Chapter 242 High-Profile Meeting (First Update)
Zhang Guodong was slightly surprised that Jiang Bo called personally. However, given Zhuo Ge's earnest introduction and their close relationship, the politeness shown to him was naturally out of respect for Li Daolin, and he understood.
Unexpectedly, Li Jinbo happened to be inspecting work at the provincial television station. Zhang Guodong thought to himself, "I'm free right now. Maybe I can meet him and make a bit of a show of force. Didn't Wang Cai slap that vicious woman twice? Since he's in officialdom, it's best to use official power to resolve things. If Zheng Le wants to stay in officialdom in the future, some hidden dangers must be eliminated. Let some people see that Zheng Le isn't without backing; clear away some obstacles."
Zhang Guodong was well aware of the disadvantages women faced in officialdom. Therefore, having a powerful backer was essential, even if it was just a smokescreen.
Zhang Guodong pulled Zheng Le along slowly toward the administration building. Li Jinbo would leave in half an hour, which could be considered swift and decisive. Huang Qingyuan had put a lot of effort into the entire reception banquet, but it also turned into a briefing on personnel and financial reforms.
So those scantily clad beauties were left standing there, exposed to the elements. Since the leader wasn't into that, the subordinates naturally didn't want to overstep their bounds, and their behavior was rather disrespectful, which naturally made Huang Qingyuan frown.
It was clear that Li Jinbo put a lot of pressure on him; this guy didn't even like that kind of thing.
He had also heard about Li Jinbo's work ethic—he focused on work and rarely engaged in entertainment, and was generally well-regarded. So, despite his discomfort, he had to bear it. 'He'd only been a deputy minister for less than six months; in the provincial propaganda department, he was merely a figurehead, ranked low. He was only fourth, and in terms of influence, he was probably last.'
"Old Huang, I'd like to borrow someone from you," Li Jinbo said after a few drinks.
Huang Qingyuan was taken aback. Borrow someone? But then he chuckled in surprise and asked, "Minister Li, which lucky talent have you taken a liking to?"
“Your host, Zheng Le!” Li Jinbo said with a smile.
Huang Qingyuan was a little annoyed when he heard this. Zheng Le was a pillar of the station. Li Jinbo wanted to borrow people. It wouldn't matter to ordinary people, but some people were not in the category of those who could be borrowed.
Li Jinbo pretended not to notice Huang Qingyuan's expression and continued, "I heard that Xiao Zheng still has a few months of maternity leave left. Have you already found a replacement? As an elder, I still need to inquire about it. I estimate that the department's transfer order will come down soon!"
Huang Qingyuan was seething with anger, but a single sentence calmed him down. This Li Jinbo was actually Zheng Le's elder? That elegant and refined woman... Huang Qingyuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but quickly regained his composure.
He knew there was no turning back. Li Jinbo said that once the transfer order came down, the matter was settled. The Organization Department usually approved internal transfers from within the Propaganda Department, especially for appointments of section-level cadres.
Huang Qingyuan was somewhat annoyed. Zheng Le had clearly communicated with Li Jinbo, hadn't he? He was preparing to transfer Zheng Le to the Provincial Propaganda Department, and Huang Qingyuan, the deputy director and station chief, didn't even know.
The banquet ended quickly, and Li Jinbo took the preliminary drafts of the provincial television station's personnel and financial reforms, then planned to leave. The final decision rested with Minister Qin.
As they went downstairs, Huang Qingyuan and the others saw them off.
The two sides parted on a harmonious note.
Zhang Guodong and Zheng Le were also there, watching all this with great interest. Few people in Xiqin Province didn't know Zheng Le; Li Jinbo recognized him immediately upon turning around. He was startled by Zhang Guodong beside him, then his eyes lit up as if he remembered something.
Li Jinbo ignored the already opened car door and walked towards Zhang Guodong and the other person, which puzzled the people behind him.
"Minister Li actually knows Zheng Le? Then the young man next to him is Zheng Le's husband?"
Huang Qingyuan narrowed his eyes. Zhang Guodong was indeed very ordinary, dressed similarly, and easily overlooked. In the crowd, there was also a furious gaze, as if he wanted to devour someone, his face bruised and red. This was Director Qi.
The netizen had just learned that his wife had been beaten. It was clearly the young man; seeing Zheng Le and him acting so intimately, he immediately confirmed it. But he never expected that Minister Li would personally go to see the two of them. This was astonishing. Who was he to warrant Minister Li's visit?
It now seems the Zheng family clearly has powerful backers, specifically his superior's superior, making it impossible to contact them immediately. At this point, Director Qi felt a surge of resentment towards the security department; they hadn't caught anyone after so long. Now, with Li Jinbo in charge, who would dare to arrest anyone?
Just then, a security patrol car pulled up in the distance, and the head of the security department got out. But when he saw this side, he didn't dare to fight.
The head of the security department was no fool. Who was Zheng Le? She was a well-known figure in the station. So what if they offended Director Qi? If they sent them to arrest Zheng Le's husband, and the station blamed them later, it would still be the security department's fault. The timing of this online incident was perfect.
Look, provincial leaders are inspecting the area. They're actually shaking hands warmly. Me, a mere security chief, dare to go up and arrest them? You, Director Qi, if you have the guts, go ahead and do it!
Although Director Qi's office is in charge of the Security Department, it's better to choose the lesser of two evils.
Li Jinbo smiled and extended his hand to Zhang Guodong, saying, "Young man, do you mind if I call you that like Daolin does? You're Daolin's close friend despite the age difference, and Daolin and I are old classmates and old friends!"
“I don’t mind. You’re Brother Li’s best friend, one of us!” Zhang Guodong said with a smile. Hearing this from him made Li Jinbo feel a little awkward. He felt that this young man was far too mature and arrogant. He was in his early fifties, while Zhang Guodong was only in his twenties. Calling him “one of us” did seem rather ridiculous.
Fortunately, Li Daolin solemnly introduced Zhang Guodong, and although Li Jinbo felt uneasy, he still trusted his old classmate and friend.
With Zheng Le beside him, Li Jinbo, without Zhang Guodong's introduction, said, "This must be Xiao Zheng, right? You're a big celebrity! My wife talks about your show every day..." "Come on, let's get in the car first!" Li Jinbo glanced at Huang Qingyuan and the others behind him; this wasn't the place to talk.
Zheng Le, on the other hand, was well-behaved. When she walked to the car, she greeted Huang Qingyuan before getting in.
Once the car drove away, Huang Qingyuan dispersed the crowd, letting them return to their respective work posts.
"What's the story behind replacing Zheng Le as host?" Huang Qingyuan asked Director Qi, who was following behind him, as soon as he returned to his office. Although the station has a "Personnel Office" and the General Office, which are on the same level, in reality, the General Office holds a higher position than the Personnel Office. Many important personnel matters can only be decided by the leadership; the Director of the Personnel Office only has the right to issue announcements. And among these, the General Office is closest to the leadership and can sometimes make suggestions, which may become...
Discussion.
Director Qi's heart skipped a beat. He glanced cautiously at the station director and said, "Zheng Le has taken maternity leave for a year. That's too long, so the personnel office has suggested that a new successor should be selected as soon as possible. After all, Zheng Le isn't young anymore. If a new successor is introduced in a few more years, the audience might not be used to it. So it's better to select one now. This matter has also been discussed with the news."
Upon hearing this, Huang Qingyuan suddenly remembered that he seemed to have agreed to this matter and had even signed it himself.
"Let's just leave it at that. Zheng Le's transfer order from the Organization Department will come down in a few days. He will be transferred to the Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department. We need to prepare a send-off for him, after all, he's someone from our station!" Huang Qingyuan said.
Director Qi was alarmed. What? Zheng Le was being transferred? To the Provincial Anti-Drug Propaganda Department? That's the provincial TV station's superior unit! He wanted to know how to get revenge, but he didn't expect things to turn out so suddenly.
"Director, why did Zheng Le suddenly decide to leave the station?" Director Qi asked.
"The propaganda department's decision is here. Go back to your office!" Huang Qingyuan frowned and reprimanded.
Since it was the propaganda department's decision, it seemed unstoppable. Soon, calls for Zheng Le's transfer spread throughout the station, and then rumors also circulated about Director Qi's wife being slapped.
This has led many to suspect that Director Qi may have forced Zheng Le to leave. Several deputy directors even questioned Director Qi about this, putting him under considerable pressure.
When he got home from get off work, Yao Hong, who had been sent back to her house, pointed at Director Qi's forehead and scolded him: "Is this all you've got? Your wife got slapped, and you, the office director, didn't even utter a sound. You're a coward!"
Director Qi was already annoyed enough, and now that he'd just gotten home, his wife was making a scene. He snapped, "Enough!"
"Do you think I don't know your character? Driving a car worth hundreds of thousands and flaunting it everywhere. Look at you, rings, necklaces, earrings, so tacky! You say someone slapped you, I think that's what they deserved! You have no skills whatsoever, all you know is how to cause trouble. Haven't you caused enough trouble over the years? If it weren't for you, I would have been the deputy director long ago!" Director Qi couldn't calm down when he talked about this.
A year ago, the station was electing a new deputy director. He was a strong contender, and the old director agreed, so there was almost no resistance. But at the crucial moment, this woman actually slapped the wife of a district leader. The incident blew up and reached the leader's ears, and the matter was ruined!
In the end, the woman almost got caught in the accident too, but luckily Master Huang helped her out and saved her from it.
It was only afterwards that I found out. This district leader happened to have connections; he was a deputy minister in the provincial Party committee's organization department. Once the matter was exposed, his position as deputy station director was naturally gone, and it was taken by someone parachuted in.
When Yao Hong saw that he was angry, her momentum weakened.
Director Qi said with exasperation, "Look at what you've done to your son! He's a good-for-nothing who only knows how to spend money and can't do anything right. Do you think Zheng Le is someone to be trifled with? Who is Zheng Tianfu?"
Yao Hong retorted, "He's just a retired deputy director!"
"Long-headed and short-sighted! Does Zheng Tianfu have no friends? No old connections? Do you know what happened this afternoon? The executive deputy director of the provincial propaganda department actually went over and shook hands with Zheng Le. And that kid, that kid is not simple. Anyone can see that Minister Li was after that kid!" Director Qi said.
Yao Hong immediately panicked. In her view, the deputy director and the director were high-ranking leaders, and now that the other person's background was more powerful than the director's, she felt uneasy.
"Then what should we do?"
Director Qi gave her a disapproving look and said, "Now you're in a hurry? Where were you before?"
I felt a surge of satisfaction. This woman actually had moments of fear; usually, wasn't it always her who was causing me trouble, and I was always the one who lost?
"Alright, tell me what happened." Seeing that the time was right and she had been thoroughly applauded, Director Qi finally spoke.
Yao Hong then recounted the whole story. Director Qi frowned. Although his wife had a sharp tongue, that person had gone too far, actually slapping him twice in public.
So what if he got into the propaganda department? He's just a section-level cadre. His office director is a deputy division-level cadre! In Xiqin Province's TV station, only the station director is a high-ranking official at the provincial level. He holds the title of deputy director of the provincial propaganda department, and is also the director of the provincial radio and television bureau and the station director. Most of the deputy station directors are at the division level, and only one executive deputy station director is a deputy provincial level cadre. He is a very senior one.
"No matter what, you'd better come to my door now and apologize!" But then Director Qi changed his mind and said something else entirely.
Notice: The second update will be released later.
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