Power and Wealth

The scene was somewhat confrontational.

Both sides were visibly upset.

This situation was quite simple and not so complicated. With their disrespectful attitude, these foreign guests decided to break their promises without consideration. At this point, it was the responsibility of the deputy director of the city government office, Mr. Niu, who was in charge of this exchange task, to step in and mediate to ease the tension. That would have been the proper way to resolve the issue. Instead, Niu and his colleagues just let the foreign guests break their promises without notifying anyone, leaving us foolishly waiting. Not only were they late, but after arriving, they criticized us for not having enough people and for not having our entrepreneurs present. No matter what, they stood with the foreigners, making it seem like whatever the foreigners did was right, and we had to bow down to them.

This is ridiculous.

There is no reason for this.

Deputy Director Niu played an unflattering role in this conflict. He wasn’t solving problems or doing his job but stirring up trouble. He didn’t bother to understand the details of the situation, and he had no consideration for the emotions of the officials from Jiaoling County. For him, it was all about the foreign guests. He thought they were the most important, and he didn’t care about anyone else, not even his own city officials.

This is the biggest problem.

A simple matter became worse because of Niu’s actions.

Of course, there was some responsibility on Dong Xuebing's part, too. His outburst at Niu contributed to the current situation. As the saying goes, "A leader’s temper affects the troops." Sometimes, the mood and emotions of a leader can influence their subordinates. For example, when Meng Hanmei got into an argument with Niu, she was not the type to confront others publicly. She had always been the kind of person who served the leader with a gentle demeanor. However, Dong Xuebing's outburst subconsciously affected Meng's behavior. If a different leader had handled the situation, Meng would never have publicly confronted a city official like that.

Deputy Director Niu was furious. He wasn’t backing down. "You’re the director of the county committee office, right, Meng? Let me repeat myself. We didn’t arrive late on purpose. The foreign guests insisted on this schedule. Our job is to treat foreign guests well, which I’ve been tasked with. The failure to notify you was due to my team not doing their job properly. But do you lack perspective? Can’t you handle this small matter? You don’t seem to take the city’s instructions seriously. The foreign guests came here for work and exchange, and you let them leave just like that? Well, they’ve gone fine, but what about the other entrepreneurs? Jiaoling County is one of the biggest counties in our province. I don’t believe your local government can’t contact them. You can still contact them, but the entrepreneurs must come over immediately. The foreign guests were supposed to have an exchange with Jiaoling County investors tonight. Should I tell them the people won’t come?"

Deputy Party Secretary Wei Zhixuan, one of the last remaining county leaders with Zhang Dongfang and Meng Hanmei, couldn’t hold back. "Deputy Director Niu, let me clarify—we won’t be able to get our entrepreneurs here tonight, and I highly doubt we can get them here tomorrow either." Wei, one of the senior leaders in Jiaoling County, had seen it all and didn’t mince words. "Also, you must understand that the problem isn’t with our county. It’s not that we didn’t contact the entrepreneurs, but everyone has their dignity. Everyone has their self-respect. The foreign guests broke their promise and decided not to come, and now you want us to invite them back? Do you think that’s even possible? This matter has already spread. The circle of entrepreneurs in our county is small, and they feel like the foreign guests don’t even value them. It’s already been discussed, and now you expect them to come?"

Everyone agreed this time, the entire Jiaoling County was united in opinion—whether from Dong's or Zhang's.

Dong Xuebing was the first to lose his temper because he was born to challenge others. He always found something to argue about.

Zhang Dongfang and Wei Zhixuan, however, were different. They hadn’t agreed with Dong Xuebing’s way of handling things at the dinner table, but since Dong Xuebing had taken the initiative in the county, they had no choice but to follow. Now, though, they found themselves thinking the same as Dong. In truth, if Deputy Director Niu had just shown a little more politeness, Zhang and Wei wouldn’t have acted this way. Who wouldn’t want things to be smooth in the county? Who wants to deal with trouble constantly in their jurisdiction? But they also had a unique trait—although they didn’t want trouble, neither was afraid of it. If they were, they wouldn’t have reached their current positions.

You say one thing.

He says another.

The city government office staff were now visibly uncomfortable.

Deputy Director Niu stared in disbelief. He hadn’t expected his first major task to involve dealing with this group of troublemakers from Jiaoling County. Dong Xuebing might have been a pain, but he’d heard of Dong’s actions since he took office and knew he was a troublemaker. However, he knew Zhang Dongfang and Wei Zhixuan, both seasoned senior officials. He hadn’t expected them to turn on him as well.

This was insurrection.

The city’s authority had no power here.

Didn’t they know that the foreign guests were the priority?

The translator in the back, likely overhearing their conversation, went to translate for the British delegation.

The British visitors, all wearing dissatisfied expressions, were unhappy. A few of them impatiently spoke to the translator, and soon, they all got into the cars, each with an even worse attitude, giving off a very arrogant vibe.

The translator, also looking displeased, approached them and said, "Let’s arrange the hotel. Everyone’s tired, and we won’t meet with the investors today. Everyone needs some rest."

So arrogant.

They had made us wait so long, and now they were shamelessly ordering us to arrange their hotel with not a single apology.

Meng Hanmei immediately spoke up, "The dinner meeting didn’t happen. We didn’t even know if the guests were going to show up. We’ve already canceled the hotel reservations. After all, our county doesn’t have the budget for this. If anyone wants to stay, they must make their arrangements. It’s too late to book anything now." Meng Hanmei had had enough today. She remembered Dong Xuebing’s words and, without hesitation, took a bill from her pocket and handed it to Deputy Director Niu. "This is the bill for the dinner we ordered in preparation for the guests. We booked a lot of food and wine, but it wasn’t used. Secretary Dong asked me to tell you that your office needs to reimburse this bill."

The hotel reservation was canceled.

The bill would be sent to the city for reimbursement.

Deputy Director Niu and the translator were both stunned.