Chapter 5: Surprises One After Another!

The woman before him had a graceful figure and appeared to be between twenty-five and thirty years old.

She wore a light blue shirt with a lotus-leaf collar; the ruffles at the neckline were like nimble petals, perfectly outlining her slender neck. Below, she wore a long purple skirt that swayed gently with her steps, as if flowing with dreamlike colors.

Her long, raven-black hair draped softly over her shoulders. Her eyebrows were arched like crescent moons, full of charm, and her eyes were like a pool of clear water—seemingly calm and ripple-free, yet hiding a faint trace of melancholy that stirred the imagination for no reason.

"No matter how busy you are, don't let important things get lost," Tang Ye said gently, while handing the pink makeup mirror back to her.

The woman reached out to take the mirror; her fingers were slender and long, like fresh scallion shoots, and the hem of her skirt rippled with this simple movement. "Thank you!"

The woman responded softly, secretly guessing that Tang Ye might be a government worker, though she had never seen him before and found him quite unfamiliar.

He looked to be no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, yet his speech carried the steady, resolute air of a forty-year-old.

……

In the conference room, Tang Ye had barely touched his seat when Xu Yiping's knuckles tapped rhythmically against the tabletop.

"This is the newly appointed Deputy Town Mayor of Pinghu, Tang Ye, a Seconded Official from the Municipal Party Committee. I invite him to say a few words to everyone."

Gu Wenqin, sitting in the fifth seat on the right, suddenly paused the fountain pen in her hand, shocked to realize this was the same young man who had handed her the makeup mirror in the hallway just moments ago.

In an instant, whispers erupted in the conference room like boiling water.

"A Seconded Official, put plainly, is just here to get some gold plating." "Can he even understand our tax forms?" "I wonder what kind of connections he has in the city..."

Tang Ye scanned the room with a steady gaze, and once it grew quiet, he spoke slowly: "Hello everyone. From now on, I will do my utmost to provide good service to you all."

"Gentlemen, please introduce your respective enterprises to Comrade Tang Ye, and feel free to bring up any difficulties you may have!" As soon as Xu Yiping finished speaking, he immediately gestured to his right.

A man raised his arm high, his posture as if he were about to poke through the plaster ceiling. This man was Xu Jie, Xu Yiping's nephew and the Factory Director of Boman Clothing Factory.

"Our factory plans to introduce several new production lines and is preparing for an expansion. We had our eye on a vacant lot and were just about to start construction when some petty person reported us, and people from the county came to shut us down. I ask Deputy Town Mayor Tang to help us resolve this."

Tang Ye felt a tightening in his chest, thinking to himself: he isn't here to ask for help at all; he is clearly digging a pit for me!

"As far as I know, that plot of land is not designated for industrial use. Building a factory there without authorization is a violation, so it is only logical that it was shut down. If you wish to build a factory, you might consider other locations; the southern area is all planned industrial land," Tang Ye responded unhurriedly.

Upon hearing this, a look of dissatisfaction appeared on Xu Jie's face, and he began to complain in a sarcastic tone: "The southern area is too remote. We are investing in building a factory, which can both increase employment and contribute to local tax revenue. Shouldn't the Government consider things from the perspective of the enterprise and help provide us with some convenience?"

Tang Ye understood that this Xu Jie was indeed a troublemaker!

On the surface, he was talking about expanding investment, but in reality, it was merely a pretext to secure a massive amount of compensation during future demolition.

Tang Ye remained calm and said steadily: "Developing a town is like painting a picture. Every area on the paper has its established design; you cannot build however you please. Otherwise, the whole town will end up a patchwork of scattered, disorganized pieces, like a worn-out garment covered in patches. According to the development plan for Pinghu Town, that plot is slated for a school and a residential area. If a factory is built there now, it will have to be demolished later. Demolition not only increases costs but also wastes resources and disturbs the people."

"Deputy Town Mayor Tang, you've said so much, but to put it plainly, you just don't want to help me, right?" Xu Jie asked relentlessly.

"We must be reasonable in our actions. If I were to help you steal from the collective interest, that is a favor I dare not grant," Tang Ye responded, hitting the nail on the head and leaving Xu Jie speechless.

Xu Yiping was quite surprised by Tang Ye's handling of the situation. He had originally thought that if Tang Ye expressed support for the factory construction, he could go along with it, and if anyone were to investigate later, he could shift the responsibility onto Tang Ye.

He hadn't expected Tang Ye to be so difficult to trick!

Everyone sitting at the conference table was a shrewd individual; they all understood!

"The new Town Mayor isn't easy to fool..." "With Xu Jie's temper, he's definitely going to hold a grudge against the new Town Mayor!"

……

After the meeting ended, Xu Jie went straight to Xu Yiping's office.

"I am determined to get that land. If that guy surnamed Tang dares to cut off my path to wealth, I won't let him off!" Xu Jie said, his face full of rage.

Xu Yiping glared at his nephew and lectured him: "Don't be so hasty. He is an official sent down by the Municipal Party Committee; let's see if we can win him over. If we can't, we'll make other plans."

"Win him over? That guy has such an arrogant attitude. If we don't give him a taste of his own medicine, he won't even know who he is!" Xu Jie grumbled, unconvinced.

Xu Yiping struck the table heavily with his fountain pen and said sternly: "How many times have I told you to be steady and not so rash!" Xu Jie curled his lip, secretly despising his uncle for being too indecisive.

After his nephew left, Xu Yiping fell into deep thought, carefully analyzing Tang Ye's performance at the meeting. After this test, he concluded: this young man is not simple!

Judging by Tang Ye's attitude, it seemed he wanted to persuade the enterprises to undergo a transformation.

Xu Yiping, however, felt that the risks of transformation were too high. The most urgent matter was attracting investment; if Tang Ye could "bring capital to the table," that would be acceptable.

If he didn't have that ability, then he would just have to step aside!

……

Tang Ye returned to his office and began to seriously ponder a plan to revitalize the economy of Pinghu.

The reason he chose to be a Seconded Official in Pinghu Town had a great deal to do with Hong Ruilin. Twenty years ago, when Hong Ruilin served as the Party Committee Secretary in Pinghu Town, he had created the remarkable "Pinghu Miracle."

At that time, the textile and garment industry in Pinghu Town was booming, and two out of every ten shirts in the country were produced there.

However, a few years ago, Pinghu Town suffered a once-in-a-century flood, resulting in heavy losses. The two largest clothing factories could not bear the burden and moved away from Pinghu, and since then, Pinghu Town had lost its former industrial advantage.

Although Hong Ruilin had left, he remained concerned about the development of Pinghu Town. Tang Ye already had a preliminary idea; currently, the domestic clothing industry suffered from severe product homogenization, so a transformation was essential.

He planned to shift the product focus to women's apparel and adjust the market from export-oriented to domestic-oriented. Among the many clothing factories, although Qinge Clothing Factory lacked the strength of Boman Clothing Factory, it had more room for maneuver.

Qinge Clothing Factory employed many people with disabilities, and the Factory Director, Gu Wenqin, had single-handedly kept the factory running after her husband passed away, which was no easy feat. As a disadvantaged entity, Qinge Clothing Factory was in greater need of outside help and was more suitable to be the first to undergo transformation.

Tang Ye found Gu Wenqin's mobile number in the work log, dialed it from his landline, and politely introduced himself: "I am Tang Ye. I would like to talk to you about the future development of Qinge Clothing Factory..."

"Deputy Town Mayor Tang, is this matter very urgent? Could we talk tomorrow instead? I am currently on the road delivering goods and probably won't be back at the factory until seven or eight in the evening!" On the other end of the line, the truck driver honked the horn twice at the right moment.

Tang Ye could tell that Gu Wenqin was not brushing him off, so he said: "Your factory has a night shift, right? I will wait for you to return."

"Then how about nine o'clock?"

"Fine, you go ahead and get busy, and stay safe."

……

Hong Ruilin had left behind a three-bedroom apartment in Pinghu Town, so Tang Ye was staying there.

As night slowly fell, the heat of the day gradually dissipated. Tang Ye decided to walk to Qinge Clothing Factory.

Without realizing it, he arrived at a Baihua Forest. The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, and the lake water shimmered under the moonlight. There was no other sound in the surroundings except for the occasional chirping of insects.

Suddenly, a shrill cry came from not far away, like a sharp knife piercing straight into his eardrums.

At first, Tang Ye thought he had misheard, or that it was the sound of a wild cat, a wild dog, or perhaps even one of the legendary animals like the Yellow Immortal. But the sound continued to reach his ears, and he vaguely felt that things were not that simple, so he began to carefully search for the source of the sound.

In the shadows of two birch trees, a black sedan was faintly visible. The car body seemed to be shaking slightly.

Tang Ye's pupils dilated instantly, and he sighed to himself: people these days really know how to play! But the next moment, he vaguely felt that something was wrong.

After listening carefully, the sound that was gradually becoming urgent was actually a woman calling for help!

Tang Ye was startled; he had just arrived, and these surprises were truly coming one after another! He had no time to think further and quickly rushed toward the sedan...