Reborn as a Noble's Son

Compared to their future officialdom, these were trivial matters. Under the big picture, Fan Changsheng would not do anything rash that would break everything off, so although he held a lot of complaints and anger towards Nie Zhenbang, on the surface, he maintained a harmonious attitude.

“Mayor Nie, actually, this is also considered official business. However, considering after all, this is an internal matter of the government. Even though I’m the party secretary, the number one, I still feel like I should discuss it with you. Look, Comrade Guohua, after taking on the charge of the merger and restructuring of the Textile Group, he has removed all his other tasks in the city for the sake of doing a good job at the Textile Group. Now, the Textile Group has also been put on the right track. Don’t you think it would be appropriate to adjust the division of labor in the city government again? After all, Mayor Guohua is also the executive deputy mayor of the city government. It doesn’t look good if he’s not in charge of anything. People who don’t know might think there’s conflict among the government team and that he’s being excluded.” Fan Changsheng’s tone was polite, but there was nothing polite about his words.

Fan Changsheng’s move was ruthless. It looked like a gentle rain, but in fact, he was insinuating something, with a hidden agenda. What does being excluded and having conflicts mean? This was obviously a jab at himself. If he doesn’t agree, he would give others ammunition to use against him and would leave a bad impression of disunity among the team in front of the provincial leadership.

If he agrees, Li Guohua’s power would become much greater. He is already a standing member of the Municipal Party Committee and the Executive Deputy Mayor, and is now also the Party Secretary of Guicheng District. The redevelopment of the old city in Guicheng District would definitely be under Li Guohua’s control. If the division of labor is adjusted, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Li Guohua is indeed not simple. The impact of the People’s Congress stalemate has now come to an end, and this series of plans is all linked together. His tactics are much more ruthless than imagined.

“Secretary Fan, this is of course necessary. It’s only natural to adjust the division of labor in the city government.” First, Nie Zhenbang affirmed Fan Changsheng’s statement. This was Nie Zhenbang’s first thought.

As expected, Fan Changsheng seemed quite satisfied with his response when he heard it. Seeing this, Nie Zhenbang sneered internally. It’s impossible to have both fish and bear’s paw. Let’s see what you, Fan Changsheng, will choose. Then, Nie Zhenbang continued, “Deputy Mayor Li, as the Executive Deputy Mayor, not in charge of any work in the government team, naturally, is unjustifiable. However, Secretary Fan, considering that Deputy Mayor Li is also the Party Secretary of Guicheng District, the redevelopment of the old city is now a top priority in our city. This is related to the successful holding of the Eastern Development Forum. Under this premise, I also worry about Deputy Mayor Li’s energy being limited. In my opinion, Comrade Lu Wu, after all, is the former Party Secretary of Guicheng District and is very familiar with Guicheng District. Why not let Comrade Lu Wu take on the post of Party Secretary of Guicheng District first, and talk about dealing with the old city redevelopment project later? What do you think?”

As soon as Nie Zhenbang finished speaking, Fan Changsheng’s face twitched several times. He was completely caught off guard. He had underestimated Nie Zhenbang, and so had Li Guohua.

In this way, Li Guohua was put in a difficult situation. Agreeing to this proposal would not only require giving up control of Guicheng District but also allow Nie Zhenbang to get a deputy department-level title for free. This would be a lose-lose situation. If he disagrees, he wouldn’t have a say in city government matters. In the long run, Li Guohua would lose a lot of credibility in the city, which would be detrimental in the future.

After pondering for a moment, Fan Changsheng still decided to choose the Party Secretary of Guicheng District. If the division of labor were chosen, he feared that he would only be in charge of some less important units, such as the Bureau of Old Cadres, liaising with the CPPCC and People’s Congress, and other such work. Even if he were given some areas, it wouldn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. But Guicheng District on the other hand, was crucial. If the old city redevelopment is done well, it would bring great achievements.

Which is lighter and which is heavier, it’s clear at a glance. Indeed, at this moment, Fan Changsheng smiled awkwardly and said, “Mayor Nie’s words are very reasonable. I see it the same way. At present, the redevelopment of the old city is the key and core of our work. I think it’s better to let Comrade Li Guohua take charge of this area, the rank is also no problem. This can also promote the smooth completion of the old city redevelopment project.”

Having said that, there was not much left for them to talk about or hold interest in. At about 11:20, the song and dance performance carefully prepared by Guicheng District Government, Liangxi City Culture Bureau, and the City Cultural and Art Troupe officially ended. The city committee leadership left one after another. The convoy headed to the banquet hall of the Liangxi Grand Hotel.

This was a reception hosted in the name of Liangxi City Government. Not only did all the city committee leaders participate, but also various related functional departments in the city, as well as representatives of enterprises from all over the country and representatives of local businesses in Liangxi, gathered to discuss the grand plan of Liangxi City’s old city redevelopment.

At two in the afternoon, Nie Zhenbang appeared on time in the reception hall of the Liangxi Grand Hotel. At this moment, representatives or heads of large companies from the real estate and construction industry such as Jiasheng Real Estate, Dongsheng Real Estate, and Yuedong Construction Group were already waiting here.

As Nie Zhenbang entered, the business owners all stood up voluntarily. Huang Xuyang, who followed him, introduced with a smile, “Mayor, this is Mr. Zheng Jiawei, the Chairman of Jiasheng Real Estate. This one next to him is Mr. Fu Xiaobin, the Chairman of Dongsheng Real Estate…”

Having introduced several heavyweight businessmen, Nie Zhenbang smiled and nodded, saying, “Friends from the business community. I’m very grateful for your trust in Liangxi City. Don’t be restrained, everyone, please sit.”

“Speaking of which,” Nie Zhenbang said with a chuckle, “You all are akin to the God of Wealth here in Liangxi City. Allow me to make my stand clear: businesses that operate legally and pay their taxes dutifully will always receive unwavering support from the city government.”

This discussion was of great importance to him; these groups represented some of the most renowned companies nationwide. Companies like Jiasheng Real Estate and Dongsheng Real Estate were leaders in their industry. If they could participate in the redevelopment of the old city in Liangxi City, it would unquestionably spur tremendous development in the area.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang was mildly surprised. He had not expected the chairman of Jiasheng Real Estate to be such a young man—possibly under twenty-five years old.

The meeting proceeded in a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere, much to the delight of both the host and guests. Nie Zhenbang’s witty humor and extensive knowledge left a profound impression on the businessmen.

Finally, Nie Zhenbang got up and said with a smile, “Gentlemen, in a few days, the first project for the redevelopment of the old city in Liangxi City—the Textile Group’s property development project—will officially begin to accept public bids. Any of you who are interested may want to have a look—I believe there will be a project that suits everyone.”

…

Just as Nie Zhenbang stepped out of the reception room, Huang Xuyang, who was waiting at the door, came forward and whispered in his ear, “Mayor, Director Chen is here. He says he has important information to report to you.”

“Chen Le is here?” Nie Zhenbang repeated, looking at Huang Xuyang. He was very familiar with Chen Le’s work attitude. If something was so important that even Chen Le wanted to report it, it must be serious. After a moment of contemplation, he made up his mind and instructed Huang Xuyang, “Take Director Chen to room 607; I’ll wait for him there.”

Room 607 at the Liangxi Grand Hotel was reserved exclusively for Nie Zhenbang. The room itself wasn’t very large but it was a suite. Upon entering, there was a small reception area with a sofa set and a coffee table, followed by the bedroom.

The decor of the room was simple and minimalist, which was also why Nie Zhenbang liked it. The Liangxi Grand Hotel did have more luxurious suites, but the superficial luxury was not to Nie Zhenbang’s taste.

As soon as he sat down, Huang Xuyang and Chen Le walked in. When Huang Xuyang prepared to leave, Nie Zhenbang stopped him, “Xuyang, have a seat. Director Chen is not an outsider.”

Then, Nie Zhenbang turned to Chen Le and said, “Old Chen, this is unlike you. What has happened that even you, the fearless Chen, find it serious?”

At this moment, Chen Le wasted no time and promptly stated, “Mayor, we have dug up the dirt on Wealth Circle Company.”

Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang was taken aback. Ever since encountering Wealth Circle Company the day before, it had been a mystery that had weighed on his mind. Now, it appeared that the truth was about to be revealed. However, on the surface, Nie Zhenbang simply nodded, maintaining a calm facade.

Chen Le continued, “According to our Economic Investigation’s findings, the registered legal representative of Wealth Circle Company is a middle-aged man named Huang Yousheng. But in reality, Huang Yousheng is nothing more than a penniless hooligan incapable of establishing a company. After further investigation, we discovered that the actual operator behind the scene of Wealth Circle Company is Huang Junshan’s son, Huang Bo.”

“Mayor, this Huang Bo currently has at least eighty houses in the old city district spread across Guicheng and Xishan areas—with the majority in Xishan, totaling over sixty houses. I suspect that he might have acquired this knowledge in advance about the redevelopment of the old city, deliberately purchasing these houses and then capitalizing on the demolition to reap significant profits.” Chen Le assumed his usual role of the Public Security Bureau Director with these speculative remarks.

In the end, a ruthless expression crossed Chen Le’s face as he cursed, “These people, they must have grown a leopard’s gall—daring to profit at the expense of the government. They’re digging their graves!” (