61: Chapter 61 Meeting with the Secretary of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection

The two of them did not wait long at Villa No. 2 before Secretary Shen Congwen arrived at the clubhouse.

Sun Ning looked at the figure he had only ever seen on television.

Secretary Shen Congwen was well-preserved and looked to be around forty-five years old.

His appearance and temperament gave Sun Ning the impression of being quite refined and scholarly; he did not seem like a veteran Discipline Inspection Commission official, but rather like a veteran organization cadre.

"Hello, Uncle Shen. I am Zhao Xue, and my father is President Zhao Donglai."

Zhao Xue had come today purely to thank Secretary Shen Congwen, so she chose to address him as a junior would an elder.

"Haha, hello, Xiao Xue. How has President Zhao been lately?"

"My father is doing very well; he can finish a whole big bowl of rice in one sitting. Uncle Shen, this is Sun Ning, a disciple of Elder Shang from Peking University."

"Haha, President Zhao is still as vigorous as ever. So, this is Comrade Sun Ning? Welcome to Heyang; I look forward to your contributions to our economic development."

Clearly, Secretary Shen Congwen had done his homework.

Zhao Xue had never mentioned Sun Ning's resume to him.

From this one sentence, it was evident that Secretary Shen Congwen had deliberately inquired about Sun Ning's background.

It was easy to understand; with a suspected son-in-law of a prominent family in Heyang, Secretary Shen Congwen would certainly want to find out more.

The Zhao family had never been a minor family in the capital.

Zhao Xue's father was now the head of the Daily Newspaper Office, and the old Zhao family had produced many talents in the propaganda system.

The propaganda system had always been a field highly valued by policymakers.

Therefore, whether in terms of status or ability, the Zhao family's son-in-law was worthy of Secretary Shen Congwen's attention.

Later, when Sun Ning's resume was placed in front of him, he was even more surprised.

As Elder Shang's final disciple, he had finished his internship early, was promoted exceptionally to the rank of Section Chief, and upon arriving at Mishui Township, he had surveyed every single village.

Later, he even brought in a large amount of investment for Mishui Township.

Naturally, Secretary Shen Congwen's impression of Sun Ning had shifted from that of a "phoenix man" to a rising star not to be underestimated.

His visit this time also carried the intention of building a good relationship.

Secretary Shen Congwen had great ambitions, which was evident from the rumors that he would be added as a member of the Discipline Inspection Commission after the transition.

As a major agricultural province, only the full-time Deputy Party Secretary in Heyang Province could be added as a member of the Discipline Inspection Commission; others were at most alternate members!

And the Party status of the full-time Deputy Party Secretary was slightly higher than that of the Party Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission.

A full-time Deputy Party Secretary could step up to become a provincial governor, whereas for a Party Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission to become a Deputy Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection was absolutely impossible.

It was clear that Secretary Shen Congwen wanted to move beyond the field of the Discipline Inspection Commission and head toward broader horizons.

This was the first time Sun Ning had faced an unfamiliar provincial-level leader.

Therefore, he attached great importance to today's meeting and was quite cautious when speaking with Secretary Shen Congwen.

"Hello, Secretary Shen. I am from Heyang. Since I was young, my teachers taught us that the purpose of studying is not to escape one's hometown, but to build it."

"So that is the reason why the first thing you did upon taking office was to renovate all the schools in the township."

"Education is the foundation of a century-long plan. Since we were young, we have been educated to respect teachers and the Tao, and we have also been taught the sentiment of serving the people and benefiting the local area during one's tenure."

Hearing Sun Ning's answer, Secretary Shen Congwen revealed a look of approval and laughed heartily.

"Well done, Officer Xiao Sun. Our cause needs more young people like you who have ideas and ability!"

"Party Secretary, you flatter me!"

Watching Sun Ning and Secretary Shen Congwen chatting animatedly, Zhao Xue's eyes shone with brilliance!

That surge of love seemed unable to be contained and overflowed.

This was Sun Ning's unique temperament—to be neither humble nor arrogant when facing a provincial-level official before the age of thirty.

He was neither arrogant nor impetuous about his achievements, and he demonstrated his ambitions through his emphasis on education.

Zhao Xue felt that at this moment, Sun Ning was not inferior to any young man from a prominent family of the same age.

He was perhaps even a few degrees better than those outstanding individuals specifically cultivated by their families.

She could even see a faint shadow of her father's generation in Sun Ning.

The protagonists of today were Zhao Xue and Secretary Shen Congwen, so Sun Ning did not make himself too conspicuous!

After the initial pleasantries, Sun Ning shifted the topic to Zhao Xue.

Only when the topic involved him would he combine his experience from two lifetimes to contribute a few words to each discussion.

This made Secretary Shen Congwen appreciate him even more.

Of course, this was merely appreciation; once he left Villa No. 2, he might forget who Sun Ning was.

After all, Sun Ning was only at the County Bureau level, too far removed from Secretary Shen Congwen.

The food was soon served, and the group moved from the reception room to the dining room.

"Xiao Sun, what is the situation in Gongfan County?"

"It is likely retaliation by certain people; the County Commission for Discipline Inspection is currently investigating."

Sun Ning and Secretary Shen Congwen's relationship had not reached a certain level of closeness.

He could not report every single speculation to Secretary Shen Congwen.

People at their level required evidence when listening to reports, and Sun Ning had no evidence.

If it were Gao Feng instead of Secretary Shen Congwen, it would be different.

He could completely state everything he had speculated.

It was inconvenient for Sun Ning to speak, but Zhao Xue could do so without any scruples; their positions were simply different!

Therefore, Zhao Xue took over the conversation: "It is simply retaliation. Didn't Sun Ning just refuse to give the school project to that Vice County Magistrate's son? So he had people report Sun Ning. Yesterday, he even brought a few lackeys from the Discipline Inspection Commission to the case handling area to try to force a confession!"

"Are you saying that non-Discipline Inspection Commission personnel interfered with the work of the Discipline Inspection Commission? Or was it a family member of a county leader?"

Secretary Shen Congwen seemed to have heard a topic of interest and emphasized the non-Discipline Inspection Commission personnel and the family member of the county leader.

Zhao Xue was also someone who could understand the subtext.

She cooperated fully and recounted the entire sequence of events in detail to Secretary Shen Congwen.

Secretary Shen Congwen listened attentively to Zhao Xue's account, and for some detailed questions, he would even emphasize asking Sun Ning once more.

"This case is very typical!"

Typical!

Inside the system, people love a typical case.

From the moment Secretary Shen Congwen said this matter was typical, the fate of those people in Gongfan County was already sealed.

"Yes, it is said that 'Gaoshan' also thinks this incident is very significant and will publish an article and commentary in tomorrow's internal reference."

Gaoshan was not the name of a reporter, but a group of reporters in Heyang Province focused on current affairs reporting.

This group was small in number but known for daring to speak out.

They often criticized the inaction of certain municipal leaders.

Sometimes, they could even expose some unknown darkness.

And Zhao Xue specifically mentioning the internal reference was to give Secretary Shen Congwen an excuse to lash out.

Otherwise, without a sound, it would not be easy for him to intervene directly in this matter.

Although every circle dislikes the behavior of reporting to higher authorities while skipping levels.

But subordinates also resent it when superiors bypass them to intervene in matters at a lower level.

Ordinarily, the provincial level would not target a county without reason.

But with an excuse, it would be different.

If you have already made it to the newspaper, can't I be angry?

One must know that Secretary Shen Congwen also needed to achieve results.

And establishing a typical case was his political achievement.

"Xiao Li, pay attention to this matter!"

Secretary Shen Congwen gave instructions to his secretary, and then stopped mentioning the topic.