The Strongest Master Venturing Urban
Chapter 144: No, absolutely not!

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: No, absolutely not!

Feng Huzhou responded in a calm tone.

"Chen Bin is indeed quite clever. Before he deceived Wu Liang, he had already planned out every step to take in the future. To be able to do such things at such a young age is truly remarkable."

Having been through the ups and downs of officialdom for decades, Feng Huzhou couldn’t help but think of how audacious one must be to pull off something like this in his twenties.

Perhaps only Peng Shaobo could compare back in the day.

"Dad, should I remind Ruoxuan to stay away from Chen Bin?"

In Feng Lei’s view, Chen Bin was excessively ruthless.

This time, he nearly caused trouble for the Feng family, so maintaining distance seemed like the best option.

But Feng Huzhou shook his head slightly, the glint of wisdom flickering in his eyes.

"No need for that. After all, he and Ruoxuan already share a bond like that of siblings, and Chen Bin doesn’t have any close relatives. Strengthening their relationship might turn Chen Bin’s talent into an asset that we can use."

Feng Lei thought about it and found that to be reasonable. Given Chen Bin and Xu Ruoxuan’s already good relationship, there was no need to disrupt the bond between them.

The next day, the Provincial Disciplinary Inspection Commission began enforcing dual investigations against both Wu Liang and Huang Ming.

Meanwhile, Tang Wenbo, who was on the run in another province, was quickly captured and brought back to Tianhai.

Investigations revealed that Tang Wenbo had been involved in illegal mining activities in other provinces in the past.

Later, he fled with embezzled funds after defaulting on workers’ wages.

This time, upon returning to Tianhai and learning of the coal mines in Qingshi County, he partnered with Wu Liang to exploit the opportunity.

Their schemes ultimately led to the black coal mining incident.

However, more than Tang Wenbo’s arrest, people were keenly interested in who would replace Wu Liang and Huang Ming.

In Tianhai, most people assumed that Xu Tai would step into the mayor’s position.

After all, he was Feng Huzhou’s in-law and had served as deputy secretary of the municipal committee for years.

In terms of both age and qualifications, no one seemed suited to surpass him.

Xu Tai himself had the same expectation.

If he couldn’t be the top leader, at least being the second in command should suffice, right?

Ever since the black coal mining incident, he had been commuting to work humming cheerful tunes.

His heart was brimming with joy.

But a week later, the provincial appointments shocked everyone.

Fu Hongtu was designated to take over Wu Liang’s role as the new mayor of Tianhai City.

At just over forty years old, Fu Hongtu was also a rising star prioritized for development by higher authorities.

Much like Cao Sanjin, he belonged to the cohort of young, practical officials.

When Xu Tai heard the news, he was utterly taken aback.

But more than that, he was left disheartened.

After the mayoral candidate was finalized, the replacement for Huang Ming in Qingshi County was soon announced: Yang Lin!

During Huang Ming’s tenure, Yang Lin had consistently clashed with Wang Jun.

Now, as Huang Ming’s successor, Yang Lin’s attitude toward Wang Jun had undergone a complete turnaround.

He even privately stated that he would now steadfastly follow Wang Jun’s lead in the future.

When Chen Bin heard this from Wang Jun, he couldn’t help but chuckle internally.

He had to admit, Yang Lin was someone who knew how to adapt to the times.

After work, Xu Ruoxuan drove Chen Bin over to Xu Tai’s house.

On the way, they casually chatted about the city’s leadership changes.

"Sis, didn’t your dad discuss the mayoral position with your father-in-law?"

"Nope! He thought the mayoral appointment was already a sure thing, so he didn’t bother making additional moves. Who would have thought it would turn out this way?"

At this point, Xu Ruoxuan let out a faint sigh.

"My dad missed the chance to become municipal secretary last time, and now he’s missed out on the mayoral position as well. His prospects for promotion might be over."

"Life is so full of uncertainty, but I think your dad will probably take it all in stride."

Chen Bin expressed these words optimistically, though he himself felt somewhat disappointed.

He had routinely been making trips to the city to build rapport with Xu Tai.

If Xu Tai had become mayor, it would have significantly benefited Chen Bin’s future career.

Unfortunately, plans often fail to keep pace with change.

Upon arriving at Xu Tai’s house, Chen Bin had just sat down when Xu Tai spoke with curiosity.

"Was it your idea to have Ruoxuan appointed as Executive Deputy County Magistrate?"

Chen Bin subconsciously glanced at Xu Ruoxuan and, with a smile, responded.

"Nothing escapes your notice. Yes, it was indeed my suggestion to Secretary Wang."

"And why did you suggest that?"

"First of all, I felt that serving as county committee office director didn’t fully utilize my sister’s abilities; it was a bit of a waste of her talent. Secondly, I thought she could keep an eye on Yang Lin—after all, Yang Lin was previously aligned with Huang Ming, and prudence is always advisable."

In Chen Bin’s view, securing benefits for his loved ones was only natural.

However, when recommending Xu Ruoxuan to Cao Sanjin through Wang Jun, he had used the reasons just stated.

Nodding in approval, Xu Tai was very satisfied with this explanation.

Although most of his attention was focused on Xu Shaoyang, he was equally pleased to see Xu Ruoxuan making strides in the political arena.

What’s more, Xu Tai speculated that Wang Jun would likely receive a promotion before long.

When that happened, he could coordinate with Feng Huzhou to help Xu Ruoxuan vie for the position of Qingshi County secretary of the County Committee.

Even if she couldn’t secure it, getting officially confirmed in her current role should at least be achievable.

"Secretary Chen, as Ruoxuan gains more responsibilities in government, she might lack some experience. You’ll need to lend her a hand when needed."

"Rest assured, her concerns are my concerns. While ’helping out’ might be overstating it, I’ll certainly offer thoughtful advice as best I can."

The next day at work, Chen Bin and Wang Jun were discussing plans for an upcoming site visit when the office door was suddenly knocked.

"Come in!"

As soon as Wang Jun spoke, Yang Lin walked through the door.

Chen Bin immediately greeted him, "Hello, County Magistrate Yang!"

Yang Lin responded with a smile, "So Secretary Chen is here too—perfect! I wanted your input on something."

This statement left Chen Bin momentarily stunned.

From his impression, he and Yang Lin were not particularly acquainted.

What might Yang Lin want to discuss with him?

Glancing instinctively at Wang Jun, Chen Bin asked Yang Lin, "What might that be?"

With a serious expression, Yang Lin replied, "I want to erect a bronze statue of Secretary Wang."

What?!

The statement left both Chen Bin and Wang Jun utterly dumbfounded.

Wang Jun vehemently shook his head. "Absolutely not! How could I deserve something like that? That’s completely unacceptable!"

Yang Lin hastily explained.

"Qingshi County, in terms of land area, is indeed the largest county in Tianhai, but its economy has long lagged behind. Under your leadership as secretary of the County Committee, the county has truly thrived. A bronze statue is clearly in line with public sentiment!"

"It’s still a no. Don’t bring this up again!"

Seeing Wang Jun’s displeased expression, Yang Lin became visibly uncomfortable.

Chen Bin cleared his throat and stepped in to mediate.

"I think we could consider this idea."

Taking note of Chen Bin’s remark, Yang Lin—knowing Chen Bin was Wang Jun’s advisor—immediately nodded in agreement.

"Alright, take your time to think about it. There’s no rush on my end!"

With that, he turned and left the office.

As the door closed, Wang Jun snorted disdainfully.

"A bronze statue while I’m still alive—he dares to suggest that! I didn’t even scold him, and yet you still gave him an out."

Chen Bin quickly explained.

"Don’t get upset. It’s still ultimately your call when it comes to decisions in the county. But we also need to save face for him. After all, he’s the County Magistrate. Extending gestures of goodwill after taking office is normal—you wouldn’t want to embarrass him directly."

Wang Jun still looked disgruntled as he retorted.

"So your suggestion is that, just to spare his pride, I should agree to this statue business?"

"Come on, it’s not like that. A statue is obviously inappropriate—poor optics. But we could approach this from a different angle, one that spares his pride without erecting your statue."

Wang Jun’s interest was piqued at once.

"What do you mean by that?"