Official career

  Zhou Wenfu hadn't heard the news, and he was taken aback, asking: "What's going on? Has the funding come through?" Zhou Wenfu was also very concerned about this matter. After all, as the county party secretary, if Xishan County's economy developed, it would be a major achievement for him. As for the special funds that Liu Fei had brought in, he wouldn't interfere with that, knowing that Liu Fei's background and connections were not to be underestimated. Although Liu Fei was young, he had managed to secure 300 million yuan in special development funds from the province, which was no small feat. Zhou Wenfu had been impressed by Liu Fei's performance since his arrival in Xishan County, and although he was wary of him, he also admired the young man for doing things by the book and never failing to report to him when necessary. In particular, Zhou Wenfu supported Liu Fei's approach to economic development, knowing that it wasn't his own strong suit, having come from a political work background. He knew that Gong Chunshan was not capable of developing the economy, so he appreciated Liu Fei's drive in this area and hoped he could lead Xishan County to new heights.

  At this time, when Liu Fei suddenly reported this matter to himself, he had a faintly bad premonition in his heart.

  As expected, Liu Fei continued: "Secretary Zhou, it's like this. Originally, the province allocated 30 million, but only 5 million actually arrived at our Xishan County Finance Department. So I plan to go to the city this afternoon to thoroughly investigate."

  Zhou Wenfu heard this and fell silent for a moment before saying slowly: "Alright, go ahead, I support you!"

  Liu Fei finally felt at ease, he was very clear that this time going to the city would definitely not be smooth sailing, and if things went wrong, he would offend some dignitaries. So what he worried about most was that after going to the city, Zhou Wenfu and Gong Chunshan would join forces to withdraw their support for him, in which case he would truly be attacked from both front and back. Therefore, before going to the city, he had to stabilize his rear first. At this time, having obtained Zhou Wenfu's support, he dared to go to Hengyang City with a clear conscience.

  That afternoon, Liu Fei asked for a car from the office and had Heizi, the new driver, drive him straight to Hengyang City.

  Liu Fei's chimpanzee was called Heizi, and others also called him that, even his ID card read so. His ID card was a special document issued by the Civil Affairs Bureau, with a usage scope much larger than an identity card. However, it would not reveal any identity information.

  The road from Xishan County to Hengyang City is really in a terrible condition. Even with Hei Zi's superb driving skills, it took about 2 hours to arrive at the Municipal Finance Bureau.

  Liu Fei got off the car and rushed straight to the Financial Bureau's Accounting Department.

  Accounting department head Lü Chunlian was a woman in her fifties with wavy long hair. When she heard that Liu Fei was the county magistrate of Xishan County, she was very surprised at the time, but still smiled and welcomed him, and also asked her subordinates to pour a cup of tea for Liu Fei.

  Liu Fei didn't even look at the cup of tea, but quietly looked at Lü Chunlian and asked: "Director Lü, this time I came to the city, mainly to ask about our Xishan County's economic development special funds, why did it change from 300 million to 50 million? Can you give me an explanation?"

  Lü Chunlian's face suddenly fell, although Liu Fei was one level higher than her and also held a lot of power in his hands, but Lü Chunlian didn't think much of him.

  Because as soon as Liu Fei had just taken office, rumors about him had already spread among the various bureau-level agencies in the city. In the rumors, Liu Fei was nothing more than a secretary to a governor who would be transferred away soon, and he didn't have any real abilities, but only knew how to fawn and flatter. As the saying goes, "the crowd's words can destroy one's reputation", Liu Fei never thought that his name had already spread throughout the official circles of Hengyang City before he even arrived at Xishan County.

  Lü Chunlian's face was cold as she said: "County Magistrate Liu owes you an apology. As for your question, I have nothing to say."

  Liu Fei's face sank at that moment, and a cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. With a "slap" sound, he pulled out a letter of inquiry from his pocket and slapped it on the table, saying in a cold voice: "Well, since you, Director Lü, don't give us any face, then we'll just handle this matter officially. This is the letter of inquiry from our Xishan County Government regarding this special funding. We suspect that there are serious problems with the allocation of this fund, and we demand that the Municipal Finance Bureau explain the flow of this special fund. Otherwise, our Xishan County will report this matter directly to the provincial government!"

  Lü Chunlian felt a sudden intense heartbeat, and she gazed lightly at Liu Fei's dark face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot. Suddenly, she felt a palpitation, and she could sense the strong anger emanating from Liu Fei's body, an anger that seemed to contain a huge amount of energy. She felt a bit guilty, for she had originally intended to make things difficult for Liu Fei, just like she did with others, in order to gain some benefits. However, she discovered that this young county head was surprisingly unfamiliar with the usual tricks and tactics used in official circles. Especially when looking at Liu Fei's majestic and domineering demeanor, she could only admit defeat and ordered her subordinates to bring out the materials and throw them in front of Liu Fei.

  Liu Fei was also straightforward and directly flipped through the materials, only to find out that the special funds for economic development in Xishan County had been signed over by Vice Mayor Lu Guangming, who was in charge of industry, and had been intercepted by the Municipal Bureau of Industry.

  Liu Fei couldn't help but furrow his brow. He knew that this Lu Guangming was the predecessor of his own predecessor as the county magistrate of Xishan County. It seemed that he was now in a precarious situation. The only thing he didn't know was what he had done to offend Lu Guangming.

  Lü Chunlian, who was standing beside him, saw Liu Fei's furrowed brow and knew that he was at a loss for what to do. She said sarcastically, "County Magistrate Liu, how is it? Do you know what's going on now? Actually, I didn't let you know because it's better for you. I think this matter should just be dropped. Mayor Lu must have his own considerations."

  Liu Fei stood up, glanced at Lü Chunlian's mocking face with a hint of disdain, and said coldly: "Thanks for the reminder, Director Lü. However, I have one bad habit - anything that belongs to me, no one can take away! What's mine is mine, and anyone who dares to reach out and grab it will have their paws chopped off!"

  Having said that, Liu Fei turned around and left.

  At that time, Lü Chunlian was shocked, she stared at Liu Fei's broad back for a long time without reacting.

  What Liu Fei said just now was too arrogant, you know, the one who withheld your funds is a deputy mayor and also a member of the municipal party committee. You, Liu Fei, are so capable, but do you dare to disobey him? It's like you don't want to live anymore. But what about Lü Chunlian? She's a woman, a woman with a very long tongue.

  Soon, Liu Fei's words at the municipal finance bureau were embellished by Lü Chunlian and passed on to some friends in the municipal party committee and government. When Lu Guangming, a member of the standing committee of the municipal party committee and vice mayor, received the news, he was drinking tea. However, after his secretary repeated Liu Fei's words, he became enraged and smashed several thousand-yuan teacups on the ground, his face purpling with rage as he pounded the table: "Arrogant! This is really too arrogant! Does this sound like something an organization cadre would say?"

  Lu Guangming's secretary wisely took the door and left. After Lu Guangming's anger subsided, he quickly calmed down, a cold smile spreading across his face. Liu Fei, ah Liu Fei, even if you know it was me who intercepted it, what can you do? This Hengyang City is not your Xishan County, nor is it Nanping City. You are just the secretary of a provincial governor who has already been transferred away. No matter how capable you are, you cannot turn the sky upside down in my Hengyang City! Sun Wukong may be powerful, but he cannot escape the Buddha's palm. This time, I have got you for sure!

  At this time, Liu Fei was on his way from the Municipal Finance Bureau to the Municipal Government by car. The distance between the two places is only 3 kilometers, and he arrived soon.

  However, when he contacted the duty room at the gate, Liu Fei was informed that Vice Mayor Lu Guangming had just gone out to attend to some business and would not be returning today. Upon hearing this news, a fierce fire suddenly ignited in Liu Fei's heart. Ha ha, Lu Guangming, you're also playing tricks on me? Humph, keep stalling, I'll see how long you can drag it out. Since I won't be able to see you today, I'll come to the city government gate tomorrow morning to block your way. If you have the guts, don't come to work.

  Liu Fei got on the car with a huff, and said to Heizi: "Let's go, Heizi. Let's find an inn near the municipal government first. Tomorrow I'll put on a good show at the municipal government."

  Hei Zi was a very careful person, on the way to the municipal government, he drove while carefully observing the situation of the hotels along the road. After hearing Liu Fei's instructions, Hei Zi's car moved forward for less than 300 meters and stopped. This was a four-star chain hotel called Ruyi.

  Two people finished dinner in the hotel restaurant, Liu Fei's feeling of depression and annoyance still hadn't dissipated, so he said to Heizi: "Heizi, I'm really annoyed now, do you have any good ideas for me to vent?"

  "Hei Zi laughed and said, 'Boss, I can understand this feeling of yours. It's like when I used to go on missions, every time I came back my mood would be bad for several days. At that time, I would always go clubbing! For me, clubbing is the best way to get rid of a bad mood!'"

  "Alright, let's go clubbing." Hei Zi's words brought back memories of Liu Fei's wonderful college days. Whenever one of the four brothers was feeling down, they would all go clubbing together. The annoying emotions would gradually fade away with the loud music, energetic rhythms, and beautiful girls dancing.

  It's been four years, a full four years since I last went clubbing, and Liu Fei couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic.

  Then the two of them slipped out of the Ritz Hotel and wandered around looking for a place to dance.