Official Career Storm
Chapter 289

Chapter 289: Chapter 289

Song Guanchao grunted and, holding the document, turned to walk towards the office.

"Knock, knock."

He pushed the door and entered, placing the documents on the desk.

"What’s this?"

"Li Jun brought it over."

Wu Qiangwei picked it up and glanced over it briefly, frowning, "Why did he bring this here?"

Song Guanchao said, "Mayor Zheng asked him to give it to me, saying the current phase of the high-speed rail project is entirely my responsibility."

Wu Qiangwei sneered. She hadn’t expected Mayor Zheng to be so eager to make a move against Song Guanchao.

First, he had come over in the morning and, in front of her, made petty reports against Song Guanchao, trying to sow discord.

Then he handed over the high-speed rail project to Song Guanchao.

Clearly, he was hoping Song Guanchao would slip up.

"How far has the project progressed now?"

"In Lingjiang’s five districts, the survey has been completed for two."

Wu Qiangwei mused, "Mayor Zheng has completely handed over the survey phase’s rights to you, definitely looking to take action against you. I reckon he plans to let you make a mistake during the survey phase."

However, she had no experience with such projects and wasn’t clear about the troubles one could encounter during the survey phase.

Song Guanchao also lacked experience.

Logically, if they really wanted to deal with him, they would wait until the project was approved and arrange for him to follow up the construction process of the high-speed rail—that stage was easiest to manipulate.

After a lot of thought and still without any useful information, Wu Qiangwei said, "Be extra vigilant, and immediately report to me if you encounter any problems. Besides, I will notify Secretary Wang to arrange for the Disciplinary Committee to join the project team."

"No need," Song Guanchao shook his head. "Who would have the Disciplinary Committee get involved during the survey phase? Besides, nothing has happened yet; doing so would only make others speculate wildly."

"Mayor Zheng wants to target me, he has only so many tactics. I’m not afraid of the ones in plain sight, and he wouldn’t dare. As for his hidden tactics, if he doesn’t tell, you and I couldn’t possibly know. Let’s play it by ear; I’m actually curious to see what he’s capable of."

Wu Qiangwei grunted, repeating her advice, "Just be extra careful, and be sure to stay calm in any situation, don’t be impulsive."

"I understand."

...

Li Jun returned to the city government.

"Mayor, the report has been delivered to Secretary Song."

"Mhm." Mayor Zheng drank his tea leisurely, and upon seeing him still standing there, asked, "Is there anything else?"

Li Jun hesitated, then said, "Mayor, it seems Secretary Song has some issues with you."

"Oh? What issues?"

"I’m not sure, but when I delivered the report to him, I think I heard him cursing at you."

Mayor Zheng’s face turned cold for a few seconds, then he calmed down, "Why would Secretary Song curse at me all of a sudden? You probably heard it wrong."

"Right, I must have heard it wrong. Mayor, I’ll take my leave then."

After leaving the office, Li Jun called Minister Zhou to report the situation.

From Mayor Zheng’s reaction, there definitely was tension between them.

And it wasn’t minor.

"I understand, keep an eye on things."

Minister Zhou, holding the phone, suddenly laughed.

"Interesting."

What could be confirmed at the moment was that the information Director Qin had received was true.

But Minister Zhou certainly wouldn’t tell him that.

...

That afternoon, Song Guanchao continued the survey with Mr. He.

He was extremely alert, wary of any potential accidents.

At the same time, he was trying to figure out exactly how Mayor Zheng intended to deal with him.

If Cai Zixiang were here, he would certainly be able to analyze it.

Song Guanchao’s thoughts inadvertently drifted to Cai Zixiang.

But he quickly shook his head.

One shouldn’t always think of seeking others’ help whenever facing problems.

It was a sign of lacking confidence and capability.

"Why worry so much? Whatever tricks he has, just let him use them!"

Only through adversity does one become strong!

He was clean, so he wasn’t afraid of getting splashed with dirty water.

Any form of conspiracy or trickery was useless against him.

When it was almost time to clock out, Mr. He said, "Let’s call it a day, Xiao Song. Come on, I’ll treat you to dinner."

The two had been together every day for some time and knew each other very well.

Engineer He Songming was the typical science student, filled with integrity and focused solely on work.

Song Guanchao was straightforward and had been an ex-soldier, so their personalities matched well and they got along quite nicely.

"Let’s go." Song Guanchao smiled as he got into the car with him.

Just then, his phone suddenly rang.

He picked it up to look, and the caller ID surprised him.

"Minister Zhou, what can I do for you?"

"Heh, nothing much. I just wanted to ask if Secretary Song is free tonight. I’d like to have dinner with you."

Want to have dinner with me?

What’s he playing at?

If there was someone in the City Committee that he couldn’t figure out, it was definitely Minister Zhou.

But Minister Zhou was a smart man, and ever since Wu Qiangwei arrived in Lingjiang, he had kept a very low profile.

Moreover, he’d also intended to get on good terms with Wu Qiangwei.

Although Wu Qiangwei didn’t trust him fully, she didn’t reject him either.

Was this sudden dinner invitation an attempt to win over Wu Qiangwei through him?

"Unfortunately, I’ve just finished working with Mr. He from the project team and we’re about to have dinner together. How about tomorrow? Tomorrow I’ll treat you, Minister Zhou."

"Then, tomorrow."

After hanging up, Mr. He said, "A leader treating you to a meal?"

"Yeah, it’s Minister Zhou from the Organization Department."

There was no need to hide these words from Mr. He; it wasn’t anything significant anyway.

Mr. He chuckled wryly, "The project hasn’t even started yet, and a bunch of people can’t wait to jump in."

This comment sparked an insight in Song Guanchao.

He had been too preoccupied with thinking about Wu Qiangwei and had forgotten that he was currently in charge of the high-speed rail project.

The fact that Minister Zhou wanted to have dinner with him now was more likely about the project.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Song Guanchao’s mind.

He realized he had overlooked an important point.

He and Wu Qiangwei didn’t understand the high-speed rail project.

But Mr. He did!

He was an expert, having participated in high-speed rail construction projects in many places - he knew too much!

Song Guanchao asked, "Mr. He, have you been contacted by anyone during this time?"

"Oh yes, and how! So much that I feel like smashing my phone."

Mr. He steered the wheel as the car joined the main road, "This department invites me to dinner today, and that department wants to drink with me tomorrow. It’s pretty annoying."

Song Guanchao was puzzled, "But the project hasn’t even been approved yet. Besides, even if it were, they shouldn’t be looking for you, they should go to Mayor Zheng."

Mr. He suddenly laughed, glanced at him, and asked, "When did you join the City Committee?"

"Uh, I didn’t take a test; I was transferred directly after I left the military."

"When did you leave the military?"

"Less than half a year ago."

"That explains it."

"Explains what?"

"The safest way to make money on such projects, do you know what it is?"

The safest...

Song Guanchao shook his head, "I don’t know."

"Land."

"Land?"

"Yes, land."

Mr. He explained, "To build high-speed rail, you need to acquire land. But all the information in the research phase of the project is confidential, known only to the direct leadership and the project manager."

"Now, do you understand why so many people are looking for me?"

That statement, like a bolt of lightning, struck Song Guanchao’s heart, suddenly bringing a lot of things to his mind.

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