Chapter 1699: Fawning Smiles

Secretary Jin smiled warmly and did not answer, but instead asked, "Changping, do you have anything else?"

"No, no, Secretary, I have nothing else." Li Changping shook his head with a fawning smile.

"If there's nothing else, you should go back and attend to your work. Remember what I told you: focus on your work and don't think too much about other things. This is an extraordinary period, and you must not cause trouble for the Provincial Party Committee and the government, you know?" Secretary Jin once again instructed Li Changping on the issues he needed to pay attention to.

"I know, I know. Secretary Jin, please rest assured, I know what to do." Li Changping nodded and said.

Secretary Jin looked at Li Changping, picked up his teacup with one hand, and waved the other, saying, "Alright, you go back and get busy."

"Then, Secretary Jin, I'm leaving." Li Changping rose with a face full of smiles and backed out of Secretary Jin's office bit by bit.

After coming out of Secretary Jin's office, Li Changping walked while carefully savoring the content of his brief conversation with Secretary Jin. Although he hadn't explicitly stated that he was highly likely to be recommended, he could feel from the lines that Song Jianguo's praise in Secretary Jin's ear had played a huge role. Li Changping felt very good inside, thinking that the treasure from his collection that he had cherished and given to Song Jianguo had not been given in vain; it truly lived up to the saying, "If you don't risk the child, you won't catch the wolf."

After returning to his office, Li Changping sat down, lit a cigarette, and began to recall the meaningful words Secretary Jin had said, admonishing himself to keep a low profile during this transition period and absolutely not be too arrogant; that was what Secretary Jin's words today meant. At the same time, Li Changping felt that while keeping a low profile, he also had to follow Secretary Jin's instructions and closely monitor Su Qing's movements to avoid losing the initiative in this game. Thinking this, Li Changping prepared to get up and secretly see what Su Qing was doing. He walked out of his office and wandered back and forth in front of Su Qing's office door sneakily several times, until finally, Su Qing looked up, and their eyes met directly. Li Changping immediately avoided Su Qing's suspicious gaze and quickly ducked into his own office.

This Li Changping, what is he trying to do, acting so sneakily! Su Qing glared at the office door, then thought thoughtfully, and soon understood, feeling that it must be related to the competition for the Deputy Secretary position that Yang Yongping was about to vacate. In the last few days, as the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, entrusted by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, deepened its investigation into Yang Yongping, Su Qing also clearly felt that Li Changping was like an ant on a hot pan, always looking restless every day, running outside all day long. Su Qing also understood that Li Changping must be working on high-level provincial relationships to pave the way for his political career. Noticing that she had lost the initiative in this game, Su Qing began to feel the pressure. As a woman, she was already at a gender disadvantage in the male-dominated Chinese officialdom, let alone in the game at the center of the provincial power vortex; a woman's disadvantage would become more obvious as her official rank rose. However, Su Qing did not take the initiative to visit and work on relationships like Li Changping. Originally, because she was a woman, she didn't dare to maintain too close a relationship with other high-level provincial leaders to avoid suspicion. This deliberate alienation had, over time, widened the distance between her and other high-level provincial and government leaders. Furthermore, once she visited, it was highly likely she would be kicked out by those officials' wives. This afternoon, Su Qing received the latest news from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection: as the investigation into Yang Yongping deepened, more issues regarding his violation of discipline and corruption were gradually grasped by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. Perhaps it wouldn't be long, after the negative impact of the major traffic accident gradually subsided, before the investigation results into Yang Yongping would be announced to the public. Once Yang Yongping's violations and corruption were made public, his position as Deputy Secretary of the Hexi Provincial Party Committee would certainly not be secure. Once the Deputy Secretary position became vacant, someone would definitely need to take on the heavy responsibility in a time of crisis. Therefore, while the investigation into Yang Yongping by the staff sent by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection was not yet over, Su Qing felt she had to fight for this opportunity.

Su Qing pondered for a long time this day. Originally, she was very satisfied with her current status as Minister of the Provincial Organization Department, feeling that for a woman to reach the level of a Provincial Party Standing Committee member was already quite impressive. But then she thought again: she was already over fifty years old. In order to achieve something in officialdom, she had once not hesitated to divorce, enduring loneliness and solitude alone, and had climbed to her current position. Now that a better opportunity had appeared, if she didn't fight for it, wouldn't she be letting down the pain she had endured over these years that ordinary people couldn't bear? Furthermore, even if she didn't fight for this Deputy Secretary position, she absolutely couldn't let Li Changping get it. If he managed to get it, he would certainly use the power in his hands to retaliate against her. Therefore, these two reasons made Su Qing determined to fight for this opportunity. She had already failed to gain the initiative, and now she couldn't sit still and wait for death.

Therefore, this afternoon, Su Qing took the initiative to find the top leader of the Provincial Party Committee, Secretary Jin. When she arrived at Secretary Jin's office, she was stopped by Secretary Jin's secretary, who asked if she had an appointment with Secretary Jin. Su Qing asked the secretary to convey that she wanted to talk to Secretary Jin about something. The secretary said politely, "Then, Minister Su, please wait a moment. I will convey this to Secretary Jin. You sit here and wait for a moment. Xiao Wang, pour a cup of tea for Minister Su."

"Alright." Su Qing smiled warmly, sat down on the sofa in the reception room, and the young girl named Xiao Wang helped Su Qing pour a cup of water and brought it over, inviting her to drink.

Perhaps because she rarely came to find Secretary Jin privately, and even more so because it was a matter of begging for help for her personal future, Su Qing couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She took a sip of water from the disposable paper cup, suppressed her somewhat uneasy emotions, and waited for the secretary to convey the message to Secretary Jin.

The secretary went and knocked on Secretary Jin's door, saying, "Secretary, Minister Su of the Organization Department wants to see you? Do you find it convenient to receive her?"

"Minister Su of the Organization Department? Where is she?" Secretary Jin was slightly stunned, then asked, thinking to himself, this Su Qing usually treats me like a plague god and rarely comes to find me, why did she come right after Li Changping left? Soon, Secretary Jin understood the purpose of Su Qing's visit.

"She is in the reception room. Because there was no appointment, I let her wait in the reception room first to consult your wishes, Secretary Jin." The secretary said.

Secretary Jin's eyes rolled, he looked at the secretary, and instructed, "Then bring Minister Su to my office!"

"Alright, Secretary Jin, I'll go right away." The secretary nodded, exited Secretary Jin's office, returned to the reception room, and said to Su Qing with a smile, "Minister Su, Secretary Jin asks you to go to his office."

Su Qing nodded with a smile at Secretary Jin's secretary, put down the disposable paper cup, got up, and followed her to Secretary Jin's office. The secretary knocked on the door, pushed it open, and said to Secretary Jin, "Secretary, Minister Su is here."

"Oh, Minister Su is here, come in." Secretary Jin, who was reading the newspaper, looked up and said with a chuckle.

Su Qing walked into Secretary Jin's office with a smile, was greeted by Secretary Jin to sit on the sofa, and then, while putting down the newspaper in his hand, he chuckled and said, "What is going on with you leaders in the Organization Department today?"

Secretary Jin's strange question made Su Qing feel a bit startled for a moment. She was stunned for a moment, then looked at Secretary Jin somewhat uncomprehendingly, and asked, "Secretary Jin, what is going on?" ===== CHAPTER 1700 =====