Chapter 3313

Su Xinghui welcomed them into his office and politely shook hands with Jin Fuqiang and Wu Weihong one after another. When shaking hands with Wu Weihong, he felt that her hand was extremely soft, with skin as smooth as congealed fat, and he nodded politely and smiled at her.

Wu Weihong was equally surprised. She had not expected this young Mayor Su to be so young; he looked like a young man not even thirty years old. Moreover, he was so tall and handsome that if he were to become an actor, he would certainly be an idol.

Wu Weihong thought to herself, this really is a dragon among men.

Actually, Jin Fuqiang had originally wanted to come to Baozhou alone today, but Wu Weihong had taken the initiative to ask to come along because she was very interested in this young vice mayor who dared to offend so many big shots. Plus, she was bored from staying at home watching television every day, so it could be considered a case of being restless after a long period of stillness. She had never been to any place north of the capital, so this time could also be considered satisfying her own curiosity.

Su Xinghui asked them to sit down, and Yin Zhe poured them tea before leaving the office. Su Xinghui said with a smile, "President Jin, what brings you to our Baozhou today? You are truly an honored guest!"

Jin Fuqiang was the richest man in Hujiang and ranked among the top tycoons in the country. Therefore, his personal arrival in Baozhou certainly qualified him as an honored guest. Under normal circumstances, he would have been met personally by officials of Zhao Yichen's level.

However, Jin Fuqiang had come very low-key today, going straight to Su Xinghui's office to request an audience with him.

Jin Fuqiang said, "I have always heard that Mayor Su is young and promising, the youngest vice mayor in the country. I have long admired your name and have wanted to come and see you, Mayor Su, but I have been very busy, so I have only come to see you today. I hope you will not take offense, Mayor Su."

Su Xinghui waved his hand and said, "President Jin is too polite. I am just an ordinary person, nothing worth seeing. This time, I am afraid President Jin will be disappointed."

Jin Fuqiang said, "Not at all, not at all. Seeing Mayor Su today, I realize that those rumors were unreliable; Mayor Su is even more outstanding than the rumors suggest."

Su Xinghui smiled faintly and said, "I, however, have heard that President Jin rose from the streets, starting from scratch, and in just over ten years, has become the richest man in Hujiang. That is what is worth boasting about!"

In fact, Jin Fuqiang did not like others saying he rose from the streets, but with Su Xinghui saying it, he had no temper. He could tell that Su Xinghui was indeed praising him. He could not erase that history, so he shook his head repeatedly, saying he was ashamed.

Su Xinghui said, "President Jin surely wouldn't visit without a reason. What is the purpose of your visit today?"

Jin Fuqiang then said solemnly, "Mayor Su, I have come today to invite you to a meal."

Su Xinghui waved his hand and said, "President Jin, please feel free to speak your mind, but the meal is unnecessary. I have always refused such invitations; this is our discipline, and I hope President Jin will understand."

Jin Fuqiang said, "No wonder the rumors say Mayor Su is honest and self-disciplined, a good cadre. However, this doesn't count as an invitation; it's just a simple meal. Since I've come to Baozhou, I have to eat, right? It's almost time for dinner, and my wife and I are hungry, so I wanted to ask Mayor Su to recommend a good place—somewhere affordable and good quality will do. While we eat, we can conveniently discuss a few things with you."

After listening, Su Xinghui pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "How about this, I will treat you and your wife to a meal. But I cannot compare with you, President Jin; I can only treat you to home-style cooking. I cannot afford those grand feasts."

Su Xinghui knew that Jin Fuqiang had come today with a specific purpose. No matter how much he refused, Jin Fuqiang would definitely pester him to accept this meal. It would be better to just eat together; he also wanted to hear what Jin Fuqiang's intentions were.

Jin Fuqiang's intention was simply to have a meal with Su Xinghui; as for who treated whom, it was irrelevant. The best place for Chinese people to discuss matters is at the dinner table. At the table, there is an atmosphere for discussion, and the probability of success increases by at least thirty percent.

Thus, Jin Fuqiang nodded and said, "Then I am truly sorry. We came to Baozhou, yet we are letting Mayor Su go to the expense."

Su Xinghui stood up and laughed, "It's just a home-style meal; it won't cost much. As long as President Jin doesn't mind the place being simple."

Jin Fuqiang and Wu Weihong also stood up and said, "How could we? We are already very grateful to Mayor Su."

Su Xinghui took Yin Zhe and the two of them downstairs and asked Jin Fuqiang, "President Jin, did you drive?"

Jin Fuqiang said, "Our Baozhou branch sent a car to bring me here."

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "Then you can follow behind my car."

Jin Fuqiang and Wu Weihong got into a car parked at the entrance. This car was the highest-end business model from Ernest, the top-trim version, with a total price of over a million. Su Xinghui smiled silently; this Jin Fuqiang really knew how to cater to his preferences.

He must know the importance of the Ernest company to Baozhou and to him, so buying an Ernest car was equivalent to supporting him.

However, no matter what, he could not let the Fuqiang Real Estate Development Company off the hook this time, so everything Jin Fuqiang did was meaningless.

Su Xinghui and Yin Zhe also got into their own Ernest car. He told Zhai Yingjie the name of a restaurant, and Zhai Yingjie drove the car there very steadily, with Jin Fuqiang following behind.

After getting out of the car, Su Xinghui let Zhai Yingjie go back first. This was mainly because having a municipal government car parked at the restaurant entrance would have a bad influence. Although Su Xinghui was paying for this meal himself, what would people who didn't know the truth say if they saw the vice mayor's car parked here?

Su Xinghui had always strictly forbidden official cars from parking at the entrances of restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues. How could he do it if he didn't set a good example himself? If he hadn't needed to lead the way for Jin Fuqiang today, he would have probably taken the bus himself.

Jin Fuqiang and his wife followed Su Xinghui into the restaurant. This restaurant was a small place with a modest storefront, specializing in local Baozhou-style home cooking. Usually, the people eating here were mostly peddlers and laborers. Su Xinghui had come here quite often when he lived alone in Baozhou.

At that time, he was too lazy to go back to the cafeteria to eat alone and didn't want to trouble Zhai Yingjie and his wife, who had just become parents, so he often came here to eat. He quite liked the food here, and the atmosphere made him feel very comfortable. Anyway, people eating here usually wouldn't recognize him as a vice mayor.

Even if they thought he looked like the vice mayor, they generally wouldn't dare to imagine a vice mayor coming to such a place to eat.

Su Xinghui requested a private room. Since he was eating with Jin Fuqiang and his wife today, he couldn't eat in the main hall; that would be too impolite. That was why Su Xinghui did this. Usually, when he was alone, he would just eat in the main hall.

After entering the private room, Su Xinghui asked Jin Fuqiang and his wife to sit down and said with a smile, "Excuse me, President Jin, Mrs. Jin, for wronging you by having you eat here."

Jin Fuqiang said with a straight face, "Didn't Mayor Su say I rose from the streets? A place like this is what I am most familiar with!"

Wu Weihong also said with a smile, "That's right, we are already very grateful to Mayor Su. It is a cadre like Mayor Su who makes me admire him!"

Su Xinghui waved his hand and said, "There is nothing to admire. I like coming here to eat purely because I think the food here is quite good and is authentic Baozhou flavor. Since you and your wife have come to Baozhou, you must taste the Baozhou flavor."

Jin Fuqiang and his wife both nodded. Although they were big tycoons now and liked to act in a high-profile manner, this did not mean they couldn't eat in such a place. After all, they had grown up from the bottom. Besides, since Su Xinghui, a dignified vice mayor, could eat here, what did they have to be picky about?

Su Xinghui asked Jin Fuqiang and his wife to order. Jin Fuqiang and Wu Weihong were not overly polite; they asked for the waiter's opinion, ordered one dish each, and then gave the menu to Su Xinghui. Su Xinghui ordered a few more dishes and then let the waiter serve them.

He asked Jin Fuqiang if he could drink, because in his impression, Hujiang people generally didn't drink much. However, Jin Fuqiang said he wanted to have a few drinks with Mayor Su today. So, Su Xinghui asked Yin Zhe to order a bottle of local Baozhou sorghum liquor and then ordered a bottle of soft drink for Wu Weihong.