Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 575: Chapter 531: Lawless_1

“Mayor, do you think we should notify Liu Mingyu from the Business Bureau?” Inside the car, An Guoyu seemed somewhat cautious, suggesting.

Nie Zhenbang’s expression was somewhat stern, and his voice was very cold: “No need, this time, let’s give the Business Bureau a surprise visit. I want to see the actual working status of the Business Bureau.”

Right at eight o’clock, the car entered the courtyard of the Business Bureau of Wanghai City. The Business Bureau, as a department newly established in Wanghai City at the beginning of last year, works primarily to attract investments for the city’s economic development and acts as a communication bridge and link between enterprises and the government. Being a new department, the six-story office building was brand-new, appearing very imposing.

As Nie Zhenbang’s car entered the courtyard of the Business Bureau, many employees from the office building peeked out of their windows to observe.

Stepping out of the car, Nie Zhenbang walked forward, with the municipal government secretary, An Guoyu, on his left and the secretary, Li Jupeng, on his right. Upon entering the lobby, An Guoyu stepped forward and asked the office staff: “Where is your Chief Liu Mingyu?”

This question left the young employee somewhat at a loss. Seeing him like this, Nie Zhenbang’s brow furrowed even more. What was going on with this Liu Mingyu? He was not even punctual for work.

This attitude made An Guoyu’s face somewhat sour. A grand municipal government secretary couldn’t even find out about one person’s whereabouts. If word got out, he would lose face. Next, An Guoyu’s voice became stern: “Comrade, what’s going on? Why are you stammering? Say it straight, don’t you understand? How hard can it be to say what’s happening?”

The young employee seeing all this knew there was no escape. He quietly said, “The Chief hasn’t arrived yet.”

At this moment, on the fifth floor of the Business Bureau, the Deputy Chiefs of the Business Bureau, along with the Chief of the Discipline Inspection Team and the Office Director, had gathered in the office.

“Deputy Chief Luo, think of something. How can we cover this up? Mayor Nie is waiting downstairs. This is a disaster!” The one speaking was a middle-aged fat man, with a large gold chain around his neck, making him look more like a businessman than an official.

Luo Xiaobing, the second-highest ranking Deputy Chief in the Business Bureau, with a height of about 1.78 meters, was very thin and looked more like a laborer than an official.

Listening to what the fat man said, Luo Xiaobing replied: “Director Sun, I only know Chief Liu’s work number. Now, I can’t reach any of his numbers. What can I do? You, as the office director, can’t track down Chief Liu’s whereabouts. How would I know?”

Speaking, Luo Xiaobing proposed to the other deputies: “Now, with Mayor Nie waiting downstairs, it would seem inappropriate if we don’t go down. Let’s invite Mayor Nie up together first. If we don’t get Liu caught for being late, it would save us some face. And when the time comes, we’ll still have room for negotiation.”

Gong Houjun, a member of the Party Group of the Business Bureau, acting as both the Chief of the Discipline Inspection Team and Chairman of the Labor Union, agreed: “Deputy Chief Luo is right. It’s inappropriate that we’ve kept Mayor Nie waiting for so long. I think we should go down first.”

When the deputy leaders of the Business Bureau stepped out of the elevator, Nie Zhenbang was standing at the entrance of the office building’s lobby. He was staring at the front entrance of the Business Bureau. Standing straight, his feet slightly apart and hands behind his back remained motionless without any expression or words.

Luo Xiaobing and the others exchanged looks, then Luo Xiaobing braced himself and came up, quietly saying: “Secretary, what should we do with the Mayor? I believe we should go to the conference room first.”

Without waiting for An Guoyu’s response, Nie Zhenbang said: “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll wait right here for Chief Liu. I want to see what could possibly make him late to work.”

After hearing Nie Zhenbang say that, An Guoyu couldn’t really say anything else. He spread his hands towards Luo Xiaobing to suggest that he was helpless, and then he also stood beside Nie Zhenbang. Behind him, the leaders of the Business Bureau all had to wait behind as well.

The scene seemed eerily peculiar. The middle-level staff and employees of the Business Bureau were curiously watching what was happening.

The Mayor stood in the doorway, like a gatekeeper, with all the officials of various ranks behind him. It was as if they were welcoming an important leader for a work inspection.

At half past eight, it was already half an hour past the usual work time. However, at this moment, there was no one to be seen at the entrance.

Luo Xiaobing, looking completely composed, didn’t hold much esteem for Liu Mingyu. When the Mayor showed up unexpectedly, Luo Xiaobing keenly sensed the strangeness of the situation. At the moment, being under no pressure, he was relaxedly waiting for the final outcome. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

On the side, the director of the office, Sun, was covered in sweat. As time passed, he feared that Director Liu was in trouble this time.

Using the excuse of going to the restroom, Director Sun stepped out into the hallway next door, took out his cell phone, and dialed a number again. However, the phrase “The subscriber you have dialed is powered off” that came from the other end of the line, made Director Sun completely desperate.

At nine o’clock, an hour had already passed since the beginning of the working hours, yet Nie Zhenbang hadn’t moved at all. The officials behind him couldn’t bear it anymore. Nie Zhenbang, who had undergone rigorous military training, could maintain such an unorthodox military pose for as long as he wanted, even for an entire day, never experiencing any problems.

At this moment, An Guoyu walked up to him and whispered in his ear, “Mr. Mayor, it’s already nine o’clock…”

Before An could finish his words, Nie Zhenbang raised his hand and said, “Old An, order everyone to find a chair inside and take a rest. I’ll wait here. I want to see when director Liu Mingyu shows up for work.”

Nie Zhenbang’s determination was unwavering, and his attitude was resolute. An Guoyu, who had worked for Nie Zhenbang for a long time, had a good understanding of his character. Mayor Nie would never let go of things he believed in. How powerful Shi Yiwu had been, wielding influence in Wanghai City and appearing invincible. Even if Nie Zhenbang retreated for a while, he never gave up. In the end, the victor was still Nie Zhenbang.

Hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, An Guoyu didn’t utter another word. However, he felt sympathy for Liu Mingyu. What misplaced luck Liu had, to have Mayor Nie decide on a whim to conduct a surprise inspection on the business promotion bureau. It wasn’t just the inspection, it was also Liu Mingyu’s unconscionable tardiness. Wasn’t he asking for trouble?

At nine-thirty, all the officials waiting behind were mourning for Liu Mingyu. Being late by an hour and a half can be considered serious absenteeism. For a common man, it would just be considered a day off, but Liu Mingyu’s position was different; he was a bona fide official enjoying the treatment afforded to deputy department-level cadres. He definitely held himself to a different standard.

As time slowly passed, it was almost ten o’clock. Director Sun had completely lost hope, every attempt to reach him via phone call met with the same message: The subscriber you have dialed is powered off.

At this point, after Mayor Nie had been standing for two hours straight, he turned around for the first time. This prompted all the officials seated to their feet and approach him.

Nie Zhenbang looked around at the crowd and asked in a deep voice, “Is this how Liu Mingyu usually operates?”

As soon as his words fell silent, the whole room did the same. At this moment, everyone knew that the Mayor was furious, who would dare take the risk and speak out? The officials pushed the responsibility onto others, ultimately, it was Luo Xiaobing who stood up and answered, “Director Liu does have a habit of being late, but as for how long, we haven’t really taken notice.”

Luo Xiaobing didn’t dare to lie now, but he wasn’t going to fully disclose either. It was still unclear what the outcome for Liu Mingyu would be, and if Luo told the entire truth, wouldn’t he be asking for trouble if Liu Mingyu continued as usual?

Nie Zhenbang gave Luo Xiaobing a glance. Despite his honest and hardworking nature, this cadre, who bore great resemblance to a farmer, somewhat disappointed Nie Zhenbang. His effectiveness was certainly lacking.

However, from Luo’s words, Nie Zhenbang could infer that Liu’s supposed occasional lateness must be a regular occurrence, and his claim of not noticing must be similar to today’s situation.

As time continued to pass, around half-past ten, a black Toyota drove into the compound. But to Nie Zhenbang’s surprise, the car didn’t stop, it instead began to turnaround in the courtyard.

Upon seeing this, Nie Zhenbang frowned, stepped forward, and instructed his driver Guo Sanbao, who was waiting by his official car, “Old Guo, block the gate.”

Guo Sanbao acted swiftly. His Audi, which had already been parked in the right location, started up swiftly and blocked the gate before the black Toyota could get there.

At this point, all of the officials stepped outside. Seeing this scene, Luo Xiaobing was thrilled. Liu Mingyu’s audacity was astonishing. Seeing Mayor Nie here and not getting out of the car, instead trying to drive away. He had good calculations; if he didn’t show up the whole day, he could easily use other excuses to evade, such as his parents being gravely ill, or an emergency with his in-laws or wife, etc. Unfortunately, Liu Mingyu didn’t anticipate the Mayor’s alertness.

Soon after, Luo Xiaobing approached Nie Zhenbang and whispered, “Mr. Mayor, that’s Director Liu’s official car.”

Seeing that the gate was blocked, the Toyota adjusted its position and parked in a spot. Liu Mingyu then got out of the driver’s seat.

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