Chapter 1851
Wu Qiangwei stared at the cigarette, curling blue smoke between her fingers, somewhat lost in thought.
Once the cigarette burned to the end, she extinguished it and suddenly asked, "Do you know why Zhou Zheng didn’t become a Provincial Committee Member?"
Her topic jumped around, but Song Guanchao knew there must be a connection.
He had been in the system for three years but still didn’t understand many things. He just shook his head upon hearing her question.
Wu Qiangwei said, "I phrased that incorrectly. Let me ask you this: do you know which cities’ top leaders are concurrently held by Provincial Committee Members?"
Song Guanchao still shook his head. Wu Qiangwei continued, "Typically, only two types of cities have this privilege. One is economically strong cities, and the other is strategic locations. For example, Jinling in Jiangnan, Shencheng City in Guang Province, Ning City in Zhejiang Province."
"These cities include provincial capitals as well as non-capital cities. But they have one thing in common: their top leaders are concurrently Provincial Committee Members."
"The GDP of these cities accounts for a significant portion of the province, with some even equaling several cities in the central and western regions combined. The province relies on these cities to drive the provincial economy; if they falter in development, the province’s goals will be affected."
"Having the City Secretary enter the Provincial Committee or being concurrently the City Secretary means granting them special authority to directly communicate with the province. For instance, when fighting for policy support or coordinating cross-regional projects, there’s no need to report layer by layer, greatly improving efficiency and saving time."
"For example, if Jiangzhou wants to introduce a large foreign investment project, involving land indicators and tax policies, the City Secretary, being a Provincial Committee Member, can directly communicate with the Governor and Provincial Secretary in the Provincial Committee, and set the tone right then and there. If they were simply a City Secretary, they’d have to run to the province back and forth."
Song Guanchao nodded, indicating he understood.
But he still didn’t understand what this had to do with Wu Qiangwei’s matchmaking.
Wu Qiangwei said, "The elders in my family and Secretary Gao are old acquaintances; my path has been planned long ago. I won’t be staying long in the City Government. According to the route Secretary Gao set for me, in about two or three years, Zhou Zheng will be transferred to another city, I’ll succeed his position and join the Provincial Committee."
Song Guanchao suddenly realized, meaning Zhou Zheng didn’t enter the Provincial Committee because the higher-ups never recognized him, nor intended for him to remain in that position for long.
The only reason he was brought up was to hold the place for Wu Qiangwei.
Wu Qiangwei sighed softly, "If Secretary Gao leaves Nanjiang Province, my promotion path will change. The family’s idea is for me to get married."
Song Guanchao had understood earlier, yet this sentence confused him again: "So, if you get married, you can immediately become the City Secretary?"
Wu Qiangwei looked at him with a resentful gaze: "Do you think, the family will arrange what kind of marriage for me?"
Song Guanchao froze, realization dawning.
So-called marriage meant a strategic alliance.
Her family hopes to pull in a political ally through marriage; this way, even if Secretary Gao leaves Nanjiang, she wouldn’t be affected.
"Absurd!" Song Guanchao’s face hardened.
Wu Qiangwei laughed mockingly: "What can be done about the absurdity?"
Song Guanchao shook his head: "I’m not saying the alliance is absurd; if marriage guarantees preventing changes, this deal could be worthwhile. Can they assure that though?"
"Are you really certain your elders want you to marry for your career, not for other interests?"
Wu Qiangwei’s expression faltered; she hadn’t considered it that way.
"Of course, even if it’s for other interests, it’s still for the Wu Family’s interests. As a member of the Wu Family, you should consider the big picture; it’s not like it’s a plot against you."
"But from your personal perspective, are you really willing to sacrifice personal happiness, marrying a man you have no emotional foundation with, for the elders’ plans?"
Wu Qiangwei pursed her lips, stared at him for a long moment, then said, "If you can’t solve a problem, don’t raise it."
Song Guanchao said, "I wouldn’t if I didn’t have a solution."
"Let me ask you, even if Secretary Gao doesn’t leave, how is he going to promote you in two or three years? It’s not possible to force your promotion if your work is plain and mediocre, right?"
"So, even if Secretary Gao wants to promote you, it has to be based on your achievements."
"As long as you can achieve results, even if Secretary Gao leaves Nanjiang and the Provincial Secretary changes, you’ll still have a chance."
"Moreover, you said Secretary Gao will at least remain for another year or two. Within this period, if you manage to make Jiangzhou impressive, can you be promoted early?"
Wu Qiangwei thought for a few seconds and realized what he said indeed made sense.
"I remember the previous year, Jiangzhou’s economy experienced its first decline in ten years. So, you must focus on the economy! The economy is the most direct; if you improve it, no one can object if you rise a level in two years."
"The economy..." Wu Qiangwei smiled bitterly, "Jiangzhou’s economy has long been saturated, overly reliant on land finance previously, inflating the GDP artificially. Now, problems include not just economic decline, but also employment issues."
Economy is never an isolated issue; it’s a direct reflection of many combined problems.
Early soaring housing prices now slashed, continuing to decline; unemployment rates soaring, per capita income plummeting, countless residents start defaulting... All these contributors lead to a sustained economic downturn.
"Leave this matter to me!" Song Guanchao said.
"You have a solution?" Wu Qiangwei didn’t completely doubt him. In matters of solving cases or setting traps, Song Guanchao excelled.
But on economic issues, not even economic experts dare guarantee they can reverse the trend.
Stabilizing, without further decline, would already be commendable.
"I do!" Song Guanchao’s gaze was earnest: "Do you trust me?"
Wu Qiangwei wanted to say she didn’t trust him, but she swallowed the words back.
After ten seconds of silence, she said, "I can delay things regarding family, but at most for a year. Before Secretary Gao leaves Nanjiang, if I’m not the City Secretary, I’ll have to go through with the alliance."
"A year is enough!" Song Guanchao’s confident demeanor made Wu Qiangwei smile.
Whether he was just comforting her or really had a solution, at least for now, her gloom truly dissipated.
"Actually, there’s another way to make your family give up on the alliance." Song Guanchao suddenly said.
Wu Qiangwei raised an eyebrow: "What way?"
Song Guanchao pulled her into his arms, tore the disorderly clothing covering her hips aside, and with a mischievous smile, reached for her peach petal: "Cook the raw rice into cooked rice."