Chapter 337: Governor Xiong Handles Matters Better Than Anyone Else

At Linyang Train Station, Zhou Ming, Du Peng, and Kong Xiaolin walked out with large bags and packages. Su Han was anxiously waiting at the exit and finally spotted Zhou Ming and the others among the crowd. Su Han was initially stunned, then quickly ran over and threw herself into Zhou Ming's arms.

This unexpected gesture took Zhou Ming by surprise, as he remembered Su Han as being quite reserved. It seemed unlikely she would react this way after such a short time since his departure for Nanjing.

Zhou Ming then noticed Kong Xiaolin's astonished expression and realized Su Han's intention was to show off in front of her rivals!

Zhou Ming shook his head with a smile, recalling that before his departure for Nanjing, Su Han had been so supportive, urging him to go quickly and not leave any regrets. Now, upon his return with Kong Xiaolin, she was clearly putting on a display. This was typical behavior for a woman in love. If Su Han were indifferent to his return with another woman, that would have been a problem!

Kong Xiaolin, being a smart woman, quickly understood Su Han's meaning and responded, "Hello, you must be Manager Su Han from the 760 Factory who has been supporting Zhou Ming. I'm Kong Xiaolin. We've met before in Lingnan. On behalf of Zhou Ming, I want to thank you."

Su Han frowned slightly. After all the trials she had faced, Su Han was no longer the naive young girl she once was. She understood Kong Xiaolin's words immediately. Although the surface of Kong Xiaolin's statement seemed fine, it was unreasonable for an employee to express thanks on behalf of their boss.

Su Han glared at Zhou Ming, recalling that when she last met Kong Xiaolin, it was clear Kong Xiaolin had feelings for Zhou Ming, but the situation had not been explicit. Now, Kong Xiaolin was clearly devoted to Zhou Ming.

Faced with Su Han's dissatisfaction, Zhou Ming felt quite wronged. It wasn't like he could ignore Kong Xiaolin's troubles when he knew about them. Now that he had helped her, Su Han was reacting this way. Despite feeling conflicted, Zhou Ming was secretly pleased.

"Ah, it's Manager Kong," Su Han said with a smile. "Manager Kong, managing the nightclub in Nanjing must have been tough."

Compared to Kong Xiaolin's polite response, Su Han's words were more cutting, as if she was speaking on Zhou Ming's behalf.

Despite Zhou Ming's annoyance, he could only force himself to move on. If he didn't manage the situation, it would only make things worse between the two women. But at that moment, Zhou Ming's phone rang. He answered and heard, "Hello, Representative Zhou, this is Wu Shiping."

Zhou Ming raised his eyebrows, "Hello, Secretary Wu. Is there any instruction from Governor Xiong?"

"The Governor needs you to come to the provincial office immediately. There are some important matters to discuss," Wu Shiping said.

Zhou Ming agreed and hung up. He turned to Du Peng, Su Han, and Kong Xiaolin, saying, "I need to go to the provincial office right away."

Du Peng immediately jumped up, "What's going on? Did something really happen in Jingchu Province? Did you foresee this, Zhou Ming?"

Zhou Ming did not answer. He had indeed discussed the current situation with Du Peng. Since Tan Qianjun had used so many means in Lingnan, it was clear he was targeting Zhou Ming. If Zhou Ming was still fine, then Tan Qianjun, the top figure in Beijing, would likely be unwilling to let it go. Therefore, his next target would likely be Jingchu Province.

Su Han looked at Zhou Ming and then at Kong Xiaolin, confused. "Is the situation really that bad?"

Zhou Ming realized Su Han had not been to Nanjing and only knew a little about the situation. He told her, "The situation is quite severe. We were actually driven out of Lingnan by Tan Shao and his team."

Su Han's eyes widened in shock. Since they had started their business with government bonds, Zhou Ming had always managed to overcome any obstacles. This was the first time he seemed so desperate.

Seeing Su Han's reaction, Zhou Ming understood her thoughts and reassured her, "Don't worry, it will be fine. Just like I told you before."

Su Han nodded firmly. She trusted Zhou Ming completely, believing he was the most capable man in the world and that no one could defeat him.

Zhou Ming then gave Su Han and Kong Xiaolin a few instructions before leaving with Du Peng for the provincial office.

Wu Shiping's call was a relief for Zhou Ming, as both Su Han and Kong Xiaolin were reasonable and not the type to make trouble. Knowing this, they would likely set aside their grievances for now and deal with the issue later, just as Su Han had said before Zhou Ming went to Nanjing.

Zhou Ming and Du Peng took the train to the provincial capital, Tanzhou. The journey was slow, taking over four hours, and they arrived in the evening. Despite this, when Zhou Ming reached Tanzhou and called Governor Xiong's phone, the car sent to pick them up was still waiting at the station.

Zhou Ming and Du Peng walked to the parking lot and were surprised to see the car. They greeted the person who had come to pick them up.

"Director Wu, hello. I didn't expect you to come personally."

Zhou Ming greeted Wu Shiping, who was Governor Xiong's secretary. It was surprising that he had come himself. As the Governor's secretary, arranging for someone else to pick them up would have been easy, but Wu Shiping had come in person and possibly waited for a long time. This action spoke volumes.

Wu Shiping just smiled and said it was the Governor's arrangement, without elaborating further.

Zhou Ming and Du Peng got into the car, and Wu Shiping drove them to the provincial government office, directly to the Governor's office.

Upon seeing Zhou Ming and Du Peng enter, Governor Xiong immediately set aside his documents, walked out from behind his desk, and sat in the reception area, inviting them to sit down.

Governor Xiong removed his glasses, placed them on the coffee table, rubbed his tired eyes, and said, "I have an important matter to discuss with you today. I hope you're prepared."

"Governor, please go ahead. Since we're here, we're prepared for everything," Zhou Ming said.

"That's good," Governor Xiong continued. "I want to talk about the Eight Treasure Porridge Factory and the Nanhui Township Industrial Park. There are quality issues with the Eight Treasure Porridge, and many projects in the industrial park have problems with their approval processes. We need to halt these projects immediately."

"What?" Du Peng protested immediately. "Uncle Xiong, what's going on? Our Eight Treasure Porridge Factory and the township industrial park were fine before. How could there be problems now? Is someone behind the scenes making trouble? You need to help us!"

Zhou Ming didn't rush to speak, sensing a deeper issue. He pulled Du Peng aside and asked, "Governor, is there something wrong from the top?"

Governor Xiong explained, "Yesterday, two complaint letters were sent to the central government. One letter reports quality issues with the Eight Treasure Porridge, and the other points out many violations in the industrial park."

"That's nonsense!" Du Peng said. "Uncle Xiong, our projects were approved by you. How could there be issues now? You need to help us!"

Governor Xiong pondered for a moment, and just as he was about to speak, Zhou Ming said, "Alright, Governor, you handle it as you see fit."

Zhou Ming's response surprised both Governor Xiong and Du Peng. Du Peng looked at Zhou Ming in disbelief and asked, "Zhou Ming, what are you saying?"

Zhou Ming answered, "Having Governor Xiong handle it is better than having anyone else deal with it."

This statement revealed a crucial insight. As someone connected to the Du family, Governor Xiong could not have been sent to deliberately trouble them. His actions now suggested he was dealing with the situation in a way that was preferable to others handling it.

If this was the case, it seemed that this was the only viable way to handle the situation. Few could see this and make such a decision. Governor Xiong, being a provincial leader, might have consulted with senior figures when receiving central instructions, but Zhou Ming's quick judgment and decision-making skills were impressive.

Governor Xiong patted Zhou Ming's shoulder and said, "However, I must stop the Eight Treasure Porridge and many industrial park projects."

Zhou Ming smiled, "Governor, I understand. Stopping these projects is better than being imprisoned or executed."

"You're quite a rascal!" Governor Xiong remarked with a sigh, then added, "That's the situation for today, but I need to tell you, this might just be the beginning. I've heard there's trouble with the highways as well."

"Thank you, Governor. I anticipated that," Zhou Ming said.

Governor Xiong wanted to assure Zhou Ming he was not joking but hesitated and ultimately decided against it. He felt there was no need to elaborate further for Zhou Ming.