"It's nothing,"
Chen Feng said confidently.
"Chen Feng, your talent in officialdom, your ability to handle affairs in officialdom, and your all-around capabilities are superior to ours. However, no matter how capable a person is, they are bound to make mistakes. Just like now, your concept of building a luxurious office building for Wuzhou District is absolutely risky. Think carefully, do you still remember the case where the leadership team of Wuchang City was taken down because of building a government building?"
The two women continued to persuade him earnestly.
"I know, it happened in the first half of the year. How could I not know?"
Chen Feng replied calmly.
"Since you know of such a profound lesson, why do you still want to follow in their footsteps?"
The two women looked at Chen Feng with confusion.
"Qin District, Xiaolu. You only see the superficial phenomenon and not the essence. The biggest reason why the leadership team of Wuchang City was taken down was not because they built a luxurious office building. To be honest, in China's officialdom, there are countless places where government buildings are built more luxuriously than the Wuchang City government building. There are even more luxurious ones. A single toilet in a government building costs millions. Why did others not get into trouble? Why did they get into trouble? Frankly speaking, there are two core reasons. First, they did not listen to the higher-ups. The higher-ups clearly stated that the Wuchang City government building project should be delayed for a year because China was strictly investigating government investment issues nationwide at the time. All government investment projects had to be suspended for review. Especially for a project like Wuchang City building a luxurious office building, this project simply could not withstand scrutiny, so it had to be delayed for a year. After the storm passed, the building would be quietly constructed. However, the leadership team of Wuchang City was impatient and started construction directly. They committed the biggest taboo in officialdom: not listening to their superiors. Also, the Wuchang City government's luxurious building project was not outsourced to the connected individuals of the higher-ups, so the higher-ups did not get any benefits. It's no wonder they dealt with the leadership team of Wuchang City."
Chen Feng explained patiently.
The two women were once again impressed.
When it came to the depth of their insights, the two women truly couldn't compare to Chen Feng.
Perhaps it was because Chen Feng had struggled in the grassroots of officialdom for a long time, or perhaps Chen Feng's talent in officialdom was heaven-defying, but Chen Feng's perspective was becoming more and more thorough.
To be blunt, Chen Feng was no longer the driver for the deputy town mayor he used to be.
"Chen Feng, you mean this time, you want the luxurious office building in Wuzhou District to be undertaken by connected individuals from the provincial capital?"
The two women asked tentatively.
"That's exactly what I mean. To build a luxurious office building in Wuzhou District, we must have the involvement of the higher-ups. Once the higher-ups are involved, even if the self-media rages, the luxurious office building in Wuzhou District will be safe and sound. Of course, we cannot easily lose the battle for public opinion. We must promote the luxurious office building in Wuzhou District positively. This is the most important hard requirement in China's officialdom. To succeed in officialdom, one must be able to turn black into white. Just like China's petroleum. When international oil prices rise, China's oil prices follow suit. The propaganda reason is that China needs to align with international standards and vigorously develop China's petroleum. If international oil prices fall, China's oil prices still have to rise slightly. The reason is that China has its own specific circumstances. We cannot blindly follow others; we must look at ourselves. In short, China's petroleum must rise and must make money. Of course, in the end, we still have to promote that China's petroleum is not making money, or even losing money. For the sake of the common people, China's petroleum is losing huge amounts every day. This is the importance of propaganda. With good propaganda, even reckless behavior is not a problem at all. Most Chinese people tend to believe propaganda. Originally, there was widespread discontent with the continuous rise in oil prices, but after China's propaganda, they immediately accepted it."
Chen Feng explained with many examples.
The two women were once again impressed.
Chen Feng truly understood the intricacies of China's officialdom.
"Chen Feng, are you going to the provincial capital next?"
The two women asked tentatively.
"After a short rest, I will go to the provincial capital. The luxurious office building in Wuzhou District can wait. The development of the financial industry in Wuzhou District cannot wait."
After speaking, Chen Feng went directly to the provincial capital to find Xiang Wentian.
"Chen Feng, I didn't misjudge you. In less than a year, you have made a place like Wuzhou District, which was once extremely poor, so vibrant."
Xiang Wentian said with a smile.
"It's all thanks to Elder Xiang's guidance."
Chen Feng replied humbly.
"Are you here in the provincial capital this time to get more municipal project contracts?"
Xiang Wentian asked tentatively.
"Elder Xiang, I'm not here for municipal project contracts this time. To be honest, Wuzhou District now has the ability to find project contracts on its own and doesn't need special attention from the provincial capital anymore."
Chen Feng replied truthfully.
"Wuzhou District is developing faster than I imagined. Well, tell me, what help do you want from me this time in coming to the provincial capital?"
Xiang Wentian nodded with satisfaction.
"Next, Wuzhou District plans to build a luxurious government office building and has not yet found a construction unit, so I would like to ask Elder Xiang to help."
Chen Feng said subtly.
It must be said that Chen Feng's command of officialdom language was truly profound.
He was clearly asking Xiang Wentian to take a huge advantage, but the way he phrased it made it sound like he was bothering Xiang Wentian.
"Wait, did I hear you correctly? Wuzhou District is going to build a luxurious office building?"
Xiang Wentian was taken aback.
"Yes, even more luxurious than the office building in Mingshan City."
Chen Feng replied.
"Chen Feng, are you still holding a grudge? I know that I let you down in the Mingshan City incident. However, you are also a person in officialdom, and you should know that many things in officialdom are beyond one's control."
Xiang Wentian misunderstood, thinking that Chen Feng wanted to build a luxurious office building to spite Mingshan City.
"Elder Xiang, you've misunderstood me. To be honest, at the time, I worked my heart out to develop Mingshan Town into Mingshan City. By rights, I should have been appointed to the leadership team of Mingshan City. However, the result was that I was sent to Wuzhou District, the poorest district in Jiangcheng City. But I was only angry for a moment, and then I wasn't angry anymore. Because this is the norm in officialdom, good things are always given to those with strong connections. Another point is that going to the grassroots and to poor places can greatly enhance one's abilities."
Chen Feng explained calmly.
"Since it's not about being angry with Mingshan City, why did you suddenly think of building a luxurious office building? You know, the higher-ups in China have recently been repeatedly emphasizing that governments should not engage in large-scale construction and build luxurious office buildings. Others might not grasp the essence of these words, but you, Chen Feng, can absolutely grasp it."
Xiang Wentian asked with confusion.
"Elder Xiang, according to the spirit of the higher-ups in China, luxurious office buildings should not be built. However, I have sufficient reasons to build a luxurious office building, and the higher-ups will have no reason to object after hearing this reason."
Chen Feng remained calm.
"Oh, that's interesting. Tell me, what reason do you have for the higher-ups to not pursue the construction of an office building in a poor place like Wuzhou District, which is even more luxurious than the office building of a developed county-level city like Mingshan City?"
Xiang Wentian asked with curiosity.
Chen Feng did not hesitate and explained the same reasoning he had given to Qin Yan and Cheng Lu to Xiang Wentian.
After Xiang Wentian listened, he had only one feeling.
This young man, Chen Feng, was more cunning than he imagined, and ten thousand times more slippery than an eel.
He was doing something strictly prohibited by the higher-ups, yet Chen Feng could make them speechless.
The control he had over officialdom was terrifying.
"Chen Feng, since you've come to me, then fine, I'll help you find a construction unit. Don't worry about the matter of the luxurious office building in Wuzhou District; I guarantee I'll handle it properly. Oh, and don't return to Wuzhou District for the next few days. My friend, who is the contractor for the luxurious office building in Wuzhou District, will take you around to have some fun as a token of my appreciation..."
Xiang Wentian said subtly.