Official Career Storm

Chapter 1735: Chapter 1735

In Song Guanchao’s view, this pollution incident is not entirely a bad thing.

At the very least, it made the situation clearer.

Who’s a friend, who’s an enemy, who can become a friend... all appeared one by one.

Wu Qiangwei looked at his face full of calm confidence, and her agitation quietly dissipated.

During her tenure in Lingjiang, she handled things with ease and composure.

Upon arriving in Jiangzhou, however, she felt constrained, with nowhere to channel her energy.

At every critical moment, it was Song Guanchao who stepped up to share the pressure for her.

She realized she had developed a slight dependency on Song Guanchao.

She knew this was wrong; she shouldn’t have such thoughts.

It’s not about pride; but as a Mayor, if she becomes restless at the first sign of trouble and relies on others, what would she do in the future when Song Guanchao is not there?

Moreover, relying on Song Guanchao for everything suggests her abilities aren’t improving.

Song Guanchao didn’t know what she was thinking as he got up and walked toward her.

Not until he was in front of her did Wu Qiangwei suddenly awake, looking up at the smiling Song Guanchao.

"You..." Once she opened her mouth, Song Guanchao had already reached out to grab her wrist, pulling her up from the seat and into his arms.

A pair of large hands roamed her smooth back and round buttocks, one above and one below.

The rare physical intimacy made Wu Qiangwei tremble slightly as if electrified.

"Don’t..." Wu Qiangwei gently pushed him, casting a panicked glance toward the door, fearing someone might come in at this moment.

Song Guanchao gripped her bottom, pulling her closer, and murmured, "After the meeting, I’ll come to you. Let’s celebrate properly."

Wu Qiangwei’s cheeks flushed, and she lightly retorted, "The meeting hasn’t even started and you’re already thinking of popping champagne halfway. Who knows what will happen that day."

Song Guanchao said, "You’re right; let’s put it this way, regardless of how it turns out, I’ll come find you after the meeting."

He squeezed her bottom, whispering in her ear, "Remember to wear stockings."

"I won’t wear them!" Wu Qiangwei’s heartbeat quickened at his words, with a trace of anticipation growing within her.

Her body, under his touch, went soft and limp.

"Stop touching me, get out," Wu Qiangwei weakly pushed him away with her soft arms.

Song Guanchao bit her lip before releasing her, saying, "I’ll go ahead."

He had just left, and Wu Qiangwei collapsed weakly into her chair, her breath still slightly hot.

...

The weekend quickly passed, and before long, Monday arrived.

The expanded City Committee meeting officially commenced.

A host of cadres gathered in the City Committee’s large conference room.

This was the first expanded meeting that Song Guanchao attended after arriving in Jiangzhou.

At the head of the long table was Zhou Zheng, with Wu Qiangwei and Lv Jie sitting on either side, while the remaining committee members sat in rank order.

The others sat along the long table on either side.

As a bureau-level unit’s deputy bureau-level cadre and as the City Government Office Director, Song Guanchao sat in the fourth row.

In front of him were the district secretaries, district chiefs, and heads of the city’s direct departments.

At precisely 9:50, an elderly man with a head full of white hair entered the meeting room, none other than Yang Gaolin.

His appearance widened the eyes of most cadres.

The leaders attending today’s expanded meeting mostly had been working within the system since Yang Gaolin’s time as Jiangzhou’s Mayor.

Back then, they were mere underlings who only witnessed Governor Yang’s governance from afar, during Jiangzhou City’s rapid development.

They hadn’t qualified to interact with Governor Yang, let alone be remembered by him.

To most, Yang Gaolin was a towering figure.

So when he appeared in the meeting room, everyone fell silent.

Until someone called out, "Governor Yang!"

Yang Gaolin looked at the person and smiled, "What Governor Yang? Just call me Mr. Yang."

Before entering politics, he had been a teacher, making the title fitting.

A group of people called out ’Mr. Yang.’

Zhou Zheng and the others stood up to shake his hand, not daring to neglect him.

Someone pulled a chair, letting him sit closest to the table.

Yang Gaolin didn’t refuse and sat down.

His arrival was a minor highlight.

At exactly ten o’clock, the meeting officially began.

Zhou Zheng conventionally spoke some official and diplomatic words, then proceeded to discuss one agenda item after another, with votes taken one by one.

These meetings were very tedious; for every hour, fifty minutes were spent talking about irrelevant matters, with only ten minutes for discussing issues and voting.

Often, the pointless talk isn’t due to a lack of ability from the leaders but is intentional.

You could consider it an exercise of authority.

I am the leader; even if what I say is pointless, you must listen.

Like during student days, the teacher was the absolute authority.

When the teacher spoke on stage, students below weren’t allowed any mischief.

This was an early manifestation of power.

By doing so, they plant a seed named "obedience" in every subordinate’s mind.

As time approached noon, the meeting gradually approached its conclusion.

But everyone knew that the real focus of today’s meeting was just about to start.

"Next, let’s discuss the issue of the 22 pollution-related companies in the chemical park," Zhou Zheng said, "Mayor Wu, please speak."

Wu Qiangwei wasted no words, immediately suggesting, "I propose we shut down and reform all pollution-related companies."

The committee members already expected her words.

After she spoke, the committee members silently scanned the attending cadres.

If this were an ordinary committee meeting, the committee would just vote and decide.

But since Wu Qiangwei requested an expanded meeting, it naturally meant giving these cadres a chance to express their thoughts.

Before the meeting, some had already hinted at the leaders’ preferences to these cadres, like Zhou Zheng.

However, deciding who would first stand against was a significant issue.

The first to stand has the opportunity to get on board with Zhou Zheng, but also truly takes an opposing stance to Wu Qiangwei.

Most are cautious, not wanting to offend either Zhou Zheng or Wu Qiangwei.

Yet, some don’t mind offending Wu Qiangwei. After all, once a side is chosen, it can’t be changed; it’s a single-choice question.

"I..." One cadre was about to speak, but another strong voice interrupted, "I have a couple of things to say."

As soon as this person spoke, he drew the attention of everyone in the room.

The speaker was none other than Vice Mayor Chang Hai.

With dozens of eyes on him, Chang Hai felt not an ounce of pressure.

His expression serious, he swept a glance across the crowd before finally alighting on several committee members, saying, "First, let me express my stance; I support Mayor Wu’s decision."

Zhou Zheng felt displeased and gestured for the next speaker: "Next."

"I haven’t finished," Chang Hai’s words surprised everyone.

He must indeed be bold, speaking to the secretary so daringly as a Vice Mayor.

Zhou Zheng repressed his displeasure: "Speak."

Chang Hai took out a USB stick and placed it on the table: "This contains the raw interview footage by journalists regarding the pollution incident."

Some people didn’t think much of it, but the more meticulous-minded caught on to the phrase "raw interview footage."

This was the original footage, not what had sparked the online furor.

How did he obtain the raw footage?

Could it be that the interviewing journalist was planted by him?

Zhou Zheng and his colleagues caught onto his implication as their expressions subtly shifted.

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