Chapter 864

I originally thought that after Ma Su finished delivering the meeting matters to him, he would go back, but I didn't expect her to stay standing in the office without leaving.

"Director Ma, is there anything else?"

Ma Su glanced outside, seeing no one, took a small step forward, and the perfume on her body suddenly wafted into Su Yang's nostrils. She said very alluringly:

"I heard that County Magistrate Su is not a local, has been working alone here for a long time, and always eats work meals, so I want to prepare a home-cooked meal and invite County Magistrate Su to honor us with his presence."

"Of course, don't think too much into it; I just noticed you often put all your energy into work, which is bad for your health."

Her voice was very soft, even possessing a special allure, which among all the women Su Yang has seen is relatively special.

To be honest, if the occasion, identity, and attire were different, he might just let himself go at this moment.

But what kind of person is he? How could he possibly agree to such a meal so easily? Or as the saying goes, someone accustomed to fine grains would even consider glancing at coarse grain a waste.

"Oh, no need for a meal; I'm used to this, thank you for your kindness." After saying that, he unscrewed the tea cup and drank tea.

Ma Su, seeing this, gave another alluring smile, then swayed her water-snake waist and walked away with a deng-deng-deng sound. Only then did Su Yang notice that this woman was actually wearing black silk high heels and a skirt just past her knees.

Instantly he felt a sudden surge of anger: this is the county government, not some chaotic place—how could she dress like that? So he decided to wait until the meeting and then address this matter; if this continues, the atmosphere of Lieshan Xian will likely be ruined again.

Just as Ma Su left, Shi Haoyun mysteriously crept up, leaned close to Su Yang's ear, and said: "County Magistrate Su, I've heard that Director Ma is not simple."

"She was supposedly Yao Daya's younger sister-in-law; they had a house in the city and another in the county, and sometimes on weekends she would go to the city or county to find Yao Daya. Moreover, someone personally saw them together watching a movie, a romantic film."

Su Yang said: "You look like you've never seen the world; what's the big deal? Most people at the grassroots have this kind of issue."

Shi Haoyun said: "I haven't finished speaking yet; those were just preliminaries. The main point is that the relationship between Director Ma and Yao Daya is quite ambiguous. Guess what? Last night she stayed at Lieshan Xian Grand Hotel, and less than five minutes after leaving her room, County Magistrate Zhao came out."

Su Yang was instantly shocked. As for what kind of person County Magistrate Zhao really is, he indeed had some rumors. But in his view, even such a person should at least adapt to the environment, right? At the very least, wait until familiar with the environment before acting; yet now it seems that County Magistrate Zhao, having only been here a few days, has already begun to enjoy himself.

Nevertheless, he said to Shi Haoyun: "These rumors about leaders, try to say less of them in the future; if County Magistrate Zhao actually hears them, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

Shi Haoyun said: "I certainly know that, but my not saying it doesn't mean others won't; if it really gets spread, I won't take the blame. Anyway, I saw several people seeing them go out one after another."

Su Yang said: "Other people's affairs are none of our business; just keep your own mouth in check."

At 8:55, Su Yang arrived punctually at the meeting room. This also has its particulars: the meeting was originally at 9:00, but he couldn't arrive exactly on time; normally he should choose to arrive between 8:50 and 8:56 or 57.

Unless it's the County Magistrate, who would arrive at 8:59 or close to 9:00; only the top leader arrives exactly on time, or is late by half a minute, to demonstrate authority.

Last time Su Yang also arrived early, but Zhao Nanxing and his group arrived even earlier than him, almost causing Su Yang to lose face. This time, Su Yang had prepared himself; he went at that time, and if others arrived early, that's their business. Otherwise, if the meeting starts at 9:00 and others go to the meeting room at 7:00, he couldn't possibly make it there by 6:30.

Sure enough, when he went this time, Deputy County Party Committee Secretary Zhou Yanru, Executive Vice County Magistrate Jiang Tao, and County Magistrate Zhao Nanxing were all absent, which also fits their order of appearance.

Su Yang first greeted those present: "Hello everyone, it seems everyone is quite enthusiastic about this meeting. Last time, because everyone arrived early as a group, it almost made me late; fortunately this time things have returned to normal, otherwise I'd have to make up an excuse."

When Su Yang said that, everyone burst out laughing; of course, Qi Guohui still kept a cold face.

Moments later, Zhou Yanru entered, and following him was Jiang Tao.

Jiang Tao was also aloof, merely nodding at everyone, with no intention of greeting. Everyone present naturally understood Jiang Tao; as the Executive Vice County Magistrate, he is currently the most embarrassed.

Originally he was the leader in charge of the county government's daily work, but previously Su Yang had overseen permit-related work for a period, and now many cadres still habitually go to Su Yang to report work. Moreover, nearly all development decisions for the county are made by Su Yang; even County Magistrate Zhao Nanxing can't do anything about Su Yang right away, let alone him, the Executive Vice County Magistrate.

But Zhao Nanxing is after all the County Magistrate; his position is there, so everyone still puts on a show of reporting work to him, giving this top leader full respect.

But when it comes to Jiang Tao's side, except for a few people who come to curry favor, his office is usually deserted most of the time. Originally the departments he oversaw were all grasped by Su Yang, and he is really furious to the point of a toothache.

Time passed minute by minute, and even after 9:00 sharp, Zhao Nanxing still hadn't arrived. But nobody complained about it; those who should drink tea drank tea, those who should smoke smoked, making it seem like an activity center for retired cadres.

Anyway, that's how the standing committee works: before the formal meeting starts, everyone just does what they usually do, especially in the county, where smoking and drinking tea are normal.

Thus they waited until 9:05 before Zhao Nanxing finally arrived, late but graceful.

"Sorry, everyone, I just got a temporary call from the province about some work matters in our county, so I was delayed a bit." Although he said that, there was no hint of apology in his eyes; he pulled out a chair and sat down directly.

"The work matter I just mentioned actually concerns the construction of a highway. As everyone knows, highway projects are always applied for and approved in advance, and even after approval, construction doesn't start until a year and a half later, which everyone knows.

"Besides the financial issue, there's another important one: all cities in the province need to build highways, so we must observe a first-come, first-served principle. Even if one has some connections and can coordinate up and down, left and right, one must still follow this unwritten rule and not rush in recklessly.

"But in our county there are some comrades who have no sense of martial virtue; projects that should have been applied for upward from the city instead went straight to the Provincial Transportation Department. The department's leaders had already made the situation clear: approval is possible but there's no money for construction, and dozens of units are already queued up ahead of them.

"As a result, he went to the Finance Department to find people, and even tried to get relevant leaders from the Provincial Government to insert our project at the front, even proclaiming that construction would start in March next year. Regarding this matter, the provincial leaders treated it like a monkey show; they didn't directly say anything, but instead called the municipal level directly.

"Municipal Party Committee Secretary Guo just gave me a dressing-down from head to toe, saying our county's comrades don't follow rules in their work. I hope everyone will eliminate this in the future, so that one person's actions don't affect the reputation of our entire county.

"Alright, now let's officially start the meeting.