Qi Tongwei: Sign-in relationship started during student days

Chapter 1043 High-Rise Building

Qi Tongwei smiled and said, “In China’s political system, the top leader leads everything. Anyone who is not the top leader, no matter what their rank is, is essentially just a soldier who takes orders. We should listen to others in the first place.”

Xu Lian looked at Qi Tongwei with surprise, he couldn't believe that Qi Tongwei had such a high level of awareness.

In his memory, Qi Tongwei was always so domineering and uncompromising.

During He Anxia's era, he also exercised the power of the top leader in the capacity of a mayor.

Although power is often delegated, it is only for minor and unimportant matters.

They always hold core power, and when it comes to important matters and decisions, there is absolutely no room for negotiation.

Of course, they are convinced of this, because the other party's decisions are indeed very correct, and this has been proven so far.

But what's wrong with this powerful mayor today? Why is he talking nonsense?

Could it be that Secretary Xia really scared them out of their wits with a few minor group incidents?

Qi Tongwei noticed Xu Lian's suspicion, smiled, got up, poured a glass of water, patted Xu Lian on the shoulder, and handed it to him.

"Come, come, Comrade Xu Lian, have a glass of water first to calm your nerves."

Xu took the water but didn't drink it. He put it on his desk and continued, "Mayor, I'm not angry, I'm worried..."

"What are you worried about? Are you worried that they are better than us?" Qi Tongwei's voice was not loud, but it had a penetrating power as he looked at Xu Lian sitting opposite him with a half-smile.

Xu Lian's back tensed up instinctively, and he quickly waved his hand: "Mayor, I absolutely did not mean that."

Xia Guanglei is a spoiled rich kid who enjoyed his parents' glory; I'm not jealous of him yet.

He paused, then added a touch of deliberate worry to his tone, "I'm worried about the excellent situation in Beishan."

Originally, everyone worked together with you, putting in the same effort, and there was peace and unity.

His arrival only made things worse. He started by glaring and acting like a boss, then caused a group incident, turning Beishan into a complete mess…

Before he could continue, Qi Tongwei seemed to remember something and raised his hand to interrupt, saying, "I almost forgot about this if you hadn't mentioned it."

I know someone is pulling the strings behind the mass incident. But do you know the root cause of this whole thing?

What was the situation regarding that pollution? Why wasn't it addressed promptly after the problem was discovered? Or is it that the people's livelihood isn't as important to you as GDP?

Xu Lian was caught off guard by Qi Tongwei's sudden attack and was momentarily speechless.

"Mayor, I..."

"What do you mean, 'you'? You've neglected your duty!" Qi Tongwei slammed his fist on the table and scolded.

Xu Lian opened his mouth, unsure how to explain.

Qi Tongwei sighed and said, "To be honest, I was even more derelict in my duty. If I hadn't recommended you for the position of executive vice mayor, would this have happened if I had replaced you with a more responsible comrade?"

"If I had gone down to the grassroots level more often and listened to the voices of ordinary people, things wouldn't have come to this."

Hearing Qi Tongwei's self-reproachful words, Xu Lian was immediately filled with fear. He knew his own background and abilities, and if he lost Qi Tongwei's trust, his dream of promotion would be shattered.

"Mayor, how can this be blamed on you? It's my fault. If it weren't for my negligence..."

Qi Tongwei waved his hand, "No, this is by no means a work oversight; it is a lack of awareness and a lack of responsibility."

This isn't just a problem for you; I have the same flaw and this problem arises because we've been immersed in unrestricted absolute power for too long.

They might be hesitant to raise questions, or they might selectively raise them, choosing only the ones that sound pleasant.

A very serious problem may sound like a minor issue to us, and we may even make wrong decisions because of it.

When the problem becomes too big to hide, a large number of people will fall from top to bottom.

There are quite a few of these problems, especially in industrial cities like ours.

In previous years, industrial accidents have never resulted in more than three deaths. I don't think so. It's just that those who were afraid of taking responsibility covered it up, concealed it, and covered it up. The higher-ups turned a blind eye and suppressed it, which ultimately led to one tragedy after another.

If the root cause and mindset remain unchanged, the problem will not improve.

Therefore, I think it's necessary for us to conduct a thorough study to improve the qualities that we, as members of the Red Star Party, should possess in serving the Party and its officials.

Xu Lian nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, Mayor, I've realized that too."

I plan to undergo a one-month... oh no, a year-long ideological transformation.

From now on, I will go to the municipal Party school every weekend for further education, and diligently study Party discipline and the Party Constitution every day at home.

Qi Tongwei said, "You should indeed learn these things, but what you learn from books is never truly profound, and it may even become stagnant again after a while. It would be best to find a teacher to teach you by example."

"Become...teacher?" Xu Lian had no idea what Qi Tongwei was up to.

"Hmm." Qi Tongwei nodded. "Last time, when Comrade Chen Lifeng from Xitie District reported to me, he mentioned an old comrade from our Xitie District."

He is of noble character and excellent conduct, and is deeply loved by the people. The last mass incident in Xitie District was prevented from escalating into a major incident because this old comrade stood on the front line for the municipal government.

I'm planning to visit him sometime, and you can come with me; I'll introduce you.

As things stand, Xu Lian is probably the most suitable successor for Qi Tongwei to continue his political ideals in Beishan.

Therefore, he must properly train this "successor" before he can entrust the millions of people in Beishan to him with peace of mind.

Xu Lian inwardly groaned, but his face remained serious. "Alright, I will definitely learn from this old comrade, accept ideological reform, and improve my awareness."

Qi Tongwei nodded, wanting to express his expectations and give the other party some motivation, but he stopped himself from speaking.

He thought that with Beishan's future potential, the mayor position might soon be filled by a deputy provincial-level official.

It might involve higher-level power struggles at that time, and it's hard to say whether Xu Lian will have a chance to take his position. It's better not to give him too much hope for now.

Thinking of this, he changed the subject and asked about the progress of the previous enterprise support fund.

It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, because once he started talking about it, Xu Lian's temper flared up again. He waved his hand and said, "Don't say anything more. The deputy directors, led by Chen Yiwen, absolutely refuse to agree. They keep making excuses, saying they need to conduct investigations and research before they can make a decision. They still haven't given us a definite answer."

Qi Tongwei remained calm, smiled faintly, and offered some guidance: "It's good that you want to investigate. As I just said, the progress of pollution control should be reported to the people in real time."

I think this could be reported in the news. It's not that our municipal government is inactive; it's that our power is being restricted.

Xu Lian's eyes lit up. "You mean to shift the blame for this to the Party?"

Qi Tongwei picked up his teacup and took a sip. "At least in this matter, they bear some responsibility."

We discovered the problem and reported it to them, but they turned a blind eye, which ultimately led to untimely governance and caused widespread public discontent.

If we had already completed the necessary steps and begun addressing the issues before the mass incidents occurred, the government's image would not have been damaged.

Therefore, you might ask, don't they also encounter limitations and absolutes in exercising the power of the people?

Xu Lian understood immediately, as if he had found a breakthrough, and said excitedly, "Okay, I'll go down and arrange for people to write the report right now."

Just as I got off the stool, I suddenly remembered why I had come today, and I sat back down.

"Mayor, I almost forgot, you haven't given specific instructions yet regarding the Standing Committee meeting."

Qi Tongwei waved his hand: "I have nothing to say. At least on this matter, I have no objection."

"A hundred-story building," "Liangxiang settling down"—these are all beneficial things for Beishan, so why should we oppose them?"

Then he lectured him again, saying, "Comrade Xu Lian, there's something I need to remind you: we are cadres of the Party and the people, and the power in our hands belongs to the Party and the people."

Even in the struggle for power and profit, there must be a bottom line. When faced with matters of principle, one must be politically aware and have a broad perspective. One cannot turn a blind eye to correct propositions based on personal likes or dislikes.

What do personal honor or disgrace matter as long as it benefits the Party and the people?

Besides, these projects ultimately require the cooperation of our municipal government, so don't we deserve credit for their completion? They will also be part of our political achievements.

Xu Lian still hasn't realized that this incidental achievement can't be compared to the power he currently wields.

Once Xia Guanglei has gained a firm foothold, will he be able to delegate power like Qi Tongwei has?

It's definitely impossible; they might even try to seize his power. This can be seen from the newly arrived female deputy mayor, Jian Yun.

It was clearly an attitude of seizing power.

His appointment as a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee immediately elevated his ranking from last to second only to the vice mayor. This forced the municipal government to make concessions when assigning tasks and entrust him with important responsibilities.

Therefore, he absolutely cannot allow this to happen.

At the same time, he firmly believes that with the solid foundation laid by Beishan City and Qi Tongwei's trust, he is confident that he can achieve even better results and does not need to look up to that municipal party secretary.

"Alright then, Mayor, you said we should talk about politics and the big picture, so I'll talk about politics and the big picture too."

I am not against building a 100-story skyscraper in Beishan, either emotionally or politically. However, from a rational and strategic perspective, I must raise my objections.

A hundred-story building, how much would that cost?! They say it's an investment from the Superman Group, but can they even afford it?

Before I came here, I had someone investigate this Superman Group. The Superman Group's total assets are only a little over two billion. Where did it get the ability to invest in and build a high-rise building worth at least five or six billion?

I'm afraid the building will be abandoned before it's even half finished, and in the end, our municipal government might have to bail it out.

If that day really comes, will our city's finances be able to squeeze out such a large sum of money?

Even if we had the money, why didn't we use it elsewhere? Instead, why build a skyscraper that's more about appearances than substance?

Is a 100-story building really appropriate for an industrial nation like ours? At least with our current economic size, it's meaningless. Besides, standing alone, from a distance it looks like a lonely tower; people might mistake it for a lightning rod.

Qi Tongwei was amused and laughed.

Xu Lian thought he had hit the nail on the head, so he put in even more effort to explain, "The most important point is, what can it be used for after it's built?"

Using it as a factory? The building's load-bearing capacity is simply insufficient to support such large machinery.

If you're going to develop tourism and shopping malls, who would specifically come to a major industrial city for tourism and shopping?

After much thought, the only option seems to be to build an office building for office use.

But we have factories all around us, who would rent such a large office building? Or rather, who has the financial strength to rent such a large office building?

Oh, Hansteel is a suitable target, but their reform work is at a critical juncture, and they can't afford to waste their already limited funds on flashy but impractical office buildings.

Even assuming the office building is built and rented out, how many people will it accommodate?

In the event of an accident, given our current firefighting capabilities, do we have the necessary rescue skills and experience? And what if a fire breaks out…?

"Hey, Lao Xu,"

Qi Tongwei dared not let Xu Lian continue, otherwise the conversation might escalate to the issue of earthquake and wind resistance in the building.

"Why are you getting more and more absurd? I can understand some of your points about fiscal issues and practical problems, but why are you bringing up natural disasters and man-made calamities? Huh?"

If everyone thought like you, let alone building skyscrapers, even eating and drinking would become problems. You're just worrying unnecessarily.

We need to look forward and look on the bright side.

Nowadays, China is developing rapidly, and there are already many high-rise buildings of seventy or eighty stories in Shanghai. This year, even Taiwan is planning to build a 101-story building.

I think this will be a trend; buildings will only get taller and taller in the future.

Whether the Superman Group has the capability to build a 100-story building in my city is, to be honest, not my primary concern.

Even if it's a failed project, at least real money flowed into Beishan. Our construction workers have jobs and income, which also boosted the market and provided us with experience in building high-rise buildings.

As for responsibility…” Qi Tongwei’s eyes flashed with a barely perceptible glint as he smiled slightly:

"That belongs to our Secretary Xia, so neither of us needs to worry, or at least we won't bear the main responsibility."

However, I believe we are unlikely to see this. Don't forget, our Secretary Xia has an unfathomable background.

He's determined to do it, to turn this building into his political achievement project, and I believe he can succeed.

After all, his family wouldn't allow such a promising young man to fail miserably in Beishan.

Xu Lian said with some concern, "To be honest, that's what I'm worried about. With Xia Guanglei around, this is an excellent political achievement project, so naturally the Xia family will cover it."

What if Xia Guanglei gets promoted and leaves?

Can the successor stabilize this high-rise building? And can the investors, or rather, can they make it profitable and valuable, instead of turning it into a hot potato that's deserted and abandoned?

Qi Tongwei was taken aback; he hadn't really thought of that.

Judging from the current situation, if Xia Guanglei is promoted while in office, he is the most likely successor, and there is even a high probability that he will resolve the issue of becoming a deputy provincial-level official in Beishan.

In other words, the responsibility for this building will still fall on its own shoulders in the future.

The image of Xia Guanglei has been stabilized; people will only talk about the achievements of that Secretary Xia back then.

If the problem Xu Lian mentioned occurs, it would likely be seen as a sign of the incompetence of the current administration.