Me! A high-ranking official!

"Fine, you've got some serious skills." Zhao Jianguo sighed helplessly. He was too lazy to argue with a patient who had just crawled back from the brink of death. He said, "However, there's something else I need to tell you..."

Zhou Qingyan didn't say anything, turned around and pressed the elevator's up button.

"Ring ring..."

Just as the elevator doors were about to open, Zhou Qingyan's phone suddenly rang.

Zhou Qingyan took out his phone and glanced at the screen. A rare look of panic flashed across his already pale face. He quickly answered the call and strode into the newly opened elevator: "Hey, brother, what's wrong...?"

He shook his head and was about to follow when Zhou Qingyan, who had already entered the elevator, suddenly stepped back out, holding his phone. His face was even more panicked than before, and his eyes even showed a hint of unease as he quickly looked around at the empty underground parking lot.

"Whoosh..."

Just then, a black Audi A6 with a provincial license plate suddenly flashed its high beams twice in a parking space not far away.

Zhou Qingyan's gaze immediately locked onto the car, his face instantly turning extremely gloomy. He bit his pale lips and forced himself to walk towards the black Audi.

He looked at her unusual behavior with surprise. In Linshui County, Zhou Qingyan was always a decisive and unyielding iron lady who could remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of her. He had never seen her show such a fearful expression before.

On a whim, he immediately followed.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Zhou Qingyan turned around abruptly, lowered his voice, and quickly told him, "It's my brother. You're my driver."

He followed her gaze and looked over in surprise. He saw the back door of the Audi open, and a middle-aged man of about forty years old stepped out. The man was upright, wearing a dark blue suit, and his hair was neatly combed. Although he did not speak, the powerful aura and imposing official authority that he had accumulated from long-term high-ranking positions instantly made the surrounding air feel somewhat oppressive.

Having worked within the system for several years, he only needed to glance at the man's demeanor and the official car with the provincial capital license plate to make a judgment: this was definitely a powerful leader, and his official position was probably much higher than that of Zhou Qingyan, the county party secretary!

He slowed his pace and followed behind Zhou Qingyan, his mind racing.

"Brother, why did you suddenly come here?" Zhou Qingyan walked over quickly. Although he tried his best to hide it, his voice still revealed a trace of weakness and surprise.

The middle-aged man's deep gaze first fell on Zhou Qingyan's face, then silently swept past her and coldly swept over Zhao Jianguo behind her.

"Xiao Yan, why do you look so pale? Are you sick?" The man frowned slightly, his tone revealing undeniable concern, but also a hint of scrutiny.

He immediately seized the opportunity to interject, and before Zhou Qingyan could think of an excuse, he preemptively reported in a perfectly respectful tone: "Reporting to the leader, Secretary Zhou accidentally ate something while having dinner in the city last night, which triggered an extremely severe allergic reaction. He was even taken to the city hospital emergency room overnight to recover. This morning, there was an important coordination meeting at the municipal party committee, and Secretary Zhou was worried about it, so he forced himself to attend the meeting for half a day. Therefore, he is currently very weak."

After listening, the middle-aged man glanced at Zhao Jianguo indifferently, his eyes so sharp they seemed to see right through people. Then, he turned to Zhou Qingyan, his tone full of reproach, yet also carrying the authority of an older brother over his younger sister: "Qingyan, no matter how busy you are with work, you still need to prioritize your health! Stop fooling around!"

Zhou Qingyan could only lower his head and nod: "I understand, brother. But why didn't you tell me you were coming to the city beforehand?"

"I came down here to inspect some work, and I just happened to be passing through the city. I heard you were having a meeting at the Municipal Party Committee, so I thought I'd drop by and see you," the man explained casually. Then, his tone shifted, and his gaze fell on Zhao Jianguo again. He asked, seemingly casually, "And you are?"

Just as Zhou Qingyan was about to say, "He's my driver," Zhao Jianguo spoke first, eager to show off, and said, "Hello, leader, I'm Zhao Jianguo, the first secretary stationed in Luojia Village, Linshui County. I'm one of Secretary Zhou's men. Today, Secretary Zhou's car had a little trouble, and I happened to be in the city on some village business. I just happened to run into him, so I temporarily acted as his driver and took him back to rest."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingyan tensed up instantly and subconsciously glanced at Zhao Jianguo.

A barely perceptible glint flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes, and he nodded slightly: "Oh, I see. Thank you for your hard work."

Zhao Jianguo smiled naturally and immediately went along with it: "It's nothing, it's all for the sake of work. I was just about to go to the pharmacy to buy some medicine for Secretary Zhou because she wasn't feeling well. Now that you're here and taking care of her, I'm completely relieved. Leader, Secretary Zhou, I have some urgent matters to attend to in the village, so I won't bother you any longer. I'll take my leave now!"

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, looked Zhao Jianguo up and down, and uttered two words: "Take care."

He bowed slightly, turned around, and strode away from the underground parking garage.

Once outside in the sunlight after leaving the underground parking garage, he quietly wiped the cold sweat from his palms.

He didn't follow Zhou Qingyan's instructions to impersonate a driver. He knew this kind of high-ranking leader too well; such people were cunning and not easily fooled.

Who is the personal driver of the Party Secretary of Linshui County? What is his name? What does he look like? If the other party wanted to find out, they could find out everything with just one phone call or even ten minutes. If I really lied and claimed to be the driver, and was exposed, that would be a self-incriminating confession, which would definitely arouse great suspicion from the other party!

Instead, he directly revealed his true identity as Zhao Jianguo, the village secretary, and then used half-true, half-false excuses such as his car breaking down, a chance encounter, or giving a ride to a leader as a favor. In grassroots organizations, such situations where leaders are temporarily assigned tasks are common. The more subtle and seemingly coincidental the excuse, the more likely it is to dispel the suspicions of such an old fox.

He glanced back at the entrance to the basement and saw that Zhou Qingyan had already gone upstairs with her brother.

"Tsk..."

He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and frowned deeply.

In that situation just now, he didn't have a chance to mention that people were asking about Lin Jiaojiao's clinic. Now that Zhou Qingyan has an unfathomable older brother by her side, she must be too busy to deal with him.

But this matter is like a time bomb. Someone has already followed the clues to the clinic. If we don't find an opportunity to tell Zhou Qingyan about this so that she can take precautions in advance, it could explode at any time and blow them both to pieces!

"I need to think of a way to see her as soon as possible..." He exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes becoming serious.