Right path to power

"Kobayashi, congratulations!"

Gong Lei, the Party Secretary of Fengshan County, was all smiles, with Tang Changming and Xu Jingnan behind him.

Thank you all for taking the time to come!

You're too kind.

Lin Xiao invited them inside and introduced Song Wanqing and both sets of parents.

Lin Changhe and Xiang Fangjing had met many important figures during this period, and they were no longer as awkward as they were at the beginning. When facing county leaders, they were calm, enthusiastic, and polite, and seemed to be in complete control.

Gong Lei stepped forward and shook hands with Song Guoqiang, exchanging pleasantries. He felt that the other man seemed familiar, as if he had seen him in some internal publication or news report, but he couldn't quite place him.

Of course, he wouldn't ask on his own initiative.

In contrast, Song Guoqiang, despite trying to appear more casual, has served as a provincial governor and is now the head of a national ministry. The aura he has cultivated over a long period in a high position cannot be concealed.

Zhu Lishu and He Zhiqiang also arrived. Lin Xiao welcomed them in and sat them down at a table with Gong Lei and the others.

At 11 o'clock, Wang Yuanze, the municipal party secretary, arrived.

Seeing Lin Xiao accompany Wang Yuanze in, Gong Lei and the others all stood up.

"Hello, Secretary Wang."

Everyone greeted him respectfully.

Wang Yuanze smiled and nodded to everyone before walking straight to the main table.

Song Guoqiang knew that the visitor was Wang Yuanze, the secretary of the Quanzhou Municipal Party Committee, so he quickly stood up.

Wang Yuanze quickly stepped forward and said respectfully and politely, "Greetings, Minister Song."

Song Guoqiang extended his hand and smiled, "Comrade Yuanze, thank you for attending Miss Lin's wedding."

Wang Yuanze clasped his hands and said, "Minister Song, you're too kind. It's an honor for me to be here to officiate their wedding. Lin Xiao and Xiao Song are a match made in heaven. Congratulations, Minister Song."

"Thank you, Comrade Yuanze," Song Guoqiang said politely.

Lin Xiao then introduced his mother-in-law, Gu Yongling, to whom Wang Yuanze congratulated her with a smile. He then introduced his uncle and aunt's family.

Wang Yuanze shook hands with them and congratulated them without showing any emotion, but his heart was churning. Although he had met many provincial and ministerial-level officials, it was rare to see the core senior leaders of the Song family gathered together.

Clearly, the Song family's foundation was far greater than he had imagined.

Moving to another main table, Wang Yuanze shook hands with Lin Changhe and Xiang Fangjing again, offered his congratulations, and then sat down at this table.

Gong Lei and the others were stunned by what they saw.

Although they knew that Lin Xiao had connections in the province and Wang Yuanze as her backer in the city, Wang Yuanze had just treated Lin Xiao's father-in-law with such respect, even calling him "Minister"—so who exactly is Lin Xiao's father-in-law?

Moreover, when facing that group of people, Wang Yuanze's subtle nervousness was impossible to hide.

Juliet's smile froze.

The fact that the municipal party secretary not only attended the wedding in person but also served as the officiant suggests that the relationship between Lin Xiao and Wang Yuanze is much closer than the outside world realizes.

Furthermore, Lin Xiao's father-in-law seemed to be someone of great importance; otherwise, Wang Yuanze's respectful manner wouldn't have seemed like ordinary etiquette.

She also felt a sense of déjà vu about that face.

Soon, Hao Yongren, Zhou Zizheng, Kang Tao, Su Anji, and others also arrived.

The group happened to meet at the door and came in together.

When Gong Lei and the others saw a group of municipal party committee leaders walk in, their eyes widened in surprise.

Wang Yuanze's presence at the scene was already impressive enough, but Lin Xiao hadn't expected to invite so many members of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee as well.

It's important to understand that these leaders' personal attendance at the wedding was not only a recognition of Lin Xiao, but also a demonstration that Lin Xiao had a very good relationship with them.

At this moment, Juliet began to feel uneasy.

She had always thought that Lin Xiao only had Wang Yuanze behind her, which was already a huge hurdle, but she never expected that there was also a group of municipal party committee members behind Lin Xiao.

Even with the support of Acting Mayor Ma Guanghua, she couldn't shake Lin Xiao in the slightest.

Is it all because of Secretary Wang's influence?

She pondered to herself, but even for Wang Yuanze's sake, it wouldn't be necessary for everyone to attend in person.

Then, Cai Qingyuan arrived.

After being ushered into the lobby by Lin Xiao, he immediately spotted his old leader and quickly walked toward the main table.

"old......"

Cai Qingyuan was about to bow in greeting when Song Guoqing waved his hand to stop him, and he quickly stopped.

Song Guoqing smiled and nodded at him, and Cai Qingyuan then shook hands with Song Guoqiang, who was standing next to him, to offer his congratulations.

The two knew each other before, but Cai Qingyuan was noticeably more relaxed when facing Song Guoqiang.

Wang Yuanze introduced Hao Yongren and others to Song Guoqiang, and Song Guoqiang politely shook hands with each of them.

Today is, after all, Lin Xiao and Song Wanqing's wedding, a private occasion. And the people Lin Xiao invited must be people who usually support and care for him.

Therefore, Song Guoqiang appeared very approachable.

At this moment, Liang Weiwang also arrived.

Lin Xiao hurriedly went out to greet him.

Seeing Liang Weiwang come in, Song Guoqiang also got up and went over.

Liang Weiwang quickly stepped forward: "Congratulations, Minister Song!"

Song Guoqiang smiled and shook hands with him: "Thank you, Comrade Weiwang, you have nurtured a good student."

Liang Weiwang laughed and said, "Actually, I didn't do anything special. As the saying goes, the master leads you to the door, but the practice is up to you. It's because Lin Xiao has good comprehension and is willing to work hard that he has achieved what he has now."

"Comrade Weiwang, don't praise him too much. Young people are prone to arrogance. As his teacher, you'd better keep an eye on things for me, haha."

"Minister Song, rest assured, I believe Lin Xiao will never let us down."

Seeing the two chatting and laughing so easily, Gong Lei and the others were stunned once again.

Unexpectedly, Liang Weiwang, the executive vice governor, also came to attend Lin Xiao's wedding in person.

Everyone was familiar with this provincial leader. His promotion was equally rapid; it only took him three years to rise from a university vice president to a member of the provincial standing committee and executive vice governor.

When he came to Fengshan County for inspection before, everyone thought that he only noticed Lin Xiao because of work.

But now it seems that his relationship with Lin Xiao is also very close, and they have very unusual feelings for each other.

I just heard Song Guoqiang say it very clearly—Lin Xiao is Liang Weiwang's student.

Now everyone finally understood why Wang Yuanze valued Lin Xiao so much.

It turns out that Lin Xiao has a teacher in a high position behind her.

Moreover, there have been rumors circulating that Wang Yuanze and Liang Weiwang are very close.

Just then, another important figure arrived.

"Congratulations, Kobayashi."

"Thank you, Secretary Lou."

"Today there's no Secretary Lou, only Uncle Lou."

"Okay, Uncle Lou."

Lou Changyang, deputy secretary of the provincial party committee, also arrived.

Liang Weiwang went to greet him, and Lou Changyang smiled and nodded at him before heading towards the Song brothers.

Seeing Lou Changyang approach, Song Guoqiang also stood up.

"How is Grandpa's health? Jianwen called and asked me to go to Beicheng, but I thought about it and decided that the wedding here would be fine. I hope Grandpa won't be angry?"

"The old man's health is still the same as before. In my opinion, he just wants to call you over and give you a talking-to," Song Guoqiang said with a smile.

"Possibly. Every time I go to see him, he kicks me out after only two minutes and tells me to get back to work. Do you think I'd dare go see him if I hadn't done my job well?"

"Changyang, the old man treats all of us the same. He used to dote on my little sister the most, but he still criticizes her now," Song Guoqiang said.

"Yes, Brother Changyang, Dad also kicks me out all the time," Song Yawei interjected.

Song Wanqing, who was standing to the side, laughed: "Dad, Uncle, Aunt, you're not thinking that Grandpa is getting senile, are you?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Gu Yongling scolded her daughter, "How can you talk like that?"

"I'm not afraid, anyway, Grandpa loves me the most."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Lin Xiao stood aside, somewhat surprised as well.

He knew that Lou Changyang and the Song family were close, but he never expected them to be this close, almost like family.

"Lin Xiao, come here." Lou Changyang beckoned.

Lin Xiao paused for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and stood next to Song Wanqing, joining the conversation.

Juliet felt like she was going crazy.

She suddenly realized just how wrong she had been.

He originally thought that by climbing up to Ma Guanghua's coattails, coupled with his own position as the county party secretary, he would be able to suppress Lin Xiao at work.

After all, Ma Guanghua has cultivated deep roots in the state for many years and has extensive connections. Even though he has only been acting mayor for a short time, he can still rival Wang Yuanze.

The key point is that her "suppression" is reasonable and well-founded, and not just sophistry.

But today she realized that those were all just "what she thought".

A deputy secretary of the provincial party committee and an executive vice governor—these are levels she simply cannot reach.

It's like trying to smash a rock with an egg; you'll only end up shattered to pieces.

This kid is really hiding his true abilities.

At this moment, she felt immense regret.

In a short while, she decided to readjust her strategy, shifting completely from confrontation to cooperation, and support Lin Xiao in achieving more success so that she could also benefit from it.

The ability to be flexible and adaptable is a fundamental quality of a leader.

"I remember now."

Gong Lei suddenly let out a cry of surprise.