Official Career Storm
Chapter 242

Chapter 242: Chapter 242

Song Guanchao sent the address to Fu Ying, then he sent another message, "Secretary Wu has also arrived."

"Is she at the hotel?"

"You just saw her."

Fu Ying was bewildered. Have I seen her?

When?

Song Guanchao didn’t keep him in suspense and said directly, "My driver, Song Qiang, is Secretary Wu."

An image flashed through Fu Ying’s mind of the slim, handsome-looking man.

He is Wu Qiangwei?

Fu Ying had a deep impression of Song Qiang in Wu Qiangwei’s disguise, but he really hadn’t realized she was a woman.

"Let’s find a place to have some tea."

Song Guanchao knew she wanted to see him.

But it wasn’t convenient to have her come directly to his room.

It would be quite awkward if she found out he and Wu Qiangwei were staying in the same room.

He believed Wu Qiangwei wouldn’t want anyone else to know either.

"Okay."

Fu Ying sent a location, and Song Guanchao said, "Secretary, County Magistrate Fu wants to see us."

He turned on the navigation, Wu Qiangwei glanced at the route, hummed softly, and followed the guidance.

Ten minutes later, the car stopped outside a tea house.

Song Guanchao sent a message: "Act natural later, don’t let the secretary catch on. She came here privately, didn’t tell anyone, and had no intention of letting you know."

"Got it, I understand."

The two got out of the car and entered the private room of the tea house.

Soon after, Fu Ying came in.

She acted very naturally, without restraint, treating Wu Qiangwei as just an ordinary driver, focusing all her attention on Song Guanchao.

Wu Qiangwei was focused on making tea, handing it to Fu Ying.

"Thank you."

Fu Ying took the teacup, and although she acted naturally, she was still somewhat nervous.

Song Guanchao asked, "What is the situation in the county? What are the chances of success with the application to upgrade from county to prefecture-level city?"

With no outsiders present, Fu Ying didn’t have so many concerns and said directly, "The process is already underway; barring any surprises, the notice should come out soon."

This answer was beyond Song Guanchao’s expectation.

Now that the news of Dujiang County being upgraded to a prefecture-level city was confirmed, Dujiang County should be very welcoming to a quality real estate company like New City Company.

Not to mention, Liu Lanzi had come with him.

But at dinner tonight, when Liu Lanzi asked, Fu Ying’s answers were vague.

With Song Guanchao backing her, Fu Ying shouldn’t be hiding anything.

"Why didn’t you say so earlier?"

Fu Ying took a sip of her tea and said, "If they weren’t brought by you, I wouldn’t have met with them at all."

Song Guanchao frowned, "What do you mean?"

Fu Ying said, "This news has been deliberately suppressed by the key leaders of the county. But no matter how much they try to suppress it, those with determination can find out if they put in the effort."

"And haven’t you thought about it? For such a big event as upgrading a county to a city, why is only New City Company from Lingjiang City coming to you?"

Song Guanchao hadn’t really considered these points.

He had been quite busy lately, dealing with other matters.

Besides, economic issues weren’t his to decide.

Hearing what Fu Ying said, he started to realize that indeed something wasn’t quite right.

The investment potential of a county that was set to be upgraded to a prefecture-level city was clear to anyone with half a brain.

However, as far as he knew, only New City Company seemed interested in the entire Lingjiang City.

Seeing Song Guanchao frown in thought, Fu Ying smiled lightly, "Because all the other companies that should have come have already been here."

"Already been here?" Song Guanchao asked, "They came to Dujiang County?"

"Mm."

"Has all the land in Dujiang County been sold off?"

"No," Fu Ying shook her head. "Didn’t I tell you? There’s a land auction in the next couple of days."

"What the heck is going on?" Song Guanchao grew more confused the more he heard.

Fu Ying sighed and said, "What else could it be? Dujiang County is about to be upgraded to a county-level city, and the most valuable thing right now is the land. Do you think Dujiang County would miss such an opportunity? To just hand over the benefits to outsiders on a silver platter?"

An idea flashed in Song Guanchao’s mind, "You mean, New City Company won’t be able to get the land?"

Fu Ying nodded and then shook her head. "They want to get it, they definitely can, but at a significant cost. Moreover, the land auction is managed by Secretary Tu. I can’t get involved."

Song Guanchao took out a cigarette, but when he remembered that Fu Ying and Wu Qiangwei were present, he put it away again.

He had met with Fu Ying in the provincial capital before and heard a brief description of the situation in Dujiang County; he knew the local leadership was quite conservative.

But he hadn’t expected the actual situation to be this complex.

However, if he looked at it from a different angle, such a situation was normal.

After all, with the county upgrading to a county-level city, the stakes were huge.

Everyone wanted a piece of the pie.

But generally, even if people wanted a cut, they would leave some room for others.

Judging from Fu Ying’s reaction, however, the county leaders seemed to be quite unscrupulous.

Song Guanchao said, "Tell me about the County Committee leadership team in detail."

Fu Ying said, "The main authority in the county lies with Secretary Tu and County Magistrate Hou."

"Secretary Tu has a background as the head of the County Committee Office. He was a town mayor in his early years, very capable and ambitious. Dujiang County’s upgrade to a prefecture-level city is largely thanks to him."

"County Magistrate Hou comes from a secretarial background, very strong in writing and high in theoretical knowledge, but it is said he climbed the ranks through flattery. He’s generally low-profile, and I don’t know much about him."

Song Guanchao asked, "Who’s mainly responsible for the land auction?"

Fu Ying said, "Secretary Tu is in charge of the overall direction and assigning tasks, while County Magistrate Hou follows up with supervision and coordination. If you want to get the land, I suggest Chairman Liu of New City goes directly to Secretary Tu."

Song Guanchao pondered, his phone suddenly buzzed.

He grabbed it and saw a message from Wu Qiangwei.

He resisted looking at Wu Qiangwei, focusing on the message instead.

Wu Qiangwei wanted him to inquire more about Secretary Tu and County Magistrate Hou.

"Tell me more about Secretary Tu."

Fu Ying shared everything she knew in great detail.

The three of them stayed until nearly eleven before departing.

Song Guanchao asked, "Where are you staying? I’ll drop you off."

The three of them got into the car, with Wu Qiangwei driving and Song Guanchao sitting in the back with her, heading toward the County Committee Compound.

"How long do you plan to stay this time, Secretary Song?"

Fu Ying’s tone was casual. Just as Song Guanchao was about to respond, she suddenly grasped his hand.

He turned and saw her fervent, flame-like gaze fixed on him.

"For the time being, it’s not certain." Song Guanchao spoke as if nothing was amiss, not daring to make a move, letting her fingers play with the palm of his hand.

If Wu Qiangwei hadn’t been there, the two of them would have undoubtedly been like dry tinder to raging flames, battling till the crack of dawn.

They arrived at the County Committee Compound.

The houses here were old but of good quality, with no problems for living.

After watching her enter the building, Song Guanchao turned and got back into the car.

When he returned to the hotel, Song Guanchao said, "Secretary, you go ahead and shower first, I’ll wait."

"Okay." Wu Qiangwei took underwear and nightclothes out of her suitcase and went into the bathroom.

Song Guanchao stared at the frosted glass, appreciating the silhouette of Wu Qiangwei bending over to undress when suddenly his phone rang.

It was a message from Fu Ying.

"Have you reached the hotel?"

"Yes."

"Which room are you in?"

Song Guanchao’s heart skipped a beat.

Why would she ask that?

She wasn’t planning to come over, was she?

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