Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 370 The First Kiss

Wu Zhiyuan gently flicked Xu Yunxi's forehead: "At the time, I was only thinking about saving people, what could I possibly feel? Don't look at what you shouldn't see, understand?"

Xu Yunxi smiled slyly and said, "Liar! A grown man, if he has absolutely no feelings for a naked woman with a perfect figure, there's only one explanation: he's gay."

"Where did you learn all this nonsense, you little brat?"

"Brother Zhiyuan, I'm telling the truth. The teacher explained in physiology class that this is a normal physiological reaction."

Your face is red, and your ears are red too! This means you feel guilty.

As she spoke, Xu Yunxi chuckled.

Wu Zhiyuan was both amused and exasperated. He wanted to explain but felt powerless, so he could only scold her, "Yunxi, what are you thinking about all day long?"

"Hehe, what I think isn't important, what's important is the facts."

Brother Zhiyuan, admit it, you're a normal, healthy man.

There's nothing shameful about having an instinctive reaction to beautiful things.

This shows that you have normal aesthetic sense and are healthy both physically and mentally.

Wu Zhiyuan was both amused and exasperated.

Xu Yunxi pressed her advantage: "Brother Zhiyuan, tell me the truth, did you really not think about anything at the time?"

"Yunxi, stop fooling around, okay?"

"I wasn't making a fuss, I was just curious."

Wu Zhiyuan wanted to flick Xu Yunxi's forehead again.

Xu Yunxi was prepared and dodged by turning her head, but because the movement was too big, she accidentally tripped over the edge of the bed and lost her balance.

"oops--"

Wu Zhiyuan reacted quickly and grabbed her.

With a sudden pull, Xu Yunxi fell directly into his arms.

The two of them collapsed onto the bed.

The air froze instantly.

Xu Yunxi lay on Wu Zhiyuan's chest, feeling his heartbeat.

Wu Zhiyuan looked at Xu Yunxi's face, which was so close to his own; it was an absolutely beautiful face.

Fair-skinned, delicate, and without a single blemish.

Xu Yunxi's eyelashes were long and trembled slightly, like the wings of a startled butterfly.

Her sweet, youthful breath brushed against his face.

"Brother Zhiyuan, I like you, I really like you."

At this moment, Wu Zhiyuan completely lost control of himself, flipped over and pinned Xu Yunxi down, cupped her face in his hands, and then kissed her lips.

Xu Yunxi suddenly felt as if she were in a dream.

is this real?

Her beloved Zhiyuan kissed her!

She closed her eyes and responded awkwardly.

This was her first kiss.

She had thought many times about what her first kiss would be like.

By the lake? At sunset? At some romantic moment?

I never imagined it would be like this, at home, in his arms, so unexpectedly.

But it's okay. Isn't giving your first kiss to the one you love the dream of every man and woman?

At this moment, Wu Zhiyuan was in a state of frenzy.

All reason and restraint were thrown to the winds.

At this moment, there is only the soft, warm fragrance of the jade in my arms and the sweet taste on my lips.

It was deeply moving.

"Brother Zhiyuan, this is my first kiss," Xu Yunxi murmured.

"Yunxi, I'm sorry, I was too impulsive."

"Brother Zhiyuan, don't say sorry. I'm willing, I'm happy to do it. You are the man I love the most, do you know that?"

I've had many dreams where I wear a pure white wedding dress, walk down the aisle with you, and amidst everyone's blessings, you gently kiss me.

"Yunxi, I'm so sorry you had to suffer like this. What have I done to deserve this..."

"Brother Zhiyuan, I'm willing. Will you take me tonight? I want to give you everything."

Xu Yunxi's words were sincere and courageous.

Wu Zhiyuan kissed Xu Yunxi again.

This time, it wasn't a storm, but gentle and tender.

Just as Wu Zhiyuan was pushing his luck, Lin Keke's figure suddenly appeared before him.

"Yunxi, no."

Wu Zhiyuan sat up in bed.

Xu Yunxi also sat up: "Why not? Brother Zhiyuan, I'm sincere."

I don't regret it, I never will. Even if you marry someone else in the future, I won't regret it.

Xu Yunxi burst into tears.

Wu Zhiyuan gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a tissue.

"Silly girl, it's precisely because you're sincere that I can't."

"I don't understand. I can tell you like me too."

I like you, and you like me, so why can't we?

"Yunxi, you are not a gift that can be given to anyone."

You are a living, breathing person, a girl who deserves to be cherished, respected, and treated well.

"Brother Zhiyuan, but I'm willing."

"It is precisely because you are willing that I am even less able to."

Love does not mean possessing at all costs.

You've given me everything, and that kindness is more precious than gold.

But precisely because of this, if I were to take you now, what kind of person would I become?

"Use your deep affection to satisfy my momentary, uncontrolled desires when you're most impulsive and full of romantic fantasies about the future?"

"Brother Zhiyuan, do you know that your rejection of me hurts me more than your acceptance?"

Wu Zhiyuan gently pulled Xu Yunxi into his arms: "I know. But Yunxi, true love isn't about possession, it's about cherishing. Do you understand?"

Xu Yunxi smiled through her tears: "Brother Zhiyuan, you're such a good person. So good it breaks my heart."

Wu Zhiyuan chuckled: "A good person? I almost lost control just now."

"Hehe, that means I still have charm."

"Yunxi, you're beautiful, smart, and talented. You're the dream girl of many boys. How could you not be charming?"

"But none of them are you. Brother Zhiyuan, you are my one and only dream girl."

"Yunxi, you're such a silly girl."

"I'm stupid, I'm only stupid to you."

……

Rumors about the merger of Longcheng are increasing.

On the one hand, various rumors are circulating that Longcheng is going to be merged.

On the other hand, the authorities have been debunking the rumors in various ways.

Wu Zhiyuan had learned through Xu Enpei, Lin Xue and others that the merger of Longcheng was a foregone conclusion.

The official denial is for the sake of social stability.

After all, merging a prefecture-level city is a major event, involving interests from all sides, including the vital interests of ordinary people.

But until an official announcement is made, everything will continue as usual.

The People's Congress of Qingyan County was held, and Wu Zhiyuan was successfully elected as the county magistrate.

The farce that occurred during Ding Yiyi's election as county magistrate of Qingshan County was not repeated.

The reason Cheng Tanzhi defied public opinion that time was because Geng Dongqing's attitude was ambiguous; he outwardly opposed it but secretly condoned it.

This time, however, Yuan Jin was extremely afraid of making any mistakes, because he wanted to be promoted to deputy director.

On the eve of a promotion, stability is paramount. If bribery or a designated candidate loses the election, it would be a major political incident, and not only would the promotion be impossible, but the current position would also be in jeopardy.

Therefore, he personally oversaw the entire election process, ensuring it was watertight and rigorous. The result was a foregone conclusion: Wu Zhiyuan was elected with a high number of votes.

Yuan Jin chaired a meeting of the five-member county party committee group to discuss personnel and other matters to be submitted to the standing committee of the county party committee for review.

In addition to Yuan Jin and Wu Zhiyuan, those attending the meeting included Wang Chengtang, deputy secretary of the county party committee; Bao Chunyan, member of the standing committee of the county party committee and head of the organization department; and Qian Long, member of the standing committee of the county party committee and secretary of the discipline inspection commission.

Bao Chunyan is in her forties and was promoted to deputy county-level leader last year from her position as section chief of the municipal party committee's organization department.

Qian Long was Wu Zhiyuan's colleague when he worked at the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

When Wu Zhiyuan was the deputy director of the First Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, Qian Long was a deputy section chief.

Wu Zhiyuan was Qian Long's superior, and the two had worked together on several cases, such as the case of Chen Zhenglei, deputy secretary of the Longdong District Committee.

Qian Long was promoted and transferred to Qingyan County after Wu Zhiyuan was officially elected as the county magistrate.

This was Lin Xue's meticulously planned scheme.

Lin Xue knew that Wu Zhiyuan was weak and alone in Qingyan and could hardly compete with Yuan Jin.

The former secretary of the county discipline inspection commission was a close confidant of Yuan Jin, and this time, he was transferred to a municipal unit.

Qian Long's arrival undoubtedly increased Wu Zhiyuan's strength.

However, within the county party committee standing committee, Wu Zhiyuan's strength was still no match for Yuan Jin's.

One important agenda item at the five-person group meeting was personnel deliberation.

The atmosphere in the conference room appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents were actually swirling beneath.

Bao Chunyan distributed the list of proposed promotions and adjustments to each person.

Yuan Jin chaired the meeting: "Today's meeting is mainly to discuss the upcoming adjustments to several batches of cadres."

Chunyan, please introduce your basic information first.

Bao Chunyan first gave a general introduction to the personnel arrangement suggestions, including Liao Chenggong's son, Liao Jinshen, who was proposed to be promoted to deputy director of the county's key construction projects bureau; Lü Xinghua, deputy director of the county archives bureau, who was proposed to be appointed as director of the county government office; and Shi Xianqiang, the current director of the county government office, who was proposed to be appointed as mayor of Chengguan Town, etc., involving more than 40 people in total, including county-level units and township cadres.

Although there has been no official announcement, everyone here knows that the merger of Longcheng is imminent.

There's no personnel freeze yet, but we might receive a notification about it next week.

In other words, this is very likely the last personnel adjustment before Longcheng is merged.

Wu Zhiyuan decided that Lü Xinghua should replace Shi Xianqiang.

He could not allow Yuan Jin's confidant to serve as the director of the county government office for long.

Yuan Jin was well aware that although Shi Xianqiang's departure would mean losing an informant, as long as Wu Zhiyuan was around, the government office would eventually be controlled by Wu Zhiyuan, and there was no way to stop him.

He needed to ensure Liao Jinshen was promoted; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to explain himself to Liao Chenggong.

Yuan Jin looked at the list and said, "This personnel adjustment was carried out during a special period."

As everyone knows, there are many rumors circulating outside about the merger of Longcheng.

Although there is no official announcement, we must complete the necessary team and make good use of the cadres before any possible personnel freeze occurs.

The general principles are: both moral integrity and competence, with moral integrity as the priority; matching people to positions; and ensuring appropriate personnel arrangements.

At the same time, we must consider optimizing the team structure and ensuring continuity of work.

Bao Chunyan emphasized: "Comrade Shi Xianqiang, the director of the county government office, has only been in his current position for a few months, but he is proactive, has strong execution capabilities, and is familiar with government operations."

Considering his many years of experience working in the county party committee office, which is relatively limited, it is recommended that he be transferred to Chengguan Town as mayor to enrich his grassroots experience.

Chengguan Town is the county seat, a strategically important location. We need a capable and energetic person familiar with the county's situation to lead the government's work. Comrade Shi Xianqiang is a suitable candidate.

It is recommended that Comrade Lü Xinghua, Deputy Director of the County Archives Bureau, be appointed as the successor to the position of Director of the County Government Office.

Comrade Lü Xinghua worked in townships for many years before being transferred to the Personnel Bureau as deputy director. He was familiar with cadre and personnel work as well as the situation at the grassroots level.

Although I was relatively marginalized in the archives department for the past few years, I worked diligently and without complaint.

His experience and personality make him well-suited to be a chief steward of the government.

Bao Chunyan continued, "The County Key Projects Construction Bureau intends to promote Comrade Liao Jinshen to the position of Deputy Director."

Comrade Liao Jinshen is a returned overseas student. Through talent introduction, he worked in the Key Engineering Bureau for five years, participated in several key projects, and performed outstandingly.

This promotion not only demonstrates the cultivation and utilization of young cadres but also reflects the county party committee's emphasis on talent development.