224: Chapter 224 Pei Lin Takes Office

The position of Deputy County Party Secretary of Wanshun County had been vacant for some time, but the efficiency of the higher-level organization had been very high over the past two days.

Just as everyone heard some rumors, the official appointment was immediately issued, and a phone call from the Municipal Organization Department arrived, notifying that at 10:30 tomorrow morning, a Vice Minister from the Municipal Organization Department would escort Pei Lin to officially take office.

For the past two days, everyone had been privately discussing the warning given to Zhang Qun, but as soon as Pei Lin's official appointment was announced, the conversation shifted to this new Deputy Secretary.

"Our county's Deputy Secretary is finally settled; I heard he's being parachuted directly from the province!"

"I suspect this new Deputy Secretary Pei's background is anything but ordinary!"

"Mm, I completely agree. He's likely here just to pad his resume. Seeing Wanshun County's fierce development momentum, he'll probably work here for a year or two and then be promoted back to the province!"

"..."

The organization does not disclose the family background of any official. Naturally, the officials of Wanshun County did not yet know that Pei Lin was the only son of Pei Yuantao, a member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and the Municipal Party Secretary of the provincial capital. However, they all speculated that the new Deputy Secretary Pei's background must be extraordinary.

A few minutes before 10:30 AM, Hu Bing led several people to the main gate of the County Party Committee and County Government to welcome the newly appointed Deputy Secretary Pei.

After all, it wasn't the County Party Secretary or the County Mayor taking office. Having a member of the County Party Standing Committee and the Director of the County Committee Office welcome him at the main gate was standard procedure and perfectly normal.

At a few minutes past 10:30 AM, a motorcade of several cars arrived. Seeing this, Hu Bing stepped forward two paces, and the motorcade came to a stop.

First to step out were several staff members from the Municipal Organization Department, followed by Vice Minister Zhang, and then Pei Lin.

"Hello, Minister Zhang!"

Hu Bing shook hands warmly with Vice Minister Zhang. "Commissioned by Secretary Qin of the County Party Committee, I am here to welcome everyone. Secretary Qin and County Mayor Sheng are waiting in the first-floor lobby. I will lead you there."

Vice Minister Zhang nodded slightly and waved his hand. "Let's go, then. We'll walk over."

Led by Hu Bing, the group entered the office building. In the first-floor lobby, Qin Chuan, County Mayor Sheng Huaian, and others had already been waiting for a few minutes.

Qin Chuan walked over enthusiastically. "Minister Zhang, thank you for bringing Wanshun County our new Deputy County Party Secretary."

Vice Minister Zhang shook hands with Qin Chuan, laughed heartily, and then introduced, "Qin Chuan, this is Comrade Pei Lin, appointed by the Municipal Party Committee as the Deputy County Party Secretary of Wanshun County."

Secretary Qin Chuan looked at Pei Lin.

According to etiquette, Pei Lin should have stepped forward two paces to take the initiative to shake hands with Qin Chuan, give a brief self-introduction, and perhaps say a few polite words.

As for Pei Lin, he froze for a moment before reacting. He was used to being in the provincial capital where, relying on his father being a member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, even officials of a higher rank—some even at the departmental level—would take the initiative to shake hands with him.

Realizing that this wasn't the provincial capital but Wanshun County, he then stepped forward two paces and extended his right hand. "Hello, Secretary Qin. I am Pei Lin."

Qin Chuan did not put on airs but was very warm and hearty. "Comrade Pei Lin, welcome to your post in Wanshun County."

After a brief handshake, seeing that Pei Lin had no intention of saying anything polite, Secretary Qin assumed he was just that type of person—some people are simply men of few words. He didn't take it to heart at all and, in his capacity as the 'class monitor,' introduced the members of the leadership team to him one by one.

Everyone shook hands and got acquainted. Then, Qin Chuan waved his hand. "Minister Zhang, everyone is waiting in the large conference room. Let's head over."

The appointment of a member of the County Party Standing Committee required a general meeting.

Almost all officials at the section level and above in Wanshun County were already seated in the conference room. It was originally quite lively, but as Qin Chuan, Vice Minister Zhang, and the others entered, it gradually fell silent.

Everyone's eyes mostly fell on Pei Lin, thinking to themselves: *So this is the new Deputy County Party Secretary. He's so young, looks to be only thirty-two or thirty-three. Aside from Secretary Qin Chuan, he's the youngest among the county leadership.*

Secretary Qin Chuan presided over the meeting.

Vice Minister Zhang read Pei Lin's appointment on behalf of the Municipal Party Committee, and Qin Chuan, County Mayor Sheng Huaian, and others all delivered speeches.

Pei Lin also spoke. His speech had likely been prepared long ago; sitting at the speaker's podium, he read from his script for a full forty or fifty minutes. Many people were lulled to sleep, as his style was completely different from Qin Chuan's clean, efficient, and vigorous approach.

By the time the meeting ended, it was already noon.

According to the rules of officialdom, Qin Chuan prepared a lavish luncheon at Wanshun Hotel to welcome Pei Lin to his new post.

After the meal, Minister Zhang and the others returned to Ningzhou. Hu Bing, the 'head steward,' took Pei Lin to arrange his office, living quarters, driver, and so on. He was busy for nearly the entire afternoon. From today on, Pei Lin had officially taken office.

Sitting in his large, comfortable office, Pei Lin sat however he pleased, even propping his legs up on the desk while talking on the phone with his friends in the provincial capital.

"Linzi, how is it?"

"A place where the birds don't even poop. It's just like that. How can it compare to the provincial capital? If the old man hadn't insisted I come, I wouldn't want to be in this hellhole at all."

"Alright, Wanshun County is actually okay. Its development momentum is very rapid. If you stay there for a year or two, even if you don't do a thing, your record will be full of achievements. Taking the next step will be very simple."

...

After chatting for a while, the person on the phone said, "I heard the County Party Secretary of Wanshun County is very young. Is that true?"

"Heh, just a kid whose hair hasn't even fully grown in yet. Looks to be only twenty-six or twenty-seven. I can't figure out how the hell he climbed to the position of County Party Secretary."

"Linzi, maybe he has a very deep background. You're a newcomer, so be careful and try to maintain a good relationship with him."

"What's there to be afraid of? Even if his background is deep, can it be deeper than mine? My dad is a member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and the Municipal Party Secretary of the provincial capital. Right now, the people in Wanshun County don't know I have such a powerful background. Once the word gets out and they find out, they'll probably be lining up to flatter me."

He chatted on the phone for at least ten minutes, and then, having nothing to do, Pei Lin called his friends in the provincial capital one by one.

It was also quite strange; usually, when a new Deputy County Party Secretary takes office, many people should take the initiative to come and report on their work, but in reality, not a single soul showed up.

Everyone was unfamiliar with Pei Lin, and especially unclear about his relationship with Secretary Qin Chuan. They were basically in a wait-and-see mode, waiting to see how things developed.

After making several consecutive calls, Pei Lin also realized this. A cold sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth. *Heh, trying to isolate me? Once I reveal my family background, let's see who still dares to isolate me.*

He waited until past four in the afternoon, and still, not a single ghost appeared. The Deputy County Party Secretary's office was extremely quiet.

It wasn't until it was almost time to clock out that a knock finally sounded at the door.

"Come in!" Pei Lin shouted loudly, sitting up straight and putting on the posture of a leader.

The person who pushed the door open was Ling Yun, a member of the County Party Standing Committee and the Director of the Organization Department.