Chapter 15: Meeting the County Party Secretary

Back in the dormitory, Wang Jian was still preoccupied with the alluring figure of Xinghua. Although he ultimately did not cross that line, the burning desire in his heart remained unquenched. However, he felt that what he did was right. If something had happened between them, what if she clung to him afterward? The most important thing now was his political future; everything else was secondary. He must not stumble and do something he would regret.

Wang Jian felt a sudden awakening. He could not be compared to those officials who had been in the countryside for a long time. They could get away with some outrageous behavior because they had no great political aspirations and just got by. He, on the other hand, had to face his future prospects and must be cautious in his relationships with women.

Actually, he was not short of women. Liu Yan and Du Xiaobei both wanted to date him, but he did not want to start a relationship now. Although Du Xiaobei was nice, she did not spark much passion in him. He felt that his standards for women had risen. Even Zhao Yixuan, who worked in the Provincial Party Committee Office, did not seem particularly noble to him. Perhaps Lin Feifei had raised his standards, or his pursuits had changed. Women, as Liu Bei said, were like clothes; good or bad, they could all be worn, but truly attractive clothes were rare.

Wang Jian now wanted to do some practical things for the people. Although he sometimes socialized with middle-level officials, he did not like that lifestyle at all. Those officials who thought only of promotion and wealth were nothing to him, and he could not form any friendship with them.

Lao Lu from Xinhé Village had more dealings with Wang Jian. Lao Lu, whose real name was Lu Mingxiang, had a close relationship with Wang Jian ever since Wang Jian went to him to learn about greenhouse farming. Lao Lu was very skilled, and Wang Jian had him guide other villages in building greenhouses, which was a great help. After becoming the director of the Party and Government Office, Wang Jian consulted him on matters of agricultural industrial structure adjustment.

Wang Jian was promoted to the director of the Party and Government Office, and Ren Pingyi only found out after some time. After careful consideration, he felt that Liu Qingshan had taken the lead. It was easy to promote a director of the Party and Government Office in the township, but to promote someone to the township leadership was much more complicated. Liu Qingshan had taken advantage of this gap. The reason for this situation was that there was no one from Ren Pingyi's faction in Xianhe Township. Zhang Zeguang was from Liu Qingshan's faction, and Li Jiarong was from Chen Zhuangde's faction. The other members of the leadership were not significant and could not play a role. The key was the top two leaders.

Since Liu Qingshan had taken the lead, Ren Pingyi had to take the initiative to meet Wang Jian personally. However, he had a plan. He asked the county party committee office director, Zhuang Lin, to call Li Jiarong and tell him that he wanted to meet him and to bring Wang Jian along. This move was a double-edged sword: it could win over Li Jiarong and Wang Jian, and it could also make Liu Qingshan and Zhang Zeguang suspicious of Li Jiarong and Wang Jian, allowing him to benefit from their conflict.

Ren Pingyi smiled with satisfaction, picked up the phone, and called Zhuang Lin to inform him to notify Li Jiarong and Wang Jian to come see him immediately.

After receiving the call from Zhuang Lin, Li Jiarong thought for a long time, trying to understand the implications. Although his backer was Chen Zhuangde, Ren Pingyi's opinion was crucial for him to become the township secretary. However, asking him to bring Wang Jian along was a bit suspicious. Wang Jian was now favored by the county leadership, but why did they need to meet together, and why did he have to notify Wang Jian?

Li Jiarong thought that Ren Pingyi might be trying to win him and Wang Jian over to counter Zhang Zeguang. If so, he had no objections. He was already at odds with Zhang Zeguang, and this was a good opportunity to use the conflict between Ren Pingyi and Zhang Zeguang to his advantage!

Wang Jian was sitting in the Party and Government Office, and Fang Zhiming was sleeping on the desk. Recently, he had nothing to do and seemed to be silently protesting to Zhang Zeguang, urging him to give him a suitable position.

"Xiao Wang, come out for a moment," Li Jiarong called from the door of the Party and Government Office. Fang Zhiming heard the call, looked up, and then went back to sleep.

Wang Jian came out and asked, "Li Township Chief, is there something?"

"Come with me to the county." Li Jiarong said and walked out. Wang Jian turned around, grabbed a file bag, and followed him into Li Jiarong's car.

"Li Township Chief, what are we going to the county for?" Wang Jian asked after getting into the car.

Li Jiarong smiled and said, "Secretary Ren wants to see you!"

"Is it Secretary Ren Pingyi?" Wang Jian asked, unsure if it was Ren Pingyi.

"Yes, it seems that Secretary Ren values you highly and specifically asked me to notify you to come see him!" Li Jiarong said warmly from the back seat.

"Hehe, Li Township Chief, I'm a bit nervous!" Wang Jian laughed, looking back from the front seat.

Li Jiarong, thinking he was joking, said, "You're not afraid in front of the governor, but you're nervous in front of the county party secretary?"

"Li Township Chief, isn't there a saying that a county official is not as powerful as the one in charge? To be honest, I am a bit nervous!" Wang Jian said.

"You won't be nervous once you get there!" Li Jiarong reassured him.

The car slowly entered the county party committee compound. Wang Jian followed Li Jiarong out of the car and went to the county party committee office to find Zhuang Lin, who then led them to Ren Pingyi's office and left.

"Jia Rong, Xiao Wang, you're here, come in and sit down!" Although he had only met Wang Jian once, Ren Pingyi greeted him warmly.

Wang Jian followed Li Jiarong and sat on the sofa after Li Jiarong sat down.

"Secretary Ren, what brings you to see us amidst your busy schedule?" Li Jiarong asked after sitting down.

Ren Pingyi, sitting behind a large desk, looked very pleased and nodded with a smile. "Jia Rong, you've been in Xianhe for two years, right?"

"Just one month short of two years," Li Jiarong replied.

"Your work has been good, and I know this. You've also cooperated well with Old Zhang. This time, I called you to let you know that the county party committee is aware of every official's work and will treat everyone fairly. Xiao Wang is a young official. Although he hasn't been in the workforce long, his performance has been outstanding. Jia Rong, you must support Xiao Wang's work in the township. The county party committee plans to give him a significant role. I hear he was just promoted to the director of the Party and Government Office, which is part of the preparation for his promotion. Xiao Wang, you must work hard!" Ren Pingyi said, looking at Wang Jian with a warm expression.

"Thank you, Secretary Ren, for your encouragement. I will work hard!" Wang Jian quickly stood up and replied. Ren Pingyi kindly waved for him to sit down.

Li Jiarong understood Ren Pingyi's intention. He clearly wanted him to lean towards Ren Pingyi and be promoted to the township secretary. The so-called good cooperation with Zhang Zeguang was just Ren Pingyi's rhetoric. If they truly cooperated well, Ren Pingyi would be unhappy. Leaning towards Ren Pingyi was certainly beneficial, as the county party secretary had many advantages. However, how could he explain this to County Party Secretary Chen Zhuangde? Regarding Wang Jian, Li Jiarong was somewhat shocked. Ren Pingyi's intention was to further promote him, which clearly would not be at the township level but to a deputy section-level position, making him a member of the township leadership. This was a significant promotion for someone who had just started working, and it was quite astonishing. It took him five years to reach a deputy section-level position, and many people never achieved it in their lifetime.

"Jia Rong, go back and talk to Zhang Zeguang about the agricultural industrial structure adjustment. Your township has no industry, so the main source of income for farmers is agriculture. Xiao Wang has done some work, but the scale is still small. Your township should become a model for agricultural industrial structure adjustment in the county. Xiao Wang has a lot of experience in this area, so you can let him take the lead without affecting his work in the Party and Government Office!" Ren Pingyi instructed.

"Understood, Secretary Ren," Li Jiarong replied.

"Alright, that's all for now. I won't keep you for dinner!" Ren Pingyi stood up with a smile, and Li Jiarong quickly stood up to shake his hand and say goodbye. Wang Jian also respectfully shook his hand.

After leaving, Li Jiarong said to Wang Jian, "Xiao Wang, let's have dinner together today!"

"Hehe, sure, Li Township Chief!" Wang Jian laughed, knowing that Li Jiarong was being polite and giving him face. With him as the director of the Party and Government Office, there was no need for Li Jiarong to treat him; he could just sign the invoice when they returned.

Li Jiarong smiled and said, "I'll take you to the restaurant first; I have some other matters to attend to!"

In fact, Li Jiarong wanted to send Wang Jian away so he could meet Chen Zhuangde and tell him about today's meeting with Ren Pingyi. If Chen Zhuangde and Ren Pingyi could work together, it would be easier for him to navigate the situation.

After meeting Chen Zhuangde, who listened to his report in silence, Chen Zhuangde slowly said, "Ren Pingyi wants to take control of Xianhe Township, but he's targeting me. Does he think my people can be easily swayed? Jia Rong, go along with him and become the township secretary first. We can enjoy watching Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan fight. When you go back, you can show some resistance to Zhang Zeguang. Wang Jian seems to be a hotly contested figure. We can also try to win him over in the township. What do you think?"

"Mr. Chen, you are wise. Ren Pingyi wants us to fight with Liu Qingshan, but we will watch them fight. I believe we will win!" Li Jiarong laughed.

"Hehe, I'm glad you understand my intentions!" Chen Zhuangde said with a double meaning.

"I understand!" Li Jiarong bowed.

After meeting Chen Zhuangde, Li Jiarong was in high spirits. As long as Chen Zhuangde had no objections to his meeting with Ren Pingyi, he was happy to play the role of a double agent, benefiting from both sides. Once he became the township secretary, he could choose which side to stand with. For now, he could not afford to make any mistakes. If he did not report to Chen Zhuangde after meeting Ren Pingyi, Chen Zhuangde would think he was betraying him, and he would not become the township secretary. He knew this clearly!