Me! A high-ranking official!

Normally, people would be smoking and chatting in the courtyard, but today it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The doors to all the offices along the corridor were tightly shut, with only a faint light shining through. This eerily silent atmosphere was definitely not a normal working environment.

Just as he reached the corner on the second floor, he bumped into Wang Pingping, who was carrying a stack of documents. When she saw him, her eyes lit up, and she quickly walked over, calling out in a low voice, "Director, you're back."

He glanced at the tightly closed doors around him, then lowered his voice and asked, "Pingping, Director Guo suddenly called me back. What happened at the bureau?"

Wang Pingping glanced nervously around, leaned closer, and whispered, "Last night, the county discipline inspection commission took Li Dafang away overnight."

A thought struck him. He had heard about the news a couple of days ago about a person being killed at the construction site of the Xiaochengzhai renovation project. Now it seemed that the safety accident had finally escalated and directly implicated the person in charge, Li Dafang.

Before he could think it through, Wang Pingping dropped an even bigger bombshell: "Also, this morning, Director Zhang Baocheng was called in for a talk by the Discipline Inspection Commission on his way to work, and he hasn't returned yet."

He was startled, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "So fast?"

Wang Pingping nodded repeatedly, lowering her voice even further: "It's being said in the bureau that Li Dafang confessed everything as soon as he was taken in. He said he gave Director Bao Cheng a large gift to secure the project. Not only that, he also revealed that he took kickbacks from the project, and even implicated several directors from the Industrial Investment Group."

Upon hearing this news, he couldn't help but shake his head inwardly and sneer.

Li Dafang's collapse was lightning fast. In just one night, he revealed all his cards, dragging Zhang Baocheng down with him. People who haven't experienced much hardship lose their composure when faced with a life-or-death situation. In fact, if Li Dafang had pinned the blame on one person, Zhang Baocheng, in order to protect himself, would have tried every means to get him out of trouble, and the final outcome might not have been so serious.

Now things are really messed up. He's spilled everything out, and even the only person who could protect him has been sent in. This mess has become a complete stagnant pool.

"I went to great lengths to snatch this project back then, and now I've gotten myself into it. It's entirely my own fault." He scoffed.

Wang Pingping patted her chest with lingering fear and whispered with relief, "Director, thank goodness you didn't take on this hot potato back then."

He glanced at Wang Pingping and couldn't help but ask, "You look down on your director so much? He went in because he was corrupt and had a dirty past. I'm not on the same side as him."

Wang Pingping smiled, her eyes filled with admiration: "That's right, our director is upright and honest. Director Guo has been waiting for you in his office for a long time, please go over quickly."

He nodded and walked towards the deputy director's office at the end of the corridor.

After knocking twice, Guo Nanguo's slightly tired voice came from inside.

Pushing open the door, Guo Nanguo was sitting behind his desk flipping through a thick stack of documents. When he looked up and saw Zhao Jianguo, his furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he smiled, saying, "Jianguo's here. Have a seat."

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"Director Guo." He pulled out a chair and sat down. "I was just planning to take some time in the next couple of days to go back to the bureau and report to you on my recent work."

Guo Nanguo waved his hand and gave a wry smile: "Let's put the report aside for now. You must have heard about the accident at the Xiaochengzhai renovation site a couple of days ago."

He nodded, waiting for what was to come.

Guo Nanguo's smile vanished, his expression turning unusually serious: "Last night, the county discipline inspection commission conducted a surprise investigation of Li Dafang overnight, and this morning..." He paused, his voice growing even deeper: "Director Bao Cheng was also summoned for questioning. I've asked around and found out the details; Director Bao Cheng should currently be under investigation in isolation."

Although I had just heard rumors from Wang Pingping, the weight of Guo Nanguo's personal confirmation was completely different.

"It involves such a wide range of people?" he asked in surprise.

Guo Nanguo nodded, sighed, and said with a hint of disappointment, "It might not be just that. Perhaps it involves other issues as well. This Li Dafang... he's more trouble than he's worth."

He knew perfectly well that Li Dafang, either to redeem himself or to shirk responsibility, had obviously revealed all the dirt he had on Zhang Baocheng.

Guo Nanguo picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said seriously, "I just met with Deputy County Head Lian. The county leaders' instructions were very clear: the Xiaochengzhai project and the Shanhaijing Zoo project are the key projects for our county's cultural tourism transformation this year. They must not be halted because of the personal problems of some cadres. Someone must step up immediately and push forward with all our might."

At this point, Guo Nanguo stared intently at him: "I explained the current difficulties of the work to Deputy County Chief Lian. My original intention was to transfer you back to the bureau directly with a transfer order. However, considering that you have just achieved results in Luojia Village and are currently in the spotlight, with several county leaders watching your performance, forcibly transferring you from your village post at this time would not only ruin the great situation you have built up, but would also be a hidden danger to your future political development."

Guo Nanguo leaned forward and presented his final solution: "So, my initial idea is to make you work a little harder, balancing both tasks. Of course, this depends on your own wishes."

Upon hearing this, his mind raced.

Guo Nanguo's considerations were very thorough, and the best solution was made entirely from his perspective. According to organizational regulations, dispatched cadres cannot arbitrarily return to their original units during their term of office. The only compromise was to take a long leave under the pretext of "assisting with major county-level projects," shifting the focus of work back to the bureau while also taking care of coordinating village affairs.

Although such travel would be extremely tiring, and returning now would be tantamount to cleaning up Li Dafang's mess and salvaging a disaster that had already occurred, which would be extremely difficult.

However, opportunities are often accompanied by risks.

Guo Nanguo had been kind to him and had always supported him. He hadn't let him take on other responsibilities before because he was afraid that Zhang Baocheng would ostracize him and make things difficult for him if he returned. Now that Zhang Baocheng has been isolated and investigated, even if no evidence is found in the end, it will be extremely difficult for him to return to the Bureau of Culture and Tourism. With the director's position vacant, Guo Nanguo naturally became the "top leader" in charge of all work.

With Guo Nanguo backing him up in the bureau and being the rightful acting village secretary in the village, all obstacles on both sides have been cleared. Taking advantage of this opportunity to work on both fronts will greatly enhance his political standing!

After a brief moment of contemplation, he raised his head and said in a deep voice, "Thank you, Director Guo, for your thoughtful consideration. I am willing to come back."

Upon hearing this reply, Guo Nanguo finally smiled with relief: "Good, that's enough. I'll report to Deputy County Chief Lian immediately."

"Thank you for your trust, Director Guo," he said solemnly again.