Reborn as a Noble's Son

At this moment, Liu Wenqing’s face is very indifferent, ignoring the gaze projected by Nie Zhenbang as if he did not see it at all.

Liu Wenqing’s remarks puzzled the other regular members of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee. What did Liu Wenqing mean? Contrary to his usual practice, normally, the secretary of the municipal party committee, the top leader, is always the last one to make concluding remarks. In this way, no matter the situation, the prestige and face of the secretary of the municipal party committee would not be lost.

Yet, at this moment, Liu Wenqing made his stance known before everyone else without waiting for their views, signaling that he supports Zhou Chen to take office as the acting mayor of Xinli City.

Consequently, the other regular members might start to ponder. Knowing that Liu Wenqing is willing to risk the chance of Zhou Chen not getting elected, which would be the equivalent of risking losing his own prestige, indirectly demonstrates Liu Wenqing’s emphasis on this matter.

Sure enough, with this development, the thoughts of the regular members multiplied. The most direct example was that Li Yong, the Minister of Politics and Law, who usually does not express his views, even though he did not voice an opinion during the discussion of the Xinli City Minister of Politics and Law candidate, now slowly spoke, “I agree with Secretary Liu’s opinion. Vice-Mayor Zhou is already a deputy department-level cadre. His appointment as mayor of Xinli City is justified.”

Ding Aiguo hesitated at this point while other regular members successively expressed their support for the views of Liu Wenqing and Zhao Weihong. In this situation, Ding Aiguo pondered for a moment and then calmly said, “Regarding Comrade Zhou Chen’s acting as the acting mayor of Xinli City, I reserve my comments.”

At this time, the gap was already evident. Even with his support, it won’t change the overall situation. The fact that Ding Aiguo could say so shows that he was giving Nie Zhenbang face.

In the following voting session among the fifteen Standing Committee members, Zhou Chen abstained with four votes, was approved with eleven votes, and smoothly passed the Bazhou City Party Committee Standing Committee personnel resolution. He would go to Xinli City to serve as a member of the Municipal Party Committee, a standing member, deputy secretary, Vice Mayor of Xinli City People’s Government, and nominated as a candidate for Mayor of Xinli City.

With the adjournment of the Municipal Party Committee meeting, Nie Zhenbang stood up with a pale complexion. At this moment, the overall situation was settled, and what Nie Zhenbang needed to worry about was Zhou Chen’s affairs.

Just at this moment, Cheng Xinhua walked up to Nie Zhenbang and smiled, “Zhenbang, come and sit down in my office.”

Following Cheng Xinhua into his office, Nie Zhenbang’s mood had stabilized significantly. As he observed Nie Zhenbang’s current state, a trace of admiration appeared on Cheng Xinhua’s face. Nie Zhenbang’s adaptability in the officialdom was not a boast. Having calmed down so quickly was indeed a sign of his ability.

Then, Cheng Xinhua also sat down and looked at Nie Zhenbang, “Zhenbang, do you know why I have called you today?”

Despite Li Yifeng’s request to Cheng Xinhua to look after him, he had been in Bazhou for such a long time. Except for when he took the initiative to find Cheng Xinhua, Cheng Xinhua had never actively sought him out. This time was the first, probably because he noticed that he looked somewhat upset.

After pondering for a moment, Nie Zhenbang nodded and said, “Secretary Cheng, you’re worried that I might do something after Zhou Chen takes office in Xinli City, aren’t you?”

This statement by Nie Zhenbang was not a shot in the dark. Given his current connections, prestige, and status in Xinli City, if he wanted to plot anything, it would almost be impossible for Zhou Chen to be successfully elected in the upcoming people’s congress.

Cheng Xinhua nodded and then added solemnly, “Zhenbang, it’s good that you understand. Though others may not know about your prestige in Xinli City, I am well aware of it. Even if you summon a large crowd, you can still do it. But, on this matter, you can’t do anything, let alone help Zhou Chen be elected. Otherwise, as the secretary of the municipal party committee, you will also have to take responsibility. Have you ever considered why Liu Wenqing suddenly changed his stance this time to help Zhou Chen?”

Cheng Xinhua’s words made Nie Zhenbang shudder. In fact, this was what Nie Zhenbang had been pondering over. If Liu Wenqing and Zhou Chen had a good relationship previously, it would be understandable. But during the last incident of the Li County education special fund and the luxurious toilets, Liu Wenqing pointedly criticized Zhou Chen during the inspection of the municipal education committee. This shows that Liu Wenqing was not on the side of Zhou Chen or Li’s family. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so ruthless. But now, out of the blue, Liu Wenqing made a complete U-turn. Why?

In terms of the entire Xibei Autonomous Region, Cheng Xinhua`s intelligence was certainly more comprehensive than that of Nie Zhenbang. After pondering for a while, Cheng Xinhua continued in a grave tone, “Zhenbang, this time, the provincial and municipal people’s congress meetings are about to convene, and our autonomous region is no exception. This year, a new autonomous region team will be introduced, and with Secretary Liu’s achievements, this time he has the greatest hope of advancing. So, you should understand this matter. I will not say much. Try your best to perform well in Xinli City. I believe that even if Zhou Chen is elected, it will not be a significant issue for you.”

Nie Zhenbang took a moment to digest this and then nodded. Having heard this, Nie Zhenbang began to understand. Behind Zhou Chen’s affairs is Li Guohua’s influence. Through the Li family’s contacts in Xibei, Liu Wenqing’s promotion is being exchanged for the support of the top leader of Bazhou City, to elevate Zhou Chen to the mayor’s position in Xinli City. Li Guohua played his cards well.

With these achievements, both Nie Zhenbang and Zhou Chen, being from Jingcheng, would share the credit, which would inadvertently undermine Nie Zhenbang’s significant status and role in Xinli City. If there are any issues, Zhou Chen, for Li Guohua, would be a piece of cloth that could be thrown away at any time. By comparison, Nie Zhenbang would be implicated. Nie Zhenbang and Li Guohua would then be on different levels. It’s a win-win situation. What a shrewd scheme!

After contemplating, Nie Zhenbang was firm: “Secretary Cheng, I understand your concerns. Don’t worry, I’ll handle this matter appropriately.”

As he left Cheng Xinhua’s office, Nie Zhenbang walked downstairs where Yi Jun and his driver Xiao Wang had already arrived to meet him.

The car drove straight out of the Bazhou City Party Committee and Municipal Government office building, and Nie Zhenbang instructed, “Let’s head back to Xinli. The journey is not too far, we can eat when we get back.”

It is approximately an hour’s drive from Bazhou City to Xinli City, a distance of fifty kilometers. As the car entered the premises of the Xinli City People’s Government, an familiar figure made Nie Zhenbang’s heart skip a beat. He quickly told Yi Jun, “Xiaoyi, stop the car.”

Stepping out of the car, Nie Jiamin appeared in front of Nie Zhenbang with a young man by his side. At that moment, Nie Jiamin, dressed in a military uniform, sported two rows of three stars glittering on his shoulder. As Nie Jiamin was the only one in the Nie family serving in the military, his promotions had been rapid. The young man next to him was also wearing two rows of two stars, indicating a Lieutenant Colonel rank.

Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang, Nie Jiamin walked up with a smile, wrapping him in a firm hug. Nie Jiamin joked, “Younger brother, you seem unhappy. Who angered you? I’ll bring a battalion to teach them a lesson.”

Despite Nie Jiamin’s teasing, Nie Zhenbang laughed: “Second brother, your smart-mouth skills only seem to improve in the military. Maybe I should contact Yao Yuan. Let the Devil take you for remolding. Looks like you haven’t eaten yet, let’s go back to the dorm. I’ll cook for you.”

Nie Jiamin chuckled and mentioned Yao Yuan, the big shot from the Xibei Military Region and leader of the Tiger Group. Then, turning serious, he said, “Let me introduce you, this is Ouyang Xuan, a fellow soldier from the military compound who belongs to the logistics department. He’s my deputy, and we thought to pay you a visit while we were here for military exercises.”

With not enough time to go grocery shopping, Nie Zhenbang instructed Yi Jun to buy ready-made dishes from the market and peanuts. The three of them enjoyed their meal, accompanied by a bottle of Maotai each.

Nie Jiamin, patting his stomach, took the panda cigarettes Nie Zhenbang handed him, smacking his lips, “Little brother, our father still dotes on you. He never stopped supplying with these cigarettes. I’m living a hard life, you know. You have to send me some cigarettes and liquor this time; otherwise, I’ll have a hard time explaining to our superior.”

Nie Zhenbang chuckled, “Get lost, Nie No.2, it’s easy for you to ask. These things were brought by Dong Wan and An Na, there are none left. If you want some food though, I can arrange it.”

At the mention of An Na and Dong Wan, Nie Jiamin’s expression turned serious: “Little brother, your failed betrothal has angered the old men in Jingcheng. Your conduct was too rash. Nowadays, their attitudes are ambiguous, especially before Old Yang and Old Dong. They’ve lost face. I think you’d be staying in Xinli City for a long time.”

Nie Zhenbang had anticipated resentment from the Yang and Dong families. He didn’t mind staying in Xinli City for some years, Xinli City was after all his real starting point. Nie Zhenbang’s feelings towards Xinli City were complex, the city was like his child, and he cherished it profoundly. Even if he was offered a chance to go back, Nie Zhenbang wouldn’t have wanted to leave.

Moreover, Nie Zhenbang knew that it was challenging to please everyone. Whether it was to mollify both Dong Wan and An Na, or to avoid offending both old men, it was a situation without a solution.

At this point, Nie Zhenbang looked at Ouyang Xuan, if Nie Jiamin could discuss such matters in front of Ouyang Xuan, it meant that Ouyang Xuan was a trustworthy person. Thus, Nie Zhenbang laughed, “Second brother, I’m fully aware of what you said. The bitter fruit is already manifesting. I just returned from a meeting in Bazhou City this morning, do you know why I’m annoyed?”

Annoyed?

Nie Jiamin was taken aback. This was a fresh term. After mumbling it to himself, he started laughing, “Younger brother, you are talented. This word is very apt. Annoyed.”

Nie Zhenbang felt somewhat embarrassed, unintentionally blurting out the slang from his previous life. He continued, “Today, the Bazhou City Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee has made a decision. Zhou Stutter has got me in his sights. He’ll be coming to Xinli City to serve as the acting mayor soon. You tell me, isn’t that depressing? Li Guohua played it well.”

As Nie Zhenbang finished speaking, Ouyang Xuan frowned and said, “Third brother, it can’t be that bad, right? Is Zhou Xiaoshe that threatening? Wasn’t he the character whom you and second brother always teased and bullied? Hasn’t he learned his lesson? Perhaps, after our military exercises, second brother and I should have a heart-to-heart talk with him.”

PS: I’m disheartened. Only 3 monthly votes from early morning yesterday till now. Brothers and sisters, could you motivate me a little? (To be continued. If you like this book, welcome to to vote, your support is my biggest motivation.)