Xu Chunliang shook his head: "If they can’t even show basic respect, we should probably hold off on letting them resume work for now."

Qin Zhengyang smiled and said, "You’re the one who knows the internal situation of Huayuan Group the best."

Xu Chunliang said, "Are you aware that Huayuan Group is currently busy with asset restructuring?"

Qin Zhengyang had heard something about it and whispered, "Do you have any inside information?"

Xu Chunliang said, "I don’t really know the details."

Qin Zhengyang said, "If you don’t know, then there’s no point in asking others." He paused, looking at Xu Chunliang, and said, "Xiaoxu, after some deliberation, I’ve decided to assign dealing with matters at Huayuan to you. Will it give you any pressure?"

"Why would there be any pressure?"

Qin Zhengyang laughed: "You’ll likely face some unnecessary interference when dealing with former colleagues and leaders."

"Don’t worry, Secretary Qin, I know how to handle this."

Qin Zhengyang nodded, "That’s good. I’ve thought about having Vice Secretary He Qiweng assist you with your tasks. If you’re in a situation where it’s inconvenient for you to step in, you can let him handle it. He’s also relatively more familiar with the local work in Hu Shan Town. If there’s anything you don’t understand or areas that need careful handling, just ask him."

Xu Chunliang pondered that Qin Zhengyang might be trying to rein him in through He Qiweng since his previous bold moves had left everyone in a cold sweat.

Seeing the right opportunity, Xu Chunliang took the chance to bring up the issue of Equatorial Capital wanting to collaborate with Xianhong Farm.

In the past, Qin Zhengyang would have treated this matter with the utmost importance, but the situation has now changed. The newly established Tourism Resort Command Center is set to divide quite a bit of authority. There’s no clear directive from the city on how their functions will be split in the future.

If the city grants too much power to the Command Center, then their influence in investment attraction and construction will be significantly reduced. This is why Qin Zhengyang has temporarily entrusted the investment work to Xu Chunliang.

Qin Zhengyang let Xu Chunliang handle matters, as long as they benefit Hu Shan Town, they can proceed. As Xu Chunliang said in the meetings, the key is not incurring losses—the state shouldn’t lose, and the people definitely shouldn’t lose.

Through handling the Jiang Ailian incident, Qin Zhengyang gained a deeper understanding of Xu Chunliang, realizing that once Xu Chunliang is set on something, he will pursue it wholeheartedly, regardless of whether he has Qin’s backing. With his connections, Xu has publicly gotten Secretary Zhou to support him during meetings. Such a person is neither wise to support nor offend.

Later in the afternoon, Xu Chunliang found some time to meet with He Qiweng to discuss their upcoming work. He Qiweng was very enthusiastic, proactively visiting Xu Chunliang’s office and bringing some pancakes and salted beans from his hometown.

Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "Secretary He, I haven’t even given you any gifts, and yet you’re making me feel guilty with all this."

He Qiweng said, "These are pancakes my mother made and beans she dried. I brought some to share with colleagues. They’re not worth much, but you should let your family have a taste."

Xu Chunliang accepted the gift and, in return, took two boxes of tea from the cabinet for He Qiweng.

He Qiweng accepted without hesitation, and with this exchange, camaraderie was built between the comrades.

He Qiweng said, "Secretary Qin asked me to assist you with your work. I’m not familiar with the situation over at Huayuan either, so everything will still be led by you. I’ll just be here to support you."

Xu Chunliang said, "I’m new here and still unfamiliar with the circumstances. Please guide me if I make any missteps, Secretary He."

He Qiweng laughed, "We haven’t had much interaction before, but I’ve heard about you for a long time. Feel free to ask if you ever need my help."

At this point, Zhang Haitao arrived with a task. Tonight, Wu Fajun had arranged a dinner at the branch canteen, inviting Xu Chunliang and some old colleagues from Changxing Headquarters.

Xu Chunliang had already received word of this but hadn’t responded. Wu Fajun hadn’t called him directly but sent Zhang Haitao to issue the invitation instead.

Xu Chunliang asked Zhang Haitao to go back and inform that he would attend alongside Secretary He.

Because Zhang Haitao was present, it was inconvenient for He Qiweng to refuse. After Zhang left, he quickly told Xu Chunliang, "Xiaoxu, I won’t be joining your old colleagues’ gathering from Changxing."

Xu Chunliang said, "Do you really think they invited me simply for a get-together? It’s probably still about the suspension and rectification issues. It’s not right for you to leave me to deal with Huayuan’s issues all by myself, as per Secretary Qin’s arrangements."

He Qiweng looked troubled.

Xu Chunliang laughed, "Don’t be afraid of their sugar-coated bullets. Just peel off the sugar coat, and throw the bullets right back."

He Qiweng said, "There’s a clear rule against accepting dinner invitations. Eating is one thing, but I’m worried that someone might make an issue of it."

Xu Chunliang said, "How about I put in an application to Secretary Qin first? Actually, I don’t even want to attend this dinner, but it’s all for work. I’m willing to inconvenience myself physically if it means getting the job done right."

He Qiweng said, "That’s unnecessary." Putting in an application just for having a meal seems like making a mountain out of a molehill.

Huanyan Health has shown some attitude towards this suspension and rectification by formulating new safety regulations and increasing the number of safety supervisors on the construction site.

Changxing Hospital also dispatched a rectification team, including security section chief Yu Xiangdong, health check-up center director Wu Ruiying, external liaison department director Pan Hongwei, nursing department director Tang Mingmei, with deputy team leader being Wu Fajun, vice president of Huanyan Health.

The team leader is Tang Tianyi, but Tang Tianyi is just in name, not appearing on Weishan Island.

According to Pei Lin, she intended to solve the shutdown problem through pressure from higher-ups, but Zhao Feiyang believed there was no need to fall out with Xu Chunliang, just focusing on the issue at hand; indeed there were safety problems. If it weren’t for the guards being lax, Jiang Ailian wouldn’t have entered the construction site unimpeded, and the suicide incident wouldn’t have occurred on their site.

Dispatching the rectification team was Zhao Feiyang’s decision, and it proved to be incredibly correct to cooperate with Xu Chunliang’s punitive decision. Public opinion quickly shifted, and the social spotlight moved towards Da Heng, bringing pressure with it, allowing Huayuan to breathe easier.

Ding Si and Liu Xiliang reached an understanding, the Liu brothers realized the severity of Ding Si, and now they’re completely afraid to cause trouble for Huayuan.

Pei Lin found this matter incredibly surreal; she wanted to ask Xu Chunliang about the situation, but Zhao Feiyang felt that at this time, they should not contact Xu Chunliang, leaving everything to Wu Fajun.

Wu Fajun had not yet had one-on-one contact with Xu Chunliang since arriving on Weishan Island. Their previous joint battle seems not to have bred any revolutionary camaraderie between them; Xu Chunliang hadn’t expressed any gratitude to him afterward, making Wu Fajun wonder if Xu Chunliang had realized something.

At six in the evening, Xu Chunliang and He Qiweng walked to Weishan Island Hospital, passing by the construction site and seeing the site gate locked with a sign: Safety Production, of Paramount Importance, even the tower crane has safety slogans hung on it.

The gate entrance is undergoing renovation, seemingly implementing facial recognition and swipe card access.

He Qiweng expressed approval of their attitude, saying that it is never too late to mend; Jiang Ailian’s incident showed that every link in construction production is very important, and any slight omission can cause big trouble.

He Qiweng was very interested in the planning rendering of the Healthy Elderly Care Hospital, standing under the light and looking at it for a while.

Xu Chunliang told him that the rendering was initiated when he was in charge, the design scheme was improved by Wang Fangtian, highlighting the concept of interdependence between man and nature.

He Qiweng said, "Great creativity, I’m looking forward to the result after completion."

Xu Chunliang said, "The original plan was to complete the model display area in three months at the latest, but now it seems the project is going to be delayed."

He Qiweng said, "It’s just in time for the Spring Festival, the workers have gone home, there’s no one to work, plus there’s this unexpected event on top of it."

Xu Chunliang said, "We’ll look into the situation later."

The two chatted as they walked, and when they arrived at the hospital entrance, they saw Zhang Haitao and Ding Si waiting at the door.

Ding Si respectfully said, "Town Mayor Xu, Secretary He, you’re here." His eyes were only on Town Mayor Xu, even if it were Vice Secretary He Qiweng or even top leader Qin Zhengyang, he’d still put Xu Chunliang first.

Xu Chunliang smiled, "Why are you waiting here?"

Ding Si said, "I just arrived, chatting with Director Zhang at the door for a bit."

He Qiweng wanted to go to the restroom, and Zhang Haitao accompanied him.

Xu Chunliang looked at Ding Si’s nose, "How is it?"

Ding Si whispered, "The ointment you gave me is really effective, once applied, it doesn’t hurt, and now it’s like I’m a healthy person, I estimate recovery to be seventy to eighty percent."

Xu Chunliang said, "You’ve worked hard."

Ding Si said, "This little injury is nothing, when I was in society before, there was never a good place on my body." Lowering his voice, he said, "Thanks to you for coming up with this idea."

Xu Chunliang gave him a smile that was meant to be understood rather than explained.

Ding Si told Xu Chunliang that Huanyan Health had already issued him a formal notice that he was to bear all losses from this incident, and if he didn’t agree, it would be deducted from the unpaid project funds.

Ding Si personally had no objections because indeed this was due to lax site supervision; because of the deal with Liu Xiliang, it wouldn’t cost much money, and now he just wants to resume work and finish the project as soon as possible, according to the contract, delays still incur penalties.

Xu Chunliang understood his feelings, but he couldn’t give Ding Si a clear answer yet.

Xu Chunliang walked into the private room, and everyone stood up.

Wu Fajun smiled, "Town Mayor Xu, we were just talking about you, and here you are."

Xu Chunliang glanced at the guests attending tonight, immediately smiling, "All old friends."

External Liaison Department Director Pan Hongwei said, "We thought of coming long ago, previously Dean Xu promised us a one-stop eat, drink and play, now Dean Xu has become Town Mayor Xu."