Qi Tongwei: Sign-in relationship started during student days

Chapter 1084 32 Things About Parting (2)

He An thought about it and realized that it made perfect sense.

What should we do?

“It’s simple, the pressure from public opinion. Liu Wan just told me that the Liu family’s media influence in Europe and America is not to be underestimated. I think we can start from that.”

Qi Tongwei picked up his teacup.

"You know, his daughter is living a very luxurious life abroad, right?"

Shouldn't we have the media in Europe and America give this a good 'publicity'? And also serve as a warning to some corrupt officials who plan to abscond with the money.

He Anxia understood, "I think it's a good idea."

……

In the days that followed, more and more people came to the provincial capital to bid farewell to Qi Tongwei.

With so many people seeing him off, there were naturally many banquets, and Qi Tongwei's schedule was packed.

Basically, every day after waking up, I would go to banquets and drink until 11 or 12 at night.

On the busiest day, I attended eleven drinking parties.

Because of the large number of people, Qi Tongwei had to delay his return to Handong.

Although Qi Tongwei was seen as a cold-faced mayor by the party and government officials in Beishan, he was actually quite popular in the Hanjiang officialdom.

When dealing with other organizations, Qi Tongwei always strives to be harmonious and get along well with people.

For example, he would try his best to arrange overseas study tour slots for any organization that wanted them.

If it doesn't work this time, then try again next time.

For example, if some organizations, newspapers, publishing houses, or writers' associations need funds, he will help them solve the problem as long as it's not outrageous.

And so on.

Of course, every give has a take.

In return for his kindness, these people will repay him in other ways.

In recent years, Guang Publishing House has published several versions of Qi Tongwei's biography.

The contents of books such as "Outstanding Party Member Qi Tongwei," "The Difficult Path of Studying for Mayor Qi Tongwei of Beishan," "The Heroic Mayor of Guyingling," and "My Name is Qi Tongwei, I Serve the People" made him feel ashamed.

This isn't even the most outrageous part.

What impressed Qi Tongwei the most was an incident involving the Department of Education.

On one occasion, he helped the director of the Education Department solve a problem. How did the director repay him? He directly had someone retrieve an essay that Qi Tongwei had written when he was in high school, and it was included in the high school textbooks at Hanjiang University.

This essay almost became a reading comprehension question for the Hanjiang College Entrance Examination two years ago, but Qi Tongwei discovered it in advance and prevented it.

Of course, the reason why these people reciprocated in this way was not primarily due to "returning favors," but rather because Qi Tongwei's development momentum was too strong.

For many, such a young deputy provincial-level official is someone they can only look up to in the future. They should take advantage of their current similar status to build up their goodwill and connections.

What if we need it someday?

Besides, why not use the convenience of power to build your own connections?

The farewell banquets on the Han River were one after another. The lively and boisterous atmosphere stirred up quite a storm in the provincial capital, and also caused a minor incident.

Xia Guanglei, the municipal party secretary and top leader who had been suppressed by Qi Tongwei for nearly three years, and now a member of the provincial party committee, took the opportunity to file a complaint against Qi Tongwei at the provincial party committee.

To say that Qi Tongwei indulged in excessive welcoming and farewell ceremonies, wasted resources, and took advantage of his transfer to accept banquets in violation of regulations, is clearly a blatant violation of discipline and the code of conduct for clean governance!

Fortunately, Provincial Party Secretary Pei Yihong was not misled by Xia Guanglei. Instead, he criticized Xia Guanglei, saying: "Comrade Tongwei has made remarkable achievements over the years in Hanjiang."

His comrades spontaneously held a farewell ceremony for him out of consideration for their working relationship and to acknowledge his contributions. It was not a violation of rules or regulations, and he should not make a big deal out of it.

Afterwards, when Qi Tongwei learned the news, he was not angry but laughed. He was just troubled by not being able to refuse other people's invitations to banquets, but he did not expect that his "good partner" would provide a way out.

As a result, Qi Tongwei directly refused the subsequent banquet invitations.

The reason given was that someone had filed a complaint against them in the provincial party committee, saying that he wasn't afraid of being affected, since he was about to leave Hanjiang, but he couldn't let his comrades suffer undeservedly because of him, Qi Tongwei, so he could only apologize.

The Han River officialdom was in an uproar. After some inquiries, they learned what had happened.

Xia Guanglei's attempt to steal a chicken backfired spectacularly; not only did he fail to bring down Qi Tongwei, but he also offended a group of Hanjiang cadres.

This led to difficulties for Xia Guanglei in his work at Hanjiang, and he eventually gave up his idea of ​​continuing his career from Hanjiang two years later and was hastily transferred to other places.

……

The days of joyful gatherings are always too short, and the days of parting are fast approaching.

On the night before leaving the Han River, Qi Tongwei didn't go anywhere, but instead stayed at the No. 3 compound of the Provincial Party Committee.

It was still that familiar mahogany round table, still crammed full of things.

Braised ribbonfish, stir-fried pea shoots, and chicken stew with shiitake mushrooms are all his favorite home-style dishes.

The usually lively "family" sitting together was silent tonight, so quiet that you could hear the wind outside the window.

Unable to bear the sadness, Qi Tongwei picked up his chopsticks, pointed to the table full of dishes, and exclaimed, "What a feast today! And all of them are my favorite dishes. I won't be polite then."

He picked up a piece of chicken, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it heartily, while also urging everyone to start eating, "Everyone, start eating! The food won't taste good if it gets cold."

Yu Huabei snapped out of his daze and said, "Yes, yes, everyone eat. We can talk about it later."

Only then did the group pick up their chopsticks.

Mrs. Yu's eyes reddened slightly. "Tongwei, if you like it, eat more. If you want Auntie's cooking again in the future, I'm afraid..."

He was about to speak when a lump rose in his throat and he swallowed the rest of his words.

The Yu family had no sons, and Qi Tongwei's appearance filled the void in Madam Yu's heart.

Now that her "son" is about to embark on a long journey, Madam Yu, the "mother," naturally feels reluctant to part with him.

Yu Xiaoxiao sat to the side, holding chopsticks in her hand, slowly putting food into her mouth without saying a word.

Yu Huabei had just picked up his wine glass, intending to say a few words, when he saw this scene and became inexplicably irritated. He slammed the glass down and said unhappily, "What's all this about? It's not like we're parting ways or dying."

If you miss Tongwei, why don't you just go and see him?

With transportation so readily available these days, getting anywhere by plane is incredibly fast.

Qi Tongwei chimed in, "Yes, Auntie, I'll come to see you often when I have time."

Mrs. Yu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. "Auntie is overthinking things. Alright, let's not talk about it anymore. Let's have a happy meal."

Everyone ate the meal very slowly.

The farewell banquet only came to an end when the dishes on the table gradually lost their heat and the soup solidified into a light brown film.

Qi Tongwei didn't rush back to his room to rest, but instead spent some more time with the two of them, slowly drinking a few cups of hot tea.

The clock hands moved tick by tick until midnight before he got up and went upstairs.

As Qi Tongwei walked down the corridor toward his room, he suddenly stopped in his tracks when he passed Yu Xiaoxiao's door.

There was no light coming from under the door, so the other person was obviously asleep.

Qi Tongwei stood still for a moment, then lifted his foot to leave, when a soft sound came and the door opened.

Yu Xiaoxiao, wearing a bathrobe, stood in the half-open door crack, looking at Qi Tongwei.

"Still not asleep?"

"Well, I can't sleep."

"Because of me?" Qi Tongwei teased deliberately.

"Mm." Yu Xiaoxiao didn't deny it this time and nodded.