Chapter 919: Advancing by Retreating

Leaving the Provincial Party Committee building, Wang Qigang stood on the steps, glanced up at the sky.

The sunlight was blinding.

But he only felt cold.

Jiang Huantian's words were like a soft-bladed knife, the edge concealed, lightly and easily driving him into a dead end with no way forward or back.

Compromise?

How to compromise?

Compromising with Lin Dongfan would mean admitting defeat. Thereafter in Wuzhou, he, the Municipal Party Committee Secretary, would be nothing but a figurehead.

Not compromise?

Zheng Congwen is in there, and his wife is in there too!

Even if there is no shit on his butt, he cannot escape responsibility for faulty personnel selection and lax supervision! If the higher-ups press the matter with Wang Qigang, they can still make him suffer the consequences.

"Could it be that heaven wants me dead?"

Wang Qigang faced the clear blue sky, closed his eyes, and a suffocating breath sank straight to his heart.

"Secretary Wang, return to the Municipal Party Committee?"

"!!! \" Wang Qigang remained silent for several seconds, then directly opened the car door and got in: \"First, not returning to the Municipal Party Committee; I have an appointment with Vice Provincial Deng. \""

The driver dared not say more, obeying the order.

Eleven o'clock in the morning.

A certain private club in the eastern suburbs.

This place is very hidden, the environment tranquil; unless you're a regular, you can't find the door. Deng Chunning occasionally comes here for tea, and few in the circle know about it.

When Wang Qigang pushed the door and entered, Deng Chunning was already waiting inside.

The tea had been brewed, its steam curling upward.

"Please have a seat."

Deng Chunning pointed to the seat opposite him, his face showing no expression.

Wang Qigang sat opposite him, lifted his tea cup and took a sip: "Vice Provincial Deng, I'm sorry to intrude uninvited today."

"Qigang, between us, is there any need to say these things?"

Although Deng Chunning and Wang Qigang are both vice ministers, Deng Chunning is a few years older than Wang Qigang, and he had given strong support when Wang Qigang was promoted to Wuzhou Municipal Party Committee Secretary.

All along, Deng Chunning has regarded himself as Wang Qigang's old superior.

On the surface.

Wang Qigang likewise holds Deng Chunning in high esteem.

Wang Qigang set down his tea cup.

In his deep, steady voice there hinted a trace of emotion:

"Vice Provincial Deng, I am now a tiger fallen to the plains, bullied by dogs, unable to stretch my claws."

"Zheng Congwen was arrested last night."

"As the head of the Municipal Party Committee, I am actually the last person to learn of this news."

"Moreover, this morning, Shi Liantang of the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission came early with people to my house and, to my face, took my wife away."

"They truly do not treat me, the Municipal Party Committee Secretary, as a pushover."

"Just now, Secretary Jiang came to talk with me; on the surface he was conveying the central spirit, but in fact he was pressing me, urging me to bow my head and compromise with Lin Dongfan."

After venting this bellyful of grievance, Wang Qigang lifted his tea, tipped his head back, and drained it in one gulp!

It is said that tea can reduce fire.

But Deng Chunning looked left and right, feeling that Wang Qigang's bellyful of anger could not be easily extinguished by just a cup of tea.

Indeed……

Wang Qigang then blurted out: "I am not reconciled!"

"You must absolutely not do something foolish."

Deng Chunning stared fixedly at Wang Qigang's every move, feeling a bit worried—not that he might become despondent and take his own life, but that he might take extreme measures.

"Taking extreme measures will only make the hole bigger."

"If this hole in Wuzhou is completely pierced through, the sky will truly fall; even if Nuwa, who possesses the ability to mend the heavens, came, she probably could not patch this great hole."

Deng Chunning picked up the teapot and refilled Wang Qigang's cup.

Patiently soothing Wang Qigang's emotions:

"Qigang, you and I have known each other for more than a day or two. Your ability, your resolve, your sense of responsibility—I have always acknowledged them. But are you feeling a bit restless now?"

"!!!"

Wang Qigang again downed the tea in his cup; regarding the matter of restlessness, he did not deny it.

In Wang Qigang's view:

"To watch one's wife being taken away helplessly, then to be struck hard by a superior with a baton!"

"In such a situation, even a Buddha would have fire!"

"He, Wang Qigang, is neither a Buddha with six senses pure, nor a sage who attained holiness through merit in the primordial era! There's no reason for him to be publicly fed a pile of shit and still laugh it off as if nothing happened."

"A person lacking bloodlust—can he still be called a human?"

Wang Qigang slammed his tea cup down on the table: "Vice Provincial Deng, I've worked in Wuzhou for three and a half years, laying many foundations! On what grounds does Lin Dongfan, upon arriving, tear down my stage and pluck my peaches?"

This thick aura of resentment made Deng Chunning feel increasingly headache-prone the more he inhaled it.

Deng Chunning patiently asked: "Zheng Congwen's arrest—you being the last to know—this is indeed suffocating. But have you considered why Jiang Huantian did this?"

"He said it was to avoid suspicion." Wang Qigang gave a light laugh, then added: "What other reason could there be? Simply to strip me of my power and pave the way for Lin Dongfan."

"Such talk must not be spoken recklessly; don't let resentment cloud your judgment."

Deng Chun Ning gave a bitter laugh.

Then he analyzed with Wang Qigang: "If Secretary Jiang really wanted to move against you, he wouldn't have come to talk to you today. Put bluntly, during his term, he actually doesn't want to see you and Lin Dongfan fight to the death. Maintaining balance and stability is his goal. Him talking to you is essentially offering you a ladder."

"A ladder? What ladder?"

Wang Qigang looked at Deng Chun Ning doubtfully.

Deng Chun Ning sighed: "Ah%…… Qigang, you're missing the big picture for a small leaf. If you proactively ease relations with Lin Dongfan and cooperate with him to settle Wuzhou's affairs, then you're someone who lets go of personal grudges and looks after the bigger picture. And for those who look after the bigger picture, the superiors will always give them some face."

"!!!"

Although his words sounded like that, Wang Qigang still felt stifled.

Deng Chun Ning again earnestly advised: "Now Zheng Congwen's issue, as well as the issue of your wife Cheng Ying, have been laid out in the open, which is very disadvantageous for you. The problem you should first consider now is not how to fight Lin Dongfan, but how to extricate yourself from this vortex."

"!!!"

This time, Wang Qigang remained silent for Along while, thinking it over, but still felt unwilling.

Wang Qigang asked Deng Chun Ning: "According to your meaning, I, Wang Qigang, now ice can only resign to fate?! Can only have my teeth knocked out and swallow blood?"

"Not resigning to fate, but cutting losses."

Deng Chun Ning said: "Zheng Congwen is already finished, and your wife has also been taken in. If you keep holding on, what result can you get? Toppling Lin Dongfan? You can't do that, and neither can I."

"!!!"

Wang Qigang again gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Deng Chun Ning again advised: "Secretary Jiang Huan Tian came to talk to you today to leave you a last bit of dignity. Since the Wuzhou Municipal Party Committee has no foothold for you, you might as well advance by retreating, temporarily avoiding the spotlight."

"How to advance by retreating?" Wang Qigang felt a bit dazed.

Deng Chun Ning stared into Wang Qigang's eyes and solemnly suggested: "Follow the ladder down, hand over Wuzhou's authority to Lin Dongfan. Whether you go to the Provincial People's Congress or the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, first maintain this deputy minister level. Once this storm passes, you can then seek a transfer to another place as a top leader to regain your vigor."

He paused briefly.

Deng Chun Ning then emphasized: "Handing over authority to Lin Dongfan gives him full face, also satisfies Secretary Jiang's big-picture thinking, while preserving your own rank; everyone gets what they need. That way, in the future, when you request a transfer to another place to shoulder heavy responsibilities, Secretary Jiang should also lend his support."