Chapter 95: I Can Secure the Project
"Remember what?"
"I remember when I met with him in person," Chen Jinhe said, his eyes lighting up, "he made a request—he hoped we would assign the Qinglong Copper Mine project to the 101 Geological Team from Guizhou. His father is an old employee there, apparently even serving as the chief engineer."
A beam of clarity suddenly lit up in Chen Jinhe's mind, dispelling all confusion. He now clearly saw that sly smile on Li Tang's young face.
"That kid said it was a 'request,' but now I see it clearly—he was setting conditions!"
"A 35-million-yuan project, and you're really going to give it to the Guizhou Geological Team?"
Yao Zhenyu winced. "If word of this gets out to our Bureau, they'll be furious and demand an explanation from me!"
After all, the Jian'an Provincial Geological Bureau was the second-largest shareholder in Zise Mining. Not being given priority access to such a massive project would surely raise eyebrows.
Chen Jinhe usually welcomed collective input, but when it came time to make big decisions, he never hesitated.
"Looks like we'll have to partner with the Guizhou Geological Bureau for this one."
He looked down at the feasibility report and couldn't help but chuckle.
"That Li Tang—young, but full of tricks."
"So you're just going to let him lead you around by the nose?" Yao couldn't hide his frustration.
"I'm heading to Guizhou right away to talk with their geological bureau."
Chen looked up and gave Yao a warm, sincere smile.
"I'll need you to do some groundwork on our end. Try to make sure there's not too much internal pushback. After all, they did discover the Qu Long Copper Mine. They've got the experience. Entrusting them with the Qinglong Copper Mine project gives us a better shot at finding another major deposit."
"President Chen, this…"
Yao felt like he'd just been handed a live grenade. How was he supposed to explain to the Bureau that a 35-million-yuan project had just been handed to an outsider?
…
Guizhou Provincial Geological Bureau, Department of Retirees
"Xiao Liu, my faucet's been broken for three days! I submitted a repair request three days ago. Are you people ever going to do anything about it?"
"I'll get someone to take a look, alright? Please don't worry. We'll handle it."
"You've delayed this so long. You people drag your feet with everything. Do you even care about serving the people?"
"That's not actually our department's responsibility… Please don't pull my shirt, Elder Chen. Since you came to me, I'll make sure your faucet gets fixed."
After a full day of dealing with complaints, Liu Yifeng collapsed into his chair, parched and drained.
The staff housing complex was right behind the administrative office, and these retirees had nothing but time on their hands. They'd bring every little issue—no matter whose responsibility it was—straight to the retirement office. And if you didn't help them, they'd raise hell all day.
There were supposed to be three people in the department—besides the director, there was Liu himself, a recently reassigned deputy, and a female staffer in her thirties. But she was out on maternity leave, so all the work had fallen to him.
Once upon a time, Liu had managed dozens of people—confident and commanding. Now, every petty issue fell to him.
He glanced through the inner office door and saw his superior relaxing with a newspaper. A flicker of resentment passed through him.
He couldn't keep living like this. Not for one more day.
He remembered hearing that, since his departure, the chief engineer position at the 101 Geological Team was still vacant—Li Zaiqiang was only serving in an acting capacity, and the bureau hadn't officially filled the role.
Maybe there was still a chance.
He checked the time—just over ten minutes until the end of the day. Straightening his clothes, he crossed the hall to the bureau chief's office.
"Director Han!"
He was delighted to find Han Dexun alone. Bowing slightly, he greeted him warmly.
"Busy today?"
"Not really. Just reviewing some documents."
Han Dexun looked up. "Liu, what brings you here?"
"Nothing urgent. Just wanted to chat."
"Sure, it's been a while. Have a seat."
Han gestured for him to sit, then said,
"Working in the retirement office requires patience. The tasks may be trivial, but there are many of them."
"It's manageable," Liu replied with a forced smile.
"Director Han, I've been hearing some talk around the bureau—people are saying the project in Tibet fell through. Is that true?"
"Who told you that?"
"Oh, just rumors. A lot of folks are talking about it. Everyone was really looking forward to the Qu Long project. I heard it was worth 35 million. Now that it's fallen apart, people are feeling really disappointed."
"Well, it's true,"
Han Dexun said, his voice heavy with frustration.
"That project is dead. Thirty-five million—if we'd secured that, we would've had funding for the next two or three years. Now, Wu Mining has gone completely silent. All our hopes have been dashed."
"Director Han, I've been doing some research," Liu said, lowering his voice.
"Central Geological Exploration Fund is launching a new initiative—provincial-level uranium surveys. I think this could be a great opportunity for us."
"Are you sure about that?"
"One hundred percent. It's very recent—we can't miss this chance."
"We absolutely should pursue it," Han said, a spark of hope returning to his eyes. "The government is the biggest investor in exploration these days."
He looked up and saw Liu's eager expression. That gave him pause.
"Maybe you could coordinate with Captain Zhou of the 101 Geological Team to get the application going?"
"Captain Zhou oversees the big picture. He shouldn't be burdened with these details."
"Then maybe talk to Li Zaiqiang? He's been the one preparing project documentation for years."
"Li Zaiqiang's not suitable!" Liu shook his head firmly.
"It's not that he's incapable—he's great at technical work. But he doesn't know the approval process, and he's not good with navigating administrative procedures."
"Then who do you suggest?"
Han looked at Liu. In that moment, he understood—Liu had come with a purpose.
He wanted his old position back.
Not long ago, the disciplinary office had investigated Liu. The internal reviews at the 101 Team weren't favorable, and the complaints against him had been substantiated.
Still, in this industry, unless you made a huge mistake, they rarely removed you completely.
"Director Han, I'd really like to return to my old unit," Liu said frankly.
"But the retirement office is short-staffed. You were just transferred. It wouldn't look good to move you again so soon."
"Back when I was with the 101 Team, I handled nearly all of our project applications. That's my strength. Putting me in the retirement office is like putting a round peg in a square hole!" Liu argued passionately.
"We'll need to discuss it further. For now, return to your post and wait for updates."
Han's tone made it clear he wanted to end the conversation.
"Director Han," Liu said as he left, "I can get us that project."
These days, in a struggling geological bureau, a leader's worth was often judged by one thing—whether they could secure projects.
After Liu left, Han Dexun let out a long sigh, feeling the weight of his responsibilities.
Over 3,000 employees depended on this bureau.
Behind every one of them was a family.
When would their luck finally turn around?
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