Chapter 1868

Chapter 1868: Chapter 1868

Zhou Zheng made this call, which Wu Qiangwei wasn’t surprised by at all.

"Has Secretary Zhou already found out? Haha, I was planning to find some time this afternoon to visit the City Committee and discuss it with you."

Zhou Zheng had a hesitant tone: "You’re probably not fully aware of the situation with the industry park. To be honest, you should have consulted with me first instead of making a hasty decision."

Wu Qiangwei asked, "Oh? Is there a problem with the industry park? I’m indeed not too familiar with it. I just thought that this year we should focus on attracting investment, and there happens to be a ready-made industry park, so I decided to use it." 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Inside Zhou Zheng’s mind, he was sneering, do they really think I’m a fool?

Despite her short time in Jiangzhou, as the Mayor, how could she possibly not do even the most basic research and simply start assigning tasks blindly?

Furthermore, the industry park in Wensong District has significant historical legacy issues and is one of the key issues that the Mayor must be aware of.

Yet she claims not to be well informed.

What nonsense.

The more she tries to cover up, the more Zhou Zheng feels that there’s a significant problem here.

"It’s almost been ten years since the industry park in Wensong District was built, and back then, the government’s promises were almost never fulfilled, leading to major conflicts. Though this issue is quite old now, the public has accepted the reality. Now, you suddenly decide to restart; the citizens who bought houses near the industry park are bound to take notice. We’re worried that the fire which was once quenched might spark again," Zhou Zheng said with painstaking concern.

Wu Qiangwei responded, "I heard from a few Vice Mayors that the issues are indeed challenging to handle, but we shouldn’t abandon the whole effort due to one difficulty."

Her steady and strong tone made Zhou Zheng more assured of his suspicions.

She definitely already has a plan and feels confident about revitalizing the industry park.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Zheng hung up the phone.

He clenched his fist, resting his chin as he pondered.

The only way to revitalize the industry park is through attracting investment; there’s no other shortcut.

He knew that Wu Qiangwei’s background was not ordinary, as could be seen from Secretary Gao’s multiple promotions; her backing has considerable power.

Zhou Zheng guessed she might be leveraging her connections to bring in some medium or large enterprises to the industry park.

If she truly manages to revitalize the industry park, his position would be in jeopardy.

Zhou Zheng was worried and somewhat restless, aiming to create some trouble, but he immediately suppressed the urge.

Wu Qiangwei isn’t gullible; messing things up could jeopardize her elevation to City Secretary—a crucial part of her political achievements. If he was to sabotage it, she would definitely retaliate.

Besides, involving economic matters, he couldn’t act recklessly, or else it might reach the province, and he, as the City Secretary, might end up retired prematurely.

Zhou Zheng thought for over half an hour but couldn’t come up with any strategy, so he simply stopped pondering over it.

There’s no need to scare oneself over something that’s yet uncertain.

Attract investment... If she can do it, why couldn’t I?

Zhou Zheng grabbed the documents sent by the Investment Promotion Bureau and patiently flipped through them, looking for suitable projects.

...

...

After lunch, Zhu Shixian didn’t rest; instead, he went to Wensong District with Song Guanchao and Zhou Xingjian.

In the District Chief’s office, Du Qin poured tea and water for them, listening to Zhu Shixian’s explanation with astonishment.

After Zhu Shixian explained his purpose, he said, "We haven’t been to the industry park, so we’re not very familiar with it. Mr. Du knows it better—perhaps he could tell us more?"

"I’m indeed familiar with the industry park, but..." Du Qin frowned slightly and said worriedly, "From my personal perspective, I actually don’t recommend restarting the industry park."

Not recommending is quite normal.

The three of them are aware of the situation from those years, although Du Qin hasn’t stated his reasons, they can guess the cause behind his recommendation.

Zhu Shixian asked, "Why do you say that?"

Du Qin replied, "Mr. Du, do you know the current housing price in the area surrounding the industry park?"

Zhu Shixian shook his head, and Du Qin said, "Seven thousand, and even then, it’s a case of having price but no market."

He continued, "You must know, during the pre-sale of those community houses in the industry park, prices reached as high as thirty-seven thousand per square meter. Within just a few years, they’ve plummeted to the fraction."

"Even though this is a market behavior, and no one forced them to purchase, the government propaganda at the time was overwhelming. There were promises of branch schools from prestigious institutions, universities, large supermarkets, a new City CBD... But none of these commitments were fulfilled."

"So, after the housing prices dramatically dropped, many citizens blocked the District Committee and government demanding an explanation."

"With difficulty, the citizens accepted reality and moved on. Now the City Government wants to restart the industry park, it’s same as rubbing salt into their wounds, isn’t it? Frankly, I’m personally very much against it."

What he said was known to the three of them, but they weren’t aware of such detailed data.

For instance, how house prices fell from thirty-seven thousand to seven thousand.

Zhu Shixian glanced at Song Guanchao and said, "I understand Mr. Du’s concerns, but the restart of the industry park is part of the City Government’s plan. For a considerable time ahead, the City Government’s focus will be attracting business and investment. Companies investing in Jiangzhou will collectively move into the industry park."

"As for the various promises made during past government promotions, the City Government will try their best to fulfill them."

Du Qin sighed softly, knowing he couldn’t persuade them. He was also aware that the three there weren’t the decision-makers.

The decision was Wu Qiangwei’s; they were just responsible for carrying out her will.

"Let me take you on a tour. We can discuss while we walk," said Du Qin, standing up.

He took a separate car while Song Guanchao and the other two took another car, following him.

Zhou Xingjian looked at the car ahead, feeling somewhat puzzled: "Isn’t Mr. Du overreacting to this? Shouldn’t the restart of the industry park be beneficial to him?"

He couldn’t quite understand why Du Qin reacted like this.

Zhu Shixian also found it odd, even if the industry park was completed in those years amidst a downturn in the property market, leading to falling home prices.

Yet now the City Government is intensely focused on attracting business and investment, with their priority entirely on that endeavor.

Moreover, the matter hasn’t even been executed yet, but it’s pessimistically seen as unachievable.

If a common person had such a mindset, it might be understandable.

But as the District Chief, why is he so pessimistic, exuding an aura of negativity?

Zhu Shixian thought, "He’s probably worried that raising expectations might give the citizens hope and ultimately fail to deliver, so it might be better not to start at all."

She had just finished speaking when Song Guanchao chuckled, and Zhu Shixian looked at him, "Director Song, why are you laughing?"

Song Guanchao said, "Mr. Du is not concerned about the citizens’ feelings; he simply fears trouble, representing lethargy in governance!"

"If he genuinely wanted to contribute, even if not revitalizing the industry park, he could at least find a way to set up a few smaller supermarkets near the industry park. For him as a District Chief, that wouldn’t be any challenge, right? The District Government could offer some subsidies to ensure those supermarkets just make a bit of profit."

"But has he done this during his years as Chief? No, right?"

"He doesn’t want the industry park restarted, simply thinks it’s a burden, doesn’t even want to mention it, just hopes it vanishes from everyone’s memory for good."

Zhou Xingjian had mentioned before that Du Qin is someone who prefers not to rock the boat, and now at 55, he’s approaching retirement age.

With all this in mind, it’s easy to understand why he’s so resistant.

The core reason is he fears the industry park’s restart would bring unnecessary troubles before his retirement.