Chapter 1007: The Game Never Ends

Chapter 1007: Chapter 972: The Game Never Ends

Some words can only be kept in the heart, and Wang Jianming is no exception. When all eyes were on the Jiayue Square relic destruction incident, Wang Jianming was thinking about the true purpose of the person exposing the incident behind the scenes.

On the surface, the Huayuan Group was the most affected, but the discussions triggered by this event led to doubts about Dongzhou’s plan to rebuild its historical and cultural heritage. Some citizens even believed that such undertakings were a waste of effort and resources and that it would be better to do something that genuinely improved people’s livelihood.

After dinner, Wang Jianming walked alone by the lakeside. The final outcome of this matter had become quite clear; Li Yushan and Xiao Dong from the cultural and tourism bureau would both be taken down.

The personnel involved in the Jiayue Square incident were already under police control, and Jiayue Department Store’s stock price plummeted. The real controller, Tang Jingwei, was forced to transfer all projects in Dongzhou due to pressure. The most representative ones were Changxing Hospital and Jiayue Square. Where there is loss, there is always gain.

The recipient of Changxing Hospital was Jishi Medical Investment Co., Ltd., which acquired eighty percent of the Changxing Shares controlled by the Huayuan Group, with the remaining twenty percent still belonging to the Dongzhou Government.

Jiayue Square also reached a transfer agreement with Zhengdao Real Estate, which was a headache for Wang Jianming because Zhengdao Real Estate was founded by his uncle, Wang Zhengdao.

Since his youth, Wang Jianming intentionally kept a distance from the Wang Family. At one point, he felt he had succeeded, but upon taking charge in Dongzhou, he began to realize he could not escape the shadow of the Wang Family.

The moonlight was beautiful, shining on the dark lake surface, casting a sliver of silver light. Night winds gently caressed, rippling the lake, creating layers of fish scale-like reflections.

Wang Jianming had not taken the time to appreciate the scenery around him for a long time. He bent down, picked up a thin piece of stone, and forcefully threw it onto the water, watching as it skipped across the surface, breaking through the layers of reflections, leaving intermittent traces in the water.

He Wanying, dressed in sportswear, came to the lakeside, just in time to see Wang Jianming’s earlier actions. She couldn’t help but laugh and said, “How old are you now? Still acting like a child.”

Upon hearing his wife’s voice, Wang Jianming smiled. He turned around and said to his wife, “The wind by the lake is strong; be careful not to catch a cold.”

He Wanying said, “It’s alright, I’m dressed warmly. I just finished soaking in the hot springs, so I’m feeling warm. You should try it; it’s nice.”

Wang Jianming said, “You should go back. I want to stay alone for a while longer.”

He Wanying, knowing he had been in a bad mood these past two days, softly said, “Then I’ll go back first. Don’t stay out too late.”

Wang Jianming nodded, watching his wife leave. His gaze returned to the lake. Creating the historical and cultural heritage of Dongzhou is a great benefit for future generations from a long-term perspective. Qiao Rulong is willing to bring Hua Tou’s capital into the mix because of the future free trade zone.

Uncle Wang Zhengdao teamed up with the Lexus Group to invest in the China-Korea Industrial Park, and his intentions are also not pure.

How to balance the interests of all parties while attracting investment, how to ensure Dongzhou benefits the most, and how to truly benefit the people of Dongzhou—all these issues troubled Wang Jianming. When he first arrived in Dongzhou, he was confident that everything could be solved easily, but after working for some time, he realized that he was too optimistic at the beginning.

Every incident has its reason for occurring. If you connect several events together, you will find the possible connections among them.

No matter the background of the investors, their only goal is to maximize their own benefits. Investment is not charity. In their view, making money while promoting the economic development of Dongzhou is already the biggest charity. Worse yet, as long as they can make money, whether Dongzhou progresses or regresses has nothing to do with them.

As the helm of Dongzhou, Wang Jianming prioritizes Dongzhou’s interests. He needs foreign investment, but he won’t sacrifice Dongzhou’s interests to attract it. An inevitable struggle exists between him and these people. When the other party feels their interests are damaged or threatened, they will use certain means to warn him.

Such struggles between investors and the government, and among investors themselves, have never ceased.

Wang Jianming picked up another small stone. After throwing it, because the angle was controlled poorly, it sank into the lake after just a few skips.

Wang Jianming shook his head helplessly. At this moment, he heard splashing water. Someone was mimicking him by throwing a stone, but the stone clearly went much farther than his, skipping across the water into the distant darkness.

“As long as the strength is enough, it can go far,” Xu Chunliang’s voice sounded not far away.

Wang Jianming glanced at the young man, “Showing off in front of the leader is a big taboo in the system,” he himself couldn’t help but laugh after saying it.

Xu Chunliang said, “So late, you’re still sneaking out here? If you keep this up, it’s not just for a half day.”

Wang Jianming said, “You don’t understand, finding a quiet place is too difficult.”

Xu Chunliang said, “Looks like I’m disturbing you.”

Wang Jianming said, “No, I’m planning to go back now.”

Qin Zhengyang had Xu Chunliang come over to check on Wang Jianming because they felt uneasy with such a big leader alone by the lakeside. Qin Zhengyang himself didn’t dare to come; he thought Xu Chunliang was more suitable.

Xu Chunliang accompanied Wang Jianming back to the hotel.

Wang Jianming said, “Xiaoxu, what suggestions do you have for the development of Dongzhou Culture and Tourism?”

Xu Chunliang said, “What suggestions could I have? I feel that Dongzhou Culture and Tourism has been targeted recently. Our bureau hasn’t been established for long, yet there have been quite a few incidents. Someone will definitely have to take responsibility when something goes wrong, but that doesn’t mean the person responsible is necessarily at fault.”

Wang Jianming nodded. He was also helpless about this, but the rule of assigning responsibility is a constant in the system. Take the Jianjie Square incident, for example; he knew Li Yushan was quite wronged, but as the current head of the Culture and Tourism Bureau, he definitely couldn’t escape responsibility.

If Wang Jianming wanted to protect him, he could still keep Li Yushan, but Li Yushan happens to lack capability, and Wang Jianming is not willing to expend energy on such a person. Moreover, he plans to reshuffle Dongzhou Culture and Tourism, and this just happens to be a good opportunity.

Xu Chunliang said, “Actually, Dongzhou Culture and Tourism has good resources, but lacks a clear-headed leader…” He realized he might have misspoken and quickly clarified, “I don’t mean you.”

Wang Jianming laughed, “It’s better to say it face-to-face than behind one’s back.”

Xu Chunliang said, “Don’t be unjust to me; I was referring to the Culture and Tourism Bureau. Li Yushan is a conservative old cadre, not to mention the former head, Fu Guomin, who was also a novice in tourism. Doing tourism first requires understanding promotion, yet none of the officials in the Culture and Tourism Bureau are qualified.

Wang Jianming said, “Are there any suitable candidates? Recommend one to me.”

Xu Chunliang laughed, “You’re giving me a tough problem here. Tell me what kind of Culture and Tourism Bureau head you want.”

Wang Jianming said, “Someone who understands promotion, has keen insight into public opinion, can quickly avoid and control risks, works calmly, has strong adaptability, and can unite colleagues.”

Xu Chunliang scratched his head, “It sounds like you’re describing me. I fit all these criteria.”

Wang Jianming laughed heartily, “Do you really want others to say I’m nepotistic?”

Xu Chunliang knew it wasn’t possible for him, but Wang Jianming’s criteria reminded him of a suitable person: Lu Ming. Lu Ming has strong work capabilities and was once one of the youngest deputy division chiefs in Dongzhou. However, like Fan Lidada, he got stuck at this level.

Lu Ming had invited Xu Chunliang to dinner last time, hoping to find a way through him, but out of pride, he didn’t mention it in the end. Even though he didn’t say it, Xu Chunliang had heard about it from Lu Qi before, so he kept it in mind. Since there’s such a good opportunity now, there’s no reason not to recommend one of his own.

Xu Chunliang said, “After hearing this, I thought of a suitable candidate.” He introduced Lu Ming and recommended him for another reason: Fan Lidada gets along well with Lu Ming personally, and if Lu Ming were to take the position at the Culture and Tourism Bureau, Fan Lidada would likely give strong support.

Wang Jianming, although not expressing his opinion, remembered Lu Ming’s name. He is quite satisfied with Dongzhou’s network supervision work during this period, and in today’s diverse and chaotic online era, if one can manage this aspect well, it surely proves their work capabilities are not bad.

Wang Jianming had people in mind himself. Before Xu Chunliang recommended Lu Ming, he had considered at least three individuals. Having Xu Chunliang recommend wasn’t just for Xu Chunliang’s suggestion, but also to look at the problem from a different angle.

Although Wang Jianming is the top leader in Dongzhou, many times, what he wants to see is what others let him see. That’s why he hasn’t used any recommended secretaries but chose Qin Zhengyang.

Wang Jianming’s identity and the nature of his work determine that he can’t spend too much energy investigating all the cadres. He is well aware that the selection rules in the system have long been established. The candidates provided by the relevant departments are only those they deem suitable, but not necessarily usable, and not necessarily the ones most suitable for Wang Jianming.

Xu Chunliang escorted Wang Jianming to his residence. As he was turning back, he encountered Ye Qingya and Xue Anning, who had just enjoyed the hot spring.

Although they have private baths in their residences, they seized the opportunity while the hotel’s public area hadn’t officially opened to fully experience and enjoy the effects of different hot spring pools.

Xu Chunliang said, “How do you two feel?”

Xue Anning said, “How come I never heard about Weishan Island having so many hot springs before? These hot springs aren’t fake, are they? How do they compare with the water quality of the brewery hot spring?”

Xu Chunliang said, “It’s directly piped from the brewery hot spring, with underground pipes laid; the water quality is identical.”