In name only: I will break the chess game in Handong!

About a few dozen seconds later, Chen Luo answered the phone.

"Hey, Comrade Haifeng, what's up?"

As soon as Chen Luo finished speaking, another phone in Yun Haifeng's hand rang.

"Is this Comrade Chen Luo?"

Upon suddenly hearing the unfamiliar voice, Chen Luo frowned slightly, but still patiently responded, knowing that Yun Haifeng was not one to speak without reason.

"I am Chen Luo, and you are?"

"I am Wu Zhengming from the National Energy Administration!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Luo immediately perked up. He knew Wu Zhengming; he was a member of the Party Leadership Group of the National Development and Reform Commission and the Party Secretary of the National Energy Administration, a high-ranking official at the ministerial level, and one of Yun Haifeng's backers. It was quite interesting that Wu was calling him now.

"Hello, Secretary Wu!"

Although we belong to different factions, we still need to show the proper courtesy.

"Comrade Chen Luo, although we have never met, we have long admired each other in spirit."

I started paying attention to you a year ago when Director Zhong was still in office and opposed your entry into the National Development and Reform Commission.

However, back then, Director Zhong of the National Development and Reform Commission had a lot of authority, so I couldn't help you. Now, Director Xu is your senior, Comrade Chen Luo. It really is true that fortunes change!

Chen Luo remained calm. The other party's call to him was definitely not just for a simple reminiscing, especially since there was no past connection between them.

"Secretary Wu, let bygones be bygones."

"Hahaha, Comrade Chen Luo is quite magnanimous. Actually, I have my own reasons for calling you."

"Secretary Wu, please speak!"

"Then I'll be frank."

"Comrade Haifeng is a good comrade. He was very meticulous and conscientious when he worked in the ministry. After arriving in Handong, he continued to complete his work meticulously. However, in principle, the directors of public security bureaus in other provinces have been promoted to the vice-provincial level. Is Comrade Haifeng about to be promoted to the vice-provincial level as well?"

Chen Luo answered the question without hesitation.

"Secretary Wu, Comrade Haifeng is indeed very diligent in his work. However, although I am the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, I only have the right to make suggestions regarding Comrade Haifeng's transfer. The decision-making power for promoting him to the vice-provincial level rests with the Provincial Party Committee and Governor Jianjun."

This statement is as good as saying nothing at all, but a smart person can glean the truth from the other person's tone of voice.

Wu Zhengming sensed the confidence in Chen Luo's statement that he only had the right to make suggestions; it was clear that he didn't want to work for nothing.

Taking a deep breath, Wu Zhengming said quietly, "Comrade Chen Luo, you are also currently serving as the Secretary of the Luzhou Municipal Party Committee."

I know a bit about the situation in Lüzhou; both its policies and funding are top-notch.

"Our energy bureau and other departments want to help you, but we don't know where to start, since Luzhou has no shortage of resources."

This is quite straightforward: they also want to give Chen Luo benefits, but what they can offer is not something Chen Luo really needs.

Policy? Funding? Support?

That means I support Chen Luo being somewhat interested, but that thing is intangible, so who knows if you will keep your promise?

Chen Luo knew he didn't need the benefits from the backers behind Yun Haifeng, but just because he didn't need them didn't mean others didn't. Sometimes you can't just think about getting what's in your own bowl. His bowl was already too small, full of meat. Adding vegetables would be a waste of space and not worth the price.

Now you can scoop the vegetables into the pot!

"Secretary Wu, my senior colleague recently took office at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and I heard that some of his colleagues aren't very cooperative with his work!"

Wu Zhengming had anticipated this.

He smiled and said, "After all, Director Zhong has been in the position of Director of the National Development and Reform Commission for six years. Many people are actually unwilling to see Director Zhong leave, so it is normal to have conflicting feelings."

However, since Comrade Chen Luo has spoken up, I will certainly cooperate with Director Xu's work. It's time to eliminate these comrades' resistance. We are all serving the people; what difference does it make who is the director? Besides, Director Xu's work ability is in no way inferior to Director Zhong's!

Upon hearing this, Chen Luo smiled and said, "If Secretary Wu can overcome such difficulties, I think I should also give it a try for Comrade Haifeng to become a vice-provincial level official. After all, we'll only know if we succeed by trying."

"Hahaha, then I'll have to trouble Comrade Chen Luo."

"It's no trouble at all; I should be thanking Secretary Wu!"

After exchanging pleasantries for two or three minutes, the two hung up the phone. Throughout the call, Yun Haifeng remained silent, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Looking at the two phones that had already been disconnected, Yun Haifeng finally breathed a long sigh of relief. His promotion to deputy provincial level was almost certainly in the bag.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Chen Luo has been busy with the establishment of the industrial park company in Luzhou these past few days. After more than a dozen industries move in, more than a dozen groups need to be formed, all of which are state-owned. At this time, everyone wants a piece of the pie. If it weren't for the higher-ups keeping an eye on things, Chen Luo's phone would probably be ringing off the hook.

On Thursday evening at 8 p.m., Chen Luo returned to the municipal party committee compound to rest. He had just sat down and lay down for a while when the phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was his senior from school.

"Hello, Director Xu! Good evening!"

"I'm already off work, call me 'senior'!"

"Senior, are you calling because Secretary Wu from the Energy Bureau has been very cooperative with your work these past few days?"

"Hey! You're really good at this. Even though you don't work in the central government, your influence still affects it from time to time. Thanks to you, I've been able to clean up the entire National Development and Reform Commission these past two days. Of course, Director Wu has been very cooperative."

"Good that they're cooperating. It seems the energy companies are keeping their promises."

Director Xu became interested upon hearing this.

"So, what did you promise?"

Chen Luo calmly said, "I didn't promise anything. It's just helping them promote Yun Haifeng, the current director of the Public Security Bureau of Handong Province, to the vice-provincial level. It's not a big deal."

"Keep pretending...keep pretending..."

"Haha, senior, it's really not that difficult for me. The only difficulty is that Zhou Jianjun might not cooperate. But he owes me a favor, and I know Zhou Jianjun well. He won't go back on his word. He's a real scoundrel!"

"Alright, you can do whatever you want. Handong is practically your backyard. If it weren't for your strong principles and your incorruptibility, others would have had enough."

"I didn't do anything, did I?"

"Didn't you do anything? Didn't you go out to dinner with Gao Yuliang and the others a few days ago? Seven standing committee members eating at one table, only your Handong could pull that off. But Gao Yuliang's reason is plausible, it's just that some people are unhappy about it in private."

"Which faction of the Zhou family?"

"Otherwise what?"

"That's alright then. If you're not good at handling things, don't blame the road for being uneven."

"Old Master Zhou is a big mouth, you don't need to pay attention to him. No one above has said anything, just do your job."

"Yes, I understand, senior!"

"Okay, thanks for this time. Sigh, it's always you who helps me, even though I'm the senior. I feel really bad about it. When you come to the central area, I'll treat you to a drink!"

Let's catch up then!

"Okay! Senior!"