Chapter 821

On the way to the provincial capital, Shi Haoyun drove the whole time while Su Yang fell asleep in the back seat.

The trip should have taken just over two hours, but Shi Haoyun somehow took nearly four hours to arrive. As Secretary, one must have discernment; Su Yang has been working at high intensity these past days and is exhausted as soon as he gets in the car, so he drove slowly and steadily to let this good leader, who is fighting hard for Lieshan Xian's development, rest as much as possible.

He only stopped the car when they reached the side of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government. As soon as the car stopped, Su Yang woke up.

"Leader, we've arrived. Please have a cup of tea to relax. You had arranged with Director Bai for a time after work this afternoon. How about you eat something first, then find a hotel to rest a bit, and I'll wake you around five o'clock."

Su Yang said, "I slept for a while and feel much better; I've indeed been lacking sleep lately. Your driving was really steady; I didn't even notice we had arrived. If it's time to eat, let's eat, and we can see what to do after the meal."

They set off early in the morning, so Su Yang and the others didn't have time for breakfast, only a glass of water. Mentioning a meal made his stomach immediately grumble with hunger.

The two found a place to park and nearby entered a restaurant that looked fairly decent. This spot is right next to the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, so finding a modest eatery was truly difficult. Moreover, Su Yang has been extremely busy lately and wants to treat himself properly.

After taking a seat by the window, they ordered only three dishes, one of which was the signature Yellow River big carp. Though unsure whether the carp was wild, the chef in the back kitchen was quite skilled, and the flavor was truly fragrant.

Near the end of the meal, Su Yang had drunk a bit too much tea and went to the restroom. On returning, lost in thoughts about the evening, he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Who are you? Do you have eyes? How can you be so careless?" the man who was bumped scolded.

Su Yang, smiling, said, "I'm truly sorry; I was lost in thought just now, my apologies." After speaking, he turned to leave, since it wasn't intentional and he hadn't really hit the person—just a light touch.

But a woman suddenly sprang out from behind the man, screaming, "Where did this country bumpkin come from? You hit our Lao Qi and want to walk away like that? Stop right there! If you don't sincerely apologize to Lao Qi in front of everyone today, don't even think about leaving!" She then shouted into the private room, "Someone without eyes just bumped Lao Qi Guohui; you all come out and judge him!"

When the words finished, several people rushed out, some of them quite burly, and immediately surrounded Su Yang in the middle. The scene instantly drew the attention of others, and Su Yang felt irritated—he truly hadn't done it on purpose, and hadn't hurt the person at all; it was just the other side looking for trouble and trying to show off.

Such incidents might be more common in the capital, but this is only the provincial capital of Ganzhou; they haven't learned the good practices, yet they have clearly picked up this bad atmosphere. He doesn't want to leave a bad impression; if any other officials or leaders from the Provincial Party Committee or Provincial Government happen to be dining here, it would be problematic. If he were without an official post at this moment, he would definitely lose his temper.

"Sorry, it really wasn't intentional just now, but since you insist on picking a fight, I'll go with you. In this corridor, I suppose you don't want to make a big scene, do you?"

The woman, seeing Su Yang was quite reasonable, said, "Fine, then come in and apologize to us. But judging by your attitude, you seem to take our Lao Qi lightly; later I'll let you know how many eyes the Horse King has!"

When Su Yang entered the private room, the door was slammed shut. The woman coldly said, "We're not making things hard for you; there's half a bottle of baijiu here—drink it and we'll let you go, otherwise today I'll make you know how powerful we are!"

Su Yang felt a bit stunned; what on earth is happening? Even a dog relying on its owner's power wouldn't bully like this, would they? And they're strangers—could they really have some big backing, thinking they can manipulate anyone?

He said, "I've already apologized, and I was only trying to prevent the matter from escalating and causing a bad impact. Aren't you being a bit too overbearing? This is a rule-of-law society; otherwise, we can call the police and let them judge the situation."

The woman snorted and laughed, "You even know about calling the police? Let me tell you, even if you report it, we don't care. Have you heard that the public prosecutor, the police, and the courts are one? Our Lao Qi is originally from the Procuratorate; not only are the Paichusuo officers familiar, but also the people from the Public Security Department are well acquainted with us!"

Su Yang's face darkened instantly upon hearing that. He already despised this kind of bully, and he didn't expect a procuratorate official to be here, surrounded by a crowd of five or six people.

At that moment, someone nearby said, "Fine, let him apologize and leave. The province is currently enforcing a prohibition on alcohol—no lavish waste, no dining and drinking under the pretext of official receptions, and no drinking during work hours. Today we're here to congratulate Director Qi—oh, look at my mouth, we're here to congratulate Secretary Qi, who is about to take up his post in Lieshan Xian."

When those words fell, others said, "It's all that guy Su Yang's fault; this guy must be mentally ill, arbitrarily enforcing a prohibition on alcohol, arbitrarily promoting thrift. Officials aren't supposed to be about drinking; are they really serving the people? Even the people in the province are like that, making us learn this kind of 'spirit'."

The person referred to as Qi Guohui said, "Su Yang is no saint; he alone could overturn the entire County Standing Committee, which would be impossible without some power and means, and I've heard he's still quite young. My trip to Lieshan Xian this time also benefits from their recent incident."

"He now oversees all county work, but once we all arrive, the work he does and the results he achieves will belong to us. A lowest‑ranking Standing Committee member truly acts as the county leadership, pushing hard on investment promotion and road projects. Of course, if he hadn't done these, we might not have been appointed these past few days."

The woman beside him said, "I heard he only got ahead by cozying up to some leader; what does a twenty‑something youngster understand? He just got lucky by a stroke of bad luck. If you really want to be a leader, you need a young cadre in his thirties like you. When you go down, he'll learn what true leadership's resolve and skill are!"

They spoke as if no one else were there, completely ignoring Su Yang.