Chapter 5457

Watching Wang Leji's servile attitude at this moment, and then thinking back to the defiant demeanor he had when he first arrived at the district, this 180-degree turnaround made Zhao Desan feel very gratified. He secretly sighed that power is truly a wonderful thing! When a person is nothing, anyone can point fingers and throw their weight around at you; but once a person has power in their hands, countless people will take the initiative to approach you, nodding and bowing. This is the function of power.

"Old Zhang, you know about the city's resolution, right? When are you leaving? I'll arrange a farewell party for you." Zhao Desan exhaled a puff of smoke leisurely and said with a smug smile.

When Secretary Zhang was asked this by Zhao Desan and saw his smug look, his old face suddenly appeared extremely unsightly. He gave an awkward smile and said, "I appreciate District Mayor Zhao's good intentions, but everyone in the work group is so busy. I'll leave once I've packed my things; I won't trouble District Mayor Zhao."

"Old Zhang, look at what you're saying. You've stayed in our Chanba District for half a year, after all. No matter what, even if there's no credit, there's still hard work. No, tonight our District Committee and District Government must hold a grand farewell party for you. This is the custom of our Chanba District Committee and District Government, and it also represents the heartfelt wishes of the colleagues and leaders here. Old Zhang, you can't refuse this; it's settled then." Zhao Desan deliberately put on an extremely enthusiastic appearance, insisting on holding a farewell party for Zhang Zengxian.

Zhang Zengxian was an old hand in the world; how could he not understand what Zhao Desan was thinking? Wasn't it just to make him lose face in front of so many people and make a fool of him? But since this kid had already spoken to this extent, if he didn't agree, wouldn't it be giving him too little face? After struggling internally for a while, Zhang Zengxian still smiled awkwardly and reluctantly agreed: "Since District Mayor Zhao is so thoughtful, what else can I say?"

Zhao Desan chuckled and said to Wang Leji, who was standing to the side: "Old Wang, you must attend tonight as well. You and Old Zhang have a good personal relationship; you need to show your appreciation properly."

Wang Leji was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly nodded servilely and said: "Definitely, definitely."

"Alright then, you go help Old Zhang pack his things first. See you tonight." Zhao Desan chuckled, then turned and left the District Committee Secretary's office, beaming with pride.

Thinking of the old man's unsightly expression just now, a look of schadenfreude appeared on Zhao Desan's face. This time, he was finally the one who laughed last. After returning to the District Government, he immediately called the Director of the District Government Office over and instructed him to arrange the dinner for Secretary Zhang's farewell that evening, requiring all cadres at the section level or above from the District Committee and District Government to attend.

At seven in the evening, Zhang Zengxian and Wang Leji were picked up by the car arranged by Zhao Desan and taken to Chanba District, where they were checked into the Donghu Hotel, the best in Chanba District. Because Zhao Desan required all section-level or above cadres from units directly under the Chanba District Committee and District Government to attend this banquet, the large banquet hall of the Donghu Hotel was already packed, with every seat taken; every cadre at the section level or above had come to attend.

These old hands who had been in officialdom for many years all understood in their hearts that the protagonist of the dinner that night was not the former District Committee Secretary Zhang Zengxian, but the young man about to take office as Acting Secretary, Zhao Desan. Everyone knew that these two—one as Secretary and one as District Mayor—had not had any unpleasant conflicts on the surface over the past half year, but in reality, there had been undercurrents and fierce struggles.

And in this game of chess, the young man Zhao Desan had ultimately laughed last. Not only did he squeeze out Zhang Zengxian, but today's *Xijing Evening News* front-page headline had already published this personnel change, with him concurrently holding the position of Acting Secretary. In this way, the heads of the Chanba District Party Committee and Government became one person, and the power of Chanba District was concentrated entirely in Zhao Desan's hands. Everyone was surprised by this result, and they also felt a heartfelt admiration for this young man, Zhao Desan.

As the protagonist, Zhao Desan was naturally the last to arrive. He got out of the car and walked into the banquet hall, beaming. He saw that the dozen or so tables in the hall were already full of people, a sea of heads, and the atmosphere was very lively. The moment he walked into the banquet hall, it suddenly fell silent.

Usually, such large banquets are hosted by leaders at the director level, and this banquet was naturally hosted by Hou Junshan, the Director of the District Committee Office. Seeing the big leader Zhao Desan walk in, full of spirit, he immediately went up to greet him respectfully and said with a smile: "District Mayor Zhao, look, shall the banquet begin, or would you like to say a few words first? Why don't you say a few words first?"

Zhao Desan feigned a reluctant appearance, nodded, and said: "Then I'll say a few words."

Hou Junshan immediately nodded and bowed, took the microphone, walked to the small podium, and said loudly: "Well, before the banquet begins, let's invite our Chanba District Mayor and Acting Secretary, Comrade Zhao Desan, to speak to us. Let's welcome him with applause."

Before Hou Junshan's voice had faded, the entire banquet hall was filled with thunderous applause. Zhao Desan looked around, waved at everyone with a smile, and among all the people, he noticed that only Zhang Zengxian was hanging his head and not clapping. He sneered secretly in his heart, then walked onto the podium, took the microphone from Hou Junshan, cleared his throat, and began to speak with a smile: "Today, everyone is gathered here together, and the main purpose is to hold a farewell party for our old Secretary of Chanba District, Comrade Zhang Zengxian, and also to take this opportunity for everyone to get together. I believe everyone has also seen the notice from the Municipal Committee and Municipal Government. The Municipal Committee and Municipal Government have other important uses for Comrade Zengxian. Before he leaves this big family of the Chanba District Party and Government departments, our District Committee and District Government have specially arranged such a grand farewell banquet for Comrade Zengxian to express the gratitude of our Chanba District Committee and District Government for the contributions Comrade Zengxian has made to the development of our district over the past half year..." Zhao Desan gave an enthusiastic speech, highly praising Secretary Zhang's work achievements in Chanba District over the past half year and his contributions to helping the masses escape poverty and become prosperous.

(Chapter 2968: Undercurrents)! ===== CHAPTER 5458 =====