Power and Wealth

Around noon.

In the small banquet hall on the fifth floor of the hotel.

Putting down his chopsticks, Dong Xuebing hadn't felt this full in a long time. He looked content, leaning back in his chair, leisurely smoking a cigarette, thoroughly satisfied after the meal.

Ring, ring, ring.

His phone rang.

"Hello, who's this?"

"Mayor Dong, it's me, Zhang Changjuan."

"Sister Zhang, what's up? Is the luggage all packed?"

"We've almost finished packing, but your luggage…"

"I've cleared my luggage too. All the rooms are reserved for the investors."

"Great. I will help you take your clothes and everything downstairs."

"Alright, let's do this. I've finished eating here. I'll come upstairs and meet you. Wait for me."

"Sure, mainly, Xiao Gong said she wasn't sure how to handle your luggage. I thought it was a good idea to call and ask you."

"I'll come up and organize it."

"We'll wait for you in the presidential suite."

"I haven't had lunch yet; I'll bring something up for us."

"No need, hehe, we'll grab something later."

"How can that be? It's lunchtime, and I can't let you two women busy with the luggage. It's a bit of trouble. Okay, don't worry about it. Wait for me for ten minutes."

After hanging up, Dong Xuebing noticed that the secretary and mayor hadn't arrived at the main table yet. So, he went over to Hua Li. He was not giving face to Hua Li, but to give face to the foreign investors. He didn't want them to think he lacked manners. If he was leaving, he should inform them, "Mayor Hua, esteemed investors, I have something to attend to upstairs. I apologize for the inconvenience. There's an issue with the rooms I need to handle."

Hua Li said, "Are the presidential suites available now?"

Dong Xuebing nodded, "Almost."

Hua Li asked, "Are the rooms enough?"

Dong Xuebing said, "The suite guest rooms are not usable. A presidential suite can accommodate two people. With six suites, that's twelve people. But there are thirteen investors. We might be one person short, and it's a bit tricky to arrange."

These foreign investors were all significant shareholders and bosses with status. It was impossible to let them stay in guest rooms. It wasn't about whether the rooms could accommodate them; it was about showing respect. Moreover, they had already mentioned that they had prepared presidential suites. However, it would be awkward to arrange accommodations with an additional person. Even if it was a business executive deluxe room, it couldn't compare to the luxury of the presidential suite. It might offend someone.

Outside.

Dong Xuebing left the banquet hall.

At this moment, a few waiters came in carrying dishes.

Dong Xuebing immediately stopped them, "Don't bring these dishes in. Either make another set or just send the dishes below. I'll take these."

"Ah, take them?" The two female waiters looked at him in confusion.

Dong Xuebing grabbed a few plates without saying a word, "Just like this."

The female waiters were stunned. They wondered who this person was and how could he snatch dishes like this. The leaders of the city and the investors were inside. When they heard that the secretary and mayor were coming later, this…

"Don't do this!"

"What are you doing?"

The two female waiters panicked.

The staff from the city's investment promotion bureau, guarding the banquet hall entrance, wiped their sweat and quickly approached, "Have the kitchen remake the dishes."

"Sorry about that." Dong Xuebing carried the dishes and left.

The female waiters stomped, "Who does this kind of thing?"

The city's investment promotion bureau staff said, "Ahem, that's Mayor Dong."

Oh, it's the Mayor. The two female waiters suddenly fell silent.

If Dong Xuebing had dared to snatch dishes like this a few hours ago, the staff from the investment promotion bureau would never have agreed. But now things were different. This entire meal was thanks to Dong Xuebing. He had brought in foreign investors. Snatching a couple of dishes wasn't something they could object to. They felt that the Deputy Mayor of Zhen Shui County was a bit speechless. He didn't follow the usual conventions. He could afford a Land Rover worth four million, and he had even paid fifty thousand to cover the cost of a presidential suite. These two or three dishes were missing, and he couldn't spare the time. It's not like ordering one more portion would take much time, but he insisted on grabbing dishes during a meal with city leaders. It was really beyond comprehension.

On the top floor.

The elevator dinged open.

Dong Xuebing stepped out of the elevator and saw several presidential suites across the corridor, all with open doors and being cleaned by hotel staff. Only the room he stayed in yesterday had its door closed. Dong Xuebing walked over, holding the dishes in both hands, unable to free up his hands. He had to kick the door with his foot.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

"Oh, you're here."

The door opened, revealing Gong Na's face.

Dong Xuebing smiled and walked into the room, "Where's Director Chang?"

Gong Na hurriedly said, "Director Chang is in the kitchen reheating the leftover rice from yesterday. We're planning to stir-fry a couple of dishes."

"Hey, didn't I say you don't need to bother? I brought some food. You all must be hungry. Let's eat." Dong Xuebing placed the dishes on the small dining table.

Chang Juan also said, "Oh, why did you bring the dishes up? You could have let the waiters handle it."

Dong Xuebing smiled, "Just a small matter. Let's eat while it's hot, Director Chang."

Gong Na volunteered, "I'll go serve the rice. Mayor Dong, would you like one bowl or two?"

"Don't worry about me. I just had my meal downstairs and am quite full. You two go ahead and enjoy your meal." Dong Xuebing sat down at the dining table.

Chang Juan asked, "Everyone is in the banquet hall?"

Dong Xuebing nodded, "Yes, the City Party Secretary and Mayor will be here later. I guess we'll be eating quite late. Let's not rush to tidy up. You two eat your fill first."

"Jellyfish salad, I like this."

"The Squirrel Mandarin Fish should be good too. Let's try everything."

Gong Na returned with the rice, and Chang Juan and Gong Na began eating. They had been busy all morning, tidying up the house and moving boxes. Zheng Dayou and Chen Yunsong's luggage had probably been packed and moved away by the two of them. Famished, they ate heartily. Although Dong Xuebing said he wouldn't eat, Gong Na still brought him a pair of chopsticks and an empty bowl out of politeness. Seeing this, Dong Xuebing took a few bites of the Squirrel Mandarin Fish.

"Where's our room?" Dong Xuebing asked.

Chang Juan looked up, "Still on the fourth floor, the original rooms."

"Is the luggage all moved?"

"They're all sorted out. I just had the staff take them downstairs. We're only waiting for your luggage now."

"Alright, I'll tidy up later. After the meal, Director Chang, please contact Chief Cheng and others. Let the Investment Promotion Bureau make all necessary preparations on our side. The county has also sent additional manpower to assist us. Make sure Cheng Yujie, Xiao Hong, and others work overtime to get things done before we arrive. We must make it look good even if it's just for the show. We cannot afford any problems."

"Understood, I'll contact her."

Dong Xuebing looked at Gong Na, "Xiao Gong, in the afternoon, you return to the investment promotion booth and tell Old Zheng to return to Zhen Shui County today for arrangements. Without an experienced comrade staying behind, I'm not at ease."

Gong Na hurriedly swallowed the food, saying, "I got it, Mayor Dong."

"Then, you and Xiao Chen stay at our booth. Don't neglect the domestic investors; try to bring in as many as possible. Director Chang, after I leave tomorrow, I'll leave you the work on the investment promotion side. Manage things well with Xiao Chen and Xiao Gong. If there's a manpower shortage, contact me, and I'll have Xiao Xiao come over to help. In short, even though our current situation is favorable, we can't relax. I brought people here but don't know if they will invest. Inspections and actual investments are two different things. We don't want these people to just go through the motions; we want them to implement real projects. Only by signing an MOU and finalizing project contracts can we consider it a success. So, as I said before, we must secure the investment this time."

As Dong Xuebing said, he could only guarantee Sister Zhang's investment but couldn't ensure the other foreign investors. Therefore, he still needed to put effort into this. Sister Zhang had worked hard to create this opportunity, and they must seize it. Today was the only day they could take it easy; tomorrow would be a tough battle.

After assigning the tasks, Dong Xuebing packed his luggage and moved downstairs. During this time, there was a small incident in the banquet hall.

During this time, something happened at the banquet.

"Mayor Hua, the City Party Secretary and Mayor, will be here in ten minutes," a staff member came in and reported.

Hua Liang nodded and said he knew. When a female waiter came in with a dish, he asked, "Are all the dishes here, or are there still some missing?"

The female waiter nervously replied, "A few soup dishes are still being prepared."

Hua Liang hummed, then suddenly frowned, "Just a few soup dishes? What about the Soft Shell Prawns and Squirrel Mandarin Fish? Weren't they the signature dishes here? Why didn't I see them?" When chatting earlier, he recommended the hotel's signature dishes to Sister Zhang and others, hoping they would try them. However, he didn't see them at the end.

The female waiter hesitated.ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelenglish.net . ꜰirᴇ.nᴇt

Hua Liang asked, "What's wrong?"

The female waiter wiped her sweat, coughed, and said, "There were three dishes just brought over. However, Mayor Dong took them when he went out. The kitchen is working on them right now, and they will be here soon."

Mayor Dong…

Snatched the dishes…

Hua Liang: "…"

Lu Weiguo: "…"

Other heads of investment promotion bureaus from different counties: "…"

A profound sense of powerlessness instantly swept through the hearts of many.

Even the city was squeezed dried, and now, even the dishes served to entertain foreign guests and the dinner for the City Party Secretary and Mayor – you dare to take them for yourself.

Everyone surrendered.

Only Zhang Longjuan found this amusing.