Right path to power

"County Chief Lin, as the saying goes, ideals are lofty, but reality is harsh. Central state-owned enterprises have the strength, but they also need to consider the rate of return. If the burden of restructuring is too heavy and Zhongdingyuan ultimately chooses not to come, what will we do? The problems at Xinyuan Coal Mine urgently need to be solved, and thousands of miners are waiting for a way out."

Furthermore, the Zhongdingyuan project won't start trial production until the end of the year and won't officially go into production until next year, which is taking too long. Fengdu Industry is willing to take over now and has stated that it will properly resettle the miners. Rather than pinning its hopes on the uncertain intentions of a central state-owned enterprise, it's better to seize the opportunity with investors who are willing to join the project now.

Moreover, wouldn't having two companies with different characteristics developing Fuchuan's mineral resources be more conducive to healthy competition? It would prevent potential investors from thinking that Fuchuan, while ostensibly catering to all businesses, is actually engaging in monopolistic practices.

Zhu Lishu spoke firmly, trying to persuade Lin Xiao.

Although she acknowledged that Zhongdingyuan was the best choice, in her view, the core issue was not "who is the most suitable," but rather "who can solve the problem the fastest."

From this perspective, Fengdu Industry is naturally the first choice.

Seeing Zhu Lishu's unyielding attitude, Lin Xiao felt quite frustrated.

Why was Julie Shu so insistent on choosing Shen Xueying's company?

Before this, he always felt that he knew Juliet somewhat.

But now it seems he still doesn't understand this Secretary Zhu very well.

Even though the suggestion to submit the matter to the Standing Committee for discussion was meant to enlighten her, it didn't change her mind about helping Shen Xueying. It's unclear what kind of spell Shen Xueying had cast on her.

"Secretary Zhu, I think we should temporarily not decide who will lead the restructuring of Xinyuan Coal Mine. After the preliminary plan is finalized, we can publicly solicit partners and then make a final selection based on the results of negotiations among all parties. What do you think? This approach is also to reduce human interference and ensure fairness and impartiality."

Julie did not respond, but instead picked up her tea and drank it.

In fact, she was also frustrated—she was clearly the one in charge, and she had clearly explained her thoughts so clearly, so why couldn't Lin Xiao be flexible?

Anyone else would definitely not be this persistent.

Seeing that Zhu Lishu remained silent, Lin Xiao continued, "The second thing is that this morning, a collapse occurred on the riverside scenic walkway of the Changning River cultural tourism project, and three tourists fell into the water. Fortunately, a search and rescue operation was launched in time and no one died."

However, there were indeed problems with the quality of the project. According to the investigation, someone had put several engineering companies in the project owner's hands, and it was these companies that contracted the sections of the river where the quality problems occurred. Dayuan Real Estate has immediately canceled all subcontracting contracts and is seeking compensation from the relevant companies. At the same time, it has begun to redo some of the work.

I have asked Dayuan to temporarily close all projects until a new quality inspection is conducted before resuming work or reopening. Changning Ancient Street remains open as usual...

Juliet was taken aback; she didn't know this news yet.

Although Lin Xiao didn't directly reveal the inside story, his words clearly pointed to this matter.

Has Lin Xiao already tracked down the source?

So, they've come to demand an explanation?

After talking for more than half an hour, Lin Xiao said goodbye and left.

Julie sat at her desk, her face grim.

Lin Xiao reiterated two points: first, to publicly solicit partners for the restructuring of Xinyuan Coal Mine; and second, to reiterate the proposal that all county leaders should not interfere in engineering projects.

Both of these things are a slap in the face to her.

Needless to say, the restructuring of Xinyuan Coal Mine was a separate matter. As for interfering in the engineering project, although Lin Xiao didn't say it explicitly, she believed that Lin Xiao already knew that it was she who arranged for Tang Meiyun to make the contact.

"Shen Xueying's qualifications are not bad; at least she's more efficient than those of state-owned enterprises. Isn't the cultural tourism project also aimed at securing better funding from the municipal finance bureau in the future? Aren't all these things done for the benefit of the county...?"

Zhu Lishu was furious. She felt that Lin Xiao didn't treat her as the real leader at all. He was polite on the surface, but important matters had to be handled according to his ideas as the county magistrate.

Although she also had her own personal interests, she managed to balance public and private matters.

But she was, after all, the county party secretary, the top official of Fuchuan County.

Just then, Hu Qingqing came in to deliver some documents and refill her teacup with water.

"Qingqing, what kind of person do you think County Magistrate Lin is?" Zhu Lishu suddenly called out to her.

Hu Qingqing's heart skipped a beat. She stopped and looked at Zhu Lishu with a smile, saying, "He's the leader, I..."

Hu Qingqing looked troubled, but Zhu Lishu's gaze remained fixed on her: "It's alright, it's just the two of us. I want to hear your opinion on him. After all, you've worked together for longer than I have, so you should know him better."

Hu Qingqing's heart suddenly pounded—had the leader discovered something?

But nothing happened between her and Lin Xiao!

There's nothing wrong with liking someone, but there's nothing wrong with disliking someone either.

After hesitating for a moment, Hu Qingqing slowly spoke up: "Then I'll just say what I think, it might not be correct. I think County Chief Lin is enterprising and has ideas, but sometimes he's a bit willful and inflexible..."

As she spoke, she nervously tried to decipher Juliet's intentions.

Although she had been outside the whole time, she had overheard from inside that the two were not having a very pleasant conversation. When she came in, she saw that Zhu Lishu's expression was rather unpleasant, which suggested that she was somewhat dissatisfied with Lin Xiao.

That's why she said things that the leader should want to hear.

As for what Lin Xiao truly meant to her, it was something that couldn't be described in simple words.

A hint of a smile flashed in Zhu Lishu's eyes, then she said seriously, "Alright, I understand. You can only say these things to me, you can't tell anyone else. Even if County Chief Lin is young, he is still a key leader of the county committee."

Hu Qingqing said helplessly, "I was just saying that casually."

"Okay, let's go back to work."

Hu Qingqing carefully withdrew, thinking that the leader was somewhat dissatisfied with Lin Xiao, and she needed to find an opportunity to talk to him and tell him to be more careful in his work.

In the afternoon, Zhu Lishu was reviewing documents in her office.

At this moment, Tang Meiyun knocked on the door and came in with a wronged look on her face: "Secretary Zhu, you have to stand up for me."

Julie looked up, puzzled, and asked, "What's going on?"

"Secretary, it's about Jianhong Company. County Head Lin severely criticized me at the safety-themed work meeting, but I wasn't acting out of personal motives; it was all for the sake of the work. But County Head Lin wouldn't listen to my explanation and made me make a public apology. After I did, he said my understanding wasn't deep enough. In all my years of working, this is the first time I've encountered a leader like this. How am I supposed to carry out my work after this?"

Tang Meiyun looked aggrieved, her eyes reddening.

Zhu Lishu frowned slightly—wasn't Lin Xiao going too far? No matter what, when dealing with female comrades, problems can be communicated privately, and there is absolutely no need to point them out in public at the meeting.

Regardless of their level, team members should primarily cooperate and support each other, rather than constantly bringing problems to the table.

This is a major taboo for team unity.

"I didn't think things through at the time, which caused you some distress, but after all, a safety accident did happen, and you have to understand that. I will have a good talk with County Chief Lin. We are a team, and our initial goal is to do our job well. That's why we must always focus on the issue, not the person, and be mindful of our approach. So, don't feel guilty. As a county leader, you should have this much tolerance."

Tang Meiyun wiped her eyes, looking ashamed, and said, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Secretary. I just feel aggrieved. I've always tried my best to do my job well. Regardless of my abilities, I believe my attitude is at least correct, but County Chief Lin..."

As she spoke, she secretly observed Juliet's expression. Seeing Juliet's face change repeatedly, she sneered inwardly.

Zhu Lishu offered some words of comfort and then sent Tang Meiyun away.

Then, she picked up the internal phone and called Wei Anshun.

"Director Wei, when is the mayor available? I'd like to give him a briefing on my work."

After receiving a positive reply, Juliet drove to the city.

Entering the office, Ma Guanghua looked at Zhu Lishu with a delighted expression and said softly, "Fuchuan County has done a good job recently. The cultural tourism projects are progressing well, and Zhongdingyuan's project is also progressing very well. The municipal party committee is very satisfied with Fuchuan County's work. You should continue your efforts and strive to achieve a significant improvement in this year's assessment, which will be very beneficial to your future development."

With a sweet smile, Zhu Lishu said, "Thank you for your support, leaders. Although we have made some progress, there are still many shortcomings. Some tasks have not yet achieved breakthroughs, and we need to continue to work hard."

Ma Guanghua nodded and asked, "By the way, what's your business with the Finance Bureau?"

Zhu Lishu hesitated for a moment: "It's nothing serious, just a small communication problem. Lin Xiao and Luo Jinlian had a misunderstanding over the timing of the allocation of one or two special funds. After I communicated with Luo Jinlian, the problem was resolved, but then another situation arose."

"Besides reporting to my superiors, I'd like to speak with Director Luo again. I've made a reservation at Shengyuan Hotel, and I'd like to ask for your help in coordinating things."

Ma Guanghua nodded: "I'll find an opportunity to mention it to Luo Jinlian."

"Thank you, leader. During this period, my main focus has been on coordinating relationships with various parties. Lin Xiao is energetic and he's the one taking the lead, while I'm providing support and assurance from behind. Overall, although we have some differences of opinion on individual issues, it won't affect our work."

Zhu Lishu spoke at length with a profound meaning, but if the other party were just a newcomer to officialdom, they might not have understood the implied meaning.

But Ma Guanghua was an old hand, so he naturally understood.

He smiled faintly: "It seems Lin Xiao is acting a bit recklessly?"