Official Career Storm
Chapter 139

Chapter 139: Chapter 139

Chu Xiao’e is looking for me?

Song Guanchao was a bit surprised and nodded his head before heading to the office.

He had just sat down when Chu Xiao’e said, "Was that idea about Director Liu yours?"

Song Guanchao was even more surprised and looked at her intently as if he was seeing her for the first time.

This woman was indeed very smart at times.

He had only ever inquired about Director Liu’s matter in front of Chu Xiao’e.

And it was this single inquiry that led her to guess that the matter might be related to him.

Chu Xiao’e felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze.

Song Guanchao smiled, not hiding anything, and nodded, "It was me."

The two of them were now in the same camp, besides, he owed her and her mother a debt of life-saving gratitude.

Moreover, letting her know some of his secrets was also conducive to enhancing their relationship.

Seeing him admit it, Chu Xiao’e was satisfied.

"Do you want to ruin Director Yan?"

Song Guanchao shook his head and gestured with a cigarette, "Do you mind if I smoke one?"

Chu Xiao’e took out a lighter from the drawer and handed it over.

"Secretary Chu also smokes?" Song Guanchao took it, surprised.

"I smoke one occasionally."

Song Guanchao lit the cigarette and said something with a deeper meaning, "The City Committee only needs one voice."

Chu Xiao’e’s eyes flickered, she asked, "Can Secretary Lu agree to this?"

Song Guanchao chuckled, "If he could control the City Committee, Secretary Wu wouldn’t have come here. So whether he agrees or not isn’t important."

This statement was very informative.

It almost bluntly pointed out that Wu Qiangwei, not Lu Zhizhong, was calling the shots at the City Committee!

In fact, Chu Xiao’e had realized quite early that Secretary Lu, the City Secretary, didn’t have as much power as supposed.

Before Wu Qiangwei’s arrival in Lingjiang, the committee rarely passed a proposal in one go.

This indicated that Lingjiang’s power had been fragmented, and the other committee members only showed superficial respect for him.

Previously she hadn’t dwelled on it, but hearing what Song Guanchao said now, some of the past irregularities seemed to make sense.

"The influence of this incident with Director Yan is quite significant, his grasp on overall strategy and humanity isn’t good, and his interactions with colleagues are also unpleasant."

"The Secretary of the Municipal Committee Office needs someone who can oversee the big picture. Does Secretary Chu have any candidates to recommend?"

Chu Xiao’e’s heart stirred, was this position being reserved for me?

She had been the Secretary-General for three years, yet none of her subordinates had climbed up.

Many important positions had been taken by others, and even if she wanted to arrange for someone, there were no vacancies for her.

The Secretary of the Municipal Committee Office was an incredibly important position, after all, it was close to the center of power.

As long as one didn’t side with the wrong team, joining the standing committee in the future was almost a certainty.

Chu Xiao’e said, "Although Director Yan has made a mistake, such a minor error can’t shake his position."

Song Guanchao smiled and said, "Who can guarantee that’s his only mistake?"

After finishing his cigarette, he stood up and said, "I have something to take care of, so I’ll be leaving first. Secretary Chu can begin to finalize a candidate."

Once he had left, Chu Xiao’e took out a pack of women’s cigarettes from the drawer, lit one, and fell into contemplation.

That comment from Song Guanchao basically amounted to telling her outright that he intended to take down Yan Dahai.

This would leave the position of the Secretary of the Municipal Committee Office vacant.

And Song Guanchao was offering this position to her.

It was a generous gift.

She was, of course, very happy and excited.

It meant she could cultivate her own team.

But she was also acutely aware that Secretary Wu’s move was essentially aimed at enhancing her core cohesion and influence within the City Committee.

She had to firmly hold the City Committee and even the Municipal Government together, striving to make Lingjiang as solid as a bloc.

Doing so would certainly affect the current power structure and might cause dissatisfaction among some of the committee members.

Which member of the committee hadn’t cultivated their position deeply to have reached where they were today?

The power that had been so hard to grasp was not something anyone would give up easily.

Yet for Secretary Wu, this step was a necessary one.

It was a zero-sum game with only one winner.

The final outcome was either Wu Qiangwei wielding immense power, holding absolute control,

or someone else would emerge victorious, leaving Wu Qiangwei sidelined, just like Secretary Lu and Mayor Zheng.

When Song Guanchao offered her the position of Director of the City Committee Office, it was essentially forcing her to choose sides.

To stand with Secretary Wu or with the others.

And in this choice, there was no option to remain neutral.

If she wanted to stay neutral, Secretary Wu might take that as a signal to replace her, to remove her as Secretary General first.

As for how her position would be replaced, Chu Xiao’e didn’t know, but Yan Dahai was clearly a reference point.

Who could have imagined, before, the troubles Yan Dahai would face today?

No one could have.

Secretary Wu’s tactics were swift and decisive.

Acting swiftly without giving you a chance to react, let alone a moment to struggle or catch your breath.

"*Sigh*"

Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Chu Xiao’e had made her decision.

Or rather, she had no other choice but to take a gamble.

To bet that Secretary Wu would be the final victor.

However, what she didn’t know was that from start to finish, the incident involving Yan Dahai had nothing to do with Wu Qiangwei and was entirely orchestrated by Song Guanchao alone.

Of course, Song Guan Ci wouldn’t let her know that.

Even if Song Guanchao told her, she wouldn’t believe it.

Song Guanchao walked into the office and said, "Secretary, I’m going to the hospital to see Liu Jie."

Wu Qiangwei asked, "Does this matter have anything to do with you?"

Song Guanchao was startled.

It was understandable for Chu Xiao’e to guess as much.

But how did Wu Qiangwei figure it out?

"Yes," Song Guan Ci didn’t hide anything.

He had planned to find an opportunity to talk to her about it.

Since she brought it up, he might as well discuss it now.

Wu Qiangwei frowned slightly; she had thought that Director Liu’s actions were overly impulsive and abnormal.

And considering Yan Dahai was one of Secretary Lu’s men,

she speculated whether Song Guanchao might have instigated it somehow.

And it turned out she was right.

Wu Qiangwei took a deep breath to compose herself and said calmly, "Go on."

Song Guanchao didn’t hold back any details and laid out the whole sequence of events.

"Bang!"

Wu Qiangwei slammed her hand on the desk, releasing the full force of an authority figure’s presence, her furious gaze piercing him, "Song Guanchao, you’re becoming bolder and bolder!"

"Do you have any idea how greatly today’s events could negatively impact the City Committee if word got out?"

"I do," replied Song Guanchao. "But it won’t get out. At worst, it’ll just spread within the City Committee and Municipal Government."

"Bang!"

Wu Qiangwei slammed the desk once more. Song Guanchao’s calm demeanor was giving her an unsettling feeling of losing control.

"Didn’t I tell you to report any of your actions to me first?"

"I did," Song Guanchao said. "But things happened too suddenly."

"So suddenly that you didn’t even have time to make a phone call?"

"Secretary..."

"Do you understand how Secretary Lu will view me because of what you’ve done?"

Wu Qiangwei said, "Secretary Lu and Mayor Zheng are cooperating with me because I don’t interfere with them. You’ve caused such a stir now, do you think Secretary Lu is a fool, that he can’t see someone’s been agitating behind the scenes?"

Shaking her head, she said, "Song Guanchao, you’ve disappointed me greatly."

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