In name only: The land of Handong, I shall rule its fate.

Heavy breathing sounds filled the air.

It wasn't Ma Xingkui, but Bao Wenbin. He dreamed of becoming a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, but his only fellow sufferer was helped by his old leader.

I'm afraid my brother is suffering, but I'm also afraid he's driving a Land Rover.

Why!

He shouldn't have such a good opportunity!

Secretary Liao, Xiao Bao is fine too! Look back, Xiao Bao has always been here.

"What about an uncertain path?"

Ma Xingkui's hands trembled slightly. He was tempted, but reason told him to stay calm!

Secretary Liao was willing to give him a hand, but the old leader didn't have much time left and didn't have time to continue supporting him.

Standing Committee member and vice governor—that was his final destination.

"Make up for your weaknesses."

Lin Zhiyuan spoke calmly, "You're like a one-legged giant right now; your performance in urban construction is terrible."

"Any organizational cadre who can go far should not have any obvious shortcomings."

"That would send a signal that you are not mature enough."

Ma Xingkui wanted to refute, but couldn't find the words.

"But I don't understand!"

Ma Xingkui lowered his head.

"You are the vice governor in charge, not a front-line engineer. Rather than knowing the project yourself, what you should do is assign someone who understands the project to do this."

Lin Zhiyuan explained, "I oversee the economic development of the entire province. Do you think I understand everything? Take the internet platform and new energy vehicle technology that Jingzhou is building, for example. If I spent a few months learning them, I might become an excellent professional, but I am not, and I don't have that much time to learn these technical principles."

"Therefore, I will only assign people below me to take the lead and supervise. The people who will actually do the work will not be Secretary Dakang and Vice Mayor Fang Wu, but the frontline workers under them who are obedient to orders and capable of winning battles."

"Comrade Xingkui, I prefer to call you Professor Ma rather than Governor."

"But our job is not to personally engage in research, but to break down research projects and hand them over to the right people to do them."

"You still haven't transitioned out of your academic mindset."

Ma Xingkui nodded silently; this was indeed his problem.

It's been a habit for decades.

He always felt a strong sense of unease about work that wasn't done by him, which resulted in his workload being several times that of a vice-governor at the same level.

"Go down to the streets more often."

"Spending time with comrades like Fang Wu and Yuan Liang will give you different insights."

"I will also call the inspection team and communicate with Team Leader Xu and others as appropriate."

"Once you've addressed your weaknesses, and given your outstanding achievements in other areas of work, you can then try to secure the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Land and Resources."

"My job title will not change."

"But the importance of your position can greatly extend your political career."

Lin Zhiyuan's words were like the sun breaking through the clouds, instantly dispelling the confusion before them.

"Director Lin, but what about my organizational affiliation..."

Ma Xingkui asked the most important question.

"That's not the difficult part."

Lin Zhiyuan shook his head. "The higher-level United Front Work Department intends to increase the selection and use of representatives from outside the organization starting next year, and to fulfill personnel arrangements. Moreover, the higher-level department also needs the senior officials of the ministry to have strong professional capabilities, rather than just laymen instructing experts."

"But once you make your choice, you have to wait one or two years. The Two Sessions will not be held until the year after next."

"If you want to move it up, it'll be a bit difficult."

Lin Zhiyuan laid out all the pros and cons, then looked at the other person's face, waiting for a reply.

"I…"

Ma Xingkui frowned, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, but he finally nodded firmly. "Executive Director Lin, I want to choose the second path, even if it doesn't work out."

"A life where you can see the end from the beginning."

"I've lived for decades, and I want to give it my all again."

Lin Zhiyuan nodded, offering no further dissuasion. Perhaps this was the path he had originally intended for Ma Xingkui to choose. "Since you've made your choice, go back and work on filling in the gaps. Don't let external people and events affect your work and mindset."

"I replied directly to Secretary Liao."

Ok!

After thanking him, Ma Xingkui stood up and walked briskly out of the office.

"Comrade Wenbin, do you also want to advance your career?"

Lin Zhiyuan looked at the remaining chubby little white boy.

"yes!"

When Bao Wenbin was alone with his opponent, he no longer had the confidence to stir up trouble from the sidelines, and he kept his head down.

Or rather, he lowered his head when Lin Zhiyuan told Ma Xingkui not to be influenced by the outside world.

Hey!

I am unworthy of the title, but I am the number one criminal.

"snort!"

Lin Zhiyuan's attitude towards Bao Wenbin, this troublesome fellow, was not so kind.

This guy has more cunning than Fang, Ma, Qiu, and Lu combined.

Of course, I'm referring to scheming outside of work.

Why did he get along well with Lu Yangshan? Was it because they were sticking together for mutual support? Why did he hang out with Ma Xingkui? Because the latter was skilled in agronomy, which meant he could conveniently take care of a third of Lu Yangshan's job.

If you say he's capable, his work is utterly unremarkable; if you say he's incapable, he managed to coax Ma Xingkui into a state of utter innocence, full of energy.

Even if you do someone else's work perfectly, you should still thank them.

Because Bao Wenbin gave him a chance to put his skills to use, it was like turning the world upside down.

"Executive Director Lin, this...that..."

Bao Wenbin was well aware that the provincial government leader didn't like him much, but people's opinions can change.

He was very confident, "I don't necessarily want to improve, I just want something to look forward to. Work is so tiring, you have to find a goal to stick to in life."

"I really just want to transform into a better organizational leader."

"Director Lin, please give me this chance."

Bao Wenbin's voice was weak, but it contained a powerful force that seemed to be crying out to the heavens and earth.

"Alright, alright!"

Lin Zhiyuan felt a headache coming on and quickly told them to stop.

"First, do your own work, but don't act recklessly. Comrade Xingkui has done a good job in terms of the red line for arable land and ecological governance. Don't change policies just because you changed the leader."

"Second, we will coordinate the main water diversion project from the Hanbei River to the north, promote the dredging of cascade water supply channels and the reinforcement of dikes, enhance the water storage and flood discharge capacity during the flood season, ensure that the water quality at national monitoring sections meets standards, and safeguard the bottom line of water source security in the Hanbei irrigation area;"

"Third, you also know about the pollution of Crescent Lake."

One of the major sources of pollution is rural sewage. We need to assist the three relevant cities ("the three idiots of Crescent Lake," *cough*) in their pollution control efforts, and at the same time, gradually extend and expand sewage pipes into rural areas to achieve a comprehensive ecological upgrade of rural areas.

"Fourth, we will investigate the long-term management and maintenance of rural ecological rivers and small irrigation areas, promote the implementation of water conservancy project property rights reform, advance the integration of urban and rural water supply and the improvement of rural drinking water safety, and promote water conservancy management and maintenance in conjunction with the improvement of rural living environment."

Fifth, this is also your most important job.

Simultaneously overseeing rural revitalization and rural living environment improvement, establishing a collaborative mechanism between agricultural water projects and rural construction, and forming a practical approach to integrated urban and rural infrastructure.

Simply put, it means bringing the integrated thinking of urban planning and infrastructure to the agricultural and water conservancy sector, creating an integrated urban-rural infrastructure coordination mechanism.

"Building on the previous steps, we will establish a monthly joint consultation mechanism for agriculture and rural affairs, water conservancy, and ecological environment to solve the problems of multiple departments being responsible for each other and projects being fragmented, and to form a simplified process for the overall approval and fund integration of agricultural and water-related projects across the province."

"Let the higher-ups see your business capabilities in coordinating agriculture, rural areas, and farmers; water conservancy; and ecology."

Lin Zhiyuan blurted it all out.

"Executive Director Lin, what's the target?"

Bao Wenbin asked, bewildered.