Right path to power

"Qingqing? What are you doing here?"

Lin Xiao asked with some doubt. In his memory, Hu Qingqing, a staff member of the Information Section of the County Government Office who had just joined the company last year, usually dressed in a rather neutral style, with her hair tied in a ponytail, wearing sneakers and a pair of full-rimmed black glasses. This was completely different from what Lin Xiao saw at this moment.

"Director Lin, my friend and I rented a room nearby. It's also close to the market, so I'll go buy some groceries after get off work."

At this moment, Hu Qingqing had arrived, and her voice sounded much clearer.

Lin Xiao smiled slightly and exclaimed, "You can even cook, that's really impressive."

That's quite a apt statement. How many young people these days can cook, let alone pretty girls?

"Thank you for the compliment, Director Lin. I've loved cooking since I was a child, so I think I did a pretty good job. How about I ask Director Lin to give me his feedback another day?"

"Sure, I'd really like to try it."

"Then it's settled."

The two parted ways at the next intersection.

When they arrived at the private room of the restaurant, quite a few people were already there. They all greeted Lin Xiao as he walked in.

"Director Lin, you're the star of the show tonight, so you'd better have a few more drinks," said Deputy Director Geng Wan with a smile.

"Yes, yes, Director Lin has been promoted, we should all offer him a toast."

The crowd echoed this sentiment, their voices filled with envy.

"Thank you everyone. My alcohol tolerance is really limited, so please go easy on me. Also, I'll be toasting you all later. I'll need your help and support in my future work."

"Director Lin, you're too kind. You're the youngest deputy director in the county government office, and your future is extremely bright. We'll all need your help in the future."

Geng Wan spoke loudly while waving to the others.

Lin Xiao smiled and wondered if this guy was up to something by praising him so much today.

Within the system, being high-profile in one's actions isn't a big problem, but one shouldn't be too high-profile in one's personal life, otherwise one will become a target of public criticism. This is especially true for some young leaders, who need to be extra careful, because no one knows whether the smiling person next to them is a good person or a bad one.

After a while, everyone arrived. Zhou Tianxiao took the seat of honor. He had originally asked Lin Xiao to sit to his left, while Wang Zhishun, who was about to be transferred to Beifeng Township as the deputy secretary of the Party Committee, sat to his right.

However, due to Lin Xiao's strong insistence, he eventually switched places with Wang Zhishun.

Wang Zhishun is more senior than him. He was transferred to Beifeng Township this time, and he could be transferred at the same level at any time. However, those who know him are clear that this is not a simple transfer at the same level. Rather, it is a "reuse" or "transitional arrangement" with a specific purpose. Simply put, it is to enrich his experience and lay the foundation for the next promotion.

After everyone was seated, Zhou Tianxiao raised his glass and said, "Today is a day of double celebration. We've gathered here to bid farewell to Director Zhishun and to welcome Director Lin back..."

"Cheers, everyone!"

"Dry!"

Everyone raised their glasses together, and then Zhou Tianxiao asked Wang Zhishun to raise a second glass. Wang Zhishun raised his glass to express his gratitude and asked everyone to give him more support in his work in the future.

"Director Lin, why don't you propose the third toast?" Zhou Tianxiao said with a smile.

After some initial refusals, Lin Xiao finally stood up and said, "Then let me say a few words. Director Zhou, colleagues, I am honored to join the County Government Office family. During my brief time working here, I was grateful for everyone's help and support. Now that I'm back, I hope you will continue to give me the same care in the future. Thank you all."

"Haha, Director Lin is not only young, but also so polite. It's really rare. But you are the county magistrate's chief secretary, so we will need your help in the future."

"Yes, Director Lin, you'll have to take good care of me in the future," the others chimed in.

Lin Xiao glanced at Geng Wan and thought to himself that this guy had always been assigned to serve Hong Feng, and it seemed that he was deliberately trying to go against him.

"We are all serving the leaders and providing convenience for grassroots work, so we should support and cooperate with each other. Come on, let's drink to this again," Zhou Tianxiao said with a smile.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone was free to express themselves, and Lin Xiao also took the initiative to clink glasses with the others.

Just then, his phone rang. He saw that it was Gong Lei calling, so he quickly got up and went to the side to answer the phone. Zhou Tianxiao and a few other people with sharp eyes also showed some doubt on their faces.

"Xiaolin, where are you having dinner together?"

"County Chief, we are at the Green Island Hotel, which is not far from the county government compound."

"Oh, I know that place. Wait a few minutes."

"County Magistrate, are you coming too?"

"What? Can't I go?"

"No, no..."

"Let's leave it at that for now!"

After saying that, Gong Lei hung up the phone. After returning to his seat, Lin Xiao said to Zhou Tianxiao, "Director Zhou, the county magistrate will be here in a few minutes. He said he wants to toast everyone."

"ah......"

Zhou Tianxiao exclaimed in surprise, his face showing a lack of confidence, followed by a look of delight. He excitedly told everyone, "Everyone, please stop for a moment and make room. Director Lin just said that County Chief Gong is coming over to have a drink with us."

"Oh, really?"

"My God, is the county magistrate really coming over to drink with us?"

"Director Lin has a lot of influence; otherwise, when would we ever have the chance to sit at the same table as the county magistrate?"

"Director Lin, it seems you really have a bright future ahead of you. Congratulations!"

Everyone gasped in surprise, tidying up the table while whispering amongst themselves, a mixture of excitement and trepidation in their hearts. After all, opportunities to dine and drink with a high-ranking leader were rare, and having such a presence made them somewhat uncomfortable.

Afterwards, Lin Xiao, Zhou Tianxiao, and Wang Zhishun went to the hotel lobby to wait. A few minutes later, Gong Lei arrived. He got out of the car and walked in, while the driver, Yuan Xiaomin, followed behind carrying a briefcase.

"County Magistrate!"

Zhou Tianxiao stepped forward to greet him. It was an honor for him, the director, that the county magistrate would personally attend his department's gathering. Even though he knew in his heart that the county magistrate was only there for Lin Xiao, it was clear that the county magistrate's attitude towards him was changing for the better.

"Let's go."

Gong Lei nodded and walked ahead, with Zhou Tianxiao leading the way from a slightly behind position, while Lin Xiao and Wang Zhishun followed behind.

When the group entered the private room, the others were already standing there waiting to welcome them, each with a respectful expression as they greeted them.

Gong Lei naturally sat down in the main seat and said with a smile, "Please sit down, everyone. Don't be shy. I just finished my work early and remembered that Secretary Lin said you were going to have a welcome dinner for him tonight, so I came to see everyone."

"Thank you, County Magistrate!"

"Thank you, boss!"

Everyone expressed their gratitude and sat down quietly, glancing at Lin Xiao with a slightly different look in their eyes. They thought to themselves: "The county magistrate is too good to him. He's already transferred him back from the township to be a secretary, promoted him to deputy director, and now he's personally supporting him. What kind of treatment is this?" Many of them had been secretaries before, but none of them had ever received such treatment.

Gong Lei first clinked glasses with Lin Xiao, then with Wang Zhishun, encouraging him to work hard at the grassroots level, to be decisive in his work, and to strive for achievements. He also stated that he would pay close attention to those who left the county government office.

Wang Zhishun was so excited that his face turned red, and even the hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly.

Afterwards, Gong Lei said to Zhou Tianxiao, "Tianxiao, let's have another one. As the director of the county government office, you have a heavy responsibility. You have to coordinate the daily work of the county government and also keep an eye on the whole county and coordinate the overall situation. I hope you will support me more in the future."

Zhou Tianxiao quickly stood up, held his wine glass with both hands, and touched the rim of his glass to the bottom of Gong Lei's glass. He said excitedly, "County Chief, you flatter me. I will definitely do my best to implement all your requirements and do a good job in related service and coordination. At the same time, please feel free to criticize and correct any shortcomings."

"Sure, sure!" Gong Lei echoed.

For Zhou Tianxiao, this was an extremely rare occasion, and also a good opportunity to show his loyalty. After all, there were so many people present to witness this, and he could use this opportunity to be labeled as being in Gong Lei's camp, which would put Gong Lei at ease.

On the other hand, Gong Lei was also satisfied with Zhou Tianxiao's attitude.

Next, everyone surrounded Gong Lei, eager to offer him a toast. This was such a rare opportunity that everyone's face lit up. They took turns stepping forward, raising their glasses with both hands, bowing slightly, and saying, "I'll drink this, leader, please feel free to drink as you like."

Gong Lei didn't refuse, offering encouragement while hoping the other party would achieve good results.

After finishing his rounds, Gong Lei got up and left, and the atmosphere in the private room immediately became lively after he left.