By eleven o'clock, Nan Sheng finally arrived, fashionably late.
"Apologies, Secretary Cai. Today's my first official day at work, and I got caught up assigning tasks to the team. Lost track of time."
Secretary Cai waved his hand, gesturing for her to take a seat. "No worries. I just wanted to check how your first day went. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask."
Nan Sheng feigned a headache, unwilling to let Secretary Cai use Yu Gan and Chen Tian to corner her first.
Their lack of discipline and disregard for rules had nothing to do with her—it only reflected poorly on the former Revolutionary Committee director and Secretary Cai himself.
"Secretary Cai, even if you hadn’t called me in, I would’ve come. The work culture in our town government needs a serious overhaul. Yesterday when I arrived, the deputy director of the Materials Department took personal leave without proper cause. And this morning, two comrades from the Revolutionary Committee left for fieldwork without notifying anyone. If we let this slide, how can we enforce discipline moving forward?"
Secretary Cai took a sip of tea, realizing Nan Sheng was informing him, not asking. The Revolutionary Committee didn’t need his approval to enforce discipline—in fact, even he was under their scrutiny.
After some reflection yesterday, he’d decided there was no point making an enemy of Nan Sheng. Yet, he still couldn’t quite figure her out.
Right now, for instance, her words sounded polite, but there was an underlying threat. Did this mean he, as secretary, would always be subordinate to the Revolutionary Committee?
"How about this, Director Nan—this afternoon, we’ll hold a joint meeting to address work discipline. What do you think?"
Outmatched, Secretary Cai opted for compromise.
At least they hadn’t reached irreconcilable differences yet. Coexistence was still an option.
"Agreed. I’ll be there on time," Nan Sheng replied briskly.
The rest of their meeting was spent sipping tea and subtly probing each other’s positions. Even when they went to the cafeteria, they entered and left together.
"Director Nan, your meal is ready."
As soon as they stepped into the cafeteria, Liu Song stood up from his seat and handed her a lunchbox with both hands. Nan Sheng accepted it with a nod before sitting down to eat beside Secretary Cai.
The scene left not just Liu Song and Deng Jun bewildered, but everyone else in the room as well.
At 1:30 PM sharp, the all-staff meeting began. Over thirty government employees attended—everyone except Yu Gan and Chen Tian.
Secretary Cai had considered having Nan Sheng’s chair placed beside his, but she declined.
Where she sat didn’t matter. What mattered was who held the real authority.
"Before we begin, let’s formally introduce our newly appointed Revolutionary Committee Director, Nan Sheng. A round of applause, please!"
As the clapping subsided, Nan Sheng stood and raised her left hand for silence.
"Good afternoon, comrades. I’m Nan Sheng, Director of the Revolutionary Committee and the convener of today’s meeting. Let me say a few words.
"The work of our town government directly impacts the livelihoods of dozens of villages. There’s no room for laziness or disregard for rules. Starting today, I will personally oversee discipline and ideological standards. I expect your full cooperation."
With that, she sat down—short, sharp, and devastating.
A wave of unease swept through the room.
Ordinary citizens weren’t the only ones who feared the Revolutionary Committee’s scrutiny. Even government officials weren’t immune—just look at the high-ranking officials who’d been purged.
Secretary Cai was the first to respond, whether sincerely or not.
"Well said, Director Nan! With your leadership, Sansui Town’s work culture will surely improve!"
The mention of discipline and ideological checks had everyone on edge, terrified of being the first casualty of her reforms.
Nan Sheng scanned the room, her gaze making them lower their heads.
"Who is the deputy director of the Materials Department?"
She didn’t even need to look—all eyes turned toward one person. Zhang Yingci stood up immediately, silently cursing Secretary Cai for putting her in this position.
But she wasn’t foolish. Admitting fault now might lessen the punishment.
"Director Nan, I’m Zhang Yingci, deputy director of the Materials Department. I sincerely apologize for neglecting my duties yesterday due to personal matters. I promise it won’t happen again, and I welcome supervision from all comrades."
She glanced nervously at Nan Sheng, unsure if her response was satisfactory.
Nan Sheng gave a curt "Hmm" and motioned for her to sit.
"Comrade Zhang made a mistake, but her attitude toward accountability is commendable. Since this occurred before my official appointment, I won’t pursue it further. But let this be a warning."
Zhang Yingci exhaled in relief. "Understood!"
Nan Sheng then turned her attention to the Revolutionary Committee.
"While Comrade Zhang’s case can be handled leniently, others may not be so fortunate—especially those within the Revolutionary Committee itself.
"Today, I formally announce that Comrade Yu Gan, a committee member, and Comrade Chen Tian, an administrative clerk, disregarded protocol by conducting village inspections without authorization. They will each receive a major demerit on their records and be temporarily suspended from committee duties until their work attitudes improve.
"Additionally, Comrade Wen Min has demonstrated exceptional diligence and qualifies as an exemplary worker. If she’s willing, she may transfer to the Revolutionary Committee effective immediately."
Wen Min, seeing how even Secretary Cai’s favorite, Deputy Director Zhang, had been humbled, wasn’t about to refuse. She needed to latch onto this powerful new ally.
She stood at once. "Thank you, Director Nan! I’ll continue working hard and ensure I don’t hold the committee back."
No one had expected Nan Sheng’s first strike to land on her own department. Liu Song and Deng Jun were stunned—half their team had just been axed.
This was a ruthless display of authority.
From now on, no one would dare question her, no matter how harsh her measures. Everyone would tread carefully.
Near the end of the workday, Yu Gan and Chen Tian finally returned.
Chen Tian was uneasy. "Comrade Yu, you took the spare keys and told Deng Jun to come in late. If Director Nan vents her anger on me, you’d better back me up!"
Yu Gan smirked. "Relax. We were handling official business—there’s documentation. Worst case, she’ll scold us a little. No big deal."
Soon, they’d see whether Director Nan was a kitten or a tiger.
And if things went south, Chen Tian could always take the fall. As a committee member, Yu Gan would be fine.
But the moment they stepped into the government building, they sensed something was wrong.
Colleagues who usually greeted them with smiles now avoided eye contact entirely—no hellos, no smiles, nothing.
"Yu… Yu-ge, I’ve got a bad feeling about this," Chen Tian muttered, his stomach twisting with dread.
Yu Gan frowned but forced confidence. "It’s fine."
After all, he still had Director Ou as his backer. What was there to fear?
