Chapter 1000

The sunlight outside the Provincial Party Committee office building was blinding enough to make people dizzy.

Character sat in the back seat of the special car, his fists clenched so tightly they crackled, his heart filled with an unprecedented, immense resentment that he wanted to vent but had nowhere to vent.

Jiang Huan-tian's sentence "a one-month leave" was like a thorn, pricking his chest until it ached.

He just couldn't swallow this anger.

Lin Dongfan kid is clearly putting on an act; rooms 1907 and 1909 are definitely fishy! Maybe they're even a connected suite, a spot the cameras can't see—who knows what filth is hidden there.

The next afternoon, at the entrance of the Everyman Grand Hotel.

Character changed into casual clothes, put on sunglasses, trying to look inconspicuous. But the moment he stepped into the lobby, the official aura in his bones couldn't be hidden, and he instinctively straightened his back.

The front desk girl warmly welcomed: "Sir, hello, do you have a reservation?"

"No."

Character took off his sunglasses, lifted his chin: "Open a room for me, on the Nineteenth Floor."

The girl's smile froze for a moment, and she hurriedly explained: "Sir, sorry, our hotel's Nineteenth Floor is not open to the public; there's no guest room service for now."

"Not open to the public?"

Character's heart skipped a beat—there really was something fishy!

He suppressed his anger and said in a low voice: "I am the Municipal Party Committee Secretary of Place—Character! I'm here to stay at the hotel; open room 1907 or 1909 for me—I want to personally experience your service."

As soon as he said that, several nearby hotel guests instinctively looked over.

The front desk girl froze, obviously not recognizing him, but kept her professional smile: "Leader, I'm really sorry, the Nineteenth Floor is our hotel's exclusive floor. No matter who you are, the Nineteenth Floor cannot be booked from outside. This is our hotel's regulation; please understand."

"Regulations? I'm here to change the regulations!"

Character's anger flared instantly; he slammed the front desk counter: "Get your Ye general manager over here! I want to ask her—does Everyman Grand Hotel not put Wuzhou's parent-officials in its eyes?"

The countertop was thick marble; his slap didn't make a sound, but instead made his own palm go numb.

The front desk girl was startled by his aura.

She collected herself, responding neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Leader, our Ye general manager isn't in Wuzhou; she went to Gold Stream County to advance the rural revitalization project, and has been there for several days."

"'Really not there or faking it?' Character's eyes darkened: 'Then call her and tell her I, Character, am looking for her, and ask her to come receive me personally.'"

He didn't believe it—Ye Jiaying, a businessman, would dare not give face to this Municipal Party Committee Secretary? Even if Lin Dongfan backed her, she'd have to weigh the rules of officialdom!

The girl had no choice; she could only dial Ye Jiaying's phone and put it on speaker.

The moment the call connected.

Character cleared his throat, preparing to show the secretary's authority.

But Ye Jiaying's clear voice came through the earpiece, and her first sentence left him choked: "Secretary Character? What a rare visitor. I heard the Provincial Party Committee gave you Along vacation; if you want to go out and relax, any hotel under our Mortal Group is yours to stay at for free—on me."

"……!!!"

Character froze on the spot, the color draining from his face completely.

Black lines streamed down his forehead, and he could even feel the strange glances from the surrounding guests.

How could this have gotten out?!

The Provincial Party Committee's decision, besides Jiang Huan-tian and Lin Dongfan, was known only to himself; even the people in the Municipal Party Committee Office hadn't been told!

How did Ye Jiaying get the news so quickly?

There's only one answer—she's Lin Dongfan's person, and Lin Dongfan deliberately let her know!

The front desk girl was also stunned; she didn't expect this middle-aged man before her to really be the Municipal Party Committee Secretary, and she almost couldn't hold onto the phone.

Character's face flushed red then turned white, embarrassed to the point of wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

He had originally wanted to confront them and demand answers, but instead someone first exposed his "vacation" and even teased him for coming to relax—truly a slap in the face from afar!

The Nineteenth Floor probably isn't happening; saying more would only embarrass him and invite ridicule.

"Thank you, General Manager Ye, for your kindness."

Character gritted his teeth in resentment, helplessly giving in: "I really do want to go out and relax, but a free stay at Everyman Grand Hotel? Forget it—I can't afford that risk!"

The resentment in those words almost overflowed.

His words were ostensibly about fearing indebtedness, but actually he was venting his emotions—who knows if "free hotel stay" wouldn't be another trick by Lin Dongfan?

Ye Jiaying lightly laughed on the other end: "Secretary Character, you're joking; our Everyman Grand Hotel's safety guarantees are absolutely reliable. Since you have other arrangements, I won't disturb you—wish you a pleasant holiday."

"Hmph!"

Character said nothing more, turned and walked away directly.

The moment he walked out of the hotel doors, he felt eyes pointing at him from behind, his steps a little unsteady.

This pent-up anger made his chest feel tight, almost causing him to erupt on the spot.

But he knew deep down that today's trip had been in vain; Ye Jiaying had already prepared, he simply couldn't get onto the Nineteenth Floor, and persisting would only embarrass him further.

At the same time, in the reception room on the top floor of the Everyman Grand Hotel.

Ye Jiaying hung up the phone and couldn't help laughing out loud: "Look at you, you've forced Secretary Character into personally going undercover."

Lin Dongfan sat on the opposite sofa, holding a document; hearing that, he merely lifted his eyes slightly, brows faintly furrowed: "Don't talk about him, tell me about the progress of the Gold Stream County project."

His tone carried no trace of smugness, instead bearing a few degrees of pragmatic seriousness.

Ye Jiaying put away her smile, took out a project report from her bag: "Overall it's going smoothly; the infrastructure of the eco-agricultural park is already completed, the first batch of saplings can be planted next week. However, there's still an issue: the road from the park to the county seat is still lacking the final two kilometers, involving land transfer in three villages, and a few households of villagers aren't very cooperative."

"'Land transfer issue?' Lin Dongfan took the report, examining it carefully: 'Are the compensation standards not up to par?'"

"'The standard is based on the highest in the province; mainly, a few households of villagers worry about subsequent employment.' Ye Jiaying explained: 'They're older, no one wants to hire them for work outside, they want to find a job in the park, but fear it won't be stable.'"

Lin Dongfan nodded, pondering for a moment: "Like this, have the project team draft a 'park + farmers' cooperation plan. Villagers willing to transfer land will be given priority for jobs in the park, sign long-term labor contracts, and pay the five insurances and one fund. Additionally, take a portion of the profits as village collective dividends, so everyone can share in the project's benefits."

"'This plan works!' Ye Jiaying's eyes lit up, smiling: 'I'll have people carry out your instructions right away; by the way, Secretary Character's side...'"

"'No need to worry about him.'"

Lin Dongfan interrupted her, his tone calm: "He's not focused on work now, getting tangled up in trivial matters. Wuzhou must develop; we can't follow his pace. The Gold Stream County project is a people's livelihood project—finish it a day earlier, and the local villagers will benefit a day earlier."

Lin Dongfan put down the report.

Looking out the window at the cityscape of Wuzhou, his eyes firm: "Push the project forward quickly; report any resistance to me at once. Anyone who obstructs Wuzhou's economic development and the people's livelihood, I will eliminate them."

Ye Jiaying watched his focused profile, secretly admiring him.

Lin Dongfan always had a tenacious spirit; no matter how many distractions he faced, he could always bring his focus back to the task at hand. This pragmatic backbone is exactly what Wuzhou needs right now.

The tea fragrance lingered in the reception room as the two continued discussing the project's details, occasionally interrupted by soft laughter.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Character sat in his car, staring at the sign of the Everyman Grand Hotel, so angry he pounded the steering wheel hard.

Pathetic!

So pathetic!

Getting angry again wouldn't help; he knew he had lost this time, and lost it clearly—Lin Dongfan didn't even consider him worthy of notice.