Upon returning to the office, Nan Sheng immediately immersed herself in work.
"Report to me in order, and keep it concise. You all know my temper—skip the unnecessary details. My time is limited. Especially you, Xu Liang—no rambling!"
Xu Liang wondered inwardly: What had he done wrong to be singled out first?
The others also held their breaths, sensing the sudden shift in Nan Sheng’s stern demeanor.
The reason was simple: during lunch, Secretary Cao had spilled everything he’d heard.
Liu Song, as the senior among them, stepped up to rescue the team. "Director, let me summarize the work progress over the past few days."
"You’ll go last!"
Liu Song’s courage deflated instantly. He forced a smile at the others, signaling helplessness.
Su Jie, Nan Sheng’s personal assistant, had been handling auxiliary tasks in her absence.
Though she hadn’t been fetching tea or water, she’d been managing correspondence and liaising with various towns.
Thinking it best to speak first while Nan Sheng’s patience might still be intact, she stood up and took the lead.
"Director, these past few days, I’ve mainly handled external communications, document notifications, and..."
Nan Sheng glanced at the goji berry and red date tea by her right hand and raised a hand to cut Su Jie off. The girl had been thoughtful—best to go easy on her.
"Not your concern for now. Go find Secretary Cao and coordinate with the warehouse. I had some important materials delivered earlier—here’s the inventory. Verify the quantities and finalize the handover.
These items are critical, so handle them carefully. If you need extra hands, Secretary Cao will arrange it."
Su Jie’s heart leapt with joy. Clutching the inventory, she scurried off, already planning to volunteer first next time.
With Su Jie gone, the ever-reliable Xu Liang stepped up. He was in charge of the relocated personnel.
"Director, the county currently has a total of 1,200 relocated households. Since we took over, towns and villages have prioritized their needs and living conditions. There have been no further incidents of harm or exclusion."
"That’s it?"
Nan Sheng held Xu Liang’s report, waiting for more, but he fell silent.
Xu Liang wilted internally. Hadn’t she told him to cut the fluff? He’d summarized it perfectly.
Seeing her displeasure, he hastily added, "The relocated individuals are now centrally managed. Able-bodied adults are assigned to farms, while the elderly, women, and children are placed based on specific circumstances. Their housing has been reinforced, and they’re guaranteed two meals a day—one solid, one light."
"Did you personally visit the towns to verify this?"
Xu Liang hesitated. "I inspected the farms and a few relocation sites in Sanwei Town."
Nan Sheng scoffed. "Are your legs too precious to take an extra step? Sanwei Town is under my jurisdiction—of course they’d act fast. Did you even check the other towns?
Are you reporting unverified data, thinking I’m an idiot?"
With each word, Xu Liang’s head drooped lower. So much for thinking his work was the most thorough—he couldn’t even withstand Nan Sheng’s basic questions.
To his credit, he owned up immediately.
"Director, I overlooked that. I’ll arrange inspections right away."
This project had started before Nan Sheng’s leave. Xu Liang had managed it independently and compiled complete data—he had potential, just lacked experience.
Nan Sheng didn’t berate him further, simply urging him to wrap it up.
"Go."
The disciplinary committee had bigger moves ahead. Once the relocation work was settled, they could redirect resources.
Luo Xiaoxuan handled public complaints, while Liang Kechang oversaw internal investigations.
Frankly, their progress was dismal—they’d spent days helping Liu Song with emergencies.
Under Nan Sheng’s gaze, they felt thoroughly chastised without a word. They were lost.
Help us!
Nan Sheng ignored them, leaving them to stew. She glanced at Liu Song, who promptly stood to report.
"Our teams in the towns are struggling. The main issue is their lack of authority—many town secretaries are leveraging their power to sideline or co-opt our inspectors."
He handed Nan Sheng a file.
"These are the most problematic towns. Our people are being isolated, making it impossible to work. They’ve repeatedly called, asking for your intervention. I suspect this is a deliberate attempt to suppress the disciplinary committee while it’s still new."
The motives were unclear, but Nan Sheng’s absence had escalated the situation. Secretary Cao had hinted at lunch that this wasn’t personal—higher-ups were vying for control.
If unchecked, the disciplinary committee’s growing influence would become irreversible.
"Do you have lists of defectors and uncooperative officials?"
"Yes, but it’s incomplete—we’ve had little time."
Liu Song passed her a confidential list, compiled by Deng Jun and Chen Tian.
Luo Xiaoxuan and Liang Kechang exchanged glances. The old fox had outplayed them again, making their incompetence even more glaring.
Nan Sheng approved of Liu Song’s work—he’d anticipated her needs perfectly.
Still, he was too cautious at times, lacking boldness.
"Liu Song, let me show you how to handle internal chaos and external pressure."
She picked up the phone, dialed a random name from the list, and barked, "This is Nan Sheng, director of the county disciplinary committee. Connect me to Town Secretary Jiang Lin.
Not available? Then tell him to report to the committee by 10 AM tomorrow for investigation—we’ve received reports of embezzlement.
If he fails to comply, we’ll enforce measures."
Hanging up, she gave Liu Song a Now you get it? look.
Stir the pot, and the towns will be too busy to cause trouble...
