6: Chapter 6 Peak Grouping

There was another point: Sun Ning wanted to be a bit crafty. You see, grassroots leaders generally favored investments from foreign and Hong Kong enterprises. For example, if the investment amount was one hundred million, having the label of a "Hong Kong businessman" made it much more marketable than an investment from a mainland businessman. Newspapers and news outlets loved to report on that. This wasn't an era where "good wine needs no bush." Achievements were only achievements if the leaders could see them.

However, right now, Sun Ning really didn't want Shang Rou to go to Hong Kong. Setting aside the fact that today was a beautiful day not suited for talking about separation, he certainly wouldn't let this lovely woman go, if only to satisfy certain indescribable desires of his own. But the capable people at his disposal were still too few. At this stage, Shang Rou was the only capable person he had.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "Senior Sister, do you have any reliable candidates?"

Before he could wait for Shang Rou's answer, his phone rang. "It's a call from Senior Brother Gao Feng." Sun Ning told Shang Rou and answered it. "Hello, Senior Brother." "Alright, I'll be there on time after I get off work." Sun Ning hung up the phone and pondered for a moment.

He said to Shang Rou with a meaningful look, "Senior Brother Gao says we should gather at that private restaurant behind the school tonight."

As someone who came out of a ministry, Gao Feng could now barely be considered someone who governed a region. Coming to the capital, he certainly needed to touch base and strengthen relationships, such as with old colleagues and old leaders. He chose the address at a private restaurant in the small alley behind the school. That was clearly an invitation for classmates and friends to gather. Wouldn't it be wonderful to reminisce about the glorious years together!

However, this phone call to Sun Ning seemed a bit intriguing. Nothing else, the timing was off. As a leading cadre, one couldn't judge Gao Feng's other skills, but he was certainly adept at hosting and entertaining guests. Although Sun Ning had already confirmed he would be working under him, this was the capital. Sun Ning was still just a small deputy chief staff member at the Development and Reform Commission, and the student Elder Shang doted on most. Gao Feng had to show some regard for him, at the very least. Therefore, scheduling a dinner in the morning for the evening clearly carried a sense of urgency. Sun Ning secretly guessed whether Gao Feng hadn't received a positive answer from Elder Shang last night. Was he trying to get Sun Ning to put in a good word for him?

He was thinking about what to say in the evening when Shang Rou gave him the answer. "Gao Feng invited me over yesterday, but I didn't agree." "It's good that you're going; his classmates work in various ministries and enterprises." "It will be beneficial for you when you go to the grassroots level in the future." "I'll accompany you tonight; I won't let you get into too much trouble at critical moments." "Based on my understanding of Gao Feng, he shouldn't resort to such tactics. At most, he'll use your name as a banner to try and invite some other Senior Brothers." "Senior Brother Liu Zhiyuan will definitely go; they were bunkmates."

The Senior Brother Liu Zhiyuan that Shang Rou mentioned was one of Elder Shang's disciples. This was different from the treatment of the graduate students the old man had supervised. These people had a specific seating order at Elder Shang's house. He was currently Sun Ning's direct superior, a department-level leader at the National Development and Reform Commission. It was said that this Senior Brother also came from a prominent family, though the family's name wasn't very prominent in the capital. Shang Rou knew more of these people and understood their personalities. Furthermore, since Gao Feng could be brought directly to the house by Shang Rou, his character had also been affirmed.

Sun Ning's connections weren't as good; the ones he knew were those "real" Senior Brothers. It was still because of Elder Shang's nature; when visiting Elder Shang, they only talked about academics and didn't chat about politics. In private, they were all very protective of their little Junior Brother, so how could they introduce him to political connections? If Elder Shang found out, he would break their legs. All the Senior Brothers knew that in Elder Shang's heart, the little Junior Brother was meant to inherit his mantle.

In the past, Shang Rou wouldn't have let Sun Ning participate in such occasions. Now it was different; her beloved little Junior Brother insisted on entering the system and going to the grassroots level. Therefore, it was very necessary to meet some people.

Sun Ning replied, and just as he was about to continue the previous topic, Shang Rou got ahead of him and said, "I'm full, I'm off to work." "I'll pick you up after work." Having said that, she didn't even care about her greasy mouth, kissed Sun Ning, and ran out of the house. Clearly, Shang Rou didn't want to continue the previous topic. Perhaps she also needed to think about it seriously. After all, the Shang Rou of today and the Shang Rou of yesterday had undergone a major change.

Sun Ning helplessly watched Shang Rou, who was fleeing in a panic. He smiled helplessly. This woman who always performed the "big sister" persona in front of him actually had the manner of a little woman.

Sun Ning tidied up briefly and went to work. The house he bought was just an ordinary two-bedroom apartment. It was very close to his workplace; he could walk to work in ten minutes. He bought it after he confirmed his internship unit. Anyway, buying a house now, even if you bought it with your eyes closed, you'd make a huge profit. He just treated it as an alternative investment. It wasn't that he couldn't afford a bigger one, but situated in this environment, he still wanted to keep a low profile. Furthermore, a house was fine as long as it was comfortable to live in; if it was too big, cleaning it would be a problem.

He didn't buy a car. He was determined to return to Heyang, so there was no need to buy a car in the capital. This was also the reason why Shang Rou said she would come to pick him up. You have to know that his unit was some distance from Yanjing University.

Not long after getting off work, Sun Ning received a call from Shang Rou. He tidied up briefly and walked out of the unit's gate. Seeing Shang Rou's car, he opened the back door, called out "Senior Brother," and was about to get in. "Hmph!" Hearing this coquettish sound of annoyance, Sun Ning immediately closed the door and went to sit in the passenger seat.

It wasn't Sun Ning's fault for wanting to sit in the back row; he had agreed with Senior Brother Liu Zhiyuan at work to take Shang Rou's car together. He had encountered this situation before, and Sun Ning always sat in the back row with his Senior Brothers. Now that the roles had changed so quickly, Sun Ning hadn't reacted in time.

"Yo, you two have something going on!" "No, impossible, don't talk nonsense." Shang Rou's triple denial directly exposed her guilty conscience.

"Hahaha..." Senior Brother Liu Zhiyuan just revealed a gossipy, auntie-like smile and didn't say anything more.

"Sun Ning, I heard from Junior Sister that you're planning to return to Heyang? I'm afraid Elder Shang's heart is broken this time." "Among the nine of us Senior Brothers, Elder Shang thinks the most highly of you." "I think Elder Shang's door is going to be closed to you forever."

Before Sun Ning could reply, Shang Rou was incredibly agitated. Without thinking, she blurted out, "He dares!" "Hahaha, Junior Sister, and you say there's nothing going on? You've just confessed without being asked." "Senior Brother, if you act like this again, I won't serve you tea when you come to my house."

Seeing Shang Rou acting so adorably, the two grown men in the car laughed heartily. The three of them chatted and laughed all the way. Most of the time, Senior Brother Liu Zhiyuan was imparting his wisdom on how to be an official. However, Senior Brother Liu Zhiyuan had entered the Development and Reform Commission after graduation and had never left. The situations he spoke of were mostly experiences from the ministries. The "blending in with the crowd" style of being an official in the ministries had nothing to do with the "bare-knuckle fighting" at the grassroots level. Even so, Sun Ning was still very grateful to this Senior Brother. No matter what kind of experience it was, it was still experience.

The car sped along and arrived at the agreed-upon location. After getting out of the car, Sun Ning eagerly ran to the driver's side to help Shang Rou out, looking like a servant. "Yo, isn't this our group's flower, Director Shang?" "Didn't you go into business? Has the company not gone bankrupt yet?" "Since when do you like keeping a boy toy?"