Chapter 46: Acting

"County Chief Yuan, County Chief Li is here too, what are you watching on TV?" Zhu Daodong's mood calmed down the moment Li Jin opened the door. He remembered what Hou Yong had said earlier: the more anxious you are, the more you need to stay calm. What good would it do to have a falling out with Yuan Ping now? Would he immediately send people to the county town to help look for someone? Not necessarily. He might even use this opportunity to argue with him, and by then, it would be too late.

"We're watching 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes.' Secretary Zhu, why don't you join us?" Li Jin said cheerfully. He had always followed Yuan Ping's lead in the township government, and his position as deputy township chief was due to Yuan Ping's strong support. Today, Yuan Ping seemed to be in a good mood, and Li Jin's face was beaming.

"Stop watching TV. Most people are already in the meeting room. Let's go over there." Yuan Ping saw through Zhu Daodong's intentions. If Chen Shuli knew that he and Li Jin were watching TV at home while his son was missing, he would be furious. Li Jin, the fool, had been played by this young upstart, Zhu Daodong!

When the three of them entered the large meeting room, the noise inside finally began to subside. Yuan Ping sat at the head of the table and slowly scanned the room before speaking slowly, "Today, something very urgent has happened. Secretary Chen's son, Chen Wanli, has been kidnapped in the county town. As comrades and subordinates of Secretary Chen, we should demonstrate a spirit of unity and mutual assistance..."

Zhu Daodong, listening to Yuan Ping's speech, knew that things were not going well. He showed no sign of urgency at all. He wondered how he would face Chen Shuli when he returned. If you want to make things difficult for Chen Shuli, you don't have to be so obvious about it. Many of the officials in the room also looked indignant; Yuan Ping had really overstepped this time.

But Zhu Daodong didn't have time to worry. Yuan Ping's speech would eventually end, and he needed to prepare in advance. He left the meeting room and found the driver, Wang Bo, who was sitting in the jeep, ready to start the engine.

"Wang Bo, where are you going?" Zhu Daodong heard the car start and ran over, shouting.

"Brother Dong, I have to go to the county town. Such a big thing has happened to Secretary Chen's family, I need to go and help," Wang Bo said, sticking his head out of the window.

"What can you do by yourself? County Chief Yuan is mobilizing everyone in the meeting. The township officials will soon go to the county town to help look for him. You should join in too," Zhu Daodong said.

"Rely on him? By the time he's done, it'll be too late. You didn't see how he dragged the meeting out for almost an hour. Do we really need a meeting for this? It's better to head straight to the county town!" Wang Bo said dismissively.

"If the meeting wasn't held, no one would go. The meeting may take a while, but at least some people will help. Once we get to the county town, things will be easier. You're the driver and know the other drivers in the township. There are no buses to the county town right now, so you need to call a few cars. We can't make people walk to the county town, can we?" Zhu Daodong sighed and said softly.

"Brother Dong, I'll do as you say. I'll go call the cars now," Wang Bo nodded heavily. This was the kind of person who showed his worth in critical moments.

When Zhu Daodong returned to the meeting room, Yuan Ping was still giving his passionate speech. He had never realized that Yuan Ping had such skills. It seemed he could go on for another hour without pausing.

"Now, my sixth point is about the logistics for this search in the county town. Logistics are crucial..."

"County Chief Yuan, Secretary Chen just called, asking everyone to go to the county town immediately. Xiao Wang has already gone to call the cars, and we can leave in ten minutes," Zhu Daodong, unable to stand it any longer, stood in front of the podium and shouted loudly.

"Secretary Chen called? Li Shaohua, you're in charge of the telephone station. Can just anyone make calls?" Yuan Ping saw Li Shaohua sitting below and suddenly said sternly.

"County Chief Yuan, I locked the office door just now," Li Shaohua quickly stood up and said loudly.

"I received the call at the police station. Secretary Chen called, and when no one answered, he was very upset and called the police station," Zhu Daodong explained casually, not giving Yuan Ping a chance to make a fuss. He then took out a pen and notebook and started writing quickly.

"What are you doing?" Yuan Ping asked.

"Secretary Chen asked me to record the names of everyone going. I'm writing them down now. If anyone can't go, please raise your hand. We'll take a roll call when we get to the county town," Zhu Daodong raised his notebook and said loudly.

"Since Secretary Chen is in a hurry, I won't talk much more. But everyone must remember one thing: keep your eyes open and don't let the kidnappers slip away under our noses. The meeting is dismissed!" Yuan Ping looked deeply at Zhu Daodong and said slowly.

Zhu Daodong had thought that Yuan Ping wouldn't go to the county town, but when Wang Bo's jeep returned, Yuan Ping got into the front passenger seat without hesitation. This guy was really shameless. Compared to him, Li Jin was a minor player.

Later, Zhu Daodong realized that Yuan Ping had covered all his bases. Even if Chen Shuli was furious later, he couldn't blame Yuan Ping. He had mobilized the township officials and personally went to the county town to help search. On the surface, Chen Shuli would have to be grateful to him. This left Chen Shuli with no way to vent his anger or direct his frustration at him.

Wang Bo called two tractors, a three-wheeler, and a four-wheeler, with his jeep leading the way. They set off with over fifty people from the township government. Since Yuan Ping was in the jeep, Zhu Daodong climbed onto the back of one of the tractors. After nearly an hour of bumpy travel, they finally arrived at Chen Shuli's home in the county town.

"Secretary Chen, all the officials who are at home have arrived. Please give us your instructions," Yuan Ping ran over to Chen Shuli as soon as he got out of the car and reported loudly.

Zhu Daodong, watching from behind, felt like vomiting. He thought he was a decent actor, but compared to Yuan Ping, he was far behind. This guy could talk to people and ghosts alike. If he were Chen Shuli, he would be moved to tears.

Sure enough, when Chen Shuli heard that Yuan Ping had brought all the officials who were at home, he couldn't help but grab Yuan Ping's hand and said, tears welling up in his eyes, "Thank you, comrades. I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life!"

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