Gu Qiu never expected that the document he had casually thrown aside yesterday would end up in the hands of the county mayor.
If his guess was correct, the county mayor should be quite interested in his planning proposal.
However, whether this proposal could be affirmed and continued depended on too many factors. In the system, even the simplest thing could become very complicated.
Sometimes, something that was originally a good thing could turn into a bad one. A bad habit of those in higher positions might be imitated by countless people. That was the way things were in the officialdom.
When Gu Qiu went downstairs, he was surprised to find that Xie Bisheng was still there.
He was sitting in the car waiting for Gu Qiu. When the driver, Xiao Li, saw Gu Qiu approaching, he honked the horn.
This was an unprecedented thing. Usually, Gu Qiu would never have such an honor. Even if he bumped into Xie Bisheng downstairs in the office building and greeted him, Xie Bisheng might not even respond.
After getting in the car, Xie Bisheng immediately asked, "What did the county mayor say?"
Gu Qiu said that he had waited for over an hour and then it was the county mayor's turn to go to a meeting when it was his time.
Xie Bisheng was stunned for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. How interesting! Truly interesting!
Gu Qiu didn't care whether he believed it or not. Anyway, that's what he said. The few words he had just said to the county mayor must not be known to Xie Bisheng. Xie Bisheng hated it the most when people said he was incompetent.
Based on what had happened since he entered the investment promotion office and in the past few days, Gu Qiu was rather disappointed in Xie Bisheng. He was a typical incompetent cadre in the officialdom.
No one would believe that after being given three years, he couldn't even attract a decent amount of foreign investment. From what Gu Qiu had seen and heard, apart from indulging in wine, women, and song, he seemed to have no other merits.
In fact, the reason Xie Bisheng laughed was that he just found it really funny.
Secretary Wu had made such a big fuss about asking Gu Qiu to meet the county mayor, but in the end, Gu Qiu had waited for over an hour in vain and the county mayor went to a meeting.
He had encountered similar situations more than once.
Originally, he had been wondering in his heart whether this kid had some kind of background. Otherwise, why would the county mayor treat him so favorably? Judging from Gu Qiu's answer just now, it seemed that it was just an accident or a whim of the county mayor.
Things often developed in unexpected ways.
After County Mayor He finished the meeting, Secretary Wu asked for instructions, "County Mayor, I took the time to investigate just now. Comrade Xiao Gu has been in the investment promotion office for less than two months. I'm afraid—"
Since the county mayor had asked him to keep an eye on this matter, Secretary Wu had already conducted an investigation during the meeting time.
What he meant was that Gu Qiu was a newcomer, and if he was promoted without any achievements, it might attract criticism from others.
County Mayor He glanced at him and gave an important instruction, "Write a report and set a tone."
Secretary Wu took out his notebook to take notes. The county mayor said, "On the occasion of the third anniversary of the establishment of the investment promotion office, put some pressure on them. All cadres below the position of the director, including the eight deputy directors, will unconditionally participate in this performance appraisal. The top four who win in the end will serve as deputy directors of the investment promotion office."
Secretary Wu was secretly shocked in his heart. County Mayor He's move was clearly to pave the way for Gu Qiu.
Seeing the county mayor standing there with his hands behind his back, looking out of the window at the street, Secretary Wu refilled his tea and quietly withdrew.
He understood the county mayor's intention very well.
As the county mayor, he had been firmly suppressed by Secretary Tang, and the work of the government hadn't made much progress. Secretary Tang advocated stability. However, blindly seeking stability had directly led to the work of the government departments being very passive.
To carry out reform and opening up and develop Anping's economy, of course, there would be some challenging projects, but whenever they reached Secretary Tang, they were all suppressed.
County Mayor He seemed calm, but in fact, over the years, he had been struggling in the web woven by Secretary Tang, trying to tear a hole in it.
Secretary Tang was an old cadre who had been in Anping County for more than ten years. People said that nothing could penetrate his defenses. How could he be easily broken through?
Today's decision showed that County Mayor He wanted to use Gu Qiu as a pawn to test the waters.
Not to mention anything else, it was completely obvious from what he had just said. The cadres below the position of the director meant that except for Xie Bisheng remaining unchanged, everyone else had to make changes.
This news quickly reached Secretary Tang's ears. Secretary Tang was sitting alone in his study, sipping the excellent Dahongpao tea. When Xie Bisheng came to pay his respects, he also mentioned this matter.
Originally, this was an extremely confidential matter. How could it be leaked out before it was announced? But this matter seemed to have a life of its own and quietly spread in Anping County's circle in less than two days.
"Secretary, I'm afraid He Hanyang has ulterior motives this time. The situation doesn't look good."
Secretary Tang glanced at him and said, "What are you worried about?"
Xie Bisheng said cautiously, "He dares to move those deputy directors today. Tomorrow, he might target me, the director. If we remain indifferent and don't take preventive measures, he will show his true colors sooner or later."
Secretary Tang slammed the cup down heavily and said, "Mind your own business. You've been in the investment promotion office for three years. What have you done? You've indulged in pleasure and achieved nothing."
Seeing that Secretary Tang was angry, Xie Bisheng's legs trembled. "Don't be angry, sir. I'm just giving a reminder. Don't fall into He Hanyang's trap!"
Secretary Tang was extremely unhappy and waved his hand to dismiss him.
As soon as Xie Bisheng left, he muttered to himself, "I just want him to show his true colors and see what he really wants to do. Is he so impatient? Hmph! I, Tang Liye, won't step down for a long time yet!"
Gu Qiu was the last one to hear this news. The government had set a tone for the investment promotion office. Except for the director, all the formal staff in the entire unit, from top to bottom, had to participate in this competition.
On the surface, it seemed that the county just wanted to take this opportunity to cut down on the excessive number of deputy directors. In fact, there was more to it. With only four deputy directors left out of the eight, what would happen to the others? They would either be transferred or demoted.
When this news came down, the deputy directors in the investment promotion office went crazy and began their career of lobbying for promotions.
Chen Yan seriously told Gu Qiu about this matter and wondered why the government had suddenly issued such a document.
Chen Yan didn't know the inside story, and Gu Qiu could only guess. Could it be that his words that day had played a role? But he quickly dismissed the idea.
Could a county mayor really listen to the words of a nobody like him? There must be other reasons for this.
Chen Yan had a sudden thought and said, "Do you think there's a possibility that if you or others win in this performance appraisal, you can become a deputy director?"
Gu Qiu thought for a moment and said, "Theoretically, it's not very likely."
Chen Yan said, "It must be right. County Mayor He should have exactly this intention. He wants to disrupt the situation and then make everyone scramble for it. In this way, not only can he successfully cut down a few deputy directors, but also achieve immediate results. He doesn't touch Xie Bisheng just to save Secretary Tang's face."
Gu Qiu had thought of this, but he wasn't sure because he couldn't be certain that County Mayor He would really listen to the words of a young nobody like him.
If things were really done this way, it shouldn't be difficult for Anping County's investment promotion work to improve.