Qin Mu led Jiang Haoxuan to the reception area of Wenyu Tourism Company, looking at the company brochure on the wall.
Of course, several rather nervous Wenyu Tourism Company employees stood nearby. Many were uneasy about the county head's sudden, unannounced visit.
Other leaders would certainly have given prior notice and made preparations well in advance; Qin Mu's approach was truly rare.
"County Head, this Chairman Jiang is taking far too long! We've been here for over half an hour, and he still hasn't shown up!"
Jiang Haoxuan glanced at the time and muttered under his breath.
"What's the rush!"
Qin Mu smiled slightly and said, "We came in a hurry; they need time to prepare. Just wait patiently!"
This was Yu Xuewen's territory. His arch-rival's sudden visit would surely arouse suspicion, and Yu Xuewen might be figuring out how to 'entertain' him right now!
Ten more minutes passed before a young woman finally arrived, timidly approaching Qin Mu and Jiang Haoxuan. She asked somewhat shyly, "Excuse me, are you County Head Qin? I'm the chairman's secretary. Chairman Jiang has other commitments today and couldn't make it, so she asked me to receive you!"
Oh?
Jiang Ziyu has other commitments?
Qin Mu was still somewhat skeptical of this explanation. He wasn't an ordinary person; the county head himself had come, and the chairman claimed to have other plans?
Who in any other company in the county would dare say that?
Of course, with the county party secretary behind her, it was understandable.
A company personally supported by the top leader could easily ignore someone like him, the second-in-command.
"In that case, I'll trouble you."
Qin Mu nodded slightly and said, "How long have you been with Wenyu Tourism Company?"
It wasn't unusual for the chairman to be unable to come and send his secretary to receive him, but this secretary looked very inexperienced, like a recent college graduate. What was Jiang Ziyu up to?
"County Chief Qin, I've only been with Wenyu Tourism Company for two months. I might not be very familiar with some of the work yet. Don't worry, I will do my best to introduce you to our company."
The secretary said cautiously.
Just two months?
Qin Mu was even more surprised. This was almost the same time he had been in Huaining County. She had just joined the company and was already the chairman's secretary?
It seemed this secretary was highly valued by Jiang Ziyu?
"Alright, then I'll trouble you."
Qin Mu nodded slightly and said, "Wenyu Tourism Company is considered one of the top enterprises in the county. I've heard so much about it for a long time. Please tell me everything you can!"
"Yes, this way, please."
The secretary quickly led Qin Mu into the office area and gave him a general overview of the three-story building.
There was a small incident during this time. Upon entering the chairman's office, the safe in the corner was open, containing a lot of documents.
If a safe is used to lock documents, then these documents must be important; otherwise, why would they need a safe?
"I'm sorry, it seems our chairman forgot to lock the safe."
The secretary quickly went forward and locked the safe.
Forgot to lock it?
Or was it intentionally left unlocked?
Qin Mu watched this scene, feeling something was off. The safe in the chairman's office was usually used to store important items, yet it was never locked. What was even more strange was that he happened to be there today.
It felt too coincidental.
It was as if they were trying to lure him in.
"Your chairman seems like a very meticulous person. How come he didn't even lock the safe?"
Qin Mu smiled slightly and said casually.
"An important guest came today. Maybe he forgot when putting the documents away,"
The secretary said as she closed the safe.
Oh?
An important guest?
A look of curiosity appeared in Qin Mu's eyes. Given Wenyu Tourism Company's status in the county, there probably weren't many people who could be called important guests.
Besides the top executive, who else could qualify?
"But it's alright. No one usually comes into the chairman's office. Locking it or not makes it safe,"
The secretary added casually.
"So, I just accidentally wandered in today?"
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow and asked.
"You're different. You're here to inspect the work; you can see anywhere. Our chairman instructed that the entire company is open to you if you want to see anything," the secretary explained.
Is that so?
Qin Mu appeared to be listening, but in reality, he was observing the secretary's reaction. He felt suspicious that he had entered the chairman's office and unexpectedly found the safe unlocked, with stacks of documents inside.
Was this intentionally shown to him?
Yet, this secretary didn't cause any trouble at all, seemingly genuinely unaware of anything, and that what he saw was an accident…
If this was all an act, then this young woman was comparable to a professional actress.
Over an hour later, under her guidance, Qin Mu had gained a general understanding of the entire Wenyu Tourism Group.
"County Chief Qin, my explanation might have been a bit brief. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask."
The secretary's face flushed slightly, and she asked a slightly nervous question at the end.
"Could you tell me how Wenyu Tourism Company obtained the contracting rights for the tourist attractions?"
Qin Mu casually asked, "Our county's tourism resources aren't abundant, but with proper management, the annual revenue isn't low. I remember Wenyu Tourism Company didn't offer a high price back then, did they?"
This was actually an open secret throughout the county. Wenyu Tourism Company obtained the contracting and development rights for all the county's tourist attractions at an extremely low price, and subsequently made a fortune.
"County Chief Qin, I need to make a brief explanation about this."
The secretary began, "The reason we were able to acquire it at such a low price back then was because the county's finances were in trouble. We couldn't even pay government staff salaries. Secretary Yu, newly appointed, was eager to solve the problem, so he auctioned off the development and operation rights of several tourist attractions. These were for a limited period, five years. At the time, only our Wenyu Company met the requirements, so we won the five-year development and operation rights for ten million!"
Hearing this explanation, Qin Mu remained noncommittal. It sounded reasonable, but in reality, there was too much room for manipulation.
Can't you just auction off tourist attractions if you can't raise funds?
Or rather, can you sell them at a low price if you can't raise funds?
Furthermore, why was only Wenyu Tourism Company qualified during the bidding process? Was there some kind of shady dealing involved?
It's like some places recruiting civil servants, limiting the school, major, age, and even specifying a special skill.
Isn't that tailor-made?
As long as there are enough restrictions, others have no chance of competing.