147: Chapter 147 Visiting Relatives 2

Chu Jingran nodded in confusion. "Could it be that the leaders of H City are coming down for an inspection? Usually, there wouldn't be such strict measures for lower-level officials."

"Jingran, have you eaten yet? If not, Mom will go make something for you."

"No need, Mom. I ate a bit on the way, I'm not hungry."

"Oh, my son is really successful now. On this whole street, no one can compare to my son except for Xiao Wu's family."

Chu Jingran's mother was very happy. Her son was a middle-to-high-level manager in a joint venture. He even bought a new car last year during the New Year, which supposedly cost over 300,000 yuan. Now, whenever the neighbors saw her, they all praised her for having such a good son.

Working at a joint venture in Magic City, his base salary was over a million, he didn't have a girlfriend yet, and he was quite good-looking. This county town wasn't large to begin with, so word spread quickly from person to person. Matchmakers were almost tripping over each other to set him up.

At the beginning of the year, a rumor came from somewhere saying that his company was going to build a new production base in H City. This even alerted the leaders of the County Investment Bureau. They even took the opportunity to pay a New Year's visit to get acquainted.

"Look at what you're saying. That Chu Ge from the Chu family is an Academician; he works for the state. There's a huge gap in their administrative levels."

Ordinary folks are like this; it's not always about competing, but sometimes they can't help but fall into the cliché of comparing and discussing.

"Dad, society is open now. There's no such thing as an 'iron rice bowl' anymore. In terms of salary and benefits alone, Chu Ge definitely can't match me. They just have some fame, and their benefits are slightly better than ordinary company employees, but they still can't compare to our joint venture."

Chu Jingran had frequently heard his colleagues discussing Chu Ge recently, and he was rather dismissive. After all, they grew up in the same alley, and Chu Ge was a few years younger than him—a little tag-along who used to call him 'big brother.' Now, he had somehow become an Academician.

Even more exaggeratedly, his girlfriend was actually Dilireba Nazha? Chu Jingran, who was used to being the 'big brother' since childhood, was naturally proud. This completely triggered the jealousy deep in his heart. So what if he's a research Academician? Other than a slightly better reputation, what else can he compare with me?

Just as Chu Jingran was thinking, a knock came from the door. He followed the sound and went out to greet them. A group of leaders had actually arrived, led by none other than Wu Jun, the Director of the County Investment Bureau.

"Director Wu, how did you find the time to come over? And you brought so many things. Normally, during festivals, I should be the one visiting local officials like you." Chu Jingran was all smiles. Having spent years in management, handling this kind of scene was a piece of cake for him.

After saying that, he led the leaders into the inner courtyard.

"Jingran, you don't know how difficult it is for us grassroots officials these days. The policy assessments are very strict now. I'm counting on your big project to save the day."

Director Wu didn't stand on ceremony and got straight to the point.

"Drink some water, drink some water. After the New Year, I went back and specifically discussed it with several leaders. The company indeed wants to build a large-scale base in this area. The preliminary plan is to invest 50 billion. However, regarding the site selection, the company has its own considerations, mainly looking at the support policies of the local government."

"Of course, as this is my hometown, I will definitely favor us. You don't even need to ask; I'll work on it. Don't worry."

Chu Jingran only told half the truth. Their company was a multinational corporation, and there were hundreds of middle-to-high-level managers like him across the country. How could such a massive project be handled through him?

However, he did know some inside information. Of the several counties currently under consideration, they were all similar in terms of environment, transportation, and labor costs. Now, the only thing that mattered was the strength of the support policies from each local government.

"That's good then. Regarding the support policies, don't worry. I'll strive to get you the maximum support possible. Mr. Xu, who is in charge of the inspection from your company, is a bit too rigid. I was feeling uncertain, so I rushed over here during the Mid-Autumn Festival to seek your advice, haha." Director Wu took a sip of water after finishing; he was indeed a bit anxious now.

"By the way, Director Wu, the commotion outside wasn't caused by you, was it? Man, there's a full lockdown. I thought some big leader was coming." Chu Jingran breathed a sigh of relief and changed the subject when he saw the other party had no intention of probing further.

"I haven't heard of any leaders coming this way. Could it be the Vice County Magistrate coming to see you? He's in charge of the economy. I mentioned you to him, and he said he'd find time to visit."

"Oh..." Chu Jingran let out a long sigh and turned to look at his mother. His mother was now beaming like a flower. She turned and looked at her husband triumphantly, as if showing off that her son was indeed impressive.

...

After Chu Ge and his party got off the plane, they directly boarded military jeeps from the H City Garrison Command. There were ten vehicles in total. Besides the one Chu Ge and Captain Gong were in, the vehicles behind were filled with special forces soldiers armed with live ammunition. Four motorcycles led the way in front as they drove toward Chu Ge's home.

"Captain Gong, don't you think this setup is a bit exaggerated? I'm afraid of scaring my parents," Chu Ge said helplessly, looking at the convoy behind him before turning back.

"The formation has already been downsized. According to Academician Chen and the military's wishes, they were itching to deploy an entire division."

"Huh? Captain Gong, you've learned how to joke too. Why didn't you say they'd deploy an entire army? Those who know will understand I'm coming home to visit my family, but those who don't might think I'm leading troops into battle."

"I'm not joking. The area around your hometown is already under lockdown. The H City garrison has already sent several battalions to be stationed there in advance. It's just that they are deployed covertly. Our team is the one on the surface. This doesn't even include the local traffic police, armed police, spec—" Before Captain Gong could finish, Chu Ge waved his hand.

"Alright, I'm truly afraid of Old Chen now. No, why didn't you guys do what you did before—disguise yourselves in plainclothes around me? Wouldn't that be more discreet? Now it just feels like we're drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves."

This was what Chu Ge was puzzled about. Why were they protecting him so openly now? He had waited the whole way, but he hadn't seen Captain Gong change his clothes; he was still in his military uniform.

However, it was indeed different from the set at the Research Institute. At the Research Institute, it was a service uniform, but now, they had directly changed into combat gear, with their equipment even strapped to their legs.

"You weren't a household name before, and those rogue nations abroad didn't know about you then. Your value wasn't as high as it is now either."

Captain Gong smiled instinctively after saying the last sentence. The first part was the main reason, while the last part was purely something he made up on the spot. A triple denial makes for a more powerful statement, doesn't it?

Chu Ge caught the teasing tone in Captain Gong's voice and pointed at him with a smile. Their relationship had changed quite a bit compared to before. Perhaps because they had gone running together that day, Chu Ge felt that Captain Gong had become much more approachable.

"By the way, Academician Chu, the car is already packed with holiday gifts. You don't need to go to a mall to pick them out yourself, to avoid causing a commotion. The convoy will drive straight to your house."

"Hey, whose idea was this? It's... it's really quite thoughtful."

Chu Ge suddenly felt that this wasn't a homecoming, but more like an Imperial Envoy coming on an inspection tour.