Chapter 73

Tang Yifu said with a smile, "No, no, no, Xiao Jian, don't be modest. You are also the deputy director of the SASAC. Not only do you need to serve the leaders well, but you also need to be a good advisor and assistant to the leadership group. Isn't there a saying that leaders listen to their secretaries? To make the leadership group members make decisions, we need a plan or a proposal, right?"

Tang Yifu was forcing Jian Ruoming to take a stance.

This was exactly the purpose of Guan Haoyu pushing Jian Ruoming to the forefront. Substantive issues were to be discussed by Jian Ruoming, and if the leaders were satisfied, it would be credited to the SASAC. If the leaders were dissatisfied, it would be considered her personal opinion.

Guan Haoyu conveyed his intentions to Tang Yifu through Ouyang Meimei, so Tang Yifu insisted that Jian Ruoming speak at the meeting.

Jian Ruoming and Chu Tianshu had a clear understanding of this and had already planned their response.

Jian Ruoming signaled to Chu Tianshu and said, "Then let's ask Comrade Chu from the SASAC Office to report the work plan we have drafted to the leaders."

Shen Guozhang, Tian Zhigang, and others secretly smiled. As the principal department, the SASAC, faced with a difficult problem, the director pushed it to the deputy director, and the deputy director pushed it to a small deputy director of the office. Truly, one was more slippery than the other.

Tang Yifu glanced at Chu Tianshu and said to Guan Haoyu, "Is Comrade Chu the young man who calmed the unrest at the instrument factory? ... Good, I've heard about you from Vice Mayor Yi. You have a flexible mind and are bold and meticulous. Old Guan, you really have a lot of talented people under you."

Guan Haoyu chuckled and said, "Mayor Tang, you really know how to make fun of me. How can they be my talents? The SASAC is a department under your leadership, so they are all talents of Mayor Tang."

Guan Haoyu's words were double-edged, expressing loyalty to Tang Yifu and also hinting that Chu Tianshu should align himself properly.

Chu Tianshu put on a respectful and nervous demeanor, stood up, bowed to the leaders, and then sat down, opening the file on the table.

The current situation was that overturning the existing overall transfer plan and exploring a new one was neither realistic nor possible.

Chu Tianshu and Jian Ruoming agreed that the Ministry of Land and Resources should organize experts to assess the land of the instrument factory, determine a reasonable price, and immediately initiate the auction process. Under the principles of fairness, justice, and transparency, they would invite employee representatives to witness the entire auction process to ensure the maximization of interests for the state, employees, and bidding enterprises.

After listening, Tang Yifu turned to Shen Guozhang and asked if there was anything else to add.

Shen Guozhang looked at Tang Yifu's expression and said, "I suggest that the enterprises participating in the auction should submit the maximum required auction deposit to exclude those with insufficient strength, ensuring the success of the auction."

Tang Yifu immediately agreed and required Jian Ruoming to issue a meeting summary, reverse schedule the time, and strive to complete the reform of the instrument factory within the year.

The meeting ended close to noon, and the SASAC, as the convener, invited the members of the leadership group to a banquet. Tang Yifu happily agreed, and everyone drove to the Triumph Hotel.

As the cars arrived at the hotel, Vice President Fan Guoqing was already standing at the door to welcome them.

Tang Yifu, accompanied by Guan Haoyu, Shen Guozhang, and others, entered the No. 1 private room, while deputy personnel like Jian Ruoming and Tian Zhigang were arranged in the adjacent room.

Chu Tianshu, being both the director of the office and a staff member of the leadership group office, naturally had to busy himself with arranging the dishes and drinks.

Tang Yifu and Guan Haoyu, Shen Guozhang, and others were sitting on the sofa talking when Ouyang Meimei ran in, insisting on shaking hands with Tang Yifu. She said that since leaving the government office, she had no chance to get close to the leaders. Hearing that the leaders were personally guiding the work of the SASAC, she rushed over to get close to the leaders.

It was obvious that Guan Haoyu had specially notified her.

Ouyang Meimei extended her hand, and Tang Yifu leaned forward slightly, touching her fingertips with his. His face still turned toward Guan Haoyu, he continued to talk about some people and matters in the political arena.

Ouyang Meimei felt a bit bored but was unwilling to leave just like that. She turned to the table and instructed the server on how to place the dishes and plates.

The dishes and drinks were quickly served, and everyone gradually took their seats.

Although the round table seemed to have no distinction between primary and secondary positions, the chair directly facing the TV was slightly larger and uniquely covered in red. The napkin on this chair was a towering column, while the napkins on other positions were folded into flowers. Everyone could see that this was the chair for the host.

This was a rule brought to Qingyuan City from the star-rated hotels in Linjiang City and quickly became popular.

Guan Haoyu invited Tang Yifu to the host position, then invited Shen Guozhang to the left, and sat on the right himself.

According to the order, the next position should have been the head of the Supervision Department, but Ouyang Meimei took the initiative and sat down.

Under normal circumstances, as a section-level cadre of the SASAC, Ouyang Meimei did not have the qualifications to sit at the leaders' table, but Guan Haoyu did not say anything, and Tang Yifu pretended not to see. The head of the Supervision Department, though unhappy, had no choice but to sit next to Ouyang Meimei.

Guan Haoyu asked Tang Yifu to give instructions, and Tang Yifu stood up, proposing a toast to the successful conclusion of the meeting.

After the toast, Chu Tianshu refilled the leaders' glasses.

At official banquets, to show respect to the leaders, the service was not provided by the waiters.

After three rounds of drinks, when Chu Tianshu refilled Tang Yifu's glass, Tang Yifu insisted on not drinking anymore, saying he had another meeting in the afternoon and would stop at this point.

Guan Haoyu still tried to persuade him and instructed Chu Tianshu to fill Tang Yifu's glass.

At this moment, Tang Yifu, as if just noticing Chu Tianshu, smiled and said to Guan Haoyu, "Old Guan, this young man has great potential and should be given special attention."

Guan Haoyu said, "Mayor Tang, this talent was discovered by Section Chief Ouyang. It was at her suggestion that we promoted him to the deputy director of the office, in charge of the work."

Tang Yifu laughed, "Ha, a deputy director, what's so special about that?"

"Ha," Guan Haoyu laughed loudly, "Xiao Chu, why don't you toast Mayor Tang?"

Chu Tianshu held a glass of wine in one hand, raised it to Tang Yifu, and said, "Thank you, Mayor Tang, for your cultivation. I toast you. I will drink it all, and you can drink as you please." He then tilted his head and drank it all.

"Good, then I'll make an exception and drink a small glass." Tang Yifu took the glass and symbolically sipped it.

Everyone at the table was surprised. In the adjacent room, the deputy leaders of the departments had to seize the opportunity to toast the vice mayor, and whether the leader would drink depended on their mood at the time.

For Tang Yifu to accept a toast from a section-level cadre, even if it was just a sip, was a significant show of respect to Chu Tianshu.

Sure enough, Tang Yifu refused to drink anymore. When Ouyang Meimei coquettishly tried to toast him, he coldly turned her down.

Ouyang Meimei was inwardly furious, thinking: What's wrong with Tang Yifu? Why is he being so polite to Chu Tianshu today? Has his taste changed, and does he like pretty boys now?

Since the leader refused to drink, the others exchanged a few more toasts and then moved on to the main course.

Guan Haoyu knew that Tang Yifu had a habit of taking a nap in the afternoon, so he asked Ouyang Meimei to book a room.

After the banquet, Guan Haoyu and Jian Ruoming saw off the heads of other units and departments, while Ouyang Meimei went into the booked room with Tang Yifu.

Closing the door, Ouyang Meimei pouted and said, "Old Tang, what's so special about Chu Tianshu that you gave him so much face today?"

Tang Yifu was taken aback, "Who is Chu Tianshu?"

"You're pretending, aren't you?" Ouyang Meimei pushed him with her chest, scolding, "Isn't he the one who refilled your glass?"

"Ha, are you jealous of this too?" Tang Yifu pinched her face and laughed.

"Not at all, I'm just telling you, that guy is really bad."

Tang Yifu's smile faded, and he stared at Ouyang Meimei, "What do you mean? How bad is he?"

Ouyang Meimei realized she had said too much and aroused Tang Yifu's suspicion. She helped him take off his coat and explained, "To become the director, he forced the original director to leave."

"That's not wrong," Tang Yifu pointed upward, "If you don't push the people above you out, how can you rise?"

Ouyang Meimei pouted and said coquettishly, "Oh, I'm so angry. Why are you defending him? Did you give Old Guan a heads-up to promote him to deputy director?"

"No, how could that be? The one who gave the heads-up was Secretary Wang Shaolei of Mayor Yi. I just gave him a little mental encouragement to make him my vanguard."

"Anyway, whatever you do is always right." Ouyang Meimei said playfully, "Old Tang, you have to help me push Jian Ruoming out so I can take her position."

Tang Yifu laughed, "Ha, if I push her out, where will your position be?"

Ouyang Meimei clearly sensed the ambiguous meaning in his words. She clenched her fists and playfully hit Tang Yifu, pretending to be angry, "Oh, you're so bad, I won't talk to you anymore."

Tang Yifu grabbed Ouyang Meimei's hand, pulled her into his arms, and said, "Meimei, don't worry, I was just joking. You are my heart's treasure."

Ouyang Meimei wriggled her body and fell onto the big bed with Tang Yifu.

Back at the SASAC, Chu Tianshu followed Jian Ruoming into her office.

The two analyzed the meeting situation again and agreed that Tang Yifu's urgency in promoting the overall transfer of the instrument factory must have some hidden agenda.

Jian Ruoming said, "No matter what happens, we will proceed according to the agreed plan. We cannot control the direction of the instrument factory's reform, but we can influence the specific implementation time, which is the leverage we have."

Chu Tianshu said, "Next, we can suggest formulating auction rules, requiring bidding enterprises to submit detailed bidding plans, clearly stating the methods and costs of employee resettlement. Otherwise, protecting the rights of laid-off employees will remain an empty promise."

Jian Ruoming mentioned that in the reform of state-owned enterprises in other cities in the province, there had been cases of improper means by bidding enterprises leading to the loss of state assets. She asked Chu Tianshu to study the relevant laws and procedures for land assessment and asset auctions to prevent any unfair phenomena in the fair and transparent auction environment.