Chapter 401: Ordering Dishes Based on Who

Today's business discussions went very smoothly, and Tang Ye's performance was excellent, filling Cheng Lin with confidence regarding the Hanxing Group project.

"Sister, have you lived in Qiongjin before? I feel like you are very familiar with this city."

"Yes, I lived here for several years. However, most of that time was spent studying at school. Back then, I just thought about getting into a good university."

Cheng Lin was in high spirits the entire way.

Due to her father's job transfers during her childhood, she lived in many places across Huai Province, but she still held deep feelings for Qiongjin.

Her childhood and youth were here.

Xu Qiao watched Cheng Lin through the rearview mirror and sighed inwardly: Sister Lin rarely relaxes like this, shedding the seriousness she wears at work.

At this moment, she possessed a bit more of the soft charm of a mature woman.

It was already eight o'clock in the evening when they returned to the hotel; Tang Ye called Du Xi: "I just got back from the province, I won't be going back this week."

Du Xi's tone revealed disappointment: "Why don't I come over to see you tomorrow?"

"Don't go through the trouble; it's too hot, and the journey is tiring. Besides, I have to work overtime tomorrow, so I won't have time to keep you company," Tang Ye gently persuaded.

"Alright... I miss you."

"I miss you too," Tang Ye chuckled.

"You have to promise not to flirt with any women," Du Xi said with a hint of grievance.

"I promise!" he replied, caught between laughter and tears.

He and Du Xi had not been married for very long.

Living apart, they naturally felt a sense of insecurity.

After showering and turning on the television, Tang Ye locked the channel to Hanzhou News.

A few minutes later, the announcer sat upright before the screen—her Mandarin was standard and her appearance proper, yet she had a bit more of a rustic air than the hosts on CCTV or the provincial station.

The lead story: Municipal Party Secretary Zhou Chengwu, wearing a jacket, inspected the construction of the Pinghu Resort Project in Tianling County.

Tang Ye looked at the familiar scene on the screen, feeling that things had changed and people were no longer the same.

He had to admit that the changes in Pinghu were significant.

Following that was an exclusive interview with Shen Mingcheng; he wore a side-parted hairstyle deliberately styled to look mature, puffed out his slightly protruding belly, and spoke eloquently to the camera: "The Pinghu Resort Project has been a key project for Tianling since last year. The County Party Committee leadership attaches great importance to it and has poured much heart and blood into it. We expect to complete the first phase and open it to the public within two years."

Tang Ye watched the screen, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

This project was originally an achievement secured during Du Chengfeng's tenure, yet now Shen Mingcheng was claiming all the credit for himself, putting on a show as if it were all due to his own strategic planning.

The second news item was Mayor Li Chaoyang presiding over the citywide economic analysis meeting; he waved his hands constantly while speaking, like a commander on a battlefield.

From a secretary's perspective, Li Chaoyang was likely presiding without a script, while the voiceover was the speech draft written by his secretary.

The third was Full-time Deputy Secretary Song Weiping participating in a condolence activity, his smile kind;

The fourth was a shot of the People's Congress Director presiding over a meeting;

The fifth news item, Jiang Jing attended an awards ceremony.

The first few news items basically outlined the current power structure of the Municipal Party Committee, while the subsequent content appeared scattered, lacking heavyweight figures to anchor it.

Tang Ye knew deeply that whether it was central, provincial, or local media, reports on leaders' activities had the most political analytical value, serving as a "barometer" for the political climate.

He calculated to himself: Jiang Jing's ranking among the Municipal Party Standing Committee members should have risen to fourth place by now.

She was only one step away from entering the core circle of the "three chariots."

After the news finished, Tang Ye couldn't help but laugh at himself: "I used to hate watching leaders give speeches, but now I'm studying these things. It seems I really have changed."

The political landscape of Hanzhou was crucial to him; as the saying goes, "the duck is the first to know when the river water warms in spring."

Mastering the ins and outs of this was the key to him achieving results in Suiyuan.

On Sunday noon, Jiang Jing called Tang Ye, stating that she would be hosting a banquet for Ruilin Group president Qiao Wansen that evening and asked him to come and accompany them.

When Tang Ye arrived at the restaurant, he met Wen Rong, who said softly: "Mayor Jiang hasn't arrived yet."

"That's good, I was afraid of being late," Tang Ye laughed.

Wen Rong looked at his refreshed appearance and sighed inwardly: Even though Tang Ye had been transferred to Suiyuan County, Secretariat Section Two still bore his mark everywhere.

When she wrote drafts, she was always in the habit of pulling out the manuscripts Tang Ye had authored in the past as references;

When Mayor Jiang gave her instructions, she would occasionally blurt out "Little Tang";

Now, for important business banquets, the first person she thought of was still Tang Ye.

"President Qiao can hold his liquor; you need to be careful tonight," she reminded him.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Tang Ye replied with a calm smile.

He knew that there was no shortage of heavy drinkers in the Municipal Government, and Jiang Jing specifically asking him to accompany them was not just because of his alcohol tolerance, but because of their bond as confidants.

While chatting with Wen Rong, Tang Ye learned that Ding Xiang had jumped from the City Television Station to the provincial station; he was quite surprised, but upon reflection, he felt relieved.

With Ding Xiang's professional ability and external conditions, she deserved a broader platform.

Since her father's passing, her temperament had changed drastically; the sharp edges of the past had been quietly smoothed away, and she had become increasingly mature and sophisticated in her dealings.

As the saying goes, those who achieve great things must first endure hardships; after the storm, there will naturally be clear skies.

Just as they were laughing and talking, several women pushed the door open and entered.

Wen Rong introduced them: "These are hosts from the City Television Station. This is County Magistrate Tang from Suiyuan County."

"Hello, County Magistrate Tang, my name is Yu Ling."

"My name is Xie Yina."

"Hello to you both!"

Tang Ye nodded in greeting.

Yu Ling was born with a sweet and pretty face, her voice as crisp as a bell, carrying a natural baby-like tone; when she spoke, the slight tremor in her trailing notes always made one feel a warm, tingling sensation in their heart.

Xie Yina was a different kind of allure; her attire was bold and casual, her neckline slightly open revealing a patch of glowing skin, and her cold, sharp eyes held a seductive sexiness—she was the very picture of a cold, beautiful woman's charm.

Because of the precedent of Ding Xiang transferring from the city station to the provincial station, the women in Hanzhou's arts and culture circles were now particularly keen on these types of occasions.

After all, some people had already tasted the sweetness of opportunity here; who wouldn't hope to leverage this momentum to leap onto a higher platform?

After another moment, Jiang Jing and Qiao Wansen walked into the private room, chatting and laughing side by side.

Shi Hao followed behind the two of them, his face beaming with joy.

A corporate president of Qiao Wansen's caliber was, in the eyes of local leaders, no different from a walking God of Wealth; he could bring in eye-catching political performance data and was also worthy of the high-standard courtesy of a police car escort.

He was dressed sharply today, wearing a polite, faint smile, and his every gesture exuded the composure of a tycoon who remains unruffled in the face of change.

Jiang Jing introduced the people at the table to Qiao Wansen one by one, pointing first to Tang Ye: "This is the Standing Committee Deputy County Mayor of Suiyuan County, Tang Ye."

Qiao Wansen did not particularly care about the position of Deputy County Magistrate, and his tone was slightly indifferent: "County Magistrate Tang, hello."

Tang Ye smiled faintly and shook his hand lightly.

In the eyes of a business tycoon of this level, Deputy Division Level Officials were already a dime a dozen.

However, after three rounds of drinks, Qiao Wansen began to see Tang Ye in a new light: this young man not only had an astonishing capacity for alcohol, always returning every toast he received, but even more impressively, he had socialized through several more rounds than he had.

At this moment, he remained calm and collected, as if nothing had happened.

This also sparked a bit of interest in Tang Ye for Qiao Wansen.

Jiang Jing observed Tang Ye's performance calmly, secretly pondering: unlike his usual strategy of feigning an inability to hold his liquor, little Tang was drinking quite aggressively today.

However, this actually suited Qiao Wansen's personality quite well.

This kid knows how to tailor his drinking to the person he's with!