After three hours' drive, the mountain pass was already in sight.
The journey was quite interesting. Except for Tan Xue, the four people in the car were all talkative. Ye Zhiwei was eloquent. He had traveled all over the country over the years and was knowledgeable. He was interesting in talking about local customs and people. Fan Bo was well-read and could quote humanities allusions at will. He could use ancient stories to discuss the present and make incisive comments on current affairs. Not to mention Wen Liang, who knew a little bit about history, economy, politics and people's livelihood, and his humorous words made everyone laugh from time to time.
Tan Xue sat next to Wen Liang, looking at this young man who was always the focus and center wherever and whenever he was. Thinking of the changed trajectory of her life since she met him, she felt peace and joy in her heart.
At nine o'clock in the morning, gentle footsteps, after many years of absence, once again stepped into Guanshan.
As the capital of Jiangdong Province, Guanshan City has a long history, prosperous culture, developed economy, and beautiful natural scenery. It has long been known as "half city is mountain and half city is lake". It is one of the most important cities in the Huanghuai River Basin. Wen Liang met Zuo Yuxi's friend, Qu Donghai, the CEO of Jinlong Industrial, at Cuigong Hotel in the city. He is a middle-aged man in his fifties. He has eight or nine subsidiaries, covering many business areas such as machinery manufacturing, logistics and freight, electrical equipment, and construction engineering. He is well-known in the Guanshan business circle.
Qu Donghai is a typical Jiangdong man, generous, warm and hospitable, and can easily win the favor of others. After meeting for only ten minutes, he quickly became familiar with Wen Liang and others at the welcoming banquet. Both parties were very happy and had a very pleasant conversation. Perhaps Zuo Yuxi had told Qu Donghai in advance, so he never mentioned his personal relationship with Director Zuo, but was only enthusiastic about Wen Liang, which made Fan Bo more confident.
After three rounds of drinks, Qu Donghai left first. With his busy schedule, he was willing to take time out to accompany the guests for such a small matter, which was a great respect for Zuo Yuxi. The one who stayed to help with the company's formalities was Qu Donghai's eldest son Qu Rong, a young man in his twenties who didn't talk much but looked very capable. Under his coordination, and with Ye Zhiwei and Fan Bo running around, many procedures were compressed to the shortest possible time. The next afternoon, Yijun Company was officially established, with Tan Xue as the legal person.
That evening, Wen Liang hosted a banquet to thank Qu Donghai. After dinner, the two had a two-hour private conversation in the small living room and basically finalized the next cooperation plan. This trip to Guanshan was a complete success. After seeing Qu Donghai off, Wen Liang stood in front of the French window of the hotel room. The sky gradually dimmed, and the lights turned on like stars hanging upside down, making this noisy city quiet and elegant at this moment.
He took out his cell phone and took a look at it, then looked out the window again. Across the street, the four large characters "Guanshan Hotel" flashing in colorful lights seemed to be very close.
Today is the third day of the Guanshan Grain Conference. At 3 pm, in the large conference room on the fifth floor of Guanshan Hotel, Wen Huaiming will face the senior leaders and start an adventure and sprint in his personal career under the attention of many people. Although Wen Liang has grasped the general situation, he cannot guarantee that his father will gain enough political capital from it. In the final analysis, it depends on himself when he goes to the battlefield.
It was already seven o'clock in the evening and there was still no call from Wen Huaiming. Wen Liang was considering whether to call the front desk of Guanshan Hotel to ask whether the meeting was over when there was a sudden knock on the door.
After dinner, Ye Zhiwei used the excuse of being tired to find a hot spring bath and took Fan Bo to experience the nightlife of Guanshan. The only one who came was Tan Xue. He opened the door and smiled gently, "Sister Xue, come in quickly. It's too boring to be alone in the room, right? It's all because Old Ye went out to play first. Otherwise, with him as a know-it-all, we could have found a fun place to relieve our boredom."
Tan Xue shook her head and sat on the sofa, feeling a little awkward. Wen Liang poured her a glass of water and brought it over, saying, "How is it, how do you feel about coming to Guanshan this time?"
Tan Xue took the cup and warmed it in her hands. After listening to Wen Liang's words, she spoke as if in a dream: "This is my first time in Guanshan. I didn't expect there would be such tall buildings, so many cars, and such a hotel... Before I met you, although I had to work two jobs, the income was still not enough to support the family. Life was always very tight. When my family was in the most difficult time, we had to eat radishes and cabbages for a month or two, oh, and potatoes!"
Wen Liang deliberately joked, "Okay, no wonder Tan Yu is tall and thin, with fair skin, but has a big round head. It turns out that it's all because of the radishes, cabbages, and potatoes."
Tan Xue also laughed: "Tan Yu is a boy, and he was still growing up. I always felt sorry for not being able to take good care of him. But Tan Yu has been very sensible since he was a child. He never spends a penny carelessly and never compares himself with other classmates. I am very happy to have such a younger brother..."
"He's even happier to have a sister like you!"
Although Wen Liang has lived two lives, his status as an only child will not change. He has not experienced being spoiled by his sister, but he is deeply moved by the abundant and sincere emotions in Tan Xue's words. This feeling does not only come from this moment, but more from the yellowed photo that he always kept in Tan Yu's pocket in his previous life. Since Tan Xue's death, Tan Yu has experienced pain and torture. As a witness, Wen Liang can best understand the unforgettable pain.
Fortunately, this life has become different after all!
Tan Xue looked up, a little shy in her eyes: "But the happiest thing for me is to meet you! Wen Liang, thank you, first you saved my life, and then you brought me into another world. If it weren't for you, I never thought that I would be able to live in a hotel like this one day, learn things from Mr. Ye and Teacher Fan, and even have the extravagant hope and courage to do something in my career..."
Wen Liang said softly, "Without me, with your seriousness and persistence, you will be able to make your own achievements in the future. What I can help you with now is just the basics. Sister Xue, don't take the past to heart. Tan Yu and I are good brothers, and you can be like my real sister. We are family, and we should keep our differences. When you have enough experience and knowledge, if you don't want to stay in Qinghe, or want to do something else, you can tell me. I will provide the funds and manpower, so you can do it with confidence!"
Tan Xue's eyes welled up with tears, and she stood up to say goodbye and leave, fearing that she would burst into tears if she stayed any longer. When she reached the door, Tan Xue suddenly stopped, lowered her head slightly, turned her back to Wen Liang and whispered, "I like Qinghe, and I will never leave!" Then she opened the door and ran out.
There was a sentence hidden in her heart that she didn't say out loud: Be it Qinghe or Yijun, no matter what the future holds, I will always be by your side and be your most loyal subordinate and your most... closest sister!
The monotonous electronic ringtone of the phone finally rang. Wen Liang pressed the call button immediately, but what came was Ning Xi's smiling voice:
"Congratulations, Secretary-General Wen made a great speech at the meeting. According to the information I received, the grain system reform plan he proposed is not only in line with the leaders' wishes, but also more detailed and feasible. The leaders of the State Planning Commission and the Grain Reserve Bureau all agreed to include his plan in the draft for soliciting opinions. If nothing unexpected happens, Qingzhou will be used as a reform pilot together with Guanshan..."
Although he was mentally prepared, Wen Liang was still speechless at the sudden surprise. He knew better than anyone what it meant to become a national pilot for grain reform. Not to mention the financial allocations and policy preferences that would come with it, the constant attention from senior management during the pilot period alone was enough to make all the money worth the price of the ticket.
It is not difficult to achieve political achievements in the officialdom. The difficult part is how to achieve results within the vision of the leaders. But for Wen Huaiming at this time, the biggest problem has been solved. Next, as long as he pushes forward the pilot construction step by step, the credit will not escape him.
After being blackmailed by Ning Xi for a big meal, Wen Liang hung up the phone in a hurry and called Wen Huaiming's mobile phone and the guest room phone, but they were both busy. He thought about it, went to the next room to say hello to Tan Xue, and called Ye Zhiwei and Fan Bo to come back as soon as possible, otherwise he would not feel at ease leaving Tan Xue alone in the room.
After arranging everything, Wen Liang went directly to Guanshan Hotel. The meeting had just ended and he could vaguely see many people walking down from the upstairs through the glass door. Security was very strict for such a large-scale meeting, and it was impossible to enter without a pass. Wen Liang forgot about this in his excitement and was blocked outside the door. He touched his nose and secretly thanked that there was no acquaintance here, otherwise it would be really embarrassing.
Guan Shandi was in a strange state. Just as he said he didn't know anyone, Wen Liang saw Zhang Fang walking towards the sofa in the lobby with a briefcase under his arm, obviously waiting for Xu Fuyan to come downstairs. Wen Liang smiled at the security guard, pushed open a crack in the door and called out, "Uncle Zhang, Uncle Zhang, here..."
Zhang Fang turned around and saw Wen Liang was surprised. He hurried over and asked, "Xiao Liang, why are you here?"
"An uncle came to Guanshan to do some work, and I followed him to play. Uncle Zhang, where is my dad? I need to see him for something, please take me in."
Zhang Fang naturally wouldn't object. Anyway, the meeting was over and the hotel was open to the public, so it wouldn't be a violation of discipline. Wen Liang thanked him and started to make trouble as soon as he entered the hall: "Uncle Zhang, don't bother me. I can go up by myself. I know which room it is!"
"You're so smart!" Zhang Fang joked, "Secretary-General Wen has to rush to finish some documents tonight, so he may have to stay in the hotel. Secretary Xu and I have to rush back overnight. If you're not staying long, you can come back to Qingzhou with us."
He vaguely knew that Xu Fuyan seemed to value Wen Liang very much, otherwise he would not have invited him to ride in the same car. Is car number one so comfortable
"No need. It's rare for me to come out and play. Uncle Zhang, don't be in a hurry to lock me up."
Zhang Fang laughed out loud. Wen Liang didn't take the elevator but went upstairs directly from the stairs on the side. He was afraid of running into Xu Fuyan. After all, he and Xu Yao had an unclear relationship now, and it would be really embarrassing to meet his parents.
Wen Huaiming lived in Room 301. Wen Liang walked along the corridor to find the door number. Just as he was about to knock on the door, he saw a ray of light coming through the crack. He pushed gently, but it was ajar.
He smiled slightly, and was about to tiptoe in to scare his father, when he suddenly heard a clear and charming female voice:
"Secretary-General Wen, even though I didn't make any contribution this time, I still worked hard. How are you going to thank me? Ha!"
(According to the outline, the perspective of this chapter should have been mainly Wen Huaiming, focusing on his performance at the meeting and the surprise of the NPCs. The so-called excitement and pretense come from this. However, I took everyone's advice and tried to briefly describe the promotion of Wen's father. But after switching to Wen Liang's perspective, this paragraph is difficult to write well. It's a dilemma!
(I am actually very confused. Could it be that apart from the protagonist, any other shining point, even the protagonist’s father, would affect the reader’s sense of immersion