Reborn as a Noble's Son

Liu Wenqing also looked a little tense. Nie Zhenbang’s behavior at this moment was beyond Liu Wenqing’s expectations. At this moment, Liu Wenqing felt some regret. If he had known that Nie Zhenbang would act like this, he wouldn’t have dared to do it.

But Nie Zhenbang used to be not like this in character. He was always low-profile and never put on airs when dealing with superiors. However, today he suddenly became so stubborn.

This showed that Liu Wenqing actually didn’t understand Nie Zhenbang’s personality. It could be said that in most matters, Nie Zhenbang acted within the norms. It was as if he didn’t have any significant connections or background. But this time, Tieli’s words inadvertently touched Nie Zhenbang’s bottom line.

Tieli’s intention was that Nie Zhenbang should always yield to Zhou Chen, regardless of the situation. This was clearly impossible, and Nie Zhenbang’s rebuttal was natural.

At this moment, Tieli’s face sank, and he once again said, “Comrade Nie, as a party member and cadre, you must have organizational discipline and be politically minded, considering the bigger picture. Otherwise, will there be any need for the organization or higher-ups? Will there be any rules left?”

Having said that, Tieli stood up and waved his hand, “That’s enough. The airport project is very good. It’s a big boost for Bazhou City. I’ve got it. You all go back first.”

In his last sentence, Tieli intentionally ignored New Li City, which was another bad signal. But Nie Zhenbang didn’t care about this problem. As long as Bazhou was building an airport, New Li City couldn’t be left out. Bazhou City alone couldn’t build an airport.

As soon as Nie Zhenbang walked out of Tieli’s yard, he smiled and said to Liu Wenqing, “Secretary Liu, you go rest. I just arrived, I’ll just go report at the party school. I’ll go back by myself tomorrow.”

Looking at Nie Zhenbang’s demeanor at this moment, Liu Wenqing sighed. Nie Zhenbang was a good man, but he was a bit too bold. Even if he had a point, could he assert himself in front of the chairman of the autonomous region like this? Liu Wenqing fell into thought and then said, “Zhenbang, there’s something I want to say, but I’m not sure if I should.”

Listening to Liu Wenqing, Nie Zhenbang paused for a moment, and then nodded, “Secretary Liu, go ahead and say what you want to.”

“There’s a saying, ‘the stiffest tree is most easily cracked by the wind.’ Zhenbang, you have a great future ahead of you. Sometimes, you also need to know how to compromise. Sometimes, taking a step back doesn’t mean surrendering. Perhaps, it’s just to make room for a bigger stride forward. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?” Liu Wenqing contemplated and spoke these words.

Listening to this, Nie Zhenbang also laughed. He understood Liu Wenqing’s meaning very well.He was to tolerate the matter regarding Zhou Chen. The domestic situation dictated that moderation and balance were key. However, he was not prepared to compromise on Zhou Chen. If Zhou Chen was to play by the rules, that was fine. If not, Nie Zhenbang was not without resources.

Having thought about this, Nie Zhenbang said with a laugh, “Secretary Liu, as I’ve said, considering the overall political situation and the bigger picture is predicated on the hope that Deputy Mayor Zhou will care about the overall development of New Li City. Then I have no problem at all, all can be discussed. But if it’s because of Deputy Mayor Zhou’s reasons, I can’t do anything. Secretary Liu, please go ahead with your work. I’m here in Urumqi and will go to the party school to report. I’ll go back by myself tomorrow.”

After saying this, Nie Zhenbang turned around and left. At this moment, Feng Dayong came up from the side and said to Liu Wenqing, “Secretary, it’s windy outside. You should get in the car quickly. Nie Zhenbang is really ungrateful. You’ve said so much. Whether he believes you or not is up to him. You don’t have to get angry for him.”

Liu Wenqing waved his hand and watched Nie Zhenbang’s retreating figure. Right now, Liu Wenqing felt a mix of pain and pleasure. It was difficult to hold the position of Secretary of the Bazhou City Committee. It seemed glamorous from the outside, but having these two people under his command, was no easy task, leaving him stuck in a dilemma.

Inside the student dormitory of the vice bureau-level Young Cadre Training Class of the Autonomous Region Party School, Nie Zhenbang walked in and found most of the rooms empty.

But his own room was lit up. As soon as he walked in, Qiao Yuan, who was in the room, looked up. Seeing Nie Zhenbang, Qiao Yuan looked somewhat surprised. All the cadres in the whole region knew about the situation in Pear City. Nie Zhenbang was promoted to deputy bureau-level cadre. As the first-in-charge and Secretary of the New Pear City Committee, he was much more comfortable than the deputies at the same level like them.

Then, Qiao Yuan took off his glasses and said with a smile, “Secretary Nie, now you’re truly a secretary. You disappeared as soon as you went back. Fat Min has been missing you. He said if you don’t come back, we’ll have to form an inspection group and rush to New Pear City for a big meal.”

Nie Zhenbang also laughed. He sat down on the bed next to him and said, “Brother Yuan, why are Fat Min and Chun Lei out having fun while you are still studying hard?”

Qiao Yuan also laughed and said, “Old Lei has been caught up in some trouble in Yu City recently. Rumour has it that it’s some ethnic conflict and he is extremely busy dealing with it. Fat Min has been making moves recently. This kid got the chance to interact with the coastal region and he’s likely to advance fast once he returns. As for you and me, we’re just stuck here studying laboriously.”

Qiao Yuan’s words were partly a joke. They were all deputy bureau-level officials and naturally had their own ways of progressing. Despite Qiao Yuan’s nonchalant demeanor, he probably wouldn’t do too badly.

After staying one night at the Party School and engaging in some idle chats with Qiao Yuan, Nie Zhenbang spent a few more days in Urumqi. He even deliberately attended some classes and held a discussion with the class teacher, Zhang Xiaou. Only after Liu Wenqing got his hands on the official approval documents from the Autonomous Region’s Development and Reform Commission and the Civil Aviation Administration did Nie Zhenbang prepare to set off for New Li City.

The next morning, Nie Zhenbang boarded the coach back to New Li City. With the development of New Li City, there are now more coaches running directly between Urumqi and New Li City, reflecting the impact of the market economy. If people are travelling to New Li City, it means there’s a market there, and where there’s a market there’s a possibility to earn money. Such things didn’t need to be arranged, people naturally came up with these ideas.

At around 3:30 in the afternoon, Nie Zhenbang finally arrived at the New Li City bus station.

After eating something casually on the roadside, Nie Zhenbang returned to the courtyard of New Li City Committee.

When he entered the office building, many staff members stopped to let Nie Zhenbang pass first, greeting him politely with smiles on their faces.

When Nie Zhenbang walked into his office, it was around four in the afternoon. As he opened the door, Yi Jun stood up. This aspect of Yi Jun pleased Nie Zhenbang. Regardless of whether he was not in the office, Yi Jun always adhered to the office hours.

Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang, Yi Jun quickly stood up, and seemed quite delighted as he said, “Secretary, you’ve finally returned. Things have really gotten chaotic in the city within these few days.”

Upon hearing Yi Jun’s words, Nie Zhenbang frowned immediately. He didn’t need a second to guess that the problem must have come from Zhou Chen. He was familiar with the members of the New Li City Committee. Although not all officials in New Li City were his confidants, they wouldn’t stir up any trouble under his influence. The only one that made him uneasy was Zhou Chen.

On one hand, Zhou Chen’s personality wasn’t influenced by him. Moreover, Zhou Chen was the acting mayor. When he was not around, local officials could ignore Zhou Chen and wouldn’t be affected by him. But correspondingly, there was no one who could obstruct his actions.

Subsequently, Nie Zhenbang said in a serious tone, “Tell me what happened, no rush. Take your time.”

As Nie Zhenbang entered his office, Yi Jun followed him in with a stack of materials and placed them on Nie Zhenbang’s desk, saying, “Secretary, please take a look. These are the bills from the Xin Li Hotel and the Millionaire Hotel over the last few days. Deputy Mayor Lindi saw these and didn’t dare to sign them off. She thought you should look into it.”

Looking at the bills, Nie Zhenbang’s eyebrows furrowed in concern. The economic development and zone development model of New Li City had become the target and model that many counties and cities across the autonomous region aspire to emulate. From last year, various delegations of county and city representatives have been visiting every month for an inspection, even delegations from neighbouring Xueyu Province and Qingzhou Province. In the past, these inspection teams were usually treated strictly according to the official reception standards set by Nie Zhenbang. These standards had also been learned by quite a few counties and cities.

However, in the past few days when Nie Zhenbang was not in New Li City, a few inspection teams came and they were all received by Zhou Chen, who serves as the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee and the acting mayor.

Looking at the bills, during the three-day visit of only one delegation, the accommodation and catering expenses at the Xin Li Hotel totalled over 67,000 yuan, plus another 85,400 at the Millionaire Hotel. That’s to say, a three-day visit by a single delegation had cost New Li City over 150,000 yuan. The figure was quite staggering.

If they were to follow the hospitality standard set by Nie Zhenbang, a delegation of twenty individuals with two people sharing a room would only need a total of 1,500 yuan for accommodation for three nights at Xin Li Hotel’s standard rate of 50 yuan per night. The reception standard of 20 yuan per meal per person for nine meals would only amount to 3,600 yuan. In total, it would only cost around 5,000 yuan, which is significantly lower than what was spent.

Upon seeing this, Nie Zhenbang was furious. He slammed his hand on the table and in a thunderous voice, he said, “This is absurd. Xiaoyi, call Zhou Chen and ask him to come to my office immediately.”

PS: Adding more to the story for Lindi, our grandmaster. Go Lindi!