In just over an hour, all the investment promotion targets for each county and district were finalized.
Qiu Xiangqian gave a brief explanation, then ended the meeting and hurriedly left.
Liang Guan naturally followed Qiu Xiangqian out quickly.
"Isn't this just deliberately making things difficult?"
"What the hell!"
"I think nobody's having an easy time this year. We'll all die together!"
...
As soon as the main leaders left, some of the county and district officials couldn't help but burst into curses, clearly extremely dissatisfied with the allocation of investment promotion targets.
Don't be fooled by the gentle, polite, and knowledgeable demeanor of these leaders on television news. Many of them actually come from humble backgrounds, especially the older ones with low levels of education. In their respective counties and districts, they act like local tyrants. Now, without the city leaders present, their true nature has been exposed.
Qin Mu felt like he was in a market!
What's the difference between this and the old folks swearing in the market?
As the insults raged, many eyes turned to Qin Mu. Clearly, some wanted to direct their anger at him.
Everyone needs an outlet to vent their anger.
Qiu Xiangqian was the mayor, a leader; no matter how difficult things were, he wouldn't dare say anything to his face.
But Qin Mu was different!
He was just a county magistrate, and in terms of seniority, everyone present was more experienced than him.
Even if they criticized him, given Qin Mu's status, he could only endure it.
Oh no!
They're targeting me?
Qin Mu wasn't stupid. He immediately saw the hostile looks in their eyes; they clearly wanted to use him as a punching bag.
He quickly considered how to respond.
He wasn't one to give up easily, but if these people attacked him en masse, relying on their seniority, he really needed to be careful not to make a scene.
After all, maintaining a semblance of harmony was necessary. Huaining County couldn't afford to make enemies everywhere if it wanted to develop; it was inevitable that it would need the help of other counties someday.
"County Chief Qin, Secretary Li requests your presence!"
At that moment, the conference room door was suddenly pushed open, and a man in a suit called out to Qin Mu.
This man was none other than Wu Chong, Secretary Li's secretary!
The moment he appeared, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly changed. Just moments before, it had been noisy, with people cursing and some even preparing to confront Qin Mu…
But when Wu Chong spoke, the way everyone looked at Qin Mu subtly shifted.
People are pragmatic, and these county leaders were no exception.
In Jiangzhou, Mayor Qiu currently appeared to have more power, with more locally grown cadres and followers. Secretary Li was an outsider, but even so, no one could ignore him.
The reason was simple: he was the top leader!
The mere mention of the title "Municipal Party Secretary" was enough to say it all; anyone who dared to ignore it would pay a heavy price.
"Okay, I'll be right there."
Qin Mu immediately breathed a sigh of relief, replied, and quickly stood up, following the order outside. Once outside, he instantly relaxed.
It was truly liberating not to be stared at by so many hostile eyes.
The oppressive atmosphere had been almost unbearable for Qin Mu; the moment he stepped outside, he even heard someone slamming their fist on the table inside.
Clearly, some people were bottling up their anger, almost to the point of internal injury.
"County Chief Qin, please go straight in. The Secretary is waiting for you."
Upstairs, at the Secretary's office door, Wu Chong opened the door and greeted him with a smile.
"Director Wu, thank you."
Qin Mu returned the greeting with a smile. Besides being Secretary Li's secretary, Wu Chong was also the deputy director of the Municipal Party Committee Office; calling him "Director Wu" was naturally more polite and friendly than "Secretary Wu."
Although the other party was only a deputy director-level official, not comparable to Qin Mu, the fact that he was the secretary of the municipal party secretary immediately changed everything.
After all, to see the secretary, sometimes you had to get past Wu Chong first.
Without cultivating a good relationship, he could easily make things difficult for you with a little manipulation.
"You're too kind!"
Qin Mu addressed him as "Director Wu," making Wu Chong beam with a smile. Normally, people, regardless of rank, called him "Secretary Wu," completely forgetting his position as deputy director of the municipal party committee office.
This rising star, County Head Qin, actually remembered his deputy position and addressed him as "Director Wu," which naturally made Wu Chong feel quite special.
"He's definitely going to rise to prominence!"
Wu Chong muttered to himself. Qin Mu's status and achievements, coupled with his composure and attention to detail, demonstrated his meticulousness and keen insight. If someone like him didn't take off, who would?
Upon entering the office, Qin Mu immediately saw Li Guobin and Chen Wenhua sitting together, drinking tea and chatting happily.
"Comrade Qin Mu is here."
Chen Wenhua immediately greeted him with a smile, saying, "Come, come, Secretary Li is talking about you!"
Uh…
Talking about me?
Qin Mu felt a pang of embarrassment. "I haven't done anything wrong lately, have I?"
Being on the mind of the municipal party secretary, being talked about, was no good. Any slightly out-of-line behavior could attract attention.
How could he possibly perform well!
"You were quite assertive at the investment promotion conference earlier. I heard that with just a few words, you increased the city's investment targets several times over. If you hadn't come out and stayed in the meeting room, weren't you afraid of getting beaten up?"
Li Guobin smiled and said directly.
Upon hearing this, Qin Mu understood.
Secretary Li had called him over to help him out of an awkward situation and prevent him from being surrounded by a group of people.
"It can't be that serious. They're all seniors. Why would they argue with a junior like me?"
Qin Mu smiled and said, "They'll just lecture me a bit, criticize me a bit. At worst, I'll just listen and move on!"
You'll just listen and move on?
Who believes that?
"You're being modest here, saying you'll just listen and move on? With your personality, you won't stop until you win an argument."
Chen Wenhua rolled her eyes at Qin Mu and said, "You're still a greenhorn in Jiangzhou's officialdom. Focus on doing more work, don't get too involved with those old hands. Once you achieve real results, they'll shut up completely."
"In terms of seniority, they're all seniors. Even if you win the argument, it's meaningless and won't benefit your future development."
Li Guobin responded, "Young comrades shouldn't be arguing. They should focus on doing more work, working hard. Once you're in my position, those old guys will naturally shut up."
Your position?
"Is this something I can think about right now?" Qin Mu muttered to himself. He was still a long way from Secretary Li's position; there was definitely no hope for it in the short term.
"What are you muttering about?"
Chen Wenhua asked curiously, seeing Qin Mu muttering to himself.
"What, just because I gave you an example, you're actually eyeing my position?"
Li Guobin, with his sharp eye, hit the nail on the head and said casually.