Chapter 132 - 112: Why Did You Kick Me?

Mei Ru Xue said, "I understand, but this matter is a historical issue. To resolve it thoroughly, it’s best for the county leadership to clearly address it."Xu Chunliang nodded; Zhao Feiyang’s concern was indeed not unfounded. Various signs indicated that the Hu Shan Town Government would not cooperate with them to complete the procedures for the property change.

Actually, according to the agreement from back then, as long as the town government was willing to cooperate, there would be no problem with the property change of Weishan Island Hospital.

"Town Mayor Mei, I heard that Hu Shan Town recognizes all the official documents and contracts from the two towns before the merger."

Mei Ru Xue cautiously replied, "Naturally, we recognize them. However, specific implementations require some procedures. Your matter was initially led by the Dongzhou City Government, with the Weishan County Government bridging it, so to solve it thoroughly, we must start from the root."

She felt somewhat lacking in confidence, after all, she was just dismissively dealing with Xu Chunliang.

Although she did not agree with Secretary Kong’s approach, she also acknowledged that the local government had conceded too much in the initial contract with Changxing. Especially in the current policy environment, the land value of Weishan Island would soon experience a significant surge.

Wang Jinwu came over to invite them inside; the other guests were already seated.

Secretary Kong Xiangsheng sat at the head seat. Originally, he politely offered it to Zhang Hengyang, but no matter what, Zhang Hengyang dared not sit in that position.

Although from his bones he looked down on these grassroots officials, for the sake of future cooperation, he had to show enough respect.

Moreover, today’s host was Tong Guangsheng. Although Xianhong Farm is just a local enterprise, Tong Guangsheng’s legendary stories were already well-known to Zhang Hengyang.

There’s a local saying that in Weishan County, there’s no trouble that Tong Guangsheng can’t solve. Not only does the local government respect him, but he is also deeply adored by the people.

The suggestion to visit Xianhong Farm was initiated by Zhang Hengyang himself. Although Da Heng Group has numerous industries across different fields, agriculture and farming aren’t included.

Zhang Hengyang’s visit was aimed at meeting Tong Guangsheng. He also showed considerable sincerity by immediately placing orders for Xianhong Farm’s rice, grains, salted duck eggs, and crabs. On the surface, it was for company welfare, but in reality, it was to show goodwill to Tong Guangsheng.

The dishes were all local specialties, mainly consisting of fish and shrimp, along with golden lake crabs. The wine served was a sauce-flavor liquor customized by Xianhong Farm, said to compare in quality with Moutai.

Tong Guangsheng suggested that Secretary Kong Xiangsheng should sit at the head, with Zhang Hengyang on the right and himself on the left. He invited Xu Chunliang to sit by his side.

Kong Xiangsheng arranged for Mei Ru Xue to sit beside Zhang Hengyang. Initially, this arrangement seemed fine, as Zhang Hengyang was the main guest, and having the secretary and town mayor on either side appeared grand.

But Mei Ru Xue smiled and said she would just sit beside Xu Chunliang, letting Wang Jinwu accompany Zhang Hengyang, and the others took their seats consecutively.

Kong Xiangsheng asked Tong Guangsheng to say a few words first, but Tong Guangsheng modestly deferred, saying a toast should indeed start with the secretary, to which the others also agreed.

Kong Xiangsheng felt quite honored, his face beaming, as he raised his wine glass and said, "Today we gather at the scenic Weishan Lake. First, on behalf of the leadership team and government of Hu Shan Town, I warmly welcome the delegation from Da Heng Group!"

Everyone applauded together.

"... We wish Da Heng Group’s inspection can achieve complete success, and we hope to successfully achieve cooperation, working hand in hand to contribute to the development of Weishan Island and add bricks to the magnificent reform in our country!"

Everyone clapped again. Xu Chunliang thought to himself, this guy is full of empty words. This toast must have been practiced countless times before, just replace the keywords, and it would fit. However, practice makes perfect, and he said it fluently.

"And then, I also want to thank President Tong and the warm reception from Xianhong Group. It’s precisely because of excellent local entrepreneurs like President Tong, silently contributing, that Weishan Island’s economy continues to develop smoothly..."

Everyone raised their glasses and drank together.

Kong Xiangsheng invited Tong Guangsheng to speak again. Tong Guangsheng laughed, "I’m not good at speaking, let President Zhang speak."

Zhang Hengyang, after some modesty, still spoke, though it was nothing more than thanking the Hu Shan Town Government and Xianhong Group with those clichéd words.

Xu Chunliang always disliked these dinner gatherings, where a group of bureaucrats engaged in false courtesy, speaking grandiose words while doing unrealistic things. Even if they drank together today calling each other brothers, they’d still be like strangers when meeting the next day.

Such drinking sessions hardly deepen relationships, especially when there is no foundation of genuine feelings.

Xu Chunliang kept a low profile; he knew his drinking capacity well. In such occasions, he could easily handle it, and since he wasn’t the main focus of the banquet, in others’ eyes, he was just an inconsequential minor character, and if it weren’t for the sake of etiquette, they wouldn’t even be interested in drinking with him.

Tong Guangsheng felt somewhat apologetic, after all, it was him who invited Xu Chunliang over today. Who would have thought an unexpected guest like Cheng Yaojin would appear, turning Xu Chunliang from a main guest into a mere companion? However, he noticed that this young man carried himself very well, showing no signs of displeasure.

Xu Chunliang accompanied Tong Guangsheng in drinking two cups, as he wasn’t the main guest, the focus tonight was primarily on Zhang Hengyang.

Secretary Kong, taking advantage of the slight tipsiness from the wine, asked, "President Zhang, after today’s inspection, what’s your overall impression?"

President Zhang replied, "Weishan Island is a beautiful place with abundant resources, truly a land of prosperity. Our Da Heng Group is very pleased with this inspection and hopes to establish roots here for long-term development, contributing to the economic construction of Weishan Island. Of course, this is just my preliminary opinion. We’ll need to compile the inspection results and report them to the headquarters, but I believe there’s a high possibility of cooperation."

In fact, before coming here, he had already sent someone to assess the situation. The purpose of this visit was to liaise with the Hu Shan Town Government. If he hadn’t received the headquarters’ approval, he wouldn’t have bothered to make this trip.

Essentially, Da Heng’s investment in Weishan Island was already settled. He planned to finalize the investment matters before the official announcement of the national-level resort, aiming to become a key project that the government would highlight on the day of the announcement.

Secretary Kong, with a beaming smile, raised his glass and said, "Then let’s toast to the success of our cooperation."

After drinking the toast, President Zhang added, "Secretary Kong should be somewhat familiar with Da Heng Group. We at Da Heng specialize in comprehensive development, and we have certain requirements for investment amounts and land area, which are unmatched by smaller developers. Our Da Heng Group is not about quick transactions but rather long-term development, truly benefiting the local people and genuinely giving back to the community."

Secretary Kong, somewhat excited, said, "President Zhang, rest assured, as long as Da Heng Group decides to invest in Weishan Island, our town will fully cooperate, providing the most favorable policies and all convenient conditions within our capacity."

President Zhang smiled and said, "With Secretary Kong’s word, I feel at ease. By the way, Crescent Bay at the southern tip of Weishan Island; that land currently belongs to Changxing, right?" This statement indicated that he had done his homework beforehand and was not visiting on a whim.

Mei Ru Xue glanced at Xu Chunliang upon hearing this. President Zhang was unaware that a representative from Changxing Hospital was also present.

Primarily, no one considered Xu Chunliang a significant figure today, as he had maintained a low profile throughout, and so far, his presence was not strongly felt.

Xu Chunliang noticed Mei Ru Xue looking at him and smiled as he raised his glass to drink with her.

Mei Ru Xue assumed he was pretending not to hear, feeling comforted by this, as it would prevent any awkwardness among everyone.

Secretary Kong asked, "Why? Has Da Heng taken a liking to that piece of land?"

President Zhang laughed and said, "I personally think that piece of land should be the most suitable for Da Heng on Weishan Island. If used to develop entertainment projects, the potential would be vast. However, as I understand it, Weishan Island Hospital is already a branch of Changxing, so I’m concerned about the issue of land ownership."

Secretary Kong said, "Although Weishan Island Hospital is a branch of Changxing, the land is leased. At that time, Changxing and we signed a five-year lease agreement. Now, three years have passed, leaving just over a year before the lease expires. If Da Heng is interested in that land, I can help resolve it for you."

President Zhang said, "In that case, I’m relieved."

"As far as I know, the ownership of that piece of land doesn’t seem so simple."

The thing Mei Ru Xue feared most happened; Xu Chunliang could no longer hold back and corrected Secretary Kong’s statement on the spot.

Mei Ru Xue felt trouble brewing and kicked Xu Chunliang under the table.

Xu Chunliang looked at her and asked, "Why did you kick me?"

Mei Ru Xue couldn’t believe this guy would expose her on the spot; her pretty face turned bright red, "Director Xu, I accidentally bumped into you, sorry."

Everyone looked at the two of them; if you said the two had just met today, no one would believe it.

Had Secretary Kong not pushed the conversation to this point, Xu Chunliang wouldn’t have intervened, especially since Tong Guangsheng was hosting, and as a guest, he needed to give Tong Guangsheng some face.

Tong Guangsheng did not stop Xu Chunliang because he knew Xu Chunliang came from Changxing Hospital, although he wasn’t clear on the specifics or that Xu Chunliang was actually on a secret mission.

Secretary Kong was displeased but, considering Tong Guangsheng’s face, still smiled and said, "Xiaoxu, are you also familiar with the situation in our Hu Shan Town?"

Xu Chunliang smiled indifferently, "Secretary Kong, perhaps I haven’t had the chance to introduce myself. My name is Xu Chunliang, and I’m from Changxing Hospital, currently serving as the assistant to the dean."

Secretary Kong’s smile froze on his face, and he glanced at Mei Ru Xue from the corner of his eye, clearly blaming her for not telling him Xu Chunliang’s identity in advance.

President Zhang laughed heartily and said, "Mr. Xu is actually from Changxing Hospital, that’s great. I can understand the specifics better now."

Xu Chunliang said, "It’s not a complicated situation, just that the land ownership has long belonged to Changxing."

Mei Ru Xue sighed inwardly; this guy was so straightforward, clearly slapping Secretary Kong in the face by saying such things in front of the inspection team. How was Secretary Kong supposed to back down now?

President Zhang deliberately looked at Secretary Kong, "Secretary Kong, you didn’t tell me about this."

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