Chapter 1815

Chapter 1815: Chapter 1815

Gao Qi put on an expression of being overwhelmed with favor and was about to speak, but Secretary Xie gestured with his hand, "You don’t need to be modest. You’re the Deputy County Magistrate. In every sense, you are the most suitable to take over."

"It’s still early. Don’t go back yet. Let’s have a meeting first this afternoon."

With Secretary Xie putting it this way, it would be inappropriate for him to pretend he didn’t understand or to decline, so he nodded and quietly watched him make a phone call.

The county’s standing committee members, several of them were unaware of this matter.

They received sudden calls for a meeting, looking bewildered.

A group of people came to the County Committee. Secretary Xie first announced to everyone the decision to dismiss Cao Xiaolou.

The Propaganda Minister, the Disciplinary Committee Secretary, and a few others stood in shock.

Next, Secretary Xie recommended that Gao Qi temporarily act as county magistrate, managing all affairs of the county government.

He Yunbo had already predicted this and was unsurprised, but not everyone could foresee it.

They were quite unable to accept such a result.

But they were not stupid. Cao Xiaolou had been dismissed at noon, and Secretary Xie held a meeting in the afternoon to recommend Gao Qi.

Clearly, this was not his opinion but a decision from the City Committee. They were just going through the motions.

Thus, no one objected to the decision regarding Gao Qi taking over as acting county magistrate.

At four in the afternoon.

Song Guanchao received a call from the County Committee office reporting the decision for Gao Qi to act as county magistrate.

Song Guanchao asked, "Has it been reported to the Municipal Organization Department?"

"Secretary Xie has already contacted them."

"Good, I understand."

Song Guanchao was very satisfied with Secretary Xie’s attitude. He closely followed Wu Qiangwei’s pace, showing himself to be a smart man.

...

Cao Xiaolou temporarily had nowhere to go and could only sulk at home waiting for a notice.

But he did not intend to sit idle and await his fate.

He was well aware that, barring any surprises, he would be transferred to the Qingshui Government, stuck on the cold bench for life.

For the rest of his life, power and money would have nothing to do with him.

And the network he had expanded through power during his term, as well as the business secretly held by relatives, would gradually wither away.

Ultimately leading to a fate of being ignored.

He could not accept such an outcome.

Fortunately, he held dark secrets on some people.

Although he was no longer in power, he knew better than anyone the power of the damaging information he held.

With these, he could still thrive and live comfortably.

But he wasn’t willing to stop there.

Having been in leadership, he understood how seductive the taste of holding power truly was.

Anyone who can take their business to a certain level and accumulate considerable wealth can’t help but deal with officials.

So, just making money is not safe.

Money and power complement each other, one cannot do without the other.

Cao Xiaolou thought very simply, since he couldn’t be the visible leader, he would be the underground county magistrate!

Having been an official, he knew the rules within the system better than most and understood these official lords’ weaknesses more clearly.

To outsiders, the political circle might be hard to navigate, but for him, it was like a fish in water.

He dug out Shi He’s number: "Secretary Shi, come by after work for a couple of drinks."

"County Magistrate Cao, I’m a bit busy tonight..."

Cao Xiaolou’s face darkened. He had just stepped down, only half a day had passed, and Shi He had already turned his back on him.

Although he had done similar things, he discovered how truly infuriating it was when it happened to him.

"You damn bastard, do you think I’m giving you face?"

Cao Xiaolou released his pent-up emotions, cursing openly: "Do you think just because I’m not county magistrate now, I can’t control you? I know all the dirty stuff you’ve done, if you don’t want to die, get over here now!"

Shi He was dumbfounded by the cursing and wanted to speak, but Cao Xiaolou already hung up.

His mouth twitched, and he was seething inside: "Shit!"

...

Wang Jinming received a call from Secretary Xie, learned about the County Committee’s recommendation for Gao Qi to act as county magistrate, and then relayed this to Zhou Zheng and Wu Qiangwei.

Zhou Zheng knew Gao Qi was Wu Qiangwei’s person, yet he could only let her do as she wished.

He agitatedly scratched his head, and as thoughts swirled in his mind, events since Wu Qiangwei’s tenure flashed one by one in his mind.

In a year, though Wu Qiangwei hadn’t fully established herself in the City Government, her words held considerable weight.

Those weren’t the most pressing concerns; what troubled Zhou Zheng most was that at the current pace, Wu Qiangwei’s complete control over the City Government was only a matter of time.

The issue of pollution in the industrial park allowed Wu Qiangwei to successfully bring Zhu Shixian, Chang Hai, and Xue Mingde, the three Deputy Mayors, onto her side. Even the retired Governor Yang Gaolin maintained a close relationship with her.

Now there were threats against her in the City Government only from Sun Jiajun and Chang Youcai, as well as the heads of city departments.

From his interactions with Sun Jiajun, Zhou Zheng clearly saw this guy’s true nature.

This guy was like a half-filled bucket, lacking the political skills and personal capacity to serve as a Deputy Mayor for a provincial capital.

He was a placeholder who somehow thought he had the ability—truly a model of lacking insight.

Chang Youcai, on the other hand, had some smarts. Back when Zhou Zheng was Mayor, they didn’t get along.

Sometimes he wondered if he himself was to blame.

But even with Wu Qiangwei as Mayor, they still didn’t get along.

That left no doubt, it was certainly Chang Youcai’s own fault.

However, this was also a good thing.

Chang Youcai was sly and ruthless, so it was best if Wu Qiangwei didn’t push him too hard. This guy was not one to turn the other cheek. Push too hard, and he’d surely retaliate.

"A Gaoshui County, if you want it, you can have it."

Zhou Zheng extinguished his cigarette, sneered, dismissed all negative emotions, and rebuilt his mindset.

...

Evening.

Shi He accepted the invitation and walked into Cao Xiaolou’s home.

It was an ordinary residential building, 18 stories high, not any kind of luxury apartment.

Cao Xiaolou had money, but having just been dismissed, he dared not flaunt it, so he moved out of his usually lavish residence into this ordinary house.

"County Magistrate Cao." As soon as Shi He entered the room, he greeted warmly, lowering his posture, as if still treating him as county magistrate.

Cao Xiaolou wasn’t deceived by his attitude, the reaction during the phone call in the afternoon was his true self.

This current submissive behavior was only because he held something over Shi He, compelling him to concede.

"Sit." Cao Xiaolou cheerfully invited him, as if the angry yelling over the phone earlier hadn’t come from him.

Shi He sat down uneasily. He was a City Committee person, and Cao Xiaolou was the head of the County Government. Normally, they shouldn’t have much interaction.

Cao Xiaolou voluntarily showed goodwill and used money to bring him aboard, corrupting his will.

Cao Xiaolou used his power to have him supply milk to all elementary and middle schools in the county.

What Shi He needed to provide was cooperation.

He was just a Secretary, with almost no power, so what Cao Xiaolou sought was just his vote at committee meetings and his limited power in the County Committee.

For Cao Xiaolou, gaining a loyal committee member for a supplier qualification was quite a profitable exchange.

"Just a homemade meal, not as good as the restaurants, make do." Cao Xiaolou brought out the last dish from the kitchen, took off his apron, and invited him with a smile.

Looking at the table filled with sumptuous dishes, Shi He was extremely surprised.

He took a bite of eggplant, chewed carefully, his eyes brightened, and he gave a thumbs up: "Amazing! County Magistrate Cao, with such culinary skills, even without being county magistrate, you could dominate the catering industry in our Gaoshui County by opening a restaurant!"

As he spoke, he saw Cao Xiaolou’s smile freeze, and his own expression froze as well.

Truly hitting the wrong note, he felt secretly regretful, wanted to make up for it, but feared saying more would make it worse, so he just smiled awkwardly.

"All right, have a seat."

Cao Xiaolou unscrewed a bottle of white liquor and pulled out a chair to sit down.