Chapter 284: All of You, Stop
Shen Jiangnan was startled and quickly tried to smooth things over. "Director Tang, please don’t be angry. He’s just a kid who doesn’t know any better, he’s just talking nonsense. Please don’t take it seriously! I didn’t..."
Cheng Yuan cut Shen Jiangnan off, his voice grave. "Uncle Shen, there’s no need to grovel before a man like him. He’s useless at his job but an expert at throwing his weight around! Where does he get the nerve?"
Shen Jiangnan felt like he was going to lose his mind. ’This Xiaoyuan, how can he be so reckless!’
’We’re really done for this time! We’ve pissed Tang Jiahe off for good!’
Tang Jiahe’s face was black with fury. He trembled with anger as he pointed a finger at Cheng Yuan’s nose and roared, "Get this troublemaker out of here! Now!"
"Yes, sir!"
Just as the security guards were about to act, an urgent voice suddenly rang out.
"What do you think you’re doing? Stop, all of you!"
The guards immediately stopped and instinctively turned to look. When they saw who had arrived, their expressions changed instantly. Plastering on fawning smiles, they asked, "Secretary Zhang, you’re here?"
Tang Jiahe was also taken aback. He quickly forced a sycophantic smile. "Secretary Zhang, what brings you here? This man was causing a disturbance in the service hall and was being insolent toward me. I was just..."
The words caught in Tang Jiahe’s throat. He watched in disbelief as Zhang Yi hurried over to Cheng Yuan and bowed with clasped hands, an apologetic look on his face.
"Mr. Cheng, my apologies for my late arrival. I’m sorry you’ve been put through this! I will ensure they are dealt with strictly."
With that, Zhang Yi turned and shot a cold glare at Tang Jiahe. "Director Tang, what in the world is going on here? You owe me an explanation!"
Tang Jiahe was in hot water. He gave a strained laugh. "A misunderstanding. It’s all a misunderstanding! I had no idea this young man was a friend of yours, Secretary Zhang! I didn’t realize he was one of our own!"
With that, he turned to Shen Jiangnan, his tone suddenly critical. "Jiangnan, this is on you. Why didn’t you say your guy knew Secretary Zhang? We’re all on the same side here; anything can be discussed! Come on, let’s go to my office."
Shen Jiangnan gave Tang Jiahe a suspicious look, then glanced at Zhang Yi, his mind struggling to keep up. ’Whose secretary is this guy? And why did Tang Jiahe’s attitude do a complete one-eighty?’
Shen Jiangnan suddenly saw a glimmer of hope. Just as he was about to nod, Cheng Yuan let out a cold snort. "My apologies, Director Tang, but I’m afraid I’m not worthy of being considered ’one of your own’!"
Tang Jiahe’s expression hardened. "Young man, don’t think you’re untouchable just because you know Secretary Zhang. A secretary may represent the leadership’s will to a certain degree, but a secretary, after all, is not the leader!"
Zhang Yi was incensed. "Director Tang," he said icily, "you are absolutely right. I am not the leader. However, you’ve made one crucial mistake! Mr. Cheng isn’t my guest—he’s a distinguished guest of the leadership! My superior is in a meeting and sent me down to receive him. You can explain yourself to the leader in person shortly. We’re leaving!"
The color drained from Tang Jiahe’s face, leaving it deathly pale.
He simply couldn’t fathom it. ’How could a mere subordinate of Shen Jiangnan be a distinguished guest of the leadership?’
’He’d known Shen Jiangnan for many years. If Shen Jiangnan had a connection this powerful, how could he have possibly resisted using it for so long?!’
Tang Jiahe managed a smile that looked more like a grimace. "There’s no need to trouble the leadership over such a trivial matter! I can handle it perfectly. Please, everyone, come to my office. I’ll process your request personally!"
Zhang Yi snorted. "My apologies, Director Tang! I’m afraid we couldn’t possibly impose on someone of your stature!"
With that, Zhang Yi made an inviting gesture. "Lord Shen, Mr. Cheng, this way, please."
Zhang Yi led the party of three straight to the lounge.
Shen Jiangnan couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer and whispered from behind, "Xiaoyuan, can you tell me? Whose secretary is this Secretary Zhang?"
Cheng Yuan whispered in Shen Jiangnan’s ear, "He Hongting."
He Hongting??
BZZZZ!!
Shen Jiangnan was so stunned he felt dizzy.
’This was a titan he could never hope to even meet on a normal day!’
’I never imagined Cheng Yuan was so close with He Hongting!’
Shen Jiangnan was overcome with relief. He had made the right bet!
Thank goodness he had chosen to side with Cheng Yuan over his old boss. Otherwise, this heaven-sent opportunity would have never come his way!
Half an hour later, He Hongting finished his meeting and came to the lounge, where he gave Shen Jiangnan and Cheng Yuan an enthusiastic welcome.
Shen Jiangnan was overwhelmed by the attention. His face flushed with excitement as he grabbed He Hongting’s large hand with both of his, shaking it vigorously.
"Director He, I never imagined such a trivial matter would require your personal attention!"
He Hongting’s expression was very serious. "Issues at the local level are not trivial matters! More importantly, you were brought here by Xiaoyuan. Of course I must handle this with the utmost seriousness."
Cheng Yuan smiled. "Uncle He, Uncle Shen and I are very, very close. I consider him family."
He Hongting laughed. "Any family of Xiaoyuan’s is family of mine, He Hongting’s! Old Shen, if you run into any trouble in the future, don’t you hesitate to come find me!"
"Thank you, Director He!"
"Old Shen, tell me what happened."
"Well, this is what happened..."
Shen Jiangnan recounted the events exactly as they had happened. There was no need to exaggerate.
He Hongting’s expression darkened. "Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! How could something this major happen without anyone reporting it to me? Are the people in Department Two completely useless? Zhang Yi! Get the person in charge of Department Two in here right now!"
Before long, Tang Jiahe was summoned.
All traces of Tang Jiahe’s earlier arrogance had vanished. He was like a small child who had done something wrong, nodding repeatedly and offering fawning smiles to everyone.
"Sir, you sent for me?"
"Getting bold, are we, Tang Jiahe? I put you in temporary charge of Department Two, and you started thinking you owned the place? That you could do whatever you pleased without reporting to me?"
Tang Jiahe explained gingerly, "Sir, you oversee the entire operation. I thought a trivial matter like this..."
"A trivial matter? You call this trivial? Then please, enlighten me. What exactly qualifies as a ’major’ matter?"
Tang Jiahe quickly bowed his head. "Sir, I was wrong. From now on, I will report everything to you immediately, regardless of its importance."
"There is no ’from now on.’ You people seem to have a fondness for the Tourism Bureau, don’t you? Fine, you can go work at the Tourism Bureau! Consider that an apology to him!"
"Sir..."
"Keep talking, and you won’t even have the Tourism Bureau. Believe me."
Tang Jiahe immediately snapped his mouth shut.
He Hongting turned to Zhang Yi. "Zhang Yi, have Department Two process Old Shen’s request immediately!"
"Yes, sir."
After Zhang Yi left, He Hongting mulled it over for a moment before speaking. "Old Shen, I can help you this time, but I can’t help you forever. If you stay in Luocheng, in Dongshan, you will always be at the mercy of others."
"Please enlighten me, Director He."
"Old Shen, there’s an opening in Department Two now. Are you interested? If you’re working under my watch, no one will be able to lay a finger on you!"
Shen Jiangnan was ecstatic. "Thank you for your endorsement and support, sir! I, Shen Jiangnan, will stand firmly united with you, resolutely implement your every decision, and do everything I can to lighten your burdens."