"My friends are all over the province. Don't even mention a mere county head like you; even if the county party secretary of Huaining came, I wouldn't take him seriously."
Du Wanming sneered. "This time you've come to the provincial capital to attract investment, I can say with certainty that you won't gain anything!"
"Of course, if you can apologize and admit your mistake, I might reluctantly help you so you don't leave empty-handed!"
Du Wanming had been waiting for this day for far too long!
Huaining was their territory. As a lone businessman, he would definitely be manipulated. So, upon hearing that Huaining was seeking investment, he immediately sent people to curry favor with them, inviting them to the provincial capital.
He even specifically emphasized that Qin Mu should lead the delegation!
Unexpectedly, they actually fell for it!
Du Wanming naturally wouldn't miss such an opportunity to thoroughly humiliate Qin Mu.
He wanted to see if this self-proclaimed good official, who claimed to be serving the country and its people, would back down for the sake of investment promotion.
If he really apologized, Du Wanming wouldn't have let Qin Mu bring the project back.
If he didn't get the money, Du Wanming could use that to mock the other party again.
Either way, he couldn't lose out!
"What's going on?"
Xu Lu was the most confused. She didn't know about the feud between County Chief Qin and Du Wanming. She could only take a few steps back, stand next to Han Ying, and ask in a low voice.
"County Chief Qin and that Chairman Du have a grudge."
Han Ying explained, "Chairman Du's son is named Du Zigui. He does business in Huaining, but he's illegal and got investigated. He even hired someone to try and harm the county chief, and they ended up in jail. Chairman Du holds a grudge, and this time he probably set a trap, calling County Chief Qin here just to humiliate him!"
What?
Does that mean I have to take all the blame?
Xu Lu was stunned after hearing this. She had been responsible for contacting businesses in the provincial capital, and the business owners had all been incredibly polite and approachable, giving her the impression that attracting investment was easy.
Now it seemed that this impression was nothing but a deception created by others!
Xu Lu had been completely fooled!
Being fooled was bad enough, but to have tricked County Chief Qin into coming here and then be reprimanded was utterly unacceptable.
Xu Lu was heartbroken!
She felt incredibly guilty!
"Chairman Du, I, Qin Mu, only distinguish right from wrong. Your son's arrest is his own fault, he deserves it."
Qin Mu said calmly, "I am the county magistrate of Huaining County, tested by the organization and the people. I represent the county government. I haven't done anything wrong, how could I possibly apologize to a businessman like you?"
"I'll assume you're arrogant and lacking in manners. Next time you bring it up, don't blame me for being impolite."
Still putting on airs!
Du Wanming felt a surge of displeasure at Qin Mu's unyielding words.
This guy, no matter where or when, always had an air of righteous indignation; Du Wanming truly couldn't stand it.
"Then you'll regret it."
Du Wanming said coldly, "If I don't give in, you won't gain anything in the provincial capital!"
"Not a single person will eat this meal today!"
"Then you'll be the laughingstock of the entire county. The dignified county head of Huaining, going to the provincial capital to attract investment, returning empty-handed, and no one even comes to your dinner invitations—Qin Mu, think about it, isn't that shameful?"
Shameful?
Definitely shameful!
Qin Mu didn't deny it.
But being shameful didn't mean abandoning principles!
"If you don't want to eat this meal, others will."
Qin Mu said calmly, "If you all stand with Chairman Du, then you can leave now."
After speaking, he looked at the group of businessmen.
"Let's go!"
Du Wanming waved his hand, and the dozen or so business owners who had come all wanted to leave with him.
"Qin Mu, don't worry, I'll make sure to publicize what happened tonight. A county head like you, and nobody wants to come to dinner? You'll be the laughingstock of the whole province, just wait to be laughed to death!"
Du Wanming left with a sarcastic remark, silencing Xu Lu, Han Ying, and the others.
"Come on, everyone, don't just stand there. If they won't eat, we will!"
With Du Wanming and his group gone, the private room suddenly felt too empty. The hot dishes had already been served, and Qin Mu, seeing this, immediately called for everyone to sit down and eat.
Normally, Han Ying and the others would be very happy to have such food. After all, it was a high-end restaurant in the provincial capital, and the dishes were delicious and visually appealing—something they couldn't usually afford.
But now, looking at the fragrant food, no one had any appetite.
Especially Xu Lu, filled with self-blame, guilt, and remorse, had absolutely no appetite.
"County Chief, I'm sorry, it was my fault."
Xu Lu apologized sincerely. "I didn't investigate the situation in the provincial capital beforehand, which led to this situation today. I'm so sorry!"
If she had investigated thoroughly and known that these business owners had malicious intentions, she definitely wouldn't have proposed bringing in investment to the provincial capital.
To put it bluntly, she trusted these people too much.
This led to her misjudgment!
"It has nothing to do with you."
Qin Mu waved his hand slightly and said, "I have a grudge against Du Wanming. Unless I violate work principles and release his son, this grudge cannot be resolved. You are actually the victim. The work you've been doing for a while will have to start all over again."
Hearing this, Xu Lu felt even worse.
The county chief had just been besieged and verbally attacked by those people, yet he wasn't discouraged at all, but instead comforted her and tried to salvage the situation. A leader like that is practically impossible to find anywhere else.
"County Chief, it's alright. I'll go back and look again. I refuse to believe I can't find a suitable company to invest in."
Xu Lu said emphatically, "We're not staying in the provincial capital anymore. We're going back tomorrow!"
This…
Going back tomorrow?
Qin Mu felt a wave of helplessness. He was afraid that if he went back, he would be laughed at by the people in the county.
Some people who didn't know the situation might think they were on a public-funded trip, only to stay one night to attract investment?
But if they didn't go back, staying in the provincial capital seemed pointless!
After all, Du Wanming's connections and resources here were too deep. He, a small county chief from out of town, was really no match for him.
"We'll discuss tomorrow's matters tonight. The priority now is to eat. We can't let such good food go to waste."
Qin Mu immediately called out and prepared to pick up his chopsticks.
"What? You're not even waiting for your guests before starting to eat? Is this how you treat guests in Huaining County?"
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out again, causing Qin Mu and the others to freeze in mid-air with their chopsticks.
Who is it?
What other guests could there be?