Just as Ji Yang intended to appoint Zheng Hong as his secretary, in a small village school, Zheng Hong looked at the children before him with a bitter expression on his face.
Just a few days earlier, Zheng Hong had been demoted yet again, reassigned to teach in this rural school.
Zheng Hong was a college graduate who, after graduation, joined the county government, believing he would have some prospects. Fortune seemingly in his favor, he became the secretary to the newly appointed county head.
He had thought that this would be the start of great advancements in his life, but it was not long before he realized the new county head was at odds with the local power groups, and a fierce struggle ensued between them.
As a recent university graduate, Zheng Hong had also engaged in the struggle alongside the new county head against those local powers.
However, they had underestimated the viciousness of their opponents who plotted and caused the county head to die in a car accident.
At the time, Zheng Hong was also in the car, but perhaps by luck, he did not die. He was revived after emergency treatment at the hospital.
Since he had served as the secretary to the county head and clashed with those in power, they had intended to get rid of him, but they held back due to his classmates holding positions in provincial departments, which gave them pause.
Even so, the local powers began to suppress him as usual. Whatever he did, problems would arise, and there were those who deliberately opposed him. His perceived incompetence spread.
No one would use Zheng Hong, and he soon became invisible in the government office.
Then the classmate who had helped him also encountered trouble and gradually lost influence, giving the local officials hope in dealing with him.
In the tentative testing, Zheng Hong was transferred away from the government office to work in an obscure unit.
The result of the testing was that no one spoke up for him, and before long, he was reassigned to teach at a high school. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel fire.net
And thus, they continued to press down on him, step by step.
As the days passed, Zheng Hong became increasingly isolated— even his previous girlfriend left him.
A normal person might have given up on civil service by then, going into business or something else to leave this place, but Zheng Hong was determined, focused on uncovering the true cause of his old leader’s death.
As a result, he was even less inclined to leave the area.
However, the more he investigated, the more Zheng Hong discovered there was a vast network within the county, a formidable force that even extended to the city and provincial levels.
Faced with such a force, Zheng Hong felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
Even Zheng Hong himself was beginning to lose sight of his purpose. Despite everything, he had not given up the conviction that he would be able to bring down those people.
Even as they suppressed him, Zheng Hong still did not give up.
Yet, seeing that he no longer had any backing, they became even more aggressive in their oppression, likely trying to force him out of the county.
Zheng Hong was aware that what they most likely feared was his teacher, a university professor who had taught many students and had initially made a few calls on his behalf.
In Zheng Hong’s view, the county was beyond saving, and he did not know how much longer he could hold on.
Over the years, Zheng Hong felt he had grown much more mature.
After learning too much about the county’s affairs, Zheng Hong knew he could not keep up for much longer. After his assignment to the elementary school, he suspected he would leave the county, for reaching these remote villages had made further investigation impossible. Now he had his own plans. Since it had come to this, and he had already investigated so much, he would find a suitable opportunity to hand over all the materials.
Although he understood that even if he handed over all the materials to the Discipline Inspection Commission, it was unlikely that they would be able to deal with those people.
That was all he could do. As long as he submitted the materials, he would have lived up to the trust of his former leader.
Looking at the children, seeing their clothes barely covering their bodies, Zheng Hong’s sense of helplessness deepened even more.
Indeed, what could he really do? He had no power to fight back.
Whenever foreign leaders visited, Zheng Hong would, openly or covertly, hand over some materials to them, hopeful. Yet, those foreign leaders ultimately failed one after another.
Fortunately, Zheng Hong was smart, remaining anonymous each time. Otherwise, he might well have been dead by now.
The sunlight was warm on his body, and Zheng Hong felt tired, no longer able to hold on.