Chapter 55 Personnel Changes

"Are you trying to ask me about the city television station's sudden report on you?"

"Yes, this couldn't possibly be you pulling strings behind the scenes to help me, could it?" Lu Hao pressed further.

If no one had been pushing the matter from behind, it would have been completely impossible for his act of fighting the fire to receive such intense attention from the municipal television station. After all, although this fire was not small, it had not caused any casualties. Besides, there were several fires across the province every year—why on earth did this one get so much attention?

"The one helping you wasn't me. How could a deputy party secretary of a remote township like me have the clout to make the municipal television station listen to me? Besides, no matter who is adding fuel to the fire, that is secondary. The most crucial thing is that what you did was right. The ordinary people of Fangshui Township uploading your firefighting video to TikTok was the greatest help to you. Otherwise, even if someone wanted to help you, they wouldn't have been able to," Lin Xiyue comforted Lu Hao. Although she knew the one helping Lu Hao was Ye Ziyi, some things were not suitable for her to voice.

Lu Hao nodded, taking Lin Xiyue's words as agreement.

However, he did not believe it was sheer dumb luck on his part; the probability of such a thing was simply too small.

Since it wasn't Lin Xiyue who helped him, then who could it be?

Could it be her? The image of "Ziyi" surfaced in Lu Hao's mind.

"Stop overthinking things. Instead, there have been quite a few changes in deputy-section and section-level positions across the county these past few days—that is what you should be focusing on."

Lin Xiyue's words instantly pulled Lu Hao's thoughts back.

"Other townships have nothing to do with us, but the changes in Fangshui Township are quite significant. First of all, Zhao Gang has ridden on your coattails; your firefighting efforts were considered under his competent leadership, so he has been laterally transferred to the county transport bureau as acting director."

Hearing Lin Xiyue mention this, Lu Hao felt a jolt in his heart.

With Zhao Gang transferred away, it meant the position of party secretary was now vacant.

Sure enough, Lin Xiyue spoke again immediately: "Although Wei Bin was taken away by the public security organs, he took the blame for everything entirely on himself, so Li Haotian has logically become the acting party secretary of Fangshui Township."

"As for Hong Haefeng, who used to be in charge of safety work, he also benefited from your light and has become the acting township head. These are all decisions made by the county party committee."

"What about you?" Seeing that everyone else had received work transfers, Lu Hao couldn't help but care about Lin Xiyue.

"Me? It's temporarily confidential, but there's a high probability I will also be transferred away from Fangshui Township. You'll have to be careful from now on; with Li Haotian there, he will definitely try to trip you up," Lin Xiyue warned.

Lu Hao smiled helplessly. Fortunately, he had also become a member of the township government's leadership team. If he were still the director of the poverty alleviation office, he truly would have been at Li Haotian's mercy.

At that moment, Fang Jing's call came in. After a few rings, the other end hung up on its own.

Once Lu Hao finished talking with Lin Xiyue, he proactively called Fang Jing back.

"Who were you on the phone with just now?" Fang Jing asked first.

"I was talking to Xi... Secretary Lin. She told me about some changes in the township government, and I told her I'll be back to work at the township on Monday," Lu Hao replied simply.

Clearly, there was nothing improper between him and Lin Xiyue, but whenever he mentioned Lin Xiyue to Fang Jing, he inexplicably felt a twinge of guilt.

"Oh, my parents are inviting you over for dinner tonight," Fang Jing said happily.

The fact that her parents allowed her to invite Lu Hao was enough to show that they currently approved of him.

Naturally, Lu Hao agreed readily.

Although the attitude of Fang Aiguo and his wife toward him had been terrible in the past—even kicking him when he was down by transferring him to Fangshui Township—he disliked such snobbish behavior, but he didn't hold grudges either, seeing as they were Fang Jing's parents.

"Don't come empty-handed when you visit. Go buy some things, and I'll tell you what to get," Fang Jing instructed Lu Hao over the phone.

"Do we really need to buy this much?" Lu Hao couldn't help frowning after Fang Jing finished listing the items.

"Of course we do! Didn't you see how many things Wang Shaojie brought when he came to our house? You are my fiancé, so naturally you can't bring less than he did. Otherwise, what would my parents think of you?" Fang Jing said very seriously.

Lu Hao did not argue, but inwardly he found it somewhat difficult to understand Fang Jing's perspective.

His feelings for Fang Jing were genuine. Fang Jing was not only pretty and well-figured—even standing before a man in a simple undershirt and jeans, one could feel her irrepressible youthful vitality—but later, after he graduated, passed the civil service exam, and was transferred to the county committee with a smooth sailing career, they had been very harmonious both in life and in bed.

However, ever since he was transferred to Fangshui Township, the two of them always seemed to develop disagreements over certain matters.

Just like this invitation to dinner: besides asking him to buy expensive liquor, cigarettes, and tea for Fang Aiguo, Fang Jing also wanted him to purchase skincare products and health supplements for Jiang Lan.

When Lu Hao mentioned this to Su Hong, Su Hong naturally frowned as well, but she didn't object, merely instructing Lu Hao that when marrying a wife, certain expenses that needed to be made should still be spent.

At a little past five in the afternoon, Lu Hao hurried to the county's largest shopping mall and bought everything Fang Jing had specified, spending just under six thousand yuan in total.

If it were his first time visiting Fang Aiguo's home, spending that much money would be normal. But he had been dating Fang Jing for six years and had visited Fang Aiguo's place many times. In the past, he had sometimes even gone empty-handed for dinner; now, not only did he have to buy so many expensive items, but he also felt extremely awkward, as if he were somehow inferior.

Yet Fang Jing's family was a typical official household that placed immense importance on the grade of gifts received, especially since Fang Aiguo had become the deputy director of the Bureau of Agriculture. If the gifts weren't luxurious enough, he wouldn't accept them at all.

Thinking as he drove, Lu Hao entered the residential compound where Fang Jing's family lived before long.

Fang Jing was already waiting for him downstairs. Today, she wore a white dress, and the high heels on her feet gleamed with the sparkle of sapphires, making her look graceful and slender.

After Lu Hao parked the car and took the items out of the trunk, Fang Jing smiled with satisfaction and said, "Not bad, not bad. My parents will definitely be happy when they see these."