Mao Rong faced the "deputy director" who had come to report work with a complex mood.
From being the deputy director of the county government office to becoming the director of the development zone preparatory group office and the director of the investment promotion group office, although she was not relieved of her position as deputy director of the county government office, everyone knew that she had quietly faded out of the political center of Nantan County.
In fact, from the day Wang Zirong left, Mao Rong knew that her hope of succeeding him as the director of the county government office was shattered. Shen Zilie was not particularly fond of her, and Cao Gang was even more dissatisfied with her. Fading out was inevitable. However, Mao Rong did not expect to be assigned to two seemingly prestigious but actually insubstantial tasks—investment promotion and development zone preparation. Therefore, her only choice was to take a sick leave.
Mao Rong's belief that investment promotion and development zone preparation were insubstantial tasks was not baseless. After the turmoil last year, the debate over reform and opening up was significant, especially in a remote and poor county like Nantan. In such an environment, how could one talk about investment promotion? As for the development zone, Mao Rong saw it as nothing more than a gimmick by Shen Zilie to make a splash in his new position.
She did not want to get involved in something meaningless. She was not a puppet to be manipulated. Without a choice, she would rather live in seclusion like the ancient recluses.
The young man in front of her had already visited her home several times. Mao Rong, of course, knew who this guy was.
Shen Zilie's secretary, naturally, was one of Shen Zilie's people. However, what puzzled Mao Rong was why this young man had been pushed out of his position as secretary to become the deputy director of the special task force office. Secretaries were, of course, trusted by their leaders and could not stay by their side forever, but Lu Weimin had been "released" after only a few months with Shen Zilie, which was puzzling. Was he being "released" or "kicked out"? Mao Rong could not see through it.
Was Shen Zilie dissatisfied with this guy, or did he think this position offered more prospects for development? Mao Rong could not tell, but one thing was certain: this young man, who had graduated from university not long ago, had an unusual relationship with Shen Zilie. Either he had fallen out of favor and been kicked out, or Shen Zilie was grooming him as a close confidant. From the current situation, the latter seemed more likely.
If it weren't for Lü Yuchuan's special greeting, Mao Rong would still not have planned to meet this nominal "deputy."
Mao Rong thought to herself, somewhat self-mockingly, was she really going to take on the role of the director of the investment promotion group office and the industrial development zone preparatory group office, which were in name only?
While Mao Rong was lost in thought, Lu Weimin was quietly observing the woman in front of him, who had an extraordinary presence.
Mao Rong, 35 years old, from Shigu Town, Nantan County, started as a private teacher and later became a public teacher. She served as the principal and vice-principal of the Shigu District Central Primary School, then was transferred to the county education bureau as the office director. Just before Wang Zirong became the county magistrate, she was transferred to the county government office as deputy director, and was originally the most popular candidate to succeed as the director of the county government office.
It was not without reason that many people suspected that Mao Rong had an ambiguous relationship with the former county magistrate, now the Party Secretary of Huai Shan County, Wang Zirong.
Her black curly hair was draped over her shoulders, and a white and blue dotted scarf was casually wrapped around her neck, paired with a bright red woolen sweater, adding a lazy air to the homey atmosphere. Her oval face with slightly high cheekbones, sharp and clear eyes, and full, luscious lips always gave the impression of being about to suck on something. Coupled with her enviable large chest, it was no wonder she was a controversial figure in the county.
"Little Lu, your meaning is that this Mr. Lin from Hong Kong will come to Nantan soon to examine the investment environment?" Mao Rong felt somewhat conflicted. She never thought that what seemed impossible to her would actually happen—Nantan would receive its first foreign investment? It was hard to believe.
However, the materials this guy had given her clearly showed that the Hong Kong businessman indeed intended to invest in a kiwi fruit processing plant in Nantan, with an investment scale of not less than 3 to 4 million Hong Kong dollars, which was a groundbreaking event for the inland Nantan.
"Director Mao, based on the information I and Xiao Su gathered in Guangzhou, Mr. Lin owns a trading company in Hong Kong, not very large, but with a smooth sales channel, mainly dealing in fruit trade, selling to Hong Kong, the UK, the US, and Australia. Kiwi fruit is very popular in Europe and America, rich in vitamins, and a highly sought-after green and healthy fruit. However, the kiwi fruit market in Europe and America mainly comes from New Zealand, which is expensive. If processed into jam and powder, the price would be even higher."
Lu Weimin noticed that the materials had piqued her interest and needed to add more fuel to the fire.
"Currently, the kiwi fruit production in our Linyang region is gradually increasing. We are also making efforts to promote the export of fresh fruit, but limited by preservation and export channels, if we can process the fresh fruit into jam and powder, it would significantly reduce the risk. Therefore, we prepared this investment promotion material and sent it to my classmate in Lingnan, who works in the Lingnan Provincial Development and Reform Commission and has the opportunity to meet Hong Kong and Taiwan businessmen interested in investing in the mainland, hence this opportunity."
"Based on your materials, compared to Futo and Huai Shan counties, our advantages are not obvious, especially Huai Shan, which has better transportation and higher kiwi fruit production than Nantan. If this Hong Kong businessman really comes to Linyang for an inspection, he may not just follow our lead. Other counties might also extend invitations once they hear the news. How can we ensure that Nantan does not end up working for others?" Mao Rong pondered and said, "Just the Nantan kiwi fruit brand seems insufficient. While the Nantan brand might have some appeal for fresh fruit sales, it is not significant for fruit processing raw materials. Moreover, if the Hong Kong businessman comes to Linyang and does some research, he will realize that the kiwi fruit quality in Huai Shan, Futo, and Nantan is not substantially different."
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