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

Xu Changqing nodded slightly, glanced at the round table that was three or four meters long, and said to Li Qiang, "Section Chief Li, please find a place to sit."

"Okay, Director Xu."

Li Qiang sat down opposite Xu Changqing with some excitement, but then felt that the distance was too far. He changed seats several times before finally sitting down to Xu Changqing's right, four chairs away.

Even so, the scene appeared quite empty.

If only Assistant General Manager Liu and Deputy General Manager Chen come later, how will they sit?

Before Li Qiang could voice his doubts, the front desk manager led Liu Zhiqiang and a well-dressed middle-aged man in his late forties or early forties into the room.

As soon as he entered the door, Liu Zhiqiang was stunned.

The middle-aged man following behind him frowned instantly, a clear look of displeasure flashing across his face.

"Mr. Chen, I guess the people from Yutong County were afraid you would complain, so they chose a more upscale private room. Please don't mind."

Liu Zhiqiang could clearly sense that Vice President Chen was very displeased, so he hurriedly stepped forward and said something nice.

"Um."

Vice President Chen simply responded without saying anything more.

From the moment he entered, he felt that the people of Yutong County were unreliable.

There were only four people eating, and you set up such a huge private room. Not only is it hard to hear anything, but the table is also three or four meters in diameter. You have to shout to talk to anyone.

Does this person lack a brain?

If Liu Zhiqiang hadn't repeatedly reported to him that the two clerks in Yutong County were very capable and reliable, he wouldn't have even entered the door.

"cough!"

Liu Zhiqiang coughed lightly, and Xu Changqing and Li Qiang, who were talking quietly to each other, noticed that Liu Zhiqiang and Chen Minghai had arrived at the door of the private room.

"Hello, Assistant Liu."

Xu Changqing hurriedly stood up and walked towards Liu Zhiqiang.

When Liu Zhiqiang saw that he wanted to shake hands with him, his brows furrowed instantly.

Is this guy really the deputy director of the county government?

Is he out of his mind?

With a soft sigh, Liu Zhiqiang quickly stepped aside to avoid Xu Changqing's outstretched hand, and pointed to Chen Minghai behind him, saying, "Director Xu, right? This is our group's Vice President Chen."

Xu Changqing was slightly taken aback, and his hand, which was suspended in the air, turned directly towards Chen Minghai.

Seeing this action, Chen Minghai's expression darkened even further.

"Hello, Vice President Chen."

Xu Changqing quickly stepped forward, shook hands with Chen Minghai, and then introduced himself: "I am the deputy director of the Yutong County Government Office. My name is Xu Changqing."

Chen Minghai greeted him casually, "Hello, Director Xu."

"Mr. Chen, please have a seat." Xu Changqing greeted Chen Minghai with a smile and invited him to sit in the main seat.

The atmosphere became even more awkward once everyone was seated.

Four people, each sitting two chairs apart, created a sense of distance, but lost the aesthetic appeal.

"I'll call the waiter to take our order right away."

Xu Changqing hurriedly waved to the front-of-house manager.

Before long, the waiter handed over the menu.

Xu Changqing reached out and took the menu. He glanced at the prices and his heart skipped a beat. A single dish of shredded green peppers and potatoes cost 150 yuan!

Is this potato made of gold?

Suppressing his shock, Xu Changqing feigned composure and, while rummaging through the dishes, asked the front-of-house manager beside him, "What are your signature dishes?"

"Sir, all the dishes marked in red are our specialty dishes," the front-of-house manager replied with a smile.

Xu Changqing nodded slightly, then looked up at Chen Minghai with a smile. He then called the waiter over and pointed to the featured dishes marked in red on the menu, saying, "This one, and this one, and this one..."

Seeing Xu Changqing order more than twenty dishes in a row, Chen Minghai frowned and looked at Liu Zhiqiang.

Liu Zhiqiang could no longer force a smile, and he didn't even know what to say to Chen Minghai.

That's incredibly disrespectful. Not only did they not ask about dietary restrictions, but they also had to at least state the names of the dishes when ordering.

They wouldn't even let Chen Minghai glance at the menu, and they didn't know how to say a word, what did they take Chen Minghai for?

People who can't afford a restaurant of this caliber, are they coming here begging for food?

After ordering, Xu Changqing said to the waiter, "Bring another pot of good tea, preferably West Lake Longjing or something like that."

Once these words were out of his mouth, Chen Minghai couldn't hold back any longer. He turned to look at Liu Zhiqiang and said, "He does seem quite reliable. Well then, I have some other things to take care of at the company. I'll go back and handle them first. Assistant Liu, you can talk to Director Xu first. I'll be right back."

After saying that, Chen Minghai stood up, smiled, extended his hand to Xu Changqing, shook hands, and said, "Director Xu, I'm really sorry, our General Manager Du just sent me a text message, asking me to come back to the company immediately. So, I'll ask General Manager Liu to stay for a while, and I'll be right back after I finish what General Manager Du asked me to do."

Xu Changqing glanced at Liu Zhiqiang in surprise, then could only smile awkwardly and shake hands with Chen Minghai, saying, "Alright, alright, then we'll wait for President Chen."

"Okay, you can sit down. No need to see me off." After saying that, Chen Minghai quickly walked out of the private room.

Watching Chen Minghai's retreating figure, Liu Zhiqiang was both amused and exasperated. It was quite a coincidence that Chen Minghai had been suffering from tonsillitis for the past few days and was taking anti-inflammatory medication, so he couldn't drink tea. Xu Changqing didn't even ask him anything and simply ordered a pot of West Lake Longjing tea.

This tea is very expensive. If Chen Minghai is given a cup, will he drink it or not?

Liu Zhiqiang was at a loss for words when it came to what to say about Xu Changqing.

Before long, all the food and drinks were served, and the table was overflowing with an incredibly lavish spread.

Everything that flies in the sky and runs on the ground is available.

While eating, Xu Changqing said to Liu Zhiqiang, "Assistant Liu, our county's investment policies are really very effective..."

As soon as he opened his mouth, Liu Zhiqiang raised an eyebrow. This was completely different from what he had told Xu Hansheng the night before.

He thought Xu Changqing was here to talk to them about the sewage treatment system, but Xu Changqing went off-topic as soon as he opened his mouth.

Liu Zhiqiang couldn't help but chuckle a few times, then silently ate the peanuts in front of him without saying a word, only nodding occasionally.

It wasn't until 8 p.m. that Liu Zhiqiang stood up and said to Xu Changqing, "Director Xu, it's really unfortunate. Something happened at the company, and President Chen wants me to go back immediately."

"How about this, I already know about the support policies in our county. When I get back, I will definitely report to General Manager Chen in detail. Uh, you go back and wait for my call."

Xu Changqing quickly stood up, shook hands with Liu Zhiqiang, and said, "Thank you, Assistant Liu. If the investment is successful, I will definitely thank you separately."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiqiang's heart skipped a beat. Luckily, Chen Minghai had left first, otherwise, what would he have become?

Did they receive money from Xu Changqing before arranging for Vice President Chen to meet with him?

Holy crap, is this guy toxic?

Liu Zhiqiang cursed inwardly, but put on a forced smile and said, "Don't worry, Director Xu, I will do my best. Goodbye!"

After saying that, Liu Zhiqiang quickly walked out of the private room.

Watching Liu Zhiqiang's retreating figure, Xu Changqing let out a long sigh of relief and asked Li Qiang, "Section Chief Li, what do you think of how we handled things today?"

This……

Li Qiang glanced at the almost untouched dishes on the table and cautiously said to Xu Changqing, "Director Xu, something feels off."

"What's wrong?" Xu Changqing asked, frowning as he ate his food.

"President Chen left before the banquet even started, and this Assistant Liu only ate half a plate of peanuts; he didn't touch any of the other dishes." Xu Changqing was stunned when Li Qiang said this.