Reborn as a Noble's Son

Seeing Nie Zhenbang approach, Zhao Haining, who had originally planned to call a colleague and a tow truck, also stopped his work and asked in confusion, “Do you need anything?”

Nie Zhenbang stood there, emitting a natural aura that made Zhao Haining dare not to slack off. His words were also very courteous.

“Officer Zhao, just now, I witnessed the whole incident. Those two men, one is a rich kid from the Eastern Sea Group, and the other is the son of Deputy Mayor Zhao. Aren’t you afraid of repercussions?” Nie Zhenbang asked with a smile.

His words made Zhao Haining’s face look a bit hard. After a moment of silence, Zhao Haining nodded and said, “Yes, I am afraid. Getting this job wasn’t easy; my father had to go to great lengths for it, putting in a lot of money just to get me into the department. But there are some things that if I fear and thus fail to do, I think, will weigh on my conscience.”

Zhao Haining’s answer satisfied Nie Zhenbang. It seemed that he saw a reflection of himself in Zhao Haining’s helpless eyes at the moment. He then patted Zhao Haining on the shoulder with a smile, encouraging him, “Well done, sticking to one’s ideas is the right thing to do. Keep working hard, I believe you will be an excellent police officer.”

Back at the Glasses Trays, Gao Wei grinned, saying, “Looks like this Zhao Haining is about to skyrocket.”

As for Gao Wei’s words, Nie Zhenbang seemed very indifferent. Everyone will have someone they are satisfied with or value highly. This was not something rare. He picked up the draft beer on the table, took a sip, then said, “It’s not a big deal, how far he goes depends on his own ability.”

After exchanging some information about Jingcheng, they all left. He hailed a taxi from the Glasses Trays and returned to the Municipal Government Guest House. As soon as he entered the door, Ma Fei greeted him with a smile, saying, “Mayor Nie, wouldn’t it be better to inform us when you go out? We could arrange some security personnel.”

Upon hearing Ma Fei’s words, Nie Zhenbang’s face turned grim. He didn’t find Ma Fei very appealing—she was too smooth and flirtatious.

There were many types of women in the system: those who were beautiful and capable; those who were beautiful and had backers; and those who were not beautiful at all.

Upon observation, it was still unclear which type Ma Fei belonged to, but it was certain that the first type was definitely included.

“Deputy Director Ma, is the public safety in Wanghai City poor?” Nie Zhenbang asked in an indifferent tone.

His comment left Ma Fei somewhat embarrassed. She hadn’t expected Nie Zhenbang to respond this way. Normally, when greeted with a smile and concern, leaders wouldn’t have much to say. But Nie Zhenbang had completely overturned Ma Fei’s expectations.

The new mayor was quite unusual; he didn’t play by conventional rules. After a moment of reflection, Ma Fei chuckled and said, “Mayor Nie, I was just concerned about your safety.”

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang had become a clueless man who didn’t understand women’s hints. He nodded indifferently and said, “Deputy Director Ma, you should also rest early.” After finishing his sentence, Nie Zhenbang didn’t bother with Ma Fei anymore and walked straight into Hong Yan Lou.

“Mayor, this is your office. If there is anything you need to improve or redecorate, please let us know. The office administration bureau has a dedicated renovation company. If needed, they can work overnight.” An Guoyu, the Secretary General of the city government, stood beside Nie Zhenbang and spoke with a smile.

As the saying goes, ‘birds of a feather flock together’. Secretary-General An Guoyu was somewhat similar to Mayor Wang Yaguang in character; both of them had a genial disposition. At this moment, he stood by Nie Zhenbang, slightly half a step behind, introducing the office to him.

The office building of the Wanghai City Municipal Party Committee and City Government had a grand layout. The main office alone covered an area of at least one hundred square meters. The hefty black desk looked steady and authoritative, and the leather swivel chair was very comfortable. On the right was a floor-to-ceiling window that offered a sweeping view of outside streets and the city hall’s plaza.

On the right, there is a row of black bookshelves. Various thick books were neatly arranged inside, even the Party history was seen in the most eye-catching position.

Behind the desk is a side door leading to a rest room, which also includes a storage room and a toilet. On busy days, one could make some instant noodles here. The rest of the office space is assigned for a smaller office, this naturally is the future workplace for the secretary.

After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and said, “There’s no need for major changes. Just take down these calligraphy and paintings, besides, It would be fine to repaint the walls.”

There’s an unwritten rule within the system, new leaders must make some adjustments to the arrangement made by their predecessors, otherwise, it might gives people a sense of casualness. Even within the system, there are a lot of taboos. Some officials who have been caught in scandals do not want to use the offices left behind by them, as some leaders have taboos against them.

Furthermore, there are things like office politics, Fengshui, and the sort. Over the past ten or more years of reform and opening up, all kinds of superstitions that supposedly disappeared have sprouted up like mushrooms after the rain. Fengshui and fortune-telling, which were once regarded as feudal superstitions, have now become a dependency for many officials.

Nie Zhenbang did not believe in these things, nor cared about them. However, in such circumstances, some rules that should be carried on, Zhenbang chose to inherit.

An Guoyu, holding a notebook, was diligent. He noted down Nie Zhenbang’s requests and then took out a stack of document materials from his briefcase and passed them to Nie Zhenbang, saying, “Mayor Nie, please take a look. These are some suitable secretary candidates that I found from secretary’s office of the city government bureau, and all of their resumes are attached. Let me know if you find them unsuitable, I could select some others for you.”

There’s a saying, a new official must take hold of three things in office: a secretary, a house, and an office.

The first one being a secretary, shows its importance. Generally, there are two ways to source the secretary for a leader. The first one is to bring their own secretary when taking up office. This way, the leader knows the person well, the secretary would be easier and nuclear-free to use as they don’t need to go through a familiarization period, and they know their leader’s habits, working style, and personal preferences.

In that case, the only other option is to select a secretary from the secretary’s office of the city government. This approach has its own advantage. In general, the secretaries in the municipal government’s secretary’s office belong to the local cadre, and are more familiar with the local conditions. However, the downside is more significant. You might not know the secretary’s personality and background. One might hand-pick a secretary only to find that they are the relative of a political rival.

Selecting a secretary is a crucial matter for Nie Zhenbang. If the secretary is not chosen wisely, it can affect his entire job.

Looking at An Guoyu, Nie Zhenbang sat down in his chair and nodded, “Put it down. Later, I will take a closer look. Also, bring me the government work reports from Wanghai City for the past few years.”

To understand a city, the most superficial method is to read the government work report. It shows the political, economic, cultural, and social situations in the city, and one can glean some information from it.

After An Guoyu left, Zhenbang picked up the pile of secretary profiles on the table. He just skimmed through the first one and then put it aside. As for the second one, he didn’t even look at it before putting it aside.

This was due to his years of work experience. Selecting a secretary is typically seen as a rare opportunity that can change people’s lives. Naturally, the Secretary-General who is in charge of this matter will receive recommendations from various parties.

Ordinarily, the Secretary-General would put some important recommendations on the top. But consequently, this isn’t found effective. A newly appointed official would naturally be skeptical of candidates with connections. Later, it was believed that the second profile was actually the most recommended candidate. Nie Zhenbang naturally understood these tricks.

After reviewing several files, Zhenbang frowned. This time, An Guoyu presented five candidates. Zhenbang hasn’t reviewed the first two yet, but the following three, in terms of age, were suitable candidates. They were all between twenty-five and thirty-one years old, which shows that An Guoyu has considered Zhenbang’s situation adequately.

However, none of these three candidates stood out in terms of experience, education, or ability.

Looking at the two profiles he had put aside, Zhenbang picked up the first one and started reading. Li Jupeng, 26 years old, graduated from the Chinese Department of Wanghai University. None of these were what interested Zhenbang. However, there was a crucial piece of information in it: this Li Jupeng was the nephew of Qi Siyuan, the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission and a Standing Committee member of the Municipal Party Committee.