Chapter 1803

Chapter 1803: Chapter 1803

Song Guanchao’s summary raised the seriousness of the issue to a whole new level, causing Cao Xiaolou’s lips to twitch in disbelief.

Cao Xiaolou felt both angry and regretful inside.

If he had known things would escalate to this extent, when Wu Qiangwei asked him yesterday, he would have admitted to the wage arrears issue directly.

Admitting it then would have at worst earned him a scolding from Wu Qiangwei, yet she wouldn’t take it to extremes over such a minor issue.

Now, because of his luck-driven mindset, what was originally a trivial issue has spiraled out of control.

Once a special task force is established, the root cause of the problem must be identified, and someone must take responsibility.

The more Cao Xiaolou thought, the angrier he became, yet he couldn’t speak in such circumstances, with the camera still recording.

Saying something inappropriate could only worsen the situation.

Wu Qiangwei pondered for a few seconds, nodding slightly: "Director Song, you’ll serve as the leader of the task force."

Then she looked at Mayor Zhu: "Mayor Zhu, you’ll be the deputy leader of the task force."

Song Guanchao nodded, and Zhu Shixian maintained his expression as he nodded too.

Since the townspeople showed up to block the road and petition, Zhu Shixian knew Wu Qiangwei wouldn’t let this matter slide easily.

Her ultimate goal was to remove County Magistrate Cao Xiaolou.

From the current situation, Wu Qiangwei held evidence that supported her action.

The real difficulty was not at Gaoshui County, but in the city.

On one hand, Zhou Zheng would certainly defend Cao Xiaolou.

On the other hand, other members of the standing committee wouldn’t remain indifferent.

But these concerns were irrelevant to Zhu Shixian.

She was already tied to the situation, with no other choice.

For her circumstances, Zhu Shixian harbored no dissatisfaction.

Wu Qiangwei glanced at the time and said: "You all stay here and handle this issue."

After speaking, she stood up and left the meeting room.

After she left, Song Guanchao then told the reporters: "Turn off the camera."

The reporter responded, turning off the camera.

Once the machine was off, Cao Xiaolou said: "Director Song, rest assured, the county government will fully cooperate with your work."

Song Guanchao gave a soft acknowledgment and promptly issued the first order.

He looked toward Director Bai and several deputy directors: "Starting now, the directors are temporarily relieved of their current duties. Wait for the municipal bureau’s personnel to come and assist with the investigation."

After hearing this, everyone present, including Cao Xiaolou, was stunned.

Cao Xiaolou felt extremely discomforted, as if he had been bitten by a dog.

He had just promised full cooperation, and Song Guanchao immediately relieved the entire education bureau of their duties, leaving him unable to even plead.

Director Bai and others were left bewildered, only reacting after some time, and looked anxiously at Cao Xiaolou.

Cao Xiaolou took a deep breath, stood up, and smiled: "Director Song, may I have a word with you?"

Song Guanchao obliged him, leaving the meeting room together.

Cao Xiaolou closed the door and walked to the stairwell with him, handing him a cigarette and lighting it for him.

"Director Song, could you give me some insight on what Mayor Wu’s intentions are?" he asked directly.

Song Guanchao shook his head: "I can’t fathom the Mayor’s thoughts."

Cao Xiaolou sneered internally, believing Song Guanchao was merely observing his behavior for now.

Everyone within Jiangzhou’s political world knew that Song Guanchao once served as Wu Qiangwei’s secretary.

Others may not understand Wu Qiangwei’s intentions, but how could he not?

Cao Xiaolou saw this as a typical political move to derive some advantage from the situation.

For him, if a problem could be solved with money, it wasn’t really a problem.

Nevertheless, he refrained from revealing any such intentions immediately.

He didn’t know Song Guanchao well enough and decided to consult Secretary Zhou first.

Song Guanchao noticed his evasive gaze, and asked: "County Magistrate Cao, were you aware of the wage arrears issue?"

Cao Xiaolou shook his head repeatedly: "I thought the issue was already resolved."

His answer was clever; on the one hand, he showed awareness but assumed it had ended.

Even if the arrears persisted, it wasn’t his fault.

Song Guanchao said: "If that’s the case, it must be a decision made by subordinates."

Cao Xiaolou didn’t respond immediately, contemplating for a few seconds, he carefully said: "I’ll talk to them."

Song Guanchao said: "There’s no need for discussions; I’ll take charge of this matter now. Leave the conversations to me, to avoid misunderstandings."

Upon hearing this, Cao Xiaolou frowned; through the conversation, he found Song Guanchao impervious, though seemingly gentle in speech, he was firm without any sign of compromise.

He could only nod on the surface, not daring to expose his thoughts too much.

Once the cigarette was finished, Song Guanchao returned to the meeting room, and Cao Xiaolou stood in place for a few moments before calling Zhou Zheng.

"Secretary Zhou..."

He relayed the scenario to Zhou Zheng in its entirety.

Learning that Wu Qiangwei had actually instituted a special task force, Zhou Zheng internally fumed.

He couldn’t understand why Wu Qiangwei would complicate matters so much.

"Secretary Zhou, I’m considering inviting Director Song for dinner tonight. Do you know Director Song? What’s he like?" Cao Xiaolou asked.

Zhou Zheng discerned his underlying message and chuckled disdainfully, saying: "Don’t do anything foolish."

Cao Xiaolou was perplexed, but soon realized Zhou Zheng’s implied point was that this guy was hard to deal with.

Ordinary bribing and dining strategies probably wouldn’t work on him.

If that’s the case, it would be difficult indeed.

"Quickly come up with a solution, don’t smartly try to engage with Song Guanchao," Zhou Zheng said.

"Understood."

Cao Xiaolou put down the phone, wiping nonexistent sweat from his forehead.

Luckily, he consulted Zhou Zheng first and didn’t rashly attempt to invite Song Guanchao to dinner.

"Damn Gao Qi!"

Muttering softly, Cao Xiaolou felt increasingly furious.

He held no grudges against Wu Qiangwei or Song Guanchao; to him, Wu Qiangwei was merely Gao Qi’s tool to target him.

Knowing that this guy was still harboring ambitions, he should have thrown him further into the background, squashing any hope of resurgence.

Now, he had to find someone to bear the blame.

County Education Bureau’s Director Bai was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

Yet persuading him to take responsibility wouldn’t be easy.

This round, he would have to bleed a lot.

"Gao Qi, I’ll get rid of you someday!"

Fierceness flashed in Cao Xiaolou’s eyes.

Returning to the meeting room, as soon as he sat down, he heard Song Guanchao say: "County Magistrate Cao, please ask Secretary Xie to come over."

Cao Xiaolou was puzzled: "Director Song, what do you need Secretary Xie for?"

Song Guanchao offered no explanation, merely repeating: "Please ask Secretary Xie to come over."

Cao Xiaolou felt a hint of discontent towards him.

From the start, he felt his stance was impeccable.

Yet he received no respect from Song Guanchao.

He was a county magistrate, parallel in rank to Song Guanchao.

Regarding actual power, Song Guanchao couldn’t compare to him.

It was just a matter of getting caught up in wage arrears, being subject to him.

Though annoyed inside, he didn’t reveal it, answered with an ’oh’, and dialed Secretary Xie’s number.