Pan Youguang slightly clenched his fist.
He looked at He Kui before him, helpless.
He couldn't help but regret it. How could he have let someone like He Kui, who doesn't listen to reason no matter what, become the director of the Education Bureau.
At the start, when Chen Zhongming proposed promoting He Kui to be the director of the Education Bureau, as per convention, he had sought out Pan Youguang's opinion.
Pan Youguang knew He Kui, he was famously a "steel backbone and hard head," someone who never bowed to anyone.
If He Kui knew how to be a little flexible, with his seniority, he would've long been a division-level cadre, not still an idle section chief.
Even if Chen Zhongming promoted him, when it came to issues of right and wrong, He Kui would never lean toward Chen Zhongming in the slightest.
So, in Pan Youguang's eyes, Chen Zhongming's promotion of He Kui was entirely a disguised form of suppression and prevention against the ongoing scramble for control of the Education Bureau.
As the district chief, Pan Youguang also hoped there would be fewer struggles under his governance.
After giving it some careful thought, he accepted Chen Zhongming's proposal.
He never expected that today, he would be stuck because of that very arrangement by Chen Zhongming.
'Wait a second!'
'Chen Zhongming's arrangement?'
Pan Youguang's eyes suddenly widened.
'So, did Chen Zhongming deliberately plant such a nail, not exactly a nail, but close enough, right under my own nose?'
'But how could Chen Zhongming have known that I would… would do something like this during the college entrance exams?'
Pan Youguang's heart grew increasingly complicated.
He didn't understand that Chen Zhongming's usual habit was to "take a swing whether there's fruit or not."
Like how he had helped Qin Siyang back in that meeting, and now with promoting He Kui, it was the same thing.
He never knew what results it might bring, but what was the harm in giving it a try?
At that very moment, even Chen Zhongming himself, sitting in his official car, hurrying toward Area 14121, hadn't expected that a chess piece he had placed so casually would end up being this useful.
"Xiao Zhang, drive faster."
"Got it."
Chen Zhongming couldn't help feeling a surge of excitement.
Qian Wenzhao had risen from a small section chief to the designated Director of Management Bureau for District 7, all in just half a year.
You had to know, the first 100 districts were the most important within the safe zones, administratively equivalent to a state-level government.
In other words, on paper Qian Wenzhao was merely a district management bureau director, but in reality, he was equal in rank to a state administration hall director.
And he wasn't just heading any random district, it was District 7, one of the highest-ranked regions.
To say he had soared to the heavens in one step and changed his fate would not be an exaggeration.
Getting this far had little to do with Qian Wenzhao's abilities.
After all, there were plenty of people in the United Government with abilities equal to his.
At least, Chen Zhongming thought his own ability wasn't any worse than Qian Wenzhao's.
A bird flies higher when it follows a phoenix, the key was that Qian Wenzhao had befriended Qin Siyang.
Back when Qin Siyang gave his famous speech, "My Benefactor, Section Chief Qian," Chen Zhongming was a witness.
Who could've guessed Qin Siyang's rise would be this outrageous!!
That brat Qin Siyang might look like a lazy rascal, but when it came to business, he didn't mess around. Whenever there was a good thing, he always thought of his own people.
Now, Qin Siyang had asked him for help, and his own opportunity had arrived.
What's more, Qin Siyang wanted him to handle a matter that would defend the ideals of countless examinees and the dignity of the law.
You could say, whether publicly or privately, emotionally or logically, it was all flawless.
Chen Zhongming took a deep breath.
His transfer order hadn't yet been issued.
Would he be sent to a better city to keep his head down and work hard, or would he be heading straight to the central region to "open the heavenly gates"? That would depend on today.
He absolutely couldn't let this chance slip by.
He immediately said to the driver, "Xiao Zhang, drive faster!"
"Mayor, any faster would be unsafe."
"As long as we don't hit anyone, just go faster! If anything happens, I'll take responsibility!"
"Understood."
———
At that moment, inside the exam office,.He Kui's phone rang.
"Hello? You're saying you found a forged answer sheet on one of the examiners?"
"The original test paper of that student, still there? Good."
"Keep the evidence. Seal up all the exam papers from this venue, and organize the students to leave in an orderly manner."
He Kui hung up the phone and turned to look at Pan Youguang.
Pan Youguang forced himself to stay calm and smiled, "Didn't expect it, Director He really found something. What happened today was my oversight. I apologize to you, Director He."
He Kui didn't respond. Instead, he punched the bent door lock and swung the door open.
"Everyone can leave now."
A group of people entered another office and saw two teachers pale as ashes.
They looked at Pan Youguang with pleading eyes.
Pan Youguang said coldly, "I've already notified Police Chief Cui Zhonghua. He'll send someone soon to take these two in for questioning."
"District Chief Pan, after what just happened, I still can't fully trust you."
He Kui's tone was icy, "I think these two should be handed over directly to the city."
"Director He, discovering such a major violation is indeed commendable. However, how to investigate criminals is not within your jurisdiction. I hope you won't overstep your authority."
Bound by his duties, there was nothing He Kui could do.
Perhaps only Mayor Chen could resolve this problem.
He was about to call Chen Zhongming to report the matter, but discovered his phone wasn't working.
Looking closer, he saw moisture seeping from it.
Someone with a Sequence ability had tampered with it.
It had to be arranged by Pan Youguang.
He Kui looked around at everyone present.
The officials here who possessed registered Sequence abilities, none of them could've done such a thing.
He understood well.
These people weren't like him, he had truthfully submitted his actual Sequence to the Management Bureau.
He couldn't determine who had made the move.
He could only swallow the loss.
About an hour later, gray-haired Cui Zhonghua arrived at the exam venue with officers from the police department.
Like He Kui, Cui Zhonghua didn't belong to any faction.
But unlike He Kui, he was someone just trying to coast until retirement.
"District Chief Pan, these are the two who violated the law in the exam hall?"
"That's right. Please, Chief Cui, interrogate them properly and find out exactly why they did this!"
"Yes, take them away."
"Wait!"
He Kui knew, once those two were taken away, this matter would never be fully investigated.
When Mayor Chen had called him about this earlier, he'd said he was already on his way.
So He Kui stepped forward again, blocking Cui Zhonghua's path, ready to buy time for Chen.
"Chief Cui, are you taking these two back to the police department?"
Cui Zhonghua hadn't expected such a question, something that had absolutely nothing to do with the Education Bureau.
He was stunned for a moment, then frowned, "Director He, what does that have to do with you?"
"I need to know where they're being taken. This may have nothing to do with me, but it concerns countless examinees."
Cui Zhonghua, that slippery old man with no clear allegiances, grew even more confused.
'Has He Kui gone crazy today? Why is he meddling in police business now?'
Even if He Kui didn't like playing political games, it wasn't that he didn't understand them.
On the contrary, he knew the rules of officialdom very well, he just refused to wallow in the mud.
And the most basic rule of officialdom, was who outranks whom.
Pan Youguang was the district chief, and He Kui, as a bureau director under him, had no authority to order Cui Zhonghua around.
Once Mayor Chen arrived, however, he would have command over everything.
There was no doubt, the moment Chen Zhongming was informed, he would never side with those who had swapped out exam papers.
So right now, there was only one thing He Kui could do, stall for time.
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