Until noon on the fourth day, Chen Bin found Zheng Najiao one last time.
"Director Xu and I are preparing to go to other cities for research. If Mr. He decides to go to Qingshi County, he can contact me at any time."
Zheng Najiao also knew that Chen Bin had said everything that could be said.
So she had no choice but to nod.
That evening, Chen Bin and Xu Ruoxuan left Tianhe and took the high-speed train to other destinations.
When He Chaoping returned home, it was Zheng Najiao who took the initiative to bring up the matter of working in Qingshi County.
"Honey, I think working in Qingshi County might not be bad. The benefits there are excellent, much better than at the Old Winery."
He Chaoping frowned slightly. "You really want me to go?"
"If it’s like what they said, where they can relocate our whole family, then there’s really nothing wrong with it. Besides, you enjoy working at the winery. If you were transferred to another place, would you bear to leave?"
Sighing, He Chaoping said nothing more.
Zheng Najiao continued, "The people from Qingshi County have come to see me many times. If you keep delaying your decision and they turn to someone else, then when we try to seize the opportunity again, the conditions certainly won’t be as favorable as they are now."
In fact, the issue of whether or not to go to Qingshi County had been weighing on He Chaoping’s mind for a long time.
But now that he’s married with children, with relatives and friends all in Tianhe,
relocating to an entirely new place to rebuild a network of relationships seemed highly impractical.
He had initially planned to bury this regret deep in his heart, but he hadn’t expected Zheng Najiao to be tempted by the idea.
That made him even more hesitant.
About a week later, as soon as He Chaoping arrived at the factory, he received a call from the municipal government.
When he heard that Gao Bihua wanted to meet him, unease began to fill his heart.
Ever since his conflict with Luo Hansong, Gao Bihua had frequently called him in for talks.
Every conversation revolved around encouraging him to cooperate with Luo Hansong’s work.
Otherwise, he’d be transferred elsewhere.
Although deeply displeased, He Chaoping nonetheless instructed his secretary to drive him to the municipal office.
Standing at the entrance of Gao Bihua’s office, he took a deep breath before ultimately knocking on the door.
Once inside, he forced a smile onto his face.
"Secretary Gao, you wanted to see me?"
"Chaoping, come in and have a seat."
Seeing Gao Bihua’s warm demeanor only made He Chaoping feel colder inside.
In his experience, the friendlier the approach, the less likely it would bode well.
After pouring him a glass of water, Gao Bihua spoke earnestly.
"You’re an exceptional talent. Assigning you the role of second-in-command truly undervalues your abilities. How about this—I offer you a new position; what do you think?"
"Where do you plan on sending me?"
"To the Tianhe Glass Factory. You’d be the top leader there. How does that sound?"
This proposal made a cold sneer flash through He Chaoping’s mind.
The glass factory was on the verge of bankruptcy; sending him there was pure nonsense!
Realizing he’d been completely abandoned, an odd calm began to settle over him.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Secretary Gao. May I go back and think it over?"
Gao Bihua readily nodded. "No problem. Just get back to me before the end of this week."
After his lunch shift, as soon as He Chaoping returned home, he recounted the details of the conversation with Gao Bihua to Zheng Najiao.
She asked, "What do you plan to do?"
With a cold snort, He Chaoping replied irritably.
"If they could arrange a decent unit for me, maybe I’d consider it. But that glass factory? Never happening!"
"So you’re thinking of going to Qingshi County?"
"Yes. Call Chen Bin right now and tell them to come over for a proper discussion."
Without hesitation, Zheng Najiao immediately dialed Chen Bin’s number.
She conveyed He Chaoping’s willingness to move to Qingshi County.
At the time, Chen Bin and Xu Ruoxuan were still conducting research, but upon hearing the news, they decided to rush back to Tianhe.
That evening, they took a high-speed train and reached He Chaoping’s home.
Suppressing his excitement, Chen Bin turned to face He Chaoping.
"Mr. He, do you still have any concerns about moving to Qingshi County?"
Staring hard at Chen Bin, He Chaoping replied sternly.
"I’d like to speak directly with your county’s secretary. Those conditions you mentioned—unless they come straight from him, I won’t believe it."
Upon hearing this, Chen Bin and Xu Ruoxuan exchanged surprise-filled glances.
Unfazed, He Chaoping continued bluntly, "And he must come to my home personally. Otherwise, I won’t go!"
"This... That’s beyond my decision-making scope. We’ll need approval first."
He Chaoping nodded. "Fine, then go get that approval. I won’t be seeing you out."
Once Chen Bin and Xu Ruoxuan left, Zheng Najiao couldn’t help but express her concerns.
"Honey, isn’t your demand a bit excessive? He’s a county committee secretary after all—what if he refuses to come?"
"If they’re sincere about wanting me to go, they’ll definitely come. If they don’t, it means they lack sincerity. He’s just a county committee secretary. Not the top power in Tianhai. I honestly don’t care!"
These words made Zheng Najiao frown repeatedly.
"Why do you always have this stubborn streak? Given how things have played out, don’t you see the root cause? If we do go to Qingshi County, we must maintain good relations with the secretary of the County Committee. Otherwise, we’ll be doomed."
"Ugh, quit nagging! I get it!"
After leaving He Chaoping’s house, Xu Ruoxuan still looked uneasy.
"Xiao Bin, what if Secretary Wang refuses to come—what then?"
"Don’t worry. We’ll explain it to him personally tomorrow. He Chaoping is a rare talent; Secretary Wang won’t give up so easily."
The next morning, the two of them boarded a high-speed train back to Tianhai.
After arriving at the station, they hurried back to Qingshi County without delay.
Once back at their dormitory, they promptly knocked on Wang Jun’s door.
"You’re back—come on in!"
To Wang Jun, Chen Bin was the person he valued most at the moment.
No matter what task he assigned, Chen Bin always executed perfectly.
Once inside, all three sat on the sofa.
Chen Bin and Xu Ruoxuan conveyed their findings from the research in full detail.
Wang Jun seemed very pleased with their results.
"Excellent. If we want to succeed, we must first understand the market thoroughly. You two deserve high praise."
Seeing Wang Jun’s good mood, Chen Bin smiled and remarked.
"Actually, during this trip, not only did we investigate the liquor market, but we also persuaded the top deputy director from Tianhe Old Winery to join us."
"The deputy director of the Tianhe Old Winery? That must be He Chaoping! Him? You really managed to recruit him?!"
Although Wang Jun didn’t personally know He Chaoping, he was well aware of his achievements.
In just a few short years, He Chaoping had transformed Tianhe Old Winery from an obscure facility to unprecedented heights.
Back in Wang Jun’s heyday, he had also modeled his drastic reforms after He Chaoping.
However, he had taken things too far and offended powerful figures behind the scenes.
This eventually led to his marginalization.
So upon hearing the mention of He Chaoping’s name, Wang Jun couldn’t hide his surprise.
Chen Bin, however, continued, "Recruiting someone as talented as He Chaoping wasn’t easy. Here’s the thing—I promised him certain conditions."
"Besides appointing him as head of the winery, he’d get the perks of a full division-chief rank, plus housing and a car. As for his wife—she’s a teacher—she’d be offered a position at Tianhai No.1 Middle School. And regarding their kid—"
Before Chen Bin could finish, Wang Jun, his face darkened with anger, cut him off with a wave.
"Nonsense! I’m the one with division-chief rank! How could we offer him the same?! Assigning his wife to the County No.1 Middle School would be feasible, but Tianhai No.1 Middle School? Are you joking?! And another thing—how can you frivolously promise conditions without authority?!"