It is very easy to become the prey!

At eight o'clock in the morning, Tang Ye arrived at work right on time. Just as he reached the entrance of the third floor, he spotted Guo Liang and Xu Qiao.

Guo Liang was glancing around from time to time, while Xu Qiao kept her eyes fixed on her own shoetoes.

Xu Qiao had gotten up a little after five that morning, specifically taking the time to apply makeup and style herself, hoping to leave a good impression on her new superior. The foundation on her face was applied to absolute perfection, her red lips, tinted with a coat of lipstick, emitted a faint luster, and her eyes carried a hint of nervousness that made her look even more delicate and charming.

Xu Qiao was about one meter six in height, not particularly tall, but because she leaned toward the slender side, her physique appeared remarkably graceful. Her loose, autumn-white base shirt fit snugly over her curves, dipping sharply inward at the waist and abdomen to outline a fiercely breathtaking silhouette of rolling contours.

Seeing Tang Ye appear, a radiant smile bloomed across Guo Liang's face as he took the initiative to step forward and greet him.

"Mayor Tang, good morning!"

Tang Ye cast an extra glance at Xu Qiao, thinking to himself that for the sake of her image, the young girl had dressed a bit too thinly. Having waited in the cold wind for quite a while, the tip of her nose had turned red with cold, which nonetheless added a touch of endearing vulnerability to her appearance. He quickly said, "The temperature has dropped sharply these past few days, hurry on inside."

Tang Ye unlocked the door with his key. The very first thing Xu Qiao saw upon entering the room was the pennant for acts of righteousness hanging on the wall.

Tang Ye smiled and said, "I just got to work and haven't boiled any hot water yet, so I won't pour you tea."

Xu Qiao agilely stood up. "I'll go get some water."

Tang Ye did not stop her, taking it as a silent consent.

Carrying the kettle, Xu Qiao hurried away.

With a smile on his face, Guo Liang said, "I reminded Xu Qiao at home yesterday that her work from now on will be different from the past, and that working by a leader's side requires sharp observation and tact. Even though she hasn't been working long, she is quite clever; she picks up many things the moment she learns them. She majored in Chinese language and literature in university, so she has a solid foundation in writing as well. Many of the documents and materials for the town are assigned to her to write. Of course, there are definitely still many shortcomings, and I kindly ask Mayor Tang to patiently guide and nurture her."

Tang Ye thought to himself that ultimately, these tasks were all just running errands and doing odd jobs, and fundamentally there wasn't much difference.

He smiled faintly, "Capabilities gradually improve with exposure and experience. But once a person's character is set, it is very hard to change. Although I haven't had much contact with Xu Qiao yet, I feel her personality is externally soft yet internally firm, capable of loyalty and possessing a spirit of dedication—that is what I appreciate about her."

Guo Liang thought to himself: *Could Mayor Tang be subtly hinting at me? Does he mean I should follow him wholeheartedly from now on and never waver?*

He quickly forced a smile and said, "Please rest assured, we are deeply grateful to you."

Tang Ye smiled and shifted the topic. "How has the land transfer issue in Qianjin Village been resolved?"

Guo Liang perked up, full of confidence as he said, "Sister Wu signing the agreement served as a role model, and the other villagers who previously disagreed followed suit one after another. The matter that had been troubling me for more than half a year was effortlessly resolved under Mayor Tang's intervention."

Tang Ye thought that Guo Liang was quite adept at flattery.

However, he himself wasn't particularly fond of this routine.

"Next up, Qianjin Village needs to build a highway, and merchants from other places are coming in to invest. Cooperate well with Village Chief Tian, and contact me immediately if any issues arise. I will also frequently visit the village and strive to get things done in Qianjin Village as soon as possible—that is our goal."

"Please rest assured, I guarantee the mission will be completed," Guo Liang promised, patting his chest.

Tang Ye paused for a few seconds, glancing at the upright posture of Guo Liang. "There is one more matter that requires your focused attention."

Guo Liang turned serious. "Please go ahead."

Tang Ye's voice lowered. "The demolition work for the IO Electric factory land needs to be expedited. I've spoken with the Secretary, and you will be given heavier responsibilities."

Guo Liang knew inwardly that this was a lucrative assignment, and he could barely conceal his joy. "I will definitely complete the mission."

Tang Ye's expression suddenly shifted, turning solemn. "Demolition work involves the distribution of interests. I hope you can manage to keep the scale balanced, and not let yourself be blinded by petty gains. You have the ambition to progress; I believe you can resist temptations and avoid heading down the wrong path due to external factors."

"Yes, I will definitely uphold Party principles!" Guo Liang felt a layer of cold sweat break out across his back.

Tang Ye currently had no other candidates at his disposal.

Having interacted with Guo Liang in Qianjin Village, he chose to give Guo Liang an opportunity based on the principle of using someone familiar rather than a stranger.

Although Guo Liang lacked bold decisiveness, he knew how to be tactful and could act as a lubricant when dealing with ordinary people.

Of course, the most important thing was that Guo Liang lacked the guts to reach too far.

If he were to find someone too daring, there was no telling if they might compete with the citizens for profit, which would ultimately damage the government's image.

Xu Qiao returned to the office carrying two thermoses of hot water.

Tang Ye said to Guo Liang, "There's nothing else, so you can go get to your work. You don't need to worry about Xu Qiao. A master leads you through the door, but cultivation depends on the individual. Whether she can adapt to the work still depends on whether she applies her own mind to it."

Guo Liang chimed in smoothly, "With Mayor Tang leading the way as her master, she definitely won't do poorly."

Tang Ye was momentarily taken aback, thinking that Guo Liang really knew how to climb up a pole when offered.

In the workplace, superiors and assistants frequently evolved into a master-disciple relationship.

Because a master-disciple relationship could bind them together; once branded with this mark, their honors and disgraces were shared, and they wouldn't easily betray one another.

Of course, this wasn't absolute.

In reality, backstabbing and defections were far from rare.

At this moment, Tang Ye was still putting Xu Qiao through a probationary test and had not yet considered taking on an apprentice.

Xu Qiao covertly glanced at Tang Ye, feeling conflicted inside: Should she call him master in the future, or something else?

After Guo Liang left, Tang Ye picked up a document from the desk with a flat expression and handed it to Xu Qiao. "Help me make five copies of this material; the Party committee meeting will need them later."

Xu Qiao cradled the document against her chest, thinking as she walked: *Mayor Tang in work mode gives off a very serious vibe, completely different from yesterday's approachable demeanor.*

Watching Xu Qiao's retreating figure, Tang Ye secretly pondered finding an opportunity to remind her to pay attention to her clothing and grooming habits—she absolutely could not dress up so flashy every single day.

If a woman was too dazzling, she easily became a target.

Moreover, as his liaison officer, it would invite unfavorable outside associations about him.

After all, Tang Ye had always been striving to forge an upright and lofty image!

In the afternoon, the government compound suddenly grew lively.

It was a symposium for entrepreneurs across the town.

"Why do these government leaders love holding meetings so much? Don't they know we're busy?"

"Having meetings all day long, saying they want to solve our problems. And the result? They don't solve anything at all."

"Could they be looking for an opportunity to make us provide sponsorships?"

"The leadership team has changed. We still have to show some face."

Though Tang Ye had been seconded for less than half a year, the leadership team of Pinghu Government had undergone a complete reshuffle; those who used to look down on him now had to treat him with utmost respect.

Tang Ye presided over the meeting: "Welcome everyone. Inviting you all here today is mainly to discuss how enterprises should undergo transformation. Next, we invite Ms. Gu Wenqin to share the transformation journey of Qingge Garment Factory."

Gu Wenqin was dressed in a black suit, her hair draped over her shoulders.

Her face featured delicate makeup, and she wore flesh-colored stockings paired with black high heels, giving off an air of elegance and capability.

Her mood was complicated.

Once upon a time, her father had been an outstanding business representative in Pinghu.

When Qingge fell into her hands, it had slumped into a decline.

Many people questioned Gu Wenqin: Can a woman run a business well?

Standing here today, she wanted to prove to everyone that she could do an exceptional job!

"Everyone should know how difficult Qingge was two months ago. To be honest, I was truly at my wit's end back then—channels were blocked, the capital chain had ruptured, and I worried about the workers' wages every single day. However, we ultimately weathered the crisis through transformation with Mayor Tang's help! Last month, our sales revenue broke through one million, and our net profit reached half a million!"

As soon as Gu Wenqin's voice trailed off, a wave of discussions broke out among the crowd below.

"A monthly profit of half a million? Doesn't that mean an annual profit exceeding six million?"

"The key is how the profit margin could possibly be so high!"

"No wonder Qingge is speaking with such grand ambition—not only taking in all of Boman's employees, but also acquiring Boman's factory and production lines!"

Watching Gu Wenqin speak with such confidence, a smile appeared on Tang Ye's face.

He had instructed Gu Wenqin beforehand that the purpose of this speech was to "flex wealth in a low-profile manner"!

Through intuitive, visually impactful data, he wanted to make everyone dissatisfied with the status quo and yearn for the future!

Only with the desire for change would the bosses of Pinghu Town think of forging new paths and growing bigger and stronger.

With everyone's efforts, Pinghu's economy could truly take off!

And only with an economic takeoff could Tang Ye achieve persuasive political achievements.

That's right!

Political achievements were Tang Ye's ultimate pursuit!