Reborn as a Noble's Son

Dong Wan was growing unsatisfied with the environment of the Li County Hotel. Compared to the luxurious and lavish layout of the Dynasty Club, the Li County Hotel felt no different from a shack. The Li County Hotel was built in the 1960s. It was nothing but small bungalows, and the banquet halls were separately set up, much like a factory. Other than a few courtyards that had been refurbished to welcome superior leaders, the rest of the guest rooms were more rudimentary than those in a hostel.

Yan Fengjiao acted swiftly. Nie Zhenbang had asked her to take the lead, partly to avoid suspicion. The other part expressed his intention to give her credit for the accomplishment. Naturally, Feng Jiao accepted it all with a smile.

In the banquet hall of the Li County Hotel, the venue had been redecorated. The entire place was carpeted in bright red. At the front, a row of tables was concealed by red wool cloth. At both ends, beautiful bouquets of flowers were placed. The backdrop was a massive map of the Li County Development Zone’s plan. Above the map hung a banner; Welcome Jingcheng Wal-Mart Group to the signing ceremony of the Economic and Technological Development Zone in our county.

Below the stage, numerous chairs were arranged to mimic Jingcheng and South China Sea’s layout. At the moment, the venue was filled with camera-equipped journalists. Reporters from the Northwest TV Station, representatives from provincial media outlets such as the Northwest Daily, journalists from the Bazhou City TV Station and the Bazhou Daily, along with local media from Li County, nearly ten media outlets were present and seated.

As nine o’clock approached, Yan Fengjiao and Li Lixue represented the Li County Development Zone and the Wal-Mart Group, respectively, stepping onto the rostrum and signing the investment intention agreement.

“May I ask, Boss Li, what motivated your company to invest so heavily in the infrastructure construction of Li County? Can you share some specific details?” He Xinyan, a reporter from the Bazhou TV station, started conducting an interview. Despite looking older, her words were as sharp as ever.

The details of the agreement were not entirely disclosed, only the results were announced. After all, the contents of the agreement were sensitive. Neither Li County nor Li Lixue could possibly disclose any information to the public.

Li Lixue responded with a smile, “The reporter’s question is quite sharp, but I’m sorry, this is a commercial secret of the Wal-Mart Group. We are filled with confidence in our investment in Li County. Li County’s abundant agricultural and pastoral resources, as well as flax resources, are all excellent product bases for the Wal-Mart Group. This was our original intention for investing in Li County. Thank you all, friends from the news media.”

The next day, the Northwest TV Station reported on the Li County Development Zone and the Wal-Mart Group’s investment agreement. The Li County Development Zone suddenly appeared in the sight of the northwest officialdom. Following that, other locations began to show interest.

Meanwhile, the public selection of officials in the history of the northwest, organized by the Bazhou City Party Committee and Municipal Organization Department, has reached the most critical moment. An undersecretary of the Working Committee has been confirmed. The current deputy director of the Sanitation Bureau of Ku City, Yang Zhengping, was selected. Two deputy directors for the Administrative Committee have also been confirmed: one is Gao Yuanshan, the director of the Party and Government Office of Unity Town, Ta County; the other one is the former party secretary of Shengli Township, Leng Guohua of Li County. For Guohua, it is a dual appointment; while dealing with affairs of the development zone, Guohua remains the party secretary of Shengli Township.

In comparison to these smooth appointments, the competition for positions in the Investment Promotion Bureau is particularly fierce. Over a hundred people from all over Bazhou city have signed up for the position of bureau chief alone.

After the preliminary selection, more than half were eliminated. After a re-assessment, only six candidates remained, with the final assessment to be conducted by the Minister of the Municipal Party Committee’s Organizational Department, Fang Gushan, at nine o’clock in the morning at the Li County Party Committee.

At this moment, all the candidates had arrived, seeing the empty courtyard of the Li County Party Committee; they were somewhat puzzled.

Xie Tao, the deputy director of the Tuanshi Children’s Brigade Office, frowned, “What’s going on? The staff of the Li County Party Committee are too careless. They should have provided a sign indicating which meeting room to go to for the assessment. We are not officials from Li County, aren’t we left completely in the dark here?”

Another candidate standing next to him nodded in agreement, “Exactly. It’s almost nine o’clock, and there’s still no one here. If the assessment is not being held, we should be informed in advance. The other positions were better. Not many people applied, and the results came out quickly. I was worried that the competition for other positions would be more intense. I wanted to choose an inferior position. Unexpectedly, after all that choosing, I ended up picking the most competitive one.”

Just then, an old man walked out of the county party committee building and looked at the group of people gathered at the entrance. He said, “You guys are here for the selection of the Investment Promotion Bureau Chief, right? The location has been changed at the last minute. It was originally decided to be here at the county party committee, but it has been switched to the county government. It’s happening on the third floor of the county government building. The leaders are probably waiting for you there.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Tao immediately lifted his wrist, exclaiming, “Oh no, it’s already 8:56. We only have four minutes left.”

After speaking, Xie Tao hurriedly ran out. Simultaneously, the others anxiously followed him, heading towards the county government offices across the street.

In the bureaucracy, time is crucial. Usually, being a little late is not a big deal. However, there are certain situations in which you can’t afford to be late. One such situation is attending meetings. If you are late to a meeting, whether you are a leader or a subordinate, it gives the other attendees a bad impression. Another such event is inspections, like the one occurring now. One should never be early or late for these; it can significantly reduce people’s impression of you.

At that moment, a black Santana drove in through the entrance of the County Party Committee’s complex. A man wearing sunglasses and a leather jacket exited the vehicle and, in Hong Kong-style Mandarin, said, “The pace of our hometown’s development is quite impressive. I’ve come back this time, thinking of investing some money here. Excuse me, sir, who should I talk to about establishing an enterprise in the development district?”

At a time of urgent matters, Xie Tao couldn’t be bothered with him. He quickly jogged across the Kuli Street to the county government side. As soon as he arrived at the conference room on the third floor of the county government building, seeing two people were already missing from their previous group, the four left were slightly delighted. Minister Fang was notorious throughout the city for detesting latecomers – so the chances of those who came last were certainly doomed.

At that very moment, the conference room door opened. Leading the way was Fang Gushan with a stern expression on his face, followed by Li County Party Secretary Zhang Chubin, Deputy Secretary Xie Yi and County Magistrate Nie Zhenbang.

After looking at them, Fang Gushan immediately said, “The assessment has ended. The candidates are already selected. Li County’s Investment Promotion Bureau will be led by Fan Zhenming, the former Deputy Director of the Education Department at Baizhou City’s College of Industry and Trade. The Deputy director is Li Yan from the Finance Section at Baizhou’s Agricultural School. We’ll let the Li County Party Committee decide on the another deputy director.”

Upon hearing Fang Gushan’s words, Xie Tao and the others were dumbfounded. What was going on? Wasn’t the assessment supposed to take place soon? Had they already given positions to certain people internally?

Thinking of this, Xie Tao immediately asked Fang Gushan, “Minister Fang, I object. How has the assessment ended when it hasn’t even started?”

Xie Tao was the son of Deputy Mayor Xie. Even though his father and Fang Gushan were of the same ranking and his father was not an executive member, it wasn’t unprecedented for Xie Tao to lean on his father’s position. He couldn’t accept losing the position in such an unclear manner. Regardless, he immediately started questioning the process.

Fang Gushan, however, wore a slight smile on his face. Even if Xie Tao hadn’t asked, Fang Gushan would have explained the situation. This was his personality and methodology at work. As an organizer, the thing he disliked the most was unfairness. If the assessment was deemed so, he would lose credibility and control of the situation.

Then Fang Gushan turned around and said, “You all, come over to the window with me.”

Entering the conference room, the large windows directly faced the County Party Committee office building across the courtyard, offering a clear view of the entire yard without any trees or buildings obstructing it. At that moment, Fan Zhenming and Li Yan were still conversing with the man in sunglasses they’d met earlier.

Fang Gushan then solemnly remarked, “Comrades, it’s the small details that can change your fate. Didn’t it seem strange to you when you arrived at the County Party Committee’s office? It was eerily quiet like it was a public holiday or a special event, and there was no sign to guide you or any person to receive you. This suggests that you were already too focused on the official positions, so you didn’t notice such details. Instead, when someone came asking about an investment opportunity, you simply overlooked it in pursuit of a position. Comrades, you are going to be directors of the Investment Promotion Bureau; is this the level of enthusiasm you show towards attracting investment?”

Noticing Xie Tao’s dissatisfaction, Fang Gushan waved his hand to interrupt him and continued, “Yes, yes, I know. You would argue that since you hadn’t assumed office yet, you couldn’t address his queries. While this is a valid argument, take a look at how the others handled the situation.”

His statement left the four of them speechless. Nie Zhenbang then stepped forward and added, “The person below, whom you may believe was purposely chosen to test you, is named Zhu Lufeng. He used to be a well-known troublemaker in our local area. After the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, he went to the Special Economic Zones as a businessman, and now, he’s worth millions and really plans to invest in his hometown. I personally received him yesterday. When Minister Fang mentioned an assessment, I thought of having Mr. Zhu help test all of you.”

At that moment, Zhang Chubin also laughed and said, “Different priorities, comrades. It’s admirable that you were eager to advance yourselves, and even though you weren’t selected this time, there will always be other opportunities in the future. To show our sincerity on behalf of the County Party Committee and County Government of Li County, I hope you will all stay for a casual meal together.” (.)