Zhou Yi's mind drifted for a moment.
Because just an hour earlier, Shan Wenxu had said something similar to him: "You're on my side, right?"
He had been surprised at the time!
Such a blunt question did not fit Shan Wenxu's character-or, rather, it did not quite befit the head of a Party or government body.
Now it seemed that Shan Wenxu's unusual behavior had stemmed from more than his wariness of Sima Yanan. He might also have known that Sima Yanan and Xiao Han were relatives, and feared that Xiao Han would influence Zhou Yi to switch his allegiance to the female Municipal Party Secretary.
As it turned out, Mayor Shan's concerns were not unfounded.
Before she had even taken office, Sima Yanan had made a special trip to visit Zhou Yi and had been equally blunt about wanting to recruit him.
At that moment, Director Zhou faced a question of allegiance.
Which side should I choose?!
According to the three principles of choosing sides in officialdom, one should either side with whoever held more power, side with whoever one had a better relationship with, or remain neutral and choose neither.
In terms of power, the Municipal Party Secretary naturally ranked higher. But the current situation was that Mayor Shan Wenxu had used this interim period to seize effective control of the Standing Committee. Sima Yanan was therefore in much the same position Shan Wenxu had once occupied: she would certainly find herself held down.
In terms of relationships, he and Shan Wenxu had gotten along very well lately. Both their working relationship and their personal friendship were developing toward a solid partnership and close friendship. However, Sima Yanan was Xiao Han's older cousin, and Xiao Han was no casual acquaintance of his. In particular, out of concern for