I like Ji Su.
Wen Liang leaned back in the back seat of the taxi. Outside the window were flashing neon lights and pedestrians hurrying to and fro. Somehow, he suddenly remembered the tears that fell on his palm last night.
After returning home, he fell asleep on the bed without taking a shower. When he came back from running at 6 o'clock in the morning, he saw Wen Huaiming yawning and walking out of the bedroom. Wen Liang asked in surprise: "When did you come back last night?"
The father and son have not met very often in recent times. Wen Huaiming either follows Xu Fuyan in Guanshan or stays out all night at the Municipal Party Committee. He is so busy all day that Ding Mei has complained to Wen Liang countless times.
Wen Huaiming still looked exhausted. He pressed his temple and said, "It's about three o'clock. The situation at the municipal government is serious. They arrested a mayor and three deputy mayors at once. Almost all work has come to a standstill. If we hadn't been prepared, there would definitely be a big mess now."
Wen Liang nodded. With the situation developing to this point, Zhou Yuanting had no chance of turning the tables. He had no intention of intervening in the subsequent operations. Xu Fuyan was in power and was full of complacency and flattery. Wen Liang had no need to interfere and annoy others.
What's more, it's fine if he can't defeat the other party, but how to punish the fallen dog after defeating him is not as good as those old-timers in the officialdom. What he is more concerned about is what benefits Wen Huaiming can get from this matter.
"Did Xu Fuyan reveal your arrangements?"
Wen Huaiming poured a cup of strong tea, rubbed it up and down in his hands, frowned and said: "There has been no specific conversation yet, but from Xu Fuyan's tone, I guess there may be two options. One is to be the secretary of Huashan District; the other is to be promoted to the executive deputy secretary-general of the Municipal Party Committee, secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, director of the Municipal Party Committee Office and director of the Policy Research Office. Yang Guangsheng will be promoted to deputy mayor, but not executive..."
After hearing what Wen Liang said, he roughly understood what Wen Huaiming was hesitating about.
Yang Guangsheng was promoted to deputy mayor, and the secretary general was replaced by the soon-to-be-arrived deputy secretary general Zheng Qihang. Meng Shanshui, the former executive deputy secretary general and director of the Policy Research Office, had an ambiguous position in the confrontation between Xu and Zhou, so it was natural for him to be eliminated at this time and be transferred to a cold government office with the empty title of researcher. Keeping the treatment of a regular director unchanged was the best outcome. Wen Huaiming, who had a grudge against Meng Shanshui because of the previous research report incident, would not say anything good for him. In this way, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Xu Fuyan was paving the way for Wen Huaiming's further promotion. After two years or even a year, when Zheng Qihang retired, he could be promoted again. From deputy secretary to regular secretary, from regular director to deputy director, and finally to member of the municipal party committee standing committee, although the time was a bit tight, it could reduce criticism from this position, which was completely justified.
In other words, although Wen Huaiming holds the position of deputy secretary-general, he is the de facto steward of the municipal party committee and even the entire Qingzhou. He holds the power of a deputy director at the rank of director, so the temptation is not small.
On the other hand, being transferred to the districts and counties to become a powerful local lord is more attractive to people like Wen Huaiming who have always been in the municipal government. He is still young and has some ambitions that are unique to highly educated officials of that era. He still has a strong desire to do something practical for the people. Going to the grassroots may be more in line with his positioning.
Of course, this was just Wen Huaiming's own idea. He and Wen Liang both understood that at this moment he could not truly control his own destiny. The real decision-making power lay in Xu Fuyan's hands.
The only thing that is certain is that the friendship that has survived the bloody storm should pave a bright road for Wen Huaiming. Although Xu Fuyan is sometimes indecisive, he is not a mean and ungrateful person. Wen Liang still believes this.
But the point is that Xu Fuyan may hope that Wen Huaiming will stay in the Municipal Party Committee to help him manage the family, plan strategies, and plan the overall situation. Whether in terms of ability or loyalty, Wen Huaiming is the only choice in Xu Fuyan's mind.
Wen Liang hesitated for a moment and said, "It's too early to think about these things now. Both paths have their pros and cons. But in my opinion, we should stay with Xu Fuyan for now. If you want to work in the district, now is not the right time. In Huashan District, the largest district in Qingzhou, the former secretary Yang Yixing was plotted against by Zhou Yuanting and removed from office. With Zuo Yuxi's relationship, it is not a problem for him to be reinstated. But if he is reinstated, he will be appointed to another position. Huashan is impossible. This strongest candidate can be ignored. The current secretary Hou Chuanhai is a member of Zhou's faction. Even the aunt who sweeps the toilet in the district committee knows that he will not be able to sit in the position under his buttocks for a few days. Just think about it, how many people are eyeing this chair? That is a place where you have to squeeze your head and bleed to get there. With Xu Fuyan's support, if you really want to do it, dad, no one else can snatch it away, but I don't know how many people you will offend invisibly! Xu Fuyan is indeed a big tree, but the people who take shelter under this tree are not just our family. You are just starting your career now, so it is not easy to make too many enemies."
Wen Huaiming has been busy dealing with various affairs in the city these days. He has been working all night long and forgetting to eat and sleep. He has considered his own development and situation, but he has no time and energy to think deeply. Although what Wen Liang said is simple, as the saying goes, those who are in power are often confused. He has not had time to think about many aspects. When he heard it, his eyes lit up and he said, "Yes, it looks like a good position, but it is actually a furnace. I don't have enough qualifications. If I become the head of Huashan District right after being promoted to director, I don't know how many dark winds and hidden arrows I will have to endure behind my back."
Wen Liang smiled and said, "There's a saying that goes, the more successful you are, the more you have to be humble..."
Wen Huaiming glared at him and said, "What do you mean by keeping your tail between your legs? This is called being ambitious and being careful when speaking sensitive matters!"
Wen Liang exclaimed, "Dad, you are so educated. Where did you get that from? I have never heard of it before."
During this period, Wen Huaiming could only vaguely see the image of the young boy when he saw his son acting cute. At that time, he was only angry and resentful, but now thinking about it, it is also the joy of being a father. Now the two of them are in the same boat, planning great things together. Although they are closer than before, they are more friends than father and son. They can never find that feeling again.
But no matter what, this is getting better, not worse. Wen Huaiming put on his fatherly airs and scolded him, "Read more instead of hanging out with girls all day. Tell me the truth. What did you do when you didn't come home all day and all night?"
Wen Liang immediately cried out: "How could I hang out with a girl? Is Xu Yao good enough? Be careful that this gets to your boss's ears and he'll make you go to the City Chronicles Office to edit history. You know I visited the Yishan Mineral Water Factory, so why are you putting such a big accusation on me?"
Wen Huaiming could no longer keep a straight face, and said with a smile: "Okay, but I want to remind you, why are you yelling so much? Your mother hasn't gotten up yet, and if you make her suffer, you will have a hard time. Yang Dingjun called me yesterday. It's strange that I asked him to do something, but he made him pay a lot of humiliation. It's hard for me to ask him if he doesn't tell me clearly. What kind of trouble did you cause in Yishan?"
Wen Liang briefly explained the situation, but didn't mention the conflict with Gu Wenyuan. There was no need to worry his father about those things. Wen Huaiming snorted coldly, "Shi Daqing is lucky that he didn't do anything stupid, otherwise I wouldn't forgive him!"
Wen Liang rarely saw Wen Huaiming lose his temper like this, and praised: "Dad, you are beginning to have the authority! But, are you worried about Xu Yao or me?"
Wen Huaiming finally couldn't stand it anymore and kicked him, but Wen Liang dodged with a smile. Wen Huaiming said, "The people below are too tactful. The head of the police department of a county is no different from a local tyrant. Last year, the head of the police department of a county under Sanle City drove drunk and killed someone. Not only did he not pay compensation, he also falsely accused the deceased of violating traffic regulations and arrested the family members who came to petition and sent them to the detention center. It's simply lawless. If the provincial inspection office hadn't come across them during an unannounced visit and exposed the matter, who knows what would have happened to the family. The image of the party and the government has been ruined by this bunch of parasites!"
Spoil? Wen Liang curled his lips and said, "In another ten years, you will know what it means to be shameless and invincible!"
"How about that water plant? It was a well-known brand in Qingzhou a few years ago. Now it's no longer good. Sigh."
Wen Liang shook his head and said, "If we leave it in the hands of Yishan's gang, I'm afraid there will be no way out. But if we can think of a way, maybe there will be a new world."
Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Wen Huaiming did not ask and changed the subject, saying, "Xu Fuyan meant to wait until the Zhou Yuanting case is over before making specific adjustments to the city's division of labor. I'll talk to him about his tone when I have time. Since you have decided to stay in the Municipal Party Committee, you can take over many tasks with confidence. Get familiar with them first so that you won't be in a rush."
Wen Liang asked, "Who is specifically responsible for the city government's work now?"
"Deputy Secretary Feng Wenxue will be in charge for the time being."
"Well, if we pass Bai Changqian, the future of this executive vice mayor will not be good."
"Bai Changqian may not be in a bad situation, but he may not get better. His position as executive vice mayor will remain unchanged, but if he is sensible, he will probably resign. After the Standing Committee defected, his prestige in Qingzhou officialdom has dropped to the lowest point since the beginning, and he can't do his job even if he is just an executive. Moreover, he has been in the Zhou faction for so many years, and even if Secretary Xu helps him clean up his mess, he will probably be punished within the party. He is lucky to be able to keep his position as vice mayor, so what future can he expect? Look at the fate of Zhou Yuanting and others. If he doesn't chant Buddha, it means that his belief in Marxism-Leninism is firm!"
Unexpectedly, the always conservative Wen Huaiming could suddenly make a joke. Wen Liang burst out laughing and said, "It's past eight o'clock, why aren't you going to work?"
Wen Huaiming rubbed his cervical spine and said, "Secretary Xu is going to Shunyi County for research today. He finished work too late last night, so he asked me to wait at the gate of the family compound. When the convoy arrives, I can leave directly without running back and forth. With Zhang Fang accompanying me, I don't have to worry about many miscellaneous matters."
Wen Liang smiled and said, "Secretary Xu's way of eating is a bit ugly. Zhou Yuanting just got off the horse and is going to take over the territory..."
Wen Huaiming said angrily: "You are just a bad talker!" (To be continued)