Because of Fan Rongkui's words, Lu Yiwei had been thinking about it, so much so that he was absent-minded during lunch.
In the afternoon, Lu Yiwei had planned to accompany his wife and son at home, but Zhang Zhiyuan's phone call disrupted the plan. Zhang Zhiyuan told him to have dinner at the East Lake Club at 7 pm.
He could refuse other people's dinner, but he could not refuse Zhang Zhiyuan's. Moreover, it was at the East Lake Club. Something important must have happened. Lu Yiwei looked at his watch. It was already 4 pm. He took care of his son at home and arrived at the East Lake Club an hour earlier than 6 pm.
When Lu Yiwei arrived, Zhang Zhiyuan had already arrived.
On the phone, Zhang Zhiyuan did not explain in detail. He and Lu Yiwei had become friends, so he spoke casually. He asked, "Secretary Zhang, who will be attending tonight?"
Zhang Zhiyuan said, "It will be old hands. Xu Caimao, Bai Zongfeng, and Guo Jinzhu."
As mentioned earlier, the East Lake Club was a place for specific activities in a specific circle. Ordinary people could not enter. This circle had always been centered around University Professor Cai Runnian. Surprisingly, the core figure did not attend. Lu Yiwei had a hunch, but he still asked, "Is Professor Cai not coming?"
"What do you think?" Zhang Zhiyuan asked rhetorically, answering all the questions.
With the transfer of Huang Jiyang, the former secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Cai Runnian's good luck had come to an end. Such an ending was really a bit disappointing.
Cai Runnian was originally just a university professor who had devoted his life to academics. Unexpectedly, he was chosen by Huang Jiyang at an academic forum and became a member of his think tank. His role was not to draft speeches for the leaders. That was the secretary's job. He mainly studied the policies and guidelines of the superiors and provided policy basis for the leaders to make decisions. At the same time, he made a macro grasp of the development of Xijiang Province and made a top-level design from a strategic position. To put it bluntly, it was to provide intellectual support for the leaders' achievements. And the state-owned enterprise restructuring planned by Huang Jiyang was the work of Cai Runnian.
When Huang Jiyang left, he was somewhat surprised that he did not take Cai Runnian with him. But thinking about it carefully, it was not surprising. There are tens of millions of scholars in China. You, Cai Runnian, are one of them. Besides, you're not familiar with the situation in the neighboring province. What's the point of bringing you there? Also, Cai Runnian was getting on in years. Sometimes, his thinking was rigid and could not keep up with the pace of the times. Not to mention other things, he was completely blank in international trade. Could he keep up with the situation?
After Huang Jiyang left, the former Governor Zhang Bingtong came up. Because of their different development philosophies, there was friction between the two of them. Now that he was in power, he naturally had some feelings for his advisor. As a matter of fact, Cai Runnian was chased back to Xijiang University not long after he arrived. Go back to where you came from.
Cai Runnian had lost his power, so he naturally had no use for him. People used to call you Professor Cai, but now they don't even call you for meals. Things remain the same, but people have changed. People leave, and the tea cools. Reality is so cruel.
No matter what, Cai Runnian was his university professor and had helped him before. Lu Yiwei felt a little sorry for him. However, when he thought of how he had knelt for Fan Rongkui, he didn't feel good.
"What's the theme tonight?"
Zhang Zhiyuan said, "There's no harm in telling you in advance. Bai Zongfeng has been promoted and is now the mayor of Jiangdong City."
"Huh?" Lu Yiwei opened his mouth wide in disbelief.
Bai Zongfeng was now the deputy director of the Provincial Department of Housing. He suddenly became the mayor of a provincial capital. That was a big step.
Seeing Lu Yiwei's stunned expression, Zhang Zhiyuan said calmly, "There's no need to make a fuss. Bai Zongfeng was originally a director, so this is a flat transfer. Besides, he came from Jing City. Anything is possible. "
What he said was true. Bai Zongfeng was suddenly transferred from an unknown unit to the Provincial Department of Construction as the deputy director. How could it be possible without a strong background? His background had always been a mystery. Even Zhang Zhiyuan didn't know. Some said that his father was a senior official, and some said that he had relatives in the State Council. No matter what, he had connections with the upper echelons.
In addition, although it was a flat transfer, it was actually a promotion. Becoming the mayor of a provincial capital was a preparation for the next step. According to the practice of Xijiang Province, the first and second leaders of Jiangdong City would eventually enter the Provincial Party Committee. The lowest rank would be the deputy director of the National People's Congress, but most of them still held real power. For example, Luo Zhongyuan, the former secretary general of the Provincial Party Committee and the current head of the United Front Work Department of the Provincial Party Committee, had been promoted from the position of Jiangdong City's mayor.
Xijiang Province was a small province that was neither big nor small. It couldn't be compared to other provinces with strong economies. Like other prefecture-level cities, the provincial capital belonged to the main hall level. There were only 15 cities in the country that were at the sub-provincial level, including municipalities directly under the Central Government, provincial capitals, and cities specifically designated in the state plan.
However, there were differences in different places. Although Jiangdong City was at the main hall level, it was only half a step away from the sub-provincial level. Naturally, it was a cut above the other prefecture-level cities.
Bai Zongfeng's sudden promotion to the position of mayor was to pave the way for the next step.
Zhang Zhiyuan added, "Yiwei, since you can enter this circle and get everyone's approval, you should go out more in the future. You don't have to worry about me. You can surpass me in terms of your relationship with everyone. Especially with Bai Zongfeng. You can't cut him off. He will be very useful in the future. "
As the two chatted, Xu Caimao and Guo Jinzhu walked in, laughing. When they saw Zhang Zhiyuan, they smiled and said, "Zhiyuan, this Guo Dapao is unreasonable. He insisted on arguing with me. I can't win against him."
Zhang Zhiyuan chuckled and said, "Secretary Xu, Secretary Guo is a straightforward person. Don't be offended by him. Speaking of which, Secretary Guo is always talking about things. He won't beat around the bush. That's more realistic! "
"That's true." Xu Caimao sat down and said, "It's because of Old Guo's character that I'm willing to be friends with him. If not, I wouldn't even bother with him. Haha …"
Guo Jinzhu's face suddenly darkened. He pointed and said, "Old Xu, you're an outsider now. Do you believe that the three of us will get you drunk later?"
Xu Caimao looked left and right, then laughed and said, "That's right. We're all your subordinates. I admit defeat."
Guo Jinzhu said proudly, "I have my right-hand men. I'm not afraid of you. Haha."
"What are you laughing about?" As they spoke, Bai Zongfeng swaggered in, followed by an uninvited guest.
Ding Changhua's appearance caused the atmosphere to freeze. Guo Jinzhu could not hide it anymore. He sat there with a dark face and did not say a word. Zhang Zhiyuan and Lu Yiwei did not show much emotion. They nodded slightly.
When did Ding Changhua and Bai Zongfeng get together? This surprised Lu Yiwei. But when he remembered that he was in the real estate industry and Bai Zongfeng was in the Construction Department, he suddenly understood.
Ding Changhua was trained by Guo Jinzhu, but he had always believed that whoever fed him would be his mother. Before Guo Jinzhu left, he had secretly colluded with Mayor Lin Haifeng and took over many urban construction projects. Because of this, Guo Jinzhu had always been loyal to Ding Changhua and had raised an ungrateful person.
Lu Yiwei hated Ding Changhua to the core. Ding Changhua kidnapped his daughter because of the Donghua Coal Mine accident. How could he do such a despicable thing? How could he be an entrepreneur? But the main character today was Bai Zongfeng. He still had to deal with the matter of face.
When Ding Changhua came in, he was also shocked. The smile on his face froze.
According to the order of position, Ding Changhua was sandwiched between Lu Yiwei and Zhang Zhiyuan. Moreover, he was facing Guo Jinzhu. He felt like he was sitting on a stove and was suffering.
Bai Zongfeng knew that Ding Changhua and Guo Jinzhu had a grudge against each other. Tonight was a good opportunity to resolve the grudge between them. Seeing Guo Jinzhu's unhappy face, he didn't say anything more. Instead, he joked with Guo Jinzhu.
The banquet began. Xu Caimao hosted and said, "Everyone is here. The main character tonight is Old Bai. Congratulations to him for his promotion. I suggest that everyone give him a toast. Come!"
Xu Caimao raised his glass, and the others followed suit. Guo Jinzhu clinked his glass with Bai Zongfeng's and drank it directly.
Because of Ding Changhua's presence, the atmosphere was very tense. Xu Caimao tried to lighten the atmosphere and even made fun of Guo Jinzhu. But Guo Jinzhu still kept a straight face and smiled bitterly.
Logically speaking, at Guo Jinzhu's level of leadership, he should be able to do as he pleased. At the very least, he should be able to deal with the situation on the surface. However, he was such a person. He had been like this all his life, and he could not change even if he wanted to.
Seeing that Guo Jinzhu was indifferent, Xu Caimao winked at Ding Changhua, signaling him to propose a toast. Ding Changhua quickly raised his glass and toasted Bai Zongfeng. Bai Zongfeng glanced at Guo Jinzhu and asked him to start with him.
"Secretary Guo, let me propose a toast to you." Ding Changhua stood up and extended his glass. After waiting for a long time, Guo Jinzhu was still indifferent. He only picked up the food with his chopsticks.
"Old Guo, Changhua is proposing a toast to you." Bai Zongfeng could not stand it anymore. He nudged him with his elbow and reminded him.
Guo Jinzhu put down his chopsticks and slowly raised his head to look at Ding Changhua. He revealed an elusive smile and said, "You still know me?"
Ding Changhua looked embarrassed and hurriedly said, "Secretary Guo, how can I not know you? You were the one who pulled me out of a factory that was about to close down. That's why I have today's achievements …"
"Shut up!" Guo Jinzhu suddenly shouted. He picked up the glass on the table and splashed it on Ding Changhua's face. He said, "Ding Changhua, I have nothing to do with you. Don't associate me with you. I don't know you."
Guo Jinzhu's action shocked everyone. Ding Changhua was stunned. He wiped his face with his hand and continued to say respectfully, "Secretary Guo, I have wronged you. Today, in front of Director Bai and Secretary Xu, I ask for your forgiveness …"
"Forgive my ass! I don't even know you. How can I forgive you? "Guo Jinzhu said angrily.
Bai Zongfeng saw that the atmosphere was not right. He hurriedly stopped him and said, "Old Guo, this is too much. What are you doing? Old Ding has been with you for more than ten years. Why can't you just forgive me today? Don't make things so awkward, okay?"
"Slap!" Guo Jinzhu suddenly put down his chopsticks. He got up and moved his chair away. He said fiercely, "Ding Changhua, you are a f * cking dog. A dog that can't take care of its own family!" Then he left angrily.
Bai Zongfeng was really embarrassed that a good meal had ended up like this. He was stunned for a long time. He waved his hand at Ding Changhua and said, "Sit down. Let's eat if he doesn't want to eat."
Xu Caimao saw this and sighed. He stood up and said, "Old Bai, you really shouldn't have brought him here." Then he walked out.
This made Zhang Zhiyuan and Lu Yiwei embarrassed. They could not stay or leave.
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