Chapter 377: Gathering (Part 2)

Yang Teng did not recognize the license plate. He walked in with high spirits, standing in the lobby and addressing the hostess: "We have a reservation. From the Municipal Party Committee."

Hou Weidong heard Yang Teng’s arrogant tone and suppressed a smile. This Yang Teng usually seems quite steady, he thought. Why is he so bossy with the waitstaff? It’s the General Office of the Municipal Party Committee, yet he just says 'Municipal Party Committee.' It’s only one character’s difference, but it makes a world of distinction.

Upon hearing the words "Municipal Party Committee," the waitress immediately became respectful. "Please, gentlemen, this way."

They arrived at the second-floor private room named "Yangtze River." Yang Teng took the lead. Hou Weidong and Du Wei walked side by side, chatting, while Yang Liu was on her phone.

As the door to the "Yangtze River" room was pushed open, the person sitting facing the entrance turned out to be Huang Zidi, Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee. Yang Teng was startled and hurriedly stepped back. Hou Weidong gave him a gentle push from behind and whispered, "Don't retreat." Reminded by this, Yang Teng quickly composed himself and said, "Secretary Huang, Secretary-General Zeng."

Zeng Yong, with his double chin prominent, sat in a side seat. Seeing Yang Teng, Hou Weidong, and Du Wei standing at the door, he understood the situation. "Yang Teng, you’re dining here too?"

Hou Weidong immediately picked up the conversation. "Our section is having our New Year’s Eve dinner early. We heard this place was open, so we came over." As he spoke, he had already taken in the scene: besides Huang Zidi, Zeng Yong, Yi Zhongda, Yi Zhongling, and two stout men were also present.

Huang Zidi waved his hand. "Weidong, since you’re here, join us for a drink. You know these two guests from Yiyang." Hou Weidong responded generously, "I’ll toast all the leaders."

After going around the table and drinking six cups, Huang Zidi smiled warmly. "Weidong is the top drinker in the General Office. Having trained in the township, his capacity is formidable. Take a seat at this table. Director Yi and President Yi are not outsiders."

Hou Weidong cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. "It’s a small gathering for our section today, so I won’t disturb you all."

Back in their own room, Yang Teng’s face had turned ashen. The excitement from earlier had completely vanished. As Huang Zidi’s dedicated secretary, he felt humiliated that Huang Zidi and Zeng Yong had entertained guests without him. More importantly, he felt immense pressure. If a dedicated secretary failed to gain the leader’s trust, he would sooner or later be sent away.

Hou Weidong returned to the restaurant where the Comprehensive Section was gathering. Yang Liu had asked the waitstaff to bring out several boxes of warm juice. "One box for each of the gentlemen. Drink some juice before the alcohol to protect your stomach."

Hou Weidong had downed six cups of baijiu in one go. His stomach burned. He took the juice and drank more than half the bottle in one gulp, joking, "I used to think 'men and women working together makes the job less tiring.' Now I realize 'men and women drinking together means no one gets drunk.'"

Most of the colleagues in the Comprehensive Section were skilled writers. Du Wei, a graduate in Chinese Language and Literature, was quick-witted. He chimed in, "Men and women together: the wine doesn’t intoxicate, but the people do."

Yang Liu was not to be outdone. "Men and women together: the men relax, the women tire."

Du Wei laughed and asked, "Why? In the Comprehensive Section, men and women are equal. We do roughly the same work." Yang Liu replied, "Every time you drink, you’re listless the next day. The responsibility of cleaning the office falls on the female colleagues. Naturally, the women work harder." Du Wei argued, "We have dedicated cleaners for the office. When exactly did you get tired?"

Yang Liu and Du Wei bickered playfully. Hou Weidong chatted casually with the drivers nearby. Yang Teng, weighed down by his thoughts, ate his food silently, keeping to himself.

Driver Ma Bo, eating while watching TV, exaggeratedly remarked, "That backup dancer isn’t wearing clothes. Her figure is too fiery." Ma Bo was known as a mute around Zhou Changquan, but with the leaders absent, he let loose.

Hou Weidong glanced at the TV program. It was a typical dance-accompanied song performance. A male singer in traditional ethnic attire was passionately singing about love. The humorous part was that the three female backup dancers behind him were wearing tight ballet leotards, using ballet moves to accompany the ethnic singer.

Yang Liu glanced at the TV screen and lowered her head to eat.

Hou Weidong’s gaze, however, was glued to the screen. He recognized one of the backup dancers. Although he had only met her once, Zhu Yingying had left a deep impression on him. He recognized her instantly.

If one ignored the ethnic singer, Zhu Yingying danced with great感染力 (infectiousness)—graceful, sexy, and melancholic. However, the two cultures were forcibly connected, making both art forms seem incongruous.

Watching Zhu Yingying, he involuntarily recalled their intimate encounter that night. If Bu Gao hadn’t intervened, creating a natural resistance in him, he might not have been able to resist the astonishing elasticity of Zhu Yingying’s waist and abdomen.

With such flexible ligaments and elastic muscles, making love with such a beauty must be very pleasant.

As a physically healthy man, Hou Weidong couldn’t help but indulge in a small fantasy. Only when Zhu Yingying left the stage did his reverie end. During this fantasy, his expression remained calm and focused, as if he were pondering a serious problem. No one, except himself, would have guessed that the dignified Chief of the Municipal Party Committee’s Comprehensive Section was thinking about such earthly delights.

The marketization level in Lingxi is too low. The shortcut to making big money in business is still doing business with the government. Bu Gao’s career is at its peak. Besides his diligence and talent, there is also the faint shadow of Bu Haiyun behind him. Yi Zhongling is a native of Shazhou and deeply understands the Lingxi business logic. It seems he has set his sights on Deputy Secretary Huang Zidi.

Hou Weidong’s thoughts flew wildly like a starving bird in the sky. From Zhu Yingying’s waist, he jumped to Bu Gao’s enterprise, and from Bu Gao to Yi Zhongling. He had always been wary of Yi Zhongling, and the scene he had accidentally witnessed today made him quite uneasy.

On February 10, the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee made a formal decision: Zheng Rulin, Member of the Standing Committee of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee and Executive Vice Mayor, would serve as Chairman of the Shazhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Bu Haiyun, Vice Mayor, was appointed as Member of the Standing Committee of the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee and Executive Vice Mayor.

Zheng Rulin was indifferent to this appointment. He was older in age, and having served two terms as Vice Mayor, moving to the CPPCC as the top leader was a decent arrangement. On this issue, he held no grudge against Zhou Changquan.

Bu Haiyun was satisfied. He had served as Director of the Construction Commission for over ten years and was already somewhat older when he became Vice Mayor. Now, becoming Executive Vice Mayor meant he should have no problem reaching the full departmental level before retirement.

The vice mayors ranked below Bu Haiyun also had no objections. With Liu Rulin leaving and Bu Haiyun taking the executive role, such good fortune might eventually come their way. Moreover, this arrangement was easier for them to accept than having a Standing Committee member serve as Executive Vice Mayor.

As for Standing Committee members like Hong Ang, most lacked the seniority to even consider becoming Executive Vice Mayor.

This was also good news for the bureau directors in Shazhou. With Zheng Rulin leaving, a vice mayor position was vacated, giving them a possibility for promotion.

However, Shazhou Mayor Liu Bing was extremely dissatisfied with this arrangement. Zheng Rulin was a man of character. He had always dared to speak frankly in front of the Party Secretary and the Mayor, having opposed Zhou Changquan and embarrassed Liu Bing several times. However, he handled affairs fairly and did not form cliques. Honestly speaking, he was a very good Executive Vice Mayor. Bu Haiyun, on the other hand, was a key figure in Zhou Changquan’s core circle. As a vice mayor, he often treated the Mayor’s words as wind in his ears but treated Zhou Changquan’s words as imperial edicts, executing them with great force. Now, with this man becoming Executive Vice Mayor, Mayor Liu Bing felt a thorn in his throat, extremely uncomfortable.

Liu Bing had actually known Zhou Changquan’s intentions early on and had done some preparatory work. In this round of tug-of-war, Liu Bing had again suffered a silent loss.

At the Standing Committee meeting on February 11, Zhao Dong, Director of the Organization Department, presented the report on the first cadre adjustment of 2009. Mayor Liu Bing’s expression was indifferent; he hardly spoke a word. As soon as the meeting ended, he turned and left.

Zhou Changquan, wearing glasses, continued to review documents. When Mayor Liu Bing left, he didn’t even lift his head, continuing to read. Seeing Liu Bing leave, the other Standing Committee members relaxed their expressions and began chatting with each other.

Hou Weidong could clearly recall the first time he met Mayor Liu Bing. At that time, he had just arrived in Shazhou, elegant and high-spirited. But now, the Mayor Liu Bing at the Standing Committee meeting, though still maintaining his dignity, saw his prestige plummeting.

After finishing the documents, Zhou Changquan signed them briskly, threw down his pen, and stood up. He addressed the Standing Committee members: "The spring of the year is the most important season. Shazhou’s development is moving from winter to spring. Let’s put in extra effort and strive to rank among the top three in Lingxi. This is the earnest hope of Shazhou’s four million people. If we miss the opportunity for reform and development, Shazhou’s progress will lag by ten or even twenty years. One step slow means every step slow. We, the people sitting here, would be sinners against the people of Shazhou."

He shouted loudly, "At this time next year, we will meet here again. Then, we will drink celebration wine together."

Zhou Changquan’s impromptu speech was powerful and highly inspiring, instantly lifting the atmosphere. Ji Daolin, Huang Zidi, Hong Ang, Bu Haiyun, Zhao Dong, and others followed Zhou Changquan out of the conference room, chatting cheerfully.

Hou Weidong, holding the documents signed by Zhou Changquan, was the last to leave the venue. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind: Ma Youcai is also changing course. During the Zhu Yan era, he closely followed Mayor Liu Bing. Now that Secretary Changquan has comprehensive advantage, he has latched onto Huang Zidi.

It seems that being a cadre requires learning dialectics. Otherwise, you can’t see the path forward clearly. You must not only lower your head to pull the cart but also raise your head to look at the road. This saying has been proven by the blood and tears of countless predecessors. Profound indeed.

Hou Weidong held the documents bearing Zhou Changquan’s signature, summarizing his thoughts as he walked.