Chapter 55: Things are getting lively!

Throughout the entire month of May, Du Wenlong did not return to the unit to work. The investigation into Le Xuezhi went deeper and deeper, making Lu Fan's report materials increasingly detailed, already exceeding 50 pages.

On June 16, Lu Fan returned to Yingjiang to take care of his younger sister and accompany Lu Yao for the high school entrance exam.

Before entering the exam hall, Lu Fan was afraid his sister would be under pressure, so he said to her, "It's nothing more than doing a few test papers to decide which high school to go to. Just give it your all. No matter the result, in your brother's heart, you are the best!"

Lu Yao smiled and said, "Brother, don't worry. A little Yingjiang middle school exam is nothing. Even if I perform below my level, it's no problem. If I do too well and happen to be picked by a school in Chang'an, it will just cost you a bit more money."

"I'm dying to spend this money! Yaoyao, don't you worry. Wherever you study, I will provide for you, even if it's studying abroad. Brother won't let you suffer even the slightest grievance. Whatever others have, you will have too!"

Lu Yao entered the exam hall with red eyes, secretly swearing in her heart that she must get into the best university in the future and become her brother's pride!

Hardship cannot take away one's lofty aspirations. The huge changes in the family made Lu Yao become stronger. Her grades were always at the top, and her sensibility made Lu Fan feel a pang of heartache.

No one is born strong; it's just that they have endured again and again. Tribulations left the siblings covered in scars, yet slowly, those healed scars became the toughest parts of their lives. There is no such thing as quiet, peaceful years; it is just enduring pain while carrying the burden forward.

Unable to see Lu Yao's figure, Lu Fan called his second uncle; his cousin was also taking the high school entrance exam in Ningyang.

The three days of exams ended quickly. Looking at his sister's confident smile, Lu Fan was also relieved.

The siblings reluctantly packed their luggage, returned the house they had rented for two years, and took their bags back to Baishu Bay.

They traveled through the night, but home is an eternal harbor.

Lu Fan secretly made up his mind to buy a house as soon as possible.

For the siblings, it was not a cold house, but a harbor, a sense of belonging, and a longing for their future life.

On July 1, Du Wenlong returned, bringing back all the materials everyone had collected. The two spent three days organizing them, finally perfecting the report materials and distilling the key parts onto A3 paper. The unit's printer worked for an entire night.

On July 3, Lu Fan dialed the report hotlines of the Central Discipline Inspection Commission and the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission, accusing Le Xuezhi of his evil deeds, and submitted the report materials via letter and email.

On July 4, Lu Fan and Du Wenlong returned to Ningyang with 2,000 "big-character posters." The brothers were all in place, rubbing their hands and ready for a big move.

At two in the morning, Lu Fan bowed deeply to everyone and said, "Brothers, tonight we are taking a risk; we must not expose ourselves. I will keep this gratitude in my heart; when the time comes in life, I will surely repay you!"

Ceng Ming and Xia Li went to Yingjiang; Yang Minghao, who worked at a KTV in the city, had long since figured out the routes and surveillance.

Lu Fan drove a car rented by Wu Heng, wrapped his head tightly, and went to the north of the city. Ding Tongxin insisted on following, not letting Lu Fan do it himself.

Wu Heng took a staunch confidant to the south of the city, Du Wenlong was responsible for the area around the County Government, Liu Jin Zhu was responsible for the commercial street, and Su Xiaoyi was responsible for the outskirts of the city.

In the dead of night, the deserted streets were empty. The streetlights made the night look so deep. Several figures shuttled through the county, avoiding surveillance, and nimbly posted flyers on the streets and alleys of Ningyang.

An hour later, the job was done. Everyone headed to various towns according to the plan, intending to spread Le Xuezhi's evil deeds to every corner of the county.

After Lu Fan and Du Wenlong returned to Baishu Bay and posted more than twenty "flyers," they quickly returned to the unit. They felt their hearts pounding and it took a long time to calm down.

"Brother Fan, the deed is done. I wonder if it will be of any use?"

"Man proposes, God disposes. We have done our best. It depends on whether the Le family can suppress the matter. Now we can only leave it to fate!"

"If the matter blows up, someone will eventually handle it. I don't believe they can still settle the Central Discipline Inspection Commission and the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission! If one day I could work in the Discipline Inspection Commission, that would be great!"

"Review well, strive to pass the exam, and 'get in the door' first. Perhaps there will be opportunities in the future."

"I have memorized that book by heart and done many questions. Brother Fan, thank you. You gave me hope and let me know what I should do."

"Between brothers, there is no need for thanks. I hope you all do well."

At four in the morning, sanitation workers appeared on the streets. At five o'clock, some people were already up, preparing for the opening of breakfast shops. The small county began to wake up. People passed by the empty streets one after another. A group of elderly people arrived at the stadium on time to clap for fitness and dance square dances.

At first, everyone didn't notice the big-character posters all over the street, going about their own business. But as more people appeared on the streets, some discovered those A3 papers and began to stop and watch.

The curiosity of the Chinese people is quite powerful, engraving the love for watching the excitement into their DNA. Thus, every "big-character poster" was surrounded by onlookers, first shocked, then discussing it heatedly.

"This Le Xuezhi is a school teacher? Can such scum be a teacher?"

"I reckon it's eight or nine tenths true. I seem to have heard of this person!"

"Must have offended someone. Now there's a show to watch!"

"Such scum should be cleared from the teaching staff quickly, otherwise how many people will be harmed!"

"Mom, my daughter is studying at the county middle school. I must go back and ask!"

"You wait and see, nothing will happen! Didn't you see what's written on it? His own brother is a mayor and a county chief. Don't you know Le Xueyi? The Executive Deputy County Chief!"

Before work hours, the "big-character poster" became the number one "big melon" in Ningyang County. Almost everyone was discussing the name "Le Xuezhi," but not a single person tore down any "big-character poster." Everyone held the mentality of watching the excitement without fear of it being too big, wishing they could throw a little money and wait for the situation to ferment.

In the end, it was Le Xueren who received the news, because the streets and alleys of Yingjiang City were also covered with "big-character posters." Le Xueren was, after all, the Executive Vice Mayor, and there was no shortage of people to tip him off.

Le Xueren didn't say a word and immediately instructed the Municipal Government Office, the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and the Zhenbei District Committee to send people to clean up the "big-character posters" immediately. He knew well that public opinion can be a powerful force, and he suspected whether it was a conspiracy by some competitor. He knew that the Minister of the Provincial Organization Department had already talked to him, and a promotion to the department level was in sight; he must not have any problems at this critical juncture.

Therefore, Le Xueren made a prompt decision, immediately went to the provincial level to inquire about the news, eliminate the negative impact, nip the crisis in the cradle, and report the work to his old leader. Some things must be explained in person.

Before leaving, Le Xueren called his second brother, Le Xueyi, and told him to pay attention to the dynamics in Ningyang and be careful of "fire in the backyard."

Le Xueyi was sleeping soundly with a female cadre. After receiving his elder brother's call, his sleepiness vanished. He pulled up his pants and went out; it was not even seven o'clock yet.

But as soon as he reached the street, he felt a chill down his spine. There were onlookers everywhere, and his own name was vaguely mentioned.

Le Xueyi walked to the nearest crowd, and after just a few glances, he was terrified. He hid to the side and called the Street Office Secretary, telling him to organize people to clean up the "wild advertisements" immediately, and it must be cleared before work hours, then immediately instructed the Public Security Bureau to investigate the matter.

Since it involved the Executive Vice Mayor and the Executive Deputy County Chief, the Public Security Bureau did not dare to be careless and immediately arranged for personnel to intervene in the investigation.

Soon, Le the Third called his second brother, saying that "big-character posters" had also appeared in their town, shouting that he wanted to chop this person up and feed him to the dogs!

Le Xueyi realized the seriousness of the matter and personally called the heads of various towns, telling them to take measures immediately to eliminate the negative impact.

"Big-character posters" can be torn down, but the mouths of the masses cannot be blocked. By the time work hours arrived, the Le family's name had spread throughout Ningyang. Le Xuezhi turned into a "lecherous demon," and a large number of parents broke into the school, demanding that such scum be cleared from the teaching staff. With such scum in the school, parents would be worried and afraid.

Before the County Committee and County Government could give instructions, the Education Bureau immediately sent an investigation team, led by Deputy Director Yuan Weiwei, to investigate Le Xuezhi, a physical education teacher at the county middle school.

After work, the entire county committee compound was discussing it. Li Guoquan called County Chief Zhao Honglan and Deputy Secretary Wang Hongtao to his office to discuss, saying to the two with worry, "I don't know who is making trouble, and who exactly they are targeting? It's just messing around!" In fact, he was worried about himself. The higher-ups had basically made it clear that he was to go to the Organization Department, so he hoped this matter wouldn't cause any complications!

Zhao Honglan appeared worried on the surface—after all, it was a scandal—but she didn't care at all in her heart. It had nothing to do with her, and she even hoped the matter would blow up, preferably to get rid of Le Xueyi. One must know that a local Executive Deputy County Chief was very annoying, and this Le Xueyi, relying on his elder brother, had a long reach and repeatedly challenged her authority.

Wang Hongtao had a strong sense of the big picture, knowing that honor and disgrace were shared. The scandal in Ningyang would make the Ningyang County Committee team a laughingstock. Moreover, he knew that Minister Guo Mingxiong was going to the provincial level and Secretary Li was leaving soon, so there could be no accidents. He said, "Secretary, County Chief, blocking the mouths of the people is more dangerous than blocking a river. The matter has already happened. I think it is better to guide than to block. I suggest investigating the matters the public is concerned about as soon as possible, and making an official conclusion to the Municipal Committee, Municipal Government, and the people of Ningyang. Clarify what should be clarified, and handle what should be handled."

Li Guoquan nodded and said, "Hongtao, you are also the Political and Legal Committee Secretary. Maintaining stability is the top priority now. You handle this matter entirely and report to me at any time."

"Okay, I'll go now. Secretary, no need to worry too much."

By the time the county took action, the protagonist Le Xuezhi was only just realizing what was happening. His phone rang a hundred times before he was woken up, with a young woman still lying beside him.

Hearing that someone was using him to make trouble, Le Xuezhi was furious, gritting his teeth, wishing he could peel the skin off this son of a bitch.

After putting on his clothes, he immediately went to the school, because people from the Public Security Bureau and the Education Bureau had already arrived at the school.

Along the way, Le Xuezhi was pointed at, which made him very angry, but he was helpless; he couldn't beat them all up.

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