Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 820 - 821: It’s So Satisfying to Confront the Leader

Chapter 820: Chapter 821: It’s So Satisfying to Confront the Leader

Liu Qingyuan just said that and then hung up the phone abruptly. Jiang Xueliang held his phone, his face that had just softened turned grim again; muscles twitching, his hand clutching the phone with knuckles whitening.

"Old Jiang, what’s wrong?" Cui Ying immediately asked with concern.

Grinding his teeth, Jiang Xueliang said: "Liu Qingyuan wants me to toast him upstairs. I’m not his deputy anymore, why should I listen to him? I’m not going."

Cui Ying’s face also turned very ugly, but in the end, she still restrained herself and said: "You should still make the trip. Guard against gentlemen but not against villains. Liu Qingyuan is always hovering around the district chief and the district party secretary. If he badmouths you behind your back and you’re left with no future, that would be even worse."

Fisting his hands, Jiang Xueliang said: "No future then no future, if they don’t let me be an official, I’ll just be an ordinary civil servant. I walk a straight path, act rightfully; even if he targets me, he can’t smash my rice bowl or leave me jobless."

"But..." Cui Ying’s face twisted with worry, she still wanted to persuade her husband.

"No need for persuasion, I, Jiang Xueliang, have labored through so many years, I’m already sick of bootlicking. Even if they invite me back now to be Liu Qingyuan’s deputy, I won’t do it. Let alone sweet-talk him, no way."

Jiang Xueliang’s statement was definitive, without hesitation—he was truly adamant.

"Well said! A man should have such backbone. Uncle, I toast to you." Song Xiaodong immediately praised and raised his glass.

Feeling appreciated by Song Xiaodong, Jiang Xueliang suddenly felt the kinship of a kindred spirit. He clinked glasses with Song Xiaodong and drained his in one gulp, saying: "Little Song is right. A man should stand tall between heaven and earth. Spending all day fawning over others is not truly working. If I don’t do it, so be it. I want to live with some dignity."

Cui Ying gave a wry smile, but said no more. She knew her husband better than anyone. Jiang Xueliang was indeed a proud man. He had swallowed too many humiliations in his work over the years, and it was already quite remarkable that he had endured for so long. Now that he was letting loose and being himself, it wasn’t a bad thing.

After some drinking, Jiang Xueliang opened up, and Song Xiaodong gently steered the conversation, leading Jiang Xueliang to talk a lot about his work experiences.

Song Xiaodong also showed great admiration. Jiang Xueliang truly had vision and a strong sense of responsibility. Such a person in office was definitely a boon. As for someone like Liu Qingyuan, with such a narrow mind and lack of ability, being an official was just a curse.

Although there had been some displeasure at the start, the atmosphere of the dinner eventually turned quite pleasant. In the end, Jiang Xueliang even drank a bit too much, and everyone went to settle the bill together.

As they were settling up, several people came downstairs from above; it was Liu Qingyuan’s group, but with one more person than when they arrived. Seeing that person, Jiang Xueliang hurried over, saying: "Bureau Chief Sun!"

This Bureau Chief Sun, named Sun Zheng, was the head of the Culture Bureau, and Jiang Xueliang’s art gallery was under its jurisdiction. Encountering his direct superior, he naturally couldn’t overlook greeting him.

However, Sun Zheng just nodded, without saying a word and looking very displeased, which made Jiang Xueliang’s heart sink.

With the appearance of feeling let down by someone’s failure to meet his expectations, Liu Qingyuan said: "Old Jiang, you really... I specially called you earlier to inform you that Bureau Chief Sun was here, to invite you upstairs for a toast, and you didn’t even show up, sigh!"

Instantly, Jiang Xueliang’s face darkened, realizing that he had been played by Liu Qingyuan once again.

This guy deliberately called with that tone just to prevent him from going up, and didn’t mention that Bureau Chief Sun was here at the time, but now brings it up, clearly just to disgust him, intentionally causing Bureau Chief Sun Zheng to have issues with him.

He had just transferred here and already offended the bureau chief, certainly his future work would be impossible to carry out properly.

At this moment, Jiang Xueliang indeed had the urge to just give up since things had come to this; he no longer harbored thoughts of promotion, thinking, "Even if you’re the bureau chief, what more can you do to me?"

With a slight smile, Jiang Xueliang’s heart suddenly felt relieved as he said, "Director Sun, the leaders are dining together, and I, a mere section chief, really shouldn’t disturb you, please excuse me."

By not trying to ingratiate himself and speaking so indifferently, Jiang Xueliang suddenly felt an indescribable ease and pleasure. When it comes to leaders, if you take them seriously, you’ll be afraid of them; if you don’t, your desirelessness makes you as resilient as steel.

Liu Qingyuan immediately glared, then apologetically said to Sun Zheng, "Director Sun, I’m really sorry. Old Jiang is under my supervision, and I have not managed well. When he’s under your command, you’ll have to properly educate him, otherwise if he becomes a thorn in your side, that would be troublesome."

Sun Zheng snorted and said, "I will take care of it."

Liu Qingyuan nodded repeatedly and said, "No matter who it is, under Director Sun’s command, they are sure to be obedient. Comrade Old Jiang is quite capable; Director Sun, if you manage him well, he will become your right-hand man in the future."

Liu Qingyuan’s words were clearly fueling the fire, hoping to see Jiang Xueliang’s face turn ashen. However, Jiang Xueliang just smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for your kind intentions, Director Liu. But I believe that as long as I’m not working under someone like Director Liu, who is only capable of bootlicking, I will be able to utilize my strengths."

"You... are you talking about me?" Liu Qingyuan’s face instantly darkened. Even when Jiang Xueliang was displeased with him or looked down on him in the past, he had never dared to say something like this.

Still wearing that faint smile, Jiang Xueliang said, "Director Liu, although your abilities are limited, you can at least understand what I’m saying, can’t you?"

Liu Qingyuan immediately retorted angrily, "You... Jiang Xueliang, I see you really don’t want to end up well. Do you believe that you won’t be a section chief for much longer?"

Jiang Xueliang looked at Liu Qingyuan, who appeared quite flustered and exasperated, feeling extremely delighted and replied, "Whatever, I’d like to see just how capable you, Chief Director Liu, really are. Bring it on."

"You... Good! Good! We’ll see," Liu Qingyuan said fiercely.

"Whatever!" Jiang Xueliang was even more relaxed.

"Director Sun, this is your soldier, this is your subordinate, look, look..." Liu Qingyuan, while angry, did not forget to drag Sun Zheng into this.

Sun Zheng’s face darkened; he and Liu Qingyuan were on the same level, but Liu Qingyuan was someone close to the district chief and not someone he could afford to offend. Now, Jiang Xueliang was someone from his Culture Bureau, and confronting Liu Qingyuan like that certainly made him, the bureau chief, lose face.

"Jiang Xueliang, what kind of attitude is this? You need to apologize to Director Liu immediately, right this moment!"