Official Career Storm
Chapter 226

Chapter 226: Chapter 226

At two in the afternoon, Zhang Yue sent a message.

"Du Lingchun just came to see me."

Leaning on his chair, Song Guanchao tapped out a message asking, "What did he say?"

This Du Lingchun, quite swift indeed.

"He asked me not to be influenced by Li Fuhai and mentioned you as well."

Zhang Yue said, "Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

Song Guanchao was about to end the conversation but then thought better of it and typed another line, "Keep an eye on the bank loan issue, and if Chairman Du makes any requests, don’t rush to agree. Consult me first."

He was not clear about what kind of person Du Lingchun was.

But as long as this guy wasn’t foolish, he should know exactly why he came to him today.

It’s hard to say whether this guy might hold a grudge and play dirty tricks on him.

One must always be cautious.

He was the provincial branch manager and had no financial dealings with him, so he couldn’t get to Song Guanchao himself, but getting to Zhang Yue would be quite easy.

The loan issue was very versatile.

If he wanted to target Zhang Yue, he would definitely start from there.

Zhang Yue was also smart, catching on instantly, "Okay."

Then he added, "I’ll send you the information you asked me to look up later."

"Send it to my email."

"Okay."

"Also, keep an eye on these people’s accounts for any large transactions and let me know immediately."

"Okay."

Putting away his phone, Song Guanchao walked into his office to report on the bank matters to Wu Qiangwei.

All these things were done by Song Guanchao himself.

Only after everything was done did he discuss it with her.

Listening to Song Guanchao’s report, Wu Qiangwei nodded, "You’ve thought this through very well."

Smiling, Song Guanchao said, "It’s all thanks to the Secretary’s good guidance."

Wu Qiangwei gave him a look, "Anything else?"

"I’ll contact New City Company later to confirm the time for a research visit, and then I’ll report back to the Secretary."

"Mhm, go ahead."

Leaving the office, Song Guanchao called Ning Lin, the assistant to the director of New City Company.

He had already done a detailed study of New City Company, a very high-quality real estate company.

In an era where land finance dominates across the country, real estate companies in every city are considered top-notch businesses.

But with soaring housing prices, everyone, both the good and the bad, wants a piece of the action, leading to many inexperienced new real estate firms popping up.

Some cities, only focused on GDP, don’t care whether these new companies have the experience or not.

In the short term, these projects seem to cause no issues and even boost the economy and employment.

However, in the long term, projects developed by such companies often have varying degrees of quality issues.

What’s worse, they carry a great risk of unfinished developments.

In this environment, old, well-established real estate companies like New City Company that focus on development are particularly valuable.

"Assistant Ning, does Chairman Liu have time tonight?"

Ning Lin was surprised and excited to suddenly receive a call from Song Guanchao.

"I’m sorry, Secretary Song, Chairman Liu is not in Lingjiang these days. If it’s about the company research, I can make decisions on that."

She was smart, knowing the purpose of Song Guanchao’s call.

"How about I host dinner tonight, and we can all gather."

"Secretary Song, you’re too kind. Let me host instead. I’ve always wanted to invite you alone and hope you’ll give me the chance."

As a woman, Chen Jie disgusted him.

However, the much younger Ning Lin, who understood the ways of the world, seemed like an old friend even though she was flattering him, speaking neither too humbly nor haughtily.

"Next time. I’ll host this time, and I hope you don’t mind that the restaurant won’t be very high-end."

Having agreed upon the time, Song Guanchao thought he shouldn’t choose too ordinary a restaurant.

At least not one like the roadside stalls where he took Chen Jie.

He was representing the City Committee, Wu Qiangwei.

Moreover, this kind of hospitality could be reimbursed.

As he was mulling over this, Xu Xin came over with some documents.

"Secretary Song, this is the preliminary report from this morning’s visit."

She handed him a stack of documents and said, "I have already sent copies to Secretary Sun and Secretary Li."

"Okay, thank you."

Song Guanchao took the documents and suddenly asked, "Does Director Xu know of any suitable restaurants nearby for hosting?"

Xu Xin was startled, a sudden excitement filling her heart.

It was a trivial matter, yet also somewhat personal.

Now, Song Guanchao was willing to discuss personal matters with her.

This meant that Song Guanchao was starting to treat her as one of his own.

"What’s the budget per person?"

"About five hundred."

Anyway, it was just two people dining; a higher per-person cost wouldn’t matter since the total price wouldn’t be high.

Xu Xin asked, "Any requirements for the cuisine?"

Song Guanchao shook his head, "I don’t know much about these things."

Xu Xin said, "If it’s rather formal, I would recommend Cantonese or Huaiyang cuisine primarily, but if Secretary Song’s budget can stretch a bit further, I would suggest Tan’s cuisine."

"There’s a decent Cantonese restaurant nearby in terms of service and taste, but I recommend Jiangnan Lane at Qipailou more."

"Okay, thank you."

Song Guanchao noted down the names.

Xu Xin smiled slightly and turned to leave.

Zeng Li asked, "Who are you inviting for dinner tonight?"

Song Guanchao reluctantly replied, "Executives from New City Company."

"A man or a woman?"

"A woman."

"I’m coming too!"

"Why would you come?" Song Guanchao was at a loss for words, "I am representing Secretary Wu to host the dinner. What would your role be?"

"I am Sister Weiwei’s driver!"

"Stop joking."

"I don’t care, I’m going. You’ll definitely drink tonight, and I’ll drive for you then."

Zeng Li said, "Song Guanchao, I’ve helped you so much, and you won’t even take me to a meal. Are you okay with that?"

"I’m totally fine."

"You jerk!"

Zeng Li pinched him on the side of his waist, "I’m going anyway."

She picked up her phone, found the reservation number for Jiangnan Lane Restaurant, and called directly, "Hello, this is from the City Committee. Reserve a private room for three people this evening."

Song Guanchao: "..."

After hanging up, Zeng Li looked at him triumphantly.

There was nothing Song Guanchao could say; he just had to grin and bear it.

As work was about to end, Zeng Li grabbed her bag and said, "I’ll go order the dishes first."

She had just left when Wu Yun came along.

"Tonight, Secretary Zhao from Tongchi District has invited us to dinner."

"I can’t tonight; I’m tied up."

Song Guanchao asked, "What issue did you find in Tongchi District?"

Otherwise, why would the secretary invite them out of the blue?

Wu Yun pursed her lips, "It’s about the parking spaces issue."

"Hui Po Company was caught as a typical case, and other districts’ parking companies have been dissolved. Besides Secretary Zhao from Tongchi District, the heads of Lingbei District and Zhujiang District have also invited us. There are banquets every night for the next few days."

Companies like Hui Po Company were not uncommon in Lingjiang.

After all, with a head for each district, Director Qin couldn’t possibly reach out to all of them.

These company heads knew well that the leadership above didn’t intend to eradicate them all at once; they were given the chance to correct and improve.

Thus, they rushed to dissolve their companies and actively sought to remedy the situation.

Song Guanchao said, "I won’t go then. It’s fine as long as Secretary Sun and Secretary Li are there."

Wu Yun pouted, "Actually, I don’t want to go either. I dislike these kinds of banquets."

Song Guanchao said, "If you don’t like it, don’t go."

"I can’t afford not to go. We still have to respect the district secretary."

Seeing her reluctant look, Song Guanchao smiled and said, "Then for the next few banquets, I’ll attend with you."

Wu Yun’s eyes brightened, feeling a bit happier, "You better not be lying."

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