Wu Qiangwei gently rubbed her forehead and said, "Alright, let's not talk about this."

She checked the time on her wrist: "Mayor Jiang and the others are arriving soon. Come with me to the meeting room."

A quarter of an hour later.

All the standing committee members arrived at the meeting room.

This time, Song Guanchao did not arrogantly sit at the head of the table.

He obediently chose a chair at the back and sat down.

Wu Qiangwei said, "Secretary Song, go ahead."

Everyone's eyes gathered on him.

Song Guanchao said, "Two things."

"First, the Yang Lang case has been solved, and all the murderers have been caught."

"Second, all companies in Lingjiang have received contract termination notices; the matter is over."

They were not concerned about the Yang Lang case.

Hearing the latter news, everyone felt relieved.

For over a week, they hadn't eaten or slept well, fearing that once the dust settled, Lingjiang would become a ghost town.

Now hearing this good news, their faces relaxed into smiles.

Looking at Song Guanchao, their eyes were filled with kind smiles.

No matter how high-profile Song Guanchao was usually or how bad his relationships were with some committee members present.

But sometimes, having such a person in Lingjiang was actually a good thing.

At least, when a major issue arose, someone could resolve it.

If it weren't for Song Guanchao this time, no one present, not even Jiang Yuan, could guarantee a perfect resolution to this matter.

At this point, Mayor Zheng suddenly spoke: "I've recently been in contact with the provincial level. Secretary Gao and I discussed the position for City Secretary."

Everyone immediately looked over, including Song Guanchao.

Wu Qiangwei asked, "What did Secretary Gao say?"

Zheng Bihui smiled and said, "Secretary Gao's point is that the City Secretary position cannot remain vacant for long. A city always needs someone to take charge of the overall situation. Secretary Gao asked me to temporarily act as City Secretary."

As soon as he said this, the meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

Song Guanchao frowned tightly.

According to convention, it was normal for the mayor to succeed as City Secretary.

No one could object to it.

But for Wu Qiangwei, once Zheng Bihui became City Secretary, it was almost certain that she would have to take the role of mayor.

Secretary Wang suddenly said, "With Mayor Zheng temporarily acting, he should soon succeed permanently. It's just unclear who will fill the vacant mayor position?"

This is what everyone wanted to know, but Secretary Wang brought it up.

He did so mainly to understand Jiang Yuan's attitude toward this matter.

The City Secretary position affects the city's entire structure and which direction Lingjiang will shift.

Normally, Wu Qiangwei and Jiang Yuan have the most prospects for becoming mayor.

It depends on whether Wu Qiangwei is willing to fight for it.

If she fights, the City Government will soon undergo a shake-up.

Wu Qiangwei is not Zheng Bihui; she has background and capability.

She would never be subordinate to others, nor could she accept being marginalized.

Besides, she has the highly capable Song Guanchao under her.

If she truly becomes mayor, although Jiang Yuan seems to have a significant advantage on the surface, given various intertwined factors, who will ultimately hold the power in the City Government is yet to be determined.

The atmosphere became somewhat strange for a moment.

Mayor Zheng naturally understood the impact.

But it had nothing to do with him.

Originally, after Lu Zhizhong left, he had given up the idea of becoming City Secretary.

Unexpectedly, things took a turn, and Secretary Gao actively contacted him, asking him to act as City Secretary.

"For convenience, starting today, I'll be working in the City Committee Office. If you need to find me, don't go to the wrong door."

Zheng Bihui intentionally made a joke, but anyone could see the uncontainable joy in his heart at that moment.

"Alright, let's adjourn the meeting."

He rose and walked out, instructing his secretary at the door: "Li Jun, go bring my things from the office."

Li Jun paused: "Mayor, what things do you want brought?"

Zheng Bihui calmly said, "Everything, from now on, I'll be working here."

Li Jun paused again; he wasn't aware that Zheng Bihui was acting as City Secretary.

Zheng Bihui had deliberately waited until today to announce it.

Li Jun had a moment of realization and roughly understood what had happened.

He was slightly excited inside.

"Alright, I'll head back now."

Zheng Bihui watched Li Jun's back, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He knew Li Jun had been arranged to be by his side, but wasn't clear about who had arranged it.

But it didn't matter now.

Starting today, he would be changing his secretary.

Wu Qiangwei returned to her office with a somewhat serious expression.

Song Guanchao replaced the tea with hot tea and was about to sit down when a knock came from outside.

Zeng Li peeked his head in and said, "Secretary, Minister Zhou is looking for you."

Song Guanchao hurried over: "Minister Zhou, please come in."

He poured tea and was about to leave the office when Minister Zhou said, "Secretary Song, you listen in too."

Song Guanchao glanced at Wu Qiangwei, who nodded at him, so he sat down.

Minister Zhou didn't beat around the bush and directly asked, "Secretary Wu, do you plan to become mayor?"

Wu Qiangwei had anticipated this question and said, "I haven't decided yet."

Minister Zhou said, "I suggest you become mayor."

Wu Qiangwei remained silent, and Minister Zhou said, "Mayor Jiang is indeed a problem, but no matter how troublesome, you must be the mayor."

"This is a path you must take."

She understood this reasoning, but such troubles weren't something that could be resolved with mere words.

Minister Zhou said, "Think about it, Secretary Wu. If you decide, I'll talk to Mayor Jiang."

Wu Qiangwei was a bit surprised that Minister Zhou was willing to help her talk with Jiang Yuan?

Song Guanchao was also very surprised; was he determined to bond with Wu Qiangwei?

Facing the eyes of the two, Minister Zhou said, "There are only two obstacles in the City Government, Mayor Jiang and Secretary Zhang."

"Zhang Xiaoxian is a shrewd person; he won't actively oppose any leader. If you become mayor, he'll only help you, but his help would be limited."

"So your only concern is Mayor Jiang."

"Talk to Mayor Jiang properly, let him know you're just going through the motions and won't affect his position. He won't make it difficult for you."

"In a year or a half, you'll return to the City Committee and have a high likelihood of advancing to the provincial level later. Mayor Jiang won't actively become your enemy."

Wu Qiangwei thoughtfully nodded. Minister Zhou had said all he could, so he left.

Song Guanchao saw him to the door, then turned back.

"Secretary..."

"You go and get busy." Wu Qiangwei needed to think it over.

On such crucial matters, other people's advice could only be listened to; the decision had to be made by herself.

Song Guanchao acknowledged and left the office.

...

City Secretary's Office.

Zheng Bihui leaned back on the wide sofa chair, looking at the office that didn't differ much from his previous one, feeling indescribable inside.

Soon, Li Jun brought all the things over.

"Secretary Zheng, is there anything else you need me to do?"

Zheng Bihui stared at him for a few seconds and said, "You can go back."

Go back?

Li Jun was puzzled: "Secretary Zheng, where do you want me to go back to?"

Zheng Bihui said, "Wherever your file is, you go back there."

Li Jun opened his mouth but finally nodded, "Alright."

He knew Zheng Bihui no longer wanted him as his secretary.

And not long after he left, Secretary Sun came to the office.

"Knock knock." He entered with respect and caution: "Secretary Zheng, you were looking for me?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.