Caught Off Guard by the Performance Program!

County Party School, grand auditorium.

In the middle-rear rows, Dong Xuebin and Deputy Director Qin Yong found seats near the side.

"Old Qin, what program does the Public Security Bureau have?"

"Seems like a martial arts performance. What about your Investment Bureau?"

"I only just took office, so I'm not sure. But the Investment Bureau can't compare to the Public Security Bureau in numbers. I figure we'll just have some clerk sing a song."

It was already five twenty, and people gradually began filing into the auditorium.

At that moment, the huge auditorium suddenly quieted. Conversations and footsteps both softened considerably. Dong Xuebin instinctively looked toward the entrance and saw that the County Leaders had arrived. Xiang Daofa and Xie Huilan were at the front. Perhaps they had coordinated beforehand. Secretary Xiang and County Chief Xie were not dressed quite so formally today. Even their suits were not the pure black they usually wore. Behind them came County Party Committee Standing Committee Members Cao Xupeng, Huang Li, Duan Zheng'an, and the others.

Five or six minutes later, the venue was packed. The leaders of the four major county bodies and all county officials had arrived. Just as Dong Xuebin had guessed, there were not enough seats. Some lower-ranking people who had arrived late had to ask staff for chairs along the sides and in the aisles. After some scrambling, there were barely enough seats for everyone.

With a squeak, the microphones on the stage were switched on.

A fairly attractive young woman in formal attire walked onstage and delivered a welcome speech.

Dong Xuebin leaned sideways and whispered, "She looks familiar."

"That's Su Jia," Qin Yong introduced. "A host from County TV Station."

"Oh. Is this being broadcast live?" Dong Xuebin glanced at the cameras on both sides of the