The Beautiful County Magistrate
Chapter 609: Shocking Changes in Jiang City!

Chapter 609: Chapter 609: Shocking Changes in Jiang City!

"Can Grandpa really offer more help than ten times what the Ye Family and Bai Family have offered me?"

"Dad, are you joking?"

"Isn’t Grandpa just a carpenter? Does he really have that much influence?"

Xu Qianli wasn’t aware about other distinguished families, but the energy alone of his father-in-law, Ye Zhanhua, was definitely extraordinary.

The Bai Family was even more formidable, easily the top martial arts family in the country.

Could his own grandfather truly be that impressive?

Xu Zhi said, "The influence of my dad goes far beyond just being ’significant.’ If you knew him, understood his life, you’d be absolutely stunned. I won’t go into the specifics, but if you have the time, you should try to meet him in Beijing."

"This... What does Mom mean by this?" Xu Qianli asked.

"This is also your mom’s wish. We both think you’re an adult now and should make your own judgments. If you have the chance, you should meet your grandfather."

"Of course, whatever you decide to do after meeting him will be up to you."

"That’s all I have to say, don’t ask about anything else. Once you meet your grandfather, everything will become clear."

After Xu Zhi finished talking, he handed Xu Qianli a piece of paper with the Xu Family’s address on it.

Xu Qianli could go there whenever he wished.

Xu Zhi then patted Xu Qianli on the shoulder and left him on the balcony to attend to other matters.

Holding the paper, Xu Qianli didn’t look at it but stuffed it into his pocket.

This news had come so suddenly that Xu Qianli needed time to digest it.

He would have to wait until he was calmer to consider his next steps.

Soon, a warm body pressed against him from behind, and two small hands wrapped around his waist.

Without turning around, Xu Qianli knew it must be Ding Meixin.

The two of them had a special spark. Whenever they touched, he felt electric currents that no other woman could give him.

Soon, Ding Meixin’s soft voice came from behind, "Director Xu, Aunt asked me to call her ’Mom.’ Should I do it or not?"

"Of course you should!" Xu Qianli pulled Ding Meixin in front of him, "You’re my girlfriend, and you’ll marry me sooner or later. My mom is your mom, calling her ’Mom’ is perfectly reasonable."

Ding Meixin playfully asked, "But wouldn’t you feel like I’m stealing your mom from you?"

Xu Qianli laughed and pinched Ding Meixin’s nose, "Silly girl, I’m not so foolish as to be jealous of you. Besides, you’re not stealing my mom, you’re becoming part of my family, and I couldn’t be happier. Meixin, why don’t you stop calling me Director Xu, and start calling me ’husband’?"

"Husband?"

Ding Meixin quickly shook her head, "No way, I want to call you Director Xu for life!"

"That won’t do," Xu Qianli said, "Once you marry me, you’ll be my wife and you’ll need to change how you address me. Here, try calling me that a few times."

"Fine, I’ll do it if I must."

"Ok, hus-, hus-, hus-."

Ding Meixin stuttered, and just before she could say ’husband,’ Xu Qianli’s phone suddenly rang.

Seizing the opportunity, the already embarrassed Ding Meixin sprinted away.

Xu Qianli shrugged helplessly, checked his phone, and saw that it was Zhao Mei calling.

Xu Qianli pressed the answer button, "Hello, beautiful, missing me already?"

"Pah, pah, pah, who’s missing you?"

"You’re not even related to me, why would I miss you?"

"I’ve got important news for you, don’t joke around."

"A big change just happened here in Zhongzhou City. They’ve decided on the new Secretary of the Municipal Committee of Zhongzhou City, and you’d never guess who it is."

Based on the current situation in Zhongzhou City, Xu Qianli responded, "The most likely scenario would be bringing a leader from another place to take on the role of City Secretary. Since you’re saying the person has been chosen, and I can’t guess who it might be, that means the new Secretary is from Zhongzhou City and someone who ordinarily wouldn’t be considered for the role. It couldn’t be—"

He stopped mid-sentence, a frown forming on his brow.

He thought of someone... Lu Xingtian!

That man was the most popular candidate for the upcoming term’s new City Secretary. If not for his son and nephew falling into trouble at his hands, which greatly influenced him,

and the issue of him instructing Lu Tianlong to impose double regulations on Xu Qianli, creating significant negative impact.

Though the province hadn’t stripped him of his position, they had largely ruled him out as a candidate for the new City Secretary.

And now Zhao Mei was telling him about the new City Secretary; could it really be him?

Zhao Mei’s voice confirmed, "I think you’ve guessed it by now, right, it’s Lu Xingtian!"

"How could he still be eligible for promotion, given his current situation?"

"Lu Xingtian has deep roots and extensive networks in Zhongzhou City. Recently, he managed a particularly impressive feat, securing over a hundred billion yuan in investments for our city, including a major petrochemical project valued at 70 billion yuan."

"Tianhai Petroleum has promised to invest 70 billion yuan over five years to build the largest petrochemical industrial park in Zhongzhou City, serving not just this province but over a dozen nearby provinces to meet local development needs."

"He managed to erase his previous negative impacts with this achievement, gaining the province’s approval and earning his promotion to Zhongzhou City’s new City Secretary. We just need to make it official."

"I know you’re currently in Wangdong Province, but you’re only on loan there for a year, and you will return."

"With Lu Xingtian becoming Zhongzhou City’s new City Secretary, the impact on you will be huge, and you need to start preparing."

As Zhao Mei finished speaking, Xu Qianli remarked, "Before even discussing whether Tianhai Petroleum will truly invest so much money or if it’s just a news release to support his position, let’s talk about the petrochemical industry. Although it offers high returns and can drive local economic development, it’s a heavily polluting industry. Local governments have always been cautious about such developments. Is it really good to have such a project in Zhongzhou City? Moreover, petrochemical projects are usually built in coastal cities to facilitate crude oil storage, and Zhongzhou City doesn’t produce oil, so why choose Zhongzhou City?"

"I looked into that, and it seems they’re planning to build a pipeline from an oil-producing area 300 li away to Zhongzhou City."

"The reason they chose Zhongzhou City is due to its extensive water network and relatively convenient transport, which facilitates the development of petrochemicals."

"And you won’t believe the specific location, it’s Qingshan Town!"

Qingshan Town?

Xu Qianli felt a surge of nameless rage rushing to his head.

Qingshan Town, of all places!

Under his direction, Qingshan Town was bustling with tourism development and construction, with over thirty projects simultaneously underway, soon to be transformed into one of the hottest tourist towns in the country.

At this critical moment, Lu Xingtian had decided to build a petrochemical industrial park in Qingshan Town, clearly targeting him!