"Secretary Tang, I'm really sorry, there's a meeting in the district today," the man chuckled.

"No problem," Tang Yumeng got out of the car, smiled, and then said, "I can understand that Secretary Chen is busy, but what are all your subordinates doing?"

"Uh..." Chen Zhonghua was stunned, a sheepish smile appeared on his face, he said, "I... We all went to the meeting."

"Forget it!" Tang Yumeng shook her head and said: "Let's go, my job today is to inspect the streets in Western City District, let's start by taking a look at the streets that need upgrading and renovation."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Chen Zhonghua nodded hurriedly.

On the roadside, there were quite a few people, and among the crowd, two black figures were always stealthily observing Tang Yumeng and the people around her. Tang Yumeng was completely unaware, instead, she appeared very calm and composed. She walked at the front, while Chen Zhonghua stood behind her right side, introducing the street that was going to be upgraded and mentioning that public sentiment was quite strong.

"We must consider the emotions of the public, but the government's work must also be carried out," Tang Yumeng seriously listened to Chen Zhonghua before expressing her opinion.

"Yes, yes!" Chen Zhonghua nodded.

After all, Tang Yumeng was the City's Secretary, and as a subordinate, he naturally should follow Tang Yumeng's opinions and suggestions. Besides, this street renovation is meant for the good of Western City District, right? If the streets aren't renovated this time, I'm afraid I won't be able to reap any benefits.

After a tour around the streets, it was already past two in the afternoon.

"Let's go see the Drum Tower," Tang Yumeng spoke up.

"Secretary Tang, it's already afternoon, let's go eat first," Chen Zhonghua said, "We need a full stomach to have the energy to work."

Tang Yumeng glanced at her watch, nodded repeatedly, and said, "Alright, let's have lunch first. It seems everyone is getting hungry."

"We're not hungry, not hungry..." the crowd shook their heads.

In reality, everyone was so hungry their stomachs were growling, but not a single person dared to tell the truth.

Subsequently, the group drove to the District Committee's canteen. Nowadays, with the national trend towards serious anti-corruption, hospitality is required to be simplified, even for government hosting, it must meet standards strictly, with no excessive or over-the-line conduct allowed, otherwise, an investigation would be conducted in accordance with regulations.

Tang Yumeng has always been an official who abides by the law and had informed Western City District to keep the hospitality simple and preferably dine at the canteen before she set out. Of course, District Secretary Chen Zhonghua wouldn't dare to defy Tang Yumeng's wishes. Moreover, with Jiangbei City TV station covering the inspection all the way, who would risk being spotted for misconduct?

The group quickly entered the District Committee's canteen.

The canteen was shabby, consisting of just three tile-roofed houses.

It was filthy inside; in fact, this canteen had been abandoned by the District Committee long ago. They had built a very luxurious canteen elsewhere but dared not use it openly. This time, because Tang Yumeng insisted on dining in the institutional canteen, Chen Zhonghua had approved of reopening this one and had it slightly cleaned, and the staff from the official canteen were transferred over. Pots and pans were also moved in.

It took time and effort, and caused grievances among people.

The canteen was dirty, the tables were not wiped, just covered with a sheet of disposable oiled paper.

"Oh my god, such a filthy canteen?" Xiao Xue was shocked, her face flushed as she said, "Secretary Tang, are we… Are we really going to eat here?"

"This…" Tang Yumeng was also taken aback, as she had never seen such a filthy canteen that almost made one want to vomit. She didn't wish to, but this was indeed the place she had appointed. If she refused now, how would she face Chen Zhonghua and the media? Tang Yumeng awkwardly said, "No matter, just this once."

Luo Guoqing frowned and said, "Secretary Tang, didn't Western City District Committee build a new luxurious grand canteen? Why... "

"Forget about it," Chen Zhonghua hurriedly said upon hearing this, "That place is too out of the way, and the power cuts off so frequently. There it is, today the power is out again, so the comrades from our District Committee could only come here to eat."

Sure enough, behind Chen Zhonghua were a bunch of officials from the District Committee. These people all nodded in agreement.

Actually, aside from those who accompanied Tang Yumeng on the inspection that afternoon, the others had already come after having their fill, just to make up the numbers. Later, these people would at most pretend to eat a bowl of rice, no one would truly be eating.

"Okay, then… Everyone just bear with it a little," Tang Yumeng nodded.

Xiao Xue, holding a napkin, wiped her seat more than a dozen times before daring to sit down, and the utensils were boiled in hot water for a long time before she dared to use them. The chopsticks were almost moldy, and she wanted to use disposable ones, but with so many media journalists present, using disposable chopsticks clearly wasn't environmentally friendly. So they couldn't be used.

The food on the table was actually not bad, Luo Guoqing and others sat together, the environment didn't affect him much, as long as the food was delicious, he was satisfied. Luo Guoqing swept through three big bowls of rice in one breath.

Tang Yumeng had a small bowl, and Xiao Xue had even less, only drinking a small bowl of porridge before she was done.

After the meal, Chen Zhonghua hurriedly arranged for Tang Yumeng and others to rest in a few rooms. Walking so much in the morning caused some fatigue, they needed a good hour's rest in the afternoon to continue the unfinished work.

Entered the hotel room.

Xiao Xue immediately started complaining: "Secretary Tang, why do I get the feeling that Chen Zhonghua is doing this to torture us on purpose?"

"Whether it's intentional or not," Tang Yumeng smiled, "it's only for these two days anyway. Just bear with it."

"It's fine for me, but you're a secretary, after all. How can they treat you like this?" Xiao Xue said indignantly, "It must be Vice Secretary Song who is stirring things up behind the scenes. Hmph, that person is tremendously cunning and never suffers any losses."

"What can we do about it?" Tang Yumeng smiled helplessly.

Xiao Xue pouted her lips.

Not only did Luo Guoqing have to act as the driver, but he also needed to take care of Tang Yumeng's security. During the lunch break, he kept watch at the entrance of the corridor, which just happened to provide a view of Tang Yumeng's room door. He sat on the stair steps, leaning against the railing.

Once the lunch break was over, at four in the afternoon, work resumed its hectic pace.

Tang Yumeng, Chen Zhonghua, and others continued their work on the streets, but this time, their destination was the Drum Tower, the subject of the loudest public outcry. The Drum Tower was a product from the early days of the Republic, and has a history of over a hundred years now. Many citizens called for its preservation, citing its historical value.

Regrettably, the Drum Tower hadn't been designated a historic relic, so it faced the fate of being demolished and reconstructed.

The Drum Tower was five stories tall, an all-wood structure. It stood lonely like a fortress in the middle of Western City District's square. From afar, it resembled a warrior, steadfastly guarding this stretch of land in Western City District.

Standing at the bottom, one could feel the solemn air of the Drum Tower and the breath of history and culture.

Actually, the Drum Tower was originally built during the Ming Dynasty, but was destroyed due to wars. It was rebuilt during the Republic era, thus categorizing it as a construction from the early days of the Republic. Although rebuilt during the Republic era, the Drum Tower still appeared very majestic and solemn.

In the past, without clocks, people relied on the Drum Tower to tell time. Later, with the prevalence of clocks, the Drum Tower lost its value and became an isolated structure.

Tang Yumeng stepped onto the stairs, walking slowly towards the interior of the Drum Tower.

Inside, it was deserted, exuding a solemnity and majesty of history. Ascending the wooden staircase, everything was hollow. Some spots were even stained with urine from uncivilized individuals with no sense of decency secretly relieving themselves there.

Upon reaching the top floor, a huge drum was still placed there, except the cowhide on both sides of the large drum had long been torn away, leaving behind an empty drum frame.

Everything seemed extremely desolate.

A group of people went upstairs, and Tang Yumeng, without uttering a word, immersed herself in feeling the value of the Drum Tower. At that moment, she seemed to have an epiphany. She immediately decided in her heart that she must preserve this Drum Tower at all costs. It wasn't just a culture, but also a historical legacy.

"Secretary Tang..." Xiao Xue spoke up from the side: "This Drum Tower seems to have some significance to be preserved."

"Hmm!" Tang Yumeng nodded.

At this moment, Chen Zhonghua received a phone call, spoke a few words, and then hung up.

"Secretary Tang, there's an urgent family matter at home, I... I'm afraid I need to go back for a bit!" Chen Zhonghua said hastily.

"Okay, if you've got something to take care of, go ahead," Tang Yumeng nodded and said, "I'll look around by myself first."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Chen Zhonghua immediately nodded.

Afterward, he turned and left, taking his subordinates with him, leaving only two comrades from the Western City District Committee's reception office to attend to Tang Yumeng. The previously buzzing crowd quickly dwindled to five or six people. However, Tang Yumeng was happy with the quiet.

Tang Yumeng wandered alone in the Drum Tower, embracing the rich historical and cultural atmosphere.

However, while Tang Yumeng was exploring, two men dressed in black quietly entered the Drum Tower. They carried white plastic bottles and boldly walked through the Drum Tower's main gate, then swiftly turned and went up to the second floor. There was no one on the second floor, so they quickly climbed to the third floor.

The third floor was also deserted, and the two men, as if with a single look, immediately poured out all the gasoline from their white plastic bottles at the stairwell.

"Boss, are we really going to do this?" one of the men asked.

"Hmm!" said the man wearing sunglasses, nodding, "Once we pull this off, we earn two million and get out."

"We'll probably have to live on the run from now on," the other man said.

At this point, the man with the sunglasses spoke up, "Do you think we still have a possibility of stopping now?"

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