Reborn as a Noble's Son

The plane landed slowly at Yuezhou Airport. Nie Zhenbang was no stranger to Yuedong, it was the Ye Family’s turf and the place where the old man had started his career. His leap from deputy department level to deputy ministry level began right here in Yuedong.

“Xiaoyi, take a few people and arrange for a few taxis outside. Let’s get to a hotel near the exhibition first. We’re not in a rush, we have two days before the exhibition. After settling down, we’ll look for the organisers and try to arrange a booth for us.” Nie Zhenbang also pushed a suitcase, giving orders to Yi Jun by his side.

Nowadays, Yi Jun is the deputy director of the county government office. Nie Zhenbang is thinking of fostering him intensively. This time, the team from Lixian was large and carried a lot of stuff. Apart from the data on livestock farming, and mining, some of the carefully selected specialty agricultural products from Lixian, including desert dates, red dates, watermelons, fragrant pears, and grapes, which are all specialty products from Lixian, with desert watermelons and fragrant pears making up the pillar industries of the county’s agriculture.

Fan Zhenming held the idea that it’s better to make a mistake than to miss an opportunity. Since they’ve come, they might as well bring everything. If it worked out, it would be a pleasant surprise. If not, it was still good publicity.

Because they had so much luggage, they called for ten taxis. Only then could all the luggage be accommodated.

The Exhibition Center for the Canton Fair was located right by the Yuezhou train station. After finding a room at the Lihua Hotel nearby, Nie Zhenbang proposed to Yan Fengjiao and Fan Zhenming: “County Mayor Yan, Old Fan, shall we go over to the exhibition center and see if we can secure a booth for us?”

Next to the exhibition hall was an office of about sixty square meters. This was the office of the Canton Fair set up on-site, responsible for the preparation, planning, and explanation of the entire exhibition.

When Nie Zhenbang, Yan Fengjiao, Fan Zhenming, and Yi Jun arrived, it was just after office hours. At this moment, two people, a man and a woman, were whispering something in the office.

As soon as Nie Zhenbang walked in and knocked on the office door, the young man looked up, seemingly annoyed that Nie Zhenbang had interrupted him and grumbled in a low voice, “What do you want? Come back later. We’re not open yet.”

The man’s tone made Nie Zhenbang frown. He felt that the staff should be on duty by now. It was understandable if they were a few minutes late, but the attitude and accent of the man were concerning. He was speaking in Cantonese, which demonstrated a lack of respect, as most people here were from out of town and came specifically for the exhibition. They may not even understand Cantonese. If it weren’t for Nie Zhenbang having lived in Yuedong before, he might not have comprehended those sentences.”

“Comrade, can’t you speak Mandarin? Besides, it’s office hours now. Isn’t this place supposed to operate on the national schedule?” Nie Zhenbang frowned and retorted.

The man seemed ready to get angry, but his lady friend held him back and whispered to him, “The visitor is not wrong. Be more polite. They came all the way here. It wasn’t easy.”

The two seemed to be in a romantic relationship. Softened by his girlfriend’s words, the man switched to Mandarin and said, “Are you here for the exhibition? Please wait, Director Wang is in charge of this. All booth rentals must be personally approved by him. But you’re too late. The event is about to start, all other enterprises have already started setting up their booths.”

“Xiao Lin, what’s going on? There is a crowd at the door.” At this moment, an authoritative voice came from outside the door.

County Mayor Yan and others had already cleared a path. A middle-aged man with a slightly reddened face, seemingly due to intoxication, walked in from outside. Seeing Nie Zhenbang and others, he furrowed his brows and said to Lin, “What are these people doing here? They’re crowding the place.”

Xiao Lin, the young man who initially showed a poor attitude, was extremely respectful in front of his superior and replied, “Director Wang, they’re here to inquire about booth rentals.”

Hearing this, Director Wang immediately refused without giving it a second thought, “There are no booths left. Do you see the time? Do you really think there would still be booths available now? Don’t even think about it. Come earlier next year.”

Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang frowned at Director Wang’s arrogant attitude. This was indicative of the strong demand for booths at the Canton Fair. However, a few decades later, with the increase in trade fairs across China, the Canton Fair may not hold this much sway.

What Nie Zhenbang hadn’t expected was Yan Fengjiao speaking up at this moment: “Director Wang, hello. We’ve come from Northwest. I’m Yan Fengjiao from Lixian, Bazhou in the Northwest. We spoke on the phone last time. As you can see, we’ve already come here. Could you possibly make some concessions for us and find a space for us in the exhibition hall? Even a small area would suffice.”

Upon hearing these words, Director Wang’s brow furrowed, he quickly lost his temper and said: “Why don’t you people from Lixian get the message? When I say no, I mean no. Why aren’t you listening? Do you think I’m trying to trick you? There’s no room for negotiating about the exhibition hall. Tell me, what’s going on with a government unit getting involved?”

By this time, more and more staff had entered the office. Seeing Nie Zhenbang and his party, they pointed and whispered amongst themselves.

Many staff members began to gossip quietly on the side: “From the Northwest? The government is participating in the exhibition too?”

“Hehe, they are probably people from small rural places. They clearly don’t understand how the trade fair works. They think governmental involvement means they can just muscle their way in, how audacious. Director Wang always says what he means; they’ve come on a fool’s errand this time.”

Yan Fengjiao’s face began to show signs of anxiety. This operation was initially her proposal, all the preparations were made, and now they were here. In her eyes, her plan was only being supported by Nie Zhenbang. Hence, Fengjiao was determined to make an effort too.

She pleaded again: “Director Wang, please, grant us an exhibition stand. Make things easier for us. We’ve come all the way from the Northwest. It took us three days just to get here by train. It really wasn’t easy for us. Can you bear to let us go back empty-handed?”

Yan Fengjiao spoke softly. Director Wang finally turned around. He only now saw Yan Fengjiao properly and upon seeing her, his facial expression altered. With a smile on his face, he stretched out his hand and said: “Xiao Yan, it’s not that I don’t want to arrange it for you; it’s just that there’s no such precedent at the trade fair. How about I consult again?”

At this moment, Director Wang was clasping Yan Fengjiao’s hand. Seeing this, Nie Zhenbang found it somewhat amusing – this man wasn’t trying to hide his style at all.

Yan Fengjiao smoothly withdrew her hand. As a beauty within the bureaucratic circles, she had often dealt with harassment and knew how to react in situations like this.

As soon as she freed her hand, Director Wang’s face changed. His expression becoming disgruntled. Wasn’t she disrespecting him? His mood darkened instantly, and looking at Yan Fengjiao he spoke: “Xiao Yan, I suggest you go back home. We can’t facilitate you this time. However, I heard that there will be a Yuedong trade fair here tomorrow. It is a brand new event. You could come and check it out then. But your place lacks levels and is rather small in scale. If you were attending on behalf of Bazhou City, that would be excellent.”

Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang also felt infuriated. From the moment they arrived, they had been berated by Lin. Now they were being slighted by Director Wang. Nie Zhenbang was not someone to throw a fit or pull strings for something like this, but he would also not stoop to beg. It was a matter of principle. He said firmly: “County Mayor Yan, let’s leave. I don’t believe we can’t find a way without an exhibition stand. If we can’t get in the hall, we will rent a place outside and make our presence known. I believe this will not be a wasted effort.”

As Nie Zhenbang’s words fell, the entire office remained stunned. This young man was bold. In all the years they had been organising the trade fair, they had never met such an audacious person. Everyone who came was usually cautious, vying for a better, cheaper exhibition stand. But this man was openly challenging them. Wasn’t this immediately challenging Director Wang?

At this moment, Director Wang’s expression transformed, he said sternly: “Xiao Yan, this junior from your county has a rather big mouth. It’s true that there are rental storefronts outside the exhibition hall, but they are usually booked a month in advance. There’s likely no place now. And, this junior of yours, the leaders haven’t even spoken, yet you’re getting so angry. This is unacceptable, there’s no respect for hierarchy.”

“Who are you suggesting lacks respect for hierarchy? This is our County Mayor Nie Zhenbang.” At this moment, Yi Jun also stood up. The humiliation of his superior was his own humiliation. And he wasn’t one to back down.”

Nie Zhenbang, at this moment, scoffed, and said: “Is that so? In that case, I will set up in the open square in front of your exhibition hall. I don’t believe we have come here for nothing.”

Watching Nie Zhenbang and his party leaving, Director Wang’s face darkened. The office staff began to gossip quietly about this young County Mayor Nie Zhenbang undoubtedly displaying an attitude. Director Wang turned his head and sternly said: “What is there to discuss, shouldn’t you be getting back to work? Lin, after the exhibition starts tomorrow, you will lead a team to patrol the entire venue. If you see this group, drive them away immediately. They’re so out of line.”

PS: I can’t remember how long it’s been since my last all-nighter. Just to be safe if I fall asleep, I’ll set up auto-updates. I seek your monthly ticket support. Brothers and sisters, let’s work hard together.