Chapter 809

Su Yang's heart jolted: "What's going on? Could it be that I've implicated you too? If that's the case, then do I have to start over..."

Old Zhou said: "Why are you panicking? Not being envied is mediocrity. Although these matters are related to you, it's not at all that you've implicated me; even if we truly discuss this topic, it's that I've influenced you."

"Basically, they're just bullying you for being young, and bullying me for being young too."

"You've done well, and done it very well. There's no need to abandon your ideals and convictions just because some ulterior‑motive people target you. They personally stepped in because your successive moves have already attracted the attention of higher‑up leaders."

"You were never a peaceful type, kid; the nickname 'officialdom killer' has already been marked by the higher leaders. Adding the incident in Lieshan County, it directly stirred the provincial situation—if you weren't noticed, that would be strange."

"Their stepping in is merely because they fear you're growing too fast, blocking others' path to rise. This is only the surface reason; actually they're preparing to trip me up. I personally have no problem, but they want to find a weakness in you."

"After all, these people are just fighting over interests; I can't go into the deeper reasons, but some of them want to unite to suppress me. If that doesn't work, they'll start with you, aiming to give me a warning."

"Or let me tell you this: it's not just a few people's opinion; it's likely many people's. No matter what, as long as you do what's right, do the correct thing, do what serves the common people's interests, no matter who or what means they use against you, don't be afraid—if you can't stand it, I'm still here."

"They'll never stir up any real waves; the people's eyes are sharp, and the leaders' vision is even wiser. Moreover, this isn't entirely bad for you—it's simply that leaders two ranks above you are imposing full‑scale suppression. Though it sounds daunting, if you can handle it successfully, it will bring great benefits to your future development."

"Think of it this way—you're just a deputy secretary of the Municipal Party Committee. Have you seen few big and small leaders? At least you won't be intimidated by their aura. Roll up your sleeves and get to work; precisely because you're too conspicuous, they've come to suppress you."

"It's laughable that they still openly use the pretext of your past grudges, treating everyone like fools. However, when you have free time, you should still get closer to your Uncle Huang, Manager Liu, and Deputy Department Head Fang of the Organization Department; maintaining good relations with them will benefit you for life."

"Alright, I've told you this much for today—this is just a beginning. What you'll face later may be even more difficult and complex. I'm optimistic about you; keep pushing."

Old Zhou hung up the phone, and Su Yang still hadn't come to his senses, repeatedly chewing on that sentence: "They bully you for being young, and they bully me for being young."

"What does that mean? Is he young? He is indeed young, but at his age others are already division‑level, even division‑level perfection. He's only just entered the deputy division‑level cadre ranks, so he can't really be called young; from a grassroots perspective, though, he could be considered genuinely young."

"Suddenly, a flash of insight crossed his mind, and he immediately understood. The point of that remark isn't how young he is, but that his convenient father‑in‑law is only fifty now, will be fifty‑one after the New Year, and in another two years or so, once the Jiangnan Province Provincial Party Secretary steps down, it's very likely he could be promoted straight up."

"In that case, just past fifty he's already touching the threshold of the round table—that's truly being young. If he were standing in Jingcheng or in those Young and Strong Faction positions domestically, he'd likely use every means to suppress Old Zhou."

"Fifty years old—many spend their whole lives stuck at division‑level, or rather, some only reach section‑chief level. Even though he's now on the fast track, reaching this point at fifty seems unimaginable. At fifty he's already touching the round‑table threshold; what about fifty‑five? Just thinking about it makes one tremble—it's simply too strong."

"In an instant he fully understood why Zhang Jiangbo had come down—this guy is using the pretext of old grudges, representing a group to deal with him. If so, why would he still be polite? What does being one rank higher matter?"

Although there is a saying that a higher official can crush people to death, it also depends on what kind of official is being crushed. Those who inherently have no ability and rely solely on flattery and ingratiating themselves to Climbing Up will naturally be crushed to death by others. He has millions of Common People behind him; does he still fear a higher official? He also has solid backing behind him; does he fear a higher official that much?

Think about it, the one who should be worried is not him but Zhang Jiangbo. Anyone who has worked with him as a top leader has almost been taken away for interrogation; let's hope Secretary Zhang can create a miracle.

Now thinking about it, he even feels somewhat excited, eagerly awaiting that day to come. The person who once appeared disheveled at the Jingcheng Club and couldn't even exchange a few words with him face to face actually wants to come and deal with him.

He himself can fully accept such thunderous personnel changes, but some people cannot accept it, especially Zhou Ruohan. At this point she has already been complaining to Zhou Laozi:

"Grandfather, you say these people are really over the top; if you want to target someone, just go after them. What kind of hero is it to use such tactics against Su Yang? Moreover, with so many leaders and cadres in our Cultivation Organization, we just watch this happen helplessly—this is too unfair, I protest!"

Zhou Laozi was originally smiling, but seeing Ruo Han complain like that, he couldn't help but become stern: "Nonsense! This is a personnel appointment from the Cultivation Organization; is it something you can change just because you want to? Is it something you can protest just because you want to? If everyone did that, wouldn't the Cultivation Organization become child's play? Wouldn't personnel appointments become playing house?"

Moreover, their appointment is fully in line with procedure; I heard that the kid from the Zhang family himself has sufficient rank, and now serious fraud has emerged in your city, with even the mayor acting as a protector for black‑evil forces. Under these circumstances, the Cultivation Organization sending down cadres by parachute is quite logical.

As for Su Yang's side, this might not be a bad thing for him; at least he can early on cope with a difficult environment, and it won't make it too easy for him to face later. If he can't even handle this, it shows he is unqualified as a cadre and unable to bear heavy responsibility. Therefore, this is a rare opportunity.