The color drained from Secretary Wang's face as though an invisible hand had sucked it away in an instant, leaving him deathly pale.
The muscles of his face, so confident and calculating moments before, twitched uncontrollably. The contemptuous smile that had hung on his lips had shattered beyond recognition.
"S-Secretary Gao?!"
Gao Yuliang, the former Deputy Provincial Party Secretary and secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission!
What was a towering figure in Northlake Province's political world doing in this remote backwater?!
Although this powerful man had retired, his protégés and former subordinates were scattered throughout the province.
An icy chill shot up from the base of Secretary Wang's spine and spread through every limb.
His legs shook like leaves, barely able to support his weight. Cold sweat pooled on his forehead, streamed down his temples, and dripped onto his gleaming leather shoes.
It was over.
He was finished.
The thought rang wildly through his mind like a death knell from the underworld, shaking his very soul.
Wang Peirong had been smugly fencing words with An Changlin, ready to savor his humiliation, when she noticed that Secretary Wang beside her had suddenly gone still, like a statue struck by lightning.
She turned in confusion and recoiled at the look on Secretary Wang's face, as though he had seen a ghost.
"Secretary Wang? What's wrong? Why are you so pale?"
Secretary Wang's lips trembled. Hoarse gasps escaped his throat, but he could not form a complete sentence.
He merely raised his violently shaking hand and, mustering every ounce of strength, pointed toward the elderly men chatting behind An Changlin.
Bewildered, Wang Peirong followed his finger.
Then her gaze met Gao Yuliang's calm, still eyes, which seemed capable of seeing straight through her.
Boom!
A thunderclap exploded in her head!
Her