Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 744: Chapter 700 Visit_1
 

1st Courtyard of the City Party Committee and Provincial Government Family Residence, Lianda City

This is the residence of Zuo Zhonghua, the secretary of Lianda City Party Committee. At this moment, in a study room inside the 1st Courtyard, there is a middle-aged man, about forty-seven or forty-eight years old. He has an average build and short hair, tinged with gray at his temples. His demeanor exudes an aura of authority. This man is Zuo Zhonghua, the party secretary for Lianda City.

Next to him, a young man about thirty years old is reporting: “Secretary, last night, a delegation from the Central Government’s Office Management Bureau arrived in our city, led by a car from the Provincial Department of Public Security. They didn’t stop anywhere on the way and didn’t care that no one from our side was there to receive and attend to them. They checked into the Jintai Hotel that night. This morning, the staff of the Office Management Bureau formally notified the city party committee and city government and began their work. From the news we received, these people seem very calm and don’t appear to hold any grudges. They are very serious in their inspection and do not seek to settle personal scores.”

The young man’s words made Zuo Zhonghua sit up straighter. Assuming his current position in Lianda City less than a month ago, it’s fair to say, Zuo Zhonghua feels a mixed sense of pleasure and pain.

On the one hand, he has finally stepped over the threshold, becoming a deputy ministerial-level official with real power and the badge of a standing committee member of the Provincial Committee. There are only a handful of such positions nationwide. This is his pleasure.

On the other hand, the work situation in Lianda City is causing Zuo Zhonghua distress. At any time, a secretary of the city party committee would feel extremely uncomfortable facing a strong deputy. Unfortunately for Zuo Zhonghua, he’s currently facing this exact problem.

This is why Zuo Zhonghua didn’t send a welcoming party.

From this situation, it seems that the arrival of Nie Zhenbang could help him gain the early support of a group of people. Moreover, it could alleviate his isolation in the standing committee. With this in mind, he should have welcomed them.

However, Zuo Zhonghua did not do so. This gesture, while partially aimed at disconcerting his opponents, was also intended to observe Nie Zhenbang’s reaction.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang and the office’s response clearly exceeded Zuo Zhonghua’s estimates. After thinking about it, Zuo Zhonghua sighed inwardly, Nie Zhenbang’s reputation was indeed well deserved.

Immediately, Zuo Zhonghua stood up and instructed the young man sitting nearby, “Xiao Zhao, arrange a car. We’re going to the Jintai Hotel to visit Nie Zhenbang.”

…

Jintai Hotel.

This is the three-star hotel where Nie Zhenbang and others are staying. It’s just one of many three-star hotels in Lianda City. However, this time, the Jintai Hotel is bound to become the focus of attention in the entire Lianda City.

Downstairs at the Jintai Hotel.

Zuo Zhonghua’s car just arrived at the entrance of the hotel lobby. The hotel’s general manager, Wang Shoucheng, had already received the news and rushed over from the hotel’s office area as fast as he could.

At this moment, Secretary Zuo just entered the hotel lobby, which pleased Wang Shoucheng. The Party Secretary’s visit to the Jintai Hotel was a very rare opportunity. If the Secretary approved and valued the hotel, the Jintai Hotel could welcome a significant development opportunity; it was not impossible.

As soon as he entered the door, Wang Shoucheng lowered his stance. His body nearly bent in half to show respect. Without waiting for Zuo Zhonghua to speak, he enthusiastically said, “Secretary Zuo, welcome! I am Wang Shoucheng, the general manager of the Jintai Hotel. I am delighted to welcome Secretary Zuo to inspect and provide guidance for our work.”

Zuo Zhonghua is all too familiar with such situations. In today’s society, businessmen want to build relationships with the government. Once they do, it’s as if they have received an amulet; they see broad prospects for development.

Zuo Zhonghua finds such practices uncomfortable but has not changed anything about them. Society is just like this. Maintaining his composure and demonstrating the dignity of a Deputy Ministerial Level City Party Committee Secretary, Zuo Zhonghua lightly shook hands and said with a smile, “Mr. Wang, hello. This time I’m not here to inspect or guide the work. Director Nie from the Central Government’s Office Management Bureau and his delegation are staying at the Jintai Hotel. This time, I’ve come to visit Director Nie. I’m wondering which floor their rooms are on?”

Zuo Zhonghua’s words left Wang Shoucheng completely bewildered. The central leadership was staying here. Could there be a mistake? After being stunned momentarily, Wang Shoucheng found himself in an awkward situation, he said, “Secretary Zuo, I wasn’t aware that the leaders from the Central San Gong Office are staying here. Let me go and find out.”

Saying this, Wang Shoucheng quickly walked over to the reception. After a while, he returned to Zuo Zhonghua and reported, “Secretary Zuo, I’m clear now. Last night, no leaders from the Central San Gong Office checked in, However, there was a group of people from Jingcheng who checked in and stayed on the seventh floor and rented a small meeting room. Could they be the Central leadership?”

Upon hearing this, Zuo Zhonghua was certain that they must be from the San Gong Office, and promptly nodded, “Right, that’s them. I’ll head up to the seventh floor right away.”

Accompanied by Wang Shoucheng, Zuo Zhonghua went directly to the seventh floor and quickly found Li Jupeng. After introducing himself and explaining the reason for his visit, Li Jupeng nodded and said, “Secretary Zuo, please wait for a moment. I’ll inform them for you.”

…

“Director Nie, I’m truly sorry. We didn’t receive any prior news from the Provincial Committee, so we couldn’t receive you properly. Please accept my apology,” Zuo Zhonghua said humbly and apologised as soon as he entered the door.

Nie Zhenbang was inspecting Zuo Zhonghua at this moment. At first glance, he seemed like an honest and ordinary man, but his actions and arrangements from the previous day proved that he was not as simple as he appeared. So Nie also responded amiably, “Secretary Zuo, you’re too courteous. The inspection work of the San Gong Office is usually completed independently, and the Central Government has repeatedly made it clear. During inspection, the expenses for accommodation and meals are directly allocated by the national treasury to avoid disturbing the people and creating problems for local governments. Secretary Zuo, what apology do you owe? Last night, I saw the beautiful night view of Lianda City. Truly the pearl of the north. The economic development and construction of Lianda City are commendable, and Secretary Zuo has done an impressive job.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words made Zuo Zhonghua uncomfortable. Everyone knew that he had recently transferred to this new post, what was the point of such praise?

Zuo Zhonghua understood that despite Nie Zhenbang not voicing it out, he was displeased with his actions. After all, Nie, as a high-ranking official in the government, would not easily become a pawn in someone else’s game.

Zuo Zhonghua diverted the topic with an awkward smile, “Director Nie, you have extensive experience in developing the local economy, and you’ve achieved extraordinary results in Li State, Liangxi, and WangHai. This time, I mainly came to learn from you.”

On hearing this, Nie Zhenbang glanced at Zuo Zhonghua with a meaningful look. To be honest, his first impression of Zuo Zhonghua wasn’t very good.

From a political perspective, Zuo Zhonghua, as a member of the provincial party committee and secretary of the city party committee, demonstrated incompetence by failing to effectively carry out his work in Lianda City. You must know, as the first-in-command of the city committee, he had an obligation to uphold his authority. Moreover, he possessed veto power and was a member of the provincial party committee. From any perspective, it should have been easy for him to take control of the city. The fact that he hadn’t grasped this advantage demonstrated his incompetence.

From the perspective of timing, Zuo Zhonghua could only be considered mediocre. Knowing he was arriving yesterday, and given his inability to take control of the situation, it was necessary for Zuo Zhonghua to have received him. However, he considered this and that and didn’t appear at all. It wasn’t until today, after starting the formal work, that he realized he himself was not a simple individual and then came to curry favor. This feeling, resembling a leader testing the ability of his subordinate, made him seem arrogant, treating the San Gong Office like his subordinate.

Considering these aspects, Nie Zhenbang was, of course, not very satisfied with Zuo Zhonghua. However, Nie Zhenbang had to appease Zuo Zhonghua for he was an important component in his plan.

After a moment of silence, Nie Zhenbang responded with a smile, “Secretary Zuo, you flatter me. As far as secrets go, I don’t have any. Regardless of the task or the position, I prefer dealing with matters rather than people.”

With these words, Nie Zhenbang did not deceive Zuo Zhonghua. From his time at the Youth League to now, Nie truly had maintained this principle.

Hence, all his opponents, whether it was Zhou Chen, Li Guohua, or the Eastern Sea Group, have been left helpless against Nie. The reason being, Nie doesn’t have any dirt under his belt while his opponents certainly do.

Watching Zuo Zhonghua’s thoughtful expression, Nie Zhenbang seemed to relax a bit. Even though this man may have been incompetent, his ability to learn and comprehend was not bad.

After a pause, he looked at Zuo Zhonghua and said, “Secretary Zuo, it’s quite simple. Keep public interest at heart. Dedicate yourself to pragmatic work, based on reality. This way, no matter what conspiracies you face, they won’t affect you.”

Zuo Zhonghua also reflected on this for a while, then asked, “Director Nie, what should be done if the plan doesn’t even pass?” (.)