Rebirth 1990: The beginning is sweet and cool Bai Yueguang

There was a sense of embarrassment in the air. The seating area of ​​the Provincial Development and Reform Commission was still empty, and Zhou Qi's team, who were supposed to be there, was nowhere to be seen.

Gao Qingliang's pen drew meaningless circles on the notebook, but Bai Qinghong beside him kept his back straight. Half of the Patek Philippe watch dial was visible from the cuffs of his black suit, and the sound of the second hand was clearly audible.

"I heard that Secretary-General Zhao has unique insights into cultural and tourism planning?"

Gao Qingliang suddenly broke the silence, and the city leader immediately took over the conversation: "Secretary Zhao is a key person trained by the province..."

Before he could finish his words, hurried footsteps were heard in the corridor.

The middle-aged man who pushed the door open had a leather briefcase under his arm and his eyes from behind his gold-rimmed glasses swept across the room.

When the city leader stood up, he knocked over the celadon teacup, and the brown tea spread on the white tablecloth.

"Secretary Zhao, you've worked hard. The leaders..."

Before he finished his question, Secretary Zhao took off his glasses and wiped them with a smile: "The province has an emergency flood prevention meeting, and the leader specifically asked me to bring a full set of information."

The reflection from the lenses obscured his fleeting frown.

Bai Qinghong suddenly tapped the table twice. The crisp sound of the metal strap colliding with the solid wood attracted everyone's attention.

"Now that we're all here, why don't we take a look at the project budget first?" He pulled out a stack of documents from his briefcase, all with gold-stamped badges printed on the footers.

The city leader's fingertips trembled slightly when he took it. It was clearly the encrypted watermark of the Provincial Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

The chirping of cicadas outside the window suddenly became shrill, and the central air-conditioning outlet made a buzzing sound.

Du Bowen looked at the beads of sweat oozing from the back of the city leader's neck, and suddenly realized that in this game, he was just a chess piece exposed.

The moment Bai Qinghong and Secretary Zhao's eyes met, the cell phones under the conference table vibrated at the same time - the motorcade from the provincial government compound was bypassing the Third Ring Road and speeding in the opposite direction.

The atmosphere in the organization's meeting room gradually became stagnant.

The faces of several city government officials were a little stiff. Deputy Secretary-General Zhao held the teacup and blew the floating leaves slowly. The crisp collision sound between the cup lid and the cup rim was particularly clear in the silence.

Gao Qingliang adjusted his cufflinks on his suit and glanced at Du Bowen's hesitant expression opposite him, and a barely perceptible sneer flashed across his lips.

Bai Qinghong suddenly slammed the document onto the table, and the metal strap of his watch made a dull sound: "You've been practicing Tai Chi for three hours!"

He stood up facing Secretary Zhao's sharp gaze and said, "Since the province has arranged this coordination meeting, they must give a clear explanation. When will the North Shore Cross-Sea Bridge be approved?"

Secretary Zhao put down the teacup, and the sound of the porcelain bottom hitting the table made everyone's heart tremble.

"Boss Bai, please be patient."

He tapped the gold-stamped meeting minutes on the table with his fingertips: "The provincial government has always been open to private capital participating in infrastructure construction, especially for powerful companies like Dinghua..."

The conversation suddenly turned to Gao Qingliang: "But I heard that Mr. Zhou was absent today?"

In the corner, Du Bowen's secretary Xiao Liu suddenly started coughing violently and knocked over the mineral water bottle in a panic.

Gao Qingliang stood up and straightened the bottle at the right time, using his action to block Secretary Zhao's scrutiny: "Boss Zhou is rushing to prepare additional materials. I just received news that he has arrived downstairs."

Bai Qinghong suddenly sneered, the Patek Philippe on his wrist reflecting the cold light from the ceiling lamp:

"Secretary Zhao, let's not beat around the bush. Dinghua submitted a complete plan three months ago, including environmental impact assessment, geological report, and proof of funding. Now it's stuck at the municipal level..."

He looked around at the officials who were pale and asked: "Is it a procedural problem, or is someone trying to manipulate things behind the scenes?"

Secretary Zhao's eyes flickered behind the lenses, and he suddenly turned to look out the window: "The kapok flowers are blooming early this year."

He flicked the non-existent dust off the front of his suit and said, "The province is going to organize an exhibition of the achievements of the Greater Bay Area construction next month. I think Dinghua's project is very suitable as a typical case."

As these words were spoken, amid the rustling sound of people in the city government exchanging glances, someone's pen rolled to the ground.

The clock pointed to 8:55, and Secretary Zhao tapped the table with his knuckles: "Director Wang, is the original meeting schedule of 9 o'clock correct?"

This knowing question made the middle-aged man in the main seat's Adam's apple tremble slightly. The city leader picked up the celadon cup and took a sip of tea, and a shadow flashed across his eyes in the white mist.

It would have been fine if the provincial government's special envoy had made trouble in public, but Zhou Qi and Du Bowen actually dared to desert the battlefield. If we allow them to do as they please, how can they establish their authority in the political and business circles of Bincheng in the future?

Just as the administrative chief was about to dial the number, there were three light knocks on the oak door.

The secretary's whisper was particularly clear in the silence: "The person in charge of Hualong Teng'ao and Qidong..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhou Qi had already stepped into the meeting room with a smile on his face: "Thank you for waiting. The viaduct chain rear-end collision delayed us for 20 minutes."

He raised his wrist to reveal the dial of his Patek Philippe watch: "But fortunately, it shouldn't be considered late now."

Secretary Zhao snorted coldly and slammed his briefcase on the conference table: "President Zhou's punctuality standards are unique."

He deliberately spread out the red-headed document of the provincial government, but the corner of his eye behind his gold-rimmed glasses suddenly froze - when he saw the face of the visitor clearly, Secretary Zhao's pupils suddenly contracted and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

"Thanks to Secretary Zhao for arranging the inspection route at the last Canton Fair, our Li family's new energy vehicle project was successfully implemented."

Li Zihong calmly took off his sheepskin gloves and tapped the document in front of Secretary Zhao with his fingertips: "I heard that we are going to discuss the planning of the eastern part of the city today? It just so happens that my father and Director Zhang of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development..."

The teacup in the city leader's hand swayed slightly, and ripples of the green tea soup appeared on the rim of the cup.

The chair creaked as he stood up suddenly, and his originally cold and hard facial lines suddenly softened: "Mr. Zihong, please take a seat. Xiao Liu, bring me my treasured Mingqian Longjing!"

Zhou Qi quickly stood up and walked forward, shaking hands with Li Zihong: "It is a pleasant surprise that Director Li is here to give us guidance."

He keenly noticed the barely perceptible wrinkles on the cuffs of Li Zihong's suit.

This Hong Kong tycoon, who always pays great attention to his appearance, apparently rushed here after receiving the news.

Li Zihong's fingertips touched Zhou Qi's palm and then he withdrew his fingertips. He turned his eyes to Secretary Zhao, whose face was stiff. "Xiao Zhou talked about the North Bank plan brilliantly. Of course I have to come and take a look."

He suddenly changed the subject: "But this Mr. Zhao doesn't seem too happy to see me?"

The atmosphere in the meeting room froze instantly. The provocation that Secretary Zhao had just given Zhou Qi turned into an invisible slap in the face.

Du Bowen noticed that the bodyguard behind Li Zihong was recording the scene with a miniature camera, and immediately realized that this business tycoon came prepared.

"Mr. Li misunderstood!"

Secretary Zhao broke out in sweat on his forehead. He was well aware of the influence of the person in front of him - at the Guangdong-Hong Kong Economic and Trade Conference last year, this person was the guest of honor who chatted and laughed with the governor.

Zhou Qi looked around the venue at the right time: "It seems that the provincial leaders have other important matters?"

He deliberately looked at the clock on the wall; the sound of the second hand was particularly clear in the silence.

Director Zhang of the municipal government immediately responded: "Secretary Zhao fully represents the opinions of the provincial government."

This was a clever statement, as it saved face for the province while also hinting at the city's leadership.