Qi Tongwei: Sign-in relationship started during student days

Chapter 1062 Year of the Happiness (2)

Qu Zhengping, who was standing to the side, then chimed in, his tone carrying a hint of advice: "That's right, Guanglei, Beishan City, where you are, is not an easy place to live."

Let's not even talk about the mess in terms of the economy. The key issue is your mayor, Qi Tongwei, who has a powerful background and a domineering style.

If you team up with him, you're likely to suffer some grievances in the future.

However, you don't need to worry. There are all kinds of people in officialdom, but those who are domineering don't last long.

Xia Guanglei's mind raced, as if he had sensed something. "I wouldn't say I feel wronged, but this mayor is indeed a bit difficult to work with. I wonder if Governor Qu has any good ideas?"

Qu Zhengping smiled and said, "That's a good idea. He wants to be the 'number one,' so let's make him the number one."

Xia Guanglei understood what Qu Zhengping meant.

Praise!

In officialdom, everything is governed by rules. If you're really in charge, being a little domineering isn't a big problem.

If a deputy becomes domineering and sidelines the leader, that would be a big problem.

He then thought about Qi Tongwei's behavior during this period, looking for his domineering actions.

But he suddenly realized that although this mayor had restrained him in everything, he had never really clashed with him in the Standing Committee meeting, let alone acted domineeringly.

At the first Standing Committee meeting, there was some debate regarding Duan Feng's concurrent appointment, but in the end, the other side made a timely concession.

The second time, also regarding Duan Feng, they did not pursue him to the bitter end, but instead took a step back, fully demonstrating their political bottom line and political literacy.

Looking back and down at it, I realized that I had gone even further than I had.

Thinking about it, Xia Guanglei broke out in a cold sweat.

It seemed as if Qi Tongwei had been leading her by the nose the whole time. Unconsciously, she had already built up an extremely negative image.

"Governor Qu, could you be more specific?" Xia Guanglei took a deep breath.

"Specifics? That's easy." Qu Zhengping took a sip of hot tea, his fingertips gently tracing the rim of the cup, a barely perceptible glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "Doesn't Qi Tongwei want to be the top dog? Then let's set up the stage for him and let him take the lead."

He leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, but spoke clearly: "Hasn't the restructuring of Hansteel been stuck for a long time?"

It seems that the higher authorities intend to place Hansteel under provincial management. Once this is decided, the province will definitely go along with it and hand it over to you.

When the time comes, you can bring it up at the Standing Committee meeting and hand over this responsibility to him, saying, "Mayor Qi has experience in economic work, and he is the most suitable person to lead this project."

I believe he will not refuse, because once Hansteel is revived, Beishan will inevitably be upgraded.

Who would refuse a 30-year-old deputy provincial-level official?

Jiang Zhongliu then chimed in, “Once he accepts, the provincial media will create momentum, and I’ll put him on the front page and headline, portraying him as a pragmatic mayor who is wholeheartedly dedicated to development.”

Xia Guanglei was either too young or hadn't figured out the intricacies of the situation.

"Isn't this just handing him his grades?"

"Results?" Qu Zhengping sneered. "Han Steel is a huge operation, involving a lot of messy accounts and a complex web of vested interests, denser than a spider web."

Qi Tongwei wants to take bold and decisive actions, which will inevitably offend many people in the "Han Steel Group," and these people will give him a lot of trouble.

If he tries to muddle through, and the project flops, he'll be the first to be blamed.

When the time comes, the more powerful he is as the "top leader," the more devastating his fall will be.

In this way, you can take control of the situation in Beishan.

Even if we take a step back and assume he actually succeeded...

Don't you benefit even more? You've become a deputy provincial-level official, and you might even be promoted to the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Therefore, no matter how you calculate it, you can't lose money in this deal.

Xia Guanglei suddenly realized.

Jiang Zhongliu chimed in from the side, slowly adding, "Guanglei, the art of flattery in officialdom is all about 'going along with their wishes and indulging their desires.' If they want to climb higher, you hand them a ladder, but that ladder has to be placed on the edge of a cliff. Once they've climbed higher, you gently give them a push..."

The three exchanged a smile, seemingly already foreseeing Qi Tongwei's fate.

……

Qi Tongwei was invited to dinner at Yu Huabei's house as usual, but this time the cook was the housekeeper, not Mayor Tian.

Oh, no, we should address him as Chairman Tian now.

When the topic of the newly appointed chairman of the Writers Association came up, Yu Huabei was furious and gave Tian Fengyi a good scolding in front of Qi Tongwei.

Qi Tongwei listened patiently for a full half hour before he finally understood the ins and outs of this farce.

It turns out that last time Tian Fengyi was rejected when he was applying for a job in North China with that painting by Zheng Banqiao, he turned around and, carrying his precious painting, practically wore down the threshold of several members of the Provincial Party Committee.

After all this charade, he didn't even get a glimpse of the powerful position of a department-level official. Instead, the joke about "Chairman Tian seeking an official post" spread throughout the entire Hanjiang officialdom.

This caused Yu Huabei to be subjected to a barrage of sarcastic remarks from Pei Yihong, which made him extremely embarrassed.

"Tongwei, how could I have been so blind as to promote such a power-hungry bastard? Huh?!" Yu Huabei's chest heaved with anger. "He's willing to throw away all his dignity for a mere official hat."

"And he's a university professor! What kind of good students can someone like that produce?!"

Qi Tongwei lowered his eyelids, neither responding nor pleading, and listened silently, offering him a cup of tea to calm him down.

They continued hurling insults until dinner, at which point Yu Huabei finally released most of his pent-up frustration.

Steaming hot food was brought to the table, and Madam Yu invited everyone to sit down.

At the small dining table, Yu Huabei and his wife, Yu Xiaoxiao, and Qi Tongwei sat in a circle.

The warm yellow light shone on the food, and the clinking of bowls and chopsticks was crisp and pleasant, revealing a touch of the warmth of an ordinary family.

Qi Tongwei looked up at Yu Xiaoxiao, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart—this scene was a bit like going back to his father-in-law's house for the Chinese New Year.

Thinking back on all these years, I've had quite a few women, but the number of times I've actually spent the Lunar New Year openly and legitimately at my father-in-law's house is truly very small.

When Liang Qunfeng found out about his relationship with Liang Lu, his father-in-law, who was the provincial political and legal secretary, did not approve of him at first, so they never had a proper meal together.

Tang Yu, needless to say, had his father-in-law sacrifice himself long ago.

The only one who acted openly and honestly was Luo Qian. Her father was an intellectual, and back in Handong, when his position wasn't very high, he had done it a few times.

When Yu Xiaoxiao saw Qi Tongwei staring at her like that, she seemed to realize something, her face flushed, and she glared back.

Yu Huabei didn't notice this scene. Suddenly remembering the important matter, he put down his chopsticks and asked Qi Tongwei, "By the way, Tongwei, how did your talk with Secretary Pei go today?"

Qi Tongwei put down his wine glass and recounted the entire conversation with Pei Yihong in detail.