Gao Hai's gaze never left Xia Xiang. His eyes flickered, and a hint of bitterness passed through his heart. Despite the conclusions drawn by numerous experts and the extensive research conducted by the planning bureau, none of it seemed more to the point or aligned with multiple interests as effectively as what this young man had just said at the dinner table. Wasn't it true? Relocating the garbage station was an inevitable move. The city only needed a simple directive to turn this section into a pedestrian street—it was already a T-junction, with little traffic. Restricting vehicles wouldn't cause much of a backlash. Then, several companies eager to improve their surroundings could fund the construction of a leisure plaza. The city wouldn't even need to spend a penny, yet it would bring tangible benefits to the dozens of businesses on North Street and the surrounding citizens. Calling this idea a "golden touch" wouldn't be an exaggeration at all.
Xia Xiang was unaware of the shock and thoughts running through Gao Hai's mind as he continued, "Once the restaurants, led by Chufeng Tower, are booming, the city can introduce related policies to transform this 500-meter stretch into a food street. Who knows? It might even become one of Yan City's most famous landmarks in the future..."
The last sentence was delivered in a joking tone, sounding like a casual remark, which could be taken as the naive, grandiose talk of a young man who didn't understand his own limitations. Chu Zigao and Jia He didn't think much of it, but when it reached the ears of Li Dingshan and Gao Hai, both were stunned. They exchanged a glance and saw the same bewilderment and surprise reflected in each other's eyes.
A young man in his twenties, who has no access to the core policies of the city, can have such insights and see things so far ahead. Could he really be a natural talent?
Jia He never spoke at such occasions. After all, Chu Zigao was just a businessman with a narrower view. He clearly did not realize that what Xia Xiang just said would shock the Mayor, Chen Feng, if he heard it. He just looked at Gao Hai with anticipation and cautiously asked, "Secretary Gao, Xia Xiang's idea is really good. I wonder if it can be realized?"
Before Gao Hai could respond, Xia Xiang quickly raised his glass. "It's just idle talk after drinking. Please don't take it seriously. Come, let me toast to Mr. Li and Secretary Gao."
Li Dingshan and Gao Hai smiled knowingly. Both of them raised their glasses and drank it all in one go, giving Xia Xiang the courtesy and also showing appreciation for his timely deflection.
Gao Hai could not possibly comment on the idea Xia Xiang had just expressed. After all, as the Secretary-General of the city government, he was involved in major project decisions and couldn't speak lightly. Although Gao Hai could brush aside Chu Zigao's question, having Xia Xiang step in and explain it away with a remark about drunken chatter worked even more effectively.
Chu Zigao was a smart man, and he quickly realized that his earlier question had been inappropriate. He hastily stood up, looking embarrassed, and said, "I also toast to Secretary Gao and Mr. Li. Let me punish myself with three more drinks." After saying that, he drank three more glasses in one go.
Li Dingshan didn't say anything or raise his glass but just smiled at Gao Hai. Gao Hai's face betrayed no expression, but he still slowly raised his glass and drank half of it, laughing while scolding, "Old Chu, you should at least give Xia Xiang a discount card, right? I think it should be a gold card at least."
Li Dingshan also took a small sip of his wine and said, "Old Chu gave me a silver card, giving Xia Xiang a gold card. Won't that be a bit unfair?"
Chu Zigao quickly took out two gold cards from his bag, signed them, and handed one to Li Dingshan and the other to Xia Xiang, saying, "As long as the consumption does not exceed 2,000 yuan within a year, this card grants free service. Beyond that, a 30% discount will apply."
When Li Dingshan and Gao Hai went to the restroom, Gao Hai shook Li Dingshan's shoulder vigorously. "Well, Dingshan, when did you find such a gem? This Xia Xiang is really not simple. Let me be blunt. If he wants to follow me, you have to let him go. I guarantee that within a year, I'll get him to the deputy section level."
Li Dingshan pushed Gao Hai's hand away. "Stop trying to poach people. I don't have a single useful person around me in the county. How can I get any work done? A deputy section level in a year? I'll promote him to full section chief in a year and put him in charge of the county bureau."
Seeing no one around, Gao Hai lowered his voice. "I'm embarrassed to bring it up, but since we're alone, I'll tell you. I'll prepare a proposal based on Xia Xiang's ideas and submit it to Mayor Chen. I'm confident it'll pass with him… Don't look at me like that. I'm not doing this for Chu Zigao, but for the people of Yan City."
Li Dingshan laughed. "Enough with the grand words. I don't care about your relationship with Chu Zigao. Wanting to get close to Chen Feng is a sign of progress, and I have no problem with you borrowing Xia Xiang's idea. Since he said it openly, he's doing you a favor. But let me give you one piece of advice, old classmate. You still have room for progress. Watch your hand and don't stretch it too far. Be careful not to leave any incriminating evidence."
Gao Hai nodded and suddenly sighed. "Why is Chaodu always indifferent toward me, even though we're old classmates?"
Li Dingshan knew why Gao Hai was treated differently by Song Chaodu but didn't comment. He just shook his head and remained silent.
In the private room, Chu Zigao seized the opportunity to settle the bill. Once only Xia Xiang and Jia He were left, he took the gold card and said to Jia He, "Little Jia, you take this card. I don't have much use for it."
Jia He waved his hand. "No need for such formalities between us. I follow Mr. Li around for socializing and won't need it. You keep it." He said this but felt a warmth in his heart. Although Xia Xiang had recently been rising rapidly, he still treated him the same, without any hint of disdain.
Two days later, Xia Xiang handed the land approval document to Wen Yang. Wen Yang tried to keep a calm face, not showing any signs of losing composure in front of him, but Xia Xiang keenly noticed that Wen Yang's hand trembled slightly when he received the document. Xia Xiang suddenly thought of the matter of Li Kailin being transferred. I wonder if Li Dingshan had told Wen Yang about it? Maybe Wen Yang thought the LCD project was still a sure thing, which would give him a chance to show his abilities.
But he probably already knew the bank loan had fallen through, though with the document in hand, his confidence would probably be boosted again.
A few days passed with no events, and Xia Xiang browsed the Ericsson T28 phone that Feng Xuguang had given him. It was a compact flip phone, advertised by Andy Lau, and had been a huge hit. Although the phones at this time were not comparable to the multi-functional ones of the future, this small black-and-white phone the size of a computer screen cost more than 3,000 yuan. It was hard to believe the rapid development of mobile phones in the future. Xia Xiang felt that he had fully adapted to his current identity. Whether he had really been reborn or was just dreaming at his desk, the line between the two had started to blur.
Whether it's a big dream or a rebirth, the important thing is to live well.
Li Dingshan had also set the specific date for his transfer to Ba County: July 15, just one week away. Meanwhile, through connections, he managed to transfer Xia Xiang's personnel file to the Youth League Provincial Committee. Xia Xiang couldn't be transferred to Ba County yet, so he would have to wait. At the same time, Li Dingshan resigned as the head of the Yan Province Press Office, a position taken over by another reporter, Xu Shengzhi.
After Wen Yang officially took over the company, he was not appointed as the general manager but continued as the vice president, overseeing the day-to-day operations. However, it was clear the company had no plans to send anyone down, so he started working on recruiting staff, but every time he saw Xia Xiang still coming to the company, he was irritated but had to pretend not to notice. Li Dingshan and Jia He still lived in the company, waiting for the right time to leave together.
Xiao Jia's resignation caused no stir in the company. On the other hand, Teng Qiang came once, excited after hearing that Li Dingshan was being transferred to the county as the county party secretary. He rushed upstairs, stayed for a while, and then stormed downstairs with a dark face, quickly packed his things, and slammed the door on his way out. Wen Yang ignored Teng Qiang's appearance, but whenever he saw Xia Xiang, a sinister look would appear in his eyes.
Xiao Jia must have been busy with her book compilation work. Whenever Xia Xiang thought of her, he felt that beneath her tough exterior, she hid a soft heart. He felt a faint sense of nostalgia as he thought about her, knowing that she was about to leave for Ba County. He hoped that she would earn some money from the book project and quit at the right time, using her heart for the right things.
Although the internet was not very developed at this time, Xia Xiang would still go to the internet café whenever he had time, searching for information about Ba County to keep himself well-informed. Yang Bei was from Ba County, so he had learned a little about the area from her, but it was just surface-level knowledge. He knew Ba County was large but very poor, located in a high-altitude area, very cold in winter, and had short summers...
In the afternoon, just as Xia Xiang was packing up and preparing to leave, he unexpectedly received a call from Chu Zigao.
It was unclear how Gao Hai had influenced Chen Feng, but Chen Feng's decision came quickly. The city ordered the garbage station to be relocated within 15 days and announced that North Street would become a pedestrian street. Chu Zigao, in collaboration with five restaurants, contributed 500,000 yuan to build a public leisure square. The main purpose of his call was to hire Xia Xiang as the designer for the leisure square.
"Mr. Xia, you must help me with this. I want the leisure square to become a beautiful landscape in Yan City, something people will talk about. Only someone as talented as you can handle such a grand project. If you don't help me, I'm doomed. If the square is built and no one likes it, I'll lose face for Secretary Gao..."
Although Xia Xiang couldn't see Chu Zigao's expression, he could imagine his exaggerated face and somewhat hoarse voice, making it feel like a lively performance. Chu Zigao was a smart businessman. Whether he was hiring him as a designer due to Gao Hai's suggestion or not, the fact that he asked showed his intention to build a relationship with Xia Xiang, and it was also an acknowledgment of Xia Xiang's talents.
Chu Zigao was shrewd but also a good friend to have. After thinking for a moment, Xia Xiang agreed: "Alright, I'll do my best. But I majored in civil engineering, so I'm not very good at planning. I'll introduce someone to you who can design a first-class leisure square."