Chapter 610: Suppress the Du Faction!

After hanging up the phone with Du Chengfeng, a meaningful smile curled at the corners of Shen Mingcheng's mouth.

Although Sun Hai had already been released, his goal had already been achieved.

He wanted to demonstrate to Du Chengfeng through concrete action that he had the ability to maintain absolute control within the territory of Tianling.

During his tenure, he would never allow the faction known as the "Du Faction" to raise its head.

He wanted to emulate the methods Han Guangyao used to suppress the Suiyuan Gang and completely press the "Du Faction" down.

At this moment, the Liaison Officer walked in to ask for instructions: "Secretary, the driver is already waiting downstairs."

Shen Mingcheng nodded slightly: "Let's go."

This trip was to attend a dinner, and the organizer was Wei Hua, the director of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau.

Walking into the private room, Wei Hua smiled and came up to introduce him: "Secretary Shen, this is President Zhu, whom I mentioned to you before. He has over fifty dump trucks under him; his strength is much more substantial than Haichen Company."

Shen Mingcheng reached out to shake hands with Zhu Jun and said politely: "Boss Zhu, I have long admired your name. Welcome to Tianling for investment and development."

Zhu Jun gripped Shen Mingcheng's hand with both hands, his face full of smiles: "Tianling's development momentum has been rapid in recent years. We have long wanted to enter the Tianling market, and I hope Secretary Shen will give us more opportunities."

Shen Mingcheng smiled faintly: "Since you are an entrepreneur approved by Wei Hua, I will state my position on behalf of the County Party Committee and County Government: in the future, no matter what problems you encounter, you can come directly to me to solve them."

Seeing him be so straightforward, Zhu Jun was instantly overjoyed, raised his glass and said: "I didn't expect Secretary Shen to be so forthright. I'll drink this first as a sign of respect!"

Shen Mingcheng smiled slightly, raised his glass, and downed the wine in one gulp, his peripheral vision inadvertently sweeping over the young woman beside Zhu Jun.

The young woman was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, wearing a form-fitting base layer with a rather low neckline, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin on her chest. Her features were delicate and her makeup exquisite, but there was a hint of worldliness between her brows.

Zhu Jun knew well that Shen Mingcheng had a penchant for socializing with beautiful women, so he immediately gave the young woman a look.

The young woman immediately walked gracefully to Shen Mingcheng's side and said in a sweet voice while raising her glass: "Secretary Shen, let me introduce myself, my name is Xiao Qing. I really didn't expect you to be so young and promising. I'd like to toast you."

Shen Mingcheng was most pleased when others praised him for being young.

In officialdom, youth meant more opportunities and the ability to aim for a higher ceiling.

"Thank you for the compliment. With a beauty like Miss Xiao Qing present today, the atmosphere of the entire private room has come alive. Boss Zhu not only has a unique eye for investment, but his eye for choosing people is also truly brilliant."

Zhu Jun felt happy inside, knowing that his move to cater to the other's preferences had been the right one.

When the dinner ended, Zhu Jun specifically instructed Xiao Qing: "You must ensure Secretary Shen is sent home safely; not a single mistake can be made."

Shen Mingcheng sat in the back seat of the sedan, and Xiao Qing followed closely and sat beside him.

She took a tissue from her bag and affectionately wiped Shen Mingcheng's forehead: "Secretary Shen, you've broken out in so much sweat."

Shen Mingcheng unbuttoned his shirt collar and joked with a smile: "That's right, I tend to sweat when I drink too much."

"Then let me wipe it off for you properly." Xiao Qing pursed her lips and smiled, and while gently wiping his sweat, she took the opportunity to lean most of her body into Shen Mingcheng's embrace.

Shen Mingcheng reached out to lightly touch the soft parts of her body, but suddenly shivered and pushed her away calmly.

Xiao Qing looked at him in surprise, thinking she had done something wrong to displease him, and asked timidly: "Secretary Shen, what's wrong?"

Shen Mingcheng smiled: "It's nothing, I just felt a little dizzy, but I'm much better now."

The sedan stopped at the hotel entrance, and Xiao Qing wanted to help Shen Mingcheng out of the car, but was gently pushed away by him.

"Just let the driver take me back, you should get some rest early too."

Xiao Qing did not expect him to refuse to go upstairs, and her heart was filled with surprise and disappointment, yet she still persisted: "Secretary Shen, why not go up and sit for a while? Having a cup of coffee to sober up would be good too."

"No need, we'll talk about it next time." Shen Mingcheng did not dwell on it further and instructed the driver: "Drive."

After the sedan drove away, Xiao Qing immediately dialed Zhu Jun's phone: "President Zhu, Shen Mingcheng didn't come upstairs with me."

Zhu Jun paused for a moment and said in confusion: "This Shen Mingcheng is not quite the same as the rumors? Everyone outside says he is a glutton for beauty; could it be that you didn't hint enough, or is he not interested in you? Was your perfume too strong today?"

Xiao Qing said dejectedly: "I was already proactive enough; when I touched him just now, he clearly had a reaction..."

Zhu Jun sighed: "Forget it, perhaps he is more cautious. Try to make contact again when there is an opportunity in the future."

In fact, it was not that Shen Mingcheng had no interest in Xiao Qing, but ever since some point in time, he always felt that there was a pair of eyes watching him in the dark.

As the saying goes, once bitten by a snake, one fears the well rope for ten years; the previous turn of events had made him increasingly cautious—this could also be considered a form of growth.

He knew clearly in his heart that if he were to stumble again in matters between men and women, what awaited him would surely be a fate of total ruin.

At this moment, a black sedan was following behind Shen Mingcheng's car at a leisurely pace.

The man inside the car was wearing a baseball cap, and the light from the streetlamps flickered on his face, his expression uncertain.

"Shen Mingcheng actually didn't go into the hotel, did he change his nature? Damn it! This is truly unbelievable!!!"

Shen Mingcheng returned to his residence, the desire stirred up by Xiao Qing difficult to calm down for a moment.

To distract himself, he made a call to Chen Lan.

Chen Lan answered the phone and asked in a flat tone: "Is something the matter?"

Shen Mingcheng apologized with a smile: "Just finished socializing, calling to report to you."

In the past, it was always Chen Lan who was nervous about him and often checked up on him, but now it was the other way around, with Shen Mingcheng taking the initiative to report.

"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up." Chen Lan's voice remained cold.

Facing this alienation, Shen Mingcheng felt a sense of unwillingness in his heart and took the initiative to find a topic: "How is Mom doing?"

Chen Lan said: "Her state has been okay lately, it's just that she still can't recognize people. The doctor isn't sure of the reason either, saying there are similar cases abroad, and it might take several years, or even be like this for a lifetime."

Shen Mingcheng sighed: "Mom was such a meticulous person all her life, to end up in this state, it really makes one sigh. When I finish being busy with this period, I'll go over to accompany you and take care of her together."

Chen Lan, however, coldly refused: "You busy yourself with your work, no need."

Listening to the busy signal coming from the phone, Shen Mingcheng felt dejected for a long time.

People are always like this; they only know how to cherish things once they are lost. He secretly made up his mind that he must turn over a new leaf and achieve some decent results.

After showering, Shen Mingcheng lay on the bed, reviewing his work in Tianling over the past two years.

Although there were constant interludes during this time, he considered the overall situation to be quite good; the flaws did not obscure the virtues.

Everyone has their own standpoint, and in Shen Mingcheng's perception, he was undoubtedly excellent.

He came to Tianling County harboring the ambition and dream of doing something big, originally thinking that by relying on the distant kinship he had with Du Chengfeng, governing the Tianling team would be as easy as turning over one's hand.

Yet he had not expected that a group of officials led by Guo Zhengting would always maintain an attitude of perfunctory compliance toward him.

The many constructive suggestions he put forward were all nodded to and agreed upon by Guo Zhengting on the surface, but they were always discounted when it came to implementation.

What made him feel even more stifled was that people always compared him to Du Chengfeng. Du Chengfeng was conscientious and diligent, often staying up until dawn for work, or even sleeping directly in the office;

Whereas he, Shen Mingcheng, was intent on flaunting the superiority of a County Party Secretary and had even once had an ambiguous relationship with a female subordinate.

But in his view, mutual attraction between men and women was only human nature.

As the County Party Secretary, and being in the prime of his youth, it was inevitable that many women would rack their brains to get close to him.

Most of the time, he considered himself capable of restraining his desires.

He had long since regarded Du Chengfeng as a target he must surpass. This time, he had intended to use Sun Hai as a fuse to drag Tang Ye into the water, and subsequently expose Du Chengfeng's "ugly face" to the public,

letting everyone see that Du Chengfeng was actually extremely selfish and had mobilized so many connections and resources just to look after his son-in-law;

under his connivance, Tang Ye acted as a backer for his classmate Sun Hai, allowing Sun Hai to monopolize municipal projects in Tianling and fill his pockets to the brim.

In Shen Mingcheng's own self-perception, he was the true representative of justice.

He dared to challenge Du Chengfeng, dared to wrestle with dark and evil forces, and dared to change the status quo of Tianling!

He was a good cadre who served the common people heart and soul to build a happy and stable life!!!