After the Spring Festival, before he recovered from the joy of the New Year, Zhou Fan threw himself into the busy work, because the work plan for the new year was carried out, the production planning statistics of some counties and cities last year, and even some approval work of counties and cities were also submitted by taking the opportunity, obviously wanting to take the lead.

After all, the new budget will be officially announced at the end of March, and only by taking this opportunity to pass the examination and approval work of the National Development and Reform Commission will there be a chance to take the lead in the state financial department.

Xue Xing usually doesn't have many dinners, but since the New Year, this Director Xue has basically not stayed in the office, and the following cadres come to invite Xue Xing to dinner every day, so this dinner is naturally overwhelming.

The following counties and cities come to the ministries and commissions to run projects, and it is not easy to know a cadre at the deputy department level, and it is basically enough to be able to meet the leaders at the level of the director and bureau, which shows that this person is relationship is already through the sky, and if this can be linked to the provincial and ministerial leaders, it is basically a big deal.

Zhou Fan is only responsible for the review of the project, as for the final decision on whether to pass or not is still in Xue Xing's hands, although passing Xue Xing here is only the first step of the approval process, and whether he can successfully pass the budget after that, it depends on what the leader says, but it was stuck at the first step, so there is no hope for the future, and it is also for this reason that Xue Xing is a little arrogant, if this is an ordinary cadre, it is not easy to invite Director Xue to dinner.

"Xiao Zhou, are you free at night, a friend in Ningbei wants to invite you to dinner, I don't know if you want to meet him." Lao Zhu said to Zhou Fan with a smile.

Ningbei Province is one of the relatively backward provinces on the mainland, and basically the annual GDP ranks last few in the country, and this phenomenon will not change much in the next few years, and a big incident happened in Ningbei Province last year, and even two cadres at the deputy ministerial level were involved, so that the impression of the top leaders of Ningbei Province in the minds of the central leaders is naturally not very good.

Zhou Fan frowned slightly, Lao Zhu made an appointment for the other party, it would not be to tell the other party that he was the grandson of the Zhou family, if this is the case, then Zhou Fan will have an opinion on Lao Zhu, but think about it carefully, Zhou Fan feels that Lao Zhu should not reveal this news, after all, there are some things as long as you know it, and there is no advantage if you know more, but if you can work Lao Zhu to lobby yourself, it seems that the relationship between this cadre and Lao Zhu should not be shallow.

"Lao Zhu, you think too highly of me, you also know that this approval work is personally checked by Director Xue, I am just responsible for the work, you want to invite me to dinner, but I found the wrong person." Zhou Fan said with a smile, these people invited the cadres of the ministry to eat, these people also put a lot of thought into it, it seems that someone has entrusted Lao Zhu's relationship, Lao Zhu obviously feels powerless, so he wants to find himself to think of a way.

Zhou Fan doesn't want to take care of these things, this kind of thankless thing, if it is done, people may thank you, if you can't do it, but you will complain, and the relationship between Zhou Fan and Xue Xing is not salty or light, who knows if Xue Xing will deliberately embarrass himself, and ask Zhang Jindong for help for such a trivial matter, it is too much to say, this contradiction between this and the leader must be coordinated by the elders of the family, and Zhou Fan's ability will inevitably be questioned, and since entering the ministry, Zhou Fan also has no remarkable political achievements, so naturally he doesn't want to make any trouble.

Otherwise, the cadres of the general ministries and commissions are willing to help, it is also to take the opportunity to envelop the local cadres, or to ask for some benefits, eat and drink for nothing, but Zhou Fan has the backstage of the Zhou family, and there is no need to take this aspect too seriously for the time being.

If Director Ma was in the past, Zhou Fan might have helped to say, after all, Director Ma is a better talker, and he is more compatible with Zhou Fan, this is just a gesture, anyway, passing the approval of the office is only the first step, and whether it can be declared after that, there are other procedures to go, and when the time comes, it will be stuck, and it will not be blamed on Zhou Fan's head.

"Just have a casual meal, and you should meet this person too." Lao Zhu said softly, there seemed to be something in this.

Zhou Fan frowned slightly, but Lao Zhu whispered a name in Zhou Fan's ear, but Zhou Fan changed his attitude just now, nodded and said, "I'll arrange it that night, I'll set the time." ”

Lao Zhu smiled and nodded, reached out and patted Zhou Fan's shoulder, but this action revealed another layer of meaning.

In the box of the Beijing Hotel, Zhou Fan saw Director Ma who had not been seen for a long time, it has only been a few months, Director Ma seems to have lost some weight, it seems that Ningbei's life is not happy.

Zhou Fan has never received accurate information about Director Ma's arrangement, but he only knows that Director Ma has been transferred out of the ministry and sent to the grassroots level.

At the beginning, Zhou Zishan's family was purged, and most of the cadres who were close to Zhou Zishan were transferred out of the National Development and Reform Commission, and some of the closer cadres were properly arranged by the Zhou department, but Director Ma's level was obviously not enough, and he couldn't attract the attention of the senior management of the Zhou department, as for Zhou Zishan, it was even more impossible to help Director Ma come forward, after all, Zhou Zishan was still worried about his future at that time, and I think that in terms of Director Ma's placement, the Zhou department didn't make much effort, so he was arranged to Ningbei Province, the poorest province.

"Old leader, please take a seat." Zhou Fan greeted warmly, even if Director Ma had helped Zhou Fan a little, and Zhou Fan's first political enemy was obviously helped by Director Ma, of course, Sun Sifu happened to bump into Director Ma's hand, but on the whole, Zhou Fan was still very grateful.

Because of some changes at the top, Zhou Fan couldn't speak, although in some of Zhou Zishan's arrangements, Zhang Jindong listened to some of Zhou Fan's opinions, but in essence, Zhou Fan still can't get in touch with the meaning of Zhou's high-level officials, and it is impossible to intercede for Director Ma and the like, after all, Zhou Fan is only a deputy section-level cadre, this identity is here, and there are some things to do, Zhou Fan must recognize what he should say or what he should not say.

If you really want to express your opinion on everything, not to mention that the elders will not listen to Zhou Fan, but their impression of Zhou Fan will get worse and worse, this person still needs to have some self-knowledge, but Zhou Fan has to grasp this, unless Zhang Jindong and others take the initiative to ask, Zhou Fan basically will not inquire about this.

Seeing Zhou Fan greeting him warmly, Director Ma smiled and said, "Originally, I should have invited Section Chief Zhou to dinner, but this also made Section Chief Zhou break the bank, so I really felt a little sorry not to go." ”

It seems that with the change of identity, Ma Jinshan also knows that he is no longer Zhou Fan's top boss, and naturally it is not easy to put on a leadership posture, not to mention that he can't control Zhou Fan, and now he still has something to ask for help.

"Director Ma, you are my old leader, and it is also my duty to invite you to dinner, I didn't know that the old leader was transferred to Ningbei, but now the situation is okay?" Zhou Fan asked.

Director Ma shook his head, with a hint of helplessness in his expression, it seems that he knows that he has bitterness in his heart.