Chapter 3: Ruthlessly Ostracized

Lu Hao was utterly exhausted and had nowhere to stay, so he returned to the county party committee office building, which was close to the county guesthouse.

There was a simple bed in his office, where he planned to rough it for the night.

Even now, Lu Hao’s expression remained dazed.

Although he didn’t know how the higher-ups would handle Liu Yuanda’s case, if the rumors were true—that Liu had kept Liu Ruyan as a mistress and accepted bribe gold bars—it was enough to cost Liu Yuanda his position, and he might even end up in jail.

With his patron gone, Lu Hao’s hopes of becoming a deputy division chief were dashed. What path lay ahead for him now?

Feeling somewhat dejected, after entering the office, he first charged his dead phone. Then, his last nerve finally snapped, and he fell into a deep sleep.

He slept soundly until the next day, when the violent vibration of his phone woke him.

The call was from County Chief Li Zhen, summoning Lu Hao to his office immediately.

Li Zhen and his cousin Liu Yuanda were archrivals. It was said that years ago, the provincial government had initially designated Li Zhen to be the party secretary of Anxing County, and the organizational department had begun the assessment process. Yet, unexpectedly, Liu Yuanda was parachuted in as the county party secretary, forcing Li Zhen to remain in the number two position.

Since then, the two had maintained a façade of civility but harbored deep resentment. Liu Yuanda, as the top official, made many strong decisions, while Li Zhen dared not openly oppose him, resorting instead to grumbling and underhanded maneuvers.

Lu Hao washed his face quickly in the restroom, forcing a normal smile, then went to Li Zhen’s office.

The county party committee and government shared the same building. On the way, some colleagues who normally would have eagerly chatted with Lu Hao now avoided him, and he even overheard some gloating in offices.

When Lu Hao entered Li Zhen’s office, besides the balding man sitting behind the desk, he saw a woman seated on the sofa.

Had it been any other woman, it would have been nothing remarkable. But Lu Hao was shocked to recognize her as Liu Ruyan, rumored to be his cousin’s mistress!

“County Chief Li,” Lu Hao greeted, then cast a complicated glance at Liu Ruyan.

Today, Liu Ruyan was still dressed brightly and attractively, with light makeup and a white dress that revealed her fair, long legs, drawing attention.

At this moment, she sipped tea, her delicate face flushed with a rosy glow, smiling at him.

Lu Hao deliberately avoided her gaze, thinking to himself that this woman was indeed no ordinary person!

Not long ago, she had often frequented Liu Yuanda’s office. Now that Liu had fallen, she was not only unaffected but had immediately turned to cozy up to Li Zhen. Truly a socialite of the political arena, with many tricks up her sleeve.

“Come in, have a seat,” Li Zhen adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and smiled at Lu Hao with a knowing look.

Lu Hao straightened his back and sat opposite Li Zhen, wondering what business brought him here.

Li Zhen cleared his throat calmly and said, “Lu Hao, I have three things to discuss with you.”

Lu Hao thought silently, so many things? He glanced again at Liu Ruyan, wondering why she was still here if Li Zhen wanted to talk to him.

Apparently sensing Lu Hao’s thoughts, Liu Ruyan stood and said, “County Chief Li, you two go ahead. I’ll leave now.”

“No need, Ms. Liu. Anxing is a poor county, and we’re counting on enterprises like yours to invest, develop, and promote growth. I’m just having a talk with the staff below; it won’t hurt for you to listen,” Li Zhen said warmly.

Liu Ruyan sat back down and gave Lu Hao a playful wink, as if to say she was not the one who insisted on staying.

Lu Hao ignored her, suspecting that this woman was definitely involved in whatever trouble Liu Yuanda had gotten into.

“Lu Hao, you must have heard that your cousin Yuanda was taken away by the disciplinary committee. This has shocked me deeply; truly unexpected,” Li Zhen sighed dramatically, though a barely concealed smile tugged at his lips.

Lu Hao remained silent, knowing Li Zhen was deliberately provoking him. Liu Yuanda’s downfall was Li Zhen’s greatest joy.

“First, I want to comfort you; after all, Yuanda was your cousin. I hope you can pull yourself together and work hard. Second, the higher-ups have appointed me to temporarily oversee the county party committee, so you’ll need to organize your current work at the party committee office. I’ll assign someone to take over from you,” Li Zhen said seriously.

Lu Hao’s heart sank, but he forced a smile and replied, “Congratulations, County Chief Li, on your promotion.”

Though he knew that Li Zhen’s opportunity came because of Liu Yuanda’s misfortune, one must never show such thoughts openly in the system.

“It’s no promotion; don’t flatter me. I’m just acting as the temporary county party secretary,” Li Zhen waved his hand outwardly, but the smile on his face betrayed his true feelings.

Lu Hao sneered inwardly, fully expecting Li Zhen’s next move.

Sure enough, Li Zhen, like a smiling tiger, said again, “Lu Hao, the disciplinary committee came this morning to report on you. They said you resisted the organizational investigation and had a bad attitude, recommending the county discipline you. However, since you’ve been working well at the party committee office, after our leadership team’s meeting, we’ve decided to forgo any punishment.”

“Thank you, County Chief Li,” Lu Hao forced a polite smile and thanked him, but inside he was far from relieved—in fact, he grew more worried.

He knew this was a sugar-coated trap; there was more to come.

He carried the stigma of being Liu Yuanda’s ally and had once offended Li Zhen over important matters. There was no way Li Zhen would let him off easily. He just didn’t know what Li Zhen had in store.

Soon, Li Zhen smiled again and dealt the final blow: “Don’t thank me just yet. Although you won’t be punished, you’re no longer suitable to remain at the party committee.”

“Due to work needs, the organization has decided to transfer you to the Poverty Alleviation Office in Fangshui Township. It’s the frontline of poverty alleviation. The grassroots level offers more opportunities for promotion. With your ability, I believe you’ll be deputy division chief before long.”

Lu Hao was dumbfounded.

He had expected Li Zhen to vent his resentment toward Liu Yuanda on him and perhaps reassign him, but he never thought Li Zhen would exile him to Fangshui Township.

Anxing County was poor, and Fangshui Township was the most remote and impoverished town in the county.

Li Zhen was clearly trying to ruin him. Once sent there, Lu Hao would likely be stuck for life.

His expression turned grim.

Liu Ruyan, who had been quietly drinking tea, was momentarily stunned but quickly regained her usual composure.

“Lu Hao, what’s the matter? Do you have any objections to the organization’s arrangement?” Li Zhen asked with a deliberately cheerful smile.

“I have no objections. County Chief Li’s arrangement must be reasonable,” Lu Hao replied coldly.

He knew this was all a setup by Li Zhen. With Liu Yuanda down, Lu Hao was Li Zhen’s tool to assert power.

“It wasn’t my decision. The organization arranged it. It’s a unanimous decision by the county leadership team,” Li Zhen tapped the desk and frowned as he emphasized.

Organization and he were two completely different things. This fellow dared to imply that Li Zhen was using the organization’s name to settle personal scores.

“Yes, yes, yes, it’s the organization’s arrangement, and County Chief Li has nothing to do with it,” Lu Hao smiled, though his words carried a clear undercurrent of sarcasm.

Though angry, he could not completely break with Li Zhen; otherwise, he would only further enrage him.

Li Zhen’s face darkened but he knew he couldn’t slam the desk or lose his temper.

He was the county chief, temporarily chairing the party committee and soon to become the top official. Engaging in open conflict with a mere upstart would only lower his own standing and make him a laughingstock.

“Enough with the smirks. Lu Hao, you must vacate the party committee housing you’ve been living in today; you can no longer stay there. I’m giving you one hour to hand over your work. Report to Fangshui Township before noon. Young people should go to the grassroots to gain experience and serve the people,” Li Zhen said with a dark expression, clearly impatient.

Hearing these lofty words, Lu Hao was disgusted and left without looking back.