Su Weimin's rank as deputy section chief wasn't high, but as deputy director of the county party committee office and manager of the county party committee guesthouse, he was a figure of some importance in Nanpu County's officialdom. Hearing Fang Xu's phone call and his conversation with Chen Yang, how could he not know that the caller was the newly appointed deputy secretary of the county party committee, Han Wenhai?
He Chunzhi was the same. Despite her usual loud and arrogant demeanor, she was very sensitive to the dynamics of officialdom. This woman knew that everything she had now was because of her husband's official position; without Su Weimin's official hat, she would be nothing. Han Wenhai, as a rising star in Nanpu's officialdom, had been directly parachuted in from a central ministry to serve as deputy secretary of the county party committee—He Chunzhi was naturally aware of this significant event.
However, she never imagined that two casual young people could be on such friendly terms with a "big shot" like Han Wenhai. Even worse, she seemed to have offended these two young people terribly. Thinking back to her harsh words from last night and just now, He Chunzhi was filled with remorse; she wanted to slap herself a few times.
If these two young people mentioned it to Deputy Secretary Han, Su Weimin's future would be ruined. He was her biggest asset! Otherwise, why would the neighbors dare to be angry at her arrogance, and why would her relatives have to smile obsequiously at her? It was all because of Su Weimin's official position. Thinking of this, a cold sweat broke out on He Chunzhi's forehead.
Chen Yang and Fang Xu remained silent. Su He simply sat there quietly, holding her grandmother's hand. Su Weimin and He Chunzhi didn't dare to breathe. In the oppressive atmosphere, the doorbell rang.
He Chunzhi jumped up immediately, forcing a smile:
"I...I'll go open the door!"
Chen Yang wore a faint sneer, watching He Chunzhi's sudden change from arrogance to obsequiousness, but didn't stop her.
A faint sense of anticipation flickered in his heart. Han Wenhai, the eldest grandson of the Han family, is only twenty-eight years old this year, if he remembers correctly. He has been in the deputy director position for two years, previously working at the National Development and Reform Commission. His sudden transfer to a remote county as deputy secretary of the county party committee is perplexing, even to Chen Yang. However, objectively speaking, the powerful position of deputy secretary of the county party committee offers more training than a position in a national ministry.
Han Wenhai has always been the most outstanding member of the third generation of the Han family, and it was about time for him to be transferred. However, the Han family didn't choose their traditional stronghold of southern Jiangsu Province, but instead placed him in the southeastern province controlled by the Fang family, which is indeed very puzzling.
He Chunzhi opened the door, and a tall, ruddy-faced man appeared in the doorway. He Chunzhi's heart skipped a beat; it was indeed Deputy Secretary Han! She had seen him from afar a week ago when the county party committee and government held a welcome banquet for him at the county party committee guesthouse upon his arrival, and had been stunned by the youth of this newly appointed deputy secretary.
"Han... Deputy Secretary Han, hello!" He Chunzhi rubbed her hands together, bowing and greeting him with a fawning smile.
Han Wenhai was clearly surprised by the large number of people in the room. He paused for a moment when he first saw He Chunzhi. However, when his gaze swept past He Chunzhi and into the room, he immediately spotted Fang Xu sitting on the sofa with a carefree smile, and his expression relaxed considerably.
He smiled and nodded at He Chunzhi, then walked straight into the room, opening his arms wide from afar and laughing heartily, "Xiao Xu! It's been... half a year since we last met! The last time we saw each other was when you came back to Beijing for the Spring Festival!"
Fang Xu stood up and went to greet him, giving him a big bear hug. Seeing his friend, he was also very excited, saying:
"Isn't that right? Brother Dahai, I have to say you're being a bit unfair! You went to take up a post in the Southeast Province without a word, and didn't even bother to come see me in Rongcheng!"
"I'm just a low-level cadre in a small mountain county now, how could I dare to casually stroll around the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee compound?" Han Wenhai said half-jokingly. "By the way, Comrade Fang Xu, you're quite bold! Your old man just arrived in Nanpu, and you dare to drive such a flashy RV around Nanpu so arrogantly. Aren't you always the one most afraid of him?"
Han Wenhai's words caused a huge uproar in Su Weimin's mind. He knew that Fang Xu must have some influence, otherwise he wouldn't be able to so casually address Deputy Secretary Han as a brother. But perspective determines perception. Su Weimin was, after all, just a cadre from a small county. If it weren't for Han Wenhai's words, he would never have imagined that Fang Xu was actually the son of Secretary Fang of the Provincial Party Committee! Living in the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee compound, currently inspecting Nanpu, and bearing the surname Fang—to Su Weimin, the answer was quite clear: it could only be Secretary Fang Hongda of the Provincial Party Committee.
That wretched woman, He Chunzhi! Her usual meanness and shrewishness, her arrogant and domineering behavior—he'd always worried she'd cause trouble, but he never expected her to get herself into such a terrible mess!
Su Weimin glared fiercely at He Chunzhi, wanting nothing more than to slap her.
He Chunzhi was completely deflated at this moment, guiltily avoiding Su Weimin's gaze, and dejectedly lowered her head.
"Huh?" Fang Xu felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing Han Wenhai's words. He instinctively shrank back, his face contorted in pain. "Could it be this unlucky? The old man's in Nanpu too?"
Han Wenhai nodded with a smile.
"Yes! Secretary Fang is here to attend the unveiling ceremony of the Modern Agricultural Demonstration Park and to inspect and guide our county's work."
"I'm doomed!" Fang Xu cried out, turning to Chen Yang. "Kid, you've really got me into trouble! I... I can't! I need to go downstairs and move the car to the underground garage!"
"That's enough!" Chen Yang said slowly. "Do you really think Uncle Fang is some kind of monster? You're here to do good deeds, okay?"
"Huh? Right! Why should I be so afraid? I'm clearly here to do a good deed. If the old man sees me, so be it! He might even praise me!" Fang Xu suddenly came to his senses, his voice suddenly becoming more confident. He was also terrified of Fang Hongda. After graduating from university, instead of finding a proper job, he spent his days hanging out with his friends, causing Fang Hongda great distress and frequent reprimands. This made Fang Xu tremble with fear whenever he saw Fang Hongda, like a mouse before a cat. Today, upon hearing that Fang Hongda was also in Nanpu, Fang Xu instinctively felt a pang of guilt. Only after Chen Yang's reminder did he realize that he wasn't there to fool around, so there was nothing to be afraid of.
As soon as Chen Yang spoke, Han Wenhai naturally noticed this distinguished young man and looked at Fang Xu with an inquiring gaze. Fang Xu then remembered and quickly introduced:
"Brother Dahai, this is my good brother, Chen Yang. He's a student at Rong University now, and also Master Baiyan's last disciple! A genius in calligraphy and painting!"
Upon hearing Chen Yang's name, Han Wenhai instinctively assumed he was from the Fang family—he had just heard Chen Yang address Fang Hongda as "Uncle Fang." Chen Yang seemed to see through Han Wenhai's thoughts and said with a smile, neither humble nor arrogant:
"Secretary Han, hello. Don't listen to Fang Xu's boasting. I'm just a commoner under your jurisdiction!"
Han Wenhai was slightly surprised. Fang Xu smiled and said:
"That's really true! Brother Dahai, Chen Yang's hometown is Nanpu. You're practically his local official now!"
"Secretary Han, please take good care of him!" Chen Yang said with a smile, following Fang Xu's words. "Oh! You flatter me!" Han Wenhai, slightly distracted, quickly replied upon hearing Chen Yang's words, "Chen Yang, you're Xiao Xu's good brother, so you're my good brother too. Just call me Brother Dahai; calling me Secretary Han sounds awkward to me!"
"Okay, Brother Dahai!" Chen Yang maintained his composed and respectful attitude.
Han Wenhai had a very good first impression of Chen Yang. This young man possessed a serene temperament, and his manners were remarkably refined. People from prominent families like his placed great importance on these qualities. This was why, despite their wealth and power, nouveau riche rarely caught the eye of scions of established families.
Furthermore, Han Wenhai also felt a subtle sense of closeness to Chen Yang. Of course, Han Wenhai didn't dwell on it, simply attributing it to the good impression Chen Yang had left on him.
Seeing that Han Wenhai and Chen Yang had finished their pleasantries, Su Weimin finally mustered the courage to step forward and greet them:
"Secretary Han, hello!"
Han Wenhai had been preoccupied with chatting with Fang Xu and Chen Yang, and only now noticed Su Weimin. A fleeting look of surprise crossed his face, replaced by a gentle smile as he nodded and said:
"Director Su, you're here too!"
"Yes! Yes!" Su Weimin chuckled awkwardly.
Han Wenhai lightly shook hands with Su Weimin, but didn't notice his expression. In Han Wenhai's eyes, Su Weimin, a mere deputy section chief, was indeed insignificant.
Han Wenhai immediately turned to Fang Xu and said,
"Xiao Xu, since you're in Nanpu, you must give me a chance to show you some hospitality! How about this? Secretary Fang and the others will be staying overnight in Nanpu tonight and returning to Rongcheng early tomorrow morning. I definitely won't have time to keep you company tonight, so how about tomorrow noon? I'll treat you to lunch, and then I'll show you around the county town area; there are a few tourist attractions nearby!"
"I'm fine with anything!" Fang Xu had nothing else to do, so he readily agreed and turned to Chen Yang, asking, "Chen Yang, is it alright for you to stay for a day?"
Chen Yang didn't answer directly but instead looked at Su He. Su He hesitated for a moment before saying, "The bar..."
"The bar is fine! I'll just call Brother Qiang!" Chen Yang said. "Su He, why don't you stay another day? You haven't been back to Nanpu in a long time; you can catch up with your old classmates!"
"Okay!" Su He nodded obediently. She had long regarded Chen Yang as her pillar of support, and since he suggested staying another day, she naturally had no objections.
Seeing that they had reached a consensus, Han Wenhai hurriedly took his leave. With the provincial party secretary personally inspecting the area, and the city and county leaders attaching great importance to it, as the deputy secretary of the county party committee, he still had a lot of work to do! Naturally, he couldn't stay too long. After Han Wenhai left, the atmosphere in the room became somewhat awkward again. He Chunzhi had long since lost her previous arrogance, while Su Weimin looked embarrassed. He forced himself to walk up to Su He and said,
"Xiao He, since you're staying for a day, why don't you come home with us? Don't stay in a hotel..."
Su He's lips moved, but before she could speak, Fang Xu, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines since Su Weimin and the others entered, couldn't stand it any longer and said sarcastically,
"Director Su, is it? I think it's unnecessary! We're worried about the old man's safety!"