The Strongest Master Venturing Urban-Chapter 789: The Stubborn Old Man

Fang Qing responded with full respect on his face, "I thought today was Secretary Chen's first day at work, so I came along in case you have any needs where I can assist."

Nodding, Chen Bin pointed to his own car and said.

"Then get in the car."

"No need, I can just take my own car."

As he spoke, Fang Qing proactively opened the car door for Chen Bin.

When the latter was about to get in, he even used his hand to protect the top of the door to prevent Chen Bin from hitting his head.

After Chen Bin got in the car, Fang Qing immediately closed the door and walked with small steps to his own car.

Chen Bin took note of the other's diligence, but he didn't say much.

The car started, and as he looked at the crowded streets outside, Chen Bin began to ponder.

What exactly should I do to develop this seaside city well?

Upon arriving at the City Party Committee compound, people from various departments were peeking through windows to look down.

People are always curious about new things, and an official star like Chen Bin drew even more attention.

After getting out of the car, Fang Qing proactively opened the door for Chen Bin again.

"Secretary Chen, perhaps I could show you around the different departments?"

"Sure."

Under Fang Qing's guidance, Chen Bin took a tour around the City Party Committee compound.

He also gained a preliminary understanding of the office areas of various departments.

Upon arriving at his office, he found that it resembled the office at the provincial station but was significantly smaller.

At this point, Fang Qing continued to ask.

"Do you see anything missing? I can have it prepared right away."

Chen Bin sat down next to a chair, "There's nothing lacking for now. If there is, I'll contact you then."

"Alright. Traditionally, every new City Party Secretary visits the former leaders. Would you like to go?"

"Since it's an old tradition, of course, it should be followed. Arrange it for tomorrow afternoon."

"Alright."

As Fang Qing was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something.

"You don't have a secretary yet, do you?"

"My secretary is in Tianhai and will start next week."

All work transfers have to go through procedures, and Bao Shanshan cannot come over for now.

"Okay, if there's nothing else, I'll head out first."

"You go ahead and get busy."

Right after Fang Qing left, Shan Liqiang knocked on the door and walked in.

"Secretary Chen, have you thought about how to carry out your work?"

"I'm not very familiar with the situation in Tianhe yet. Let's talk about it in a couple of days."

"I think if you have the time, it would be good to go out and see for yourself. If you always stay in the office, the reports you get might not even be true."

"I understand that, but even if they're false, I have to figure out how false they are."

After Shan Liqiang left, Chen Bin began to ponder.

How exactly should I proceed to have people from various departments proactively report their work?

As the City Party Secretary, it would feel quite embarrassing to call them one by one to come over.

If there is an opportunity to handle a few people, perhaps it could establish his authority.

At this moment, the phone on the office desk rang.

Upon connecting, he found it was a call from the City Party Committee office.

"Secretary Chen, the Mayor of Jiangtan City, Rao Jiechi, wants to report work to you. Do you want to see him?"

Jiangtan City is a county-level city under Tianhe City.

Although Chen Bin didn't know who Rao Jiechi was, it was quite pleasant that the other party took the initiative to report work to him.

After all, having someone come is always better than no one.

"Let him come directly to my office."

Not long after, there was a knock on the door, and Rao Jiechi walked in.

He was about 1.75 meters tall, with average looks and a well-proportioned build.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be in his early forties.

Upon seeing Chen Bin, Rao Jiechi gave a bow, and his expression appeared somewhat excited.

"Secretary Chen, welcome to working in Tianhe. It is truly fortunate to meet you in person."

Chen Bin smiled in response, as it's hard to be unkind to a friendly person.

"No need for such courtesy, please come and sit."

Rao Jiechi did not sit immediately but handed over the documents in his hand.

"This is our first meeting, and Secretary Chen probably doesn't know me well. Here is my information."

In all his years in politics, Chen Bin had never encountered anyone who reported work like this.

After flipping through the information carefully, Chen Bin found that Rao Jiechi was not a native of Tianhe, graduated from Tianhai University, and was Chen Bin's alumnus.

Most importantly, he had been awarded the title of Top Ten Township Party Secretaries in Yanxi Province.

This title holds quite a bit of weight.

It must be strictly selected by the Yanxi Provincial Committee's Organization Department based on city-level recommendations.

Without remarkable achievements in office, one could never receive such a title.

Closing the documents, Chen Bin developed quite a favorable impression of the man before him.

"Please sit, don't just stand there. Tell me about some of your past accomplishments."

Seeing that Chen Bin seemed interested in him, Rao Jiechi did not hesitate and detailed all his honorable deeds that could be shown off in the past.

Chen Bin then asked, "You've worked in Jiangtan for quite a while, how do you feel?"

Sighing slightly, a look of bitterness spread across Rao Jiechi's face.

"Well, it's been alright."

Chen Bin could discern that the other had suffered quite a few grievances.

However, as this was their first meeting, he didn't want to probe further.

"Then tell me about the current situation in Jiangtan."

While Rao Jiechi narrated, Chen Bin also took notes on the important points.

After wrapping up, as the former was about to leave, Chen Bin even took the trouble to write down his own phone number and gave it to him.

"Contact me regarding any issues at work."

"Thank you very much, Secretary Chen!"

Rao Jiechi treated this phone number as if it were a treasure.

He accepted it while continually bowing and thanking Chen Bin.

In the time that followed, aside from Fang Qing, no one visited Chen Bin's office.

This made Chen Bin start seriously thinking about how to establish authority.

If something were to happen at this time, he could seize the opportunity to make an example.

The next morning, the office remained quiet.

In the afternoon, accompanied by Ran Qizhi and others, Chen Bin went to visit the retired veteran cadres.

At each household, he basically used the same set of phrases, which seemed very dull.

Chen Bin was not fond of this type of superficial nicety, but he had no choice.

On the way to the last house, that of Diao Baoshan, the then Tianhe City Political Consultative Conference Chairman, Fang Qing reminded him softly.

"Secretary Chen, you need to be careful. Diao Baoshan has a particularly fiery temper and doesn't show a good face to anyone. If he says something inappropriate, don't take it to heart."

"Then give me a brief on his background."

"He's already over seventy, a native of Tianhe, and was previously Deputy Party Secretary."

Nodding, Chen Bin suddenly remembered something.

He asked Fang Qing, "Are you a Tianhe native?"

"No. But I've worked in Tianhe for almost thirty years, so you could call me a half-Tianhe native."

As they reached the door, Chen Bin didn't say any more.

Diao Baoshan was a thin and wiry old man. Despite his short stature, his eyes were strikingly bright.

It wasn't clear if his hair was dyed, but the slick black hair on his head didn't make him look seventy at all.

Chen Bin started with his usual script, but unexpectedly, Diao Baoshan interrupted him right away.

"No wonder Tianhe can't develop, it's all because of leaders like you, just sticking with dead regulations with no innovation at all. And they say the new City Party Secretary is so amazing, but in my view, he's nothing special!"