Faced with Li Lin's rebuke, Zhao Jie felt ashamed and embarrassed.

Li Lin was right. He had never had to worry about food and clothing since he was born. Even though he was not good at studying, he later relied on his parents' connections to get a job in the system and even climbed up to the position of a member of the township party committee.

The environment he grew up in, especially the work style of his parents, made him mistakenly believe that the officialdom is like that, and anything can be accomplished by finding the right people and spending some money.

But Li Lin's wake-up call made the decadent ideas that he was proud of in his heart collapse...

Yes, money can expand your social circle and make people around you respect you, but can money really buy everything?

I can spend several years' salary to exchange for a position of deputy secretary of a township party committee, but can I really guarantee that I will not have any evil intentions while in office and will not reach out to plunder the common people?

Wrong! If the roots are crooked, the tree won’t grow!

Zhao Jie suddenly realized that he had used improper means to seek a position. Once he succeeded, he would be even more contemptuous of the party discipline and national laws. Once he had the chance, he would find ways to get the 200,000 yuan back in one way or another and accumulate donations in advance for his next promotion.

This is a vicious cycle, a quagmire that eats people without leaving any bones. Once you fall into it, you are destined to be swallowed up by greedy desires sooner or later!

Zhao Jie just felt a chill on his back, as if he had seen the day when he would be thrown into prison.

He felt his legs going a little weak, so he had to hold on to the back of the chair and try to stand up straight.

Li Lin stared at him coldly for a moment and said, "Think about it carefully."

"I couldn't give you a definite answer just now, but now I can tell you for sure that I will no longer recommend you for any position in Weishui Township. I suggest that you return to the county and reflect on yourself!"

After saying that, Li Lin wiped Zhao Jie's body and left the box without looking back.

After a while, Zhao Jie let out a long sigh. He felt that if he didn't breathe any more, he would suffocate to death...

Beep!

He slapped himself hard and cursed, "How foolish! How could I be so foolish!"

Cheng Xinghan, who was waiting for Zhao Jie downstairs, was leaning against the car door and smoking silently. In such a short time, many cigarette butts were thrown on the ground.

Suddenly, he saw someone coming out of the teahouse.

Looking closely, it was Li Lin.

However, looking at his expression, he doesn’t seem very happy. Could it be that he disagrees with giving his cousin Zhao Jie a promotion?

He didn't quite understand the promotion rules in the village, nor did he understand so many job levels... He only knew that Zhao Jie came here specifically to seek promotion from their Party Secretary Li Lin... It seemed that Secretary Li did not agree.

Hey, my cousin's family is quite powerful in the county, so why doesn't Secretary Li give them any face at all?

Cheng Xinghan looked at Li Lin's departing back and shook his head helplessly.

At this time, Zhao Jie walked out of the teahouse in a daze, carrying his briefcase.

Cheng Xinghan threw away the half-smoked cigarette in his hand and hurried forward.

As soon as they met, he asked Zhao Jie with concern, "Brother, how is the matter going? What did Secretary Li respond?"

Zhao Jie shook his head weakly and sighed twice...

Seeing that Zhao Jie was still holding the bag full of money, Cheng Xinghan knew that Li Lin did not take the money, which meant that there was no hope.

He is indeed Zhao Jie's cousin. He has a deep understanding of the corrupt concept of "getting paid for work, and not getting paid for work" in his mind. He thinks this is the unspoken rule of today's society...

Cheng Xinghan quickly comforted Zhao Jie and said, "Brother, don't be discouraged. Without Li Lin's help, we can still ask other county leaders for help. With my aunt personally running errands for you, what are you worried about not being able to get it done? Even if Weishui Township can't do it, we can go to another township."

Hearing this, Zhao Jie glared at him and squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, "What do you know? Don't talk nonsense!"

"Oh, I was just talking nonsense, hehe..." Cheng Xinghan was used to Zhao Jie's criticism and didn't take it to heart. He scratched his head, chuckled, and stopped talking.

Get in the car.

Cheng Xinghan asked Zhao Jie where he was going.

Zhao Jie sat in the back seat, still sighing, saying, "I don't know where to go, I don't have any thoughts, let's go home..."

They had originally agreed to find a place to have a good meal after meeting Li Lin, but now they are not going, and Cheng Xinghan is a little disappointed.

The car started steadily after ignition.

Looking at Zhao Jie who was looking annoyed, Cheng Xinghan didn't know how to persuade him and could only sigh with him.

After a long while, Zhao Jie, who was leaning on the back seat, came to his senses and said to Cheng Xinghan in a heavy tone, "Xinghan, have we been doing it wrong all along?"

Cheng Xinghan looked at Zhao Jie in surprise through the rearview mirror and asked in confusion, "Brother, what are you talking about?"

Zhao Jie said, "It's not just one thing, it's everything. From the very beginning, from the moment we were born, we were wrong?"

"Brother, I don't understand." Cheng Xinghan said while driving.

Zhao Jie touched his forehead with one hand, shook his head helplessly, and said as if talking to himself, "When I was in elementary school, my father was the deputy director. At that time, I was admired in school... My classmates respected me, and the teachers were close to me... At that time, I thought I was great... I thought that no matter where I went, I would be the center of attention, so I didn't focus on studying... I hung out with a few second-generation officials and rich people all day... I dropped out of school before finishing junior high school."

"Later, I joined the army. I was so arrogant that I thought I was still the one who was admired by others. I also thought that everyone had to act according to my mood, so I was arrogant and didn't take anyone seriously. Later, I was beaten three times by a group of veterans in the bathroom. I became honest and saw the reality clearly. It's not me who is awesome, but my father. My father is not awesome everywhere. Outside of the small piece of land in Shannan County, he is powerless..."

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