0097 106 Ambition to Soar to Great Heights

After Hu Rui left, Zhou Xiye's smile gradually faded, and she got up and returned to her office. Yan Zhu knocked on the door and came in, leaving Zhou Xiye with a boxed lunch.

"Secretary Yan, I have some questions for you. Please have a seat."

Yan Zhu, 45 years old, divorced, had only reached the position of secretary within the system, and her chances of promotion before retirement were slim. Zhou Xiye had reviewed her resume; she was excellent, and talent should be put to good use.

"Secretary Zhou, what can I do for you?"

Zhou Xiye picked up his pen and tapped on the table. "It's like this. I just finished reviewing the tax revenue from the last quarter and the government debt of Kunming City a couple of days ago. They are much more serious than I imagined. I've seen your resume. You have experience working in the tax bureau. Although it may not be closely related to your current situation, I think you should know a lot about tax work."

Yan Zhu nodded, feeling an indescribable awkwardness in front of the municipal party secretary who was much younger than her.

"After a while, I plan to meet with the director of the tax bureau to get some information. Could you go there and retrieve some documents for me, do some research, and then write a report for me?"

Yan Zhu gladly accepted the job, but she didn't understand what the report was supposed to include.

Zhou Xiye seemed to sense her confusion, "What's the problem?"

What aspects does this report focus on?

Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "This report is only for me to see. You can criticize current affairs and write whatever you want."

Yan Zhu understood, yet she didn't quite get it.

Zhou Xiye watched her leave, finally having some time to himself. He had pondered for a long time how and how Kunming should develop. First, Kunming's tertiary industry accounted for a large proportion of its economy, indicating a problem with its industrial structure, but this couldn't be fixed in the short term.

Secondly, besides tourism, Kunming lacks a pillar industry. Tourism is heavily influenced by external factors. Even just looking at the pandemic, the city's economic development after lockdown was problematic, and its gradual recovery depends not only on local policies but also on public expectations.

In economics, there's a technical term called public expectation. Another term is government credibility. Combining the two can create enormous positive effects, or devastating negative ones.

There's a perfect example right now. Zhou Xiye smiled at Zibo's "barbecue economy." While it's not a long-term solution, it brings a sense of vibrancy, hope, and positive expectations to the people. In Kunming, Zhou Xiye plans to replicate Zibo's success and create a second "barbecue economy."

Through the street vendor economy, Zhou Xiye's second step was to vigorously support small and micro-sized enterprises. If there wasn't a standout industry, then a diverse range of businesses would flourish. She had studied the materials Bao Ren had given her for a long time and benefited greatly from them. With this in mind, Zhou Xiye flipped through her calendar and set a time to meet with the presidents of several major banks.

However, Zhou Xiye was thinking about drugs. To what extent could drugs bring economic development to this city? A complete drug trafficking chain, from cultivation to sale, involves layers of profit accumulation. It's a shortcut to solving government debt, and an "advantage" that other cities don't have.

Meng Qinggong's father had returned from the Vietnam War, so he naturally carried a certain amount of bloodshed with him.

People from such family backgrounds are sensible. Similarly, his chauvinistic nature makes him look down on Zhou Xiye, which has both advantages and disadvantages. To understand and grasp the basic situation of the drug trafficking group, cooperation with Meng Qinggong is necessary.

This is a tough nut to crack.

Noon had passed, and Zhou Xiye glanced into the conference room. The district heads were exchanging pleasantries, while Ling Xingzhi was surrounded by a group of people, chatting and laughing. As soon as she entered, the conference room fell silent. Zhou Xiye sat down at the table near the door. "Why did you stop talking?"

The group exchanged glances and remained silent for a few seconds before Zhou Xiye nodded. "Okay, I understand. You all have a good chat. I've had them prepare dinner."

No one took Zhou Xiye's words seriously; they were followed even when they went to the restroom. They didn't care, since it was time to go home anyway.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Xiye imprisoned them for three days.

Zhou Xiye would come over every now and then to check on their progress. No one answered, so Zhou Xiye smiled and walked out, saying, "No rush, you're not in a rush, and neither am I."

These seasoned veterans need some tricks up their sleeves; Zhou Xiye won't be able to establish his authority without them using some underhanded tactics.

On the fifth day, Zhou Xiye arrived at the office early in the morning. Everyone inside was sleeping in all crooked positions, but she didn't care. She picked up a megaphone and started shouting, "How's everyone's progress?"

A group of people were startled. Ling Xingzhi pinched the bridge of his nose. His coat fell to the ground, but he didn't pick it up. He turned to look at Zhou Xiye.

Seeing that everyone was awake, Zhou Xiye smiled. "Did you sleep well last night? Quite a few people have come to see me. District Chief Li, your mother came to see you, thinking something terrible had happened. I comforted her, and she's home safely now. Oh, by the way, Director Zhang, your daughter came to bring you food, but I didn't accept it. I just told her to go home soon."

Zhou Xiye walked around the conference table with a megaphone, and after confirming that everyone was awake, he stood at the door and said, "I have a meeting today and I'm going out for a bit, so I probably won't be able to stay with you. So, once you've finished the materials I gave you, give them to my secretary, and she will contact me."

She had just walked out when Ling Xingzhi bent down, picked up the clothes on the ground, shook them, and then got up and walked out as well.

Just as Zhou Xiye sat down, Ling Xingzhi knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Ling Xingzhi went inside and closed the door.

"Mayor Ling, your arrival is timely. I also have something to ask you to do."

Ling Xingzhi sat down opposite the desk, his hands clasped together on his lap. "What is it?"

"You're in charge of the anti-corruption project, so make some connections with the courts and the discipline inspection commission."

Ling Xingzhi nodded. "Okay, what about you? You're going to arrest the drug cartel? Zhou Xiye, that's very dangerous. Those addicts are capable of anything. Even if their boss doesn't have any hostility towards you, won't everyone on every drug trafficking chain resent you?"

Zhou Xiye ignored Ling Xingzhi's words, "You're better at setting up an anti-corruption team and calling on the public to report and expose corrupt officials than I am. Do your job well."

Ling Xingzhi sighed, "How long do you plan to torture them?"

"They'll be set free when they become obedient."

"Aren't you afraid of a shutdown?"

Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "If they're not afraid, then I'm not afraid either." As soon as he finished speaking, the landline rang. It was a call from the provincial government.

Ling Xingzhi didn't avoid the conversation and waited for Zhou Xiye to finish his call. The provincial authorities had heard about Zhou Xiye's situation and instructed him not to act recklessly. The work had to continue, but he couldn't be so rigid; he should combine firmness with flexibility.

After smilingly brushing off the provincial leader's call, Zhou Xiye let out a sigh of relief, "It'll be soon, they'll surrender very soon."

Ling Xingzhi spread his hands and smiled, "Want to have dinner together tonight? You've been busy these past few days, aren't you tired? I brought a few bottles of good wine from Beijing, would you like to try some?"

"To your house?"

He nodded with a smile.

Zhou Xiye raised his left hand. "I'm married, Mayor Ling."

Ling Xingzhi shrugged indifferently and raised his left hand as well. "What a coincidence, I'm married too." This flirting made Zhou Xiye feel that his rights had been violated, so he shook his head and said, "If there's nothing else, go out."

"good."

Before leaving the office, Zhou Xiye told Yan Zhu, "Call me if anything happens."

Yan Zhu glanced at the time. "Secretary, it's still early before we have lunch with the presidents of the four major banks."

Zhou Xiye nodded, "I have my own things to do."

Li Wei waited downstairs for a few minutes, then Zhou Xiye got into the car and said, "Let's go home."

When the car pulled up to his apartment building, Zhou Xiye didn't get out immediately. He lit a cigarette, took a puff, and watched the smoke curl around him. After a few minutes, the car door opened, and Zhou Xiye tapped on the back of the seat in front of him. "Xiao Li, go buy me a pack of cigarettes."

Li Wei understood these words perfectly well. He got out of the car and walked away.

The people who boarded the bus exuded a chilling and cold aura.

Zhou Xiye rolled down the car window, flicked off his cigarette ash, and gave a smile. "Pei Zhiyu, can you talk to me calmly now?"

Pei Zhiyu reached out and grabbed Zhou Xiye's arm, pulling her into his embrace. He buried his head in her hair and took a deep breath.

I miss you so much.

Zhou Xiye lifted her head from his embrace, wrapped her arm around his shoulder, looked at the cigarette she was holding, and took another puff.

Pei Zhiyu snatched the cigarette from her, took a deep drag himself, and stubbed it out. He looked at her face, his fingers slowly tracing the wounds on her cheek. "It's dangerous here. Do you really want to stay here?"

Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "What else? Go to Hangzhou with you? Then you have to give me the position of mayor of Hangzhou, and I'll go back."

"If you hadn't come, you wouldn't have been beaten."

"Pei Zhiyu, it's no use trying to persuade me to go back now."

Pei Zhiyu lowered her eyes and released her hand. "Does this make you happy? Being beaten and threatened, look at yourself now. Is this how a Party Secretary should behave?"

"What should a municipal party secretary look like? Someone who can command the wind and rain, whose butt is either glued to the office chair or the chair at social gatherings?" Zhou Xiye chuckled. "You never understand that I married you for the sake of becoming the mayor of Hangzhou, so that I could rightfully get what I wanted."

"My current situation is the result of my own choices, and I don't regret it," Zhou Xiye said with a smile. "I will achieve great things, and one day they will regret treating me this way. I will not be lenient with them."

"Though poor, one should remain steadfast and never lose one's lofty aspirations."

Pei Zhiyu's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't speak.

“I don’t want to argue with you, and I don’t want to get a divorce. We’re doing fine now. You’re in Hangzhou, and I’m in Kunming. We each have our own world and our own things to do.”

Pei Zhiyu shook her head. "Wherever you go, I will be there." He turned to look at her. "If you are in Kunming, I will come here too. Wait for me."

Looking at the intense, irreversible obsession in Pei Zhiyu's eyes, Zhou Xiye closed his eyes helplessly.