Fang Zhicheng's appearance just now brought Xing Jike out of his brief brain blank. In the eyes of others, Fang Zhicheng seemed to have just gone on stage to report his work to the leader, and it seemed that the content of the report was good news. The people below the stage only saw Xing Jike smiling with a confident smile.
Xing Jike had practiced this smile hundreds of times in front of the mirror.
This press conference was hosted by Liu Chao, deputy director of the Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department. "Dear leaders, distinguished guests, citizens, and friends from the media, today's press conference is mainly to respond to the news that spread quickly on the Internet, was hotly discussed by many people, and caused huge negative impacts. It is about the suspected dereliction of duty and misconduct of Comrade Xing Jike, the head of Dongtai County of our city."
"Dongtai County is a star area that our city has focused on building. As the main leader of the government, the county magistrate's talent and image will determine the future development and achievements of Dongtai County. Now, from the country to the province, they are advocating for government information to be open and transparent. Therefore, we hold this press conference in a fair, just and open manner, hoping that Comrade Xing Jike can directly face the public and let everyone judge whether he can shoulder the responsibility of Dongtai's long-term development. Just now, our staff gave everyone a score sheet. After the press conference, we will collect information on the spot and use it as the material for the Organization Department to finally deal with Comrade Xing Jike based on everyone's opinions."
"Next, please invite Comrade Xing Jike to give a brief report on the comments about himself on the Internet."
Unlike other meetings, there was no applause from the audience, only sparse whispers, because everyone came to this press conference with a judgmental eye. In the eyes of others, Xing Jike is already a cadre with a tarnished image and no hope for redemption. As for today's press conference, the reporters came with the negative views of netizens, and many people assumed that Xing Jike would be punished by his superiors after the press conference, and Dongtai County would be in turmoil.
Xing Jike pressed the microphone button in front of him and said slowly and rhythmically: "First of all, I want to apologize. There are so many news about me on the Internet that it has damaged the image of the Dongtai government, so I sincerely apologize to all the people in Dongtai County."
"Secondly, I want to explain. To explain myself is also to clear the name of Dongtai. I have not been the county magistrate for a long time. In more than a year, I have witnessed the changes in Dongtai with my own eyes, and I have also felt my own growth. Many indecent photos of me have been circulated on the Internet. I was very angry when I saw those comments at first, but over time, I felt that this was a spur. Because there are many eyes watching Dongtai and watching me, this is a sword of Damocles, which makes me know how to pay attention to maintaining my image in my future work - Dongtai is me, and I am Dongtai."
"Finally, let's talk about my title - 'County Mayor with Four Nothings'. I have to say that netizens are a talented group. They even made a jingle about my title, 'Tell a lie at the beginning of the year, get a prize at the end of the year, and get a promotion next year'. I ask myself, I haven't done enough in the year of the New Year, but I hope everyone can give me a chance to keep up the good work and use actual achievements to get rid of the unjustified title of 'County Mayor with Four Nothings'."
Xing Jike's speech was not long, but his words were half colloquial and half literary, and his advance and retreat were measured. He could clearly see that the eyes of the reporters below when they looked at Xing Jike had changed a little.
Is Xing Jike really as described online, a person who is illiterate, only knows how to play around, and has no real talent or knowledge? If he is really that unbearable, why can he say such a classic statement
There was a lot of discussion below, especially among reporters, who discovered that there was no press release for today's press conference. They originally thought it was an oversight by the organizers, but now they think that the organizers hope that reporters will use a more realistic style to reflect the actual situation at the press conference.
Yinzhou came prepared, and Xing Jike also came prepared, which greatly motivated the enthusiasm of the reporters on the scene.
After Xing Jike finished speaking, Liu Chao continued to host the meeting calmly, "Now we will enter the question-and-answer session. Reporters present here have the opportunity to ask questions, but please be careful to manage your time well, and each person only has one chance to ask a question..."
The reporter from the Southern Guangdong Daily was the first to ask a question, "Xing County Magistrate, why do you think those obscene photos were circulated on the Internet? Do you suspect there is some conspiracy behind this?"
The reporter's question was very tricky. If Xing Jike told the truth, this was a conspiracy of his opponent, which would obviously cast a sinister atmosphere over the entire officialdom.
Xing Jike shook his head and smiled faintly, "I am a sunny person and like to look at things from a sunny side. I think it is more likely that a friend was trying to play a joke on me and filmed the funny faces I made unintentionally."
Xing Jike's humorous answer caused laughter among the people present, and everyone began to judge that this was a county magistrate with an open mind.
The second question from the reporter of China Youth Daily was, "County Magistrate Xing, some netizens have commented that you have done nothing as county magistrate. Although Dongtai County has developed very well, it has nothing to do with you as county magistrate. What do you think about this issue?"
Xing Jike waved his hand and continued with a smile, "I admire this netizen's judgment because he is right. I have said this on various occasions: the achievements made by Dongtai County have nothing to do with me, but are the result of the collective efforts of all officials and citizens of Dongtai County. The vitality of a city has nothing to do with who the county magistrate is, but is inevitably related to its mass base and the connotation of the city."
Xing Jike spoke eloquently and answered questions from various angles, fully attracting the interest of reporters.
Fang Zhicheng was worried about Xing Jike at first, fearing that he could not withstand the reporter's harassment and overcome his psychological fear. However, Xing Jike was a director-level cadre after all, and had a certain degree of self-control. After getting into the state, he gradually became more comfortable and made some contributions to the manuscript he had provided.
The press conference took more than two hours from start to finish. As Fang Zhicheng expected, it did not get out of control because of the good preparations. Instead, it turned into a personal political show for Xing Jike. Xing Jike was neither humble nor arrogant on the stage, showing the calmness and flexibility of an outstanding cadre.
This completely destroyed the original plans of Sun Weiming and others.
The moment Xing Jike left the press conference, there was applause from the audience. This was not only dedicated to Xing Jike, but also to the thriving Dongtai.
Some reporters even speculated that the reason why Dongtai County caused the "four no county head" incident and held a press conference in a timely manner was to use event marketing to increase Dongtai's popularity. If that was really the case, then Xing Jike was too bold. He was willing to sacrifice his own image to attract the focus of public opinion. This kind of mind and vision far exceeds that of most current ruling officials.
Xing Jike kept his chest up and stomach in until the moment he walked into the lounge. His legs went limp and his highly tense nerves almost pushed him to his limit. Suddenly, he felt a surge of strength at his waist and Fang Zhicheng supported him from behind.
"How did I perform?" Xing Jike no longer looked as heroic as before, and the smile he had at the press conference had already frozen.
Fang Zhicheng gave Xing Jike a thumbs up and praised him, "County Magistrate Xing, you performed very well. I believe that by tomorrow, the entire public opinion will change and portray you as a passionate and wise leader."
Xing Jike waved his hand and said with emotion: "I hope so. Zhicheng, thank you very much. If it weren't for you, this would have become a stain on my career path. From now on, there would be no possibility of promotion."
Fang Zhicheng said modestly: "County Magistrate Xing, you don't need to thank anyone, because just now you used your own voice to convey your voice to the society. You saved yourself."
Xing Jike chewed over Fang Zhicheng's words with mixed feelings. He thought he had reached a dead end, but who knew there would be a silver lining? At the same time, he also began to reflect on whether there were any mistakes in his previous work and whether his working methods and style needed to be improved.
This time, if it weren't for Fang Zhicheng, perhaps I would never be able to raise my head because of this stain. Moreover, at the critical moment, Fang Zhicheng gave me enough encouragement. If I hadn't performed hard at the press conference and saved myself, the consequences would be disastrous. If I want to move forward, I must overcome my weaknesses in the future.
Fang Zhicheng is not very old, but through this incident, he taught Xing Jike a good lesson.
Chapter 0369: The Four-No County Magistrate Dongtai Dream
The press conference went more smoothly than expected. Every reporter asked questions, and Xing Jike answered them in a unique way. Although some of the questions were very tricky and even sharp, Xing Jike showed the basic qualities of a qualified government official, satisfied the psychological needs of the reporters, and displayed the mental outlook of an official in the new era, which surprised many people.
The day after the press conference, a reporter from the China Youth Daily wrote an article titled "Dream of Dongtai County with Four No Heads" in a lively way. The article was 4,000 to 5,000 words long and took up an entire page. It was inspired by a popular post on the Internet, and then it unravelled and fascinatingly described Xing Jike's contribution to the development of Dongtai County.
"Xing Jike was not angry about the title of 'Four-Nothing County Mayor' because he believed that in the new era, as an official in charge of a region, his every move would be exposed to the public. If he tried his best to cover up and acted superior, he would be less friendly. On the contrary, if he showed his true self to the public and let the people be the judges, he would be able to make progress, and make Dongtai progress..."
"Not only Xing Jike, but everyone living in Dongtai has a Dongtai dream. The dream of ordinary people is to have a stable job, a good income, and a perfect and happy family; the dream of investors is to build a unique and profitable business empire in a land full of business opportunities; Xing Jike's Dongtai dream is to use a non-action but effective way to guide the government's transformation from the size of affairs to macro-control and then to cooperation and assistance..."
"'The government has never been the protagonist, and I, Xing Jike, should not be the protagonist either.' Xing Jike believes that he hopes that public opinion will forget about him, and then ask everyone to focus on Dongtai and come to Dongtai for development. This is his earnest hope. Some conspiracy theorists believe that from the very beginning, the 'Four-Nothing County Mayor' was a joke that Dongtai played on the whole society, because Dongtai's development in recent years has far exceeded expectations, and the annual GDP growth rate has exceeded 100%. Everything is enough to prove that this is not an ordinary place. But reporters believe that the 'Four-Nothing County Mayor' was a joke Xing Jike played on himself. He seemed to be eager to arouse public opinion through this matter, and then hold a press conference to solve the mystery. It turns out that Dongtai is so beautiful, and everyone should go to Dongtai to see it - this is really a cunning 'Four-Nothing County Mayor'..."
After reading all the content, Fang Zhicheng smiled with satisfaction. At this time, he suddenly received a call from Song Wendi.
Song Wendi was obviously also paying attention to the subsequent developments of the press conference. He said with satisfaction: "Zhicheng, you did a good job this time. I didn't expect things to develop like this. Not only did you successfully save Xing Jike, but you also promoted Dongtai. Secretary Siyuan even called me just now and said that this was a classic government crisis public relations case."
Song Wendi was obviously in a very happy mood. The effect of the press conference was unexpected, and it seemed to open another door. It turned out that the government could do this when facing a crisis. Not only could it turn the crisis into safety, but it could also leverage the power of others and take the government's image to a higher level.
Fang Zhicheng was the planner and promoter of this incident, so he naturally deserves great credit.
Fang Zhicheng smiled slightly, "It's mainly because you, the boss, are more open-minded. If it were another municipal party secretary, he would never allow such a big risk..."