Chapter 128 Decisive Character

  Meng Xingguo had always been cautious in his actions, considering all possibilities before doing anything. However, when Li Tiancheng approached him this time, he didn't give him much time to think.

  Originally, Meng Xingguo was quite wary of Ning Fan, but Li Tiancheng's powerful background made him unable to help but be moved. Especially when he thought of his only son having to leave for the capital because of Ning Fan, Meng Xingguo had a surge of impulse in his heart. It was this impulse that led him to agree to Li Tiancheng's request without careful consideration.

  Being able to get on the good side of the Li family is a big deal, and in Meng Xingguo's opinion, it's worth offending Zhao Qingxue. Moreover, his son Meng Hao has already offended Ning Fan, indirectly offending Zhao Qingxue as well. In this situation, Li Tiancheng's appearance is simply a heaven-sent opportunity for Meng Xingguo.

  Moreover, Meng Xingguo asked himself that everything he did was legal and aboveboard, and he wasn't afraid of people gossiping about him. On the other hand, Ning Fan and Ye Rou were rumored to have some ambiguous relationship, which should have been avoided in the first place. Everything should have gone smoothly.

  However, Meng Xingguo discovered that he had made a mistake. He had always thought that Zhao Qingxue was the most difficult to deal with, but he forgot about Ye Rou. Moreover, Ye Rou used a method that normal people could not have anticipated to solve problems - as an official, she actually resorted to violence!

  "He's simply a scourge of the officialdom!" Meng Xingguo cursed Ye Rou in his heart, thinking maliciously that Ye Rou was probably the mistress of some big shot. Otherwise, how could this woman who was only beautiful but had no other merits and completely disregarded the rules of officialdom become the vice mayor?

  "Can we get in touch with Li Tiancheng?" Meng Xingguo asked after a moment of silence.

  "His phone is turned off." Huang Tianlu said in a low voice.

  "Damn these spoiled rich kids!" Meng Xingguo cursed inwardly. This kind of wealthy young master was indeed untrustworthy, and it was clear that Li Tiancheng had directly abandoned him.

  Li's family's patron did not truly ascend, but instead suddenly offended several people who should not have been offended. At this moment, Meng Xingguo had a kind of urge to die. Previously, he was scolding his son for being stupid, but now, he found himself even more stupid than his son!

  A gentle knock at the door brought Meng Xingguo back from his reverie.

  "Go and see who it is." Meng Xingguo whispered.

  Huang Tianlu responded with a sound, quickly walking towards the door of the ward, opening the door, but suddenly startled, and hurriedly greeted the person who came: "Secretary Zhang, you're here? You, please come in quickly."

  The door was fully opened and a thin old man with white hair walked in. Meng Xingguo was also startled, and hurriedly struggled to get up: "Secretary Zhang..."

  A thin old man walked quickly to the bedside and pressed down on Meng Xingguo's shoulder: "Xingguo, don't get up, just lie there."

  Although the old man looked not young and very thin, he spoke with a strong voice, and his eyes were quite sharp. In fact, this old man was only outwardly old, his actual age was less than sixty years old, and he was Zhang Zhengguo, the current secretary of Qingyun City Municipal Committee.

  "Secretary Zhang, how can I trouble you to come here? It should be me going to report to you." Meng Xingguo finally didn't get up, and said with a apologetic face.

  "Xingguo, you're a patient, you're the biggest one. You've worked so hard for the people of Qingyun City that you've fallen ill. I should come visit you. Zhang Zhenguo's face was full of smiles, and then he sighed, "Xingguo, it's not me saying this, although you're younger than me, but you're not young anymore. When it's time to rest, you should rest too. Look at you now, you've exhausted yourself into illness, how can that be?"

  "Secretary Zhang, you're right. There have been a lot of things going on lately and I've indeed put in some extra hours." Meng Xingguo motioned to Huang Tianlu to raise the bed, then half-reclined and spoke with Zhang Zhengguo, "Speaking of which, Secretary Zhang, since you're here, I'll just say it to your face. I'd like to take a leave for a while and rest. As for the work in the city, let's temporarily have Comrade Zhiwen take care of it."

  Meng Xingguo's Zhiwen Comrade is actually the current Vice Mayor of Qingyun City, Tang Zhiwen. It is also a matter of course that the acting mayor cannot work and the vice mayor is in charge.

  As soon as Meng Xingguo heard that Zhang Zhengguo was exhausted and fell ill, he immediately understood that this was the city's definition of the matter. He was very clear that Zhang Zhengguo would likely arrange for him to take a sick leave soon, and if things went wrong, his deputy mayor position might be gone just like that. Therefore, Meng Xingguo didn't wait for Zhang Zhengguo to speak up, and once again took the initiative to bring it up himself.

  Meng Xingguo knew that he had to keep the position of acting mayor, otherwise he would lose everything, and only if he took the initiative could he possibly keep this position.

  "Hmm, Comrade Xingguo, you've indeed been working hard lately. Taking a rest is also good." Zhang Zhengguo nodded slightly after a moment of contemplation.

  "Thank you, Secretary Zhang." Meng Xingguo showed a grateful expression, but in his heart he was secretly scolding him, this old thing, didn't even pretend to persuade me to stay.

  "This is what you deserve." Zhang Zhengguo smiled slightly, "Xing Guo comrade, take a good rest during this period of time, the city is still waiting for your return to preside over work."

  "I will, thank you Secretary Zhang for your concern." Meng Xingguo's thanks this time had a bit of sincerity, because he knew that his position as acting mayor was temporarily secure.

  "Comrade Xingguo, then I won't disturb your rest." Zhang Zhengguo obviously didn't intend to stay here any longer.

  "Secretary Zhang, take care." Meng Xingguo remained polite as ever.

  As soon as Zhang Zhengguo left, Meng Xingguo's face turned gloomy and he spat a mouthful of saliva heavily into the trash can.

  Zhang Zhengguo came to the hospital alone, without bringing a secretary or driver. He arrived quickly and left quickly, and almost no one in the hospital noticed that the secretary had come for a visit.

  As soon as Zhang Zhengguo walked out of the hospital gate, he saw a tall and handsome young man carrying a bag of fruit walking quickly towards him, looking vaguely familiar.

  Just as they passed each other, Zhang Zhengguo suddenly remembered and hurriedly shouted: "Ning Fan?"

  A handsome young man carrying fruit was actually Ning Fan. When he heard someone calling him, he finally stopped in his tracks and turned around.

  Looking at the slender man in her line of sight, recalling that slightly familiar voice, and thinking about the person she had seen from afar before, Ning Fan finally spoke up: "Are you Secretary Zhang?"

  Ning Fan had seen Zhang Zhengguo before, but not up close. Now, Zhang Zhengguo had more white hair than Ning Fan remembered, and looked thinner, so Ning Fan wasn't that sure.

  Especially, Zhang Zhengguo was alone, which made Ning Fan a little surprised. After all, when the municipal party secretary goes out, there are usually several people accompanying him.

  "Xiao Ning, it's really you!" Zhang Zhengguo laughed heartily and walked up to Ning Fan, extending his hand. "I've been wanting to meet you for a long time, didn't expect to run into you here."

  "Secretary Zhang, why are you alone here?" Ning Fan asked with some puzzlement after shaking hands with Zhang Zhengguo.

  Finally, Ning Fan couldn't help but say: "Secretary Zhang, recently the city has been a bit uneasy, it's better to bring a few people when you go out."

  "It's nothing, I'm an old man, not afraid." Zhang Zhengguo smiled and said, "Besides, isn't there a saying? As long as you have a just heart, evil spirits will make way for you, haha."

  After a pause, Zhang Zhengguo looked at Ning Fang with a smile that was not quite a smile and said: "Mayor Meng lives here. I came to see him. You shouldn't be here to see him, should you?"

  "My mom is still hospitalized here." Ning Fan replied.

  "Oh, I remember, is your mom doing any better?" Zhang Zhengguo apparently recalled the matter of Ning Fan seeking his help that night.

  "It's much better now, thanks to Secretary Zhang's help." Ning Fan said with great gratitude.

  "Hey, Xiaoning, are you in a hurry to go with your mother? If not, why don't we sit down over there for a bit?" Zhang Zhengguo pointed to a row of benches not far away.

  Ning Fan didn't seem anxious at all, so he sat down on a long bench with Zhang Zhengguo.

  "Mayor Meng proactively asked for a break, and I agreed. The Qingyun Mountain project will be specifically handled by Vice Mayor Tang Zhiwen from now on." Zhang Zhengguo spoke again, "Mayor Tang is also quite young, passionate about his work, and his mother used to live in Qingyun Mountain too. He has strong feelings for this place and genuinely wants to do things for the people. I believe you will cooperate very happily."

  "Secretary Zhang, actually I won't be responsible for specific matters. I just hope that the development of Qingyun Mountain is a protective development rather than a destructive one." Ning Fan's tone was quite sincere.

  "I understand, in the past, I was like that too." Zhang Zhengguo nodded, "Xiao Ning, actually I don't know you very well as a person, but I do know that you have a strong sense of justice and are a good young man. In today's society, there aren't many young people like you, so in the future, Qingyun City will need you to take care of it even more."

  "Secretary Zhang, with you here, Qingyun City will definitely be fine." Ning Fan said quite sincerely.

  Zhang Zhengguo shook his head: "Xiao Ning, to be honest, I know my own abilities, and I'm not young anymore. In this position, I won't be able to stay for much longer. My capabilities are limited, and there's not much I can do, especially now. From what I see, our small Qingyun City has become a battleground for some powerful figures. In this game, I actually have no way of intervening."

  At this point, Zhang Zhengguo looked at Ning Fang with a serious face: "But, Xiao Ning, I know you're different. You're the kind of person who can turn things around. So, I want to ask you something very seriously."

  "Secretary Zhang, I may not be as important as you think," Ning Fan said with a bitter smile.

  "No, I think you may be more important than I imagined." Zhang Zhengguo shook his head, with a serious expression. "To be honest, I don't know what they're doing and I don't want to know, but Ning Fan, please promise me that no matter what they're doing, don't let Qingyun City become their sacrifice."