Official Career Storm
Chapter 156

Chapter 156: Chapter 156

"Secretary, you wanted to see me?"

Song Guanchao walked into the office.

Wu Qiangwei said, "We need to set the research process."

Song Guanchao was both surprised and not surprised.

As long as Wu Qiangwei wanted to understand the true situation of the various districts and counties of Lingjiang, it was inevitable she would have to do research privately.

"Secretary, I don’t think a process is necessary. Lingjiang oversees five districts and two counties. Dujiang County and An County are a bit far, and even preliminary research would require at least three days. If you want to visit the towns under the counties’ jurisdiction, you won’t be able to cover it all without ten days to half a month."

"So, I suggest that the Secretary initially research the five districts in the city."

"The Party Secretary of Huayuan District also serves as Mayor Liang, so you can understand the situation of this district anytime, anywhere."

Wu Qiangwei asked, "Among the remaining four districts, which do you think we should start with?"

Song Guanchao asked, "What is the main purpose of the Secretary’s research?"

Wu Qiangwei said, "The business environment."

Song Guanchao nodded inwardly, he had guessed as much.

Or rather, what all city leaders are most concerned about is always the economy.

The well-being of the economy is closely related to the local business environment.

And the business environment is the best reflection of whether a city’s judiciary is healthy, whether there are any criminal underworld forces, and whether there is any corruption in the various municipal departments.

Wu Qiangwei’s connections were actually quite extensive, but during the more than a month she had been in Lingjiang, she had not introduced any industries, nor had she contributed to employment or the economy.

The main reason was that she didn’t understand Lingjiang’s business environment well enough.

Under such circumstances, rushing into attracting investments would be irresponsible to investors.

Once any negative news related to the investments emerged, if she wished to attract more investments in the future, those investors would need to consider whether her word was credible.

Credit is something that’s hard to build up but very easy to destroy.

Therefore, Wu Qiangwei must be extra careful!

After a moment of thought, Song Guanchao said, "Let’s start with Fengjiang District."

Fengjiang District is the city center of Lingjiang, with small vendors as well as large listed companies and high-tech industries.

Lingjiang’s bar street is also in Fengjiang District.

As the district with the largest economic proportion in Lingjiang, Fengjiang District is the best reflection of Lingjiang’s current situation.

Wu Qiangwei nodded, "Then it’s decided—Fengjiang District. Set up the research steps, and we’ll start tonight."

"Tonight..." Song Guanchao said, "Xu Xin invited Secretary Sun and me to get together tonight."

Wu Qiangwei was not at all surprised, "Then let’s do it tomorrow night."

"Okay."

When he returned to the outer office, Zeng Li was gazing at him with tenderness.

This loving look made Song Guanchao very uncomfortable.

He wanted to keep his distance from Zeng Li, but who would have thought, on her second day, she had kissed him.

"Brother Song, shall we go for hot pot tonight? I haven’t eaten hot pot in a long time."

"I have plans tonight."

"You’re lying."

"I’m not lying to you."

"What about tomorrow night?"

"I have plans then too."

"The day after tomorrow night?"

"I have plans."

"The evening after that?"

"Still booked."

"You..." Zeng Li was starting to lose her cool, her anger rising dramatically; she felt that Song Guanchao was doing it on purpose.

Song Guanchao said earnestly, "Xiao Li, you’re so talented, you could find any young guy you want. Even if you wanted to date a celebrity, it would be easy. There’s no need to waste your time on me."

Zeng Li’s face turned cold, "Mind your own business!"

"I’m just giving you advice."

"I’m an adult, I don’t need your advice!"

Zeng Li stood up and left, and Song Guanchao breathed a sigh of relief, finally quiet.

In the evening, just before quitting time, Secretary Sun found him, confirming the place.

After work, Song Guanchao came out of the building and saw Wu Ming sitting in Wu Qiangwei’s company car.

He suddenly felt a bit sorry for this sissy.

If he had known earlier that Wu Ming was Wu Qiangwei’s younger brother, he wouldn’t have beaten him up like that.

"Secretary Song, work’s over," Wu Ming greeted him proactively.

"Mm," Song Guanchao replied curtly, maintaining his previous demeanor.

He was unclear why Wu Qiangwei had not confided in him. Didn’t she trust him?

But since she hadn’t mentioned it, he pretended to be unaware.

Arriving at the parking lot across the street, Song Guanchao got in his car and headed for the restaurant.

On the way, he was still pondering over Wu Ming’s situation.

He remembered that night, when he had asked her if she was dating Wu Ming, and she had admitted it.

Furthermore, when he bought her a set, she had accepted it.

Even if she didn’t tell him Wu Ming’s identity, shouldn’t she clarify the misunderstanding?

Song Guanchao thought it over and over but couldn’t figure it out.

He also wasn’t sure if Wu Ming had told her about the beating.

He probably would have, right?

Song Guanchao wondered what Wu Qiangwei’s attitude was toward this incident.

He tried to recall Wu Qiangwei’s behavior in the days after he had punched Wu Ming. It seemed to be no different from usual.

That was her own brother, and he had been punched twice by him, yet she, as his sister, didn’t seem to get angry?

Strange, really strange.

Fifteen minutes later, the car stopped outside a private restaurant.

Led by a waiter, he arrived outside a private room on the second floor.

Secretary Sun and Xu Xin had already arrived.

Both had changed into casual clothes.

Xu Xin was young and well-proportioned, with a curvy figure and extremely beautiful features. Her tasteful attire exuded a faint mature charm that was quite captivating.

"Secretary Song," Xu Xin stood up to greet him, her attitude making the encounter very pleasant.

The three of them took their seats, and the waiter began serving dishes.

Secretary Sun picked up a bottle of Moutai and poured it out for everyone.

Xu Xin stood up with her glass, first turning to Secretary Sun, "Secretary Sun, I’ll toast to you first."

Secretary Sun remained seated, smiling smugly as he took a sip from his glass.

Xu Xin, on the other hand, downed it in one go.

Then, she poured a second glass and turned to Song Guanchao, "Secretary Song, this glass is for you."

Song Guanchao did not get up either. In terms of rank, neither he nor Secretary Sun were higher than Xu Xin.

But within the system, what mattered more was power.

Xu Xin seemed to hold the rank of a department head, but at this critical juncture, her position as the Director of the City Committee Office was ceremonial, and she had to act according to others’ wishes.

Secretary Sun and Song Guanchao, however, one was officially the first secretary of the City Committee, while the other was practically the first secretary.

Their ranks might not be high, but their power was substantial.

After two drinks, Xu Xin’s cheeks flushed with red, seemingly a bit tipsy.

The three of them ate and drank, and Xu Xin’s glass never stopped; she had quickly consumed nearly half a jin.

Xu Xin was eloquent, able to join in any topic without dominating the conversation, always managing to add a remark that inadvertently highlighted Secretary Sun and Song Guanchao.

Song Guanchao also came to realize, albeit belatedly, that Xu Xin had strong social skills and was excellent at flattering.

No wonder she had won Minister Zhou’s favor.

He took a sip of his drink and said with a chuckle, "Director Xu shouldn’t have invited Secretary Sun and me today; you should have invited Minister Zhou instead."

Xu Xin laughed self-deprecatingly, "Indeed, I’d like to thank Minister Zhou in person, but I’m not acquainted with him. If I invite him rashly, I’m afraid Minister Zhou wouldn’t even agree to see me."

Song Guanchao laughed, not believing a word she said.

You’re not close to Zhou Yimin?

If you weren’t, then how could he have pushed for your promotion?

While Xu Xin was away at the restroom, Secretary Sun muttered to himself, "Why would Minister Zhou out of the blue recommend Xu Xin?"

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by (f)reew𝒆b(n)ov𝒆l.com

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.