Power and Wealth

Night.

Hotel room.

Dong Xuebing and Meng Rui were on the phone.

Dong Xuebing was frustrated and angry, so he poured out all his grievances and annoyances to Secretary Meng. He wanted the county to know that it wasn't because he, Dong Xuebing, and the comrades in the Investment Promotion Bureau weren't working hard or lacked capability. Instead, the city and the City Investment Promotion Bureau intentionally targeted Zhen Shui County. Even the investment promotion departments of other counties in Mehe City could see the city's attitude. They united to sideline Zhen Shui County, obstructing their investment promotion tasks at every turn. In such a situation, it would be truly surprising if they could still carry out their work smoothly.

"I understand the situation."

"So, what do you think we can do?"

"But we can't act out of anger."

"I don't want to either, but they've gone too far."

"I understand your feelings, but you still need to stay calm. Mayor Jiang and I will report this to the city. What you need to do now is to attract investments and contact investors; that's the most crucial task. Also, try not to conflict with the city and other county investment promotion departments."

"I understand. I won't neglect my work."

"Whether the county can solve the financial difficulties this time depends on your performance in this investment promotion. You assured everyone in the Party Committee not to disappoint us."

"Yes, rest assured."

"And about the presidential suites?"

"We can't cancel it now. Besides, even if we do, the City Investment Promotion Bureau has already removed our rooms below."

"But it can't be one person per room. Even if you pay for it yourself. What will people think if they hear about it?"

"Okay, then I'll release a few rooms."

"Good, get some rest."

After hanging up the phone, Dong Xuebing took a deep breath.

Secretary Meng Rui probably didn't care much. If the investment promotion was successful, it would be best for him, too. Although his achievements might not be as significant as Dong Xuebing's, at least as the top leader, Meng Rui would benefit politically, and the financial problem would be resolved. Everyone would be happy. However, if Dong Xuebing couldn't attract an investment of over 50 million, or if no investors were interested in visiting Zhen Shui County, his resignation statement at the Standing Committee would probably come true. Zhen Shui County would lose a troublemaker against the Meng faction if he left. Without Dong Xuebing's influence from the Jiang faction, it would undoubtedly be a setback. So, for Meng Rui, it didn't matter much; he wasn't in a hurry. Dong Xuebing was in a hurry because he had no way out. Regardless, he had to make this investment promotion successful.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Dong Xuebing said when he saw the door.

The door wasn't closed, and Zheng Dayou walked in first.

Chang Juan, Chen Yunsong, and others also arrived one after the other.

Dong Xuebing gestured with his fingers towards the opposite side. "Sofa chairs, sit anywhere."

Zheng Dayou, Chang Juan, Gong Na, and others sat down. Looking at them, they were all waiting for Dong Xuebing to speak.

Dong Xuebing glanced at everyone and calmly said, "Originally, I was going to summarize today's work, but it's unnecessary. Everyone knows the results of today, and the county just called. Secretary Meng personally called, and the county has heard that our progress here is not going well."

Chang Juan immediately asked, "Is it from the city?"

Dong Xuebing waved his hand and interrupted, "I understand there are objective factors, but I don't want to find reasons now. No matter how many reasons there are, it's meaningless. The county needs investment, and Secretary Meng and Mayor Jiang need to see our investment results. It's not about who is targeting us. That's useless. Even though some factors are unfavorable to our investment work, we can overcome them. If we can't, we still have to overcome them. What the county needs to see is results, and what we need is also results." He was starting to sound more like a leader.

No one said anything.

Dong Xuebing continued, "So starting tomorrow, I hope everyone can pull themselves together. Don't let the actions of certain individuals affect your work mood. We should work as we planned. Let's strive to achieve a delayed success tomorrow. Do you all have confidence?"

"Yes."

"Sure."

"Yes."

The voices weren't too loud.

Dong Xuebing didn't mind and said, "Now let me talk about the presidential suites. Secretary Meng just called and criticized me for it. After thinking about it, it's indeed pointless to be stubborn. Having one person per room is also a bit too extravagant. Even if I pay for it personally, it might not be good for our image. So let's redistribute the rooms. I'll take this one and the one next to it. Let's all stay in these two presidential suites. Each suite has two rooms, a bedroom and a guest room, which should be enough for us." Even with this arrangement, everyone still had their room, and they were spacious—much better than the standard rooms on the fourth floor.

Gong Na blinked. "What about the other rooms?"

Chen Yunsong coughed. "Now it seems we can't cancel them. They've been booked for ten days."

Dong Xuebing said, "We can't cancel them now, but there's no need to cancel either. Leave the empty rooms as they are. If any investors are willing to visit our county and want to stay during the inspection, we can let them use the presidential suites. It's also a way to showcase our county's strength, and we don't care about this small expense."

Gong Na broke into a cold sweat.

Chen Yunsong's expression was similar.

They could tell that although Mayor Dong repeatedly emphasized the negative impact, he didn't seem to care much about the influence in practical action. He could cancel the rooms or stay on the lower floors if he cared about it. This was a clear indication of his intention to confront the city.

Dong Xuebing said, "As for the rooms, discuss among yourselves. After packing, take a rest. It's not early, and there's much to do tomorrow."

There were six of them, with Chang Juan and Gong Na being the two women. So, it was a bit tricky to divide.

Chang Juan looked at Zheng Dayou and Chen Yunsong, saying, "How about I share this suite with Xiao Na?"

Chang Juan had a good relationship with Mayor Dong as the deputy director. There was nothing wrong with her staying together with Dong Xuebing, especially since they were just sharing a large room. Gong Na agreed without objection. With these two taking one suite, the room allocation for the rest was also decided. Zheng Dayou, Chen Yunsong, and Old Wei would stay in the adjacent presidential suite. It worked out perfectly for the six of them.

The meeting dispersed.

Everyone left the room.

People carried their belongings, and those with luggage picked them up.

Dong Xuebing hadn't expected Chang Juan and Gong Na to assign him a suite. The decision was made without much thought, but now, seeing Chang Juan dragging a suitcase in and Gong Na holding a bundle of clothes with a white bra peeking out, Dong Xuebing felt uneasy.

Dong Xuebing approached them to help with their luggage and pulled them in, saying, "Sister Chang, Xiaona, why don't you two stay here, and I'll squeeze in with Old Zheng and the others."

Gong Na hurriedly said, "No, that won't do."

Chang Juan looked at him, "Yes, Mayor Dong, how can we let you squeeze in?"

Dong Xuebing smiled, "I just thought it might be inconvenient for you."

Chang Juan openly said, "It's nothing. The rooms are separate, and there's a bathroom in the master and second bedrooms. What inconvenience could there be?"

Dong Xuebing thought for a moment, "Alright then."

"You don't have to worry. Xiaona and I can handle it ourselves."

"Shall I carry them, or… the luggage is not light."

Dong Xuebing firmly took Gong Na's suitcase from her hands.

After a few days of interaction, Dong Xuebing left a positive impression on everyone in the Investment Promotion Bureau. Gong Na, in particular, thought that not only did Mayor Dong help her complete the procedures for promotion from officer to deputy section chief, but he was also very friendly and caring towards subordinates. This made Gong Na feel he was a trustworthy, good leader. A leader taking the initiative to carry someone's suitcase left a deep impression on Zhen Shui County.

The suite had three rooms: the presidential, lady's, and guest rooms.

Speaking of the guest room, typically, a presidential suite didn't come with one. Although there was a bed, it was more like a study room. The room wasn't large, and the bed wasn't big, but there were several bookshelves.

Dong Xuebing hadn't visited this room yet. He realized the room was small when he entered with Gong Na's luggage. After some consideration, he said, "Xiaona, there's no bathroom here. Why don't you take the second bedroom, and I'll sleep here."

Gong Na nervously said, "No, no need."

Chang Juan took a look inside the room. "It is a bit small. Xiaona, can you sleep here with me?"

Gong Na immediately said, "I think it's quite spacious, even larger than the business room downstairs. It's not a problem." She certainly wouldn't let Mayor Dong vacate a room for her.

In the end, Gong Na was pulled away by Chang Juan to the lady's room.

Seeing this, Dong Xuebing sent their luggage into the room and left. After all, it was a women's room, so he turned and closed the door for them. Then, he entered his presidential suite, looking at the spacious room, golden-colored furniture, and bedding. It was indeed luxurious. Dong Xuebing removed his clothes, brushed his teeth, and washed up. Soon after, he comfortably lay in bed and took out his phone.

Let's give Zhang Longjuan a call.

Beep beep beep, the phone was turned off.

Dong Xuebing was surprised. Sister Zhang’s phone had never been turned off. As a busy person, she had a lot of work, and her phone was always on in case of emergencies. Dong Xuebing began to speculate. Perhaps she was on a plane. But why didn't she inform him? If Sister Zhang had arrived, why hadn't she said anything?ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novelenglish.net . ꜰɪre.nᴇt

Turned off…

Could it be that she's on a plane?

Sister Zhang came, but why didn't she tell me?

Dong Xuebing found it strange. Suddenly, he remembered Zhang Longjuan's phone call, where she mentioned giving him a surprise. He couldn't understand what she meant by a surprise.

A surprise…

What could it be?

Why did she come secretly?

Or maybe something happened, and she had to go on a business trip temporarily?

Dong Xuebing couldn't help but care about Sister Zhang. Given the current situation, whether he could secure an investment of over 50 million relied entirely on Sister Zhang. If something happened to her and she couldn't make it, Dong Xuebing would be in a difficult situation.