Chapter 32: This Commemorative Banner is for You!

Municipal Committee Office.

As Shao Jinbo flipped through the newspaper, he saw an in-depth report on the front page titled "220 Million Project Settles in Pinghu Town—The Underdog Stages a Comeback."

Although his probationary period for the promotion to deputy section chief had passed and the official documents had been issued, this news caused his initially joyful mood to plummet to rock bottom. He had sent Tang Ye "scrambling" to Pinghu, intending for him to lead a miserable life; who could have imagined that this kid would actually stir up such a commotion?

Shao Jinbo delivered the files to the office. Yang Yuan stopped him, asking, "Little Shao, your deputy section chief position is settled. What are your plans moving forward?"

Shao Jinbo asked cautiously, "Secretary-General Yang, I will follow your arrangements."

Yang Yuan flicked the newspaper, saying, "Your classmate is doing quite well in his temporary post in Pinghu. Have you considered going down to the grassroots to get some experience yourself?"

Shao Jinbo was stunned for a long moment. "Secretary-General Yang, this is a bit sudden. May I go back and discuss it with my family?"

Noticing Shao Jinbo’s hesitation, Yang Yuan thought to himself that Tang Ye had shown much more courage. He advised him earnestly, "I hope you can go to the grassroots and accomplish something. Otherwise, a year from now, when Tang Ye returns to the Municipal Committee Office, he will certainly have an advantage over you."

"Secretary-General Yang, I will seriously consider your suggestion."

After Shao Jinbo left the office, Yang Yuan rubbed his temples. He had not expected Tang Ye to achieve several impressive results in Pinghu, especially the Aio Electric project; this kid would now be able to secure significant resources. Although he looked down on Tang Ye’s political potential, he admired Tang Ye’s character of pursuing things directly rather than seeking them through devious means. Tang Ye had clearly had the opportunity to reach for the position of secretary to the Municipal Party Secretary, yet he had chosen to go down and take on the most difficult and exhausting work. Of course, to Yang Yuan, Tang Ye’s position was too low to be worth his concern.

Back at his desk, Shao Jinbo was about to have some tea when Xiao Hui called. "Many people in our classmate group are saying that Tang Ye landed a huge project. Is that true?"

Shao Jinbo was already frustrated, and this felt like adding fuel to the fire. "Why do you care so much about Tang Ye? Do you still have lingering feelings for him?"

Xiao Hui’s face flushed with indignation. "Shao Jinbo, did you eat gunpowder today? I was just curious."

Shao Jinbo sneered, "Do you feel wronged by being engaged to me? If you think Tang Ye is so excellent, let’s break off the engagement. Return the gift money and the engagement ring to me. I’ll set you free."

Xiao Hui hadn't expected Shao Jinbo to be so narrow-minded. "Shao Jinbo, you are an absolute jerk."

Hearing the busy signal on the line, Shao Jinbo felt a pang of regret, but he had indeed developed suspicions about Xiao Hui; lately, she had been mentioning Tang Ye inadvertently quite often. Furthermore, a few days ago, when Shao Jinbo went to Xiao Hui’s dormitory, he found a used condom in the trash bin. Since Xiao Hui lived alone, finding such an item inevitably made Shao Jinbo feel as though he were being cuckolded.

Although Xiao Hui explained that she had lent her dormitory key to a colleague that afternoon, he remained suspicious. Shao Jinbo suspected that since their class reunion, Xiao Hui had started secretly contacting Tang Ye. Tang Ye had been suppressed by him for a year and must have been harboring resentment; could he be using Xiao Hui to take revenge on him? With this, Shao Jinbo’s mind filled with various scenarios and plots.

...

Early the next morning, Tang Ye rushed back to the Pinghu Town government. On the way, he bought a copy of the *Hanzhou Evening News* at a newsstand. Seeing the front-page headline about Aio Electric building its largest domestic factory in Pinghu Town, Hanzhou, he pumped his fist in excitement.

Political achievements were the hardest currency for promotion. With this achievement, Tang Ye had firmly established himself in Pinghu Town, and the members of the Party committee, including Xu Yiping, would no longer view him as a loafer merely there to pad his resume. Of course, for Pinghu Town, this news was an invaluable advertisement for investment attraction. With a giant like Aio as an endorsement, they would have much more leverage in future investment negotiations.

Tang Ye sat at his desk, creating promotional materials on his computer. Cheng Lin called. "Congratulations, Mayor Tang, on landing the 220 million project. When are you going to treat me to a meal to celebrate?"

Tang Ye put down his work and thanked her sincerely. "I thank you on behalf of the common people of Pinghu! If you hadn’t mentioned my difficulties to Grandma Yao, she wouldn't have helped me with this."

Cheng Lin smiled faintly. "I happened to run into President Dou when I was visiting her in the hospital. He mentioned he was returning to Hanzhou to invest and build a factory, so I brought it up. I didn't expect him to actually choose Pinghu. President Dou must have considered it carefully. He values your character and sees the potential in Pinghu."

Tang Ye laughed lightheartedly. "The credit for the recommendation belongs to you."

Cheng Lin shook her head. "It has little to do with me; I was just a messenger. Everything is what you deserve."

Reflecting on that day at the hospital, Cheng Lin had initially thought Tang Ye was meddling. As it turned out, through a series of coincidences, he had brought a 220 million investment project to Pinghu! Thus, one's character can influence one's fortune. The harder one works, the more positive one is, and the luckier one becomes!

After hanging up with Tang Ye, Cheng Lin looked at the photograph in the newspaper, a gratified smile touching her lips. Since Tang Ye left the Bureau of Retired Cadres, she had lost a reliable subordinate. But facts proved that her judgment was precise—gold would shine wherever it was placed.

...

Around eleven o'clock, a black sedan pulled up to the government office entrance. A woman stepped out, holding a little girl by the hand. The guard found it a bit strange and blocked their path. "Who are you looking for?"

The woman said softly, "May I ask if Mayor Tang is at work today? We have come specifically to express our gratitude."

"Wait a moment!" The guard picked up the phone and dialed Tang Ye’s office line. "Mayor Tang, you have visitors."

"Understood, I’ll be right there!"

From a distance, Tang Ye recognized the woman as the mother he had met yesterday, and the little girl was the one he had saved. Seeing Tang Ye, the mother urged her daughter, "He is the uncle who saved you yesterday. Hurry and thank him."

The little girl hesitated for a few seconds, walked toward Tang Ye, and said softly, "Thank you, Uncle. If it weren't for you, I would never have seen Mommy again."

Tang Ye patted the girl’s pigtails and smiled. "You’re welcome."

The mother took a silk banner from the car. "Mayor Tang, you didn't leave your contact information yesterday. It took me quite a while to find you here. Please accept this banner."

"I am unworthy of such an honor! You should give this to Officer Du."

"I have already given him one!"

Tang Ye accepted the banner for "Heroic Conduct" with some embarrassment. Many people in the courtyard witnessed this scene. The mother described what had happened yesterday: "My daughter and I were shopping when a shadow suddenly darted out and snatched my daughter from my arms. I was in a state of panic. That was when Mayor Tang became my lifeline; he borrowed a bicycle, chased them for hundreds of meters, and saved my daughter from the kidnapper."

As she spoke, she was moved to tears. The surrounding crowd exclaimed, "Kidnappers are despicable. They have their own networks; once a child is snatched, they are out of the province in a few hours."

"It’s one thing if they are sold to remote mountain areas, but some kidnappers are truly evil—they cut out children’s organs to sell as merchandise..."

Hearing the commotion outside, Xu Yiping called Xia Haiqiao over and asked with a frown, "What is going on out there?"

Xia Haiqiao said with mixed emotions, "Yesterday, Tang Ye saved a girl from a kidnapper, and her family has come to present a banner."

Xu Yiping stood as if petrified, not knowing what to say! How was it that this Tang Ye managed to stir up such a big commotion every few days?