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As MO Zhihai’s speech came to an end, thunderous applause filled the grand hall. Fang Gushan stood up, raising his hands to quell the applause. He then took out a document and announced, “On behalf of the municipal committee, I am here to announce the decision of the standing committee of the municipal party committee. Comrade Mai Ziqi, a member of the Bazhou City’s Li County Party Committee and deputy mayor of the county government, has been reassigned to Ku City. Comrade Nie Zhenbang is hereby appointed as a member of Li County Party Committee and deputy mayor of the county government.”

When he finished, Fang Gushan suddenly turned to Nie Zhenbang and said, “Comrade Zhenbang, would you like to say a few words?”

Nie Zhenbang nodded, understanding that Fang Gushan’s gesture was a show of support. Furthermore, Fang Gushan escorting him to take office was in itself a form of endorsement. Normally, a deputy mayor who wasn’t a member of the standing committee like Nie Zhenbang could just be appointed by a deputy minister from the Organization Department of the Municipal Party Committee.

Nie Zhenbang then got up and looked around. At the moment, the grand hall was silent, with all officials’ eyes on him. Nie Zhenbang was really too young, even though he looked like he was in his late twenties. But even in Li County, being in your late twenties was considered too young. Moreover, some well-informed officials had received news even before Nie Zhenbang arrived — the new deputy mayor was only twenty-two. This was indeed shocking news.

Therefore, at this moment, all the officials wanted to see what kind of inaugural speech this leader, who was as young as their nephews or even sons, would deliver.

There is a popular saying that you can get a glimpse of a leader’s capability by observing the way he speaks.

Nie Zhenbang knew this was his first major test as all eyes in the grand hall were on him.

After a moment of thought, Nie Zhenbang said with a calm voice, “Dear leaders, fellow comrades. First of all, I want to thank the organization for their trust in me. Secondly, I want to thank you all for your support…”

These two phrases were just formalities. What support? Nie Zhenbang had just arrived, there wasn’t anything to talk about support yet.

But the polite words that needed to be said still had to be said—it was a rule. After these words, Nie Zhenbang changed his tone, and continued, “Before I came here, my elders advised me. They said, ‘To serve as an official is to benefit the people. If you can’t serve the interests of the people as an official, you might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes.’… I believe that under the leadership of Secretary MO and Mayor Wu, we can definitely achieve greater success in Li County.”

As Nie Zhenbang finished his speech, the other officials didn’t show much reaction, but the expression in the eyes of MO Zhihai and Wu Zhixiong was different.

To be where they were now, they had been through countless political struggles and tests. From listening to Nie Zhenbang’s speech, they could already glean some information.

Family elders? If Nie Zhenbang were just an ordinary guy, his family elders certainly wouldn’t have said such a thing. Judging from Fang Gushan’s attitude and Nie Zhenbang’s age, all signs pointed to Nie Zhenbang having an unusual background. These thoughts were on both MO Zhihai’s and Wu Zhixiong’s minds. Nie Zhenbang’s arrival was too sudden. Any way you looked at it, he seemed like someone sent here for a stint.

Wu Zhixiong looked thoughtful at this point…

As MO Zhihai announced the end of the meeting, applause once again filled the grand hall. MO Zhihai and Wu Zhixiong both accompanied Fang Gushan, who was walking in front. As they left the grand hall, MO Zhihai said with a smile,

“Minister Fang, you rarely visit Li County. You must stay with us for the night, allowing us to extend our landlord’s hospitality.”

Fang Gushan, however, replied with a smile, “Old MO, there’s no need for a meal. I have more work to do in the city, and it’s not too far from Li County to the city, so I’ll be going first.”

Fang Gushan’s attitude was very obvious—it was to show his support for Nie Zhenbang. When they met, the performance of MO Zhihai somewhat embarrassed Fang Gushan. At this point, Fang Gushan naturally wouldn’t stay.

As Fang Gushan left in his car, the expression on MO Zhihai’s face darkened. After giving Nie Zhenbang a brief glance, he also left.

Wu Zhixiong, however, laughed and said, “Zhenbang, Secretary Zhihai is just of that nature. Once you interact with him more, you’ll understand. Don’t take it to heart. Zhenbang, I’ve asked Li Lin from the government office to arrange for your accommodations since you’ve just arrived. Come over to my house for dinner tonight.”

After a moment of pondering, Nie Zhenbang laughed and said, “Then I’ll be troubling the mayor. This wouldn’t be inconvenient to your wife, would it?”

Nie Zhenbang’s straightforwardness and modesty pleased Wu Zhixiong. In terms of age, Nie Zhenbang could certainly call his wife “auntie”, but in terms of ranking, Wu Zhixiong was just a division-level official while Nie Zhenbang was a deputy division-level official. There was no need for anything more than a “sister-in-law”.

Nie Zhenbang responded in a very fitting manner, and there was no hesitance about the invitation he extended. He was very straightforward, which was clear in the implication. This made Wu Zhixiong quite pleased, and he, too, chuckled as he quickly replied: “There’s no trouble at all, just a simple meal with one more pair of chopsticks. It’s decided then. I’ll wait for you downstairs when we finish our work today.”

Right as Wu Zhixiong was leaving, a woman of about forty walked towards Nie Zhenbang. She stood around 1.65 meters tall, which was fairly tall among

Northwestern women. Attired in a dark, lady’s suit, she seemed quite mature. Her complexion wasn’t as tanned as those of average Northwesterners but was instead on the fair side.

Smiling, she stepped up to Nie Zhenbang and said, “Director Nie, allow me to introduce myself. I am Li Lin from the government office. We’ve prepared your office already. May I show it to you?”

For any woman, and especially not an ugly one, to reach such a position within the system was a considerable achievement. Furthermore, it was clear that this Li Lin was incredibly personable as she was addressing a younger individual with respectful pronouns and without a trace of awkwardness or discomfort. This was quite admirable. As the housekeeper of the government and the director of the government office, Nie Zhenbang would definitely need Li Lin’s help with a multitude of matters in the future. With a smile, he responded, “Director Li, you’re too courteous. I am fairly young, so you can just call me

Zhenbang in the future. Referring to me as Director Nie seems too formal.”

Even though he said this, Li Lin very clearly understood what Nie Zhenbang meant. If she were truly to address him in such a way, she would be seen as lacking tact. Instead of directly calling him Zhenbang, she maintained her polite demeanor and suggested, “Director Nie, let me show you your office.” The office buildings of the Li County Government and the Li County Party Committee were not located together, but rather separately on each side of Quli Road, standing directly across from one another.

Under Li Lin’s guidance, they crossed the main road and directly entered the government office building, which still retained its character from the seventies, with its red-brick exterior and green-tiled roof. All of the primary government officials’ offices were located on the third floor, on account of the building’s lack of an elevator.

Nie Zhenbang’s office, which used to belong to Mai Ziqi, consisted of two rooms. One had been recently renovated to serve as Nie Zhenbang’s office. The other room was connected to the first by a doorway. This secondary room housed an office desk, sofas, a coffee table, and so forth. It functioned as both a reception room for Nie Zhenbang’s visitors and a workspace for his secretary.

As per national regulations, only officials of bureau level or above were qualified for a full-time secretary. However, nowadays, it is commonplace for all city and county officials to have full-time secretaries, and in some smaller townships, top governmental and political figures have similarly appointed secretaries for their own use.

“Director Nie, the room has been newly renovated. Could you tell me if there are any adjustments you’d like to be made? I can immediately arrange for any changes. They could be completed in a single evening,” Li Lin explained at his side.

The entire room was very simply designed without any special decorations. On this front, Li Lin was very experienced; knowing that every leader had their own habits and preferences, she understood that the best decorative style was a universally accepted one.

After surveying the office all around, Nie Zhenbang nodded and said, “Director Li, the room is excellent. I’m very satisfied. However, could you please adjust the position of the office desk for me? And the bookcase can be placed against the wall over there.”

This is how it works in officialdom. Being a newcomer, if Nie Zhenbang did not make any requests at all, he would inevitably give Li County’s officials an impression of being too easy-going and indecisive, which might influence his authority and work in the future.

But if he came in and made many changes, he would be seen as difficult, overbearing, and arrogant by the people below him.

Finding the right balance was difficult. He could neither be too casual nor too demanding. His current requests were just right. The rearrangement of the work desk and bookcase could be fulfilled by a few people.

Li Lin was slightly surprised at the moment, but the look was fleeting. She promptly responded with a smile, “Understood, Director Nie. I will make sure it gets done today.”

Afterward, she led Nie Zhenbang to the residential area set up by the county government of Li County, where his accommodations were set. The place was a three-bedroom apartment in the housing zone of the county government’s residential compound the whole compound had been built less than two years ago.

Complete with furniture and appliances, the house was basically move-in ready. After accepting the keys from Li Lin and putting away his luggage, Nie Zhenbang said with a smile, “Director Li, I’m sorry for making you accompany me for so long. I’ll invite you to dinner next time to express my thanks. Considering my recent arrival, I will need your assistance in my work.”

Li Lin was aware that Nie Zhenbang was due to visit Wu Zhixiong later on in the evening, and tactfully replied, “Director Nie, please carry on with your work. Here are my office and house phone numbers; if you need me to look into anything, simply call me. I’ll be taking my leave now.”

Once Li Lin had left, Nie Zhenbang took a box of special-edition Panda cigarettes from his suitcase, pocketed them, and left to walk to Wu Zhixiong’s home.

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