A single sentence made Zhou Qian’s face flush red, leaving her a bit flustered, yet also sowhat expectant, wanting to know how Song Guanchao would introduce her.
"Well, girlfriend."
Song Guanchao said, "Xiao Qian, this is the forr Minister of the Ministry of Railways, forr General Manager of the National Railway Corporation, and Party Secretary, Liu Wanli."
"Secretary Liu, this is Zhou Qian, a host at Lingjiang City TV Station, and my girlfriend."
Hearing Song Guanchao’s introduction, Zhou Qian’s heart fluttered, her face uncontrollably reddening, feeling touched to the point of tears.
She never expected Song Guanchao would actually introduce her as his "girlfriend."
Even though she had long said she didn’t mind the title, there was always a bit of longing in her heart.
Suppressing the tears that were about to flow, Zhou Qian respectfully extended both hands: "Hello, Secretary Liu."
Just as Liu Wanli was about to speak, Song Guanchao said, "Calling him Secretary is too formal, Secretary Liu is old enough to be your grandfather, call him Grandpa."
Liu Wanli was stunned, couldn’t help but take another look at this young girl.
He didn’t find Song Guanchao’s interference offensive, rather he was quite pleased, simply curious about how much weight this young girl carried in Song Guanchao’s heart.
Zhou Qian was also a bit confused, Song Guanchao told her to call him that, but she didn’t dare.
Seeing her concern, Liu Wanli chuckled and said, "At my age, calling Grandpa doesn’t put you at a disadvantage."
Zhou Qian, being a dia person, adept at reading people, confird that Secretary Liu was not being polite, and beca increasingly curious about how Song Guanchao knew Secretary Liu?
What exactly is the relationship between them?
"Grandpa Liu."
"Good, good."
Liu Wanli said with a smile, "You two go in first, Xiao Wang, take out that box of white tea of mine and brew it for them. I need to sort out my grandson first."
Old Man Wang, standing beside, seeing Liu Wanli’s attitude towards this young man, understood in his heart.
He led the two into the house and brewed so tea.
Song Guanchao sat grandly on the sofa, whereas Zhou Qian was very restrained.
Song Guanchao didn’t waste his breath telling her to relax.
Seeing a big shot of this level for the first ti, being nervous is normal.
After eting a few more tis, her confidence would naturally build up.
After finishing a cup of tea, Old Man Wang replenished it.
By the third cup, Liu Wanli finally ca in.
Song Guanchao stood up, and Zhou Qian followed suit.
"It’s about ti to eat, let’s not go out, we’ll eat at ho."
"Sure."
Liu Wanli instructed, and Old Man Wang went to arrange the al.
The three sat down, and Liu Wanli asked, "You’re no longer in the military?"
"Retired."
Song Guanchao replied, "Now I’m at the Lingjiang Municipal Committee, working as a secretary for the Deputy Secretary."
"Secretary... that’s pretty good."
Although there was a significant age difference between the two, chatting was without any generation gap.
Though Liu Wanli was nearly eighty, his mind was sharper than young people’s.
He was very interested in Song Guanchao’s current work, asked many questions, and offered so advice.
Advice from a once ministerial-level official benefited Song Guanchao greatly.
Ti flew by, and soon it was dark, with the brilliant crystal chandelier in the living room casting a warm, cozy tone.
The al was ready too.
A few ho-cooked dishes looked exceptional.
"Let’s eat and chat."
They moved to the table, and Old Man Wang brought over an unbranded bottle of white liquor.
"Here." Liu Wanli raised his glass, and Song Guanchao accompanied him for a drink.
Zhou Qian wanted to toast, but the two were drinking too fast. A cup is down quickly, followed by a few bites of food, then another cup, leaving no chance for her to propose a toast.
Liu Wanli noticed her awkwardness, smiling as he said, "Xiao Qian, can you drink?"
"I can."
"Then, have a drink with the old man."
"I’ll toast to Grandpa Liu."
Zhou Qian stood up and toasted.
Drinking too hastily, she choked a bit and quickly covered her mouth.
Liu Wanli chuckled and said, "Eat so food."
The atmosphere at the dining table was very pleasant.
After three rounds of drinks, Liu Wanli asked, "Do you want the National Railway Bureau to put the construction funds in first?"
In their earlier chat, he had already figured out the situation in Lingjiang.
Having held a ministerial rank himself, he had dealt with more troubleso matters than what Song Guanchao had ever heard of.
A few questions were enough for him to understand the dilemma Song Guanchao was facing and to guess his purpose for this visit.
Song Guanchao nodded, "The demolition funds are urgently needed, but not much, 1.5 billion will do."
"I rember, Nanjiang Province is under the jurisdiction of the Magic City Railway Bureau."
Liu Wanli tilted his head, "Xiao Wang, who is the director of the Magic City Railway Bureau?"
Old Man Wang replied, "It’s Yu Ping."
"Little Yu, huh." Liu Wanli said, "Give him a call."
"Okay."
Old Man Wang found the phone and called, Liu Wanli took the phone, and on the other end sounded a respectful yet ingratiating voice, "Minister Liu, what made you think of giving a call?"
Liu Wanli asked, "Busy with work lately?"
"Not too bad, not too bad."
"If you’re not busy, co by tomorrow. I have a good bottle of liquor here, co share a couple of drinks with this old man."
Yu Ping was surprised, and then overjoyed, replying repeatedly, "Certainly, Minister Liu."
Though Liu Wanli had already retired, his influence was still greater than the current head of the National Railway Bureau.
Retirent also depends on the position from which one retires.
A city-level leader retiring, unless having relatives in the officialdom, usually faces a bleak exit.
For a provincial-level leader, it’s relatively better.
Although Liu Wanli retired from the position of the head of the National Railway Bureau, he had once been the head of the Ministry of Railways.
Those who had been benefited and promoted by him were countless across the country.
His network of contacts was unparalleled, even nationally.
Upon hanging up, Liu Wanli said, "Later, you go write an application and submit it to the engineer managing Lingjiang’s high-speed rail at the National Railway Bureau."
"Rember, don’t skip any procedures, you’re being watched by that Mayor Zheng, if you skip one procedure, he’ll have a reason to block you."
Song Guanchao nodded.
"By the way." Liu Wanli said, "How do you plan to deal with the remaining funds?"
"Attracting investnt."
"Attracting investnt..." Liu Wanli remarked, "In your situation, attracting investnt is tough. Without the city’s support, whether private capital or banks, won’t jump into the pit."
A seasoned individual is truly different; hearing a little, his mind automatically foresees potential obstacles in all aspects.
Song Guanchao said, "Raise interest rates, they won’t hesitate to jump in."
"Raise interest rates?" Liu Wanli’s eyes lit up, "Good lad, you’ve got so sly tricks, reminiscent of the old man in my day."
"But, it’s still not safe enough."
"I’ll give you an extra layer of insurance."
Curious, Song Guanchao asked, "What insurance?"
"Don’t ask, I wouldn’t tell you even if you did."
Liu Wanli flashed a mysterious smile, deliberately keeping it a secret, "You’ll know when the ti cos."
Song Guanchao felt helpless but had no intention to ask further.
Things were progressing more smoothly than he’d imagined.
He knew Liu Wanli had great influence during his tenure, but hadn’t expected his connections to remain so solid after retirent.
Initially worried that this trip might encounter hiccups, he now realized he still didn’t quite understand the intricacies of the officialdom.
Liu Wanli, holding a small liquor cup, asked many questions about Zheng Bihui.
Song Guanchao didn’t hide anything, sharing what was necessary.
"You’re still too indecisive in doing things, wasted a great opportunity."
Liu Wanli shook his head, "If I were you, that Mayor Zheng would have been completely dealt with by now, dismissed from public office. Where would he have the chance to trip you up?"
Song Guanchao was puzzled, carefully reviewing his journey, unable to figure out when he ever had a chance to ruin Zheng Bihui.
"Slurp!"
Liu Wanli drank it all in one go, striking his glass on the table, "Pour so more, the old man is going to teach you a lesson today, so you understand, the officialdom isn’t played like that."
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