Chapter 504

Already prepared his speech, acting with borrowed authority, the hair gel guy intending to deal with Su Yang, hearing this, instantly wilted; he hurriedly said: "Director Xu, hello, I'm from the Ethnic Affairs Bureau, I came…"

"Enough, enough, I don't care which bureau you're from; I'm asking you to straighten out your identity and not act like the boss of our Transport Department here!"

The hair gel guy's face flushed with embarrassment. He had originally wanted to pat Director Xu on the back for favor, but instead got a scolding, and the other party wasn't even a leader of his own unit; this taste of losing face, only he himself knows.

Director Xu finished speaking, not giving the hair gel guy a chance to speak, turned his head and said to Su Yang: "Comrade Su Yang, let's hurry up; Section Chief Duan is still waiting for you."

Su Yang nodded, thanked Director Xu, then followed him upstairs quickly.

The hair gel guy stared venomously at Su Yang's back. Originally, if it were someone from another unit or elsewhere, he might only have been able to secretly pick up the face that had fallen on the ground and stuff it into his pocket, but upon hearing Su Yang's name, he immediately realized who Su Yang was.

The reason he looked at Su Yang with such a vicious gaze was because he was confident he could someday give Su Yang a hard time. "Fine, Su Yang, just wait; I'll eventually make you regret it!"

Of course, Su Yang wouldn't know these things, and even if he did, he wouldn't care—after all, he's either not offending people or on the road to offending them; more wouldn't worry him, as lice in abundance don't itch.

"Are you Comrade Su Yang? You're quite young, please have a seat."

Section Chief Duan, who originally had something to do and needed to go out in the morning, stubbornly stayed in his office waiting for Su Yang; otherwise, a leader of his rank would never fail to keep regular working hours.

Su Yang said with a smile: "Thank you, Section Chief Duan, for the trouble."

Section Chief Duan said: "What are you talking about? Having a cadre like you who sincerely does practical work for the common people is a role model for us cadres! Nowadays, many cadres just loaf around, either pursuing 'do nothing wrong, do less wrong'—just work three to five years without making mistakes. You've set a good example for our young cadres!"

"By the way, have you been to Jiangnan Province lately? Have you gone to visit our old leader?"

Upon hearing this, Su Yang understood; no wonder Section Chief Duan was so enthusiastic. He had originally thought it was thanks to Uncle Huang's face, but it seems Old Zhou's "face" is even bigger.

He immediately said: "Originally, I and Ruo Han were planning to go there, but Uncle Zhou said we should focus on our current work and not go running to him all the time. He said he would come back when he has time, and also mentioned that Gan Zhou has some leading cadres he likes who also want to find time to return and catch up with everyone."

Su Yang has now become adept at this—regardless of whether Old Zhou actually said those things, coming from his mouth it's taken as true. Section Chief Duan couldn't possibly really call to verify; this "borrowing a tiger's skin to make a coat" trick, he's also gradually learned. Anyway, Section Chief Duan just wants to hear this answer, so he must satisfy him.

In fact, there's no need to even mention his solid connections; just take a simple example: he photoshopped a picture of himself with a certain ministry leader in Jingcheng, bold as dog's balls, and hung it in his office. If he encounters any bureau-level or lower cadres, this trick works absolutely—countless people will cling to his thighs and flatter him. Moreover, his solid connections are right there.

"Oh, that's good, that's good! Governor Zhou is a pragmatic leader; wherever he goes, he's a doer. If it weren't for the arrangements from higher leadership, we cadres would be reluctant to see him go!"

During the half hour with Section Chief Duan, they basically talked about matters related to Old Zhou; only at the end did he briefly mention the project: "I heard you guys are planning to build a road? I've already greeted the relevant departments—this project will be funded directly by the province, with the city overseeing implementation; it can be approved within three days, and they'll contact you for the specifics."

Su Yang expressed his gratitude. If this matter followed the usual procedure, he would not only have to report to the leaders of each bureau, but also submit materials to the division chiefs and even section chiefs of the relevant departments, and treat people to meals and gifts to get it done—but now it's not necessary. Needless to say, connections are still useful!

After discussing the main points, Section Chief Duan still suggested having a meal together with Su Yang. But Su Yang knew that going overboard was unwise—at noon, there's no reason for someone to treat him to a meal; and if he were to treat others, he obviously hadn't prepared; just casually going to a roadside eatery like friends would also be inappropriate.

Of course, Section Chief Duan also understood Su Yang's thoughts, so he didn't insist, but personally saw Su Yang out of the Transport Department.

When Su Yang left the Transport Department's main gate, he deliberately glanced at the guard. The old man from just a moment ago was gone, replaced by a young man with a very straight posture.

At noon, Su Yang casually found a place to eat. To avoid a repeat of the Transport Department incident, he specifically asked Lai Junchen for the Tourism Department leader's phone number.

He first made a phone appointment, then entered the Tourism Department properly after about three o'clock. The leaders there, thanks to Old Zhou's face and instructions from Huang Dacheng, also readily approved the project, but they clearly told Su Yang: all the Tourism Department can do is grant approval and help with planning and development; the substantial funds truly needed still require support from the Finance Department.

Su Yang expressed his gratitude. This was also what he had anticipated—such a unit wanting to undertake such a large project and come up with that much money is fundamentally impossible; his request was merely to obtain approval. The next step is to go to the Finance Department to raise money, but this doesn't need to be rushed for now, and when the time comes he'll still have to first run things at the municipal level, finish there, then come to the provincial level; otherwise it would be illogical and easy for people to find fault.

That night, he returned to the county seat.

Being able to return on time, Zhou Ruohan was undoubtedly the happiest. After some conversation, Su Yang went to sleep early.

The next morning, he returned to Xiushui Xiang. Just as he had sat down in his office, his butt not yet settled, he saw Bai Yutang rush in excitedly: "Director Su, you're back? I heard you went to the provincial capital yesterday to pursue the project—how did it turn out?"

"At this critical juncture, if we fail to secure the project, the people of Huatian Town will blow this thing out of proportion, ultimately causing public opinion; plus, Gao Haisheng is unreliable, spouting nonsense there—this is detrimental to both our Xiushui Xiang and you personally!"

Su Yang glanced at Bai Yutang, didn't answer directly, but instead asked: "Secretary Bai, why are you so anxious? Xiushui Xiang hasn't seen the slightest development in all these years; none of the past leaders managed to get any project off the ground. How long have I been here? Moreover, whether it's the approval for developing the Xiushui Mountain scenic area or the road construction, it's not that easy. Has something happened?"