Chapter 3: Choose the Path with Opportunity!

Zhou Chengwu walked into the hospital room.

Hong Ruilin was playing chess with Tang Ye.

The two were playing intensely, neither willing to give an inch.

"Make your move quickly, my butt is getting sore from sitting," Hong Ruilin urged impatiently.

"What's the rush? Both in chess and in life, one must be steady; isn't that what you always say?" Tang Ye placed a white piece at the head of the black pieces' line of movement.

"You dare to 'butt' me?" Hong Ruilin frowned deeply. "Watch me 'charge' you to death!"

The black piece slammed down into the empty intersection in the middle of the opponent's "close" formation!

Tang Ye had already anticipated this and placed a white piece in the opposite corner of the "day" shape on the right side of the board, cleverly "flying" away.

Hong Ruilin was momentarily at a loss for how to respond to Tang Ye's "besiege Wei to rescue Zhao" maneuver.

He caught sight of someone in the room, and it was actually Zhou Chengwu, wearing a smile.

"Are you a cat? How did you come in without making a sound!"

"I saw that you were playing quite intensely, so I didn't disturb you. Teacher, you've worked hard." Seeing Hong Ruilin's head of white hair, Zhou Chengwu felt many emotions.

Zhou Chengwu was the newly appointed Municipal Party Secretary of Hanzhou; he was originally scheduled to report for duty at the beginning of next month, but he had arrived in Hanzhou quietly at this moment.

"My life is tough enough; I won't be dying anytime soon." Hong Ruilin tossed the black piece back into the chess box and instructed Tang Ye, "Brew some tea."

Tang Ye put down his chess piece, stood up to brew the tea, and respectfully handed the cup to Zhou Chengwu.

"Secretary Zhou, hello!"

"You must be Tang Ye." Zhou Chengwu nodded toward Tang Ye.

Zhou Chengwu was quite appreciative after learning about Tang Ye's deeds of saving people from the fire.

Zhou Chengwu was once Hong Ruilin's Secretary; Hong Ruilin had governed strictly, which had a significant influence on Zhou Chengwu's official career.

Although Hong Ruilin retired as a Deputy Department-level Official, he was an old revolutionary and possessed considerable influence in the Huainan officialdom; if Zhou Chengwu wanted to achieve results in the position of Municipal Party Secretary, he could not do without Hong Ruilin's support.

Seeing that Hong Ruilin was in good spirits, Zhou Chengwu felt secretly relieved. "The cause of the fire has been found; it was caused by aging electrical wiring in the kitchen. I suggested to you last time that you could move to the Municipal Committee residential compound; I had already arranged a house for you long ago. The environment in the residential compound is good, and the supporting services are complete."

Hong Ruilin revealed a helpless expression. "The house burned down; if I don't move, what else can I do?"

Zhou Chengwu smiled. "Then shall I help you arrange it now?"

"Wait until I'm discharged from the hospital." Hong Ruilin's attention was on the chessboard, and he waved his hand. "You have many things to do, why don't you leave first? The game is at a stalemate. These few moves are critical; if I can play them well, I will definitely win."

Tang Ye said with a smile, "Bring it on fair and square, who wins and who loses is not certain!"

"Little Tang, don't worry, I'll be the referee!"

Zhou Chengwu finished a cup of tea before leaving the hospital room.

Several days later.

Hanzhou Municipal Party Secretary Zhou Chengwu, accompanied by the Deputy Minister of the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department, arrived at the Hanzhou Municipal Committee and held a brief and efficient inauguration ceremony.

After the meeting, Yang Yuan handed the resumes of secretaries that had been prepared long ago to Zhou Chengwu for selection.

Zhou Chengwu flipped through them quickly and then set them aside.

"I heard that a young man surnamed Tang in the Municipal Committee Office saved Secretary Hong not long ago? Bring his resume over for me to see."

Yang Yuan reacted quickly and said with a smile, "Tang Ye's personnel file is in the Municipal Committee Office; I will go to the archives to get his resume now."

After Yang Yuan brought Tang Ye's resume, Zhou Chengwu picked out two resumes from the pile and placed them together with Tang Ye's. "These three will be it!"

Yang Yuan had intentionally placed Shao Jinbo's resume on top, but he did not expect it to be excluded directly. "Comrade Shao Jinbo is actually quite good; he is serious and responsible in his work and is familiar with the office procedures of the Municipal Committee..."

The position of Municipal Party Secretary's Secretary was a coveted spot, and the power of decision lay in the hands of the Municipal Party Secretary.

Zhou Chengwu did not let Yang Yuan continue. "Send out the notice!"

Shao Jinbo found Yang Yuan, his face showing a fawning expression. "Director Yang, Secretary Zhou is interviewing secretaries this afternoon; why didn't I receive a notice?"

Yang Yuan closed the door. "Little Shao, I submitted your resume, but it was rejected by Secretary Zhou."

Shao Jinbo opened his mouth wide and said dejectedly, "You promised me..."

Yang Yuan patted Shao Jinbo on the shoulder and encouraged him with a smile. "I have already done my best. Young man, don't be impatient; there are many opportunities. If you didn't grasp it this time, then wait for the next; don't be discouraged."

Although Shao Jinbo had a postgraduate degree, he had only been working for a year and his rank had not yet gone up, so he did not have an advantage in competing for the Municipal Committee Secretary position.

It was because Zhou Chengwu had expressed that he would boldly select new people that he had submitted Shao Jinbo's resume.

Yang Yuan thought for a moment and did not tell Shao Jinbo that the new Secretary had given Tang Ye an interview opportunity.

In the afternoon.

Tang Ye was the last one to enter the office.

A Chinese painting with a profound artistic conception hung in the center behind the seat.

The inscription read: "How swift the light boat departs, already arrived in the realm of cloud forests."

Tang Ye mused that the painter's inspiration came from Li Bai's "Entering Qingxi to Walk in the Mountains".

Seeing Tang Ye again, Zhou Chengwu had a different feeling.

Tang Ye's facial features were distinct, his stature tall, with thick eyebrows and bright eyes.

A secretary is the face of the leader, so appearance is very important.

The flaw was that there was still an unhealed fresh wound at the corner of Tang Ye's eye, a scar left behind when he saved Old Hong.

"Little Tang, you now have two choices: first, serve as my full-time secretary; second, follow the previous arrangement of the Secretariat and go to a township to take a temporary post for training. Tell me your thoughts."

"I choose to go to the township." Tang Ye was unusually firm.

"Oh? The reason?" Zhou Chengwu looked as if he were smiling yet not.

Tang Ye sat upright. "Being your secretary is too tempting.

That you can give me this option is an acknowledgment of me, but I should treat it with a normal heart and encourage myself to continue working hard.

Do not refrain from doing good just because it is small; by going to Pinghu Town, I can properly temper myself at the grassroots level.

Furthermore, now that I have your support, I can let go and act with more confidence."

Zhou Chengwu gave a meaningful smile and asked again, "Going to Pinghu for a temporary post, how do you plan to go about it?"

Tang Ye scratched his head and laughed, "Actions speak louder than words. I have quite a few ideas, but I'm afraid if I say too much, you'll think I'm just engaging in empty talk."

Zhou Chengwu encouraged him, "That depends on whether what you say has any feasibility!"

Tang Ye restrained his smile and spoke eloquently:

"Previously, Pinghu Town had several garment factories, mainly focusing on men's suits and shirts. The styles were too limited, and they were primarily for export. Domestic female purchasing power is currently on the rise. In major shopping malls, the sales area for women's clothing is the largest. Many malls subdivide women's clothing into professional wear, young women's wear, ladies' wear, and middle-aged and elderly sections. The garment factories in Pinghu Town should cater to this trend and transition to making women's clothing."

"Making women's clothing..." Zhou Chengwu touched his nose, looking thoughtful, "A good line of thinking! Anything else?"

Tang Ye continued, "Secretary Hong often says that the crayfish and hairy crabs produced in Pinghu are exceptionally delicious. Pinghu Town has abundant water resources and can develop the aquaculture industry; fish, shrimp, and crabs can all be labeled 'Pinghu'. Make it so that when people mention hairy crabs, they think of Pinghu hairy crabs, and when they mention crayfish, they think of Pinghu crayfish."

Zhou Chengwu's taste buds were forcibly awakened, and he smiled in approval, "The lake delicacies of Pinghu are indeed a specialty! You've talked about 'clothing and food', so what about 'housing and transportation'?"

Tang Ye clearly sensed the goodwill Zhou Chengwu was projecting, and his speaking speed increased slightly.

"As for 'housing', living along the lake—Pinghu has excellent natural scenery and the foundation to build lake-view resorts;

As for 'transportation', then I have to praise the geographical advantages of Pinghu Town. It is the hub of the Qiongjin, Runjiang, and Hanzhou city cluster. Future transportation will be very convenient, and it will be the center for warehousing and logistics bases for the three cities. In the long run, Pinghu Town is definitely a treasure trove."

Tang Ye appeared relaxed, but in reality, he was extremely nervous inside.

Conversing with the Municipal Party Secretary involved both danger and opportunity, like crossing a single-plank bridge.

If one makes it across, it will be smooth sailing.

If one falls off, one will fade into the crowd.

Every word and every sentence had to be carefully deliberated.

Zhou Chengwu suddenly fell into deep thought at this moment.

This transfer from the Provincial Development and Reform Commission to Hanzhou was mainly to promote the initiation and implementation of the integration of the Qiongjin, Hanzhou, and Runjiang city cluster.

The strategic significance of Pinghu Town was currently still in the confidential stage.

"You know quite a lot about the Qiongjin metropolitan area! Many points are the same as the views of Dean Jiang from the School of Political Science and Administration at Qiongjin University."

"Dean Jiang is my Master's Supervisor! My master's thesis is related to the Qiongjin metropolitan area."

Zhou Chengwu clasped his hands together and rested them against his chin.

Tang Ye's exposition had details, strategic depth, and high executability.

Additionally, he appreciated the sense of ease Tang Ye revealed during their conversation.

"Alright, I understand your thoughts. Go back and wait for news."

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