Chapter Twenty-Four Ambiguity * 2

  Fang Xinyu still met at Yuanyuan Tea House, although it was just a casual student attire as usual, Fang Xinyu still had an inexplicable temperament that made him dare not have any improper thoughts.

  "In fact, if I had to say it, you're now the vanguard of Mayor Chen." Fang Xinyi concluded after listening to his account of the recent work situation.

  "I understand, you mean Liu Zhi is Mayor Chen's hatchet man." Liu Siyuan sighed.

  Fang Xinyu nodded and continued: "Being a hatchet man isn't bad either, many people want to be the leader's hatchet man but don't have the chance. You have such a good opportunity, you should cherish it. On the other hand, think about it from another perspective, you can easily understand the leader's intentions. Since they let you go and supervise, that represents Mayor Chen's attitude. Why are you being so timid? Of course, it's not really letting you go and do whatever you want, you also need to consider the way and method, think deeply and carefully, find the best solution to cleverly get things done. No matter what method can be discussed, the attitude must be firm."

  "Huh? Does Xinyi mean that we can't downplay the New Source Chemical Plant incident and just let it slide?" he asked uncertainly.

  Fang Xinyu took a sip of her drink and said seriously, "Of course, the matter must be handled, but how to handle it depends on the factory's current attitude. It seems that negotiation is no longer possible. We need to give them some warning first. If we don't take tough measures, they won't know what fear is. I suggest you let the Environmental Protection Bureau issue a notice, ordering them to rectify within a certain period of time. If they fail to do so, notify relevant departments to directly order suspension or even closure."

  Liu Siyuan rarely saw her fierce appearance, and was taken aback for a moment. He said, "I'd rather... those sons of the Environmental Protection Bureau wouldn't dare to come like this even if they borrowed ten times their courage!"

  "Relax, I'm confident that as long as they're not too foolish, they'll listen to you. What you need to do now is make them understand a simple truth: if they don't toughen up immediately, Mayor Chen will come after them right away. In fact, they're in the same boat as you, stuck between a rock and a hard place - either offend the factory or the government. I believe they'll make the right choice; not only is it more beneficial to side with the current officials, but reason is also on the government's side. After all, whoever has the upper hand will always have an advantage. As for the so-called 'backer' of the factory, up until now it's just a rumor, and everyone's just speculating - who knows if it's not just a paper tiger?"

  Liu Siyuan nodded repeatedly, indeed as she said, and even doing so would clear himself of responsibility. After all, under the supervision and requirements of the Municipal Supervision Office, the Environmental Protection Bureau issued a severe warning, ordering rectification within a time limit. It's also a way to give leaders an explanation. As for their daring to disobey orders, that's not something Liu Siyuan can control. Moreover, he has Mayor Chen as his backing, and it's hard to say whether the factory dares to resist or not. Even if they are so powerful that they don't listen to Mayor Chen's words, then there's no need for him to worry about it. It's like two martial arts masters exchanging moves, while Liu Siyuan is just a small shrimp on the side, eating and drinking, cheering and shouting a few sentences.

  Anyway, the Environmental Protection Bureau will be the one to take the blame in the end. Of course, since they have a good excuse, they won't face any severe consequences, at most just losing some face. Anyway, they're used to it.

  He felt a sense of regret, realizing that he had also been intimidated by the factory's aura and hadn't thought through such an obvious truth. He sincerely thanked Fang Xinyu, who shook her head and smiled: "It's just that onlookers are clearer, after all. By the way, Ou Yangqian's people's war method isn't bad either. If she really has media connections, you can have her create momentum through the media after the Environmental Protection Bureau releases the article, and have her speak up for the Environmental Protection Bureau. That way, the pressure on the factory will be greater."

  "But if the media gets involved, won't it cause unnecessary harm..." Liu Siyuan hesitated.

  Fang Xinyu smiled upon hearing this and gently tapped his forehead with her hand, saying with a hint of playfulness: "Think again..."

  At that moment, Liu Siyuan found himself unable to think anymore, and suddenly he was surrounded by a strange feeling. Years later, when thinking back on it, the only way to describe it is with two words: ambiguous.

  The next day, Liu Siyuan directly found Zhang Zhenggang to report on his work. He first reported on the problem of idle land in Beihong District. After Liu Siyuan gnawed away at the two hardest bones, the district government seemed to have been inspired by Comrade Liu's heroic performance and was energized overnight, as if they had been injected with several doses of stimulants. With their backs straightened, they put pressure on some small developers from a superior position. Many developers, on the one hand, saw that the two big sharks had surrendered and were unclear about the current situation; on the other hand, they saw the district government's firm attitude as immense pressure. Helpless, they also expressed their stance and chose a date to start work, and the entire Beihong District took on a new look.

  The Secretary-General also praised him, and explicitly stated that Mayor Chen had also asked about this matter, expressing great affirmation of his work. He was told to convey a message, hoping that Comrade Liu Siyuan would continue to work hard and make further efforts. Moreover, the plan is to make Beihong District a model district for dealing with idle land, which will be promoted throughout Hanjiang City.

  After reporting on the idle land, he continued to ask about Xinyuan Chemical Plant. Liu Siyuan, who had made up his mind, solemnly declared that he would issue an ultimatum to the Environmental Protection Bureau today, requiring them to handle the factory seriously in accordance with the principle of putting the people's interests above everything else.

  Zhang Zhengdong nodded, thinking that this kid's thoughts were clear and he was indeed a promising talent. He also had the intention of recruiting him as his own protégé, but considering his relationship with Ouyang Xinghua, he didn't dare to make any rash moves. Of course, he became more and more polite to him, after all, in Zhang Zhengdong's eyes, he had both ability and backing, and his future prospects were boundless. A golden scale is not a fish in a pond, after all, the officialdom is a sedan chair carried by many people, leaving a good impression first, maybe it will be useful in the future.

  He straightened his face, and said solemnly: "What Little Liu said is right, the people's interests are above everything. We must do things with a clear conscience and live up to the people's trust! Tell the Environmental Protection Bureau that if they don't seriously investigate this matter immediately, it means they have no regard for the ordinary people and are derelict in their duty!"

  When he saw Zhang Zhengguang's attitude was equally resolute, Liu Siyuan thought to himself that Fang Xinyi's judgment last night was completely correct.

  After leaving the office of Secretary Zhang, Liu Siyuan no longer looked back and forth, took Ouyang Qian and rushed to the Environmental Protection Bureau again. In the conference room, Liu Siyuan made a severe statement, requiring the Environmental Protection Bureau to prioritize the interests of the people, take a broad view, and resolutely handle the polluting factory with severity, speed, and heaviness. He would write the handling situation into the supervision report. At the same time, he emphasized that if there were any problems, he would not shirk responsibility, even reciting an impromptu poem: Leave my integrity to shine in history.

  Tang Zhenfeng wiped away several handfuls of sweat, his body was fat and prone to sweating. He hastily went out saying he needed to consult with the leadership, whose leader could only be Tang Xianfeng, the Party Secretary of the Environmental Protection Bureau.

  About twenty minutes later, Deputy Director Tang returned with a completely different attitude. Previously, he was timid and hesitant, but suddenly he spoke eloquently like he had been injected with chicken blood, expressing the Environmental Protection Bureau's great determination to provide a healthy and safe living environment for the people of Hanjiang. He vowed to fearlessly respond to the city government's call, and to resolutely deal with polluting factories at the fastest speed and with the most determined attitude.

  After finishing speaking, he and Liu Siyuan exchanged a smile with each other, which was considered to be a tacit understanding. Both of them knew that the other had already seen through the situation and understood that they were now in the same boat.

  As they left the Environmental Protection Bureau, Ouyang Qian said with a strange expression: "You were quite impressive just now, how did you become so timid after sleeping for one night? Oh, I see, probably because you had a meeting with Secretary Zhang this morning and got pumped up?"

  Liu Siyuan was speechless for a moment, shrugged his shoulders and chose to ignore her.

  Ouyang Qian's eyes were a bit complicated, Liu Siyuan didn't know that she was thinking of a sentence her father Ouyang Xinghua said last night. The general idea of what Ouyang Xinghua said last night was: "This time the new source chemical plant is a big test for you two departments, if you pass this hurdle, your future will be bright. Now it depends on whether Liu Siyuan will dare to make a scene at the Environmental Protection Bureau, as long as he dares to make a scene, it means that this kid has development potential, and the earlier he makes a scene, the greater his potential. If he chooses to back down on this matter, then his future is over."

  She saw him rush to the Environmental Protection Bureau today, with a righteous and stern expression, 'educating' the deputy director in a harsh tone. Ou Yang Qian thought to herself that this was indeed quick action. Could it be true what her father said, that he would have a bright future?

  Ouyang Qian, like other second-generation officials, had a rebellious personality since childhood, especially after growing up. Her views on love were far apart from her parents', and the men she dated were all deemed worthless by them. However, Ouyang Xinghua's upbringing was still good overall; although she had been with several men, things didn't develop too deeply.

  She's actually quite intelligent and emotionally mature, deep down she knows her parents are right, those men are mostly just for show, so she just plays along and goes out with them without investing any real emotions, and as a result, no man has ever really gotten close to her, not even taking her first kiss. It's just that sometimes she can't control her rebellious streak, the stricter her parents are with her, the more she wants to defy them, so several times when they arranged blind dates for her, she completely ignored them and rejected those actually quite excellent men from afar.

  For Liu Siyuan, she initially thought it was an arranged marriage by her parents, but later discovered that she had overthought things. The real reason why her father looked up to him was related to a certain Hong Kong fortune teller. If not for him, the consequences of losing that package would have been unthinkable. At the same time, her father indeed had high hopes for his future development and intended to nurture him carefully. In short, there was no intention to introduce him as an object to her. This allowed her to observe him with a better attitude, especially after her father transferred her to the inspection room. After observing him for days, she suddenly realized that she had developed some good feelings towards this young man, so last night she discussed work with her father and that's how Ouyang Xinghua made those comments.

  As she grew older, she gradually put away her childish rebelliousness and no longer opposed her parents in everything. She thought again about the ambiguous expression on her father's face when they talked about work last night, and she strongly felt that if she got along well with him, it might be a good outcome, one that she liked and her parents wouldn't oppose either. Unconsciously, there was some subtle ambiguity in her heart.

  The problem at hand is that this kid seems to be a bit unresponsive, and it's not clear if he's just not interested in himself or doesn't dare to pursue her. This makes Ouyang Qian very anxious and indignant. But then she thinks again, well, if this girl takes the initiative...hmm, isn't that still an easy catch?