Chapter Fifty-One: No Enemies Meet by Chance

  Continental Grand Hotel Western Restaurant.

  Wang Husheng looked at the knife and fork in his hand and suddenly let out a soft sigh.

  It's been many, many years since he last had Western food. Now, he should recall the life of luxury and comfort in his childhood in Shanghai. No matter how one's living environment changes, memories from adolescence are always hard to erase.

  "Zhengzi, this... is too wasteful. I thought we were just going to have a casual snack." Wang Husheng shook his head, but as he looked at the food on the plate, his eyes became somewhat dazed, and he couldn't help but think of many things from the past.

  Wang Husheng has been formally appointed as a member of the Communist Party of China's Wuxi Municipal Committee, Standing Committee and Vice Mayor.

  However, he is still as humble and unassuming as before, except when addressing Lu Zhong, he uses the more affectionate nickname "Zhongzi", he is still the same kind-hearted and modest old man.

  "This won't set a precedent." Lu Zhong said with a smile.

  Wang Husheng sighed softly and said, "Yes, you're going down soon too. From now on, we won't have many chances to eat alone together." It seems he's quite reluctant to part with this young friend and sworn brother.

  Lu Zhong smiled and said, "I'd love to eat and drink with you all the time, but I'm afraid someone will say we're forming a clique. And I'm the kind of person who loves to show off and stir up trouble. You, on the other hand, won't even have time to avoid me in the future."

  "What's with the eating and drinking? Are you a friend of wine and meat?" Wang Husheng laughed and scolded Lu Zhong, he really had no way to deal with this little friend. Shaking his head, he said: "After you go down, you can't do this again, you have to pay attention to the influence, the grassroots are not like the city, what I'm most afraid of is the saliva star, ah, you've been in the grassroots before, and this old guy has been playing tricks."

  Put down the knife and fork, Wang Husheng said in a very serious tone: "I'm not afraid to say that I'm pulling together, I suggest you go down, and repeatedly recommend you to Secretary Zhongyuan, because I think you're very capable, managing a piece of land can make people use their talents to the fullest, I also believe in you, and you can achieve something."

  Lu Zhong put away his smile and said slowly: "I understand, thank you for your trust."

  Wang Husheng smiled slightly and said, "I'm not afraid of being implicated with you either. Everyone has seen how you've been treating Director Yu Gong. Although there are rumors outside that you have economic ties with him and that there's a problem, you haven't avoided suspicion. You're young, but you value loyalty and righteousness, which is rare. Secretary Zhongyuan hasn't explicitly said it, but I can tell he appreciates this about you too."

  As he spoke, Wang Huo Sheng let out a soft sigh, "However, many things, the impact that should be noted still needs to be noted, after all, there's no smoke without fire."

  Lu Zheng nodded silently, and could clearly feel that after Mayor Huo joined the party, he no longer had the carefree and leisurely spirit of his previous life, as if some inexplicable pressure was consuming him.

  Promotion and ennoblement, is it really a good thing for him?

  ……

  Coming out of the Western restaurant, walking on the thick red carpet in the long corridor, a figure emerged from the corner of the Chinese department's entrance hall, almost colliding with Lu Zhong.

  "Partners?" Lu Zhong reacted faster than ordinary people, smiling and extending his hand first.

  It was Feng Lianying who came out of the Chinese department, and after shaking hands with Lu Zhong, he also saw Wang Husheng, busy smiling and greeting Wang Husheng: "Mayor Wang, you are here too."

  Wang Husheng nodded slightly and made a gesture, indicating that Lu Zhong and Feng Lianying should talk, while he walked towards the elevator.

  "I'll send Mayor Hu on his way first and then come back to chat with you," said Lu Zhong as he chased after him.

  Feng Lianying looked at the back of the two people, and a hint of deep thought flashed in his eyes.

  From a long time ago, Lu Zhong had warned him when he was half drunk at the Bai Le Men nightclub, saying that Wushan would have a big change.

  At that time, even Director Zhang Yugong did not smell a hint of wind, and Feng Lianying almost thought that Lu Zhong was talking nonsense. Who would have known that half a month later, the Central Investigation Team arrived in Wushan, completely changing the political situation in Wushan.

  Now, Lu Zhong has also joined Wang Husheng's line, is it? Is Wang Husheng the future successor of Wushan No. 1 that the top leaders have their eyes on?

  However, Wang Husheng is not young anymore. In the Special Economic Zone, the central government has always liked to appoint young and strong officials, such as the Secretary of the Central Plains, who is still under 50 years old this year. Even if he serves for one term, Mayor Husheng will be close to retirement age by then. What kind of baton is being passed on?

  Is Zhongyuan Secretary just passing through Wushan? But it doesn't seem like that, the party and government are in charge of everything, no matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem like he's just here to temporarily stabilize the situation.

  Just as Feng Lianying was indulging in wild fancies, Lu Zhong walked back.

  "How's it going? Has work been arranged?" Feng Lianying had already received the news that Lu Zhong would be reused.

  Feng Lianying is now in a difficult situation, also due to Zhang Yugong's relationship. Although he was not temporarily suspended from his duties, he was transferred from being the Director of the Labor and Personnel Bureau to becoming the Director of the Old Cadre Bureau. In the ranking of Deputy Heads of the Organization Department, he is listed only after the full-time personnel, but has been basically stripped of his powers. The new tasks assigned to him are all trivial matters, including taking care of the lives of old cadres, as well as work related to the Party Member E-Learning Center and the Party History Research Association.

  So he now has limited insider information and is not very clear about Lu Zhong's affairs.

  Lu Zhong smiled and said: "It's almost there, but let's wait for the organization to make it clear."

  Nunu mouth, Lu Zhong asked: "Who are you having dinner with?"

  Feng Lianying sighed: "Chen Weidong."

  Lu Zhong thought for a moment and asked strangely: "Is he Secretary of Central Plains?"

  "It was him." A hint of disgust flashed in Feng Lianying's eyes.

  Lu Zhong said: "Then you'd better go in, it's not good to keep people waiting."

  Feng Lianying shook his head and said, "Nothing's wrong, someone is with him. I'm feeling a bit stifled, let's go out for a walk." He pointed to the coffee shop diagonally across from them, "How about going in for a cup of coffee?"

  Lu Zhong smiled and nodded, but in his heart, he let out a soft sigh. No wonder Feng Lianying was depressed. Originally the most popular middle-level cadre in Wushan, now he had to serve as the secretary of some unknown person from who-knows-where. The contrast between their situations was so great, it was only natural to feel a sense of regret.

  Official career, sometimes it's really a matter of timing and fate. If you follow the wrong person, you can only blame your fate. Take Liu Baojun for example. Originally, he wasn't in the same league as Feng Lianying at all, but now his upward momentum is very obvious. It seems that he has more prospects than Feng Lianying.

  However, Feng Lianying has some foundation in this regard, and the current predicament should be temporary.

  Thinking of this, Lu Zhong patted Feng Lianying's shoulder: "Lianying, if you need my help, just tell me straightforwardly. I can't help with other things, but small things are always possible, such as Chen Weidong, do you want me to go in and knock him down now?"

  Feng Lianying was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said: "It's not needed now, maybe later, who knows if we'll really need it then, don't try to shirk the responsibility." The meaning behind Lu Zhong's words wasn't that simple, Feng Lianying could naturally hear it.

  They entered a coffee shop and sat in a quiet corner where they could talk more easily.

  "I'm going down, it should be the poorest county." Lu Zhong said suddenly while sipping his coffee.

  Feng Lianying was taken aback: "Qing Long?"

  Lu Zhong nodded slightly.

  Feng Lianying thought for a moment: "Hmmm, Liu Pingnan is temporarily idle, Ma Weiguo has been promoted to county party secretary, I heard that old Zhang from the ministry is going down to be the county magistrate, you are the third in command?" Then he immediately sighed with a bitter smile: "You and Ma Weiguo don't seem to get along well? This position isn't easy to do, but it's better than being in the city. In the city, especially your committee, the director is always holding onto power, not giving you any room to maneuver. Your abilities are not in question, in Guangning, if you hadn't been rushed, you would have already achieved results by now. Jiang Haiyan's methods, aren't they all learned from you?"

  He shook his head and said, "It's just strange that Secretary Zhongyuan doesn't understand the situation. Old Wang should be clear about it, right? Ma Weiguo had even arrested people to gather black materials against you back then. Isn't he afraid of causing trouble by putting you all together?" The 'Old Wang' in his mouth referred to Vice Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Director of the Organization Department, Wang Sixi.

  Lu Zhong smiled: "I don't have a big relationship with Director Wang, I also tried to get it myself."

  Feng Lianying was stunned: "You volunteered for it, going under Qing Long? Working under Ma Weiguo's command?"

  Lu Zhong said: "It's not like he's under his command either, we formed a team with him, he was in charge of the party and I was in charge of government. Your department's Old Zhang went to Mingxi, and it was me who appointed Qinglong as county magistrate."

  Feng Lianying was stunned again, and then smiled: "Well, congratulations to you! Come on, coffee instead of wine, I'll toast you a cup." Unexpectedly, Lu Zhong wasn't implicated by Director Yu Gong at all, but instead got promoted.

  This Lu Zhong is really not simple at all.

  Only Feng Lianying still had some doubts, why Lu Zhong actively asked to go down to Qinglong?

  "Feng Lianying said seriously: 'Zhuangzi, I consider you a friend, and there are some things I need to tell you first. As a person, one cannot be impulsive or reckless, especially for us politicians. You can't just go down there and think too much about other things, the most important thing is to achieve something. The situation in Qinglong is complicated, and some areas of the masses do not want to dissolve the commune. Let's not go down there just to prove a point and argue with people, it will ultimately harm the ordinary people and also harm yourself.'"

  "I may have been a bit harsh, but it's all from the heart, you think about it yourself."

  Lu Zhong didn't expect Feng Lianying to say such things to him, and he was somewhat taken aback. As someone who handled party affairs, year in and year out, the work content was almost all about scheming against people and struggling with them. He never thought that Feng Lianying would have such thoughts.

  Lu Zhong nodded slightly: "Don't worry about the joint venture, it's precisely because Qinglong is poor that I want to go down, I know what I should do."

  Feng Lianying smiled and said, "I also think I'm worrying for nothing. Don't mind what I just said, because I suddenly thought of a friend who looks like you, but he's really arrogant. But thinking carefully, you might be even more proud than him, but your ability is much stronger than his, so I was just worrying for nothing."

  Lu Zhong smiled and said, "Since we're partners, let's not be polite. You don't need to explain so much. The fact that you can say these things to me means you consider me a friend, and what you said is correct. I do want to bring some changes to Qinglong, and it's also true that I want to give my old rival a hard time. You don't know, several of my rivals have gone to Qinglong, and this time I'm going down there to settle the score with them once and for all."

  Feng Lianying couldn't help but smile wryly: "You're always joking around, aren't you?" Ziran thought that Lu Zhong was just kidding.

  "Let's go, don't keep Chen Weidong waiting. Let's cherish each other in our partnership."

  Feng Lianying nodded slightly, "You too, may your journey be smooth!"

  ……

  In early December 1985, Lu Zhong was appointed as a member of the Communist Party Committee of Qinglong County, a standing committee member and deputy secretary, and nominated as a candidate for county magistrate of Qinglong County People's Government.