"Chen Feng, if it were before, I could accurately guess what you were thinking. But you are no longer the same person you were. The gap between us is too vast; I can't figure out what's on your mind at all," Qin Yan said with a deep sigh.
A few years ago, she had intended to nurture Chen Feng and make him her capable assistant. However, after several years, she discovered that Chen Feng had already grown to the status of a powerful figure in the provincial capital's political arena.
"Alright, Mayor Qin, I won't play games anymore. I'll tell you the truth. My intention is to have all the surveillance cameras in the lobby of every department in Mingshan City centralized in your office from now on. Then, assign dedicated personnel to monitor them. Anyone found to be shirking their duties and just going through the motions will be summarily dismissed. This way, it will only take half a day for the situation in all of Mingshan City's departments to be completely revitalized," Chen Feng said with determination.
"That's a good idea, but the problem is that each department operates independently. Concentrating the surveillance from all departments in a short time will be very difficult," Qin Yan raised her concern.
"It may seem difficult, but it's not at all. Mayor Qin, you've forgotten, I have a background in computer science. We just need to slightly modify the surveillance programming, and all surveillance footage can be centralized to your office computer within an hour," Chen Feng explained with ease.
"If that's the case, then there's no time to delay. We can start now," Qin Yan said excitedly.
Chen Feng wasted no time and immediately began modifying the programming for the surveillance cameras in the lobbies of Mingshan City's various departments.
He couldn't believe his eyes when he started the modifications. The surveillance cameras in Mingshan City's departments were all fake. Yes, fake. They were just camera models; there was actually no surveillance footage at all. Chen Feng suddenly recalled that on several occasions when he wanted to check the surveillance footage, the response was that the cameras were broken and undergoing repairs. Today, he discovered it wasn't just broken; they hadn't even been purchased.
Chen Feng instantly understood what was going on. Simply put, someone had embezzled the money allocated for the surveillance cameras. The audacity of this person was astonishing, daring to embezzle money for such things. Chen Feng immediately investigated and found that the person responsible for the installation of the surveillance cameras had already been imprisoned. Mingshan City was forced to bear the loss silently. It had to be said that in China's political arena, from the big corrupt officials to the small ones, they would think of any devious scheme just to embezzle.
"Chen Feng, what should we do now?" Qin Yan asked with worry. She had thought there was a glimmer of hope, only to find it was such a mess.
"Mayor Qin, don't worry. It will only cost some money. In this day and age, if a problem can be solved with money, it's not a problem," Chen Feng reassured Qin Yan.
"That's true, but Mingshan City is so large, installing surveillance in every department will take at least a week," Qin Yan said dejectedly.
"Mayor Qin, you still don't understand the power of money. This matter right now doesn't require days; three hours will be enough," Chen Feng replied with a relaxed demeanor.
"What? Three hours is enough? How is that possible? Although Mingshan City is only a county-level city, its administrative area and economic development level are already comparable to a prefecture-level city. Therefore, there are quite a lot of departments. Installing surveillance in so many departments and centralizing the footage within three hours is a massive undertaking. Three hours is definitely not enough," Qin Yan explained.
"Theoretically, that's correct. However, money can overturn theory. If I tell the surveillance vendors that they will be paid the original price if they install everything in three days, and if they complete it within three hours, I'll pay them five times the price, they will immediately act. And they will complete it with quality and quantity. Didn't Marx have a famous quote? If the profit exceeds 100%, people are willing to risk their lives for it. Now, with more than five times the profit, someone will definitely take on this job. As the saying goes, great rewards bring forth brave men. Of course, this will mean paying extra money. But at this crucial juncture, paying more is entirely worthwhile," Chen Feng calmly explained.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yan deeply agreed and stopped wasting words with Chen Feng. She immediately urged Chen Feng to find the surveillance vendors and get the job done.
As expected, without much effort, a surveillance vendor accepted this large order. To ensure the surveillance vendor could complete the task within three hours, Chen Feng specifically assigned Cheng Lu to follow up throughout the process. With Cheng Lu accompanying them, the surveillance vendor would not be obstructed when entering and exiting Mingshan City's various departments, ensuring swift progress.
The surveillance vendor was also an experienced and shrewd individual. He mobilized his network, calling everyone he knew who sold surveillance equipment to come and install cameras. The installation price was five times the usual, and of course, he still sold the surveillance equipment himself, outsourcing only the installation. Through this method, within three hours, the surveillance cameras in all departments of Mingshan City were installed on time and with quality.
Qin Yan, taking a leap of faith, opened her computer. After a brief look, she was impressed. All the surveillance footage from every department was now centralized on her computer.
"Chen Feng, how about this? I'll be the one checking the surveillance footage. I don't feel at ease letting others view it," Qin Yan said excitedly to Chen Feng.
"Mayor Qin, judging the surveillance footage is a minor matter. There's no need to burden you with it. You can simply assign a sharp subordinate to handle it. As the esteemed Mayor of Mingshan City, doing such a task is too much of a waste. Right now, you have a more important matter to attend to," Chen Feng said with a serious expression.
"What? I have a more important matter to attend to?"
"Yes, you indeed have a more important matter to attend to, and it's still related to the provincial secret investigation team. To put it plainly, we need to put on a show for the provincial secret investigation team. None of us four will be in our offices. For these few days, we will all go deep into the front lines and the grassroots. We don't need to do anything specific; just being present at the grassroots and on the front lines is enough," Chen Feng said with a faint smile.
"Chen Feng, Chen Feng, you've applied the concept of 'putting on a show' in China's political arena to perfection," Qin Yan said with a meaningful smile.
"Mayor Qin, China's political arena loves this kind of performance," Chen Feng replied with a knowing smile.
"Don't worry, Chen Feng. The other two and I will fully commit to the act. The question is, where will you be performing your act in the grassroots next?" Qin Yan asked curiously.
"I want to go back to my rural hometown," Chen Feng said directly, not hiding his intentions.
"Go back to your rural hometown?"
"Yes, firstly, I can tell everyone I'm going to survey the rural areas. Secondly, I want to visit my uncle, Chen Tao. To be honest, regarding my cousin Chen Chang's previous matter, my uncle Chen Tao might have misunderstood me, and I need to go explain," Chen Feng's explanation made Qin Yan stop probing further.
The next day, Chen Feng returned to his hometown immediately. As expected, Chen Chang's parents, who were Chen Feng's other uncle and aunt, came to his door to demand an explanation.
"Chen Feng, what do you mean by this? Transferring Chen Chang to such a faraway place?" Chen Chang's parents questioned him with anger.
"Uncle and Aunt, you've misunderstood. I didn't target my cousin," Chen Feng initially intended to directly expose Chen Chang's disgusting and despicable nature to his uncle and aunt. However, he reconsidered. Even if not for the sake of the family, he had to consider his uncle Chen Tao's feelings. Therefore, Chen Feng decided to patiently appease his uncle and aunt.