Morning.
County Party Secretary's Office.
Knock, knock. Dong Xuebin knocked on the door. Only after hearing a middle-aged man inside say, "Come in," did he push the door open, close it behind him, and say, "Hello, Secretary Meng."
"Hm? You are?"
"I'm Dong Xuebin. I'm here to report in."
"Oh, County Chief Dong. Have a seat."
After sitting down, Dong Xuebin did not perch on the edge of the chair as he had in the past. Instead, he sat firmly and openly. Although his rank was lower than Secretary Meng's, the gap was not all that large. Of course, Dong Xuebin still did not lean back against the chair. That was a necessary sign of respect. Then he sized up Secretary Meng. He was a middle-aged man with some stubble, an unremarkable face, and no especially distinctive features. He looked to be around fifty, calm and steady in bearing, with the air of a leader.
"How is it?" Meng Rui looked at him. "Have you gotten used to Zhenshui County these past few days?"
Dong Xuebin smiled. "Not bad. The atmosphere and environment here are both quite good."
They exchanged a few pleasantries, all harmless formalities. After all, this was their first meeting.
At the end, Meng Rui nodded. "That's good. There'll be a Standing Committee meeting shortly to discuss the county's financial shortage. Make some preparations first."
"Okay."
"That'll be all, then?"
"Mm. You get back to work, Secretary Meng. I'll be going."
Dong Xuebin had expected Meng Rui to try to win him over, and he had already prepared his response. He still had no intention of taking sides in the short term. Yet Secretary Meng did not mention it at all. Dong Xuebin immediately considered several possibilities. First, Meng Rui did not value him, so it did