0099 108 A Busy Day for Secretary Zhou (Part 1)

As soon as Zhou Xiye entered the office, Yan Zhu placed a stack of documents in front of her, saying, "These are the reports submitted by the leaders..."

"Okay, put it there." Zhou Xiye hadn't drunk baijiu in a long time, and he still had a headache when he woke up the next day. "By the way, why did Ling Xingzhi go out yesterday?"

Yan Zhu was taken aback by the familiar way he addressed Ling Xingzhi, and Zhou Xiye also paused before smiling, "Oh, Mayor Ling, didn't I say we weren't allowed to leave? What will the others think if Mayor Ling goes out?"

"Mayor Ling said that you were the one who asked him to leave."

Zhou Xiye raised an eyebrow. "Did I tell you that myself?"

Yan Zhu shook her head. This young secretary was more difficult to deal with than she had imagined. She was tactful when necessary, but most of the time she was sharp and outspoken.

"Then why did you let him leave? Are you his secretary or mine?" Zhou Xiye's voice rose. "Secretary Yan, I don't know how you worked before, but as my secretary, I think you should understand that you shouldn't listen to anyone but me."

Yan Zhu lowered her head and remained silent. Zhou Xiye fully understood her meaning; Ling Xingzhi was backed by Ling Qingyun, and she couldn't afford to offend Ling Xingzhi. However, she could offend Zhou Xiye, the Party Secretary. Zhou Xiye smiled, clenched her fist, and tapped it a few times on the table.

"How's your research going? Have you finished writing it?" Zhou Xiye changed the subject.

Yan Zhu looked up at her. "It's almost done, but some documents can't be borrowed in my name."

Zhou Xiye nodded, "Okay, send me the research report."

"Almost there, not quite finished writing..."

Zhou Xiye sighed, raised his hand to touch his forehead, and said, "Let's go out."

Yan Zhu left without a word. As soon as the door closed, Zhou Xiye picked up the landline and dialed a number. "Hello, this is Zhou Xiye… Yes, Director Zhao, it's me… It's nothing, I just took office. Let's meet sometime, okay…"

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Xiye got down to business, "Director Zhao, do you need any more people over here? I have an experienced person I can recommend to you; their work performance is excellent."

Upon hearing this, Director Zhao Zheng smiled and said, "Secretary, who is this person? That you would personally recommend him?"

Zhou Xiye thought for a moment before saying, "Not too far, not too close. My secretary is Yan Zhu. I'm unfamiliar with this place and haven't even met the secretaries yet. It's just that Secretary Yan's talents are more useful in taxation. It would be a waste of her talents to have her here."

Zhao Zheng smiled, pursing his lips, "Okay, that's no problem for me... You can decide on the specific arrangements?"

Zhou Xiye nodded, "Okay, thank you for your help. Let's have dinner together sometime."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Xiye sighed, picked up the documents on the table and looked through them. After a while, he picked up the phone and called Yan Zhu, "Tell them to wait for me in the conference room."

These seasoned veterans had a different opinion of Zhou Xiye when they saw her in the meeting room again.

Zhou Xiye didn't waste any time and got straight to the point, "I discovered something strange in Yunnan. I don't know if you've been to Lijiang or Shangri-La, or even just around Kunming," she paused, slowing her tone, "Hilton hotels fence off sections of scenic spots, and only guests staying at their hotels can access them."

Zhou Xiye smiled. "Is it like this in Sanya, Hainan too?"

The district heads remained silent, and Zhou Xiye didn't press them further. "I've read everything you've written. It's still about increasing the proportion of Kunming's tourism industry and launching some new projects. But how to promote them, how to publicize them—you haven't written anything. Or maybe it's about promoting live streaming, with the government promoting more internet celebrities behind the scenes—it's all the same old stuff."

Zhou Xiye picked up her teacup and took a sip. Ling Xingzhi watched her serious and methodical manner, feeling both unfamiliar and curious.

"However, I still want to say that the real economy is always the foundation of a country's economy and the foundation of a local economy. The development of the virtual economy stands on the shoulders of the real economy. Whether it is the rise of short video platforms or e-commerce, they all serve the real economy and play their own unique roles."

Looking back over the past few years, the industry trends have all involved "middlemen" connecting the real economy and the virtual economy. For example, live-streaming e-commerce is just one segment of online shopping. Whether you look upstream or downstream, each link can generate huge economic benefits.

“Your suggestions are too general; you need to be more specific,” Zhou Xiye assigned the first task. “Each district has different characteristics, and I need to see your industry reports. Ideally, you should conduct your own research; I don’t want to see industry reports from consulting firms.”

At this point, Zhou Xiye suddenly said, "Do you know Yunnan coffee? You know Luckin Coffee, right? Why do so many people on Wall Street still invest in them despite their continuous losses?"

The district heads looked at each other in bewilderment.

"The most profitable things are always the things that are addictive. Gambling, drugs, and prostitution are all addictive. Coffee and milk tea are also addictive. Luckin Coffee is sparing no effort to penetrate the lower-tier market. They are disciplining consumers and cultivating their coffee-drinking habits. Starbucks sells product premiums in China. But Luckin is not just about building a brand; they are about cultivating consumers' coffee-drinking habits."

In this world, things that are addictive and related to human nature will always make money. Pornography generates billions in profits annually. Gambling has bankrupted countless billionaires. And drugs—need I say more?

Looking at the group of clueless old fogies in front of him, Zhou Xiye's mood worsened little by little. All they cared about in their positions was keeping their jobs, flattering those above and looking down on those below.

It's rotten to the core.

Zhou Xiye sighed, "Mayor Ling, the task of combating corruption is now in your hands. We'll discuss the team members in a bit."

Ling Xingzhi was suddenly called upon, and he smiled and nodded, "Okay."

"Director Meng, you will be in full charge of the drug enforcement operation. Stay for a bit later so we can discuss the team members responsible for the drug enforcement."

Meng Qinggong grunted in response, not taking it seriously.

"Alright, meeting adjourned."

Ling Xingzhi and Meng Qinggong didn't leave, and the others felt relieved, leaving the office with smiles. "Director Meng, please wait for me in the next conference room. I have something to say to Mayor Ling."

Meng Qinggong pursed his lips, not liking Zhou Xiye's order, but still stood up and walked out.

"What are your thoughts?" Zhou Xiye's businesslike tone made Xingzhi take it seriously as well.

"We need to work with the discipline inspection and supervision commissions, and the team members must include senior, experienced chief prosecutors."

Hearing his words, Zhou Xiye laughed, "Is your brain in Beijing? I remember that Mayor Ling handled the Mentougou incident very well."

Ling Xingzhi looked at Zhou Xiye, and the teasing remark made him smile helplessly. The next second, he understood what Zhou Xiye meant. "Secretary, do you have a list?"

Zhou Xiye had been waiting for him to say that. He pulled a piece of paper out of the folder and said, "Some cadres have problems with their quality, which has caused public dissatisfaction." Zhou Xiye pushed the paper in front of Ling Xingzhi and tapped it twice with his fingers.

Ling Xingzhi took it and looked at it; there was a long list of names on it. Zhou Xiye's thoughts were all hidden behind these black and white words. As he looked closely, the smile on his lips widened.

"I see."

Zhou Xiye looked at him and nodded, "I hope our first collaboration will be pleasant and won't cause any unnecessary trouble."

"That's natural."

Is the crackdown on corruption truly about fighting corruption? Of course not. Using the pretext of corruption to eliminate political enemies is one thing. Another is a lack of funds and a loss of public trust in the government. To do good deeds, they mobilize a few people to set an example for the people.

On the other hand, monopolies have never been a good form of economic development. Without destruction, there can be no construction; without the old, there can be no new.

Zhou Xiye wanted to wipe them all out in one fell swoop, uprooting all the tangled roots and planting new seeds in this land. Her ambition was considerable, which Ling Xingzhi overlooked. He voluntarily chose to side with Zhou Xiye, but those outside had long understood her intentions.

"Don't leak out the initial operations; I don't want to alert the enemy."

Ling Xingzhi nodded, "Leave it to me, don't worry."

When facing Meng Qinggong, Zhou Xiye had a different attitude. He walked into the conference room with a smile, poured Meng Qinggong a cup of tea, and said, "Director Meng, you must have been waiting for a long time. Have some tea."

Meng Qinggong didn't take it, and chuckled, "Secretary Zhou, what do you want to say?"

Seeing that he didn't accept his tea, Zhou Xiye wasn't annoyed. He drank a cup of tea himself and said, "The matter isn't too serious. It's just that this anti-drug operation still needs you to lead it personally. I'm unfamiliar with this place, so I'll have to rely on you a lot in this regard."

Hearing this, Meng Qinggong felt slightly relieved; this was how things should be.

"Secretary, it's a good thing you want to crack down on drugs. But, let alone Kunming, drug enforcement is very difficult throughout Yunnan. This is a short-lived operation. You should understand that drug enforcement is not a trivial matter; many people will sacrifice their lives. Moreover, drugs cannot be completely eradicated..."

Zhou Xiye nodded; she understood. How could she not understand?

"I just want you to complete the task I assigned you. I don't need you to explain so much," Zhou Xiye said, his tone slightly harsh. "Are you saying it's difficult, or that you don't want to do it?"

Meng Qinggong opened his mouth, but there was no need for a head-on confrontation at this time, especially since Zhou Xiye's men were still outside. He turned his face and smiled, "Secretary, if you think it's something that should be done, then I'll do it. I will definitely do my best in this drug bust."

Zhou Xiye nodded, but it was impossible to tell whether he was satisfied or not.

"We'll set up a special anti-drug task force. I'll be the leader, and you'll be the deputy leader. By the way, isn't Hao Shengchun from your bureau very experienced in anti-drug work?"

The Hao Shengchun that Zhou Xiye mentioned is the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau. Meng Qinggong and Hao Shengchun fought for the position of director for a long time. In the end, Meng Qinggong was promoted because Hao Shengchun was a woman, and she eventually became the deputy director.

Speaking of Hao Shengchun, Meng Qinggong felt as if he had swallowed a fly.

“Let’s decide on the three of us first, then four more team members. You and Director Hao can decide. Give me the list by Friday,” Zhou Xiye said, his tone softening again. “I went to a meeting in the province a couple of days ago. The Director of the Provincial Public Security Bureau is retiring. Director Meng, do you have any thoughts on this?”

Meng Qinggong was taken aback. Zhou Xiye said slowly, "The provincial party secretary strongly supports the anti-drug efforts. If you have any achievements in this area, I would like to..." She smiled at Meng Qinggong, and Meng Qinggong understood what she meant.

He hesitated.

Next, Zhou Xiye's words pushed him into a deep abyss: "I have already recommended you to the Provincial Party Committee. The Provincial Department and the Provincial Party Committee both think highly of you."

This is it. Zhou Xiye was parachuted in and hasn't even settled in yet. But he has no choice but to obey the province's orders.

"good."

After seeing off the two important figures, Zhou Xiye began to deal with her own affairs. She called a meeting with the people from the First and Second Secretarial Divisions of the Municipal Party Committee. At the meeting, she looked at the unfamiliar faces, but she knew the background of each of them.

Finally, her gaze fell on Yan Zhu's face.

"We've been in meetings for a long time these past few days and haven't had much time to meet everyone. Now, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Zhou Xiye. You've probably all seen my resume, so I won't go into details," she paused, "My work principle is very simple: everything must be approved by me. Whether it's a speech or contact with the provincial party committee, you must report to me first. The people you're dealing with are all key figures in the municipal party committee, so I think you should all keep yourselves clean."

Having made her meaning clear, Zhou Xiye looked at the group of people and realized that there seemed to be no one among them who could become her confidant.

After explaining their own affairs, the meeting adjourned, but one person stayed behind. His name was Li Jun, and he had dark skin. He approached Zhou Xiye with a grin and said he had something to say.

The two talked as they walked toward the office.

After a few words, Zhou Xiye understood that this person was a habitual sycophant, but his methods were not sophisticated.

"Secretary, your driver, Li Wei, is my younger brother. How is his work?"

Upon hearing those two words, Zhou Xiye's smile vanished. He pondered the question repeatedly before finally asking softly, "Is Li Wei your brother?"