Chapter 10

"Zetao, why are you just getting back?"

After returning to the school dormitory to replant the orchid and treating Yang Jun to a meal before seeing him off, Ye Zetao walked towards the township government. As he just entered the township government, Fang Yimei suddenly appeared from somewhere and whispered to Ye Zetao.

"Is there any news?" Ye Zetao joked.

Fang Yimei looked at Ye Zetao with a very complicated gaze and said, "Party Secretary Gao values you a lot!"

After hearing Fang Yimei's explanation, Ye Zetao realized that something had indeed happened in the township. The county committee had just made a decision to commend his rescue efforts.

Hearing this, Ye Zetao was still somewhat puzzled and looked at Fang Yimei with confusion.

"I heard that the county was criticized by the city because of the accident involving the township leadership!"

Seeing Fang Yimei's mysterious demeanor, Ye Zetao became even more puzzled. "Their accident seems unrelated to my rescue efforts, right?"

The county's affairs were still a bit distant for Ye Zetao at the moment. He had not connected himself with the county, even though he had coincidentally saved the students. His only thought was to get a permanent position smoothly, as only then would he have the chance to advance further.

Fang Yimei smiled and said, "It's very much related. You might not know, but when the accident happened in the township, the deputy minister of the county propaganda department was somehow cornered in a hotel by a woman's husband in the city. The incident was quite big, even the city party secretary was involved. I heard that Party Secretary Gao was embarrassed in the city because of this!"

Ye Zetao was even more confused, standing there in a daze. This had nothing to do with him, so why did it seem connected according to Fang Yimei?

Fang Yimei glared at Ye Zetao and pouted, "Why don't you understand yet?"

Now, Fang Yimei's demeanor had a hint of coquettishness. It was the first time Ye Zetao noticed how charming she could be when she acted this way, and he was somewhat stunned.

Fang Yimei huffed, satisfied with Ye Zetao's expression. She felt a sense of pride for being able to attract Ye Zetao. Since Ye Zetao's rise, she didn't know why, but she thought about him every day. Looking at the handsome Ye Zetao standing in front of her, her heart was a bit flustered. She steadied herself and said, "Let me tell you, with so many things happening, the county is in a passive position. They need to shift the focus and improve the image of the county officials. Your rescue efforts fit the county's needs perfectly!"

Ye Zetao finally understood and laughed, "I didn't expect so many twists and turns!"

The commendation ceremony would definitely be a large-scale event organized by the county, and he had just happened to be involved!

After chatting for a few more sentences, Ye Zetao walked into the office.

Inside the office, Niu Changsheng and Jiang Guoping were both sitting there.

Seeing Ye Zetao enter, Niu Changsheng waved at him and said, "Xiao Ye is back? I just called Yang Pinzhi, and he said you had already left."

"Um, the signal was bad on the road, and my phone couldn't connect," Ye Zetao said.

"Here's the thing, the county committee just held a meeting. They plan to hold a large commendation ceremony before National Day. Each township will have some slots. It was decided that your rescue efforts and the rescue efforts of the teachers in Chunzhu Township will be widely publicized, and the county will require everyone to learn from your examples. The county propaganda department will send people to gather materials, and you must cooperate with them." As Niu Changsheng said this, he thought about how Party Secretary Gao had personally named Ye Zetao, and his gaze turned to Ye Zetao.

"Gather materials?"

Ye Zetao was somewhat taken aback. How would they gather materials for this? Was it because everyone wanted to watch porn, and they only discovered the incident because they stayed up late? The thought made Ye Zetao find it amusing.

Scratching his head, Ye Zetao said, "Director, how do we gather materials for this?"

Niu Changsheng looked at Ye Zetao with a complex expression and said, "The comrades from the county propaganda department are professionals. They have experience. You just need to cooperate well!" He glanced out the window and added, "The comrades from the propaganda department have already set out and should arrive soon."

Ye Zetao nodded and returned to his seat.

Niu Changsheng had been observing Ye Zetao's situation. Seeing Ye Zetao calmly sit down, he sighed and picked up a newspaper, but he couldn't focus on it.

Thinking about how most of the time in the political arena was spent trying to understand the intentions of superiors, Ye Zetao could only sigh.

Today, Jiang Guoping was unusually calm, with a complex expression on his face throughout the workday, a stark change from his usual lively demeanor.

Although Ye Zetao was also reading a newspaper, he noticed the changes in everyone's expressions and understood the situation in the office. It was likely that the county's decision to commend him had caused some reactions.

Ye Zetao didn't spend too much time thinking about everyone's thoughts. After returning from Yiliangqing, his mind was preoccupied with the poverty of the villagers. Thinking about the cold weather and how many families had to share a tattered quilt, and many people lacked winter clothes, his mind was focused on how to change the situation in Yiliangqing.

Thinking about these things, Ye Zetao remembered his classmate in Kunming who specialized in orchids and decided to call him.

Standing up, Ye Zetao walked out of the office to a corner of the township government compound and took out his phone to make the call.

What Ye Zetao didn't know was that his every move was being watched by some people.

Niu Changsheng's seat faced the courtyard, and from upstairs, he saw Ye Zetao making a call in a corner of the yard.

Seeing Ye Zetao go so far to make a call, Niu Changsheng's eyes narrowed, and he wondered if Ye Zetao really had a larger background.

He still found it hard to understand the county's decision to commend him. The county wanted to shift focus and improve its image, and there were many good deeds in the county that could be commended. Why put Ye Zetao in such a prominent position? This seemed to indicate that Party Secretary Gao valued Ye Zetao. What was the reason?

Who was Ye Zetao calling now?

Recalling the visit of Gao Zhenshan, Niu Changsheng felt that Gao Zhenshan, including Pang Hui, had an unclear relationship with Ye Zetao.

Niu Changsheng was suspicious, and Fang Yimei was no different. When she got up to get water, she saw Ye Zetao making a call. At this critical time for the township, every situation could easily be linked to the township's adjustments, and she was very concerned about this.

If Ye Zetao really had a powerful background, everything would make sense!

Fang Yimei felt that she had always underestimated Ye Zetao. Perhaps he wasn't as simple as he seemed, and he had a powerful figure behind him!

Township People's Congress Chairman Fang Minggui accidentally saw Ye Zetao's situation. Holding a teacup and sitting in his room, Fang Minggui's calm face showed an indescribable expression as he watched Ye Zetao make the call.

Ye Zetao had no idea that his phone call would attract so much attention. He thought he was just making a call in private. When the call connected, Ye Zetao laughed and said, "Fatty, what have you been up to lately?"

Fatty's real name was Jiang Chaowei, a classmate who lived in the same dormitory as Ye Zetao. His family was said to have made a lot of money from growing orchids and even had a company, making him a second-generation rich kid.

Receiving Ye Zetao's call, Jiang Chaowei laughed and said, "I heard you went to a remote place to be a township official. How's it going? Come back to the provincial capital, and I'll arrange some girls to give you a massage!"

Ye Zetao laughed and scolded him, feeling the camaraderie with his classmate.

After chatting for a few more sentences, Ye Zetao said, "Fatty, you mentioned a type of orchid called 'Shengshi Mudan' last time. Do you know what the price is now?"

Hearing about orchids, Jiang Chaowei became excited and said, "Why are you asking about this flower? Let me tell you, this flower is very popular now. You might not know, but at a recent flower exhibition, a pot of this orchid was sold for 1.5 million yuan, and the buyer resold it for 2 million yuan. It's very popular!"

Ye Zetao's heart raced, and he asked uncertainly, "Didn't you say it was only 60,000 yuan?"

"That was the old price. You don't know, this orchid with flowers like peonies is extremely rare. It has won several awards, and its value has skyrocketed. Now, people are willing to pay a high price, but they can't even find a seller!"

Ye Zetao hadn't expected this situation and felt a bit uneasy. He had left the orchid in his dormitory, where people could enter freely. It seemed he hadn't taken it seriously enough.

Feeling Ye Zetao's unease, Jiang Chaowei sensed something and said loudly, "Zetao, do you have that orchid?" He was also uncertain.

"Fatty, when I went to the countryside, I did dig up five orchids that were blooming like this."

"What?" Jiang Chaowei exclaimed.

After a moment, Jiang Chaowei shouted, "Tell me the location, and I'll come immediately. I'll take care of it, and I won't let you down. I won't let anyone else have it!" After saying this, Jiang Chaowei asked for the location Ye Zetao mentioned and hung up.

Ye Zetao's face lit up with a smile, thinking to himself that this guy was even more eager than he was!

When he returned to the office, Ye Zetao still had a smile on his face. Thinking about how Jiang Chaowei was rushing over made him laugh. Jiang Chaowei was a decisive person!

Seeing Ye Zetao's happy expression, everyone's expressions became even more complex.

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