Chapter 429: Setting Off a Smokescreen!

After Huang Ling left the office, Huang Bingwen dialed Zhao Bin's number.

"Director Zhao, I have good news for you: the plan from last night worked! Who would have thought, while Tang Ye isn't greedy for money, he is lustful. County Magistrate Gao really has a sharp eye for people; he grabbed this kid's weak spot in one go."

Zhao Bin smiled faintly: "A person like Tang Ye acts smooth on the surface, but is quite arrogant at his core. If you find women from clubs with a heavy air of vice, or socialites skilled in socializing, none of them can attract him. He likes women who are pure and have a bit of a student air. Huang Ling is quite good, the kind of woman you find once in a hundred. So, it's only logical that Tang Ye would take the bait."

Huang Bingwen said smugly: "It's not that exaggerated. There are plenty of women in this world; you can find a handful like Huang Ling anywhere. If Director Zhao likes, I'll arrange one for you tomorrow!"

Zhao Bin smiled noncommittally, then reminded him with a serious tone: "Be careful with your methods when dealing with Tang Ye. Barring any accidents, he will be a top figure in Hanzhou in the future. You must play the long game; don't be shortsighted."

Huang Bingwen laughed: "Director Zhao, rest assured. I will definitely 'serve' this master well and develop him into a 'like-minded' brother."

Zhao Bin suddenly changed the subject: "How is the progress on the road repairs in Xiaoguo Village? This matter must be handled urgently. The higher-ups might send a working group soon; it will be troublesome if problems arise at this time."

Huang Bingwen patted his chest: "Rest assured, I know who is causing trouble, and I have already arranged for someone to 'control' him."

Zhao Bin said coldly: "Have a sense of proportion when doing things; don't let it get out of hand. The environment is different now. In the past, when Secretary Wang was in office, County Magistrate Gao could have his say and suppress issues if they arose; but now that Han Guangyao is in charge, he has been keeping an eye on County Magistrate Gao. If something goes wrong, don't blame County Magistrate Gao for not protecting you."

Only then did Huang Bingwen's expression turn serious: "That old thing Han Guangyao will be gone sooner or later, and by then, it will still be County Magistrate Gao who calls the shots. I understand what you mean; I won't hold County Magistrate Gao back."

After hanging up on Huang Bingwen, Zhao Bin knocked on the door of Gao Hong's office.

Gao Hong was reviewing documents; he looked up at Zhao Bin faintly: "What is it?"

Zhao Bin lowered his voice: "Just received news from Huang Bingwen; Tang Ye has 'taken the bait.' Huang Bingwen will be having dinner with him tonight."

A satisfied smile appeared on the corner of Gao Hong's mouth: "Old Huang handled this well. I didn't expect Tang Ye to be into this, but it's normal. Heroes have a hard time getting past the beauty barrier; at thirty, he's in his prime. If he didn't fall for it, that would be abnormal."

Zhao Bin flattered him: "County Magistrate Gao, your grasp of human nature is truly spot on."

Gao Hong smiled: "Let Huang Bingwen have contact with Tang Ye for a while. Once they are familiar, give him some benefits. Once a person's psychological defense is breached, they will be like a sieve, full of flaws."

Zhao Bin replied: "Huang Bingwen knows what to do."

Gao Hong tapped his fingers on the desk: "Tang Ye hasn't been running around everywhere these past few days, has he?"

Zhao Bin nodded: "I instructed Lin Heng to keep an eye on him and report any movement immediately. This afternoon, Tang Ye will go to Xiaqiao Village with Cheng Lin to investigate the progress of the 'Village-to-Village Connection' project. I have already greeted the construction team."

Gao Hong said in a deep voice: "Lin Heng is good; he gained Tang Ye's trust so quickly."

Zhao Bin laughed: "Indeed, he can endure hardship. When preparing for the National Level Project, he stayed up all night with Tang Ye every day. Tang Ye thinks he is reliable; he even asked me to talk to the Education Bureau earlier to transfer Little Lin's girlfriend to a school in the county seat. Tang Ye prides himself on being smart, but in my eyes, he is nothing more than that. In the end, he still can't escape your palm."

Gao Hong was very receptive to this flattery: "Tang Ye is a person worth winning over. As long as he is of one mind with us, I will have a chance to topple Han Guangyao. Of course, if he doesn't know what's good for him... then that would be a pity."

Zhao Bin understood Gao Hong's meaning: now that they held leverage over Tang Ye, they could both extract value and destroy him—though Gao Hong did truly have a sense of cherishing talent for Tang Ye.

Unless absolutely necessary, Gao Hong would not tear his face off with Tang Ye.

The reason was simple: Tang Ye was an excellent cadre sent over by the city.

He performed brilliantly in the city, so why did all sorts of problems arise once he reached Suiyuan?

For this kind of parachuted cadre, local officials could turn up the intensity on him, but they had to control the measure.

Returning to his office, Zhao Bin's eyes were full of smugness.

He always wore a smiling face when dealing with Tang Ye, but he felt deep resentment at his core.

From the first day Tang Ye proactively requested to change offices, the seeds of hatred had already been sown.

"Tang Ye, oh Tang Ye, aren't you high and mighty? In the end, it's just fake nobility. Don't you still have to be County Magistrate Gao's 'dog'? Whatever he tells you to do, you must do. If you dare to disobey, County Magistrate Gao has plenty of ways to deal with you!"

Tang Ye drove Cheng Lin to Xiaoguo Village in a low-key manner.

Before coming, he had Lin Heng plant a smokescreen for Zhao Bin, lying that he was going to investigate Xiaqiao Village, while in reality, he headed straight for Xiaoguo Village.

The sedan could not drive into the village, so Tang Ye parked the car on the side of the road and walked inside with Cheng Lin.

It had just rained, so the problems with the road were exposed even more directly.

Cheng Lin's expression was grave: "This road hasn't even been built for eight years and it's already cracked like this. Not only does the hardening not meet standards, but the drainage system was also done perfunctorily. These people are really fooling everyone."

Tang Ye took photos along the way and said in a low voice: "You have to see it with your own eyes to know how serious the problems below are."

Seeing two middle-aged women harvesting soybeans on a ridge not far away, Cheng Lin said: "Let's go ask about the situation."

Tang Ye nodded, and the two walked over.

He proactively smiled: "Ma'am, busy?"

One of the women sized him up and asked suspiciously: "Young man, what are you here for?"

Fearing the other party would be vigilant, Tang Ye didn't tell the truth and smiled: "We plan to invest in building a factory here and want to understand the situation."

The other woman shook her head repeatedly: "Young man, I advise you not to have that idea. Our village road isn't even repaired well. Before, someone wanted to build a factory and the contract was almost signed, but then a heavy rain fell, the small bridge in the front of the village was washed away, and a young man even died."

Tang Ye didn't expect the woman to say this; he looked at Cheng Lin, both feeling surprised.

"Thank you for telling us, ma'am. We will consider it carefully."

The woman sighed: "We would love for someone to come and build a factory, but we can't trick you!"

Tang Ye smiled: "You are right. Your opinions are very important. We won't disturb your work anymore."

The two returned the way they came, heavy-hearted, walking toward where they parked the car.

From afar, they saw several people surrounding the Bora, whispering to each other.

Tang Ye's heart skipped a beat, wondering if they had encountered people obstructing their undercover visit again.

Seeing Tang Ye and Cheng Lin appear, the middle-aged man in the lead showed excitement.

"Are you Secretary Cheng and County Magistrate Tang? Welcome to our village for research! I am the Party Branch Secretary, Guo Shulin. Please, both of you, take some time to move to the village office and sit for a while; I will report the difficulties of the village to you in detail!"

They seemed to be looking forward to the two of them coming!

This left Tang Ye and Cheng Lin very surprised...