Chapter 35: Testing the Waters Was a Success!

Xu Jie signed a cooperation agreement with Zheng Yaodong, and the fact that Zheng Yaodong placed his entire fortune in Pinghu made Xu Jie quite proud.

That night, he came to Houhe Village to have a secret meeting with his old lover, Luo Xiaocui.

Although Luo Xiaocui had ordinary features and was less than 1.6 meters tall, she had one advantage: her skin was exceptionally fair!

A short separation is better than a new marriage; after entering the room, Xu Jie held Luo Xiaocui, feeling her up and down, and nibbled on her for several minutes.

Recalling Xu Jie's recent coldness toward her, Luo Xiaocui suddenly pushed him away and complained, "You heartless man, it's been a long time since you came to see me, hasn't it?"

Xu Jie laughed in spite of himself, having already thought of an excuse, "Your husband guards you every day; he doesn't even give me a chance to squeeze in."

Luo Xiaocui tidied her messy hair and gave Xu Jie a cross look, "How come I heard you have a new flame?"

Xu Jie looked at her sideways, playing dumb, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Luo Xiaocui knew Xu Jie was just playing along with her, so she simply broke the window paper, "Isn't it that you've taken a fancy to Gu Wenqin?"

Xu Jie glared at Luo Xiaocui irritably and pinched her chin, "Don't bring up things that shouldn't be brought up!"

Luo Xiaocui slapped away his fingers and smiled coquettishly, "I heard that Gu Wenqin's factory has been doing very well lately; she's been hiring people and paying high wages. If it weren't for you, you heartless man, I would definitely have gone to apply."

Xu Jie scrambled up from the bed, "Qinge is hiring?"

Qinge's channels had already been sealed off by him and Zheng Yaodong; according to their judgment, it should have gone bankrupt in a month or two.

"That's right, she started transforming to produce nursing bras. What I'm wearing is their new product. The effect is quite good, isn't it? When you walked in, you kept praising how plump I've become."

Xu Jie's expression turned ashen. He had been away on business for a few days and had originally planned to return to negotiate the acquisition with Gu Wenqin again. Who would have thought that Gu Wenqin had actually succeeded in her transformation?

Xu Jie suddenly lost all interest, put on his clothes, and walked straight out.

Luo Xiaocui did not expect Xu Jie to leave. Watching his figure disappear into the dark, she bit her lip and cursed angrily, "Xu Er Lvzi, you turtle's grandson, if you dare to come looking for me again, I'll break your three legs!"

Xu Jie stepped through the night and quietly arrived at Qinge Clothing Factory.

The factory was brightly lit.

Xu Jie gritted his teeth.

All his schemes had been in vain!

He never expected Gu Wenqin to have found a breathing space.

……

Chen Zhihua returned from the County Government and went straight to Tang Ye's office.

Tang Ye observed Town Mayor Chen's expression, guessing that his report to County Magistrate Du must have gone very smoothly.

Chen Zhihua took the teacup from Tang Ye's hand, took a small sip, and beamed, "County Magistrate Du expressed high praise after hearing my report on the nursing home. Your proposal is just too brilliant!"

Tang Ye breathed a sigh of relief; he also held expectations for this proposal, "It is mainly because you understood the proposal thoroughly. Did County Magistrate Du say what support he would provide?"

Chen Zhihua nodded, "County Magistrate Du made phone calls to the County Planning Bureau and the Finance Bureau right in front of me, demanding that this matter be implemented immediately. It is expected that construction can begin next year."

Tang Ye knew why Chen Zhihua was so happy; the county-level model project for the nursing home was an important breakthrough.

The land approval procedures were already in place, and the county had previously approved a sum of money, but those funds had been diverted to other uses, which had an unclear connection to Xu Yiping.

Back then, it was precisely because the whereabouts of the funds were unknown that Chen Zhihua had a falling out with Xu Yiping.

In the end, Xu Yiping used Wang Ning's job as a threat, and Chen Zhihua, under pressure, chose to swallow his pride and had been disheartened ever since.

"Old Xu has likely already learned about this; you need to be mentally prepared," Tang Ye reminded him.

Chen Zhihua and Tang Ye were now in the same boat, so they spoke quite directly, "He must be feeling very guilty. Old Xu seems steady on the surface, but in reality, he has no ambition. Under his leadership, Pinghu will only fall further behind other towns. We cannot sit and wait for death; we must seek change!"

Tang Ye thought to himself that Chen Zhihua understood Xu Yiping well enough.

That time he went fishing and seemed to be slacking off, he was actually just waiting for the right moment.

For instance, that time he took the initiative to express goodwill toward him at the Party Committee meeting—perhaps everything was within his calculations.

Tang Ye regarded Chen Zhihua as a pawn to contend with Xu Yiping.

And hadn't Chen Zhihua also seen the destructive power Tang Ye possessed?

Tang Ye wanted to test Chen Zhihua's strength.

If Chen Zhihua couldn't even digest the meat delivered to his mouth, then there was no need for Tang Ye to waste too much energy on him.

Facts proved that Chen Zhihua had a certain level of ability; it was just that he used to be too idealistic in handling problems, which was why he was in a passive position in his confrontations with Xu Yiping.

Not long after Chen Zhihua left, the landline on the desk rang.

After Tang Ye answered, a magnetic voice came from the other end.

"I am Du Chengfeng."

"County Magistrate Du, hello. May I ask what you need?"

"The proposal submitted by Chen Zhihua was made by you, right?"

"I discussed it together with Town Mayor Chen."

Du Chengfeng had called directly to ask about this.

This meant that his attempt to "throw a stone to ask the way" had succeeded.

Du Chengfeng was satisfied with Tang Ye's sense of propriety. If he had come to find him directly to submit the proposal, he might have been interested in the proposal, but he would still have had misgivings, feeling that Tang Ye was bypassing his superiors, which was a major taboo in the workplace.

Tang Ye did not take credit when he received the call and was willing to give Chen Zhihua a push, which also made him feel that this young man was "following the rules."

"Chen Zhihua was ambiguous in some places. Time was tight, so I didn't ask too much, which is why I'm calling you to clarify the issues. In addition, you have been in Tianling County for a while; from the perspective of Tianling County, what problems do you think exist at the moment, and how should these problems be solved?"

Tang Ye did not expect Du Chengfeng to escalate the issue to county-level planning, "I don't know much about the situation in Tianling County, so I dare not speak recklessly!"

Du Chengfeng thought Tang Ye was quite humble and encouraged him, "You studied under Dean Jiang; I believe you must have unique insights."

Tang Ye had been waiting for these words from Du Chengfeng. If he asked sincerely, then he would say a bit more.

If he were just asking casually, not only would saying more be useless, but it would also make Du Chengfeng resent him, thinking he was a person who talked big.

"County Magistrate Du, then I will offer a few immature views. Last year, the book assets of state-owned enterprises in Tianling County were 120 million, while the total liabilities were as high as 380 million, and their contribution to fiscal revenue only accounted for one-third. I roughly estimate that to revitalize the existing assets of the enterprises, at least 200 million in funds is needed. Given the current fiscal situation of Tianling County, it is a case of the spirit being willing but the flesh being weak."

Hearing Tang Ye present precise figures, Du Chengfeng was instantly captivated.

During that inspection tour, Tang Ye had left a deep impression on Du Chengfeng.

To be a good official, one not only needs to have ability oneself, but also needs a good advisor.

Although Tang Ye would not stay in Tianling for long, Du Chengfeng wanted to gain a deep analysis of Tianling through Tang Ye's words.

Tang Ye continued, "To make Tianling grow, one must seek external assistance. One must actively strive for the support of higher-level departments; this is not about pulling strings, but about letting those above see the potential.

Tianling County must create reasonable plans, clear goals, and a grand blueprint, so that those above can see that as long as it is executed step by step, results will certainly be seen."

Hearing Tang Ye say this, Du Chengfeng's brows relaxed.

Tang Ye had spoken to the depths of Du Chengfeng's heart!

Why allocate funds to build roads for Pinghu Town?

Why agree to set the Pinghu Nursing Home as a county-level civil affairs model project?

Isn't it because the plans and proposals Tang Ye provided were clear and bright?

As long as the plans Tianling County submits to the city are reasonable and have strong executability, the city will certainly provide vigorous support!

With funding, political achievements will naturally follow as a matter of course.