Chapter 641

He got into the car.

Wu An only then saw that Zhang Haifeng's secretary was also there.

Didn't delay your affairs, did I?

Secretary Li asked with a smile.

Wu An shook his head: 'I'm just strolling.'

Arrived at Zhendayuan.

Wu An followed the secretary inside.

Smoke and mist swirled inside the room, as if there were a fire.

Zhang Haifeng turned his head, his square, wrinkled face breaking into a smile as he warmly greeted Wu An to sit down.

Secretary Li walked over and opened the window.

Zhang Haifeng sat opposite Wu An, crossing his legs: 'No need to be formal; I just wanted to chat with you.'

It was too late yesterday.

I have temporary work today; I'll have to return to the city later.

I don't even have time to chat properly.

I had no choice but to have the secretary look for you.

At that moment.

Secretary Li poured the tea.

"Uncle Zhang, you're being too polite; there's no need for Brother Zhang to come find me—just give me a call and I'll come running right away." Wu An said, taking the tea cup and thanking him.

Secretary Li nodded, turned and walked out of the office, gently closing the door behind him.

Zhang Haifeng said bluntly: 'First, the capture of bionic fish; second, apprehending Ma Weiqun and Lin Bin; third, the clash with the fishermen across the way—I'll brief you on these matters.'

Wu An nodded: 'Please go ahead.'

Zhang Haifeng said: 'Your commendation will likely take some time to come through, mainly because you've done too much, involving many relevant departments, requiring a meeting to discuss and determine the scale of the award.'

Wu An chuckled: 'Does a reward of thirty or fifty thousand really need to be so complicated?'

Zhang Haifeng nodded at him: 'For thirty or fifty thousand, I can decide on the spot.'

I estimate it won't be less than five hundred thousand.

Of course, the specifics still need to be seen.

Wu An nodded, thinking it's not a small amount either.

Zhang Haifeng looked at Wu An, seeing no joy on his face, only surprise—this is five hundred thousand, after all, and he's so calm?

Don't think that, despite having reached this position and worked many years, his family savings still haven't reached five hundred thousand.

Zhang Haifeng wondered to himself, then continued: 'Besides, the city will hold a special commendation ceremony, which will be televised.'

You can prepare your speech in advance.

Just jot down something rough; later I'll have Xiao Li polish it for you.

Wu An said: 'If the newspapers use pseudonyms but I appear on TV, wouldn't that expose me?'

Zhang Haifeng chuckled: 'What exposure? You're not an undercover agent.'

There will be a mosaic then.

Rest assured, protection will be provided for you and your family to ensure your personal safety.

Wu An nodded.

Zhang Haifeng took a sip of water and casually asked: 'By the way, what's the deal with those dolphins and killer whales?'

Wu An said: 'Just happened to encounter them.'

However, I seem to have a special affinity with dolphins and killer whales when I go out to sea; I often run into them.

Over time, we've gotten along quite well.

Just like at an aquarium, I feed them ice cubes.

Zhang Haifeng laughed: 'You're treating them like pets.'

Wu An also laughed: 'It would be great if we could keep them as pets.'

He guessed that Zhang Haifeng would ask.

So he didn't deny it.

Instead he went along with it, since his good relationship with the dolphins and killer whales isn't illegal, mentioning it isn't a big deal, whereas denying it would look suspicious.

After chatting a while, Secretary Li knocked on the door.

Wu An finished his tea, got up, and took his leave.

Zhang Haifeng saw him to the door.

……

Zhang Haifeng arrived in the city and attended the meeting.

The meeting ended.

The big boss then invited him to the office for a sit, and the two chatted about Wu An.

"Wu An… that name rings a bell—right, Old Chen went down to research the cultural tourism industry earlier and mentioned it to me when he returned."

The big boss had Old Chen summoned.

The three of them sat down to talk.

"This Wu An is impressive—starting from scratch, he made money by gathering seafood, ordered a trawler to go out fishing, and invested in homestay tourism in Zhenzhongcun."

"Quite the fellow—no wonder I said he could receive a sizable reward so calmly; turns out he's actually wealthy."

The big boss listened as Old Chen and Zhang Haifeng talked more animatedly about Wu An, and even though he'd never met the young man, he felt a strong curiosity arise.

If there's a chance, we should meet.

The big boss muttered to himself; otherwise, with the old comrades chatting heatedly, he couldn't even get a word in.

He glanced at the newspaper on the table and the list of outstanding youth nominees submitted by the various counties.

Then.

He saw that Wu An was on the county's list, but Shen Wen's name was not.

"Lao Chen, take a look at this list."

The big boss handed the list over.

Lao Chen took it, looked at it, and said, "Oh, it's the county's outstanding youth selection list, just a formality; the Market will select the city's outstanding youth based on the county's submitted list."

It's about the same every year.

Moreover, anything that makes it onto the big boss's desk is the result of collective deliberation by all parties.

What's so interesting about it?

Lao Chen thought that, but still carefully flipped through it, his usual sharpness intact, and frowned, "Huh, Wu An isn't here?"

The big boss nodded, "You and Lao Zhang praised Wu An as so outstanding, as if there were hardly any young people in the Market who could compare."

"But if you look at the county's list, he's not there at all."

Since this falls under Lao Chen's jurisdiction, he said gravely, "I'll go ask right away."

Lao Chen grabbed the list and hurried away.

He told the secretary to check.

Fu Yuan Zhen has a recommendation slot, but the one being recommended is not Wu An, it's Shen Nan.

After the secretary finished, Lao Chen understood the situation, tapped the table twice, and said, "Send a notice saying Shen Nan's selection criteria are insufficient, recommend supplementing them before resubmission."

The secretary nodded and went to handle it immediately.

Although it says to supplement the criteria, in reality it's a euphemistic phrasing.

To put it bluntly,

the leaders are dissatisfied with this person and demand a new recommendation.

Otherwise.

How else would they specifically suggest it?

Anyone with a bit of sense would know what it means and naturally know what to do.

You ask about those without sense?

They don't exist.

Those without sense can't affect the position of recommendation slots.

Zhendayuan.

Xi Lianghong placed the newspaper on the top leader's desk and said, "Lao Qi, others may not know, but we all know this refers to Wu An."

"I think this person is more qualified to join the county's outstanding youth selection."

Leader Qi nodded, "He's quite remarkable."

"But the selection has already been sealed and finalized; it can't be changed."

"Maybe next time."

Xi Lianghong flushed and said, "With Shen Nan's credentials, even if we submit, the Market won't select him, let alone advance further."

"But Wu An is different; not only the Market, even the province would have a high chance of selecting him."

Leader Qi's face darkened, "What do you mean?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"Feel free to speak plainly, no need to beat around the bush."

Xi Lianghong tried to explain, but the phone on Leader Qi's desk rang.

Leader Qi bluntly said, "That's it; it's already after hours, we'll discuss any matters tomorrow."

Having said that,

He picked up the microphone.

He gave Xi Lianghong no chance to speak further.