Reborn as a Noble's Son

Director Wang had a dark look on his face, his eyes on Nie Zhenbang, somewhat irritated. This young county head, truly had audacity. How dare he pull this stunt at such a time.

He watched as Guo Donghai, a member of the Yuedong Province CPC Committee, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Provincial Committee, and Governor of the Yuedong Provincial People’s Government, was currently nearing with the company of Fu Xiaobin, a member of the Yuedong Province CPC Committee and Secretary of the Yuedong City CPC Committee. If these Northwesterners started packing up their booth at this moment, it would undoubtedly draw attention. When that happened, Governor Guo would certainly ask, and the young county head in front of him would probably say something abut setting up a booth. However, similar promotional booths have also been set up elsewhere on the square. What could he say then? Should he claim that he collected money for those booths too? That would mean he would be forced into disgorging the money he pocketed.

On this thought, Director Wang harshly declared: “Fine, I agree.”

Nie Zhenbang, at this moment, began to smile. He then directed his words to Yan Fengjiao and others beside him: “County Mayor Yan, tell our friends to be alert and work hard. We must not bring disgrace upon our Northwestern officials while in Yuedong Province.”

As for the look on Director Wang’s face, Nie Zhenbang did not care less about it. If one dares to play tricks with him, then it is an entirely different story because Nie Zhenbang has recognized a familiar face.

Meanwhile, as Director Wang was in a state of apprehension, Guo Donghai and Fu Xiaobin had already made their approach. While walking, the two occasionally exchanged whispers, with Guo Donghai frequently nodding. As soon as he saw the booth in front of him, his gaze swept across the area, eventually falling on Nie Zhenbang. In response, Guo Donghai walked over.

Neither the merchants around the area, Director Wang, nor all the officials from Lixian expected that the Governor of Yuedong Province would take the initiative to approach and say to Nie Zhenbang: “Zhenbang, you are in Yuedong and have not visited Uncle Guo’s house. Is there any dissatisfaction with Uncle Guo?”

Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang, Guo Donghai quickly grasped Nie Zhenbang’s intentions. Years ago, Guo Donghai established a relationship with the Nie family through his son, Guo Ming. Now, Guo Donghai is a prominent figure in the Nie Faction. Along with Governor Liang, who is far-off in Caoyuan Province, and Nie Guowei of Yanbei, they are the primary members of the Nie Faction in the government, echoing from a distance with Nie Guodong in the military.

Nie Zhenbang’s posting in the Northwest was well known to Guo Donghai. This unexpected meeting with Nie Zhenbang in Yuedong, particularly with a delegation of Northwestern officials present, revealed to Guo Donghai that Nie Zhenbang was on a mission.

Furthermore, observing Nie Zhenbang’s current condition, Guo Donghai could tell he was probably here for the trade fair. Therefore, Guo Donghai intentionally revealed his relationship with Nie Zhenbang.

Hearing Guo Donghai’s words, Director Wang was silently resenting Nie Zhenbang. This vile man had such connections all along; why would he try to keep a low profile? A direct call to Governor Guo should have sufficed, and it wouldn’t have been an issue to arrange for a booth or even an exclusive show. At this moment, Director Wang no longer desired to confront Nie Zhenbang. Such a figure, who even the province’s second-in-command warmly welcomed, was definitely not someone he could afford to offend.

On the side, Fu Xiaobin, Secretary of the City CPC Committee of Yuedong, was also taken aback. Zhenbang? Nie Faction? It was no secret in all of Yuedong that Guo Donghai was knitted into the Nie Faction. Back when Guo Donghai was recently promoted to Governor, his relationship with Nie Guowei was extremely close.

Thinking of this, Fu Xiaobin appeared to recall an incident from the past. At that time, he was just a Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee in the city of Yuedong, and the Deputy Secretary of Nanhai City seemed to have been torn down by the Nie family. Back then, Xue Ligong, the CPC Provincial Secretary, had personally rushed to Nanhai City to handle that incident.

Pondering this, Fu Xiaobin was astonished. Nie Zhenbang was a genuine progeny of the Nie family. He was the son of Nie Guowei and Ye Shuxian, a person taken care of by both the Nie and Ye clans. Upon this realization, Fu Xiaobin did not dare to be negligent and promptly smiled, saying: “Comrade Nie, are you also here to attend the trade fair?”

Without waiting for Nie Zhenbang’s reply, Director Wang had already stepped forward, smiling as he said: “Governor Guo, Secretary. County Director Nie and his party arrived a bit late. Traditionally, the trade fair has not had a precedent for governmental bodies participating. However, considering the harsh conditions and difficulties in economic development in the Northwest Region, we are actively cooperating and coordinating. We are currently preparing to use the backup exhibition hall. For the time being, we must work under the fierce sun.”

Director Wang was a clever man. By framing it this way, not only did he avoid trouble, but he also seemed to be actively coordinating efforts. However, Nie Zhenbang was not planning to expose Director Wang at this moment. If he were to completely tear apart their relationship, although Director Wang wouldn’t come out of it unscathed, it would also give Fu Xiaobin, the Party Secretary of Yuedong city, an impression of him being relentless and unforgiving.

It’s best not to unnecessarily make enemies over trivial matters that don’t impact the bigger picture. Consequently, Nie Zhenbang replied with a smile, “Uncle Guo, Secretary Fu, your Yuedong cadres are indeed more forward-thinking than those in our landlocked provinces. I really have to thank Director Wang for his coordination this time. Our trip was arranged in a rush and our communication was delayed. I was truly worried that we might have had made the trip in vain. It seems we chose the right place.”

A slap followed by a date; this was Nie Zhenbang’s strategy. Being a smooth operator, Director Wang wouldn’t harbor any further thoughts once he knew Nie Zhenbang had such connections. At this juncture, even if anything negative were said, it was unlikely that Fu Xiaobin would take any action. After all, being an outsider himself among local cadres with complex networks, Director Wang, who was in charge of such an important task, must have had strong backing. It was better to do him a favor instead.

As expected, upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, a gleeful smile spread across Director Wang’s face. He hadn’t expected the same Nie Zhenbang who had threatened him earlier to be speaking in his favor now, praising him in front of the governor and the Party Secretary. This was indeed a great honor for him.

Guo Donghai, standing nearby, was taken aback for a moment. From the expressions on their faces, he knew things weren’t as they were made out to be. However, seeing both parties involved concealing it, he chose not to expose it. He wasn’t keen on playing the role of the villain, especially when it wasn’t required.

Soon after, Guo Donghai turned to Party Secretary Fu Xiaobin and said, “Secretary Fu, I believe that government participation in trade exhibitions is a new subject altogether. At present, every region in the country is focusing on economic development. I believe they all desperately need a platform to promote themselves. Yuedong city, being at the forefront of reforms and opening up, can take advantage of the large trade fair. I suggest organizing regional trade negotiations in the future to provide more local governments with an opportunity to participate and promote their regions. Don’t be afraid of investments being taken away by others. Be more broad-minded. Even the great leader once said, ‘Broad views lead to great achievements.’ The more people come to Yuedong city and our Yuedong region, the greater our influence and popularity. This is a mutually beneficial situation. I think the Yuedong City Party Committee should seriously consider this and come up with a plan. Let me review it when it’s ready.”

Fu Xiaobin nodded and said, “Governor, rest assured, we will consider your instructions carefully.”

At this point, Guo Donghai walked over to Nie Zhenbang, patted him on the shoulder and said, “Zhenbang, stay at the hotel tonight. I will call Xiao Ming in the afternoon to pick you up. You must have a meal at Uncle Guo’s place. The work you’ve been doing is commendable. It’s rare for the Northwest Province to have such progressive thinking. Your work is comprehensive and meticulous. Keep it up. We’ll discuss more about this tonight.”

As the head of a province, regardless of his close relationship with Nie Zhenbang, Guo Donghai couldn’t feasibly stay here indefinitely. If he did, he wouldn’t be fit to serve as governor. No matter how much Guo Donghai supported Nie Zhenbang privately, he had to maintain a facade of fairness on the surface.

After Guo Donghai, Fu Xiaobin and the others had left, Director Wang approached Nie Zhenbang. His demeanor had completely changed, and he wore a warm smile on his face. He looked at Nie Zhenbang and said, “Hehe, Director Nie, I truly apologize for the initial misunderstanding. I owe you an apology.”

Nie Zhenbang just chuckled and replied casually, “Director Wang, let bygones be bygones. You were merely adhering to principles. After all, without rules, there would be chaos at the exhibition. It’s perfectly understandable.”

In reality, Nie Zhenbang was merely saving face for Director Wang. They both knew well what had transpired, they just didn’t expose it.

Director Wang laughed and said, “Long live understanding! Long live understanding! Director Nie, it’s hot out here. You shouldn’t be standing in the sun. Lin, get people to fetch a sunshade from the office storeroom right away for Director Nie and his team. We’re all comrades from the same system, we should take care of each other, right? Director Nie, you can go about your business. I’ll arrange for the shade right away. It will be best if you assign somebody from your team to accompany me. This way, we can work out the layout of the exhibit more effectively.”

Watching Director Wang leave, Yan Fengjiao, Fan Zhenming and the others were somewhat stunned. Director Nie was truly exceptional with an impressive background. Initially, they all thought that Nie Zhenbang’s connections only stretched to the Northwest, but now, even here in Yuedong, he shared an intimate relationship with a provincial governor, a ministerial-level official. This kind of backing was truly awe-inspiring. It was truly outstanding.