144: Chapter 144 Street Cleaning

Xiao Bei whispered to himself, his fingers tapping on the desk. Such crude methods were not uncommon in commercial live streaming, but for this to happen in a government-led poverty alleviation project, there must be something fishy behind it.

The sound of a car engine drifted in from outside the window. Xiao Bei walked over and happened to see County Magistrate Lin Ruohan stepping out of a black sedan. The glow of the setting sun spilled over her, outlining a cold and aloof silhouette. She was dressed in a simple white shirt and black trousers, her hair pulled back meticulously, maintaining an unassailable aura of elegance even with a hint of fatigue.

Xiao Bei suddenly froze—the County Magistrate Lin Ruohan before him now was like a completely different person from the one who had tried to "woo" him in the office that day. That day, her eyes had been dancing, her words passionate, even carrying a hint of flirtatiousness. But the one before him now was the cold, icy, and decisive female County Magistrate he was familiar with.

"What is going on..."

Xiao Bei frowned deeply, a ridiculous thought flashing through his mind—could there be two Lin Ruohans?

The idea was too absurd, and he shook his head to cast it away. Just as he was hesitating whether to go downstairs to greet her, County Magistrate Lin Ruohan had already walked quickly into the building.

Xiao Bei decided to "bump into" her in the hallway; perhaps he could fish for some information.

He picked up his teacup, pretending to go get water. Just as he reached the corner of the hallway, he heard lowered voices coming from the stairwell. Although the voices were deliberately hushed, they were still clearly audible in the empty corridor.

"I said I don't need you to manage me!"

It was County Magistrate Lin Ruohan's voice, but it carried an agitation Xiao Bei had never heard before. "I have my own methods, I can do it on my own..."

Xiao Bei subconsciously lightened his footsteps and moved a few steps closer, hugging the wall.

"Who do you think you are? Arranging my life?" County Magistrate Lin Ruohan's voice grew sharper. "You have your methods, and I have mine. Haven't I been doing just fine on my own..."

Suddenly, the sound of high heels approached. Xiao Bei hurriedly stepped back, pretending he had just walked out of his office. The door to the stairwell was pushed open violently, and County Magistrate Lin Ruohan stepped out quickly, almost colliding with him.

"County Magistrate Lin."

Xiao Bei steadied himself and feigned surprise. "Are you back from Hongtu Town? How is the situation?"

County Magistrate Lin Ruohan was clearly startled, her phone still pressed to her ear. She hung up quickly, a flash of panic crossing her eyes, but she soon returned to her familiar coldness.

"Deputy County Magistrate Xiao, you haven't finished work yet?"

She stuffed her phone into her pocket, her voice so calm that it was as if she hadn't been the one arguing passionately just moments ago. "The problem in Hongtu Town has been handled. A few village officials saw how popular Qingshan Township was and wanted to falsify their performance reports, so I've already warned them."

Xiao Bei noticed that the corners of her eyes were slightly red, and her knuckles gripping the phone were white from the pressure. He pretended not to notice anything unusual: "That's good. I just looked at the data; there were indeed issues."

"Hmm."

County Magistrate Lin Ruohan replied briefly, seemingly not wanting to talk more, and turned to leave.

"County Magistrate Lin!"

Xiao Bei suddenly called out to her. "Does Party Secretary Fu Chuanyi have... any new instructions?"

County Magistrate Lin Ruohan's back stiffened visibly. She turned around slowly, her gaze sharp as a knife: "Why do you ask?"

Xiao Bei's heart rate accelerated, but he kept his face impassive: "Oh, it's just that Party Secretary Fu Chuanyi's secretary called today asking for materials, so I thought perhaps there was progress in the investigation."

"Just do your own job."

County Magistrate Lin Ruohan's tone turned colder. "The Inspection Team's work is not something we can interfere with."

Watching County Magistrate Lin Ruohan's departing figure, the doubts in Xiao Bei's heart deepened. Her reaction just now was too sensitive, as if the name "Fu Chuanyi" had touched a nerve. Moreover, she had clearly reported the situation to Fu Chuanyi and had even tried to woo him by using evidence regarding Liu Fuzhi as a bargaining chip, but now she was pretending to be completely indifferent—this was too abnormal... However, Xiao Bei had noticed the ring mark on County Magistrate Lin Ruohan's hand this time. Could County Magistrate Lin Ruohan be married?

Returning to his office, Xiao Bei immediately dialed Team Leader Zhang Yining's number: "Check County Magistrate Lin Ruohan's specific itinerary in Hongtu Town today—who she met and what was said. Also..." He hesitated for a moment, "Check if she has any twin sisters."

Team Leader Zhang Yining's exclamation came from the other end of the line: "Twins? Leader, are you joking?"

"We won't find anything else anyway, just check it first."

Xiao Bei hung up the phone and rubbed his temples. Perhaps he was just too tired, which led to such absurd guesses.

But the County Magistrate Lin Ruohan who had tried to build factions in the office and the icy, cold County Magistrate Lin Ruohan of today were indeed like two different people. And that mysterious phone call in the stairwell— "I can do it on my own..." Who was she resisting?

Outside the window, the night had deepened. The lights in the County Government compound were turning off one by one, only the light in the office of the Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary remained on. Xiao Bei looked up inadvertently and saw Liu Fuzhi's figure moving in front of the window, seemingly on the phone.

Xiao Bei suddenly felt that he might be caught in a vortex more complex than he had imagined. Liu Fuzhi, Fu Chuanyi, County Magistrate Lin Ruohan... was there really a connection between these three? And why did the evidence he collected disappear without a trace after he handed it in?

He had to find out the truth. Not only for the sake of ordinary people like Zhang Laosan, but also for self-preservation—Liu Fuzhi would not let him off easily, and County Magistrate Lin Ruohan... whoever she was, she was clearly hiding unspeakable secrets.

Xiao Bei shut down his computer and locked his office. The County Magistrate's office at the end of the corridor was still lit, and the glass window reflected the silhouette of County Magistrate Lin Ruohan working at her desk. He walked past quietly, without disturbing her.

At five the next morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, Xiao Bei was already driving along the mountain road toward Hongxiang Town. He had deliberately chosen this old road to avoid the highway where he might run into acquaintances.

His phone vibrated; it was a message from Team Leader Zhang Yining: "Leader, it's confirmed. County Magistrate Lin Ruohan does have a twin sister named Lin Ruoxue. The strange thing is, no personal information about Lin Ruoxue can be found."

Xiao Bei's fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel. He replied: "Then check if Lin Ruoxue has any social media accounts, especially recent photos."

Turning a sharp bend, the outline of Hongxiang Town appeared in his field of vision. This small town, famous for fruit cultivation, should have been peaceful and tranquil, but at this moment, it presented a bizarre scene—on the main street, shopkeepers were frantically cleaning, and several people who looked like town officials were holding notebooks, inspecting house by house, shouting loudly from time to time.

Xiao Bei parked his car outside the town and walked in. He had deliberately worn an ordinary dark blue jacket today, looking like a common clerk. Passing by a breakfast shop, the steamers were emitting hot steam, and the aroma was enticing.

"Boss, one bowl of beef noodles."

Xiao Bei walked into the shop and found a table against the wall to sit down.

The owner was a man in his fifties, but upon hearing this, he looked troubled: "Sorry, comrade, we aren't open for business today."