Chapter 1680: Chapter 1680
"Retired?"
Sun Jiajun was taken aback again and hesitantly said, "Since he’s retired, what would Mayor Chang still be concerned about?"
Xiao Chenlei said, "He’s retired, but his influence still lingers."
Sun Jiajun suddenly understood what he meant.
"Mayor Sun, have a cigarette." Xiao Chenlei handed him a cigarette and lit it for him.
Sun Jiajun glanced at him, noticing his sly demeanor, and knew what he was thinking.
He hoped that he would pressure Chang Hai to impose heavy penalties on the companies in the zone, making the pollution incident a big issue.
Once it becomes a significant issue, Chang Hai will definitely be affected.
Might not be apparent in the short term, but Chang Hai is already 51. An incident at this stage would be fatal.
Once Chang Hai steps down, Xiao Chenlei would have the opportunity to remove the "Vice" from Vice District Mayor.
However, if he applied pressure, wouldn’t that mean offending Governor Yang?
Governor Yang may have retired, but his connections are still there.
He didn’t want to walk into the line of fire.
Yet, he didn’t want to waste the opportunity to ally with Xiao Chenlei.
Seeing Sun Jiajun’s dilemma, Xiao Chenlei said, "Mayor Sun, I suggest reporting this matter to Mayor Wu."
Sun Jiajun’s eyes lit up; how could he forget about Wu Qiangwei!
He shouldn’t get involved, but he could pass this trouble to Wu Qiangwei!
He took a deep look at Xiao Chenlei, realizing his thoughts were deep.
Probably, he thought of this when he called him this morning.
Jiangzhou truly lives up to its reputation as the Provincial City; none of the officials here are simple.
Even a Vice District Mayor has such deep thoughts.
As the Deputy Mayor, navigating among such quick-witted people wasn’t easy.
This filled his heart with a subtle pressure and a sense of urgency.
He believed he was not inferior to anyone; what he lacked was opportunity.
However, during his time in Jiangzhou, after interacting with these people, he realized there truly are differences between people.
If not for good luck, with his capability, he wouldn’t have made it to the Provincial City in his lifetime.
Sun Jiajun did not respond to his suggestion, silently finished his cigarette, and walked out without a word, leaving Xiao Chenlei a bit anxious, wondering if his actions were too obvious and upset the Mayor.
...
"Come over here."
Song Guanchao received a call from Wu Qiangwei.
He arrived at the office, sat down, and asked, "What do you need me for?"
Wu Qiangwei tossed him a list, and Song Guanchao looked down, "What’s this?"
"The inspection team’s list."
"Inspection team?" Song Guanchao blinked, scanning the names on the list while asking, "It’s almost December, why is the inspection team coming at this time?"
Every year, the inspection team selects some cities to station, checking if any departments have committed violations and collecting potential local issues through open complaint channels.
Generally, they work around April or May, or mid-year, and it’s rare for them to come at the end of the year.
Suddenly, he noticed a familiar name on the list—Su Rong.
"What’s wrong?" Wu Qiangwei noticed the change in his expression.
"Saw an acquaintance." Song Guanchao smiled and pointed at Su Rong’s name.
"Su Rong? You know her?"
The name sounds like a woman’s. This guy, really leaves his mark everywhere.
"A member of the Pinghai City’s inspection team."
"Hmm?"
Wu Qiangwei was surprised and then looked at him oddly, "You were only in Pinghai City for a few days, and you got involved with someone from the inspection team?"
"?" Song Guanchao was speechless, "What are you thinking? This person has a grudge against me."
"What’s going on?" Wu Qiangwei’s expression became serious.
Song Guanchao said, "There are three inspectors in the team, and they were involved in the corruption case in Pinghai City. One of them is named Chen Jie Ming."
"This Su Rong had an affair with Chen Jie Ming."
"Since I was the one who contacted the inspection team, I was the one who caught him, so to speak. Su Rong held a grudge against me."
Su Rong went to Secretary Hu at the Central Disciplinary Inspection Committee to report him, which he hadn’t mentioned.
"Is that how it is?" Wu Qiangwei looked at Su Rong’s name repeatedly and said, "Then her coming to Jiangzhou with the inspection team is probably related to you."
"Definitely related. She’s probably trying to catch my mistakes." Song Guanchao was well aware and said, "But this woman is indeed capable, having just returned from Pinghai and joined another inspection team again."
He estimated that Su Rong’s background wasn’t ordinary.
Logically, after going to report him to Secretary Hu, she should definitely have been admonished by Mr. Huang afterward.
Under normal circumstances, even if she wasn’t given a long vacation, she wouldn’t be deployed again anytime soon.
Yet now she’s down for inspection again, like a seamless transition.
"Knock knock."
"Come in."
Shu Xue opened the door, her eyes lingering on Song Guanchao for a second before turning to Wu Qiangwei, "Mayor, Mayor Sun wants to see you."
"Invite him in." Wu Qiangwei withdrew her gaze and said, "I was planning on having you liaise with the inspection team, but with Su Rong..."
"It’s fine, I’ll continue liaising. Even if she wants revenge, she still needs a valid reason. I’m upright and just, there’s nothing to fear."
Song Guanchao grabbed the list, and as he left the office, he had a brief encounter with Sun Jiajun.
He smiled and nodded, then left.
Returning to his office, Song Guanchao picked up the phone and called Zhou Xingjian, asking him to come over.
"Director Song, you called for me?"
"The inspection team is coming tonight, go arrange the guesthouse, and reserve a private room so we can host them tonight."
"Okay."
"Remember, handle this personally. I don’t trust anyone else with this task."
"Leave it to me!" Zhou Xingjian was not resentful for being asked to personally handle such trivial matters as a deputy director. Instead, he considered it a sign of Song Guanchao’s trust.
As soon as Zhou Xingjian left, a call from Wu Qiangwei came through.
"Come over for a moment."
He just got back.
Song Guanchao complained inwardly, then suddenly realized something. He guessed it might be about what Sun Jiajun had just discussed with Wu Qiangwei.
He arrived at the office, "What did Mayor Sun discuss with you?"
Wu Qiangwei’s eyes flashed with a sense of helplessness. In front of Song Guanchao, she really couldn’t hide anything.
"The High-tech Zone Industrial Park issues."
Song Guanchao searched his mind for a few seconds, having no recollection, so he quietly waited for her to speak.
Wu Qiangwei said, "Some chemical companies in the industrial park are discharging pollutants, causing pollution, and many people are complaining."
"Just this?" Song Guanchao raised his left eyebrow, "Is Mayor Sun so idle that he has nothing better to do, coming to you over such trivial matters?"
Wu Qiangwei shook her head, "Listen to me first."
"Go on."
"The chemical park’s pollution isn’t a one-off. I just contacted the Environmental Protection Bureau, and complaints about pollution have been ongoing for about ten years."
