Chapter 813 - 782: Self-Control
Li Xiumei knew he had some unpleasant encounters with Qin Xinli. Actually, she didn’t like Qin Xinli either. She originally thought that after Fu Guomin returned to Dongzhou, she might take over his deputy director position, but Qin Xinli came instead. The most infuriating thing within the system is when someone blocks others’ paths to promotion.
The Dongzhou Beijing Office is quite peculiar. For some unknown reason, there is only one deputy director, which seems unique in the entire Capital City.
Li Xiumei led Xu Chunliang to Pengzu Hall.
Fu Guomin and a few others were playing cards. His two old friends were also there, one was Jiang Simian, the director of admissions at Shuimu University’s Graduate School, and the other was Hu Yuchun, the department head of radiotherapy at the Capital Tumor Research Institute. Both had dined with Xu Chunliang before, so they all knew him.
Qin Xinli had arrived early too and was sitting there playing cards, partnered with Fu Guomin.
When Qin Xinli had just been removed, he felt very upset, filled with resentment back then. However, with time, he gradually came to terms with things. It is quite normal to experience ups and downs within the system. Even if he stayed at the Tourism Bureau, the director position of the merged Culture and Tourism Bureau wouldn’t fall to him. Staying in Dongzhou as a deputy would be even more awkward.
During his time at the Beijing Office, he discovered its advantages. The distance from power centers was one, but another important reason was being able to frequently interact with Dongzhou City’s core leadership, which was impossible in Dongzhou.
Wherever you fall, you get up from there. As long as he maintained good relationships with the leadership, he would still have the opportunity to be crucially used. According to reliable sources, Beijing Office Director Qian Aijun was likely to be promoted soon, meaning Qin Xinli had the chance to remove that "deputy" title.
Seeing hope improved his mood considerably, and Qin Xinli played cards loudly.
After Xu Chunliang came in, Fu Guomin said: "Chunliang is here."
The other three glanced at Xu Chunliang and greeted him. Jiang Simian actively offered to give Xu Chunliang his seat.
Xu Chunliang had no interest in playing cards and let them continue.
Qin Xinli merely nodded at Xu Chunliang and promptly urged everyone to continue playing cards.
Xu Chunliang also nodded slightly in acknowledgment. He felt no affection for people like Qin Xinli but had to maintain appearances because Fu Guomin was present.
At this moment, Beijing Office Director Qian Aijun came in, followed unexpectedly by Geng Wenjun.
Geng Wenjun had become a member of the Standing Committee, so everyone put down their cards when he appeared, a stark contrast to when Xu Chunliang had entered.
Xu Chunliang felt no imbalance about this. Their ranks were clearly displayed; he was merely a deputy section chief, a junior, so why should he expect them to be particularly deferential to him?
Geng Wenjun laughed and said, "You all carry on playing."
Qin Xinli said cheerfully, "Secretary Geng, would you like to play a round?"
Geng Wenjun waved his hand, saying, "I don’t know how." Actually, this wasn’t true; he simply disdained it. He only played cards with those of equal or higher rank to him. Playing with this group held no interest.
Qin Xinli said, "We’ve finished anyway since Secretary Geng is here, let’s eat."
Qian Aijun, too, disliked Qin Xinli. This person had significant seniority in the system and was underqualified for his position. After arriving at the Beijing Office, he didn’t show much respect for Qian Aijun. Take right now, even though he, Fu Guomin were of director level like Qin Xinli, only Qin Xinli was a deputy. Shouldn’t the decision to eat also rest with him?
Geng Wenjun said, "Don’t be like that, you all keep playing. I’ll chat with Xiaoxu for a while." With his casual remark, he highlighted Xu Chunliang’s importance.
Xu Chunliang said, "I will follow the leader’s instructions."
Qian Aijun said, "Alright, Deputy Director Qin has mentioned it, let’s have dinner soon."
Qin Xinli could clearly sense Qian Aijun’s displeasure towards him, yet he innately held no obedience for Qian Aijun. He set down his cards, saying, "No more playing, let’s prepare to eat."
Geng Wenjun sat on the sofa, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and offered one to Xu Chunliang. Xu Chunliang said he didn’t smoke and took out a lighter to help light it for him.
Everyone noticed this detail. Besides Xu Chunliang, Geng Wenjun didn’t offer cigarettes to anyone else. Most in the group were non-smokers, but Qin Xinli was a heavy smoker. Whether deliberately or not, Geng Wenjun ignored him.
Qin Xinli felt a bit awkward. He arranged for Li Xiumei to bring over some cigarettes, placing them inverted in a wine glass, suggesting anyone could grab one if they wanted to smoke.
Geng Wenjun said, "Xiaoxu, I haven’t seen you around Dongzhou Culture and Tourism being so busy recently; you’ve been sneaking off to the Capital City all this time."
Xu Chunliang laughed, "Secretary Geng, I am certainly not shirking; I’m away on a study tour." As he said this, he glanced at Fu Guomin.
Fu Guomin was well aware of the circumstances under which Xu Chunliang left Dongzhou, and quickly came to his aid, "Indeed, it was our Culture and Tourism Bureau that arranged for Xiaoxu to come to the Capital City during May Day to learn advanced culture and tourism experiences. Xiaoxu, you must have gained a lot from this trip?"
Xu Chunliang nodded, "The gains were tremendous. I feel that merely studying domestic advanced experiences is far from enough; we should also learn culture and tourism experiences from abroad. In the future, such arduous tasks can be entrusted to me by Director Fu."
Everyone laughed. If this was considered an arduous task, the Culture and Tourism Bureau staff would likely be fighting over it.
In fact, the arrival of the top leader meant that the banquet was about to start. There was no need for Qin Xinli to say anything; Li Xiumei understood and had already arranged for the waitstaff to serve the dishes.
The seating arrangement at official banquets is very particular yet very simple, ranked by official level rather than age. Still, everyone pretends to be modest. Xu Chunliang’s seat had no room for politeness, and he intended to head straight to the seat of honor.
Everyone agreed this was only natural, but Geng Wenjun spoke up, "Xiaoxu, come sit next to me; I haven’t finished talking to you yet."
Geng Wenjun was the highest-ranking official that evening. Whatever he said, others followed; everyone wondered silently what charm Xu Chunliang had that endeared him so to the leaders?
Qin Xinli mused that this fellow surely had his ways, probably showering them with gifts in private, reflecting on human nature as he did so.
Xu Chunliang had no choice but to sit beside Geng Wenjun. He knew well that Geng Wenjun’s politeness towards him wasn’t due to any appreciation of him, but because of his relationship with Mei Ru Xue. Geng Wenjun was very aware of Mei Ru Xue’s background.
After everyone sat down and drank three cups of wine, Geng Wenjun lifted his glass to toast Fu Guomin, "Lately, the cultural and tourism work in Dongzhou has been vibrant. Ever since Comrade Guomin has taken charge of the Culture and Tourism Bureau, the achievements have been remarkable."
Fu Guomin modestly replied, "It’s all thanks to Secretary Geng’s wise guidance. We wouldn’t have been able to kickstart the Barbecue City project without Secretary Geng leading, nor achieve such scale in a short time."
Everyone nodded in agreement. The greatest credit naturally belonged to Secretary Geng, who orchestrated everything. Only then could Director Fu diligently implement it.
With a broad smile, Geng Wenjun said, "The surge of popularity for Dongzhou Barbecue caught everyone by surprise. Our Dongzhou must seize this opportunity to promote it well, striving to turn Dongzhou Barbecue into our cultural brand. Comrade Aijun, your Beijing Office is in the Capital City, so you should do your utmost to assist in its promotion and help develop Dongzhou Culture and Tourism."
Qian Aijun replied, "Of course, Guomin was a cadre who came from our Beijing Office, and our entire office shares his pride in his work achievements.
Everyone praised and flattered, yet no one mentioned how the popularity of Dongzhou Barbecue first started, nor did they mention Xu Chunliang, the man who singlehandedly created its popularity.
Xu Chunliang had been in the system for some time and knew well that when it came to dividing achievements, no one would be polite with him, and he was still only a small fry.
According to Mei Ru Xue, this achievement was too significant and wouldn’t be of much use to him. Rather than wasting it, he might as well offer it as a gesture of goodwill. Moreover, the rapid rise in popularity of Dongzhou Barbecue City suggested that its peak had been reached. If the popularity slowly waned, that would be fine. But if it plummeted off a cliff, only then would it be clear who was swimming naked when the tide receded.
Jiang Simian and Hu Yuchun were not part of Dongzhou’s system, and they couldn’t get a word in edgewise, so they took turns proposing toasts.
Hu Yuchun, now the director of the Radiation Therapy Department at the Capital Tumor Research Institute, drank two cups with Xu Chunliang and said, "Xiaoxu, I remember you were at Changxing Hospital. When did you switch from medicine to politics?"
Xu Chunliang laughed, "I’m just a revolutionary brick, moving wherever I’m needed."
People around them laughed as well. Geng Wenjun said, "Don’t be fooled by Xiaoxu’s youth; his awareness is not low. In fact, we are all the same, all revolutionary bricks. Old Qin, don’t you think?"
Qin Xinli was a bit upset. Geng Wenjun was lecturing him in front of so many people; was this a hint about his lack of awareness? He forced a smile and said, "Of course, that’s why I came to the Beijing Office."
Geng Wenjun continued, "Don’t underestimate the work of the Beijing Office. It has an intermediary role, allowing you to get the latest information and policies to report back to the city promptly. At the same time, you can also convey the voices of our city to higher-ups."
Qian Aijun and Fu Guomin exchanged glances. Both had been working at the Beijing Office for a long time; they knew precisely what the office’s responsibilities were. Was Geng Wenjun unclear? Or was he intentionally blurring concepts? Speaking frankly, the Beijing Office is just a liaison office that handles receptions. Reporting the city’s voice to higher authorities? They would like to, but their rank wasn’t high enough.
That evening’s gathering became somewhat constrained due to Geng Wenjun’s presence. Fu Guomin wasn’t expecting his arrival; he thought he was the main character initially. That’s why he had invited his old friends and Xu Chunliang, but with Geng Wenjun’s arrival, the focus shifted.
Xu Chunliang spoke little and didn’t drink much. Usually, the more one talks, the more one drinks, except for leaders.
Geng Wenjun talked quite a bit today but drank very little, sipping lightly from start to finish while others downed their drinks. When others gulped large cups, he only sipped small ones. By the rules of the drinking culture, he lacked proper etiquette, but by the rules of the system, this demonstrated the leader’s self-control.