Chapter 1091: Hope You

At this moment, Pan Wenhai finally said to Lin Tao, who was sitting beside him: "Department Head Lin, please give a speech."

That almost confused Su Yang again; he might think he'd come to the wrong place.

Lin Tao, however, was already unfazed; he said succinctly: "In view of the situation in your county, the Provincial Organization Department has decided to appoint Comrade Su Yang as Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee and Secretary of the County Political and Legal Affairs Commission."

"Therefore we hope that in the upcoming work everyone will give Comrade Su Yang firm support. Our Provincial Committee is paying close attention, and we hope everyone can cooperate wholeheartedly and unite as one."

After speaking, he fell silent; Pan Wenhai led the applause, and the others followed, clapping enthusiastically.

Then Pan Wenhai continued: "Now, Comrade Su Yang, please speak."

Su Yang rose, gave a slight bow to the crowd, and said: "Respected Department Head Lin, comrades, I am Su Yang. I believe some have examined my résumé, and some have heard my name, but in any case it does not seem very illustrious."

"Because of the region I work in and its local conditions, I have been labeled a 'political arena assassin.' In truth, that is not my wish; I also hope the comrades are well, that our team is well, and that the Common People are well."

"In short, you are well, I am well, everyone is well—that is the true good."

"In Liu Cheng Xian, my greatest expectation is to shed the 'political arena assassin' label and strive to become an official who can unite the leadership and unite the comrades. Thank you all."

His remarks had a touch of dark humor, but the people below were unmoved; no one clapped, and the atmosphere was about to go cold.

Pan Wenhai only then raised his hand to clap, and the others followed with a clatter of applause. It is evident that in the whole political arena of Liu Cheng Xian, Pan Wenhai's word is law, even the timing of applause is controlled by him.

Next came Pan Wenhai's speech; he cleared his throat twice lightly, and a wave of applause surged forward. The applause continued unceasingly for almost a minute before Pan Wenhai finally pressed his wrist down.

"Comrades, the organization has sent us officials, and we should give them our full support. In Liu Cheng Xian, officials at every post rotate like a revolving lantern, changing again and again. Most people want to achieve results, but most only shout slogans without taking action. I hope that in the upcoming work…"

Pan Wenhai's lengthy discourse lasted a full two and a half hours, with three cups of tea added midway. Su Yang was truly impressed; an ordinary person would have been desperate to pee, yet he managed to speak for so long.

Compared to him, Su Yang admired the people below even more, each sitting upright, even when taking notes they were uniformly tidy.

If this were in a normal place, listening to two and a half hours of leadership drivel would make people nearly fall asleep, and some near‑retirement old comrades would lean on the table and start snoring; who would tolerate that? But in Liu Cheng Xian, everyone is clearly already tamed, each one offering nothing but absolute obedience.

Su Yang dozed off several times, trying to nap; he was on the stage, but if he were offstage he would have definitely fallen asleep.

What nonsense, taking oneself too seriously! Moreover, the leaders of the Organization Department are here, so what's the point of your long‑winded speech? More importantly, Pan Wenhai's words, both inside and out, criticize past leaders, saying they shouted slogans without doing real work, especially those incoming leaders.

Isn't that just pointing at himself? He just arrived, and he says that, with such pointed criticism?

Even after the meeting ended, no other officials were introduced to Su Yang, politely saying "you will become familiar with them gradually in future work."

Su Yang didn't mind; after all, there's plenty of time ahead.

When the meeting ended, Department Head Lin returned directly to the city, and Deputy Director Ran Xuefeng of the County Party Committee Office went to the office.

"Secretary Su, hello, this office was used by the former Deputy Secretary; if you mind, we can remodel it again."

Su Yang looked at the Deputy Director of the County Party Committee Office and said calmly: "Anything old has no value; remodeling is acceptable, after all it costs a lot and we cannot waste taxpayers' money. But the furniture should be replaced; if there's no issue, I'd like the replacement this afternoon."

Ran Xuefeng's face stiffened. He had been the aide of the former County Party Secretary; after the former County Party Secretary stepped back to the city as Vice Chair of the People's Congress, he promptly clung to the former County Magistrate, now County Party Secretary Pan Wenhai's, leg.

Of course, clinging to a leg requires a token of loyalty, but he had already given that token while the old secretary was still present; otherwise the old secretary might not have stepped back so quickly. All local officials know this. Yet Su Yang just arrived—how could he know?

He had no idea Su Yang would say it so plainly; it turned out to be a lucky coincidence. Moreover, the office was arranged by Secretary Pan, and not only was the furniture unchanged, but even the sanitation was neglected.

It's fortunate the former Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee was transferred to another county; otherwise he would have fallen straight into a free fall, which would have been truly unlucky. Even if Su Yang doesn't care much about these things, he still feels uneasy inside.

Ran Xuefeng's expression remained sour, and after a long pause he said, "Fine, but …"

Su Yang said lightly, "You are the chief steward of the County Party Committee Office; such a small matter shouldn't be beyond you, right? If it truly can't be done, I can ask someone else to handle it."

Ran Xuefeng's face changed slightly again. This time he had taken the initiative himself, trying to disgust the newly arrived Deputy Secretary, but unexpectedly got a retort.

Although he is indeed Deputy Director of the County Party Committee Office and serves as the full‑time chief steward there, if the Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee dislikes him, even with the County Party Secretary as his backer, dealing with him would still be easy.

Originally he saw Su Yang as young and inexperienced, hoping to gain leverage through these minor issues, but he hit a brick wall.

Nevertheless he was still sly, immediately changing the subject: "It can be done, it can be done. As for your driver and secretary, do you have any preferred candidates? If not, the County Party Committee Office can recommend some."

That was his main purpose in following up this time; as he spoke, he placed the prepared contact information on the desk.

Su Yang didn't even look: "When the office is tidied, when will I look at these, when will I start work?"

Having said that, he turned and left.

Ran Xuefeng, the Deputy Director of the County Party Committee Office, was left with an embarrassed expression. This time, whether driver or secretary, the candidates had been pre‑agreed, any one would suffice. Yet Su Yang didn't even look, so how could he report back?

After Su Yang left, he immediately inquired about the driver's lounge of the small‑vehicle unit, then headed straight to that unit. He wasn't in a hurry for a secretary, but a driver was essential.