Chapter 2745

Su Xinghui knew that if this were ten or more years later, when media was more developed, a place like Baozhou would likely have almost no visitors at all—its reputation would be infamous. He still remembered how, after online media flooded the internet with negative reports about tourist sites that cheated and assaulted visitors, the number of tourists to those places plummeted.

But now, online media wasn't yet that advanced, and Baozhou's bad reputation hadn't spread far, which meant, in effect, that Baozhou's tourism industry still had hope.

Su Xinghui said: "If we're going to develop tourism, I'll naturally make the city crack down hard on public order, and then have the Tourism Bureau strictly regulate the tourism market."

Yu Ruizhi said: "Now that you put it that way, Baozhou's tourism industry still has potential. Let's go out and take a look tomorrow."

Under Su Xinghui's guidance, Yu Ruizhi had invested in tourism in several southern cities, and now those cities had become his stable sources of income—he knew perfectly well that tourism had potential.

Although he wanted to help Su Xinghui, he still needed to see whether Baozhou's tourism industry had any future; if it didn't, he'd rather give the money directly to Su Xinghui than watch it sink into the water.

Su Xinghui said: "Alright, we'll go out together tomorrow. But this season, there's not much to see—either wait another one or two months until the snow falls, or come in summer or autumn when the flowers and trees on the mountains are beautiful."

Yu Ruizhi said: "No problem, let's just get a general sense first. Our eyes aren't bad—we can tell whether it's worth pursuing just from a quick look."

Yu Ruizhi was now quite an expert in the tourism industry, so a quick glance at Baozhou's mountains and rivers was enough for him to judge whether it had any potential.

As they spoke, the waitstaff began serving the dishes. Soon, all the food was on the table—and there were even a few more large dishes than Su Xinghui had ordered. Su Xinghui frowned at the waitress and asked: "Didn't you serve too many dishes? Did you make a mistake?"

The waitress bowed respectfully and said: "Mayor Su, no mistake. These extra dishes were a gift from our boss. He said please enjoy your meal well at our Baozhou Grand Hotel!"

Yu Ruizhi chuckled: "Looks like Mayor Su has made quite an impression here—owners are giving you free dishes."

Su Xinghui shook his head, amused. He had come today specifically in Yu Ruizhi's car, not his own, precisely to keep a low profile—government vehicles made it obvious who had arrived. Yet his identity had still been recognized.

Su Xinghui said: "Thank your boss for me."

The waitress replied, "No need to thank," and began pouring wine for them. After she filled everyone's glasses, all of them nodded and said, "Thank you." This so thrilled the waitress that she was momentarily flustered—she'd worked as a waitress for years, and while those who dined at the Baozhou Grand Hotel were either rich or powerful, no one had ever said "thank you" to her before.

But for Su Xinghui, Yu Ruizhi, and others like them, this was just ordinary behavior—they never used their status or power to intimidate anyone, and always treated even the most ordinary people with courtesy.

Just as Su Xinghui raised his glass to toast Yu Ruizhi and the others, a knock came at the private room door. Su Xinghui turned and gestured for the waitress to open it. She opened the door, and two middle-aged men stood outside, each holding a bottle of Maotai and a wine glass—clearly here to offer a toast.

Su Xinghui frowned. He didn't recognize these two men, and their appearance unsettled him.

Both gave off a nouveau riche vibe—big heads, thick necks, gold chains around their necks, and clearly drunk, their faces flushed red.

As soon as they entered the room, they headed straight toward Su Xinghui's table. Seeing them, Yu Ruizhi also frowned, but said nothing—after all, they were here to toast, which was at least a gesture of goodwill.

The lead middle-aged man stepped closer and smiled: "Mayor Su, welcome, welcome! You're such a rare guest—dining at our Baozhou Grand Hotel truly brings us honor. Old Li, isn't that right?"

Old Li nodded vigorously: "Exactly, exactly! What's that word again? Peng, peng—ah yes, 'Pengbi Shenghui'! When Mayor Su comes to our Baozhou Grand Hotel, we feel like our humble place has been graced with glory!"

Su Xinghui asked, expressionless: "Who are you?"

The two middle-aged men each pulled out a golden business card case, took out a few golden business cards, and handed one to each person at the table.

Su Xinghui picked up the two cards. They were heavy—by his experience, they were solid gold foil business cards. This was no small gesture.

He glanced at the content: one card bore the name Zhang Dacheng, with titles including Chairman of Baozhou Dacheng Mining Co., Vice Chairman of the Baozhou Chamber of Commerce, Baozhou CPPCC Committee Member, and a long list of others.

The other card bore the name Li Shuangli, with identical titles: Chairman of Baozhou Grand Hotel, Vice Chairman of the Baozhou Chamber of Commerce, Baozhou CPPCC Committee Member, and a similarly long list.

These numerous titles clearly made Zhang Dacheng and Li Shuangli feel immensely important. Zhang Dacheng beamed: "Mayor Su, last time you were too busy to accept my dinner invitation. Now that you've come to dine at our Baozhou Grand Hotel, this meal is on me."

Su Xinghui casually placed the two cards on the table and said coolly: "So you're Mr. Zhang and Mr. Li. Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Zhang, but I don't need you to pay for this meal—I can afford it myself."

Zhang Dacheng's expression shifted slightly. In Baozhou, he was a man who could make things happen; most vice mayors gave him some respect. Yet Su Xinghui gave him none.

Still, he knew Su Xinghui's background was strong—unlike ordinary vice mayors—and that his early success had made him somewhat arrogant, which was understandable.

Zhang Dacheng smiled again: "I don't just invite anyone. This is Li Shuangli, my close friend. I even hold shares in this Baozhou Grand Hotel. Mayor Su, you've come to my territory—how could I let you pay for your own meal? This dinner is on me."

Su Xinghui said coolly: "Mr. Zhang, paying for your own meal is only natural. I'm not used to having others pay for my meals. Besides, we're not close enough for that. I appreciate your kindness, but I will pay for this meal myself."

Zhang Dacheng's face turned deeply awkward, but before Su Xinghui, he dared not show his anger. He and Li Shuangli could only toast Su Xinghui and the others a few times, then leave the private room.