Chapter 11: Deputy Secretary Hu Jiayun

"Hahahaha, alright, alright, hurry home and change your clothes before you catch a cold. Come back over once you've changed, and I'll cook you a bowl of noodles." The woman didn't continue to tease Qin Feng.

Qin Feng left the woman's home in embarrassment. He returned to his place, took another shower, and changed into clean clothes. His heart was still racing with awkwardness, and he felt he could hardly face her.

"Just in time, the noodles are ready. Eat them while they're hot!" The woman greeted Qin Feng with a smile. Unlike his own shy discomfort, she was completely at ease, as if nothing had happened at all.

Qin Feng sat down to eat, taking the opportunity to look around her home more carefully. The place wasn't large, but everything was organized with meticulous care and kept remarkably tidy. There were many items inside that one would usually only find in a big city: an oven, a bread maker, and even a coffee machine.

The bowl of noodles was topped with an egg and a few pieces of greens. Though it was a simple meal, she had presented it with such refinement that it looked incredibly appetizing. Looking at the dish and then at the interior of her home, the word "exquisite" came to Qin Feng's mind—a trait that felt completely out of place in this remote town.

"Sister, you aren't from Bishan, are you?" Qin Feng finally couldn't help but ask.

"How did you know? What gave it away?"

"Well..." Qin Feng gestured toward the coffee machine, then toward the Apple laptop and the violin in the bedroom. "Plus, you don't have a local accent. Your Mandarin is very standard."

"True, I'm from out of town. I came here for work."

"Then why on earth did you come to a godforsaken place like this?" Qin Feng asked curiously.

"You aren't from here either, yet here you are. Why?" the woman asked with a smile as she watched him eat.

Qin Feng was silent for a moment before saying, "That... that's a long story."

The woman saw that he didn't want to discuss it and smiled. "Just like you, why I came here is also a long story." She continued, "Actually, this place is quite nice. Although it's small, the facilities are poor, and it's inconvenient, at least it's quiet. There aren't so many bothersome things to worry about."

"Sister, are you... are you married?" After hesitating for a long time, Qin Feng finally blurted out the question he had been wanting to ask.

Her expression dimmed instantly upon hearing the question, but she quickly smiled again. "What? Are you planning to make a move on an old woman like me?"

"No... I... I was just asking casually..." Flustered that she had seen through his thoughts, Qin Feng became incredibly anxious.

"You look like the type who has the desire but not the courage," the woman teased with a roll of her eyes. "Alright, time's up. Go to work. I'm sure I'll have plenty to keep me busy today as well."

While Qin Feng was buried in paperwork at his desk, the government's small meeting room was packed. Present were Party Secretary Xu Guoli, Township Head Wang Yunfei, Deputy Township Head in charge of Civil Affairs Li Dejun, Deputy Township Head in charge of Urban Construction Chang Yong, and Director of the Party and Government Office Hong Haifeng, who also served as the Propaganda Commissioner.

Had Qin Feng seen inside, he would have been shocked to find the woman sitting there, right next to Secretary Xu Guoli.

"I assume you've all heard about the Civil Affairs Bureau showing up to inspect our office yesterday?" Xu Guoli opened the meeting. He wasn't truly asking; it was just to frame the topic, as everyone knew why they were gathered.

"The inspection uncovered a massive amount of falsified data, which is a very serious matter. The higher-ups have instructed us to treat this with the utmost severity, pursue accountability, and implement rectifications. We received the official notice from the county this morning."

"The purpose of this meeting is for us to sit down and figure out how to assign responsibility and how to provide an explanation to the county," Xu Guoli said, looking around while lighting a cigarette.

Although he addressed everyone, they all knew that after Xu Guoli spoke, it was Wang Yunfei's turn—that was the protocol.

"We do need to provide an explanation to the county, but we must also manage the scope of this accountability and the intensity of the rectification," Wang Yunfei said.

"I agree with Township Head Wang. We must keep the fallout to an absolute minimum. We shouldn't wash our dirty laundry in public!" Xu Guoli nodded.

Xu Guoli and Wang Yunfei had never seen eye-to-eye, but in this instance, their interests were perfectly aligned; if this scandal blew up, neither the Secretary nor the Township Head would benefit. Their exchange effectively set the tone: they had no intention of touching Xiao Bo.

After catching a glance from Township Head Wang, Deputy Township Head Chang Yong spoke up immediately. "I don't think dealing with this is complicated. Since the problem lies within the documents, we should simply hold the person responsible for those documents accountable."

"I agree. As far as I know, the person responsible for the documents at the Civil Affairs Office is the new college graduate, Qin Feng," added Hong Haifeng, the Director of the Party and Government Office, prompted by a nod from Secretary Xu.

As Chang Yong and Hong Haifeng finished speaking, the woman, Hu Jiayun, frowned, and Li Dejun's face darkened with anger. It was obvious that the two men were playing a coordinated game, aiming their spears directly at Qin Feng. They intended to make him the scapegoat.