Before the wine from the distillery had even come out, coal had already been mined on the other side.
When Huang Ming received this news, he immediately reported it to Wu Liang at the earliest opportunity.
Wu Liang was also very pleased. For this matter, he even went as far as to bring in reporters for coverage.
After the matter was publicized, many people believed that the coal mining industry in Qingshi County was entirely the political accomplishment of him and Huang Ming.
Wang Jun, however, couldn’t be bothered to deal with the two, unwilling to put on a show in their presence.
That evening, Huang Ming arranged for two tables at the Qingshi Hotel for Wu Liang and others.
One table, for the media, was accompanied by Zhou Jiajun.
As for the other table, Wu Liang and Huang Ming personally hosted it.
In truth, there weren’t any new faces at Wu Liang’s table; the main person seated there was a middle-aged man around forty.
Once the dishes were served, Huang Ming took the initiative to ask, "And this gentleman is?"
Wu Liang then pretended to have just remembered, putting on an expression of sudden realization.
"Ah, my mind has been entirely on the coal mine, and I forgot to make introductions. This is my brother-in-law, Tang Bowen. Bowen, surely there’s no need to introduce you to County Magistrate Huang?"
Tang Bowen immediately smiled and said, "Of course not. County Magistrate Huang’s reputation precedes him. Good day, County Magistrate Huang!"
Huang Ming quickly shook hands with Tang Bowen enthusiastically.
"A pleasure to meet you. Mr. Tang, may I know where you are working?"
Tang Bowen replied, "Previously, I worked in coal mining operations in the neighboring province, but I’ve recently decided to come back to Tianhai for development."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Liang broke into a smile and said,
"County Magistrate Huang, I brought Bowen here today—you understand what I mean, right?"
Huang Ming quickly nodded. "I understand! I’ve been meaning to find someone knowledgeable about coal mining to collaborate with. Since Mr. Tang is here, why not develop in Qingshi County?"
A smile immediately appeared on Tang Bowen’s face.
"Great, then let me first offer a toast to County Magistrate Huang!"
Two glasses collided with a crisp sound.
Yet they were all harboring ulterior motives, none of them straightforward individuals.
Midway through the meal, Wu Liang suddenly turned to Huang Ming.
"How’s the progress I asked you to make in winning over Xu Ruoxuan?"
Sighing, Huang Ming shook his head slightly.
"Not going very smoothly. After all, she’s a woman; there are many things she can’t get involved in. Even when I invite her to dinner, she’s hesitant and somewhat unwilling."
"So how’s Xu Ruoxuan’s relationship with Wang Jun?"
"Those two get along quite well. No matter the occasion, Wang Jun always brings her along, and Xu Ruoxuan often speaks up for him these days."
At these words, Wu Liang’s expression darkened immediately.
"So why is it that Wang Jun can manage relationships with women, but you can’t?"
Being reprimanded in front of so many people, Huang Ming felt deeply humiliated.
Unable to hold back, he retorted, "It’s mostly because Wang Jun has a good secretary. The reason he’s so close to Xu Ruoxuan is due to that secretary’s mediation. Moreover, the secretary and Xu Ruoxuan are sworn siblings."
"Wang Jun can even think to use his secretary to ingratiate himself with Xu Ruoxuan, and why can’t you? At the end of the day, it’s because you lack the brains!"
Sighing, Huang Ming couldn’t help but ask,
"Mayor Wu, Xu Ruoxuan’s father is only a deputy secretary of the municipal party committee. Why do you insist on me currying favor with her?"
"Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask. I’ll leave it at this: if you can establish a good relationship with Xu Ruoxuan, by next year at the latest, Wang Jun can be replaced!"
These words sent Huang Ming’s emotions surging, and he quickly patted his chest in assurance.
"Rest assured, Mayor Wu. I’ll find a way to win over Xu Ruoxuan!"
After dinner, Wu Liang and his party immediately returned to the city.
Huang Ming, upon getting into the car, immediately called Xie Shan.
"Mayor Wu just introduced me to his brother-in-law. He wants his brother-in-law to open a mine in our county."
"What does that have to do with me?" Xie Shan’s tone was laced with disdain.
Ever since he had taken the fall for Huang Ming, he hadn’t received any benefits in return.
As a result, there was still some lingering resentment in his heart.
Huang Ming didn’t take offense and explained immediately.
"I want you to partner with his brother-in-law in running the coal mine."
Hearing this, Xie Shan perked up.
Unable to resist, he asked, "Why don’t you just do it yourself? That would make you even more money."
"We don’t know the first thing about this business. Doing it ourselves is too high-risk. By involving the mayor’s brother-in-law, even if something goes wrong, we’ll at least have backup."
Xie Shan agreed that this made sense and didn’t dare voice any further objections.
"Alright, I’ll follow your lead. However you want me to handle it, I’ll handle it."
Smiling slightly, Huang Ming responded.
"When you and the mayor’s brother-in-law make money, you’ll split it equally. But you’ll also need to give me half of your share. Do you have any objections to that?"
Deep down, Xie Shan was extremely reluctant.
After all, it was Huang Ming who had caused him to lose his previous job.
But now that he needed Huang Ming’s help to accomplish things, he could only answer,
"No problem. Like I said, however you want me to handle it, I’ll handle it!"
The next day, under Huang Ming’s arrangements, Tang Bowen met with Xie Shan.
Seated in a private room at the hotel, Huang Ming introduced the two to each other.
Shaking Xie Shan’s hand, Tang Bowen asked curiously, "Being a deputy director at the Public Security Bureau is a great position. Why did you leave?"
Embarrassed, Xie Shan forced a smile, unsure of how to reply.
Seeing this, Huang Ming immediately stepped in to smooth things over.
"Xie Shan is an ambitious man; he doesn’t care about that meager monthly paycheck."
Nodding slightly, Tang Bowen seemed to understand.
"So where is Director Xie working now?"
Xie Shan replied, "Lately, I’ve taken an interest in the coal mining industry, so I plan to make some money with Boss Tang."
Frowning slightly, displeasure flickered across Tang Bowen’s face.
Huang Ming, however, laughed and said, "We’re all friends here. Of course, if there’s money to be made, we’ll make it together. Don’t you think so, Boss Tang?"
Tang Bowen merely smiled and said nothing.
Huang Ming pressed further.
"I know Boss Tang is an expert in the coal business, but Qingshi County is an unfamiliar environment. You’ll need a local to guide you. Otherwise, there’ll definitely be inconveniences, wouldn’t you agree?"
As a businessman, Tang Bowen naturally understood the deeper meaning behind Huang Ming’s words.
But he was still irritated at heart, so he chose to remain noncommittal.
After the meal, he found an excuse and left.
Watching Tang Bowen’s departing figure, concern filled Xie Shan’s face.
"What if he tells the mayor about this? What will we do?"
Huang Ming, however, remained composed and waved dismissively.
"Don’t worry about it. The mayor will definitely side with me."
Though Xie Shan didn’t understand why Huang Ming was so confident, he could only nod since the latter seemed so sure.
After returning to the city, Tang Bowen immediately sought out Wu Liang.
After recounting the proposal about the partnership, Wu Liang asked out of curiosity,
"What did you say in response at the time?"
"I neither refused nor agreed. After all, the coal business is so lucrative—why should I give up part of the profits to someone else?"
"So, you want me to warn Huang Ming to stop mentioning the partnership?"
"That’s right. Without you, would he even be where he is now? And yet he wants a share of my money? Not a chance!"