Power and Wealth

At the Meeting.

Sun Changzhi took a side.

The vote count was six to five, and Zhang Dongfang surprisingly outmaneuvered County Party Secretary Dong Xuebing, achieving victory in their first confrontation.

Even Zhang Dongfang hadn’t expected this; Sun Changzhi's siding with him was a pleasant surprise, making him feel excited and optimistic about future work. Zhang Dongfang initially thought that having someone abstain would be a good result, but who would have thought that Sun Changzhi would truly side with him under the pressure he applied? How could Zhang Dongfang not be happy? On the other hand, the people on Dong Xuebing's side looked quite displeased. Zhang Dongfang couldn't help but feel a little amused; it was unavoidable—who could he blame for taking such a big gamble right from the start? Did he think he could win by surprise? Now, he saw the result. Zhang Dongfang didn’t intend to undermine Dong Xuebing's authority right away; he was a conservative person who was thinking of a gradual approach. But with Dong Xuebing making such a move, Zhang Dongfang felt he had to thank him.

Meng Hanmei's expression was very dark.

Chang Lin also sighed slightly.

Wang Binha, who had just sided with Dong Xuebing, rubbed his forehead, his mood not good. Although it wasn’t entirely unexpected, they found it hard to accept the outcome. Had they known it would turn out like this, they might as well have sided with Zhang Dongfang; now, it was too late to say anything.

The results were out.

Zhang Dongfang looked at Dong Xuebing, "Secretary Dong."

But who would have guessed that Dong Xuebing showed no signs of unhappiness, instead maintaining a calm expression. There wasn't even a hint of change.

Everyone was puzzled.

Having lost this appointment power, how could he still have that expression?

Couldn’t he see the significance of this organizational appointment?

Yet Dong Xuebing ignored everyone entirely. He lightly lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, glanced at everyone, smiled, and silently recited "BACK" in his heart.

BACK Two Minutes

The scene flickered.

Time suddenly rewound.

Everyone's expressions returned to how they were two minutes earlier. The cigarette in Dong Xuebing’s hand had also disappeared, and the conference room fell back into the earlier calmness—the calm before the storm. Dong Xuebing had spent too much time before; almost everything was gone. But after accumulating some over these days, he had gathered a little more. Although the surplus was minimal, there were still two minutes left. This time skill was something Dong Xuebing hadn’t used in a long time, but under the current circumstances, he had to bring it out again, hoping to reverse the situation.

Indecisive.

Unable to withstand pressure.

As soon as Zhang Dongfang pushed him, he surrendered.

Dong Xuebing didn’t know if there were any reasons other than the pressure that led Sun Changzhi to make this decision, but he felt he had to try it. Dong Xuebing had high expectations for this consideration. He didn’t care whom others chose; everyone walked their paths, and whatever the result, they would bear the consequences. Dong Xuebing couldn’t control that, but if possible, he didn’t want to lose this first confrontation with Zhang Dongfang. Otherwise, it wouldn’t just be a loss of an appointment; it would mean losing the initiative and losing authority. So Dong Xuebing rewound time, hoping to sway Sun Changzhi, this indecisive person again.

"Old Sun, you’re the last one left," Zhang Dongfang urged.

Sun Changzhi’s expression was very conflicted, and his emotions were written all over his face. "I—"

In the previous moment, Zhang Dongfang was about to speak again, calling out "Old Sun" a second time, clearly trying to apply pressure.

But at this moment, before Zhang Dongfang could urge him again, Dong Xuebing interjected first. He looked at Sun Changzhi and said, "Minister Sun, it’s getting late. It’s almost time for a break, and you’re the only one who hasn’t voted yet. Consider everyone’s time, okay? You can’t keep everyone waiting. Pick the cadre you think is more suitable for the Deputy Director of the Finance Bureau position. What’s so difficult about that? If you think neither of them is suitable, abstain." His words were highly forceful, demonstrating Dong Xuebing's working style to the fullest.

"I—" Sun Changzhi swallowed the words he was about to say.

Zhang Dongfang immediately wanted to speak, but Dong Xuebing again cut him off. "Can we speed this up?" After the previous failure, Dong Xuebing learned Zhang Dongfang's strategy and fiercely pressured Sun Changzhi this time, using methods that were even more assertive than Zhang Dongfang’s.

Meng Hanmei hadn’t expected Dong Xuebing to speak so forcefully. She feared pushing too hard might drive Sun Changzhi away, making her anxious.

Sun Changzhi felt the same; he thought Dong Xuebing was too aggressive. Step by step, he was being forced into a corner, making it hard for him to breathe.

But Dong Xuebing didn’t care. After speaking, he saw Zhang Dongfang about to say something, and regardless of his strategy, he jumped in again as Zhang’s mouth moved, "Minister Sun, let’s consider your abstention as a yes." Abstaining was clearly an extremely unfavorable result for Dong Xuebing, perhaps no different from Sun Changzhi siding with Zhang Dongfang. Yet Dong Xuebing still said it, as if he didn’t care about the outcome. His momentum had risen to a peak, giving the impression that he was overflowing with confidence. At that moment, he truly exuded the authority of a County Party Secretary, making people glance at him more.

One sentence followed another.

One after another.

Sun Changzhi was sweating from the pressure, and finally, he blurted out, "I—I support Secretary Dong's proposal."

He chose a side.

Sun Changzhi also picked a side.

With a vote count of six to five, Dong Xuebing had turned the tables.

This reversal was significant; many of the County Committee members present hadn’t even had the chance to discuss it, and in an instant, they all stared wide-eyed, some even gasping in shock.

Zhang Dongfang’s face instantly darkened.

The expressions of Zhang’s faction were all quite unpleasant.

Given all the groundwork they had laid, they had expected Sun Changzhi to side with them. But who would have thought Sun Changzhi couldn’t withstand Dong Xuebing's pressure and didn’t abstain but instead directly chose Dong Xuebing’s camp? The Zhang faction found it unacceptable.

Chang Lin let out a sigh of relief.

Su Yan, who took the minutes of the meeting, was also sweating for Dong Xuebing.

Only Meng Hanmei looked deeply at Dong Xuebing. His face was expressionless as if he had anticipated the result long ago and didn’t care. For the first time, Meng Hanmei felt that this newly appointed County Party Secretary might be exceptional. This gamble had led to his victory.

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