Just as he reached the main gate, Qin Shou saw a still-charming woman walking toward him.

This woman was his ex-mother-in-law, Ruan Xiangyu. She was the Director of the County Committee Office and also a member of the County Party Standing Committee.

The Director of the County Committee Office was a very important position, and one that demanded a high level of competence.

However, Ruan Xiangyu had no real competence to speak of!

She had climbed the ladder using her looks.

Because she was the mistress of Deputy Mayor Chen Haibo.

The reason Su Jing and Qin Shou's marriage had ended so quickly was also due to Ruan Xiangyu's instigation.

Chen Haibo's son, Chen Feiying, had taken a liking to Su Jing and was pursuing her. Naturally, Ruan Xiangyu wanted her daughter to marry the Deputy Mayor's son!

So, she had been constantly pressuring Su Jing to divorce Qin Shou.

Ruan Xiangyu walked up to Qin Shou, blocking his path.

When Ruan Xiangyu was his mother-in-law, Qin Shou was her junior. No matter how much he disliked her, he had to be polite.

Now that he and Su Jing were divorced, he had absolutely nothing to do with Ruan Xiangyu. Why the hell would he be polite to her!

So, Qin Shou reminded her coldly, "A good dog doesn't block the way!"

"Who are you calling a dog?"

"I heard Chen Haibo keeps a dog on the side. He never feeds it bones, only sausages!"

Furious, Ruan Xiangyu swung her hand, aiming a slap at Qin Shou's handsome, chiseled face.

Qin Shou wasn't about to indulge this woman. He grabbed her wrist and twisted it back.

"Ah!"

Ruan Xiangyu shrieked in pain.

Then, Qin Shou let her go.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on me. You're not my mother-in-law anymore, and I won't be letting you get away with anything!"

Ruan Xiangyu didn't dare to try again, because she was no match for Qin Shou.

But Ruan Xiangyu had come today specifically to screw Qin Shou over.

After rubbing her wrist to ease the pain, she took a transfer order out of her LV shoulder bag.

"Qin Shou, do you know what this is? It's your transfer order! An order transferring you to be the Station Chief of the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station!

Sun Changsheng jumped to his death because of that hydroelectric station. Transferring you there as Station Chief is giving you a chance to clean up his mess!

You were Sun Changsheng's secretary. You must have had a share of the money he embezzled from the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station! So, you'd better clean up your own mess before the Disciplinary Committee comes for you. Otherwise, you can wait to rot in prison!"

With that said, Ruan Xiangyu took the transfer order and walked into the County Party Secretary's office.

Damn! That woman Ruan Xiangyu is so vicious!

She's actually transferring me to the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station to be the Station Chief?

The Jigong River Hydroelectric Station was completed and approved at the end of last year. That thing is a shoddy piece of work. They've just started filling the reservoir, and the dam is already leaking.

In a few months, when the flood season arrives and the mountain torrents come, there's no way in hell that dam will hold!

Once the dam collapses, the villages downstream will inevitably be flooded. When that happens, as the Station Chief and the person with primary responsibility, I'll be the one to take the fall!

No way! I absolutely cannot be the Station Chief of the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station!

Ruan Xiangyu had attended the welcome banquet last night and had toasted Yang Wenqing several times. So, Yang Wenqing naturally had a clear memory of her.

As soon as Ruan Xiangyu entered, Yang Wenqing asked with a smile, "Director Ruan, what can I do for you?"

"Secretary Yang, this is a personnel transfer order. Qin Shou, Sun Changsheng's former secretary, is likely implicated in Sun Changsheng's corruption and bribery case. The Disciplinary Committee will probably investigate him.

Therefore, he is not suitable to be your secretary. The Organization Department has recommended Liu Shuang, the Deputy Chief of the Secretariat Division, to be your secretary instead.

The Jigong River Hydroelectric Station has been without a station chief since its completion. We can transfer Qin Shou there for now, to have him serve as the acting Station Chief. This is a lateral transfer and complies with all procedural regulations."

Liu Shuang was Ruan Xiangyu's recommendation because she was her goddaughter.

This goddaughter was not only beautiful but also very obedient.

Whenever a higher-level leader came to Changle County for an inspection, Ruan Xiangyu, as the Office Director, was fully responsible for their reception.

Every time she arranged for Liu Shuang to accompany them for drinks, the leaders would always be left very pleased.

Qin Shou?

The name made Yang Wenqing's delicate frame tremble.

Before coming to Changle County to take up her post, Yang Wenqing had done her homework. She knew the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station had major problems—that it was, in fact, a shoddy piece of work.

Once the flood crests passed through and the mountain torrents erupted, the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station was highly likely to burst its banks.

Making Qin Shou the Station Chief was sending him to be the scapegoat!

There were less than three months until the flood season. Time was tight. The Jigong River Hydroelectric Station could not be allowed to fail; the hidden dangers had to be eliminated immediately.

Otherwise, if the dam were to break, flooding the downstream villages and causing casualties, the consequences would be unimaginable!

The Provincial Party Secretary and the Municipal Party Secretary had both called her personally, telling her to protect that Qin Shou at all costs!

Could they have anticipated that he would be framed?

The top leaders at the provincial and municipal levels were going all out to protect him, yet the officials here in Changle County were trying to frame him?

Just what was this Qin Shou's background?

"Fine! Liu Shuang can serve as my temporary secretary. As for this Qin Shou, have him come in. I'll talk to him."

Yang Wenqing agreed to half of the proposal, but didn't directly agree to the other half.

Ruan Xiangyu knew this was how leaders operated. They couldn't possibly agree to every suggestion you made. If they did, how could they still be leaders?

As for talking to Qin Shou, that was just a formality!

Before the divorce, the county leaders had only given Qin Shou a sliver of respect on her account, his mother-in-law.

Now everyone knew she had drawn a clear line with Qin Shou. He no longer had any backing.

In the world of officialdom, without backing, you were at the mercy of others, destined to be cannon fodder!

The position of Station Chief at the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station was tailor-made for Qin Shou.

After all, someone had to take the blame for the dam breaking!

Ruan Xiangyu came out of the secretary's office and saw Qin Shou waiting at the end of the hallway, moodily smoking a cigarette.

Her treacherous plot having succeeded, she walked over with a triumphant smile and said, "Qin Shou, Secretary Yang has already approved the transfer order. She wants to talk to you."

"Director Ruan, if you want me to be the scapegoat, if you want me to go to prison, I'll make sure to drag enough people down with me!"

Of course, Qin Shou didn't want to be the Station Chief of the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station. After smoking a cigarette and thinking it over calmly, he had made his decision.

If the new Secretary Yang approved that transfer order, he would resign!

Worst comes to worst, he'd just quit this damn job!

He would rather not be an official than go to prison!

With the thought of resigning, Qin Shou's back straightened instantly. He strode confidently into the County Party Secretary's office.

Their eyes met. Qin Shou and Yang Wenqing were simultaneously stunned.

"It's you?"

Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

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Proofreader: Peter Pan