Official Career Storm
Chapter 417

Chapter 417: Chapter 417

"County Magistrate, what’s wrong with you?"

The driver, noticing that Hou Wen’s hand holding the cigarette was trembling, was somewhat worried, fearing something might be wrong with his health.

"It’s nothing."

County Magistrate Hou casually tossed the cigarette out of the window and said, "Find a nearby restaurant."

"Okay."

Ten minutes later, the car stopped outside a nearby restaurant.

County Magistrate Hou sat alone in a private room, with three dishes and a soup on the table, but he had no appetite.

He wasn’t hungry, he just wanted to find a quiet place to calm down and think carefully.

The reactions of Mayor Zheng and Secretary Lu were too unusual.

As leaders whose power had been undermined, they couldn’t have been entirely indifferent to his proposal.

County Magistrate Hou could tell that they were tempted.

But they restrained themselves.

This was not normal, too abnormal.

Yes, even if they collaborated with Hou Wen, there were certainly risks involved.

But in the political arena, there are risks in doing anything—this is unavoidable.

And besides, what were those risks to them, really?

The only reason they could so decisively refuse was that the risk of cooperating with him had exceeded their tolerance.

What kind of risk could exceed the tolerance of Lingjiang’s top two in command?

The answer was almost shouting itself out.

The problem lay with him.

They didn’t want to become entangled with him.

As if they were afraid of being implicated by him.

County Magistrate Hou knew himself well.

The things he had done over the years, were they to be exposed, the lightest sentence would be life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

As the second in command of Dujiang County, his dealings were quite covert, known only to his close confidants.

Common sense said that Secretary Lu and Mayor Zheng couldn’t possibly know.

But their demeanor made County Magistrate Hou panic.

It was as if all his secrets had been laid bare.

"Where exactly did things go wrong?"

A figure slowly emerged in County Magistrate Hou’s mind.

"Tu Zhaorui..."

"Is it him?"

Hou Wen wasn’t sure; he wasn’t even certain if Secretary Lu and Mayor Zheng really knew anything.

Or maybe all of this was his own wild imaginings, his own self-frightening.

He wished to comfort himself that maybe he was just being overly sensitive.

Perhaps, they simply lacked a suitable candidate.

But the keen instincts honed by years in politics prevented him from lying to himself.

There was definitely something off about their reactions.

They were worried about something.

And the only reason he could think of was the dirty deeds he had done.

He lit a cigarette, took a drag, and slowly exhaled.

Amidst the smoke that drifted before his eyes, he seemed to see the figure of a young girl—Hao Ting!

Tu Zhaorui’s girlfriend.

That girl whom he had defiled and who then committed suicide by jumping from a building.

Ever since Hao Ting’s suicide, he had been on guard against Tu Zhaorui, fearing retaliation.

During that time, he had considered removing Tu Zhaorui.

However, Tu Zhaorui’s fortune had arrived, he was unstoppable.

Who could have imagined that his networking at the party school would lead to an introduction to the daughter of a top official of the Provincial Political Consultative Conference?

With such connections shielding him, even as bold as he was, he dared not do anything more to him.

Over the years, he had been observing in secret, wanting to know if Tu Zhaorui still harbored any resentment.

For more than a decade, they had coexisted peacefully, he striving to accommodate Tu Zhaorui’s work.

He felt that Tu Zhaorui should have let go of that incident by now.

But today’s encounter made him recall the grudge from more than a decade ago.

Tu Zhaorui, he feared, had never forgotten.

Like a venomous snake, he had hidden his desire for revenge in his heart, always waiting for the chance to strike back.

Of course, County Magistrate Hou was aware that these were all his speculations.

Perhaps, the truth of the matter was not at all what he had imagined.

He stubbed out his cigarette, grabbed his bowl and chopsticks, and ate quickly.

After filling his stomach, he got into the car and said to the driver, "Go to the City Police Department."

To find out if his suspicions were true was actually quite simple.

Asking around more, the more information available for analysis, the closer one would get to the truth.

If Tu Zhaorui really intended to take action against him, he would have certainly notified the city authorities, as well as Director Qin and He Sen.

...

Director Qin had eaten in the cafeteria at noon, as things had been chaotic in the city lately and he was keeping a low profile.

At the moment, he sat in his office and received a call from Mr. He.

"Mr. He, what’s the matter?"

"Hou Wen has come to the city."

"Hou Wen? What’s he doing in the city instead of staying in Dujiang County?"

"He met with Secretary Lu and Mayor Zheng, and now he’s on his way to you. I guess it’s about the military issue."

"I really can’t deal with military affairs."

"You can tell Hou Wen that yourself."

After hanging up, it wasn’t long before Hou Wen arrived.

"County Magistrate Hou is here? Take a seat."

Director Qin greeted him with a smile, pouring him tea.

However, this reception from Director Qin caused County Magistrate Hou’s heart to suddenly sink.

Originally, he had merely suspected it, but seeing Director Qin’s demeanor, he was almost certain it was Tu Zhaorui who was plotting against him!

And what’s more, Director Qin and He Sen had already written him off.

He had not informed anyone of his visit to Lingjiang.

Secretary Lu and Mayor Zheng were surprised to see him.

But Director Qin seemed to have known he was coming all along.

He picked up his teacup and glanced out the office window without showing any emotion.

It looked like his driver had been bought over by He Sen or Director Qin.

His whereabouts had always been in their control.

The moment there was any movement on his part, they would be the first to know.

Director Qin said, "County Magistrate Hou, if you’re here to talk to me about the military, then please don’t waste your breath. I really can’t afford to provoke the military."

County Magistrate Hou was just thinking about what excuse to make when he heard this, and taking the opportunity, said, "Director Qin, Director Yao’s situation with the military was a misunderstanding."

"Indeed it was a misunderstanding, but Director Yao actually did arrest the military leaders."

"Now that he’s still able to continue as the Public Security Bureau Chief is already a stroke of luck amid misfortune."

County Magistrate Hou gave a wry smile, chatted with him for a few moments, and then said, "Alright, now I know. I’ll go back and give him some comfort."

"Mhm, County Magistrate Hou, take care."

After getting back into the car, County Magistrate Hou glanced at the driver and said, "Back to Dujiang City."

Forty minutes later, the car stopped at the Dujiang City Government Building.

Although he was currently acting as the City Secretary, he still preferred working in the Government Building.

After he walked into his office, County Magistrate Hou went about his work as usual, showing no signs of anything amiss.

By now, he seriously suspected that He Sen had not only bought off his driver but may have also placed surveillance inside his office.

His every move was probably being watched by the other party.

He felt that his nerves might be too tightly wound.

But he couldn’t afford not to be cautious.

Better safe than sorry.

After all, what was at stake was not only his political career but also his life and freedom!

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