At the entrance of the County Committee building, two stone lions taller than a person guarded the site, surrounded by a large parking lot paved with Hanbai jade, with a security booth at the entrance. Two military guards, dressed in army uniforms and carrying Type 81 rifles, stood on duty.

At the entrance, Liu Dagu and other officials from the County Committee were there to welcome the guests.

Upon seeing Tang Yumeng's arrival, a brilliant smile immediately lit up Liu Dagu's face.

"Prepare to welcome Secretary Tang," Liu Dagu gestured with a wave of his hand.

"Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome..."

Following that, a large group from the County Committee began to wave ribbons enthusiastically, swaying and fluttering them around. After the Audi car came to a stop, Luo Guoqing hurriedly opened the rear door for Tang Yumeng who emerged from the vehicle, clad in a wine-red long coat that gave her an air of distinguished grace. Her hair was done up, giving her an efficient and glamorous appearance.

Liu Dagu glanced over and, not seeing Lin Chuan, his happiness grew even more apparent. With his belly protruding, he approached and said with a smile, "Secretary Tang, I've been eagerly awaiting you as if looking out for the stars and the moon, and finally, you are here."

"Secretary Liu, you are too kind," Tang Yumeng replied indifferently.

"Ah, I've also heard about the incident last time. Those damned criminals, how dare they lay a finger on you," Liu Dagu spoke with righteous indignation. "Dammit, why take it out on a woman if they have an issue, take it out on me instead, how despicable. It's just regrettable that the incident didn't occur in my Wujiang County, otherwise I would've had them caught and brought back even if it meant digging three feet into the ground."

"Let's not talk about the past," Tang Yumeng waved it off.

"Yes, yes, of course," Liu Dagu agreed, then said, "Secretary Tang truly exhibits extraordinary poise. Please come inside."

The group then escorted Tang Yumeng into the County Committee building.

The County Committee building was equipped with an elevator. Liu Dagu escorted Tang Yumeng to the lift, before the group packed into the elevator and proceeded to the designated conference room. The agenda for today was to discuss the development of Wujiang's tourist attractions, as the Zhu company was expected to sign a contract after the New Year. Thus, before the holiday, it was crucial to finalize the plans. After all, Tang Yumeng was the City Secretary of Jiangbei City, and the County Committee's work and approval of major projects all required her oversight.

The conference room had been urgently decorated, as if it were a place set up to celebrate Christmas.

"This..." Tang Yumeng looked at Liu Dagu in surprise.

"Oh, Secretary Tang," Liu Dagu quickly said with a smile: "We've prepared this place for the Christmas celebration tomorrow, where everyone will get together for a party. It was just set up in advance. So..."

"Is that so?" Upon hearing this, Tang Yumeng immediately smiled and said: "That's very good, at least it saves quite a bit of money."

"That's right," Liu Dagu nodded eagerly, saying, "We are absolutely following the General Secretary's policy on frugality, determined not to waste a single penny of the taxpayer's money, nor to spend it frivolously..."

As Liu Dagu spoke, he was fidgeting with a glamorous bead bracelet on his hand.

"Secretary Liu, that exquisite bracelet of yours doesn't come cheap, right?" Tang Yumeng glanced at it and asked casually.

"Uh..." Liu Dagu was momentarily taken aback, feeling as though he had just swallowed a headless green fly. He quietly tucked the bracelet into his pocket, smiling awkwardly, "How could it be? It's not worth much, just a cheap glass bead from a boutique store, only costing a few dozen yuan."

"Is that so?" Tang Yumeng smiled and walked straight in. Not a stranger to poverty, she was quite knowledgeable about jewelry and could tell that such a jadeite bracelet was quite valuable, especially this type with a rich green color that could be exceedingly expensive. Tang Yumeng had her suspicions but knew that Liu Dagu was a man of Song Ming, hence, she was powerless against him. Even lodging a complaint with the Provincial Committee might be futile since there could be many informers for Song Ming there, possibly intercepting her report before it reached the discipline inspection committee.

Besides, as the City Secretary, reporting a subordinate might reflect poorly on herself. As long as their actions weren't too excessive, she could turn a blind eye. Being too harsh might backfire, risking a bite from the proverbial dog.

The meeting began soon after, mainly to review the tourism project. Liu Dagu had also done some groundwork. He had visited local villagers, and though aware these were not Liu Dagu's own efforts, he was still the initiator, and the local populace was very supportive and understanding of the project. From the grassroots level, it was a project beneficial to both the nation and the people. From the higher-ups' perspective, it would be advantageous for the government's performance evaluation.

After discussing till 2 p.m., Liu Dagu, the rotund man, was extremely hungry.

"Okay, okay," Liu Dagu quickly stood up and said, "Let's pause our discussion here for now, the project is preliminarily approved. Moreover, it's past lunchtime, so shouldn't we go for a meal?"

"Right, right, right, mealtime is important," a bunch of people chimed in eagerly. After all, having sat there the entire morning, everyone was famished.

Tang Yumeng also nodded, saying, "Alright, let's have lunch. I am indeed a bit hungry."

Following that, the group promptly made their way to the hotel.

Liu Dagu had already booked a banquet at the hotel, knowing Tang Yumeng's character well, so he alerted the hotel in advance to start serving the dishes only upon his phone call. As expected, after Tang Yumeng arrived, work came first and dining second.

The Triumphal Arch Hotel is the only four-star hotel in Wujiang, and Liu Dagu owns a significant share of it. It is the designated hospitality hotel by the county committee. It's also considered a cooperative unit.

In one of Triumphal Arch Hotel's glittering private rooms, a table set for over a dozen people was ready, all the important cadres from within the county committee had basically arrived. Xiao Xue, as Tang Yumeng's secretary, was allowed to join the meal, a kind of preferential treatment for a lady.

"Come on, let's set aside work for today," Liu Dagu stood up and called out, "Secretary Tang has come from afar, so let's turn off our phones and put them aside. Today we will host Secretary Tang well. Let's drink openly and a bit more."

"Okay," more than ten people immediately responded. Each took out their phones, turned them off, and placed them on a side table.

Xiao Xue glanced at Tang Yumeng, who smiled, took out her phone, then turned it off and tossed it onto the table. The corners of Liu Dagu's mouth lifted slightly when he saw Tang Yumeng put down her phone, and he immediately smiled. He hurriedly picked up a bottle of red wine and filled Tang Yumeng's glass.

"Let's toast to Secretary Tang first." Liu Dagu's alcohol tolerance was undoubtedly strong, and he said with a smile, "Secretary Tang has come a long way to guide our work, and moreover, Secretary Tang's working attitude is commendable—not inferior to any warrior. I truly admire it."

"It's what I should do," Tang Yumeng said with a smile.

Everyone drank up.

Xiao Xue quickly said, "Sister Yumeng, you should drink less."

"Hmm," Tang Yumeng nodded. Her alcohol tolerance wasn't bad, but today she probably had met her match. Liu Dagu and his company had a frightening capacity for alcohol—more than two and a half liters of white liquor, beer poured at will. One could take on several others alone. Although Tang Yumeng's alcohol tolerance was good, she was still a woman and couldn't compare to men.

Xiao Xue was somewhat anxious. She sniffled a little and drank alongside the others, but tried her best not to drink too much.

After several rounds, Tang Yumeng's complexion became slightly reddened.

"Eat some food..." Xiao Xue hurriedly served food to Tang Yumeng.

After eating a few bites to cushion her stomach—drinking on an empty stomach makes you drunk the fastest—Tang Yumeng had been busy all morning and was very hungry by afternoon. With Liu Dagu and the others' fervent toasting, the alcohol's effect was rapidly magnified, soon making her feel almost dizzy.

Seeing this, Liu Dagu became even more excited and quickly poured Tang Yumeng another glass of red wine.

"Enough, I won't drink anymore," Tang Yumeng's face was as red as an apple.

"Secretary Tang, it's not often we get to dine with you," Liu Dagu raised his glass and said, "Our comrades in Wujiang County have missed you greatly. Today we must drink to our hearts' content. We thank Secretary Tang for coming to Wujiang to guide us."

"We thank Secretary Tang for coming to Wujiang to guide us," the group of people unanimously stood up, glasses in hand.

Tang Yumeng couldn't refuse and had to drink it all in one go. After this glass, she felt an unbearable burning sensation in her stomach. All twelve bottles of red wine had been finished, as well as four bottles of Moutai and several bottles of local Wujiang rice wine. Tang Yumeng predicted she had reached her limit; if she continued drinking, she would definitely become unconscious.

"Secretary Tang, let's not drink red wine anymore, let's drink some local rice wine," Liu Dagu's eyes were fiery, and his breath reeked of alcohol.

"No, I really can't drink anymore," Tang Yumeng hurriedly gestured, her vision almost doubling.

"I'll drink in place of Secretary Tang," Xiao Xue quickly said.

"Get lost," Liu Dagu glared at Xiao Xue and cursed, "Who the hell do you think you are? When I'm toasting Secretary Tang, what right do you have to interfere!"

Xiao Xue was taken aback, but at that moment, Tang Yumeng said, "Fine, I'll drink."

Tang Yumeng felt disheartened and thought being drunk might as well be an excuse to sleep well.

"Haha, that's more like it," Liu Dagu laughed heartily.

A glass of rice wine, weighing two liangs, was half-drunk by Tang Yumeng who wanted to let go, but Liu Dagu held onto the glass and said with a smile, "Secretary Tang, you can't just drink halfway, just as you can't only work halfway through. As public officials, we must follow through to the end."

With no other choice, Tang Yumeng gulped it down in one breath.

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