official career

"I know it won't be very effective, but I have no other choice but to try anything."

Qin Feng smiled and didn't continue the conversation. Chen Guohua had the right to arrange this small matter himself.

"Two things. First, arrange for a meeting to be held in the next few days to promote the relocation and reconstruction project of the No. 1 Middle School in the city. I will personally attend, and all parties involved in the project must be present, especially the Finance Bureau," Qin Feng said.

Chen Guohua was stunned, not understanding why Qin Feng was starting this work at this time.

"What is the main purpose of the meeting?" Chen Guohua asked.

"Didn't I tell you? The purpose of the project implementation meeting is to promote the project's implementation as soon as possible and to resolve the difficulties hindering its implementation. Of course, the biggest difficulty is money, which is why you have to call Hu Haihui, the director of the Finance Bureau, here," Qin Feng explained.

“Mayor…I…” Chen Guohua hesitated.

"Just say what you have to say. Why are you hesitating?" Qin Feng asked with a smile.

"Is this urgent? Does it have to be held in the next few days?"

"Of course, the sooner the better." Qin Feng nodded.

“Mayor, your schedule is already packed these past few days, making it difficult to find time for this meeting or to make any adjustments. Moreover, with the end of the year approaching and a series of recent events in Shazhou, it will be troublesome to gather all the relevant parties in charge of the project for a meeting.”

“I think if this meeting isn’t extremely important and urgent, could it be postponed? Or… is it even necessary to hold this meeting? After all, the relocation and reconstruction project of the No. 1 Middle School is not currently our priority, or rather, it’s a lower priority,” Chen Guohua said cautiously.

A different secretary-general wouldn't ask that question; he would simply do whatever the leader said. But Chen Guohua isn't that kind of person.

Chen Guohua's words were all meant to convey one point: he believed that this meeting was unnecessary.

"This meeting is for Jiang Longjun's benefit," Qin Feng said with a smile.

Chen Guohua looked at Qin Feng in surprise.

“We shut down the Yang family’s underground casino last night without Jiang Longjun’s consent. We have to give Jiang Longjun an explanation, at least give him a way out. Didn’t you say we have to find a way to resolve the fire at the sports center? So we have to appease Jiang Longjun.” Qin Feng said with a smile.

“I understand what you mean. To be honest, I was worried all night last night and kept a close eye on how things were going. I was aware of the police's actions, and nothing happened until this morning, so I figured things were going as you predicted.” Chen Guohua smiled.

“The Yang family has admitted defeat, but we still need to appease Jiang Longjun. We need to at least show him our stance. Isn’t the relocation project of the No. 1 Middle School in the city the one he cares about most? I’m personally holding this meeting to urge the project to be implemented as soon as possible, as a way of giving him an explanation,” Qin Feng said.

"Okay, I understand. I'll make the arrangements right away."

"The second thing is for you to go see Ma Shanming and talk to him about the full resumption of the Huayang Group project. Also, talk to him about releasing Meng Dan and the others," Qin Feng continued.

Would Ma Shanming agree?

"Whether Ma Shanming agrees or not is not important. What is important is Jiang Longjun's attitude. That's why I asked you to arrange a meeting to promote the relocation and reconstruction project of the No. 1 Middle School. Jiang Longjun is a very smart man, and he is very shrewd. He knows very well what is most beneficial to him, so he will agree."

"Of course, asking you to communicate is not to beg him, but to communicate with the municipal party committee out of respect. This is within our scope of work. Whether he agrees or not, Meng Dan and several people from Huayang Group should be released today, and Huayang Group should resume all work except for the construction site where the fire occurred."

"Furthermore, Jiang Longjun demanded yesterday that the investigation into Huayang Group not be launched. You should inform the relevant departments about this and say it's my decision. Of course, you can't openly oppose it; just don't carry it out. I believe Jiang Longjun won't bring it up again. Let's all be tacit and keep things looking good. Let's just pretend this doesn't exist," Qin Feng continued to give instructions.

Chen Guohua nodded; he understood these things.

"Mayor, I don't think there's much of a problem with Jiang Longjun. The fact that he hasn't made a statement yet speaks volumes about his attitude. But what is the province's attitude? After all, the investigation team will be here this afternoon..." Chen Guohua asked.

"Sometimes you are very smart, but sometimes you are a bit slow. You can't always look at problems from the perspective of our sandbar. You have to look outward and upward."

"Isn't the attitude of the Yang family and Jiang Longjun the same as the attitude of the province? Isn't that obvious?" Qin Feng retorted.

Upon hearing this, Chen Guohua suddenly realized what was going on.

Although Qin Feng forbade Jiang Yunpeng to publicize it, not many ordinary people knew about it. However, the upper echelons of Shazhou were aware of it. They not only knew that there was a casino under the Lixin Hotel, but also that this casino was the Yang family's cash cow and their lifeline.

These people heard last night that the Public Security Bureau had shut down the Yang family's underground casino. Everyone thought that the secret of Xia Shazhou had been exposed, and the Yang family would not let it go. They would definitely cause trouble and fight Qin Feng to the death.

The person most concerned about this matter was Tang Zeyan. After hearing last night that the Public Security Bureau had investigated the underground casino under the Lixin Hotel, Tang Zeyan became excited and stayed up all night, keeping a close eye on the development of the situation.

This is a golden opportunity for Tang Zeyan. Qin Feng has investigated the Yang family's underground casino, which means he is going to fight the Yang family to the death. Will the Yang family let Qin Feng go?

If Qin Feng and the Yang family fight to the death, the sky over the sandbar will definitely collapse, and the Jianglong Army will also suffer.

Therefore, in Tang Zeyan's view, Qin Feng and the Yang family will definitely fight to the death. Once it comes to that, Qin Feng will surely die, and Jiang Longjun will definitely suffer as well.

This was the situation Tang Zeyan had always dreamed of: Qin Feng was doomed, making him the best candidate to succeed him. If things escalated further, Jiang Longjun, the municipal party secretary, would almost certainly be dismissed. Perhaps, for the sake of stability in Shazhou, the higher-ups would select a local municipal party secretary to stabilize the situation, and Tang Zeyan could potentially rise to the top and directly succeed Jiang Longjun as municipal party secretary.

So after hearing last night that the Public Security Bureau had investigated the underground casino, Tang Zeyan was so excited that he couldn't sleep at all. He even thought about what his first step would be if he became the Party Secretary or Mayor.

Tang Zeyan arrived at the office early this morning, waiting for the turbulent events that would unfold in Shazhou City today.

To his disappointment, the entire city of Shazhou remained calm and peaceful until the morning was almost over, with nothing happening and no difference from any other day.