Chapter 29: Your Son Was on TV!

Tang Ye returned to his residence, organized his fishing gear, and then headed to a pond where Chen Zhihua, who had already baited the spot, was waiting for him.

Tang Ye reached into a bucket, scooped out a large silver-scaled crucian carp, and exclaimed, "Mayor Chen, quite a catch today! A carp this big, stewed with tofu and sprinkled with perilla leaves and cilantro, would be absolutely delicious."

Chen Zhihua pointed toward the shade of a tree to the right, saying, "I've baited that spot too. The fish should be biting well there."

Tang Ye took his folding plastic stool and sat in the shade. Before long, he had landed two yellow catfish in quick succession.

As Tang Ye elegantly cast his line toward the center of the lake, he glanced over and saw Chen Zhihua taking a phone call. He frowned, annoyed that Chen's loud voice might scare the fish away.

"Lao Chen, congratulations! Aio is investing over 200 million to build a plant in Pinghu Town. This is the largest investment project in Tianling County in recent years!"

"You don't say? Wasn't Zhugou Township the top choice?"

"It’s the new deputy mayor sent from the city, I think his surname is Tang; he’s the one who brought in the sponsorship. Jiao Deyi is furious. He’s been courting Aio for years, and he never expected Pinghu to swoop in and steal the project. You’re going to be very busy now!"

Chen Zhihua suppressed his shock and looked toward the shade. Tang Ye was staring intently at the lake, his expression as calm as the water itself.

After hanging up, he walked straight over to Tang Ye and asked excitedly, "My old classmate at the county government just called to say that Aio Electric's 200-million-yuan factory project is coming to our Pinghu Town. Is this true?"

Tang Ye kept his eyes on the bobber as it drifted and replied truthfully, "Yes, we’re signing the contract on Friday."

Chen Zhihua suddenly grabbed Tang Ye’s shoulder. "Was it you who brought this project in?"

Tang Ye was startled. He couldn't exactly say it was just a matter of a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse and that the project had come to him, so he answered vaguely, "I have some connections."

Chen Zhihua laughed aloud three times. "Good! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

With that, he strode back to his own fishing spot, picked up his bucket, dumped all his fish back into the lake, and then grabbed his fishing rod and snapped it in half.

Tang Ye was taken aback, wondering if the Mayor had suffered some sort of shock.

"Are you alright?"

Chen Zhihua threw the broken pieces of his rod into the lake and walked over to Tang Ye, dumping the yellow catfish he had caught back into the water as well. Tang Ye quickly pulled his own rod behind his back.

Chen Zhihua paused, then said with immense sincerity, "Xiao Tang, I’ve made up my mind. From today on, I’m done fishing."

Tang Ye was bewildered by the sudden change and remarked softly, "Fishing occasionally to cultivate one's character isn't a bad thing, really."

Chen Zhihua looked toward the other side of the pond. "I cannot remain this decadent any longer. Xiao Tang, I must thank you. During this time, you’ve helped me rediscover myself. I won't waste my time and energy on fishing anymore. I will pull myself together, live up to my position, and fulfill my duties!"

Tang Ye could feel Chen Zhihua's resolve. The Aio Electric investment was a shot in the arm for him. His extinguished confidence had been reignited.

Without hesitation, Tang Ye placed his fishing rod across his knees, snapped it with force, and threw it into the lake. Chen Zhihua and Tang Ye locked eyes, and both burst into laughter.

For Chen Zhihua, Tang Ye's arrival had created a fissure in the seemingly impregnable opposing faction. For Tang Ye, Chen Zhihua could become an ally within the Party Committee to stand against Xu Yiping.

When Wang Ning came home from work and found her husband back early, drinking tea and chatting with Tang Ye in the living room, she felt a bit strange. "It didn't rain today; why didn't you go fishing?"

Chen Zhihua gave Wang Ning a sheepish smile. "I'm not fishing anymore. I threw the rod away."

Thinking he was joking, Wang Ning went to the balcony to check, but the rod was nowhere to be found in its usual spot.

"Where did you throw it? It cost a month's salary! Even if you weren't using it, you could have given it to someone!"

Afraid of being scolded, Chen Zhihua quickly changed the subject. "Hurry and get dinner started. Xiao Tang is eating with us tonight. I bought some deli meats; you just need to make some soup and stir-fry some vegetables."

Tang Ye smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, how about that vinegar-shredded potato dish you make so well?"

Wang Ning put on her apron, rolled up her sleeves, and started cutting the potatoes. Her husband's mental state had clearly improved lately; he had been melancholy for a long time, but since Tang Ye started visiting, his mood had brightened significantly.

She went into the yard to get a piece of aged cured meat, washed it, blanched it, sliced it, and put it in a pressure cooker with fermented black beans to steam. "I'll make you guys a real main dish tonight."

Chen Zhihua laughed, "We’re lucky to have Xiao Tang here. Your sister-in-law brought this meat back from her trip to Hunan Province and hasn't been willing to eat it until now. Finally, I get to satisfy my craving!"

Wang Ning shot her husband a glare. "Don't make me sound so stingy."

Tang Ye quickly chimed in with a smile, "Sister-in-law is a great homemaker. Being this virtuous is your good fortune!"

Wang Ning thought to herself that Xiao Tang had such a sweet tongue; she wondered how many girls he had charmed.

After dinner, Tang Ye left the Chen residence. While washing dishes, Wang Ning asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly decide to stop fishing?"

"A couple once faced divorce because the husband spent all his time fishing and left the house without food; on the day of the court hearing, the man was late because he went fishing."

Wang Ning knew he was telling a joke and tapped his chest. "You're annoying!"

Chen Zhihua moved behind her and hugged her. "I'm sorry. I've been too degenerate these past few years. It's been hard on you."

Seeing him suddenly so tender, Wang Ning's eyes turned red, and tears rolled down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away. "We've been married for ages, why are you being so mushy?"

Chen Zhihua kissed her on the right cheek and said seriously, "I won't be a loser anymore."

Wang Ning turned around, smiling through her tears. "I knew you'd pull yourself together sooner or later."

...

At the Municipal Party Secretary's office, Zhou Chengwu received the request file from Tianling County, a look of surprise crossing his lips. He hadn't expected Tianling County to secure the Aio Electric investment project, and even less that it would be located in Pinghu Town.

Zhou Chengwu asked his secretary, "Why was this project chosen to be in Pinghu?"

The secretary was already well-informed. "It has to do with the deputy mayor on secondment, Tang Ye..."

After hearing the sequence of events, Zhou Chengwu stroked his chin. He hadn't expected Tang Ye to achieve results so quickly.

"I’ll attend the signing ceremony."

"Very well!" The secretary was slightly startled. Tianling County had only intended to invite one or two municipal standing committee members to show support, but they hadn't expected Zhou Chengwu to be willing to attend. The profile of the event had just been raised a notch.

...

On Friday morning, a grand signing ceremony was held at the Municipal Conference Center. Municipal Party Secretary Zhou Chengwu was in attendance. Aio Electric had invited many heavyweight domestic media outlets. The atmosphere was harmonious, and under the gaze of the media, the two parties signed the documents.

Afterward, at the photographer's request, the participants gathered for a group photo. Dou Fanggang waved at Tang Ye. "Xiao Tang, come over for the photo!"

Zhou Chengwu smiled and nodded toward Tang Ye. Tang Ye found a spot in the back row and stood ready. The photographer pressed the shutter.

After the photo, Zhou Chengwu patted Tang Ye on the shoulder. "Xiao Tang, you deserve the credit for securing this project. However, the signing is only the beginning; you must follow through on every detail from here on out."

Tang Ye was flattered and nodded firmly. "I will do whatever it takes, no matter the difficulty."

The scene of Zhou Chengwu speaking intimately with Tang Ye was observed by Du Chengfeng...

After the meeting in the morning, Tang Ye returned home in the afternoon. At 8:00 PM, the Hanzhou TV evening news aired a five-minute feature report on the signing. As the news began, he sat on the living room sofa with his dinner, watching while he ate.

Qin Lan found it strange; her son rarely paid attention to local news, so today was an anomaly. When the camera panned to Tang Ye, she suddenly realized, "Hey? Is that you standing behind Secretary Zhou?"

Tang Ye wiped his greasy mouth with a tissue and mumbled, "If it's not me, then who is it? You don't even recognize your own son, that's too much!"

Qin Lan quickly sat down next to Tang Ye and squinted. "I wouldn't have recognized you if I hadn't looked closely! It's different, you’re not photogenic at all—you look so old and stuffy."

Though she grumbled, Qin Lan was already calling Tang Yu on her phone. "What are you doing? Is there a TV nearby? Hurry and switch to the Hanzhou TV news channel. Too busy to watch? Fine, watch the rebroadcast tomorrow then. Your son is on TV! He was on camera with Secretary Zhou!"