"Not drinking anymore."

Wu Qiangwei shook her head.

If it were a normal day, she definitely wouldn't refuse if Song Guanchao offered.

Just like Qu Xiangru said, if you keep rejecting, never giving him any hope, over time, you'll really push him away.

But not today.

She called Song Guanchao over tonight because she had something serious to discuss.

Song Guanchao felt a bit disappointed, but quickly realized that Wu Qiangwei probably had important matters to discuss with him.

Wu Qiangwei wiped her mouth and said, "The date for the Youth Class has been set, you should receive the notification tomorrow."

That's it?

Song Guanchao thought it was something major.

Even though this was important, it could have been mentioned over the phone. Was it necessary to invite him for dinner just for this?

Seemingly noticing his confusion, Wu Qiangwei said, "Aren't you curious about who from the City Committee got the slot?"

Her reminder suddenly made Song Guanchao remember.

He almost forgot that there were a total of two slots.

"Who is it?"

"Jiang Yiren."

"Her?"

This choice was both unexpected and unsurprising.

There really weren't many competent people in the City Committee.

Although Jiang Yiren hadn't shown any remarkable achievements, she had the Jiang Family backing her.

"Aren't you happy to have a beautiful woman going to training with you?"

"..." Song Guanchao chuckled at this clumsy probe.

"I'm going for training, not romance."

He shook his head, providing a standard response.

Wu Qiangwei's lips curled slightly before she continued, "There's one more thing."

Her expression gradually became serious, "Luo Sanming is dead, and Zhang Yan probably won't let you off easily."

She called Song Guanchao over tonight primarily to advise him.

Because the Youth Class training was at the Provincial Party School, and Zhang Yan was in the Provincial City.

She was worried that Zhang Yan might use underhanded tactics against Song Guanchao.

"Let her use whatever means she has."

Song Guanchao snorted coldly, "Not being able to bring her down this time was her luck."

Wu Qiangwei said, "During your training, be sure to take care of yourself. When going out for dinners, avoid drinking if you can."

Song Guanchao knew what she was concerned about.

The Provincial City was not Lingjiang.

As the provincial capital, Jiangzhou City, whether in terms of population or economy, was incomparable to other ordinary cities.

This city had the most elite class in Nanjiang Province.

Zhang Yan, as the Deputy Mayor, wielded great power.

If she really decided to act against Song Guanchao personally, his days might not be easy.

"By the way," Song Guanchao said, "when exactly does the training begin?"

"Departure is the day after tomorrow."

"The day after tomorrow..." Song Guanchao frowned, "Can I take a leave?"

Wu Qiangwei asked, "Is there something you need to handle?"

Song Guanchao said, "I want to wait until the metro project is approved first."

He wasn't comfortable leaving this matter to someone else.

Wu Qiangwei pondered, "The latest by next Monday then."

The Youth Class training was important, if Wu Qiangwei had her way, not a day should be missed.

Song Guanchao calculated the time, "No problem."

After dinner, Song Guanchao sat on the sofa for a while.

When she came out after doing the dishes, Song Guanchao stood up and said, "Secretary, I'll head back now."

"Hmm, drive slowly on the way back."

"???" Song Guanchao looked at her somewhat bewildered.

What kind of situation is this?

Normally, when he proposed leaving, she would seize the chance to persuade him to stay the night, wouldn't she?

Seeing his slightly dazed expression made Wu Qiangwei want to laugh, and she turned to walk into the room.

Song Guanchao felt a bit crestfallen, eventually hanging his head in disappointment.

...

The next day, Song Guanchao received a call from Jiang Yuan, informing him of the Youth Class date.

By noon, Director Zhao and Director Yang delivered the hastily prepared planning and construction report to him.

Song Guanchao read the report, confirmed there were no issues, and went straight to the City Government.

"Secretary Sun, is Mayor Zheng busy?"

"Let me check." Secretary Sun quickly stood up.

He no longer carried the same aura of youthful exuberance.

In front of Song Guanchao, his tone was courteous, even slightly cautious.

"District Chief Song, please come in."

After notifying him, Secretary Sun opened the door.

Following him into the office, Secretary Sun poured a cup of tea and then excused himself.

"Mayor Zheng, please take a look at this report."

Zheng Bihui, somewhat curious, took the report. After reading just a few lines, he was immediately surprised.

Tongchi District is planning to build a metro!

How come he hadn't heard about this?

Song Guanchao wouldn't apply for a project approval without good reason.

Given his current position, he must have had some definite information before proceeding with this matter.

Presenting the report now seemed merely procedural.

Realizing this, Zheng Bihui nodded, "I'll talk to Secretary Qu later and get her input."

"Alright, thank you, Mayor Zheng."

"This is a beneficial and convenient initiative. If it gets approved, it'll greatly improve our citizens' commuting."

Zheng Bihui said, "I've actually thought about building a metro before, but you're aware of our city's financial situation—we're broke."

Song Guanchao patiently listened to his grievances.

They weren't really grievances; he had genuinely considered it.

Back then, when the financial situation was still decent, he had two choices: high-speed rail or metro.

Eventually, he chose the high-speed rail.

Choosing the high-speed rail naturally meant there weren't leftover funds to build a metro, hence the delay.

He was quite curious about where Song Guanchao planned to get the money.

Before they knew it, it was the next day, Friday.

Qu Xiangru preemptively informed several departments to attend a special seminar at the City Committee.

The topic wasn't mentioned, and once everyone was in the conference room and saw the documents in front of them, they were shocked to discover that the meeting was about the new metro project in Lingjiang.

"Everyone take a look first, and once you've finished, we can discuss."

Qu Xiangru's cool voice pulled everyone back from their shock.

They carefully perused the documents, the sound of pages turning occurring every so often.

A few minutes later, they gradually set down the documents.

Director Huang from the National Development and Reform Commission asked the most critical question directly, "Secretary Qu, where is the money to build the metro coming from?"

This was the core issue.

If the financial issue couldn't be resolved, the metro couldn't be built.

After the Fengmen Building incident, everyone was well aware of the city's financial state.

Given the current state of city finances, funding metro construction was simply not feasible.

Jiang Yuan and others also looked towards her.

Qu Xiangru didn't seem inclined to explain, merely glancing at Wu Qiangwei.

Wu Qiangwei simply said two words, "Land sales."

"Land sales?"

Everyone seemed a bit puzzled.

Wu Qiangwei added, "The Finance Bureau can still provide the initial startup costs."

"Once construction begins, with the increase in nearby land value, we can use that land-based revenue to invest in the metro construction."

Their expressions were somewhat bewildered, as if to say, "Can it really work that way?"

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