Power and Wealth

Lunchtime.

Zhen Shen County.

Clouds shielded the scorching sun.

Inside the hotel, a welcoming banquet was held for the investors. Initially, a private room was arranged to accommodate twenty people comfortably. However, now there were not only a dozen foreign investors but also over seventy domestic investors. The county couldn't favor one group over the other, so upon receiving a message from Dong Xuebing, the county hastily arranged a banquet hall. The hall was large, with a somewhat festive atmosphere resembling a ballroom. Due to the large number of people, it was challenging to set up tables, so the banquet was changed to a buffet. Nearly a hundred investors, Secretary Meng, Mayor Jiang, and other county leaders were mingling together. Some stood, some sat on the surrounding sofas, and others found individual dining tables. Food, drinks, and music made the atmosphere lively, and the place was bustling with activity.

The most eye-catching figures inside were still Jiang Fangfang and Zhang Longjuan.

One was elegant and mature, and the other was glamorous and seductive. Wherever they stood, they attracted attention. Beautiful women always stood out.

"Mayor Jiang."

"Mr. Chen is here too?"

"Oh, you still remember me."

"Of course, this time I want to take another look at the project from last time."

"Yes, take another look. I haven't decided yet."

"Mayor Jiang, haha, I've been looking for you for a long time. Let's have a drink. Last year, when I came to Zhen Shen County, you didn't give me face. This time, it can't be tea instead of wine."

"Then I'll have red wine."

"Alright, any alcohol will do. I toast to you for choosing Zhen Shen County."

"Good. Bottoms up."

"It's Ms. Zhang, right? Hello."

"Don't call me ‘you.' Just call me Old Zhang. Haha."

"That won't do. I'll toast you a glass. Thank you for choosing our Zhen Shen County."

"No need to be so polite. Haha, your Mayor Dong is my good friend."

"You're Mayor Dong's friend. Naturally, you're also a friend of our Zhen Shen County. I'll toast to you."

"Alright, bottoms up."

The division of labor in the banquet hall was clear.

Jiang Fangfang was responsible for building good relationships with these domestic investors, chatting with everyone about projects or just casual topics. Most of the investors who came this time were males, and having such a beautiful county mayor around pleased everyone. On the other side, Secretary Meng and several county officials were responsible for communicating with foreign investors. Secretary Meng's secretary, Zhang Feng, surprisingly had a good command of English, and her translation skills were much better than the few people hastily brought in from the city. Secretary Meng also intentionally approached Zhang Longjuan and chatted with her.

Of course, the busiest person there was Dong Xuebing.

During his time in the city, he had already interacted with many domestic investors. Essentially, he knew most of them. He also brought in foreign investors. Naturally, he had to greet everyone. Dong Xuebing was seen running back and forth, not even having time to eat, but after chatting for a while, he checked his watch and walked quickly to whisper something in Jiang Fangfang's ear. Jiang Fangfang nodded, made a sound of agreement, and Dong Xuebing left.

"Old Zheng."

"Mayor Dong, what's going on?"

"Call the people from the Investment Promotion Bureau and ask them to come out for a meeting."

"Alright, I'll talk to them."

Dong Xuebing and the Investment Promotion Bureau staff left their seats and found a nearby resting area where they all sat down after exiting the banquet hall.

Zheng Dayou, Cheng Yujie, Xiao Hong, Gong Na.

These were the few remaining people in the county's Investment Promotion Bureau.

Dong Xuebing looked at them and said, "Let me outline the tasks. We don't have many people. Even if the county has temporarily assigned some additional staff, it's not enough to handle nearly a hundred investors. This problem can't be solved, so we can only grit our teeth and go for it. Overtime is certain, and everyone might have to work from six in the morning until eight in the evening or even later. I will be doing the same. However, I believe the exhaustion will be worthwhile because this investment promotion is unprecedented in Zhen Shen County's history. Whether Zhen Shen County can remove the title of a nationally designated impoverished county and the future living standards of our people all depend on us. I hope everyone will put in their best effort. Facing each investor, we must use ten or even twelve points of enthusiasm and confidence to secure their investment."

"Yes."

"Don't worry."

"We will complete the task."

Everyone also expressed their determination.

After discussing some official matters, Dong Xuebing changed the topic, "I'll give you a bottom line here. When I came, I knew that our county's investment promotion doesn't have the commission rewards like those projects in other counties. The bonuses are variable, and the county has not issued any documents. This policy can't be adjusted for the time being. However, I guarantee each of you in the Investment Promotion Bureau that if this investment exceeds one billion RMB, each person will receive a bonus of at least three hundred thousand RMB. As for the variable part, it will be calculated based on individual contributions. Three hundred thousand is just the minimum reward."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes showed excitement.

Xiao Hong couldn't help but exclaim, "A minimum of three hundred thousand?" After speaking, she felt it might be inappropriate and quickly covered her mouth, not daring to speak again.

However, Dong Xuebing didn't find anything wrong. "Yes, a minimum of three hundred thousand. It will only increase, not decrease. I have already discussed this with Secretary Meng and Mayor Jiang. There won't be any problems. This is a recognition and commendation for everyone's achievements in these days and the days to come. It's well-deserved. But I also said the premise is to secure an investment of over one billion." Initially, it was set at fifty million, but given the current situation, it was natural to increase the stakes.

No pain, no gain.

For them, the bonus was substantial.

Three hundred thousand was a significant sum, equivalent to their salary for almost ten years.

As long as they worked hard for this month, it was equivalent to completing a task normally taking ten years. Everyone naturally had nothing to say, and their motivation skyrocketed.

Seeing this, Dong Xuebing continued, "Now, let me assign tasks. Old Zheng, the foreign investment group, is still the top priority. You take charge of it. Don't worry about anything else. As long as the foreign investors are in our county, you stay with them. Director Cheng, Xiaogong, and Xiaoxiao, you don't need to worry about the specific business divisions. Even the office staff, starting today, go out and handle business for me. More than seventy domestic investors are entrusted to you. Take your team to inspect projects. If someone shows interest, you're responsible for them one-on-one. If manpower is insufficient for one-on-one, find temporary staff assigned by the county. I will inform the county government office about this. When necessary, you can decide first." Reception work was also a function and duty of the county government office. Dong Xuebing was also in charge of the county government office. In extreme circumstances, they could only dispatch all personnel.

"Alright."

"We understand."

"Let it be. Contact me anytime for any progress or problems."

Although it seemed like Dong Xuebing had delegated tasks to Zheng Dayou and Cheng Yujie, everyone knew that Dong Xuebing would be the busiest. He had to accompany the inspections, handle issues on one side, and even take charge of communication during the intention phase. Therefore, no one said anything. Everyone understood that no one would be idle during this investment promotion.

Ring, ring, ring.

Zheng Dayou's phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Zheng Dayou couldn't help but frown, "Chen Mingming."

He looked towards Dong Xuebing, wanting to ask, but seeing that Dong Xuebing didn't speak, Zheng Dayou answered the call.

As soon as the call connected, the furious voice of Chen Mingming, the head of the Meiyang District Investment Promotion Bureau, came through, "Old Zheng, what is Zhen Shen County up to?"

Zheng Dayou wasn't in a good mood either, "What do you mean by what we're up to?"

"What do I mean?" Chen Mingming shouted, "You didn't even say hello and just took away the seven investors we contacted. What's the meaning of this?"

The tone was loud.

Dong Xuebing, Cheng Yujie, and others also heard it.

Seeing this, Dong Xuebing stepped forward, took Zheng Dayou's phone, and sternly said, "Why are you shouting? Is your voice naturally this loud?"New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on Novᴇ(l)ꜰɪre .ɴᴇt

"Who are you?"

"I'm Dong Xuebing."

"You…"

Dong Xuebing cut him off, "Sober up, Chen Mingming. Let me tell you, don't shout here. The day before yesterday, your Meiyang District snatched investors who were originally heading to our county. Do you remember what I told you then? I didn't say anything. Investment promotion work relies on individual abilities. If you can make investors choose your district, that's your ability. Now that your investors have actively come to our county, don't waste your breath. You, yourself, delayed the investor's inspection, angered them, and now you still have the nerve to argue with us? If I hadn't intervened to smooth things, your punishment wouldn't have been just a disciplinary action."

Chen Mingming held back for a long time, "Who are you to barge in like this?"

Dong Xuebing said, "The investors have chosen our Zhen Shen County. If you can't accept it, come to our county and take them back. I'll be waiting."

Beep.

Dong Xuebing hung up the phone.

Handing the phone back to Zheng Dayou, Dong Xuebing said, "In the future, you might as well not answer such calls. If they want to shout, let them shout. We're doing everything upright and proper. There's no problem at all. There's no need to be concerned. I've never heard of someone fearing confrontation when they're right."

Chen Mingming was indeed furious. He had never seen a county leader so unscrupulous.

Initially, when he was drunk last night, he wanted to mess with Zhen Shen County a bit. Unexpectedly, not only did they not seize Zhen Shen County's foreign investors, but even their investors were embarrassed. Just now, when he sobered up, Chen Mingming received a message that the higher-ups had decided to give each of them an administrative warning.

Defeated.

Humiliated.

Now, every investment promotion department in the city felt this way.

All ten counties, including the city's Investment Promotion Bureau, had colluded to squeeze Zhen Shen County, suppress them, and even set traps to catch them. But the final result was that Dong Xuebing single-handedly dealt with all of them, and he did it ruthlessly.

Dong Xuebing.

This hooligan.