Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 586: Chapter 542 Li Lixue is Going Abroad (Happy Dragon Boat Festival)_1
 

Upon returning home and stepping through the door, Nie Zhenbang was taken aback. In the living room at this moment, Li Lixue, Dong Wan, and Anna were all seated on the sofa.

Anna’s eyes were slightly red as if she had just cried. The atmosphere seemed somewhat somber and oppressive. Doling Wan and Li Lixue sat silently beside her.

Nie Zhenbang felt a sudden pang of anxiety in his heart. Had there been a family feud and a verbal altercation? Approaching them, Nie Zhenbang asked, “What happened? Why isn’t anyone talking or even turning on the lights?”

“Husband, sister Li Lixue and sister Wan are planning to go abroad,” Yang Anna said tearily, gazing at Nie Zhenbang as if she had found her pillar of support. Her tears, which had just stopped, began to flow again.

Li Lixue and Dong Wan were planning to leave the country. The news was too sudden. Nie Zhenbang’s face darkened instantly. Looking at Li Lixue and Dong Wan, he asked in a stern voice, “Lixue, Wan, why? Why do you all suddenly want to go abroad? Can you explain the reason?”

The sight of Nie Zhenbang in this state of anxiety made the three women nervous. Li Lixue, folding her arms across her chest, remained silent. Beside her, Dong Wan glanced at Nie Zhenbang and said, “Zhenbang, don’t get upset. This decision comes from my grandfather.”

Pausing for a moment, Dong Wan continued, “As you know, the health of my grandfather and Anna’s grandfather is not so good anymore. Even my grandpa says that Elder Nan’s health is not as good as before. In the future, Lixue and I could become targets used to harm you. So my grandpa suggests that Lixue and I go abroad.”

This is a typical scenario in power politics. In these political struggles and confrontations, each opponent is constantly seeking the other’s weaknesses and trouble spots. However, it’s possible that the two sides might struggle for a lifetime without being able to harm each other. In such a case, it becomes a question of who lives the longest.

Having an elder in the family is a blessing. An elder represents not only mature political experience and skill, but also prestige and deterrence. Before, when Elder Dong and Elder Yang were present, the combined forces of the two families could intimidate all rival factions in Jingcheng. Compared to that, Nie Zhenbang’s current situation was not a big deal.

But now, both elders are nearing the end of their lives. When the second generation of the Yang family falls after this generation, and when it comes to the critical moment when Nie Zhenbang is ready to ascend to the top, these issues will become major obstacles to Nie Zhenbang’s future. Elder Dong is preparing for the future, and his foresight is something that Nie Zhenbang has to admire.

However, Nie Zhenbang was very resistant to this arrangement. In a deep voice, he said, “Wan, if this is the arrangement and if I have to give you up for that position, I can’t do it. I would rather resign from all party positions, quit being the mayor, and we can go abroad together.”

“Zhenbang, don’t act on impulse. I know you understand our feelings,” Dong Wan seemed very calm and gentle at this moment.

“However, Zhenbang, you should also understand, we know how much effort you’ve put in. Do you really want to waste all your efforts? Is this the kind of sacrifice you want to make for your dreams?” Dong Wan continued.

These words left Nie Zhenbang completely stunned. His ideals…what were his ideals? Was it to help the Nie family rise again? It seemed that he had already achieved this goal. But, now, why was he still so desperate? What was he fighting for? Nie Zhenbang began to ponder.

Perhaps, this was his current ideal and attitude. After the fate of the Nie family changed, his goal had completely changed, too. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang felt that he was largely fighting for the country and the nation. Even though it might sound sentimental, it was the truth.

After a long silence, Nie Zhenbang nodded, “I am willing to give up everything. If we must leave, let’s leave together. Moreover, if all of you stay in the country, I would like to see which family dares to take advantage of this.”

His words moved both Li Lixue and Dong Wan. Dong Wan smiled faintly, “Zhenbang, hearing you say that is enough. Besides, it’s not as if we’re never going to see each other again. Going abroad is just a strategy. After going out for a while and finishing some affairs, we can come back. Why are you and Anna making such a big deal out of this?”

Li Lixue also chimed in, “Dear, you need to understand us. You’ve always been the one doing things for me. This time, I want to do something for you. If you insist, of course, Wan and I will compromise. But, can you understand how we feel?”

Having heard what they had to say, Nie Zhenbang had nothing to rebut. With such wives, what more could a husband ask for? Then, looking at Li Lixue and Dong Wan, he nodded and said, “When is the flight? I’ll see you off.”

“The flight is on the afternoon day after tomorrow, directly to Los Angeles. Right now, Long and Tiger are both developing in the South Pacific, so there won’t be any problems when we go there with them and my younger brother to connect with us. Also, I’ve asked Li Hua to help manage the Dynasty, so don’t worry,” Li Lixue explained, appearing especially composed.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. At Jingcheng City Airport, at the international flights boarding gate. Li Lixue, smiling, checked in and entered the airport. Beside her, Yang Anna and Dong Wan’s faces both showed a hint sadness.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang, however, had no reservations. He gently held the two in his arms, whispering, “Wan, An Na, rest assured, even at the cost of my future and my life. I won’t let you suffer the slightest injustice.”

As they left the airport and prepared to return to the city, suddenly, a voice called out from behind: “Zhenbang.”

He turned his head and saw Qiao Yiren at the front smiling and waving at him. Behind Qiao Yiren were Deputy Provincial Governor Zhao Qiming, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Yi Mingyang, and Director of the Provincial Department of Transportation Li Peijun.

“Governor, you are here.” At this moment, Nie Zhenbang also adjusted his mentality and greeted Qiao Yiren.

Next to him, Yang Anna and Dong Wan walked up. Yang Anna also nodded and said, “Hello, Uncle Qiao.”

At this moment, Dong Wan also nodded and said, “Hello, Uncle Qiao.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Seeing the two, Qiao Yiren’s face also wore a smile, “Little Wan and Nana are here too.”

Nie Zhenbang also smiled and said, “Yes, we just sent a relative abroad. I didn’t expect to run into you at the airport.”

At this moment, Dong Wan smiled and said, “Uncle Qiao, you have business to attend to. Anna and I will leave first.”

Dong Wan saw that Qiao Yiren’s visit was definitely related to Nie Zhenbang’s return to Jingcheng. Therefore, Dong Wan took the initiative to leave. This level of support for Nie Zhenbang moved him deeply.

Watching them leave, Qiao Yiren also sighed, nodded and said: “Ah Zhenbang, it’s hard to let go of such fine women.”

“Alright, let’s not talk about these romantic matters anymore. Zhenbang, this time, the six provinces’ joint efforts were very successful. In Bashu, your father and the provincial party secretary Zeng Taiping played a coordinating role, and there were no issues with the Zhou family in Chongqing City. The Wangtian Highway, if successful, would also benefit them. Besides, Hongjiang and Chunan Province have also tentatively agreed to this plan. This time, I came over early to pave the way. Tomorrow, the key leaders of the six provinces and cities will come over. Let’s have a preliminary meeting to discuss the cooperation details.” At this time, a look of joy could be seen on Qiao Yiren’s face.

The Wangtian Highway is of profound significance to WangHai. However, no matter which province it is, it is a rare opportunity and a political achievement. Feeling some excitement about this is quite normal.

Nie Zhenbang was pleased with this situation. What he needed was not the political achievements brought about by the Wangtian Highway project itself. What he needed was the impact and effects after the completion of the Wangtian Highway. This impact would be long-lasting and continuous.

Subsequently, Nie Zhenbang also nodded and said, “Governor, a few days ago, I contacted Deputy Director Xu Guangkun of the Development and Reform Commission. The attitude of the Development and Reform Commission, just like the Ministry of Transportation, is that this matter could indeed only be finally decided by the State Council.”

On hearing this, Qiao Yiren also nodded and said, “Yes, I have already communicated with Secretary-General Yuan about this matter. This time, the layout and planning of the national highway network, the vertical line, has undoubtedly been set as the Capital City – Hong Kong Expressway, while for the horizontal line, one option is the highway from Hucheng City passing through Jiangnan Province, Wanzhou Province, Chubei Province to Tianfu. This time, although our advantage is not significant, the victory lies in the six provinces and cities applying jointly, our advantage is not weak compared to the Hucheng-Tianfu Expressway.”

Qiao Yiren’s level is naturally higher than Nie Zhenbang’s. After all, he is one of the core leaders nurtured by Secretary-General Yuan for the future. Among the members of the provincial party committee, Qiao Yiren is one of the few with direct access to the top.

With his own channels, Qiao Yiren can quickly find out about these things and even know more detailed information than Nie Zhenbang does.

Upon saying this, Qiao Yiren also laughed and said, “Let’s go to the Jingcheng office first to settle down. Also, Zhenbang, this time, the meeting place and reception work for the joint meeting of the six provinces and cities are left to you.”

At this, Nie Zhenbang also nodded, aware that Qiao Yiren was deliberately nurturing him. Even though he was already at the vice-ministerial level, he was still somewhat inferior to these old provincial and ministerial leaders in terms of hierarchy and relationship networks. Through this opportunity, Qiao Yiren was also helping Nie Zhenbang to perfect his own relationship networks. (