Chapter 260

Secretary Liu's parting words left me almost sleepless all night.

The county was selecting a Deputy County Magistrate, and it was specified to be chosen from among the county's cadres. This meant that the possibility of transfers from other places or parachuting from the city was excluded. Among the more than five hundred cadres of various ranks in the county, no fewer than ten were qualified to run for Deputy County Magistrate. The heads of important bureaus and offices, as well as the Party Committee Secretaries of large towns, were all popular candidates; anyone could pull off an upset.

Although I was a town mayor, my administrative rank was that of a division-level cadre, which meant that I was also qualified to be included in the ranks of Deputy County Magistrate candidates.

The information Secretary Liu revealed to me must have certainly been revealed to others as well.

I knew my standing in his eyes well. I was someone who had six years of grassroots cadre experience in Chunshan County, had an education, had grassroots work experience, and, most notably, I had a cousin-in-law who was the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Committee. And this cousin-in-law cared for me deeply. Everything I possessed fully met the conditions for cadre selection and appointment.

But I also knew that in the intricate web of interpersonal relationships in Chunshan County, I was nothing and amounted to nothing. Compared to cadres who had operated in Chunshan County for half a lifetime or their whole lives, I wasn't even worth a hair.

If Secretary Liu could tell me, he must have told others!

This was the answer I arrived at after careful consideration. Especially since he had mentioned Deng Hanyu, the son of the neighboring county's magistrate and a veteran mayor of a key town. Compared to him, whether in terms of social connections or interpersonal relationships, I was no match. I was like a lonely sheep in a pack of wolves like Deng Hanyu, who were flashing with hungry eyes; I had almost no power to parry.

I remembered an old saying: "Rather than envying the fish at the edge of the water, it is better to go home and weave a net." I also remembered another idiom, "take the initiative to attack." My heart began to stir, and I decided to return to Hengyue City to probe the Municipal Committee's attitude toward the selection of the Chunshan County Deputy County Magistrate.

The Municipal Committee not intervening in the arrangements did not mean the Municipal Committee had no attitude.

And the attitude of the Municipal Committee could often play a decisive role!

Guo Wei was watching the construction site. He was like a hungry wolf, constantly staring at every move of Sun Demao and Qian Youyu, as if he held a whip in his hand, driving them forward at every moment.

Guo Wei might not have received the news, and even if he had, he had only just been promoted to Suxi Town Party Committee Secretary; logically, he wouldn't be promoted to Deputy County Magistrate.

If you want to achieve something, you must take action.

I first called Huang Weiwei to tell her I was going back and asked if she had time.

Huang Weiwei said happily, "How could I not have time when you're coming home? You're coming home."

She deliberately emphasized the words "coming home," intending to remind me of the importance of "home." But to my ears, I really couldn't understand if her "home" referred to her home, my home, or the new home we had once discussed building.

Regardless of her thoughts, I could hear the warmth and sweetness in her words.

Huang Weiwei's father was the noble Municipal Organization Department Minister of Hengyue City, who knew everything about the promotion and transfer of all cadres in the city. County cadres were municipal-managed cadres and had to be examined and appointed by the Municipal Organization Department. In other words, the selection of the Chunshan County Deputy County Magistrate was in the hands of the city. The city held the power of suggestion and examination, and these powers were all in the hands of Organization Department Minister Huang Shan.

I quietly returned to Hengyue City and went straight to Huang Weiwei's home.

When I vaguely revealed the news about Chunshan County selecting a Deputy County Magistrate to Huang Weiwei, she became alert at once, left me, and ran downstairs, calling "Mom" repeatedly.

Director Chen Yazhi had been busy with the highway construction during this period. After hearing her daughter's words, she suddenly remembered and said, "Your father and I have rarely seen each other lately. I really didn't know about this."

Huang Weiwei became anxious and urged her mother to call her father.

I lay on Huang Weiwei's bed, which exuded a fragrant scent, looking at the ceiling above my head. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting soft light that wrapped me up tightly.

I suddenly felt relaxed and my mood was incomparably pleasant. Huang Weiwei was certainly more anxious than I was, and Director Chen Yazhi was certainly more anxious than I was. Because I was their family's future son-in-law, if I became a Deputy County Magistrate, her marrying me, the daughter of a Municipal Organization Department Minister, could be considered a well-matched marriage.

More importantly, at the level of Deputy County Magistrate, the speed of promotion would be countless times faster than being a town mayor. Anyone who has been in the system knows this truth: the lower the rank, the slower the promotion; the higher the rank, the faster the promotion.

Sure enough, Huang Weiwei ran in hurriedly and threw herself on me. She first gave a charming smile and then warned me, "Feng, Dad will be back for dinner tonight. You mention this at the table, okay?"

I shook my head and said very reluctantly, "I won't mention it. I didn't come here to run for office; why would I mention it?"

Huang Weiwei reached out and scraped my nose, saying coquettishly, "You're running for office, yet you come empty-handed?"

Looking at her delicate appearance, I felt a surge of pity and said, "I even sent myself over, how could I be empty-handed?"

She giggled and reached out to tickle my armpit, saying, "Who wants you? You stinky man, who cares about you."

I said sternly, "You really don't want me? If you don't, I'm leaving." I made a gesture to get up and leave.

Huang Weiwei hugged my waist from behind, pressed her face against my back, and murmured, "Feng, you must say it. You know my dad; if you don't say it, he will think you don't care."

"Don't say that, Weiwei," I said, stroking her hand. "I really don't care."

"You don't care, but I do." She turned my body around, buried her head in my chest, and said, "I don't want to be a town mayor's wife; I want to be a county magistrate's wife."

"If I can't become a county magistrate, you don't plan to marry me?" I teased her, a sour taste rising in my heart. If it were six years ago, the possibility of being this close to Huang Weiwei would have been almost zero.

"How do you know you can't do it? I believe in you." She let go of me, jumped off the bed, ran to the desk, opened the drawer, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to me, saying, "If you don't marry me, you will be condemned for the rest of your life."

I smiled and took the paper. What caught my eye was Xue Bing's transfer order.

I was startled and looked at her in confusion, not knowing what to say.

"I helped Xue Bing transfer to the Mass Art Center. The transfer order was processed a few days ago, and I haven't had time to give it to her yet. Now that you're here, you can just help me take it to her." She tilted her head and looked at me with a half-smile.

"Aren't you worried?" I asked hesitantly.

"What am I worried about?" She giggled again. "We have an agreement, don't think crookedly. You know, I have the ability to help her get here, so naturally, I have the ability to help her get back."

Huang Weiwei's words sounded calm, cold, and confident, making one feel a chill in their heart.

I had to change the subject. It was best not to continue such embarrassing questions. Based on my years of experience, the more we discussed, the more problems would arise, and the outcome would be hard to control.

I asked, "Have Chen Meng and Jiaxiao come home?"

"They came back a long time ago." Huang Weiwei leaned against the chair and said lazily, "Those two are enemies from a past life."

"What's wrong?" I felt there was more to her words.

"You don't know about your own cousin?" She looked at me strangely. "However, I actually envy them. Although they bicker whenever they meet, they can see each other every day." Her expression was infinitely yearning, which made me feel a trace of guilt.

"What do they bicker about? Weren't they like they were soaked in a honey pot before? That affection was enough to make people feel embarrassed just looking at it."

"Love also has a shelf life," she said, looking melancholy, which made one feel pity for her.

I walked over, hugged her waist, kissed her smooth face, and said, "Our love will always be in its shelf life."

She smiled beautifully and said, "Let's go down. When Dad comes back later, remember, you must say it."

I nodded and went downstairs with her.

At dusk, Minister Huang's car stopped at the door. Huang Weiwei flew out like a flower butterfly, hugged her father's waist, and affectionately embraced him as they came home.

I stood respectfully by the door, holding a pair of slippers, preparing to change them for Minister Huang.

Dinner was rich, and everyone was eating seriously, with no one speaking. I ate the delicious food, but it tasted like wax. I secretly glanced at Minister Huang; a layer of smile always floated on his face, but a hidden, indescribable majesty was concealed within the smile, making me swallow my words several times.

Huang Weiwei stepped on my feet several times under the table, blinking her eyes to encourage me.

Just as I was about to open my mouth, Minister Huang pushed away his bowl, pulled a tissue from the tissue box, wiped his lips, and said, "I'm finished."

After saying that, he left us and walked alone toward the study upstairs.

Huang Weiwei became anxious and called out from behind, "Dad, wait a moment, Chen Feng has some thoughts he wants to report to you."

Minister Huang stopped, turned his head, and asked in surprise, "Oh, what is there to report to me? You are a county-managed cadre; if you have something to report, you should go find your County Party Committee Secretary and County Magistrate. Why report to me?"

Minister Huang's words made my face flush red. I hurriedly said, "Minister Huang, I have nothing to report. Please go and rest."

Minister Huang looked at me meaningfully several times, turned around, and went upstairs without looking back.

At the table, only I, Huang Weiwei, and Director Chen Yazhi, who had been eating with her head down without a word, remained.