At one in the morning, in the Provincial Direct Organs Family Residence Building, Jiangnan District, Huichuan City.
A woman wearing a black double-breasted trench coat, high heels, and a gray mask cautiously poked half of her head out of the entrance to the corridor.
She looked left and right, confirmed no one else was around, and then quickly ran toward the man standing by the flower bed.
“Isn’t this the esteemed Department Director’s young lady? What, coming downstairs in the middle of the night to meet a country bumpkin selling oranges?” Chen Donglai teased quietly.
“It’s done,” Ming Yuezhao’s face flushed slightly. Ignoring Chen Donglai’s playful remark, she said softly, “Today, oh, yesterday, I spoke with the Deputy Director in charge, and they approved 1.1 million. Also,”
Ming Yuezhao shifted her stance. She didn't usually wear high heels and was still a bit unaccustomed to them now. “Don’t tell Secretary Wangbei in the morning. Wait until the funds pass the department meeting during the day tomorrow, and my dad will call personally.”
“Tomorrow morning at the Huichuan Building. If you have news, just call the landline,” Chen Donglai breathed a sigh of relief; the matter was settled.
Although he wasn't deeply invested in this "lobbying for funds" project, as long as Secretary Yue Wangbei was satisfied, he would benefit too.
“Aren’t you hot?” He looked at Ming Yuezhao, who was wearing a trench coat. The belt cinched her waist, making her graceful figure faintly visible.
“It’s the middle of summer, why wear this?” Chen Donglai whispered next to Ming Yuezhao. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t need to wear so much? Aren’t you really hot?”
Ming Yuezhao remained silent, her cheeks flushed. She linked arms with Chen Donglai and walked out of the residential compound.
……
At five in the morning, Xijiang Hotel, Jiangnan District, Huichuan City.
Secretary Yue Wangbei spared no expense to treat people to a meal at the Xijiang Hotel, and Chen Donglai was willing to spare no expense to let his girlfriend stay a night at the Xijiang Hotel. After all, it had been a long time since they last met since Chen Donglai reported for duty in Yong'an.
However, they clearly wouldn't stay the whole night.
Just past five in the morning, Chen Donglai had finished washing up and was dressing, buttoning his shirt. He had to accompany Secretary Yue Wangbei to visit the General Manager of Huichuan Shipbuilding Industry Company in the morning, so his attire had to be appropriate.
Ming Yuezhao, however, was still lying in bed. She buried her head in the quilt, her fair calves exposed outside, murmuring softly.
“If you don’t go home soon, your aunt and uncle will be waking up,” Chen Donglai warned Ming Yuezhao while fastening his buttons in front of the mirror.
“I don’t care,” Ming Yuezhao’s voice was intermittent. “Just let it be, I might as well die.”
Knowing his girlfriend’s mind was in a shutdown state, Chen Donglai went into the bathroom, soaked a towel with cold water, and gently wiped Ming Yuezhao’s flushed face.
The cold sensation on her face made Ming Yuezhao jump up like a startled rabbit. “I’ll go take a shower now, wait for me.”
Chen Donglai glanced at his watch, silently calculating the time; then he looked at his dawdling girlfriend and sighed. He feared they might need to take a taxi to make it on time.
……
At nine in the morning, the top floor of the Huichuan Building, Huidu District, Huichuan City.
The Huichuan Building was sixteen stories high, constructed three years ago, and was one of the premier high-rise buildings in Huichuan City. In the economic and political center of Huidu District, only the Qinglong Mining and Metallurgy Building and the Ping An Automobile Building could compare to the Huichuan Building.
Secretary Yue Wangbei was sitting in the General Manager's office with two subordinates. He could tell the General Manager was not very enthusiastic. If his Old Leader, the Political Commissar of the Huichuan Military Region, hadn't called him, he probably wouldn't have even gotten into the office.
“Equity investment, what technology does Yong'an Shipyard possess that is worth our investment?” The General Manager seemed to hear a joke. “The maximum tonnage they can build is one thousand tons. To be honest, that tonnage is only good enough for tourism.”
He flipped through the materials in his hand and glanced at them casually. “Manufacturing large-tonnage inland river cargo vessels is not as simple as you think. The cost of building just the dry dock alone requires a huge sum of money.”
Seeing the disappointed look on Secretary Yue Wangbei’s face, the General Manager felt a bit of sympathy. After all, this was an introduction from an acquaintance, and it was difficult to completely disregard face. So, he added:
“Yong'an Port can indeed be called a good port; I don't deny that. However, we must consider that the Xi River section between Yong'an and Wuyang has swift currents, which is indeed unsuitable for setting up a large dry dock. If it were set up on the tributary, the Maowu River, then at most, they could build small ships of 3,000 tons, which wouldn't be very meaningful.”
“If the Wuyang Dam stores water up to 135 meters, Yong'an Port will be sufficient to dock large cargo ships of 7,000 tons; if the water is stored up to 156 meters, then docking ten-thousand-ton vessels will be more than enough,” Chen Donglai said, unable to bear seeing the disappointed expressions of Secretary Yue Wangbei and Yang Xiaoshan.
“That is indeed true.” The General Manager looked at Chen Donglai, who had dark circles under his eyes, and couldn't help but think highly of him. “This is precisely why the Wuyang Dam needs to be built. As long as the Xi River can store water, the shipping value of our Huichuan can be maximized.”
……
As noon approached, the three stood in the lounge on the top floor of the Huichuan Building. Secretary Yue Wangbei stood before the panoramic glass, looking out over the city, where the buildings of Huichuan, large and small, were laid out before him.
Although gazing into the distance could broaden one’s mind, Secretary Yue Wangbei only felt stifled at that moment. His trip to Huichuan had three goals: first, to secure funds for the renovation of the old Coal Mine; second, to persuade the Huichuan Company to invest in Yong'an Shipyard; and third, to visit an Old Leader he hadn't seen in years.
Only the third objective had been accomplished...
Secretary Yue Wangbei thought of the Standing Committee Members who had opposed him before—Xiao Wang, Luo Qiyuan, Bai Xia... His failure was their success. Returning to Yong'an in disgrace would surely let them gloat.
“Damn it, we’ll just have to resort to drastic measures.” Secretary Yue Wangbei slammed his sandbag-sized fist against the wall, causing the entire wall to emit a dull thud. Compromise? Impossible! He had specifically transferred his confidant to the Yong'an County Commission for Discipline Inspection precisely for this moment when they had to drop all pretense.
Is there no other way to break the deadlock besides turning everything upside down...?
If he truly caused an earthquake in the officialdom of Yong'an, while it would satisfy him immensely, it would cause huge trouble for the Prefectural Committee. Stability overrides everything; if the County Party Committee leadership team became unstable, he would certainly be reprimanded by the Prefectural Committee.
Secretary Yue Wangbei was not afraid of being sidelined or losing his post; he was only afraid of implicating his close friend. Deputy Secretary of the Prefectural Committee, Jiang Ziliu, had repeatedly recommended him to the Prefectural Committee, which is how he secured the position of Yong'an County Party Secretary. If he threw Yong'an into chaos, it would inevitably affect Secretary Ziliu’s reputation.
If only politics were as simple as war! Secretary Yue Wangbei sighed inwardly.
“Secretary Yue, a call from the Department of Coal Industry,” Chen Donglai pushed the door open. “Now!”
Secretary Yue Wangbei’s somber gaze suddenly lit up. He took two steps that covered three paces and walked out; by the end, he was even jogging. He picked up the receiver and heard the familiar voice of Ming Jinggao:
“Comrade Wangbei, the Special Fund of 1.1 million has passed the department meeting this morning. Do you want it transferred to the County Finance Bureau account first, or should the department transfer it directly to the several Coal Mines?”
“Thank you, Department Director Ming! Please transfer it to the County Finance Bureau. On behalf of the sixteen thousand Coal Miners of Yong'an County, I thank you!”
A smile finally appeared on his face. After profusely thanking Ming Jinggao, he finally hung up the phone. The deadlock was broken!
“Donglai, you deserve the primary credit!” Secretary Yue Wangbei clapped Chen Donglai on the shoulder. Why would the call come directly from the Department of Coal Industry to the Huichuan Company? Without thinking, he knew Chen Donglai must have communicated with Ming Jinggao in advance.
What is thoughtfulness? This is thoughtfulness!
Secretary Yue Wangbei’s praise made Yang Xiaoshan, standing nearby, feel a pang of envy. Why didn't he have connections like that...?