Chapter 2828 First Bow Down

“It’s not about begging, it’s about negotiation.” Ding Wenbo shook his head and continued, “We’ve analyzed this before. If things continue to escalate, Qin Feng will be the biggest victim. He will bear the greatest responsibility, and he will definitely have to step down as mayor. Moreover, he is powerless to stop the situation from developing.”

"Therefore, Qin Feng has no reason not to stop. Even if Qin Feng is a madman, he is a madman in the officialdom. As long as one is in the officialdom, no one can be indifferent to their official position, even if they are a madman."

"The reason why Qin Feng chose to continue to be tough is definitely because there was a blockage or misinformation somewhere, or it may be that Qin Feng was unwilling to be the first to back down."

"So you go and talk to Qin Feng in person. First, you need to convey our intentions to Qin Feng face to face. I think Qin Feng has no reason to disagree, especially since things have reached such an urgent point. Second... give Qin Feng some face. If he is unwilling to lower his head, then we will do it."

"You want me to bow down to him?" Shao Hong looked at Ding Wenbo with a murderous gaze.

“Old Shao, you always have this temper. Asking you to bow your head is not asking you to beg for mercy. What time is it? If we don’t put the brakes on this, we’re really doomed. Do you still care about bowing your head? Besides, he’s the mayor. He’s a leader, after all. It’s not shameful to bow your head and say a few nice words to a leader, is it?” Ding Wenbo persuaded Shao Hongli.

Shao Hongli lit another cigarette and took deep drags on it. He neither agreed with Ding Wenbo's suggestion nor objected to it.

"Moreover, I think Jiang Longjun and Qin Feng have reached some kind of tacit understanding on this matter. It is now obvious that Jiang Longjun is cooperating with Qin Feng's actions. Lao Shao, under these circumstances, we need to go and talk to Qin Feng face to face. We must also humble ourselves. The situation is already very unfavorable for us."

"To put it bluntly, if things continue to develop like this, Qin Feng might at worst lose his official position, while we... might end up in jail. If Qin Feng is playing a game of who will admit defeat first, then we have no choice but to admit defeat," Ding Wenbo continued to persuade Shao Hongli.

Shao Hongli listened calmly to Ding Wenbo's words, and his expression was no longer as agitated as before.

“Old Ding, I understand what you’re saying, but you also need to understand that since Qin Feng is willing to take such a big risk and is unwilling to stop, it means he has something to ask for. I can’t possibly go empty-handed if I have to humble myself now, can I?” Shao Hongli asked.

"Old Shao, you know everything in your heart, don't you? Isn't Qin Feng's purpose in conducting this assessment to eliminate your influence? Isn't the project assessment also a way to suppress our interests?"

"Since that's the case, then we can only admit defeat and acknowledge that he is the boss of the municipal government. We will listen to him from now on. Anyway, we have already lost the assessment, and we will not be his match in the municipal government in the future."

“Isn’t this the result Qin Feng wanted? Then let’s give it to him,” Ding Wenbo continued.

Shao Hongli silently smoked his cigarette again.

After a long while, he continued to ask, "What you said makes sense. Qin Feng, I'll apologize. You go see Ma Shanming, and we also need to find out Jiang Longjun's attitude."

"But none of these are the most crucial factors. The most crucial factor is Yang Zhijie. Our initial plan was to use Yang Zhijie to help us force Qin Feng to back down and admit defeat. We all agreed that Yang Zhijie's biggest demand was the No. 1 Middle School of the city, while what we wanted was to preserve these projects. Therefore, we believed that as long as things developed to this point, Qin Feng would have to back down, stop investigating the projects, and agree to give the No. 1 Middle School of the city to Yang Zhijie, and the matter would be perfectly resolved."

"But now it seems that Yang Zhijie deceived us. His goal was not to get into the No. 1 Middle School at all. He just wanted to remove Qin Feng from office, and he was willing to kill us all along with him."

"Even if Qin Feng agrees, how can we stop Yang Zhijie?" Shao Hongli asked.

“Old Shao, you still don’t understand. Yang Zhijie does want to kill Qin Feng over this matter, but if we don’t cooperate with Yang Zhijie, how can his show continue? At least the sports center project and the sewage pipe project are our projects. As long as Qin Feng agrees, we will let the sports center project and the sewage pipe project resume. And I also have a lot of influence over the other three projects…” Ding Wenbo said with a smile.

Shao Hongli was stunned for a moment before he remembered that all these projects were handled by Ding Wenbo, and that these projects were all closely related to Ding Wenbo.

“But doing that would be tantamount to making Yang Zhijie my enemy. Do you think Yang Zhijie would let me go? He has too much dirt on me,” Shao Hongli said.

"It's not that bad. Everyone's in it for the money. As long as you help him get the No. 1 Middle School back, Yang Zhijie won't be stupid enough to do anything to you, because it won't benefit him at all," Ding Wenbo said with a smile.

……

Compared to Shao Hongli's heavy workload, Qin Feng, despite being very busy, had a relaxed work life.

The entire political arena in Shazhou was secretly paying close attention to the two events Qin Feng had orchestrated: the assessment and the project inspection. Everyone felt the approaching storm after the dark clouds had gathered.

Qin Feng, the person involved, acted as if he knew nothing and didn't pay any attention to the assessment and project inspection.

Sun Yuanwei, Chen Guohua, and Jiang Yunpeng were the ones who were busy.

As it was nearing the end of the workday, Qin Feng was driving back to his office when Zhang Xinming said to him, "Mayor, Vice Mayor Shao Hongli just called to ask when you're free. He wants to come over and report to you."

"Shao Hongli?" Qin Feng was taken aback. Shao Hongli was coming to report to him? To Qin Feng, it sounded like a joke.

"At the right time," Zhang Xinming answered affirmatively.

Qin Feng thought for a moment and roughly guessed what was going on. He said to Zhang Xinming, "Call me back and tell him I'm busy. Let's talk about it in a couple of days."

Zhang Xinming wasn't surprised by Qin Feng's answer. After Qin Feng finished speaking, he took out his phone and dialed Shao Hongli's number directly: "Vice Mayor Shao, hello, this is Zhang Xinming."

"The mayor's schedule is very full these days... Yes... He might not have time for a few more days... If you have anything important to report, you can either call the mayor directly, or you can tell me and I will pass it on to him..."

Zhang Xinming hung up the phone after he finished speaking.

"What did he say?" Qin Feng asked.

"He hung up the phone," Zhang Xinming said awkwardly as he turned around.

Qin Feng smiled. Given Shao Hongli's personality, the fact that he hadn't started cursing at Zhang Xinming was already a testament to his patience.

"So far, all five major projects in our Shazhou have been suspended. You should focus on the following two aspects: first, keep track of the migrant workers' movements; second, pay attention to public opinion and the public's sentiment. Report to me immediately if there are any developments." Qin Feng no longer concerned himself with Shao Hongli's matter.