No One Came to Report

Early the next morning, Lin Yanzhou arrived punctually outside the Jingzhou municipal government building. The imposing building stood exactly seven stories tall, neither more nor fewer, quietly conforming to the mystical notion of "seven rises, eight falls." Its grand exterior proclaimed the authority of a sub-provincial city's seat of power.

Dark clouds filled the sky, seeming to shroud the entire building in gray. It silently watched its new master arrive, like an unspoken show of force, foretelling a treacherous road ahead.

Qian Yongnian, secretary-general of the municipal government, was already waiting respectfully at the entrance, his face wreathed in an ingratiating smile. "Good morning, Mayor Lin! Let me take you to your office. All the furniture has been replaced according to the standards. Please let me know if anything else needs adjusting."

The address "Mayor Lin" still carried a measure of deliberate distance. As a key figure responsible for serving the mayor, he should, by rights, have used the more familiar "Mayor" or "Leader."

Lin Yanzhou said nothing and followed him into the office. The room was spacious and bright, its Chinese furnishings dignified and imposing, yet it also had the chill emptiness of a place no one had occupied for long. His gaze swept over the broad rosewood desk, the leather sofa, and the empty bookshelves before finally settling on the windowsill.

"No need for major changes," Lin Yanzhou said. "Put a few easy-to-care-for green plants on the windowsill. Give the place some life." He turned toward the bookshelves and desk. "I'll have someone take care of the personal belongings I brought."

Qian Yongnian hurriedly agreed, though inwardly he muttered that the new mayor's requests were rather unusual: instead of concerning himself with symbols of power, he was concerned with flowers and plants first.

He immediately took a list from his folder and presented it with both hands, his tone even more cautious. "Mayor Lin, this is a preliminary shortlist of candidates for your secretary and driver. They're all experienced, reliable, and seasoned comrades. Would you..."

Before he could finish, Lin Yanzhou raised a hand slightly and interrupted him. "Thank you for taking the trouble, Secretary-General, but that won't be necessary."

Qian Yongnian froze. "You mean...?"

"I'll be using my own secretary and driver." Lin Yanzhou's tone was mild but brooked no question. "They came with me from Menxia. I'm used to working with them, and they suit me well. What arrangements have been made for my accommodation?"

Qian Yongnian immediately handed him the keys. "Mayor Lin, you've been assigned Residence No. 2 in the municipal Party standing committee residential compound. I've already had it cleaned."

Lin Yanzhou took the keys. "I'll handle the rest of the arrangements myself. Just arrange for someone to take my driver there when the time comes."

The smile on Qian Yongnian's face froze completely. A mayor bringing his own core support staff was, in itself, an extremely unusual signal. It meant he deeply distrusted the local cadre system, and was even a form of silent distancing.

"Of course, Mayor Lin. I'll arrange it right away." Suppressing the towering waves in his heart, Qian Yongnian repeatedly agreed, while a faint sheen of sweat seeped across his back.

He suddenly had the feeling that his days as secretary-general of the municipal government might be numbered.

As soon as Qian Yongnian left, Lin Yanzhou took a sheet of paper from his pocket, handed it to the young man beside him, and said quietly, "Contact this person. Have him bring his equipment and give both the office and Building No. 2 a thorough 'sweep.'"

"Yes, Leader." Xiao Wang understood immediately and stepped aside to make a quiet call.

The so-called "sweep" naturally meant using professional equipment to conduct a comprehensive electronic inspection, guarding against ears on the other side of the wall. This was advice from his family, and a necessary precaution in a complicated situation-one must never abandon one's guard against others.

No wall was airtight. Before the morning was even over, rumors such as "The new mayor brought his own secretary and driver-he doesn't trust us Handong people at all," "He's even having professional equipment used to check his office and residence. Is he guarding against thieves?" and "He clearly comes with ill intent. He's here to dig up problems and deal with people" seemed to sprout wings, swiftly spreading to every corner of the municipal government.

Some heads of bureaus, commissions, and offices who had originally planned to follow convention and report on their work, making their faces familiar, stopped in their tracks.

"Hello, Director Chen. I'm Zhang Yongning, deputy director of the municipal finance bureau. Would the mayor happen to be available? I'd like to report to him on my work."

Chen Mo had been sorting documents with his head lowered. At the voice, he looked up and paused slightly. The man standing before him was tall and straight-backed, far removed from his impression of someone in finance; he looked more like someone from the public security system. This was the first bureau leader to come voluntarily to report today, and Chen Mo immediately rose to greet him. "Director Zhang, please have a seat. I'll check the mayor's schedule."

A modest smile appeared on Zhang Yongning's face. "Sorry for the trouble, Director Chen."

Chen Mo knocked on the mayor's office door and, hearing "Come in" from inside, stepped through sideways. Noticing that Mayor Lin Yanzhou's cup was empty, he picked it up to refill it while reporting, "Mayor, Deputy Director Zhang Yongning of the finance bureau would like to report on his work."

"Zhang Yongning?" Lin Yanzhou's eyebrows shifted slightly. He had just reviewed the résumés of the leadership teams of the various bureaus and commissions, and remembered the name-a graduate of the School of Economics and Management at Harbin Institute of Technology, and an alumnus of his wife's university. Studying economics and management at a university renowned for defense engineering was rather unusual. "Show him in."

Chen Mo gently placed the refilled cup on the mayor's desk, then ushered Zhang Yongning into the office.

Zhang Yongning walked steadily up to the desk. "Hello, Mayor. I'm Zhang Yongning, deputy director of the finance bureau. I currently oversee the Economic Environment Division, the Resources and Environment Division, the Government Procurement Center, and the Budget Review Center."

At Lin Yanzhou's gesture, Zhang Yongning bent slightly and sat down. When Chen Mo brought him tea, he immediately stood and accepted it with both hands. "Thank you, Director Chen."

"Comrade Yongning, you graduated from Harbin Institute of Technology?" Lin Yanzhou looked at the résumé on his desk.

"Yes, Mayor. Your wife and I are fellow alumni. Although we were in different schools, we worked together in the university student union back then. When I learned you were coming to take up a post in Jingzhou, I took the liberty of coming to report on my work."

The corners of Lin Yanzhou's mouth lifted, his expression somewhere between a smile and no smile. "You seem very well informed."

Zhang Yongning remained composed. "Please don't misunderstand, Mayor. I was Dean Zhou's student. The last time I attended an alumni event in the capital, your wife happened to be there too. I heard Dean Zhou speak about your achievements in Menxia and was deeply impressed. This time, Dean Zhou specifically called to remind me that this was a rare opportunity to report to you. I didn't want to miss it, so I ventured over."

Lin Yanzhou smiled slightly. "Relax. I was only asking casually." As their conversation deepened, they moved from memories of Harbin Institute of Technology to their current work. When the subject turned to a particular project, Lin Yanzhou's brow furrowed slightly.

"Comrade Yongning, have you verified everything you've reported?" Lin Yanzhou's voice grew grave.

"I vouch for it on my Party integrity." Zhang Yongning spoke firmly. "Deputy Director Luo Yong of the municipal environmental protection bureau was my classmate at the provincial Party school. He mentioned this during a private dinner. I later made a special trip to inspect the site, and the situation is exactly as described. He originally intended to come with me to report today, but Liu Fengming privately sent word forbidding anyone from coming. His bureau director knows he has always stood by his principles and deliberately sent him away on official business."

After Zhang Yongning left, the corridor outside the mayor's office remained so deserted for the rest of the morning that footsteps echoed audibly. Apart from Secretary-General Qian Yongnian, who steeled himself to come in and seek instructions on a few inconsequential matters, not another person voluntarily came to report.

It was a collective test, and also a show of force. With their formidable solidarity, Jingzhou's cadres were teaching the new mayor a lesson.

The situation did not improve that afternoon. It was not until after three that someone knocked on Lin Yanzhou's office door again.

The visitor was Deputy Mayor Wen Zhiyuan, a refined-looking middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He ranked last among the deputy mayors and did not oversee core areas such as the economy or urban development, handling only relatively peripheral work such as culture and tourism, and health.

"Sorry to disturb you, Mayor Lin." Wen Zhiyuan sounded courteous, with even a subtle note of affinity as a fellow "parachuted-in" cadre. "I'm Wen Zhiyuan. I oversee culture, tourism, and health, and I've come to briefly report in."

"Please sit, Mayor Wen." Lin Yanzhou rose and shook his hand, his manner calm. "I've only just arrived in Jingzhou, and there's much I'm unfamiliar with. I need to hear introductions from all sides."

Wen Zhiyuan gave a wry smile, looking somewhat constrained, with a touch of the desolation of thwarted ambition. "Mayor Lin, to be frank, I've been here less than a year myself, and I'm still finding my way with the work under my charge. My main purpose today is to make my position clear. I'm ready to follow your instructions at any time."

"It's just that..." He paused, seemingly finding it difficult to say. "My circumstances are rather unusual. I came down from the Ministry of Culture, where I was a deputy director-general, to gain experience on a temporary posting. I've been here almost a year, and honestly, it's been hard to fit in. The local cadre circles are rather hostile to outsiders. I barely see the heads of the bureaus I oversee a few times all year. It's very difficult to get work moving."

His words were less a work report than a tactful airing of grievances and declaration of his position-I'm not one of them, but I've been sidelined too. I have the will, but not the strength.

"Jingzhou has a long history and deep cultural roots. There's great potential in culture and tourism." Rather than taking up his remarks about hostility to outsiders, Lin Yanzhou offered a measured comment on the work itself. "Coming from a ministry, Mayor Wen, you have a broad perspective. You're well placed to bring in fresh ideas."

A complicated expression flickered across Wen Zhiyuan's face. "Thank you for understanding, Mayor Lin. I did want to try a few things, but... ah, the resistance is considerable. To be honest, I've already made up my mind. I'll endure another year, then when my posting ends, I'll try pulling a few strings and get transferred back to the ministry. The waters here are too deep, and too muddy."

He stayed a little longer, briefly introduced some surface-level details, then rose to leave. His visit was like a small stone cast into a deep pool: it raised a few ripples but did nothing to change the water's coldness or depth.

After Wen Zhiyuan left, an oppressive silence returned to the office. There was still no one waiting outside the door.

Countless eyes in the municipal government building were watching in secret, through doors and windows, over telephone lines, or through chance encounters in the break room, passing along news-"Wen Zhiyuan went, that scholar from the Ministry of Culture. Spouted a load of nonsense and left." "Nothing from the executive deputy mayor, or the standing committee members." "Let's see how he breaks this deadlock. Without anyone to build him a stage, he can't keep his show going!"

This cold reception was like an invisible net, quietly spreading toward Lin Yanzhou. It was not only the Jingzhou municipal government that was watching and waiting. Those eyes in Handong Province following the situation in Jingzhou were also waiting to see how this young mayor, with his mysterious background and unexpected actions, would play his second card.

Inside the office, Lin Yanzhou walked to the window and looked out over the municipal government compound.

There was no impatience or displeasure on his face. Instead, he was frighteningly calm. He picked up his phone. On the screen was that encrypted message: "The wind will rise tomorrow, but there's an unexpected surprise."

Could Wen Zhiyuan be that surprise? As for this anticipated "cold reception," he had already worked out how to break the deadlock. He was simply waiting to see what the surprise was.

What he needed had never been superficial compliance.

He picked up the internal telephone and dialed the secretary-general's number, his voice as steady as ever. "Comrade Yongnian, please have all the government-funded projects in Jingzhou from the past three years, along with their approval procedures and audit reports, sent to my office. I need them now."