Reborn as a Noble's Son-Chapter 734 - 690: Unusual Banquet_1

Chapter 734: Chapter 690: Unusual Banquet_1

As expected, the news arrived and surprisingly, a calm look appeared on Nie Zhenbang’s face. Through a recent conversation with Lin Mohan, Zhenbang already had a basic understanding of the current situation in Liaodong Province. Now, with Shi Jianshe coming over to invite him, linking this with his current circumstances, things were starting to make sense.

Nodding his head, Nie Zhenbang instructed Li Jupeng standing beside him, “Ju Peng, quickly invite Secretary-General Shi.”

Just after he finished speaking, Nie Zhenbang called Li Jupeng to a halt and said, “No, I should personally go to greet him.”

After considering it, Nie Zhenbang decided to personally greet the guest. This was a sudden decision, having already made up his mind to plan for Lin Mohan. The necessary formalities had to be done. Presently, the relationship between Huo Siyuan and Cao Dingkun was still unclear. Through Shi Jianshe’s invitation, it would be an excellent opportunity to leave a good impression on Huo Siyuan and possibly create certain misunderstandings for Cao Dingkun.

By the time he got to the door, it was already open, and at that moment, Shi Jianshe was standing outside with a young man. A brilliant smile emerged on Nie Zhenbang’s face: “Secretary-General Shi, you are too courteous. The comrades from Liaodong Province are simply too enthusiastic.”

Shi Jianshe also started laughing. Even though they both held the same rank, being deputy ministers, Nie Zhenbang was still a leader coming from the Central Government. This added identity invisibly elevated Nie Zhenbang’s status significantly.

...

“Director Nie, you are our valued guest. Secretary Huo has specifically instructed us to warmly welcome you and your colleagues from the ‘San Gong’ office. We were told to care for you with great attention and concern. As such, after I returned, I reported to Secretary Huo. He immediately directed that a feast should be held to welcome Director Nie. The banquet is all set. How about we go there now?”

His words were very tactful. He gave Nie Zhenbang enough respect, while also demonstrating Huo Siyuan’s importance. Moreover, throughout his speech, not once did he mention Governor Cao Dingkun. The abilities of this Provincial Committee Secretary-General were truly extraordinary.

And having heard these words, Nie Zhenbang had concluded that the power struggle between Huo Siyuan and Cao Dingkun was likely in its final stages. They were probably waiting for a suitable time to make their final moves.

With this in mind, Nie Zhenbang was quite straightforward. He smiled and nodded, saying, “It is too much trouble. I would be putting on airs if I were to refuse Secretary Huo’s warm invitation. Secretary-General Shi, after you.”

Stepping out of the main entrance, an Audi A6 from the Liaodong Provincial Committee was already parked at the door. As Nie Zhenbang and Shi Jianshe stepped out, the young man next to them quickened his pace to open the car doors for them before taking his seat in the front passenger area.

…

This time, the Liaodong Provincial Committee’s banquet was not held at the Liaodong Provincial Committee Guesthouse. With the continuous development of the market economy, the environment within each province’s committee guesthouses is not necessarily the best or most luxurious.

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Generally speaking, the guesthouses of the Provincial Committees primarily provide accommodation for leaders and carry out routine reception work. Most actual banquets in most cities and provinces are held in local star-rated hotels.

The situation in Liaodong Province was no different. The banquet was held at the Tianyuan Hotel, located on Shenbei Road in Shenjing City. This hotel was the most bustling five-star hotel in Shenjing City. The full name of the hotel was the Tianyuan Hilton Hotel. It was an investment by the Tianyuan Group of Liaodong Province, managed by the American Hilton Hotel Management Group. It was the first five-star hotel in Liaodong Province and was also the designated reception hotel appointed by the Liaodong Provincial Committee.

As they alighted from the car, the luxurious crystal lights and extravagant decorations in the hotel lobby caused Nie Zhenbang’s brows to furrow. Though this was indeed the Liaodong Provincial Committee’s welcome banquet, conducting the reception in such a hotel might exceed the standards. As the Director of the ‘San Gong’ office, how was he to handle this?

It seemed Shi Jianshe had already anticipated Nie Zhenbang’s hesitation and a faint smile appeared on his face. Nie Zhenbang’s reputation was indeed well-deserved. It was no wonder that he claimed such a high position at his age. His cautious attitude alone was worth learning from.

Immediately after, Shi Jianshe explained, “Director Nie, please be assured. The Tianyuan Hotel is the designated reception hotel selected by the Liaodong Provincial Committee, and we have signed a cooperation agreement with them. All receptions held here operate on a zero-profit model. Thus, there will absolutely be no issues of exceeding any standards.”

This strategy was also fairly common in Nie Zhenbang’s line of investigation and had been encountered in many places. These luxurious hotels supplied the local government on a zero-profit basis. This greatly reduced the cost of reception. Everyone knew about the substantial mark-ups at large hotels, particularly star-rated ones. What the hotels valued was being the government’s designated reception venue and the intangible effects associated with it. As for Nie Zhenbang, he had no choice but to turn a blind eye because this was mere business between businessmen and the local government and it didn’t involve any personal favors.

Nie Zhenbang did not feel any embarrassment at the moment. He glanced at Shi Jianshe next to him and chuckled, “Secretary Shi, don’t be annoyed. This is a natural reaction that I’ve developed from handling the affairs of a public office. As long as there’s no exceeding limit, I dare to eat.”

Nie Zhenbang’s unabashed demeanor surprised Shi Jianshe. Any other official would never be as freewheeling as Nie Zhenbang. It seemed that Nie Zhenbang was indeed not a simple figure. He had to talk about this matter with Secretary Huo.

They took the elevator beside the lobby directly to the third floor. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they were in a spacious hall with carpeting on the floor. To the left was a railing made of tempered glass, and below was the lofty hotel lobby. It indeed looked extremely luxurious and impressive.

Under the guidance of Shi Jianshe, they passed through the large hall on the third floor, walked along the corridor to the end, and entered an ordinary private room, Room 2188.

Upon entry, Nie Zhenbang scanned the room. It was an ultra-large private room of more than a hundred square meters, without any partitions or obstructions. On one side, there was an ultra-large round table, just like the ones used by national leaders during state banquets in the Great Hall. The inner circular section was fixed, decorated with three pots of fresh flowers. The outer circumference could rotate to ensure that everyone could reach any dish on the table.

As Nie Zhenbang entered the room, more than a dozen people who looked like leaders had already stood up. At the forefront, a slightly fat and a somewhat thin middle-aged man had already stepped forward to greet him.

Before Shi Jianshe could introduce him, the thin man, who was precisely Governor Cao Dingkun of Liaodong Province, had already greeted him with a smile and extended his hand warmly, “Director Zhenbang. Welcome, welcome. I remember we met at the National Two Sessions last year. You still look as outstanding as before.”

As soon as his words fell, Shi Jianshe immediately said, “Director Nie, this is Comrade Cao Dingkun, Deputy Secretary of Liaodong Provincial Committee and Governor.”

While Cao Dingkun was talking, Nie Zhenbang was observing him. Ignoring everything else, the fact that Cao Dingkun was disregarding Huo Siyuan in such an occasion implied an intention of stealing the limelight. This anomalous atmosphere made the situation somewhat awkward as soon as they entered.

Nie Zhenbang seemed calm at this moment, lightly gripping hands with Cao Dingkun, and then he laughed and said, “Governor Cao, it’s nice to meet you. This time, our public expenditure office’s inspection may be a bit of trouble for Liaodong Province.”

As soon as Nie Zhenbang said this, both Cao Dingkun and Huo Siyuan were taken aback. His words carried a profound meaning. He sidestepped Cao Dingkun’s attempt to establish a personal connection and only stated the public expenditure office’s inspection, expressing his stance. He was indifferent to the disputes of Liaodong Province. Moreover, in terms of troublesome matters, Nie Zhenbang did not mention ‘bothering Governor Cao’, but ‘bothering Liaodong Province’, which was thought-provoking. This also clearly defined Nie Zhenbang’s attitude.

As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Siyuan also wore a slight smile. Seeing Cao Dingkun met with a rebuttal was indeed a pleasing incident. Immediately, Huo Siyuan stepped forward and said with a smile, “Director Nie, welcome, welcome. I’m Huo Siyuan.”

Compared to Cao Dingkun’s enthusiasm, Huo Siyuan appeared more composed, which was normal as Huo Siyuan had the upper hand in Liaodong Province. Courting Nie Zhenbang did not mean much to Huo Siyuan. This manifestation was entirely due to the fear of Cao Dingkun and Nie Zhenbang joining forces against him.

After adjusting his mindset, Nie Zhenbang also smiled and said, “Secretary Huo, hello. I’d like to thank Secretary Huo and Governor Cao, as well as the Liaodong Provincial Committee for your warm hospitality.”

Next, under Shi Jianshe’s introduction, Nie Zhenbang exchanged greetings and handshakes with the other nine standing committee members of the Liaodong Provincial Committee.

On the enthusiastic invitation of Huo Siyuan and Cao Dingkun, Nie Zhenbang was seated at the main seat in the middle, with Huo Siyuan and Cao Dingkun to his left and right, respectively.

The cuisine was carefully chosen and considered by the Liaodong Provincial Committee, opting for Jingcheng dishes. However, though the dishes were excellent, the atmosphere in the room was unusual. The entire meal tasted a bit bland.

Without the mood for a meal, naturally, there wouldn’t be any drinks. Besides, at the provincial or ministerial level, they were not like the lower-level officials who needed to drink several bottles of white wine every meal. At the provincial or ministerial level, they valued status and mood more.

In just over an hour, they finished their dinner. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang stood up and said with a smile, “Secretary Huo, Governor Cao, all leaders. Thank you for your warm hospitality. Next, I hope all of you will continue to cooperate and assist in the inspection work by the public expenditure office.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Dingkun laughed and said, “Director Nie, we will fully cooperate with the inspection work by the public expenditure office. Director Nie, let me accompany you along the way, we can discuss the progress of work, what do you think?” (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)