The Mysterious Cause of Death

During her time as the county magistrate's secretary, Lin Xiao was "riding the wave of success and had a bright future!" She not only gained the high recognition of County Magistrate Gao Dayong, but also attracted envious and jealous glances from others.

It could be said that being promoted to deputy section chief was within reach, but everything changed when his "backer" Gao Dayong got into trouble.

Those who used to affectionately call him "Secretary Lin" now address him as "Little Lin," and their words are filled with sarcasm and even kicking him when he's down.

In just one day, Lin Xiao experienced the coldness and indifference of officialdom, and he realized that in order to go far and steady in officialdom, in addition to interpersonal skills and work ability, having a "backer" is also very important, especially in the higher the level, the greater the influence of this factor.

Therefore, despite some discomfort in his mind, Lin Xiao had a new understanding of the need to have the corresponding abilities to achieve something.

Even if Hong Feng fails to take the position this time, as a member of the county party committee, it will be as easy for him to take control of Lin Xiao, who has no backing. It's not that Lin Xiao has offended him in any way, but this is the inevitable outcome of the struggle.

In other words, without new avenues or new support, Lin Xiao's remaining civil servant career will likely be difficult to turn around, and his previously bright future will naturally become bleak.

"I must seize this opportunity, I absolutely must!" Lin Xiao silently made up her mind.

Making this decision doesn't mean that when the opportunity arises, one will embark on a path of "building connections and climbing the ladder" for promotion. Rather, it means relying primarily on one's own abilities to gain "some kind of appreciation," thereby making the path to promotion more stable and longer, and thus being able to achieve more of one's desires.

"Come on, let's get rich..." Liu Yun raised his wine glass and looked at Lin Xiao.

"Let's never forget each other!" Lin Xiao raised his glass and clinked it with Liu Yun's.

Lin Xiao already had a low alcohol tolerance, and with Liu Yun clinking glasses with him from time to time, he was already a little drunk. This last drink made him feel the urge to urinate.

Jinxing Restaurant, despite its excellent reputation, delicious food, and booming business, is still criticized from time to time because its private rooms do not have private bathrooms.

Therefore, Lin Xiao had no choice but to go to the public toilet outside to relieve herself.

As the sound of rushing water filled the air, Lin Xiao immediately felt much more relaxed and clear-headed, making it easier to hear the sounds coming from the adjacent pit.

It was a somewhat deep male voice, clearly belonging to someone who had drunk too much, talking to someone while hiccuping.

"Everything's fine now. Tell them all to come back. Don't let it interfere with making money. Everything should remain the same."

"Oh, you mean how that guy surnamed Gao is doing, right? Let me tell you, he's already gone to the Western Paradise. He's such an ungrateful wretch. We told him to turn a blind eye, but he insisted on cutting off our source of income. So we had no choice but to send him to meet Buddha."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao shuddered, and the effects of the alcohol instantly vanished.

The surname is Gao? Could it be County Magistrate Gao?

No, no, how could such a coincidence happen in this world? Just because you're drunk and taking a piss, you run into something like this?

Besides, even if they were talking about County Chief Gao, who would bring up such a thing in public?

"I must be being too sensitive," Lin Xiao muttered to herself.

Then he heard, "I know, I won't say anything. What does his car accident have to do with me? Okay, that's all. I'm going back to drink. I'm going to karaoke later; I've already made arrangements with the girls."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiao's suspicions resurfaced: Could it be that they were really talking about County Chief Gao, and from his words, it seemed that his car accident was suspicious?

Soon, the sound of flushing water came from next door. Lin Xiao quickly zipped up her pants, tiptoed out, and stood by the aisle pretending to be waiting for someone.

A moment later, a bald, middle-aged man wearing a large gold chain swayed out. Lin Xiao immediately recognized him as the same man from before, so she quietly followed him.

Then, the bald man pushed open the door to the luxurious private room called "Wealthy Hall". The moment the door was opened, several familiar faces came into Lin Xiao's view, and his expression darkened the next second.

The person sitting in the main seat directly opposite the door was clearly Hong Feng, the executive deputy county head, while to his left sat Cai Qingqi, the boss of Qingqi Group, whom Lin Xiao had met at a business symposium.

As for the others in his line of sight, Lin Xiao didn't recognize them, but even recognizing just two of them was enough to shock him.

At that moment, he gasped and pondered the bald man's words, while the scene in the private room flashed through his mind.

A moment later, he made a conclusion that sent a chill down his spine:

The death of County Magistrate Gao was definitely not an accident, and it was related to Cai Qingqi, and it's even possible that it was instigated by Hong Feng, who was eager to take the position...

This is not just a political struggle, it's a murder!

"What are you doing standing here? You just wanted to pee, but you've been gone so long, I thought you'd fallen into the toilet."

Liu Yun walked over and gently patted Lin Xiao's shoulder from behind, asking a question.

"We'll talk about it when we get back!"

As Lin Xiao spoke, she pulled Liu Yun toward their private room.

"What are you doing? You look so nervous. I need to go relieve myself too."

Lin Xiao released his grip and said in a deep voice, "Go quickly and come back quickly."

"What's wrong?"

Liu Yun clearly sensed the unusual tone in Lin Xiao's voice, and especially when she saw Lin Xiao's gloomy face, she felt that something big had happened.

However, Lin Xiao did not answer, but instead walked quickly towards the private room alone.

Back in the private room, Lin Xiao sat down at the table, picked up the cigarettes Liu Yun had placed on the table, lit one, and took a few deep drags.

"Cough cough cough..."

The violent coughing echoed in the private room, like a burst of suppressed anger, filling the air with an unpleasant smell.

Lin Xiao couldn't understand why anyone would want to kill Gao Dayong, who was an upright and diligent official who had shown him kindness and support. Was it simply because he was a good and honest official?

Lin Xiao would never ignore the cause of his death!

In fact, the reason Lin Xiao wasn't in the car on the day Gao Dayong had the accident was because Gao Dayong had arranged for him to stay in the office to finish a document, which is how he managed to escape disaster and survive to this day.

Looking back now, Lin Xiao felt a chill run down her spine, a coldness shooting straight to her head.

He secretly vowed that if Gao Dayong's death was indeed caused by human intervention, he would definitely uncover the truth and expose the conspiracy. He would not only bring the murderer to justice, but also find out who the mastermind was. After all, murdering a county magistrate was not a decision that could be made lightly.

At this moment, Liu Yun also walked in. After sitting down, he asked, "What's wrong? You don't look well. Has something serious happened?"