Me! A high-ranking official!

Guo Nanguo smiled and waved his hand: "Don't be so polite with me. You should prepare in the next few days. I'll have someone handle the relevant procedures. I'll have the office send you all the progress materials for these two projects. You should take the time to understand the details. Once you officially take on the work in the bureau, this matter will still be handled by your tourism development division. Also..."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Guo Nanguo's eyes: "You will also temporarily take over the industrial development shares left by Li Dafang. His subordinates are familiar with the previous business, which will make it easier for you to take over quickly."

"Understood." He readily agreed and got up to take his leave.

Stepping out of the director's office, Zhao Jianguo looked at the somewhat glaring sunlight in the corridor and took a deep breath. This dramatic turn of events had happened so quickly. Just over a month after Zhang Baocheng went to the countryside, he was taken away. Now he was back, directly managing the Industrial Development Section and the Tourism Development Section, leading two major county-level cultural tourism projects: the Xiaochengzhai Ancient Style Immersive Experience and the Shan Hai Jing Zoo. In addition, Luojia Village's economic development had become a benchmark in the county. If these steps were taken well, his future promotion would be smooth sailing!

As he left the Culture and Tourism Bureau, the sun was blazing. He opened the car door and got in, thinking that in a few days, his work focus would shift back to the county town. Although the hard decoration of the small courtyard house he had bought was finished and the furniture had been moved in, essential daily necessities such as pots, pans, bedding, and toiletries were still missing.

He glanced down at the time on his watch. It was almost noon. Today was Friday. If he remembered correctly, his younger sister, Zhao Lingling, who was a senior in high school at the county's No. 1 High School, should be off today. Senior year was very demanding, and they only got a break every two weeks. They usually left school at 4 p.m. He could take advantage of this break to get everything ready and then pick the girl up from school in the afternoon.

Having made up his mind, he found a large supermarket nearby, grabbed a quick lunch on the first floor, and then started a shopping spree, buying two large bags of odds and ends. He drove back to his courtyard, put everything away, and did a quick cleaning. Seeing that it was 3:30 p.m., he drove to the county's No. 1 Middle School on time.

He parked the car on the roadside not far from the school gate. A lot of parents had already gathered outside the gate, eagerly waiting. Afraid that his younger sister might get lost and wander off, he got out of the car and stood in the most conspicuous spot at the school gate, craning his neck to look inside.

As the school bell rang, students carrying backpacks poured out of the school gate one after another. By almost five o'clock, the crowd had thinned out, but Zhao Lingling's familiar ponytail was nowhere to be seen.

Puzzled, he walked to the security office and knocked on the window: "Excuse me, sir, have all the senior high school students been released yet?"

The security guard, holding a teacup, stared at him with a look of utter astonishment: "Senior year of high school? What senior year? Those seniors have already finished their college entrance exams and are on vacation. Who are you taking on for senior year?"

His head buzzed, and he froze on the spot.

The college entrance exam is over?!

He suddenly pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. June 20th. The college entrance exam was on June 7th and 8th, which was almost half a month ago!

He slapped his forehead in frustration and cursed himself. He had been so busy with those projects in Luojia Village that he hadn't had a moment to spare, and hadn't even had time to go back to his hometown. He had completely forgotten about his sister's most important exam.

Oh no, that girl is definitely going to be furious when we get back; she'll probably tear the roof off.

He jumped into his car as if his pants were on fire, stepped on the gas, turned around, and headed straight for the largest digital mall in the county. To appease his younger sister's anger, he gritted his teeth and spent a fortune, buying the latest smartphone, tablet, and high-spec laptop all at once. He also bought a huge rolling suitcase and packed all these "offerings" as an apology into it before nervously driving back to his hometown.

He had just driven his car into his yard when his mother came back from outside carrying groceries.

The old lady's face lit up with joy when she saw who it was: "Jianguo, what brings you back?" Her gaze then fell on the brand-new SUV, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, you bought a car?"

"I travel back and forth between the village and the county every day, it's really inconvenient without a car, so I gritted my teeth and got one." He gave a perfunctory explanation, then quickly got to the point: "Mom, where's Lingling?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady chuckled and pointed to the inner room: "They're cooped up inside."

He complained helplessly, "Mom, Lingling took her college entrance exam a couple of days ago, why didn't you even call me? I stupidly went to pick her up from school today, waited for her, and only remembered this after asking the security guard!"

The old lady smiled and waved her hand: "You just went to the village and were so busy with work. You're not in the county town now, so the family decided not to bother you."

"No matter how busy I am, nothing beats Lingling's college entrance exam. It's a major life event!" He said with a bitter face. "I have to go in and see her. That girl is probably so angry she wants to devour me whole."

The old lady nodded in deep agreement: "That's right. She scolded you for days after the exams because you didn't come home. I was going to call you, but she wouldn't let me, saying you were heartless and that all the love I had for you was for nothing."

He sighed, dragged the suitcase full of "generous gifts" out of the trunk, walked straight to Zhao Lingling's door, and knocked lightly twice.

"Come in!" came Zhao Lingling's angry voice from inside the house.

He pushed open the door, forcing a fawning smile: "Lingling, your brother's back."

Zhao Lingling was lying on the bed playing on her phone when she heard the voice. Like a little tigress with her fur standing on end, she jumped off the bed and pointed at his nose, yelling, "You, Zhao Jianguo! How dare you show your face in front of me? My college entrance exam is such a big deal, and you didn't even show up, didn't even come to see me off! Do you even care about me as your sister anymore? Get out! I don't want to see you!"

Seeing his sister's face flushed with anger, he guiltily smiled apologetically, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault. My brain has been so busy lately, I completely forgot about something so important. Don't be angry, I sincerely apologize, okay?"

"An apology? A mere, perfunctory apology is all it takes?" Zhao Lingling wasn't buying it at all, hands on her hips: "Zhao Jianguo, let me tell you, this isn't over! You no longer have me as your sister, and I no longer have you as my brother. We're cutting ties!"

Upon hearing this, he sighed heavily, looking troubled: "Are you serious?"

"Of course it's true!" Zhao Lingling raised her chin. "You don't care about me at all, you even forgot about my college entrance exam. What use are you as my brother?"

He shook his head regretfully: "Well then, it seems I'll have to keep the things in this box for myself."

He slowly unzipped his suitcase, taking things out while muttering seriously, "The latest Huawei phone costs over six thousand, and this high-end laptop costs over eight thousand. Oh dear, this tablet isn't cheap either, almost five thousand... I was originally planning to give it to my sister as a graduation gift, but since I don't have a sister anymore, I can't give it to her. Perfect timing, I'm going to work in the county soon, and I need a good office computer."