Chapter 61

Ding ding ding……

The phone at the Foreign Affairs and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office rang just as Yang Jie was about to leave for the day, tidying up his documents. He picked up the phone casually, “Hello, this is the County Party Committee Office!”

“Is this the Foreign Affairs and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office? I’m looking for Comrade Yang Jie!” Xiao Yason’s voice came from the other end. Yang Jie smiled and replied, “County Chief Xiao, this is Yang Jie. What’s the matter?”

“Little Yang! I really don’t know how to thank you. The hotel front desk told me that Chairman Liu checked in this afternoon. Coincidentally, we went to Chengnan Township in the afternoon and missed the chance to visit Chairman Liu first. So I have a favor to ask. Could you help us arrange a meeting with Chairman Liu for dinner tonight?”

Yang Jie had previously promised to help contact Liu Daxing for the Commercial Bureau Director Wang of Luosang County. Wang Guirong must have already reported this to Xiao Yason, otherwise, Xiao Yason wouldn’t have called so happily.

“County Chief Xiao, you’re too polite. It’s just a small favor. I’ll call Chairman Liu right away.” Yang Jie smiled and readily agreed, then noted down Xiao Yason’s room number. After Xiao Yason hung up, Yang Jie called Liu Daxing.

Liu Daxing stayed in the county to meet Xiao Yason. Now that Luosang County had called to arrange a meeting, Liu Daxing naturally wouldn’t put on airs. As a guest, he didn’t need to worry about the cost, so he decided to treat the officials from Luosang County to dinner. He asked Yang Jie to arrange a suitable place for the dinner.

Yang Jie, hearing Liu Daxing’s words, thought of the Jufu Mountain Villa he visited yesterday. He described it to Liu Daxing, who readily agreed. Liu Daxing hadn’t fished in a long time, and the chef at Jufu Mountain Villa was praised by Yang Jie for his fish-cooking skills. Without much thought, Liu Daxing decided to host the dinner at Jufu Mountain Villa.

“County Chief Xiao, Chairman Liu is available. He heard that County Chief Xiao of Luosang County wants to have dinner with him and is very pleased. However, he insists on treating you, saying that since you are guests from afar, it’s only right for him to host the dinner. He will treat you when you visit Luosang County in the future.” After hanging up with Liu Daxing, Yang Jie immediately called Xiao Yason back.

“This is too much! We wanted to invite Chairman Liu, how can we let him pay! Little Yang, this absolutely won’t do!”

Xiao Yason firmly refused. As the representative of Luosang County, he couldn’t let Liu Daxing pay. As the saying goes, "Eating someone's food makes one short of words." Xiao Yason planned to use the dinner to propose the acquisition of Luosang County’s herbal medicines by the pharmaceutical company. If Liu Daxing paid, he wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing it up.

“County Chief Xiao, you don’t know Chairman Liu’s personality. He is straightforward and enjoys making friends. If you insist on refusing, he might feel that you look down on him, which could affect your future relationship. Besides, he has already said that he will treat you when you visit Luosang County. Friends should reciprocate to build a better relationship. What do you think?”

Hearing Yang Jie’s words, Xiao Yason thought for a moment and then said with a smile, “Alright! Since Chairman Liu doesn’t treat us as outsiders, I won’t be so formal.”

“Great! County Chief Xiao, since it’s settled, I’ll go book a private room. After that, I’ll come to pick you up at the Wuhe Hotel.” After agreeing with Xiao Yason, Yang Jie hung up and immediately called Chen Yinglong, who was still in his office.

Yesterday, Yang Jie went to Jufu Mountain Villa with Chen Yinglong and knew that getting a private room there wasn’t easy, even if you had money. Fortunately, Jufu Mountain Villa was within the jurisdiction of the Chengguan Town, and the owner would give the county government some face. Booking a private room was just a matter of making a call.

Chen Yinglong, knowing that Yang Jie’s uncle was going to treat County Chief Xiao and his team from Luosang County at Jufu Mountain Villa, readily agreed to call and book a private room, ensuring that a room would be reserved for Yang Jie.

Yang Jie gave Chen Yinglong his pager number and asked him to send a message when the room was booked. By the time Yang Jie left the office, most of the people from the County Party Committee Office had already left.

As Yang Jie walked out of the County Party Committee compound, he was about to hail a motorcycle taxi when he saw Xiao Laizi’s car coming from a distance. It stopped smoothly beside him, “Xiao Jie, Mr. Liu asked me to pick you up. Get in the car!”

“Wow! Xiao Laizi, I didn’t expect you to call him Mr. Liu after just one afternoon!” Yang Jie got into the car and teased Xiao Laizi with a smile.

Xiao Laizi laughed and said, “We’re going to meet the leaders from Luosang County, so calling him Mr. Liu sounds more formal. We can’t let him lose face in front of others. Besides, Mr. Liu bought this car and hired me as his full-time driver. I can’t be so casual with the title anymore.”

“This is great! Your uncle is now such a big boss. Not having a car for daily travel is not only inconvenient but also makes him look less important. These days, there are many people who look down on others. If you don’t have a good car, people won’t even bother to talk business with you.” Yang Jie looked at Xiao Laizi’s Jetta, which was only a couple of years old, but Jetta and Xiaoli were known as taxi cars. Given Liu Daxing’s personality, he would definitely get a better car.

“Yeah, Mr. Liu said the same thing. He plans to give this car to your father. He said your father doesn’t like going out much and rarely uses a car, so this one will do for now. When the need arises, he will get a better car.” Xiao Laizi had deep feelings for this car and showed a hint of reluctance as he thought about giving it away.

“What kind of car does your uncle plan to get?” Yang Jie knew that if Liu Daxing decided to give this car to his father, he must have already chosen a replacement.

“An imported Mercedes S320. He said there are some special policies for joint ventures, allowing