Chapter 109: Announcement of Cadres

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…

After research by the Lingyun Municipal People’s Government, it has been decided to publicly announce the following candidates for appointment:

Peng Zhuocheng, male, Han ethnicity, born June 1970, university graduate, party member, currently Deputy Director of the Finance Section of the Lingyun City Education Bureau, proposed for a principal position at the section level.

Su Honglin, male, Han ethnicity, born September 1972, university graduate, party member, currently Deputy Director of the Planning Section of the Lingyun City Health Bureau, proposed for a principal position at the section level.

Yang Dong, male, Han ethnicity, born February 1982, university graduate, party member, proposed for a deputy position at the section level.

Li Chen, male, Han ethnicity, born July 1981, university graduate, party member, proposed for a deputy position at the section level.

The public announcement period runs from April 3 to April 10, 2008.

Organizations or individuals may report any relevant information or concerns regarding the candidates through visits, letters, or telephone calls. Please provide factual evidence and clues when reporting issues; unfounded defamation is prohibited. We guarantee strict confidentiality for both the reports and the informants.

The announcement office is located at Room 409, Comprehensive Section, Municipal Government Office.

Reception hours:
Morning: 8:30–11:30
Afternoon: 14:00–16:30

This is an official notice from the Communist Party Committee of Lingyun Municipal People’s Government.

Dated April 3, 2008.

When this personnel announcement was posted on the Lingyun Municipal Government’s bulletin board, the entire office staff erupted in uproar and rushed over to see it for themselves.

However, their focus was not on the first two candidates proposed for principal section-level positions—both in their thirties, their promotions seemed reasonable enough.

Their main concern was with Yang Dong and Li Chen, who had quietly been nominated for deputy section-level positions.

Once the public review and announcement pass, it becomes a settled fact.

After being promoted to this rank, reassignments to other posts would follow naturally and smoothly.

“Brother Lin, what should we do?” Gu Chen looked anxiously at Lin Yaodong, as everyone was now waiting for him to make a decision.

They couldn’t just let Yang Dong and Li Chen rise to deputy section-level positions like this.

If they were promoted now, the gap between them and the rest would only widen.

One step behind means falling further and further behind.

It was possible that by the time Yang Dong became a deputy division-level official, they might only then be promoted to deputy section-level.

Right now, Lin Yaodong was the only one who might have a solution. After all, his father was Lin Liangming, the head of the Cadre Section One of the Municipal Party Organization Department, so theoretically he should be able to exert some influence.

“I can’t do anything.”

But at this moment, Lin Yaodong’s heart was filled with despair and pain, especially seeing the names of his old rivals and enemies in the list of proposed promotions. It felt like his chest was wracked with unbearable pain.

His fury and unwillingness could not be expressed even by the phrase “lungs bursting with anger.”

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Lately, his days had grown worse by the hour—he was cursed with the worst luck imaginable.

Starting from Tian Guanghan being placed under investigation, to Han Wen threatening to break up with him, and now this thunderbolt of a personnel announcement.

All his frustrations piled up, making Lin Yaodong’s recent life unbearable.

Bitterness filled his heart, yet he had no one to confide in.

There was once Tian Guanghan, but now the deputy secretary-general was about to face judicial proceedings and, according to party discipline and national law, would likely receive a lengthy prison sentence of eight to ten years.

Moreover, Tian Guanghan’s son, Tian Yuan, was arrested by the police due to a KTV-related case involving charges of rape and murder, also facing incarceration.

Before Tian Yuan’s arrest, Wu Jiancai, chairman of the building materials industry, had even visited the home of Wu Xinkai, the Municipal Party Secretary. No one knew what was discussed between them.

All that was known was that after Wu Jiancai left Wu Xinkai’s house, his face was completely fallen. Soon after, Tian Yuan was arrested, and Wu Jiancai never uttered a word throughout.

Rumor had it that Wu Jiancai was the underground chief of police in Lingyun City, essentially controlling the city’s public security. But even this underground police chief couldn’t protect his company’s financial officer, Tian Yuan.

What puzzled Lin Yaodong was that Tian Yuan was only charged with suspected rape and murder, with no mention of organized crime involvement by the police—an odd omission.

Given Tian Yuan’s reputation on the streets as “Third Brother Tian,” it was clear he was involved with criminal gangs.

Of course, Lin Yaodong had no energy or interest left to deal with the Tian family’s affairs.

He had to look out for himself.

That night, at a small tavern gathering, he met with Gu Chen and a few close colleagues.

“Brother Lin, you just can’t say you have no way out. What are we supposed to do if you don’t act?” Gu Chen looked at Lin Yaodong’s complicated expression, like a defeated chicken.

Everyone was anxious, all pointing to Lin Yaodong to step up—how could he back down now?

“Yeah, Brother Lin, you have to take charge.”

“Everyone’s counting on you. Now that Yang Dong and Li Chen are rising, how are we supposed to see you?”

“Lin Yaodong, you promised that once you got promoted to deputy section chief, you’d help us get promoted to section members. What’s going on now?”

The colleagues standing by Lin Yaodong all spoke at once, making his head spin.

“Enough!” Lin Yaodong slammed the table angrily, glaring at them with fury.

“What the hell did I say before? What do you want now? To force a palace coup? Think I’m done for? Want to change sides?”

“Fine. Then go find Yang Dong and Li Chen, and join them, if you want!”

Lin Yaodong turned sharply and stormed out.

“Hey, hey, Brother Lin, we didn’t mean that—hey…” Gu Chen tried to stop him, but Lin Yaodong was resolute, and Gu Chen dared not forcibly intervene.

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Regardless, Tian Guanghan was gone, but Lin Yaodong still had his father, Lin Liangming, who was said to be promoted soon to Deputy Minister—deputy division-level—in the Municipal Party Organization Department.

For this reason, no one dared offend Lin Yaodong.

After all, Lin Yaodong was different. If he suffered a great injustice at the municipal government, he could always transfer to the Party Organization Department or be assigned elsewhere by Lin Liangming.

But if they suffered injustice or made a mistake, they wouldn’t even have the chance to leave.

“Everyone, don’t keep quiet. Speak freely.”

Gu Chen sat down, looking at his colleagues, especially at Zhou Hui, who sat silently with a stern face.

Zhou Hui was usually talkative—why was she so silent today? She harbored the most resentment toward Yang Dong and looked down on the taciturn Li Chen.

Now that both were proposed for deputy section-level positions, why was she not anxious? If this were any other day, she would have exploded by now.

“Zhou Hui, you say something too.”

Gu Chen called on her directly.

“Yeah, Sister Hui, you always have the best ideas.”

“Xiao Hui, don’t keep quiet. Say what you think.”

The others all looked at Zhou Hui, urging her to speak.

Zhou Hui put down her teacup, looked at Gu Chen, then glanced at the four colleagues around her.

They usually got along well, always joining the same drinking sessions and meals.

All under Lin Yaodong’s leadership, of course.

But now that Lin Yaodong had stormed off in anger, they had lost their backbone.

“The turtles in the river are becoming spirits, the crabs in the river can’t be controlled, and the shrimps in the mud better not get involved.”

With that, Zhou Hui grabbed her bag and walked out.

Everyone was stunned, exchanging bewildered looks.

Then they all exploded.

“Damn it, is she insulting us?”

“Not just us, she even insulted Lin Yaodong.”

“No, she insulted all of us.”