Hou Peng has given up his support for Wang Yonghua, yet Wang Yonghua is still able to participate in the project. Will Hou Peng still be able to trust Wang Yonghua in the future? Will he feel that Wang Yonghua used some of his weaknesses as leverage to gain his support?

Definitely, definitely. As long as I keep Wang Yonghua to continue participating in the project, the trust between Wang Yonghua and Hou Peng will completely collapse, and the seeds of doubt will be sown.

The seeds of doubt have been sown, and they will surely take root and sprout in the future. As the relationship between the two becomes increasingly strained and they drift further and further apart, the leverage that Wang Yonghua holds over Hou Peng will eventually be handed over to him, and then he can control Hou Peng.

"He who does not plan for the long term is not fit to plan for the short term; he who does not plan for the whole is not fit to plan for a part." Some things require advance planning and early action.

In any case, Wang Yonghua's project was indeed well done, and there was no cheating or shirking of responsibility.

However, these plans are for the future. The key now is to deal with Hou Peng's betrayal and how to gain control of the narrative at the town party committee meeting.

Li Xiuyuan was brought back to his senses by the ringing of his phone. He closed the door, went back inside, picked up his phone, and saw a message from Su Ziying asking if he was alright.

"It's okay, don't worry, get some rest." Li Xiuyuan replied to Su Ziying with a message.

After putting down his phone, he continued to ponder the selection process for the open bidding at the town party committee meeting. He had previously considered that Hou Peng, Qi Weihua, Lu Zhenhai, and himself would have a total of four votes, which would give them a significant advantage in the selection process.

As for the disciplinary committee member Ma Tao, as long as we can scare him into abstaining, we can win with four votes to two.

But now that Hou Peng has betrayed him, it's not just a matter of losing a vote; it also means that Qi Weihua's vote is in jeopardy, since Qi Weihua has always supported Hou Peng.

Although the last time the two communicated in Meilin Village, it was not enough to make Qi Weihua give up Hou Peng's support based on just one conversation. After all, they had been together for so many years, and who knew if there were any conflicts of interest between them?

Hou Peng had promised me everything, but now he's gone back on his word without even saying goodbye.

Qi Weihua's side is also not sure.

That leaves only my vote and Lu Zhenhai's. Even if Ma Tao abstains, it could still be two against four, including the Party Secretary and the Town Mayor, both at the level of section chief.

Li Xiuyuan lit another cigarette. Since that was the case, he couldn't let Ma Tao abstain from his vote; he had to get Ma Tao's support.

Finally, we'll do our best to win Qi Weihua's vote.

Li Xiuyuan glanced at the calendar on the wall. Tomorrow was Monday, and there were only two days left until the town party committee's selection meeting on Wednesday.

Li Xiuyuan repeatedly reviewed his plan in his mind until late at night before turning off the lights and going to bed.

The next day, Monday morning, Li Xiuyuan washed his face with cold water to wake himself up, and looked in the mirror to make sure he didn't look tired before going out with Su Ziying and heading towards the Blackwater River embankment.