Chapter 369: with translation of chapter title

On December 21, the Municipal Organization Department inspection team arrived in Ganshui to conduct an organizational inspection of Deputy County Party Secretary Zhang Qianyuan, County Office Director Li Xinbo, County Development and Reform Bureau Director Wang Licheng, and Longmen Town Party Secretary Li Longhao.

At the same time, Deputy Head of the Municipal Public Security Bureau Criminal Police Detachment Liu Jin Zhu, Section Chief of the Municipal Human Resources Bureau Xu Zheng, and Fang Hui were also inspected as Deputy Division Level leading cadres.

Under Lu Fan's maneuvering, classmates Deng Junchi, Wang Mengen, Huang Xiaoyu, and Zhu Jianglin were also promoted to Zhengke Level. For a Division‑level unit, a section chief only needs the unit's study and decision, then report to the Municipal Organization Department; the difficulty is not great.

Lu Fan personally went to the Qinchuan Petroleum headquarters to coordinate the annual oil and gas output value.

Qinchuan Petroleum President Su Xingyu gave a grand reception to the Ganshui delegation; thanks to Lu Fan's introduction, he and Li Siwei hit it off, and now dealing with the Development and Reform Commission is much easier.

After a brief chat, Lu Fan said, "General Manager Su, Ganshui produced 210,000 tons of crude oil and 360 million cubic metres of natural gas this year, far insufficient!"

Su Xingyu replied, "Secretary Lu, I have paid special attention to Ganshui's output this year; the number of oil and gas wells increased by 20%, crude oil output rose 10%, natural gas output rose 165%, such a clear bias, the group already has opinions!"

Lu Fan said seriously, "The political situation in the province and the city has changed greatly; this year is unusually critical for me. Brother, you must help me!"

General Manager Su hurriedly asked, "Are you about to be promoted?"

Lu Fan smiled and said, "We must first solidify the basic work; if the economic indicators don't rise, everything else is useless!"

Upon hearing this, Su Xingyu thought for a moment, then said bluntly, "A brother's future is important; I, old Su, will definitely help the situation! Tell me, what should we do? What level must we reach?"

Lu Fan, who already had a draft, replied, "Increase oil output by 13–15% and push natural gas output to break 400 million cubic metres; any difficulty?"

Su Xingyu responded firmly, "Even if there are difficulties, we must go for it; don't worry, I'll find a way!"

Lu Fan continued, "We must not fabricate or simply shift output from other places; this year I aim to contend for the province's top‑ten counties, and the economic figures cannot contain any falsity!"

"Rest assured, all oil and gas wells in Ganshui will be put into full‑scale production, run at full capacity, prioritized for refining, with a one‑stop service for output and taxes; we won't engage in any falsification and will not hold you back!"

"No need to say thank you; it's all in my heart!"

"Which of us is whose brother?"

That day, Wang Hongtao followed Secretary Chen Jiazhong to Jingcheng—both to handle a project and to visit Secretary Chen Deming to congratulate him in person. In addition, Secretary Chen was to receive an organizational talk and was also set for promotion.

Upon meeting Chen Deming, Wang Hongtao beamed and said, "Congratulations, Secretary; best wishes, Secretary, may your career soar and your plans expand! Now I have confidence; from now on I can stride forward!"

Chen Deming laughed, "You kid still need to keep your tail in check; no more jokes, let's get serious. The day after tomorrow I'll be with the Discipline Inspection Committee, and Jiazhong must quickly take his post; after organizational study, it's decided that you will temporarily preside over the full work of the Qinchuan Provincial Party Committee."

Wang Hongtao exclaimed in surprise, "Secretary, why me? I don't seem qualified to serve as Provincial Party Secretary, does this step leap too far?"

"What are you thinking? It's to let you temporarily host the work, not to place you in that position!"

"Isn't there also Governor Cong Feng?"

Chen Deming said, "Cong Feng has other arrangements; don't pry into matters that shouldn't be investigated!"

Wang Hongtao couldn't hold back and asked, "Secretary, what will the future Secretary of Qinchuan Province be like? Will they be easy to get along with? I'm spreading a huge mat; if someone can't even fill a pot, the loss will be borne by our Qinchuan Province!"

"I think you're becoming more complacent; no matter who comes, as long as it benefits Qinchuan's development, you won't argue on principle? Qinchuan's situation is excellent, achievements hard‑won, and cannot be destroyed by anyone!"

Wang Hongtao laughed, "Please rest assured, Secretary; we view life and death lightly—if you disagree, we'll act!"

Chen Deming glared at Wang Hongtao and said, "Has your brain regressed, or is your comprehension lacking? Safeguarding the overall situation and maintaining unity are always paramount! Only on matters of principle and development must you uphold truth and argue on reason; it's not to have you cause disruption or conflict!"

"Secretary, I have understood your instructions and guarantee I won't disappoint you!"

"Alright, alright, I won't babble with you any longer! I have something to ask you, about Lu Yao."

"It hasn't been handled yet? The child was a bit impulsive and indeed made a mess, though there were causes. Yet she committed a serious work error, causing a severe impact, and must be punished!"

Chen Deming asked, "Then how do you think it should be handled? Is it a work mishap? A work error? Abuse of power, acting on one's own? Or defying authority while upholding disciplinary bottom lines? Also, does Le Xue Ren have any problem? If he truly is a corrupt element, what adverse impact did Lu Yao cause?"

Wang Hongtao suddenly realized that Chen Deming wanted to protect Lu Yao, and reminded, "Secretary, I heard that someone may be exonerating Le Xue Ren!"

Chen Deming said disdainfully, "A grasshopper after autumn can't jump for many days! Discipline inspection work bears special political requirements and a glorious mission; discipline inspection cadres are the loyal guards of the Party and the people, must keep a righteous heart, follow the right path, nurture upright spirit, be brave in dedication, upright and unyielding, unafraid of hardships or bitterness, dare to fight corrupt elements that harm the people's interests, so that they can fulfill the mission, uphold duty, and protect the people's interests, building a copper‑wall of iron‑strength for national security!"

Catching Chen Deming's implied meaning, Wang Hongtao suggested, "I recall Lu Yao is a selected transferred student with a requirement for grassroots posting training; perhaps we should send her down for training, keeping her away from trouble. Secretary, I'd like to ask a favor for Guo Dajin; he also suffered an unprovoked disaster."

Chen Deming nodded and said, "Guo Dajin's issue isn't serious; give him a warning. I'll hold a meeting shortly; Lin Zifan needs to be mentioned, you can have free time for now, and we'll have lunch together in the afternoon."

On December 22, the Discipline Inspection Committee held its third plenary meeting; Secretary Chen Deming, having reached new heights, led the attendance and delivered an important speech. Lu Yao, as the person bearing the blame, sat in the aisle of the last row of the conference room.

After the meeting adjourned, Lu Yao, with a nervous heart, knocked on Director Guo Dajin's office door, and after receiving permission she entered.

Upon entering, Lu Yao immediately lowered her head, eyes full of apology and self‑blame: "Director, I apologize, it's all my fault, I've let you down!"

Guo Dajin sat at his desk, a helpless expression on his face, and sighed, "Alas, it has come to this, so I won't say more! Lu Yao, this time you were really too impulsive!"

Lu Yao lifted her head, her gaze firm and resolute: "Director, I have submitted my resignation letter to the Office of the Secretariat. From now on, any thing I can do, please let me know; I have betrayed your trust and cultivation, I have let you down!" Tears welled in her eyes, but she tried hard not to let them fall.

Guo Dajin gently shook his head and said, "First, don't rush to draw conclusions, and don't act impulsively; I think the situation may turn around. Ning Secretary just told you something—do you know what that means? I think you can wait a bit."

However, Lu Yao was unusually resolute: "Thank you for your kindness, Director; I have decided, after such an incident I truly have no face to continue staying in the Discipline Inspection Committee, please understand!"

Just as she was speaking, Lu's phone rang; seeing it was from the Office of the Secretariat, she said to Huang Xiaowu, "Director, it's the Secretariat calling; I'll step out to take the call."

"It's fine, I'll take it here; maybe it's about your resignation."

"Thank you, Director!" Lu Yao hurriedly answered the call.

"Is this Lu Yao? This is Wang Hanxiao."

Lu Yao quickly said, "Secretary‑General, please give instructions!"

"Lu Yao, go now to Secretary Deming's office."