Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 526: Chapter 483: Celebrating the New Year_1
 

At the Standing Committee meeting, with a slim majority of seven to six, the decision to alter the nature of the Moon Lake Bay project land was vetoed, while Nie Zhenbang seized the opportunity to propose holding another public land auction once again. This time, Nie Zhenbang ratcheted up the auction deposit to a steep one hundred million.

With his understanding of Lin Zhengxing, Nie Zhenbang was quite certain. A person like Lin Zhengxing would absolutely refuse to spend this much money bidding on land. There was a matter of habit involved. When a person is accustomed to a life of luxury, and you suddenly try to make them subsist on the simplest fare, it would feel as if it were a death sentence. Similarly, having been accustomed to cheap land, Lin Zhengxing would now have to spend such a large amount of money for a piece of land. This would be even more unbearable than killing him.

Three days later, the public auction convened on schedule, and this time, Lin Zhengxing did not cause any disruptions. Although he would have preferred to escalate the tension by sending others in to raise the price, the one- hundred-million deposit made Lin Zhengxing balk. He wasn’t sure if Jiasheng Real Estate would give up after he made a bid. If they were to do so, would he have to move forward with the purchase using such a large sum of money?

With no one stirring up trouble, the auction proceeded smoothly, and in the end, Zheng Jiawei’s Jiasheng Real Estate won the Moon Lake Bay land for a price of 2.7 billion.

The New Year’s Day of 1999 went by serenely. Jiasheng Real Estate also began pre-project preparations for the Moon Lake Bay initiative. The entire project, according to Jiasheng’s conception, would be transformed into an upscale residential community in Wanghai City. Naturally, the project was not going to be simple. In the initial phase, the Wanghu District Government began assisting with demolition and relocation work. Meanwhile, Jiasheng sent in professional planners to design the project based on the overall topography of Moon Lake Bay, trying to maintain its original appearance and scenery. Thus, the actual construction work was naturally postponed until a few months later.

On New Year’s Eve in 1999, which fell on the 15th of February in the Gregorian calendar, Nie Zhenbang visited the Wanghai City Welfare Institute in the morning, accompanied by the city government’s secretary-general An Guoyu, deputy mayor Hu Jiawang, and others. After visiting the local extremely impoverished families, the whole of Wanghai City officially started their holiday in the afternoon.

During the holiday, Mayor Wang Yaguang proved to be very considerate. Knowing that Nie Zhenbang’s family wasn’t with him, he arranged for his duty shift to start several days later.

In the afternoon, Nie Zhenbang’s official car made its way toward Wanghai Airport. He was scheduled to take the afternoon flight to Zhuang City in Yanbei Province. This year, he did not spend New Year’s Eve in Jingcheng.

By evening, as soon as Nie Zhenbang stepped out of the airport, he saw Nie Ziyu waiting for him at the entrance. Beside her stood a man.

She wore a little white fur coat with dark jeans. Her outfit wasn’t overly fashionable; it gave off a more girl-next-door vibe instead.

At this moment, the two of them were standing together, arm in arm. Seeing the happiness and sweetness on Ziyu’s face, Nie Zhenbang couldn’t help smiling. In his previous life, his younger sister had agreed to marry into the Chen family for his sake, but she did not lead a happy life afterwards. The Chen family were far from being a wealthy, powerful clan in Jingcheng. In this life, he never interfered with Nie Ziyu’s choice of partner. As long as the person truly cared for his little sister, it was all that mattered. It was his way of making things up to her.

Nie Ziyu had already spotted Nie Zhenbang, and a smile spread across her face. She waved her arm and called out, “Brother, I’m here!”

“Ziyu, when did you get here? And who’s this gentleman here? Aren’t you going to introduce him to your brother?” At this moment, Nie Zhenbang set aside the insignificance of his official title and position. All that matter were the ties of a brother and sister.

Although Nie Zhenbang’s tone was teasing, his long-standing high position meant that there was still an aura of authority about him, making the man next to Ziyu somewhat uncomfortable.

Ziyu was quite at ease, however, and introduced, “Brother, this is my boyfriend, He Yitao. He also works within the system. Right now, he’s working over in Yanbei Tang City. This time, I made up my mind to bring him home while you’re here. Brother, if mom and dad… Can you help me out?”

Listening to Ziyu’s pleading tone, Nie Zhenbang burst into hearty laughter. Her worries weren’t unfounded. Born into their kind of family, it can be both a blessing and a curse. Growing up seriously well-provided for can be wonderful. The living conditions are excellent, and the learning environment is as good as it gets. They can have whatever they want. However, children from such families may not necessarily be the happiest because they bear the responsibility for the rise and fall of the family. It’s their duty, whether they’re male or female. The most common way this happens is through arranged marriage for political reasons.

Xiao Yali from his second aunt’s family was a case in point, as was his elder brother, Nie Jialei. Even though Nie Jiamin was still unmarried, he would inevitably tread the same path. His own situation, while somewhat better, ultimately was still a political marriage, even though there were genuine feelings involved.

That was why Ziyu was acting the way she was. As someone inside the system, He Yitao couldn’t help but grow serious when he heard Ziyu’s words. His gaze fell on He Yitao with an air of gravity that made He Yitao feel a little tense. This soon-to-be brother-in-law of his was incredibly formidable. He had no idea Ziyu’s family background was so impressive. Her father was Nie Guowei, the Governor of Yanbei Province, and her older brother was something else entirely. He was already a senior official at the age of 29, and he had already retained this position for four years, which meant he was promoted at the age of 25.

Seeing Nie Zhenbang’s reaction, Ziyu felt a little impatient, “Brother, what on earth are you doing?”

Before the sound of her words could fade, He Yitao took the initiative to say, “Mr. Nie… I am serious about being with Ziyu.”

Nie Zhenbang had a knack for judging people, accumulated from a lifetime of experience spanning across two lives. Although he was still not incredibly sharp in political matters, this was simply because he had no experience within a governmental system in his previous life. Nonetheless, Nie Zhenbang possessed a well-rounded knowledge of life.

The most important thing was not whether someone was working within a governmental system. It was crucial that the interaction between He Yitao and Nie Ziyu was genuine, without any ulterior motives.

In this moment, looking at He Yitao, Nie Zhenbang pondered for a bit before smiling ans asking, “Yitao, right? Which department do you work for in Tang City?”

Upon hearing this, those familiar with Nie Zhenbang’s character knew that He Yitao had received an initial approval from Nie Zhenbang. Otherwise, Nie Zhenbang wouldn’t ask about the details of one’s work. Nie Ziyu, who was standing by, breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “Brother, are you checking into our background?”

Despite her somewhat dissatisfied tone, she continued, “Yitao and I both work at the Tang City Civil Affairs Bureau. Yitao is currently the head of the Assistance Department.”

After Nie Ziyu’s introduction, Nie Zhenbang was taken aback for a moment, then understood. This girl had gone to Tang City, probably because he had grown up there. He Yitao was about twenty-six or seven years old and had reached his current position without any external assistance, which showed he was capable.

Whether or not Nie Ziyu had helped him, Nie Zhenbang firmly believed that his little sister had her principles. Before officially confirming their relationship status, she would definitely not make any moves.

Then, Nie Zhenbang nodded and said, “Little girl, are you still worried? Your brother will take on this matter for you. If mom and dad have any objections, I’ll stand up for you.”

“Really, brother, you’re too kind. I love you so much,” Nie Ziyu exclaimed jubilantly upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words.

On the sideline, He Yitao also gratefully said, “Mr. Nie… Thank you.”

Nie Zhenbang gestured dismissively. Although he did not know much about He Yitao, his demeanor, speech, and conduct all appeared mature and sincere. His actions reflected a strong sense of righteousness. This kind of person was not a petty individual. From this perspective, Nie Zhenbang had already initially trusted him. Smiling, he said, “You don’t need to call me Mr. Nie. Like Ziyu, just call me Brother.”

Nie Ziyu drove a fiery red BMW MINI, a gift from herself, which she kept here all the time. She was very low-key and didn’t drive it to Tang City, but instead kept it in Zhuang City.

The license plate was a small number plate of the Jingcheng City Military District; therefore, the ride was unobstructed. Nie Zhenbang sat in the back seat while Nie Ziyu drove, with He Yitao sitting beside him.

Nie Zhenbang smiled and asked, “Yitao, where did you graduate from?”

His question made He Yitao feel honored and he respectfully replied, “Yanbei Civil Affairs College, I graduated from the associate degree program.”

Graduating from a junior college at the age of twenty-seven was quite rare. According to normal admission standards, if one graduates from high school at eighteen and then attends a three-year associate degree program, to have obtained a section-level position in six years was quite exceptional. Nie Zhenbang knew well how difficult this could be considering his extensive experience at the grassroots level. Many people may not even reach this level in their lifetime.

“Well, your educational qualifications are a bit low,” Nie Zhenbang stated frankly. “Nowadays, the central government pays more and more attention to the youthfulness of the cadres. Many young cadres with degrees, capabilities, and diplomas are being promoted gradually. You should study more in your daily life and strive to obtain an undergraduate or master’s degree. This way, you’ll have an advantage when competing with others.” As long as he had initially approved, he would be straightforward. Being a section-level cadre was an insult to the Nie family. As the Nie family promoted him, he himself should be outstanding.

Before He Yitao could speak, Nie Ziyu chimed in, “Brother, you’re wrong. Yitao will get his bachelor’s degree in July this year.”

While they chatted, the car drove into the compound of the Yanbei Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, stopping in front of the entrance to the Government No. 1 Courtyard. (.)