Power and Wealth

Chapter 1796

Outside.

The crowd was growing larger.

A small police station was now suddenly filled with so many county leaders and officials that it baffled those unaware of the situation, including the police officers. They hadn’t yet realized what was going on, and several of them felt a jolt of anxiety. Some officers with more vivid imaginations even turned pale, wondering if someone had planted a bomb at the station, which would explain why all the leaders had gathered outside and were standing in the yard or nearby without entering the building.

The main leaders had gathered together for a discussion.

“Old Chang, are you sure?”

“I’m sure. I checked his ID.”

“So what do we do now?”

“I have no idea. This is a real mess.”

“It’s more than just a mess. What were your officers thinking when arresting Secretary Dong? It’s ridiculous!”

“Absolutely.”

“Director Chang, you better think of something.”

“By the way, why hasn’t he been released yet? What are they doing?”

The leaders exchanged low whispers. It wasn’t surprising that they had all shown up—after all, the person inside was none other than Dong Xuebing, the newly appointed County Party Secretary who was coming to take charge in Jiao Lin County. And on his very first day, he had been arrested by the county’s police officers. If this got out, no one would believe it—it was utterly absurd. But despite the sheer ridiculousness of it all, none of them could find anything to laugh about because this entirely impossible situation had happened before their eyes.

The County Party Secretary had been arrested.

Everyone was now in a tough spot.

Of course, only a few county committee members who were present understood the situation. The others, who had just followed their leaders, remained dark. The county committee members had called for this impromptu gathering, as there was no way to hide this incident. It had blown up in such an embarrassing way that they at least had to organize some welcoming gesture to make up for it. However, none of them knew how things would unfold. They were all nervous, unsure of what Dong Xuebing was thinking. Why hadn’t he shown his ID when he was arrested? Surely, the police officers would have backed off immediately. Even if Dong Xuebing felt that presenting his ID would have been beneath him, he could have just called any county leader. Everyone knew who he was—it never should have escalated to the point where the police station detained him. But Dong Xuebing didn’t do that, leaving them all more perplexed.

“What on earth is Secretary Dong thinking?”

“You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? But I still have doubts. Is the person inside really our new secretary? I heard from Old Chang that he injured two police officers, and they’re still in the hospital. The most shocking thing is that he kicked over the minibus on the highway while it was still moving!”

“Seriously?”

Hu Hanbin, overwhelmed by the tense atmosphere, didn’t fully grasp the situation but had no objections. He immediately instructed his officers to stay outside.

Chang Lin and Hu Hanbin entered the hallway one after the other.

In the interrogation room, the officers responsible for questioning Dong Xuebing were still discussing the situation outside. They had no idea why so many county leaders had arrived, and none knew what was happening.

Only Dong Xuebing understood. Someone discovered the ID Hu Hanbin had taken from him earlier, revealing his true identity. But Dong Xuebing didn’t seem to care; he calmly sat there eating instant noodles as if nothing could disturb him, enjoying his meal with relish.

Bang.

The door opened.

“Chief Chang.”

“Chief Chang.”

The officers quickly stood up to greet him.

But Chang Lin didn’t even glance at them. His eyes went straight to Dong Xuebing, who was still eating noodles. With a serious expression, he said, "Hello, I’m Chang Lin, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of Jiao Lin County."

The officers were stunned by Director Chang’s respectful attitude. They hadn’t expected him to address Dong Xuebing like this.

Dong Xuebing glanced at Chang Lin but didn’t respond. He continued eating his noodles, completely unbothered.

Hu Hanbin thought to himself, You’re putting on airs! Director Chang is talking to you, and you don’t even acknowledge him? What kind of attitude is that?

But what shocked them even more was that Chang Lin didn’t get angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "I’m sorry, Secretary Dong. It’s entirely our fault. We mishandled the situation. I can’t believe this happened on your first day here..."

What?!

Secretary Dong?

First day on the job?!

Upon hearing this, Hu Hanbin and the officers were utterly dumbfounded, nearly fainting on the spot.

Only then did they realize the young man they had arrested was actually the new Party Secretary of Jiao Lin County!