: The Heartfelt Message

After Hong Feng and his group disappeared down the corridor, Lin Xiao led Gong Lei and the others into the private room.

Soon, all the food and drinks were served, and the dinner party was about to begin.

He Zhiqiang, Liu Yun's uncle, spoke first: "Secretary Gong, please say a few words."

After hesitating for a moment, Gong Lei raised his glass and said, "It's the weekend, and it's rare for everyone to have time to get together. Let's take this opportunity to relax and have some fun. Come on, let's all have a good time!"

They raised their glasses, clinked them together, and then drank them down in one gulp.

During the second round of drinks, Gong Lei asked He Zhiqiang to say a few words as well. After declining several times, He Zhiqiang could only briefly express his gratitude to Gong Lei for his care and his hope that Lin Xiao and Liu Yun could grow up as soon as possible.

For the third toast, Gong Lei asked Lin Xiao to offer it. After failing to refuse, Lin Xiao had no choice but to stand up and toast Gong Lei and He Zhiqiang.

As soon as he put down his wine glass, He Zhiqiang asked softly, "Lin Xiao, I heard you met Secretary Wang in Fengdu?"

Upon hearing this, Gong Lei put down his chopsticks and looked at Lin Xiao expectantly.

At this moment, Lin Xiao glared at Liu Yun opposite him; this situation was clearly not in his plan.

Lin Xiao knew about his meeting with Wang Yuanze, except for himself and Liu Yun. Although Liu Yun had consulted Lin Xiao about whether to tell his uncle He Zhiqiang, Lin Xiao also said that it would be better to handle the matter discreetly, and he believed that Liu Yun had reminded He Zhiqiang.

The current problem is He Zhiqiang's "acting on his own initiative." Although it's unlikely that he can get away with it now, even Liu Yun doesn't know the content of his conversation with Wang Yuanze, so this is where he has room to maneuver.

After glancing around and noticing the expectant looks on everyone's faces, Lin Xiaorun cleared her throat before speaking, "I met Secretary Wang at my advisor's house. He's my advisor's junior..."

Next, Lin Xiao only picked out a few points from the daytime meeting to talk about. For example, when Wang Yuanze asked about the candidate for county magistrate, he clearly stated that Hong Tao was not suitable. Another point he emphasized was that he not only met with Wang Yuanze, but also ate, drank and chatted with him.

As for the rest, Lin Xiao didn't say much, not even about the fact that he refused to be Wang Yuanze's secretary, which even Liu Yun knew about, or that his mentor Liang Weiwang was about to be promoted to vice governor, or the analysis of the clan power in Fengshan County.

In summary, Lin Xiao's account of meeting Wang Yuanze highlights two key points: first, despite their vastly different social statuses, his relationship with Wang Yuanze was not distant, and they also had the added advantage of their mentor-mentee relationship; second, he explicitly rejected Hong Tao on the issue of the county magistrate candidate, which indirectly helped Gong Lei and increased his chances of winning.

Although he only spoke briefly, Gong Lei and He Zhiqiang listened very carefully. As veterans of the officialdom who had been navigating the political landscape for over a decade or two, they could vaguely sense that Lin Xiao's words were incomplete. However, since it involved the municipal party secretary, they couldn't ask too many questions.

In addition, they all believed that Lin Xiao should have a say in the new municipal party secretary who was about to take office, and they knew exactly how to treat Lin Xiao.

In fact, He Zhiqiang couldn't believe it when his nephew Liu Yun told him about it. After all, no one would think that a secretary from a humble background would have a relationship with the municipal party secretary. However, his nephew's confident tone made him have no choice but to believe it.

After careful consideration, he called Gong Lei and told him about Lin Xiao's meeting with the new secretary. Gong Lei readily agreed to the meeting.

However, the two remained skeptical and did not have high expectations. In their view, even if Lin Xiao met with the new secretary, it did not mean that the two would talk, let alone discuss the situation in Fengshan County.

Therefore, they were mostly just there to find out the truth and, if possible, to get some information. Little did they expect that Lin Xiao's familiarity with the new secretary would be far beyond their imagination, because the new secretary was actually chatting with a secretary who had been sent back to his hometown about the selection of the county magistrate.

The exact nature of this relationship might be unclear to ordinary people, but for these two seasoned officials, they were well aware of its political sensitivities.

"Kobayashi, thank you!"

At this moment, Gong Lei raised his glass with a smile. Although Lin Xiao did not explicitly support him in front of Wang Yuanze, he directly expressed his opposition to Hong Tao, which was tantamount to helping him. The competition for the new county magistrate would most likely be between him and Hong Tao, so it was only natural to express his gratitude.

From this perspective, Gong Lei can be considered a grateful person!

"Secretary Gong, you're too kind. I'm just speaking the truth. Although I haven't been in the county government office for long, based on my limited understanding of Deputy County Head Hong, I simply believe he's not suitable to be the county head."

Gong Lei nodded and continued, "That's right. I've worked with him for so many years, so I know him to some extent. He's a rather selfish person, and he gets too close to businessmen, which makes it easy for him to make mistakes."

Actually, I don't necessarily want to fight for that position, but seeing how actively Hong Tao is building connections, if he really gets that position, who knows what kind of mess the county government will be in?

"If you're in a position, you have to fulfill your responsibilities." Since I chose to enter politics and have reached this point, I have no choice but to face the challenges head-on and do my best to do things that benefit the people, so that I can have a clear conscience. That's why I stepped forward.

I am just an ordinary person, and I am not immune to emotions and desires. But as a Party member, even if I cannot put public interests before private ones, I must at least put public interests before private ones and never be greedy for private interests at the expense of public interests.

This is my bottom line as a human being!

Gong Lei was deeply moved and couldn't help but express his feelings. However, was this scene inappropriate in front of his subordinates?

After all, in officialdom, one should express one's true feelings and loyalty in front of one's superiors!

So it was indeed a heartfelt monologue, but it was also a message, because one of the listeners had an extraordinary relationship with the municipal party secretary!

After speaking, Gong Lei subconsciously glanced at Lin Xiao, but Lin Xiao's expression did not change much; she merely returned a smile.

"Secretary Gong's words are very insightful. We are all mortals, and it is normal to have personal desires. However, as a leading cadre, one must control the degree, adhere to principles, and never cross the red line."

Of course, everyone is different. Some people in the cadre ranks only see themselves as individuals, ignoring the people, thus leading themselves astray.

At this moment, He Zhiqiang also expressed his feelings.

Lin Xiao was listening attentively, but he remained relatively calm. It was Liu Yun, who was listening quietly to the side, who broke the somewhat serious atmosphere.

"Secretary Gong, I salute you and wish you all your dreams come true."

"Haha, Xiao Liu, thank you for your kind words. However, I'm afraid we'll still need Xiao Lin's help with this. Oh, by the way, Xiao Lin, I heard you've been transferred back to Nangang Township. In that case, I'll talk to the Organization Department next Monday and ask them to temporarily transfer you to the County Party Committee Office."

Lin Xiao paused slightly, and after nine seconds said, "Thank you, Secretary Gong. But I feel it might not be appropriate to go to the county party committee office at this time; there's bound to be gossip behind my back. So I've decided to go back to the township first!"

Lin Xiao appeared calm and showed no remorse for refusing Wang Yuanze's invitation. In his mind, only by taking one step at a time could he walk steadily and go far.