Three days later, the interim delegation for the Jiang Ye planetary governor election was formally established.
The delegation members were diverse, comprising 300 high-ranking officials, 1400 citizen representatives, 1400 city lords, 150 think tank members, and 150 representatives from various social sectors, the Galactic Empire, and interstellar organizations, totaling 3400 individuals.
The preliminary election lasted for three months, with continuous voting to eliminate candidates from the initial 300 nominees, leaving only 6 candidates for the final vote.
The six candidates were:
Shao Wan, nominated by Jiang Ye, of course. Throughout the preliminary election, Shao Wan had consistently received overwhelming votes. This high vote count was not due to Shao Wan's reputation, but rather Jiang Ye's prestige. Even if Jiang Ye had randomly grabbed a passerby from the street and nominated them, that bewildered passerby would likely have had a very high chance of reaching the final vote.
Wu Yiming, a local entrepreneur of Jiang Ye Star, currently worth hundreds of billions. His enterprises spanned multiple industries including health products, food, cosmetics, interstellar tourism, and interstellar funeral services. He had branches and factories in over three hundred cities on Jiang Ye Star and had donated school buildings to many cities, earning him the moniker "Yiming Building."
Xing Hanlei, a singer, beautiful and with a sweet voice, who had sold over fifty million records on Jiang Ye Star. She was also a charity ambassador, dedicated to promoting and donating to various charitable projects.
Liu Jizi. Her advancement to the final vote surprised Jiang Ye. The person who nominated her was not Jiang Ye, but Che Zhen. Jiang Ye had called Che Zhen to ask why he nominated Liu Jizi, and Che Zhen replied that he didn't know who to nominate, so he casually wrote down a familiar name. After all, they were former colleagues and understood each other, and it would be quite suitable if Liu Jizi were actually elected.
Sheng Yunlu, a petite beauty with large eyes. She was the mouthpiece of Feng Zhi Shuang, a figure chosen to be the public face of the macroeconomic edifice. Many of Jiang Ye Star's economic data were released by her on television, and she often published articles in newspapers on behalf of macroeconomists, explaining economic changes in various regions and forecasting market trends. She was nominated by a citizen representative, likely because the grassroots populace wanted someone who understood economics to be the planetary governor and lead the entire planet to prosperity.
Jiang Ye couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Even if they were to find someone who truly understood economics, they should have nominated Feng Zhi Shuang, or at least Feng Zhi Shuang's core employees, instead of a mere spokesperson. However, the citizen representatives had no idea who the higher-ups were and could only admire the visible Sheng Yunlu, unaware that she didn't actually understand economics very well.
The last candidate was Serves John, a... Black host of a late-night radio station. He often expressed concern for the planet and its people on the radio, took listener calls, and criticized social injustices, boasting millions of fans. He was also nominated by citizen representatives, likely because they felt he understood the plight of the people and because people of color wanted a representative in a high position. After all, almost all the high-ranking officials around Jiang Ye were of East Asian descent.
The final vote was scheduled for 8 AM on December 31st, the day before New Year's Day.
At 5:30 in the morning, Jiang Ye was still sound asleep in his bed.
A familiar set of footsteps, followed by a cold person rudely burrowing into the covers and slapping a handful of snow powder onto Jiang Ye's back.
Jiang Ye was jolted awake by the cold water, shivering and yelping.
He looked beside him. Cen Yemeng, wearing a black coat, leather pants, and knee-high boots, was smiling and leaning on the bed, watching him. She had rushed back from the space city as she needed to attend the voting ceremony today.
"Is this how you treat your husband?" Jiang Ye said, speechless.
"Get up, eat, get dressed, and go to the venue. It's being broadcast globally. It would be embarrassing if you were late." Cen Yemeng reached out and patted his back.
"Don't touch me like that." Jiang Ye glanced at the clock. "I don't feel like moving. Go make me breakfast."
"You wish. I'm tired, I'm going to nap. You make breakfast." Cen Yemeng took off her coat, kicked off her boots, and snatched the covers to sleep.
Jiang Ye got up helplessly and went to the kitchen.
He didn't use the food printer but instead used readily available ingredients.
Frying eggs was something anyone could do.
Following the recipe, he added ingredients to the bread maker. In just a few minutes, hot, fluffy, golden-brown bread popped out, emitting a fragrant aroma.
The fruit and vegetable salad was simple to make, just a quick toss.
Finally, he cooked a small pot of seaweed and egg soup.
Jiang Ye carried the breakfast back to the bedroom and shook his wife's back. "Wake up and eat, my esteemed former Jiang Ye planetary governor."
"Feed me," Cen Yemeng opened her mouth.
Jiang Ye was speechless and used chopsticks to feed her a vegetable salad.
"It's just average," Cen Yemeng said after a few bites.
"You've gotten bold, haven't you?" Jiang Ye retorted.
Cen Yemeng laughed heartily, sat up, and placed her cold feet on Jiang Ye's stomach to warm them. She then picked up the chopsticks and ate the vegetables.
The couple finished breakfast chatting. Cen Yemeng helped her husband put on warm clothes, and they went out arm in arm. Their private car was parked at the entrance. It was still snowing lightly, and the two guards waiting by the car had a layer of white on their hat brims and were stamping their feet in the snow. Seeing the general and his wife emerge, the guards immediately stood at attention and saluted.
The couple got into the car, the guards closed the doors, and the private car kicked up a swirl of snow as it took off, flying over the snow-covered estate and heading into the distance through the falling snow.
Jiang Ye Star was once again covered in white snow. Looking out the car window, it seemed as if everything on the planet was effervescing. Rivers had become frothy rivers of beer, the land was covered in frost, and buildings had all turned into effervescent tablets.
The sky was covered by dense gray-white clouds. All the clouds were descending towards the ground, and such dense clouds would appear over every city on Jiang Ye Star throughout the winter, burying all roads under thick snowdrifts and bringing sub-zero temperatures to the planet.
After getting into the car, Jiang Ye brought up the projection and began processing last night's official business, reviewing a large stack of situation reports.
Large numbers of blood kangaroos had appeared on the Qilin Plains. Local troops were patrolling in ornithopters, clearing them out with rapid-fire machine guns and rocket launchers. The two mines on the Qilin Plains had been placed under strict quarantine, and two thousand workers had returned to their dormitories and remained indoors to avoid being injured by the blood kangaroos.
The Yelong Plateau had experienced a severe cold snap and an eight-level gale. The sheds of a dairy farm had collapsed, killing over a hundred dairy cows and two workers. Many newly constructed facilities in the area had also collapsed after the blizzard, and rescue operations were underway nearby.
In over twenty cities, frozen homeless people and elderly living alone had been discovered. The police were currently conducting door-to-door checks of heating facilities. Up to forty billion in heating subsidy coupons were being distributed in impoverished neighborhoods, usable for purchasing heating equipment, clothing, and food. Local military forces were en route to remote mountain villages with heating supplies to assess the situation.
A new wave of corporate bankruptcies had begun. Affected by the extreme weather, many new factories could not commence operations, foreign merchants had returned home, the consumer market was sluggish, and unexpected situations were increasing. Numerous small and medium-sized enterprises, lacking vitality, had frozen to death this winter. One entrepreneur had jumped from a building, landing in the thick snow without dying but breaking his spine and being sent to the hospital in excruciating pain.
Jiang Ye was overwhelmed.
The population had expanded too rapidly during the summer. By winter, most people were experiencing the harsh winter of Jiang Ye Star for the first time, leading to numerous problems.
The coldest period had not yet arrived, and it was already this chaotic at the beginning of winter. What would it be like later?
Something suddenly pressed against his thigh.
Jiang Ye looked down, his expression bewildered.
Cen Yemeng was lying on his lap, her face flushed with shyness. "Honey, I want to... in the car..."
"How can this be!" Jiang Ye exclaimed, refusing. "You didn't say anything at home just now! What are you doing on the road?"
Cen Yemeng began to act cute. "Please, honey, I just suddenly really want to..."
"Don't try that with me. Absolutely not." Jiang Ye pushed her away.
Cen Yemeng pouted and sat opposite him, crossing her arms and sulking.
Jiang Ye ignored her and continued to busy himself with official duties.