Even a deputy county head, ranking at the bottom of the county government hierarchy, is still a de facto deputy-department-level leader.
Wherever she goes, she can be considered a county leader.
This is already entering the county's top leadership ranks; many people work their entire lives and never achieve this level of status.
Han Ying now realizes how close she is to becoming a deputy county head.
Thinking about it carefully, it's all because of County Head Qin's arrival.
Before County Head Qin arrived, she was the deputy director of the county government office. Following the normal procedure, it would take three or four years to become a deputy county head, or at least four or five years to become a town mayor or town party secretary.
But now, in just a few months, she's already reached the threshold of deputy county head.
Too fast!
So fast that Han Ying feels it's all unreal, like a dream.
Perhaps this is the benefit of following the right person?
Following the right leader, promotion is like riding a rocket, the speed increases dramatically. "This matter still needs to go through procedures. I'm just letting you know so you can prepare. You still need to focus on your primary job!"
Qin Mu added.
"I understand!"
Han Ying shuddered, nodded firmly, and said, "Please rest assured, regardless of whether I get promoted or not, I will maintain a calm attitude and resolutely do my job well. I won't let you down!"
This was the truth. Even if she didn't become deputy county head, remaining as the director of the county government office was actually quite satisfying for Han Ying.
Because she found that working and serving County Head Qin was a very special experience, and she really enjoyed her current work pace.
Becoming deputy county head would be better, but continuing as the director of the county government office was also very suitable.
Following County Head Qin, she was certain she would be promoted sooner or later.
"Hmm, very good."
Qin Mu nodded in satisfaction. He said this to see Han Ying's expression change. Clearly, she wasn't overly surprised or sad; instead, she displayed a calm and composed demeanor.
Having this kind of mindset is a testament to Qin Mu's training over this period.
A dozen minutes later, Xu Lu arrived at Qin Mu's office.
"County Chief Qin, you wanted to see me!"
Xu Lu greeted him and asked.
"Last time you mentioned the economic development direction of Huaining County to me, whether it should lean towards Jiangzhou's pharmaceutical industry or the provincial capital's high-end manufacturing and materials industry. How's your work going these past few days? Have you made any progress?"
Qin Mu got straight to the point.
Huaining County's investment promotion work is about to begin, and it can't be delayed any longer. The primary task is to determine the direction of investment.
With a goal, they won't be like headless flies.
"County Chief Qin, I've contacted quite a few companies in the provincial capital and Jiangzhou these past two days. So far, it seems the companies in the provincial capital are responding better."
Xu Lu pondered for a moment and said, "Personally, I think focusing on the materials manufacturing sector in the provincial capital will be more promising. The pharmaceutical companies in Jiangzhou don't seem very interested in Huaining County."
The provincial capital?
Are they sure it will work there?
Qin Mu was very skeptical of this survey result. After all, he had a lot of unpleasantness with Du Wanming, the vice president of the provincial capital's chamber of commerce. Now, Huaining County going there to attract investment is already a good thing if they don't make things difficult, let alone respond.
Qin Mu really didn't believe it!
"What did they say in the provincial capital?"
Qin Mu asked directly.
"They mean they hope we send a high-level investment promotion team, preferably with a county government official going in person. This would show sincerity. Also, if a suitable opportunity arises, they can directly discuss specific policy incentives."
Xu Lu quickly explained.
Qin Mu roughly understood what this meant: he was to personally lead a team to the provincial capital to contact those companies.
On the surface, this request seemed normal and without any problems, but Qin Mu was somewhat skeptical of the companies from the provincial capital.
The reason was simple: with Du Wanming involved, would they really allow companies from the provincial capital to develop in Huaining County?
The provincial capital's chamber of commerce was very powerful!
Most companies with even a little influence in the provincial capital were registered with the chamber of commerce. Specifically calling on Qin Mu at this time made it hard not to suspect that they were deliberately trying to lure him there and then thoroughly humiliate him.
"What are your thoughts?"
Qin Mu asked directly.
Since this task was entrusted to Xu Lu, he naturally had to respect her opinion. Investment promotion wasn't something that could be accomplished overnight; it required more effort and experimentation to achieve good results.
"I think the companies in the provincial capital are quite sincere. Perhaps… you could take us there sometime to visit them? Maybe we can get some results," Xu Lu said quickly.
She naturally wanted to go. She had personally handled contacting companies on both sides, and if she could achieve something in the provincial capital, all her hard work would be worthwhile.
Of course, the main reason was that Xu Lu had only been working for a short time and desperately needed a successful case study to prove herself.
Unfortunately, her lack of experience this time caused considerable trouble; she not only failed to impress them but also suffered some losses.
"In that case, let's go to the provincial capital first. You contact the companies beforehand, and we'll visit them one by one once we get there," Qin Mu said after a moment's thought.
"Okay!"
Xu Lu smiled excitedly upon receiving Qin Mu's affirmative reply and said enthusiastically, "I'll go prepare right away!"
She then quickly left.
Qin Mu watched Xu Lu's retreating figure and chuckled softly. She was still young. To be precise, Xu Lu lacked experience in local government and in handling work independently. It was a rare opportunity for her to be in charge, hence her excitement and enthusiasm.
This was also why Qin Mu had agreed to go to the provincial capital.
This young comrade had worked hard for several days and finally made some progress. If he simply didn't go, it would be a huge blow to Xu Lu.
Furthermore, Qin Mu hadn't yet figured out the intentions of those companies in the provincial capital. To refuse to go to the provincial capital for investment promotion simply because he worried about interference from the provincial chamber of commerce, without concrete evidence, would be too simplistic.
Since he had connections, he might as well go and take a look. It would only take a day or two; if it didn't work out, he could always find another place.
…
While Qin Mu was busily preparing for the investment promotion work, County Party Secretary Liang Guan was on the phone in his office, pouring out his troubles to Mayor Qiu Xiangqian.
"Mayor, could you please help me get back to the city? I won't take on the county party secretary position anymore, okay?"
Liang Guan did indeed have this thought. In the municipal government, with Qiu Xiangqian's support, being the vice mayor was actually quite easy. He went to get off work on time every day, had nothing to worry about, and was in a good mood every day.
But now, as the county party secretary of Huaining County, nominally the top leader, why was he constantly being hampered by Qin Mu, the second-in-command?
Everything felt wrong.