348: Chapter 348 No taking sides, no forming cliques

Someone else had come!

To Qin Chuan's slight surprise, the person pushing the door open was actually Party Committee Secretary Zhu Laifa, a bureau-level cadre and First-Class Police Superintendent.

He was thin and short, in his fifties, wearing a white shirt that looked a bit too large for him, but his hair was combed meticulously.

During the bureau leadership meeting that morning, Qin Chuan had memorized everyone's faces and had an especially deep impression of Party Committee Secretary Zhu Laifa. Seeing him push the door open, he recognized him at a glance and said warmly, "Secretary Zhu Laifa, why have you come in person?"

"Comrade Qin Chuan, today is your first day on the job, so of course, I, as the Party Committee Secretary, must come to check on you."

The two exchanged a few polite pleasantries. Qin Chuan warmly invited him to sit on the sofa, and since he didn't have a secretary or driver yet, he made two cups of tea himself.

Sitting on the sofa with a small tea table between them, the two chatted while drinking tea.

Why did Party Committee Secretary Zhu Laifa take the initiative to come over in person instead of waiting for Qin Chuan to visit him?

In fact, he had been waiting at his desk, reviewing some documents while expecting Qin Chuan to come over on his own. However, after his secretary reported a certain situation, he couldn't sit still and immediately came over personally.

His secretary had quietly told him that Director Qi Xiong had personally visited Qin Chuan, sat there for at least twenty or thirty minutes, and had only just left.

Suddenly, Party Committee Secretary Zhu Laifa's heart skipped a beat, and he was filled with worry.

Although he and Director Qi Xiong appeared harmonious on the surface and cooperated well at work, the truth was that they were like oil and water. They had been engaged in a secret struggle for years, and neither could do anything to the other.

Qin Chuan was a member of the Party Committee and represented an important vote. Long before Qin Chuan had even reported for duty, Party Committee Secretary Zhu Laifa had been calculating in his mind that he must try to win this vote. With this vote, the originally balanced situation would be broken, and he would be able to gain the upper hand in the Party Committee.

Hearing that Director Qi Xiong had just taken the initiative to visit Qin Chuan, his first reaction was that Director Qi Xiong must be trying to win Qin Chuan's support and might have even promised certain conditions.

No, this absolutely would not do!

This vote had to be his.

And so, he came over in person, sat on the sofa with Qin Chuan, and began to chat. After a while, he got to the main point.

"Comrade Qin Chuan, on behalf of the Party Committee, I welcome you to join our big collective. I believe that with our cooperation and efforts, we will surely be able to do our work even better."

Qin Chuan was a smart man, and his sixth sense was especially frighteningly accurate. Just from chatting casually with Party Committee Secretary Zhu Laifa, he had guessed the other party's purpose.

He saw it clearly in his mind, and Qin Chuan understood the meaning behind the other party's words very well. It was an implication that the Party Committee was one unit and must form a solid team.

"Secretary Zhu Laifa, as a veteran comrade, you will still need to be more accommodating to us young people in our future work."

Qin Chuan did not mention a word about taking sides.

Party Committee Secretary Zhu Laifa certainly wouldn't give up so easily. Thinking that his hints weren't enough, he began to speak more explicitly, but Qin Chuan simply refused to take sides.

Do I need to take sides? Do I need to participate in the secret struggle between you, the number one and number two leaders? Certainly not.

Maintaining neutrality is best.

Qin Chuan was very clear that the Criminal Investigation Bureau was just a place for him to gain experience. He wouldn't be promoted to Director or Party Committee Secretary just because he did a good job.

Once his qualifications were sufficient, at most in another two or three years, he would be sent down to the local level for training, perhaps as a Municipal Party Secretary of a prefecture-level city, or at the very least, as a mayor.

Since that was the case, there was absolutely no need to participate in their struggle.

Party Committee Secretary Zhu Laifa did not give up and wanted to fight for him desperately. He spoke very explicitly—the intent to win him over was obvious enough for a fool to understand—and even promised him certain conditions. Qin Chuan could only express himself clearly.

"Secretary Zhu Laifa, I only want to do my own job well."

Seeing this, Party Committee Secretary Zhu Laifa knew that it probably wouldn't work today, but there would be a long time ahead, and there should be plenty of opportunities.

"Right, right, Comrade Qin Chuan is right. The first step is indeed to do one's own job well. Rest assured, in our future work, if you have any difficulties, just come to me; don't be polite."

After saying a few polite words, Party Committee Secretary Zhu Laifa stood up and took his leave.

Because he really didn't want to participate in the struggle, Qin Chuan had no intention of rushing to visit the Director or the Party Committee Secretary on his first day in office, nor did he plan to sit down and chat with other bureau leaders.

The purpose of doing this was very clear: to make his stance known—that he would not participate in any maneuvers, would not form cliques, and only wanted to do his job well.

The next day.

After Qin Chuan arrived at work, he finally took the initiative to go to the offices of several bureau leaders to sit and chat. Of course, some also came to see him voluntarily.

After all, except for Minister Xu Haodong and Party Committee Secretary Zhu Laifa, the others were all at the deputy department level and on the same rank as Qin Chuan, so it was quite normal for them to come and sit with him.

Around ten o'clock in the morning, the Director of the Bureau Office came over, mainly to ask if Qin Chuan was satisfied with his office and if he had any requirements for a driver. Additionally, the most important thing was the selection of a secretary.

Qin Chuan said, "I have just taken office, so I don't have anyone in mind for a secretary yet. You should prepare a list, and I will take a look first."

They would recommend candidates first and list them out, and then Qin Chuan would use the system to check each person and select the most suitable and outstanding one from among them. This was the correct procedure.

"Very well, we will prepare a list as soon as possible."

By the afternoon, the Bureau Office had selected five candidates for the position of secretary, and their relevant documents were placed on Qin Chuan's large desk.

As for Qin Chuan, he sat in his large, comfortable office chair and began to flip through the documents. On the surface, all five people looked good, but since he had the system, he might as well use it. Qin Chuan checked the detailed information of each person through the system.

Secretary Wei Jiangnan, 27 years old, a graduate of Jingcheng University...

Through the system search, Qin Chuan determined his choice for a secretary and picked up the phone to call the Director of the Bureau Office over.

"Director Li, I think Secretary Wei Jiangnan is good. Let him try it out first."

Li Rongmao was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected that Qin Chuan would confirm his secretary selection without even conducting an interview. He had prepared for an interview.

After reacting, Li Rongmao immediately said, "Very well, I will notify Secretary Wei Jiangnan to come over immediately."

A while later, Li Rongmao brought the young Secretary Wei Jiangnan over. The young man was very spirited but a little bit nervous.

This was very normal; being chosen by a leader to be a secretary, it would be strange if he weren't nervous.

Other than that, he was very outstanding. Qin Chuan chatted with him for a while, mainly with Qin Chuan asking questions and Secretary Wei Jiangnan answering, treating it as an interview.

Apart from being a little nervous at the beginning, he completely calmed down afterward. His train of thought was clear, and his thinking was agile, which was very satisfactory.

"Secretary Wei Jiangnan, then let's try it out first. Remember, if you don't do well, I will replace you."

Secretary Wei Jiangnan immediately replied, "Leader, rest assured. I will definitely work hard and strive to stay instead of being replaced."