241: Chapter 241 Is the person behind this really that powerful?

When the call connected, Secretary Bai was in his office signing documents.

A stack of red-headed documents sat on his desk, some waiting for his signature, some for his review, and others for his instructions, piled up like a small mountain.

He put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, picked up his phone to glance at the caller ID, and his brows twitched slightly.

County Mayor Bai Weijun.

A call at this hour couldn't be anything good.

"What is it?"

County Mayor Bai Weijun's voice came through the receiver, carrying a sense of long-suppressed grievance and unwillingness.

"Dad, are you busy? I want to talk to you about something."

"Speak."

County Mayor Bai Weijun hesitated for a moment, as if deliberating how to put it.

He rarely complained to his father; the education he received growing up told him that a man shouldn't complain, especially not to his family.

But today, he really couldn't hold it in anymore!

After serving as County Magistrate for so long, this was the first time he had been pushed into a corner, unable to find even a single supporter on the Standing Committee; he even felt like his tenure as County Magistrate was a joke.

He recounted everything that had recently happened in Changyuan County from beginning to end—how Secretary Wei Kuan suppressed him during meetings, how he adjusted the division of responsibilities on the Standing Committee, and how he stripped the Education, Science, Culture, and Health portfolios from Xu Weidong.

He explained how the other deputy county magistrates had one by one defected to Secretary Wei Kuan, and how they would contradict him and choke him off during meetings, leaving him unable to step down.

He spoke in great detail, but his tone remained relatively calm, without exaggeration.

After listening, Secretary Bai remained silent for a long time.

It wasn't that he didn't know how to respond; it was that he felt disappointed.

Not disappointed in Secretary Wei Kuan, but disappointed in his own son.

He remained silent on the other end of the line, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk, and then spoke.

"County Mayor Bai Weijun, are you finished?"

County Mayor Bai Weijun was stunned for a moment.

"I'm finished."

"Good. Then let me ask you, how long have you been in Changyuan County?"

"It's been a year."

"For such a long time, you haven't even cultivated a single die-hard supporter in the County Government? Apart from Xu Weidong and Secretary Liu Qingfeng, you can't even find a single Standing Committee member to speak for you?"

"The County Government is the County Magistrate's own turf; they are the departments that make up the County Government. Those people work right under your nose every day, and you can't even hold them together? Do you have the nerve to call me and complain?"

County Mayor Bai Weijun was choked up.

He opened his mouth to defend himself, but the words died on his tongue; Secretary Bai didn't give him a chance to breathe.

"You say those people suddenly went over to defect to Secretary Wei Kuan, but why don't you think about why they wanted to defect to him? Is it because you are such a good County Magistrate that you left them with nothing to do?"

"Or is it because you are such a terrible County Magistrate that they feel there is no future in following you?"

"During your time in Changyuan County, apart from chasing projects and fighting for funds, what else have you done?"

"How many meals have you eaten with the cadres below? How many times have you had heart-to-heart talks with members of the Standing Committee? Do you understand their thoughts? Do you know what they want?"

"You don't know!"

"You spend all day putting on airs, holding onto your status as the young master of the Bai Family, thinking everyone should come to curry favor with you, please you, and revolve around you."

"Now that people aren't revolving around you anymore, you feel aggrieved?"

County Mayor Bai Weijun's face flushed red, and his hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

Secretary Bai's voice softened slightly, but it still carried that unquestionable severity.

"County Mayor Bai Weijun, let me tell you, your situation in Changyuan County is not Secretary Wei Kuan's fault, nor is it the fault of those deputy county magistrates; it is your own fault."

"It is your fault for not knowing how to conduct yourself, not knowing how to win people's hearts, and not knowing how to put down roots in your own territory."

"You treat the position of County Magistrate like a division chief in a ministry, thinking that as long as you complete the tasks assigned from above, that's enough."

"You are wrong, dead wrong."

"A County Magistrate is not a division chief. A County Magistrate doesn't face just a dozen people in a division office; you face dozens of departments, hundreds of cadres, and hundreds of thousands of ordinary people."

"If you want them to respect you, it's not by relying on your surname, but by relying on your ability, your breadth of mind, and your character."

County Mayor Bai Weijun took a deep breath, suppressing that grievance and unwillingness.

"Dad, you're right."

"It's because I'm not good enough, and I haven't done my job well."

"However, those people suddenly changed, and I was really surprised."

Secretary Bai didn't take that bait; he tapped his fingers on the desk twice.

"County Mayor Bai Weijun, let me tell you something. That Secretary Wei Kuan of your County Party Committee is not as simple as you think."

"He has a backer, and this backer has a significant background. Do not think that just because he is a small County Party Committee Secretary, you can look down on him."

County Mayor Bai Weijun's heart jumped, and his voice went out of tune.

"Dad, what did you say? Secretary Wei Kuan has a backer? What backer does he have? Why don't I know about it?"

Secretary Bai didn't answer this question; he wouldn't tell County Mayor Bai Weijun that Secretary Wei Kuan was the whetstone arranged by Governor Zhou Wenbin.

Some things can be said; some things cannot.

If he said it, it would lose the meaning of the tempering.

He would only reveal that Secretary Wei Kuan's background was significant, but he wouldn't say exactly who it was.

"County Mayor Bai Weijun, you don't need to know who it is. You just need to know that in this world, we are not the only family with a background, and the Xu Family is not the only one with a backer."

"Do your own job, don't spend all day thinking about whose son you are, and don't spend all day thinking that everyone owes you something."

"During your days in Changyuan County, how has Secretary Wei Kuan treated you? He has treated you like ancestors, giving you whatever you want and letting you do whatever you want."

"And you? What have you given him? Respect? Gratitude? Or do you think everything he did was just his duty? He is the top leader, after all; you should at least give him basic respect."

County Mayor Bai Weijun fell silent.

He wanted to refute, to say that Secretary Wei Kuan had indeed treated them well in the past, but he couldn't find a reason to argue.

It wasn't because Secretary Bai made a lot of sense, but because Secretary Bai made him feel ashamed.

Having been County Magistrate for so long, he had never invited Secretary Wei Kuan to a meal, had never said a word in public about how hard Secretary Wei Kuan worked, and even less had he ever expressed gratitude for his support in private.

He thought everything Secretary Wei Kuan did was within his duties, thinking it was only natural for the County Party Committee Secretary to support the County Magistrate's work.

He didn't know that in this world, nothing is natural; behind every bit of support, there is an invisible ledger.

Secretary Bai's tone softened completely, carrying the final admonition of a father to his son.

"County Mayor Bai Weijun, this matter is a lesson for you. Being able to let you and Comrade Weidong settle down and reflect will be good for your growth."

"Tell Comrade Weidong not to lose heart because of this small setback. You are still young, and the road ahead is long."

"Being tempered at the grassroots level for a few more years will only do you good, not harm."

County Mayor Bai Weijun held the phone and was silent for a moment, his voice lowering.

"Dad, I understand. Don't worry, I won't let you down."

Secretary Bai didn't say anything else and hung up the phone.

County Mayor Bai Weijun sat in his chair, looking at the gray sky outside the window, dazed for a long while.

Secretary Wei Kuan has a backer, and one with a significant background.

This news was even more distressing to him than being suppressed by Secretary Wei Kuan on the Standing Committee; no wonder the situation had changed so quickly.

As the lights came on at dusk, Vice County Magistrate Mi Baizuo was sitting in a private room at the highest-end hotel in the county, with delicacies laid out before him.

The table was large, but only three people were sitting there.

Him, a waitress in a cheongsam, and a woman.

The woman was in her early thirties, with long hair draped over her shoulders, delicate features, and wearing a black low-cut dress with a very low neckline, that patch of snow-white skin blinding under the lights.

The dress clung to her body, outlining an exaggerated waist-to-hip ratio.

Her name was Liu Shufen; her husband did business elsewhere and rarely came back.

She lived in Changyuan County with her child, running a small business. The child was taking the high school entrance exam this year, and the grades were mediocre, falling a few points short of the admission cutoff for County No. 1 High School.

She had looked for many people, but it was useless, and finally, through connections, she found Vice County Magistrate Mi Baizuo.

Vice County Magistrate Mi Baizuo was in charge of Education, Science, Culture, and Health, and was a big shot in the county.

With one word from him, the principal of County No. 1 High School wouldn't dare say half a word of refusal.

Liu Shufen had pulled many strings just to secure this dinner.

After three rounds of drinks, Vice County Magistrate Mi Baizuo started talking more.

He leaned back in his chair, holding his wine glass, his gaze sweeping back and forth over Liu Shufen.

From her face to her neck, from her neck to her chest, and from her chest to those long legs wrapped in black silk stockings.

"General Manager Liu, I've seen your child's grades. A few points short is not a big problem. County No. 1 High School has some flexible quotas every year; I just need to say a word."

"However..."

He put down his wine glass, leaned forward, and lowered his voice.

"General Manager Liu, you also know that things are not easy to handle right now. Those above are clamping down tightly, and we cannot practice favoritism."

"If I help you handle this, how much risk do I have to take?"

Liu Shufen quickly picked up her glass, stood up, and held it up to him with both hands.

"Vice County Magistrate Mi, I know you are in a difficult position. If you help me with this, I will definitely thank you properly. I toast you with this glass; please drink as you please."

Vice County Magistrate Mi Baizuo didn't take the glass; his gaze fell on Liu Shufen's face, then slid to her chest, and the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.

"General Manager Liu, sit down, sit down and talk; standing is so tiring."

Liu Shufen sat down and placed the wine glass on the table.

Vice County Magistrate Mi Baizuo's hand "accidentally" rested on her knee; her body stiffened slightly, but she didn't dodge, and she didn't dare to dodge.

Through the thin silk stockings, she could feel the heat of his palm.

"General Manager Liu, it's not easy for you to raise a child alone."

His fingers drew circles lightly on her knee, his voice so low it sounded like it was squeezed from his throat.

"Your husband is away doing business all year round; don't you miss him?"

Liu Shufen's smile stiffened for a moment, but she quickly recovered that expression with a hint of fawning.

"Vice County Magistrate Mi, you're joking. My husband is doing business outside for the sake of this family, and I understand him."

"Understanding is one thing, but needing is another."

Vice County Magistrate Mi Baizuo's hand moved up from her knee to her thigh; the texture of the silk stockings was smooth and delicate.

"General Manager Liu, you are alone at home; aren't you lonely? In the dead of night, don't you want a man to keep you company?"

Liu Shufen's complexion finally changed; she looked at Vice County Magistrate Mi Baizuo's face full of flab, and a strong sense of nausea welled up in her heart.

But she couldn't turn against him; she didn't dare to turn against him.

Whether the child could get into County No. 1 High School depended entirely on one word from this man.

She gritted her teeth and swallowed that nausea.

"Vice County Magistrate Mi, please don't be like this."

Vice County Magistrate Mi Baizuo didn't take his hand away; his fingers pinched her thigh lightly.

"General Manager Liu, I, of all people, cannot bear to see a woman suffer. It's not easy for you to raise a child alone. As long as you listen to me, your child's matter is on me."

"What is County No. 1 High School? Whatever school you want him to attend, I will make sure he attends it."

Liu Shufen's fingers gripped the wine glass tightly; she knew she was walking into a trap step by step, and even knowing it was a trap, she had to jump in.

For the sake of her child, she could endure anything.