Chapter 921: By the Rules

Chu Lingxi's cooking skills are improving day by day; the fried eggs she makes are no longer burnt, the nanny has gone home on leave, and she can handle things on her own.

Mom Shen Junlan has had little appetite lately; she drank a bit of soup and went out for a walk early.

Only Lin Dongfan and Chu Lingxi remain at the dining table.

Lin Dongfan, while eating, asked: "Lingxi, has there been any recent activity at your school?"

"Activity?"

Chu Lingxi froze for a moment; after so many years of marriage, her husband rarely inquired about her work, so today was really a bit unexpected.

Chu Lingxi said: "Yes, there's a cultural performance next week; why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"Nothing." Lin Dongfan added a spoonful of soup to Chu Lingxi's bowl: "I just want you to go out more, not stay cooped up at home all the time."

Chu Lingxi smiled, revealing two charming dimples: "When did you become so thoughtful?"

"I've always been thoughtful, okay."

The couple chatted and laughed; after so many years of marriage, they had never quarreled. This often made Lin Dongfan sigh with emotion, feeling fortunate that in his second life he had finally married the right person.

After finishing the meal, Lin Dongfan leaned back on the sofa and lit a cigarette.

Chu Lingxi went to wash the dishes.

The sound of splashing water came from the kitchen.

Lin Dongfan stared at the ceiling, his mind still preoccupied with work matters.

Special funds.

Inspection.

These are all minor matters.

But when these small matters pile up, they become a major issue.

"Wang Qigang, you've played this hand quite smoothly. But do you think this can hold me back?" Lin Dongfan muttered to himself with a calm smile, as free as the smoke exhaled from his mouth.

Two days later.

Municipal Government Executive Meeting Room.

People filled both sides of the long conference table; the atmosphere wasn't tense, but certainly not relaxed either. Today's agenda had only one item: the special funds for the supporting works of Cloud Peak Mountain Villa.

Lin Dongfan sat at the head of the table, with a thick stack of documents spread out before him.

The newly appointed chief of the Urban Construction Bureau—Old Ma—sat opposite him, holding a report, though his gaze occasionally flicked sideways.

Beside him sat the head of the Finance Bureau, Old Zheng, head down, reading documents, ignoring everyone.

"Chief Ma," Lin Dongfan said in a calm tone: "I've read your supplementary report; please explain the details."

Old Ma cleared his throat.

"Mayor Lin, the supporting works for Cloud Peak Mountain Villa include roads, pipelines, and greening—three parts, with a total investment of 120 million yuan."

"This money wasn't in the year's initial budget, so we need to go through the supplementary procedure."

"According to the procedure, we first submit it to the Finance Bureau for review; after the Finance Bureau approves, we report to the Municipal Government, and once the Municipal Government approves, we file it with the Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee for record."

"If everything goes smoothly, it should take about a month."

Lin Dongfan nodded.

He then asked again: "One month is the smooth scenario; what if it isn't smooth?"

Old Ma stared for a moment, looking tense: "Well… if it isn't smooth, it might take a bit longer."

Lin Dongfan smiled: "How much longer? Two months? Three months?"

Old Ma's forehead beaded with cold sweat: "Mayor Lin, this… is hard to say; it depends on the review situation." He tossed the question to the Finance Bureau.

Lin Dongfan then turned to Old Zheng of the Finance Bureau: "Chief Zheng, how long does your bureau's review usually take?"

Old Zheng wore a strictly businesslike expression.

He calmly replied: "Mayor Lin, according to procedure, we need to review the project's necessity, feasibility, and budget rationality. This project involves 120 million yuan—not a small sum—so the review cycle might be longer. We are also acting out of responsibility for fiscal funds."

Lin Dongfan nodded: "Being responsible is good; then give me a rough estimate—is one month enough?"

Old Zheng thought for a moment, hesitant: "One month… might not be enough. Our staff is limited, and we've had a heavy review workload lately. Two months—two months should be about right."

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

Two months.

Adding the previous month makes three months.

Over at Cloud Peak Mountain Villa, the construction crew has already moved in; the main structure can be repaired in two months. If the supporting works are delayed another three months, the trial opening for May Day will be a joke.

Lin Dongfan looked at Old Zheng and suddenly smiled: "Chief Zheng, what standard are you using to calculate those two months?"

Old Zheng replied: "Mayor Lin, we based it on a normal workload. You know, there are many projects in the city lately, and our Finance Bureau…"

"I know you're busy."

Lin Dongfan interrupted Old Zheng's words, emphasizing solemnly: "But Cloud Peak Mountain Villa is a key project monitored by the province, and the province is also watching its resumption of work. You should be clear about this priority order."

Old Zheng was left speechless.

He glanced at Old Ma, who also lowered his head and remained silent.

Old Zheng gritted his teeth and, steeling himself, replied: "Mayor Lin, how about this—we'll try to compress the time and aim for one and a half months; that's already the limit."

Lin Dongfan looked at him without speaking, and the atmosphere in the meeting room grew increasingly subtle.

The head of the Development and Reform Commission in the corner, Old Zhou, furtively glanced at his phone; the screen showed a text message with only two characters: 'Hold steady.'

He put his phone away and continued to pretend to be dead.

Lin Dongfan withdrew his gaze, picked up the documents on the table, and flipped through them: "Chief Ma, when did you submit this report to the Finance Bureau?"

Old Ma replied: "Last Friday."

"Today is Wednesday, so four days have passed." Lin Dongfan turned to ask Old Zheng: "In four days, the Finance Bureau hasn't even issued a preliminary opinion?"

Old Zheng's face turned ashen: "Mayor Lin, we…"

"Director Zheng, I'm not criticizing you." Lin Dongfan's eyes flashed like torches: "I just want to clarify exactly where this process is stuck. If it's a procedural issue, we'll follow the procedure. If it's a personnel issue, we'll resolve the personnel issue."

The firm tone of those words directly left Lao Zheng speechless.

Lin Dongfan closed the document.

He leaned back:

"Here's what we'll do. Tomorrow morning, the Finance Bureau will produce the preliminary review opinions. The materials that need to be supplemented will be supplemented by the Urban Construction Bureau; the issues that need clarification will be clarified by the Urban Construction Bureau. The day after tomorrow, we'll hold another meeting to settle this."

He said.

Lin Dongfan once again turned his gaze to Lao Zheng of the Finance Bureau: "Director Zheng, any problems?"

Lao Zheng gritted his teeth: "No problem."

"All right, then that's it, meeting adjourned." Lin Dongfan swept his gaze over the few buck-passers present, thinking You'd better sit up straight for me!

……

Walking out of the meeting room, Lao Ma and Lao Zheng walked side by side, exchanging a glance that conveyed a mutual sympathy.

Lao Ma lowered his voice: "Lao Zheng, you almost didn't catch that."

"Catch what? He's the Mayor, what could I do?" Lao Zheng gave a wry smile.

Lao Ma sighed: "With pressure coming from this side, if we hardheadedly go ahead, we'll have trouble explaining things to Secretary Wang later..."

"Enough said. We've done what we needed to do. The rest is up to them to figure out." Lao Zheng seemed to have seen through everything all along.

The two hurriedly left.

Lin Dongfan returned to his office and lit a cigarette.

Xiao Chen rushed in: "Mayor Lin, you really put Lao Zheng on the spot just now."

"Put him on the spot? I'm giving him a way out." Lin Dongfan smiled: "In a month and a half, he's left himself some leeway and also given me face. This Lao Zheng is no ordinary man."

Xiao Chen blinked: "You mean..."

"If he were truly following Secretary Wang Qigang's lead, he would have openly opposed me today, but he didn't." Lin Dongfan said: "By leaving himself some leeway, he shows he's also waiting and watching."

Xiao Chen nodded thoughtfully.