Me! A high-ranking official!

A black, older model Volkswagen sedan was quietly parked at the entrance of the village committee. Two men in dark jackets got out of the car and loitered furtively in front of the courtyard.

His heart sank. He parked the tram at the entrance and hurried inside.

The two men were shining flashlights haphazardly through the windows of the village committee office and tugged hard on the padlock of the door. After finding no one was around, one of them pulled out a small notebook, seemingly preparing to write something down.

"Hey you two, what are you doing in the middle of the night?" he shouted from behind.

The two men were startled and whirled around, nearly dropping their notebooks. By the moonlight, they sized up Zhao Jianguo, who was pushing a cart loaded with vegetables, and asked in surprise, "Who are you?"

"I am Zhao Jianguo, the first secretary stationed in this village."

The two men exchanged a glance, a complex look flashing in their eyes, before coldly saying, "Secretary Zhao, is that right? We are a joint inspection team from the town's discipline inspection commission and the village-based office. Tonight, we received an anonymous report from villagers alleging that you, as a village-based cadre, have neglected your duties and left your post without authorization. We came to investigate, and the gate was locked just now. Where were you?"

His heart skipped a beat.

There are strict rules for village-based cadres: they must live and eat in the village. If they need to leave their posts due to special circumstances, they must apply for leave from the town and file a record. He did want to take advantage of the time difference to go back to his hometown to find someone and visit his parents for the night when no one was around. It was late at night, and there was nothing to do, so he never thought about asking for leave.

Unexpectedly, in the short span of less than two hours, someone reported it!

Without a doubt, who else but Luo Shuishan could be watching his movements in the middle of the night? This old fox, unable to win in a direct confrontation, has started resorting to underhanded tactics!

He steadied himself, a憨厚 smile immediately spreading across his face. Pointing to the bag full of fresh vegetables, still fragrant with the scent of earth, hanging on the handlebars of his electric scooter, he then pointed towards the village entrance: "Oh dear, so it was the leaders who went out to check on things! What a misunderstanding! Our village store closes early, and this afternoon I was busy with the workers checking the streetlight locations, so busy I didn't have time for dinner. Now I'm starving, and I just remembered there's a small supermarket in the next village that's open at night, so I rode my electric scooter over there and bought some fresh vegetables. I was thinking of just cooking myself a bowl of noodles when I got back. Look, these vegetable leaves still have dew on them!"

He patted the large bag of vegetables and sighed helplessly, "Leaders, I can't possibly build socialism on an empty stomach, can I? This little bit of living expenses...it's not a violation of regulations, is it?"

The two inspection team members exchanged bewildered glances. They had indeed received some "hint" from their superiors tonight, intending to catch Zhao Jianguo red-handed and report him, but who would have thought that Zhao Jianguo would actually bring back a bag of vegetables, and his reason was so convincing—eating was indeed a matter of utmost importance.

"Well... since you went to buy groceries, it doesn't count as leaving your post." One of them coughed awkwardly and put away his notebook. "It's really a misunderstanding. Maybe some villagers misunderstood because you weren't home. Well, the secretary is human too. He can't go without food. It's getting late. Now that you're back, we'll be leaving."

As he watched the two cars' taillights disappear at the village entrance, his gaze instantly turned as cold as frost.

He glanced at the direction of Luo Shuishan's house, which was still in the shadows, and sneered inwardly, "Luo Shuishan, you old bastard, you've got a long way to go. Luckily, my dad stuffed this bag of vegetables in my pocket, otherwise I would have been humiliated in the whole town tomorrow with a notice of absenteeism."

He carried the groceries into the office and locked the door behind him.

"Trying to play dirty, huh? Well, we'll see. Once I've finalized the plan for the Classic of Mountains and Seas Zoo and the village's industrial cycle, let's see who gets out of Luo Family Village first!"

After locking the door, Zhao Jianguo sat down at his desk, rubbed his face vigorously, and forced himself to turn on the computer.

He created a new document and began to deeply conceive the implementation plan for the "Classic of Mountains and Seas Themed Zoo".

He had already produced a draft of this project while he was still in the bureau, and even had conceptual design drawings. The reason why the old leaders in the city are now asking for further development is definitely not as simple as changing a few words or adding a few sets of data. They probably want them to highlight the "local characteristics" and "profound impact" even more.

In other words, while a zoo based on the Classic of Mountains and Seas is to be built, the report must not only discuss the zoo. It must be deeply integrated with local characteristics, explaining the multifaceted effects that the project will bring to the local area in terms of economy, culture, tourism, transportation, and even environmental protection. Furthermore, it must be perfectly integrated into the overall development of cultural tourism in Linshui County, becoming a core component of it.

However, this is precisely the most difficult part.

Linshui County is a typical agricultural county with an incredibly weak cultural and tourism foundation! There were almost no tourism projects before, and now the only notable project under construction in the entire county is the "immersive ancient style experience block" that is currently being promoted.

With such a weak cultural and tourism foundation, can the expert group be convinced that the city's key projects can be undertaken? Is this the kind of cultural and tourism environment the city truly wants?

Zhao Jianguo rested his chin on his interlaced fingers, staring intently at the screen, deep in thought. Project planning requires a clear origin and a clear destination; every cause has an effect. After racking his brains for a long time, his mind was still a jumbled mess, and he couldn't find a solution that would give him a fresh perspective.

Unfortunately, this project is extremely urgent; even a one-day delay could allow other counties to snatch the resources away.

He sighed, took out his phone and checked the time; it was already 11:30 p.m.

After hesitating for a moment, he pulled up WeChat and sent a question mark to Zhou Qingyan, the county party secretary who usually seemed aloof and superior.

He regretted it the moment he sent it. It was so late, the other person was probably already asleep, and his behavior was even a bit abrupt.

To his surprise, just half a minute later, his phone suddenly vibrated. He looked down and saw that Zhou Qingyan had replied with a question mark exactly as stated!

A thought suddenly struck him, and without delay, he immediately dialed the number.

The phone was answered after two rings, and Zhou Qingyan's highly recognizable, cool, and slightly authoritative voice came through the receiver: "Hmm?"

With just a nasal tone, he exuded an overwhelming sense of power. He didn't bother with formalities and immediately got straight to the point: "Secretary Zhou, I'm sorry to bother you so late. Today, Deputy Director Guo from the bureau assigned me an urgent task: a detailed plan for the Classic of Mountains and Seas Zoo project."