"You took the position he wanted, so he’ll definitely try to target you in every way possible."
Upon hearing Chen Bin’s words, Hao Wenjing finally realized that Beihuang County wasn’t as simple as she initially thought.
"Let’s talk more about this tonight!"
Although the secretary of the County Committee and the County Political Consultative Conference Chairman were on the sa level in rank, their treatnt was entirely different.
Chen Bin was assigned accommodations in the dormitory building and took care of his own als.
Hao Wenjing, on the other hand, was placed at the County Guest House, given the best room, and provided three als a day.
After lunch, Hao Wenjing began summoning mbers of the standing committee to her office for one-on-one conversations.
Following the talks, she retrieved their files for further review.
And so, an entire afternoon slipped away quietly.
After work, Hao Wenjing returned to the guest house.
As soon as she arrived at the lobby on the first floor, she spotted Chen Bin.
The two shared a knowing smile before heading together to Hao Wenjing’s room for dinner.
While eating, Chen Bin finally learned that Hao Wenjing had been sent here to "polish her credentials" by a distant relative.
Before this, she had never even held a township leadership position.
Shaking his head with a wry smile, Chen Bin didn’t know how to comnt on the matter.
He quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, what does your husband do for work? I haven’t heard you ntion him much."
Her brow furrowed imperceptibly, and Hao Wenjing looked visibly displeased.
"He’s long passed away."
"So, you haven’t found soone else?"
"I’ll be forty soon, past the age where anyone would still be interested in ."
"You don’t look old at all; I actually find won like you quite charming."
This remark brought a shy blush to Hao Wenjing’s face, and she gave him a playful, flirtatious side-eye.
"With your looks, how could you possibly lack won in your life?"
"I still don’t have a girlfriend. A couple of years ago, when we were having dinner together, Kong Shiyu said she’d introduce soone to . I even thought it might be you."
Looking at Chen Bin’s handso face, Hao Wenjing felt her long-lonely heart stir ever so slightly.
But she quickly redirected the conversation herself, "Do you really believe the things kids say? Now, tell about Gu Konglian—what’s the story there?"
Putting down his chopsticks, Chen Bin pulled out a docunt from his pocket and handed it to her.
Flipping through it casually, Hao Wenjing noticed it was densely packed with nas.
She asked in confusion, "What is this?"
"A detailed record of Beihuang County’s political families."
Over the next stretch of ti, the two continued chatting while eating.
Under Chen Bin’s explanation, Hao Wenjing finally started to understand that the vast majority of Beihuang County’s officials were locals.
Only the cadres at director-level or above occasionally ca from outside the region.
These countless large and small officials banded together to essentially control the entire workings of Beihuang County.
This was also the main reason why Shi Baocong, despite years as an official here, had failed to accomplish anything noteworthy.
For the first ti, Hao Wenjing realized that an impoverished and harsh environnt bred not only unruly civilians but also shrewd and troubleso officials.
If these people united as one, her position as secretary of the County Committee would likely amount to nothing more than an empty title.
"If things are this serious, doesn’t the higher authority step in to intervene?"
"I don’t know if intervention has ever been attempted, but it would definitely be difficult to manage. After all, there are simply too many of these political families. If you were the top official, would you be able to fire them all at once?"
Hearing this, Hao Wenjing put down her bowl and chopsticks, suddenly losing her appetite.
Before coming to Beihuang County, she had been brimming with ambition, ready to make her mark.
Now, it seed that all her plans might end up being no more than pipe dreams.
Chen Bin noticed her dejected mood and asked with a smile.
"What’s the matter? Are you thinking of leaving already?"
"I’m not afraid of hardship, nor do I fear challenging work—it’s just that if all these people are united, there’s really no point in staying here."
Hao Wenjing had hoped her relative would assign her a promising place to sharpen her skills, but Beihuang County turned out to be not only underdeveloped but politically tangled as well.
Wasn’t this just tossing her straight into the fire?
Chen Bin continued eating calmly, speaking as he did.
"Running away won’t solve problems. We can take things slowly. I have to say, whoever placed you here is truly clever. They sent ahead to clear the mines, so you’d know the lay of the land by the ti you arrived."
"Knowing the lay of the land doesn’t help much; problems like these aren’t solvable."
Just as Hao Wenjing started considering backing out, she suddenly looked at Chen Bin expectantly.
"When you went to Dragon Mountain, how did you establish a foothold?"
"The situation here is far more complicated than Dragon Mountain. Resolving the problems caused by political families in the short term is nearly impossible."
"So you’re saying I can only be a figurehead? But I promised the people this morning that I’d give them an answer within a week. What am I supposed to do about that?"
"Rather than dismantling such a vast network of political families, it might be better to align yourself with them."
"What? You’re telling to just beco another Shi Baocong?"
With her hands on her hips, anger flashed across Hao Wenjing’s delicate face.
"I only have two options—either I leave this place, or I produce results quickly. I can’t stand staying in such a poor place even for a mont longer!"
If anyone else had spoken to him like that, Chen Bin would have undoubtedly stood up and walked away.
However, rembering that she had once saved his life, he continued his efforts to persuade her.
"You’ve never been a leader before, so perhaps you don’t know the saying, ’Haste makes waste.’ Don’t expect too much right away—gradually integrating with them will make it easier to leverage their resources."
Although Hao Wenjing didn’t fully understand Chen Bin’s lengthy explanation, she had no better alternatives at hand, so she resolved to try it.
After all, Chen Bin had been featured in the news so many tis—he must have real skills.
She could only hope that, with his help, she’d be able to leave this dreadful place sooner rather than later.
After finishing their al, Chen Bin bid farewell to Hao Wenjing.
But not long after he stepped out of the guest house, the news that they had dined together in her room had already reached the ears of Gu Konglian.
Hearing that Hao Wenjing imdiately got close to Chen Bin upon arrival, Gu Konglian couldn’t help but feel a bit curious.
Could they have known each other before?
Over the next few days, Hao Wenjing showed no signs of stirring up chaos like the proverbial "three fires of a newly appointed official."
Everything continued operating as it always had.
Until one day, Chen Bin ca into her office.
"I think the cattle-raising project might be salvageable."
"How do you propose we save it? There are all kinds of problems with this project."
"I have a friend in Tianhai who’s in business and has so capital. I could see if she’s willing to invest."
"You can attract investnt? That would be incredible!"
Hao Wenjing’s eyes lit up, as if she had finally seen a glimr of hope.
If the cattle-raising project could be revived, then Beihuang County’s economy might find relief.
"Alright then, I’ll reach out to her and see what I can do."
Back at the dormitory, Chen Bin imdiately took out his phone and called Ma Juan.
"Darling, I’ve got a promising cattle-raising project over here. Why don’t you co and give it a try?"
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