Family connections: From special recruitment by the county committee to the pinnacle of power

Tan Zhifei had seen the Party Secretary use that phone; it was very expensive, almost as much as his annual salary!

"Where did you get that phone in your hand?"

Tan Zhifei stared at Jiang Yuling with a solemn expression.

Seeing her husband suddenly become serious, Jiang Yuling was taken aback and explained, "This afternoon, I was going to call you, but my cell phone turned off automatically and I couldn't turn it on. So Xiuru gave me her spare phone."

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Yuling asked, somewhat puzzled.

It's just a regular cell phone, why is Tan Zhifei making such a fuss?

"A backup phone?"

Tan Zhi was utterly speechless. Looking at Jiang Yuling, he said, "My silly wife, do you know how much this phone costs?"

"How much?"

Jiang Yuling looked at Tan Zhifei with a puzzled expression.

"Over eight thousand!"

At this point, Tan Zhifei sighed and said, "Moreover, this kind of phone should be a new one released in March of this year. It's not a second-hand phone at all, and it certainly can't be a backup phone."

What?

Hearing this, Jiang Yuling was completely stunned.

A phone, over eight thousand yuan?

Wouldn't this be considered bribery?

Thinking of this, Jiang Yuling said nervously, "Oh dear, what should we do? I really didn't know this phone was worth so much money! Maybe... I'll send it back to her right now."

Jiang Yuling's hands were trembling. She had lived half her life and had never received such an expensive gift from anyone. She didn't want to jeopardize her husband's future because of her ignorance!

Jiang Yuling felt extremely guilty. How could she have become the kind of person who would accept gifts so casually?

Little did she know that from the moment she accepted the five thousand yuan from Xu Hansheng, a seed of affection had been planted in her heart. She always thought that since she had helped others, it was no big deal to receive a small gift. Little did she know that this was the path that all corrupt officials took when they first embarked on the road of no return.

Xu Hansheng was led into the abyss little by little in this way. Therefore, Xu Hansheng's grasp of this balance can be said to be extremely precise. He can make the other party's heart flutter, and at the same time, he can subtly influence them, making them accept his generous gifts without them even realizing it.

If you do the math, including the clothes, the cell phone, and the 5,000 yuan in cash, Xu Hansheng got Jiang Yuling to accept 15,000 yuan worth of gifts without her even realizing it in just two days.

You have to understand, how much was a salary in 04? Even if Jiang Yuling didn't eat or drink all year round, she wouldn't earn that much money.

Seeing Jiang Yuling's flustered expression, Tan Zhifei sighed and said, "Forget it, there are some things you can't return. At most, you can repay their favors later when you have the chance. But you must remember, you can't take anything from the Xu family anymore, no matter what excuse they have."

Tan Zhifei didn't not want to return the phone, but even a hero can be brought down by a penny. If he returned the phone, would he return the clothes, and would he return the five thousand yuan?

We can hold off on buying clothes for our son for now, but tomorrow night's dinner is crucial to his future.

Regardless of Li Xiuru's motives, Tan Zhifei decided to take the gamble after giving Jiang Yuling so many valuable gifts!

As long as Xu Weidong and his wife don't report him, he will be safe and sound!

At worst, we can repay them with something of equal value when conditions improve in the future.

……

On the other side, after seeing Jiang Yuling off, Xu Hansheng's family returned upstairs. Li Xiuru also did the math. She was shocked to find that Xu Hansheng had spent 18,000 yuan on Jiang Yuling in just two days!

"Hansheng, in just two days, including the check-up fees, we've already spent 18,000 yuan!"

Upon hearing this number, Xu Weidong broke out in a cold sweat. His son was spending money too extravagantly, even for legitimate purposes.

The Xu family is wealthy, but not to the point where they can spend money without restraint.

"Mom, Dad."

Xu Hansheng smiled and said, "When you ask someone for a favor, you have to win their heart the first time. Interpersonal relationships often only offer one chance. If we fail to impress Aunt Jiang this time, she won't give us another chance."

"Moreover, I dare say that once Tan Zhifei sees that phone, she will no longer accept gifts from our family. Tan Zhifei is more afraid than we are."

Li Xiuru pursed her lips and smiled bitterly, "Your Aunt Jiang and I have been classmates for so many years. If it doesn't work out this time, there's always next time. I'm worried because we've already spent the money, but we haven't even discussed the matter yet. I'm so anxious..."

Xu Hansheng shook his head slightly and said, "Mom, don't worry, this matter will definitely be accomplished. However, we absolutely cannot be the ones to bring it up. 18,000 is a lot, but it's too little for what we need to do. If we want to persuade someone to help us, we can't appear as those asking for help, but rather as members of a community with shared interests. With our small gift, everything will fall into place naturally."

"On the one hand, Director Fu will soon be stepping down. Despite the rumors circulating in the county about Director Liu and Director Tan, it is still uncertain who will ultimately succeed Director Fu."

"What the Party Secretary is most concerned about right now is attracting investment. Whoever can attract a large enterprise first will stand out. We've already laid out enough bait. Next, Director Tan will come to us on his own initiative. Once he reports this to the Party Secretary, we can then proceed smoothly."

"Director Tan is only willing to fight this battle for our goals because of his career prospects and the gifts we gave him!"

Xu Hansheng narrowed his eyes slightly and analyzed carefully.

In fact, Xu Hansheng was very familiar with these things and didn't need to analyze them at all; it was already instinctive for him.

But Li Xiuru and Xu Weidong had no idea about these things.

To put their minds at ease, Xu Hansheng revealed a little bit.

To control someone, economic means alone are far from enough; one must simultaneously influence them through both economic and political means in order to exert complete control.

If Tan Zhifei reports this matter to the Party Secretary and fails to get it done, his impression of the Party Secretary will be greatly diminished, and he can forget about taking it any further.

Forget about it for the rest of your life!

At this point, Xu Hansheng, through his second uncle, made his own request, and Tan Zhifei had no choice but to bite the bullet and comply.

However, Xu Hansheng had already given Tan Zhifei what he was owed. Once this matter was settled, he and Tan Zhifei would be even.

Although Tan Zhifei has repaid Xu Hansheng's favor, because of this incident, Xu Hansheng could still follow Tan Zhifei's old path again in the future, given the opportunity or the right circumstances.

This is what happens when you're unfamiliar with something the first time, but become familiar with it the second time.

When dealing with someone like Tan Zhifei, never think you can build a close, strong relationship in one go. That's being tactless and will only bring you big trouble.

This is also a major reason why many newbies, despite spending a lot of money to get into a good company, are quickly kicked out.

Those who don't know when to advance or retreat, and those who lack a sense of boundaries, will only be ruthlessly abandoned.

Xu Weidong frowned, sized up Xu Hansheng, and asked in a deep voice, "Hansheng, where did you learn all this?"