Chapter 1, The Impostor

Yang Zixuan's arms flailed about in the air without any pattern, like a drowning man trying to grab a lifeline. He suddenly opened his eyes, and a sharp pain shot through his brain, as if a sharp object had been violently inserted into it. His mind was a mess, and he felt himself resting on something soft and numb.

"Thank goodness, County Chief Yang, you're finally awake!"

A deliberately lowered male voice sounded in Yang Zixuan's ear, like a thunderclap, completely waking him from his stupor!

County Chief Yang? When did I become a county chief?

Yang Zixuan struggled to keep his eyes open, his mind in chaos. He only remembered being stabbed five times by a fruit knife wielded by a thug hired by a business rival before being rushed to the hospital by passersby...

But the air here clearly lacked the pungent smell of soda water and medicine that one would find in a hospital ward...

Finally, Yang Zixuan managed to open his eyes a crack and took in his surroundings!

This was not a hospital but an old green train carriage. The opposite and adjacent seats were crowded with people, clearly indicating it was the peak travel season. It was drizzling outside, and the weather was quite cold...

At the same time, Yang Zixuan felt as if a huge gash had been torn in his brain, and various memories not his own were flooding in, causing his expression to change continuously...

At this moment, Yang Zixuan finally realized that he had been reborn, reborn in the 1990s, into a body with the same name as his!

From the memories flooding his mind, he learned that the owner of this body was a vice-county chief of Hongshui County, but his family background was not simple! As a direct descendant of a prominent family in the capital, he could have enjoyed significant political resources, but unfortunately, he was labeled as having low intelligence and being of little use from the day he was born. Therefore, after a simple career arrangement by the family, he was sent to the remote southern county of Hongshui, where he was ignored!

Yang Zixuan let out a deep breath. In his previous life, he was an orphan from a poor background, raised in an orphanage, and had to work his way through a prestigious university. He then studied at the University of Pennsylvania, relying entirely on scholarships and part-time jobs to support himself. Despite the hardships, he returned to China to start a business but, lacking connections, was quickly brought down by the web of official and business interests, ultimately dying at the hands of a thug hired by a business rival.

But in this life, since heaven had given him a chance to be reborn into such a person, he would make the most of it, live a life worth living, and not waste this rebirth!

"County Chief Yang, you've been unconscious for three hours, which scared me to death." The man speaking was Su Ming, the secretary assigned to Yang Zixuan by the county party office. Although, according to central guidelines, county-level officials generally did not have dedicated secretaries, local arrangements often included a secretary or assistant.

Yang Zixuan waved his hand, gradually getting into his new role: "Where are we going now?"

Su Ming pulled out a small notebook from his pocket, adjusted his glasses, and whispered: "County Chief, we're returning to Hongshui County. Don't you remember?"

Seeing the blank and confused expression on Yang Zixuan's face, Su Ming sighed, thinking that this county chief with low intelligence was starting to act foolish again: "We were originally planning to go to the provincial capital to the Party School to meet County Chief Li Sicheng, who was attending a training program, to report on some work. However, the Party School staff said he returned to Hongshui County yesterday, so we turned back. But after getting on the train, you fainted. Don't you remember?"

Since Yang Zixuan was appointed as a vice-county chief of Hongshui County in the remote southern part of Luofu Province a year ago, Su Ming had been following him.

Now, the entire county party and government compound knew that Su Ming was following a county chief with low intelligence, and it had become a laughing matter among the staff.

Su Ming had experienced the initial joy of being selected as a leader's secretary, followed by the awkwardness when Yang Zixuan's poor performance in the county party committee meetings became known, and now he was used to it.

Heaven had given Yang Zixuan a chance to be reborn and also provided him with some information about the future of the body's owner.

According to the memories, the owner of this body was quickly framed by several county officials in the 1990s as the main culprit in a corruption case, leading to his removal from the county party committee and demotion to a minor position in the cultural and educational center, where he lived out his days in solitude.

The prominent family in the capital never looked at him again.

No!

Since he had been reborn, he could not let such a tragic fate befall him!

Yang Zixuan silently resolved in his heart!

"Little Su, what do you think of Comrade Li Sicheng?" After organizing the additional memories in his mind, Yang Zixuan suddenly turned and asked.

Su Ming was surprised by Yang Zixuan's unusual behavior but straightened up and respectfully replied: "You mean County Chief Li? I dare not make a hasty judgment."

Li Sicheng was the current county chief of Hongshui County, attending a three-month training program at the provincial party school. In the county party committee meetings, he often clashed with the newly appointed county party secretary, Xu Fumin.

Rumors had it that this training program for Li Sicheng was orchestrated by Xu Fumin to remove him from the county and gather evidence of his misconduct, aiming to remove him from his position.

Yang Zixuan narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Just speak your mind. I won't blame you for any mistakes. I just want to understand."

Yang Zixuan knew that junior officials like Su Ming were often privy to the gossip and rumors circulating within the government offices.

Su Ming hesitated, his face showing difficulty, but finally whispered: "I'll tell you. Some people have been saying that County Chief Li is the protector of the corrupt leadership of the Hongshui Textile Factory. The factory was once the leading enterprise in our county, but now it has been losing money for years, and many workers have been laid off. Wages are hard to come by, and the factory is barely surviving on bank loans. Many people say that the decline of the Hongshui Textile Factory, from a major tax contributor to a burden on our county's economic development, is due to County Chief Li. He was the party secretary of the factory during its peak years, and after he was transferred to the county government, his former subordinates took over, leading to the factory's decline..."

Yang Zixuan fell silent, gazing out the window at the spring rain. He could hear the personal emotions in Su Ming's words.

From the memories, he knew that Su Ming's father had once been a worker at the textile factory but was laid off due to poor performance. His mother was often ill and unable to work, and his sister also worked at the factory but was at home because of unpaid wages. The family relied on Su Ming's salary, and the pressure was significant. No wonder Su Ming was upset.

The carriage was crowded and noisy, and no one noticed their conversation.

"Mr. Zhuang, please respect yourself!" A clear and slightly cold voice suddenly cut through the air, interrupting Yang Zixuan's thoughts.

At this moment, Yang Zixuan noticed a pair of young people with distinctly different auras sitting opposite him.

The woman was about twenty years old, with a beautiful and cold face, naturally unadorned. She had long, slender legs and a slim waist, standing tall and graceful. Her long eyelashes framed her beautiful eyes, and she wore grayish-white jeans that tightly hugged her long legs. Her upper body was clad in a finely crafted cashmere sweater that clung to her, accentuating her alluring curves.

With his past experience, Yang Zixuan immediately recognized the cashmere sweater as a French brand, Givenchy!

Anyone wearing Givenchy in the 1990s was clearly not an ordinary person!

The man surnamed Zhuang seemed to be trying to touch the woman's hand secretly but was startled by her outburst, pulling his hands back as if electrocuted, his face turning red with embarrassment. He quickly changed the subject: "Miss Shui, what do you think of the development of Daming City?"

"Daming City is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Freshwater River, and its geographical location is quite good. The city has developed well in recent years, but the economic development of the counties under its jurisdiction is far from satisfactory. Counties like Hongshui and Panjiang are relatively backward."

"Hongshui was among the top counties in Daming a few years ago but has now fallen to second-to-last, only slightly better than Panjiang, a national poverty-stricken county."

"Ah, the conflict between County Secretary Xu and County Chief Li in Hongshui must be reaching a fever pitch by now," the woman said with a hint of anger in her cold voice. "Instead of engaging in power struggles, they should focus on the economy."

"What do you think the outcome of the conflict between Xu and Li will be?" the man surnamed Zhuang asked with interest.

"The crux of the conflict is the Hongshui Textile Factory, which is deeply entangled. Many senior leaders in the city are involved, so the result will likely be a whitewash, with a scapegoat being found," the woman said coolly. "Catch the small fish and let the big fish go."

"Scapegoat? Who do you think is most likely to be the scapegoat?"

"Yang Zixuan! The 'foolish' vice-county chief of Hongshui County. He is in charge of the textile industry, making him the perfect scapegoat."

The woman put down her English edition of Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations," sighed, and muttered a few words.

"The Hongshui station is approaching. Please prepare to disembark," a sweet voice from the intercom interrupted their conversation.

Yang Zixuan took a deep breath, gazing out the window at the platform, his eyes narrowing.

Am I the scapegoat? Yes, I might have been before my rebirth.

But now, it's absolutely impossible!