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

If Li Qiang hadn't reminded him, Xu Changqing wouldn't have noticed. After all, the table was too big and it was too far away to see clearly. He couldn't go around to Liu Zhiqiang's side to see how much Liu Zhiqiang had eaten.

"It's okay, we'll just go back and wait for Assistant Liu's call." Xu Changqing himself said this without much confidence.

Will Liu Zhiqiang really call him?

Nima!

It was only then that Xu Changqing came to his senses that Liu Zhiqiang had never left his phone number!

This is awkward!

Looking at the table full of food, Xu Changqing's face turned pale. County Chief Lin had made it clear beforehand that if things went well, reimbursement would be no problem, but if things went wrong, he would have to bear the cost himself!

Thinking of this, beads of sweat appeared on Xu Changqing's palms as he held the bank card.

How much did this meal cost?

At that moment, he lost all interest in eating and hurriedly called over a waiter, saying, "Put the bill on me."

"Sir, your total bill is 11,497 yuan. Let's round it down to 11,000 yuan." A short while later, the front desk manager came in with the bill.

"How much! One...one thousand one?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Changqing almost slipped off his chair. He only earned a little over a thousand yuan a month, and this one meal cost him a year's salary!

"Yes, sir. May I ask if you will be paying in cash or by card?"

The front desk manager asked with a smile.

"Um... can't you make it cheaper?" Xu Changqing asked with a bitter face.

"I'm afraid that won't work. Would you like to pay in cash or by card?" By the second time the manager asked, his smile wasn't as bright as before.

"Swipe...swipe card."

Xu Changqing trembled as he took out his bank card and handed it to the waiter.

"Ding!"

The waiter quickly swiped the card on the reader and said to Xu Changqing, "Please enter your password."

After Xu Changqing trembled as he entered the PIN twice, the waiter confirmed that it was correct before returning the card to Xu Changqing.

Seeing the front-of-house manager and waiters turn to leave, Xu Changqing hurriedly said, "Wait, pack up... pack up the rest of the dishes for me."

His heart was bleeding.

This meal was too expensive; he couldn't bear to throw away even a drop of soup.

"OK."

The front desk manager responded and left the private room with a smile.

Before long, two waiters came into the private room with takeout bags. After putting all the dishes on the table into the bags, they put the food into two extra-large plastic bags and handed them to Xu Changqing.

There were six large bags, which Li Qiang helped carry, and the two of them walked into the elevator one after the other.

When they reappeared in the lobby on the first floor, they immediately attracted a lot of attention.

In an era when saving face was paramount, seeing those two lively characters carrying takeout bags as they walked out of the elevator, anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were there specifically to eat at a fancy restaurant.

"I'm never coming back, never coming back."

As he walked out, Xu Changqing muttered to himself.

I spent over ten thousand yuan, and when I went out, people stared at me like I was a monkey. I spent money and lost face.

……

Meanwhile, Xu Hansheng and Tang Bing's dinner was also drawing to a close.

After Tang Bing carefully helped Xu Hansheng revise the report, she stood up and said, "Please reconsider it yourself. After all, I also made some oversights. This is ultimately for Secretary Qi to see, so you can't afford to make any mistakes."

Xu Hansheng nodded heavily, glanced at his watch, and said, "Sister Tang, it's almost ten o'clock. Let me take you home."

After saying that, Xu Hansheng picked up his coat and went downstairs with Tang Bing.

"Aunt Li, I'm going back now." Tang Bing greeted Li Xiuru as she approached the bar.

"Hey, come over for dinner another time when you have time," Li Xiuru said with a smile and a nod to Tang Bing.

"Yes, definitely. Thank you for your hospitality, Auntie." Tang Bing said, then pushed open the door and walked out.

Xu Hansheng exchanged a few more words with Li Xiuru and then quickly chased after her.

As they walked back, Tang Bing asked curiously, "I heard you were also specially recruited? You must know someone in your family, right? I still suggest you try to find some connections to resolve the conflict with Director Xu."

Xu Hansheng gave a wry smile and said, "Sister Tang, my special admission is different from others. I only got this spot because of my second uncle's factory. Although Director Tan helped me, once I got into the county government office, our two families were even. If I ask him for help now, Director Tan will never offend Xu Changqing for my sake."

Upon hearing this, Tang Bing nodded repeatedly.

Indeed, Tan Zhifei wouldn't risk offending Xu Changqing for Xu Hansheng's sake. Although Tan Zhifei worked in the county party committee office and Xu Changqing in the county government office, the two offices still maintained contact, and neither could guarantee they would never need to ask for favors.

It's impossible for Tan Zhifei to stand up for Xu Hansheng.

"That's okay. As long as you do your job well and don't give Xu Changqing any leverage, he has no reason to fire you."

Tang Bing could only offer some words of comfort to Xu Hansheng.

Xu Hansheng simply smiled faintly and didn't say anything more.

If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet; who can guarantee they'll never make a mistake in their life?

Enduring is definitely not the solution; we must find a way to bring down Xu Changqing, or at least make ourselves stronger.

After escorting Tang Bing back to her dormitory, Xu Hansheng hurried home, rewrote the report, and pasted it onto the reply slip.

Xu Hansheng was already very familiar with this kind of report; he had just made a mistake on purpose.

When rewriting it a second time, Xu Hansheng only left some minor issues with wording, but there was nothing to criticize in terms of writing style or other aspects.

The next morning, when Xu Hansheng arrived at the county committee compound, he happened to run into Xu Changqing.

Today, Xu Changqing seemed to have lost his soul. He walked down the street with dark circles under his eyes and a blank, lifeless gaze, not even noticing Xu Hansheng across from him.

As Xu Changqing walked into the county government office building like a walking corpse, Xu Hansheng's lips curled up slightly, revealing a contemptuous smile.

Xu Hansheng's peaches are not so easy to pick.

I reckon Xu Changqing must have spent a lot of money last night; it's like throwing money into a puddle without even a sound.

"Hey bro, have a smoke."

As Xu Hansheng spoke, he handed a pack of Yuxi cigarettes to the security guard, just like before.

"No, I can't accept any more of your things. These cigarettes are quite expensive; just give me one."

The security guard felt embarrassed to accept a pack of cigarettes from Xu Hansheng every day, since he felt he would never have the chance to repay Xu Hansheng in this lifetime.

"Brother, don't be so polite. This cigarette is for you. From the first moment I saw you, I felt that we were kindred spirits."

As he spoke, Xu Hansheng forcefully shoved the pack of cigarettes into the security guard's hand.

"this……"

The security guard looked at Xu Hansheng with a face full of shame, not knowing what to say.

Xu Hansheng just smiled and waved to the security guard.

He had only taken a few steps when Liu Haitao caught up from behind, patted Xu Hansheng on the shoulder, and said, "Hansheng, what are you doing? I see you always giving him cigarettes. He's just a lowly security guard, why are you sucking up to him?"

Xu Hansheng simply smiled and said, "Brother Liu, you can't say that. I think the security guard is a very nice person, and I felt a special connection with him the first time we met."

As he spoke, Xu Hansheng turned around and waved to the security guard standing in the guard booth at the entrance.

"Get along well? What kind of compatibility do you two have?"

Liu Haitao said, quite puzzled.

"Brother Liu, as the old saying goes, you can befriend the poor and do business with the rich."

After Xu Hansheng finished speaking, he stepped onto the stairs.