Chapter 308: Be Our Witness!

Hong Ruilin is a veteran reader of *Qiushi* magazine, and he reads every issue word for word upon receiving it.

"I read that paper of yours a long time ago; the magazine editor refined the subheadings quite brilliantly."

"Indeed! The revisions to a few of the viewpoints were truly the finishing touch." Tang Ye complimented with a smile, "I never expected you to have such extensive connections, to actually be on friendly terms with Editor Hu!"

A faint smile curled at the corners of Hong Ruilin's lips: "Little Hu's teacher and I have been close friends for many years, and we still keep up a correspondence to this day."

"When would it be convenient for you to introduce me? I have always been interested in editorial work and would like to seek more guidance from seniors." Tang Ye's tone was earnest.

"Fine, when there is a suitable opportunity." Hong Ruilin agreed readily.

He knew in his heart that if he did not use the connections and resources he had accumulated to help Tang Ye, they would likely never be of any use for the rest of his life.

In his youth, he missed opportunities for promotion due to his upright character; otherwise, he could have at least retired with the status of a Deputy Ministerial Level Official.

But over the years, he had accumulated many heavyweight connections in the Provincial Capital and Beijing, and now he was cultivating Tang Ye as his last disciple, pouring his heart and soul into every step of the other's growth.

From the selection of the topic to the final draft, he had repeatedly guided this paper;

Li Chaoyang's willingness to help recommend it to the provincial level was an unexpected joy;

And for the article to finally be successfully published in *Qiushi*, Hong Ruilin's connections had indeed played a decisive role.

In Tang Ye's career planning, political achievements and theoretical research were both indispensable.

This was like cultivation in a fantasy novel; political achievements were the accumulation of experience points, while theoretical research was the cultivation of skills and techniques.

Only by possessing both could one break through the bottleneck of promotion.

Just as he was thinking this, Tang Ye suddenly pulled an invitation out of his briefcase.

Hong Ruilin's gaze stalled, and he then said in surprise: "Are you finally getting married?"

"Indeed, I'll be twenty-nine after the New Year; it's time to settle down." Tang Ye joked with a smile.

Hong Ruilin nodded thoughtfully and sighed softly: "It is time to start a family."

"There is one more thing I would like to trouble you with." Tang Ye's tone became solemn, "Du Xi and I have discussed it, and we would like to invite you to be our Witness."

The smile on Hong Ruilin's face deepened, and he agreed without hesitation: "I accept this!"

A round of knocking came from outside the courtyard.

Hong Ruilin answered and got up to open the door.

Before long, an old man of about seventy followed him into the room.

"Little Tang, this is Zhang Chunshui, an old friend of mine; his chess skills are truly peerless." Hong Ruilin introduced with a smile.

Tang Ye immediately stood up with a smile and greeted him respectfully: "Hello, Elder Zhang!"

After Zhang Chunshui sat down, Tang Ye thoughtfully handed him a cup of hot tea.

Zhang Chunshui took the teacup, looked Tang Ye up and down, and smiled: "This young man looks very spirited; what is your relationship with Old Hong?"

"I am Teacher Hong's student." Tang Ye answered crisply and clearly.

Hearing this address, Hong Ruilin's eyes were full of gratification.

Hong Ruilin turned to ask Zhang Chunshui: "Old Zhang, why haven't I seen you at the chess club lately?"

As soon as the words fell, Zhang Chunshui's eyes instantly turned red, and he sighed heavily: "Sigh, my granddaughter has run into trouble; how could I have the heart to play chess?"

Hong Ruilin frowned and asked with concern: "What exactly happened? Tell me."

"My granddaughter just graduated this year and joined Hanxing Group; her job was quite stable." Zhang Chunshui's voice trembled slightly, "She went on a business trip with her leader a while ago, and when she came back, she insisted on resigning. It was only after I asked for a long time that I found out she was threatened by her superior during the trip... The child is timid and afraid of losing her job, so she never dared to speak up. Who knew that fellow would keep pushing his luck!"

Tang Ye furrowed his brows: "Did you not report it to the Police?"

Zhang Chunshui shook his head with a bitter smile, "Her superior has some background; his relative is a leader in the city. The child went to the group's leaders to report it, and the leaders advised her to treat big problems as small and small problems as nothing. She reported it to the Police, and the Police said there was no evidence. Now they have suspended her at home, telling her to go back to work when she stops making a fuss."

Hong Ruilin's expression instantly turned gloomy, and he turned to Tang Ye and said: "We must handle this matter."

Tang Ye nodded seriously and said to Zhang Chunshui, "Let us think of a way together."

Zhang Chunshui was stunned and hurriedly waved his hands: "I was just venting; I don't want to cause you any trouble!"

Hong Ruilin patted his old friend on the shoulder, his tone firm: "Since we know about it, how could we not handle it?"

Zhang Chunshui knew that Hong Ruilin was a retired official.

He understood the principle that people are forgotten once they leave their posts, and he had originally only come to pour out his heart with the mentality of just giving it a try.

He did not expect the other to agree to help immediately, and his eyes instantly turned red, too moved to speak.

After chatting for a few more moments, Zhang Chunshui rose to take his leave.

After he left, Hong Ruilin looked at the doorway and sighed: "Hanxing Group was once the country's top bus manufacturing enterprise, but now, it is stagnant and losing money every year. This matter with Chunshui's granddaughter is likely just the tip of the iceberg."

Tang Ye was thoughtful: "Hanzhou has been wanting to revitalize its industry for years, but it can never find a breakthrough. In fact, as long as those old-brand enterprises find the right direction for transformation, they have every opportunity to be reborn."

"You are right." Hong Ruilin's tone was full of regret, "It is a pity, though; some leaders are content with the status quo and lack the drive to improve, living to turn good enterprises into a mess! Zhou Chengwu has also heard about the problems at Hanxing and has chatted with me about it privately several times."

Tang Ye naturally understood why Hong Ruilin had agreed to help so readily.

The Municipal Party Secretary knew the problems of Hanxing Group like the back of his hand.

And this enterprise also had deep roots with Mayor Xiao Jingyu.

Five years ago, when Xiao Jingyu was still Vice Mayor, he had vigorously promoted the restructuring of Hanxing Group and even publicized it as a model case.

Who could have imagined that five years later, the enterprise would not only fail to welcome a rebirth but instead become riddled with holes.

After leaving Hong Ruilin's courtyard, Tang Ye headed straight for the address Ding Xiang had given him.

From afar, he saw Ding Xiang standing at the entrance, standing on tiptoe and looking around.

Seeing him get out of the taxi, she immediately walked up with light steps to greet him.

"Teacher Ding, how could I trouble you to wait for me outside?" Tang Ye greeted with a smile.

A gentle smile rose at the corners of Ding Xiang's lips: "You are the guest of honor tonight, so of course I must use the highest standard of reception etiquette."

Walking into the private room, he scanned the room.

Although there were not many people, his intuition told Tang Ye that this dinner was by no means simple.

"This is Mayor Jiang Jing's Secretary, Section Chief Tang." Ding Xiang introduced him to a middle-aged man.

Tang Ye had previously learned the list of attendees and their positions for tonight's dinner through Wen Rong, but with the real people standing before him, he found it difficult to match them up for a moment.

Immediately after, Ding Xiang turned to Tang Ye: "This is our television station's Station Master Ma."

"Section Chief Tang, we meet again!" Station Master Ma reached out his hand first, a warm smile hanging on his face.

"It has been a long time, Station Master Ma, you look much more energetic!" Tang Ye shook Ma Rundong's hand and then took the initiative to greet the man beside him, "Director Feng, I didn't expect to run into you at this occasion."

Feng Kun is the Deputy Director of the Municipal Finance Bureau.

The dinner was nine times out of ten related to the television station wanting to increase its fiscal budget.