didn't cost the government a single penny. It mobilized the villagers, solved environmental pollution, and even created employment opportunities for impoverished households, achieving a self-sustaining cycle.

This kind of grassroots wisdom and execution ability to break through the impasse is something that ordinary cadres who sit in their offices drinking tea and reading newspapers could never come up with.

Zhou Qingyan's lips twitched slightly beneath his mask, as if he was about to say something, when a white sedan screeched to a halt in front of them.

The car window rolled down, and Lin Jiaojiao leaned out, saying briskly, "Jianguo, sorry to keep you waiting. Hurry up and bring your friend up!"

Seeing the white sedan come to a stop, Lin Jiaojiao poked her head out of the car. His tense nerves relaxed a little, and he hurriedly went to greet her, smiling apologetically, "Jiaojiao, it's so kind of you to make this trip so late at night."

"Why are you being so polite with me!" Lin Jiaojiao nimbly pushed open the car door and got out, laughing and joking, "Back when you were in the county government office, my parents were still upset about that little thing with my family's homestead if you hadn't run around helping me find people to coordinate things. This little favor is nothing."

He felt a warmth in his heart. He hadn't expected that Lin Jiaojiao would not only remember the favor he had done for her, but also go to such lengths to help her.

"Hurry up and call your friend down, it's windy outside," Lin Jiaojiao said.

He nodded, turned around, opened the taxi door, and helped Zhou Qingyan, who was covered up tightly, out of the car. He then followed Lin Jiaojiao into the outpatient building.

Because it was evening, there were no other patients or nurses in the outpatient clinic, making it exceptionally quiet. Lin Jiaojiao led them directly to the outside of the abortion clinic on the second floor, took out a waiver of liability consent form from the nurses' station drawer, and handed it to him.

While Zhao Jianguo was looking at the terms, Lin Jiaojiao glanced at Zhou Qingyan, whose tall figure and outstanding temperament were still undeniable even with a hat and mask on. She couldn't help but smile and lean closer to Zhao Jianguo, whispering, "Jianguo, your girlfriend is really beautiful and has such a great temperament. If you ask me, since you already have a child, why don't you just get married and have the baby? Why do you have to go through all this trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jianguo's heart tightened, realizing that Lin Jiaojiao had misunderstood. His mind raced, and he gave a wry smile, deliberately feigning helplessness, saying, "Sigh, I want to too, but my future in-laws are of high social standing and completely disapprove of our relationship. My girlfriend is also stubborn and doesn't want to use the child in her belly to threaten them. We discussed it and decided that I should wait until I've worked steadily at the grassroots level for a few more years, advance in my position, and have more confidence before we can talk about marriage openly."

Upon hearing this story of a poor boy falling in love with a rich girl, Lin Jiaojiao immediately understood. She had long suspected that Zhao Jianguo's mysterious girlfriend probably came from a very influential family, otherwise she wouldn't have sneaked into the city in the middle of the night for surgery. There were too many people in the system who would endure such things for the sake of their future. She tactfully patted Zhao Jianguo on the shoulder and didn't ask any more questions.

After the two signed the waiver and surgical consent form, Lin Jiaojiao changed into a sterile gown and reassured Zhao Jianguo, "Just wait outside, it'll be quick." With that, she led Zhou Qingyan into the abortion room and closed the heavy door.

He sat alone on the empty corridor bench, listening to the faint sounds of machinery clashing inside, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He knew that with the advancement of modern medicine, the technique of curettage, a minor surgical procedure, was already very mature and had virtually no risks. Therefore, he was not worried about Zhou Qingyan's safety. However, the thought of that undeveloped little life about to be turned into a pool of blood and cleaned away still brought a touch of indescribable sorrow and bitterness to his heart as her father.

It seems I really don't have much of a connection with my children in this life. I wonder which impatient little angel blindly reincarnated, only to end up in the wrong place, ending up with me and Zhou Qingyan, parents who could never be together. They were destined to only have this short, half-lived existence in this world.

He sighed deeply, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest.

"ah……!"

Suddenly, a terrified scream pierced through the heavy door of the inpatient room!

He suddenly opened his eyes, his hair standing on end. He instinctively jumped up from his chair and rushed to the door of the abortion room. Immediately afterwards, he heard a series of clanging sounds of metal plates hitting the ground and medicine bottles shattering. Clearly, something serious had happened!

"What's wrong?! Jiaojiao! What happened?" he shouted as he pounded on the door.

With a loud bang, the door to the abortion room was violently kicked open from the inside.

Lin Jiaojiao hadn't even had time to take off her mask. Her face was as pale as a sheet, and her eyes were filled with terror. She grabbed Zhao Jianguo's arm tightly, her voice trembling, "Something's wrong...something's wrong, Jianguo! Your girlfriend has a severe allergic reaction to the anesthetic! She's having a rejection reaction! Quick...quick, get her to the hospital!"

He felt a "buzz" in his head, as if struck by lightning. The anaphylactic shock caused by the anesthesia allergy could be fatal in an instant!