Chapter 17

Chapter 9, The Beautiful Deputy Secretary

Yang Zixuan returned to the Hongshui County District by around six in the evening.

A white mist enveloped the entire Hongshui County, and in the drizzling rain, there was a serene atmosphere, adding a touch of ink-wash landscape painting to this small southern mountain county.

The car assigned to Yang Zixuan by the county was an old "Santana" left by the former county magistrate Li Sicheng. Before Li Sicheng became the county magistrate, he had been the factory manager and party secretary of Hongfang, which was a major tax contributor in Hongshui County and well-known throughout the entire Daming City. Therefore, such a car was still within Li Sicheng's means.

When Yang Zixuan arrived at the county government, he saw the Propaganda Minister Wang Dongming, Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Liu Xiao, Political and Legal Affairs Secretary and Public Security Bureau Chief He Longbin, and County Party Secretary's Office Director Chen Sheng waiting at the entrance.

"When will the deputy secretary from the city arrive?" Yang Zixuan got out of the car and patted the rain off his clothes.

"The city said around seven o'clock," Chen Sheng said, moving closer as he saw Yang Zixuan approach. Although a month ago, at the standing committee meeting, Chen Sheng, the county's chief steward, had not been very fond of Yang Zixuan, the vice-county magistrate in charge of administrative affairs, and even had some contempt for his intelligence, after the fall of Xu and Li, he suddenly found this person to be somewhat unfathomable and became curious about his background. Unconsciously, he chose to align himself politically and emotionally with this young county magistrate.

Propaganda Minister Wang Dongming, who was walking over, looked somewhat awkward. He had previously been the county's organization minister and a staunch follower of Xu Fuguo. However, he was implicated in the Xu Li case and was transferred to the propaganda department. As Xu Fuguo's former vanguard, he had once loudly berated and humiliated Yang Zixuan, calling him a "stupid donkey" at the standing committee meeting.

Apart from Xu and Li, Wang Dongming could be considered the person in Hongshui County who had the deepest grudge against Yang Zixuan!

Yang Zixuan walked straight toward Wang Dongming with a calm expression.

The surrounding officials couldn't help but feel anxious. Although they didn't think Wang Dongming, a small-minded person, deserved sympathy, they couldn't help but feel a sense of shared misfortune, wondering how this young and capable county magistrate would indirectly humiliate Wang Dongming.

Then, Yang Zixuan said something that left them all stunned.

"How is your sister-in-law's condition?" Yang Zixuan patted Wang Dongming's shoulder.

Wang Dongming's wife had suddenly suffered a stroke this year and was bedridden, with her son and daughter-in-law taking care of her daily. Wang Dongming had to go home after work to help boil medicine, and her condition had not improved much. The stress of his wife's illness and political setbacks had turned his hair prematurely white.

Wang Dongming's mouth opened wide in shock, not knowing what to say.

"I'll find time to visit your sister-in-law when I'm free. You can also come to my place for a chat whenever you have time. You are always welcome," Yang Zixuan continued, surprising everyone.

However, some of the more astute officials began to ponder the intention behind Yang Zixuan's public words.

When Yang Zixuan stood next to Liu Xiao again, he saw Liu Xiao smiling and secretly giving him a thumbs-up under his clothes.

"Good move, advising the sealing of Yong's teeth!" Liu Xiao whispered. "Advising the sealing of Yong's teeth" is a historical reference to Emperor Gaozu of Han, who granted land to Yong, whom he detested.

Some of the more perceptive officials also began to understand the intention behind Yang Zixuan's actions. Yang Zixuan had been transferred to Hongshui County from the capital for nearly a year, and many of the county's junior officials did not take him seriously. For one, he was an outsider, and secondly, everyone knew he had some intellectual issues, although it was unclear how someone with such intelligence could be appointed to a position on the county standing committee. As a result, even junior officials did not respect him, and the heads of core departments like the Public Security Bureau and the Finance Bureau, who held real power, treated him with even less respect, often openly contradicting him. Behind his back, many called him a fool or an idiot.

But now, it turned out that this "fool" was actually a tiger in sheep's clothing, and he was actually very shrewd.

Therefore, after Yang Zixuan was announced as the county magistrate at the county-wide cadre meeting, many of the cadres who had previously clashed with or insulted him began to feel uneasy, fearing that he would hold grudges and purge a batch of mid-level cadres once he took office.

However, now that Yang Zixuan had treated Wang Dongming, who had openly insulted him, with kindness, it was likely that he would not be too harsh on those who had only verbally contradicted him or acted insincerely. The cadres who had been worried could finally sleep soundly.

While everyone breathed a sigh of relief, they also admired the young county magistrate's political acumen.

Just as everyone was lost in thought, a Santana appeared in the rain and mist...

The car stopped at the county government entrance, and the city's Organization Minister Li Li bent down to get out of the car.

Yang Zixuan quickly led the group to welcome him, but he couldn't help but be secretly surprised. The规格 (specification) for the deputy secretary's arrival was really high. He had thought the city would just send a deputy minister, but it turned out to be Li Li himself.

However, when he saw the graceful and elegant figure that emerged from the car, he finally understood why Li Li had come in person. This female deputy secretary was none other than Lin Ruoshui, whom he had met at Secretary Lin Pei's home. At the time, he had thought she was Lin Pei's daughter, but later found out she was his niece.

Although he had known from the phone call with Lin Pei that the deputy secretary was a woman, he hadn't expected it to be her, his niece who was exceptionally beautiful.

This was the third time Yang Zixuan had met Lin Ruoshui!

She had fine, long eyebrows, a beautiful face, and a straight nose with a charming red lip. She was no longer wearing the casual Givenchy outfit but a long wool winter coat, unbuttoned, revealing a gray-white cotton shirt underneath. Her figure was tall and well-proportioned, and her chest seemed fuller than before, whether due to the shirt or some other reason. She wore a black professional skirt and long black stockings, which made her look both dignified and irresistibly sexy.

Yang Zixuan held Lin Ruoshui's fair and smooth hand and smiled, "On behalf of the Hongshui County government, I welcome Secretary Lin."

"I also look forward to working with County Magistrate Yang to improve Hongshui County," Lin Ruoshui shook hands with Yang Zixuan briefly and then withdrew her hand. Although her smile was as beautiful as a snow lotus blooming on an ice mountain, Yang Zixuan could detect a hint of coldness in her voice.

Yang Zixuan was taken aback. He didn't think he had offended her, and they hadn't even spoken much. Why was she so cold?

This was not a good sign.

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