Chapter 6: The Mystery of the Cigarette Butt

"Secretary Lin, he is no longer at the Poverty Alleviation Office." Song Bo replied hurriedly, wondering why this esteemed figure was suddenly taking an interest in that man.

Lin Xiyue paused, turned back, and asked, "Then where did he go? Didn't the county assign him here?"

"He was sent to Yangyang Village yesterday to lead the villagers in planting citrus trees."

"Planting citrus? Did you arrange that?"

Lin Xiyue’s tone turned icy cold.

Song Bo felt his scalp tingle under her gaze and quickly denied it: "No... no, it was Niu Dashan who arranged it."

Even the Party Secretary, the top official of Fangshui Township, dared not offend this mysterious woman. Song Bo certainly didn't dare either, immediately pushing Niu Dashan out as a scapegoat.

"If you just do whatever Niu Dashan arranges, what is the use of you as the director? If you don't want to do the job, I will propose at the next Party Committee meeting that Niu Dashan take your place." Lin Xiyue’s voice grew colder with every word.

Song Bo felt a chill run down his spine, breaking into a cold sweat. He nodded and bowed repeatedly: "Secretary Lin, it was my negligence. I will... I will bring Lu Hao back immediately."

He knew Lin Xiyue was capable of doing exactly that, and it would be foolish to offend her over such a trivial matter.

"I want to see results by this afternoon," Lin Xiyue said coldly.

"Yes, yes, yes, I will definitely resolve it, immediately," Song Bo said, wiping his sweat and promising again and again.

After seeing Lin Xiyue off, he looked up Lu Hao’s number and dialed it immediately, urging, "Lu Hao, you don't need to plant citrus anymore. Return to the Poverty Alleviation Office immediately, the sooner the better."

Listening to the urgency in Song Bo’s voice, Lu Hao had no idea what had happened. However, since the citrus planting in the village was finished and there was nothing else to do, Lu Hao was naturally very happy to be transferred back.

After saying goodbye to the village chief over lunch, he returned to the township government office in the afternoon. As soon as he walked into the office, he saw Niu Dashan again.

"How can you be so disorganized and undisciplined? Who gave you permission to return from Yangyang Village?" Niu Dashan slammed the table and demanded.

"Excuse me, it was Director Song who called me personally and told me to come back," Lu Hao said with a cold smile, sitting directly at his desk.

Niu Dashan’s face turned incredibly gloomy. He stormed out immediately, muttering curses: "That fatty Song actually dares to go against me. He’s asking for trouble."

Niu Dashan burst into Song Bo’s office. It was unclear what was said, but one could only hear Niu Dashan swearing incessantly. Before long, Niu Dashan returned to the Poverty Alleviation Office with a dark face and a sneer: "Kid, do you think that just because that bitch Lin Xiyue helped you once, you can keep hanging around here?"

"Let me tell you, don't dream. In Fangshui Township, whatever Township Head Li says goes. Just you wait; I’m going to make sure you never dare to be a civil servant in your next life."

This time, Niu Dashan didn't bother to pretend anymore. Previously, when dealing with Lu Hao, he had maintained a veneer of civility, saying nasty things behind Lu Hao’s back or intentionally letting him overhear. But now that Lu Hao had made him lose face repeatedly, Niu Dashan was truly enraged and spoke without restraint.

He left these harsh words and went upstairs. Lu Hao frowned, packing his desk items while wondering who Lin Xiyue was. It was the first time he had heard that name.

Less than twenty minutes later, Niu Dashan returned to the Poverty Alleviation Office, hands behind his back, his gloom replaced by a refreshed, smug expression.

He sat on Lu Hao’s desk and smirked: "Kid, a huge surprise is coming your way right now."

Lu Hao immediately had a bad premonition. Sure enough, his phone rang the next second. The caller identified himself as Xiao Sun from the Party and Government Office.

"Is this Lu Hao? Pack your things and report to the township middle school immediately."

Everyone in the government system knew that those in the Party and Government Office were essentially secretaries to the top leaders, serving them directly. Every word they spoke could potentially represent the leaders' intentions.

"The township middle school? What am I going there for?" Lu Hao asked, puzzled.

"Our township is poor, and the middle school is short of workers for logistics and maintenance. Poverty alleviation must start with education. We civil servants should lead by example. That is where you will work from now on."

Xiao Sun’s attitude was arrogant and condescending, specifically emphasizing: "This is a personal arrangement by Township Head Li. I have already notified the people at the middle school, and someone will contact you."

Having said that, Xiao Sun hung up.

"How about it? Is this surprise unexpected? Are you happy?" Niu Dashan was all smiles.

"It was your doing, wasn't it?" Lu Hao had already guessed what was going on.

"That's right, it was me. If you have the ability, go use your connections to get back at me," Niu Dashan said, becoming even more arrogant, having completely dropped his mask and showing no shame for his despicable behavior.

"Niu Dashan, you’d better make sure I can’t get back up. If I return, I will definitely make you regret this," Lu Hao, also having a stubborn temper, said every word clearly.

"Still thinking of returning? Keep dreaming. This time it was the Township Head himself who transferred you. Even that bitch Lin Xiyue won't be able to interfere. If you can ever come back, I’ll take your surname," Niu Dashan didn't take Lu Hao seriously at all.

"Niu Dashan, the tides turn. Don't speak too soon, or you might bite your tongue," Lu Hao said, leaving the office immediately.

The Fangshui Township middle school was right next to the township government. It was very close, so Lu Hao didn't drive and walked there instead. Fang Jing worked as a teacher there.

Although the township was poor and the school's hardware was mediocre, teachers were generally provided with single dormitories. During the workweek, there were many classes, so Fang Jing lived in the dormitory. On weekends, Lu Hao would pick her up to go to the county town.

Fang Jing should still be in class, so Lu Hao decided to wait for her in her dormitory to surprise her, hoping to spend the night together.

When Lu Hao arrived at the school gate, he inadvertently saw a beautiful woman picking up a package. She was wearing sports headphones, Nike running shoes, and a form-fitting grey tracksuit—an outfit that seemed out of place in this impoverished township. Most importantly, she had an incredibly graceful figure. Lu Hao couldn't help but walk closer to take a few more looks, stunned by her beauty.

The woman appeared only a few years older than Lu Hao, less than 1.7 meters tall, with delicate features and flowing hair. Lu Hao had been to university in the provincial capital, but among all the beauties he had seen, none compared to the woman before him.

Since when did Fangshui Township Middle School have such a beautiful teacher? He had been here many times; how had he never seen her before? Was she a new hire?

Lu Hao stared at her fair face and long legs for a while, his gaze fixed. The woman seemed to notice, suddenly turning around to look at him: "Is it good to look at?"

Lu Hao was startled, snapping out of his daze. He blushed and explained: "Don't misunderstand, I... I wasn't peeking at you, I... I’m here to pick up a package too."

After saying this pathetic excuse, Lu Hao wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

The woman rolled her eyes at him, took her package, and walked straight into the school.

"I haven't been mistaken for a pervert, have I?" Lu Hao felt incredibly awkward.

Just then, his phone rang. It was someone from the middle school, telling Lu Hao to report to the logistics department at 8:00 AM the next morning, warning him not to be late as the students' desks and chairs were waiting for him to repair them.

Lu Hao muttered a few perfunctory words and hung up. He had been to the school before and was familiar with it. After entering the campus, he used the dormitory key Fang Jing had given him to enter her room.

But the moment he stepped inside, he frowned. Fang Jing often sprayed perfume in her room; Lu Hao could smell it every time he visited in the past. But today, the smell he caught was cigarette smoke.

Lu Hao’s heart sank. The smoke hadn't cleared yet, so another man must have been here this afternoon. He glanced at the trash can and saw a cigarette butt inside, his expression turning ugly.

Who was the man who came to Fang Jing’s dormitory? Lu Hao was a sensitive person, and he couldn't help but suspect that Fang Jing had been sleeping with other men behind his back.

Just then, Fang Jing’s call came through.

After answering, Fang Jing’s voice sounded excited: "Hey, Lu Hao, where are you? I have good news! My father pulled strings at the Education Bureau, and they said my transfer had already been arranged by my cousin. The paperwork is finished, and after my father gave some gifts, the Education Bureau gave me the transfer letter!"

Her excitement was undisguised, showing how much she wanted to return to the county middle school.

Lu Hao was stunned; he hadn't expected things to take such a turn. In fact, he had mentioned this to Liu Yuanda last week, but since there had been no movement, Lu Hao had assumed Liu Yuanda was too busy and had forgotten, planning to bring it up again. But before he could do so, Liu Yuanda had run into trouble, so Lu Hao thought the transfer was a lost cause.

In reality, Liu Yuanda hadn't forgotten; he had already arranged for the Education Bureau to process it. He had handled Fang Jing’s matter just by Lu Hao mentioning it once, showing how much he valued his cousin. This made Lu Hao feel even more grateful toward Liu Yuanda.

"Since the transfer is settled, where are you? I’m in your dormitory right now. Why, as soon as I walked in, did I smell cigarette smoke!" Lu Hao asked coldly, not wanting to beat around the bush.