Chapter 53: Parting in Tears

  As for Guan Haoyu's contradictory behavior, Jian Ruoming was dissatisfied in her heart, but she had no way to vent. Just as she was about to continue arguing, the phone on Guan Haoyu's office desk rang.

  Huang Rishan was very tactful and hastily stood up to bid farewell.

  Jian Ruoming had no choice but to get up and follow Huang Rishan out, walking quietly behind him.

  The phone call was made by Wang Shao-yue, the secretary of Yi Hai-tao. He conveyed Vice Mayor Yi's affirmation of the work of the SASAC and praised the personnel involved in the crisis handling. He also instructed the SASAC to attach importance to the review of the restructuring plan for the Instrument Factory and effectively safeguard the rights and interests of laid-off workers.

  Guan Haoyu asked Wang Shaoyue over the phone to convey his concern and support for Vice Mayor Yi's work on the SASAC.

  Wang Shaoyue once again emphasized Hai Tao's attention to the work of reforming the instrument factory, reminding Guan Haoyu to properly handle the placement of laid-off workers and prevent new contradictions and conflicts from erupting.

  Guan Haoyu stated that he would resolutely implement Deputy Mayor Yi's instructions and asked the leader to rest assured.

  Finally, Wang Shaoyue seemed to inadvertently reveal a piece of information to Guan Haoyu. He said that Deputy Mayor Yi had mentioned that Comrade Chu Tian Shu's performance on the spot was particularly outstanding, and such a young and promising comrade should be well cultivated.

  After hanging up the phone, Guan Haoyu fell into deep thought, with two questions suddenly in front of him.

  Guo Zichun, the secretary of the municipal party committee, has been rumored to be promoted, and Mayor Zhu Minwen is almost certain to take over as secretary of the municipal party committee. Many people in the Qingyuan city government have seen this coming, and Yi Haitao and Tang Yifu are secretly vying for the position of mayor.

  In theory, as the vice mayor, Yihaitao's chances of winning should be higher, but it is said that Tang Yifu has stronger connections in the province, and both were promoted from deputy mayor to mayor, so Tang Yifu's later rise is not considered a breach or overstepping.

  In dealing with the issue of meter factory reform, the two leaders have distinctly different stances, and SASAC, as a specific administrative organ, is caught in the middle and finds it difficult to act.

  Moreover, Chu Tian Shu is just an ordinary cadre of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, but he has gained the appreciation of the Vice Mayor. Why hasn't Huang Rishan ever mentioned this situation? What secrets are hidden behind this?

  Jian Ruoming came out of Guan Haoyu's office and called Chu Tian Shu to his own office, bluntly saying that the promise made by Guan Haoyu before he stopped talking had become a bubble, and the hope of becoming a deputy department level was about to vanish.

  Chu Tian Shu was very calm and said, "Director Jian, thank you. As long as I can do something for the rights of the laid-off workers in the instrument factory, I will be satisfied. Ouyang Mei Mei never had good intentions from the start, so I didn't expect them to fulfill their promise."

  Jian Ruo Ming said: "Your attitude is very good, I will continue to argue with reason."

  Chu Tian Shu didn't want to bring up this depressing topic again, so he asked: "Director Jian, when I was helping the laid-off workers, I promised to help them fight for their rights. What you told me this morning about trading time for space, I still don't quite understand. Can you explain it to me?"

  "You asked at the right time, I also want to discuss this issue with you." Jian Ruoming poured a glass of water for Chu Tian Shu and continued: "Time is fatal to the bidding companies. They want to get the land of the instrument factory, they must obtain huge loans from banks, not to mention various complicated procedures, just the pressure of interest rates is enough for them to bear, they hope to cut through the mess quickly, what we need to do is to make things more complicated and force the bidding companies to come up with a bidding plan that maintains the rights and interests of the employees."

  "What can I specifically do?" Chu Tian Shu no longer thought about personal gains and losses, but concentrated on fulfilling the promise to Zhang Wei and others.

  "Xiao Chu, when you were evacuating the crowd, I had already mentioned to Deputy Mayor Yi the phenomenon of neglecting workers' rights and interests in the process of reforming the Instrument Factory. Old Wu from the Instrument Factory also represented the workers in expressing their demands on this aspect. Deputy Mayor Yi attaches great importance to this matter, which means that the reform of the Instrument Factory will still be a process."

  Chu Tian Shu was still not at ease and wanted to say something else, but was stopped by Jian Ruo Ming with a smile: "Little Chu, I understand your mood, but being impatient won't help. For now, with our abilities, we can't exert too much influence on the reform plan. We can only hope that once the media reports on the instrument factory workers' protest activities, it will inevitably attract attention from leaders at all levels and various sectors of society. Once public opinion is stirred up, I'm afraid the competing enterprises won't be able to do anything about it."

  "I understand, Director Jian." Chu Tian Shu nodded.

  Jian Ruoming said, "Xiao Chu, you must now do your best to comfort the laid-off workers and prevent similar incidents from happening again. I am very worried that some people will use stability maintenance as an excuse to adopt a quick-fix approach, handing over the contradictions to the bidding enterprises, so that we not only cannot work but also become more passive."

  Coming out of Jian Ruo Ming's office, Chu Tian Shu's mood was low, not only worrying about the fate of Zhang Wei and others, but also feeling disappointed and frustrated by the shattering of his own promotion hopes.

  Liu Chunna and Qian Meihua wanted to ask about the situation of the instrument factory workers several times, but Chu Tian Shu was not in the mood at all. He simply let them go ask Qi Daguang and Ye Ping, while he himself sat in front of his desk, continuing to study and analyze how to stabilize the emotions of the instrument factory workers, and how to secure the greatest benefits for the laid-off workers in the overall settlement.

  After work, Zhang Wei and Tan Yu Fen had already prepared dinner in their simple dormitory, waiting for Chu Tian Shu to return.

  Chu Tian Shu proposed to Zhang Wei and Tan Yu Fen that they move house, falsely claiming that Wei Shi Jie had helped him find a house with relatively good conditions and a reasonable price, and planned to move in that night.

  Zhang Wei then asked Tan Yufen to add a few more dishes and called over Da Hu, Lao Wan and others, as if to see off Chu Tian Shu.

  After all the fuss, it still revolves around the feelings of living together for two years. One after another, they offer Chu Tian Shu a toast and ask him not to forget the brotherly love after he moves away.

  Chu Tian Shu felt depressed in his heart and drank a bit hastily. He was somewhat discomposed at the dinner table.

  Zhang Wei patted him on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Chu, we won't be neighbors anymore, but we'll still be good buddies. You don't have to be too sad, the simple dormitory will be demolished sooner or later, it's better for you to settle down earlier."

  Chu Tian Shu said: "To be honest, I've thought many times about finding a better house to move into, but when it's time to really leave, I'm reluctant to part with it. Alas, no one will cook or do laundry for me anymore, and there won't be anyone to drink with either."

  Tan Yufen's eyes were red, and she said: "Xiao Chu, remember to wash your clothes frequently from now on. As a department head, you can't be sloppy like before. Also, change your socks in time and wash them promptly, don't make the whole house smell bad. And when you have time, tidy up your room, it's too messy, girlfriends won't like it."

  "Hey sister, don't worry, I've found a girlfriend and I'll bring her over to meet you. Also, if you guys have any difficulties, be sure to tell me, even after we move out, I'm still your brother."

  Tan Yufen felt a lump in her throat, she secretly wiped away tears and said: "Xiao Chu, we will be fine, Yingying will also miss you."

  "Hey, where's Yingying?" Chu Tian Shu only then realized that he hadn't seen Zhang Yingying's lovely figure.

  Zhang Wei smiled wryly and said: "Isn't there an event today? I'll just send her to Grandma's house."

  Chu Tian Shu felt a pang of sadness, it seemed he wouldn't be able to see Zhang Yingying again before leaving.

  Tan Yu Fen said: "It's okay, Ying Ying misses you, I'll take her to see you and help you tidy up your room."

  Everyone didn't mention the matter of Ti Instrument Factory's restructuring, Chu Tian Shu understood very well that they didn't want to put too much pressure on themselves, but the more it was like this, the more his heart felt uncomfortable.

  They drank until 9 o'clock in the evening, and Zhang Wei suggested that since Xiao Chu still had to pack up, they shouldn't stay out too late, and could find another opportunity to drink together again.

  Tan Yufen packed up Chu Tian Shu's luggage, Da Hu helped to call a taxi, and Chu Tian Shu bid farewell to them with tears in her eyes.

  The next afternoon, Guan Haoyu presided over a meeting of the delegation's party group and made a 180-degree turn in attitude.

  At the meeting, Guan Haoyu highly praised Chu Tian Shu's outstanding performance in resolving conflicts and calming down the disturbance. He also suggested that the SASAC should focus on cultivating young and promising comrades, and proposed to appoint Chu Tian Shu as the deputy director of the office, in charge of daily work, to address the current situation where the office is leaderless.

  Ouyang Mei listened, her eyes almost popped out. She pointed out in her speech that Chu Tian Shu had just taken office as the head of the comprehensive department for only a few days and was immediately promoted to deputy director of the municipal government, which did not conform to the procedures and principles of personnel appointment and might be criticized by the city leaders.

  Jian Ruoming immediately countered that Chu Tian Shu, as the head of the comprehensive department, originally enjoyed deputy department-level treatment. Appointing him as the deputy director of the municipal office did not constitute a breach of promotion rules. At the same time, with an eye on long-term development, vigorously cultivating young cadres was also an organizational work principle advocated by the municipal party committee and government.

  Finally, she bluntly pointed out that all levels of leading cadres in the SASAC should "speak with credibility and act with integrity" to create an atmosphere for young cadres' rapid growth.

  Ouyang Meimei was speechless.

  Duan Qingyun had long been displeased with Ouyang Meimei's behavior of "controlling the emperor to command the vassals" in the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and immediately supported Jian Ruoming's speech.

  Huang Rishan has always been concerned about the life of Guan Haoyu, and naturally he must resolutely safeguard the authority of the first-in-command, agreeing with Guan Haoyu's proposal.

  Ouyang Mei didn't know what was wrong, but she found herself completely isolated. She could only say in a huff: "Since the leaders have all agreed to promote me, then the personnel department should resolutely carry it out."

  The formal appointment document has not been issued yet, but the news has already spread to various departments of SASAC, causing a lot of discussion among people.

  "Chu Tian Shu has been promoted twice in a few days, he must have some powerful backing."

  "I heard he saved a little boy two days ago, could he be a relative of Deputy Mayor Yi?"

  "It's possible, I also heard that he made a big scene at the Kaiyuan Hotel and is quite influential in the underworld too."

  "You see, people in the Secretarial Department also listen to him and follow his plans."

  "Yes, Tian Keming volunteered to 'enter the countryside and settle in villages' just to make way for him."

  "Oh, no wonder, it seems he does have some background, I'll have to get along with him in the future."

  ……