Right path to power

The next day, the plane landed late at Beicheng Airport.

As I entered the arrival hall, I immediately saw Song Minghao waving.

Upon meeting, Song Minghao patted Lin Xiao on the shoulder and exclaimed, "You're quite something, kid. You became the acting county magistrate in your early twenties, and even the old man knows about it."

Lin Xiao gently squeezed Song Wanqing's hand beside her and said with a smile, "There's no other way, I have to try my best."

Song Minghao smiled and said, "Don't worry, I fully support you. My parents have been saying they'd like to treat you to a meal for a while now."

"Huh?" Lin Xiao was somewhat flattered.

Song Minghao said smugly, "I would often recite your great achievements to them, and over time, they would naturally accept it."

"Thank you, bro!"

After dropping them off, Song Minghao left, telling Lin Xiao to call him whenever she had time.

Inside the private room, a woman in her forties sat on the sofa, holding a cup of tea in her hand, her gaze fixed on the bushes outside through the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Auntie!" Song Wanqing called out sweetly and rushed forward to hug the middle-aged woman.

"Let me see, wow, you're getting prettier and prettier," Song Yawei said with a smile, tapping Song Wanqing's nose.

"Hello, Auntie!" Lin Xiao bowed slightly.

"You must be Lin Xiao? Come, sit here." Song Yawei greeted her with a smile.

After Lin Xiao sat down, she looked him up and down again: "You're even more handsome than on TV. No wonder our little princess is captivated by you."

"Aunt, you..."

"What's wrong? You're already in such a hurry before you're even married?"

"Little Aunt..."

Seeing her niece blushing shyly, Song Yawei stopped teasing: "Alright, I think you look more energetic in person than on TV. As a leader, this is very important, especially for someone as young as you. You need to have a unique aura."

"Thank you, Auntie." Lin Xiao nodded slightly.

"By the way, Aunt, Lin Xiao brought you some gifts, all of them are local specialties from her hometown."

As she spoke, Lin Xiao handed over the gift bag.

"Thank you so much, Kobayashi."

"Of course."

During the meal, Song Yawei first asked Lin Xiao about her family situation, and then they talked about work.

Lin Xiao answered truthfully, and especially regarding work, he gave a brief introduction to his development ideas for Fuchuan County.

The implication was that they wanted to hear the opinion of Song Yawei, a department-level cadre from Beicheng.

"Your idea is very good. As the saying goes, 'No destruction, no construction.' This is generally the way to revitalize the local economy at the grassroots level. As for the mining company you mentioned, I do know the CEO of Zhongdingyuan. I can introduce you to him."

"The mining industry is currently in a downturn, and Zhongdingyuan's core strategy for the past two years has been to take advantage of this opportunity to acquire and integrate upstream mining resources and expand its mineral reserves. We also have plans to expand into county-level mining areas, so perhaps you could indeed cooperate."

Lin Xiao was overjoyed upon hearing this.

He originally intended to ask Song Minghao for help in finding out information, but who knew he could connect directly with Song Yawei.

Zhongdingyuan, officially known as China Dingyuan Mining Group Co., Ltd., is a state-owned mining enterprise under the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. Backed by various resource channels in Beicheng, it may not be considered a top-tier giant in the industry, but its comprehensive strength ranks among the top fifteen mining companies in the country.

Such enterprises have strength, influence, and expansion needs. They can support the Fuchuan mining integration project without being overly assertive, leaving room for negotiation.

This approach offers multiple benefits and is indeed a suitable choice.

After this conversation, Song Yawei became increasingly satisfied with Lin Xiao: not only was he calm and organized, but he also had innovative ideas, no wonder he could become the youngest division-level cadre in the province.

She put down her chopsticks and said with a smile, "Xiao Lin, don't rush back. Let me go back and see if I can find a chance to let the old man see you."

Lin Xiao was stunned.

Are we going to meet the head of the Song family directly?

But he wasn't prepared at all; what if he messed it up...?

After a brief moment of panic, he regained his composure—this was a meeting he was bound to have sooner or later.

Moreover, it would be impossible to marry the Song family's little princess without the old man's approval.

Older comrades may be a bit stubborn, but Lin Xiao believes that someone like Grandpa Song, who has experienced great trials and tribulations that most people have never faced, should be a wise and kind elder.

"Auntie, is this...is this okay? What about Grandpa's side..." Song Wanqing's eyes widened in surprise.

Although she was her grandfather's most beloved granddaughter, she was unsure of his attitude when it came to her lifelong happiness.

Song Yawei chuckled, "What's wrong with that? Your uncle or your father might not agree if your grandfather went, but it's not certain if I go. Besides, what's wrong with letting him meet Xiaolin? As for you, Xiaoqing, Grandpa loves you the most. Why don't you go and act cute in front of him?"

Song Wanqing stuck out her tongue and said playfully, "I was just worried!"

Although she knew that acting cute with her grandfather would be helpful, she was torn between worrying that her family wouldn't agree and fearing that Lin Xiao would be wronged.

Song Yawei glanced at Lin Xiao and smiled slightly, "What, are you scared?"

"A little," Lin Xiao said honestly. "The main concern is having no way out, but even the most capable parents are still parents."

"Haha, good attitude." Song Yawei nodded.

Song Wanqing looked at their tightly clasped hands and made up her mind: "Auntie, I'll call Grandpa later. I'm going to take Lin Xiao to see him."

"Yes, that's my niece who dares to love and hate." Song Yawei then turned to Lin Xiao: "Actually, there's nothing to be afraid of in the old man. He's just a retired old man."

Lin Xiao took a deep breath and nodded.

"As for my second brother, I'll talk to him. This is an era of free love; can he still arrange a marriage?"

Seeing that her aunt Song Yawei was completely on her side, Lin Xiao felt very grateful. Because she loved Song Wanqing, she naturally extended that love to him as well.

After thinking for a moment, Song Wanqing said, "I'll call my mom first. Since we're going, we can't do a surprise attack; we have to go openly and honestly."

Song Yawei nodded in agreement.

Afterwards, Song Wanqing called her mother, Gu Yongling, and told her that she was in Beicheng and was having dinner with Lin Xiao, inviting her aunt. She was planning to take Lin Xiao to see her grandfather in the afternoon.

Gu Yongling on the other end of the phone remained calm and simply let Lin Xiao answer the call.

"Hello, Auntie!" Lin Xiao answered the phone and greeted her respectfully.

"Hello Xiaolin, I heard you've already taken on the role of acting county head. Although you haven't been officially appointed yet, you've done a great job. You and Xiaoqing should go and meet the old man."

Gu Yongling's attitude surprised Lin Xiao somewhat. This was definitely due to his appointment as acting county head. After all, the development prospects of a young county-level leader with real power are definitely worth looking forward to.

"Thank you, Auntie!"

Lin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that another mountain had been removed from the mountains that stood between him and Song Wanqing.

Of course, if we can win over Old Master Song, it will definitely be twice as effective.

As for Song Wanqing's father, whom she had never met, his attitude was perhaps no longer so important.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiao couldn't help but smile.

This left the aunt and niece standing nearby feeling somewhat bewildered.

In the afternoon, when Lin Xiao walked into the courtyard house, she felt both excited and apprehensive.

The three of them sat in the courtyard drinking tea and waiting. Seeing the nervousness on Lin Xiao's face, Song Wanqing reached out and took his hand.

To be honest, no amount of mental preparation can completely simulate the atmosphere of the scene.

Time passed by, second by second.

At this moment, an elderly man with silver hair came out of the inner bedroom, vigorously swinging his hands as he walked.

Song Yawei and Song Wanqing immediately stepped forward, while Lin Xiao also quickly stood up and bowed.

"dad."

"grandfather."

The old man stopped, his back slightly bent, his figure thin, his temples and eyebrows completely white, but his eyes were deep, clear and bright.

Upon seeing Song Wanqing, a kind smile immediately appeared on his face.

"Xiao Qing is back. She's lost weight. Stay a few more days this time, and ask your mom to cook lots of your favorite dishes. Remember, when you're traveling alone, eat well and exercise more..."

This hardly resembles a powerful and accomplished figure.

This is clearly an ordinary old man caring for his most beloved granddaughter.

Then, Grandpa Song turned and glanced at Song Yawei: "Girl, don't come here to see me unless it's important. Focus on your work."

Song Yawei looked aggrieved and said, "Dad, it's the weekend, a public holiday, I'm off."

"Has the work been implemented effectively?" Old Master Song pressed.

"Sigh, Dad, you've been retired for so long, yet you still worry about everything. Don't worry, if I didn't do my job well, would I dare come here? I would have run away long ago, why would I wait for your criticism?"

Upon hearing this, the old man's brows relaxed slightly, a smile appeared on his face, and his gaze immediately fell on Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao quickly bowed and said, "Hello, Grandpa Song."

The old man slowly walked to the shade of the tree, calmly looked him up and down, and then smiled and said:

"So it was you who kidnapped my little princess?"

Lin Xiao was stunned on the spot.