Chapter 3841

The assembly dust had settled, and Su Xinghui returned to Linshan City. On the very first night of his return, Ma Yuejin came to his home to pay a visit.

Su Xinghui was not at all surprised by Ma Yuejin's visit. Ma Yuejin was such a shrewd person; now that Lu Zhenghong had entered the central leadership and become one of the country's top decision-makers, it would have been strange if Ma Yuejin hadn't come.

This time, Qian Jianan had also attended the assembly as a representative, and his greatest backer, Wu Jianbai, had also moved to the capital from his post as Secretary of the Yanbei Provincial Party Committee to become a member of the Politburo. His specific duties were yet to be determined, but this was still a significant leap forward.

After every assembly, at least a dozen Provincial Party Secretaries changed posts, but how many Politburo seats were there? For Wu Jianbai to occupy one of them was already quite an achievement, and at his age, this was likely the peak of his political career.

Though both had moved to the capital, Wu Jianbai was still one rank below Lu Zhenghong. Even if it was only a one-rank difference, the disparity in power was like heaven and earth. Under these circumstances, how could Ma Yuejin not come to visit Su Xinghui?

Lu Zhenghong, who stood behind Su Xinghui, held a higher status than Wu Jianbai, who stood behind Qian Jianan. Furthermore, the relationship between Su Xinghui and Lu Zhenghong was naturally far closer than that between Qian Jianan and Wu Jianbai. Besides, Wu Jianbai also held Su Xinghui in high regard.

Given this situation, Ma Yuejin naturally had to mend his relationship with Su Xinghui.

During that period, Ma Yuejin had walked very closely with Qian Jianan, mainly because Qian Jianan was the Municipal Party Secretary, whose power was clearly greater than that of the Mayor. Moreover, both of them had Provincial Party Secretaries behind them. Although Lu Zhenghong held a higher status and a more important position, the Yuedong Provincial Party Secretary had no authority over Linshan, which was why Ma Yuejin had fawned over Qian Jianan at the time.

However, Ma Yuejin also knew that he had been too close to Qian Jianan, and Su Xinghui would certainly have his own thoughts about it. After all, when Su Xinghui first arrived in Linshan, Ma Yuejin had reported his work to him, which counted as pledging his loyalty. Yet, he had later walked so closely with Qian Jianan, which could be seen as being two-faced.

At that time, he could afford to be indifferent, but that was no longer the case. Lu Zhenghong's entry into the central leadership was an extraordinary boost for Su Xinghui. Now, the momentum between Su Xinghui and Qian Jianan had reversed, and Ma Yuejin had no choice but to attempt to repair his relationship with Su Xinghui once again.

Ma Yuejin acted as if there had never been any rift between them. As soon as he arrived at Su Xinghui's home, he said with a smile, "Mayor, you're back. You must be exhausted from attending the assembly in the capital and discussing national affairs."

That night, Su Xinghui's family was all at home. However, seeing that a guest had come to find Su Xinghui, only Lu Xiaoya poured a cup of tea for Ma Yuejin. Su Wenjun, Guo Suhua, and Niuniu had all gone into their rooms; Su Wenjun and his wife were watching television, and Niuniu was doing his homework.

Whenever Su Xinghui had guests, they would never stay in the living room to avoid interfering with his work. Besides, the house was large with many rooms, so they were fine staying inside.

Lu Xiaoya poured a cup of tea for Ma Yuejin. Ma Yuejin's face beamed like a flower, and he nodded repeatedly to thank her. Just kidding—what was the status of Lu Xiaoya's father, Lu Zhenghong, now? For her to pour him a cup of tea personally was his supreme honor.

Lu Xiaoya smiled and said it was no trouble, then told Secretary Ma to sit, before she also went into her room.

Lu Xiaoya naturally knew why Ma Yuejin had come to their home that night. She understood quite a bit about these political matters now. Although she did not like Ma Yuejin, she also knew that her husband would handle these things well and did not need her to worry.

Su Xinghui said, "Old Ma, you are exaggerating too much. I'm not that tired; I'm still young. Secretary Qian, on the other hand, is a bit older, so it is true that he is tired. Old Ma, you should go to Secretary Qian's home."

As Municipal Party Secretary, Qian Jianan had naturally also attended the assembly in the capital as a representative. With Su Xinghui saying this, even Ma Yuejin, who had a relatively thick skin, felt a bit unnatural and could only let out a hollow laugh.

Since Ma Yuejin had come to Su Xinghui's home today, he was naturally prepared to hear a few unpleasant words, so he simply pretended not to hear Su Xinghui's remark.

Ma Yuejin said, "Mayor, do you have time tomorrow? I had intended to invite you to dinner today to welcome you back, but considering you just returned from the capital after a long journey, you must be very tired and want to reunite with your family. That's why I didn't mention it today. May I host a welcome dinner for you tomorrow?"

Su Xinghui said, "Since you know I want to reunite with my family, why did you still come to my house tonight?"

Ma Yuejin said with a thick skin, "I'm sorry, I really had to disturb you tonight, Mayor. Otherwise, there would be too many people inviting you to dinner tomorrow, and I had to be the first to claim the spot."

When Su Xinghui returned to Linshan, it was already near the end of the workday, which was why Ma Yuejin was the first to visit Su Xinghui's home that evening, successfully claiming the spot.

Su Xinghui jabbed at Ma Yuejin a few times, and he no longer wanted to continue this conversation. There was no point in saying too much. After all, there were simply too many people like Ma Yuejin in officialdom. Could Su Xinghui avoid associating with every single one of them? That was impossible.

After all, Ma Yuejin was still a member of the Municipal Standing Committee and the Secretary of the Linshan District Party Committee. He often had to deal with Ma Yuejin in his work, and there were many times when he needed Ma Yuejin's support, so he couldn't just push him away.

Since Ma Yuejin wanted to show him goodwill, Su Xinghui could only stop being overly harsh. He said to Ma Yuejin, "Old Ma, your way of conducting yourself is truly beyond words."

Ma Yuejin could only let out a hollow laugh. He didn't know if Su Xinghui was praising or disparaging him, but regardless, Ma Yuejin could only take it as a compliment.

Ma Yuejin said, "Mayor, does that mean you've agreed to let me host your welcome dinner tomorrow?"

Su Xinghui said, "That's hard to say. Who knows if something else might come up tomorrow? Let's talk about it tomorrow. Many things are hard to say until the very last moment."

Ma Yuejin was already very happy. He could tell that Su Xinghui's tone had softened; otherwise, Su Xinghui would have refused outright. Ma Yuejin said, "Mayor, please forgive me for anything I did wrong in the past. It was all my fault, Old Ma. Don't worry, I am not an unreasonable person. Please watch my actions in the future."

Su Xinghui waved his hand and said, "There is nothing to forgive. We are all comrades. Supporting each other in work and caring for each other in life is how it should be. I hope that we can maintain such a comradely relationship in the future."

Ma Yuejin was overjoyed: "The Mayor truly has a magnanimous heart. Please rest assured, Mayor, I, Old Ma, will never let you down again."

Su Xinghui picked up his teacup and took a sip. Ma Yuejin naturally understood the etiquette of serving tea to see a guest out in officialdom. He immediately stood up and said, "Then I won't disturb you from reuniting with your family. I will take my leave now and contact you tomorrow."

Su Xinghui stood up and saw Ma Yuejin out the door. He saw a figure flash past the window of Qian Jianan's home and vanish. He shook his head to himself, and after sending Ma Yuejin away, he entered his home.

It seemed Qian Jianan was also feeling a bit panicked now. He must have seen Ma Yuejin enter Su Xinghui's home that night. The results of this assembly had greatly boosted Su Xinghui's momentum, while Qian Jianan could not help but lose some of his luster. How could Qian Jianan not be nervous? Ma Yuejin was a vivid example.

That night, Xing Guodong and others also visited Su Xinghui's home one after another. Su Xinghui's home was bustling with guests, like a marketplace. This made Su Xinghui admire Ma Yuejin's keen sense of smell; he had arrived so early, almost as soon as Su Xinghui had finished his dinner.