Chapter 523: Chapter 494: Collusion
Xu Chunliang told Mei Ru Xue not to worry about him, as he had a backup plan.
At that moment, someone knocked at the door outside. Xu Chunliang ended his call with Mei Ru Xue, blowing her a kiss from afar as he bid farewell, which elicited a playful complaint from Mei Ru Xue. This guy was getting better at flirting.
Mo Han pushed the door open and walked in, catching a glimpse of the lingering suggestiveness on Xu Chunliang’s face.
"Did I interrupt you?"
Xu Chunliang shook his head. Mo Han’s appearance on Weishan Island at this time was certainly not without reason. No need to ask, she must have caught wind of something. Thinking about her past actions, it would actually be strange if she didn’t get involved now.
Xu Chunliang said, "Please take a seat. It’s the holiday season; what attracted you to this backwater of ours?"
Mo Han said, "I heard our old friend got promoted, so I came especially to offer my congratulations."
"You’re too formal. I’m not some high-ranking official. No need for you to cross mountains and waters to congratulate me. I can’t handle such deep sentiment," Xu Chunliang was well aware of her intentions.
Mo Han looked around, "Impressive, Mei Ru Xue just left and you’re already here to take over, even inheriting the office."
Xu Chunliang blinked, "Aren’t you insulting me? Let me tell you, don’t spout nonsense here. My assignment here is arranged by higher-ups, and it has nothing to do with Mei Ru Xue."
Mo Han said, "Fine, you’re capable. Whatever you say goes."
Xu Chunliang said grumpily, "Can we have a normal conversation during the holiday season? If you keep this sarcastic tone, do you still want to be friends with me?"
Mo Han said, "Are you really planning to have Liu Xiliang sent in?"
Xu Chunliang said, "What do you mean by me sending him in? He broke Ding Si’s nose. It’s Ding Si’s problem with him. I have no interest in wasting time on those two idiots."
Mo Han said, "Did Liu Xiliang really break Ding Si’s nose?"
"What else?"
"With Ding Si’s physique, if he wanted to fight, Liu Xiliang wouldn’t even get close to him. You must have planned it, deliberately provoking the two brothers to make them fight."
Xu Chunliang laughed, "Am I that scheming in your mind?"
Mo Han nodded, "Maybe you were the one who broke Ding Si’s nose." She hit the nail on the head, and Xu Chunliang had to admit, this girl really understood him.
"Mo Han, if you keep slandering me, I’ll sue you for defamation. Be careful, or I’ll make sure you end up inside with Liu Xiliang as company."
"A mere deputy town head, such mighty bureaucratic power you have."
"Haven’t you heard the saying, ’a current government officer is not as effective as a local one’? In Hu Shan Town, on this patch of land, you better show me some respect, or else... hehe..." Xu Chunliang smiled with a sneaky look.
"Or else what? What can you do, huh?" When a woman tells you ’what can you do,’ it’s usually an encouragement to be bolder, to take a bigger step, but the more she says that, the more cautious you must be. There could very well be a trap. If you’re not careful, you might easily end up with a twisted back or worse.
Xu Chunliang unscrewed his thermos cup and took a big gulp of tea, "We’re all in the same boat here. Wasn’t it you who orchestrated the consumer rights protest against Da Heng before the New Year?"
"Do you have any proof?"
Xu Chunliang said, "Talking about proof with you is like reasoning with a rogue."
"You’re the rogue!" Mo Han glared at him fiercely.
Xu Chunliang said, "During the holiday season, peace is precious. Tell me, what do you really want?"
Mo Han bantered with him for a while, then got down to business and briefly described her recent meeting with Liu Ximing.
Xu Chunliang said, "You want to use Liu Ximing against Da Heng, that’s none of my business. I’m not getting involved in your commercial competition." In his view, the commercial competition between Equatorial Capital and Da Heng was like a boxing match, with him playing the role of the referee. When does the referee enter the ring himself? Of course, he wouldn’t mind helping with a biased call or two.
Mo Han said, "You know about the debt crisis at Huayuan Group, right? Da Heng’s current situation is even worse than Huayuan’s."
Xu Chunliang believed she wasn’t lying on this point, and couldn’t help but curse, "Those shameless bastards. What kind of development can they do with no money? They’re up to their ears in debt and coming here to act like big shots."
Mo Han said, "In recent years, this is how real estate developers in this country operate. They bid for the land, get bank loans, and even before the houses are built, they create blueprints and sample houses to deceive the public into paying. You can’t really blame them. If you hadn’t left Changxing, that model area you were working on was just a pie in the sky, also planning to scam the elderly’s money."
Xu Chunliang felt a bit embarrassed by her words and defended himself, "I’m just an employee; you can’t blame me for this."
Mo Han said, "Stop making excuses for yourself. In an avalanche, no single snowflake is innocent."
Xu Chunliang said, "To be fair, as long as I’m working in Hu Shan Town, I can’t just watch them act recklessly. I need to protect the interests of the people."
Mo Han clicked her tongue in amazement, "I must say, you’ve only been in office a few days and you’re already getting involved. Not to rain on your parade, but your position is too small. Even though you’ve achieved a minor victory, it’s only temporary. You won’t be able to touch Hua Nian or Da Heng, unless someone collaborates with you."
Xu Chunliang smiled at Mo Han, "Are you suggesting the two of us join forces?"
Mo Han nodded, "Consider it."
"Wouldn’t us joining forces be a classic case of collusion between government and business?"
Mo Han’s face blushed. Collusion between government and business sounded dubious, but he had to put it in such an intimate context, making it sound quite awkward.
Mo Han said, "Other people team up for profit, but we join forces to uphold justice. To be honest, President Luan plans to take down Da Heng. The Yiyang Hot Spring Town project on Weishan Island is the breakthrough. Currently, the situation is very unfavorable for Da Heng. Just a little push from us, and Da Heng will soon fall into trouble."
Xu Chunliang got up and went to the window. It was still the holiday season, and the yard was empty and quiet. The current peace was only temporary; it wouldn’t take long for a smoke-free war to erupt on Weishan Island.
Xu Chunliang said, "Our government’s task is to supervise them, guide them to better complete the project, and fulfill their initial promises—not to push them into the abyss."
Mo Han said, "Someone has to fall into the abyss. Da Heng has been rotten for a long time. Whether you push them or not, Da Heng is going down. Don’t worry about Da Heng’s collapse; Equatorial Capital will take over their project. We have the financial strength to complete the Hot Spring Town."
Xu Chunliang asked curiously, "How deep is your grudge against Da Heng?"
"That’s none of your business."
Xu Chunliang said, "Having Liu Xiliang take out the compensation to establish a protective fund—seems like that’s not enough money."
Mo Han said, "We will contribute some funds."
Xu Chunliang extended his hand to her. Mo Han knew he had already decided to cooperate with her; she always knew he wouldn’t refuse from the start. Mo Han placed her hand in his, and Xu Chunliang shook it gallantly before letting go. Her hand felt smooth as jade, with a nice texture.
Although Mo Han was indeed beautiful, Xu Chunliang was never swayed by her looks. She was not a kind person, and it was necessary to maintain a clear boundary with her.
Ding Si decided to let Liu Xiliang off, reasoning that Mrs. Jiang in heaven would not want her son to go to prison.
After regaining his freedom, Liu Xiliang immediately left Weishan Island with his elder brother. The two brothers needed to quickly arrange their parent’s funeral and let the two elders rest in peace. The lessons from this incident were profound enough, and the two brothers were belatedly struck by conscience.
As for Hua Nian, their construction site was already in a state of suspension. Since the town government asked for rectification, they were just putting on a show. As long as they could resume work smoothly after the fifteenth, it would be fine; after all, they still had enough buffer time.
Conversely, the impact on Da Heng was the greatest. Their plan to start work on the fourth day of the month was disrupted because of Xu Chunliang’s rectification notice. Their sales office had to remain closed, and the employees who were on duty could now continue to rest.
Li Fangliang, director of the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Office, personally led a team to the Da Heng sales office to investigate their previous false advertising and sales irregularities.
Liu Jiaqi had a tough time in the past few days. During the regional meeting in Dongzhou, she was publicly criticized by Zhang Hengyang. She realized that this incident might become the Waterloo of her career.
Although the matter of Jiang Ailian had a temporary resolution, its repercussions continued, with frequent reports about the incident appearing in major news outlets. Unlike before when the focus was on Hua Nian, the recent trend shifted quietly, focusing mainly on Da Heng.
——
Who is responsible for Mrs. Jiang’s death; chaos in the elderly care real estate market; conscience and responsibility; the past and present of Da Heng; bloody capital and social ethics...
One alarming headline after another discussed the Jiang Ailian suicide incident, which seemed to be spiraling out of control.
The leaders of Dongzhou also noticed the issue. Qin Zhengyang received a notification from his superiors, asking him to quickly take measures to quell public opinion—Dongzhou did not want to become the center of social attention because of this incident.
Handling this matter required sufficient wisdom. They needed to advocate for the people and prevent their interests from being harmed, while also controlling the public’s emotions to avoid excessive rights protection. Developers needed occasional reminders, but not too harshly; otherwise, they might doubt Dongzhou’s business environment and hesitate to invest.
Although being a leader sounds easy, it requires a strong sense of the bigger picture and the ability to balance interests. After receiving instructions from his superiors, Qin Zhengyang immediately went to Weishan Island.
An emergency meeting of the leadership team in Hu Shan Town was held on the fifth day of the month. Xu Chunliang, the newly appointed deputy mayor, wasn’t even a party member, and wasn’t supposed to attend, but Qin Zhengyang specifically named him—not out of respect, but because there was no way to avoid it.
Work has been busy these days; the second Chapter will be released in the afternoon.
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