73: Chapter 73 Winning Hearts and Minds

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang pushed the door open and entered. He was still wearing that faded blue shirt, only now with a dark jacket over it.

His face showed a hint of fatigue, but his eyes remained sharp.

"Comrade Xing Guoqiang, I'm truly sorry to trouble you so late."

Xiao Bei rose to welcome him, gestured toward the sofa, and said, "Sit, have some tea."

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang nodded and sat down, taking the teacup with both hands: "Secretary Xiao, you are too kind. Work comes first."

Xiao Bei sat opposite him and spoke after some deliberation: "Thanks to your timely intervention tonight, otherwise the situation might have been even harder to control."

"I only spoke the truth."

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang took a sip of tea. "Town Mayor Sun Jiaming's behavior tonight was indeed inappropriate. It was obvious he wanted to use the villagers' disturbance to embarrass you."

Xiao Bei's eyes lit up. This statement from Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang effectively laid bare the adversarial relationship between Town Mayor Sun Jiaming and himself.

"Comrade Xing Guoqiang, you have worked in Bishi Town for many years and understand the situation here better than I do."

Xiao Bei probed, "Why do you think Town Mayor Sun Jiaming is so opposed to the Development Zone project?"

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang set down his teacup and looked directly at Xiao Bei: "Does Secretary Xiao want to hear official jargon or the truth?"

"The truth, of course."

"Alright."

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang took a deep breath. "Town Mayor Sun Jiaming had an ambiguous relationship with the Bishi Mine in the past. Although General Manager Xiang Wenqiang has been arrested, the mine still pays him dividends every year. Once the Development Zone is built, the mine will have to close, cutting off his source of income."

Although Xiao Bei had suspected as much, hearing Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang state it so bluntly still gave him a jolt.

He asked calmly: "How many people know about this?"

"Many cadres in the town are aware of it, but no one dares to speak up."

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang gave a bitter smile. "Town Mayor Sun Jiaming has a backer in the county."

Xiao Bei nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly changed the subject: "Comrade Xing Guoqiang, do you want to advance in your career?"

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang was visibly stunned. His teacup wobbled in his hand, splashing a few drops of tea onto his trousers.

He set down the cup, his voice tight: "What do you mean by that, Secretary Xiao?"

"Exactly what it sounds like."

Xiao Bei leaned forward and lowered his voice. "If you can help me clean out the parasites in Bishi Town, I can recommend you for the position of Town Mayor during next year's town leadership transition."

The office fell into a brief silence, with only the ticking of the clock on the wall audible.

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang's Adam's apple bobbed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Xiao Bei knew that his words had struck the most sensitive part of this deputy town Party Secretary's heart—his political future.

Finally, Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang looked up, his eyes flickering with complex emotions: "What does Secretary Xiao need me to do?"

"Two requirements."

Xiao Bei held up two fingers. "First, clearly support me in future Party Committee meetings. Second, hand over all the materials you have on Town Mayor Sun Jiaming to me."

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang's fingers tapped unconsciously on his knees, his brow furrowed: "Secretary Xiao, this is very risky. Town Mayor Sun Jiaming is not someone to be trifled with; he also has connections in the county."

"That is why I need your help."

Xiao Bei's tone was firm. "Deputy Secretary Xing, you have been in Bishi Town for five years. Are you really content to go on like this? Town Mayor Sun Jiaming is keeping you down and preventing you from getting ahead. Can you really tolerate that?"

These words were like a knife, piercing straight into Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang's heart.

His expression shifted. He suddenly stood up and walked to the window, standing with his back to Xiao Bei in silence for a long time.

Xiao Bei was not in a hurry. He sipped his tea slowly, giving Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang enough time to think.

He knew that for any official, such a decision was like gambling: win, and you rise to the top; lose, and you might not even be able to keep your current position.

"Secretary Xiao, this is all too sudden. I need time to consider."

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang turned around, the wrinkles on his face appearing deeper under the light. "May I give you an answer tomorrow?"

Xiao Bei set down his teacup, a look of understanding appearing on his face: "Of course. Such matters certainly require careful consideration. I will wait for your news tomorrow."

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang nodded and picked up the jacket he had placed on the sofa: "Then... I will head back first."

"Let me see you out."

Xiao Bei stood up to escort him.

The two walked out of the Town Party Committee building one after the other.

The night breeze in April carried a chill, and Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang instinctively wrapped his jacket tighter around himself. In the Town Government courtyard, only a few dim streetlights remained, casting long shadows of the two men.

"Comrade Xing Guoqiang."

Xiao Bei stopped at the gate. "No matter what decision you make, only the two of us know about tonight's conversation."

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang's Adam's apple bobbed. He didn't answer, just nodded hurriedly and walked quickly toward the main gate.

The gatekeeper, Old Man Zhang, was already dozing off at his desk, his snoring sounding exceptionally loud in the silent night.

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang didn't disturb him; he gently pushed open the small side gate and walked out.

He lived in the cadre residential compound on the west side of town, a twenty-minute walk away. During those twenty minutes, his brain felt like churned-up muddy water, with various thoughts constantly churning and settling.

When he got home, it was nearly one in the morning. His wife, Wang Guifang, was fast asleep. Hearing the door open, she only asked vaguely, "You're back?" before sinking back into a deep sleep.

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang washed up quietly and lay in bed, but he felt no sleepiness.

Xiao Bei's words were like a fire, burning through his insides. "Recommend you for Town Mayor"—these six words kept echoing in his ears.

When he was transferred to Bishi Town from the County Agriculture Bureau five years ago, he was thirty-eight, the golden age for building a career. He had originally thought this would be a stepping stone—that after finishing one term, he could be transferred back to the county as a deputy bureau chief, or even be promoted directly.

Unexpectedly, Town Mayor Sun Jiaming was like a giant boulder, firmly blocking his path of advancement.

Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang turned over and stared at the cracks on the ceiling. Those cracks looked like a twisted, smiling face, mocking his incompetence.

When the County Organization Department came to inspect before, Town Mayor Sun Jiaming had nonchalantly said at the democratic evaluation meeting, "Comrade Xing Guoqiang has good ability, but lacks a pioneering spirit; he is suitable to continue training in his current position." That one sentence had cut off his opportunity.

"Bang"—Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang's fist slammed onto the mattress, startling Wang Guifang into muttering in her sleep.

He hurriedly patted his wife's back to soothe her, while his heart was in turmoil.

What did Town Mayor Sun Jiaming have going for him? Was it just his relationship with County Magistrate Xia of the County Party Committee? Was it just that dirty money in his hands?

Outside the window, the east was already turning a pale fish-belly white. Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang was startled to realize he had been wide awake until dawn.

He got up quietly and scrubbed his face vigorously with cold water in the bathroom.

The man in the mirror had puffy bags under his eyes and bloodshot eyes, but his gaze held a bit more determination than usual.

"Gamble on it." He said to the man in the mirror. "Could things possibly be any worse than they are now?"

At 7:30 in the morning, Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang arrived at the office half an hour early.

He pulled a black USB flash drive from the depths of his drawer. This was the material he had been secretly collecting for two years.

Every time Town Mayor Sun Jiaming boasted at the dinner table, every time the mine owner, General Manager Xiang Wenqiang, came to the Town Government to "report on work," and every time he saw Town Mayor Sun Jiaming's signature on non-compliant approvals... he had kept a wary eye on things.

The USB drive contained photos, recordings, scanned documents, and even a record of dividends that General Manager Xiang Wenqiang had let slip while drunk.

These materials were enough to get Town Mayor Sun Jiaming into serious trouble with the Discipline Inspection Commission, but Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang had never dared to bring them out—he knew how deep Town Mayor Sun Jiaming's network of connections in the county went.

"Knock, knock, knock"—a knock on the door interrupted Deputy Secretary Xing Guoqiang's thoughts.

Secretary He Mingxuan poked his head in: "Deputy Secretary Xing, Secretary Xiao asks if you are free to go to his office now."

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