Chapter 28: A Busy Day

Liu Fang opened the door and saw Du Xiaobei standing at the entrance. Her expression immediately turned serious. Seeing it was Liu Fang, Du Xiaobei hurriedly greeted, "Hello, Secretary Liu!"

"Hello, come in!" Liu Fang straightened her posture and walked in with her high heels.

Hearing Du Xiaobei's voice, Wang Jian smiled and asked as soon as she came in, "How did it go? Did you notify Feng Guoqiang?"

Du Xiaobei had run over to find Wang Jian and was still a bit out of breath when she said, "Town Chief Wang, I've notified Feng Guoqiang. He said he's back home and will come to see you tomorrow. As for Liu Yan, everything went smoothly. She said she's willing to return to the Party and Government Office, but it seems she wants to be the deputy director or something."

"Deputy director?" Wang Jian was slightly surprised, then quickly frowned and said, "We can consider it. I'll think of a way!"

Du Xiaobei's eyes widened in surprise. "We can consider it? Really? Why should she be the deputy director?"

Seeing Du Xiaobei's disbelief, Wang Jian smiled slightly, knowing she might be feeling jealous. She, who always followed him, hadn't become the deputy director, so why should Liu Yan, who always wavered, get the position?

Looking at Du Xiaobei, Wang Jian said seriously, "Xiaobei, we don't need to talk about our relationship. There's no need to hide things from you. I just became the town chief, and I need to promote people who have interacted with me more. Only by having more people on my side can I have enough influence in Xianhe Town. If I can keep Liu Yan, who always wavers, by my side, others will think I am tolerant and remember old friends. This will make people willing to follow me. I know you might have some thoughts, but in my heart, you are irreplaceable by anyone else!"

Hearing that she was so important to Wang Jian, Du Xiaobei was deeply moved. Although they were both young, she felt that Wang Jian was much more mature and steady. She deeply liked his maturity and steadiness, but Wang Jian only saw her as a good friend and a work partner, with no intention of starting a romantic relationship. Now that Wang Jian had become the town chief, the distance between them seemed even greater. However, the fact that Wang Jian considered her irreplaceable was very touching.

"Town Chief Wang, I'll follow your lead!" Du Xiaobei said with deep emotion.

Wang Jian nodded and continued, "Liu Yan may waver, but she is still diligent in her work. Assigning her to the Party and Government Office is using her talents appropriately, but she can't compare to you. When we meet privately, just call me Wang Jian. Don't always call me Town Chief Wang. Although I'm the town chief now, I'm still the same Wang Jian. We are all the same age, so there's no need to be so formal. Otherwise, after a few days as town chief, I might not find anyone to talk to about my true feelings, and over time, my heart will close off, and I'll grow old!"

Du Xiaobei didn't want to call him Town Chief Wang all the time either, but Wang Jian's position in the town was already very high. How could she be as casual as before? So she had been calling him by his title. She didn't expect Wang Jian to prefer the old casualness, which showed that he didn't see her as an outsider. Since that was the case, Du Xiaobei felt there was no need to be so formal anymore.

"Wang Jian, in private, I won't call you a leader. I'll say whatever I want. But what if you become an even higher official in the future? Will you still let me call you by your name?" Du Xiaobei laughed and asked.

Wang Jian was taken aback by the question, thinking that it was too early to consider such things just after becoming the town chief. He laughed and said, "Hehe, no matter how high an official becomes, they are still the same person. In the past, party members never called each other by their titles. So what's wrong with calling each other by name? Don't worry, no matter how far I go, calling me by my name is fine. Say whatever you want, it's better to be natural and relaxed!"

"Alright, Little Wang Chief, let's be completely casual. I won't say more. I'll go find Liu Yan and make sure she comes back smoothly!" Du Xiaobei made a funny face and left with a happy laugh.

"Hehe, okay!" Wang Jian also laughed.

Watching Du Xiaobei leave happily, Wang Jian fell into deep thought. The next step was to consider who would take over as the director of the Party and Government Office. On this issue, Zheng Shiguang's opinion was crucial. According to the original plan, Zheng Shiguang would definitely want to use Guo Qiang as the director. However, if Guo Qiang became the director, he might follow Fang Zhiming and oppose Wang Jian, which would be very disadvantageous for Wang Jian. In Wang Jian's heart, he really wanted to use Du Xiaobei as the director, but Zheng Shiguang probably wouldn't agree. Therefore, he needed to find a new candidate who would be beneficial to him and acceptable to Zheng Shiguang. Wang Jian thought of Feng Guoqiang. Feng Guoqiang was the former director of the Party and Government Office and had a good relationship with Zheng Shiguang when he was in that position. Although Feng Guoqiang had fallen out of favor and his relationship with Zheng Shiguang had become distant, if Wang Jian supported Feng Guoqiang to become the director again, and considering their past good relationship, Zheng Shiguang probably wouldn't oppose it. The key now was whether Feng Guoqiang had the confidence to return to the position. This was why Wang Jian wanted to talk to Feng Guoqiang.

Bringing Liu Yan back to the Party and Government Office had both work-related considerations and a desire to retaliate against Fang Zhiming. The goal was to psychologically打击 Fang Zhiming. Although Fang Zhiming was only a deputy town chief, he had close relationships with middle-level officials in the town and had an uncle who was the director of the county finance bureau, making him a formidable opponent. If he could change his stance and not oppose Wang Jian, that would be ideal.

But now, the worst-case scenario must be prepared for, to prevent Fang Zhiming from opposing him at every turn. Wang Jian believed that the key was to control the conflict with Fang Zhiming by handling his relationship with Zheng Shiguang well. On one hand, he needed to develop his own power base, and on the other hand, he had to be cautious and avoid any conflicts with Zheng Shiguang. The situation was very delicate, and Wang Jian had to handle it carefully.

After thinking for a while in his office, the deputy director of the county finance bureau, Zhao Dongbo, suddenly called. Since meeting Wang Jian when accompanying Dai Changyong to Xianhe Town, Zhao Dongbo had felt that Wang Jian had a bright future and had tried to build a relationship with him. Upon hearing that Wang Jian had become the town chief, he called to congratulate him.

"Hello, Director Zhao!" Wang Jian said politely.

"Ha, Town Chief Wang, congratulations! When will you come to the county, and we can have a big gathering!" Zhao Dongbo laughed heartily.

Although Wang Jian didn't have much affection for Zhao Dongbo, he needed to build relationships now and had to play along. "Sure, Director Zhao, when I come to the county, you'll have to treat me!"

"No problem, Town Chief Wang. I'll invite a few more friends and some beautiful ladies to accompany us. What do you think?" The more Wang Jian insisted on him treating, the happier Zhao Dongbo was, seeing it as a sign of a good relationship.

"Hehe, Director Zhao, you really have the skills to even invite beautiful ladies. You've got me excited!" Wang Jian laughed heartily.

"Excitement is better than words. How about this weekend?" Zhao Dongbo seized the opportunity to set a date.

Wang Jian thought for a moment and said, "Alright, this weekend!"

"Great, see you then!"

After hanging up, Wang Jian sighed. When you are poor, no one asks about you in the bustling city, but when you are rich, even distant relatives come to your door. Now that he was the town chief, people like Zhao Dongbo, who were influential in the county, were trying to curry favor with him. People are very pragmatic, but this is human nature, and it can't be changed or refused. He could only adapt.

Although many people were congratulating him, there was one person he must inform, and that was Zhao Yixuan. She had promised to visit him, but it hadn't happened yet. He hoped that now that he was the town chief, she could come to support him and strengthen their relationship.

Wang Jian called Zhao Yixuan. When she received the call, Zhao Yixuan was very happy. She had decided to break off the arranged marriage and had completely ended her relationship with the son of the provincial finance bureau director. She felt very relaxed. Hearing that Wang Jian had become the town chief, her heart almost skipped a beat.

"Wang Jian, are you serious? You're not joking, right? To become a town chief so quickly, you are truly a political genius!" Zhao Yixuan's voice was full of surprise.

"Hehe, of course, I'm serious. When have I ever lied? But it's nothing, just a town chief. There are many town chiefs in the country, and my responsibilities are heavy. Xianhe Town is very backward and needs support and funding from above. You know many people in the provincial party committee, so could you help me? Could you help Xianhe Town with some poverty alleviation efforts?"

"Hehe, you're already thinking about these issues as soon as you become the town chief. Others would be thinking about how to thank their superiors. Since that's the case, I'll help you. You're working on agricultural restructuring, right? Create a model, and I'll contact some journalists to interview you. Once you gain some fame, it will be easier to get funding from above. What do you think?" Zhao Yixuan laughed.

Wang Jian said, "Great, you must come when the time comes, so I can thank you!"

"Hehe, we'll see. I also want to congratulate you in person!"

Zhao Yixuan had returned to her admiration for Wang Jian from their student days. After hanging up, she was still excited and decided to share the news with her classmates in the provincial capital.

After talking to Zhao Yixuan, Wang Jian felt that she was right. He should thank the leaders who promoted him. Perhaps this promotion had something to do with Zhao Bingzhi and Guo Yongchen, but they were far away in the provincial capital and held high positions, making it difficult to express gratitude. Therefore, the leaders he should thank were the county party secretary and county chief, Ren Pingyi and Liu Qingshan. They had even called him to come over, which was a great honor, and he should go to see them and express his gratitude.

As the town chief, he now had a dedicated car, and it was convenient to go to the county. However, the driver who used to work for Zhang Zeguang had died, and the driver who used to work for Li Jiarong had become Zheng Shiguang's dedicated driver. Wang Jian didn't have a driver yet. Remembering that Wu Lei could drive, he went to the Party and Government Office and asked Wu Lei to drive him to the county.

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