Chapter 368: Responsibility Bound to Tang Ye!

Tang Ye lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Suddenly, he had a deeper perspective on the emotions between men and women.

The romantic tension between him and Cheng Lin was very subtle.

He strove to win Cheng Lin's favor, hiding his attachment to and desire for higher power.

As for Cheng Lin, she was not repulsed by his closeness; she truly enjoyed the feeling that power brought her.

No wonder there was no shortage of ambiguous relationships between superiors and subordinates; mixed with the factors of human nature and power, it made people unable to stop!

However, both Tang Ye and Cheng Lin were rational people.

The two had firm goals for the future; even if there was affection and desire, they would forcibly suppress it.

A voice inside Tang Ye was questioning him: since you clearly have feelings for each other, why not break through this layer of window paper? You are just a coward.

Another voice was earnestly admonishing him: you must be a noble person, a person who has cast off low-level interests, and you must treat climbing upward as your top priority!

On the path of an official career, one must not only struggle against enemies but also contend with inner demons!

Tang Ye was clear that compared to other temptations, emotions were his greatest weakness!

Amidst his chaotic thoughts, Tang Ye fell into a drowsy sleep.

……

At the County Magistrate's meeting the next morning, Tang Ye proposed a solution for the Runsheng Environmental Protection issue and mentioned the financial report he had already submitted to Nie Kai.

Upon hearing this, Nie Kai frowned: "Comrade Tang Ye, you have just arrived in Suiyuan and are not yet familiar with our county's financial situation. Runsheng's environmental problem is purely the enterprise's own responsibility. If the Government pays for this, it will only make other enterprises scramble to follow suit; this precedent must absolutely not be set."

Tang Ye did not expect that Nie Kai, who had a mild attitude yesterday, would change his tone at this moment.

He said sternly: "County Magistrate Nie, environmental governance is not only the responsibility of enterprises but also the mission of the Government. Private enterprises are an important pillar of Suiyuan's economy, and Runsheng is merely the fuse for the pollution problem in the Industrial Park. There are not a few enterprises in the park with pollution problems; we must face them and solve them."

"Stop talking empty words," Nie Kai said decisively, "If you want the treasury to pay, I will tell you clearly—it is impossible."

Only then did Tang Ye realize that Nie Kai had not seriously reviewed the application yesterday. He furrowed his brows and said: "I plan to apply for these funds from the city treasury; it will not use a single cent of the county treasury."

Nie Kai's expression stalled slightly, but he quickly turned tough again: "Even if the city treasury allocates funds, it won't do. If we save Runsheng alone, other enterprises will inevitably be dissatisfied once they find out. Unless you can secure enough funds for all enterprises in the park to complete environmental upgrades simultaneously, it will only intensify conflicts. This is not just a matter of money; it involves long-term governance considerations."

"Are we to let the problem drag on just because we fear other enterprises will cause trouble?" Tang Ye countered, "The predicament of the Industrial Park must be broken; otherwise, how will the enterprises survive, and how will the workers make a living?"

"I will speak plainly." Nie Kai's face darkened, "I would rather have these enterprises all move away than take the initiative to touch this hot potato. If we don't intervene, the responsibility has nothing to do with us; if we intervene, we won't be able to shake off the trouble. Why look for trouble?"

Tang Ye was shocked by Nie Kai's passive attitude and said bluntly: "Can the Industrial Park's problem drag on forever? We can afford to wait, but the enterprises and workers cannot!"

Nie Kai suddenly brought up Secretary Han to apply pressure: "Secretary Han has emphasized many times at meetings that our county does not need polluting enterprises. Are you trying to openly go against Secretary Han?"

"I have already reported to Secretary Han regarding the Runsheng issue," Tang Ye did not yield an inch, "He supports helping enterprises carry out environmental upgrades."

Nie Kai waved his hand to interrupt: "I will explain the situation to Secretary Han; this plan must be terminated. This is not a matter concerning just one enterprise."

Throughout the entire argument, Gao Hong remained silent.

The other Deputy County Magistrates watched the two with amused gazes.

Everyone in their hearts knew: Nie Kai was using his authority as Executive Deputy County Magistrate to set obstacles for Tang Ye.

He wanted to let Tang Ye understand that the Runsheng issue was by no means something a newly appointed Deputy County Magistrate could easily lead.

The advantage in rank was enough for Nie Kai to choke the throat of Tang Ye's push for rectification.

And Tang Ye was even clearer that Nie Kai's move was intended to leave the Runsheng issue unresolved, placing him in the awkward position of being "ineffective in handling affairs."

Furthermore, in Nie Kai's eyes, Tang Ye was just a junior who had just arrived, and he hadn't taken this newly appointed Deputy County Magistrate to heart at all.

In this territory of Suiyuan, he relied on his deep-rooted foundation and felt that dealing with an "outsider" was merely a matter of lifting a finger.

Just as the two were deadlocked in their argument, Gao Hong tapped his fingertips on the tabletop and coughed once.

Tang Ye and Nie Kai stopped at the same time, their gazes turning in unison toward the County Magistrate presiding over the meeting.

"Submit this matter to the Standing Committee for discussion. Meeting adjourned."

After Gao Hong made this brief statement, he stood up and left his seat.

Tang Ye lowered his head to pack his documents, catching a glimpse of Nie Kai being surrounded by two Deputy County Magistrates as he walked out of the conference room, his demeanor composed, as if the argument just now was nothing more than passing smoke.

Tang Ye knew in his heart that although he hadn't openly broken with Nie Kai, it would be hard to avoid friction in future work.

This was precisely his mission for coming to Suiyuan: if he wanted to achieve political success, he had to tear an opening in the intricate web of interests.

And Nie Kai was clearly a breakthrough point that could not be bypassed.

Although Gao Hong did not explicitly take a side at the meeting, his subtle attitude had already revealed his implicit support for Tang Ye.

Perhaps it was because Nie Kai's stance of forceful intervention at the meeting was too obvious, exposing his intention to manipulate the discourse power of the County Government.

And Gao Hong's decision to submit the issue to the Standing Committee was particularly critical.

All remarks would be recorded in the meeting minutes; when the time came, in front of so many Standing Committee Members, Nie Kai would have to be somewhat cautious if he wanted to shirk responsibility so blatantly.

At the Standing Committee meeting, Gao Hong indeed put the handling plan for Runsheng on the agenda.

Although Nie Kai did not openly oppose it, he quietly bound the responsibility to Tang Ye:

First, he explicitly stated that the costs for Runsheng's environmental upgrade would not be paid by the county treasury at all and must be raised by Tang Ye himself;

Second, he emphasized that if other enterprises later followed Runsheng's example to demand money from the Government, Tang Ye would be responsible for coordinating and resolving it in every case.

Han Guangyao had already been inclined to try Tang Ye's rectification ideas and immediately stated: "Let Tang Ye take the lead in pushing forward Runsheng's environmental rectification first; if other enterprises follow suit, we will deliberate on it later."

After the topic was settled.

Cheng Lin immediately brought up the matter of Fugu Village Village falsely reporting the number of poisoned children.

"While Runsheng's pollution problem is indeed severe, the pollution caused by Guangtai is even more shocking. We previously underestimated the extent of its harm."

Nie Kai, who had long been prepared for this, immediately pushed out the "scapegoat" arranged in advance by Liao Guosheng.

"Deputy Township Head Cao Lei, who is in charge of environmental protection, engaged in data concealment in this incident and has already been placed under investigation by the County Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The poisoned children have all been transferred to the City People's Hospital for collective treatment.

As for the Guangtai side, we have ordered them to assume relevant responsibilities and cover the children's follow-up treatment costs."

Cheng Lin did not expect that Nie Kai had been prepared, thinking to herself, these people are more cunning than imagined...