In an office in Bingzhou.
Lu Chengwen met Xu Qingshan for the first time.
"Mayor Xu!"
Lu Chengwen hurried over in quick little steps and shook Xu Qingshan's hand.
Xu Qingshan exchanged a few pleasantries with Lu Chengwen and tested him a little, only to find that Lu Chengwen was not as... sleazy and cunning as people claimed.
On the contrary, he was candid—more candid and sincere than most businessmen.
Old Zhao hadn't lied to him.
Lu Chengwen was trustworthy.
Mayor Xu sent away the people around him and took a walk with Lu Chengwen along a path outside the government building.
"Cheng Wen."
"Yes, Mayor Xu."
"I watched your livestream."
"Hahaha, you're so busy, and you still watch livestreams?"
"My staff edited together some clips and showed them to me."
"Oh, oh, oh. Please give me your instructions, Leader."
"Oh, I wouldn't call them instructions." Xu Qingshan said, "Old Zhao and I have been classmates for many years. Our governing philosophies tend to be quite similar as well."
"Yes, Mayor Zhao told me. He said Mayor Xu is a capable man, but you've been tied down by all these local bloodsuckers and can't break free. Otherwise, Bingzhou wouldn't be what it is today."
With those mutual reassurances, Xu Qingshan finally felt at ease.
"Good, Cheng Wen. We're our own people, so I won't beat around the bush. Let's value efficiency, shall we?"
"That would be great. I'm tired of all the official jargon too."
"Hahaha!" Xu Qingshan seemed more cheerful than Mayor Zhao, with more of a youthful air as well. "Cheng Wen, to be honest, I like you. If Bingzhou had young capable people like you, I might not be so constrained."
"Well, here I am! Hahaha!"
"Cheng Wen, Old Ma and his people are deeply entrenched."
"Mm,