There should be an update today, thank you for always coming and supporting me, brothers!

  Shen Huai sat on the sofa, not inviting He Yuelian to sit down either. Leaning against the back of the chair, he looked up at her and asked: "You want to take over the supply and marketing association from me entirely, aren't you afraid that Secretary Du will have some thoughts about it?"

  Perhaps disheartened, He Yuelian also restrained her usual charming demeanor and stood in front of Shen Huai, stiffly saying: "I took over the reception station, Secretary Du helped me a lot, but I don't owe him anything; what I want to do in Meixi Town, he can't restrain me..."

  "By the way, when I first arrived in Meixi Town, the party and government meeting nominated Wang Gang as the head of the steel plant's security department, but he never showed up. Now he has been removed from his position at the steel plant too. I heard that he hasn't returned to the town either, where did he go?" Shen Huai looked calmly at He Yuelian, asking about Wang Gang's whereabouts.

  "Secretary Shen has been to Meixi Town for more than a day or two, and my previous rotten and moldy life probably doesn't need me to explain anything to Secretary Shen anymore?" When it came to her own son, He Yuelian's face turned even colder, and her voice was like ice crashing down, "Where did Wang Gang go? How would I know? Maybe Secretary Du is more aware of this than me as a mother."

  Judging from He Yuelian's appearance, it is hard to imagine that she has a grown-up son.

  Shen Huai smiled, knowing that He Yuelian didn't have much affection for the son born to her first ex-husband. He Yuelian's first ex-husband, who was Wang Gang's biological father, had been imprisoned and eventually died in prison after being reported by He Yuelian during the Cultural Revolution. It was said that He Yuelian had given birth to Wang Gang at the age of 16 because her first ex-husband had used coercive means on her.

  He Ruilian's son Wang Gang was stabbed by Chen Dan that year, and she didn't drive Chen Dan out of the reception station either.

  Shen Huai didn't get annoyed at He Yuelian's sudden cold attitude, he just wanted to confirm that she wouldn't pose any threat to him. He said: "The supply and marketing association is now in a situation, I've also seen it, it's more serious than what appears on the surface; I have thought about outsourcing the entire supply and marketing association. You go back and prepare the materials well, if it's feasible, the town will consider transferring the entire supply and marketing association to you for outsourcing..."

  "Ah!" He Yuelian was a bit silly, Chen Dan insisted on returning the 4,000 yuan gift to her, and she thought that the contract with the supply and marketing association was not going to happen, so she was momentarily annoyed and didn't give Shen Huai a good face either. Unexpectedly, it all turned out to be her own misunderstanding.

  Shen Huai stood up and threw down the hair of He Yuelian, looking at Chen Dan who was going upstairs, biting his ear and asking: "Isn't it very hard?"

  "It's okay." Chen Dan looked at He Yuelian standing alone in the chess room, lost in thought, wondering what had happened again.

  Time was not early, Shen Huai and Chen Dan first sent away Zhao Dong, Yang Haipeng, Zhou Ming, Xiong Jia sisters and others, and also sent Little Li back to the house to rest. The hotel side only ended a day's business.

  Chen Dan still had to check the day's accounts, so Shen Hui sat on the chair behind the counter and waited for her. Chen Dan had also said that as long as business returned to what it was before he came to Mei Creek Town, even if the annual franchise fee was 2.4 million, they would still make a profit, so Shen Hui didn't worry about anything for Chen Dan's sake.

  A girl slipped in, looking around nervously. Shen Huan peeked out to take a look, and the girl happened to turn her head back to see if Shen Huan had discovered her. Their eyes met, and the girl was startled, running away like a rabbit, almost bumping into the door frame...

  "Is that the girl from Nan Garden? You've actually invited her over?" Shen Huan recognized the girl, she was Zhu Li Ling, the one he met at Nan Garden a few days ago. He didn't expect Chen Dan to have hired her.

  "Yes, Little Zhu studied catering management at the Municipal Tourism School and worked in Nanyuan for two years, so she knows more than me. I invited her to be the deputy manager of the catering department," Chen Dan said with a smile, looking at Zhu Liling dodging Shen Hua's gaze, "Don't scare the little girl if you don't have to; also, don't take advantage of the female staff in the hotel."

  "Deputy manager, can I intimidate her? Besides, who can take advantage of me, your eyes are staring at..." Shen Huai smiled and told Chen Dan about He Yuelian's plan to contract the supply and marketing association.

  "You were so determined to kick He Jie out of the reception station at first, why do you want her to take over the supply and marketing agency now?" Chen Dan asked in puzzlement.

  Shen Huai had nothing good to hide in front of Chen Dan, letting Chen Dan sit on his lap and talk.

  Chen Dan turned around to see that there was no one else in the front hall, and the girls had all returned to their dormitories to rest. She was also willing to be more intimate with Shen Huai, so she sat up close to him, but grabbed his hand to prevent him from touching her randomly.

  The guest room department is usually empty, so Chen Dan used a few temporary rooms as hotel dormitories; Zhu Liling and other girls can stay overnight without having to rush back home at night.

  "In the end, I still want to do things well," Shen Hua said with emotion. "To do things well, it still depends on people. Mei Xi Steel Factory was able to start up so quickly, relying solely on its own human resources is impossible. Zhao Dong, Xu Wen Dao, Pan Cheng and a few others, were not valued in the municipal steel factory, but once they were really put to use, which one of them couldn't hold their own? On the steel factory side, I can constantly recruit people from the municipal steel factory to make up for the shortage, but what can I do on this town's side?"

  Chen Dan nodded, the management personnel of the steel plant can be hired at a high salary, but government personnel cannot be hired. The asset management office has been set up for ten days, and Shen Huai himself is also the director of the asset management office, not to mention that there are truly capable people with ability and level, only one person named Guo Quan.

  The other leading cadres in the town, He Qing She is considered to be one of the capable ones, while others are mediocre. Chen Dan is also very clear about this. Even if ordinary clerks are included, there probably won't be many people who can meet Shen Hua's requirements for personnel.

  "There are many problems in the town, and they're very serious, but ultimately someone needs to deal with them," Shen Hua said. "Take the supply and marketing association for example. If it's not handled promptly now, dragging on for two or three years will turn it into a mess. In the end, the town government still has to step in to solve it. No matter what, He Yuelian is a capable person. As the saying goes, 'appointing someone from within doesn't mean avoiding relatives, and appointing someone from outside doesn't mean avoiding enemies.' She can solve problems and make the supply and marketing association work, which would be beneficial for everyone. Why not let her do it? Besides, even if she fails, then so be it..."

  Shen Huai had a look of schadenfreude, as if he couldn't wait for He Yuelian to make a mess of things. Chen Dan was helpless, and Shen asked him:

  "Aren't you worried that she still has a leg with Director Du?"

  "Don't worry," Shen Hua shook his head and said, "Du Jian doesn't pose a threat to me. What I'm worried about is what He Yuelian will do? Kicking He Yuelian out back then was a gesture; letting her come back now is also a gesture..."

  "As long as someone is capable, even if they used to be difficult to get along with, you should still use them?" Chen Dan asked.

  Shen Huai looked up at Chen Dan, looking into her clear eyes and asked: "Do you think I'm very realistic?"

  "No," Chen Dan shook her head firmly and said, "There aren't so many rights and wrongs in this society, I'm not a little girl."

  "Yes, this is not a black and white world, I won't think about being an official as clean as water," Shen Hua said. "In the country, to get things done, you need to have people above and below. Du Jian will eventually leave Meixi Town, the party members and cadres who used to wear the same pants as Du Jian in the town cannot all be transferred away, most of them still have to stay behind. Can't just kick them out and raise them for free with the town's finances? Besides eating too much and accumulating deep resentment among the people, others who can be used are still useful. Take Huang Xinliang, I scolded him until he was covered in blood when I came over, after Du Jian leaves, if I continue to use him as the director of the party and government office, do you think he will hate me or thank me?"

  Chen Dan smiled and said: "I just like seeing you look confident; but now that Du Jian is gone, can you really become the secretary?"

  "Who knows?" Shen Huai stood up with his arm around Chen Dan's waist and said, "Let's go back, it's getting late..."

  The road is not far away, just over 200 meters. Chen Dan walked back with Shen Hua's arm around her waist.

  On the road, Chen Dan couldn't help but mention the 20,000 yuan that Yang Haipeng had given him: "Yang Haipeng is really generous, he handed over the envelope and I was really startled. Does making steel really make a lot of money?"

  "It's quite profitable, their company can make around 3 million this month, which is still pretty good compared to before," Shen Hui said with a smile. "But I don't need him to give me money, not that I'm particularly clean or anything. To be honest, he and Zhao Dong are both people I value; if they want to play a core role in my circle, they need to be given enough respect. Some relationships can't be maintained just by trading power and money..."

  "What circle?" Chen Dan asked in confusion.

  "That's right, it's all about connections," Shen Hua said. "All the skills for navigating officialdom are based on these connections. Why was I able to rise above in Meixi Town? It wasn't because I personally had some extraordinary abilities, but because I was the new municipal party secretary's person. Everyone has their own connections, big circles encompassing smaller ones. If I want to advance my career, I need to have my own connections too."

  "Except for Zhao Dong, Yang Haipeng and Guo Quan, you also use He Yuelian, and say that you don't plan to kick out Huang Xinliang. Are you going to pull them into your circle too?" Chen Dan asked at this time, having understood many things.

  "Let's see. I've said it before, I don't have obsessive-compulsive disorder, I just need people who can do things and know how to do them." Shen Huan said.

  "What about me?" Chen Dan asked.

  "No, you're not in any circle or not," Shen Huan stopped and wrapped Chen Dan's body into his arms, saying, "You are my lover..."

  Listening to Shen Hua's words, Chen Dan had an indescribable sweetness in her heart, but she still clearly remembered what He Yuelian had told her: the man in front of her was not someone she should have, nor could she keep him. She didn't leave Shen Hua's arms, lifted her head to look at Shen Hua's increasingly enchanting eyes, and firmly shook her head, "I don't want that much, let me stay in your circle, I'm satisfied..."

  "Fool." Shen Huan smiled and pinched Chen Dan's nose. The weather was a bit cold, so they continued walking back.

  Chen Mingde and Tan Qiping successively took office in Donghua, holding high positions, and it cannot be said that their power was not heavy. However, Chen Mingde almost suffered a downfall, while Tan Qiping, although taking office as the top leader, was also very cautious and did not dare to make any major moves at first - after all, there were no capable people below him to help expand his influence. Shen Huai's outstanding performance in Meixi Town still resulted in a relatively small scope of influence.

  Shen Hua deeply realized this point when considering his own development: it's not just about having someone above, but also having someone below.

  Perhaps many people are thrilled to be able to squeeze into the circle of municipal party committee secretaries; Shen Hua will not be satisfied with this. Even if he doesn't take out his identity as a member of the Song family, as a member of the municipal party committee secretary's circle, Shen Hua also wants to have his own circle.

  In this way, even if Tan Qiping knew about his previous moral character through other channels and wanted to exclude him from the circle, he wouldn't have to be too embarrassed. Even if Tan Qiping was cold towards him, it's unlikely that he would suppress him, as he could still have his own circle and things could continue...