Two Choices

Highway entrance.

As soon as the car exited the highway, Zhou Lifeng hung up the phone and immediately ordered the driver, "Go directly to Conference Room Two."

"good!"

The driver uttered a single word and immediately changed the direction of the car, heading towards Conference Room 2.

Zhou Lifeng turned to the side, his gaze falling on Gao Yuliang. "Secretary Yuliang, get ready, General Manager Lü wants to see you."

"Now?" Gao Yuliang was a little confused. He had planned to take a shower, tidy up his clothes and hair, and then meet his boss with a new look. But his boss wanted to see him as soon as the car got off the highway?

There's absolutely no time to prepare!

In addition, I was worried about being investigated by the Party's disciplinary body yesterday, so I stayed up all night and smoked all night, so I smelled of smoke all over myself...

Will my boss think I'm not taking him seriously? Will they have a problem with me because of my current attitude?

Seemingly sensing Gao Yuliang's unease, Zhou Lifeng reassured him, "I've met President Lü a few times, and he seems very easy to talk to, so you don't need to worry too much."

"Feelings? Old Zhou, can you be any more reliable? How many times have you even met General Manager Lü? How can your feelings be accurate?" Lin Qicheng, sitting next to Gao Yuliang, scoffed and comforted Gao Yuliang, "Secretary Yuliang, listen to me."

"I know absolutely nothing about this Mr. Lü, but you don't need to worry too much. After all, if someone of your rank really got into trouble, it wouldn't be Mr. Lü coming after you!"

Hearing Lin Qicheng's joke, Gao Yuliang nodded, suppressing his unease, "Okay, I understand."

The driver drove quickly and steadily, and the car came to a smooth stop twenty minutes later.

After Zhou Lifeng and the guards checked the information, they let Zhou Lifeng and Gao Yuliang pass. Stepping on the floor, Gao Yuliang walked inside, his heart in his throat.

Having lived two lives, he had never met a leader of Mr. Lü's caliber before, so it was understandable that he was nervous.

Soon, Zhou Lifeng was stopped. A guard led Gao Yuliang to a door, opened it, and then stood guard at the door.

Gao Yuliang took a deep breath and stepped inside, only to find an elderly man with gray hair staring intently at him.

The next moment, the old man stood up and came over, his face full of joy, saying, "Comrade Yuliang, I've been waiting for you for so long, and you've finally come!"

The old man's face, familiar to people all over the country, made Gao Yuliang feel breathless. This old man was none other than Lu Hong, the country's third-ranking official!

Seeing that General Manager Lü had come to greet him personally, Gao Yuliang was filled with trepidation and hurriedly bowed slightly, saying respectfully, "I've kept the Chief waiting."

General Manager Lü ushered Gao Yuliang to the head seat, then looked at Gao Yuliang, who was hesitant to sit down, and patted the chair next to him, saying, "Comrade Yuliang, don't be shy, come and sit down, sit next to me."

Since the leader was so polite, Gao Yuliang dared not be presumptuous. Instead, he sat down on a chair next to General Manager Lü, with his buttocks only touching the edge of the chair and half of his body dangling in the air.

Lu Hong was no exception to his assessment of Gao Yuliang's performance. Instead, he picked up the new energy project proposal on the table and exclaimed, "Comrade Yuliang, both General Manager Li and I have reviewed your proposal. The content is novel, especially the policy of using state-owned assets to support enterprises and benefit the people. It can be said that it has pointed us in the right direction!"

"Comrade Yuliang, on behalf of the nation, I thank you!"

Upon hearing the third-ranking official thank him on behalf of the nation, Gao Yuliang was terrified. He quickly stood up and said, "You flatter me, sir. As a Chinese citizen, it is my duty to contribute to the country's development!"

"Besides, I didn't do anything. I just wrote down my thoughts. Whether they are feasible is still unknown."

Lu Hong was satisfied with Gao Yuliang's humble and polite attitude. He smiled and replied, "In the past few days, the relevant departments have reviewed the plan and given a consistent response: this plan is indeed feasible!"

"However, some details still need to be improved, and some regulations need to be established."

Looking at the new energy plan in his hand, Lü Hong suddenly said, "Comrade Yuliang, recently the national economy has been experiencing poor liquidity and slow development. I discussed this with General Manager Li, and you said that besides new energy vehicles, could this replacement subsidy also be used for other items? For example... electrical appliances?"

Gao Yuliang was stunned. These CEOs Li and Lü were really something else. If the replacement subsidy for new energy vehicles were used for electrical appliances, wouldn't that be exactly the same as the old-for-new trade-in program from the previous life?

Gao Yuliang knew that this was President Lü testing him. Without thinking, Gao Yuliang immediately replied, "Of course. In fact, the replacement subsidy for new energy vehicles is applied to electrical appliances, which is the old-for-new policy."

"The trade-in policy means that customers can receive a fixed amount of subsidy from the government when they bring in the same type of old appliance."

"Not only that, if the government wants to stimulate the consumption of electrical appliances, it can subsidize 10% to 15% of the purchase amount, and I believe many people will buy it."

Lu Hong's eyes lit up. "Yes, a new purchase subsidy is indeed feasible."

Gao Yuliang said thoughtfully, "Chief, once these policies are promulgated, although they will lead to rapid economic circulation, they will also produce several unavoidable drawbacks."

"The first issue is the strain on national finances. After all, the nationwide shopping frenzy has resulted in astronomical subsidies, which will put a lot of pressure on national finances."

"The second is policy dependence. If people become dependent on national policies, it is possible for situations to occur where 'sales drop to zero when subsidies stop'."

"Thirdly, some companies may exploit loopholes, such as discontinuing production of older products while raising prices for new ones. This could lead to preferential policies failing to benefit the people, and unscrupulous companies misappropriating government subsidies."

As Gao Yuliang analyzed each point, General Manager Lü looked at him with admiration. "Comrade Yuliang, you are a pillar of the nation. Talent should not be buried. Are you willing to shoulder even greater responsibilities?"

Gao Yuliang swallowed hard and hurriedly said, "I will obey the organization's arrangements."

"You will no longer hold your original job. The organization has other plans for you, and I can offer you two options."

Lu Hong tapped his finger on the tea table beside him, seemingly lost in thought, and said, "The new energy vehicle project is of paramount importance, and it represents the future direction and pillar industry of the nation's development. And you are the most suitable person to lead this project!"

"My suggestion is to appoint you as the Director and Secretary of the National Development and Reform Commission."

Gao Yuliang swallowed several times. Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, a high-ranking position—had he just risen to the top in one step?

"However, General Manager Li offered a different suggestion. He believes that combining theory with practice is the only way for you to make steady progress and better implement the new energy support policies. He thinks you should return to Handong Province and take over Liu Zhendong's position!"

Lü Hong looked at Gao Yuliang and asked, "Comrade Yuliang, which one do you want to choose?"