Chapter Thirty-Four: Provocation

  In the business suite on the 8th floor of the Yonghe Hotel, Lei Shuping's new driver, Little Zhang, woke him up at exactly 4 pm.

  "Secretary Lei, Mayor Deng arrived at around 2 pm. The reception was grand, it seemed like the secretary had come to inspect our work. I wonder if this provincial office is under the leadership of the county party committee or the county government? You've arrived and yet there's no such fanfare!" Little Zhang was a new driver assigned to Lei Shuping by the Bureau of Institutional Affairs Management, and because he was young, he wasn't very familiar with many things within the system.

  Lei Shuping had once been taken advantage of by a driver who leaked secrets, so he was very cautious about those experienced old drivers. That's why he specially borrowed a driver from the county-affiliated transportation bureau to work at the administrative affairs management bureau as his driver.

  Xiao Zhang may not understand many things and sometimes says immature words, but he has a clean foundation. Moreover, Xiao Zhang is his lover's fellow villager, so he is still Xiao Zhang's elder. Therefore, Lei Shuping didn't mind his minor flaws.

  "You're so young, why are you always paying attention to those formalities? What's the point of making a big show? It's wasting time and delaying things. Young people should be practical, not just for show, understand?" After criticizing Little Zhang, Lei Shuping glanced at his watch and saw that it was already 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

  "Call Yang Jie to come over, it's also time to inform those old classmates of mine." After letting Xiao Zhang make the call, Lei Shuping got up and walked into the bathroom, washed up, and when he came out, he saw that Zhou Dequan and Yang Jie had already arrived at the suite.

  "Xiao Yang, have you booked the private room yet? It's getting late, I need to call those old classmates!" Lei Shuping said in a low voice, wiping his hair with a towel as he looked at Yang Jie standing in the living room.

  "Secretary Lei, it's already been arranged. You just make a phone call and have your classmates meet at the entrance of Blue Dream KTV. It'll be better if you all go in together!" Yang Jie replied with a confident smile, showing respect to Lei Shuping.

  "Secretary Lei, it's getting late too. Why don't we invite them to the hotel for a meal first and then head to Blue Dream together?" Zhou Dequan interjected as he saw Lei Shuping put down his towel and take the phone book handed over by Little Zhang, preparing to make calls to those old classmates from the room's landline.

  Lei Shuping thought for a moment and looked at Zhou Dequan, asking: "How is the arrangement on County Magistrate Deng's side?"

  Zhou Dequan felt a sense of unease upon hearing this. He had not been in the provincial office for long, and almost everyone there was Zhu Jiangxin's person. Except for Yang Jie and Liu Fei by his side, he didn't have anyone else who could be relied on, so he really didn't know about Deng Zixiang's arrangement.

  Looking at Zhou Dequan being unable to answer for half a day, Lei Shuping secretly sighed in his heart, it seems that Zhou Dequan's work in the provincial office is not going smoothly!

  It's been a week since he took office, and he can't even do the most basic things to win people over with kindness and authority. Except for Yang Jie and Liu Fei, there may not be anyone else under him who is of any use.

  That's it, you should at least establish the dignity of a leader! But looking at Zhou Dequan's appearance, it's clear that even the most basic prestige hasn't been established, how can he work in the provincial office?

  Two deputy directors in the county party committee office, Zhang Yun's ability is stronger than Zhou Dequan's, but there are many things to deal with in the county party committee office, so Chen Yuan needs Zhang Yun to help with a lot of work, that's why Zhou Dequan was sent to the provincial office. Unexpectedly, Zhou Dequan did well as deputy director, but when he became the head of the unit and was responsible for overall work, he still lacked experience and confidence.

  "Never mind, you've just arrived at the provincial office and haven't sorted out all aspects of your work yet. It's not bad to eat first and then go to Blue Dream KTV for some leisure time. Go down and let Old Zheng arrange a private room for us. Make sure it's the biggest one, as there may be over a dozen people coming for dinner. Got it?" Lei Shuping was very amiable towards his own people, without blaming Zhou Dequan at all, and directly arranged for him to go prepare the private room.

  After Zhou Dequan left, Lei Shuping also asked driver Xiao Zhang to leave the suite. When only he and Yang Jie were left in the business suite, his originally calm expression turned gloomy.

  "You know what's been going on in the county recently?" Lei Shuping didn't rush to make a phone call, but instead had Yang Jie sit down.

  "I've heard Director Zhou mention it, because of Secretary Zhang Biao's matter, Secretaries Luo and Zhang are both making an effort to secure special funds for road repairs." Yang Jie nodded and truthfully revealed what he knew.

  Lei Shuping heard the words, his eyebrows furrowed and he pressed his temples with a serious expression, saying in a deep voice: "After Secretary Zhou left, the situation in the county suddenly became complicated. Secretary Luo is under great pressure from Secretary Li of the municipal party committee."

  Luo Secretary is not as good as Zhou Secretary, Zhou Secretary has a military background, he is decisive and efficient in his work, and has great prestige among the cadres and masses of Yuhang County. In secretary office meetings and county committee standing committee meetings, Zhang County Magistrate rarely opposes the tone set by Zhou Secretary.

  Now that Luo Secretary has taken office, the situation in the county has undergone tremendous changes. Several standing committee members of Zhang County's faction have begun to become active and are vying with each other to win over Zhang Biao Secretary and Wang Meng Secretary who have parachuted into Yuhang River. Zhou Secretary even made a special phone call back for this matter, requiring us to make every effort to win the support of the two secretaries.

  "There are also people in the city now writing articles, claiming that there is an inside story to Qujiang County's investment promotion, and that most of Jimmy's investments have a close relationship with you and your family. If it weren't for the fact that your father was a war hero who shed blood and was injured for the country, after Jimmy left Qujiang, your father personally went to the county discipline inspection commission to explain the relevant situation regarding the investment. Otherwise, I'm afraid the city would have set up an investigation team to come to Qujiang County to investigate the motives behind Jimmy's investments in Wuyang Wine Industry and Xingwang Pharmaceutical Industry."

  Yang Jie's face suddenly changed when he heard this, he didn't expect that someone in the city would actually use Jimmy's investment to make a fuss, these people were obviously trying to muddy the waters and then take advantage of the situation.

  "So whether it's Zhou Secretary or Luo Secretary, they both have a lot of pressure. The marble project was a project that Zhou Secretary had strongly advocated for and developed, and after much effort, successfully attracted foreign investment and applied for special funds to repair the road, which was part of the plan. Just as the economic development of Xunhe County was about to enter the fast lane, Zhou Secretary was transferred away from Xunhe, and the mayor intervened, making the originally relatively stable political situation in Changyang City complicated."

  In Chengdu, we are outnumbered and outgunned. In terms of business, we are not as familiar with Zhu Jiangxin, and in terms of manpower, we are also inferior to them. Therefore, we must work together, seize every opportunity, make the greatest effort, and grab the special funds for road repair before Deng County and others do.

  "This matter is related to the change in the political landscape of the Municipal Party Committee, and it is also related to the overall situation of Wuhe County's economic development in the future. Not a single mistake can be tolerated. When I came to Rong City, Secretary Luo gave me an absolute order that I must complete the task. Therefore, you and Old Zhou must both use your full strength to assist me." Lei Shuping saw Yang Jie's face turn gloomy, knowing that his words had already caught Yang Jie's attention.

  For Yang Jie, Lei Shuping still had some expectations in his heart. After all, Yang Jie's achievements after joining the workforce were too eye-catching. Not only did he excel in attracting investment, but also showed extremely high reasoning and analytical skills in solving the Yang family village murder case.

  Yang Jie did not expect that the situation in Raohe County would be so tense, and it would even involve him. He thought of Jimmy's investment in Raohe County, and as the main person in charge of reception, although he had done a great job in attracting investment and successfully introduced foreign capital, the $80 million investment was actually attributed to Yang Xinhua and Liu Daxing.

  These two men, one is Yang Jie's father and the other is his uncle. Whether there are any ulterior motives behind this, no one can say for sure. Especially since Yang Xinhua and Zhou Dalong have a very close relationship, which dates back to their time in the military when they were superior and subordinate. Now that they've returned to their hometown, Yang Jie is again working under Zhou Dalong's leadership. This complex web of relationships has caught the attention of those who are paying close attention, but it's not particularly unusual.

  If Yang Xinhua wasn't a war hero and a wounded veteran, he would have been contracted to run the winery years ago. The municipal discipline inspection commission would have secretly arranged for someone to come to Ronghe County to investigate long ago. That's why Yang Jie was promoted due to his merits. It seems that Zhou Dalong had anticipated this and transferred Yang Jie to work in the provincial office ahead of time.

  "Please rest assured, Secretary Lei, we will do our best to assist you in completing this application for special funds." Without any hesitation, it concerns himself and Secretary Zhou. If he retreats, the other party will step up the pressure. In official circles, one must have the awareness of going against the current without progress or retreat. Wanting to be a good person is not going to get you ahead.

  "Ah!"

  Lei Shuping nodded in satisfaction after seeing Yang Jie understand the importance of this task. He had witnessed Yang Jie's reception ability and interpersonal skills before, so when he arrived at the provincial capital without any other support, he could only pin his hopes on Yang Jie.

  As for Zhou Dequan, Lei Shuping never expected him to be of any help. Having been in office for over a week, he still hasn't established his authority as the leader, and it's obvious what his abilities are like.

  "Knock knock knock..."

  Lei Shuping had just finished talking to Yang Jie and was about to make a phone call when there came a knock at the door.

  Yang Jie didn't hesitate, walked straight over and opened the door, only to see Zhou Dequan's face burning with anger, his face iron-green, his fists clenched tightly, his eyes revealing a furious expression, he pushed open Yang Jie who was standing at the door and walked into the suite.

  "Director Lei, County Mayor Deng also wants to entertain his old friends at the hotel. Old Zheng said that when he arrived at the hotel this afternoon, he had already booked the largest private room, Mei Ye Lou, and notified those friends. Now if you want to change it, you have to go tell County Mayor Deng yourself."

  What's even more infuriating is that County Head Deng also has to entertain his friends at Blue Dream KTV in the evenings, isn't this a clear provocation against you? Zhou Dequan was always a nice guy when he was in charge of the county committee office, with a relatively soft personality and rarely getting angry, but this time Zhu Jiangxin's methods have thoroughly enraged this nice guy.