222: Chapter 222 The Deputy Secretary of the County Party Committee Who Was Parachuted In

Zhang Qun was cursing in his heart, his dissatisfaction with Qin Chuan reaching a boiling point, but everyone else was beaming and clapping happily.

He could only force a smile and join the others in clapping vigorously.

Once the official signing was complete, the news spread like wildfire through Wanshun County and then throughout Ningzhou.

Many people were heatedly discussing the matter.

Many gave a thumbs up, feeling that Qin Chuan was impressive for having accomplished such a major feat!

There were also many people whispering about Zhang Qun.

Many had already realized that everything Zhang Qun had done previously was an attempt to snatch the deal.

For a mayor to snatch an investment brought in by a subordinate County Party Secretary was simply bad form, and it dealt a massive blow to Zhang Qun's prestige.

Especially since he had even convened a special meeting to make deployments for welcoming this investment to the Ningzhou High-tech Development Zone; it had now become a laughingstock.

“Mayor Zhang probably has a bit of trouble saving face this time!”

“What's hilarious is that he even publicly criticized Secretary Qin Chuan at the meeting. Thinking about it now, it's truly laughable!”

“...”

Zhang Qun returned to the city with a dark expression. The moment he entered his office, the first thing he did was instruct his secretary to bring him a copy of the formal contract signed between Wanshun County and Shenlong Automotive Group.

He wanted to find some dirt on Qin Chuan within that contract.

Since Shenlong Automotive Group had signed so quickly, he suspected that Qin Chuan must have sacrificed a significant amount of Wanshun County's interests. If he could grasp those points, he might be able to make trouble for Qin Chuan.

Before long, the secretary delivered the copy of the contract.

Sitting down to read it carefully, Zhang Qun's face was filled with disbelief. How could this be!

How was this possible!

Not only did the contract not sacrifice any of Wanshun County's interests, but on the contrary, it secured many benefits for the county. Most of the clauses were favorable to Wanshun County.

He couldn't understand why Shenlong Automotive Group would place such a massive investment in Wanshun County under these terms.

Could it be that Governor Zhou's influence was behind this...

He now knew that Qin Chuan seemed to have a good relationship with Governor Zhou, but he hadn't taken it too seriously. In officialdom, who doesn't have a backer? He, Zhang Qun, also had the support of provincial leaders.

His hope of nitpicking the contract was shattered, and he tore the copy to shreds in a fit of rage.

After the formal contract was signed.

Wanshun County swung into action, and Shenlong Automotive Group was also very efficient, dispatching a specialized team to settle in Wanshun County.

Next came factory site selection, planning and design, the start of construction, and so on.

...

The provincial capital.

Secretary Pei Yuantao, a member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and the City Party Secretary of the provincial capital, was talking to a young man in his thirties in his office.

“Son, you've always been in the administrative organs. It won't do if you don't go down to the grassroots to toughen up. Right now, there's a good opportunity. The position of County Party Standing Committee member and Deputy Secretary in Wanshun County has been vacant. I'll arrange for you to go there for two years of training. What do you think?”

The young man was named Deputy County Party Secretary Pei Lin. Looking closely, one would see he was dressed in designer brands and appeared to live a very affluent life.

“Dad, where is Wanshun County? It must be some godforsaken place. I'm not going. It's much more comfortable staying in the provincial capital's offices; I'm not going there to suffer.”

Secretary Pei Yuantao had only this one son and usually doted on him excessively. Arranging for him to go to the grassroots was a move born of necessity.

He knew full well that his son was physically weak, incapable of hard work, spent money lavishly, and had high expectations but low abilities. He hoped that sending him to the grassroots would correct these flaws.

Wanshun County was an excellent choice.

They happened to be short of a Deputy County Party Secretary. More importantly, a world-class gold mine had been discovered there at Jigong Mountain, and just a few days ago, they had completed the signing with Shenlong Automotive Group for a 20-billion-yuan investment to build a massive new energy vehicle factory.

It was almost foreseeable that Wanshun County's economy would take off in the future. Even a pig would benefit just by being there.

Secretary Pei Yuantao used his connections and influence to secure the position of Deputy County Party Secretary of Wanshun County for his son, hoping that in addition to the experience, he could also gain some prestige and political achievements to lay the foundation for future promotions.

Little did he expect that Deputy County Party Secretary Pei Lin would be resistant and unwilling to go.

“Son, it's only two years at most. Besides, you're going as a Deputy County Party Secretary, which is much more prestigious than your current Deputy Division Chief post. Be good and go work hard for two years.”

Deputy County Party Secretary Pei Lin really didn't want to go; staying in the provincial capital was so comfortable. But since his father had put it that way, he could only say, “Two years is too long. I'll go for one year. After a year, you must transfer me back to the provincial capital. Also, give me two million in pocket money.”

Secretary Pei Yuantao agreed, “One year then. After you go down there, be more low-key and don't spend money so lavishly. Also, you're already 32; it's time to find a girlfriend. Having a stable family is also one of the criteria for the organization's evaluation.”

“Alright, I get it. You're so wordy,” Deputy County Party Secretary Pei Lin said, appearing somewhat impatient.

Secretary Pei Yuantao shook his head gently, hoping this experience would change some of Deputy County Party Secretary Pei Lin's bad habits.

...

Qin Chuan was very busy.

He had almost no free time over the past two days. The planning for the Jigong Mountain Gold Mine had been completed and large-scale construction had begun. The site for the Shenlong Automotive Wanshun County Manufacturing Base had also been selected. There were many things to do, but it was very fulfilling.

Early this morning, Qin Chuan was already sitting in his office.

Seeing the various documents neatly arranged on his desk, he picked up his teacup and took a sip. The temperature was just right, and he nodded in satisfaction.

Xia Hai was indeed a good secretary.

He didn't rush to review the documents on the large desk but instead checked the two pieces of information the system had refreshed today.

He looked at them with curiosity.

1. The Shenlong Automotive Group Discipline Inspection Committee has completed its investigation into Liu Lianghai. He is suspected of serious corruption. They have also reported the details and evidence of Liu Lianghai receiving a 500,000-yuan bribe from Zhang Qun to the Jiangnan Province Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. This morning, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection will issue a serious warning to Zhang Qun.

2. The candidate for the Deputy County Party Secretary of Wanshun County has been decided. Deputy County Party Secretary Pei Lin, the only son of Secretary Pei Yuantao—a member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and the City Party Secretary of the provincial capital—will be parachuted in.

Qin Chuan didn't pay much attention to the second piece of information; it didn't matter who came to be the Deputy County Party Secretary.

What interested him was the first piece of information.

Shenlong Automotive Group had done a fantastic job, directly reporting the situation to the Jiangnan Province Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. Moreover, Zhang Qun was going to receive a serious warning.

With this disciplinary action, Zhang Qun wouldn't be able to be promoted for three years. His dream of becoming the Municipal Party Committee Secretary was completely shattered. If he wanted to be transferred out of Ningzhou City, he wouldn't be able to take a top leadership position at the Department-level; at most, it would be a lateral transfer, not a promotion.

Hmm, should I make a trip to the Municipal Government to personally offer my “congratulations” to Mayor Zhang?

As this thought popped into his head, Qin Chuan couldn't help but laugh. If he really went to offer congratulations, Mayor Zhang would probably be fuming with rage.