Official Career Storm
Chapter 222

Chapter 222: Chapter 222

Song Guanchao raised his eyebrows, "How so?"

Wu Qiangwei roughly explained what had occurred at today’s meeting.

After listening, Song Guanchao laughed and said, "People are always bravest in the safest places."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that Zheng Bihui is an opportunist!"

As an observer, Song Guanchao easily discerned Mayor Zheng’s true intentions.

"How was Zheng Bihui doing before you came to Lingjiang?"

"It wasn’t him but the Deputy Mayor, Jiang Yuan, who had the upper hand at the municipal government. As a Mayor being suppressed by a Vice Mayor, to the extent he was, I’d have died of shame if I were him."

"But what’s his situation now, after you arrived?"

"Now he dares to challenge you!"

Wu Qiangwei set down her chopsticks and listened quietly as he analyzed.

Song Guanchao said, "Problems like bribes and corruption can’t be avoided in any city. For any normal leader, a warning is the most one would do—perhaps dismiss a few contract workers at the most."

"But not him; he’s adamant about investigating to the end, whether contract workers or formal staff, discovering one means dismissing one, and even proceeding with legal action to hold them criminally accountable."

"To put it lightly, he lacks experience, he is foolish! To put it more seriously, he doesn’t understand politics, he doesn’t advocate unity."

"But is he truly foolish?"

"He’s not foolish, on the contrary, he’s very clever—he’s being opportunistic!"

"By doing this, he is seen by the public as a good official doing practical work for the people!"

"But to those within the system, he’s breaking the unspoken rules, he’s crossing the line."

"But he doesn’t care, because his term is almost up."

"Right now, Mayor Zheng’s goal is to keep the municipal government clean and boost investment to better the business environment within his limited term."

"To deliver a satisfactory report to both his superiors and subordinates."

"Today at the standing committee, he pulled up Director Qin for criticism merely as a warning to others."

"It’s him sending a signal to the other standing committee members: he’s now focusing on boosting the economy, and whoever opposes him in this area, he will deal with them."

Song Guanchao put down his chopsticks, leaned back, and was about to light a cigarette before realizing he was in the office.

Just as he was putting the cigarette back, Wu Qiangwei said, "Go ahead and smoke."

Song Guanchao smiled awkwardly and lit up.

Cigarette in hand, he said, "I’ve said before, people are always bravest in the safest places. Because of your arrival, Secretary, he’s found an opportunity to act."

"Perhaps, he might even succeed in reclaiming the Mayor’s powers."

"And now that he’s holding justice in his hands, with clear objectives, anyone who tries to play dirty tricks will be seen as obstructing his political career, and he truly will not hesitate to confront them."

"Mayor Jiang must have realized this as well, which is why he’s cooperating."

"This Mayor Jiang, likely from the local faction, probably never thought about advancing to the provincial level. As long as Mayor Zheng doesn’t go too far, he’ll likely yield some power until Mayor Zheng is transferred out of Lingjiang."

"Furthermore, by yielding some power at this time, Mayor Zheng will be grateful to him. Later, when he moves to the province or another economically important city, they will become political allies."

Having analyzed this far, Song Guanchao suddenly clicked his tongue and said, "This Mayor Jiang is pretty astute. I’m rather puzzled as to how he ended up in his current predicament."

In the beginning, when he learned that both the first and second in charge had been sidelined, he thought they must be quite incompetent.

But now it seemed Mayor Zheng was not just any incompetent, but rather adept at political maneuvering and playing hearts.

His timing was impeccable.

Wu Qiangwei’s arrival from the provincial office had momentarily caused the Lingjiang leadership to hold back.

It was this slight opportunity that he seized.

Putting aside personal emotions, the man was truly talented.

Now, it all depended on whether he could improve the economy.

If he really could attract investment and boost the economy, even just a few percentage points of growth would be enough to spark a turning point in his political career and elevate him to a new level.

Wu Qiangwei nodded in agreement with his comprehensive analysis, "With the matter of the guidance group, just go through the motions. In the next couple of days, get in touch with New City Company and let me know after you’ve arranged the time to visit Dujiang County."

"Okay."

After lunch, Song Guanchao packed up his lunchbox.

Wu Qiangwei unfolded the recliner and took out a thin blanket.

She had just lain down when she let out a soft grunt, slightly adjusted her position to make her buttocks accessible, and then lay on her side.

Song Guanchao asked, "Secretary, is the place where you fell feeling any better?"

"Much better." Wu Qiangwei didn’t want to discuss this topic with him.

Song Guanchao, oblivious to her disinterest, said, "Secretary, would you like me to give it a rub?"

Wu Qiangwei shot him a shy, reproachful glance: "No need!"

"Uh, Secretary, don’t get me wrong."

Song Guanchao knew she had misunderstood and explained, "Your fall was quite severe. A massage by others might not hit the right spot. And we have the inspection trip in a couple of days, where you’ll be more active, and you could easily suffer a secondary strain."

He spoke with solemn earnestness, and his expression was very serious.

Of course, what he said was indeed true.

However, he definitely had a bit of a personal agenda.

If he could experience the situation from that night once more, even being scolded would be worth it.

This time, Wu Qiangwei didn’t tell him to get lost but seriously considered his suggestion.

She had been getting massages at an external spa these past two days, by young women.

After all, it was such a private area.

But naturally, a woman’s strength wasn’t comparable to a man’s, and besides, they were spa workers, not specifically trained in treating injuries through massage.

In this regard, Song Guanchao, with his military background, was more professional.

But still, there are differences between men and women.

Having Song Guanchao do the massage...it was psychologically difficult for her to accept.

While she was internally conflicted, Song Guanchao said, "Secretary, I’ll wear a blindfold."

"..."

He had considered everything so thoroughly that Wu Qiangwei felt it would seem more conspicuous if she refused.

"Mhm," she muttered softly.

Song Guanchao was internally elated and picked up his lunchbox to leave: "I’ll go buy a blindfold."

"...No need to buy one, just massage like this."

Wu Qiangwei took the red flower oil out from a drawer.

"I, I’ll go wash my hands."

Song Guanchao was a bit over-excited, his voice shaky as he spoke.

He discarded his lunchbox and entered the washroom to thoroughly clean his hands.

Zeng Li had gone out to eat and hadn’t come back yet.

To ensure they wouldn’t be disturbed, Song Guanchao deliberately sent Zeng Li a message, asking him to look for Liang Jianfeng to get Xu Xin’s information.

He had asked Liang Jianfeng to look into Xu Xin’s background in Lingjiang before her residency was established. One weekend had passed; the investigation should be nearly complete.

After making these preparations, he locked his office door from the inside.

Then he entered Wu Qiangwei’s office.

Wu Qiangwei was already lying on the recliner, a thin blanket covering her back.

Hearing the sound of the door opening and closing, a faint tension crossed Wu Qiangwei’s face as she kept her eyes tightly shut.

Song Guanchao approached, Wu Qiangwei’s prone form growing larger in his view.

Her black slacks were well-tailored, accentuating the firm arch of her bottom.

Song Guanchao walked behind her, unable to suppress his imagination – wondering what it would feel like from this angle.

He took a deep breath, squatted down, and coughed lightly to mask his nerves. He lifted the blanket to her waist and reached towards the waistband of her trousers.

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