Reborn as a Noble s Son

Chapter 584: Chapter 540: Grandpa is not serving anymore (Plus 950 monthly votes) _1
 

The attitude of this Director Xu rendered all the officials in Wanghai City dumbfounded. This… wasn’t this just a replica of Minister Yin from yesterday?

Next to him, An Guoyu also moved close to Nie Zhenbang, whispering, “Mayor, this damned director, isn’t he a bit too arrogant?”

An Guoyu now completely considers himself as a close ally of Nie Zhenbang, with a shared sentiment of mutual honor or disgrace.

Nie Zhenbang clearly understood An Guoyu’s intentions with such behavior, but he didn’t care. An Guoyu is a clever man with harmless intentions. There is no such thing as a perfect person. As long as he can work for me, there will be no issue. He then whispered, “Old An, keep your cool. He is a deputy director of the Development and Reform Commission, the so-called mini State Council. Usually, many local officials seek his favor, hoping he can do them a favor. His arrogance is understandable. Old An, don’t register this meal under government hospitality expenses. Consider it as my personal invitation.”

One hundred thousand yuan might merely be the minimum consumption at Asia-Europe Castle Manor. Nie Zhenbang would not put it under government expenses, not because he likes to play clean, but for future planning. In Wanghai City, Nie Zhenbang also intends to promote official hospitality standards that have been successful in New Li City and Liangxi City. If he can’t lead by example with this, it would be impossible to gain respect in the future.

Upon entering the hall of Asia-Europe Castle Manor, Director Xu seemed as comfortable and relaxed as if he were at home.

Inside the hall, with waiters and socialites bustling about, it seemed like a high society banquet. At this moment, Director Xu abandoned his serious demeanor from earlier and snapped his fingers.

A waiter immediately approached, bowing slightly, “Good evening, sir. Do you have a reservation?”

Director Xu glanced at Minister Yin beside him and casually said, “No reservation, prepare a private room for us.”

“Certainly, sir. Please follow me,” the waiter replied confidently.

Truth be told, Yun Zhiguang had his own tricks in this aspect. All waiters at least received training from foreign professional private clubs. Here, every customer can enjoy godlike treatment.

In the private room, the waiter handed the menu to Director Xu. Working in such a place required a keen eye, and it was clear that Director Xu was the leader among this group. If they even got the handing of the menu wrong, wouldn’t that be an insult to Yun Zhiguang?

Director Xu appeared well-versed, saying casually, “As for the dishes, just follow the French menu. Last time, the foie gras and caviar were pretty good. For drinks? Get me Louis XIV; I’m not fond of Lafite.”

This comment made Nie Zhenbang feel somewhat uncomfortable. Director Xu was too arrogant. Not only that, as a deputy minister-level official, he didn’t care about his public image. It’s incredible how someone like this could get so far.

However, Nie Zhenbang controlled his emotions. After all, he needed something from the others this time. After the waiter had left, Nie Zhenbang began, “Director Xu, hello. I am Nie Zhenbang from Wanghai City, and I have invited you here mainly to ask you to care more about and support our work in Wanghai City.”

These words were mostly conventional—neither overly humble nor servile. There was nothing exceedingly inappropriate, and such a phrase was most commonly used when lobbying. The so-called caring and supporting some area’s work generally meant asking for funding or a project.

At the side, Minister Yin understood and nodded, saying, “Director Xu, the situation is as follows. This time, Mayor Nie also received the news that the nation is planning and seeking to establish a national highway network. Therefore, this time Mayor Nie wants to strive to have the Wangtian Highway as part of the first batch of construction projects.”

As soon as his words fell, Director Xu reacted as if his tail was on fire, looking at Minister Yin and said rudely, “Old Yin, how could the local government know about this? Besides a few leaders in the State Council, the Development and Reform Commission and your Ministry of Transport, only a few experts are studying this issue, and only a few of us are aware. What’s going on? I say, Old Yin, you’re aware of the rules of confidentiality in the organization, aren’t you? If this leaks out and gets known at the local level, it will be very difficult for us to handle. If all the provincial and city leaders nationwide rush to Jingcheng for projects, who will take responsibility?”

This remark turned Minister Yin’s face somewhat ugly. After all, they were technically on the same level professionally. However, at this moment, he was being criticized as if he was a subordinate, which kindled some anger within him. “Director Xu, I can guarantee with my party principle that it was not me who leaked this. Mayor Nie and his group had already known about it when they came to me.” He said gravely.

At the side, Nie Zhenbang did not wish for Minister Yin to lose face. Feeling awkward, he quickly added, “Director Xu, Minister Yin is absolutely right. I heard about this matter through other channels, not from Minister Yin.”

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang’s patience with Director Xu had reached its limits. He had seen arrogant and ostentatious officials, but never one who acted as if he himself was the deputy prime minister.

Being cornered like this made Director Xu’s visage fall. He spoke in a deep voice, “Regardless of how you found out, I’m not going to investigate. However, the planning of the highway network pertains to the national layout; it’s not something local officials can meddle with. It involves national policies. If that’s what we are discussing, then there’s no need to continue.”

His outright refusal was forthright. Minister Yin, standing by the side, felt extremely embarrassed, his expression turning sour. After all, he had invited Director Xu here. In the system, face-saving is critical. First, Xu ignored Nie Zhenbang’s handshake intentionally. Then, he criticized Minister Yin. Now, he spoke so directly. It was a clear case of disregarding others’ dignity.

A person lives for face, a tree lives for bark. This is an old saying. For the people of Huaxia, nothing matters more than face. Even if something cannot be done, you could say it in a straightforward manner. Present your arguments sincerely, and others will understand, given the limitations of one’s authority and ability to make decisions. Alternatively, you could elegantly divert the topic and make polite remarks like offering to try your best, without any guarantees. At least, that would leave people feeling respected. They would be pleased to dine with you.

However, Director Xu’s behavior made Nie Zhenbang stand up abruptly.

Upon witnessing this, Director Xu furrowed his brows and spoke in annoyance, “Old Yin, what is this? Why are you showing this kind of attitude? Undesirables are present everywhere. I won’t be dining here. I can’t afford it.”

As he finished saying this, Director Xu also stood up. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang spoke firmly, “Hold it.”

Gazing at Director Xu, Nie Zhenbang’s rage skyrocketed to an unprecedented level. Looking intently at Director Xu, he asserted, “What do you mean undesirables? Director Xu, could you please clarify? I, Nie Zhenbang, am the Wanghaishi Municipal Party Committee Deputy Secretary appointed by Central. I was elected Mayor of Wanghai City by two million citizens. How am I undesirable? Mayor Xu, please enlighten me so I can correct my mistakes.”

“Furthermore, saying you won’t eat at the last minute. What a splendid display of official power, Director Xu. You know the rules of the Asia-Europe Manor. If you ordered, you must pay. The one who should be leaving is me. You gave me a bit of color, and you’ve started acting like the king. Underneath the sky of Jingcheng, I, Nie Zhenbang, have never been afraid of anyone. Enjoy your meal; I won’t disturb you.”

Saying this, Nie Zhenbang pushed his chair away and walked out, turning to Liu Gaohua, An Guoyu, and others, saying, “Old Liu, let’s go. The gates of the Jingcheng government open upwards. We can’t afford to provoke them, but we surely can avoid them.”

As his words died away, Director Xu’s face turned dark with anger. As the deputy director of the Development and Reform Commission, overseeing the Department of Infrastructure, Key Projects Department, and other critical divisions, Director Xu had never met anyone like Nie Zhenbang. Local officials generally revered him. He had never encountered this kind of situation before. Consequently, Director Xu’s expression grew even darker as he thought about Nie Zhenbang’s outrageous behavior. However, he did not consider his own actions, that he was overly arrogant and haughty, acting as though he was superior to others. Just a mere dinner, Nie Zhenbang wouldn’t care about. He wouldn’t risk offending a senior official from the Development and Reform Commission for it. After all, Nie Zhenbang would need support in many things in the future. Having an enemy over a single meal is just not worth it.

“Minister Yin, what does this mean? Are you trying to embarrass me? Alright, this is fine. If you manage to get the Wangtian Highway project this time, I will write my surname Xu upside-down.” Director Xu’s tone was threatening.

Nie Zhenbang sneered and said deeply, “Director Xu, I, Nie Zhenbang, don’t scare easily. The Development and Reform Commission is not owned by your family. I’ll tell you this clearly, I, Nie Zhenbang, have set my eye on the Wangtian Highway project.”

“What? I just climbed the stairs, and I heard Third Brother’s voice. What wind blew you to my humble place?” Yun Zhiguang came over with a smile on his face.

PS: Finally got some free time this evening, here’s a new chapter, I will be watching the game later, so the next one will be in the afternoon. Please support with monthly votes. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation vote or monthly vote. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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