Reborn as a Noble's Son

Listening to Ouyang Xuan’s speech, Nie Zhenbang immediately shook his head. He perfectly understood what Ouyang meant by “heart-to-heart”. For the children of Jingcheng’s noble families, it was normal to establish superiority through one-on-one challenges or group fights. However, that was just in Jingcheng. Now, that bunch had started to mature. Methods like these seemed to have become somewhat inferior.

Nie Zhenbang soon laughingly said, “Younger brother Xuan, you don’t have to talk about heart-to-hearts anymore. Zhou Chen is still that Zhou Chen, he can’t pull off anything extraordinary. What I’m really worried about isn’t Zhou Chen, but Li Guohua standing behind him, he’s the formidable opponent.”

Nie Zhenbang disdained to employ such methods; if it got out, Zhou Chen would at least have the guts to say nothing. But for Li Guohua, it would be nothing more than a laughing stock.

“Li Guohua?” Nie Jiamin also furrowed his brows at this moment. This was the second time Nie Zhenbang had mentioned this name tonight. With Nie Jiamin’s understanding of Nie Zhenbang, it seemed there had never been a person afforded this much attention before by his younger brother.

Nie Jiamin looked somewhat surprised at the moment and asked, “Third brother, aren’t you making a mountain out of a molehill? This Li Guohua doesn’t have much contact with us in the past. However, due to his background of studying abroad, he’s inherently disadvantaged, so what are you worried about?”

Within the system of Huaxia, it seemed there was indeed such an underlying rule. Generally speaking, officials with a Western background needed to be extremely careful when appointed. But that was under general circumstances. For Li Guohua, with the support of his family, this factor could almost be ignored.

Immediately afterwards, Nie Zhenbang stood up and said, “Okay, let’s stop discussing these things. Older brother, the information you gave is very important. Now knowing their attitudes, I also know what to do. My car is downstairs, you can drive to Xin Li Hotel. I’ve already asked my secretary to arrange a room for you. You two take a rest for the night, then immediately get out of my sight.”

At night, at the home of Xinli City’s Executive Deputy Mayor Bekri, Xie Jiuda, the Minister of the Organization Department of the Standing Committee of the Xinli City Municipal Party Committee, was also sitting nearby.

Bekri appeared quite calm at the moment, but the occasional trembling of his feet exposed his emotional state. The resolution of the Bazhou City Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee meeting had already reached Xinli City. The election of Chen Le wasn’t surprising. But the sudden rise of Zhou Chen gave Bekri a sense of powerlessness. The personal endorsement of party secretary Liu Wenqing apparently made it a foregone conclusion.

Seeing Bekri deep in thought, Xie Jiuda was also somewhat indecisive. He had once been Zhang Chubin’s man. Although he hadn’t greatly offended Nie Zhenbang before, after Secretary Nie took office, his attitude towards him was lukewarm. This made Xie Jiuda somewhat worried about his position. That’s why he was establishing close relations with Bekri at this moment.

Originally, Xie Jiuda had thought that Bekri would be able to succeed the mayor. In that case, together with Xue Daming, and Huang Shuyong, they would have been tied to the mayor, ensuring Nie Zhenbang couldn’t do much to them. But now, that plan suddenly fell through. This made Xie Jiuda somewhat hesitant.

If Zhou Chen had a good reputation, Xie Jiuda would have naturally thrown his support behind him without hesitation. But the problem was, Bayaer’s case was right in front of him. At present, Bayaer was still in prison doing hard labor. Given Deputy Mayor Zhou’s reputation, there was probably not a single official in Xinli City who dared to pledge their loyalty to him.

“Mayor Bai, do you think this matter still stands a chance of being turned around? Should we do something during the People’s Congress election…” Xie Jiuda asked in a probing manner at this moment.

On the one hand, Xie Jiuda did indeed have this idea. Given Nie Zhenbang’s prestige in Xinli City, if Secretary Nie held these thoughts, Zhou Chen’s loss would certainly be a foregone conclusion. In that case, Zhou Chen would have no face to stay in Xinli City anymore.

As soon as Bekri heard Xie Jiuda’s words, he showed a shocked expression on his face. He immediately waved his hand and said, “Old Xie, don’t even think about this plan, it won’t work. Let’s not talk about whether Secretary Nie will support this proposal. At the time of the People’s Congress election, leaders from both Bazhou City and the Autonomous Region will certainly come down to oversee. Then, our city committee leaders will probably be called one by one for a meeting. Under those circumstances, if Zhou Chen were to lose, it wouldn’t be Zhou Chen losing face, but the city committee and the party committee of the Autonomous Region. I am afraid our entire leadership body of the Xinli City Municipal Party Committee will be punished.”

Having said this, Bekri looked somewhat haggard. After all, the position of a deputy department level official was obviously right in front of him, he only needed one last step to secure it. However, someone suddenly told him he wouldn’t be able to make that step. Anyone in this situation would have trouble understanding. Bekri was no exception.

Bekri had racked his brains for a solution, only to find it seemed to have no meaning at all. Perhaps by now, the Organization Department was talking to Zhou Chen. Once the appointment document was issued, it would be a done deal.

With a wave of his hand, Bekri morosely said, “Okay, Old Xie, you can go back first. I want to be alone for a while.”

At this point, Bekri seemed still unsure, he added, “Old Xie, now that we are friends, let me say one more thing, no matter whether I can become mayor or not, you yourself must not entertain any other ideas. You are well aware of Secretary Nie’s temperament. With Zhou Chen taking office, Secretary Nie may not play tricks. However, life will definitely not be easy for him. In Lixian, anyone who opposes Secretary Nie, even the powerful Zhao Kunlun, was forced to leave. I believe, if we follow Secretary Nie’s footsteps, we won’t end up at a disadvantage. You should understand this.”

After Xie Jiuda left, Bekri also started to plan. Although on the surface, Bekri flatly refused Xie Jiuda, but his mind was influenced by Xie Jiuda. Just because he himself doesn’t have the courage, doesn’t mean Secretary Nie doesn’t.

Zhou Chen has connections, but Secretary Nie’s connections are not bad either. He was personally met by the Secretary of the Autonomous Region Party Committee and the Vice Premier. He has so much support from the government funds. All this shows the extraordinary status of Secretary Nie. He is the real deal.

Then, Bekri also stood up and said to the bedroom, “Old Cao, I’m going out for a while.”

By the time Bekri’s wife came out of the bedroom, Bekri had already dressed and left the house. Bekri’s house and Nie Zhenbang’s dormitory were just a unit apart. Within five minutes, Bekri was standing at the door of Nie Zhenbang’s dormitory. Taking a deep breath, Bekri knocked on the door.

A moment later, Nie Zhenbang opened the door. Seeing Bekri standing outside, Nie Zhenbang also seemed a bit surprised. However, he immediately smiled and said, “Old White has arrived, come and sit down. Are you still awake so late?”

Nie Zhenbang’s smile, these warm words, and the friendly address, were Nie Zhenbang’s personal charm, giving people a feeling of warmth. Bei Lick had also met Zhou Chen, who had a leader’s manner and acted and behaved in a high-handed way. Compared to Nie Zhenbang, there was a world of difference. This was the gap between people.

At this point Bei Lick also laughed, saying, “Secretary, what are you busy with? Seeing you working overtime all day is a bit hard for us subordinates. The economy has to develop, but we also need to take care of our health. Or, I can have my wife make some midnight snacks every night and bring them to you?”

For officials like Nie Zhenbang who have families in other places or are single, resourceful subordinates would generally do such a thing. However, it is mostly limited to those at the county and township level. As for Bei Lick, who is also a member of the city committee and ranks high, this would appear somewhat demeaning. It was evident that Bei Lick was in a hurry because of Zhou Chen’s situation.

Nie Zhenbang also laughed at this point, made a cup of coffee for Bei Lick himself, handed it to Bei Lick, and then laughed and said, “Old White, it would be too troublesome. Every evening, I just drink some coffee and eat some snacks. I heard the your wife’s health is not too good. Don’t bother. Try this coffee, but first remember not to blame me if you can’t sleep tonight.”

Nie Zhenbang’s joke made the atmosphere between the two much more relaxed. Bai took a sip of the coffee and laughed, “I can’t tell good from bad when it comes to coffee. Secretary, I came here today to report to you my thoughts recently.”

The secretary is in charge of everyone and is responsible for all the cadre’s ideological work within his jurisdiction, this is also correct. However, typically, one would report to their superiors. Nie Zhenbang and Bai, are peers. Both are members of the city committee, Bai saying this put his status at a very low level.

“Secretary, I have acknowledged the resolutions of the city committee standing committee. Personally, I am committed to following them. In revolutionary work, there is no big or small. Although there are some minor complaints, rest assured that I will overcome them,” Bai immediately reported formally.

After listening to Bai’s statement, Nie Zhenbang was clear on Bai’s intentions. It seems that not only is he unable to accept Zhou Chen’s appointment, the cadres below him also can’t accept it. However, this outcome, trying to adjust it, is probably impossible, even if he found Li Yifeng at this point.

Then, Nie Zhenbang laughed and said, “Old White, your awareness makes me admire you. We need to support the decision of Bazhou City Committee. The committee leadership has their considerations. We subordinates have no place to criticize. But, you shouldn’t be like this. The work to be done still needs to be well carried out. The grand plan for the development of Xinli City is an ironclad principle. No matter who it is, violation will not be tolerated, this is my principle and bottom line. After the new mayor takes office, you should also have your own opinions while cooperating with the work. Democracy has always been valued within the party, and collective wisdom is trusted. It is not one or two people who make the decisions and on this point, I am supportive.”

At this point, Nie Zhenbang paused, then took some materials from his table and handed them to BAI, “Old White, it’s good that you came, this is an idea I just came up with, take a look, do you have any opinions? I plan to hold a temporary standing committee meeting in the next few days and make a decision on this.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words greatly relieved Bai Li; his intention was clear. Zhou Chen comes and we support the city committee’s decision. However, after arrival, whether he could manage or not, that was not certain. As for you Bai Li, I still support you.

Subsequently, Bai Li took over the documents, and was struck by the grand plan of Nie Zhenbang from the title.