At the entrance.
The crowd dispersed.
The once noisy, chaotic area near the front gate suddenly fell quiet, leaving only trash, bottles, and cans scattered across the ground. Some people drove home, some retreated across the road to watch from afar, while others who had come all the way from other provinces and cities were unwilling to give up. They simply moved farther west, having heard that the gala's stage would be closer in that direction. At least they could listen from outside and not feel that they had come for nothing.
The matter had come to a temporary end.
No one dared charge forward again.
Only then did Dong Xuebin release his grip. He rolled up his sleeve and checked the time. Ten minutes to six—just enough time to head over to the gala venue.
"Are you all right?" Several Central Park staff members hurried over.
"I'm fine. You brought the locks, right? Put them on. Use two locks, just to be safe."
"Okay, okay." The park staff went to lock the gates. They had actually brought the locks earlier, but the situation had been unstable and dangerous, so Dong Xuebin had not allowed them to come over. Now that the troublemakers had dispersed, he finally had them install the chains.
"Here's some water."
"Thanks for your hard work."
Two Jiaolin County officials said this.
Dong Xuebin unscrewed the bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls. After tightening the cap again, he said, "You handle the cleanup here. No one should dare force their way in again."
"Yes."
"If anything comes up, contact me."
"You go on with your work, Secretary Dong. Go on."
Dong Xuebin nodded and headed deeper inside, straightening his clothes as he walked and smoothing his collar and cuffs.
The remaining Jiaolin County staff immediately began