Right path to power

On the morning of the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, the county party committee and county government held a post-holiday work meeting, reiterating the various tasks deployed before the holiday and requiring all units and departments to quickly refocus and get back to work.

Following the meeting to refocus efforts, Lin Xiao chaired an enlarged executive meeting of the county government. In addition to members of the county government leadership, key officials from relevant departments such as the Finance Bureau, Development and Reform Bureau, Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, and Culture and Tourism Bureau attended the meeting.

Preliminary data shows that the number of tourists in Fuchuan County during the Spring Festival increased fivefold compared to the same period last year. Hotels and guesthouses in the county town were basically fully booked, and many tourists had to stay in the city.

At the same time, the catering industry is booming, and the sales of local specialties and trinkets in Fuchuan are also very impressive.

Overall, tourism revenue in Fuchuan during the Spring Festival hit a new historical high.

Despite the surge in tourist numbers, the quality of service has not declined. Even when problems occasionally arise, they are dealt with quickly, leaving a good impression on tourists.

After this Spring Festival, Fuchuan County has truly established its reputation as a cultural and tourism town.

At the meeting, Lin Xiao gave instructions, requiring continued progress in the construction of the Changning River cultural tourism project, learning from the advanced experiences of other places, constantly enriching the content, and further enhancing the visitor experience.

Over the next few days, Lin Xiao visited various units to conduct research and check on the implementation of various tasks.

That morning, Lin Xiao was reviewing documents in his office as usual when the internal phone suddenly rang. He saw that it was Kang Tao, the Minister of Organization of the Municipal Party Committee, calling. He hesitated for a few seconds before answering.

"Hello, Minister Kang."

"Comrade Lin Xiao, come to my office at 2 p.m. this afternoon."

"Yes, Minister Kang."

"Okay, let's discuss the details when we meet."

"Understood, see you this afternoon."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat.

He roughly guessed what it was about.

In the past two days, several familiar members of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee have given him hints, with similar wording: there will be cadre adjustments in the city soon, and he should adjust his mindset and wait patiently.

Due to organizational discipline, no one dared to reveal the inside story, but Lin Xiao already knew in his heart that he was most likely included in the shortlist for the position of chief official of Zhenxing District.

That afternoon's meeting was probably a routine assessment interview before the cadre adjustment.

In other words, although he has been included in the shortlist, nothing is certain yet.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and focused on continuing the work at hand.

In the afternoon, Lin Xiao arrived early and waited outside Kang Tao's office.

Around 2 PM, Kang Tao arrived.

"Kobayashi's here, come in."

"Yes, Minister Kang."

The two talked in the office for about twenty minutes. Kang Tao mainly asked him about his work ideas, performance of duties, integrity and conduct, and his views on the new position.

Although the two had a good personal relationship, Kang Tao did not reveal any conclusions throughout the entire interview, which was a standard interview process.

Finally, Kang Tao smiled and said, "Xiao Lin, go back and prepare well."

Lin Xiao was slightly taken aback: "Okay, thank you, Minister Kang."

After the conversation, Lin Xiao went to the office of Wang Yuanze, the municipal party secretary.

Upon entering the secretary's office, I saw the secretary, Guo Yuanzheng, exchanging documents with a man in his thirties, seemingly conducting a work handover.

Upon seeing Lin Xiao walk in, Guo Yuanzheng immediately greeted her with a smile.

Lin Xiao joked, "What? Are you getting sent to a lower-level position?"

Guo Yuanzheng gave a wry smile: "The Party Secretary told me to first make sure I hand over my current work properly, and I don't know what the next steps will be."

Lin Xiaoxin understood and nodded without asking any further questions.

The transfer of a municipal party secretary's secretary to another city is always a signal of being a key figure in the development of the city; the reasons behind this are self-evident.

Guo Yuanzheng also didn't exchange many pleasantries, leading Lin Xiao to the door of the inner room, knocking to announce his arrival:

After Lin Xiao went in, Guo Yuanzheng gently closed the door, brewed some tea, went into the inner room again, put down the tea, and then quietly left, leaving only Wang Yuanze and Lin Xiao in the office.

Once the office door is closed, outside noise is shut out.

About ten minutes later, Lin Xiao came out of the office.

No one knows what the two talked about in those ten minutes or so; all that was seen was Lin Xiao calmly walking out of the office.

When Guo Yuanzheng saw him come out, he went up and greeted him briefly. Lin Xiao smiled and responded, agreeing to get together another day when he had time. Then he left the municipal party committee compound.

Back in Fuchuan, Lin Xiao continued to handle her work.

The next morning, the inspection team from the Municipal Party Committee's Organization Department arrived in Fuchuan County to officially launch the differential inspection work.

The inspection team's interviews and evaluations all revolved around Lin Xiao. The news quickly spread within the organization, and everyone realized that County Chief Lin was likely to be promoted again and would soon be leaving Fuchuan County.

At first, many people in the county did not believe it.

After all, Lin Xiao has only been in Fuchuan County for a little over a year, and has successively served as Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee, and Acting County Head. Under normal circumstances, he would not be reassigned, especially since he has not yet reached the required term.

The investigation team's work did indeed revolve around Lin Xiao, which left no room for doubt.

At almost the same time, news also came from Zhenxing District that another inspection team from the Municipal Party Committee's Organization Department was simultaneously conducting an inspection of District Mayor Yang Songfeng.

The entire county of Fuchuan was in an uproar.

Although it was just an evaluation and no final selection had been made, most people believed that Lin Xiao would be the ultimate winner.

"That's faster than a rocket, isn't it?"

"Looking at the whole city, the whole province, and even the whole country, isn't this an exceptional case among exceptional cases?"

"Having held multiple important positions in just over a year, is this the secret to his promotion?"

"Nonsense! Even though they haven't been in that position for long, what they've done is something that most people could accomplish? Do you think you can succeed just by having connections and no ability?"

"I'm not saying he lacks ability, but it's undeniable that frequently changing positions, especially important ones, inevitably leads to faster growth."

"No, it should be that he's capable and grows quickly, which is why his superiors frequently reassign him to increasingly important positions. If you had someone like that under your command, wouldn't you use him the same way?"

"To be honest, I do hope that County Chief Lin can become the Party Secretary of our Fuchuan County..."

People were talking about it, and some even called and texted to congratulate him. Lin Xiao repeatedly explained that this was just a normal evaluation process and asked everyone not to overinterpret it.

"County Magistrate, are you getting promoted again?"

In the car, Ji Jianghua couldn't help but ask.

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "You believe rumors? Everyone's spreading things that aren't even confirmed yet. What if you don't get promoted? Wouldn't people laugh their heads off?"

"Haha, anyway, I'm sure I'll get promoted to county magistrate."

"I don't even have that much confidence myself."

"I believe it anyway!" Ji Jianghua's attitude was very firm.

"Okay, enough about me, let's talk about you."

"Talking about me? What do I have to say? Just drive carefully."

"Are you planning to drive your whole life? Getting married, having kids, buying a house and settling down—these are things you need to consider. Here's what I'm thinking: if I really get transferred to Zhenxing District this time, you'll come with me. But you need to start preparing to buy a house in the city center on a mortgage, settle down and have kids as soon as possible..."

Ji Jianghua had been working for Lin Xiao for several years. Although he had secured a permanent position, Lin Xiao had other plans: if he were to be transferred again in the future, he would have to find a way out for Ji Jianghua and not let him drive for the rest of his life. Fortunately, Ji Jianghua was also ambitious and enrolled in a junior college in public administration at the county's open university, attending classes whenever he had free time on weekends.

After hearing Lin Xiao's words, Ji Jianghua was deeply moved: "County Chief, I..."

"This is just my suggestion. If you have your own ideas, go for it. I will definitely support you."

"Thank you, County Head."

"There's no need for us to be so polite between us."

Soon, the three-day comprehensive inspection came to an end.

The inspection team conducted interviews and evaluations with each member of the leadership team, the heads of county-level departments, and the heads of various townships. They also reviewed all work records and verified the individuals' integrity, proceeding with meticulous care.

Some people raised questions about Lin Xiao's personal stock account, but the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection provided complete filing materials, and the doubts were successfully eliminated.

With this, the investigation into Lin Xiao came to an end.

On the other side of Zhenxing District, Yang Songfeng was quite surprised to learn that Lin Xiao was also a candidate for the position, but he quickly regained his composure. He and his trusted subordinates repeatedly analyzed the situation and still believed that the position of district party secretary was still in his grasp.

Of course, the investigation into him was also successfully completed.

However, when the two assessment results were presented to Organization Minister Kang Tao, the difference in quality was already clear.

The following day, Wang Yuanze, the municipal party secretary, convened a five-person group meeting to specifically discuss the candidate for the secretary of the Zhenxing District Party Committee. The meeting lasted for nearly three hours and a consensus was finally reached.

In addition, the meeting also reached a consensus on another personnel proposal.