In officialdom: After she left, I rose rapidly through the ranks!

Secretary Zhao knew exactly what Deputy Secretary Wang was thinking, but Deputy Secretary Wang was his confidant, and making Deputy Secretary Wang the county head was the result he wanted to see.

Sun Yikun is new here, so he will definitely send some trustworthy subordinates to help. But how many can he send? In the end, he still has to rely on the local people of Oasis City to do the work and keep things in order.

Secretary Zhao knew very well that as long as he clung tightly to Secretary Sun's coattails at this moment, his future would be bright.

"Old Wang, I know what you're thinking, but it's a bit too early to think about these things now."

"Secretary Sun just took office today. Let him have some time to familiarize himself with the situation. It's impossible for him to make a move against Li Feitu as soon as he arrives here."

"Inappropriate."

"But don't worry, after Li Feitu falls, the position of county magistrate of Linchuan County will definitely be yours."

Hearing Secretary Zhao's personal promise, Deputy Secretary Wang felt reassured.

"Thank you, Secretary. Don't worry, even if I become the county party secretary someday, you will still be my leader. I will follow your orders and do whatever you say. I will never let you down."

By the time Wang became the deputy secretary, he was already the third-highest-ranking official in the county party committee.

With just one step, one can become a leading cadre at the level of a full-fledged department head. Once he becomes the county head, although Zhao Mingyuan is still the county party secretary, they are now on equal footing in terms of rank. Even if he is still the deputy secretary of the county party committee and Zhao's subordinate, in reality, the county head is the head of the government and has the qualifications to challenge the secretary.

However, Deputy Secretary Wang knew very well that even if he became the county head, he would never be a match for Secretary Zhao.

Besides, he didn't need to become Secretary Zhao's opponent.

The newly appointed municipal party secretary is now Secretary Zhao's backer, which is Secretary Zhao's greatest asset and one of the reasons why Deputy Secretary Wang must obediently follow his orders.

Secretary Zhao didn't say much, but patted Deputy Secretary Wang on the shoulder, smiled, and said, "Old Wang, do you know what I like most about you?"

"It means being obedient and knowing what's important."

"Alright, it's almost time. I should head to the city for a meeting. Just stay here in the county and wait. What's meant to be yours will be yours; it won't run away."

Upon hearing this, Deputy Secretary Wang quickly picked up Secretary Zhao's briefcase from the side and said with a smile, "Yes, Secretary, I'll be waiting for you at home."

"By the way, Secretary, this time, the main leaders of the Municipal Party Committee have changed. Next, there should be a significant adjustment in the municipal leadership. You are definitely on the new secretary's assessment list. After all, whether based on close relationship or your qualifications and experience, you have already met the requirements for deputy director level."

"I think you are very likely to be appointed as a member of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee."

These words struck a chord with Secretary Zhao, bringing a smile to his face.

This is naturally the best outcome.

As the secretary of the Linchuan County Party Committee, he was directly promoted to a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee. This may seem like just one step forward, but in reality, it was more than one step forward.

The Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, the highest decision-making body of Oasis City, has only so many members, but how many deputy-department-level cadres are there in the entire Oasis City?

There are so many deputy-department-level officials in the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. They seem to have more power than county party secretaries who are at the division level, but what about their actual power? There's no comparison between them.

Even the deputy mayors of the municipal government, unless they are directly promoted to the standing committee, all other deputy mayors have to wait several years before they can become members of the standing committee. How many years has it taken for them to do this?

How much time and so much work has been wasted?

However, as long as Secretary Zhao can directly enter the Standing Committee, even if he is ranked last, his status within the Party in the entire Oasis City will instantly rise, and his future development potential and the time saved will be greater and more significant.

Secretary Zhao patted Deputy Secretary Wang on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Old Wang, whether or not you can join the Standing Committee is up to the organization. Although I, Zhao Mingyuan, believe that my abilities and qualifications are second to none, the specific arrangements still depend on the organization."

"Whether I become a member of the Standing Committee, a vice mayor, or remain in the same position, I will not have any complaints. Everything is for the sake of the work, and everything is for the sake of serving the people."

That's quite a boastful statement.

Deputy Secretary Wang also joined in with flattery.

Afterwards, Secretary Zhao, accompanied by Deputy Secretary Wang, went downstairs.

Even after Secretary Zhao got into the car and left, Deputy Secretary Wang's smile couldn't be stopped.

The position of county head is secure; that's what Deputy Secretary Wang is convinced of.

However, before everything was settled, Deputy Secretary Wang dared not do anything more, so everything proceeded according to the normal work schedule.

As time went by, and the Oasis City Leadership Conference was about to be held, the Oasis City Party Committee gathered all the powerful leaders in the entire Oasis.

All members of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee, the vice chairmen of the Municipal People's Congress, the vice mayors of the Municipal Government, the vice chairmen of the Municipal CPPCC, and other department-level cadres of Oasis City have arrived.

The top party and government officials of each county and district, the executive deputy heads of each department of the municipal party committee, the party and government leaders of each municipal unit, including the heads of major central and state-owned enterprises stationed in Oasis City, the secretaries and principals of various schools, etc., all arrived on time.

Standing downstairs in the Oasis Municipal Party Committee compound, Li Feitu greeted some familiar faces, but instead of immediately going upstairs to the conference room, he stood in the courtyard smoking.

Twenty minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin, Zhao Mingyuan's car arrived.

Looking at Li Feitu standing downstairs smoking, Secretary Zhao's eyes revealed a hint of a smile.

Does Li Feitu smoke?

He really didn't know much about this, after all, he had never seen Li Feitu smoke.

That means that even if Li Feitu smokes, he is definitely not addicted to cigarettes, and probably only smokes one or two a day.

However, today, he saw Li Feitu smoking, and he saw at least two cigarettes that had already been smoked at Li Feitu's feet.

In less than half an hour, Li Feitu smoked three cigarettes, which was enough to show the torment and pain he was going through.

Others may not know what is about to happen, but Li Feitu certainly does, since his father and uncle would also tell him about it.

After getting out of the car, Secretary Zhao walked up to Li Feitu with a faint smile on his face, but the smile looked like the smugness of a victor.

"County Magistrate Feitu, what are you doing standing downstairs? Why don't you go upstairs?"

"I remember you didn't smoke much. Why are there cigarette butts all over the ground today? That's not good. Even though you're young and healthy, you still need to be moderate."

"Besides, I've heard that Secretary Sun doesn't really like people smoking. If he sees you like this, aren't you afraid of leaving a bad impression on the city's top leaders?"

Li Feitu glanced at Secretary Zhao and suddenly laughed.

"Secretary Zhao, you seem to know Secretary Sun Yikun's preferences quite well."

"Then I'd like to ask, if I don't smoke, does this newly appointed municipal party committee leader think I'll have a good impression of him?"