Chapter 89

At the Wuzhou Grand Hotel's Sea View Restaurant, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sight of the ten-mile stretch of waves crashing against the rocks and the golden afterglow of the setting sun was truly refreshing.

In the best view luxury private room, Lu Zheng, Feng Lianying, and Liu Baojun were chatting and drinking tea, seated on the ivory-white sofa around a round crystal glass coffee table. They had just enjoyed a very sumptuous dinner.

Coming here, of course, was on Lu Zheng's invitation.

Not long ago, under Lu Zheng's guidance, his brother-in-law Hu Deli had just acquired a refrigerator factory with a German production line and used the destruction of substandard products as a major selling point, causing a huge sensation. Now, the sales of his "Pole" brand refrigerators have surged, almost covering the national supply and sales channels, and can be said to be in high demand.

Hu Deli now admires this young brother-in-law to the point of prostration, even considering inviting Lu Zheng to help and offering him a 30% stake in the company. However, his elder sister Lu Jiaju disdainfully criticized Hu Deli: "Does Zhenzi care about your money? If he really cared, wouldn't he do business himself? I guarantee it would be ten times bigger than yours! Don't give me any more ideas; if Dad finds out, I'll be in trouble with you."

Although Hu Deli's dream of inviting his brother-in-law to join the company was shattered, he still felt the need to show his appreciation and opened an account for Lu Zheng, spending a considerable amount of money.

But Hu Deli felt that even from a business perspective, it was absolutely worth it, not to mention that this young brother-in-law was also the pride of the Lu and Han families.

"This tea is excellent," Liu Baojun praised. Indeed, the tea in the cup had straight buds, a clear color, and a fragrant aroma. It was top-quality Longjing tea.

Feng Lianying smiled and said, "As the saying goes, 'sweet and fragrant like orchids, subtle but not sharp, sipped with a light taste,' that's exactly what it is."

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "I'm not as refined as you guys." He took out a cigarette and lit it with a "click."

Feng Lianying laughed, "You are a refined person, you've held a teaching position in the Education Commission. Just that point alone, no one in the Planning and Economy Commission can compare to you."

Lu Zheng smiled and shook his head, "Old Feng, I now understand why you have such good relationships in the Organization Department."

Feng Lianying laughed heartily.

Liu Baojun, however, was puzzled and asked, "What Planning and Economy Commission?" At the dinner table, the three of them had only chatted casually, and no one had talked about official business.

Liu Baojun had met Feng Lianying a few times and knew that Feng Lianying was particularly proud. Zhang Yugong had promoted him, and at such a young age, he had already reached the level of a full-section chief in the Organization Department, and was also the deputy minister of the Organization Department and the director of the Labor and Personnel Bureau, a position with significant power. It was not just because Feng Lianying was capable; more importantly, it was said that he had connections at the top. There were rumors that his grandfather had saved the life of a founding hero before liberation, and now the Feng family had ties with the powerful families in Beijing. Therefore, despite the intense political struggles in Wushan in recent years, Feng Lianying had continued to rise and had a smooth political career.

In front of Feng Lianying, Liu Baojun felt somewhat restrained, but he was surprised to see Lu Zheng chatting with him as if they were old friends, which left Liu Baojun quite astonished.

However, the news of Lu Zheng being invited to Zhang Yugong's home for dinner had spread throughout the Wushan Municipal Party Committee compound, and anyone with a bit of influence knew that Lu Zheng was now the top favorite of Zhang Yugong.

The close relationship between Feng Lianying and Lu Zheng clearly confirmed this.

Liu Baojun felt a mix of envy and slight disappointment. In just one year, Lu Zheng had achieved what it had taken him over twenty years to accomplish, especially since coming to the city, his network of connections had expanded at an astonishing rate.

Moreover, what did Feng Lianying mean by the Planning and Economy Commission? Liu Baojun was completely puzzled.

Feng Lianying glanced at him and smiled, "Zhenzi is about to go to the Planning and Economy Commission."

Lu Zheng, who had seen this clearly, knew that Feng Lianying's glance had seen through Liu Baojun. In the political arena, no matter how close people seemed, when discussing matters within the circle, they always kept some things to themselves. Even if they didn't know something, they would act mysteriously to avoid revealing their true intentions and bottom line.

Even in such a warm atmosphere, who could really say who was a friend?

Secretary Baojun, compared to the old hands in the municipal government, still lacked the depth of political acumen. Or, one could say, he lacked the necessary caution.

Lu Zheng sighed lightly in his heart and smiled, "It's not confirmed yet, Old Feng. Don't go spreading it around. If I don't move, it would be embarrassing."

Feng Lianying laughed, "It's almost certain." When speaking to Lu Zheng, he was somewhat cautious, unlike his casual manner with Liu Baojun. A 23-year-old deputy section chief, could that be something an ordinary person could achieve? Forget about luck, or what people called "Lu the Stubborn" or "the Coarse Old Man." Clear-eyed people only looked at the results. A 23-year-old who could reach the deputy section chief level must have exceptional qualities.

Moreover, after this young deputy section chief was demoted, he only lay low for three to four months before he was about to make a high-profile return to the Planning and Economy Commission.

What was the Planning and Economy Commission? It was the most important and largest institution in the city, controlling the orderly development of the entire Wushan.

The director of the Planning and Economy Commission was concurrently held by the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee, Ma Hua.

A large institution inevitably had many deputy positions, and the Planning and Economy Commission was no exception. Excluding the research fellows and the chief engineers listed in the party group, there were eight deputy directors, each in charge of a specific area. Among them, five were full-section chiefs, and three of them also held other positions: one was the director of the Price Bureau, one was the director of the Audit Bureau, and one was the director of the Wushan City Economic System Reform Leading Group Office, all of whom were powerful figures in their respective departments.

Now, there would soon be a ninth deputy director, and that would be the current Lu Zheng.

This young man was truly remarkable. Feng Lianying sincerely admired him.

The appointment of Lu Zheng had already been discussed by the main leaders of the municipal party committee, but it had not yet been discussed at the standing committee meeting.

Lu Zheng was appointed as the deputy director of the Planning and Economy Commission because of Changming Electronics Co., Ltd.

The negotiations between China and Germany for the joint venture to establish Changming Electronics Co., Ltd., which lasted only one month, were nearing the end. The Germans had also agreed to set up a party committee within the company, but this party secretary could only be Lu Zheng, as he was the only one who could truly gain the cooperation of the German side.

However, serving as the party secretary of a joint venture while holding the position of deputy director of the Education Commission seemed inappropriate, so the idea of appointing Lu Zheng to a new position was proposed by Director Zhang Yugong.

During the Sino-German negotiations, Lu Zheng had made several key decisions, earning the praise of high-level economic experts. Additionally, his knowledge of German and his thorough understanding of the international situation, especially the conditions he set during the negotiations, resulted in significant gains for the Chinese side, particularly in terms of land resources, which were valued much higher than the usual low prices in other economic special zones. It could be said that this was the first time in the reform and opening-up process that the Chinese side had not allowed the other party to take what they wanted, and the results of the negotiations were highly surprising and satisfactory to the highest levels of leadership.

Although the credit ultimately went to the entire negotiation team, the Wushan municipal party committee leaders, who had experienced the entire negotiation process, had a completely changed perception of Lu Zheng.

Feng Lianying had personally heard Secretary Duan Zhongcheng exclaim, "This young Lu is a talent. Who says that soldiers can't do economics?"

Clearly, Secretary Duan Zhongcheng, who also had a military background, was very satisfied with Lu Zheng's efforts to vindicate the reputation of military-turned-civil servants.

The next steps were a natural progression.

The successful introduction of German capital deeply inspired the Wushan leadership, and they decided to seize the opportunity to establish the "Wushan City Investment Promotion Work Leading Group." They aimed to leverage the success of the German investment and the preparation of the high-tech development zone to vigorously promote investment promotion and create a national leading high-tech industrial park in Wushan.

The office of the Investment Promotion Work Leading Group, as the daily working body, would be set up in the Planning and Economy Commission, and the office director, according to what Feng Lianying had heard, would be concurrently held by Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng's responsibilities in the Planning and Economy Commission would likely focus on his strengths, primarily in investment promotion.

Zhenzi is truly no ordinary person! Feng Lianying repeatedly defined Lu Zheng in his mind and warned himself to pay more attention to this young man and not to underestimate him in any way.

On the other side, Liu Baojun, upon hearing that Lu Zheng was to be transferred to the Planning and Economy Commission, held his teacup and stared for a long time. He had not heard any news at all. He had been pleased and happy about Lu Zheng's return to the Education Commission, but before he could celebrate his old friend's return to the political track, how could it be that he was about to be transferred to the Planning and Economy Commission as a deputy director?

Looking at Lu Zheng's face through the smoke, which seemed somewhat blurred, Liu Baojun felt that he was gradually losing his sense of who Lu Zheng was.