Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 681: Chapter 637: No Respect_1

The car stopped at the entrance of the Wanghai Hotel. The first to step off was Zhou Zihui, the Minister of Publicity of the Wanghai Municipal Party Committee, followed by two middle-aged men in their thirties or forties. Among them, the older one was apparently the main person responsible for this interview.

There was a touch of arrogance in his demeanor. This caused both Tian Xujian and Nie Zhenbang to raise their eyebrows. Beside them, Tian Xujian chuckled, “Mayor Zhenbang, it seems like they won’t be so easy to deal with.”

Tian Xujian’s words made Nie Zhenbang laugh as well, and he murmured, “Secretary Tian, he is a reporter from a major newspaper, and also holds authority from the Central Propaganda Department. It’s only natural for him to be a bit arrogant.”

Both Nie Zhenbang and Tian Xujian walked up to meet them in the midst of their chat. Zhou Zihui seemed very pleased at the moment, as Mayor Nie had relaxedly delegated the reception tasks to him. This would ensure that nothing would go wrong with the entire reception process.

Zhou Zihui then introduced with a smile, “Secretary Tian, Mayor Nie, allow me to introduce to you, this is Comrade Xu Xiaohong, the deputy editor-in-chief of the ‘Hope Daily’ News Department, and next to him is the principal reporter from News Department, Comrade Li Hai.”

Meanwhile, Zhou Zihui turned his head to Xu Xiaohong and Li Hai. “Director Xu, Reporter Li, these two are the secretary of our Wanghai Municipal Party Committee, Comrade Tian Xujian, and Mayor Nie Zhenbang.”

...

At this moment, before Xu Xiaohong and Li Hai could speak, Tian Xujian preemptively spoke, “Director Xu, a warm welcome to you both. Both of you are prominent reporters and leaders from the central government. Please forgive us for any shortcomings in our hospitability in Wanghai City, and if there is anything you need our help with, please feel free to tell us. We will certainly do our utmost to assist.”

This type of situation didn’t require much discussion, as it was understood by everyone. They, revered as uncrowned kings, received our enthusiastic welcome and high-profile reception. The goal was naturally clear: to hope that these reporters will be gentle in their reporting.

Director Xu was a veteran in dealing with such situations. As the deputy editor-in-chief of the ‘Hope Daily’ news department, he was extremely experienced. After a pause, Director Xu promptly laughed and said, “Secretary Tian, you’re too kind. I feel that we should go inside first. With so many people congregating here, it isn’t too appealing.”

Without waiting for Tian Xujian’s response, he strode ahead into the hotel, leaving the city’s administrative officials of Wanghai City hanging.

Both Tian Xujian and Nie Zhenbang were at a loss. Such an insolent director! The reception they provided at the hotel entrance was an honor to him. Secretary Tian’s handshake was clearly a gesture of respect from Wanghai City. But this director made Tian Xujian awkwardly withdraw his hand, then walked straight in, ignoring Mayor Zhenbang altogether.

Tian Xujian’s expression darkened somewhat. However, Nie Zhenbang, who had also been a Beijing official earlier, understood the arrogance of Beijing officials, who seemed to consider everyone else beneath them. Furthermore, the ‘Hope Daily’ stands at the pinnacle of national news media. As the media is becoming increasingly influential in monitoring public opinion, journalists being dubbed as uncrowned kings cannot be taken lightly.

Seeing Tian Xujian’s bewildered face, Nie Zhenbang laughed and said, “Secretary Tian, people like them are always like this, you really don’t need to take it to heart. Since they act in such a manner, we should follow suit and remain indifferent.” @@novelbin@@

At this point, Tian Xujian felt a sense of comradeship with Nie Zhenbang. He muttered, “Such an arrogant person, acting as if he’s the best in the country.”

In the banquet hall of the Wanghai Hotel.

The most luxurious private room, the Purple East Pavilion, was situated here, hinting at the phrase “auspicious clouds rising from the east.” A gigantic round table with an automatic rotating tray was placed inside the room. The drinks on offer included fifteen-year-old Maotai wine.

All kinds of signature dishes from the eight most famous cuisines in Huaxia were displayed on the table. All sorts of delicacies were available in abundance.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the venue became somewhat awkward. The cadres of the Wanghai Municipal Party Committee, in fact, behaved like officials of the department and bureau level. The style of toasting and drinking they were fond of involved finishing the entire drink in one gulp.

After several rounds, many standing committee members toasted Xu Xiaohong. Yet he tasted only a small amount each time, showing no inclination to drink. A small cup filled with liquor at the beginning of the banquet still contained more than half of it after several rounds.

This set everyone on edge. Even so, no one wished to be the first to express their displeasure. Nie Zhenbang’s eyebrows also furrowed. Then, Nie got up and held up his cup, smiling, “Here, Director Xu, to show our warm welcome to you, I, on behalf of the Wanghai City Municipal Party Committee and City Government, toast to you. Allow me to drink first as a mark of respect.”

Upon saying this, Nie Zhenbang didn’t hesitate at all and downed his drink in one go, exhibiting unwavering resolution and great generosity.

Next to him, Tian Xujian felt deeply moved. In the past, Nie Zhenbang seemed to him a dominant and disliked character. Now, as they both stood on the same side, Tian Xujian felt that Nie Zhenbang was, in fact, a man of great loyalty.

At the hotel entrance, having lost face himself, Tian Xujian had definitely decided against approaching guests for toasts. He did not care who the big reporters were or what they thought. Yet Nie Zhenbang’s words had saved his face, at the risk of losing his own.

At this moment, all the committee members’ eyes were on the director Xu. When other committee members had made their toasts, Director Xu had merely taken a small sip, which could have been interpreted as lack of respect towards the leadership of Wanghai City. Now that Mayor Nie was personally making a toast, it was time for Director Xu to pay respect to a vice-provincial official.

Unexpectedly, Director Xu put down his chopsticks and said with a light laugh, “Mayor Nie, I’m sorry, but I’m not a drinker. If I have too much to drink, I’m afraid it will affect my work tomorrow.”

This comment clearly carried an air of indifference, and Nie Zhenbang’s demeanor also cooled. Politeness did not signify fear; Director Xu was rather brazen in his responses.

Nie Zhenbang then took the wineglass in his hand, turned it upside down and gently placed it on the table, a common gesture and rule at banquet tables, meaning that he would not drink any more.

At that point, they were only halfway through dinner. For Nie Zhenbang to do this was a clear declaration of his position: if Director Xu really wasn’t a good drinker, then they might as well not drink at all.

Director Xu’s face turned quite uncomfortable, but Nie Zhenbang said with a smile, “Since that’s the case, let’s not force Director Xu. Director Xu, please enjoy the food.”

Seeing the awkwardness at the table, Zhou Zihui was quite troubled. He was in charge of entertaining the guests, and if their hospitality was lacking or the guests were unhappy, any negative news about Wanghai City could be blamed on him.

Now, Zhou Zihui found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. He put on a smile and said, “Come on, Director Xu, we’re grateful for the care and love our upper-level leaders have for our Wanghai City. After dinner, we have some activities lined up.”

After this diversion, dinner resumed, but it felt somewhat flavorless. The pace of the meal significantly increased.

The sixteenth floor of the Wanghai Hotel was a famous entertainment venue in Wanghai City. At that moment, it was closed to the public. The Wanghai Hotel was owned by the Wanghai City Municipal Party Committee, so closing it was not an issue.

Inside the vast ballroom, many good-looking men and women were gathered. As Wanghai City’s Minister of Propaganda, Zhou Zihui had no issues assembling a group of attractive young women from the Sea View Art School, which was always in need of support from the municipal party committee’s propaganda department.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang and Tian Xujian were both sitting on couches, with committee members scattered around in different booths.

Glancing towards Director Xu, Tian Xujian said, “Zhenbang, it seems that this Director Xu isn’t taking us seriously.”

Following Tian Xujian’s gaze, they saw Director Xu dancing in the middle of the dance floor with a tall, stunningly beautiful young woman. After the dance was over, the two of them started drinking back at their booth.

One of the reporters nearby had started playing a dice game with several girls, downing bottles of beer one after another.

Nie Zhenbang chuckled at this scene, and said to Tian Xujian, “Secretary Tian, don’t worry about it. You and I seem to be the odd ones out here. I suggest we leave. As for not taking us seriously, I’m not worried. The publicity and reports about Wanghai City is a matter of the central government’s reputation. I doubt he’d dare to write anything careless.”

With the presence of the party secretary and mayor, especially since Nie Zhenbang was known for his upright and strict style in Wanghai City, the people below couldn’t let loose freely.

At that point, the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Gu Dongliang, and the Secretary of the Disciplinary Commission, Jiang Huguang echoed, “Secretary Tian, Mayor Nie, if we’re leaving, let’s leave together. Being here, aren’t we the ones spoiling the fun?”

The group wouldn’t bother to give Director Xu an advance notice before they left the hotel. Gu Dongliang and Jiang Huguang got into their respective cars and drove away.

At that moment, Tian Xujian asked, “Mayor Zhenbang, are you free tomorrow evening? This time, your sister-in-law also transferred to Jiangzhou City. Our family has started holding their dinners there. How about you bring your sisters-in-law to our house tomorrow evening for a casual dinner?” (.)