In officialdom: After she left, I rose rapidly through the ranks!

Director Gao's words made Chen Jingcheng's heart beat even faster.

Is this possible?

Consider the situation Li Feitu is facing now: the Li family is being targeted, and Li Zhixing has been transferred from the coveted position of municipal party secretary to deputy secretary-general of the CPPCC. What will happen next?

Yes, the Li family is clean, Li Feitu firmly believes so, and Chen Jingcheng also believes so. But who dares to say that the Li family is so clean that no one can find any fault with them?

Whether it's money, lifestyle, decision-making when in charge of a region, or the issue of personnel promotion, there really isn't a single fault to be found.

Impossible. Not only do others not believe it, but even Li Feitu doesn't believe it.

The Li family are not saints; it's impossible for them to be without any mistakes or personal interests.

If you're willing to investigate, you can always find the problem.

The next step is that Li Zhixing will be taken away by the Discipline Inspection Commission for investigation from his position as Deputy Secretary-General of the CPPCC. The outcome is already predictable.

For a leading cadre who was almost guaranteed a promotion to vice-ministerial level, this is the greatest punishment.

And once Li Zhixing goes in, will Li Zhiyuan be far behind?

Can he hold onto his position as deputy director of the National People's Congress for long?

If the Li family still has someone to support him, perhaps the best outcome for Li Zhiyuan would be early retirement, but that is almost impossible.

His downfall is probably inevitable.

The Li family, once a powerful and influential political clan in Linjiang Province, is about to fall to rock bottom.

If Li Zhiyuan and Li Zhixing are already in this state, how much better can Li Feitu be?

Li Feitu's position as county magistrate is certainly out of reach, and whether he can retain his position as a division-level official is another matter entirely. Judging from Sun Yikun's ruthless actions today, it seems certain that he will try to destroy Li Feitu.

Under such circumstances, the Li family was completely destroyed.

Li Feitu was certainly furious, but there was nothing he could do to change the outcome.

No, it's not entirely unchangeable. If he's willing to pay the price, then perhaps the problems of Li Zhiyuan and Li Zhixing can be resolved. Perhaps they won't have the same glory they once had, but at least they can be spared imprisonment.

The only thing you have to give up is your life.

By dying, he would let everyone know that on his first day in office, Sun Yikun had driven a promising young county magistrate to his death. At that time, everyone would know about the feud between the Sun and Li families and understand the ruthlessness of the Sun family.

Right or wrong, it doesn't matter anymore.

The important thing is that Li Feitu is really dead, and Sun Yikun is definitely involved.

He used his own death to protect the rest of the Li family.

At the same time, it could completely cut off Sun Yikun's path to advancement, and might even directly lead to Sun Yikun being punished.

This would give other people in the province who had grievances against the Sun family but were unwilling to take action a perfect opportunity, thus leaving the Sun family with no time to spare and unable to attack the Li family.

This is the only chance for change.

He gave his life for a chance.

Chen Jingcheng had thought of this, and so had Director Gao, which is why the two of them were so tense.

Chen Jingcheng shook his head, his eyes turning red.

"No, the county magistrate would never do such a thing!"

"Director Gao, I know what you're thinking, but I'm sure the county magistrate won't do that. It's not over yet, and the county magistrate isn't the kind of person who gives up halfway."

"Okay, Director Gao, please don't let anyone know about the county magistrate's disappearance. Now, let's do everything we can to find him. Once we find him, everything will be alright."

Director Gao also knew that this situation absolutely could not be known to others, otherwise it would really create a lot of trouble out of nowhere.

After Chen Jingcheng finished speaking, he left the office and then had Guo Hu drive along the road to search.

It wasn't until around noon, when Secretary Zhao had returned, that Chen Jingcheng finally managed to dial Li Feitu's phone number.

The moment the call connected, Chen Jingcheng's heart was still pounding, but he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"County Magistrate, where are you?"

"Please don't overthink things. Some things are still unpredictable, and the outcome is uncertain until the very last moment."

Hearing Chen Jingcheng's anxious voice, Li Feitu's voice sounded much calmer.

"Jingcheng, haha, you're overthinking it. I'm fine. I was just in a bad mood, that's why I didn't answer the phone."

"Okay, I'll be in the county soon. Come to my office later."

After saying that, Li Feitu hung up the phone.

At this moment, Chen Jingcheng breathed a sigh of relief. In any case, at least Li Feitu did not have any suicidal thoughts, nor did he think of taking the extreme step of using his own life to cut off Sun Yikun's path to advancement.

That's good.

Guo Hu looked at Chen Jingcheng sitting in the passenger seat, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Jingcheng, the county magistrate is fine, don't worry."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jingcheng nodded, but his eyes still betrayed his worry.

Everything is fine now, but things are likely to get complicated from here on out.

"Tiger, get ready. Given what this new secretary did to the county head today, you can imagine how serious things will get. And the storm will probably come faster and stronger than we think."

"If I'm taken away by the inspection team, please remember to check on my parents and comfort them. Although I've already told them in advance, they'll still be worried."

Guo Hu nodded, then abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the road, gritting his teeth as he said, "Jing Cheng, if there's anything I can do, you must tell me. We're brothers; I'd trade my life for anything."

"Well, I still have trustworthy brothers in the police force. I can try to get some equipment or even weapons out. Or, should I do something else?"

As he said this, a resolute glint appeared in Guo Hu's eyes.

He knew very well what he was saying, and he knew even better what the consequences would be if he were discovered.

But he still said it, and he planned to do it as long as Chen Jingcheng nodded.

Chen Jingcheng suddenly looked at Guo Hu and said sternly, "Nonsense!"

"Tiger, what kind of equipment do you want? For eavesdropping?"

"What are you trying to do? Are you monitoring or spying on whom? County Party Secretary Zhao Mingyuan? Or City Party Secretary Sun Yikun?"

"This is utterly absurd! This isn't just a matter of rules; it's a violation of the law!"

"Let me tell you, stop this idea immediately, and doing so won't solve any problems."

"And as for receiving weapons, don't even think about it. What do you take us for? What do you think the clothes you're wearing are?"

"I appreciate your kindness, but don't go to such extremes. Things haven't reached the final point yet. Even if the outcome can't be changed, you won't be allowed to do something illegal and disorderly. Do you understand?"

Guo Hu had never seen Chen Jingcheng so angry with him before, but he knew that Chen Jingcheng was really anxious and worried that he would disobey and do something irreversible.

In the end, Guo Hu sighed, nodded, and said, "I'm just anxious. You're my brother, and County Chief Li is a good man. I'm not reconciled. I want to do something for you, even if it's just to find some dirt on them. Maybe, at least, it will make them hesitate to act against me."

Chen Jingcheng patted Guo Hu on the shoulder and said softly, "Hu Zi, you're still a bit naive."

"In short, don't do that, or you won't have me as your brother."

"Remember what I said, and never do anything you shouldn't do."

"Alright, let's drive back. We'll discuss everything after I finish talking with the county magistrate."