The Beautiful County Magistrate
Chapter 440: The Murderer is Him!

Chapter 440: Chapter 440: The Murderer is Him!

Fu Guotai!

The person who arrived was Fu Guotai, the youngest County Party Secretary in Wangdong Province, the County Party Secretary of Cailin County!

He had unexpectedly transferred at the same level to Jiang City and taken up the position as the new Jiang City County Secretary, even skipping the public announcement period to assume the office directly.

Not only Xu Qianli furrowed his brows, but Lan Qianrong did as well.

This guy had been relentlessly pursuing her before; she had fled to Jiang City to avoid him.

Yet, knowing that she already had Xu Qianli as her boyfriend, and that Xu Qianli had been accepted by the entire Lan Family, he still refused to give up. He had transferred to Jiang City at the same level to become the top official, clearly aiming for her.

Compared to Xu Qianli and Lan Qianrong, most of the officials present were quite unfamiliar with Fu Guotai, not knowing him at all.

However, he looked very young, seemingly just in his early thirties, yet he was already a County Party Secretary, which was incredibly impressive.

Zou Ming waited for Fu Guotai to come over and immediately started to discuss Fu Guotai’s resume.

When they learned that he was indeed the youngest County Party Secretary in Wangdong Province and had transferred on the same level to Jiang City, everyone couldn’t help but be alarmed.

They had previously heard of a promising young man from Wangdong Province, who became County Party Secretary at twenty-eight, and now, only three years later, he was only thirty-one.

Three years as County Party Secretary had boosted the economic growth of Wangdong Province by twelve points, an outstanding achievement.

Logically speaking, with his foundation in Wangdong Province and the achievements he had made in Cailin County, he should have stayed in Wangdong Province waiting for a promotion. Next year, he would likely advance to the city level, so why did he transfer to Jiang City at this critical juncture?

Zou Ming formally introduced Fu Guotai to the officials of Jiang City, emphasizing his accomplishments in Cailin County in Wangdong Province, and afterward demanded that the officials of Jiang City cooperate with Fu Guotai in the future. He warned that anyone who dared to hinder Fu Guotai, he would be the first not to let them off!

Usually, when a county official took office, even if it was the top official in the county, the Custom was just to have the city’s Organization Department Head accompany them, which was already a great honor.

Today, the sudden appointment of Fu Guotai as Jiang City County Secretary, and with City Secretary Zou Ming accompanying him, was enough to surprise everyone.

Zou Ming even publicly declared his support for Fu Guotai, which was an extraordinarily unusual gesture.

This move was almost openly saying that he was Fu Guotai’s backer in the city.

Regardless, it clearly showed how much Zou Ming valued Fu Guotai.

After Zou Ming finished speaking, normally all the officials should have applauded to welcome Fu Guotai’s arrival.

But strangely enough, Lan Qianrong, the second in command in Jiang City, sat expressionless, showing no intention of applauding.

Jiang City’s top figure, Xu Qianli, also did not applaud.

Their lack of applause inevitably made everyone anxious, clearly indicating that both of them were unwelcoming toward Fu Guotai’s arrival.

Just as the atmosphere was about to turn awkward, the Deputy County Party Secretary Ma Kaige took the lead in applauding, and soon, the hall thundered with applause.

Following the applause, it was time for Fu Guotai to give a speech. Suddenly, Lan Qianrong stood up with a cold face, "Secretary Zou, I have just remembered something important, and it might be best to mention it during this meeting."

Zou Ming frowned slightly and asked, "What matter could be more important than the appointment of the new Jiang City County Secretary?"

"Of course, it’s a matter of life and death!"

"Recently, a serial murder occurred in Jiang City; the criminal, Sun Wei, and her accomplices, killed a total of seven people, including the address scholar Zhao Tianhao and his team members. They also killed another three people in the city area, committing heinous crimes."

"After Sun Wei was arrested, she initially refused to cooperate with the investigation and responded to the Public Security authorities with silence."

"Under the joint efforts of the public security departments at the provincial, city, and county levels..."

Lan Qianrong launched into a lengthy discourse on the murder case that had taken place in Qingshan Town, covering the investigation process and some of the findings.

Once she began, there seemed to be no end in sight for Lan Qianrong, who spoke nonstop for a good half hour.

Zou Ming frowned as he listened, realizing that Lan Qianrong was using the murder case as a pretext to show her displeasure about Fu Guotai’s arrival.

As the top official in Jiang City had just taken office, being challenged by the second in command was not a good sign at all.

Could they really handle Jiang City’s affairs and lead the team effectively if the County Party Secretary and County Magistrate were at odds?

Zou Ming wanted Lan Qianrong to stop for a moment, but she only grew more enthusiastic as she spoke, eventually reaching the crucial point. She stated that the murder in Qingshan Town had been merged with another murder that occurred in a club in Zhongzhou City’s urban area and that some suspects had been arrested. However, there were still some who had slipped through the net and might be hiding in Jiang City, warning all officials to be careful not to fall victim to the murderer.

Upon hearing this, Zou Ming’s forehead veins throbbed.

The idea that a murderer could be lurking in Jiang City was clearly a warning to Fu Guotai—be careful, or you might end up dead on arrival.

Zou Ming wanted to explode in anger but was unable to since everything Lan Qianrong mentioned about the murder case was true, and she had not once mentioned Fu Guotai by name.

Compared to Zou Ming, Fu Guotai was much calmer. After Lan Qianrong finished speaking, he immediately took over the conversation, "County Magistrate Lan makes a lot of sense, I think."

Xu Qianli suddenly stood up, interrupting Fu Guotai, "I think there might be a murderer among us!"

His statement was like a bombshell.

Interrupting the County Party Secretary was clearly an affront to Fu Guotai.

What was even more alarming was his claim that a murderer was among those present—how could that be?

The officials looked at each other, full of confusion and not understanding why Xu Qianli would say such a thing.

Many whispered and speculated about Xu Qianli’s intentions.

Zou Ming couldn’t hold back anymore and banged on the table.

"Quiet, everyone be quiet!"

"Xu Qianli, you’re saying it’s very possible that the murderer is right here in the conference hall, among the Jiang City officials?"

"If you have no evidence to support such a statement, it’s of a very serious nature, and you must provide an explanation!"

"Otherwise, I will propose that you be subjected to the maximum penalty!"

Once, as City Secretary, Zou Ming had been friendly with Xu Qianli due to Ge Changhong and Zhao Mei’s relations, but now he had completely changed his tune, ready to devour Xu Qianli.

The reason for such a drastic change was clear to Xu Qianli—it was nothing more than the arrival of Fu Guotai, and Zou Ming had easily chosen to side with Fu Guotai over him.

Faced with Zou Ming’s accusations, Xu Qianli responded, "Secretary Zou is right. If I make such claims without any proof, it indeed constitutes blatant slander and requires punishment. But what if what I’m saying is true, and there is indeed a murderer among us?"

"Then you should tell us—who here is the murderer, who is guilty of homicide?" Zou Ming demanded.

"Well, I’ll tell you."

"It’s him!"

Xu Qianli suddenly pointed his hand at Fu Guotai.