The Beautiful County Magistrate
Chapter 295: Secretary Ji’s Olive Branch!

Chapter 295: Chapter 295: Secretary Ji’s Olive Branch!

Xu Qianli had thought all along that it was Vice Secretary Zi Guangyu who had summoned him, but the person who eventually appeared before him turned out to be Secretary Ji Qingyun.

As a provincial cadre, seeing Ji Qingyun made Xu Qianli quite excited.

For a department-level cadre from a town to get a chance to meet the Provincial Party Secretary alone was, in his estimation, a unique privilege in the province.

Such an event was more than simply an honor.

Upon seeing Ji Qingyun come in, Xu Qianli immediately stood up, "Hello, Secretary Ji."

Ji Qingyun didn’t speak, but waved his hand, signalling Xu Qianli to sit down. He took the seat opposite him and scrutinized him intently.

After a while, Ji Qingyun said, "Young man, to face me and remain so composed, impressive."

Ji Qingyun had an extremely good first impression of Xu Qianli, a young department-level cadre who could remain calm in his presence, which was no easy feat.

You see, in the past, not to mention minor department-level cadres, even department-level and hall-level cadres in his presence would often appear anxious and nervous, some even breaking out in cold sweat and unable to sit steadily.

Yet Xu Qianli, young as he was, managed to remain composed in his presence, displaying humility on the surface while his eyes showed no trace of fear.

It was indeed rare, truly rare.

Xu Qianli self-deprecatingly said, "Secretary Ji, you flatter me too much. You don’t know, but my palms are all sweaty right now. It’s good that I’m sitting; otherwise, I might not even be able to stand steady and would embarrass myself."

Ji Qingyun laughed heartily and struck up a conversation with Xu Qianli.

The secretary accompanying Ji Qingyun could not help but be moved, having never seen anyone who could make Ji Qingyun smile and engage in such amiable conversation upon their first meeting, let alone a seemingly insignificant department-level cadre from a town.

This Xu Qianli, he’s quite something.

After chatting idly for a while, Ji Qingyun finally brought up the main topic.

"The tourism-centric investment attraction plan spearheaded by you in Qingshan Town has come to my attention."

"I’ve heard that you produced the proposal in a very short time, hurriedly organized an investment meeting, and secured over twenty billion in investments within just two days."

"Such a great achievement is very rare indeed."

"Especially since you are merely a Party Secretary of a town, yet capable of achieving such results, is all the more remarkable."

"Your work deserves recognition and could even be commended across the province."

Ji Qingyun’s words made Xu Qianli’s heartbeat quicken.

Being a town cadre, to receive such affirmation from the top leader of the province wasn’t simply a matter of good luck.

Xu Qianli was extremely humble, first thanking Ji Qingyun for the praise, then quickly attributing the success to the joint efforts of leaders at all levels and the entire cadre of Qingshan Town, and not his own doings alone.

Ji Qingyun nodded slightly, appreciating Xu Qianli even more.

"To be so young, to withstand great ups and downs yet stand tall, to repeatedly rise up, indefatigably, and not to be arrogant with your achievements, is truly rare."

"I admire young people like you. You being so capable yet remaining in a town is really burying your talents."

"How about this, there happens to be a vacancy at the Provincial Committee, and your level fits the bill. Are you interested in transferring from the town to work at the Provincial Committee?"

"The Provincial Committee is not like the town. It has a higher starting point, and perhaps you could go even further in the future."

Casually throwing out an olive branch, Ji Qingyun sought to recruit Xu Qianli into his ranks.

Originally, when he learned about the achievements in Qingshan Town, he became extremely curious about Xu Qianli and simply wanted to meet him in person.

Now that he had met him and witnessed Xu Qianli’s performance, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of cherishing talent.

Such a young and full-of-initiative lad, if he could be placed by his side and be well nurtured, his future would be boundless.

If over the next half year Xu Qianli performed well, he could even take Xu Qianli with him to the department after he himself was promoted next year.

Faced with the olive branch Ji Qingyun had extended, Xu Qianli didn’t hesitate to stand up and respond.

"Secretary Ji, it would be an honor for me, Xu Qianli, to be transferred to the Provincial Committee and work by your side; I would love to accept, but I cannot."

Ji Qingyun asked, "Why, do you feel that the Provincial Committee is beneath you?"

"How dare I?"

"Being transferred to work at the Provincial Committee, who wouldn’t be excited to the point of losing sleep? I, Xu Qianli, am no exception."

"It’s just that my father taught me from a young age to be consistent and complete what I have started. If something has begun, it must be seen through to the end."

"The tourism development plan in Qingshan Town has just started, and it would be terrible if I left suddenly and changes occurred."

"How could I then face the expectations of the elders and folks of Qingshan Town, or the entrepreneurs who have invested huge amounts of money in our town, not to mention let down the trust and expectations of the leaders at all levels?"

"So, I can only regretfully decline your offer, Secretary Ji."

Xu Qianli voiced his thoughts; an opportunity to rise to the Provincial Committee—who wouldn’t want to seize it? Yet, he couldn’t.

Once he left, Qingshan Town might descend into chaos.

Ji Qingyun understood clearly and asked, "You mean to say, without you holding it down, Qingshan Town might run into problems later?"

Xu Qianli nodded, "Not just problems, I’m afraid they could be major ones."

"Alright, let me hear it."

Ji Qingyun was genuinely interested to see what Xu Qianli’s views on Qingshan Town were.

"Since you asked, Secretary Ji, let me share my thoughts—Qingshan Town..."

Xu Qianli expended some effort to explain the current situation in Qingshan Town.

Although Qingshan Town seemed prosperous at the moment, it hid many tricky issues like potential conflicts between the tourism development project and the local populace, the local cadres’ handling of enormous funds, municipal governance system issues, overall planning problems, and so forth—Xu Qianli listed a dozen or so points.

Ji Qingyun frequently nodded in agreement, recognizing the issues raised by Xu Qianli. Managing towns might seem simple but was indeed fraught with complexities. For someone as young as Xu Qianli to see so clearly was rare.

He grew even more appreciative of Xu Qianli, feeling an increased affection for the talented man.

Before he could offer another opportunity, the door to the reception room suddenly opened, and with a fragrant breeze, a stunningly tall and beautiful woman quickly ran in.

"Dad, I needed to speak with you, heard you were meeting someone here. Made them wait so long without seeing you leave, I came over to check."

"Who is this guy anyway? So young, at best he’s a department-level cadre, worthy of such a long personal reception by a provincial big shot?"

"You there, your business is done here, go back where you came from."

The beautiful woman waved her hand to send Xu Qianli away.

Xu Qianli too was watching the beautiful woman. Recognizing her, his eyes lit up; he sprang up and quickly ran over to give her a bear hug.

"Silly girl, to think after all these years, I’d still get to see you!"