Sure enough, that day Du Yuesheng attended three meetings, was all smiles, and in an exceptionally good mood.

And it seemed he relied quite a bit on Liu Zhizhong, even taking the time to praise him a couple of times.

Liu Zhizhong was secretly overjoyed, feeling absolutely ecstatic.

Handling the feeling of being the acting secretary of the city was truly nice.

But Du Yuesheng had to swallow his teeth without daring to spit them out, just swallowing them down.

It was like being raped and then having to applaud and compliment the perpetrator for their "strong performance"!

That night, the City Committee leadership team had a meet-and-greet dinner in a private dining room in the City Committee cafeteria due to personnel appointments.

All the secretaries of major leaders naturally attended, and of course, Liu Zhizhong and Zhang Hong were there too. Lu Yuqing didn't count as a major leader and had left to find Ma Qingqing at the university after work. Regardless, Lu Yuqing felt that as a former stepmother, she should still take more care of Ma Qingqing.

However, at such meet-and-greet dinners, secretaries could only accompany the meal, quietly listen, and not casually speak out. It was best not to speak, maintaining the authority of the leaders' decision-making discussions.

The major leaders present were all under the Zhang Family's influence, so wasn't that obvious? Du Yuesheng's and Zhang Yuxing's opinions were everyone's decisions and opinions.

Personnel appointments and the like were just their words. The City Organization Department director, that was just to go through the motions.

By the end of the meal, Du Yuesheng inevitably demoted Luo Yanling, sending her to be the director of the Jiangdong District Archives Bureau, a leisurely and comfortable yamen with a regular department-level treatment—it was still okay.

At the same time, Zhao Yan was called back to the city from the county and arranged to be the second vice district head of Jiangdong District.

As for Liu Zhizhong going to the Provincial Party School for training, once Du Yuesheng brought it up, it still shocked everyone, leaving them dumbfounded.

Zhang Yuxing quickly regained her composure, glanced at Liu Zhizhong, and said to Du Yuesheng, "Secretary Du, such a decision might be somewhat inappropriate, don't you think? There's no convincing reason for it, right?"

Liu Zhizhong kept a serious face, giving nothing away, just quietly stood by Du Yuesheng's side like a darling little thing.

He knew everyone was unconvinced.

At that moment, let Du Yuesheng be the one roasted over the flames—as far as he was concerned, it wasn't his problem anymore.

Du Yuesheng just smiled and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm well aware of what's on your minds. I also understand Secretary Zhang's meaning. Isn't it just because Comrade Liu Zhizhong was Ma Xudong's secretary, and now with Ma Xudong locked up, how could his secretary be included as a candidate for Party School training, right? That's against the rules!"

"But we all have to understand, was Ma Xudong's case related to Yangzhou? Was it?"

This question quieted everyone.

"It wasn't related, right! So is his secretary related? Not at all! Liu Zhizhong was born and raised in Yangzhou, served in Yangzhou—if Ma Xudong's case has nothing to do with Yangzhou, then Liu Zhizhong is certainly someone we should train!"

"He's young, energetic, and experienced in handling affairs—a very promising figure! Training him now will further showcase the style of the officialdom in Yangzhou, our approach of flexibly employing talents regardless of their group or faction, and our merit-based principles, right?"

"Besides, Liu Zhizhong has been in the City Committee Courtyard for so long. To put it crudely, in my eyes, this fellow really is damn talented! If we don't use talent, should we use idiots instead? Haha…"

This spiel... well, it made some sense.

Zhang Yuxing and the others didn't have much else to say, and Du Yuesheng even managed to amuse them.

Liu Zhizhong privately gloated, "Damn Black Du, you still know how to smooth things over. Not bad at all!" While others were laughing, he restrained himself and promptly said, "Thank you, Secretary Du, for the recognition and encouragement. Liu Zhizhong will definitely study diligently, strive for progress, and not let down the Party and organization's tolerance, love, and training..."

After all, flattering words never hurt anyone, and he rushed to say a bunch.

To be honest, they were indeed pleasing to hear.

Especially since he also took the initiative to toast Du Yuesheng, Zhang Yuxing, and others—even Zhang Hong received his toast. Wasn't that being very smooth?

After toasting everyone, he even took the initiative to suggest checking with the cafeteria to add a couple more dishes for Secretary Du and everyone else that evening.

However, on his way to the cafeteria, Liu Zhizhong really sent a text message to Du Yuesheng's WeChat: "Ah, Secretary Du, you really handle yourself flawlessly, demonstrating advanced leadership skills and mastery in speech. You truly deserve to be Mayor. But, Liu Zhizhong has a rather presumptuous request. Could we add another dish, perhaps?"

Receiving the message, Du Yuesheng frowned in secret but couldn't blow up in anger.

This damned guy, who was he planning to set up now?

Pretending to be unaware, he replied, "Weren't you just calling to add two dishes? Why add another? We can't exceed the standard for meals!"

Liu Zhizhong secretly sneered, thinking Du Yuesheng was playing dumb. Well, just make the request directly!

So, he texted back, "Secretary Lu and Ma Xudong are divorced now, you can't keep her in the City Committee Courtyard, right? Their secret marriage is well-known to many! How about transferring her to Jiangdong District to be the District Committee Secretary? And the previous secretary can move up to her position for a job exchange."

Seeing the text, Du Yuesheng felt like crying—this damn guy, truly a loyal dog to his former master, eh? They're divorced and yet he's still looking out for Lu Yuqing?

Damn it, to be honest, Du Yuesheng really wanted to sleep with Lu Yuqing!

Now, Liu Zhizhong had him by the balls, could he refuse?

All he could do was text back, "Fine, have it your way. But you damn well better not ask for more dishes, if you do, I'll be pissed at you tonight!"

"Take it easy, Secretary Du. The Emperor isn't in a hurry, so why would the eunuch be? Heh heh..."

This last message almost made Du Yuesheng swear, nearly spurting blood in frustration…