Nominal: Intercepting Zhong Xiaoai, Dominating Handong

The next morning, as soon as Gu Mingyuan arrived at his office, he received a call from Qian Huiren's secretary: "Mayor Gu, Mayor Qian asked me to tell you that he is going to a meeting in the province this afternoon and will not be back until tomorrow morning. As for the state-owned enterprise integration, please proceed with the plan as scheduled. If there are any documents that require his signature, just send them to his office."

"Okay, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Mingyuan knew what was going on.

Zhao Anbang arranged to meet Qian Huiren at the provincial level for a talk, and the move was faster than he had anticipated.

This shows that Zhao Anbang attached greater importance to this matter than he had anticipated.

He sat behind his desk, his gaze fixed on the view outside the window.

The thin winter sunlight streamed through the glass window, casting a pale golden glow on the table.

He picked up the teacup and took a sip. The tea was brewed for him by Zhong Xiaoai that morning, and the temperature was just right. It had a faint jasmine fragrance.

He put down his cup, opened the documents on the table, and began his day's work. He knew that Qian Huiren's trip to the provincial capital to meet Zhao Anbang that afternoon would be a crucial turning point.

Whether Zhao Anbang can keep Qian Huiren in check will directly affect the stability of the Ningchuan leadership team in the coming months, and will also directly affect whether he can smoothly advance the integration of state-owned enterprises.

At 2 p.m., Qian Huiren’s car drove out of Ningchuan city and onto the expressway leading to Pingzhou.

He sat in the back row, holding a folder containing reports on Ningchuan City's recent economic work, but his gaze didn't really fall on the words.

He watched the fields and villages rushing past the window. The winter fields were empty and silent, and the distant village roofs were covered with a thin layer of gray tiles, appearing quiet and remote in the afternoon sun.

He was thinking about many things, yet it seemed like he wasn't thinking about anything at all.

He knew what Zhao Anbang wanted to talk to him about—it wasn't a work report, but a continuation of his conversation with Gu Mingyuan the day before yesterday.

Zhao Anbang wouldn't contact him at this time without a reason. Gu Mingyuan went to the provincial capital the day before yesterday, and Zhao Anbang made an appointment with him yesterday. He knew without even thinking that these two things were connected.

But he didn't resist it; on the contrary, he felt a faint sense of anticipation.

He needs someone to explain things clearly to him, someone to tell him from a higher perspective what he should do.

The only individual is Zhao Anbang.

At 3:40 p.m., his car drove into the provincial government compound and parked in the parking space in front of the office building.

He got out of the car, straightened his collar, picked up his briefcase, and went into the building.

Zhao Anbang's secretary was already waiting downstairs. Seeing him arrive, he greeted him with a smile: "Mayor Qian, Governor Zhao is waiting for you in his office."

Qian Huiren nodded and followed her secretary upstairs.

The corridor was quiet; the dark gray carpet absorbed all footsteps, and only the soft hum of the radiators echoed in the air.

The secretary stopped at the door of the governor's office and knocked.

"Governor Zhao, Mayor Qian has arrived."

"Come in."

Qian Huiren pushed open the door and went inside.

Zhao Anbang did not sit behind his desk, but instead sat on the sofa by the window, just as he had done when he met Gu Mingyuan yesterday.

He was wearing a white shirt with a dark blue wool vest over it today, and he looked more approachable than usual.

Two cups of tea were placed on the coffee table, already poured and steaming with wisps of white vapor.

"You're here, have a seat." Zhao Anbang gestured to the sofa opposite him, his tone as usual, calm and reassuring.

Qian Huiren sat down opposite him and placed her briefcase on the armrest of the sofa.

He didn't rush to speak, but instead picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The tea was at the perfect temperature; it was his favorite Longjing tea, refreshing and smooth on the palate with a subtle bean aroma.

Zhao Anbang didn't rush to speak. Instead, he leaned back on the sofa, his gaze fixed on Qian Huiren's face for a moment, before speaking. His tone was calm but carried an undeniable weight: "Huiren, I called you here today because I have something to say to you face to face."

Qian Huiren put down her teacup and sat up straighter: "Governor Zhao, please speak."

Zhao Anbang picked up his teacup, took a sip, put the cup down, and calmly looked at Qian Huiren's face: "Gu Mingyuan came to see me the day before yesterday. He told me about his visit to you and his assessment of your mindset."

"After listening to you, I thought about it and felt that there were some things I had to tell you personally. If someone else said them, they wouldn't carry enough weight, and you wouldn't really listen."

Qian Huiren remained silent, waiting for Zhao Anbang to continue.

Zhao Anbang's tone neither became more stern nor more gentle; he continued calmly, "Huiren, I've worked with you for so many years, and I know your abilities and character well."

"Ningchuan has developed well, and you, as mayor, have made great contributions. So when I learned that Wang Rucheng might be transferred, you were the first person I thought of to succeed him. That's the truth."

Qian Huiren's gaze shifted slightly.

"But," Zhao Anbang continued.

"I later changed my mind and decided to postpone Wang Rucheng's transfer. This decision was made by me and had nothing to do with Gu Mingyuan."

Qian Huiren's suspicion was finally confirmed by Zhao Anbang himself.

Zhao Anbang looked at him, his tone sharper than before: "Do you know why I made this decision?"

It's not because Gu Mingyuan needs Wang Rucheng to support him, but because Ningchuan is currently in a critical period of transformation.

The integration of state-owned enterprises has just begun, and the pressure on next year's economic indicators remains. If Wang Rucheng is transferred at this time and you are replaced, how long will it take you to get into the swing of things?

Half a year.

We can't afford the time cost of those six months.

Qian Huiren kept her head down and didn't say anything.

Zhao Anbang continued, "Huiren, you are my old subordinate, and you should know my expectations of you."

"I've told you before, the organization has been considering your next step, but not now. Do you understand what I mean?"

Qian Huiren was silent for a moment, then raised her head, her voice low but clear: "Governor Zhao, I understand."

Zhao Anbang looked at him and softened his tone: "I know you may feel wronged and think that your opportunity has been delayed."

But if you look at it from a different perspective, if you were to take over as Party Secretary now, the heavy responsibility of integrating state-owned enterprises would fall on your shoulders alone.

Are you sure you're ready?

With Wang Rucheng leading the charge and Gu Mingyuan keeping a firm grip on the direction, this is currently the safest setup.

He paused, picked up his teacup, took a sip, then put it down, his gaze returning to Qian Huiren: "And, Huiren, I have something to criticize you for today—you're being a bit petty."