522: Chapter 522 Brother Chuan, I'm coming over to see you right away.

For Qin Chuan, this was just a minor episode.

For these migrant workers, however, it was an event they would remember for the rest of their lives; the Municipal Party Secretary of Xilin City had actually demanded payment of their wages for them.

Within two days, every single person received their overdue wages, and everyone was filled with heartfelt gratitude toward Qin Chuan.

A few days later.

Qin Chuan personally presided over a special meeting with only one agenda item: wage arrears for migrant workers would not be tolerated in Xilin City.

Why was this special meeting called?

Because after helping everyone recover their wages last time, Qin Chuan had discovered several more instances of wage arrears during subsequent grassroots inspections, and it seemed to have become a common phenomenon.

The meeting revolved around the issue of wage arrears and lasted for over two hours. At the meeting, Qin Chuan explicitly stated that wage arrears for migrant workers would not be permitted in Xilin City, and a formal meeting resolution was formed.

After the meeting, the relevant departments drafted a formal notice, which was distributed to all departments with instructions to comply.

For the vast number of migrant worker brothers who came to the city to work, this year was the happiest one yet. For the first time ever, they were not owed wages, and before the New Year, almost everyone had received their full pay, allowing them to return home happily to celebrate the New Year in a lively manner.

Time quickly reached the end of the year.

Qin Chuan returned to the capital for the New Year to spend time with his wife and children. On New Year's Eve, the whole family, including Elder Qin, enjoyed a lively and festive reunion dinner together.

After staying in the capital for three or four days, Qin Chuan returned to Xilin City.

Compared to regular civil servants, Qin Chuan started work a few days earlier, beginning early to pay New Year visits to retired senior leaders, scientists, and academicians.

Of course, he spent more time receiving New Year greetings from others.

Until the fifteenth day of the lunar month, many people came to pay their respects to Qin Chuan, most of whom were leading cadres from Xilin City, as well as some entrepreneurs.

However, Qin Chuan was very cautious about entrepreneurs coming to visit him for the New Year; he did not accept any gifts and generally did not even accept their visits.

Besides these people, there were also some former subordinates, such as those from Jiangnan Province and Handong Province, who traveled thousands of miles specifically to pay him a New Year visit.

As for phone calls, they were constant.

After the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the traditional lunar New Year was over, and Qin Chuan devoted almost all his energy to his work.

He not only focused on people's livelihoods and the economy but also worked hard to develop Xilin City, with the goal of turning the city into a truly international metropolis during his tenure, striving to make it a top-ten, or even top-eight, first-tier city in the country.

According to current rankings, although Xilin City is a sub-provincial city and the capital of Northwest Province, its overall national ranking is likely between fifteenth and twentieth, which is not very high.

Because he had this goal in mind, the development of Xilin City was relatively fast, especially as its livability was gradually becoming apparent, and the sense of happiness among the ordinary people was increasing step by step.

To make it an international metropolis, development is always the top priority.

Moreover, economic development is extremely important; this involves investment promotion. Without sufficient investment, relying solely on oneself, the speed is simply too slow.

Investment promotion is the Mayor's task, and Mayor Lin Changkong performed well in this regard, successively bringing in one project after another.

Furthermore, in his work, he fully demonstrated his respect for Qin Chuan, even though he was over fifty years old while Qin Chuan was only in his thirties.

He often took the initiative to report his work to Qin Chuan, much of which was about investment promotion.

Today, he came to report his work again.

Qin Chuan noticed that his expression seemed a bit different from usual and couldn't help but ask with concern, "Comrade Lin Changkong, what's wrong?"

Mayor Lin Changkong sighed softly and shook his head, "Sigh, it's really hard to take. Something that was supposed to be a sure thing was actually snatched away by Mayor Zhang and his people."

Seeing him say this, Qin Chuan understood exactly what was going on.

The "Mayor Zhang" he mentioned was the mayor of another sub-provincial city in the central and western region. As they were both sub-provincial cities, competition in certain aspects was inevitable—competition for resources, policies, and even investment promotion.

Not long ago, both sides had set their sights on the same major project with an investment of over 30 billion, and both wanted to persuade the investor to place this project in their own city.

For this, both sides pulled out all the stops and engaged in a competition. In the end, Mayor Lin Changkong's wish was not fulfilled; the project was snatched away by Mayor Zhang and his people and settled in their city.

A 30 billion project is already quite significant.

If it had settled in Xilin City, it would have had a significant impact on economic growth and local development. Most directly, it would have solved the employment problem for tens of thousands of people.

After understanding what was going on, Qin Chuan smiled relaxedly and comforted him, "Comrade Lin Changkong, temporary gains and losses don't mean much. Development is the eternal theme; this is a long-distance race. If we can use about a year, by the end of this year, whether it's GDP or overall city metrics, if our Xilin City can completely surpass them, won't we be able to hold our heads high?"

This was also one of the goals for this year.

Whether it was GDP or overall strength, they needed to move up a level, and Xilin City's national ranking needed to advance several places.

Last year, Xilin City's GDP and overall strength were slightly behind that city of Mayor Zhang's. This year, they must surpass them and leave them in the dust.

If they could leave them behind, what would it matter that this 30 billion project was snatched away by them?

Mayor Lin Changkong nodded firmly, "Qin Chuan is right. This year we will completely surpass them. By then, I will go to their door to slap their faces and make Old Zhang feel ashamed."

Qin Chuan smiled; he hadn't expected that a man over fifty like Mayor Lin Changkong still had such a competitive spirit.

"Comrade Lin Changkong, I fully support you in this regard. As for investment promotion, we cannot rely solely on you; I should also contribute."

In the few months since he took office, Qin Chuan had mainly focused on people's livelihoods, urban construction, and managing the economy from the big picture. He hadn't yet had time to personally handle investment promotion.

Mayor Lin Changkong said, full of hope, "Secretary, you have connections and channels; you can bring investment to our Xilin City."

After saying this, he thought to himself, 'Certainly. Secretary Qin is, after all, a member of the Qin Family. His connections and channels are far beyond anything I could compare to. He will definitely be able to bring in a large amount of investment.'

Thinking this, his heart gradually became a little eager. How much investment could Secretary Qin Chuan bring in?

Secretary Qin Chuan was a man of action. After chatting with Mayor Lin Changkong about work, and watching him leave, he picked up the phone and made his first call to Chairman Chen Zhixun.

Relying on large investments in Wanshun County, especially in Dongjiang City, Chairman Chen Zhixun had made a fortune and had strong financial resources, forming a massive, capital-frightening circle.

The key was that Chairman Chen Zhixun looked to Qin Chuan for leadership and listened to everything he said. If Qin Chuan told him to go west, he would absolutely not go east.

The two had a good relationship, allowing them to speak very directly. As soon as the call connected, Qin Chuan got straight to the point, "Chairman Chen, our Xilin City's development needs a large amount of investment. I'll give you a few days to pull in no less than 100 billion in investment for me."

Chairman Chen Zhixun immediately said, "Brother Chuan, I'll rush over to Xilin City to see you right away. We'll talk about everything in person. How could a 100 billion investment match your status? It should be at least 200 billion; I'll strive to get over 300 billion."