Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 1142 - Chapter 1142 Chapter 1098 An Irrefutable Condition

Chapter 1142: Chapter 1098: An Irrefutable Condition Chapter 1142: Chapter 1098: An Irrefutable Condition They looked each other in the eye. Li Guohua’s gaze was very bland, with no hatred, no fierce clash. This also made Nie Zhenbang silently admire him. Setbacks were indeed the best way to mature. After completely losing hope for a bureaucratic career, he had turned to building and managing relationships, and Li Guohua’s abilities were perfectly displayed. The gradual maturation and strengthening of the Ivy Club had brought huge networks to the Li family. This was also why, after the death of Elder Li, the Li family, lacking a key pillar, still remained an essential part of Jingcheng.

“The setting is nice, very atmospheric, very charming,” Nie Zhenbang praised with a smile.

Li Guohua waved his hand and signaled, “Please sit down. It’s been many years. You haven’t changed a bit.”

By then, Li Guohua had dismissed his attendants, leaving only Nie Zhenbang and himself. Standing by the window, looking at the Dynasty Club opposite, Li Guohua smiled and said, “What do you think of my place? Do you feel a sense of being above it all?”

Li Guohua’s words were delivered with extraordinary momentum. However, the hidden implications made Nie Zhenbang laugh. In front of him, Li Guohua, the former loser, despite his good cover-up, had still lost his equilibrium.

Feeling above it all had two meanings. First, in comparison with the Dynasty, the Ivy Club was one level higher. This was simply an objective fact and also represented the current slightly superior situation of the Ivy Club over the Dynasty Club. This was inevitable.

The Dynasty was managed by Li Lixue’s brother, whereas the Ivy was personally overseen by Li Guohua himself. The better and worse were apparent, and Nie Zhenbang was already satisfied that the Dynasty could maintain its current status, just slightly behind.

The other meaning involved a comparison between the Nie and Li families. Following Elder Nie, the Nie family still had Nie Guodong and Nie Guowei as two mainstays to step into the fray, whereas the Li family lacked any notable figures after Elder Li passed away. In this regard, the Li family was fundamentally incomparable. Yet, they remained indomitable, even on par with the Nie family. It was clear which was superior and which was inferior.

Li Guohua’s message was clear. Indeed, I lost to you, Nie Zhenbang, but I did not fall because of it. Although my official career is no more, I, Li Guohua, can still provide a strong counter to you, Nie Zhenbang. Aren’t you here to see me now?

Nie Zhenbang smiled indifferently. In his view, Li Guohua’s current mentality was an expression of petty bourgeoisie. He looked at Li Guohua and said, “Heh, nine is the extreme number. Too much is as bad as too little. I’m somewhat puzzled, Li Guohua. You, after all, are a scion of a top-tier wealthy family. How could a few years abroad leave you with this petty-bourgeois flavor? Do you understand what it means?”

While speaking, Nie Zhenbang continued to explain, “The so-called ‘petty bourgeoisie’ refers to the petite bourgeoisie, specifically the middle class. The lifestyle, the mood of the petty bourgeoisie–by rights, these should have nothing to do with you. You should be considered big bourgeoisie. To be exact, super big bourgeoisie…”

“Enough! Nie Zhenbang, today, I’m not here to be lectured by you,” Li Guohua’s mentality became unbalanced in an instant.

It seemed he also felt that his words had gone too far. Li Guohua waved his hand and sat back on the sofa, fiddling with the tea set on the coffee table. He calmly said, “Sit down. I think, Nie Zhenbang, that you didn’t come here today just to discuss petty bourgeois tastes with me.”

With a sheepish smile, Nie Zhenbang also sat down, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and praised, “Good tea.”

Continuing, Nie Zhenbang looked at Li Guohua and said, “As far as I know, there’s been a personnel change at the National Development and Reform Commission, leaving a deputy director position vacant. I think Li Honghua is a good choice.”

This statement, stripped of context, seemed enigmatic. But Nie Zhenbang believed that Li Guohua understood.

Involving Li Honghua, if Li Guohua didn’t understand that, then it would be strange–unworthy of being his opponent.

Looking at Nie Zhenbang, Li Guohua was momentarily stunned, but then smiled and said, “Did Ning Zhiyuan come to you? Indeed, the Ning family, as your vanguard, deserves more support and care. Otherwise, it would chill the hearts of those below. Once morale disperses, the team becomes hard to lead. That’s for certain.”

Nie Zhenbang was unconcerned about Li Guohua’s teasing. Neither of them was swayed by emotions. At this moment, Li Guohua’s words were just a verbal joust. To change perspective, a once-bright future dashed, withdraw from the political scene–a massive blow. Grudges were understandable.

Nie Zhenbang looked at Li Guohua with a very relaxed and natural demeanor, crossed his legs like an ‘Erlang’ god, leaned back on the sofa, and slowly said, “As for the reason, I will not articulate. Despite your private life being somewhat messy, you cannot deny that your intelligence is first-class. I believe you can figure it out.”

At the moment, Li Guohua was also deep in thought. Nie Zhenbang had offered a temptation he could not refuse. The Development and Reform Commission–this was a very important unit, particularly the national one.

Within the system, this department can be called a mini State Council. It covers everything from market prices to national key project construction under its jurisdiction.

Its predecessor was the National Development and Reform Commission. This department can be considered the traditional sphere of influence of the Nie family. Now, if one could secure a key position here, even if it’s just as a deputy director, the significance would be different. It would be immensely beneficial for the entire Li faction.

For example, right now, the Li faction has officials at all levels, from county and division level to bureau and department level, up to the provincial and ministerial level.

When initiating a project, if it needs to be set up by the NDRC, it can sometimes be very troublesome. Even in a competitive situation, one might only be able to watch others succeed. However, if Li Honghua gets in, things will be different.

“Having someone at court makes you a better official,” an ancient saying goes, and it is profoundly true. If Li Honghua was at the NDRC, the help it would provide to the entire Li faction would be immense, clearly outweighing that of a standing deputy governor of Jiangbei Province.

At this moment, Li Guohua was trying to guess why Nie Zhenbang would do this, willing to stake such significant capital in the process.

Nie Zhenbang was very calm. With a relaxed demeanor, he was fully confident in the condition he had offered. In negotiations, as in striking a snake at its vital point, one must hit hard. With the Li family’s strength, ordinary conditions would certainly be rejected by Li Guohua. Li Honghua was already at the vice-ministerial level, and ordinary vice-ministerial posts would not entice the Li family to compromise and agree. However, a full ministerial level post would be too costly. The current condition was just right, hitting precisely where Li Guohua was tempted. Agreeing to it would not cause any loss to Nie Zhenbang’s side, as the overall situation would still be in his own hands.

“Good, when I see the public announcement of the nominee, I will fully cooperate with you,” said Li Guohua after a moment of contemplation, soon agreeing to Nie Zhenbang’s terms.

Hearing Li Guohua’s words, Nie Zhenbang also stood up with a smile, extended his hand, and shook hands with Li Guohua, saying, “Brother Guohua, I am pleased to cooperate with you.”

Although this was a private verbal commitment, there would basically be no issues. The circle is so small that everyone could see that this verbal promise would not be any less binding than a signed written contract. Li Guohua would not make trouble or break his promise. He wouldn’t dare; if he did, the Li family would lose its credibility to the world, and then, who would dare cooperate with them in the future? It would be a loss too great for such a minor issue.

Li Guohua also nodded and said, “Pleased to cooperate. I must say, having an opponent like you makes my life far from lonely.”

Li Guohua’s words had a deeper meaning, as it was obvious how much benefit Nie Zhenbang could derive from this. By resolving his biggest adversary first and then supporting Nie Zhenbang, the effect of their agreement would be significant when released to the public. Others, even those eyeing the position in Jiangbei Province, would have to consider whether they could withstand the pressure from the Nie and Li families or snatch food from their mouths.

Therefore, Nie Zhenbang’s gains were significant, which would intimidate many competitors and save him a lot of trouble.

But since Li Guohua acknowledged this gain, he would not envy how much Nie Zhenbang received. After all, it was a mutually agreed exchange.

Li Guohua personally escorted Nie Zhenbang to the door; setting aside their animosity, the two were indeed quite matched in talent. At this moment, there was indeed a feeling of mutual respect.

Many at the Ivy Club were surprised; there weren’t many people whom Li Guohua would personally see out.

Standing at the entrance of the Ivy Club, right across was Nie Zhenbang’s Dynasty Club. It was then that Li Guohua smiled and said, “Little brother Zhenbang, I forgot to tell you, I have already purchased the land surrounding Dynasty. I’m planning to build a high-rise residential block there with elevators.”

Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang frowned slightly. Li Guohua was infuriatingly cunning. Building a high-rise meant he wanted to encircle Dynasty Club.

After contemplating briefly, Nie Zhenbang smiled indifferently and said to Li Guohua, “Congratulations, I guess I’ll be a qualified nail house resident.”

The remark made Li Guohua burst into laughter as well, and it seemed as if the animosity between them for over a decade dissolved in that brief moment.

After a pause, Li Guohua spoke earnestly, “Zhenbang, I have to admit, having you around has added a lot of pleasure and fighting spirit to my life. I also have to acknowledge, you’ve done very well, especially within the system–better than me at least. But don’t be complacent. I will definitely not let you be so self-satisfied. Whether you can make it to the end, that will depend on your ability.” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian (NovelFire.net) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)