Zhang Guoxin hesitated for a moment and said, "Your proposal is bold and courageous, but the government has never chosen such an approach when dealing with similar problems. We need to assess the risks in advance, otherwise the problem will only get bigger and bigger."
Xing Jike said softly: "I hope the city can give me a chance..."
Zhang Guoxin was very surprised by Xing Jike's attitude, because this was obviously not Xing Jike's usual style. He then called Song Wendi, the municipal party secretary. Although he and Song Wendi were not on good terms, they still needed to maintain a unified opinion on such a major event that affected the government's image.
Song Wendi knew that what Zhang Guoxin had communicated with him was about Xing Jike from Dongtai County. He listened to Zhang Guoxin's explanation of Xing Jike's attitude in silence and asked softly, "What do you think?"
Zhang Guoxin sighed, "There are three options now. First, treat this matter coldly; second, punish Xing Jike; third, let Xing Jike face the pressure of public opinion. The first method obviously cannot meet the requirements of public opinion and the province, and Yinzhou needs to bear too much pressure; the second method is not fair to Xing Jike. After all, he is a young cadre who has worked hard in Dongtai for several years. Not only will it chill some officials, but it will also encourage some bad trends; the third method is to bet on Xing Jike. There are certain risks, but it is also the correct crisis public relations method."
Song Wendi nodded and said, "I agree with you. Letting the Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department organize a press conference is a very bold but innovative approach. The country is now advocating open government affairs and transparent information. There are certainly risks in our Yinzhou government doing this, but I also represent a trend. In the future, when the government faces a crisis, it should not just hide the information and try every means to conceal it. Doing so will only make citizens lose confidence in the government. The correct approach should be to make the information transparent and let the public know the real situation, and the rumors will be self-defeating."
Zhang Guoxin knew that Song Wendi was an open-minded party secretary who always thought ahead. This time was no exception. If it was another conservative municipal party secretary, Xing Jike would have been fired long ago. Zhang Guoxin frowned and thought for a while, then said, "Then I will ask the Propaganda Department to prepare the entire press conference process and select a group of media to ensure that there will be no problems with the final effect."
Song Wendi thought that Zhang Guoxin's thinking was still meticulous, but he did not completely agree with Zhang Guoxin's point of view. He said softly: "Hold the press conference in a completely open manner. Don't deliberately look for some positive media. This way, it will be truly fair and open."
Zhang Guoxin frowned slightly. If everything was made public, who would bear the risks? He suddenly felt that Song Wendi's move might be a trap, waiting for him to jump into it.
Zhang Guoxin smiled faintly and said, "Secretary Wendi, since you want to make the press conference a typical successful case of government crisis public relations, why don't you let the municipal party committee take the lead in organizing it. If you coordinate it, you will definitely get twice the result with half the effort. Otherwise, if the government alone coordinates it, I'm afraid it won't be handled well enough, which would be inappropriate."
Song Wendi could tell that Zhang Guoxin was trying to shirk responsibility, so she smiled faintly, "Since you think the Municipal Party Committee Office needs to step in, then I will have someone handle it immediately, but the government must obey the arrangements and give support."
Zhang Guoxin heard the hidden meaning of Song Wendi. Song Wendi wanted not only support but also Zhang Guoxin's attitude. Song Wendi wanted Zhang Guoxin to follow the municipal party committee in his future work. Although Zhang Guoxin was silent for a while, he did not completely submit to Song Wendi.
Zhang Guoxin smiled unnaturally and said, "The county government has always resolutely obeyed the various arrangements of the Party Committee."
After hanging up Zhang Guoxin's phone, Song Wendi sighed leisurely, staring at Fang Zhicheng who was sitting on the sofa and slowly making tea, and asked softly, "Are you sure you want to protect Xing Jike this time?"
Fang Zhicheng put down the teapot and smiled, "I'm not trying to protect Xing Jike, but I think we should give him a chance. After all, he was once in the same team as us. It would be too cruel if we just watched him die without helping him."
Song Wendi shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Your choice is not wise."
Fang Zhicheng understood what Song Wendi meant. From anyone's perspective, Fang Zhicheng had no obligation to help Xing Jike restore his reputation. The officialdom was cruel. There were no eternal enemies, let alone eternal friends. Everything had to be measured by interests. Xing Jike was just an ally of short-term interests to Fang Zhicheng. When there was a conflict of interest between them, or when they had no value to each other, it was human nature to turn around and retreat.
But Fang Zhicheng chose to continue to stand with Xing Jike, which seemed too immature.
Fang Zhicheng smiled faintly, "Secretary Wendi, please believe me, I will definitely be able to give you a perfect answer."
Song Wendi knew that Fang Zhicheng always did surprising things, and was used to his extraordinary drive. He smiled and said, "Well, I'll give Xing Jike a chance. I'll convene an emergency Standing Committee meeting later to form a team for the press conference and instruct the relevant personnel to cooperate with you to complete it. I hope you won't let me down."
After Fang Zhicheng left Song Wendi's office, he couldn't help but frown. He didn't know if this was the right thing to do, because it might be easier for him to stay out of it. But he felt that he couldn't throw away Xing Jike, otherwise the initiative he had fought for in the county government would be completely lost. More importantly, he felt that if he made good use of the press conference, he might be able to get some turnaround.
Public opinion is a double-edged sword. While it hurts you, it can also bring you certain value.
In the outer room, he sat opposite Tong Siqing and chatted with her for a while. They hadn't seen each other for a long time. Tong Siqing had lost a lot of weight, but Li Mingxue was still nowhere to be seen.
"I'll treat you to dinner tonight." Fang Zhicheng invited in a low voice.
Tong Siqing didn't agree, and urged in a low voice: "Hurry up and leave. If Xiaoyu finds out that you and I... I'm afraid he will start to think about it again."
Fang Zhicheng shrugged and said, "This Xiao Yu... OK, see you tonight."
After Fang Zhicheng disappeared from the office, Tong Siqing pondered for a moment, picked up the phone, and called her mother-in-law, saying that she had to attend social events in the evening and could not go home for dinner, so she would leave her son at their house.
The old lady didn't say anything at the moment. She hung up the phone and whispered to her husband Li Dehan, "I think Xiao Tong has changed a lot recently. She is becoming less and less attentive to her family. Is it because Mingxue went to Shenzhen to start a business that she has some thoughts in her mind?"
Li Dehan frowned and scolded, "Don't let your imagination run wild. Siqing is a decent person. How can you be a mother-in-law like you, doubting your own daughter-in-law. Mingxue abandoned his family and children. Siqing is now supporting the whole family alone. It's not easy for her."
Chapter 0367 The Last Fig Leaf
Tong Siqing and Fang Zhicheng chose to eat in a private kitchen with a special environment. Before the dishes were served, Fang Zhicheng held his chin and stared at Tong Siqing's beautiful face. Tong Siqing held the glass unnaturally, took a sip of lemonade, rolled her eyes at Fang Zhicheng and said, "Staring at others carefully is an impolite behavior."
Fang Zhicheng shook his head and smiled, "Why did I hear that staring at your lover closely can enhance your relationship?"
Tong Siqing laughed and said, "You always have your own reasons. By the way, I heard that you are running around for Xing Jike, hoping to restore his image?"
Xing Jike's title of "Four-Nothing County Mayor" has been confirmed, and everyone in Yinzhou City knows it. So Tong Siqing finds it hard to understand that in this situation, Fang Zhicheng is still trying to fight for him to turn the tables, which goes against common sense. But Tong Siqing knows that Fang Zhicheng is not that stupid, and there must be some changes that others don't know about.
"Could it be that he has something on you?" Tong Siqing asked with concern when she saw Fang Zhicheng smiling without saying anything.
Knowing that Xing Jike was in a dead end, he still worked for him. There was only one possibility: Fang Zhicheng had some leverage in Xing Jike's hands, and Xing Jike used it to force Fang Zhicheng to help him.
As the saying goes, concern leads to confusion. Fang Zhicheng read the warmth in Tong Siqing's words and shook his head, "Don't think too much. Helping Xing Jike is not only out of morality, but also because his existence plays a vital role in stabilizing the situation in Dongtai. Moreover, I think that using the press conference may have unexpected effects."
"Oh?" Tong Siqing saw Fang Zhicheng was so confident, so she didn't say anything more. "The situation in the municipal party committee is quite complicated now. It seems that Secretary Wendi has taken control of the Standing Committee, but the administrative efficiency of the government is a big problem. For all the instructions issued by the municipal party committee, they have adopted a delaying strategy. Obviously, Mayor Zhang is not completely willing to surrender. In addition, for this press conference, Mayor Zhang pushed the responsibility of the press conference to the Municipal Party Committee Office, which is also putting pressure on Secretary Wendi."
Fang Zhicheng nodded, still very grateful to Song Wendi, and said with a smile: "Boss, you really have great trust in me. I believe I will not let him down."
After finishing their meal, Fang Zhicheng and Tong Siqing did not take a taxi directly, but took a walk on the road to digest the food. Fang Zhicheng turned his head from time to time to glance at Tong Siqing. Her magenta shirt was trimmed neatly, slightly gathered at the waist, and the hem was tucked into her black trousers. A blue silk scarf was wrapped around her neck. If you look from behind, her plump and perky buttocks looked particularly attractive.
Tong Siqing was dressed very maturely today, with the steadiness and connotation of a working woman. Fang Zhicheng felt his heart beating fast, and he could smell the faint fragrance emanating from Tong Siqing with every breath.
Before they knew it, they had walked for half an hour and returned to Tong Siqing's house. She first went to the bathroom to run some hot water, and then called Fang Zhicheng in to take a bath. The water temperature was just right, and Fang Zhicheng soaked for half an hour, then asked in the bathtub, "Will anyone disturb us at night?"
"... No..." After a long time, Tong Siqing's voice was heard, and one could hear a hint of shyness in her words.
After taking a shower, Fang Zhicheng found some clean clothes on the bedside table. He looked at the size and found that they fit him, but were obviously not Li Mingxue's size. He thought to himself that Tong Siqing was thoughtful.
After changing into clean clothes and coming to the living room, Tong Siqing went into the bathroom holding the clothes. Fang Zhicheng was originally sitting on the sofa watching TV. After thinking about it, he got up and walked towards the bathroom. With a light push, the bathroom door suddenly opened.