Qi Tongwei at the start: Not relying on Liang Lu, but winning by a single move against Heaven.

Having figured out the crux of the problem, Qi Tongwei was not angry; instead, he felt somewhat relieved.

No one is a saint; it's normal to have selfish desires.

Having spent half his life in officialdom, he understood Qin Xuefeng's situation very well.

Political achievements are like a cake; if you take a bigger bite, someone else takes a smaller bite.

If he were Qin Xuefeng, he would also worry: if they take advantage of the situation and then leave, how will the next leadership team manage?

Furthermore, he already has enough achievements to show for himself; adding another would only be icing on the cake and wouldn't be enough to get him promoted three ranks.

After a moment's thought, Qi Tongwei had an idea, and he got up again and walked towards Qin Xuefeng's office.

When Qin Xuefeng saw him arrive, he assumed that he was going to continue talking about Gao Yangdai.

He frowned slightly, about to speak, but Qi Tongwei spoke first.

"Secretary Qin, do you have any plans for tonight? If not, how about we grab a drink?"

Invite him for drinks? Qin Xuefeng was taken aback, somewhat surprised.

Qi Tongwei didn't give him a chance to refuse and continued to speak with a smile.

"I've been in Leishan for almost half a year, and I haven't had a meal alone with you yet... Could you give me a chance?"

Qin Xuefeng initially wanted to refuse, but then he thought about how Qi Tongwei was about to be promoted.

Since they would have to meet again in the future, it wouldn't be right to refuse, so they nodded in agreement.

"I don't have any plans for tonight, so I'll have the kitchen prepare a few dishes and we can chat."

The so-called "small kitchen" was actually an internal secret of Leishan.

Important receptions for leaders are all arranged here; it offers good privacy and is easy to reimburse.

Since it's just the two of them eating, there's no need for extravagance; just four dishes.

Hand-pulled mutton, braised beef with potatoes, cold onion salad, and a bowl of soup with rice.

This time, instead of drinking Xiao Lao Jiao, Qi Tongwei specifically asked the kitchen for a bottle of Moutai.

He inquired about Qin Xuefeng's preferences: he only smoked Zhonghua cigarettes starting with the number 3 and only drank Moutai liquor.

"The dishes are all served," Qi Tongwei said as he served Qin Xuefeng soup and rice.

"I'm actually quite embarrassed."

"This is the first time I've had a meal with you alone since I came to Leishan."

Qin Xuefeng lit a cigarette, looked at Qi Tongwei, and felt a pang of emotion.

He had always had mixed feelings about Qi Tongwei.

Qi Tongwei was an outsider appointed to the position, and he had the backing of his superiors, so he harbored some resentment towards him.

However, in the past six months, Qi Tongwei has devoted himself to his work and accomplished a lot of practical things, which has earned Qi Tongwei some admiration and respect.

Qin Xuefeng took the soup and rice and replied sincerely.

"Yes, I'm always at drinking parties, but this is the first time I've drunk alone."

"Thank you for your hard work during this time."

After the two finished a bowl of soup and rice, Qi Tongwei began to pour them wine.

"Secretary, we'll only have one bottle today. You usually have a lot of social engagements, you need to take care of your health..."

He filled the glass with wine, raised it with both hands, and looked at Qin Xuefeng with sincere eyes.

"This first toast is to you. Thank you for your support of my work."

"I'll finish it, please have as much as you like."

After saying that, he bowed slightly and clinked glasses with Qin Xuefeng.

When they clinked glasses, he deliberately lowered his head slightly, adopting a very humble posture.

After downing a glass of wine, Qin Xuefeng smiled and looked at Qi Tongwei, waiting for him to continue.

He had already prepared his explanation, ready to stick to his guns.

But to his surprise, Qi Tongwei took an unconventional approach, and his very first words left him speechless.

"Secretary, I think I'll be leaving soon."

Qin Xuefeng was stunned, staring at Qi Tongwei, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

Is this something you can say openly in public?

But the surprise was yet to come; Qi Tongwei's second sentence left him even more bewildered.

"I thought about it again this afternoon, and pushing up the price of sheep loans is indeed not appropriate."

"The breeding sheep may not be able to adapt to the environment of Leishan, and the risk is indeed quite high."

"Furthermore, the herders may not accept the new model and may not cooperate..."

After listening to Qi Tongwei's words, Qin Xuefeng remained silent for a long time.

He had thought that Qi Tongwei would take the opportunity to persuade him, to appeal to his emotions and reason.

But Qi Tongwei cut off his own arm by rejecting the industry support plan. How can he continue the discussion?

Should we follow Qi Tongwei's lead and collectively reject industrial support?

After that, he was promoting industrial support, but then he ended up contradicting himself.

After thinking it over, Qin Xuefeng put down his wine glass, glanced at Qi Tongwei, and slowly spoke.

"Tongwei, the general direction of industry support is correct. It's just that the timing isn't quite right..."

Qi Tongwei nodded and immediately took over the conversation.

"You're right, the timing isn't right and the risks are uncontrollable."

He paused slightly, looked at Qin Xuefeng, and continued.

"Secretary, I have a preliminary idea, could you please give me your opinion?"

"We won't provide industrial support. Under the guise of poverty alleviation, we'll select two or three herding households..."

Send three to five pairs of breeding sheep over there and let them raise them for a year to see how it goes. What do you think?

Qin Xuefeng was stunned again after hearing this.

He gave Qi Tongwei a deep look, feeling somewhat uneasy.

After hearing Qi Tongwei's idea, he immediately understood it and got to the bottom of it.

Qi Tongwei had no ulterior motives; he was playing his cards right in front of me.

In summary, it can be summed up in one sentence.

I'm leaving now. I'll conduct an experiment in Leishan, and leave the results and achievements to Leishan.

Qin Xuefeng sighed, picked up his wine glass, and clinked it with Qi Tongwei's.

He wanted to say something, but his mouth felt dry and he couldn't open it.

Seeing that Qin Xuefeng remained silent, Qi Tongwei smiled and continued.

"I've already thought of someone, my new partner is Brother Yunus. What do you think?"

After Alim was arrested, Qi Tongwei was also assigned a new partner, a herdsman named Yunus.

This person has raised a lot of sheep in Dongweizi and is experienced; he is indeed a suitable candidate.

Qin Xuefeng nodded and downed the drink in his glass in one gulp.

The spicy liquor burned as it went down my throat, all the way to my stomach.

He exhaled a breath reeking of alcohol and said in a deep voice.

"Tongwei, on behalf of the people of Leishan, thank you."

The drinking session ended just past nine o'clock, and only one bottle of alcohol was consumed.

For some reason, Qin Xuefeng, who usually had a good alcohol tolerance, actually got a little drunk.

Perhaps this is what they mean by "the wine doesn't intoxicate, the person intoxicates themselves."

After seeing Qin Xuefeng off, Qi Tongwei did not return to the guesthouse.

He was in a good mood after the issue of industrial support was resolved.

He hadn't had a long phone conversation with Zhong Xiaoai for several days, so he went back to his office and started talking on the phone for a while.

When the call connected and he heard Zhong Xiaoai's voice, Qi Tongwei couldn't help but smile slightly.

Initially, his purpose in pursuing Zhong Xiaoai was quite clear: to take advantage of her influence.

But as their relationship deepened...

Qi Tongwei discovered that Zhong Xiaoai had become a source of comfort.

Zhong Xiaoai will soon be on summer vacation, and the two of them are very excited about seeing each other again.

On the phone, Qi Tongwei and Zhong Xiaoai chatted for a long time, and Qi Tongwei gradually relaxed.

But he didn't know that although the industrial support issue had been resolved...

The chemical reaction in Leishan's political arena has only just begun, and an even more severe test is on the horizon.

And Qi Tongwei is about to receive a new title: Master Bai...

---------

Dear readers, I'm shamelessly asking for some positive reviews, thank you so much...