Chapter 46: Father Qiao Sets His Sights on the Land Administration Bureau

Only at that moment did He Shinian see clearly that Qiao Yina was wearing a one-piece pajama.

As she leaned closer, the snow-white expanse of her chest was fully exposed to his view.

A wave of heat rushed through He Shinian’s chest, and he pulled Qiao Yina into his arms.

Forty minutes later.

Qiao Yina lay in He Shinian’s embrace, her jade-like legs gently rubbing against his body.

A pair of small hands traced tiny circles on his chest.

"Yina, aren't your parents opposed to us anymore?" He Shinian asked.

Qiao Yina nuzzled her head against him and said, "Hmph, is opposition any use? You're as stubborn as an ox; once you set your mind on something, there's no turning you back."

"Hehe!" He Shinian chuckled foolishly, pinching her cheek as he said, "Does that mean I don't need to marry into your family as a matrilocal son anymore, and they won't force me to fork out that huge sum of money?"

"Hmph!" Qiao Yina let out a huff. "Don't flatter yourself. The bride price and the traditional betrothal gifts you promised won't be a single penny less."

"Alright, alright. What I promised, I will definitely deliver."

"That's more like it."

After sharing a tender moment for a while, she asked, "By the way, Shinian, you served in the military for five years and won two individual second-class merits. How much savings do you actually have?"

He Shinian paused for a moment and replied, "Not that much, just enough to live on."

"How much exactly?" Qiao Yina persisted relentlessly.

"Just a tiny bit!"

"Hmph, if you won't tell me, fine."

Qiao Yina turned onto her side, pouting her small lips in annoyance.

He Shinian reached out to embrace her from behind, caressed her, and pressed against her, asking, "Want to go again?"

"Hmph, no way!"

More than an hour later, the bright moon hung high in the sky. Qiao Yina’s face was flushed, her eyes opening and closing lazily as she breathed heavily and delicately.

"I'm really no match for you..."

Ring, ring, ring!

Just at that moment, a phone started ringing. He Shinian glanced at it; it was an unfamiliar number, so he chose not to answer.

When the ringing stopped, Qiao Yina asked, "Whose call was that?"

"I don't know, so I didn't pick up."

"Could it be some young beauty?"

"I wish it were. I reckon it's a leader or official from some department."

Hearing this, Qiao Yina’s eyes lit up, as if she had thought of something.

She flipped over and clung to He Shinian tightly like an octopus.

"Shinian, I heard Secretary Wu is about to make some personnel adjustments?"

He Shinian was startled and said, "Who did you hear that from? I haven't even heard a thing."

"Everyone is talking about it. Rumor has it that Wu Yunqiu is going down to the townships, and they say the inspection visit is just a cover; evaluating officials is the real purpose."

"Personnel appointments and removals in Ninghai County have been frozen for almost a year, so it's about time for adjustments. Wu Yunqiu has been in Ninghai for four months without making a single move; the possibility of an adjustment this time is very high."

What Qiao Yina said made sense, and He Shinian had already thought of this himself, but he couldn't just talk about it casually.

"That's Secretary Wu's business. I'm her secretary, so I just need to do my own job well. I can't manage other matters."

However, Qiao Yina cuddled further into He Shinian's arms and said, "I heard that Kong Zhengyou from the Bureau of Land and Resources is about to be transferred to a township. If that's true, won't his position become vacant?"

Hearing this, He Shinian unconsciously grew vigilant.

Qiao Yina continued, "Shinian, if that's really the case, can't you think of a way to get my dad transferred to the Bureau of Land and Resources to take over his spot?"

He Shinian finally understood.

Why Qiao Yina had been so virtuous tonight.

Fetching his slippers, serving him fruit... and even being so proactive and passionate in bed.

Not to mention no longer forcing him into a matrilocal marriage, and even being negotiable about the bride price.

So she had been waiting for him right here.

"Your dad is at the deputy section chief level, and the executive deputy director of the Bureau of Land and Resources is also at the deputy section chief level. Any position above the deputy section chief level has to be discussed and approved by the Standing Committee of the County Party Committee."

"I'm just a humble secretary; where would I have that much influence?"

Qiao Yina wouldn't let it go. "My dad said you're Secretary Wu's favorite right now, and she trusts you deeply. As long as you whisper a word in her ear, this matter is practically guaranteed to succeed."

He Shinian was somewhat surprised.

This meant Qiao Hai林 had sent Qiao Yina to whisper in his ear first.

Qiao Yina had her strengths, but she also had her weaknesses.

The most obvious weakness was her lack of independent thinking and the fact that she obeyed her parents far too much.

Qiao Hailin had indeed been the deputy director of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau for several years now, and the time for him to be adjusted had arrived.

If he were transferred laterally to serve as the executive deputy director of the Bureau of Land and Resources, the procedural difficulty would not be high.

However, the position of executive deputy director of the Bureau of Land and Resources was of great significance.

Wu Yunqiu placed great importance on Ninghai's arable land, mineral resources, and land resources.

She would likely appoint someone who possessed both political integrity and professional competence, outstanding capability, and unwavering incorruptibility.

He Shinian was well aware of Qiao Hailin's flaws.

He might not commit massive corruption or bribery, but he was quick to grab petty favors, and his ambition tended to swell easily.

From He Shinian's perspective, even though Qiao Hailin was his future father-in-law,

he still did not want Qiao Hailin to end up in a lucrative agency like the Bureau of Land and Resources.

"Let's talk about this later. Right now, a lot of people are eyeing it like tigers watching their prey!"

"Then I'll take it that you've agreed? I'm going to go tell my dad right now."

With that, Qiao Yina got up, pulled her pajama robe over herself, and wrapped her jade-like body in it.

"When did I agree? Don't rush into this; let me think about it first."

"What is there to think about? Charity should start at home. If you hesitate even a little bit, you might just let this golden opportunity slip through your fingers."

He Shinian felt somewhat helpless and explained, "Secretary Wu only said she wanted to go down to the townships to take a look. As for whether it's an evaluation of officials as the rumors outside claim, no one knows for sure—those are just speculations by outsiders."

"If I were to bring this up now, it would look to Secretary Wu as though I am trying to second-guess her intentions and cater to her unspoken desires. That is a major taboo in officialdom."

Though he said this out loud, in his heart, He Shinian had no intention of handling this matter for Qiao Hailin.

If this went wrong even slightly, it would backfire and bring trouble upon himself.

Furthermore, Qiao Hailin lacked the moral standing for the post; such a position should not be given to him.

Hearing this, Qiao Yina put the phone she had picked up back down and let out a sigh.

"Alright then, but if an opportunity arises, you must help Dad. Otherwise, he won't have many chances left in the future."

He Shinian nodded helplessly.

The very next day, when he arrived at Ou Huasheng's office, Ou handed him an itinerary schedule.

"This is Secretary Wu's itinerary for her trip to the townships. Take it and show it to her. If she has no objections, we will execute it according to this plan."

He Shinian took a look and noticed that Nanping Town, which was not far from the county seat, was placed at the very end of the list. His brow furrowed slightly.

Nonetheless, he replied verbally, "Alright, I'll take it to Secretary Wu to look at shortly."

Leaving Ou Huasheng's office, He Shinian went to Wu Yunqiu's office and showed her the schedule.

She said, "I have no objections to the overall arrangement, but we need to use the most time-efficient itinerary method. We'll discuss the specific details when the time comes!"

This meant Wu Yunqiu had rejected Ou Huasheng's arrangement.

He Shinian acknowledged this and said, "By the way, Sister Qiu, for this trip to the townships, do we need television stations and reporters to follow and film?"

Wu Yunqiu thought for a moment and said, "Let's see about that later."

He Shinian knew that Wu Yunqiu had refused once more.

Although he had the heart to help Zhou Xian in order to repay a favor,

since Wu Yunqiu had turned it down, He Shinian could not say anything further and would simply have to look for another opportunity next time.

Wu Yunqiu pondered for a moment and instructed, "Tell Director Ou that he will be responsible for receiving the inspection delegation coming down from the prefecture next week. He doesn't need to go down to the townships; the County Party Committee Office can just arrange for a deputy director to accompany them instead."