Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 451: Chapter 424: Acting with the Flow_1
City Government Office Building

Li Guohua’s office is located on the eleventh floor of the government office building, on the same floor as Nie Zhenbang. However, their offices are diagonally facing each other. Directly opposite Nie Zhenbang is the city government’s small conference room, which is usually used for the Mayor’s office meetings or briefings.

Li Guohua’s office layout is roughly similar to that of Nie Zhenbang; an outer office area along with a larger office space, a rest room and a kitchen toilet. Though small, it is fully equipped. The decoration style of Li Guohua’s office is entirely different from that of Nie Zhenbang, reflecting the typical American style and displaying the pragmatism of Americans.

At this moment, Zhou Chen walked in with a huff. Upon seeing Zhou Chen, Li Guohua’s secretary, Huang Bao, who had already stood up, sat down again.

Zhou Chen walked straight into Li Guohua’s office, casually threw his briefcase on the coffee table as he entered, and sprawled out on the sofa.

“Did you pay the fine?” Nie Zhenbang asked with a smile.

As the Executive Deputy Mayor and Secretary of the Guicheng District Committee, Li Guohua has two office locations. One is here, and the other is in Guicheng District. Usually, when inspecting projects at the construction site, he doesn’t visit his office in Guicheng District, since he is somewhat superstitious and taboo.

Since he is a deputy bureau-level official while the Secretary of the Guicheng District Committee is a department-level post, going back to a department-level office implies a demotion for him. In the officialdom, everyone dreams of a promotion while a demotion is cruel for anyone. Therefore, Li Guohua never works in Guicheng District Committee office.

Zhou Chen was quite irritated at this time and said with some attitude: “I paid it. What else could I do if I didn’t? I know Nie Zhenbang, he does what he says. If I don’t pay, he dares to kick me out. Besides, Brother Hua, you have expressed your support. Although I don’t understand why you decided to back Nie Zhenbang, I, Zhou Chen, will never drag you down.”

Zhou Chen then sat up straight and looked at Li Guohua with puzzlement: “Brother Hua, why are you becoming more and more timid? It feels like you’re afraid of Nie Zhenbang. After Elder Nie leaves, the Nie family will become a rootless duckweed. Are you afraid of him?”

Li Guohua smiled lightly, there was a flash of disdain in his eyes. Elder Zhou was very wise. Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, he was not considered a core figure of the central high-level leadership. However, with careful planning, he gradually brought the Zhou family into the ranks of political families in Jingcheng that cannot be ignored. It’s a shame that the second generation of the Zhou family didn’t turn out well. Until now, they only have a province or ministry level post. The third generation, exemplified by Zhou Chen in front of him, is a disappointment. To describe them as ‘disappointing’ would be putting it nicely – they’re more like good-for-nothings. This is perhaps the most fitting description. However, Li Guohua would not say these words at this moment since he still has use for Zhou Chen, who can be regarded as a faithful dog under his command.

Subsequently, Li Guohua said slowly: “It’s not about being afraid. It has nothing to do with fear. Do you think that after Elder Nie’s death, Nie Zhenbang has no backing? Leaving aside Zhuang Aiguo, who is the representative of the Nie family and is a standing committee member of the Politburo, even Nie Zhenbang’s wife Yang Anna has the backing of Elder Yang. Given the Yang family’s fondness for Yang Anna, if Nie Zhenbang gets into trouble, he won’t ignore it. Besides, Elder Nan and the Nie family have some affection for each other. From this level, everyone is equal. The difference is that we can use or leverage our relationships anytime we want, while Nie Zhenbang will not use these relationships unless it’s a matter of life or death. After all, these are a matter of human relationships. Use it once, and it gets used up one more time.”

Hearing this, Zhou Chen became even more puzzled: “Brother Hua, in that case, why can’t we just slap Nie Zhenbang to death, preventing him from ever turning over again?”

At this moment, Li Guohua took a deep sigh and patiently said: “Zhou Chen, you need to understand that in the system, it’s not just about struggles. If we were constantly struggling, we wouldn’t even have the chance to touch a hair on Nie Zhenbang’s body because we would already have been slapped dead ourselves.”

Thinking of this, Li Guohua himself felt incredibly frustrated. This is where Nie Zhenbang is smart. His transparent maneuvers leave no room for Li Guohua to maneuver. Some time ago, Li Guohua was keen to find fault with Nie Zhenbang; Even at the expense of inciting a voting boycott at the National Congress. However, in the end, he nearly got himself implicated. Since then, Li Guohua has been contemplating and now he has arrived at a conclusion.

Things like this need to be slowly planned. Now, the smart thing about Nie Zhenbang is that he has positioned himself on the high moral ground, attacking him will be seen as defiance. Not only would the provincial party committee disapprove, but the central government would also not spare him. This is what leveraging power entails. After the death of Elder Nie, Nie Zhenbang has mastered this technique to an extremely high level.

While thinking about this, Li Guohua looked at Zhou Chen again, and said: “Chen, do you know why we feel constrained and frustrated everywhere? It is not that we cannot fight Nie Zhenbang, but that we cannot fight the current political situation. Because Nie Zhenbang is now clinging to the current political form and the situation. To fight against him is tantamount to fighting against Secretary Yuan himself. Under such circumstances, do you think we can win?”

This accessible explanation made Zhou Chen understand a bit: “Brother Hua, in that case, it seems like we don’t have a way to deal with Nie Zhenbang now. So, what should we do?”

“Solution?” Li Guohua pondered for a moment, then shook his head. “None. That’s why I urged you to pay the fine without fuss. It’s also why I’m cooperating with Nie Zhenbang. Because I’ve decided to go with the flow,” he said.

Upon hearing ‘go with the flow’, Zhou Chen’s expression instantly dimmed. If this was the case, weren’t they following in Nie Zhenbang’s wake? Weren’t they becoming his lackeys? How would they overthrow Nie Zhenbang then? For instance, Nie Zhenbang was currently cracking down hard on developers and illegal constructions, didn’t Li Guohua’s actions make him look like a henchman?

Perhaps detecting Zhou Chen’s changing demeanor, a hint of derision flashed in Li Guohua’s eyes. He sighed indifferently, “Zhou Chen, remember, political struggles aren’t just about life-or-death battles and mutual destruction. After the last public incident, I realised that if we fought directly, Nie Zhenbang might not fall, but we’d be knocked down first. Going with the flow may seem as if we’re cooperating with Nie Zhenbang, but he’s also cooperating with us. Now, it’s a test of patience. Whoever makes the fatal mistake or gets tarnished first will be seized upon, trampled and possibly annihilated. That’s what political struggle entails.”

He paused for a moment, watching Zhou Chen deep in thought, then continued, “If struggles were that plain and simple, would our grandfathers’ generation even have factions? If it’s all about struggles, how could the country develop? Struggles are merely undercurrents of the prevailing developmental trend. The central government must balance all faction relationships. All factions are going with the flow, mainly waiting for someone to slip up. Do you understand now?”

At this point, Zhou Chen seemed to understand a little better. In the clash between reform and conservatism years ago, hadn’t the Nie family rose to prominence by going with the reformist trend? His own family, however, appeared to have been left behind. Weren’t those firm reformist factions wiped out by the historical wave?

Zhou Chen then gave a thumbs up in admiration, “Brother Hua, that’s a brilliant move. In this way, Nie Zhenbang definitely can’t figure out our intentions. He’ll inevitably make a blunder out of anxiety and concern, and when that happens, our chance will come.”

Li Guohua nodded in approval, “Not bad, Chen. It’s commendable that you’ve managed to understand this.”

In high spirits, Li Guohua’s attitude and tone towards Zhou Chen changed. From addressing Zhou Chen by name, he switched to calling him ‘Chen.’”

After a pause, Li Guohua harrumphed, “That old man, Fan Changsheng, seems to have a better grasp of this than anyone else. He’s long understood the logic of going with the flow. Now he’s sitting comfortably in his office at the Municipal Committee, unaffected by Nie Zhenbang’s work and lending his full support. He’s smoothly accumulating political merits. He’s certainly playing hardcore.”

Li Guohua’s adjustments swiftly shifted the dynamics in Liangxi City, uniting the entire municipal team surprisingly fast. Major Nie’s proposed projects received full support.

Naturally, this change further solidified Nie Zhenbang’s position in Liangxi City, increasing the number of officials reporting to him.

As for the old city renovation project, it went into full swing. Nie Zhenbang’s words hung like a sword over their heads, always threatening to strike with the slightest slip-up. These self-serving individuals soon realized dirty tricks were futile.

Before long, including weekends, planning law enforcement vehicles could often be seen patrolling the demarcated area of the renovation project. Illegal constructions were effectively curtailed. Some victims of demolition, who had not received full compensation, got their due after reevaluation. Compensations for illegal buildings were issued after in-depth evaluations by professional construction cost estimators. The compensation offered by the government essentially covered the cost of the materials and wages, making the homeowners repay their labor investment and the original green seedling subsidy. Although there were objections, disturbances to such matters would eventually fade away within a few days.

The changes during this period eased Nie Zhenbang’s workload considerably, reminiscent of his efficient days in Xinli City.

The length of overtime work shortened significantly. After work, he would accompany Yang Anna and the other two ladies on walks through the night markets of Liangxi City, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

Currently, Li Lixue’s belly was growing larger with six months of pregnancy. The bulging abdomen and the added weight, while making her heavier, also radiated a maternal glow. What delighted Nie Zhenbang more was that Dong Wan and Yang Anna had also conceived. It was indeed a double celebration.

As time entered June, Nie Zhenbang started getting busy. Good news arrived from Yanling City. West Village Group had signed a contract with the Huaxia Industrial and Commercial Bank and Industrial and Commercial Securities. The group’s listing preparation team was officially established, marking the countdown to its listing.

At that moment, Nie Zhenbang got a call from the central government. (