In name only: I will break the chess game in Handong

Upon arriving at the Provincial Party Committee, in the large conference room, Secretary Xu presided over the guidance meeting on political and legal work in Handong, and clearly praised Handong for its gratifying achievements in cracking down on telecommunications fraud and pyramid schemes.

At 7 p.m., at Chen Luo's home in the provincial party committee compound.

Zhang Nian received a call from Chen Luo early in the morning, saying that guests would be coming that evening, and she knew who it was without even having to guess.

At 7:10, a black car stopped in front of Chen Luo's house. The license plate indicated that it belonged to Chen Luo, number seven. However, Chen Luo was sitting in the passenger seat at the moment. After the car came to a stop, Chen Luo quickly got out and went to the back door to open it.

"Secretary Xu, Minister Wang, please get out of the car first."

What couldn't be said during the day was no longer sealed at night, and Secretary Xu didn't use any of those bureaucratic formalities.

"We're only in our sixties or seventies, so where did you learn those tricks to open car doors?"

I must say, they seem pretty efficient.

"Secretary Xu, Chen Luo is only thirty-nine; he still wants to improve!"

Hearing the two leaders tease him like that, Chen Luo didn't feel embarrassed at all, he just chuckled. After all, if you're too shy, you won't get enough to eat.

After the two elderly people got out of the car, they went straight to the door without Chen Luo leading the way; the door was open.

With a gentle push, he entered the house. At that moment, there were only two little ones in Chen Luo's living room.

Chen Zhengshu sat at the table on the balcony reading a book, while Chen Zhengxi... as always, sat cross-legged on the sofa watching TV.

"Mr. Xu, Mr. Wang, please have a seat! I'll go make some tea."

As he spoke, Chen Luo went to make tea. Secretary Xu and Minister Wang didn't stand on ceremony. Secretary Xu went straight to Chen Zhengxi. Upon seeing this, Chen Zhengxi put down the remote control, put his feet off the sofa, sat up straight, and spoke sweetly.

"Hello, Grandpa Xu!"

Old Xu was truly surprised that Chen Zhengxi could still recognize him; the last time they met was five or six years ago.

"Jung-hee, do you still recognize your grandfather?"

"Of course I recognize him. Grandpa Xu is the best. The first lollipop I ever ate was given to me by Grandpa Xu."

"Sigh, what a pity..."

That's absolutely true. When Secretary Xu first met Chen Zhengxi, the little girl was only about five years old. At that time, Secretary Xu didn't prepare any gifts at all, and only found a lollipop in his secretary's pocket.

Over the years, if Chen Zhengxi hadn't mentioned it, Secretary Xu would have almost forgotten about it.

"Girl, what's the pity?"

Chen Zhengxi's eyes darted around, and he let out a heavy sigh.

"Unfortunately, my parents won't let me eat it..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Chen Zhengshu, who was reading a book, put down his book and obediently walked up to Secretary Xu before Secretary Xu could react.

"Grandpa Xu, don't listen to my sister's nonsense. She was only controlled by her parents because she ate lollipops at school."

"Chen Zhengshu!"

When the truth was exposed, Chen Zhengxi immediately tried to strangle Chen Zhengshu, but Chen Zhengshu dodged it perfectly.

"Zhengshu and Zhengxi, stop fooling around. Your Grandpa Xu may not care, but there's another grandpa out there!"

At this moment, Chen Luo brewed the tea and brought it over.

Upon hearing their father speak, Chen Zhengshu and Chen Zhengxi stopped what they were doing and became obedient.

"This is Grandpa Wang, please say hello to Grandpa Wang."

"Hello, Grandpa Wang!"

Minister Wang had a bright smile and found it easy to get along with children, without any complicated relationships. However, the only downside was that he hadn't prepared any gifts.

"Alright, alright, Zhengxi, Zhengshu, right? That's a good name. Grandpa Wang didn't bring any gifts since this is the first time he's met you. Here, Zhengshu, this pen is for you."

As he spoke, Minister Wang took out a fine fountain pen from his pocket.

"Grandpa Wang, no need, I..."

"Listen to me, you cannot refuse a gift from your elders!"

Chen Zhengshu could only bow and extend his hands to receive it, which pleased Minister Wang.

He then reached into his left pocket and pulled out a pocket watch, an old item that Minister Wang usually kept for playing with.

"Ahem, Zhengxi, this is the only pocket watch Grandpa Wang has left. Please don't be disgusted by it."

"Grandpa Wang, it's alright. We don't need any gifts. Just being able to see you is the luckiest thing in the world."

Those words made the person feel sweet inside.

“Girl, just accept what your Grandpa Wang gave you. It’s all from your Grandpa Wang and me.”

Upon hearing Secretary Xu's words, Minister Wang's eyes filled with resentment. Not only had he not reminded him to buy a gift, but now he was even trying to take advantage of him… Sigh, what can he do when the other person is his superior? Life is tough!

Chapter 319 The Possibility of Serving as Deputy Secretary

"Mr. Xu, please have some tea!"

"Mr. Wang, please have some tea!"

After serving tea to the two leaders, Chen Luo gave a look to the two boys, Chen Zhengshu and Chen Zhengxi, who immediately understood.

"Grandpa Xu, Grandpa Wang, we need to go upstairs to do our homework."

The two little ones dashed upstairs in a flash.

Only Chen Luo, Secretary Xu, and Minister Wang remained in the living room.

"Chen Luo, I have two other matters to discuss with you in Handong."

"Mr. Xu, please speak!"

"One is that Ji Changming, the chief prosecutor of the Handong Procuratorate, has reached retirement age. The Supreme People's Procuratorate has approved his retirement application, and the handover will be issued to Handong on Monday. Do you have a suitable candidate to succeed him as chief prosecutor?"

After a brief moment of thought, Chen Luo nodded.

"Mr. Xu, yes, I think Comrade Lin Guoping, the current Executive Chief Prosecutor of the Handong Provincial Procuratorate, is quite good."

Calm and composed personality, rich experience.

"The most important thing is that he's willing to cooperate with you, right?"

Secretary Xu hit the nail on the head, and Chen Luo didn't deny it.

"Chen Luo, you only promote your own people. This kind of clique culture is unacceptable."

Of course, you haven't reached the level of considering the overall situation yet. I believe that you promoted Lin Guoping because you wanted the procuratorate to operate smoothly, not for personal reasons.

But once you reach a certain level, you can't just focus on your own little corner of the world.

"Secretary Xu, thank you for your guidance!"

Minister Wang sat to the side, drinking tea without saying a word. He thought Chen Luo was very smart and not the kind of person who was stuck in his ways.

"Then it's settled. Should we nominate and recommend Lin Guoping from your Handong Provincial Party Committee or have the Supreme People's Procuratorate recommend him?"

"Mr. Xu, let's recommend him to the higher authorities in Handong."

"Okay, that way no one can say anything."

The second thing! Gao Yuliang from Handong will be retiring in two or three months, right? Chen Luo, have you considered trying to take on the concurrent position of Deputy Secretary of Handong?

After these words were spoken, the living room fell silent.

Only Chen Luo's breathing sounded somewhat heavy.

His expression was complicated. Did he want it? Who wouldn't... But he had only been a vice-provincial level official for about a year, and becoming a member of the Standing Committee was already a rapid advancement. Now he was eyeing the deputy secretary position?

"Old Xu, to be honest, if you ask me if I want to, I definitely do. A soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier. But it's not suitable for me right now; I'm too young! The organization's trust in me to join the Standing Committee in Handong is already an exceptional promotion, and it's only been a year..."

Secretary Xu smiled and then looked at Minister Wang.

"Old Wang, don't just watch the show. Tell me, is it feasible for Chen Luo to concurrently serve as deputy secretary?"

Minister Wang rolled his eyes.

"How would I know? You're a cabinet member; whether it's acceptable or not is up to you to vote..."

However, when he said this, Minister Wang's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he said in a low voice, "But Chen Luo, the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. If you walk too fast, those behind you will not be able to catch up and will easily become jealous of you, hold you back, and attack you."

However, on the other hand, a quick start can lead to many more. The problem is, people often lack that drive. How to choose, how to weigh options—it's all a matter of a single thought.

Chen Luo was initially nervous, but upon hearing this, he instantly relaxed. This was just useless literature.

"Go away, what do you mean by 'the voting rights are in our hands'? To be honest, it's fine to serve as deputy secretary as well. Whether it's Sha Ruijin or Zhou Jianjun from Handong, they were all transferred from outside, and of course, that includes you too."

After Gao Yuliang retires, there are only two suitable local cadres: Wu Chunlin and Li Dakang. Li Dakang's wife and children's situation means he has no chance. As for Wu Chunlin, he is capable of handling specific tasks, but he lacks the ability to oversee the overall situation.

We're also facing a dilemma: continuing to send in new personnel is negatively impacting the work enthusiasm of cadres in Handong, but if we don't transfer them, there aren't any suitable candidates.

"Um, Mr. Xu, what about Tian Guofu? He arrived three months earlier than me..."

As soon as these words were spoken, Minister Wang shook his head without Secretary Xu even having to refute them.

"Forget about Tian Guofu. He's only suited for working in the Discipline Inspection Commission. I've heard Director Xiao mention things like 'I've heard rumors,' 'I've heard people say,' and 'I've heard the nickname of the Third Secretary' several times."

"The problem now is that, besides you, Zhao Dagong is the most suitable, but Zhao Dagong is too stubborn. If he really takes charge, he'll probably only be busy fighting among himself."

After Secretary Xu finished speaking, he stared straight at Chen Luo.

Chen Luo was torn between two conflicting ideas.

"Mr. Xu, I'm a little confused. Things are moving too fast, which is not a good thing after all."

"That's why I'm asking you. If you can handle the pressure, then keep moving forward. If you feel you can't handle it, then transfer out. Anyway, Handong won't be turned upside down."

"Mr. Xu, if you really take on this additional role, won't the workload be too much?"

"Pah, what are you dreaming of? If you take on the role of deputy secretary, your position as secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission will have to be relinquished. You want to marry three wives? Aren't you afraid of working yourself to death?"

"Ahem, Mr. Xu, I was just asking, just asking."

"Alright, I can tell from your expression that you're interested. This matter is still uncertain. I just think you're a good match. The outcome of the discussion is not something I can decide."

However, your contributions are all recorded, so you don't need to worry about anyone deliberately targeting you, as long as you don't do anything foolish.

"Understood, Mr. Xu, thank you!"

"Alright, alright, that's all I wanted to say. Don't just sit there. It's not right for Zhang Nian to cook all by herself. I haven't tasted your cooking in years. Go and help out so I can have a private chat with Minister Wang."