Li Dingshan must have known that Song Zhaodu was about to lose power, and Song Zhaodu's urgency in arranging for Li Dingshan to take up the position of county party secretary was likely a product of political compromise. Song Zhaodu had been a member of the provincial party standing committee for three years, and his opponents would have to pay a price to remove him. So, Song Zhaodu took the opportunity to propose placing a few of his own people, and his opponents wouldn't dare to completely offend him. Moreover, it was only a county-level position, so they would be happy to give him this favor.
Song Zhaodu's intention was that if he didn't have the chance to make a comeback, Li Dingshan, with his connections and relationships, might enter the ranks of high-ranking provincial officials in a few years, providing support in the future. However, he probably lacked confidence, as his opponent was the provincial party secretary. As long as Li Dingshan remained in Yan Province, under the suppression of the provincial party secretary, he couldn't achieve much.
The only thing that gave Song Zhaodu some comfort was that Li Dingshan was from a national-level newspaper, and his backers within the newspaper were at least deputy editors. With this connection, even the provincial party secretary would be wary and wouldn't dare to overly trouble Li Dingshan.
Although Li Dingshan was not in the government, the national-level newspaper he worked for was similar to the government. He naturally understood all of Song Zhaodu's thoughts.
Xia Xiang carefully chose his words and decided to use this opportunity to dispel any concerns in Li Dingshan's mind: "Mr. Li, our company is a state-owned enterprise, a subsidiary of the newspaper. We are currently at a critical juncture. But no matter what, to have reached this level, to sign a cooperation agreement with the bank, and to get the approval from the municipal government for the valuable land near the train station, you have achieved something many people would find unbelievable. If you return these achievements to the newspaper now, the leadership will be very pleased, and the impact of the first business failure will be minimized. The newspaper will also view you differently."
Li Dingshan's face changed, and he caught the hidden meaning in Xia Xiang's words.
Xia Xiang nodded slightly and continued, "But if you don't let go and continue to run the company, and if there are any issues with the funds or the land, you will bear the responsibility. If we successfully overcome the funding and land challenges and the LCD screen project becomes operational, there are two possibilities. One is that the prospects are bleak, and we can't attract advertisers, leading to insufficient profits to maintain operations. At that point, people at the newspaper will question your ability, and the first business failure will be attributed to your poor judgment, and you will bear the main leadership responsibility. If that happens, you will be in a truly difficult situation, unable to advance or retreat."
Li Dingshan took a sip of water, his face changing several times, showing his intense unease.
"Of course, there is another possibility: the prospects are excellent, the LCD screen project is highly profitable, and it brings good economic benefits to the newspaper. In this case, your status within the newspaper will significantly increase, and if the leadership appreciates you, becoming a deputy editor-in-chief or even a deputy director in the capital is not out of the question..."
Xia Xiang knew when to stop. He believed Li Dingshan understood his hint. If the prospects were indeed excellent, someone at the newspaper would become envious and try to take credit, replacing Li Dingshan and taking over the company. Thus, whether it was one outcome or the other, Li Dingshan would not get what he wanted.
It wasn't that Li Dingshan hadn't considered all possibilities, but being in the middle of it, he didn't see things as clearly as Xia Xiang, who was outside the situation. Moreover, Xia Xiang, with his 12 years of additional experience, had insights into the world that were at least on par with, if not better than, Li Dingshan's.
The air conditioning in the private room was strong, making Xia Xiang feel cool, almost cold. Li Dingshan, however, was sweating profusely, his gaze fixed on Xia Xiang, as if trying to read something from his face.
Jia He's face was filled with undisguised surprise and disbelief, as if he didn't recognize Xia Xiang. His strange look also held a hint of probing and tension.
Xia Xiang slowly sipped his chrysanthemum tea, which, without rock sugar, had a slight bitterness. Li Dingshan's heart was probably bitter too, but without bitterness, how could there be sweetness? When a decision must be made, hesitation leads to chaos! Xia Xiang steeled his heart; time was of the essence, and he would play the bad guy to the end.
Setting aside Li Dingshan's turbulent emotions, Jia He was secretly astonished. He hadn't expected Xia Xiang, who usually kept a low profile, to see things so clearly at a critical moment.
Jia He, besides being surprised and admiring, could only sigh at his own inadequacy. Although he didn't fully understand Xia Xiang's roundabout way of speaking, he did hear one thing clearly: Xia Xiang was trying to persuade Li Dingshan to let go and follow Song Zhaodu's advice to enter politics. Regardless, if Li Dingshan became an official, Jia He, as his driver, would benefit, which was something he welcomed.
For a while, none of them spoke. Xia Xiang drank tea, Li Dingshan looked down silently, and Jia He glanced around, looking at Li Dingshan and then at Xia Xiang, lost in thought.
Suddenly, a hoarse voice broke the silence: "Why did Mr. Li choose such a desolate place? Chu Feng Tower, never heard of it. It took me a while to find it."
A middle-aged man of average height and a large, fleshy face walked in. He was about 1.65 meters tall, wearing a dark T-shirt. Because of his obesity, the T-shirt couldn't be tucked into his pants and hung loosely, making his belly look enormous, like that of an eight-month pregnant woman.
Since leaving the company in his previous life, Xia Xiang had never seen Li Kailin again. This meeting, after 12 years, felt like a reunion. Recalling Li Kailin's past humiliation, Xia Xiang felt a bit uncomfortable, but he stood up calmly and politely said, "Director Li!"
Li Kailin, upon seeing Xia Xiang, paused, then grinned widely: "Who's here? Oh, it's our shy college student. How about it, are we going to have a few drinks today?"
Xia Xiang just smiled: "I'll drink as much as Director Li does."
Li Kailin, standing in front of Xia Xiang, patted his shoulder hard: "Don't back out once you've said it. What if you can't keep up with me?"
Xia Xiang smiled at Li Dingshan and then at Jia He before saying, "Mr. Li and Jia He are here. I'll have a drinking contest with Director Li to see if I'm all talk."
Li Kailin laughed loudly, handed out cigarettes to Li Dingshan and Jia He, and sat down next to Xia Xiang, grabbing his arm: "Agreed, whoever breaks their word is a dog!"
Although Li Kailin was a bank manager, he had little education and came from a military background. After a few years in the bank, he became smooth-talking and often used crude language. Li Dingshan saw that Xia Xiang was intentionally challenging Li Kailin. Though he wanted to intervene, he realized Xia Xiang might have other plans, so he played along: "If you two really want to compete, the winner and loser are on their own. Whoever gets drunk has to crawl home themselves."
Jia He wanted to dissuade Xia Xiang but was stopped by Li Dingshan's glance. He said, "No problem, I'll carry whoever gets drunk back."
Li Kailin ignored Jia He, cleared the drinking glasses, and placed them in front of the two, asking, "How do we do this?"
Xia Xiang, undaunted, replied, "Director Li decides. I'll follow."
Li Kailin, seeing Xia Xiang's calm and confident demeanor, felt a twinge of displeasure. To him, Xia Xiang was just a young man, a college student who could still be controlled. If Xia Xiang worked under him, he would make sure to break him. Li Kailin, with his military background, was both extremely confident and deeply insecure, believing that although college students had high degrees, they were pampered and couldn't handle hard work.
However, the central government's policy increasingly required a bachelor's degree for promotions, which left Li Kailin feeling very disappointed. This created a huge psychological gap, and he disliked the few college students under him, assigning them to the toughest departments with the lowest pay.
After a few interactions with Xia Xiang, Li Kailin found him increasingly annoying and humiliated him several times. Since Li Dingshan needed his money, without his approval, Li Dingshan couldn't proceed with the LCD screen project. Li Kailin figured he could do whatever he wanted with Li Dingshan's subordinate.
Seeing Xia Xiang's mature and composed appearance, daring to challenge him, Li Kailin was very displeased. He smiled broadly, but his eyes showed a fierce intent: "I decide, don't regret it!" He brought two bottles of liquor and two bottles of beer each, "One bottle of liquor and two beers, how about that?"
Xia Xiang took a large glass, poured half a glass of beer, then took a small glass, filled it with liquor, and dropped the small glass into the large one, saying, "Let's skip the separate drinks. Let's mix them and start with a depth charge!"
Li Kailin's face changed slightly: "Okay, Xia Xiang, I didn't know you were hiding your skills."