Qi Tongwei: Sign-in relationship started during student days

At night, Qi Tongwei was frantically dealing with several reported mass incidents caused by pollution.

The lights at Beishan International Hotel are exceptionally bright and lively at night.

In VIP room number 888 on the top floor, Xia Guanglei sat in the main seat, flanked by Wu Yingjie, a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department, and Duan Feng, Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. He was drinking and chatting with the entrepreneurs of the "Hanshan Club" led by the Chairman of Lianxiang Group.

Li Yongbao—a figure who held absolute sway in the Han River business world—was now like a docile hunting dog, flitting about the table, serving wine and dishes, occasionally cracking jokes that drew laughter from the crowd, a far cry from his usual high spirits.

Oh no, he was still full of vigor, even more so than before, but this "vigor" needed to be concealed in this setting.

Because he can't overshadow the real protagonist, the big boss behind him, otherwise his "spiritedness" will really disappear.

Under Li Yongbao's encouragement, it wasn't long before everyone was quite drunk.

Even so, this group of people did not forget their instinct to pursue the strong and flattered Xia Guanglei.

As reform and opening up have progressed to this point, the status of businessmen has risen significantly and rapidly, thanks to the support of the overall policy direction.

Logically speaking, the power held by a municipal party secretary at the provincial level should not be worthy of such high regard from these top-tier entrepreneurs in the country.

Especially in their glorious past, these "big entrepreneurs" were always received only by provincial and ministerial leaders and regional officials, becoming their honored guests.

Even those at the vice-provincial level can only be relegated to a supporting role.

As for the department/bureau level

Only by currying favor with their vice president can one gain a fleeting glance, a few words, and a possible investment intention from them during their free time.

There can only be one reason for such a change.

Xia Guanglei possesses power that exceeds what their wealth can translate into, including the power to engage in dialogue.

Xia Guanglei, a department-level official, has the added advantage and influence of being from Beijing, which makes the value of his power at the department level equal to, or even exceed, that of a provincial or ministerial level official in some respects.

Provincial and ministerial-level powers are geographically limited and may not be able to cover their business empires, but the Xia family's power can.

Only today did the members of the Hanshan Society learn from Li Yongbao who the first blank picture frame hanging in the corridor of the Hanshan Villa belonged to, and they also understood the origin of the Hanshan Society. They were also somewhat excited.

After all, the power inherent in wealth, even if it seems glamorous, is ultimately somewhat ethereal, while the wealth that comes with power is not.

Several executives, amidst clinking glasses, inquired with considerable curiosity about how Li Yongbao had met Secretary Xia and the origins of the Hanshan Club.

Li Yongbao said with emotion, "This is a very ordinary yet legendary story, and it's been a long time."

It was by chance that he accompanied Qu Zhengping on a business trip to Beijing about eleven years ago.

I met Xia Guanglei at a meeting that wasn't particularly high-level. At the time, Xia Guanglei was a confidential secretary in the General Office of the State Council.

This is no ordinary position. If placed below, even provincial and ministerial-level leaders would respectfully address her as Secretary Xia, thus naturally making her the focus of everyone's attention.

At that time, Xia Guanglei, as a confidential secretary, was still inexperienced, but his every move already showed the demeanor of a leader.

At the meeting, and amidst the atmosphere of the early stages of reform, the report was filled with unique insights into the economy.

Li Yongbao was deeply moved. After the meeting, he took the initiative to approach Xia Guanglei and express his "profound feelings" about the report.

Xia Guanglei was greatly surprised by the boldness of this secretary, who came from an obscure prefecture-level city and wasn't even a section chief, and became interested, listening to a few words.

Sure enough, Li Yongbao is quick-witted. With just a few words, he hit the nail on the head and made Xia Guanglei very happy.

Xia Guanglei wanted to test this "Comrade Li," so he invited Li Yongbao to attend his next few meetings.

Li Yongbao did not disappoint Xia Guanglei. He had his own unique insights into each of Xia Guanglei's reports, and these insights hit the nail on the head for Xia Guanglei.

Therefore, Xia Guanglei assigned him an "economic task": to follow the trend of reform and opening up, cultivate and develop private enterprises, and also gave Li Yongbao a sum of money.

This is also the origin of the Hanshan Club's initial funding. The subsequent acquisition of the computer research institute, the predecessor of the state-owned enterprise Lianxiang, by Liu Qizhi, as well as the rapid development of the Superman Group, all came from the deferred funds.

Just as everyone was reminiscing about their connection with Xia Guanglei, there was a gentle knock on the door.

Xia Guanglei's secretary pushed open the door and entered, her footsteps extremely light, yet like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly bringing the clamor to a standstill.

The power of authority is self-evident.

The secretary quickly walked to Xia Guanglei's side, leaned down and whispered in his ear, so that only the two of them could hear.

Xia Guanglei's relaxed demeanor faltered slightly, a fleeting, almost imperceptible sharpness crossing his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He gently patted his secretary's arm, his voice mild and lecturing:

"Xiao Luo, I have to criticize you. All of you here are major entrepreneurs who are going to invest in our city. You all have the right to know about the situation in Beishan."

Our Beishan Municipal Party Committee and Government have never kept any secrets from investors or ordinary citizens. We're always open and honest with each other. You can just say what you mean; there's no need to be so secretive.

The secretary was taken aback at first, but then realized that the leader was using this dinner party to send a "signal". He bowed respectfully to Xia Guanglei, then turned to the crowd and reported: "Leaders, bosses, just now Deputy Secretary-General Lai of the Municipal Party Committee sent a message."

Several group incidents that occurred in the city this morning, under Mayor Qi's leadership, have been quelled as of just now, to be precise, around 7:20 AM.

Upon hearing this, everyone remained silent, but their eyes secretly exchanged under the table, conveying a tacit understanding.

Mass incidents.

Everyone here is well-informed, especially those who are preparing to invest and have done a lot of research on the situation in Beishan.

Data shows that a little over a year ago, such incidents were commonplace in Beishan, and were countless.

But since Qi Tongwei was transferred to the position of mayor, he has managed to eliminate such troubles with his iron-fisted approach.

But now, just over a month after Xia Guanglei took office, this long-dormant "trouble" has resurfaced.

What's even more intriguing is that the message specifically mentioned Mayor Qi's leadership and the timeframe of "7:20 when things calmed down," clearly revealing a sense of haste and embarrassment—if they truly had the overall situation under control, why would they need to use specific minutes to "report the victory"?

The implication is obvious: the young mayor who once kept Beishan calm and peaceful is now struggling to handle even a few mass incidents caused by pollution, suggesting that his absolute power may be showing signs of cracking.

Xia Guanglei held his wine glass, his gaze calmly sweeping over the crowd. He knew that these shrewd businessmen had already gleaned a deeper meaning from those two short sentences—the power structure in Beishan was quietly shifting.

Qi Tongwei's authority is no longer secure, and Xia Guanglei is taking advantage of this turmoil to quietly consolidate control of Beishan into his own hands.

This further demonstrates that Xia Guanglei is not some spoiled brat, and that he is no less capable than anyone else in terms of political acumen.