"Comrade Chen Fang, do you think you're too good to wait just because you've achieved a little success? Everyone else can wait, but you can't?"

Dou Qingquan asked with a stern face.

Chen Fang pointed at the others drenched in sweat.

He said, "Mayor Dou, do you see anyone who wants to wait? The weather forecast said 35 degrees, but it must be at least 40 degrees on the ground now. Governor Li is comfortable in his air-conditioned car, what about everyone else? Do we have to wait for someone to get heatstroke before it feels right?"

"Chen Fang! Aren't you being utterly disrespectful? Everyone is standing under the sun waiting as a sign of respect to Governor Li."

Dou Qingquan emphasized his tone even more as he spoke.

The welcome event today was only notified the afternoon before yesterday.

Secretary Liu Mingkai had gone to a provincial meeting and would not return until this afternoon. Therefore, today's event was solely under Dou Qingquan's control.

Chen Fang snorted coldly and said, "Respect is something that comes from the heart, not a superficial gesture. Isn't it pointless to keep up with this kind of formalism day in and day out?"

After dropping that remark,

Chen Fang turned and walked into the air-conditioned hall.

Based on the schedule given before,

Governor Li Yuting was supposed to arrive by ten.

But after ten o'clock, there was still no sign of movement at the gate of the compound.

The younger folks could bear it,

but it was clearly too much for some of the older ones; their faces were turning red from the sun, and some were having difficulty breathing.

Despite this,

they still believed that standing there waiting for the leader's arrival was what they must and should do.

Meanwhile, Chen Fang sat leisurely in a corner chair of the hall, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Around 10:15 am,

the gatekeeper relayed a message.

He said Governor Li's car was on its way.

Those who could barely keep themselves together mustered their energy, wiped the sweat from their foreheads, and forced a weary smile.

Chen Fang also saw the car with the provincial government's license plate drive into the yard.

He took a big gulp of water and casually made his way downstairs.

The door of the Coaster opened,

and this year's 54-year-old Governor Li Yuting stepped out.

Upon seeing this, Dou Qingquan was the first to greet him, shaking hands with Governor Li and obsequiously saying, "Welcome to Guyang City for your inspection, Governor Li."

As soon as Governor Li stepped out of the car,

his secretary hurried over with an umbrella to shade him from the sun.

He said with a cheerful laugh, "Mayor Dou, don't take it amiss. It's been a long time since I've been to Guyang City. I asked the driver to go a bit slower on the way here, did everyone get a bit too much sun?"

"Not at all, not at all. Everyone is excited and uplifted by Governor Li's inspection visit to our Guyang City. What is a bit of sun? Consider it a disinfection," Dou Qingquan said, his flattery skills on full display.

With that said, Governor Li chuckled and said, "Alright then, I'll trouble Mayor Dou to introduce me to everyone."

"Please, this way, Governor Li!"

Having said that,

Dou Qingquan led Governor Li to the crowd.

After introducing the leaders of the People's Congress and the CPPCC, Chen Fang felt sweat emerging again. Glancing back, he noticed that some of the older officials were looking rather drowsy.

If the introductions continued one by one like this,

it was inevitable that something bad would happen.

Unable to hold back any longer,

he suddenly raised his hand and called out, "Governor Li!"

Governor Li, hearing his name, looked in Chen Fang's direction.

Dou Qingquan frowned and said to Governor Li, "Leader, this person calling you is Comrade Chen Fang, the Deputy Mayor of Guyang City you specifically asked to meet."

"Oh, oh, oh, it's Comrade Chen Fang."

As soon as he heard that,

Hurriedly stretched out his hand to Chen Fang.

Struck a preaching pose.

Said, "Comrade Chen Fang, this time you've really done something incredible, an investment of 31.2 billion..."

Before he could finish,

Chen Fang interrupted him.

Said, "Governor Li, it's too hot today. Why don't we go to the hall together and listen to your teaching?"

"This..."

Li Yuting was taken aback.

Seeing such a good opportunity to make a pointed remark, Dou Qingquan quickly said, "Governor Li, Comrade Chen Fang sometimes speaks his mind without considering the consequences. Just before you arrived, he was talking about how hot it was and staying inside to enjoy the air conditioning. You hadn't been out of your car for a few minutes when he again complained of the heat. It seems that despite his young age, his health is quite poor..."

In just one sentence,

He managed to report everything he intended.

He implied that Chen Fang had only just arrived at his position and suggested that Chen Fang was disrespectful to leaders and lacked basic decorum.

Li Yuting also caught the subtext.

Changing the topic,

He said, "Comrade Chen Fang, you might be overworked from the investment activities. You're probably tired. How about you go enjoy the air conditioning, and I'll chat with everyone else."

This statement was a reprimand.

It also carried an undercurrent of excluding Chen Fang.

Chen Fang smiled slightly and said, "Governor Li has misunderstood. I'm still young, and this temperature, even if it were to rise another three to five degrees, wouldn't be a problem for me. But we have some older comrades in our team who might not handle it so well. Besides, the air conditioning is on inside, so there's no need to endure the heat unnecessarily, right?"

Chen Fang spoke for the hearts of many older and female colleagues.

Yet they themselves dared not voice this.

So all they could do was silently cheer him on.

One would have thought that after such a statement,

Li Yuting would have shown some consideration for his subordinates. Unexpectedly, he let out a cold laugh and said, "I didn't realize that Comrade Chen Fang also had the spirit of sympathizing with his colleagues. You make me, Li Yuting, seem thoughtless. Hahaha..."

Not funny.

Not funny at all.

Yet people like Dou Qingquan actually started laughing along with him.

After Li Yuting finished laughing, his face darkened as he said, "However, we are all soldiers of the people, and how can soldiers be afraid of hardship and heat? I refuse to believe that such a small increase in temperature could defeat us."

A leader shaded by an umbrella uttering these words was enough to make one not know whether to laugh or cry.

Chen Fang was about to speak.

Dou Qingquan, filled with smug satisfaction, scolded, "Comrade Chen Fang, the leader has spoken. If you're afraid of the heat, go inside. No one is stopping you. The others still very much wish to hear Governor Li's teachings. You don't need to interfere, right comrades?"

With that question,

A scattering of agreeing voices came from the crowd.

Chen Fang was quite exasperated by this outdated bureaucratic attitude.

He snorted coldly, "Fine then. You all are healthy; you can stand it. I won't bother you."

Just as he was about to step up onto the platform,

Cries of alarm erupted from the crowd.

"Someone's fainted, someone's fainted..."

At that moment, people began shouting.

A comrade in his fifties, flushed and red-eared, lay motionless on the ground.

Chen Fang rushed down immediately.

He shouted, "Quick, carry him inside where it's cooler."

Pei Shanglian was quick to react.

He scooped up the older comrade and rushed into the hall.

After such an incident, Li Yuting, who had just been insistent on "sunbathing," suddenly had a gloomy expression on his face...

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