Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

Ningzhou Municipal Government, Conference Room 1.

A special meeting on "Promoting the City's Fourth Quarter Economic Work" is being held. The atmosphere is somewhat somber, much like the gloomy weather outside the window.

Mayor Lu Chen listened with a furrowed brow to the reports from the heads of various districts and counties. The unoriginal and clichéd PPTs made his temples throb.

It was the High-tech Zone's turn to speak.

Liu Ming stood up. He was dressed exceptionally formally today, in a dark gray suit, a white shirt, and even a dark blue tie, making him appear composed and capable.

He did not go to the podium, nor did he open the PowerPoint presentation that he had prepared in advance.

He walked to the center of the conference room carrying only a thin notebook.

"Mayor Lu, distinguished leaders, good afternoon."

His voice wasn't loud, but it instantly drew everyone's attention.

"I won't read from the script, I'll just say three numbers."

He held up three fingers.

"The first number is 10 billion. This is the total investment of Braun Group in the High-tech Zone. Currently, all the funds have been in place, and the factory construction is 30% complete."

"The second number is 572. This is the number of newly registered enterprises in the High-tech Zone this quarter, representing a year-on-year increase of 300%. Among them, high-tech enterprises account for more than 60%."

"The third number is zero."

Liu Ming paused, her gaze sharp as she scanned the entire room.

"This is the number of complaints received by the High-tech Zone Management Committee this quarter due to issues such as 'extortion, bribery, and shirking responsibility'."

Three numbers, not a single unnecessary word.

But it was like three resounding slaps to the faces of those district and county leaders who were still reading from their prepared speeches and reporting only good news.

Lu Chen's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed. He looked at his junior brother, who always brought surprises, and his admiration was undisguised.

"Great! Well said!" Lu Chen led the applause. "The experience of the High-tech Zone is worth learning from! This pragmatic approach of letting data and facts speak for themselves is exactly what we need!"

Liu Ming nodded slightly, but did not become proud because of it. His gaze passed over the crowd and landed on the beautiful figure sitting not far from Lu Chen.

Xi Wanqing.

She also attended the meeting today. As the newly appointed vice mayor, according to the division of responsibilities, she happens to be in charge of the city's science and technology, education, and... investment promotion.

In other words, Liu Ming, the top official of the high-tech zone, nominally became her "subordinate".

At this moment, she sat upright, holding a pen in her hand, seemingly taking notes seriously, her icy face revealing no emotion.

But only Liu Ming knew what a magnificent heart lay hidden beneath that calm surface of ice.

"Now," Liu-Ming turned around, facing Xi Wanqing, and bowed slightly. The posture was both a subordinate's respect for a superior and carried a tacit understanding that only the two of them understood. "On behalf of the High-tech Zone Management Committee, I would like to report to Vice Mayor Xi Wanqing, the municipal leader in charge, on our next work plan."

All eyes in the room instantly turned to these two excessively young and attractive leaders.

One is a rising superstar in Ningzhou's political arena, with a mysterious background and ruthless methods.

One is a high-achieving woman who was parachuted into the capital, possessing unparalleled beauty and a ruthless approach.

These two together are an absolute game-changer!

"Mayor Xi, regarding the second phase of the 'Smart Ningzhou' project, we have encountered some policy bottlenecks, mainly in..."

Liu Ming began her work report, speaking slowly and clearly.

Xi Wanqing also put down her pen, looked up, and listened attentively. She would occasionally interrupt Liu Ming, asking a few extremely professional and incisive questions.

"I'll coordinate with the Municipal Planning Bureau regarding the issue of changing the land use designation."

"The subsidy policy for attracting talent could be even more generous. I'll go talk to the Finance Bureau about it."

"And the offshore data center concept you mentioned is very forward-thinking, but it involves national security review, which I need to report to the provincial level or even higher."

The two exchanged questions and answers.

Their coordination was seamless, their tacit understanding as if they had rehearsed it a thousand times.

They were talking about billions of dollars in investment, tens of thousands of jobs, and the development blueprint for the entire Ningzhou city over the next ten years.

To outsiders, however, this hardly looked like a work report.

This is clearly a young couple discussing how to decorate their new house!

The exchange of glances, the curve of their lips, the occasional knowing smile...

The air was filled with a faint, cloying, sour smell of love.

Those single cadres sitting below felt like they had been hit by tons of critical damage.

Damn it, I have to be forced to eat dog food during a meeting?

Is there no law anymore?

That concludes the report.

"Very good." Xi Wanqing nodded, a formulaic smile of approval on her face, but the gentle appreciation deep in her eyes could not be hidden.

"Director Liu's plan is very detailed and pragmatic. I agree with it in principle. As for the specific details, come to my office after the meeting, and we can discuss them in more detail separately."

She emphasized the pronunciation of the words "alone" and "in-depth".

From the audience, another wave of heartbreak swept through the room.

Should we discuss this separately?

Further discussion?

What are we discussing? Life ideals or poetry and literature?

……

The meeting ended at dusk.

In the corridor of the city government building, the afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of the two people.

"Well done, Mayor Xi."

Liu Ming followed half a step behind Xi Wanqing and teased her in a low voice.

"What do you mean by 'acting'?" Xi Wanqing rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but smile. "That was just normal work communication. But you, Director Liu, are getting more and more arrogant these days, daring to disregard even the mayor's face?"

"I was just stating the facts," Liu Ming smiled. "Besides, isn't that my senior brother? We're family, why be so polite?"

"Virtue".

Xi Wanqing stopped and turned to look at him, her clear, cool eyes filled with a gentle smile.

"Let's go, Liu, the great hero."

"Today, it's my treat."

"To celebrate our 'Condor Heroes' couple officially joining forces in Ningzhou."

Under the setting sun, two figures walked side by side.

One is as steady as a mountain, the other as serene as the moon.

Yet they are so harmonious, as if they were originally one.

From then on, a legend began to circulate in Ningzhou's political circles: Never offend Liu Ming of the High-tech Zone or Xi Wanqing of the Municipal Government. Because if you offend one, it's the same as offending two.

Those two were ruthless and fiercely protective of their own.

Over time, people gave this inseparable and perfectly coordinated political golden couple a catchy and fitting nickname.

—"The Return of the Condor Heroes".

However, this "eagle" is a bit too big.

This "chivalrous couple" really went a bit too far.