Chapter 155 Indulgent Protection

I'm not against you, but you need to find something that suits your strengths... That stationery store Son mentioned... After thinking it over carefully, it might work too... Or perhaps you should tal...Chapter 155: Favoritism

After arranging for Su Cang's family, Cheng Ruiyuan returned to the Secretariat. Some people were whispering and looking in his direction.

The Secretary-General Guo Huai walked over with a solemn face, asking about today’s reception details. He then threw a pile of reports onto Cheng Ruiyuan's desk and said, "Old Cheng, your report needs to be rewritten from scratch. You need to have content that is uniquely yours; Mayor Zhou doesn't want something pieced together like this. It must be finished by this afternoon."

Even though it was obvious he was being difficult, Cheng Ruiyuan still respectfully accepted the task and said, "Then I’ll make some changes."

The rift between Cheng Ruiyuan and Guo Huai started when they both had their eyes on a girl named Yang Li in the municipal government office.

Back then, Guo Huai used all his tactics but was still outmaneuvered by Cheng Ruiyuan.

After marrying Yang Li, Guo Huai felt quite depressed for some time. The two had been rivals and were both young and headstrong back then; Cheng Ruiyuan had also said some inappropriate things publicly. Guo Huai was naturally petty, so he harbored a grudge against Cheng Ruiyuan from that point on. Later, as Guo Huai rose in the Secretariat, they both approached their forties, but Guo Huai successfully took over as Secretary-General with his former mayor’s “personal secretary” status after personnel changes left a vacancy.

From then on, Cheng Ruiyuan's troubles began. Every draft or report of his was returned for rework by Guo Huai. During meetings, there were usually pointed remarks directed at him, and sometimes it took five to six revisions before his speeches could barely pass.

In the latest Secretariat reshuffle, each mayor and vice-mayor in the city had a personal secretary assigned except for Cheng Ruiyuan who was treated like new recruits. This left Cheng Ruiyuan feeling extremely disheartened.

Before this adjustment, while working under an acting vice-mayor, he was already disliked by the mayor due to Guo Huai’s behind-the-scenes scheming and suppression; externally, it was described as him being somewhat dull-witted, unable to speak tactfully, slow on the uptake, or even somewhat immature. So which mayor would dare use someone like that

Cheng RuiNian's disappointment was inevitable. In fact, within the Secretariat, Cheng RuiNian was recognized as a very talented person. However, in an office environment like this, even with exceptional talent, one is often buried under piles of paperwork each day. A brilliantly written report may not necessarily be appreciated by superiors, who might just insist on revisions over and over again to demonstrate their authority. Then comes endless rounds of modifications.

Any piece of writing filled with brilliance goes through such a process and ends up mutilated beyond recognition, bearing the uniform style of formal speeches that put people to sleep.

In addition, Guo Huai had interacted with many officials over the years. Working under Mayor Yang Wanli, he became close friends with Xu ChangCheng, Zhou ZhaoFeng, and others, mingling within what was known as the "Iron Triangle," gaining insider knowledge, making him even more arrogant.

Due to these years of suppression, Cheng RuiNian no longer had his youthful vigor. Old classmates would say he had lost all his edge when they saw him. However, Guo Huai wasn't just targeting Cheng RuiNian; he exerted such control over the Secretariat that everyone except for Mayor Yang's top two secretaries was under his sway. As a result, long-term veterans with connections and capabilities had all left, while those like Cheng RuiNian who remained were unlikely to see any breakthrough.

Thus, there were numerous domestic squabbles at home as well, where his wife complained about how he seemed impressive working in the Secretariat but was actually "going nowhere," leading to many arguments between them over this.

This time, with Su Licheng taking office and requiring an experienced secretary, the Secretariat temporarily assigned Cheng RuiNian. Unable to glean any information from Cheng regarding Su Licheng's intentions, Guo Huai couldn't give Xu ChangCheng a satisfactory report, leaving him in low spirits and prone to picking on Cheng.

As he picked up his pen to rework the revised document, a sense of frustration welled up but was stifled. Reflecting upon today’s conversation with Su Licheng's son, Su Can, an unexplained impulse stirred within him.

He wasn't devoid of ambition, hoping for recognition from the newly arrived Vice Mayor Su and desiring that Su not suffer a similar fate to his former leaders—political setbacks leading them to leave abruptly, leaving him in turmoil. He yearned instead for progress towards greater heights, perhaps even reaching a position as one of the city's top officials.

Cheng RuiNian sighed wryly at this thought; who said he didn't have aspirations These dreams were no less impractical.

To start with, Su Licheng came to Huang City in charge of urban construction and the economy—two sectors that held significant power and influence. If he firmly grasped these responsibilities, Su would indeed wield considerable authority, differing from many nominal Vice Mayors who lacked real clout. As a temporary secretary borrowed from elsewhere, Guo Huai certainly wouldn’t let Cheng bask in glory by Su's side; at most two go-arounds, Guo would likely reassign him to another trivial task.

And then his life would be stifled, waiting for one opportunity after another to pass him by, waiting for the final argument with his wife to end in divorce. A living death.

*** He stayed at the municipal government hotel for two days. It wasn't about getting used to it or not; Su Cen remembered that he was once very particular about where he slept, but after rebirth, this weakness seemed to have mysteriously disappeared. Perhaps what rebirth brought him wasn’t just personality defects, but also improvements in his physical shortcomings.

These days, Su Licheng has been busy with meetings and social engagements due to being new on the job, yet he still managed to find time to walk around the municipal government compound's row houses with Su Cen and Zeng Ke to view their new residence.

Su Cen naturally wouldn't be staying here long-term. Zeng Ke might stay temporarily to take care of her father, but after a while she would likely shuttle between Chengdu and Huang City for business purposes; the business in Chengdu still needed to continue, and Zeng Ke also planned on obtaining the agency rights for Huang City. This was no issue for Su Cen; just one phone call to Zhao Mingnong could make his mother the biggest agent here.

The row houses were being cleaned and prepared by staff; new furniture and appliances were being arranged at high speed. The car that Su Licheng was allocated, a 2000 model Mondeo, was currently undergoing maintenance at the factory and would likely be ready to pick up tomorrow. For these few days, Su Licheng has been traveling in the same vehicle as Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee Li Yinliang.

Walking through the charming gardens within the compound, Su Licheng, Li Yinliang, and several other city officials were chatting ahead, while Zeng Ke was chatting with Li's wife. Some other female companions and more city officials trailed behind, making up a total of around ten people moving at an unhurried pace.

Su Cen and Li Pengyu brought up the rear, experiencing firsthand what it felt like to be surrounded by attendants. Among them were women in their thirties and forties, with striking appearances who usually had fierce demeanors; they might have been formidable figures in official circles but now walked gently behind Li Yinliang and Su Licheng.

Others, normally stern-faced individuals whose expressions rarely changed due to the weight of office, were now actively searching their minds for humorous anecdotes, trying desperately to lighten the mood.

Su Cen felt a sense of unreality in this unfamiliar environment and situation. He didn't expect to stay here long; he had no grand ambitions for his father and didn't need him to accomplish some great national or public good that would be nationally renowned. All Su Cen wanted was for his father to smoothly carry out the duties of his vice-mayoral position.

Getting familiar with his father's work environment, playing around for a few days, then heading back to Chengdu—the place where he had friends and the girl with jet-black hair in a vertical ponytail who seemed to freeze time when she stood there.

No beautiful women to look at, no temper tantrums from the young master of officialdom, no displays of power and might as imagined, nor the intimidating presence that instills fear in all. Su Cen naturally felt bored.

Luckily, Li Pengyu had come along these past two days. They left the Audi A6 parked at the reception hotel's parking lot and didn't have time to go around Phoenix City to teach some disrespectful people a lesson. They even didn't think about strolling through Phoenix City’s streets but instead bought one pound of oysters, a dozen raw oysters, and a dozen scallops on the river street outside the hotel, drinking beer while experiencing the nightlife.

Li Pengyu, standing at 188 cm tall like an iron tower, stood out in the night beer stalls. But he was not merely a brutal giant; rather, this man from Nanjing's big courtyard and one of the top engineering graduates from PLA Engineering Institute had eyes that gleamed with intelligence, giving off a powerful air that couldn't be concealed. This intimidated nearby hoodlums who kept their distance from the two people at the beer stall, clearly recognizing them as untouchable figures.

When Su Licheng took office in Phoenix City, Su Cen received a call from Zhao Lizhen. It seemed like ages since he had dealt with Zhao Lizhen after he overthrew Liu Cheng; back then, Old Zhao was appointed the chief of Rongcheng Public Security Bureau by then Rongcheng Municipal Party Secretary Song Zaize. While in Chengdu, Su Cen didn't often see him, but knew that Zhao Lizhen's appointment as head of the Rongcheng Public Security Bureau greatly aided Wang Bo later on; reforms were made within the bureau with various merit-based promotions, leading to clear results in anti-crime efforts which received positive feedback from the public.

In this round of reshuffles within the police system, Zhao Lizhen was transferred to serve as the First Secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Department of Public Security and concurrently as Director. This move could be seen as paving the way for Wang Bo's promotion, acting as his right-hand man.

Although they didn't often meet face-to-face, there was always an unbreakable bond between them. When Su Licheng took up a position as vice-mayor of Phoenix City, Zhao Lizhen personally visited Su Cen’s home to present two bottles of his cherished 1973 red wine. Now that Su Cen had come to Phoenix City, Zhao Lizhen called him on the phone to greet him: "So you can't find fun during your vacation at Nanjing University and are willing to spend time with your father"

Zhao Lizhen was closely connected to Wang Bo and naturally knew much about Su Cen. Su Cen replied, "I'm exactly wondering what I should do next. Uncle Zhao, now that you've been promoted to Director, if I return to Chengdu, don't you owe me a meal"

"Why must you always think of mooching meals From what Boss Wang told me, your career is developing well in Shanghai. Hehe, sometimes you really do have some tricks up your sleeve. When we chat and boast with each other, we agree that we've seen many young men who can be easily read through but you continuously surprise us; you're an outlier."

"That sounds strange to me. You’re a high-ranking official now, yet still act like when you were in Xiahai," Su Cen felt affectionate hearing this from Zhao Lizhen, reminiscent of the time when Zhao Lizhen was merely an ordinary police officer who would buy a steamed bun for him on their way to school and wave goodbye.

"That's right. What do we have between us It’s revolutionary friendship forged through trials by fire," came Zhao Lizhen's hearty laughter from the other end of the line, "Working in public security for long makes one serious; I really fear that my old bones can't keep up with you young bucks anymore. Alright then, enjoy your time in Phoenix City with your father. You're a top student at Nanjing University; in two years, who knows whether you’ll still want to stay in Chengdu If there are any disrespectful people within your father's jurisdiction, just know that Zhao Lizhen has a short fuse and doesn’t like seeing others getting away with anything."tonous repetition and new things constantly emerging.For instance, her brother Lin Zouwu used to be passionate about street dance and even vowed to participate in the Korean HIPHOP Cup. Now, he was ju...