《DEFYING FATE》


 Chapter 1: An accident and the ability to turn back time

    <h4>Chapter 1: An ident and the ability to turn back time</h4>


    Hiss...


    It hurts...


    Am I dying?


    The strong smell and taste of blood could be felt in the nose and mouth. Dong Xuebing could not move even his fingers, and it was total darkness. He tried to move his neck, but there was no reaction. He finally mustered all his strength to open his eyes, but he could only open a slit. He could make out a blurry vision of an overloaded dump truck. Beside him, there was an old man in his 70s or 80s and a beautiful woman in herte 20s lying in a pool of blood motionless. There was a crowd of onlookers. From their mouth movements, they seem to be shouting something. However, Dong Xuebing could not hear anything.


    The old man was dead. Aunt Xuan was dead. He was badly injured... Most likely he would not make it.


    Looking at the pretty face of the woman he secretly admired, Qu Yunxuan, Dong Xuebing felt like his heart was being stabbed by a knife.


    Neighbour Qu Yunxuan was a kind woman. Earlier at the traffic junction, she saw the old man having difficulties walking and offered her help to help him cross the road. Despite the traffic lights in their favor, a truck came speeding towards them. The driver might be drunk or had fallen asleep on the wheel. Dong Xuebing, who was some distance away saw the danger and came running towards Qu Yunxuan. He wants to push her out of the way of the truck. But he was toote, and he was also knocked down by the truck.


    Regrets.


    Dong Xuebing had never regretted so much in his life.


    looking around him and answered unconsciously. He was still trying to figure out what had happened.


    What happened? I am not dead? Aunt Xuan was not dead? The old man was also not dead?


    Dong Xuebing slowly lifted his hand up and opened his palm. He clenches his fist and then opened it up again. There was no blood or wounds.


    Was he dreaming? There was no ident? Everything was only a hallucination?


    The traffic lights changed from red to amber, and then the traffic lights opposite the road turned green and showed the green pedestrian man. The pedestrians start to cross the road. The old man with his walking stick was the slowest, and Qu Yunxuan was helping him to cross the road.


    This was familiar.


    This was a very familiar scene.


    Suddenly, there was the roar of an engine, and Dong Xuebing instantly turned towards the engine sound. A truck was moving on the right turningne from another road. The truck was overloaded with gravels and was not traveling very fast, at about 40 Km/h or 50 Km/h.


    Dong Xuebing rubbed his eyes. He was shocked. Wasn''t this the scene before the ident?


    What was happening? Time had rewinded? That was not a hallucination?


    There was not enough time. The sounds of the roaring engine were getting nearer.


    4 meters...


    3 meters...


    Qu Yunxuan and that old man had given up hope.


    When everyone there thought the both of them would be killed by the truck, Dong Xuebing, who knew the truck would be beating the red lights, rushed to the backs of the two of them. Using the momentum, he used all his strength to carry both the old man and Qu Yunxuan by the waist with both his arms outstretched. He continued to run forward with the old man and Qu Yunxuan on his left and right. He roared as he carries on running ahead with all his might and two people hanging on his arms.


    "Shit!"


    "They are going to die!"


    Many of the more timid bystanders closed their eyes.


    Zoomed... The truck brushed just Dong Xuebing''s back with only centimeters to spare.


    The old man was sent sliding on the road forward for half a meter.


    Qu Yunxuan was also sent tumbling forward from Dong Xuebing''s push.


    Dong Xuebing fell the worst. He was gasping for air while lying on his side in the middle of the road. He could feel the pain in his waist and legs.


    Time seems to be frozen for a while and then there were cheers.


    "All of them are still alive!"


    "Young man, you are so brave!"


    It was not sure who started pping and soon everyone was pping and cheering for Dong Xuebing.

 Chapter 2: Capital Beijing

    <h4>Chapter 2: Capital Beijing</h4>


    Eastern district, North Heping Street.


    Dong Xuebing was still in shocked over his death experience yesterday. If time had not miraculously rewind, he would not get the chance to see his mother and Aunt Xuan. This was the first time he was grateful for being alive. He fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning, as lots of things were going through his mind. This was why it was 10 plus in the morning when he woke up. He got up from his old squeaking spring couch and headed for the washroom. He washed his face and yawned. He called out at the bedroom: "Mum, are you awake?"


    Dong Xuebing''s mother, Luan Xiaoping, replied: "I am awake, and I am cleaning up the room. Do you still want breakfast?"


    "I will wait for lunch." Dong Xuebing could feel something was off from his mother''s voice. He immediately pushes the door open and saw his mother sitting on the bed. She quickly wipes off her tears with the back of her hands when Dong Xuebing entered the room. His mother turned and looked at him and forced a smile and keeping an old ck and white photograph into her wallet. It was her wedding photo, taken more than 20 years ago.


    Dong Xuebing could feel his heart aching as he sat down beside his mother: "Thinking of dad?"


    "No... I''m not." Dong Xuebing''s mother carefully kept the wallet and rubbed her eyes. "I took it out for a look when I saw it while cleaning."


    This had happened countless times over the years. Dong Xuebing''s mother character was weak. Every time she remembers some unpleasant memories, she would hide in her room and cry. Dong Xuebing felt guilty and said: "Mum, it is all my fault for being so useless. I cannot study and does not have any skills. I don''t think I will pass the Civil Servant test. All I can do is to work part-time at Panjiayuan Antique Market during my holidays. If I was slightly more capable, I might have raised enough medical bills for dad, and he might still be around."


    His mother patted his legs: "Stop talking nonsense. I know my son is the most capable and he will be a top government official in the future."


    Dong Xuebing moved his lips but did not say anything.


    His mother smiled and touch his hand: "Don''t think so much. I will make you a good lunchter."


    A te of stir-fried garlic pork, a te of steam cabbage and half a pot of congee. This was considered a luxurious meal in Dong Xuebing''s household. Usually, when he was alone at home, he would not bear to eat such dishes. He would just cook some rice and stir-fry some vegetables and eat it for lunch and dinner. It was not because Dong Xuebing was thrifty. It was because his family was really poor.


    Dong Xuebing was 23 years'' old and was a graduate.


    He had average looks and height. Everything about him was ordinary.


    The savings at home was not more than 5 figures.


    During the year when Dong Xuebing''s father was hospitalized, they had used up all their savings. In the end, they even have to sell away their house. The one-bedroom apartment they were living was rented. After his father passed away, his mother lost her job for taking too much time off. The living expenses in Beijing was too high, and his mother returned back to her hometown in the countryside to work as a teacher there. She was trying her best to earn enough money for Dong Xuebing''s university''s fees. She will only return to Beijing to be with her son for one or two months during the school holidays.


    All the living expenses, rents, bills, etc. depended on Dong Xuebing''s mother miserable sry, which was not enough. This was why Dong Xuebing took out part-time jobs as cashiers in supermarkets or some odd jobs at the Antique Market during his holidays and weekends. Other than his school fees, he was paying everything else. He could make his own living without asking for money from his mother.


    Life was tough, but 4 years had passed in a sh.


    After lunch, Dong Xuebing''s mother kept the dishes and watched some old ck and white programs on the TV. Dong Xuebing returned back to the bedroom andy there staring at the ceiling in a daze. Now, all the universities in Beijing no longer provide a job for their graduates. He had just graduated from Beijing Union University. What will he do if he fails his Civil Servant test?


    Sigh... how good will it be if I really have supernatural powers?


    But I had tried so many timesst night and did not seed even once.


    Shall I try again?


    The door creak and opened. Dong Xuebing''s mother came in and said gently: "I will be going upstairs to speak to Mrs. Xu. I heard that her son will be taking the Civil Servant test this year at the same location as you. I want to see if she can ask her son to help you out with your revisions. Xiao Dong is good with his studies."


    Dong Xuebing felt ufortable in his chest and mumbled a reply.


    "I will be backter." She said and closed the door.


    Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth and calm himself down before he starts on his experiments.


    Turn back! Move back! Retreat! Back!


    Dong Xuebing felt his body moved, but when he looked around, there were no changes. Fine. Those were not the magic words.


    Just when Dong Xuebing was about to start to say some random words, the bedroom door opened.


    His mother came in and looked at him: "I will be going upstairs to speak to Mrs. Xu. I heard that her son will be taking the Civil Servant test this year at the same location as you. I want to see if she can ask her son to help you out with your revisions. Xiao Dong is good with his studies."


    Dong Xuebing was stunned and shouted: "Ah?"


    It was exactly the same tone and words.


    This was what just happened 50 to 60 seconds ago.


    Seeing her son''s reaction, she said softly: "Mum knows that you have your pride, but her son, Xiao Dong had almost scored full marks for his examsst year. If he can help you with your revisions, you might stand a better chance of passing."


    Dong Xuebing replied in a daze: "That''s not what I meant"


    His mother looked at him and said: "Then I will be going."


    After his mother left, Dong Xuebing gave himself a p. That''s it! I seeded!


    Dong Xuebing quickly suppress his excitement and grabbed a small orange-colored rm clock from the shelves. He stared at the hands of the clock and begin to repeat the "magic words."


    Turn back! Move back! Retreat! Back!


    Dong Xuebing continued to chant these words from afternoon till night. After dinner, he continued chanting the words. Finally, at 12.02 am 28 seconds, he sessfully made a move back the time and returned to 12.01 am 28 seconds. It was precisely 1 minute!


    No words could exin the excitement Dong Xuebing had.


    Dong Xuebing knew that the time on this rm clock was not urate and he ran over to switch on the old 29in TV.


    A military program was on and the time was shown on the top right corner. 23: 59: 19.


    Switching on the Tv should take about 19 seconds. That means when Dong Xuebing uses "Back" just now, it was exactly midnight. He blinked and made a bold hypothesis. This "Back" will reset at midnight, and he can only use it once a day. When he uses it, time will return back to 60 seconds before.


    Oh my god!!!


    If this was indeed real,dy luck had smiled on him!

 Chapter 3: Qu Yunxuan

    <h4>Chapter 3: Qu Yunxuan</h4>


    Afternoon.


    11.40 am.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother was in the kitchen preparing lunch.Dong Xuebing helped his mother to cut some celeries and then he had nothing todo. He went out to the living room and watch TV. Dong Xuebing was hoping thattime will pass faster that day. He can''t wait for the day to be over to try toturn back time. If he could no longer control the time again, he would be happyfor nothing.


    Ding Dong. Ding Dong.


    Someone was ringing the doorbell.


    Dong Xuebing opened the door, and there was a hint of perfume. Through the gates, he could see abeautiful face. It was Qu Yunxuan from unit 302 next door. Big eyes, lonshes, and fairplexion. She was gorgeous. Qu Yunxuan was wearing light colored office attire. Her tight skirtshowed her perky ass. Her sexy long legs were in skin colored stockings with apair of white heels. She had the attractiveness of a matured woman.


    "Ermmm.... Pleasee in." Dong Xuebing dares not to look atQu Yunxuan any longer and hurriedly let her in.


    "Hee hee. I am herefor a visit." Qu Yunxuan walked in with her pair of alluring long legs. Click,click. The sounds of cing heels on the floor sounded so lovely.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother walked out of the kitchen: "Yunxuan,you are here? Is today your rest day?"


    Qu Yunxuan looked at the kitchen and answered: "I have oneoff day today. Sister Luan is cooking lunch now? Stop cooking. Come over to myce with Xiao Bingter for lunch."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother immediately refused: "No need, noneed. I am done with the ingredients."


    Qu Yunxuan thought for a while and said: "Then... I hadbought some fresh vegetables and meat. I will bring everything over and cooksome dishes, and we can have lunchtogether." Before Dong Xuebing and his mother could say anything, Qu Yunxuan walkedout and returned with meat and vegetables. She also took out a white shirt froma bag and held it against Dong Xuebing. Qu Yunxuan smiles, shing her dimple:"Aunt had bought this shirt for you. I am not sure if it''s fit. Hmmm... Itshould look good on you. Hurry try it on now. If it does not fit, I can changeit to another size."


    Dong Xuebing embarrassedly said: "How can I let you buy me ashirt? You don''t need to buy me anything."


    Qu Yunxuan blinked her eyes and yfully flicked DongXuebing''s nose: "Hurry and change into it."


    In the past, Qu Yunxuan would never have such actions when both of them were talking. Dong Xuebingblushed. But when he thought about being so close with the woman of his dreams,he could hardly contain his excitement. Dong Xuebing took off his t-shirt andchanged into the white shirt.


    Qu Yunxuan smiled and helped him with his buttons: "Hmmm...quite fitting."


    Virtuous, caring and gentle. These were the words thatrepresented Qu Yunxuan.


    Although Dong Xuebing addressed her as Aunt Xuan, Qu Yunxuanwas only older than him by a few years. She was still single. However, she wasvery matured. When Dong Xuebing''s father passed away, and his mother returned back to the countryside to teach, DongXuebing was left alone in this rented apartment. It was Qu Yunxuan''s smile thatgave him hope, and she apanied himthrough the most challenging phase of hislife. Qu Yunxuan would drop by his unit every few days to chat, console,encourage with him, and sometimes give him some home cook food. Dong Xuebingwas grateful to her and slowly developed feelings for her. But he knew that hewas not good enough for this beautiful woman. He could only keep his feelings to himself and did not tell anyoneabout this.


    When Dong Xuebing''s mother saw Qu Yunxuan helping her son wearthe shirt, she felt it was weird. She knew that when she was not in Beijing, QuYunxuan would sometime cook for her son. But this was verymon among neighbors. Helping each other out are theduties of neighbors.


    But Qu Yunxuan was too helpful, and Luan Xiaoping feltweird.


    Could it be that Qu Yunxuan was interested in her son?Impossible. Both Qu Yunxuan and her son were not a good match. Even though DongXuebing was her son, but Luan Xiaoping got to admit that her son was not goodenough for Qu Yunxuan and Qu Yunxuan would not fall for her son for no reason. LuanXiaoping was well aware of where she and her son stands. When she thought aboutthis, she looked at the both of them suspiciously: "Yunxuan, you have broughtso much food over and still buy Xiaobing a shirt... Why are you..."


    "Xiao Bing, you did not tell Sis Luan about it?" Qu Yunxuanmoved closer to Dong Xuebing.


    "Ya." Dong Xuebing was scared that his mother would getworried and he did not tell her about the ident.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother asked: "What happened?"


    Qu Yunxuan sighed, andtears start to well up in her eyes: "Theday before yesterday, at the cross junction downstairs, an old man and I werenearly knocked down by a truck. LuckilyXiao Bing rushed over and saved us both. You did not see what happened. It wastoo dangerous. We almost..." Tears startto fall. She could not continue. During the ident, her mind waspletelynk when the truck was closing in. Her legs were rooted to the ground, and she thought that she would be dead forsure. Qu Yunxuan did not expect Dong Xuebing to rush in and save her in such a dangerous situation. She was really shocked bywhat happened.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother jumped: "Something like this happened?"


    Qu Yunxuan wiped her tears and patted the back of Dong Xuebing''s head. She pursed her red lips andsaid: "Xiao Bing, I will not say how much I thank you for saving me. In thefuture, you will be my younger brother. Sister Luan, you should not treat me asan outsider too. If you and Xiao Bingneed any help in the future, just let me know."


    Dong Xuebing said: "Aiya... you do not need to do this."


    "What''s wrong?" Qu Yunxuan nced at him: "You think I amnot good enough to be your older sister?"


    Dong Xuebing immediately wave his hand: "No, no. That is notwhat I meant." Why do you want to be my older sister and not my wife? DongXuebing grumbled in his heart.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother realized the seriousness of thisident and asked more about the details. She tapped Qu Yunxuan''s hand andsaid: "Wow... it was indeed very dangerous.Luckily all of you are alright. Yunxuan, you have been helping me take care ofXiao Bing these few years. We had never treated you as an outsider. Nowadays,it is rare to find such a sweet and caring woman. It is Xiao Bing''s fortune tohave someone like you to be his sister." Dong Xuebing''s mother really likes this gentle Qu Yunxuan. She was more thanwilling to be closer to Qu Yunxuan as she would be returning to the countrysidenext month. She would not worry too much if there was someone in Beijing lookingafter her son.


    Qu Yunxuan moved slightly towards her right, closer to DongXuebing and stroke his head: "Don''t say that. It''s my honor." Her thighs hadtouched Dong Xuebing''s knee. Her smooth skin colored stockings felt really goodand tempting.


    Dong Xuebing was feeling antsy and to hide hisembarrassment, he moved his head and rolled his eyes: "Aunt Xuan, I rememberedthat you are only older than me by a few years. Can you stop patting me on myhead?" Although Dong Xuebing said that, he really like the way Aunt Xuan strokeand patted his head.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother and Qu Yunxuan burst outughing.


    After a while, Dong Xuebing''s mother and Qu Yunxuan went intothe kitchen together to cook.


    They had lunch together, andQu Yunxuan insisted on doing the dishes.


    In the afternoon, when Dong Xuebing and his mother were notnoticing, Qu Yunxuan took a rag and start wiping the windows.


    That evening, Qu Yuxuan insisted on washing the dishes again. No matter what Dong Xuebing and hismother said, it was no use.


    7.30 pm


    Qu Yunxuan washed the bubbles off her hands and walked outof the kitchen: "All the dishes are clean. I will go back first."


    Dong Xuebing was worried that she would be too tired: "Ok.You should hurry to go back and rest. Youhave been busy the whole day."


    "Your Aunt does not have lots of hobbies and cooking, doinghousehold chores can be considered as my hobbies. Hee hee.... How can doing something I like be tired?" Qu Yunxuan''s smile was as sweet as candy. She removed the apron she was wearingand walked into the restroom. When she came out, she was holding a stic basinfull of dirtyundry. Those were all Dong Xuebing''s clothes he worn yesterday."Your mother''s back is not very good and should not be tiring herself. I willhelp you wash these clothes and return to you tomorrow after they are dry."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother immediately said: "How can we let youdo this? Xiao Bing can wash his own clothes."


    Dong Xuebing was blushing and rushed forward to try tosnatch that basin ofundry from her: "I can wash it by myself."


    Qu Yunxuan did not listen and hold on to the basin. When she saw Dong Xuebing refusing to let goof the basin, sheughed and raised onehand. She acted like she was going to hit people: "I will punch you. Hurry upand let go of the basin. If it was someone else, you think I will help to washtheirundry? I just want to help you have more time to prepare for your CivilServant test." Qu Yunxuan forcefully snatched the basin and returned to herunit.


    Dong Xuebing was feeling very embarrassed. His underwear andsocks were still in the basin.


    But despite feeling embarrassed, Dong Xuebing was alsograteful for what happened. If he wereslightly slower on that day of the ident, he wouldnot see Qu Yunbing''s beautiful smile today, andhe would be facing a cold and motionless dead body. He would regret his wholelife.

 Chapter 4: I must pass the test

    <h4>Chapter 4: I must pass the test</h4>


    Next day.


    Morning.


    The scorching summer sun was covered by dark clouds. It wasa gloomy day, and it felt cooler than the previous few days.


    Dong Xuebing woke up and remembered that his underwear andsocks were still at Aunt Xuan''s house. He felt ufortable and hurriedly wentto unit 302 to press on the doorbell. Aunt Xuan was the woman he secretlyadmired, and he wanted to show her the best side of him. He did not want her tosee his underwear and smelly socks. If he had known about this, he would fight with his life to stop Aunt Xuan fromtaking away all the dirtyundry. He was hoping that Aunt Xuan still had notwashed those clothes.


    Clicked. The door opened. "Oh, it''s Xiao Bing. I am justabout to go to work. Come in."


    Qu Yunxuan was staying alone, and her house has a pleasant smell. It was the smell of a singlewoman''s room. The living room was neat and clean. There was not even a spark ofdirt on the windows. Dong Xuebing entered the house and embarrassedly rubbedhis nose. He was blushing: "Ermmm, my clothes..."


    Qu Yunxuan was bending over to wear her socks and heels. Shelooked up andughed. She pointed towards the washroom with her chin: "Yourclothes are hanging in the washroom. I had washed them yesterday, and it might still be wet. What''s wrong? Areyou in a hurry to wear those clothes? You need me to help you dry the clotheswith a hairdryer?" She was squatting down on one leg, and the other was rise higher, showing a gap between her legs inthe office skirt.


    Dong Xuebing faced turned redder: "Ah... No need. I will bringmy clothes back to dry them. Thank you."


    Qu Yunxuan rolled her eyes: "Do you need to be so formalwith me? If we want to talk about thanking, I should be the one who should bethanking you."


    Qu Yunxuan was standing outside the restroom while Dong Xuebing rushed in to collect his clothes. Hist-shirt and pants were hanging on a rack, andhis underwear and socks were hanging from a hanger behind. Dong Xuebingimmediately grab all his clothes. He could imagine Qu Yunxuan''s soft handsscrubbing his underwear. He felt embarrassed.


    Dong Xuebing had lost focus, andhe only wanted to quickly return home with his clothes. Suddenly, he realizedhe was holding on to a skin-coloredcypanty. Damn! I took the wrong one. This was not my underwear. Dong Xuebingpped his forehead. He had taken Qu Yunxuan''s underwear by mistake. His handwas shaking as he held thecy underwearin his hand. He was excited and nervous. He could feel the soft and wetmaterial of the underwear. He looked at the underwear closely.


    This was Qu Yunxuan''s underwear...


    It was so beautiful...


    When Dong Xuebing was still in a daze, staring at thecyunderwear, a head appeared at the door of the washroom. "Hurry up and take yourclothes. I need to leave for my work..." Before the sentence was finished, QuYunxuan saw Dong Xuebing holding her underwear, andshe blushed.


    Dong Xuebing almost fainted. His first reaction was to throwthe underwear into the washing machine. "Aunt Xuan, it is not what you arethinking.


    Qu Yunxuan was giving him a look and did not say anything.


    That''s it. Dong Xuebing knew his good impressions he hadleft with Aunt Xuan was gone. He tried to exin: "It is really not what youare thinking. I had grabbed the wrong..." He could not give a good exnation.He suddenly remembered that he still had not usedhis time control today. He immediately shouted: "BACK!"


    ...


    Sceneries were flying.


    The next moment, Dong Xuebing saw his outstretched hand inmid-air. He was about to grab that skin colored underwear from the metalhanger.


    This was preciselywhat happened one minute ago.


    He had sessfully turn back the time again.


    He immediately stopped his hand/ He was relieved and grabbedhis clothes before walking out of the washroom. "Aunt Xuan, I am going backnow."


    Qu Yunxuanughed: "If you have dirtyundry in thefuture, pass it to me. I will help you wash."


    Phwee.... So close.


    When Dong Xuebing returned home, he tried to use Back a fewmore times but was unsessful.


    It seems that he could only use this power once a day.


    Alright! I am going to be rich!


    Breakfast was the leftover porridge fromst night''sdinner, an egg and a small te of preserved vegetables. Recently, the priceof eggs had increased. Dong Xuebing and his mother do not bear to eat eggs for some days. Dong Xuebing was swallowinghis saliva as he carefully peels the shells off the egg.


    "Mrs. Xu might bedropping byter." Dong Xuebing''s mother said. "How is your revision for theCivil Servant test?"


    "So-so." Dong Xuebing''s good mood was all gone. He sighed:"I don''t think I will do well. You also know that I have never been good withmy studies." After graduating from the University, Dong Xuebing had not beenworking. One reason was that he needs to prepare for the Civil Servant test.Another reason was he had graduated from an average school. His results werealso average. The chances of him passing and bing a civil servant were very slim. It can be considered almostimpossible.


    "It''s fine. If you did not pass this time, there is alwaysthe next time. If you really can''t enter the government agencies, then just geta job in the meantime." Dong Xuebing''s mother held his hand. "You will surelypass it one day."


    Facing the expectations ofhis mother, Dong Xuebing could feel the stress. "I... I will try my best."


    Sighed.... Civil Servant.


    Nowadays, there was fiercepetition in the governmentservice. Can he really enter thegovernment service? No matter how Dong Xuebing thinks, he felt it wasimpossible. He knew his chances were veryslim. His university ssmates, who had better scores and smarter than him,could not even pass the test. Other than the written test, there was still aninterview. Also if one had passed both the testand interview, the department that wasbeing applied would take only one person. The chances for one to be selectedwas extremely slim.


    Knock, knock, knock. Someone was knocking on the door.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother immediately grabbed him over to thedoor. Two people were standing at thedoor. One was a woman in her 40s, and theother was a bespectacled young man in his 20s. They were Dong Xuebing''sneighbors, Mrs. Xu and her son, XiaoDong. Behind them,a middle-aged man was walking down from thefourth floor. He had a big belly and looked at some leaders.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother saw him and immediately greeted thatman: "Section Chief Xu, are you going to work?"


    Dong Xuebing also greeted them: "Mr. and Mrs. Xu."


    Section Chief Xu had an air of arrogance. He nodded andcontinued walking down the stairs without saying a single word.


    Mrs. Xu shouted toSection Chief Xu from his back: "Your son''s test is nearing. Remember toehome early tonight. We will be eating out."


    Section Chief Xu and Mrs.Xu were husband and wife. He had been recently promoted and was now a sectionchief at the customs. It was not sure if he was a deputy section chief or thesection chief. But he had been doing well in his job. However, Dong Xuebingdoes not like this family. Especiallythat Section Chief Xu. He seems to be used to ordering people around and veryarrogant. He had never looked at people in the eyes. His eyes seem to be on topof his head.


    When Dong Xuebing''s mother let Mrs. Xu and her son enter thehouse, Dong Xuebing heard one of his neighborgreeting Section Chief Xu downstairs.


    "Oh, Section Chief Xu, why are you so early today?"


    "Chief Xu, thank you for your help. Can I have the honor totreat you today?"


    Someone was bootlicking him.


    Dong Xuebing was thinking in his heart. Being a government official was good. If only Icould be a civil servant.


    After closing the door, Dong Xuebing returned to the livingroom. His mother had taken out their besttea leaves in the house. She poured two cupsof tea for Mrs. Xu and Xiao Dong. Butthese "best tea leaves" were only the best for him and his mother. Mrs. Xu and her son do not think so. Mrs. Xu tooka sip and frowned. She ced the tea back on the table and never touch itagain. "Xiao Ping, I heard that your son will also be taking the test on the 15th?Is he confident of passing?"


    Dong Xuebing''s mother pulled him over and sighed: "I do nothave high hopes. How about Xiao Dong?"


    Xiao Dong pushed his spectacles. He was holding on to therevision materials and did not say a word. He was also very arrogant like hisfather.


    Mrs. Xuughedproudly: "Xiao Dong will surely pass. Last year''s national exams he did not putin his best. The essay questions were too simple, and he could not show his true capabilities. He had been studyingseriously this year. It should not be a problem for him to be among the top."After pausing a while, Mrs. Xu loweredher voice and proudly said: "I will just tell you and no one else. His father hadmade arrangements with the Customs. As long as Xiao Dong can pass theinterview, the customs will recruit him."


    "That''s good. Your son will have a bright future." DongXuebing''s mother enviously said. She moved closer to Mrs. Xu and asked: "If Xiao Dong is not busy, can he help Xiao Bingwith his revision?"


    Xiao Dong did not want toe over with his mother. When heheard Dong Xuebing''s mother request, he immediately said rudely: "Mum, I do nothave the time."


    Dong Xuebing saw him speaking so rudely to his mother, hegot furious: "You think I have the time for you?"


    Dong Xuebing''s mother became nervous and gave Dong Xuebing alight push with her elbow: "What''s wrong with you? Can''t you be nice toothers?"


    The mood in the room was awkward. Mrs. Xuughed softly and said: "Actually, there is no need forXiao Bing to enter take the civil servanttest so urgently. I know many graduates started work outside for a few yearsbefore taking the test. With the experiences they umted when working, itwill help them with the test. How can someone without experiences pass thetest? Look at how many graduates arerecruited into the Civil Service? The percentage is lesser than 0.1%."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother smiled and did not say a word.


    Dong Xuebing was thinking in his heart. Are you looking downon me? How do you know I cannot pass the test?


    He could tell that Mrs.Xu had brought her son over to show off.


    Half an hourter, Mrs.Xu left with her son. Before leaving thehouse, Xiao Dong looked at Dong Xuebingcoldly and then left. To him, he feltthat Dong Xuebing''s family was too poorand he was just a loser. Dong Xuebing might even have problems securing a job.These were the people who were destined to be at the lowest level of society for their whole life. This person wasnot worth his time.


    Noon.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother went back to her room for a nap, whileDong Xuebing was looking through a stack of past year essay questions in theliving room. He was doing his best to prepare for the test. But after studyingfor a while, he knew that there was no way he could pass the test. He might noteven reach the minimum score. He was wasting his time revising.


    Dong Xuebing suddenly heard someone speaking softly.


    The sound came from inside the house, but Dong Xuebing couldnot make out what that person was saying.


    Dong Xuebing followed the sounds, and it wasing from the bedroom. He slowly turned the doorknoband opened a slit.


    He saw his mother holding on to his father''s ck and whitephotograph. She was crying silently. "Why her son gets to enter the governmentservice and my son can''t? Dear, you must watch over our son and help him passthe test. If our son can enter the government service, I... I don''t mind givingup a few years of my life."


    "Mum..." Dong Xuebing opened the door and walked in.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother saw her son had caught her cryingagain and she quickly wiped her tears: "I am fine. Don''t worry."


    Standing in front of his mother, Dong Xuebing gritted histeeth and said: "You do not need to worry. I will surely pass the test even ifit cost my life!" Seeing how sad his mother was, Dong Xuebing was determined topass the test. Why other people''s families were all government officials andtheir children can also be government officials, and he has to be amoner? He could not even afford to give his mother abetter life?


    I also have a head on my shoulders like others. In what wayam I inferior to them?


    Dong Xuebing must pass the test and be a civil servant.


    This time, Dong Xuebing was determined to prove himself andmake his mother proud!

 Chapter 5: Preparation

    <h4>Chapter 5: Preparation</h4>


    It was a few days more to the Civil Servant entrance test.Since Dong Xuebing had promised his mother, he had to do his best.


    After dinner, Dong Xuebing returned to his room and startedto go through all the cupboards and drawers, looking for something. He found a stackOptically answer sheet and a stack of writing papers from under his bed. He hadused these Optically answer sheets during his high school days. he ced the sheetsand paper on his desk and prepared his stationaries, like eraser and 2Bpencils. He started training his memory. ABCD, 1234...


    This was the only way Dong Xuebing could pass the CivilServant Test. Although the chances of him passing was less than 20%, he wasdetermined to try.


    The next morning.


    Dong Xuebing woke up on the couch among the stacks of answersheets. He immediately continued practising. "AABDDCCABDC..." He closed his eyesand started to rattle off the answers from his mind.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother felt he was being weird and asked:"Xuebing, what are you doing?"


    Dong Xuebing coughed and replied: "Preparations."


    His mother looked at him: "Didn''t you bought the revisionmaterials for the test? Why are you looking at those old answer sheets?"


    "Oh... don''t mind me. I know what to do." If Dong Xuebingcould still use Back on the day of the test, all his efforts will not bewasted.


    Practice... Practice... Practice...


    One hour... Two hours... 3 hours...


    Ring, ring, ring. Dong Xuebing''s handphone rang. He took alook at the caller ID and it was an unknown number. "Hello?"


    "Hi, are you Xiao Dong?" The caller asked. He sounded quiteold.


    "Yes, you are...?"


    "My surname is Hu."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Oh... You are Grandpa Hu? How''s yourhealth?"


    "Thanks for asking. I am feeling good. Haha... are you busytoday? If you are free, can youe over to the hospital to apany me?"


    "Huh? Sorry, I am taking the Civil Servant test in a fewdays. I am still doing my revisions."


    The other party on the phone sounded a bit surprised: "Youare taking the Civil Servant test? Did you register earlier this year inBeijing for this test?" There was a slight pause. Grandpa Hu continued: "Hmmm...if you do not have confident with the written test,e and look for me at theCancer Hospital''s Oncology ward. Don''t think I am old, I am able to teach youabout the techniques to answer the written test, especially the essayquestions. Are you interested?"


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. "Ah.... Really?"


    "Of course. Do you think this old man will lie to someonewho had saved his life?"


    Dong Xuebing had found the way to handle the multiple-choicequestions. But hhe was not confident on the essay questions. "Alright. I willgo over now. Thank you."


    After hanging up, Dong Xuebing told his mother where he wasgoing and ran out with his materials and books.


    Beijing Cancer Hospital.


    Dong Xuebing was not working for some time, and he did not have much savings left. On theway to the hospital, he bought some cheap fruits from a roadside stall. At thehospital, he asked around and found the ward. It was ward 3016. He stoodoutside the ward and knocked on the door.


    "Come in." On a bed near the window, Grandpa Hu was lookingat a photograph with his reading ss.


    Dong Xuebing walked over and ce the fruits on the sidetable. "Grandpa Hu, I wish you a speedy recovery."


    "You should not waste your money." Grandpa Hu smiled andpull Dong Xuebing to sit down. He touched his family photo and showed Dong Xuebing."This is my eldest son, and this is my daughter. This is my youngest son andhis wife." The woman in the picture was pregnant. "sighed.... I almost miss thechance to see my new-born grandson. Xiao Dong, thanks for pulling me back fromhell that day. I really want to thank you."


    "Don''t mention it."


    Tears start to well upin Grandpa Hu''s eyes: "There is no hope for my lung cancer. Sometimes I feellike I should just die earlier. But when I was almost killed, I realized that Ican''t let go. I still want to live."


    Dong Xuebing had changed both Grandpa Hu and Qu Yunxuan''s fatethat day, and he was also deeply moved.


    After some pleasantries, Grandpa Hu suddenly said: "Show meyour revision materials for the test. Which part of this you are unclear about?I will exin it to you."


    Dong Xuebing immediately asked some questions about theareas where he does not understand.


    Grandpa Hu thought for a while and answered: "If you answerthis question this way, your answer will be too subjective. It is not a goodanswer. After all, this is not an argument. There will be bound to havemistakes here and there. The markers might deduct your marks with your answer."


    Dong Xuebing did notunderstand and asked: "How should I answer this question then? Paint a goodpicture? Answer in a high-sounding way?"


    Grandpa Huughed: "Xiao Dong, don''t look down on being ''Fake,Lies, Empty Promises.'' It is not easy tomaster this art. If you learned this, youwould be able to score points in your answers.When you need to be fake, you got to be fake. When you need to lie, you got tolie. When you need to make empty promises, you got do that. This does not applyonly to the Civil Servant entry test. Even when you be a governmentofficial, you need to use this too. Come... Let this old man exin this toyou..."


    Dong Xuebing listened thewhole afternoon attentively.


    Grandpa Hu was very knowledgeable. His exnations were clear and easy to understand.


    After a few hours, Dong Xuebing got morefortable withGrandpa Hu. He was able to talk freely. "Sighed... The person who set thesequestions is too much. Why did he set such difficult questions? Is he trying tomake things difficult for us?" Dong Xuebing grumbled. "I had practiced the past year''s questions and noticed that the questions were getting harderand harder each year. It is easy for the one who set these questions. He justmoves his mouth. But we are the ones who are suffering. Who did we offend?"


    Grandpa Hu frowned and did not say a word.


    "Huh?" Dong Xuebing was shocked. Did I say the wrong thing?


    After a while, Grandpa Hu said: "You should not be sayingthese. If these questions are easy, then what''s the use of having this test?There will only be one or two vacancies, andif all the candidates scored full marks, they wouldstill have topete with each other. Itwill still be the same." Grandpa Hu flipped open a reference book and pointedto the page: "My son and I are schrs. But he is more capable than me and hadbe a professor years ago. Look, he is the one who set most ofst year''sShanghai Civil Servant Test''s essay questions."


    Dong Xuebing realized that when he grumbled about the personwho set the questions, he had also scolded Grandpa Hu''s son indirectly.


    Shit. Me and my big mouth...


    Oh yes, I still have not use"Back" today.


    Back!


    ...


    The time returned back to one minute ago. Dong Xuebing couldfeel his mouth moving. He should be in the middle of saying something. GrandpaHu who was listening to him frowned. Dong Xuebing looked at his facialexpression and knew that he had used Back toote. "Errr... Grandpa Hu, wheredid I stop?"


    Grandpa Hu smiled weakly and said: "You are saying that theone who set these questions is making things difficult for you all."


    "Yes." Dong Xuebing immediately thought of how to continue."Making things difficult for all of us."


    Grandpa Hu knitted his brows.


    "But..." Dong Xuebing continued and picked up the revisionbook who contains all the past years''questions. "But two years ago, Beihe Province andst year''s Shanghaiquestions was quite meaningful. Look at the questions. Although it isdifficult, but from the questions, youwill know that the person who set these questions have a higher standard ofeducation. If I encounter these questions during this year''s test, I will haveno grumbles even if I can''t answer them."


    Grandpa Hu stared nkly at him for a while and burst ouughing: "Xiao Dong... I will tell you something. My son is the one who set theessay questions forst year''s Shanghai essay questions."


    Dong Xuebing pretended to be surprised: "Ah?"


    "My son is more capable than me." Grandpa Hu stroked hisbeard and smilingly said: "Haha. Xiao Dong, I will teach you how to answeressay questions, and I promise you willscore high marks."


    "Really?"


    "Of course. If you can''t pass, you cane and look forme!"

 Chapter 6: Conflict with Section Chief Xu!

    <h4>Chapter 6: Conflict with Section Chief Xu!</h4>


    The next 3 days.


    Dong Xuebing woke up early for memory practice. He had usedBack 3 times for his test preparations. He tried several methods and angleswhile using Back. He needs to get used tothe feeling of turning back time and be more familiar with this power.


    Time flies, and itwas the day before the test.


    Beijing Cancer Hospital, Oncology ward.


    Dong Xuebing continued to study under Grandpa Hu. GrandpaHu''s son was the examiner in Shanghai, andGrandpa Hu seemed to have the experiencedand had researched into these essay questions. This was why Dong Xuebing forcedhimself to memorize everything he said and listened attentively. The lessonshad changed from Dong Xuebing asking questions, to Grandpa Hu asking questionsand Dong Xuebing answering them. The questions asked by Grandpa Hu was not fromthe materials. It was not sure where he got those questions. Sometimes, GrandpaHu would tell him about the rules and responsibilities of the variousgovernment departments. This was to let Dong Xuebing understand what the dutiesof a Civil Servant were.


    "... The data presented to you is about our citizensmisbehaving while on holiday overseas. Using the data, write a suggestion tothe head of the Tourism Bureau. The required answer needs to be relevant andimplementable. It needs to be concise and not more than 400 words. Try toanswer it."


    Dong Xuebing starts to answer.


    Grandpa Hu shook his head and pointed out where he got itwrong and then told him the answer in his mind.


    Dong Xuebing wanted to write Grandpa Hu''s answer down, buthe was stopped by Grandpa Hu. "You don''t need to record it down. You need tounderstand the general direction of my answer and the important points in theargument. Once you understand the answer, you will automatically remember theanswer. Do you still have any questions? Good. I will give you one morequestion to test you. China has rich resourcesin the surrounding sea, but our Per capita ie is low. Bo Sea is China''sbiggest ind sea. It is crucial to the economies of the Northeast region..."


    Afternoon.


    Grandpa Hu coughed and asked: "Did you remember everything?"


    "Yes." Dong Xuebing quickly pass a few pieces of tissues toGrandpa Hu.


    Grandpa Hu smiled and patted Dong Xuebing on his arm: "Yourfriends and ssmates are also taking this test in Beijing with you? Keepeverything I taught you to yourself. Don''t tell your ssmates. Hahaha. Thisold man''s knowledge is limited, andthat''s everything I can teach you."


    "You are too modest. Ireally learned a lot from you." Dong Xuebing rubbed his nose embarrassedly andcontinued: "I do not have many friends as I did not stay at my university. The ssmates I knewwerenot interested in being a civil servant. They had already found jobs in theprivate sector. I am the only one still dreaming of entering the governmentservice. Sorry for troubling you the past few days. I really appreciate yourhelp. Thank you."


    Before Dong Xuebing left, Grandpa Hu patted his shoulder andsaid: "Do well for the test. China''s future will depend on you youngsters."


    Dong Xuebing nodded.


    North Heping Street.


    Dong Xuebing walked up the musty stairs and press thedoorbells of his home.


    Click. Dong Xuebing''s mother who was at home helped him openthe door. At the same time, there was another sound of someone opening the doorfrom the fourth story. Section Chief Xu and his family walked down the stairs.Dong Xuebing''s mother saw them and immediately greeted: "Section Chief Xu, youare back so early? Are you all going to have dinner outside?" Dong Xuebing alsoreluctantly greeted them.


    Section Chief Xu did not say a thing and just noddedarrogantly.


    Mrs. Xuughed: "Tomorrow is the test. Both of us are bringing Xiao Dong to Quanjudeto have dinner."


    "Oh, that ce is expensive." Dong Xuebing''s mother said.


    "Quanjude is still fine. It is not some fancy restaurantanyway." Xiao Dong said and red at Dong Xuebing. He reached over to press QuYunxuan''s doorbell. When no one opened the door, he pressed it again.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother quickly said: "Yunxuan might still beat work."


    Xiao Dong disappointedly mumbled a replied and turned to hisparents: "Mum, Dad, let''s go." Dong Xuebing knew that this Xiao Dong was wooingQu Yunxuan recently. Although Qu Yunxuan''s family was not well-off, she was beautiful. This was why Section Xu''s family didnot object their son from going after someone a fewyears older.


    When Dong Xuebing entered his house, Section Chief Xu andhis family continued their way towards the stairs. Section Chief Xuidentally kicked the garbage bag outside of Dong Xuebing''s home. Dong Xuebing''s mother had ced thegarbage bag there, and the bag was oilyand stained with leftover foods. Section Chief Xu''s shoes and pants werestained.


    Section Chief Xu''s face changed and turned to Dong Xuebing''smother: "What''s wrong with you? Why did you leave your garbage here? Did you dothis on purpose?"


    Dong Xuebing''s mother immediately apologized: "I''m sorry...Really sorry.... I..... was just about to take the garbage downstairs."


    Xiao Dong frowned: "Can you all be more cultured? You thinkour corridors are not dirty enough?"


    Dong Xuebing''s mother replied: "I will clear it now. I''msorry."


    Seeing his mother being scolded, Dong Xuebing becamefurious: "You are cultured? If you are cultured, will you still throw rubbishout of your windows?" Thest time Dong Xuebing returned home with his mother,they were almost hit by a garbage bag thrown out of Section Chief Xu''s window.It was not sure if it was Xiao Dong or Section Chief Xu who had thrown it. Allthe neighbors knew that Section Chief Xu''s unit hasbeen throwing their garbage bags out of their windows. But no one dares to sayanything as Section Chief Xu was a government official and they weremoners.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother tugged his son''s clothes: "Xuebing!"


    Xiao Dong stared at Dong Xuebing: "What are you saying?Who''s the one who throw rubbish out of the windows?"


    Dong Xuebing coldly replied: "You should know who it is."


    "Are you even qualified to speak here?" Section Chief Xustared at Dong Xuebing. "You have dirtied my shoes, and you still want to argue?"


    "You are the one..." Dong Xuebing was about to continuearguing when his mother pulled him back.


    Mrs. Xu tried to calm the situation: "Old Xu, why are youarguing with a kid? We are all neighbors. Let it rest." Mrs. Xu turned to DongXuebing''s mother: "Xiaoping, we are off for our dinner. You should not ceyour garbage outside your house. This is not right. Don''t do it again."


    Dong Xuebing''s lungs were about to burst. That Chief Xu wasthe one who kicked the garbage bag, andhe wants to me his mother?


    Section Chief Xu used a napkin to wipe his show and turnedaway: "Fuck. Let''s go. The car is waiting."


    Xiao Dong looked at Dong Xuebing and his mother scornfullyand followed his parents down the stairs.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother just smiled at them until they disappearedfrom her view. She quickly closes the door and sighed. "Xuebing, we can''tafford to offend them. You...


    Dong Xuebing was still pissed: "What sort of person is he?Government officials can be unreasonable?"


    "Sigh..."


    In the evening, Qu Yunxuan returned from work and knocked onDong Xuebing''s door. She was carrying bags of vegetables and meat.


    These few days, Qu Yunxuan had integrated into DongXuebing''s family. She hadbe closer with Dong Xuebing and his mother.They would have dinner together and would joke and chat. It was like a family.


    "Yunxuan, eat more." Dong Xuebing''s mother picked somevegetables and ce in her bowl.


    "Sis Luan..." Qu Yunxuan hesitated for a while and askedworriedly: "When I was on my way back, I heard from thedy downstairs said...What happened?"


    This apartment building was an old building built in the1980s. The soundproofing was not verygood, and neighbors could hear each otherclearly. Dong Xuebing''s mother tapped Qu Yunxuan''s hand: "Yunxuan, listen tosis. If you are looking for a boyfriend, don''t ever look for someone like XiaoDong. I am not talking behind their backs, but they are all bullies..." DongXuebing''s mother told her what happened just now.


    Qu Yunxuan frowned after she heard what happened. She heldLuan Xiaoping''s hand and sighed: "I know that family is all not decent people. I have not told anyone else. Do you knowthat Xiao Dong is wooing me? But I had rejected him several times. A few daysago, I met Section Chief Xu at the supermarket on my off day. He pointed at mein the face and said. Don''t think you are somebody because my son likes you. Itis your honor for my son to like you.... He still said many nasty things. I...Sighed...."


    Dong Xuebing clenched his fist: "Does he thinks that he isthe mayor or governor?"


    "Let''s not talk about him." Qu Yunxuan smiled sweetly andtook a napkin and wiped off a grain of rice on Dong Xuebing''s face. "Tomorrowis your test. You must do your best and not let that Xu family look down on you.Show them that not only Xiao Dong can enter the government service. Our XiaoBing can also do it!"


    Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and replied: "Don''t worry. Iwill surely pass the test!"

 Chapter 7: Civil Servant Entry Test

    <h4>Chapter 7: Civil Servant Entry Test</h4>


    Next day.


    Morning.


    Dong Xuebing was sitting on the couch, preparing to go out.


    Qu Yunxuan was behaving like she was the one taking thetest. She looked very nervous: "Xiao Bing, when you answer the questions, takenote of the time. If you don''t know the answer, just make a random guess andmove on to the next question. I heard that there will not be enough time. Oh,did you bring pencils? Remember to bring an extra pencil with you. What abouterasers and 2B pencils? Did you bring yourID? You must make sure not to leave anything out." She helped Dong Xuebing tostraighten his T-shirt and then wiped his shoes with a damp cloth.


    Dong Xuebing got a fright: "Stop, stop. I will wipe my shoesmyself."


    "Qu Yunxuan continued to wipe his shoes carefully and gentlysaid: "The test is at 9 am. You should take this opportunity to do somst-minute revision."


    Qu Yunxuan was behaving like an elder sister to him.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother walked out from the kitchen with abag. "I have packed some fruits in case you are hungry or thirsty."


    There was a bottle of mineral water and some ears and applesin the bag. Qu Yunxuan took the bag and said: "Sister Luan, I will be going tothe venueter with Xiao Bing. After the morning test, I will bring him outfor lunch. We will not being back for lunch as the venue is a bit far. Hestill has a second test in the afternoon."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother asked: "Don''t you need to go to worktoday?"


    Qu Yunxuan replied: "I took a day off."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother: "You don''t need to take the day offfrom work. I can apany him."


    Dong Xuebing added: "That''s right. You don''t need toewith me."


    "You rascal." Qu Yunxuan yfully pinched Dong Xuebing''scheeks. "Your Aunt is worried about you. Sis Luan, you should rest at home. Theweather is too hot, and you have highblood pressure. You should rest more."


    "Errr...." Dong Xuebing''s mother was very close with QuYunxuan and did not stand on ceremony: "Yunxuan, then I will have to troubleyou. Xuebing, just do your best for the test."


    Dong Xuebing nodded: "Yes."


    Beijing No.15 Middle School.


    After turning from Zi Xin Road, one could see a big redbanner hung across the gate of a school ¨C Beijing Government agencies CivilServant Test Venue. No. 15 Middle School. There was also a notice outsidestating, "Please show your ID and admission letter." and "Do your best for thetest." There were lots of people standing outside. Some parents were there tosend their children for this test, andsome wives had sent their husbands over. There was even a family of more than10 members waiting for their child.


    Children were their parents'' hopes. If they could beCivil Servants, their parents will be proud of them.


    Dong Xuebing and Qu Yunxuan stood outside the school afteralighting from a Taxi.


    Suddenly, all eyes were on Qu Yunxuan.


    Qu Yunxuan was too beautiful, and wherever she goes, she would attract the stares of all the men.She was used to this, and she spoke likea mother to Dong Xuebing: "Don''t be nervous and just try your best. If you areable to pass, I will treat you to a big meal. Do you prefer Western or Chinesecuisine? Oh, do you still remember what I told you in the Taxi? You need tokeep track of your time. The multiple-choice test is only 2 hours. You need ton your time carefully."


    Dong Xuebing smiled and took out his phone from his pocket:"Yes, I remember. I cannot bring my phone in. I will leave it with you."


    Suddenly, someone called Qu Yunxuan''s name from their back.They turned and saw Mrs. Xu and Xiao Dong.


    "Yunxuan, you are here too? You send Xiaobing over?" Unlikeother parents, Mrs. Xu was calm and rx. She seems to be confident that herson will pass. "That''s great. Later when Xiao Dong and Xiao Bing go in fortheir test, we can have tea together. It''s been a while since we chatted." Sheturned to Dong Xuebing. "Do your best." Although she said that, she neverexpects Dong Xuebing to pass the written test. Her son had taken this testtwice. How could Dong Xuebing pass on his first try?


    Xiao Dong ignored Dong Xuebing and spoke to Qu Yunxuan: "SisQu, why are you here with him?" He does not understand why Qu Yunxuan was soclose with Dong Xuebing''s family so suddenly. She was not like this in thepast.


    Dong Xuebing was thinking in his heart. If she is not herewith me, you think she wille here with you?


    Qu Yunxuan had a different attitude towards Xiao Bing. Shenonchntly replied something to that mother and son pair and turn to DongXuebing. She pushes a small cloth bag into his hand. "I have gotten this fromthe temper, and it is supposed to bringyou good luck."


    Dong Xuebing was moved by Qu Yunxuan''s concern for him. He slowlyturned and walked through the school gates.


    The school has 3buildings, and the test venue is on thewest building.


    When Dong Xuebing entered the building, he noticed Xiao Dongwas near him. He turned to Xiao Dong and asked: "Did you really almost got thefull marks inst year''s national exams? You only got a few logic questionswrong?" Both of them had grudges, and dong Xuebing had no reason to be nice tohim.


    Xiao Dong looked at him with a ck face and replied in anunfriendly manner: "What''s wrong? You are jealous?"


    Dong Xuebing sneered: "What''s there to be jealous?"


    Xiao Dong: "You want to be a civil servant? Maybe in your nextlife. Do you want to bet to see who will enter the government agency first?"


    Dong Xuebing could feel his blood boiling: "Ok! We shall see!"


    Xiao Dong continued to make some snide remarks and then walktowards his room. He was well prepared for this test, especially themultiple-choice test. He was confident that he would score well and there wasno way to lose to Dong Xuebing who was taking the test for his first time.


    Dong Xuebing did not look for his own ssroom. He stoodthere watching Xiao Dong. When he was about 7 to 8 meters away, Dong Xuebingstart to follow him. He looked at Xiao Dong''s back nervously. He watches asXiao Dong made a turn and entered a ssroom alongthe corridor. Dong Xuebing stopped and take note of the ssroom number. He walkedcloser and look at Xiao Dong''s seat. Hmmm.... middle of the 2nd row. Not far from the door.


    Xiao Dong saw Dong Xuebing standing outside of the room andfrowned: "What do you want?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled: "Nothing. I just want to know where youare seated."


    "What does that have to do with you?" Xiao Dong red athim. "Both of us are also not in the same room. Are you thinking of copying myanswers?"


    Dong Xuebing shrugged his shoulders: "Maybe.... Be carefulwith your answer sheet."


    "You are nuts." Xiao Dong ignored him and start to arrangehis stationaries.


    After leaving that ssroom, Dong Xuebing starts to lookfor his own ss, ss 026. His ssroom was two sses away from Xiao Dong.


    Dong Xuebing found his seat in his ss. It was the thirdtable by a wall.


    The examiner entered the ss and observed every candidate in the room. He wants to make sure noone had brought cheating materials.


    A young man seated near the windowwas sweating profusely.


    A girl in the front row was fidgeting uneasily.


    A man seated at the back of the ss was pping his facewith both of had hand.


    Dong Xuebing could feel the tension in the room. He lookedaround the half-filled ssroom and exhaled. He calmed himself and said asilent prayer. In his heart, he was thinking: "Finally this is the day. Pleaselet the questions be easier..."

 Chapter 8: Copying other people’s answer

    <h4>Chapter 8: Copying other people''s answer</h4>


    Administrative Aptitude Test is also known as AAT in short.


    This was a test to evaluate the candidate''s potentibilities. There is a series of logic questions included in it. This test isdifferent from IQ test and does not test the candidate''s knowledge. This test candetermine the potential of the candidate''s abilities and suitability of being aCivil Servant. The candidate''s potential is built up over the years throughtheir experiences and education.


    The test was a closedbook test, and there were about 135multiple choice questions.


    Morning, from 9 am to11 am. The duration of the test was 2 hours.


    Room 026. The examiner had read out the rules and the thingsto note before the start of the test. The test papers and answer sheets weregiven out to the candidates. Dong Xuebing touched the question booklet andprayed in his heart. Please let this test be an easy one...


    Dong Xuebing looked down at the questions and start toanswer.


    First question. Eh? I have done a simr problem from one of the reference books. Easy.


    Second question. Huh? This question is also easy. It issimr to one of the questions from the Jiangnan Civil Servant test 3 years ago.


    Third question. After thinking for about 10 seconds, DongXuebing shaded C on his answer sheet. This was another easy question.


    Fourth question. Dong Xuebing chose B. Although he was notvery confident, it should be the right answer.


    The first 4 questions were not difficult, and Dong Xuebing felt more confident. He thought that this test was not as difficult ashe expected. He carried on answering the questions. But from the sixthquestion, the difficulty of the test increases. Dong Xuebing could not answerquestion 6 to 10. He could only guess the answers. When he reaches question 33to 47, he was not even confident of guessing the answers.


    This was a dangerous sign.


    Dong Xuebing became more anxious as he tried answering theremaining questions.


    The test was too hard. It was moreplicated thanst year''s papers.


    The math questions were not very difficult, as Dong Xuebinghad just graduated and he could still remember what he had learned. He was ableto answer almost all the calction questions. He was confident of gettingmost of these questions right. Languagequestions should also not be a problem. He should get most of it right. But thelogic and general knowledge questions were too difficult.Dong Xuebing would be jumping with joy if he could get half of his answersright. As for the questions about data analysis, he was sure that he did notget a single answer right.


    Shit. That''s it. Hehad flunked the test.


    Dong Xuebing was cursing and swearing the person who had setthese questions in his heart.


    20 minutes passed.


    40 minutes passed.


    There was still 15 minutes left on the clock. Manycandidates had put down their pencils. Some were in a daze staring at the ceiling. Some were scratching their head, andsome were looking depressed. Everyone in the room has different expressions, but one thing inmon, all of themdoes not seems to be confident of passing.


    Dong Xuebing felt that he should not wait any longer. Ifnot, he would not pass this test along with most of the candidates.


    He took out his 2B pencil and start to mark out thequestions that he was not confident and those he does not know the answers. Hecounted, and there were 45 questions. Asfor the remaining questions, he was 70%sure that he got those correct.


    "Eh? What are you writing?" The middle-aged examiner walkedover to Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing looked at his watch and took a deep breath.Let''s start!


    Looking at the answer sheet with all the markings, theexaminer frowned and said: "You are not supposed to write on the answer sheet.The machine will not be able to detect your answers. Hurry and erase them."


    Dong Xuebing did not reply and suddenly stood up from hischair. The examiner and the rest of the candidates were shocked. He immediatelygrabbed his answer sheet and push the examiner aside. He ran as fast as hecould out of the room.


    "WTF? What is he doing?"


    "Who knows? Maybe he became crazy."


    "Stop! You are still in the middle of your test!"


    Everyone was shocked. Theycould notprehend why that person suddenly run out of the room. Was hegiving up on this test?


    One of the examiners remained in room 026 to maintain order,and the other ran out to the corridorshouting. "Old Li, Old Zhang, help me catch that man. He is still holding on tothe answer sheet. Don''t let him disturb the rest of the candidates."


    Two examiners who were walking along the corridor werestunned. They have never encountered such a situationbefore.


    As the examiner was shouting, Dong Xuebing had entered thethird ssroom. He kicked the door opened. Everyone in the room was staring athim in shock. Dong Xuebing did not say athing, and he kicked a desk in front ofhim aside. He ran over to Xiao Dong and snatched his answer sheet. Xiao Dongwas too shocked to say a thing. He was rooted in his seat.


    Xiao Dong stuttered: "What are you doing?" He could notbelieve what he was seeing. Never in his wildest dreams, he had expected Dong Xuebing to "copy" his answers so openly.


    Dong Xuebing said: "I had warned you to be careful with youranswers before the test."


    The examiners in this room were all females and were quiteyoung. Both of them did not dare to stopDong Xuebing after they saw him kicking open the door and snatching onecandidate''s answer sheet. They were rooted to the ground and shouted: "Whichroom are you from? What are you doing? Put the answer sheet down!"


    When Xiao Dong heard the examiners shouting, he reacted. Hetried to snatch his answer sheet from Dong Xuebing: "Give it back to me."


    Although Dong Xuebing was not someone with good physicalfitness, he was still much stronger than Xiao Dong. He dodged Xiao Dong''sattempt and ran out. He jumped out of an opened window along the corridor intothe garden outside and started running towards the school''s empty sports field.While running, he was looking at both answer sheets in his hand. Heparedhis answers with Xiao Dong and memorized the answers to those questions hemarked.


    ABBCADDDBCADAB...


    Dong Xuebing had already used up 30 seconds from the time heran out of his room to get Xiao Dong''sanswers. He still has 30 seconds left.


    There was still enough time.


    "Stop there!"


    "Stop running!"


    A few workers and securities had caught up with him and hadsurrounded him.


    Dong Xuebing ignored them and continued to recite theanswers. ABBCADDDBCADAB...


    "Catch him!"


    Dong Xuebing felt an impact on his back, and the next moment, he was pinned down on theground.


    An examiner shouted from the back: "What is he doing?Disqualified him!"


    Another person said while panting: "Call the police!"


    Xiao Dong, who hadalso caught up asked: "Are my resultsstill valid? He is the one who snatched my answer sheets."


    Dong Xuebing who was pinned under the securities, ignoredhis pain and gritted his teeth to finish reading thest row of answers,before shouting: "Back!"


    ...


    The surroundings were quiet.


    This was room 026. Everyone was doing their test, and no one was saying a word.


    There was only the sound of pens and pencils scratching onpaper.


    Dong Xuebing felt some giddiness, and the next moment, he saw the balding examiner standing in frontof him looking at his answer sheet. "You are not supposed to write on theanswer sheet. The machine will not be able to detect your answers. Hurry anderase them."


    Time had returned to one minute ago.


    Dong Xuebing wiped his sweat with his heart still beatingvery fast: "Yes."


    The Examiner looked at him and then walked away.


    Dong Xuebing dare not to waste any more time. He immediately picksup his pencils and starts shading theanswers. I must not forget the answers. I must remember the answers...


    ABBCADDDBCADAB...


    Since a week ago, Dong Xuebing had started training hismemory. The training was for him to cheat in the test. Dong Xuebing was shadingthe answers as fast as he could. The first 20 answers were easy to remember.Most people were able to temporary remember about 20 something alphabets. Butit bes harder as the number increases. Dong Xuebing tried his best, and he was able to write down slightly morethan 30 answers. He knew he was unable to remember the rest of the answers andhe used some tricks to help.


    For example, AACBA, hewill remember it as AAAAA.


    If the answers are ABAD, he will remember it as ABCD.


    2 minutester, Dong Xuebing had finished writing down allthe answers he copied from Xiao Dong.


    If Xiao Dong really had almost scored the full marks fost year''s National exams, then his scores for this year''s AAT should not betoo far away. There should be at least 90% of him getting the answers right.That''s enough. With the rest of the answerswhich Dong Xuebing was confident, he should be getting a high score for thistest.


    Phwee...


    Cheating... Sess!

 Chapter 9: This are the essay questions?

    <h4>Chapter 9: This are the essay questions?</h4>


    The AAT test was over.


    In the corridor outside of the ssrooms, Dong Xuebing metXiao Dong.


    Xiao Dong nced at Dong Xuebing and sarcastically said:"The AAT this year is harder than the national exams. Are you still confidentof passing?"


    Dong Xuebing looked at him and asked: "Did you screw up yourtest?"


    "Me? Screw up?" Xiao Dongughed and confidently replied:"You think I am the same as you? Other than 2 logic questions which I know Igot it wrong, and a few general knowledge questions which I am not confident, Iam confident that I got the rest of the questions right. Before I handed overmy answer sheet, I calcted, and I am confident that the questions I got itwrong will not be more than 7%. Hmph! What about you? I think you should get atleast 40 to 50 questions wrong."


    Dong Xuebing smiled: "Don''t worry about me. If you areconfident of passing, then I should not be a problem."


    "Stop putting on a brave front." Xiao Dong does not knowwhat Dong Xuebing meant.


    After this first test, Dong Xuebing felt relieved. But whenhe thought of the essay test in the after, he became nervous again.


    Dong Xuebing had no appetite for lunch.


    Qu Yunxuan and Mrs. Xu, who were waiting for them, did not ask them about the test. They do not want togive them additional stress. They had a quick lunch in dumpling restaurant nearthe school, and soon it was time for theafternoon test.


    Back at No. 15 Middle School, Xiao Dong looks calm and confident. "Do your best and do not fail."


    Dong Xuebing had no confidence at all, but he stillstubbornly replied: "Speak for yourself."


    "Hmph!" Xiao Dong went back to his ssroom.


    The written essay test was 2 and a half hours.


    13:30 to 16:00.


    This written test was to test the candidates in 7 aspects. Readingprehension, analyticalskills, problem-solving skills,nguage,writing, knowledge of current political affairs, and administrative skills.There were no fixed answers andcandidates had to answer in short essays.


    Dong Xuebing was not good at critical essays. However, hedid improve slightly under Grandpa Hu''sguidance over the past few days. Dong Xuebing knew that he was still not goodenough to pass this test. Actually, Dong Xuebing had nned to use Back duringthe essay test, if the morning test was not too difficult.


    But his n had failed. The morning test was too hard, andhe got to use Back. Now, he had no more tricks up his sleeves.


    What do I do now?


    If the essay test is on the same standard as the morningtest, Dong Xuebing knew that he will not pass.


    Maybe it''s fated that I can''t enter the government service.


    Half an hour before the start of the test. Room 026. Onceagain, Dong Xuebing could feel the tension in the air. Everyone was affected bythe difficulty of the morning test, andthey were frowning.


    Dong Xuebing sighed and tapped his cheeks. In his heart, hewas praying.


    He was now not hopingto answer all the questions, he only praythat his scores will not be too low. He might still be able to pass with theoverall marks. This was his only wish.


    13:30, test starts.


    Dong Xuebing picked up his pen and immediately start on thefirst question.


    He read the article given and then looked at the requiredanswer. He could feel a shiver. This test was on the same difficulty as themorning test. Dong Xuebing read the article twice and does not understand whatthe article was about. There was no wayhe could answer the question.


    Damn.


    As good as dead.


    Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth and just answered whatever heknew, hoping to score at least somemarks. He flipped the question booklet to the second question.


    "China has richresources in the surrounding sea, but our Per capita ie is low. Bo Sea isChina''s biggest ind sea. It is crucial to the economies of the Northeastregion..."


    Eh?! Dong Xuebing could not believehis eyes. Why was this question so familiar?


    He flipped over to the third question.


    "Write a suggestion to the head of the Tourism Bureau withregards to our China tourist misbehaving overseas. The required answer needs tobe relevant and implementable. It needs to be concise and not more than 400words..."


    Dong Xuebing was stunned and gasped out loud: "Eh?"


    "What''s wrong with you?" The examiner looked at him. "Doyour test quietly and don''t make any noise."


    Dong Xuebing immediately said: "I''m sorry." He looked at thequestions again to make sure his eyes were not ying tricks on him. He wassurprised and overjoyed when he saw the fourth question. He does not know howto describe his feelings.


    Are these really the test questions?


    Are these really the test questions?


    Are these really the test questions?


    Dong Xuebing asked himself the same question thrice. Hecould hardly believe what he was seeing.


    It was half an hour into the test, and Dong Xuebing could not afford to be still in a daze. He picksup his pen again and starts to answer.


    Dong Xuebing was writing down his answers smoothly with nopauses in between.


    The examiner had been watching Dong Xuebing, and he suspects that Dong Xuebing was cheating.He walked over to Dong Xuebing and stood behind him to watch him. He nced atDong Xuebing''s answer sheet. A minute passed, andthe examiner was surprised. He stoodthere until the bell announcing the end of the test rang. He and the otherexaminer collected all the answer sheets from the candidates and sealed it inan envelope.


    When Dong Xuebing was about to leave the room, that examinerlooked at him and nodded with a smile.


    Dong Xuebing was surprised and smiled back. He slowly walkedout of the room. What had happened? Why were all the essay questions the sameas what Grandpa Hu taught me?


    Comins of the candidates could be heard when they weremaking their way out of the school. "Sigh.... I''m dead. The questions were toodifficult."


    "That''s right. The AAT was hard enough, and the essay test was even harder. Especiallythe third question. How many of us can answer that?"


    "I know I had flunked this test. Sighed.... Guess I have to tryagain next year."


    9 out of 10 candidates were pulling a long face.


    Outside of the school gate, Mrs.Xu, Dong Xuebing''s mother, and Qu Yunxuanwere waiting in the shade under a tree. Dong Xuebing was still in a daze. Whenhe saw his mother and Qu Yunxuan waiting for him, he put up his hand suddenly:"Wait. I need to go somewhere urgently. Please go back first."


    Before his mother and Qu Yunxuan could react, Dong Xuebinggged a taxi.


    "Sir, please send me to the Cancer Hospital." Dong Xuebingtold the driver.


    At the Oncology ward, Dong Xuebing was surprised to findGrandpa Hu''s ward empty. There was no luggage, andhe asked a nurse who was passing by. Grandpa Hu had dischargedst night. Itshould be not long after Dong Xuebing left. Dong Xuebing immediately called thenumber in his handphone. The call got through, anda woman answered: "Hello, Cancer Hospital, Oncology ward."


    This was not Grandpa Hu''s number? He had used the hospitalphone to call me that day?


    Dong Xuebing ran to the nurses'' station to try to getGrandpa Hu''s contact number and address. But the nurses there told him thatthey could not reveal their patient''sdetails.


    Dong Xuebing stood in the corridor, staring at the emptyward.


    Grandpa Hu should not have many days left. Could yesterdaybe thest time I see him?


    Dong Xuebing faced the empty ward and bowed deeply 3 times.


    He understood why Grandpa Hu had told him that he willsurely score high marks for the essay test. He realizedwhy Grandpa Hu does not allow him to reveal what he taught to others. Maybe itwas his son who had set the questions, or perhapshe knew the questions through hisconnections. Grandpa Hu had taught himhow to answer almost 70% of the questionsin the Essay test.


    If Dong Xuebing still could not get high marks for thistest, he might as well kill himself.

 Chapter 10: Joy and Sorrow

    <h4>Chapter 10: Joy and Sorrow</h4>


    North Heping Street.


    In front of an apartment building.


    Dong Xuebing had takena cab to the Cancer Hospital and then took a taxiback home. He returned at about the same time as Qu Yunxuan and the others.They had taken public transport and the time taken to reach home was longer. Asthe taxi turned towards his residential area, Dong Xuebing saw his mother, Mrs. Xu, andthe others walking in front. He immediately alightsand walked over to exin himself: "Mum, Aunt Xuan, I''m sorry. I had somethingurgent to do and had rushed off.


    "Xuebing..." His mother said his name and then stoppedtalking and sighed.


    At the hallway, Section Chief Xu who had just returned fromwork, walked over with a briefcase. "You finished the test? How is the essaytest?"


    "I... I..." Xiao Dong was a different person from thismorning. He no longer has that cocky, arrogant look.


    Dong Xuebing wanted tough out.


    "Tell me!" Section Chief Xu pulled a long face. "I had madearrangements with the Customsdepartment."


    Mrs. Xu looked at his son. Xiao Dong mumbled: "The essayquestions were tough. I don''t thinkanyone can answer these questions. I am only confident of getting one questionright. The rest... The rest of the questions should be wrong... I don''t think Iwill be able to pass with my overall scores."


    Section Chief Xu shouted: "What have you been doing? Didn''tyou prepare for this test? Didn''t you keep telling me that you will pass thistest without any problem?"


    Xiao Dong was in despair. "I also did not expect thequestions to be so difficult. I don''t think the other candidates are able toanswer them too."


    Section Chief Xu continued: "Stop telling me that thequestions are difficult. You are the one who did not work hard."


    "Don''t me Xiao Dong." Mrs. Xu helped to speak up for herson: "The questions were really too difficult. I heard many people outside thetest venueining about it. Not only XiaoDong, I think everyone will fail this test. Oh, Xiao Ping''s son, Xiao Bing hadtaken the test too. He will also fail the test. At least our Xiao Dong didbetter than him. His multiple-choice test will get almost full marks."


    Dong Xuebing rolled his eyes. Who''s the one who told youthat I will fail this test?


    Section Chief Xu replied angrily: "If the overall scorecannot reach the minimum passing mark, he can''t even qualify for theinterview."


    Mrs. Xu sighed: "He can try again next year." Section ChiefXu turned and went upstairs. Mrs. Xu looked at Xiao Dong and then turned toDong Xuebing''s mother: "The National entry exams for the Civil Servant is in afew months. Is your son going to tryagain?"


    Dong Xuebing''s mother replied: "Yes..."


    Qu Yunxuan patted Dong Xuebing''s hand. "Don''t give yourselftoo much pressure. You can just take the test again next year."


    Xiao Dong had always been good with his studies. If he can''teven pass the test, Dong Xuebing should not be doing well either. This was whateveryone was thinking.


    Xiao Dong red at Dong Xuebing and followed Section ChiefXu upstairs.


    Dong Xuebing knew that Qu Yunxuan and his mother thoughtthat he did not do well for the tell. He rubbed his nose but did not try toexin.


    Just let them misunderstand. Even if he had passed the written test, hewas also not confident of passing theinterview. What if he told his mother that he had done well for the written test, andhe failed the interviewter? His mothermight not be able to handle this roller coaster ride. She had high bloodpressure, and this might affect her health. Dong Xuebing intends to tell themthe truth after he had passed the interview.


    After dinner, Dong Xuebing returned to his room and power uphis old Pentium 3 CPU. He needs to prepare himself for the interview bysearching for the past few years'' interview questions on the inte.


    5 minutester, Dong Xuebing could not get any results fromthe inte. He remembered that the department he was applying did not evenhave its own website, let alone past year interview questions. There was notmuch information about the department either.


    The department Dong Xuebing applied was State Security.


    The full name of State Security was the Ministry of State Security. It is an agencyunder the jurisdiction of the State Council and considered a policingdepartment. This department was a Provincial-Ministerial level department andhad subsidiaries in all regions. In the provinces, the office was called the State Security Department. In the PrefectureCities, it was called the State SecurityBureau.


    As Beijing was the capital and a municipality directly underthe Central Government, the State Security office,there was slightly different. It still reports to the Ministry of StateSecurity and was also called State Security Bureau. But Beijing State SecurityBureau was Bureau-Director level. TheBranch Bureaus in the different zones of Beijing were Deputy-Bureau-Directorlevel.


    The State Security department was a mysterious department.However, everyone knew what this department does. It collects intel.


    But Dong Xuebing heard from someone that not all people fromthe State Security department were mysterious. It depends on the departmentthey were working in.


    For instance, the office Dong Xuebing applied for, was the State Security Bureau''s Administrative Office.The people working there will have regroffice hours, and they need to squeezethe morning peak hour buses. They are also allowedto attend gatherings and tell others where they are working. It wasnothing confidential. One of Dong Xuebing''s senior in his university wasworking in the State Security. He often jokes that the people who sit in the office doing administrative workslike him have no chance to ess to theconfidential reports from the intel officers. There was nothing good aboutworking in the State Security. They were not allowed to drink or tell otherswhat they were doing. They cannot reveal to others where their families werestaying and had many more restrictions. The only good thing was that theirovertime pay was slightly higher than other departments.


    To be honest, it was not Dong Xuebing''s choice to apply forthis department.


    He had no other choices. There were too many restrictionsimposed on the candidates when applying for the various department.


    For example, the Municipal Public Security Bureau, the Safetysupervision bureau, etc. requires the candidates to not only pass the AAT andWritten Essay test. The candidates need to passone more test. Dong Xuebing was already struggling with two tests. How can hecope with one more professional test? He gave up on applying these departmentswithout thinking.


    The Municipal Political Consultative Conference, Municipamission of education and other bigger departments requires at least 2 years of working experiences.


    Some departments like the Red Cross and Ministry of Culturerequires the candidate to be a Communist Party member.


    Some departments like Land and Resources Bureau requires the candidate to have at leasta Master or Doctorate.


    Some departments require ounting certification, heightabove 180 cm, female only, etc.


    Dong Xuebing realized that the positions he could apply were less than 3% of all the positions. Some of these positions were inrural areas where the requirements were not so strict. Even fresh graduates canapply. But there was only one vacancy. Competingwith other candidates for that one vacancy would be tough. Dong Xuebingknew he will not stand a chance.


    When Dong Xuebing had almost given up hope, he coincidentallyoverheard someone from the City''s State Security speaking to someone.


    The State Security was also recruiting, and as long as the candidate had no physicaldefects and did not stay overseas for a prolonged period, anyone can apply. Itwas not limited to male or female, a partymember, work experiences, etc. The department was going to recruit 4candidates. Compared to other departments, this was a lot.


    Later, Dong Xuebing found out that the State Security would usually recruit fresh grads.


    This was because fresh grads were not corrupted by society,plicated backgrounds andrtionships. They were considered ''Clean.''Those people who had 2 years working experiences, will not be recruited by theState Security.


    This was why Dong Xuebing convinced his mother to let himapply for the position in the State Security. This was the only position withthe highest possibility of hiring him.


    Let''s hope that everything will go as nned.

 Chapter 11: Interview

    <h4>Chapter 11: Interview</h4>


    Day 1...


    Day 2...


    Day 3...


    Some days passed.


    As Dong Xuebing had gotten good results from using Backduring the test, he did not waste this special power these few days. Heexperimented with this power every day to see what else he got use it for. Hedecided to use this power to change his current life. He wants to get out ofpoverty. This was the reason why he needs to be familiar with all the uses ofBack.


    After experimenting for a few times, he found out something.


    The results of his experiments: First, when he was chattingwith someone and said or thought of the words like "Back" or "Return," there will not be any effect. It was onlywhen he consciously wanted time to return back to 1 minute ago, and he said the words "Back," "Return,""Reverse," etc. then it will work.


    Second, Back might indeedbe an "unlimited" power. When the clock struck00:00 hrs and started a new day, he will be able to use the power without fail.But Dong Xuebing did not test if he usedBack 2 seconds after midnight and returned to the previous day, 11:59 hours,will he get to use Back again when it reaches the next day.


    Third, Dong Xuebing was still not ustomed to the timechanges from the time he uses Back and after he uses Back. It was okay if he was sitting. But if he was walking,speaking, or making some movements, when using Back, he was not able to reactwhen the time returns. He might trip or unable to continue talking. He made areminder to himself to be careful when using his power. He does not want totrip and fall in the middle of the road and then die from a traffic identagain.


    Of course, after practicingfor so many days, Dong Xuebing had gotten used to using Back, and not every time he will trip.


    On the other hand.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother and Aunt Xuan tried to cheer him up byavoiding talking about the Civil Servant Entry Test. They tried to say somehappy topics in their conversations to distract him.


    "Haha, Xiao Bing, look at that hippo on TV. Why is it sougly?"


    "That''s right. But the hippo is still cute.... Hahaha."


    "Eh, I have never seen that type of parrots. There are somany species of birds in Africa."


    Looking at his mother and Aunt Xuan trying to cheer him up,Dong Xuebing could only smile. "Mum, Aunt Xuan, I will go and study now. Youtwo carry on watching TV."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother looked at her son worryingly: "TheNational Civil Servant Exams is still far away. You should have a break. Don''ttire yourself."


    Dong Xuebing nodded.


    Qu Yunxuan uncrossed her leg and stroked the back of DongXuebing''s head. "You have been hiding in your room for so many days. This isnot right. Come and watch this documentary with me. It is dinner time soon. Iwill cook personally today. Tell me, what do you want to eat?"


    "Ok, ok." Dong Xuebing replied while sneaking a peek at hercleavage from her loose top.


    Ring, ring, ring. Dong Xuebing''s handphone rang.


    "Let me answer this call first." Dong Xuebing looked at the caller ID, andit was an unknown number. He walked away towards the potted nts near thewindow and answered: "Hello?"


    "Hi, are you Dong Xuebing?" It was a sweet female voice.


    "Yes, I am. May I know who''scalling?" Dong Xuebing used his shoulder to hold the phone and picked up thespray bottle to wet the leaves. The water mist became water droplets on thegreen leaves and dripped onto the dry soil.


    The woman over the phone said: "I am calling from the City''sState Security Political Section. As our department is a bit special, we do nothave a website and will not upload the results and information of thecandidates. Therefore, we are notifying you about the interview over the phone.Please take down what I am going to say." The other party should be a Beijingnative from her ent. The way she speaks was professional and courteous.


    Dong Xuebing was stunned for a while before replying: "Ah...Please give me a min."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother who was on the sofa looked at him:"Xuebing, who is calling?"


    Dong Xuebing nervously gestured to his mother and said:"Mum, pen, and paper."


    Qu Yunxuan blinked and took out a pen and a supermarketbrochure from the drawer under the coffee table and pass it to him. "There isno white paper. Is this ok?"


    "Yes, yes. Thank you." Dong Xuebing ced the supermarketbrochure on the windowsill and said: "I''m sorry to keep you waiting. I got a pen and paper with me."


    The woman paused for a while and said: "It''s like this. Youhave passed your entry test, and youroverall marks are the fourth among allthe candidates. Please be at the Municipal personnel bureau at 09:00 am foryour interview on the day after tomorrow. The address is City West Lianhuachi EastRoad A, No. 5, Baiyun Times Mansion Building, 22-floorroom 2216..."


    "Yes, yes... Thank you... Thank you..."


    The woman told Dong Xuebing about the things to note andreminded him to bring his ID before hanging up.


    Dong Xuebing was excited. He kept his phone in his pocketand turned around: "Mum, I will havesomething on in the morning the day after tomorrow. You must remember to wakeme up. I cannot bete."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother asked curiously: "Where are you going?Why are you so happy?"


    Dong Xuebingughed: "I will tell you on that day. I amgoing into the room to do my revision."


    Qu Yunxuan tugged Dong Xuebing''s mother and pointed to thedirection of the room with her chin: "Could it be that Xiao Bing had found ajob?"


    "Maybe." Dong Xuebing''s mother replied. "It''s good that hefound a job. He can''t be staying at home all the time." She said and sighed."Hope he will be able to pass next year''s National Exams."


    Back in the room.


    Dong Xuebing folded the brochure with the address and ceit carefully into his wallet. He looked at the books and notes on interviews onthe desk and said a prayer. This was the day he was waiting for. Fourthposition? It was lower than he expected. Seems like many people had applied forthe job at the State Security.


    Dong Xuebing, you must get the job!

 Chapter 12: Making things difficult

    <h4>Chapter 12: Making things difficult</h4>


    Day of the interview.


    Dong Xuebing was afraid that his mother and Aunt Xuan''shopes will give him too much pressure and he was scared of disappointing them. This was why he did not tell themabout his interview. He woke up early and had a bowl of porridge for breakfast,before secretly leaving for the "battlefield" alone.


    Baiyun Times Mansion.


    On the 22nd floor of this building, there was a row of offices. At the door of theoffices, there were signages like Earthquake Bureau, Customs, etc. After askingthe directions with the receptionist, Feng Yu was directed to an office rightat the end of the corridor and saw Unit 2216. There were no signages outside.There was only a piece of A4 paper "Waiting Room for candidates" pasted on thedoor.


    The door was open, andthere was a stench of cigarette smell.


    Dong Xuebing looked at his watch. It was 10 minutes to 9 am.He clenched his fist and knocked lightly on the opened door.


    "Come in." It was a man''s hoarse voice.


    "Good morning, I am Dong Xuebing. I am here for theinterview."


    "Oh, show me your documents."


    There were 2 men in civilian clothes sitting behind a desk.One was taller and about 45 years'' old, the other was shorter, about 50 years''old. Both of them looked at Dong Xuebing''s documents and waved to him to sitdown. There was an empty chair in front of them. Dong Xuebing sat upright. Hewas nervous, and his heart was beating very fast.


    After waiting for a while, a middle age woman walked in from outside and sat behind the desk.She was much shorter than the taller man.


    "It''s about time." The taller man took out a stack ofdocuments. "Can we start?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "... yes."


    Dong Xuebing was perturbed. He had thought that with hisresults from the AAT and the written test, he should be one of the top 3candidates. But the woman from State Security who called him told him that hewas fourth ce. That means he was the fourth person that was interviewed. Ifhe could not answer the interviewers'' questions, he might even lose hisposition to the 5th and 6th candidates.


    The State Security wasonly recruiting 4 people in this recruitment exercise.


    The 3 interviewers looked at each other, and the taller man said in a stern voice: "Whatdo you think of this year''s stock market?"


    Here ites.


    Dong Xuebing''s mind was working as fast as he could. He hadtraded shares before when his family still had money. He knows a bit about thestock market. He also watched the news regrly and had keep track of thefinancial markets. Dong Xuebing could answer this question in many ways. Butwhen he was about to open his mouth, he remembered Grandpa Hu''s reminder. Hehad told Dong Xuebing that behind every question, there was a hidden meaning.


    Close. Dong Xuebing nearly told the interviewers about hisanalysis of the stock market.


    The interviewers asked this question was not to know if DongXuebing y shares. They should be looking for other answers.


    Dong Xuebing reorganized his words in his mind and said:"The earlier part of the year, all the major markets were doing well. I thinkthis is a good thing, but also a bad thing. From the perspective ofeconomics..." Dong Xuebing starts to talk about how the global economicsituation can affect China''s economy. This was what he learned over the past two weeks. Although it was not veryimpressive, it was better than repeating what was reported in the papers. Atleast he did not say anything wrong.


    Dong Xuebing just wanted to besaved and secure his 4th position. This way, he would stillbe able to be a civil servant.


    "... That''s my thoughts about the stock market." After 2minutes, Dong Xuebing stop.


    The taller man looked at him: "That''s all?"


    Dong Xuebing was stunned: "... That''s all." What does hemean? I did not answer his question correctly?


    The taller man did not say anything. The 3 interviewers startto write something. It should be theirments and ratings of Dong Xuebing.After a while, the shorter man asked: "If you are now working with thegovernment and your men on the ground often make a lot of suggestions over theinte. What will you do?"


    Dong Xuebing thought for a few seconds. He remembered thestandard replies he memorized a few days ago. Those replies were to answerthese types of hypothetic questions. He felt that it can be used to answer thisquestion. He immediately rephrases the replies he memorized in his mind and responded: "Currently, the inte has bea channel for people to voice their thoughts and sentiments. This is animportant channel for the government. When the subsidiary units use theinte to make suggestions to the higher-ups,they will also reflect the issues they are facing on the ground. As thehigher-ups, it will be easier for us to understand what they are going throughand find ways to deal with the problems..." Dong Xuebing speaks for about 2minutes. "That''s my answer to your question."


    The taller man fanned himself with the stack of papers infront of him: "That''s all?"


    Still not enough?


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while and said a bit more fromthe various answers he memorized: "If the subsidiary units made suggestionsabout our working attitudes and operating models, I would consolidate all heir suggestions and all for a departmentmeeting. We should look into improving our work attitudes and operations. As aservice provider, we should constantly refine and improve the ways we dothings..." Dong Xuebing continued for another 2 more minutes.


    The woman and the shorter man were writing something.


    The taller man asked with the same tone: "Is there any morethings you want to add?"


    The woman frowned and looked at the taller man withoutsaying a word.


    The shorter man was tapping the desk with his pen. He keptlooking down on the document in front of him and seldom raise his head.


    "Ermmm... that''s all." Dong Xuebing was frustrated.


    Dong Xuebing continued to answer the next few questions. Hefelt that he had responded to thequestions well. But that taller man does not seem satisfied with him. He keptasking "That''s all? Finished? Nothing else? What about the rest?" after DongXuebing''s replies. He made it sounds like Dong Xuebing had givena very badanswer. He will indirectly influence theother two interviewers.


    Damn, who did I offend?Why was this person making things so difficult for me?


    Were all Civil Servant interviews like this? Cannot be. DongXuebing had never heard of such interviewers.


    Dong Xuebing''s heart sank. He knew that he will not passthis interview. He could tell from the taller interviewer that he was trying tomake things difficult for him.


    Damn.


    He will not pass the interview.....

 Chapter 13: Unbelievable person

    <h4>Chapter 13: Unbelievable person</h4>


    Swish, swish, swish...


    The pages of the documentwere flipped over slowly. All the interview questions were asked.


    Dong Xuebing was feeling frustrated, but he could not blowup. He could only bear with it.


    The taller interviewer tapped on the document in front ofhim with his fingers and not saying a word. This interviewer had indeed wantedDong Xuebing to score poorly for thisinterview. On the second day after the written test results were released, hehad received a call from a leader. That leader had told him the name of a youngman who will be going for the interview. Although the leader did not sayanything, the taller interviewer knew that the young man was this leader''snephew. The leader was hinting to him to let his nephew pass the interview andget the position.


    The tall interviewer checked the results, and the young man''s resultswere 5th.He needs to get rid of one person in the top 4.


    The first 3 people had handled the interview very well. So,this interviewer decided to fail the 4th position candidate, DongXuebing. This person did not have anybackground and was from an averagefamily. Dong Xuebing''s results were onlyslightly higher than the 5th ce. If he suppresses Dong Xuebing''s interview results, Dong Xuebing will drop to the 6th or 7thce. This was why he was trying to make things difficult for Dong Xuebing.The other interviewers knew what he was trying to do.


    But here''s the problem.


    Although Dong Xuebing''s answers were not fantastic, he didnot make any mistakes. If the tall interviewer gave Dong Xuebing a low scorefor no reasons, he might get into trouble if he was found out. He decided to focuson thest interview question. Based on the interview procedures, thest question of the interview was up to theinterviewer. The interviewer can ask anything.


    Dong Xuebing does not know that the moment he steps footinto this interview room, he was destined to fail.


    "Uh, this is thest question..." The taller interviewer wasthinking hard about what question to ask.


    Just when Dong Xuebing was preparing to listen to the finalquestion, a group of people walked pastthe interview room.


    A younger woman wasughing and saying: "If you want to buya phone, you should buy an iPhone. It is the trendiest phone."


    A slightly older man replied: "I am still used to Nokia phones."


    "We should support our country''s domestic products." Anotherman in his 30s said.


    Their voices were quite loud. Dong Xuebing and the 3interviewers looked at them. When those people walked further away, the tallerinterviewer who was closest to the door, stood up and close the door. Hereturned to back to his seat behind the desk and asked: "This is thestquestion of this interview. What are the colors and brand of those people''sclothes and shoes, who walked past justnow?"


    "Ah?" Dong Xuebing thought he had heard wrong. "Can you please repeat your question?"


    The taller man repeated his question impatiently: "What arethe colors and brand of those people''s clothes and shoes, who walked past just now?"


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. All his focus was on theinterviewers in front of him. He did not notice those people who walked past.


    The taller interviewer looked at him: "You can''t even tellme the color of one person''s clothes and shoes?"


    The female interviewer''s face changed. She wanted to saysomething, but she paused and shook her head.


    WTF was this question? How can one remember those people''sclothes and shoes without preparation? This was an interview and who would dareto be distracted to notice those people? This was too much. Dong Xuebing couldnot stand it any longer and asked: "Sorry, I do not understand what has theirclothes and shoe color got to do with myinterview."


    The taller interviewer looked at him emotionlessly: "We takea lot of factors into consideration during the interview. For example, yourobservations, memories, focus, etc. Can''t you answer me?" Seeing Dong Xuebing''spale face, the tall interviewer wrote something on his document and said:"That''s all. You can go back and wait for our call."


    That''s it?


    I can''t get this position?


    Fuck! Dong Xuebing was mad. Fine, you want to test myobservations, memories, focus skills?


    Back!


    ...


    The scene changes.


    Dong Xuebing could hear the footsteps, "...buy an iPhone. Itis the trendiest phone."


    A slightly older man replied: "I am still used to Nokiaphones."


    "We should support our country''s domestic products." Anotherman in his 30s said.


    A younger woman wasughing and saying: "If you want to buya phone, you should buy an iPhone. This is the trendiest phone."


    "I am still used to Nokia phones."


    "We should support our country''s domestic products."


    The two men and that woman walked past the office again. Dong Xuebing immediately stared at them.


    The taller interviewer closedthe door and returned to his seat: "This is thest question of thisinterview. What are the colors and brand of those people''s clothes and shoes,who walked past just now?" Theinterviewer was confident that Dong Xuebing was unable to answer him. Even hewho tried to remember what those people were wearing, he could not see theirshoes properly. Let alone the brand of their shoes. No one should be able toknow.


    The female interviewer could not stand it. What sort ofinterview question was this? However, because of the leader notifying themabout his nephew in advanced, she kept quiet and did not stop the tallinterviewer.


    Dong Xuebing closedhis eyes and did not say a word.


    The tall interviewer looked at him: "You can''t answer me? Ok.This interview is over. You can go back and wait for our call." He finishedsaying and was about to write down the results of the interview.


    Dong Xuebing slowly opened his eyes and said with his eyeshalf-open: "That girl is wearing a cottonmaterial top, orange in color and a white pleatedskirt. She is wearing a pair of grey and white open toe heels. There is apurple colored flower print design on the heels." The 3 interviewers wereshocked. Dong Xuebing continued: "That man in his 30s is wearing a brown andwhite strip T-shirt. He is also wearing a gold ne. His pants are ck incolored, and his shoes are a pair ofck pointed toes leather shoes. At the pointed part if the shoes, there wassome dust."


    The taller interviewer dropped his pen on the desk, and the pen rolled to the edge and dropped ontothe floor.


    Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and continued: "Thest manwas wearing a casual shirt with embroidery patterns. The shirt is ck incolor, and the embroidery pattern is adragon. The embroidery pattern has many colors, but it is mainly gold andwhite. His pants are a pair of grey jeans. The material is a softer material, and his shoes are of canvas material. The toppart of the shoes is brownish yellow in color, andthe bottom part is greyish white. The shoces on both feet are of a differentcolor. The left foot is red in color, andthe right is green." Dong Xuebing had practiced his memories to cheat in thewritten test. He was able to remember things quickly. He looked up at theinterviewers: "Ermmmm... That''s all."


    The taller interviewer immediately ran out of the room.


    3 minutester, he walked back into the office. The othertwo interviewers looked at him, and henodded listlessly.


    They took in a deep breath to calm themselves.


    The taller interviewer looked at Dong Xuebing as if he was amonster. "Ermmm... Very good. You... erm.....you go back and wait for our notification."


    Dong Xuebing stood up and bowed to the interviewers. "Thankyou for the interview."


    After Dong Xuebing left, the taller interviewer lit acigarette. "Incredible."


    "That''s right." The shorter man said. "I have never metanyone like him. How did he remember all those details?"


    "I also want to know how." The female interviewer said. "Hedid not know what you are going to ask beforehand and had just nced at thosepeople. Howe he can even remember the color of the shoces and the dustat the tip of the shoes? This cannot be described as having good observationskills and memory. This was too unbelievable."

 Chapter 14: Pass!

    <h4>Chapter 14: Pass!</h4>


    Two dayster. Morning.


    Qu Yunxuan''s apartment living room.


    Dong Xuebing and his mother had wanted to ask Aunt Xuanalong to buy groceries in the southern part of the city. The meat andvegetables there were cheaper. But when they entered her apartment, they sawXiao Dong and his mother, Mrs. Xu, sitting in the living room chatting withAunt Xuan. Dong Xuebing''s mother pulled a chair over and join in theirconversations. The Dong and Xu families were not on good terms, especially DongXuebing and Xiao Dong. But Beijing people had lots of pride and tried to benice to each other. Even when they dislike each other, they will still chat fora while whenever they met.


    "Xiao Ping, I heard that your son Xiao Bing had beenrevising these few days."


    "That''s right. The National Civil Servant exams are in 6 months. What about your Xiao Dong?"


    "He is also doing his revision. If the questions are not toodifficult, he should be able to pass."


    "Sighed... You do not need to worry about your son, unlike me.My Xuebing had never been good with his studies since young."


    Dong Xuebing sat there quietly drinking a ss of cokegiven to him by Aunt Xuan. He did not take part in their conversations. He knewthat his chances of passing the interview wereslim. The main interviewer had somethingagainst him, and most likely he will failthe interview. Dong Xuebing had been feeling down and had been quiet the pasttwo days.


    "Drink slowly." Qu Yunxuan took a tissue paper and helpedDong Xuebing''s mouth. What are you thinking?"


    Xiao Dong saw the way Qu Yunxuan wipe Dong Xuebing''s mouth.He red at Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing smiled: "I am thinking about the exams."


    Qu Yunxuan sighed. "Don''t give yourself too much pressure. Iam worried about you."


    Mrs. Xu said with an air of superiority: "That''s right. Ihad said previously. The chances of fresh graduates passing the Civil Servanttest is too low. You should get a job and have a few years of workingexperiences first. After 2 to 3 years, you can try again for the nationalexams. Treat this few years as training. One of my colleague''s kid had taken the National Exams for a few years after he graduated but had not passed.He had wasted his time."


    Qu Yunxuan does not like the way she speaks. "You can''t beso sure."


    Mrs. Xu nodded. "Ifyou are lucky, you might pass the written test after a few tries."


    Qu Yunxuan rubbed Dong Xuebing''s head and said: "Our XiaoBing is very smart. He should be able topass the next National Exams."


    Xiao Dong took his eyes away from Qu Yunxuan and looked atDong Xuebing. After one month, he had regained his confidence. "My written testresults are out. I got 85 marks for the administrative aptitude test. I heardthat very few candidates got more than 90 marks for this year. How much did youget?" 85 marks for AAT? That means Xiao Dong did not score any marks for the essay test. If not, he would havemet the minimum required marks of 100 to qualify for the Custom''s interview.


    Dong Xuebing replied without even looking at him. "Iforgot."


    Xiao Dong sneered. "Your results are not good? Do you needme to give you some tuitions?"


    "No need. I can do my own revisions." Dong Xuebing was notinterested.


    Maybe it was because Qu Yunxuan was around and Xiao Dong tried to leave a good impression:"Ok. You can always ask me if you have difficulties answering any questions."


    Mrs. Xu smiled happily and patted Xiao Dong on his back: "Myson is very good in administrativeaptitude test. I asked all the neighbors around here who''s kids had taken part in this test. None of them hadscored more than 80 marks. The best was only 65 marks. But my Xiao Dong had notdone very well for his essay questions. At least he was better than a lot ofpeople. Many of them did not even get 15 marks."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother sighed: "Your son will definitely beas sessful as Section Chief Xu in the future."


    Mrs. Xuughed proudly: "Who knows what will happen in thefuture?"


    Ringringring... Dong Xuebing''s phone rang. He took it outfrom his pocket and answered: "Hello?"


    "Hi, are you Dong Xuebing?" It was a man''s voice. From his voice, Dong Xuebing could not tell his age. Hemight be in his 40s, 50s and even 60s.


    "I am. May I know who''s calling?"


    "I am calling from West District''s State Security Branch Bureau,Political Section. The City Bureau had sent the results of your application inthe morning. I am calling to notify you. You are required to report to WestDistrict''s State Security Branch Bureau on next Monday, 9 am. You can take downthe address. Western district, Zixin Road East, south of the 50 meters mark.You will see a building with no signages. Because we are a special unit, wewill not be issuing any written notification to you. You only need to bringyour identification card, Household Register, the original and a photocopy ofyour school''s certificate."


    Dong Xuebing was in a daze. "Ah? You are saying... saying..."


    The man on the phone said in a firm tone: "You have passedthe Civil Servant test and interview. We are short on manpower. This is why weneed you to report earlier than other departments. If you have any other reasonthat prevents you from reportingtestby next Friday, we might cancel your application. Do take note."


    Dong Xuebing anxiously said: "No, no. I have no problems. Iwill surely be there on Monday."


    "Good." The sound of paper rustling could be heard over thephone. "The section you are being posted to is General Office. You will knowthe detail when you report on Monday." State Security was different from othergovernment agencies. Applicants for the other agencies could write down thespecific section or departments on the application form. But for StateSecurity, the applicants can only write "Administrative Department" or othergeneral terms. It was up to the office to assign the applicant.


    "Yes. Yes. Thank you."


    "That''s all." Too, too, too... The line was cut.


    Dong Xuebing kept his phone and return to his seat. His handwas shaking.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother looked at him concernedly: "Did youfind a job? Whatpany is it? How is the benefit?"


    Mrs. Xu said: "That''s right. Get a job outside while tryingfor the test or exams again. I am being frankwith you. Even if you are not able to pass, at least you can still supportyourself."


    Xiao Dong looked at Dong Xuebing arrogantly: "Is your srymore than 2,000 RMB?"


    Dong Xuebing can''t be bothered with him. He turned to facehis mother. "Mum, I need to tell you something."


    His mother looked at him: "What?"


    Dong Xuebing cleared his throat. "Ermmm.... I passed the test,and I am a Civil Servant now."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother almost choked on her tea. She coughedand put down the teacup. "What did you say? What did you pass?"


    "I said I passed the Civil Servant test and I am a CivilServant now."


    "Nonsense." Dong Xuebing''s mother stared at him. "Do youthink it is funny to trick me?"


    Qu Yunxuan and pinched Dong Xuebing''s arm. "You are not evencall up for the interview, how can you be a Civil Servant? Since when did yoube so humorous? It''s fine. You can retakethe test. Just work harder and stop thinking about the past test. Cheerup."


    Dong Xuebing raised his voice. "Mum, Aunt Xuan, since whendid I lie to you all? I really pass the test, andthey have already notified me over the phone."


    "Ah?" Dong Xuebing''s mother, Aunt Xuan, Mrs. Xu, andXiao Dong were all stunned.

 Chapter 15: The road ahead

    <h4>Chapter 15: The road ahead</h4>


    Qu''s apartment.


    Living room.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother immediately asked: "What''s going on?Tell me."


    Qu Yunxuan also asked: "You pass the test? But didn''t youdid badly for your administrative aptitude and essay tests?"


    "Ermmmm. I did not do badly for the test. You all are theones who misunderstood me and all of you had never asked me about the test."Dong Xuebingughed embarrassedly. "Later, I felt that I still have to passthe interview and I am not confident. That''s why I did not tell you. I don''twant to give you false hopes. Errr... Do you still remember I had gone out inthe morning of the day before yesterday? I had gone for the interview thatmorning. During the interview, I felt my replies were not good, and I was in the 4th ce. Ithought I had failed the interview. But they had just called me, asking me toreport to the Western District Branch Bureau next Monday. They told me that Iam hired."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother grabbed his hand. Her lips weretrembling: "You really pass? You are not lying to me?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Hahaha. I don''t dare to lie to you."


    Mrs. Xu stuttering asked: "Is this a mistake? What is yourscore for the written test?"


    Dong Xuebing looked at the mother and son. "My overall scorefor the test is about 130."


    "130?" Xiao Dong grasped. "You really scored 130 for youroverall score?"


    "My clever boy... my clever boy..." Dong Xuebing''s motherstarted to cry. Her tears were flowing. She was holding on to Qu Yunxuan''s handand was lost for words. "Yunxuan, did you hear it? Xuebing had passed. My sonis now a Civil Servant."


    "Yes, yes. I heard it." Qu Yunxuan helped to wipe her tears."This is a good thing. Stop crying."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother could not stop her tears from flowingdown. "I am too happy. Really very happy."


    Qu Yunxuanughed and yfully knocked Dong Xuebing''shead: "You this rascal had done usproud."


    Dong Xuebing was feeling very emotional too.


    After a while, Dong Xuebing''s mother finally stopped hertears. She wiped her face and immediately said: "Yunxuan, don''t cook lunchtoday. Come over to my ce for lunch. I will go downstairs to buy morevegetables and meat. I will prepare a feast." She turned to Mrs. Xu and XiaoDong. "You and Xiao Dong don''t leave too.Come over to my ce for lunch."


    Mrs. Xu slowly forced a smile: "No thanks. I... I still havesomething on in the afternoon."


    Xiao Dong gritted his teeth: "Mum, let''s go."


    Qu Yunxuan asked politely: "Why not stay a while longer?"


    "We still have something onter. You all can carry on."


    Mrs. Xu dragged Xiao Dong out. Before leaving, Xiao Dong looked at Dong Xuebing jealously. Hecan no longer be arrogant and proud. Dong Xuebing bing a Civil Servant wasa massive blow to this mother and sonpair.


    About 10 minutes after they left, there was the soundof things being thrown about from upstairs. Shouts could also be heard.


    "Stop hitting our son." It was Mrs. Xu''s voice. "Stop hitting."


    "Dad..."


    "Even that kid from the Dong Familyis better than you! I will break your legs today!" It was Section Chief Xu''svoice.


    "Ahhhhh...."


    Dong Xuebing felt good hearing Xiao Dong screaming in pain.


    During lunch, the overjoyed Dong Xuebing''s mother drank twobottles of beer. "Xuebing, you have made me proud. Mum had never been so happy my whole life. Help me top up my ss. Iwill finish this bottle today."


    Dong Xuebing was also feeling proud and helped his mother, and Aunt Xuan poured beer.


    Qu Yunxuan reminded: "Don''t let Sister Luan drink so much.She will get drunk."


    "It''s ok, it''s ok." Dong Xuebing''s mother was smiling andraised her ss. "Yunxuan, let me toast you. These few days, you had helpedXuebing a lot. If it were not for youhelping him to cook and wash his clothes, he wouldnot have so much time to study."


    Dong Xuebing heard this and quickly raise his ss too."Aunt Xuan, thank you."


    Qu Yunxuan waved her hand and said: "Sister Luan, Xiao Bing,don''t say that. Xiao Bing had saved my life. Let''s not thank each other. I amyounger than you, so I should be the one toasting you. Cheers."


    Evening.


    Qu Yunxuan returned home, andDong Xuebing''s mother was humming an eighties song while packing her luggage.


    Dong Xuebing can''t bear to see his mum leaving: "Why do youhave to leave so early? Can''t you stay for a few more days?"


    "The vige is starting school soon. I had wanted to returna few days ago, but I saw you were down. That''s why I stayed to apany you."Dong Xuebing''s mother smiled. "Now, you have entered the government service, and I have no more worries. It''s time I go backto the vige." Beihe Province was not far from Beijing and was only a 3 hourscar ride away.


    Dong Xuebing helped his mother packed two middle schoolChinese Language teaching materials. "Let me send you off tomorrow. You mustremember to take care of yourself."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother smiled. "Don''t worry about me. Youmust be careful when working in a governmentagency. It is the mostpetitive ce in China. Our family has no background, and it will not be easy for amoner to be promoted. It''s fine ifyou remain as a low-level staff and not be promoted. I just want you to besafe."


    Dong Xuebing nodded listlessly. "I know."


    If it were 2 monthsago, Dong Xuebing would be contented if he could find a 2,000 RMB a month joband an average woman as his wife. He and his wife will take a loan to buy anapartment and live happily ever after. He had never imagined his life willchange so much. He was now a civil servant.


    Since getting the specialpower, things had been going smoothly for him in the right direction.


    Be an officer? It does not seem to be an unrealistic goal.


    What''s the road ahead?


    What''s my next step?


    At night, Dong Xuebing was deep in thoughts while lying onthe couch. Since he was able to enter the government service and have the specialpower ''Back,'' he felt he should n hislife. If he were still an average person, he would be satisfied to be promoted to a Deputy Divisional Chiefafter working there for 10 to 20 years. But now, Dong Xuebing can turn back time. He should be able to usethis ability to get power and wealth.


    Set the goal as Section Chief? A vige mayor? A County Mayor?Or a Provincial Bureau head?


    Getting the rank of a Section Chief before retirement at 60years'' old? Huh? Is this goal set too low?


    Then how about Divisional Chief? Will it be too high? DongXuebing was not even confident of reaching the rank of a Deputy Section Chief.Divisional Chief was too far away.


    But...


    After a while, Dong Xuebing pped hisp. "That''s it!"


    Dong Xuebing decided to set his goal "higher." Of course, if it was possible, he alsowanted to be promoted from a Staff Member to a Section Head level, from aSection Chief level to a Divisional Chief level, from a Divisional Chief levelto a Bureau Director level, from a Bureau Director level to ProvincialMinisterial level and from Provincial Ministerial level to National Level...Yes. This will be my goal.


    Dong Xuebing wants to enter the Central Committee.


    He wants to enter the Political Bureau of the CentralCommittee of the CPC!


    Dong Xuebing had set this unrealistic goal as his target inhis heart.

 Chapter 16: General affairs department

    <h4>Chapter 16: General affairs department</h4>


    Monday.


    Morning, at 8 am.


    Dong Xuebing was walking towards Western District StateSecurity Branch Bureau. He was still thinking about the ridiculous goal he set for himself two days ago. But when heremembers that he had not even reportedfor work and he was already dreaming ofbing a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, heblushed. If his mother or his ssmates knew about his dreams, they would surelyugh at him. But Dong Xuebing willnot give up so easily. He will work hard to achieve this goal.


    Western District, Zhixin Road.


    West side of a cross junction.


    Looking at the time, it was only 8.20 am. There was stilltime before 9 am. Dong Xuebing walkedover to a roadside stall and bought an egg crepe for breakfast. He ate the crepe behind a pirated book store. He wasfamiliar with this area. The venue for his written test, No. 15 Middle School, was just ahead. Just across thewalkways was the South entrance to Jiangong Hospital. Further east was thenorthern entrance of Tao Ran Ting gardens.


    Just after Dong Xuebing finishes his crepe, he saw a busentering a bus stop in front of him.


    A man alighted from the bus. All the passers-by turned tolook at him. He was a young man about 1.9m in height and about 150 Kg inweight. He should be about Dong Xuebing''s age and had a fierce look. All theother office workers at the bus stop thoughthe was a hooligan and stepped away from him.


    After alighting from the bus, the tall and fat man lookedaround and walked towards Dong Xuebing.


    When Dong Xuebing thought that he was going to be beaten upby this big size hooligan, that big size man squatsdown on a step 1 m away from him. He reachedout his hand and patted a dirty stray cat sleeping on the steps. He stroked thecat, and the cat was meowing and lickingthat man''s hand.


    "Are you hungry?" That man asked the cat gently. "What doyou want to eat? I will go and buy now."


    The cat was meowing and yfully scratching that man withits ws.


    That big size man yed with the cat for a while beforewalking over to a roadside stall to buy a sausage and start feeding the cat. "Eatslowly. Don''t choke." His actions were a stark contrast to his outerappearances. Dong Xuebing was still not ustomed to this, but he felt thatthis was a caring person.


    It was finally 8.50 am.


    Dong Xuebing walked past that big size man and made a turnaround the corner. He walked towards a rusty gate. He could see 2 old buildingswhich were built in the 70s or 80s in thepound. The metal gates were closed,and there was only an opened window by the side of a small guardroom. A few people were pushing their bicycles slowlythrough the gate. Dong Xuebing felt hewas in the wrong ce. He thought this was an office building and thecondition of this ce was too poor.There were even no guards outside. This was more like a state-owned factory,rather than a State Security branch.


    There were no signages at the entrance.


    Dong Xuebing looked around and then tried to follow a middleage man, who was pushing his bicycle, through the gates.


    "Eh! You. Wait!" An old man''s head sticks out of that open window of the guardroom. "Who are youlooking for?"


    Dong Xuebing immediately replied: "Is this the WesternDistrict State Security Branch Bureau? I have just passed my Civil Servant testthis year, and the Political Sectionoffice had called me to report today at 9 am. My name is Dong Xuebing."


    The old man nodded and picked up thendline phone to make a call. After a few seconds, that old man hung up the phone and nodded to Dong Xuebing.He hands over a registration book to him. "Sign this, and you can enter. The Political Section office is at the southeastbuilding. That grey colored building. It is on the second floor, right at theend of the corridor. You proceed there straight. Don''t wander around."


    "Ok. Thank you."


    The mood in thepound was very different from othergovernment agencies. Beijing people were very hospitableand will greet and chat for a while when they see someone they know. They willtalk about some meaningless stuff, like "Have you eaten breakfast?" "how''s yourflu?" "Are your kids in school?" Etc. But in thispound, the people onlynodded to each other and did not speak. Only when they saw a leader, they willopen their mouths and greet them "Good morning, Section Chief." Or "Goodmorning, Director." There was no pointless chatting.


    Grey building.


    Second floor''s corridor.


    Dong Xuebing saw the sign "Political Section office" on thewall. But there were lots of offices there, andhe does not know which office to enter. When he was hesitating, he heardfootsteps behind him. He turns around. Huh? It was that big size man he met atthe bus stop. Was he also from the State Security?


    "Excuse me." Dong Xuebing asked. "This is my first day. Doyou know which office should I go?"


    That big size man paused and scratched his headembarrassedly. "I am also here to report, and I am also looking for theoffice."


    "Huh? What a coincidence." Both kept quiet. Dong Xuebingcould feel this person was not good at talking like him. He cleared his throatand said: "Errrmmm... My name is Dong Xuebing."


    That big size man smiled: "I am Sun Zhuang. I have justgraduated from University. My friends in school callme Zhuang Zhi (means pir in Chinese)."


    Both shook hands and walked into an office nearest to them.They entered the correct office. A staff member in civilian clothes told themto wait there. A Deputy Chief from the Political Section office entered theroom and go through all the paperwork and told them the rules and regtionswithin the department.


    More than an hour past.


    The Deputy Chief took a sip of tea: "That''s all. The both ofyou will be posted to the General Affairs Department. I heard that the department is short on manpower. Try tofamiliarize yourselves with this ce. Tomorrow will be your official firstday. As for your uniforms, we will give it to you when it is ready. Anyway,other than some meetings in the City Bureau, we do not need to wear the StateSecurity uniforms. This is not important."


    After finishing what he had to say, he asked the staffmember to show Dong Xuebing and Zhuang Zhi where their office was.


    The General Affairs Department was located on the groundfloor. It was a partitioned small office. There were 8 to 9 desks in it.


    That staff member from the Political Section office walkedin and said: "We have neers. Both are fresh graduates. This is DongXuebing, and this is Sun Zhuang."


    Dong Xuebing knew the firstimpression was essential and he modestlysaid: "I am new here and do not know anything. Please guide me along in thefuture. Thank you."


    Zhuang Zi heard Dong Xuebing, and he quickly said: "Me too. Please guide us along."


    The people in the office look at both of them from head totoe.


    One girl in the officeughed. "Don''t worry. Once you enterthis office, we are one big family."


    That staff member from the Political Section office pointedto the 5-6 people in the office. "Chief Zhou had gone to the doctor? He doesnot seem to be around. Thisdy is Tan Limei, that is Old Yan, Guo Panwei, GuoShunjie, Changjuan..."

 Chapter 17: Staff members

    <h4>Chapter 17: Staff members</h4>


    Tuesday.


    Western District Branch Bureau, General Affairs Department.


    Today was Dong Xuebing''s official first day of work. Hisdesk was by a window in a corner. Sun shone brightly on his desk through the window''s panels. It was warmand bright. Pulling the curtains had helped a bit. Directly opposite of DongXuebing was Zhuang Zhi''s desk. They were facing each other. In the middle,there were 2 17in monitors and a table calendar separating them.


    In the office, other than Dong Xuebing and Zhuang Zhi, the rest of the staffs were very busy.


    A cheerful girl standing at the photocopier machine wasorganizing some documents. She said without raising her head: "Guo Shunfa, Ihave too many things to do. Help me photocopy some documents. The Bureau needsthem urgently."


    Guo Shunfa, in histe 20s, was busily typing on hiskeyboard: "I am also very busy. Asksomeone else to help you."


    The oldest staff in the office, Old Yan was sitting at hisdesk reading the newspapers. He does not have any intention to offer his help.


    Guo Panwei, who looks like a monkey, was looking down,writing something. He shouted: "Let me finish writing this and I will bethere."


    The woman, named Changjuan, was holding up a small mirrordrawing her eyebrows.


    Dong Xuebing looked around and walked over. "Sister Tan, letme help."


    "Ok." Tan Limei passed a stack of documents to Dong Xuebingand said: "You know how to photocopy? ce the documents here along this lineand press that big button. Remember its single side and I need 4 sets. Staplethem when it''s ready. Oh, what did youcall me just now? Sister Tan? Haha... Don''t call me that. I attended schoolearly and had only just graduated one year ago. I might even be younger thanyou and Zhuang Zhi."


    "I will also help." Zhuang Zhi walked over.


    Tan Limei casually said: "Fine. One of you photocopy and theother staple. Better be quick. The Leader is waiting."


    While waiting for the copier to print the documents, ZhuangZhi clumsily stapled the stacks of papers.


    When Dong Xuebing and Zhuang Zhi finished with thedocuments, Guo Panwei, who had been looking down, and Changjuan who was drawingher eyebrows, stood up and said at the same time: "I will send the documentsover." Both looked at each other, andChangjuan smiled seductively: "I will send the documents to the PoliticalSection and the Confidential Department. You can send the documents to the Bureau Chief." They arranged the documents andGuo Panwei straighten his shirt, while Changjuan touched up her makeup. Afterthat, both of them walked out of the office with the papers at the same time.


    Dong Xuebing and Zhuang Zhi were puzzled.


    Tan Limei was used to this and grumbled behind their back: "Lazingaround at work all the time and only rushed forward when there is a chance tomeet the leaders. Hmph!"


    Dong Xuebing was new and does not know the characters of thepeople in the office. He smiled and did not say anything.


    Suddenly Guo Shunjie waved: "Xiao Dong, Xiao Sun,e overhere."


    Dong Xuebing and Zhuang Zhi walked over: "Yes?"


    "Create one more copy for these tables. Do you know Excel?Just use the same format and recreate a table. The data you can get from thisWord document. Copy and paste will do. Don''t paste into the wrong table. I needthis file before noon. Oncepleted, print it out." Guo Shunjie spoke like aleader, and his instructions were clear.When Dong Xuebing and Zhuang Zhi were creating the table, he was free and wasdrinking tea and surfing. He was reading some aquarium fish forum.


    Noon.


    Dong Xuebing and Zhuang Zhipleted their task. GuoShunjie looked at the printout and nodded. "Hmmm... Good."


    Tan Limei joked: "Leader Guo, it is lunchtime now. Can we go for lunch?"


    Guo Shunjie did not get angry andughed: "I am not aleader yet. Stop poking fun at me."


    Guo Panwei looked at his watch and took his clutch bag: "Iwill be going to the hospital to visit Chief Zhou." He left.


    Changjuan also stood up: "I will not be eating at thecafeteria. Someone is treating me for lunch."


    "Xiao Dong, Xiao Sun." Old Yan, who did not speak a singleword the whole morning, smiled to themboth: "You still have not bought the lunch tickets? Come, let''s go. Both of youcan use my tickets first."


    Dong Xuebing hurriedly waved his hand. "No need, no need.Thank you. Both of us can eat outside."


    Zhuang Zhi also said: "Yes, yes. Thank you."


    Tan Limei said: "There is nothing good to eat outside. Don''tthink our cafeteria here is small. The food is delicious. Come, let''s go. OldYan, I will bring them to the cafeteria, andthey will use my lunch tickets."


    Old Yan smiled at her:"Fine. You, youngsters, should get together more. These two young men seem quite hardworking."


    Tan Limei had average looks, but she was very talkative. Shewas able to chat with anyone and dares to say everything. During lunch in thecafeteria, located on the northern sideof thepound, she told them all sorts of gossips.


    But thanks to her, Dong Xuebing learned a lot about thisoffice.


    In other agencies, the General Affairs Department and theadministrative office were the same things.But as the State Security was a particrunit, there were many confidential documents. This was why the General AffairsDepartment here had a separate office to handle meeting materials, writing andediting Leaders'' speeches, transferring of files, and other misceneousstuff. The Chief of this office was Deputy Divisional Chief rank, and he does not really care about the workhere. He let his Deputy Chief Zhou, take charge of everything in the office.Zhou Changchun was in his 50s, and hishealth was not very good. He often needs to take sick leaves.


    Under Deputy Chief Zhou, were the staff members like them.


    Old Yan was the most senior in the office. But many yearsago, he had offended a leader from City''s State Security Bureau and could notbe promoted. He was now in his 50s andwas still a staff member, despite almost reaching his retirement age. He hadalso got over it. He justes to work and read the newspaper the whole day.He will not do any work and does not care about everything.


    Guo Panwei was an ambitious person. He likes to hang aroundthe leaders bootlicking, and he knows most of the leaders.


    Guo Shunjie had someone in the Bureau. Hearsay, the DistrictDirector / Political Commissar, was goodfriends with his father. This was why, other than Deputy Chief Zhou, GuoShunjie does not listen or care about anyone else. He thinks he was the"biggest" among the staff members.


    Changjuan in her 30s. Althoughher looks were average, she likes to doll up and flirts with the leaders. Shelooks like she was hoping to be some leaders'' mistress.


    Tan Limei was the only person in the office that does actualwork. She handles almost all the documents in the office.


    That''s the situation in the office.


    ... Offices... We''replicated.....

 Chapter 18: said the wrong things

    <h4>Chapter 18: said the wrong things</h4>


    As usual, Dong Xuebing practiced on familiarizing his power Back yesterday.


    Wednesday morning, after Dong Xuebing woke up, he received acall from Qu Yunxuan over for breakfast.


    Someone famous will bevisiting Aunt Xuan''s workce,and she was wearing formal office wear today.She was beautiful with her faiplexion and hourss figure. Tan Limei and Changjuan were too far awapared to her. Even the prettiest girl in Dong Xuebing''s university could notbepared to Qu Yunxuan''s beauty.


    "Aunt Xuan." During breakfast, Dong Xuebing could not helpbut praise her. "You are so pretty today."


    But after saying that, he immediately regrets. Why did I mention that?


    Qu Yunxuan blushed. She stared at Dong Xuebing and pretendedlike she was going to hit him: "You want me to hit you?"


    Dong Xuebing kept quiet and quickly continued with hisbreakfast.


    "Eat slowly. No one will eat your food." Qu Yunxuan rolledher eyes and wipe the corner of his lips with a paper napkin. She asked gently:"How was your first day of work yesterday? Aunt Xuan has a piece of advice foryou. Watch what you say at work. There are a lot of unspoken rules in the workce. If you offended any leadersunconsciously, it would be hard for youto carry on working there. So, talk less work more. If you need to bootlickyour superiors, then you bootlick them. Do you remember what I said?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Yes."


    After breakfast, Dong Xuebing bid Qu Yunxuan farewell andleft for work.


    At the foot of the apartment building, Dong Xuebing met Mrs.Xu and her son. She seemed to be bringingher son out and was gging for a taxi. When Mrs. Xu saw Dong Xuebing, shebattered her eyelid and smiles. "Xiao Bing, are you going to work? How is yourwork?" Mrs. Xu''s attitude towards Dong Xuebing changed a lot after thetterbecame a Civil Servant. She was no longer arrogant like before.


    Dong Xuebing replied: "It''s fine. Things were slightlybusier in the morning, and I have notmuch work in the afternoon."


    Xiao Dong looked at him with a ck face and entered thetaxi.


    Mrs. Xu also opened the door of the taxi and said: "We willmake a move first. Xiao Dong wants to visit the antique market."


    "Bye." Haha, things change when I entered the governmentservice. I am still not even an official.


    With a rxed mood,Dong Xuebing boarded a public bus to the Western District Branch Bureau. Hesmiled to the old guard at the guardhouse and entered thepound with someother staff members he did not know. He walked to the grey building and entered the office. After putting his things athis desk, he picked up a broom and start sweeping the office.


    In the past, cleaning up the office was Guo Panwei''s duties.He did that was to show how "hardworking" he was to the leaders. But after DeputyChief Zhou was hospitalizedst week, Guo Panwei no longer cleans up theoffice. Why? Because the leader was not around to see him working. Why shouldhe do it?


    "Oh, Xiao Dong? Why are you so early today?" Guo Shunjiewalked in with his bag.


    Dong Xuebing smiled: "There are no traffic jams thismorning, so I arrived early."


    Soon, Guo Panwei and Changjuan entered the office together,chatting.


    Tan Limei was the fifth person to arrive, and Zhuang Zhi was the sixth. Old Yan was thst to reach the office.


    The workload on Wednesday was much lower than Monday andTuesday. Dong Xuebing saw that Tan Limei does not need his help, he took a mopand clean the toilet outside the corridor. He also mopped the hallway outside the office. Someone had dirtiedthe area with spit and melon seeds shells.


    While Dong Xuebing was cleaning up, he heard footsteps at the end of the corridor.


    He looked up and saw a man in his 50s, walking slowly towards his direction. That manwas walking with a slight limp. His left leg could take a bigger step than his right. He looked like hehad a mild stroke before. Dong Xuebing knew that this person should be theDeputy Chief Zhou Changchun, who was hospitalizedst week. He was the head ofthis General Affairs office.


    Dong Xuebing wanted to leave a good impression with theleader, and he pretended not to see him.He continued to mop the floor diligently.


    "You are?" Zhou Changchun asked puzzledly.


    Dong Xuebing pretended to just notice him, and he paused for a while, wiping his sweatfrom his forehead: "Ah... You must be Deputy Chief Zhou? Nice to meet you. I amjust posted to this office. My name is Dong Xuebing, you..."


    Zhou Changchun just gave a short reply and entered theoffice: "Ok."


    "Deputy Chief Zhou, i..." Dong Xuebing thought the leaderwill ask him some questions, but he just walkspast him. He was thinking in his heart, what''s wrong with the leader?


    But when Dong Xuebing thought Deputy Chief Zhou was someonevery stern and does not speak much, he heard Zhou Changchun greeted the rest ofthe staff members in a friendly manner. "Thanks for working hard everyone.Haha, did anything important happen when I am in the hospital?"


    Tan Limei joked: "Chief Zhou, you still don''t trust us?"


    Changjuan alsoughed seductively: "That''s right. ChiefZhou, since when did we create problems for you?"


    Guo Panwei also walked over to Deputy Chief Zhou: "I willhelp you brew a cup of tea."


    "Chief Zhou, are you feeling better?" Guo Shunjie asked.


    Dong Xuebing was stunned, andhe pped his forehead. He realized why Zhou Changchun treated him so coldly.Everyone in the office addressed him as Chief Zhou, leaving out the wordDeputy. Dong Xuebing was the foolish one who greeted him as Deputy Chief Zhou.Although it was just a word, there was a huge difference.People will feel better without the word Deputy. It also shows that yourespected that leader. This was an unspoken rule in the government sector.Everyone does this.


    Actually, Dong Xuebing also knew about this rule. Grandpa Huhad told him about this in the hospital. But Dong Xuebing did not really pay attentionto this. But now, he was epted into the government sector, and he had offended his direct superior on hissecond day of work. This was a grave mistake.


    Dong Xuebing quickly shouted: "Back!"


    ...


    The surroundings changed.


    Melon seeds shells appeared on the clean floor again.


    Tap, tap, tap. It was the sound of footsteps.


    "You are?" Zhou Changchun pale looking face appeared infront of Dong Xuebing.


    "Ah? You must be Chief Zhou?" Dong Xuebing repliedenergetically. "I am the new staff member. My name is Dong Xuebing. Nice tomeet you, Chief Zhou."


    Zhou Changchun smiled and nodded. "You seem energetic. Youstarted yesterday? How are you adapting?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Thank you, leader, for asking. I hadfamiliarized myself with the work."


    Zhou Changchun patted Dong Xuebing on his shoulders: "Good.Work hard."


    Zhou Changchun''s attitude was totally different now.


    Dong Xuebing wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead. So close.

 Chapter 19: Sitting posture

    <h4>Chapter 19: Sitting posture</h4>


    Thursday.


    General Affairs Department Office.


    With Chief Zhou around, everybody''s working attitude wasdifferent. Guo Panwei was had not been doing anything the past two days wasvery hardworking. He not only helped Tan Limei with her task, but he also helpsChief Zhou clean up his office. Every 10-20 minutes, he would go into ChiefZhou''s office to help him pour tea. Changjuan evendid not touch up her makeup in office. She andGuo Shunjie were pretending to work hard. The only person who was stillthe same was Old Yan. He was stillreading newspapers at his desk.


    "Xuebing." The big size Zhuang Zhi who was sitting oppositeasked: "What is the password for Word read-onlydocuments?"


    Dong Xuebing walked over and look at the monitor. He pressedsome keys on the number pad. "I think it is 5776."


    But the file still could not be opened. The password waswrong.


    Tan Limei who was sitting not far away turned to face themand smiled: "Excel is 5776, Word is 3328. The both of you must remember thepasswords. Not only you need these passwordto open documents, but you also need toset password ess for all your documents. Hahaha. Although we cannot essto confidential documents here, we still need to follow these protocols." She lowered her voice: "The both ofyou still have not seen the Confidential Files department. They were stricterthan us. Theirputers cannot even ess the inte."


    After the past few days, Dong Xuebing, Zhuang Zhi and TanLimei became closer.


    The 3 of them had just graduated from university not longago and were about the same age. Compared to Changjuan, Guo Shunjie and GuoPanwei, who were in their 30s, the 3 of them had moremon topics. The 3 of them were also more down to earth anddoes not have too many ideas.


    Suddenly Chief Zhou''s office door opened.


    Guo Panwei immediately picked up his pen and start toscribble on his notebook. He looks like he was working hard. Changjuan, who wasseated the nearest to Chief Zhou''s room, immediately closed the Tao Bao page onher monitor. Tan Limei also minimized her QQ windows. From Dong Xuebing''s seat,he could see Guo Shunjie resizing the window of the aquarium fish forum to thesmallest. Even Old Yan who had been reading newspapers stood up and walked tothe water dispenser to get a cup of water.


    Shua, shua, shua...Gazhi... gazhi...


    The only sounds in the office were typing and photocopiermachine.


    Zhou Changchun nodded with satisfaction. He walked aroundthe office and see what the staff members were writing or typing. After awhile, he slowly walked back to his room and close the door. The next moment,things returned back to normal. They returned to read newspapers, shopping onTaobao, and whatever they had been doing.


    After a while, two men whom Dong Xuebing had never metbefore, came to the General Affairs office. The younger man waited outside andthe older man, in his 30s entered. He was carrying some documents in a brownenvelope. That man looked at Changjuan who nearest to him and then looked atChief Zhou''s room. Changjuan nodded, andthat man walked over to knock on the door. He entered the room, and when he left with the young man, he was notholding on to the envelope.


    5 to 6 minutester.


    Ring, ring, ring. The phone beside the printer rang.


    Tan Limei picked up the phone: "Hello, this is the General AffairsOffice... Oh, Chief Zhou... Yes... Yes..." After hanging up, she looked at DongXuebing and said: "Xuebing, Chief Zhou is looking for you. There is a documentto be sent to the Confidential Filesdepartment. He said, after getting the document from him, Guo Shunjie will showyou the way there and teach you the procedures. Guo Shunjie are you busy now?"ording to the regtions, any confidential documents have to be escorted by2 people.


    Guo Shunjie replied: "No problem. I will bring him there."


    "Then I will go and get the documents now." Dong Xuebingwalked over to Chief Zhou''s room. This was his first task given by his leader.He must do a good job.


    Knock, knock. "Come in."


    The way Chief Zhou speaks was authoritative. Being a leaderwas so good. He could just open his door and call for Dong Xuebing to deliverthe document. But if he does that, hewill not look like a leader. This was why he called the office phone and calledfor Dong Xuebing. His office was only a few meters away from Dong Xuebing desk.Even if he raised his voice slightly, Dong Xuebing could hear him.


    Zhou Changchun was sitting in front of a monitor and writingsomething. "Sit and wait a while."


    Dong Xuebing replied politely and sat down on a leather couch in the office. The leather couch was old,and some parts were peeling. But it was very soft. It was morefortable thanthe couch outside in the main office. Dong Xuebing was a bit tired from hiswork, and he leaned back onto the couch.He rxed his back muscle.


    Comfortable.


    Zhou Changchun nced at him and continued writing withoutsaying a word.


    Dong Xuebing had good vision, and from where he was sitting, he could see what was on ChiefZhou''s monitor. It was a Golden Sun Shares Trading program. Eh? Chief Zhou alsotrades in shares?


    Dozens of seconds passed, and Zhou Changchun stoppedwriting. But he still did not pass the document to Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing was puzzled. He thoughtabout why he was called in when the documents were not ready.


    He had heard of stories about the leader purposely asksomeone to wait for one side while he does something. It might be the leader does notlike that person. But Dong Xuebing thought about what he had done and does notunderstand what he did wrong. Yesterday he had address Chief Zhou wrongly, buthe had used back to correct it. This morning, he also did not do anythingwrong. What''s the reason for Chief Zhou to dislike him?


    When he was thinking, Guo Shunjie knocked on the door andentered the room. "Chief Zhou, I am here to collect the document."


    Zhou Changchun replied: "Seat and wait for a while."


    Zhou Shunjie nodded and walked to the couch. He saw DongXuebing sittingfortably on the couch. His lips twitched. He thought in hisheart. This neer still does not learn the rules? He sat down on the couch with only half his bottom touching the couch and his body upright.


    Dong Xuebing saw this and was stunned. Damn! Tan Limei hadsaid that Guo Shunjie had someone backing him in the City Bureau. Why was hestill so tense when sitting? Dong Xuebing was not stupid. He immediatelyrealized the unspoken rule. Although Guo Shunjie was not afraid of Chief Zhou,he still must abide by the rules. If not, the leader will feel that you donot have respect for him.


    Fuck!


    I did something wrong again.


    Back!


    ...


    Swish, swish, swish. It was the sounds of the pen writing onpaper. Chief Zhou was writing something.


    The time had returned to before Zhou Shunjie entered theroom.


    Dong Xuebing looked around and realized that he was leaningback on the couch. Chief Zhou still had not noticed him. He immediately satupright with half his bottom touching the edge of the couch. He ced both his hands on hisp looking straight.


    2 secondster, Chief Zhou looked over and saw Dong Xuebingwith a serious expression. Chief Zhounodded and passed the document to him. He smiled. "Ok. Send this document tothe Confidential Department. Haha, you don''t need to be so serious."


    Dong Xuebing also smile. Don''t be serious? Stop bullshittingme. If I am not sitting here pretending to be serious, will you be happy withme?


    Dong Xuebing walked out with the document. His back was allwet from his cold sweat.


    Officialdom... One wrong step and that''s it.


    There were even rules about sitting postures.

 Chapter 20: Follow you?

    <h4>Chapter 20: Follow you?</h4>


    Friday.


    At about 10 am, Guo Shunjie returned to his desk afterreceiving a task from Chief Zhou in his office. He looked at the thick stack of documents and frowned. He thenstood up and walked towards Dong Xuebing, who was doing some data entries. Hesmiled and ce the stack of papers onthe desk: "Xiao Dong, are you busy? Go through these documents. Chief Zhou saidthat there were too many spelling mistakes. You need to amend it. He needs itby noon."


    Should this be your job?


    But Dong Xuebing wanted to maintain a good rtionship withhis colleagues. "Ok. I will do it now."


    Guo Shunjie nodded and returned to his desk. He crossed hislegs and sat there drinking his tea.


    11.30 am. Dong Xuebing and Tan Limei went upstairs todeliver a document.


    On the way, Tan Limei asked softly: "Guo Shunjie asked youto do his task for him again?"


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "We are colleagues, and we should help each other."


    "Hmph! What help each other? Guo Shunjie likes to order theneers around because he knows the District Political Commissar. He acts asif he is the leader in the office. When I just arrived here, he had also askedme for lots of things. It''s sosickening." Tan Limei grumbled. "Oh, before you and Sun Zhuang came, there wasa hardworking young man. But he left because of Guo Shunjie. Who can toleratebeing ordered around by him?"


    Dong Xuebing was surprised. "Really?"


    "Why should I lie to you?" Tan Limei did not say any more. "Just be careful."


    "I will. Thanks for telling me." Dong Xuebing was thinking.Being in an organization was so much different than in school.


    During lunch, Dong Xuebing passed the documents back to GuoShunjie. "Brother Guo, it''s done."


    Guo Shunjie did not say anything and flipped the documentand read a few pages. He nodded. "Good. Thank you." Guo Shunjie saw Guo Panwei,Changjuan and the rest going out for lunch, he patted the empty seat besidehim. "Xiao Dong, sit. Let''s have a chat."


    Dong Xuebing sat down: "What is it?"


    When both were the only ones left in the office, Guo Shunjiesmiled and said: "I think you are a smart person. You are much smarter than SunZhuang. What are your ns for your future? Have you have thought about it? Doyou have any goals?" Guo Shunjie''s tone was like a leader asking hissubordinate.


    Dong Xuebing cursed in his heartandhalf-heartedlyreplied: "No. I still do not know if I could keep my position as a staffmember. I think I need to have some good results first." Not everyone whobecame a civil servant will have an iron rice bowl. ording to the rules, ifa newly posted civil servant received "Bad" appraisal continuously for 2 years,he will be asked to go. Of course, very few agencies will do this unless theperson''s performance was atrocious, or he had offended some leaders.


    Guo Shunjieughed. "Stop your pretenses. You have entered this office for a few days, and you should have heard about it." He wasreferring to his rtionships with theleaders. "Xiao Dong, if you follow me I can help you. I should be promotetest by next year. When the timees, Ican easily give you a helping hand. There is nothing to lose." He was very straightforward.


    Huh? What''s the meaning of this? He tries to pull me over to his side? Follow him?


    But you are also not a leader. Do I need to follow you?


    Dong Xuebing knew that if he became Guo Shunjie''s follower,Guo Shunjie would surely order himaround. He might even have to serve him tea. Promotion? He does not have theauthority to promote anybody. Also if hehad the power to promote someone and he refusesto promote Dong Xuebing, there wasnothing Dong Xuebing could do. This was like a nk cheque.


    Dong Xuebing wants to be promoted, but he was not stupid.After thinking for a while, he replied: "Brother Guo, thank you for thinking sohighly of me. But I have just entered the GeneralAffairs Department, and I am stilllearning the ropes. I just want to focus on the tasks on hand. I hope..." DongXuebing had to reject Guo Shunjie nicely. Dong Xuebing also did not want tooffend anyone, especially those with backgrounds.


    Guo Shunjie''s facechanges instantly. "I have given you a chance.Have you thought it through?" He had asked the District''s Political Commissamittee for a promotion. He was thinking of how to get his own men to betransferred over to the new department if he got promoted next year. Bringinghis own men to the newworkce would make his job easier. This waswhy he wanted to rope Dong Xuebing in. But Dong Xuebing rejected him, and he felt he had lost face.


    Dong Xuebing hesitated for a while and replied: "I reallythank you for your offer, but I..."


    Guo Shunjie immediately stood up with a grimace face: "Youdon''t know what''s good for you!" Dong Xuebing had sessfully aggroed him.


    Dong Xuebing pped his forehead. Damn. In less than aweek, I had offended my colleague.


    2 pm.


    Guo Shunjie walked out of Chief Zhou''s room and walkedstraight to Dong Xuebing''s desk. He threw a stack of documents on the desk: "Copy 5 sets. Don''t mess up the pages. Iwant it before 4 pm." Guo Shunjie''s tone was like a superior giving order to asubordinate.


    Everyone in the office looked over. All of them wondered howdid Dong Xuebing offend Guo Shunjie.


    Dong Xuebing was furious. Thiswas Guo Shunjie''s true colors. He really wanted to give him a kick inhis face.


    If I follow you, I will be your underlings. If I don''t follow you, I still have to do your work. Whatother choices do I have? Damn. I had never seen anyone so unreasonable.


    What a bitch.


    After a while, Guo Shunjie went to the restroom for a smoke.Tan Limei and Zhuang Zhi asked: "Xuebing, what happened?"


    Dong Xuebing replied with a forced smile: "Nothing."


    Both saw that Dong Xuebing was not willing to say and theydid not press on further. They returned back to their tasks.


    Guo Panwei who was sitting nearby, looked at Dong Xuebing:"Xiao Dong, are you busy?" He pointed to a box beside him. "I am busy now. Helpme bring these to the Finance Departmentter." Guo Panwei saw Dong Xuebing couldbe bullied and he also passed him his tasks. After that, he entered ChiefZhou''s office to brew tea for him.


    Damn it!


    When will this ever stop?


    Dong Xuebing almost cursed out loud. Both Guo Shunjie andGuo Panwei were assholes.


    Dong Xuebing finally understood "Being nice will be bullied." He clenched his fist tightly. He knew thathe must do something to get out of this. If not, he will have to remain as a lowly staff member forever.

 Chapter 21: Troublesome Speech

    <h4>Chapter 21: Troublesome Speech</h4>


    One day...


    5 days...


    10 days...


    Dong Xuebing had started working at the General Affairsdepartment for some days. He became morefamiliar with the work there, but he felt the chances of being promoted wasslim. There were too many unspoken rules at his workce. He was new and stilldoes not know many of these rules at work. Almost every day, he got to use hispower "Back" to rectify his mistakes. Furthermore, Guo Shunjie was purposelymaking things difficult for him, and GuoPanwei had asked Dong Xuebing to do his task for him. The past few days, DongXuebing was suffering at work.


    Today.


    Dark clouds covered the sky, andit was drizzling.


    Dong Xuebing reached the office and kept his umbre. Heopened the office door: "Good morning, Sis Chang, Tan Zhi, Zhuang Zhi."


    Tan Limei scolded: "Bing Zhi, you arete today. Did you goout on a datest night?"


    Changjuan was putting on her makeup, as usual. She turned to Dong Xuebing: "Xiao Dong, you have a girlfriend? Who is your girlfriend?"


    "Dong Xuebingughed: "Stop poking fun at me. Which girlwill like me?"


    Guo Shunjie knocked his desk a few times with his pen. "XiaoDong, you are just in time. Here, do this." Dong Xuebing had lost count of thenumber of tasks given to him by Guo Shunjie in the past two weeks.


    Guo Panwei also waved to him: "Xiao Dong, after you are donewith your task,e and help me."


    Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth. These two bastards...


    In the morning, Dong Xuebing delivered a few documents andreturned to his desk. He was thinking about his prospects in this office.


    Suddenly he thought of an idea. He decided to apply to be amember of the Communist Party of China(CPC). Since Dong Xuebing''s goal was to enter Central Bureau, then bing amember of the CPC is essential. Once he was a member of the CPC, he would beable to build up his portfolio and increase his chances of promotion.


    Click, click, click...


    Dong Xuebing went online to search for information and fillin his application form.


    Dong Xuebing was able toplete his application formbefore the end of the say. Looking at the almost 10,000 words applicationletter, he felt proud of himself. He was amazed at what he could do when he focusesall his energy into it. When he was writinghis thesis at University, he could onlywrite about 5,000 words over 10 days. But now, it was for his promotion, and he was motivated.


    "Bing Xhi, what are you writing the whole afternoon?" ZhuangZhi, who was seated opposite Dong Xuebing asked.


    Dong Xuebing waved his application form: "Application to theCPC."


    Zhuang Zhi scratched his head: "You are joining the CPC?"


    "Oh, you also want to join the CPC?" Tan Limei overheardtheir conversation. She smiled: "I have submitted my application one year agoand had just be a Party Activist. Iam still learning to about the Party''s programmes and submitting periodicalreports. I think I should be able to be a Probationary party member theyear after next."


    "I think I got to wait for 4 years." Dong Xuebingughed.He knew the application process to be a CPC member would be very long. Even 3years was considered short. "Oh, I should pass my application form to the PartyBranch. Who is the secretary?"


    Tan Limei replied: "You can submit to Li Qing, Director Li.He oversees all the applications."


    Li Qing, General Affairs Department''s Deputy Director, and General Affairs Office''s Chief. He had aclose rtionship with Deputy Chief Zhou, andhe let Deputy Chief Zhou take charge of the office. He only visits the office once in a while and let Deputy Chief Zhou handles all the work.Dong Xuebing had only met him 3 to 4 times from afar.


    Actually, Li Qing should be addressed as Chief Li as he wasthe head of this General Affairs Office. But ''Chief'' does not sound better than the Director. His rank was Deputy Director. So, everyone addressed himas Director Li. This was one of the unspoken rules in the government sector.The lower levels must address the higher-ups with the best soundingtitles.


    Suddenly, the office became quiet.


    Dong Xuebing looked up from his desk. Speaking of the devil,Deputy Director Li had entered the office.


    "Director Li."


    "Good afternoon, Director Li."


    Everyone stood up and greeted Director Li.


    "Hi, carry on with your work." Li Qing waved his hand,gesturing them to return to their work.


    Li Qing was very skinny. Like bamboo. The feeling he gave others was cheerful and friendly,unlike Zhou Changchun. Zhou Changchun had a pretentious smile, whereas Li Qingseems more sincere. Li Qing''s family was poor. His daughter had Leukaemia orsome other illness. He was in financial difficulties. There were rumors thatTan Limei had wanted to help him raise funds for his daughter''s medicaltreatment, but Li Qing stopped it for some unknown reasons.


    The other end of the mainoffice, Zhou Changchun walked out of his room. "Chief."


    Li Qing, in his 40s, walked over and patted Zhou Changchun''sarm: "Old Zhou, you must take care of your health.:


    Zhou Changchun straightenedhis back and replied: "Thank you Chief for your concerns. I am fine."


    Zhou Changchun was the one person who addressed Li Qing asChief.


    Dong Xuebing had asked his senior Tan Limei about this.There was a lot more to the way Zhou Changchun address Li Qing as ''Chief". Thiswas not a mistake. It was to show that he was grateful to Li Qing for lettinghim oversee the office. If he addressed Li Qing as ''Director'' like the rest ofthe people, it would show that he was arrogant and had taken over Li Qing''s role as Chief. This was to imply to LiQing that he was still the person in charge of General Affairs Office and ZhouChangchun had not forgotten that.


    There were too many of suchplicated rules there.


    Dong Xuebing was still learning about these unspoken rules.


    After a while, Li Qing walked past Dong Xuebing, and Dong Xuebing immediately passed hisapplication form to him. Dong Xuebing said some "fake, exaggerated ims" about how much he wanted to enter theCPC, while Li Qing flipped through the pages of the application form. He gaveDong Xuebing some encouraging words andsuddenly remembered something. He turned around and pass a document to ZhouChangchun.


    "What''s this?" Zhou Changchun took the document from him.


    Li Qing rubbed his temple: "Bureau Chief Yang is going tothe City''s Bureau office for a meeting. This isthe contents of what he is going to say. Put in some effort and write a goodspeech for Bureau Chief Yang. Don''t mess it up like the previous time. OldZhou, I will leave this task to you. Don''t let Bureau Chief Yang thinks thatour General Affairs Office are all useless."


    "This... Yes..... We..... We will do this well." Zhou Changchun reluctantly replied.


    Dong Xuebing looked around. When everyone heard that theyhave to write a speech for Bureau Chief Yang, everyone''s face changed.


    Huh?


    What''s happening?


    Only Dong Xuebing and Zhuang Zhi who did not know what wasgoing on were confused.


    What''s so difficult about writing a speech?

 Chapter 22: The Opportunity to Shine

    <h4>Chapter 22: The Opportunity to Shine</h4>


    General Affairs Office.


    The office was dead silence after Deputy Director Li left.Zhou Changchun frowned and rubbed his forehead. He was looked through thedocument in his hand and then looked around the office. "This is about the sameasst time. Bureau Chief Yang did not give any specific instructions. Xiao Tan?"


    Tan Limei, who had neverined about her work looked atZhou Changchun pitifully. "Chief Zhou, please let me off."


    Zhou Changchun gave some encouragement: "Writing speecheshave always been your job. As a university graduate, it should be an easy task.You can''t expect me or Old Yan to write it, do you?"


    Tan Limei sighed: "Chief Zhou, you also know that BureauChief Yang''s expectations were so high.Thest time, Sis Chang, Guo Panwei and I had spent 2 days on his speech. Wewrote 6 versions, and he did not use anyof them. I was still scolded by him. I... I..."


    Zhou Changchun interrupted: "Bureau Chief Yang told me thathe has high hopes for you. This time, you should put in more effort."


    Tan Limei lowered her head and replied reluctantly: "Fine. Iwill try."


    Zhou Changchun looked at Guo Panwei and the rest: "Panwei,Xiao Chang and Shunjie, all of you will also write a draft. Do your best."


    Changjuan immediately said: "Sir, I am not good at writing.Bureau Chief Yang will surely not use my draft.


    Guo Shunjie also said: "Chief Zhou, I..."


    Zhou Changchun was slightly pissed and knocked on the desk:"Look at all of you. What are all of you trying to do? No matter how difficultthis task is, all of you still have to do it. This is your job! Start workingnow and tomorrow send the drafts to Bureau Chief Yang." Zhou Changchun was alsoafraid of Bureau Chief Yang. Bureau Chief Yang was not satisfied with theGeneral Affairs Office''s drafts the previous time. Not only the staff workerswere scolded, even Li Qing and he werereprimanded. This was why Li Qing and Zhou Changchun were troubled when theyknew Bureau Chief Yang wanted them to write out his speech again.


    After work.


    Dong Xuebing walked up to Tan Limei: "Tan Zhi, let''s leavetogether."


    Tan Limei listlessly sighed: "What bus are you taking?"


    "Number 46." Dong Xuebing walked out to the pouch with her."What''s wrong? Is it tough to write thespeech?"


    "It''s not that difficult if it was for other Bureau Chiefs.The rest does not even need to write a draft,and I alone am enough. But this Bureau Chief Yang is different. He... He..."After Tan Limei''s exnation, Dong Xuebing understood what happened. BureauChief Yang''s full name was Yang Yizhong. He was the Bureau Branch DeputyDivisional Chief. He was transferred over from East City Branch not too longago, and the staffs were not familiarwith him. They only knew that this Deputy Chief had a bad temper and had highexpectations for his speeches. He was not interested to even look through thedrafts. A while ago, the whole General Affairs Office were scolded by him.


    Dong Xuebing thought deeplyabout what Tan Limei said.


    The next day.


    The first thing Zhou Changchun asked when he stepped intothe office was the drafts.


    Tan Limei replied weakly: "I have finished the draft, but Iam not sure if Bureau Chief Yang will approve it."


    Guo Panwei, Guo Shunjie, andChangjuan had the same facial expressions as Tan Limei. They were all notconfident.


    "Ok." Chief Zhou said. "Send the drafts over and see whatBureau Chief Yang says."


    Dong Xuebing looked at those 4 people who left for to the "Execution Grounds."After they left,Dong Xuebing opened a few Word documents and look at the samples of speeches.He had downloaded these examples from the intest night. He had learnedabout the sentencing structures and the words used.


    1 minute...


    5 minutes...


    10 minutes...


    Guo Shunjie was the first to return.


    "Chief Zhou, Bureau Chief Yang says that my draft is notstructured well enough."


    The next person to return was Guo Panwei. "Bureau Chief Yangsays... he says..." Bureau Chief Yang might havesaid something very nasty, and Guo Panweiwas too embarrassed to tell Chief Zhou. "He asked me to rewrite."


    Changjuan also returned with an awful expression. "My draftdid not make it."


    Thest to return was Tan Limei. Everyone looked at her andasked: "How was it?"


    Tan Limei did not say anything and returned to her desk andstarted sobbing.


    Zhou Changchun understood immediately. She must be scoldedby Bureau Chief Yang too. Sighed... What''s wrong? Howe no one could write adraft that can appease Bureau Chief Yang? If this carries on, Bureau Chief Yangwill think that the General AffairsOffice had no one capable.


    Ring, ring, ring. Zhou Changchun''s office phone rang, and he immediately went to pick it up. "Hello?... Oh, Bureau Chief Yang... Yes... Ah... Ok... I understand..... but we... Ok... Then...Yes.... I will ask them to rewrite... Yes.... Rest assure..."


    Outside of the office, Zhuang Zhi was trying tofort TanLimei.


    Zhou Changchun rubbed his temples and slowly walked out:"Bureau Chief Yang said that the City Bureau''s meeting has been brought forwardto tomorrow. So, no matter what, he wants to see the speech today. Let''s do ourbest and write out a speech which meetshis requirements. Go through the first drafts and see if we had missed outanything."


    Tan Limei who was still crying: "I... I had written the draft based on what he wanted...."


    Changjuan: "Chief Zhou, we really tried out best."


    Zhou Changchun sighed: "I know this is not an easy task. Butthis is the task given to us by the higher-ups. We mustplete it. Let''s putour brains together and think of a solution.


    Everyone in the office lowered their heads, and no one said a word.


    Zhou Changchun frowned and wanted to say something, but DongXuebing slowly stood up.


    Zhou Changchun looked at him: "Oh? Xiao Dong have an idea?"


    "Huh? It''s not what idea." Dong Xuebing smiledembarrassedly. "Chief Zhou, if there are really no other ways, can I try?"


    "You?" Zhou Changchun paused for a while. "You know how towrite speeches?"


    Dong Xuebing does not dare to im that he was good atwriting speeches. He does not want to let other people think he was too proud."A little."


    "Fine. Go ahead and try." Zhou Changchun did not have many expectations from this new guy. Even thedrafts written by the experts from the office were not epted by Bureau ChiefYang, let alone this neer. Zhou Changchun thought to just let him try.


    Dong Xuebing felt that this was an opportunity for him!


    An opportunity to shine!

 Chapter 23: He is not scholarly. He is illiterate.

    <h4>Chapter 23: He is not schrly. He is illiterate.</h4>


    The whole morning, everyone in the office was rushing out the drafts.


    Zhou Changchun did not only asked Dong Xuebing to write a draft. To be safe, he asked everyone in the office to draft out a speech, hoping Bureau Chief Yang would be satisfied with one of them.


    Dong Xuebing wrote confidently. Although he had not met Yang Yizhong before, from the rejection of Tan Limei and the rest drafts, he concludes that Bureau Chief Yang must be a "schrly" person since he was so fussy about his speech. So, Dong Xuebing wrote the draft using flowery words. He put in some idioms and references from ssic literature into his drafts.


    Dong Xuebing stopped typing at lunch. He looked at his monitor and nodded.


    Alright. This should do it. Xuebing.... This is your chance to shine in front of the leader.


    Dong Xuebing went upstairs to Yang Yizhong''s office with his speech draft. He took in a deep breath and knocked on the door confidently.


    "Come in."


    Dong Xuebing entered the room and saw Yang Yizhong. Dong Xuebing was shocked by his appearance. Yang Yizhong looked nothing "Schrly" as he imagined. He looks rugged. But Dong Xuebing thought that looks can be deceiving. Maybe he had a "Schr" living underneath this appearance.


    Yang Yizhong frowned, squeezing his thick eyebrows together. "Who are you?"


    Dong Xuebing replied politely: "I am Dong Xuebing. I am new to the General Affairs Office."


    "Oh. Is the speech ready?" Bureau Chief Yang stretched out his hand. "Let me take a look."


    Dong Xuebing excitedly passed an A4 paper to him and stood there waiting for praises. He wants to im this credit, and everyone in the office will look at him differently when he returns.


    But in just 3 seconds, Dong Xuebing''s daydreams were shattered. Bureau Chief Yang threw the draft back at Dong Xuebing.


    "What are you writing?" Yang Yizhong had a dark expression, and he banged the desk. "Rubbish!"


    Dong Xuebing''s face turns green. "Ah?" Have you even read it?


    Yang Yizhong shouted: "What is wrong with the General Affairs Office? I just wanted a simple speech. What''s so difficult? Especially you! I wanted you to write a speech ording to my topic. What did you write?" Yang Yizhong pointed to the first few lines of the draft. "Knowing honor and stop to achieve prosperity. What are you talking about? Ah? What the fuck are you writing?"


    Dong Xuebing weakly replied: "Bureau Chief Yang, you misread it. It is ''Knowing Honor and understanding shame to achieve prosperity.''"


    Dong Xuebing had touched Yang Yizhong''s nerves with that sentence, and he burst out in anger: "What''s wrong?! I only have primary school standard of education and does not know many characters!"


    Dong Xuebing was in a daze. Fuck! Was this a joke? This guy was not the "Schrly" type? Doesn''t he have high expectations of his speeches? Primary school standard? Damn! He was an illiterate and not a schr!


    Oh shit! I am in trouble!


    Dong Xuebing knew he had offended Yang Yizhong and immediately shouts: "BACK!"


    ...


    The shouting ceased.


    There was only the ticking of the second hand of a clock.


    "You are?" Yang Yizhong looked at Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing immediately knew which time it was now. He was relieved and replied: "I am Dong Xuebing. I am new to the General Affairs Office."


    "Oh. Is the speech ready?" Bureau Chief Yang stretched out his hand. "Let me take a look."


    Dong Xuebing will never let him look at his draft. He hides the draft behind his back and thought of an excuse. "I''m sorry Bureau Chief Yang. It is not ready yet. I am here to ask what time is thetest deadline."


    Yang Yizhong frowned impatiently: "Didn''t I say I want it as soon as possible?"


    "Sorry for disturbing you. I will go back now."


    Yang Yizhong stood at the window after Dong Xuebing left. He lit a cigarette and stared outside. He had started work early at a chemical factory in the outskirts of Beijing, and then he followed his leader to join the government sector. His education level was very low and does not know a lot of Chinese characters. This was why he rejected all the General Affairs Office speech drafts and did not tell them the reason. How to tell them the real reason? Tell them that he only has a primary school education? He is illiterate? He was too embarrassed to say it. If the General Affairs Office still cannot give him a draft that satisfies him, he will have to look for his old subordinates from the East City Branch to write his speech.


    Before Dong Xuebing returned to the office, he threw away his draft. This stupid draft had almost cost him his career. Luckily, he was able to use BACK. If not, it was the end of his life there.


    Tan Limei and the rest had returned from their lunch and saw Dong Xuebing entering the office. She asked: "Bing Zhi, how is your draft?"


    "Ah? Almost done...."


    Guo Shunjiemented sarcastically that he was too eager to perform. Even the seniors of the office could not write the draft, yet Dong Xuebing wanted to try.


    Changjuan pushed her keyboard away from her: "I can''t do this. I can''t write anymore!"


    Guo Panwei also scratched his head in frustration.


    Tan Limei grumbled: "What sort of speech does he want? I had already tried my best."


    Old Yan was the only one that was calm in the office. He was still reading his newspapers rxingly. As if it was none of his concern.


    Dong Xuebing had no time to chat with the rest. He sat behind his monitor and was typing furiously. He knew what Yang Yizhong wanted, and he was able to write out the draft effortlessly. Idioms? References from ssics? Those must not be in the draft.


    Simple and straight forward.


    The speech must be very simple and straight forward.


    Speech: Dear leaders. This topic I will be talking about is <Raising the concept of honor>. After typing this, Dong Xuebing immediately felt this was wrong and deleted it. No. Deputy Bureau Chief Yang might not know this character. He changed it to <It is every man''s responsibility for China''s rise and fall>. Yes. These are all simple words.


    Dong Xuebing thought hard about the words and continued to type.


    It was not easy to write in primary school''s choice of words. This speech must be simple, and the contents must be straight forward. It was really challenging for Dong Xuebing.


    "Huh? Bureau Chief Yang?"


    "Bureau Chief Yang!"


    Tan Limei and the rest immediately stop what they were doing. All of them could feel the hairs on their back standing.


    Yang Yizhong had a gloomy expression when he asked: "Is the speech ready? Almost half the day is gone!"


    Zhou Changchun walked out of his room quickly. "It''s done, and I was about to send them to you. Xiao Tan, Xiao Chang, bring the drafts over."


    With Zhuang Zhi and the other two Guo, there were a total of 5 drafts.


    Yang Yizhong took the drafts and scanned through: "No.... Wrong.... This is also not right... What is this? This too.... Cannot...." Within a minute, all the drafts were rejected. "Old Zhou, your General Affairs Office can''t even write a simple speech?"


    Tan Limei and the rest lowered their heads.


    "Bureau Chief Yang, we..." Even if it were one rank higher, heads would roll. Furthermore, Yang Yizhong was several ranks above Zhou Changchun. If he was unhappy with Zhou Changchun, Zhou Changchun might not be able to be the Deputy Chief for long. This was why Zhou Changchun tried to establish a good rtionship with this new Deputy Bureau Chief. But now, his ns were in jeopardy.


    Zhou Changchun was also getting pissed, but he could not show it in front of Deputy Bureau Chief Yang. He stared at Guo Shunjie and the rest. All of his subordinates seem capable and eager on regr days, but during crucial times, all of them were useless.


    "Bureau Chief Yang." Dong Xuebing took the printout from the printer. "My draft is done."


    Guo Panwei looked at Dong Xuebing and thought to himself. Was this idiot fearless or ignorant? You hand up your draft now? Are you looking for a scolding from Bureau Chief Yang?


    Yang Yizhong had lost his patience and did not say a word when he took the draft from Dong Xuebing.


    Everyone in the office sighed in their hearts and closed their eyes, waiting for another round of scoldings.


    1 minute...


    2 minutes...


    3 minutes...


    No scolding was heard. After a while, everyone was shocked. Yang Yizhongughed. He raised his right hand and hit on the draft a few times. "Look at what he has written. This is the speech I want."


    This oue had made everyone in the office speechless.


    Yang Yizhong patted Zhou Changchun''s back: "Old Zhou. Seems like your General Affairs Office have strong potential. Not bad..." Yang Yizhong turned and look at Dong Xuebing. He nodded: "I remember your name is Dong... Dong Xuebing right? Good job. In the future, you will be in charge of writing my speech."


    "Thank you, Bureau Chief Yang." Being able to leave an impression with the leaders was rare. Dong Xuebing straighten his back to try to look as smart as possible.


    The office was in chaos after Yang Yizhong left.


    Tan Limei was the first to ask: "Bing Zhi, what did you write? Why is Bureau Chief Yang so happy?"


    Changjuanughed: "Our office has Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons."


    Guo Panwei stared at Dong Xuebing with jealousy.


    Guo Shunjie was not looking too good either. Why was that picky Bureau Chief Yang satisfied with Dong Xuebing''s speech and the rest of them who had sent over 10 drafts were rejected?


    Dong Xuebing could not tell the rest that Yang Yizhong had a limited vocabry. If Bureau Chief Yang knew he was the one who told others about this, he would be in trouble. So, Dong Xuebing exined that Yang Yizhong likes simple and clean words.


    After all of them saw the draft on Dong Xuebing''s monitor, they understood what the meaning of "Simple and Clean" words was.


    Tan Limei was deeply impressed. She gave Dong Xuebing a thumbs up: "Terrific."


    Zhou Changchun also did not expect the problems lies in Yang Yizhong''s education levels. He was impressed with Dong Xuebing''s attention to details. He patted Dong Xuebing''s back: "Good work. You have done a great job." Zhou Changchun felt what the General Affairs Officecks was someone like Dong Xuebing. Someone who would stand up and save the situation in critical moments.

 Chapter 24: Helping the leader to trade share

    <h4>Chapter 24: Helping the leader to trade share</h4>


    The next day.


    Dong Xuebing was in a good mood. Because he had donesomething well, he could hold his head high.


    Dong Xuebing had just gotten his sry for his first monthof work. He decided to give himself a treat by having avished breakfast atthe roadside dumpling store. A bowl of goat innards soup, bake sesame cake anda tea leaves egg. Dong Xuebing had a good appetite, and after finishing all the food, he still did not feel full. Hewent to the crepe store to buy a crepe. He used up all his change in his pocketfor this hearty meal.


    After a big burb andDong Xuebing walked past the gates of Western District Bureau Branch.


    "Oh, the great hero is here." Tan Limeiughed and waved toDong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing was feeling good, but he did not show it on hisface. He modestly said: "What hero? It was only a coincident yesterday. Interms of writing, I am not as good as the rest of you."


    Changjuan, who was putting on lipstick,ughed. "Hehe, XiaoDong is trying to be humble."


    Old Yan alsoughed as he straightens his newspaper."That''s right. I heard after Chief Li Qing knew about this matter, he alsopraised you."


    Dong Xuebing smiled: "Stop making fun of me. I am not asgood as what you say."


    Guo Panwei was writing and drawing some lines at his desk.After Dong Xuebing sat down at his desk, he looked over to see what Guo Panweiwas doing. Guo Panwei was drawing some candlestick chart and 5 days moving averageof the stock index. Dong Xuebing knew Zhou Changchun love to trade shares, and Guo Panwei was trying to bootlick throughshares trading. After all, there was only so much work the leader could assignto them. That was the duties of the staff workers. But if the staff workercould help the leader with his personal matters, then it will be different. Thestaff will be closer to the leader.


    9.30 am.


    Guo Panwei took the Candlestick Chart he was drawing into DeputyChief Zhou''s office. He remained in the room for about half an hour. At about10 am, he came out of the room and closethe door gently. He was grinning. He seems to be praise by Zhou Changchun.


    At the fax machine on the other end of the office, Tan Limeiwas organizing some documents. "There is a document that requires Chief Zhou''ssignature. Who is free to bring it to him?"


    Guo Panwei raised his hand unconsciously. But he rememberedthat he had juste out of the officeand he lowered his hand.


    "I will do it." Dong Xuebing walked over and took thedocument to the small office room and knocked on the door.


    "... Come in."


    Dong Xuebing entered the room. "Chief Zhou, this documentrequires your signature."


    Zhou Changchun held the few copies of A4 papers in his hand.He was looking at the stock daily charts on his monitor while reading thedocuments. If it were a few weeks ago,Zhou Changchun would surely minimize the window to not let Dong Xuebing seewhat he was doing. Now, Zhou Changchun got to know Dong Xuebing better and feltthat he was an obedient young man. He does not mind Dong Xuebing knowing thathe was trading shares at work. "Xiao Dong... Yesterday, the Chief had praisedyou over the phone. Good job. Continue to work hard."


    "Yes. I will not let all the leaders down..." Dong Xuebingcould feel Zhou Changchun''s change of attitude towards him. He was jumping withjoy in his heart. He immediately says some useless things that he will continueto work hard and do all the leaders proud, etc.


    After Dong Xuebing had finished, Zhou Changchun nodded andgestured to Dong Xuebing. "Sit."


    Dong Xuebing sat down on the chair. He does not know whereto look, so he looked at the monitor.


    It was the chart of a stock named Daqin Railway.


    Dong Xuebing remembered that the news had reported some newsyesterday and railway and automobile shares had raised. From the charts, DaqinRailway shares had increased a lot. Since the start of the trading day, it had raised from 8.59 to 9.03 RMB. It then drops to8.89 RMB, before rising to 9.25 RMB. Itwas almost at almost reaching the daily limit price.


    This was a good share.


    Dong Xuebing looked at Zhou Changchun and noticed he wassmiling.


    After a while, Zhou Changchun had signed the document andsmiled. "Here. Take it."


    Dong Xuebing used both hands to collect the documents fromhim and was about to leave. Zhou Changchun''s eyes were still glued to themonitor.


    But 2 secondster, Daqin Railway shares dropped suddenly.There was a trade of someone selling 12,000 shares. Half of these shares werebought out by the buying orders. Soon after, someone sold 8,000 shares,followed by 5,000. Immediately Daqin Railway share prices fell below 9 RMB.This happened almost instantly.


    Zhou Changchun pped his leg and groaned. "The big yershave sold the shares so early. If I knew, I should have sold the sharesearlier."


    Dong Xuebing who was about to leave the room heard this andturned around to look at the chart on the monitor. He knew that this was anopportunity.


    "BACK!"


    ...


    The scenery around Dong Xuebing changed.


    He was now facing another direction.


    Swooshed. Zhou Changchun was signing on the documents. Hesmiled: "Here. Take it."


    Daqin Railway share prices werestill hovering at about 9.26 RMB. It looks like it was about to reach 9.3 RMB.


    Although Dong Xuebing felt it was very sudden and rude, hedoes not want to give up this opportunity to be closer to the leader. Heimmediately points to the monitor: "Chief Zhou, if you own this share, youshould sell it immediately. Yesterday, the automobile and railway shares hadincreased a lot. The spectors will be taking out their profits. From thecurrent graph, it seems dangerous. The prices might fall anytime now."


    Zhou Changchun frowned. He was not bothered by what DongXuebing said: "Really? I think it will riseto the daily limits."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "I am not sure about the trendterthis afternoon and the next few days. But before noon, Daqin Railway shareswill fall below 9 RMB."


    Zhou Changchun seems irritated and shook his head. He turnedback to the monitor without saying a word.


    After being in the government sector for a few weeks, DongXuebing had learned a lot. He knows thatif he remained in the office to look at Daqing Railway''s share prices falling,he would be proving the leader wrong. The leader would not look good, and it was like giving him a p on the face.The leader might even feel that Dong Xuebing was mocking him.


    Dong Xuebing immediately left the room and returned to hisseat. He was looking at Chief Zhou''s office door.


    5 minutes...


    10 minutes...


    20 minutes...


    Dong Xuebing keep looking at the door until it was almost lunchtime. He was about to leave the officewith Tan Limei and Zhuang Zhi for the cafeteria when Zhou Changchun walked outof his office. There was no change to his expressions. He chatted withChangjuan and Guo Panwei for a while, andwhen everyone was about to leave for lunch, Zhou Changchun called Dong Xuebingover. "You know shares trading?"


    Alright. Herees my opportunity!


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Yes. I know a little about the chartsand graphs."


    Zhou Changchun nodded and patted his shoulders. "Go for yourlunch. Help me look at the shares, tomorrow."

 Chapter 25: Price increase!

    <h4>Chapter 25: Price increase!</h4>


    Next day.


    General Affairs Office.


    Dong Xuebing had read up on the stock market in the morningand left home slightlyter. He reached the office precisely on time.


    Tan Limei joked: "Bing Zhi, why are you sote today? Tellme. Did you go out on a date with your girlfriendst night?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled and cedhis bag on his ss desk. "Stop making fun of me. I don''t have a girlfriend."Dong Xuebing had never dated any girls before while he was in school. He hadaverage looks and was from a poor family. Without car and house, no girls wereinterested in him.


    "Oh?" Changjuanughed. "Do you want elder sister here tointroduce you some girls?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled: "Thank you, Sister Chang. I am currently good by myself."


    "If you are interested to know girls, tell me. I will keep alookout for good girls for you."


    Dong Xuebing did not really want to be single. He enviedthose with girlfriends. But with his looks and family background, it was hardto get a girlfriend. He rather focusseshis energy on his career. Once he was promoted to be a leader, he will havemoney, and it will be easier to getgirlfriends.


    10 minutester, Zhou Changchun entered the office. It wasthe leader''s privilege to bete. No one will say anything.


    Guo Panwei had been waiting. Once he heard the footsteps, heimmediately went to brew a cup of tea.


    Guo Shunjie was pretending to be hard at work. After ChiefZhou had entered his office, he continued toze around. He turned to DongXuebing: "Xiao Dong, you should clean up our office. Don''t wait until Chiees in and scold us. Later if you are free, mop the floor." The cleaner OldWang will only clean up the corridors outside and send bottles of water to theoffice. The cleanliness of the offices was usuallydone by the staff workers.


    Dong Xuebing was pissed when he heard this. He was the one thatcleans up the office thest time. He was also the one before the previoustime. Why was it his turn again? Are you trying to challenge me? If it wasChief Zhou''s instruction, I don''t mind. But who are you to order me around? Youasked me to do all your task at work, andyou still want to boss me about non-work-rted matters?


    Dong Xuebing had tolerated him for too long and was about toblow his top.


    Zhuang Zhi was really someone worthy to be friends with. Hesensed the tension in the office and immediately say: "I will clean up theoffice."


    Dong Xuebing did not say anything and picked up a rag andclean the office with Zhuang Zhi.


    Guo Shunjie nced at Dong Xuebing and snort.


    Everyone in the office wasbusily doing their things in the morning.


    Chief Zhou had gonefor a meeting on level 3 and returned back at noon.


    At about 2.05 pm. Ring, ring, ring. The General AffairsOffice''s phone rang. Dong Xuebing happened to be at the photocopier and was thenearest to the phone. He reached over and answered: "Hello. General AffairsOffice." It was Chief Zhou. "Xiao Dong? Come into my office now."


    "Yes. I will be right there." Hah! My opportunity finalles!


    Zhou Changchun''s office.


    Zhou Changchun wasughing happily and pointing to thestock charts on his monitor. "I had just sold off all my shares, and I am going to buy one or two blue chips.But I am not sure which to pick. Give me some of your opinions."Zhou Changchun did not mention about DaqinRailways shares, and Dong Xuebing was notfoolish to talk about that.


    "Sure. But I need to take a look first."


    "Come, bring the chair over."


    "No need. I will stand."


    The stock market was doing well in the morning. The top-performing share was new stock. It had risen by about 98.03%. The second to the eighth shares hadincreased by about 10%. The rest of the shares like Pharmaceutical shares,technology shares, had increased by atleast 7%.


    "How is it?" Zhou Changchun asked. "Which shares should Ipick?"


    Dong Xuebing used the mouse and clicked on the charts ofsome shares. "Please wait a while. Let me analyzethese charts."


    Zhou Changchun slowly sipped on his tea. "No hurry. Takeyour time to analyze the shares. Mostimportantly, the share must be doing well and stable."


    The performing shares had almost reached their peak, and Dong Xuebing looked at the top losers list.The top loser was apany called Hainan Rubber. It had dropped 10.03% and wasabout to reach the daily limits. Dong Xuebing looked at the chart and scannedthrough thepany''stest news. Thispany was listed not long ago, and itwas considered an agriculture share. The profits were average despite owning a considerable market share. Basically, thipany had not met the expectations of the investors, and the share prices had been dropping since trading starts.


    Zhou Changchun frowned as he looked at the monitor. He wavedhis hand: "Look at the nextpany. It is not advisable to touch those sharesthat had reached the daily limit. There are so many orders queuing to sell.Tomorrow, this share will surely continue to fall. Thispany is also notdoing well. Look at other shares."


    "Ok." When Dong Xuebing was about to close the window,Hainan Rubbers share prices start tojump.


    There was an order to buy 80,000 shares of thispany.


    Soon, another order to buy 20,000 shares came in and canceled out all the orders to sell. The percentage fall of the share prices was reducedto -7.26%.


    -6.17%...


    -5.32%...


    -3.78%...


    -2.02%...


    In a blink of an eye, the share prices had almost breakeven.


    It was so shockingly fast.


    Dong Xuebing did not hesitate and said "BACK" in his heart.


    ...


    The time returns back to 1 minute ago.


    Dong Xuebing''s eyes blurred and in front of him was HainanRubbers share prices chart.


    This share was still at the lower side of the daily limits.There were still no signs of this share moving.


    Zhou Changchun looked at the monitor and said: "Look at thenextpany. It is not advisable to touch those shares that had reached thedaily limit. There are so many orders queuing to sell. Tomorrow, this sharewill surely continue to fall. Thispany is also not doing well. Look atother shares."


    After so many days of training with his extraordinary power, Dong Xuebing wasustomed to this. He immediately points to the monitor: "Chief Zhou, hurryand buy this Hainan Rubber shares. It will be rising soon."


    Zhou Changchun was shocked. "Didn''t I tell you that it isnot advisable to touch those shares that had reached the daily limit?"


    Dong Xuebing immediately replied: "Don''t worry. It willsurely rise. I dare not trick you."


    Zhou Changchun was still hesitating. "... How can you tell?"


    "Just trust me this time. There is not much time left." DongXuebing said anxiously.


    Because Zhou Changchun did not listen to Dong Xuebingyesterday, he made lesser profits. Now, Dong Xuebing seems very confident thatthis share will rise. He frowned and thought for about 1 second and said:"Fine. I will buy thispany''s shares." Zhou Changchun was using trading software to trade online. His passwordwas saved on hisputer, and he couldlog in and ce the trade very fast.


    After buying the shares, both of them were staring at themonitor in silence.


    Hainan Rubber share prices remained unchanged. There weresales orders of almost 100,000 shares in the queue.


    Zhou Changchun looked at the monitor and tapped on his teacup.He was tapping faster and faster.


    Rise!


    Hurry up and rise!


    Dong Xuebing also clenches his fist nervously.


    1 second...


    2 seconds...


    Suddenly, a big order to buy the shares appeared on themonitor.


    Followed by 20,000shares traded.


    Another 7,000 shares traded.


    Chief Zhou could see the share prices of Hainan Rubbershooting up like a rocket.


    Chief Zhou banged the desk excitedly. "It had gone up. Theshare price had risen!"


    Dong Xuebing was jumping in joy in his heart. "It will stillgo up further."


    -7.26%


    -6.17%...


    -5.32%...


    Zhou Changchun points at the monitor: "This is a goodshare!"


    -3.78%...


    -2.02%...


    The share prices kept going up.


    Zhou Changchunughed and pped Dong Xuebing''s back. "Howdo you know it will rise?"


    Dong Xuebing made up an excuse: "From my analysis of thecharts."


    Zhou Changchunughed heartily. "Good. You are really capable!"

 Chapter 26: Bullied!

    <h4>Chapter 26: Bullied!</h4>


    Morning.


    Dong Xuebing had secretly downloaded a stock market softwareon his officeputer to analyze thestock market.


    Dong Xuebing also wanted to make some money. But he thoughtit through. He does not think it was a good idea to trade shares. He does nothave the capital, and the currentregtions restrict the sales of the shares on the same day. He would have towait for the next day. Which was also known as T+1. Dong Xuebing''s BACK couldonly return to 1 minute before. He might be able to know the shares will rise in the next minute, but he could notpredict what would happen when the market close. The risk was too high.


    Just like HainanRubber shares. Yes, in 1 minute, the share prices had climbed up from thelowest point and had made Chief Zhou happy. But as when the market was closing,the share prices fell back again. The next day, the prices continued to decline. There were not many profits, and Chief Zhouhad almost made losses.


    The only securities that could be traded on the same day of purchase at T+0 were warrants. But there was only one warrant left - ChanghongCWB1. This warrant was like a dead fish. The prices fell by a few cents everyday. There were almost no fluctuations. This was why Dong Xuebing gave up theidea of making money through trading. He only wants to analyze the stock market for Zhou Changchun. Although he might notbe able to guarantee to make money forhim, at least he could make him happy. This way, he would be closer to hisdirect supervisor.


    Dong Xuebing, you must work hard!


    All these are for your promotion.


    "Hehe, Bing Zhi is so early today."


    "Good morning everyone."


    "Good morning."


    Everyone had slowly arrived at work.


    Dong Xuebing greeted his colleagues and quickly close thestock market program.


    Guo Shunjie was thest to arrive in the office. He saw there was some dust on the floorand said: "Why is the floor dirty again? There is an inspection today." BecauseZhou Changchun had beening inte these few days because of his health,Guo Panwei could not be bothered with cleaning up the office. It had been DongXuebing who was cleaning up. Guo Shunjie walked to his desk and turn to DongXuebing: "Xiao Dong, go and sweep the floor."


    Why was it me again?


    Dong Xuebing was not afraid of doing work. Compared to thepoverty lifestyle he had been through all these years with his mother, this wasnothing.


    Dong Xuebing could not stand that arrogant look on Guo Shunjie''s face.


    Dong Xuebing had been bullied by Guo Shunjie again andagain. He was almost on the point of breaking.


    But when Dong Xuebing remembered that he had just joined theagency and Guo Shunjie had someone among the higher-upsbacking him, he gritted his teeth and roll up his sleeves. He took the broomand dustpan from behind the door and start to sweep. Dong Xuebing could feelGuo Shunjie''s hostility against him getting stronger these two days. He couldalso guess the reason. A neer had embarrassed him bypleting a task hecould notplete. Guo Shunjie wasjealous.


    Changjuan and Guo Panwei pretended not to see anything.


    Tan Limei and Zhuang Zhi could not stand it. They stood upand started to help Dong Xuebing sweep the office.


    Guo Shunjie nced at the 3 of them and continued to surfsome online forums.


    Dong Xuebing was very tired today. He could feel his backaching as he bends over to sweep a corner. These few days, he had to clean upthe whole office and still mustplete his daily work. On top of that, GuoShunjie had also ordered Dong Xuebing to do his tasks for him. He did not havetime to rest.


    "Bing Zhi, go and take a break. I can do it." Zhuang Zhisaid.


    Dong Xuebing stopped massaging his back and forced a smile:"It''s fine. Thank you."


    Tan Limei pointedtowards the direction of Guo Sunjie with her chin and whispered: "That guycannot tolerate anyone better than him." Although Tan Limei had a big mouth andlikes to gossip, she knows her ce well. Just now, when Guo Shunjie waspicking on Dong Xuebing, she was pissed, butshe did not voice out against Guo Shunjie openly.


    Guo Shunjie was the senior in the office and still havebackings in the agency. It was not wise to offend him.


    10 minutester, Dong Xuebing finished sweeping the officeand returned to his seat. He was still panting and was about to continueworking on a task he could notplete yesterday.


    But before Dong Xuebing could even stop panting, GuoShunjie, who was at the water dispenserpoints to the empty container: "There is no more water. Xiao Dong, go and carrya bottle in." Guo Shunjie was not happy with Dong Xuebing for staring at himearlier. His father was close to the District Political Commissar, and even Chief Li Qing and Zhou Changchun hadto speak to him politely. Who was this Dong Xuebing to stare at him?


    Dong Xuebing was furious. "Carry water?" I am ignoring youand yet you are still trying to find trouble with me?


    Guo Shunjie looked at him coldly: "Yes. Bring in a bottle ofwater for the dispenser."


    Old Yan also felt Guo Shunjie was too much. He looked up from his newspaper: "Xiao Dong is alsotired. You can just give the cleaner Old Wang a call. He is the one who hasbeen topping up the water for the dispenser." Old Yan was not afraid ofoffending the District Political Commissar. He had offended a leader who was two ranks about the District PoliticalCommissar before, and he was not afraidof offending one more person.


    Guo Shunjie replied without facing Old Yan: "Old Wang iscleaning the corridors now. He is not free to top up the water."


    Dong Xuebing asked: "You did not even call him. How do youknow he is busy?"


    "Why?" Guo Shunjie stared at Dong Xuebing. "I cannot ask youto bring in a bottle of water? Do you know the rules here? These jobs are doneby neers. Are you expecting me andPanwei to go and carry in the water?"


    Changjuan tried to calm the situation down: "I think ChiefZhou ising in soon. Stop arguing."


    Tan Limei look at Guo Shunjie with disgust: "That right. Isthe document which Director Li wants with you? I met him earlier when I waing in. He says to bring the documentsto him as soon as possible."


    Guo Shunjie uttered a reply and took a brown envelope fromhis desk before turning to Dong Xuebing again: "I don''t believe that I can''torder you around. No one is allowed to help him. Let him carry the water inhimself." He walked out, and when he passed by Dong Xuebing, he said: "If the waterbottle for the dispenser is not changed when I return, you are dead."


    "Ok. I will wait for you." Dong Xuebing could no longertolerate him. He sneered: "I will not change the water. What can you do to me?"


    Guo Shunjie replied with a smirk: "Fine. Go ahead and try."


    Bang! Guo Shunjie walked out of the office and mmed thedoor close.


    The mood in the office was still tense and before Tan Limeiand the rest could say anything, the door opens again.


    "Huh? What''s wrong with everyone?" Zhou Changchun walked inwith his briefcase.


    Changjuan immediately replies:"Nothing. Good morning Chief Zhou."


    Zhou Changchun nodded and was about to enter his room whenhe remembered something. "Oh, Xiao Dong. Come to my room."

 Chapter 27: The share price rise again!

    <h4>Chapter 27: The share price rise again!</h4>


    Zhou Changchun''s office.


    Dong Xuebing was still furious when he followed ZhouChangchun into his office. If this were in the past, he would surelyinto Zhou Changchun and let him know the true colors of Guo Shunjie. But now,Dong Xuebing would not do this. He had learned how to matter such matters. Ifhe told the leader about this matter, this matter might also not be solved. Theleader would also look down on him for not being able to resolve such a pettyissue himself.


    "Xiao Dong, are you unwell?" Zhou Changchun could seesomething was wrong with Dong Xuebing and asked him out of concern.


    Dong Xuebing recollected himself. "Thank you for yourconcern. I did not sleep wellst night."


    "You must take care of yourself and rest well." ZhouChangchun sat down. "Bring the chair over. Trading is about to start."


    Dong Xuebing immediately said: "No need. I will just stand."


    Zhou Changchun unhappily said: "I am asking you to sitbeside me. Stop saying all those things."


    "Thank you, Chief Zhou." Dong Xuebing was aware of hisposture now. Even this was a small round stool, he also sat down on half hisbuttocks.


    Dong Xuebing looked at the o''clockputer screen, and itwas 09.50 am. Trade orders wereing in for the stock markets of 2 cities. Theseorders werepeting, and it was still considered unofficial. The more peoplethat buy the shares, the higher the share prices will rise when the marketopens.


    "Xiao Dong, how long have you been trading shares?"


    "About 3 to 4 years." Dong Xuebing lied.


    "Do you have any tricks or secret techniques? Howe youare so confident Hainan Rubber share prices will rise that day?"


    Dong Xuebing wanted to say that he has no secret techniques.But that will make the leader feel that he does not want to share and will hatehim for being selfish. So, Dong Xuebing continued to make up stories. "It isalso not considered secret techniques. Look at this chart. This trade volumeand this fluctuation mean the probability of this share rising is higher. Youstill need to look at the candlestick chart, daily average, Moving AverageConvergence Divergence (MACD) and KDJ indicator to analyze the market."


    Zhou Changchun does not know about this but pretends heknows it all. "Good. You are right. We must analyze all these to understand themarket well." He was feeling good. Although he did not make much money fromHainan Rubber shares, he must admit that Dong Xuebing have a good eye for thestock market. He could only me himself for being unlucky that the shareprices fell the next day again.


    Market opens.


    The index rises a little.


    Zhou Changchun was staring at the monitor. "Come. Help mepick a share."


    "I am only confident in the ultra short term trading. Therest..... errr... if the shares did not riseter, you..."


    Haha. Ultrashort-term is good enough. Don''t give yourselfpressure. Just pick a good share."


    Dong Xuebing agreed and click on the trading software''soverview. He had discovered this function of the software in the morning. Itwill indicate the prices of all the shares and thetest trade information.For example, which big yer had sold a high volume of shares, which stock hadrisen. With this overview, Dong Xuebing does not need to look for stocks like aheadless chicken.


    This time, news of a few railwaypanies had appeared onthe smaller overview window in the bottom right corner of the monitor.


    Daqin Railway ¨C High volume of shares were sold.


    Guoheng Railway ¨C Share prices plunged


    Guangshen Railway - High volume of shares were sold.


    Daqin Railway - Share prices plunged


    "The big boys are selling the shares." Because ZhouChangchun had bought Daqin Railway shares a few days ago, he monitored thisshare closely. "Railway shares are done. The past two days, the share priceshad increased too high and were overrated. I think it will not be able torecover in the next few months."


    Dong Xuebing also thinks this way. He continues to look atother shares.


    Both of them were looking at the pharmaceutical shares whenan update appeared on the bottom right corner''s window. Dong Xuebing and ZhouChangchun were shocked by that update.


    Daqin Railways ¨C Trading stopped for reaching the higherdaily limits.


    Dong Xuebing thought his eyes were ying tricks on him.


    A while ago, there were still many trades selling thipany''s shares. Howe it had reached higher daily limits?


    BACK!


    ...


    Time was returned to one minute ago. Dong Xuebing saw theupdate "Daqin Railway - Share prices plunged" in the small window.


    He immediately clicks on the share''s average graph. Theshare prices had fallen 0.78%. The share prices did not drop too much. Bupared to yesterday, today''s index had increased a lot. But the big boys werestarting to sell off their shares, and the share prices had plunged suddenly.From this trend, it might reach the lower daily limit and ordered to stoptrading.


    "The big boys are selling the shares." Zhou Changchunsmiled. "Railway shares are done. The past two days, the share prices hadincreased too high and were overrated. I think it will not be able to recoverin the next few months."


    "Chief Zhou." Dong Xuebing could not wait any longer. "Hurryand buy Daqin Railway shares. The share prices will rise soon."


    Chief Zhou was surprised. "Daqin Railway? Rise? Isn''t itfalling now?"


    "It should be the big yers trying to scare the smalleryers to sell their shares."


    Chief Zhou shook his head. "Railway shares cannot make it.Look, the share prices are still falling."


    Dong Xuebing quickly said: "Trust me. I can tell from theUltrashort term that the prices will rise a lot. It''s true."


    "Errrr..." Chief Zhou was still hesitating. But because DongXuebing was urate the previous two times, he moved forward. "Fine. I willlisten to you." Zhou Changchun had medical conditions, and his legs were weak.But this stock addict''s hands were very agile. Click, click, click. He typed onthe keyboard. As Chief Zhou was not very confident of Daqin Railway shares, heonly bought 3,000 shares.


    Will the share price really rise? Zhou Changchun wonders.


    Dong Xuebing also could not believe what he saw. After all,the share prices were in the red and had risen to reach higher daily limits andstopped trading. The trade volume must be enormous. But Dong Xuebing did nothave to time to see the reason for the rise. So, he could only stare at themonitor now to find out what caused the sudden increase.


    Huh? Did the overview show the wrong information?


    Dong Xuebing''s hands turned cold when he thought of thispossibility.


    -0.78%...


    -0.92%...


    The share prices fell by a few more cents.


    Dong Xuebing''s palms were all sweaty. Please rise...


    Suddenly, a string of numbers appeared, and the colors ofthe graph changed.


    Dong Xuebing and Zhou Changchun blinked. They saw a hugetrade order to buy Daqin Railway sharesing in, and the share prices became+3.58%.


    6.42%...


    8.38%...


    8.92%...


    9.37%...


    10.01%...


    The price shot up and reached the daily limit.


    The shares stopped trading.


    Zhou Changchun took in a deep breath and pped his thighs 3 times. "Good, good, good!"

 Chapter 28: Guo Shunjie in trouble!

    <h4>Chapter 28: Guo Shunjie in trouble!</h4>


    The disadvantage of BACK was it could only return back to 1minute ago. After Daqin Railways had reached the daily limit, Dong Xuebingcould not predict what would happen next.


    Half a minute past. Daqin Railway share prices fell slightlyto +6.28%.


    Even though the prices had fallen slightly, Zhou Changchunwas still excited. He was impressed with Dong Xuebing''s observation of theultrashort-term trading. Even those experts on TV could not bepared withDong Xuebing. Who dares to im that this share will surely rise? Who dares toguarantee a stock which was plunging will rise? Dong Xuebing had beenurately forecasting these.


    Zhou Changchun looked at Dong Xuebing, who was sittingbeside him. He likes this young man.


    "Come, drink some water." Zhou Changchun took out a papercup and poured a cup of water for Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing stood up and received the cup with both hands."Thank you chief. I will pour myself."


    Zhou Changchun smiled and patted his shoulders, asking himto sit down. "You don''t need to be so courteous with me. From the first day Imet you, I know you are exceptional. Hahaha... See, I am right! Your skills inpredicting the ultrashort-term trend are on a different level."


    "Thank you for your praises."


    Dong Xuebing felt these words were not sincere. The firsttime he met Zhou Changchun, he identally addressed him as "Deputy Chief,"and he was frowned upon by him. The other time, it was because of his sittingpostures. If he does not have the ability BACK, Zhou Changchun should be givinghim a hard time now. Hah, someone exceptional? Who are you trying to fool?


    This was how it works in government agencies.


    Still, water runs deep here.


    The leader had helped him poured water, and he must finishit. After drinking the cup of water, Dong Xuebing said: "Chief Zhou, I will goback to work now?"


    Zhou Changchun nodded. "Let me know immediately if youencounter any issues at work."


    Everyone in the office looks at him when he walks out of theroom. Dong Xuebing remembered that Guo Shunjie had ordered him to do somethingand his anger rise again. He looked around the office. Guo Shunjie had notreturned back to the office. So, he returned to his sit and continued with hiswork.


    Since both of them had fallen out, Dong Xuebing decided toignore him.


    Zhuang Zhi wanted to say something to Dong Xuebing butchanged his mind.


    Suddenly the door opened, and Guo Shunjie walked in.


    The General Affairs Office became tense again. Dong Xuebingdid not look at him and continued typing on hisputer.


    Guo Shunjie saw the water dispenser was still empty and felthe was being challenged. His face changed, and he walked closer to Dong Xuebing.He pointed at Dong Xuebing and angrily said: "Fine. I can''t even order you tocarry a bottle of water up? Who do you think you are?"


    Dong Xuebing looked back at him coldly. "It''s not me. It''syou who thinks you are somebody."


    Guo Shunjie grabbed Dong Xuebing''s cor. "I am giving youone more chance. Go and bring up a bottle of water now! You hear me?" Hethought Zhou Changchun had not arrived at the office yet and did not controlhis volume.


    Old Yan shouted: "Guo Shunjie, you are too much."


    Tan Limei stole a nce at Chief Zhou''s office and shoutedlouder than Old Yan. "Don''t fight! Let''s settle this peacefully."


    Changjuan and Guo Panwei also did not warn Guo Shunjie thatChief Zhou was in the office. They were sitting at their ces as spectators.


    "Settle peacefully? I had told him nicely earlier." GuoShunjie tried to control his anger. "But he is the one who is disrespecting theseniors in this office."


    Dong Xuebing knew that Tan Limei and Old Yan had shoutedloudly because they wanted to let Chief Zhou know and he could step in tosettle this dispute. But Dong Xuebing suddenly had an idea. He replied nicely:"I am busy just now and had no time to do it."


    Guo Shunjie saw Dong Xuebing "admitting defeat" and becamemore arrogant. "Busy? What are you busy with?"


    Dong Xuebing purposely did not saw Chief Zhou had looked forhim and replied. "Something very important."


    "Important?" Guo Shunjie grabbed his cor more tightly andshouted. "What is more important than bring up the water? Huh? I have justfinished my work, and I can''t even have a cup of hot tea when I return? Youstill have the time to do other things? You should put aside all other task andbring up the water first!"


    A door opens. It was the small office room''s door."


    "... Chief Zhou?"


    "Chief Zhou."


    "Errr... you are around?" Guo Shunjie was not panicking. Heslowly releases his grip on Dong Xuebing''s cor and retracts his hands. Hetried toin about first. "Chief Zhou, this Xiao Dong is too..."


    Zhou Changchun facial expressions were not too good. Hestared at Guo Shunjie in the eyes and interrupted him: "I am the one who askedXiao Dong to do something. Are the things you said for me?"


    Guo Shunjie was dumbfounded. "Ah..... I... I don''t know aboutthis. I did not....."


    Zhou Changchun continued: "I want to know which is moreimportant. Is your task more important or mine? Whose tasks is more urgent?Yours or mine? Huh? Xiao Dong have to help you change the water for thedispenser first before he can do the task I assigned to him? Huh? Are you theChief or am I the Chief?"


    Guo Shunjie knew that he had said something wrong. Heimmediately said: "I..... That''s not what I meant..."


    "Shouting and grabbing a colleague''s cors during workhours? Are you trying to beat him up? Where do you think this ce is? Do youstill have any respect for the leaders? Huh?" Zhou Changchun asked with a sternlook. His following words were obviously siding with Dong Xuebing. "Can''t youcall Old Wang to bring the water? Why must you call Xiao Dong to do it? Did heoffend you?"


    Guo Shunjie was embarrassed, and his face turns red. "No, Iwill call Old Wang now." But no one answers his call. "... Old Wang is notaround."


    Chief Zhou continued scolding. "He is not around, the wholeoffice no need to drink water?"


    Guo Shunjie had not expected his words would make ZhouChangchun so angry. He immediately replied. "I will go and carry the water up."


    Guo Panwei looked at Dong Xuebing in shock. He was puzzledwhy Chief Zhou would help Dong Xuebing. Seems like he could not order DongXuebing around in future.


    Dong Xuebing immediately says: "Chief Zhou, I am alsoresponsible for this. I should have changed the water first."


    Zhou Changchun waved his hand. "Call Old Wang to do thosemanual work next time." Zhou Changchun also felt Guo Shunjie had be morearrogant recently. He wanted to make use of this opportunity to give him awarning. If Guo Shunjie carries on like this, he might not give Zhou Changchunany respect. Although Zhou Changchun had been nice to Guo Shunjie, it wasbecause he respects the Political Commissar. It was not because he was afraidof Guo Shunjie. No leaders will be afraid of their subordinates. Guo Shunjiedoes not have a direct rtionship with the Political Commissar, even if the PoliticalCommissar was his father, he still has to listen to Zhou Changchun in theoffice. Guo Shunjie must also obey his instructions.


    Not longter, Guo Shunjie returns with a bottle of water.He was panting when he ces the water bottle beside the dispenser. He musthaveck exercise and seldom do manualbor. He spent a long time to changethe water and still got wet. His expression was really pathetic.


    Dong Xuebing wasughing in his heart when he saw thepathetic Guo Shunjie. Don''t you like to order people around? How do you feelbeing ordered around?


    Old Yan and Changjuan were secretlyughing at him.


    Tan Limei also showed Dong Xuebing a thumbs up under thetable secretly.


    Most of the people in the office had experienced GuoShunjie''s arrogance, and everyone was happy to see him getting into trouble. At the same time, every one of them saw a different Dong Xuebing. Chief Zhou seems to value him more recently.

 Chapter 29: Sudden increase of warrants!

    <h4>Chapter 29: Sudden increase of warrants!</h4>


    Monday.


    Dong Xuebing was having his breakfast at a shop near hisworkce when he saw the General Affairs Office, Chief Li Qing. Li Qing waseating a Xiaolongbao. Dong Xuebing did not dare to sit with his leader on thesame table. He greeted Li Qing from far and sat at a nearby table. AlthoughDong Xuebing had only met Li Qing a few times, because of Deputy Bureau ChiefYang''s speech, Li Qing remembered his name. He finished his breakfast and wipedhis mouth with a napkin. "Xiao Dong? I heard from Old Zhou about your recentperformances. Good. Continue to work hard." He took out a packet of cigarettesand threw one stick to Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing was surprised and replied: "Director Li, errr...I don''t know how to smoke."


    Li Qingughed: "Which man does not know how to smoke? Youhave to learn."


    "Thank you, Director Li."


    The leader had spoken, and Dong Xuebing could not refuse.But Li Qing giving him a cigarette made him happy. This was a sign that theleader was willing to be close to him. He borrowed the lighter and lights hiscigarettes after a few tries. He carefully took a small puff. Maybe it wasbecause he had inhaled a small puff, he did not choke on the smoke. He onlyfelt some giddiness.


    Li Qingughed, patted his shoulders and left for work.


    After breakfast, Dong Xuebing did not go to work straight.He went to a small store and bought a pack of cigarettes for 10 RMB.


    Dong Xuebing knows that if he were to survive in thegovernment sector, he had to smoke or give out cigarettes. This was why hebought this packet of cigarettes, Hongtashan. The cigarettes he purchasedcannot be too cheap. If he brings a pack of cheap cigarettes with him, otherswill look down upon him. He could not bring a pack of better cigarettes either.The leaders will see that his cigarettes are better than theirs and might beunhappy. Some petty leaders will think that he was trying to make them lookbad.


    General Affairs Office.


    Dong Xuebing entered the office and greeted: "Good morningeveryone."


    "Xiao Dong, you are here?"


    "Good morning."


    Almost everyone was in the office except for Guo Shunjie.When Dong Xuebing was still wondering if that guy was skiving in the toiletagain, Tan Limei pouted towards his back and smiled. Dong Xuebing turned around,and the door opened suddenly. He got a shock and saw Guo Shunjie sweeping theback of the door with a broom.


    Dong Xuebing wasughing in his heart. This guy still knowshow to clean up the office?


    Guo Shunjie stared at Dong Xuebing and said: "We shall waitand see."


    "Oka." Dong Xuebing shrugged his shoulders and returned tohis desk.


    Guo Shunjie was wondering why this Dong Xuebing had been solucky recently. Even Deputy Chief Zhou was looking out for him. If ZhouChangchun were not looking out for Dong Xuebing, he would not scold Guo Shunjiethe other day. To try and reverse Zhou Changchun''s impression of him, he camein earlier to clean up the office. He also did not ask Dong Xuebing to do anytask.


    It was not Guo Shunjie did not want to ask the PoliticalCommissar for help. It was because he could not ask him for help.


    As a subordinate who was scolded for saying the wrong thingsby the leader was normal. It''s impossible for the Political Commissar tointerfere with such petty issues. Furthermore, Guo Shunjie was not that closewith the Political Commissar. The Political Commissar was close to GuoShunjie''s father and will help to take care of him in the agency. But he willnever support him without principles.


    Guo Shunjie had no choice but to keep low and bear with it.He dares not to look for trouble with Dong Xuebing.


    Noon.


    Dong Xuebing, who was in a good mood, looked at the stockmarkets. A few days ago, he had helped Zhou Changchun picked apany''s shareand had risen a lot. He was also tempted to trade himself. But he can''t buy andsell the same day. His BACK was not useful for this. That day, Daqin Railwayshares had risen sharply and reached the daily limits, but today, the priceshad plunged. Chief Zhou would be lucky if he did not lose any money.


    Dong Xuebing thought for a long time. Was there really no wayto trade?


    The only thing that could be traded on the same day was that580027, Changhong CWB1. But the price was always dropping.


    ...


    Dong Xuebing keyed in the code for Changhong Warrants. Hewanted to see it''s recent performance.


    Dong Xuebing had a shock when he saw Changhong CWB1 warrantprice. It was at 0.002 RMB. It had fallen to 0.002 RMB! He immediately searchedon the inte and knew that today was thest trading for this warrant.Tomorrow, it will stop trading forever. This was why it had fallen by so much.Based on the past warrants, there were no limits on how much the warrant pricewill fall or rise on thest day of trading. Most of the warrant prices will dropto 0.001 RMB. Whoever that was unable to sell it, was unlucky.


    0.01RMBmore will be at it''s lowest price. It will surely not rise again today.


    Dong Xuebing decided to give up the idea of making moneythrough trading.


    "Eh, Bing Zhi also trade?" Tan Limei saw his screen when shewalked past Dong Xuebing''s desk.


    Dong Xuebingughed. "No. I am just taking a look. Tradingis too risky."


    "What shares are you looking at? Huh? Changhong Warrants?Howe it had fallen to 0.002 RMB? Is it going to stop trading tomorrow?" TanLimei knew about the financial markets. "Hahaha. I wonder who issued thesewarrants. They are just trying to con people. Look, no matter if it''s put orcall, the warrant prices had plunged to 0.001 RMB. I think no warrants will beissued in the future. Only fools will buy those."


    "Zhuang Zhi who was listening to their conversations:"That''s right. You can buy anything except for warrants."


    Changjuan also overheard the conversation. "My husband hadbought Magang warrants in the past, and he ends up losing all his money. Listento Sis advice. Don''t meddle with warrants."


    Lunchtime was over, and Tan Limei brought a stack ofdocuments to the copier machine.


    The stock market also resumes trading for about 2 minutes.Dong Xuebing took one more look at Changhong Warrant price. It was still 0.02RMB, and he closes the software. But the next moment Dong Xuebing was stunned.He stood up from his chair. Damn!


    0.02 RMB was two cents.


    It was not 0.002 RMB!


    Was it real? Did Changhong warrant prices increase by 10times after trading resumes?

 Chapter 30: Made money

    <h4>Chapter 30: Made money</h4>


    Dong Xuebing was in a daze because of the warrant prices forabout 1 second.


    BACK BACK BACK!


    ...


    The scenes changed.


    "Time to start work." Changjuan was keeping her cosmetics.


    "It''s 1 pm. I will go and photocopy some documents." TanLimei walked towards the copier machine.


    Time had returned to the past. Trading had just resumetrading.


    Dong Xuebing took in a deep breath. He had not the time towaste. He quickly looks at Changhong CWB1 warrant prices. It was still at 0.002RMB. More trade orders were selling the warrantspared to the orders buying.A few million warrants were waiting to be sold. There was no indication thatthe prices will increase.


    There''s still enough time...


    There''s still enough time...


    Dong Xuebing quickly click on the trading software. If it werea few months back, he would surely not remember his ount''s passwords. He hadnot to trade shares for a few years. But the past few days, he had been helpingZhou Changchun to choose shares, and he recalled his ount''s password. Click,click, click, click. He logged in to his trading ount. He looked at hisavable bnce in his ount. It was 2.35 RMB.


    When Dong Xuebing set up this trading ount with hismother in the past, he had used his current ICBC bank ount. All of DongXuebing''s savings and sry were in this bank ount. It still has about2,000 RMB. Click, click, click. He clicked on the fund transfer. 2 secondter, 2,000 RMB was transferred from his bank ount to his trading ount.


    He could buy the warrants now.


    Dong Xuebing did not hesitate a moment. He used his fastestspeed to enter the number of warrants he could buy with his 2,000 RMB. Then, hepressed the confirmed button with his trembling fingers. He looked at the mainscreen again. A trade at the price of 0.002 RMB waspleted. From thenumbers, it was his trade. Although it was only 2,000 RMB, the price ofChanghong warrants was too low. The number of warrants that was bought with2,000 RMB was astronomical!


    Transactionpleted.


    Dong Xuebing was right on time.


    He sighed in relief. He felt that his heart had never beatso fast in his entire life.


    Come on. Rise!


    It was as if the market had heard Dong Xuebing''s prayers. ChanghongCWB1''s screen refreshed. There was a super big call order worth 5 million RMB.It had bought all the orders that were selling for 0.003 RMB. A whileter,millions of warrants were sold. The prices had changed from 0.002 to 0.004 RMB.It was still increasing.


    Dong Xuebing clenches his first and stared at the monitor.He was breathing heavily.


    0.004...


    0007...


    0.011...


    The prices of Changhong CWB1 warrants was like a rocket.


    Dong Xuebing was very excited. But he came back to hissenses. He knows that it not the time to celebrate yet. He quickly opens thetrading window and entered a put order. He was not sure Changhong CWB1 priceswill rise until how much. But he knew that it will increase to 0.02 RMB in awhile. He wanted to be safe and entered 0.02 RMB as the put price. He does notwant to be greedy.


    0.015...


    0.017...


    0.020...


    Dong Xuebing pped his thighs. "It''s sold."


    0.021...


    0.022...


    Changhong CWB1 prices paused at 0.022 RMB for a while. Thena lot of put orders came flying in. The volume of warrants traded was huge. Theplunged was much faster than the time it rises.


    0.019...


    0.017...


    0.013...


    0.009...


    0.007...


    0.005...


    The prices had plunged back to the bottom.


    Dong Xuebing wiped the sweat on his forehead. He could notdescribe his feelings. Changhong CWB1 was thest warrant on the stock marketsof two cities and today was thest trading day. He thought he had no chanceto use BACK to make money from trading. But who knows that Dong Xuebing managedto get a chance to make some money.


    "Xiao Dong, what''s wrong?" Old Yan went to the waterdispenser to get some water when he saw Dong Xuebing sweating profusely.


    Tan Limei and Changjuan also turned to look at him.


    Dong Xuebing immediately minimized the stock marketsoftware. "Nothing. I just feel a bit hot." Zhou Changchun dares to tradeshares in the office openly, and no ones dare to say anything. But Dong Xuebingcould not do the same. He must be mindful of his actions in the office toprevent getting into trouble.


    At this moment, Zhou Changchun entered the office fromoutside. "Xiao Dong,e in for a while."


    Dong Xuebing could not look at his trading ount anymore.He quickly follows the leader to his office.


    Hou Changchun had called him to his room to help him pick ashare. "Daqin Railways did not perform well today. Luckily, I did not buy a lotof thatpany''s shares. Help me see which share is good."


    Dong Xuebing was very careful. He knows that Zhou Changchunwould get suspicious if he were to be 100% urate every time he picks ashare. It might be okay once in a while. But his ability BACK might still haveother uses. He cannot be using this ability for Zhou Changchun to pick shares."Chief Zhou, recently the market is not doing well. I am not very confident.Why not wait for a few more days?"


    Zhou Changchun looked at him: "Your analysis of the past twotrades is quite urate. What''s wrong?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled wearily. "But in the end, you did notmake any money. The market looks bleak. Have you seen the market today? Therewere almost no shares that were rising. There is nothing I can do."


    Zhou Changchun thought for a while. He only manages to makea small profit from Hainan Rubbers and Daqin Railways shares. But if he did notmanage to sell off the shares, he might be stuck with the shares. "Already. Ithink the stock index should reach 3,000 points in a month or two. Let''s waituntil then."


    Dong Xuebing returns to his desk.


    He secretly opens the trading software in a small window. Hecan''t wait to see his ount bnce.


    After deducting the charges, the ount bnce was 20,000RMB.


    2,000 RMB was multiplied by 10 times within seconds.


    20,000 RMB! 20,000 RMB! 20,000 RMB!


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed. This amount of money might meannothing for some families. But for Dong Xuebing''s family, it was an enormousamount.


    In the future, he could call his mother over the phonewithout worrying about the phone charges. They could afford to eat meat likebeef and mutton...


    Dong Xuebing tears start to well up in his eyes. It''s been 4years. He and his mother had been living in poverty for too long.....

 Chapter 31: Shopping with a beautiful lady

    <h4>Chapter 31: Shopping with a beautifuldy</h4>


    Tuesday.


    The money in the trading ount could not be withdraw onthe same day. Dong Xuebing got to wait for the next day to transfer his moneyinto his bank ount. Zhou Changchun had gone to the hospital for his followup and was not in office. Dong Xuebing took the opportunity to leave the forlunch earlier and went to ICBC bank to transfer 3,000 RMB to his mother''sount. He wanted his mother to have a better life.


    After transferring the money. Dong Xuebing called his motheron his mobile phone.


    Ring, ring, ring. A woman answered the phone. "Hello, HuiTian Secondary school."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Hi, I am looking for Luan Xiaoping."


    "You are looking for Teacher Luan? Please hold the line."The woman was silent for a while before shouting: "Teacher Luan, you have aphone call. It might be your son."


    A few secondster, Dong Xuebing''s mother answered thephone. "Xuebing?"


    Dong Xuebing sat down on a blue stic chair in ICBC bank''swaiting area. "Mum, are you having lunch now? I have just gotten my pay andhave just transferred 3,000 RMB to you. If you are free go and withdraw it fromthe bank. The weather has turn cold recently. Buy a coat or something. Justtreat it as a gift from me." His mother had lost a lot of money in the stockmarket in the past. Dong Xuebing knows that if he told his mother that he hadmade money from trading, his mother would surely be worried. He also can''texin his special ability BACK to her. So, he decided to keep it from her.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother grumbled. "I don''t need your money. Istill have money with me. You should keep it for yourself."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "The money has been transferred. Stopnagging at me."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother sighed. "Then... okay. But next timedon''t send me any money. My sry is still enough for me. You should save yourmoney. These few years we are poor, and I don''t even have money to buy you newclothes. You have already started working in the government. You must giveothers a good impression.Throw thosepatched and torn clothes away and buy some new ones."


    Dong Xuebing looked down at his clothes. He was wearing afaded T-shirt. "Errr... Then I will go and buy some new clothes tonight."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother wanted to save on the phone chargesand she just ask Dong Xuebing briefly about his work before hanging up.


    Evening, after work.


    On the bus back home, Dong Xuebing send Qu Yunxuan amessage. "Are you working overtime today? I will prepare dinner and wait foryou to return?" After sending the message, Dong Xuebing felt blissful. Howethis message feels like a couple sending to each other. Beep, beep. He wasstill day dreaming when Qu Yunxuan replied. "Don''t. Wait for me to return homeand I will cook for you. Oh, there is no more vegetables at home. I don''t knowwhat you want to eat. How about youe over to my workce to fetch me? It isalmost time for me to get off work. We can go to the nearby market to buy somevegetables." Dong Xuebing looked at the message and replied: "Okay."


    Beijing 2nd Ring Road


    Beijing Daily (Newspaper) Headquarters


    Although Dong Xuebing and Aunt Xuan were close these fewyears, but their rtionship were only normal neighbors. But after DongXuebing saved her life a few months back, they became closer and Dong Xuebingknew more about her. Qu Yunxuan had started a business with some friends aftershe graduated from University but thepany closed down not long after. Shethen got a job with Beijing Daily''s advertising division. She was now a teamleader there.


    10 minutester. People starts to walk out of the building.


    The was the first time Dong Xuebing came to Qu Yunxuan''swork ce. He also did not know which exit she will walk out from. He juststood there looking at the crowd trying to spot her.


    Suddenly, Dong Xuebing saw Qu Yunxuan walking out from anoffice building not far away. Her hair was tied up in a bun and was wearing awhite blouse, brown office skirt, stockings and ck high heels. She wasbeautiful and Dong Xuebing was mesmerised by her again. Howe Aunt Xuan wasso beautiful? Dong Xuebing wondered.


    "See you tomorrow, Team Leader Qu."


    "Bye. See you tomorrow." Qu Yunxuan nodded.


    "Sister Qu, is the proposal which I told you yesterdayready?"


    Qu Yunxuan turned to that person: "Oh, Xiao Lu hadpletedit. You can talk to him tomorrow."


    "Ok. Take care. Bye."


    Qu Yunxuan have the aura of a career woman. This was DongXuebing''s first time seeing the other side of her.


    Qu Yunxuan saw Dong Xuebing and she walked quickly towardshim. "Have you waited long? There is a waiting area inside. Why didn''t you goin and wait for me there?"


    Dong Xuebing''s eyes stop wondering around and said: "I azy to register."


    Qu Yunxuanughed and pointed to a direction. "Let''s go tothe market and buy the food you want to eat."


    While they were crossing the road, Dong Xuebing noticed QuYunxuan rubbing her shoulders and he asked: "Are you tired? You want me to helpyou carry your handbag?"


    Qu Yunxuan brought him to a market: "It''s okay. I am gettingpaid to do work and I should be tired. When I started my own business, it wasmore tiring than now. Not only it was physically tiring, it was also mentallytiring." In front of the market store, Qu Yunxuan changed from being a careerwoman to a housewife. "How much is your eggs? 4 RMB for 3? Then give me 1 Kg....How much is your chicken wings? Oh... give me some of it..." Qu Yunxuan boughtthe ingredients and then carry on the conversation with Dong Xuebing. "It''s a pity.I was young back then and didn''t know a lot of things. If I have apany now,I am sure I will manage it better."


    "Are you still thinking of setting up your own business?"


    "Yes. But I do not have the capital now. Let me save up fora few years first."


    Dong Xuebing noticed that the both of them had simrgoals. He wants to be a top official and she wants to make lots of money.


    North Heping Street.


    Dong Xuebing wanted to help Qu Yunxuan with the cooking. Hewas embarrassed for having her to cook for him every time. But Qu Yunxuanchased him out of her house. She asked him to go back to have a shower firstand change before dinner.


    Unit 302, Qu Yunxuan''s house.


    After blowing his hair dry, Dong Xuebing rang the doorbellof Qu Yunxuan''s unit. The door opened, and he could smell the fragrance of beerchicken wings. He took in a deep breath and walked into the apartment. "Wow, itsmells nice. Is the rice ready?" There were a few pipping hot dishes on thedinning table. Just looking at the food on the table made Dong Xuebing hungry.He rolled up his sleeves and wanted to start eating.


    Qu Yunxuan pped the back of his hand yfully. "Washyour hands before you eat."


    Dong Xuebing retorted: "I had just taken a shower."


    "You don''t need to use your hand to knock on the door? Youdon''t need to touch the door knob when you open the door?" Qu Yunxuan poked hishead. "Go and wash your hands now."


    Dong Xuebing rubbed his nose and walked into the kitchen.


    Qu Yunxuan, who was still wearing an apron,ughed. "Whenyoue out, bring two pairs of chopsticks."


    "Okay."


    Aunt Xuan was great at cooking. She could be the head chefof any 5 stars restaurants. Dong Xuebing ate until his belly could not holdanymore food. He burb and rubbed his bulging tummy on the sofa. Qu Yunxuan wasclearing up the dishes like a housewife. He felt he was really lucky and reallywanted this feeling tost forever.


    Whoever marries Aunt Xuan will definitely have a blissfullife.


    Dong Xuebing was looking at Qu Yunxuan''s beautiful whitethighs while she was cleaning the dishes in the kitchen. He was fantasizingabout those legs when he realized the pair of legsing closer and closer tohim. "What are you think?" Qu Yunxuan was standing in front of him.


    Dong Xuebing quickly look away. "Ermmm..... I had just gottenmy sry. I wonder if you can apany me to buy a few new clothes."


    Qu Yunxuanughed and yfully pinched his cheeks. "Okay.Your Aunt here will help you choose some nice clothes and turn you into ahandsome young man."


    Dong Xuebing replied shyly. "Stop making fun of me. With mylooks, no matter what I wear will also not be good looking."


    "Nonsense." Qu Yunxuan pped his head lightly. "I say youare handsome means you are handsome. Come, let''s go to the mall."

 Chapter 32: iphone 4

    <h4>Chapter 32: iphone 4</h4>


    Yansha Youyi Shopping City.


    It was almost Autumn, and the shopping mall''s air conditionwas still blowing cold air. It was a bit chilly.


    Many people were walking in and out of the mall. Qu Yunxuanwas wearing heels, and she almost fell when she tried to avoid a woman carryinga child. She grabbed onto Dong Xuebing''s arm. She continued to hold on to DongXuebing''s arm into the mall. Dong Xuebing was nervous. Aunt Xuan was holding onto him. He looked at her holding on to his arm and secretly peeped at her chest.


    The first floor was mostly selling cosmetics and perfumes.The ce was filled with sweet scent.


    Both of them went upstairs and stop by the section sellingmen''s apparels.


    Qu Yunxuan squeezed Dong Xuebing''s arm. "Xiao Bing, Auntsuggest that you should buy a suit. You will leave a good impression with yourleaders."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "Okay. I will listen to you." Having abeauty like Aunt Xuan shopping with him was more important than buyinganything.


    A sales assistant walked over to serve them. She got asurprised look on her face when she saw Qu Yunxuan. Qu Yunxuan was toobeautiful. "Hi, what sort of suit are you looking for?" Dong Xuebing noticedthat the nearby sales assistants and customers were looking at their direction.They were all looking at Qu Yunxuan.


    Qu Yunxuan started to choose the clothes for Dong Xuebing."Do you have anything more casual?"


    "Yes." The sales assistant pointed to the back. "Over hereplease."


    Qu Yunxuan immediately spotted a beautiful design. "Thisshirt is not bad. Xiao Bing,e over here." She picked up the shirt and ceit in front of Dong Xuebing. "Hmmm.... Quite nice."


    The sales assistant smiled: "Yes. I think this shirt suitsyour friend."


    Your friend?


    Dong Xuebing was very sensitive to this word. In Beijing,people will associate "friend" as being in a rtionship. For example, if DongXuebing were to introduce his girlfriend to others, he will say "This is myfriend." It meant his girlfriend. It was the same as the others. For instances,"Oh, I heard that Xuebing have a new friend."


    Dong Xuebing starts to imagine things.


    Suit, leather shoes, belt.


    Long sleeve shirt, long pants, sports attire.


    Dong Xuebing had bought a set of new presentable clothesselected by Qu Yunxuan. Of course, the whole set was not cheap.


    Dong Xuebing saw the sales assistant packing all the clothesand shoes, he took out his wallet. "Where is the cashier?"


    Qu Yunxuan tugged his arm andughed. "Let''s go. I havealready paid when you are trying the clothes."


    "Ah?" Dong Xuebing gasped in surprised. "Aunt Xuan, how canyou pay for me? No. How much do all these cost? I will return you the money."Aunt Xuan had been taking care of him by washing his clothes and cooking forhim. He was still thinking of getting her a gift since he had the money now.Instead, she bought the clothes for him.


    Qu Yunxuan lifted her fist and said with a straight face:"If you say one more word, I will hit you. Let''s go."


    Dong Xuebing shut his mouth unwillingly and carried all theshopping bags. He followed Qu Yunxuan out of the mall. He was still feeling badfor letting her pay for the clothes. Oh yes. It was time to change thehandphone. The battery life was getting shorter and shorter, and the buttonswere not responding. This type of imitation phones was also quite embarrassing.Aunt Xuan was also using an old Nokia phone for almost 3 years. Yes. I will buyher a new phone too.


    "Aunt Xuan. I am thinking of changing my handphone. Shall wego to the Electronic Mall to have a look?"


    "Okay. There is a Suning not far ahead. Let''s go."


    The skies turned dark, and stars appeared.


    200 meters away, Suning Electronics.


    It was almost National Day, and there were lots of people inthe shop. The carpark in front of the shop was fully parked. The moment theystepped into the store, they saw rows of counters sellingputers andhandphones. Around the corner, it was the home appliances section. It was alsofull of people. It seems that there was a promotion before the National Day.


    Qu Yunxuan helped Dong Xuebing to carry 3 bags. "What brandof handphone are you buying?"


    Dong Xuebing does not mind about the brand of handphone. Hewas more concern which brand of phone Qu Yunxuan likes. "What brand do youthink is good?"


    "Nokia, Sony, Motor, are all good brands."


    After walking one round in the handphone section of themall, Dong Xuebing saw iPhone 4 advertisement on a lightbox. This was thtest model of Apple phone. A while before, it had been out of stock. Applefans had queue up since 4 am to buy this phone. Dong Xuebing had also heard QuYunxuan talking about this phone. She was also an iPhone fan. But because itwas too expensive, she could only envy others.


    Dong Xuebing said. "iPhone 4 seems to be very popr."


    "Of course. The design and specs are outstanding. But it wastoo expensive."


    "You think it is nice?"


    Qu Yunxuanughed. "Of course, it''s nice. If not, why wouldso many buy it? I remember when iPhone 4 wasunched in China, the prices hadreached more than 10,000 RMB per phone. Now, the prices had fallen. It is alsoabout 6,000 RMB. Haha. I just think that this phone is pretty. Wait for thunch of iPhone 5 and iPhone 4 prices will drop further. I will buy one then.I cannot afford it now."


    Dong Xuebing made his decision in his heart. "Go over andtake a look?"


    "Okay. Taking a look will also not cost money. Hahaha."Qu Yunxuan really likes this phone. She stoodin front of the counter and stared at the iPhone 4 on disy. She even askedthe staff to show her a disy set.


    The staff was a young girl who was good with her words. "Sister,iPhone 4 currently has two colors. White and ck. We are having a promotionfor our ck color model. 16G for only 5,580 RMB. You are so pretty, and thisiPhone 4 really suits you."


    Qu Yunxuan looked at the disy set and did not say a word.


    "If you buy now, we will give you a screen protector and aleather casing. Also..." The sales girl could tell that Qu Yunxuan really likesthis phone and starts to rmend.


    Qu Yunxuan was hesitating. She seems to be thinking aboutsomething. But she looked at the price tag again and shook her head.


    Dong Xuebing stepped forward and said: "Okay. Give us 1set.... No..... 2 sets."

 Chapter 33: Massaging Aunt Xuan

    <h4>Chapter 33: Massaging Aunt Xuan</h4>


    "2 sets?" The sales assistant did not expect Dong Xuebing tobe so generous. She immediately smiled and said: "Please wait a while."


    "Wait." Qu Yunxuan was stunned and then gave Dong Xuebing ap on the back of his head. "What are you doing? It''s costly."


    Dong Xuebing rubbed his head. "It''s fine as long as you likeit. I had never given you any gifts before. Now I have some money, just let megive you something."


    "You are buying this phone for me? I don''t want it. You havejust started work, and you should not be spending your money like this." QuYunxuan turned to the sales assistant. "Sorry, we don''t want it."


    Dong Xuebing ignored her and said: "We want. Please issuethe receipt."


    Qu Yunxuan raised her hand in anger. "I will hit you."


    "Even if you knock me out, I will also buy this iPhone 4 foryou."


    "You..." Qu Yunxuan turned her head around and ignore DongXuebing.


    Dong Xuebing chose the color of the phone, the screenprotector and also the leather casing. After making the payments, the salesassistant took out the iPhones to do the setup. Dong Xuebing thought buying aphone was a quick and easy thing. All he needs to do was to pay for it. Applephones need a different size sim card, put on the screen protector and registeronline. It was very troublesome.


    After a while, the sales assistant smiled to Qu Yunxuan:"iPhone''s sim card is different from our phones. Can you give me your sim card?I need to cut it smaller."


    Qu Yunxuan kept quiet.


    Dong Xuebing smiled and touched Qu Yunxuan''s elbow. "Why areyou behaving like this?"


    Qu Yunxuan continued to ignore him.


    Dong Xuebing rolled his eyes. "I have already paid for it,and there are no refunds. If you really don''t want it, I will give it tosomeone else."


    Qu Yunxuan nced at him and gave him a knock on his head."You are wasting your money." She paused for a while and then took out herhandphone slowly from her handbag. She took out the sim card and pass it to thesales assistant. "Do you have other colors for the leather casing? Can I take alook? Hmmm... This is nicer. Yes, we will take this... Oh, do you have movies andsongs here... help us store it in the phones too... yes... Thank you..."


    Half an hourter, Qu Yunxuan was ying with her iPhone4. She really likes it.


    Dong Xuebing smiled happily: "Aunt Xuan, this iPhone 4 looksnicer when you are holding it in your hands. I think Apple should get you toendorse their phones." If it were the past Dong Xuebing who was still inUniversity, he would never say such things. But after working for thegovernment, he learned how to speak pleasant words to others.


    Qu Yunxuanughed and rolled her eyes. "No more next time."She casually wrapped her hand around Dong Xuebing''s arm. "Our Xiao Bing hadgrown up and can earn money. He also knows how to buy gifts for others.Hahaha... When our Xiao Bing bes a great leader, I will also be proud."


    She was holding on to Dong Xuebing''s arm, and Dong Xuebingwas nervous.


    This was the first time a girl was holding onto his arms.


    At about 9 pm, Dong Xuebing and Qu Yunxuan reached home, andthey ced the shopping bags on the coffee table.


    Qu Yunxuan sat on Dong Xuebing''s home sofa and yed withher new phone. "The shop was closing just now and could not find the songs Iwanted. Xiao Bing, tomorrow help me download some songs from the inte. Iwant to use it as my ringtone." She stood up and used her phone to take someselfies. She showed her pictures to Dong Xuebing and asked. "How is it?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled: "No matter how you take the pictures,it will also turn out beautiful."


    Qu Yunxuanughed. "You really know how to cheer me up."


    "I am telling you the truth. No matter if it is a 300,000pixels camera or a 5 million pixels camera, you will still look pretty."


    "Nonsense." Qu Yuxuan rolled her eyes and pulled DongXuebing closer to her on the sofa. She wrapped her arm around Dong Xuebing''sarm and lifted the phone higher to take a selfie. "Smile when you are takingpictures with me."


    Dong Xuebing could feel his arm pressing against QuYunxuan''s breast. He forced a smile, and it looks weird.


    After the picture was taken, Qu Yunxuanughed. "What iswrong with this expression? You look stupid."


    Dong Xuebing blushed and thought to himself. You arepressing against me and how can I not be nervous?


    After ying with the phone for a while, Qu Yunxuan keptphone and start to pack the newly bought clothes. She packed the clothes intDong Xuebing''s closet and cut those patched and faded clothes into small piecesof clothes. "It is a waste to throw these clothes away. I will cut them intosmall pieces, and you can use them as rags to wipe the tables." Qu Yunxuanmonthly sry was not low, but she was a thrifty person.


    This was also why Dong Xuebing was attracted to her. Helooked at Qu Yunxuan and stuttered: "Aunt Xuan... I... I like..."


    Qu Yunxuan shook the rag in her hands and turned around:"What did you say?"


    "I like... like..." Dong Xuebing was sweating. But he couldnot say the full sentence. Qu Yunxuan was the prettiest woman he ever met inhis life. She had a good figure, kind-hearted, a good career, etc. She does nothave anything bad about her. Dong Xuebing really wanted to take her as hisbride and wanted to confess to her. But their rtionship had just evolvedfrom being good neighbors to close friends. If he confessed to her, she mightfeel ufortable and, in the future, they might no longer be as close as now.This was not something Dong Xuebing wanted to see.


    Dong Xuebing remembered that he still had not used BACKtoday.


    If Qu Yunxuan rejects him, he can still use BACK to turnback the time. This way, both of them will not feel awkward.


    That''s right. This should do it.


    "What did you say? Wash (Wash andlike sound simr in Chinese)?"Qu Yunxuanughed. "You have dirtyundries to wash?" Why are youstuttering and so shy?"


    Qu Yunxuan ignored him and walked to the washroom to pick upDong Xuebing''s dirty socks and underwear. "Ok. Leave these to me. Is thereanything else you need me to help you wash?"


    Dong Xuebing wanted to bury his head in a hole on theground. He rushed forward and tried to take back his socks and underwear. "Ican wash these myself."


    "Go away." Qu Yunxuan moved her shoulders to avoid DongXuebing. But she shouted "ouch" when she moved her shoulders. "Stop trying tosnatch these clothes. My neck hurts."


    Dong Xuebing panicked. "Are you okay? I''m sorry. I did nothurt you on purpose."


    Qu Yunxuan sat down and massage her neck: "It''s not yourfault. I have been having neck pains for a while."


    Dong Xuebing felt guilty. "Let me help you massage your neck."


    "No need. It should get better after a good night sleep."


    "No..." Dong Xuebing replied. "Go and lie down in the room. Iwill massage you."


    Qu Yunxuan hesitated and agreed. "Hahaha.... Ok."


    Dong Xuebing took in a deep breath and readied himself toconfess to her.

 Chapter 34: Confessing his love for Aunt Xuan

    <h4>Chapter 34: Confessing his love for Aunt Xuan</h4>


    Dong Xuebing''s apartment.


    Bedroom.


    Dong Xuebing ced a pillow on the bed and let Qu Yunxuantake off her heels. She took the pillow and put it under her chin before lyingface down on the bedfortably. Dong Xuebing also took off his slippers andkneel beside her on the bed. He gently ced his hands on her shoulders andstart his massage. "Neck is very important. You must take care of it. When youare working, you must not stay in the same position for too long. You have tomove about once in a while. Is this strength okay?"


    Qu Yunxuan''s head was buried in the pillow and uttered areply: "It''s good. Thank you."


    "It''s all my fault."


    "I said it is not your fault. Ah... That''s the aching spot.Softer."


    Dong Xuebing reduced his strength and continued to massagethat spot. "Is this okay?"


    "Ah... Okay..."


    Dong Xuebing was organizing his words in his mind on how toconfess to Qu Yunxuan while massaging. At the same time, his eyes werewondering about Qu Yunxuan''s body. Qu Yunxuan was facing down and will not knowwhere he was looking. So, Dong Xuebing looked at the back of her ears, neck,back, waist, bums, legs.... Qu Yunxuan does not only look beautiful from thefront. Even her back view was pretty.


    "Are you tired? Do you want to rest?"


    "I''m fine. I will massage your back too."


    "It''s fine. You should be tired from working all day. Youshould rest early."


    "It''s fine. The muscles in your neck and back are linked. Iwill have you rx your back muscle." Dong Xuebing was memorized by herbeautiful back and does not want to stop touching her. He enjoys the feeling ofrubbing her back. He slowly moved his hands from her shoulders to her back.


    Qu Yunxuan was also enjoying the massage. She was makingsome sounds from the rxing massage.


    Dong Xuebing could not control himself and suddenly said:"Aunt Xuan.... I love you."


    Ah.... I finally said it.


    Qu Yunxuan''s body stiffed and did not say a word.


    Dong Xuebing could not see her facial expression. Hecontinued: "A few years ago when my mum and I shifted here, I had secretlyadmired you. It''s true. I... I am not good with words and don''t know how toexpress my feelings well. I just want you to know that I really, really, likeyou. Aunt Xuan.... Errrrr... Can you be my girlfriend?"


    Qu Yunxuan continued to keep quiet.


    The silence was torture to Dong Xuebing. His face was allred.


    After a while, Qu Yunxuann sat up and looked at him. "XiaoBing, I''m sorry. I always see you as my younger brother."


    Damn. Rejected. Dong Xuebing felt disappointed. But he knewhis ce and was already prepared to be rejected. It would be a miracle if QuYunxuan epted him now. Dong Xuebing wanted to know the reason why sherejected him. "Aunt Xuan, don''t use brother as an excuse to reject me. I reallywant to know what I amcking. Is it my looks? Ok. I do not look good enoughto be with you..." Penniless and no good looks. These were the things thatcaused Dong Xuebing''sck of self-esteem.


    Qu Yunxuan interrupted him. "I am not that shallow. It isnot about your looks."


    "No?" Dong Xuebing asked. "Then what is it?"


    Qu Yunxuan did not look at him and faced the direction ofthe window. She said apologetically: "I only feel that you are not my type. Howshould I put it? Looks are given by God. No one can do anything with it. Butyou can make up theck of looks with other things. Maybe it''s our thinking. Iknow these are some of your habits. But I can only ept clean and tidy men. Icannot ept men with long fingernails. My boyfriend must be cleanly shaved,and his hair must be tidy. It is now about his looks."


    In the past, Dong Xuebing had given up on himself. He didnot take care of himself and did not cut his nails, shave orbed his hair.


    Damn. Points were deducted from all these minor details?


    BACK!


    ...


    The scene changed.


    Qu Yunxuan face was in front of him with a confusedexpression. "What?"


    Dong Xuebing battered his eyes and asked. "Errr.... What was Isaying?"


    "I don''t know." Qu Yunxuan replied. "You just called myname. What do you want to tell me?"


    Dong Xuebing was relieved. He immediately smiled: "Nothing...I only want to ask if I am pressing too hard." Lucky. A bit more, it will bemore than 1 minute.


    "Hahaha, it is just right. Our Xiao Bing is also good atmassage."


    Dong Xuebing wanted to massage Qu Yunxuan a while more. Buthe saw his fingernails on her back, and he instinctively retracts his hands."That''s all for now. You have some water and rest for a while. We will continuter. I will go and take a shower first."


    Qu Yunxuanughed at him. "Go. Oh, wear that suit for me tosee."


    "Okay."


    Dong Xuebing rushed out of the room with one hand coveringthe stubbles. He took the newly bought suit and went into the bathroom. Heswitched on the lights, closed the door and grabbed his shaver to shave. Hethen uses a nail clipper to cut all his nails short before taking a quickshower. Hebed and used a hairdryer to style his hair neatly.


    Ok. All done.


    Dong Xuebing looked at himself in the mirror. He had a cleanand tidy look. He walked out of the bathroom after changing into his suit.


    Qu Yunxuan was ying with her iPhone 4 again in the livingroom. "Why did you change in the bathroom? I came out of the room was for youto change in there... Eh?" She paused when she saw Dong Xuebing. She wassurprised. "When did you shave? Your hair..." She did not notice Dong Xuebing''ssuit first. Instead, she noticed his stubbles and hair. So, it''s true. Shelikes men who look clean and tidy. She was not lying just now. It was all thesesmall details that will attract her.


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed. "My shaver was spoilt and can''tshave properly. It is the same for my hairdryer and nail clippers. I had boughtnew ones when I got my sry. In the future, I will not be so untidy. I can''tstand being so untidy. I like to look clean and tidy." He lifted both his handsand showed his clean nails.


    Qu Yunxuan nodded and stepped forward to straighten hiscor. "I still thought you don''t like to cut your nails and shave. So, it wasbecause your shaver and nail clippers are spoilt. You look so much betternow...." Qu Yunxuan looked at him from head to toes and smiled. "Handsome..."


    Hahaha, I had sessfully left a good impression with AuntXuan!


    Dong Xuanbing was thinking of confessing to Aunt Xuan again.


    He hopes he will seed the next time.

 Chapter 35: Two very important documents

    <h4>Chapter 35: Two very important documents</h4>


    The next day.


    Western District State Security Branch Bureau.


    Dong Xuebing wore his newly bought suit to work. He greetedthe old guard at the guard house and before walking into thepound.


    Only Tan Limei and Zhuang Zhi were in the General AffairsOffice. When Tan Limei saw Dong Xuebing, she gasped in surprise. "Bing Zhi looksso mature today. So handsome."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "I do not have many nice clothes likeyou. You are dressed up so pretty every day."


    Tan Limeiughed happily. "You are so good at praisingothers." There was no one else in the office, and Tan Limei yfully pattedZhuang Zhi''s tummy. "Hey, you should learn from Bing Zhi. Look at him. He hadjust joined our office and had gotten the trust of Chief Zhou. If this carrieson, he should be recing Zhou Panwei position in Chief Zhou''s heart. Look atyou. You are not good with words. How can you leave a good impression with theleaders?"


    Zhuang Zhi scratched the back of his head: "I... I cannotspeak well."


    Dong Xuebing looked at Tan Limei. "Tan Zhi, why do you careso much about Zhuang Zhi?"


    Tan Limei blushed. "Who do I care about so much? Hmph! It''smy turn to clean the office today."


    Zhuang Zhi quickly stood up. "I will help you."


    "That''s more like it." Tan Limei passed the mop to him.


    Was Dong Xuebing good with words? Knows how to make theleaders like him? This was impossible if it was in the past. He was a quietperson since middle school to university. He could not speak well and get alongwith others. But after he set his goal, he felt he had changed a lot. He forcedhimself to say things that will please others. He did it for his promotions.


    He needs to be humble and modest first before he could getpromoted.


    10 minutester, all the staffs arrived in office.


    Dong Xuebing felt his phone vibrates. He took out his iPhone4 to take a look. It was Qu Yunxuan who had messaged him. "My boss just gaveout an instruction. I need to work overtime today. I might not reach home untfter 8 pm. You get dinner yourself." Dong Xuebing replied. "Ok. Be carefulwhen you areing home." After sending the message, he was about to keep hisphone back into his pocket when a dark figure appeared beside him and snatchedhis phone away.


    It was Tan Limei who snatched his phone.


    "Wow!" Tan Limei shouted in surprised. "It''s iPhone 4. BingZhi, you bought this iPhone 4?"


    Guo Shunjie who was looking at his monitor snorted loudlyand did not say a word.


    Guo Panwei who did not keep up with thetest trend asked:"What is iPhone 4?"


    Changjuan exined: "It''s a handphone model. It is thehottest handphone now. I heard that it cost 5,000 to 6,000 RMB with theessories. Hehe, Xiao Dong, you are really willing to buy."


    Guo Panwei eximed: "How much? 5,000 to 6,000 RMB for ahandphone?" Civil servants'' sry was not a lot whenpared to those privatpanies. He felt that 5,000 to 6,000 RMB was too expensive even to buy a PC,let alone a handphone.


    Tan Limei looked at the phone in her hands with envy. "Thisphone is so pretty. I must also get one when I get this month''s sry. Huh? Ican''t afford it even with this month''s sry. I can only wait for next month."She said and looked at the phone before pleading with Dong Xuebing. "Bing Zhi,we are good friends. Can we exchange our phones for a few days? Let me ywith it for a few days please..."


    Dong Xuebing shrugged his shoulders. "I am ok with it. Butyour phone''s sim card is different from iPhone."


    Tan Limei pped her forehead. "Ah.... I forgot about that.Here, have your phone back." She gave the phone back to Dong Xuebingunwillingly. Tan Limei likes to follow thetest trends. She kept stealingnces at Dong Xuebing''s desk while working and kept borrowing his phone toy around once she was free.


    There was a meeting in the morning at the small meeting roomupstairs. Chief Li Qing was not around, and it was Chief Zhou who chaired themeeting. The meetings in the government sector were all the same. It was notfor the department heads to talk about their staffs'' performance. It was todiscuss the documents given to them by their higher-ups. Dong Xuebing felt thiswas meaningless but forced himself to listen to Zhou Changchun''s "chanting"while thinking of how to get promoted.


    10 minutes...


    20 minutes...


    Dong Xuebing was falling asleep and controlling himself fromyawning.


    The people from the General Affairs Office were used tothis. Other than Old Yan was doing his own things, the rest were trying theirbest to pay attention.


    "That''s all for today." Zhou Changchun drank his tea andcleared his throat. "Two of you will follow me. The rest return to the office.There is a lot of work this morning. Do your best." Zhou Changchun lookedaround the meeting room thinking who to pick to follow him out for someerrands.


    Dong Xuebing and Guo Panwei puffed out their chest andstraighten their backs.


    Then Zhou Changchun said. "Panwei, Shunjie, both of youfollow me."


    "Yes, sir." Guo Panwei replied immediately and proudlylooked at Dong Xuebing. It was as if he was telling Dong Xuebing that did yousee it? Even if you have some credits, Chief Zhou still trusts me more thanyou. Guo Panwei was had been upset with Dong Xuebing immediately felt better.


    Guo Shunjie did not expect Zhou Changchun would call hisname. He brightens up. This means the leader had forgotten about the incidentthat day. He also looked at Dong Xuebing who had been trying to be closer toChief Zhou recently. He was delighted to see Chief Zhou not calling Dong Xuebing.Dong Xuebing was still a newbie.


    "Oh yes." When everyone was walking out of the meeting room,Zhou Changchun suddenly said: "There will be two very important documents whichwill be sent to Chief Li Qing there. Two of you must go and collect it and sendit to the confidential department. Nothing must go wrong.... Errr....."


    Dong Xuebing puffed up his chest and had a "leave this tome" expression on his face.


    After hesitating for a while, Zhou Changchun looked at DongXuebing for a second and said: "Xiao Chang and Xiao Tan, both of you will dothis. The Confidential Department might be having a meeting this morning. Ifthere is no one to collect the documents, don''t bring the documents back to theoffice. Return it back to Chief Li Qing. There are no duplicates for thesedocuments. Nothing must happen to the documents."


    "Rest assure Chief." Tan Limei and Changjuan nodded.


    Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie looked at Dong Xuebing. Therewereughing at him in their hearts.


    Dong Xuebing felt helpless. After all, he was still new inthe office. Zhou Changchun had only started to trust him. Butpared to therest of the staffs, he still trusts the seniors more. Especially Guo Shunjiewho was Zhou Changchun''s, right-hand man.


    Sighed.... It will be a long journey...

 Chapter 36: Fire!

    <h4>Chapter 36: Fire!</h4>


    10.30 am.


    General Affairs Office.


    Guoo Panwei and Guo Shunjie went out with Zhou Changchun forsome errands. Tan Limei and Changjuan also went upstairs to collect the twovery important documents from Li Qing''s office. But there was no one at theConfidential Department to receive the documents. It seems that they were stillhaving a meeting. There was only two staff on duty at the counter. But thesedocuments need the leader to acknowledge and signature. Tan Limei and Changjuncould only bring the documents back to DirectorLi Qing.


    Dong Xuebing was looking at the attendance sheet when theyreturned. He asked: "You delivered the documents?"


    Tan Limei sat down on her chair. "The leader of ConfidentialDocument Department is not around. Director Li told us to send the documentsagain in the afternoon."


    Dong Xuebing looked around and saw there were no outsiders.He asked softly: "tan Zhi, is it because I am still under my probation? WhyChief Zhou never pick Zhuang Zhi and me to deliver those important documents?Is he afraid that we will look at the documents?"


    Tan Limeiughed. "I am not sure about this. What''s wrong?You are jealous of me and Sister Chang?"


    Dong Xuebing sulked. "Do I need to? But I just feel that theleader does not seems to trust me."


    "It''s not he doesn''t trust you, it''s..." Tan Limei paused fora while and looked around the office. She picked up a document and pretended tobe discussing the document with him. "I had wanted to warn you yesterday. Ithink Chief Zhou might be slightly pissed with you."


    Dong Xuebing was shocked. "Impossible... I did not doanything to make him angry."


    Tan Limei continued. "This is only my opinion. That day whenyou had the conflict with Guo Shunjie, you purposely did not say you were inChief Zhou''s office and lead Guo Shunjie to say those things. Yes. Guo Shunjiewas scolded by Chief Zhou. But have you ever thought that what you did wasforcing Chief Zhou to step in to scold Guo Shunjie? He had no choice as one ofhis subordinates was shouting outside. If he still did not step in, people willlose respect for him."


    "Damn!" Dong Xuebing felt this might really be true.


    "That''s why although Chief Zhou did not say anything, in hisheart... you should know." Tan Limei had been in the government sector for morethan one year. She could see further than Dong Xuebing. "Chief Zhou had askedGuo Shunjie to follow him along for his errands was the leader''s art of carrotand stick. Since he had shown that he is the boss of the office, there was noneed to make things worse. At the same time, he was giving you a warning."


    Dong Xuebing was grateful. "Thank you so much for telling methis. If you did not tell me, I would still be wondering why Chief Zhou wastreating me differently. So, this was the reason."


    Sighed.... I was still too na?ve.


    Dong Xuebing reflected on himself. This was a lesson to him.Suddenly he felt slightly cold and walked over to press the remote of the airconditional. He tried to raise the temperature, but the button might be spoilt.It had no reaction after pushing for a while.


    "You need to press harder. Press as hard as you can."Changjuan said. "The thermoset is faulty."


    "Did we report it?" Dong Xuebing used his strength to pressand beep. The temperature indicator increased a notched. "Damn, adjusting thetemperature is also manualbor."


    Old Yan who was reading his newspapersughed. "It wasrepaired several times, but it was still faulty. Recently, the budget wastight, and the higher-ups do not allow us to rece it. Not only this airconditional, that water dispenser cold water is also faulty. The electrickettle in Director Li Qing''s office was also faulty. It will stop working whenboiling water. Just make do with it first."


    Someone opened the door of the office. It was GeneralAffairs Office''s head. Director Li Qing. "Bureau Chief Yan need someone to helphim carry things. One of you needs to follow me." Bureau Chief Yan''s full namewas Yan Liang. He was the Chief of this district''s branch bureau. The real headof this ce. He had more authority than the District Political Commissar.


    When heard that it would be helping Bureau Chief Yan tocarry things, Dong Xuebing stood up. "Director Li, I will go."


    Li Qing looked at him andughed. "Never mind. Let Xiao Sungo. He is stronger."


    Zhuang Zhi immediately stops what he was doing and followedLi Qing out of the office.


    Dong Xuebing pped the back of his head in frustration. Hefelt his presence in the office was getting smaller and smaller.


    On the other side, a car was traveling back to the WesternDistrict Branch Bureau. Zhou Changchun casually asked. "What do you all thinkof Xiao Dong?"


    Guo Panwei, who was driving, was surprised at this question."Xiao Dong is too young. Although his work attitude was good, he was tooimpulsive...." He was afraid of Dong Xuebingpeting with him. So, he did nothold back his words.


    Guo Shunjie saw there were no changes in Zhou Changchun''sexpression, he cleared his throat and said. "Chief Zhou, I am not saying thisbecause I had some conflicts with Xiao Dong in the past. He is too immature. Justbecause he had written a draft of a speech for Bureau Chief Yang, he became soproud and had no respect for you. That day, he tricked me. If I knew that youwere the one who called him into your office, I will also not..."


    Zhou Changchun frowned.


    Guo Shunjie also stopped speaking. He wasughing in hisheart. Seems like Chief Zhou was not very pleased with Dong Xuebing.


    Guo Panwei was also thinking in his heart. Chief Zhou shouldnot trust that Xiao Dong much. If not, he would not initiate this conversationwith both of them.


    Branch Bureau''s cafeteria.


    Dong Xuebing, Tan Limei, and Zhuang Zhi were sitting at asmall table having their lunch. Dong Xuebing was thinking of a way to changeZhou Changchun''s impression of him and earn the trust of the two leaders of theGeneral Affairs Office while eating. He was thinking hard, but could not thinkof a good solution. He sighed. It was tooplicated to survive in thegovernment sector. If this carries on, it might be years before he could gethis promotion. He needs an opportunity to prove himself.


    Dong Xuebing looked around and saw Zhou Changchun and LiQing entering the cafeteria.


    Dong Xuebing called out to them. "Chief Zhou, DivisionChief." But they did not hear him and sat down at an empty table not far away.Dong Xuebing sat down embarrassed and continued eating his lunch.


    After eating for a while, Li Qing remembered something andfrowned. "Old Zhou, did I unplug the electric kettle in my office?"


    Zhou Changchun replied. "I did not notice when we areleaving your office." He knew that the electric kettle in Li Qing''s office wasfaulty. No matter how long the water was boiling, it will not stop heatingunless you unplug it. "Shall I go up and check?"


    Li Qing replied: "Let''s have lunch first."


    Dong Xuebing and Tan Limei overheard their conversation.Dong Xuebing wanted to go up to them and offer to check the kettle for them.But he remembered that there were many important documents in Li Qing''s officeand most likely he was not allowed to enter. So he did not approach them.


    Suddenly there were shouts outside the cafeteria.


    Everybody looked out. "What''s wrong?"


    "Fire. The grey building is on fire!"


    "What?"


    "Ah..."

 Chapter 37: Chance to prove myself again

    <h4>Chapter 37: Chance to prove myself again</h4>


    Outside of the cafeteria.


    After Dong Xuebing, Tan Limei and the rest heard about thefire, they immediately ran out of the cafeteria and look towards the directionof the grey building. The fire was at the General Affairs Office''s building.Thick billowing smoke wasing out from the second floor. It was slightlyfurther away from Dong Xuebing''s office. The thick smoke had covered thecorridor anding out from the windows. It seems that the fire was quite big.


    "Whose office was that? Why did it catch fire?"


    "Call 119!"


    "We had called just now."


    Thepound was filled with people.


    At first, Dong Xuebing still did not think much of the fire.It was none of his business. But when he saw Li Qing and Zhou Changchun''s face,he immediately realized something was wrong. He looked at the second floorwhere the smoke wasing out. Damn! That was Li Qing''s office!


    Li Qing shouted: "Quick. All those from the General AffairsOffice, follow me!"


    Zhou Changchun was wiping his sweat on his face and ranbehind Li Qing towards that burning building. "Hurry and put out the fire."


    Guo Shunjie and Guo Panwei had caught up with them. DongXuebing knew that this was an emergency. He quickly ran forward with Tan Limei.Dong Xuebing knew that it was the faulty electric kettle that caused the fire.Li Qing and Zhou Changchun had forgotten to unplug it before leaving theoffice. They had to take responsibility for the fire, and the two veryimportant documents were still in his office. If the documents were damaged, thewhole General Affairs Office might be punished.


    The corridor on the second floor was covered in thick smoke,and it was choking.


    There were some people from the Political Section andFinance Department trying to put out the fire. They were throwing pails ofwater at the burning wooden door.


    "The door is damaged by the fire and cannot be opened."


    "Put out the fire on the door first. Stop it fromspreading."


    "Get a few more pails of water! It is not enough!"


    Li Qing was panicking. He grabbed a fire extinguisher alongthe way to the building and spray it on the door. Guo Shunjie and Guo Panweicould not find any fire extinguishers. They could only get the pails andcollect water from the washroom nearby. Changjuan, Dong Xuebing and the restarrived shortly and helped to put out the fire.


    "What''s happening? Li Qing, tell me what is happening?" Astern looking middle-aged man ran over from the end of the corridor. He was YanLiang, Director of the District Branch Bureau.


    Li Qing was panicking: "Director Yan, I... I don''t know whymy office caught fire." He was lying through his teeth and trying to avoidtaking responsibility.


    Director Yan points at him: "I don''t care. Hurry up and savewhatever documents in there!"


    "Director Yan, I, I..." Li Qing was at a loss of words. "It''sfine if the rest of the documents were damaged. But... but the two documents youpassed to me this morning is... still in my office."


    "What?!" Director Yan''s face changed. "Say that again?"


    Li Qing''s fire extinguisher had run out, and he quicklyexined: "This morning, the Confidential Documents Department was having ameeting and there was no one to ept the documents. So, I brought it back tomy office and will deliver it after lunch. But who knows..."


    Director Yan shouted: "Are you allowed to keep thosedocuments in your office? What did I tell you when I pass you the documents?Those documents have no backups and were very important. How can you leave itin your office and go out for lunch? Do you know the procedures of handlingthese highly ssified documents? Do you know?!"


    Zhou Changchun was standing by the side sweating profusely.


    Li Qing replied: "Director, don''t worry. There should beenough time to get the documents out." The fire on the office door wasextinguished. Li Qing shouted to Guo Panwei. "Stop trying to put out the fireand kick the door down. Get the documents in my desk''s second drawer on theright. Get it out of the fire even if it cost your life!"


    Guo Panwei knew thatif he could rescue the documents from the fire, it will be a great credit. Herushed forward and kicked on the door. Bang! But the door did not open. DongXuebing also saw this opportunity and wanted to kick the door. But Guo Shunjiepushed him aside and kicked the door.


    Bang!


    The door fell off itstches.


    Dong Xuebing nearly cursed out loud after seeing the chanceto gain credit was snatched by others.


    Guo Shunjie wasughing in his heart and wanted to rushinto the office.


    Guo Panwei was not far behind either. He ran into the roomafter him.


    But after they stepped into the room, they could feel theheat in their faces. The room was covered in thick ck smoke.


    Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie got shocked. They used all theirstrength to avoid the fire and run out of the room.


    Li Qing and Zhou Changchun who were panicking shouted outorders: "Go in and get the documents. It is in the second drawer!"


    Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie thought the fire was only aroundthe door. But when they entered the room, they saw everything in the officewere on fire. The shelves filled with books, the stacks of documents in thecorners,puter, writing desk, etc. were all on fire. They were staring atthe raging fire in the office. Guo Shunjie and Guo Panwei were not willing togo in and risk their lives. No matter how big that credit was, it was not worthusing their lives to exchange for it.


    "I can''t. The documents must have been burnt by the fire."Guo Panwei moved back.


    Guo Shunjie also took a few steps back. He was afraid thefire would burn him.


    Li Qing cursed silently and clenched his fist. He wanted torun into the room, but he hesitated. He does not have the guts to enter theroom.


    "The fire extinguisher is here!" Zhuang Zhi and Tan Limei wererunning from a distance with a fire extinguisher each. They tried to extinguishthe fire.


    Everybody at the scene knew there was no way to save thosedocuments. The fire was raging.


    Director Yan pointed at Li Qing and Zhou Changchun: "Whatthe hell is your General Affairs Office doing?!" He paused for a while andcontinued. "Do you know what those documents are? Do you know?! Your departmentcannot even do such a simple task. What is the use of keeping all of you here?I want your resignation letter on my desk tomorrow!"


    Zhou Changchun knew there was nothing he could do. Helowered his head and kept quiet. He thought he would be able to retire at therank of Section Chief, but now.....


    Tan Limei, Guo Panwei and the rest were all looking down inshame.


    Li Qing could not say a word. Resign? This job was essentialto him. His daughter needs his sry to pay for her medical treatment. If helost his job, what would he do? There was no way he could do anything now.


    Suddenly there was a loud ssh.


    A man snatched a pail of water and sshed on himself,making himself all wet and ran into the burning office. Everybody was shocked.


    It was Dong Xuebing!


    Everybody at the scene was staring in disbelieve.


    This person dares to jump into the sea of fire?


    "Xiao Dong!"


    "Bing Zhi!"


    "Are you trying to kill yourself? Come back! The documentsare burnt!"

 Chapter 38: Saving the documents!

    <h4>Chapter 38: Saving the documents!</h4>


    Dong Xuebing was afraid of dying. He was terrified of dying.


    If it were in the past, he would never rush in even if a gunwas pointing at his head. It was dangerous.


    But now, Dong Xuebing was different. He has the specibility, BACK, as his trump card. He has an extra lifepared to everyoneelse in the world. He could use BACK to return to the time where he was unhurtif he encountered some dangerous situation. With this power, his wellbeing wasnot his top priority. He had died once before, what''s wrong with dying again?Anyway, he will not really die. What matter the most to him was to gain creditand aplish some achievement to gain the trust of his higher-ups. This wasthe reason why Dong Xuebing rushes into the burning office without secondthoughts.


    The fire was burning everywhere around Dong Xuebing.


    The thick smoke blocked Dong Xuebing''s vision, and he couldnot see a thing in the office. He choked on the smoke and coughed a few timesbefore covering his mouth with his wet sleeves. Tears were flowing from hiseyes, and he quickly walks forward in the darkness.


    Hot. He could feel his skin burning.


    Dong Xuebing could not stand it after entering the officefor a few seconds. He avoided something burning on the floor and gritted histeeth.


    There were shouts and screams behind him. Everyone wascalling him to get out of the office.


    "Xiao Dong!" It was Li Qing''s hoarse voice. "Come out! Don''tcare about the documents. Your life is more important!"


    Zhou Changchun also shouted: "Xiao Bing, get out of theoffice immediately! This is an order!"


    "Bing Zhi, are you mad? The fire is getting bigger! Come outnow!" Dong Xuebing''s colleagues were all calling for him.


    Dong Xuebing also thought that the documents should beburned to ashes by now. But his purpose was not to find the documents. He wantsto show that he was fearless and could help the higher-ups in critical times.He ignored all their cries and move quickly to a half-opened door in theoffice. He kicked the burning door open and entered the room. Crash! It was thesound of something heavy crashing down. He could feel the floor shook. Heturned around and saw a bookcase had copsed, blocking the main door. His exitwas blocked!


    Dong Xuebing got a fright from the loud sound. Damn!


    "Oh no!"


    "Ah... Bing Zhi cannote out now!"


    "Hurry and save him!"


    Everyone outside was panicking. They used the fireextinguisher on the burning bookcase, hoping to clear an exit path for DongXuebing. If the fire on the bookshelf was not extinguished, Dong Xuebing wouldhave no escape route and will either be burned to death or suffocated from thesmoke.


    Dong Xuebing hesitated for a while. But he still entered thesmaller room in the office.


    Crash!


    A desk on his left had crashed down, and the table top andlegs hit Dong Xuebing''s pants. It immediately burned a hole in his pants andparts of his leg was burned. He screamed out in pain. Cold sweat was drippingdown his back. He endured the pain and extinguished the fire on his pants withhis hand. The pain made him more determined. He strained his eyes to seethrough the thick smoke and limped towards a burning pile by the side of theroom. It was Li Qing''s desk.


    Crash!


    The fluorescent lights above exploded from the high heat.


    The ss pieces fell on Dong Xuebing, and some cut hisback, neck, and hands. Blood was flowing out from his wounds.


    Dong Xuebing cursed and limped forward. He was trying hisbest to keep his conscious.


    He got closer, and he could see the burning desk clearer.Dong Xuebing was overjoyed to see that the drawers on the left were onlyburning slightly. It was not engulfed in mes entirely. He immediatelyreached out for the second drawer without thinking. Ah!!!! His fingers wereburned when he touched the drawer. It was excruciating. He quickly uses his legto kick the locked drawer.


    Bang! Bang!


    Two kicks.


    Cracked! The scorched parts of the drawer cracked, and therewas a big opening. Dong Xuebing could see 2 brown envelopes in the drawer!


    The documents were still around!


    Dong Xuebing was very excited. He ignored the pain on hishands and reached into the drawer to grab the envelopes. The envelopes wereslightly burned on the edges. Dong Xuebing was coughing heavily from the thicksmoke. He covered his nose and mouth and lowered his body. He tried to make hisway back out of the office. But the copsed bookcase was blocking the mainexit. He could not escape from there. The people outside were still trying toput out the fire and remove the debris of the bookcase.


    Hurry up and let me escape!


    Dong Xuebing could feel his head getting heavier andgiddier....


    He wanted to use all his strength to move nearer to theexit, but he had inhaled too much smoke. His brains and body were not listeningto him!


    Dong Xuebing''s vision slowly became blurred. Bang! He fellonto the floor.


    The moment the documents touched the floor, it startedburning. Dong Xuebing was also screaming in pain as the fire engulfs his wholebody.


    Dead...


    Dong Xuebing knew he was dying.


    He used his final strength to shout out: "BACK!"


    ...


    Everywhere around Dong Xuebing was still burning.


    The 2 envelopes were still in the drawer and could be seenfrom the cracked opening.


    Time had returned to 1 minute before.


    Dong Xuebing could feel his mind shook. He could feel hisbody again, but he was still feeling giddy. No matter what, it was still betterthan the few seconds before he was about to die earlier. He knew that the thicksmoke was toxic, and he does not have much time. Even if he could get the documents,he still could not get out of the office alive.


    Dong Xuebing could not afford to waste time. He grabbed thetwo envelopes again, and this time, he did not pick the earlier path which ledto his death. He ran towards the window panels of the office and picked up aporcin teacup along the way. He threw the cup at the window panel with allhis strength, smashing the windows.


    This office was located on the second floor. Although it wasdangerous to jump out of the window, it was better than suffocating to death bythe thick smoke.


    Dong Xuebing could feel he was at his limits. He took insome fresh air near the windows and at the awning below. The awning was to shelterthe parked bicycles below. Dong Xuebing felt slightly relieved when he saw the stanopy. He hugged the documents and slowly climb out of the window. He used hisfingernails to press hard on his temples to clear his mind, before using thst of his strength to jump down.


    4 meters...


    3 meters...


    2 meters...


    Crash!!!


    Dong Xuebing could feel the pain on his left shoulders, andhis body hit on the blue translucent stic shelter. Hended on the awningand lost his bnce and rolled down the sides. Bang! He fell from the canopyonto the concrete ground, barely missing a few parked bicycles.


    He was gasping for fresh air.


    Dong Xuebing resisted the urged to vomit and looked at theblue skies. He was finally safe.


    He was alive!


    He did not die!


    3 minutester...


    Footsteps could be hearding closer to him.


    It was the people who were trying to put out the fire. Allof them had run to the back of the building. Among them, it was the Chief ofthe General Affairs Office and Dong Xuebing''s colleagues.


    "Bing Zhi! Bing Zhi!"


    "Xiao Dong, how are you feeling?! Are you okay?!"


    Dong Xuebing''s body was covered with burns and bruises. Hecould not stand up. He tried his best to give them a smile.


    Tan Limei, Zhuang Zhi, Changjuan and the rest got closer tohim and saw Dong Xuebing covered in blood and burns lying on the ground. All ofthem were shocked: "Call the ambnce! Quick!" Zhuang Zhi was the closest toDong Xuebing. He shouted and move forward to try to help him up.


    Li Qing was deeply touched. "Xiao Dong... you... Sighed. Youknow that the documents were burned and yet you still...."


    Dong Xuebing was still panting and said: "The documents arenot burned."


    "What did you say?" Li Qing, Zhou Changchun and everyone at thescene were shocked.


    Dong Xuebing turned his body painfully to his sides and tookout 2 envelopes under him. "Are these the documents?"


    "You found it?" Li Qing and Zhou Changchun could not believetheir eyes. They''re almost cried on the spot and quickly walk forward to pickup the bloody brown envelopes. "Yes! Yes! These are the documents!" Li Qing wasso ecstatic until he did not know what to say. "You... This... Xiao Dong... Goodjob! Terrific!"


    Everyone was stunned by Dong Xuebing.


    Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie looked at each other. They couldnot believe what had happened. Earlier when Dong Xuebing rushed into theburning office, no one expects him toe out alive. Let alone escaping withthe documents.


    Zhou Changchun looked at Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie who werestaring at Dong Xuebing in disbelieved. His opinion of Dong Xuebing hadchanged. Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie had still imed that Xiao Dong wasimpulsive and immature. But what did the both of them do just now? They werehiding away from the fire. Dong Xuebing was much more dependable than them.


    Director Yan had also arrived and was shocked by DongXuebing''s actions. He looked at Dong Xuebing and took the documents from LiQing. "You don''t need to write your resignation letter, but you will still bepunished. Go back and write a report for me."


    Li Qing replied. "Yes, Sir. Thank you, Director Yan."


    Zhou Changchun also said: "Thank you, Sir." Both of themwere overjoyed for not need to resign.


    "Don''t need to thank me." Director Yan looked at DongXuebing who was still sitting on the floor. "If you two want to thank someone,you should thank him. Both of you are really lucky to have such a goodsubordinate."


    Li Qing and Zhou Changchun nodded.


    That''s right. Which leader will also feel the same forhaving a subordinate who was willing to risk his life for his leaders. Atleast, there was no one else like Dong Xuebing in the Western District BranchBureau.


    At this moment, everyone''s impression of Dong Xuebingchanged. This person was crazy and was willing to risk his life....

 Chapter 39: Becoming a party member

    <h4>Chapter 39: Bing a party member</h4>


    Beijing Jiangong Hospital.


    Orthopedic inpatient ward.


    Dong Xuebing was sent to the hospital by the ambnce.Zhuang Zhi who had apanied him helped to get him admitted into thehospital. After a whole afternoon of checks and treatment, Dong Xuebing''sinjuries were under controlled. His arms and legs had some first-degree burns.He also sprained his shoulders and ankles. The cuts caused by the fluorescentlights were also bandaged. Overall, he was not too severely injured.


    In the evening, everyone from the General Affairs Office,including the leaders, arrived at the hospital to visit him.


    Dong Xuebing who was lying on the bed had just taken histemperature. 37.3 degrees. As the nurse took the thermometer away, Li Qing andZhou Changchun walked into the ward. Dong Xuebing immediately tried to sit up."Director Li, Chief Zhou." But Dong Xuebing''s shoulders were hurting and couldnot sit upright.


    Li Qing quickly steps forward and stop Dong Xuebing. "Don''tget up. Just lie on the bed."


    Guo Panwei looked at Dong Xuebing who was wearing thehospital gown and did not say a word. Instead, he carried two chairs over forthe leaders.


    Zhou Changchun and Li Qing sat down by the bed and asked."Xiao Dong, how are your injuries?"


    Dong Xuebing was not used to be surrounded by so manypeople. He coughed. "Errr.... Thank you for asking. I feel well now. I think Ican be discharged tomorrow."


    Li Qing had asked Zhuang Zhi about Dong Xuebing''s conditionand knew that Dong Xuebing was putting up a brave front. He frowned: "How canyou be discharged tomorrow? You can''t even get off the bed now, how can thehospital discharge you tomorrow? Xiao Dong, don''t worry about your work. OldZhou and I will take care of your probation performance report and yourhospital bills. You don''t need to do anything and focus on recovering well."


    Zhou Changchun nodded. "That''s right. You need to restwell."


    Li Qing and Zhou Changchun had escaped from being forced toresign because of Dong Xuebing. Both of them were grateful to him. Even Li Qinghelped Dong Xuebing poured a ss of water personally. Guo Shunjie and GuoPanwei had never seen Li Qing and Zhou Changchun treating a subordinate sowell. They were jealous of Dong Xuebing, but they could not show it. After all,Dong Xuebing had done something great.


    Dong Xuebing had also said it casually. Seeing the leadersgranting him permission to recuperate in the hospital, he did not insist ondischarging. He did not want to be discharged. First, he was still injured, andhis mother was not in Beijing. There will be no one taking care of him at home.Secondly, if he discharged too early, Li Qing and Zhou Changchun will not feelthat they owe him a lot. He had to pretend to be "seriously injured" to showthe leaders that he risked his life to help them.


    Dong Xuebing was not very smart but was still quick-witted.


    Li Qing and Zhou Changchun took turns to say somepleasantries to Dong Xuebing. After a while, Li Qing''s mobile phone rang. Hetook a look at the number and left the ward with Zhou Changchun to answer thecall.


    After the leaders were gone, Dong Xuebing''s colleagues weremore at ease.


    Tan Limeiughed and showed Dong Xuebing a thumbs up. "BingZhi, I am impressed by your guts. The fire was so big, and you dare to rush in.I was so stunned back then.


    Changjuan alsoughed: "You think you are the only one?Everyone out there was stunned. Luckily you are alright."


    Old Yan said gently: "Xiao Dong, you did us proud."


    Dong Xuebing was feeling great, but he modestly replied:"Stop praising me. I did not think much and just know that if the documentswere destroyed by the fire, the whole General Affairs Office would be introuble. That''s why I rushed in."


    Guo Shunjie knew Dong Xuebing was talking rubbish.


    Guo Panwei was also thinking the same thing. If there is nocredit for doing this, will you still risk your life by running into theoffice? Who are you trying to fool?


    But they could only say all these in their hearts. No matterwhat, Guo Shunjie and Guo Panwei were impressed by Dong Xuebing''s guts. Ifgiven a chance again, Guo Shunjie and Guo Panwei will still not enter theoffice to risk their lives.


    The door opened.


    Li Qing and Zhou Changchun entered the ward again. Thepeople surrounding Dong Xuebing''s bed moved aside to make way for the leaders.


    Li Qing sat down beside the bed and patted Dong Xuebing''shand. "I have just received news that the Bureau had approved your application andyou are now a Party member."


    Tan Limei and the rest were surprised. "Didn''t Bing Zhisubmit his application two weeks ago?"


    Dong Xuebing was also shocked to hear this. "Me? Approved?"He had not even submitted a periodical report and had not enrolled in any ofthe courses. He needs at least one year to qualify as a Party Activist andanother year to be a Probationary Party member. Howe he be a Partymember two weeks after submitting his application? This was not right.


    Zhou Changchunughed. "Your approval is an exceptionalcase."


    Everyone in the ward understood why.


    Joining the Party through exceptional approval happens quitefrequently during the rescue efforts of natural disasters like earthquakes, orwar. Those individuals with exceptional performances and contributions areallowed to join the Party immediately.


    Li Qing exined. "This afternoon, after we put out thefire, Old Zhou and I had a discussion and decided to submit your applicationletter to the higher-ups. We applied for an exceptional approval for you. Thephone call earlier was to inform us that the application is approved and whenyou return to work, you will be sworn in. After that, you will be ProbationaryParty member." Actually, Dong Xuebing''s performance in the afternoon was stillnot good enough to qualify for exceptional approval. But to repay Dong Xuebing,Li Qing and Zhou Changchun made a few trips to their leaders'' offices to talkabout this exceptional approval. Director Yan had also seen Dong Xuebing''sbravery, and with his help, the approval was granted.


    Gou Panwei and Guo Shunjie were jealous. It was rare to seesomeone getting exceptional approval.


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed! This was not what he expected.He will be a party member, and it will look good on his resume. He showed a"grateful" expression: "Thank you, Director Li, Thank you, Chief Zhou. I willnot let you all down. I will work harder for the Communist Party and will beprepared to sacrifice myself for the party and people..."


    Li Qingughed: "This is not the ce for you to pledgeyour loyalty to the Party."


    "Hahahaha...." Everyoneughs.


    After all the visitors left, Dong Xuebing covered his wholebody under the nket andughed. All these injuries were worth it. Not onlyhe had gained the trust of Li Qing and Zhou Changchun, even the Director andall his colleagues were impressed by him. Most importantly, he had sessfullyjoined the CPC.


    Hahahaha..... I am a Party member now!!

 Chapter 40: Aunt Xuan

    <h4>Chapter 40: Aunt Xuan</h4>


    The next morning.


    Orthopedic inpatient ward.


    The morning sky had just brightened up. It was the start ofAutumn and the morning air was fresh. The nurse conducted her morning rounds andwoke Dong Xuebing. He yawned and greeted the old man, with a fractured leg, inthe same ward. Dong Xuebing slowly makes his way down his bed and pouredhimself a cup of warm water. He wore his slippers and was about to ask thenurse at the nurses'' station on what other checks he had today when his iPhone4 rang. It was Qu Yunxuan''s number.


    Dong Xuebing cleared his throat and swiped the screen toanswer: "Hello?"


    "Xiao Bing, where are you? Howe you did not return homst night?"


    Dong Xuebing was afraid Qu Yunxuan would be worried and didnot want to let her see him lying in bed so pathetically. So, he did not informher and his hospitalization. He called her yesterday and told her that he willbe having dinner with his colleagues. "Ah... We had dinner until quiteteyesterday, and I stayed over at my colleague''s ce. I had just wake up and ispreparing to go to work now." When he finishes this sentence, a nurse walked inwith a few small stic containers and shouted. "The medicine is here. Take ithalf an hour after breakfast."


    "What medicine?" Qu Yunxuan asked nervously. "Xiao Bing,where are you?"


    Dong Xuebing stuttered: "Nothing... nothing... It''s thetelevision."


    "You think I am stupid? Hurry up and tell me the truth!"


    Dong Xuebing''s lies were exposed, and he could only tell herthe truth. "Errr... I am at Jiangong Hospital. It''s like this.... Yesterday therewas a fire at my workce, and there were some important documents in theoffice. I ran in to retrieve the documents and suffered some minor burns. It isnot very serious. I will be discharged in one or two days. You don''t need tovisit me. I am fine."


    "..."


    "Aunt Xuan? What''s wrong? Why are you keeping silent?"


    "..."


    "Errrm... I didn''t mean to lie to you."


    "Dooo... dooo... dooo..." The line was cut.


    Dong Xuebing was sweating nervously. Was Aunt Xuan angrywith him?


    Dong Xuebing tried to call Qu Yunxuan again, but she did notpick up his calls.


    Breakfast was ready, and Dong Xuebing kept his phone. Hetook out a 10 RMB food ticket bought by Zhuang Zhi yesterday and paid thedypushing the food cart. After getting his breakfast, he slowly peeled the shellsof an egg with one hand. He spent a long time removing the shell. The nurses inthe hospital will not care for the patients other than doing their jobs ofchanging the drips, changing oxygen tanks, taking temperature, etc. They willnot do anything extra for the patients. If you need someone to feed you, youwill need to hire a caretaker, and it cost tens of RMB a day. Dong Xuebing didnot want to spend that money and tried to do everything himself.


    Half an hour after breakfast, he took his medicine, and hecould hear the sounds of heels down the corridor.


    Click, click, click, click, the footsteps were fast and strong.


    A person''s figure rushed past the door of the ward, and thesounds of the heels stopped. The person turned back quickly, and push openedthe door of Dong Xuebing''s ward. It was Qu Yunxuan.


    Dong Xuebing, who was half lying on the bed, was nervous tosee her. "Aunt Xuan, didn''t I told you not to visit me?"


    Qu Yunxuan''s eyes turn red as she saw Dong Xuebing coveredin bandages and burns wounds. She bit her lower lips and did not say a word."


    "Errr.... Aunt Xuan, take a sit." Dong Xuebing pushes a chairnext to his bed.


    Aunt Xuan was still not saying anything and was stilllooking at his wounds.


    Dong Xuebing''s whole body was covered with severe and minorinjuries. He does not look like the type of men Qu Yunxuan likes now. DongXuebing tried to cover most of his wounds with his nket, leaving only someminor injuries outside. "It is not as serious as you thought. I''m fine. Allthese are just minor injuries. I will recover in a few days."


    Qu Yunxuan seems to be mad, and she shouted at Dong Xuebing:"It is the job of the firemen to put out the fire. Why didn''t the others fromyour workce go and put out the fire except for you? Are you the only personleft in your entire workce?" Qu Yunxuan lifted her hand and pped DongXuebing''s exposed arm. "Try to be a hero? Huh? Who ask you to be a hero?" Shepped his arm more than 10 times.


    Dong Xuebing had never seen Aunt Xuan so angry before. Hedid not dare to make any noise.


    "I am worried sick for you." Qu Yunxuan was snuffled andwiped her tears with the back of her hand.


    Dong Xuebing panicked. "Aunt Xuan, I''m sorry. Stop crying. Iwill not try to be a hero the next time." He felt good to be scolded by QuYunxuan. He could feel that she was anxious about him. "The next time I see afire, I will run away. Really! I promise you."


    Qu Yunxuan looked at him and then touched the wounds on hisarm gently. "Is it painful?"


    Dong Xuebingughed. "No."


    "Where else are you hurt? Let me see."


    "I only sprained my ankles. There are no fractures. I''mfine."


    Qu Yunxuan lifted his nket and saw all the wounds on hisbody. She was about to start crying again before staring at Dong Xuebingangrily: "Xiao Bing, you must not hide anything from me in the future. If youdare to lie to me again, I will smack you on your buttocks!"


    The old man and his son at the adjacent bed wereughing atDong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing blushed: "I will not lie to you again."


    Qu Yunxuan continued to nag at him.


    Dong Xuebing just went along with her and agreed to whatevershe said.


    The old man with his leg in a castughed and interrupt:"Girl, stop scolding him. This young man had made a huge contribution. Hisleaders and colleagues had visited him yesterday, and I heard that he will begetting an exceptional approval to be a Party Member."


    Dong Xuebing also replied cheerfully: "That''s right. I willbe a party member soon."


    Qu Yunxuan touched Dong Xuebing''s face gently. "Nothing ismore important than your life. If something happens to you, how am I going toface Sister Luan?"


    "Huh? Please don''t let my mother know about what happened."


    "Ok."


    Qu Yunxuan stayed by Dong Xuebing and took care of him for awhile before going to see his doctor. She wants to ask about Dong Xuebing''scondition.


    After she returns, Dong Xuebing said. "It''ste. Hurry andgo to work."


    Qu Yunxuan shook her head and used a wet towel to wipe hisface. "I had applied for leave. I still have 5 days annual leave left. I wipany you these few days in the hospital."


    "No need. I am fine."


    "You can''t even walk by yourself, and you call this fine? Thedoctor had told me that you need someone to apany by your side."


    "I am really fine."


    "If you say one more word, I will tear your mouth!"


    Seeing that Qu Yunxuan could not be persuaded, Dong Xuebingcould only ept her help.


    Apany by the bed? Sigh... It would be better if she couldapany me in the bed...

 Chapter 41: Second confession

    <h4>Chapter 41: Second confession</h4>


    Morning.


    9 am.


    Drip, drip, drip... The needle of the drip was injected intoDong Xuebing''s wrist. It was excruciating. Qu Yunxuan had nothing much to do inthe ward, and she took his keys. She left for his home to help him bring histowels, underwear, socks, etc. She also needs to help him bring a set of cleanclothes. The newly bought suit and shoes were all damaged in the fire.


    After Qu Yunxuan left, the nurse who was inserting the driughed: "Your aunt is so pretty."


    The old man also said: "That girl is so nice to you."


    Dong Xuebing felt proud. It was as if they were praisinghim.


    Qu Yunxuan returned before 11 am with a small suitcase. Shehad brought clothes, toothbrush, shampoo, tes, etc. along with her and packed everything into the small cab beside Dong Xuebing''s bed. She wassweating and panting. But she did not stop. She lifted Dong Xuebing''s nketand change his socks for him. After that, she took a stic basin and soap tothe washroom to help wash his dirty socks.


    Dong Xuebing was touched. ''Aunt Xuan, rest for a while."


    Qu Yunxuan turned and smiled. She still had foams on herhands. "I am not tired. You stop moving about. You are still on a drip."


    "Ok."


    Aunt Xuan was squatting down washing the clothes, and herback was facing Dong Xuebing. Her clothes were pulled up slightly, exposing herlower back. Dong Xuebing''s eyes were glued to her back. Maybe he was imaginingsomething naughty and suddenly had the urge to pee. He looked at the bottle ofdrip hang above him. There were at least half a bottle more. It willst atleast half an hour more. He tried to control the urge, but could not stand itanymore. He endured the pain in his shoulders and legs and slowly got off thebed to wear his slippers.


    Qu Yunxuan who had finished washing his socks was shocked."What are you trying to do?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled. "I need to go to the toilet." Hereached out to grab the drip.


    "Stop moving. You are not allowed to move." Qu Yunxuanhurriedly washed her hands. "The drip is attached to your moveable hand. Youcannot carry the drip with that hand."


    It was hard for Dong Xuebing to visit the toilet yesterday.Today, it was harder with the drip. Dong Xuebing also knew that he was notallowed to move. But it was embarrassing for him to ask Aunt Xuan to help him."It''s fine. I will be out in a minute to help you." Dong Xuebing ignored herand pressed the drip''s valve, stopping the drip. He carried the bottle andlimped towards the toilet.


    Qu Yunxuan walked towards him angrily. "Why can''t you listento me? You want me to hit you?" She took the bottle from him and helped him tothe toilet. "Don''t try to be a hero. Come, I will help you."


    Dong Xuebing replied embarrassedly: "It''s okay. I can do itmyself."


    Qu Yunxuan waved her hand: "You want me to hit you? Hurry upand go!"


    "Ok..." Dong Xuebing knew he could not win against her andlimped into the toilet.


    Usually, the toilets in the hospital will have hooks forhanging the drip bottle. But Dong Xuebing and Qu Yunxuan looked around and didnot see the hooks. It was embarrassing, and both of them paused for a secondbefore Qu Yunxuan closes the door behind her and lifted the toilet seat. Sheraised the bottle of drip above her head and turned towards the wall. "Hurry. Iwill not look at you."


    Dong Xuebing almost died from the embarrassment. "Errr... I...You..."


    "What are you shy of?" Qu Yunxuan turned and stared at him."Hurry!"


    Dong Xuebing almost cried when he saw Qu Yunxuan turning andlooking at him. He slowly untied his hospital pants but did not lower it.


    "I will count to 3, and I will really hit you." Qu Yunxuansaid with her back facing him. "1... 2... 3...."


    Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth, lower his pants and start topee.


    The was the first time Dong Xuebing felt that the sshingsounds of peeing were so embarrassing.


    After the sshing sounds stopped, Qu Yunxuan helped himflushed and helped him back to his bed. "Aunt had bought some bananas andapples on the way here. Which would you like to eat?"


    Dong Xuebing who justid down replied. "It''s fine."


    "How can you not eat fruits? You need the vitamins." QuYunxuan helped him peeled a banana and turned it to him. "Listen to me and openyour mouth. Ah...." Dong Xuebing thought to himself. This was also not the firsttime he embarrassed himself in front of Aunt Xuan. He ignored the looks of theold man and his son and took a bite of the banana. Qu Yunxuanughed. "Goodboy. Take one more bite. Ah..." Aunt Xuan had one leg kneeling on the bed as shemoved closer to Dong Xuebing to feed the banana.


    Qu Yunxuan''s knee which was covered in her skinned coloredstockings moved under the warm nket.


    Dong Xuebing could feel something warm and smoothed touchhis hand. It was Qu Yunxuan''s leg!


    Dong Xuebing''s mind started to wonder and said out the wordsagain. "Aunt Xuan, I really like you. Can you be my girlfriend?"


    Qu Yunxuan was stunned and her hand, holding the banana,froze in mid-air.


    With the previous experience, Dong Xuebing was moreconfident this time. "I have never met anyone as virtuous as you. I had fallenin love with you the first time we met. Aunt Xuan, I know I am not good enoughfor you. But I really hope you will give me a chance."


    Qu Yunxuan blushed and ced the banana on the table. "It is too sudden. I... I am not prepared at all."


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed. Aunt Xuan did not say that hewas not her type this time. Hahaha. Seems like bing clean and tidy works.This was one more step to sess. "I know it is sudden. But I really like you.Can you be my girlfriend?"


    Qu Yunxuan kept quiet.


    "Can?"


    After a while, she sighed. "I''m sorry Xiao Bing. I have nointentions of dating now."


    Although Dong Xuebing knew that he will be rejected, but hecan''t help feeling disappointed. "Why? Am I not good looking enough? Is it mycharacter or something else?"


    Qu Yunxuan shook her head and looked out of the windows. "Thereis nothing wrong with you. It''s my problem. You are a good person." She pausedfor a second. "Do you remember what I said to you on the day you fetch me fromwork? I still have dreams of setting up my ownpany. I had been working hardfor years for this dream. I do not want to be distracted by being in artionship.


    Dong Xuebing asked: "Setting up yourpany? You shouldneed at least 1 million RMB as capital? Is your sry at the newspaper agencyenough?"


    Qu Yunxuan kept quiet.


    Dong Xuebing continued: "You will not date if you did notaplish your dream?"


    Qu Yunxuan nodded. "That''s what I decided. Sorry."


    "Then after you have your ownpany will you be mygirlfriend?" Dong Xuebing asked.


    Qu Yunxuan''s face turns red and got up. "I will ask thedoctor about your condition."


    Damn!


    Was this a sess?

 Chapter 42: Must make money!

    <h4>Chapter 42: Must make money!</h4>


    Aunt Xuan''s rejection did not disappoint Dong Xuebing. AuntXuan''s attitude had surprised him.


    Dong Xuebing noticed that he did not have enough time andimmediately shout BACK!


    ...


    "Good boy. Have one more bite. Ah..." Qu Yunxuan was holdingthe banana towards his mouth.


    Dong Xuebing took a bite and slowly chewed on the banana.


    Qu Yunxuan took a napkin and helped him wipe his mouth."Look at the foolish smile. What are you thinking?"


    "Errrr, nothing... I just feel like smiling. Hahaha." DongXuebing was still not very satisfied with himself. That''s why he still has touse his powers. He still cannot let Aunt Xuan knows that he likes her. He doesnot want her to feel ufortable. He wants to wait until Aunt Xuan have agood impression of him and have a perfect confession. This way, the chances ofhim seeding will be higher.


    But there was a massive hurdle in from of Dong Xuebing.


    Setting up apany... even if Aunt Xuan could get amissionfor every advertisement sale, how long will she have to wait to save enough?


    After thinking for the whole afternoon, Dong Xuebing decidedto help Aunt Xuan. If he had the money to help her set up herpany, thenwill the chances of him seeding higher? Dong Xuebing also wanted to makemore money to have a better life. If he could earn 1 million RMB, he would havea better life and might also have a girlfriend. That''s right. Money was alsovery important in the government sector. Sometimes, he will need to give giftsto his higher-ups. Yes... This will be killing 3 birds with one stone.


    Must make money.


    Target: 1 million RMB


    One day...


    Two days...


    Dong Xuebing was recovering well under the care of QuYunxuan. Most of the bandages on his body were removed, and he could move hisarm and legs better. Other than strenuous exercise, Dong Xuebing could walk andclimb stairs without limping. He asked the doctor when he could be dischargedas he was bored staying in the hospital. The doctor told him that he stillneeds to remain hospitalized for 2 more days for observations. Dong Xuebingwondered if the hospital wants him to say for a few more days was to make moneyfrom him.


    Noon.


    After eating the hospital lunch, Dong Xuebing listlesslytook his medicine.


    The food at Jiangong Hospital was very cheap. 3 meals for 10RMB. But the food was only for the patients and not for the family members. QuYunxuan had to take her lunch at the nearby restaurants. After her lunch, shebought a packet of yogurt back to the ward and saw Dong Xuebing staring andblowing at the empty stic lunch container.


    Qu Yunxuanughed and ced the yogurt on the table. "Areyou retard? How old are you?"


    Dong Xuebing rolled his eyes. "I am bored." The past twodays, Dong Xuebing had been thinking of ways to make more money. But there wasnothing he could do in the hospital, and it made him bored.


    "If you are bored, then drink this yogurt. Here."


    "Aunt Xuan, I have recovered. Why don''t you return back towork?"


    "Your hand still cannot touch the water. If I return back towork, who is going to help you wash your face? Who is going to wash your foodcontainers?" Qu Yunxuan said as she inserts the straw into the yogurt drink.She held it up for Dong Xuebing. "Drink it. If you are really bored, I wipany you for a walk near the hospital. Where do you want to go?"


    Dong Xuebing was delighted to hear that. "Ok. We will justtake a walk nearby." Dong Xuebing does not mind where they were going as longas Aunt Xuan was with him.


    Half an hourter.


    Dong Xuebing stood at the west entrance of JiangongHospital. He looked at the skies and sighed. "I finally see the skies again."


    Qu Yunxuan was holding onto him, helping him to walk. Bothof them strolled slowly towards the north direction.


    There was a couple in front ying badminton with theirchild along the pavement. Qu Yunxuan helped Dong Xuebing walked towards theleft of the sidewalk to avoid them. But as they were walking past the family, footstepswere moving closer to their right and knocked into Dong Xuebing''s rightshoulders. "Ouch!"Dong Xuebing shouted.He could feel the pain in his shoulders, and he turned towards his right."Watch where you are going!"


    The middle age man did not apologize and continued his way.


    "Xiao Bing, are you ok?" Qu Yunxuan nervously asked.


    Dong Xuebing rubbed his shoulder and replied with a frowned."I''m fine."


    Qu Yunxuan was furious. She shouted at the middle-aged man:"Hey you! Stop right there!"


    The middle-aged man turned. "What''s wrong?"


    "What''s wrong?" Qu Yunxuan angrily replied. "You had knockedinto my brother and can''t you even apologize?"


    The middle-aged man who was carrying a leather bag repliedimpatiently: "I only touched him lightly, why should are you making a fuss?"


    "My brother''s shoulder was injured, and you had hurt him."Qu Yunxuan stared at him and said: "I want you to apologize to him now."


    Dong Xuebing felt this man looks familiar. He tried torecall who this person was and where did he see him before.


    The man frowned: "Are you crazy?"


    "You are the crazy one!" Dong Xuebing was pissed. He pointsat the man and shouts: "I dare you to say it one more time!"


    The man snorted and walked away quickly.


    Dong Xuebing was furious and walked faster to chase afterhim. "Stop right there!"


    Qu Yunxuan also wanted to chase after that man. But DongXuebing had not recovered. She stopped and pull Dong Xuebing back. "Forget it.It is pointless to argue with that man."


    Dong Xuebing looked at the man''s back and suddenlyremembered who that man was. "Aunt Xuan, I remember who that ma was. I had seenhim on TV. He is an antique authenticator from a TV program. His surname isCheng. The host and guests of the program call him Teacher Cheng. He is anexpert in authenticating ancient notes and coins." Dong Xuebing had worked part-timein the Antique City for some time and was interested in antiques. He oftenwatches these programs in his free time.


    Qu Yunxuan shook her head. "Such a rude person can also bean expert?"


    Dong Xuebing also snorted. "He looks so decent on TV. Ididn''t expect his character to be like this in real life."


    Qu Yunxuan''s phone rang, and she answered. "Hello... hmmmm...yes... there is a problem? Howe? Then you can speak to him... me? I am onleave... What did he say? Cannot?" Qu Yunxuan looked at Dong Xuebing. "How abouttomorrow? I will speak to him at hispany... ok... ah..... must it be today?Wasn''t the project approved?"


    Dong Xuebing knew that it was her work. He said: "You shouldgo. Your work is more important."


    Qu Yunxuan hesitated and said: "Fine. I will go back to the officein a while. Bye."


    "Is it your work at the Advertising division?"


    Qu Yunxuan nodded. "There are some issues, and they need meto go back and settle it. Sigh.... I can''t even have a peaceful rest on my leave.Let''s go back. I will send you to the hospital first."


    "No. What if you fall down again?"


    "Eh, I am not a kid anymore." Dong Xuebing walked a fewsteps quickly. "See, my leg has healed. You should go now."


    "But..." Qu Yunxuan looked at him and swiped Dong Xuebing''sfringe to his side. "Then I will go off. You must take care on your way back.Watch out when you are crossing the roads and watch where you are going. Whenyou are walking up the steps, you must walk slower. Do you hear me?"


    "Yes, yes, yes...."


    After Qu Yunxuan left, Dong Xuebing rubbed his achingshoulder.


    All antique authenticator experts were wealthy, but what''sthe use of being wealthy if their characters are like this?


    That''s right!


    Antiques!


    The risk of trading is too high. But I can make money from antiques!

 Chapter 43: Ancient coin at a roadside stall

    <h4>Chapter 43: Ancient coin at a roadside stall</h4>


    Along the streets.


    Dong Xuebing was thinking of how to make money with BACK atthe Antique City while walking down the underpass back to the hospital. Theunderpass was damp and reek of urine smell. There were two rows of small stallsin the underpass selling handphone essories, mini fans, small kitchen tools,etc. Nearer to the stairs, there was a stall selling fruits like pineapples andice cream. It was bustling with life.


    "Ice cream, 1 RMB for 1. 2 for 1.50!"


    "Come and take a look! This is the newest peeler. 10 RMB for1!"


    Dong Xuebing sidestepped to avoid stepping on the radishpeels on the floor. When he was about to go to the handphone essories stall,he saw a familiar back view. It was that middle-aged man who had knocked intohim earlier. He was the antique coins and notes authenticator expert, TeacherCheng. He was walking towards a coin vendor. He bent over and examined the pileof rusty coins at the stall carefully.


    Dong Xuebing could feel his anger rising when he saw him.


    Dong Xuebing was standing not far away from Teacher Chengand could hear him asking. "How much for these coins?"


    The vendor was a young man in his 20s. He was smoking andreplied listlessly: "5 RMB for 1 coin."


    Teacher Cheng replied: "It is too expensive."


    The young man did not reply and snubbed his cigarette.


    Dong Xuebing frowned. When he was working part-time at theAntique City, he had followed his boss to stock up on antiques at thesuppliers. The ancient coins were sold by weight. On average, it was a fewcents per piece, and almost all the coins were not valuable. This roadsidestall''s supplier should be worst than the one Dong Xuebing been to. Thosesuppliers were cunning and will surely not sell anything good to theircustomers.


    What expert is he? Coming to a roadside stall to pick coins?


    Do you know what you are doing?


    Dong Xuebing was still thinking about this when he sawTeacher Cheng paused for a while. Huh? What was he doing?


    That Teacher Cheng quickly picked 8 to 9 rusty copper coinsfrom the pile and sift through them. He held it tightly in his hand and did notput them back into the pile. He continued to search through the pile of over athousand coins. After searching for a while, he told the stall owner: "I willtake these 9 coins. 45 RMB? Take the money."


    The young man looked up and saw him. "Right. 4... Eh? Youare..." The young man was stunned for a second. "I have seen you before. Youare that expert that appeared on TV. You are an Antique Coins authenticator."The young man looked at the coins in Teacher Cheng''s hands and immediatelysaid: "Sorry, the 5 RMB per coins I said was referring to that pile. The coinsyou are holding is... 500 RMB per piece."


    Teacher Cheng''s face changed: "What is the meaning of this?"


    The young man did not reply to him. He knew that the coinspicked by the expert should be valuable. Maybe those coins were worth muchmore.


    Dong Xuebing was gloating in his heart.


    But the next moment surprised Dong Xuebing.


    Teacher Cheng sneered and nodded: "500 RMB? You are toomuch."


    The young man smiled and reach out to take back the coins inTeacher Cheng''s hand: "You can choose not to buy it."


    "Wait." Teacher Cheng frowned and kept the coins in hispocket. He took out 4,500 RMB from his wallet and pass it to the young man. "Isthis enough?"


    Dong Xuebing, the young man and the rest of the onlookerswere stunned.


    No one expects Teacher Cheng to really buy those coins.


    Those that knew antiques will know that there was arge numberof ancient coins in the market. Most of them were worthless. At most, the coinswere worth a few RMB to 20 RMB. But Teacher Cheng was willing to fork out 4,500RMB for those few coins? He was an expert in ancient coins and should not makethis foolish mistake.


    Let that expert get this bargain?


    What luck does that Teacher Cheng have? Getting a steal froma roadside stall?


    Dong Xuebing was pissed. But he suddenly realized something.BACK! BACK! BACK!


    ...


    The scenes changed in front of Dong Xuebing.


    "How much for these coins?" Teacher Cheng asked whilesquatting by the roadside stall.


    The young man was smoking replied without looking up. ":5RMB for 1 coin."


    Teacher Cheng replied: "It is too expensive."


    The young man did not reply and snubbed his cigarette.


    Dong Xuebing knew this was the chance to make money. Hequickly moves forward. He remembered that Teacher Cheng had picked those fewcoins from the left corner. Eh, no... it should be at the bottom of the pile.Huh? That''s not right either. He was moving the coins about, and the positionof the coins were all messed up. Dong Xuebing was standing from a distance andcould not see the wordings on the coins clearly. Picking those coins from thewhole pile was impossible. What should he do? He will be wasting thisopportunity?


    Dong Xuebing suddenly got an idea. He ran to the stall:"Boss."


    The young man got a shock. "What do you want? Buy coins?"


    Teacher Cheng turned at looked at Dong Xuebing beforeturning back to the pile of coins.


    Dong Xuebing saw he could not distract Teacher Cheng and hequickly squats down and pushes Teacher Cheng aside. He grabbed the cloth underthe coins and carried up the whole pile of coins. "Boss, how many coins do youhave here? Over 1,000? Let me estimate the weight." The bundle of coins wasquite heavy.


    Teacher Cheng was pissed. "What is wrong with you? I amstill picking the coins."


    Dong Xuebing scoffed. "So what? Have you paid for thecoins?"


    The young man asked puzzledly: "Why are you estimating theweight? There are about 1,300 to 1,400 coins. Put the coins down. The othercustomer still has not finished picking."


    Dong Xuebing replied to that young man. "How about this? Iamzy to count the exact number of coins. I will buy all the coins in thisbundle. How much?"


    The young man and Teacher Cheng looked at Dong Xuebing inshock. "Al the coins?"


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "That''s right. Name a price."


    The young man was overjoyed: "If you are getting everything,I will give you a discount. 5 RMB per coin and 1,300 coins cost 6,500 RMB. Iwill sell everything to you for 6,000 RMB?"


    Dong Xuebing held the bundle of coins tightly: "6,000 RMB istoo expensive. How about 4,000 RMB?"


    The young man replied: "My cost is also very high. I can''tsell it to you any cheaper. Errr... Fine... let''s meet in the middle. 5,000 RMB?I will just earn lesser."


    "Fine..."


    The young man was ecstatic. He had set up this stall formore than a year, and he finally met a sucker.


    Teacher Cheng scoffed at Dong Xuebing and walked away. Hewas thinking in his heart that Dong Xuebing was a novice in antiques. DongXuebing had not even looked at the coins and bought all the coins. Was hecrazy?


    Dong Xuebing did not have so much cash with him. The youngman followed him with the bundle of coins to a nearby ICBC ATM. Dong Xuebingwithdrew 5,000 RMB and passed it to the young man. He looked at his bankount bnce. There was only a few hundred left. But Dong Xuebing was stillfeeling great. He carried the big bundle of coins back to the hospital.


    Hahaha....


    So, BACK can be used like this....

 Chapter 44: Sieving the coins

    <h4>Chapter 44: Sieving the coins</h4>


    Afternoon.


    14:30 pm.


    Dong Xuebing was panting as he carried a big bundle of coinsback to his ward. He dropped the big bundle of coins on the floor beside hisbed, in front of the old man and his son. Clink... nk... the coins made a loudnoise as it was dropped on the floor.


    The old man was stunned: "What are you doing, young man?"


    The tired Dong Xuebing turned to him and smiled: "I boughtsome ancient coins."


    The old man''s son said. "You also do not need to buy so manycoins."


    "Hehe... I am just buying these coins for fun." Dong Xuebingsaw the old man''s son''s Samsungptop beside his bed. He asked: "Brother, Isaw you surfing the yesterday. Are you using the 3Gwork? If you are notusing theptop now, can I use it?"


    The old man''s son generously pushed hisptop towards DongXuebing: "Sure. Use it."


    "Thank you."


    "Don''t mention it. Your Aunt had helped my father get waterand wash his trays when I was not around. I still need to thank her."


    To prevent the nurses and doctors from gossiping about him,Dong Xuebing did not dare to pour all the coins out. He ced the bundle ofcoins at a corner beside his bed and took out the coins bit by bit to countthem. After counting the coins, Dong Xuebing was pissed. What 1,400 coins?There were not even 1,000 coins in the bundle. Damn.


    Dong Xuebing switched on theptop and connect to theinte. He starts to look at the pictures of ancient coins on the andmatch it to the coins.


    He was not an expert on antique appraising and had to relyon the inte.


    5 minutes...


    10 minutes...


    20 minutes...


    As Dong Xuebing examines each and every coin, he realizedthat there was a vast variety of coins in the bundle.


    There were Chong Ning Zhong Bao, Kai Yuen Tong Bao, Xuan HeTong Bao, metal and copper coins mixed in the bundle.


    Dong Xuebing starts to read up about coins collection on afew websites and forums, at the same time he was sorting out the coins. Thosethat were more prominent were easily picked out. He sorts it ording to thedynasty like Song, Tang and by the types of coins. Most of the coins were notworth much. At most, it was worth a few RMB per coin. Some does not even havevalue.


    Dong Xuebing picked those worthless coins and ced it intoanother bag.


    1 coin...


    10 coins...


    50 coins...


    This was tiring and tedious work. It needs lots of patients.


    After sorting the coins for the whole afternoon, the mealtrolley appeared outside the ward. It was dinner time.


    Dong Xuebing took a break and ate his dinner. After dinner,he continued to sieve through the coins.


    330 coins...


    350 coins...


    410 coins...


    He had sorted more than 500 worthless coins. There were onlyabout 300 coins left.


    At 7.30pm, Qu Yunxuan called Dong Xuebing and told him thatshe was still at work. She will not be able to visit him this evening. She willdrop by tomorrow morning. Dong Xuebing asked her not toe if she was busy.But Qu Yunxuan does not listen and hang up.


    That night, the old man''s son did not leave the ward. Heremained in the ward to apany his father. Dong Xuebing asked his permissionto continue using hisptop. The son was generous and told him to carry onusing and no need to worry about the inte charges. He can get reimbursementfrom hispany. Dong Xuebing thanked him again. He made a mental note to buyaptop in the future.


    Dong Xuebing was an impatient person and does not like toleave things for tomorrow. He decided to sieve through the coins all night. Hecan''t sleep unless he found all the valuable coins.


    So, he carries on with the tiresome task....


    580 Coins...


    650 coins...


    670 coins...


    The remaining coins were not quickly sorted. For example,Chong Ning Zhong Bao. This type of coin has several variations. Ites indifferent scripts and had different dominations. It was hard to tell thedifferences.


    Dong Xuebing starts to check the coins one by one with thepictures on the inte.


    Hmmm... This coin is from the Qing Dynasty. There is argenumber of this coin circting in the market. Pass...


    Oh, this coin is chipped, and it was too rusty. Even if thistype of coins were valuable, it will also not fetch a high price. Pass...


    Another 3 hours passed. He still did not find any valuablecoins.


    At about 1 am, Dong Xuebing yawned and was about to give up.He noticed a rusty copper coin among the remaining coins. This coin is called "JiadingYuanbao". He checked on the inte, and there were all sorts of value forthis coin. The value differs by the year the coin was produced and the size.The difference was wide. Dong Xuebing took the coin and try to match it to thedescriptions on the website. Not this..... Not this one either... It does notmatch this too...


    After scanning through all the pictures on the website, hecould not see any coins that look like the one he was holding.


    He went to another website and try to identify the coin inhis hand. He chanced upon an auction website and saw a description of a cointhat matches the one he in his hand.


    Southern Song dynasty, Jiading Yuanbao, 10 cash. Square holeand diameter 54 millimeters.


    From the picture, the color, wordings, and diameter werealmost exactly the same as the coin he was holding. The only difference was thepicture in the auction site was perfect. There was no rust on the coin. DongXuebing''s coin was slightly rusty.


    Dong Xuebing scrolled up and look at the transacted price.He was stunned.


    Starting price: 30,000 RMB.


    Transacted price: 62,000 RMB.


    Damn! The price is high!


    Yes! This must be the coin.


    This must be one of the coins picked by Teacher Cheng!


    Dong Xuebing took in a deep breath. He stared at thetransacted price on the website. He thought the coins would worth about 8,000to 10,000 RMB. Who would expect a coin to worth more than 60,000 RMB? Wait...The prices at auctions should be higher as there were stillmissions andcharges. The real value should be lower than 60,000 RMB. Could this coin a fakecoin? Many counterfeit coins were circting around. But this should not be.Although Teacher Cheng was an asshole, he was an expert in ancient coins.


    Dong Xuebing put the coin aside and continue to check theremaining coins on the inte.


    The remaining coins were only worth 1 to 2 RMB each.


    Dong Xuebing wrapped all the coins with the cloth into abundle and stuff it under his bed. He took out the Jiading Yuanbao coin toexamine it closer. That Teacher Cheng must have picked those 9 coins yesterdayto deceive others. Jiading Yuanbao should be the only coin he wanted.


    Hahaha.... I can see the money already...

 Chapter 45: Another profit

    <h4>Chapter 45: Another profit</h4>


    The next day.


    Morning.


    Dong Xuebing yawned as he woke up. He rubbed his eyes andgot off the bed. He went to bed in the early hours after sieving through allthe coins. The mosquitos at the hospital were very poisonous. Once bitten, itwill swell, and it was painful and itchy. Dong Xuebing could hardly fall asleepwith the mosquitos flying around him. In his mind, he was thinking about theancient coin and had a dream where he was buried alive by tons of coins.


    "You are awake?" The old man''s son asked. He was alreadydressed up and sitting beside his father.


    Dong Xuebing smiled embarrassedly: "Sorry to disturb you allst night."


    "It''s okay. We are just wondering why you bought so manycoins back." The old man''s son asked. "I heard that many experts nowadays couldnot tell the difference between authentic and counterfeit coins. You must becareful not to be tricked. There are counterfeits everywhere."


    Dong Xuebing chatted with them for a while and returned thptop. There were risks when dealing with antiques. Dong Xuebing knew aboutthe risks the first day he started working at the Antique City. But now, withhis ability, BACK, he could still make some profits with antiques.


    Dong Xuebing needs to be on a drip at 8 am. But he secretleave the hospital before Aunt Xuan visits him.


    He carried a big bundle of coins and took a taxi to thefamous Liu Li Chang.


    The renovated Liu Li Chang was a crowded ce with atraditional feel. The only thing Dong Xuebing does not like was the road. Itshould restrict vehicles from entering the area. Lots of luxurious cars wereparked along the street on both sides, leaving little space for pedestrians.


    There are so many antique shops here. Which should I go?


    Dong Xuebing decided to go to the shop Rong Bao Zhai nearthe entrance of Liu Li Chang.


    After entering the shop, Dong Xuebing walked past aCaucasian and asked the shop assistant where the coins and notes counter was.That shop assistant pointed to a corner of the shop. Dong Xuebing thanked himand went to the counter. He saw a middle-aged man reading newspapers behind thecounter. "Excuse me, do you buy antique coins?"


    The middle-aged man lowered his papers and saw DongXuebing''s huge bundle. "So many coins?"


    Dong Xuebing rubbed his nose and smiled. "No. You can justgive me a price for this bundle. What I really want to sell is this JiadingYuanbao coin."


    The man nodded and put his newspaper aside. He took out amagnifying ss and some small tools from the drawer. "Ok, let me take a lookfirst."


    "Ok. Here is the coin." Dong Xuebing passed him the coin.


    Please... Please...


    The coin must be genuine... Please let the coin beauthentic...


    The middle-aged man scrutinized the coin.


    1 second passed...


    2 seconds passed...


    3 seconds passed...


    The man suddenly grasped. He moved closer to take a betterlook at the coin and had a shocked expression. "This coin..."


    Dong Xuebing asked anxiously: "How is the coin?"


    "Wait. I need to take a closer look." The man sat uprightand carefully examine every detail of the coin and nodded. "This coin is scarce.Young man, this is a 10 cash Southern Song Dynasty Jiading Yuanbao coin. It isproduced in the year 1208, and it is still in good condition. It is rare to seethis coin even in the auctions. It is very rare and valuable. You see this rustcolor? It shows the age of the coin."


    Hahaha, the coin was indeed genuine!!


    Dong Xuebing cleared his throat and asked. "How much are youwilling to offer for this coin?"


    "Errrmmm..." The man hesitated. "Young man, you should havedone your homework beforeing here with the coin. So, I will not cheat you.This coin can fetch up to 60,000 RMB at the auctions. But aftermissions andcharges... The highest I can offer is 50,000 RMB. What do you think?"


    Dong Xuebing felt this was a good offer. He thought for awhile and nodded. "Deal."


    The middle age manughed. "Great. Since you are soforthright, I will give you 1,000 for that bundle of coins. Ok?"


    "Sure."


    50,000 RMB!


    Two years of his mother''s sries do not even amount to50,000 RMB.


    For Dong Xuebing, 50,000 RMB was an astronomical amount.


    Dong Xuebing hugged a brown colored envelope tightly as hewalked out of Rong Bao Zhai. He was afraid someone would jump out and snatchedhis money. He scanned his surroundings carefully and quickly ran across theroad to the ICBC bank. He deposited all the money into his ount, and hisbnce suddenly became more than 51,000 RMB. With this amount, he could evenafford to buy a low-cost car. He very excited as he returned back to thehospital.


    Yay! I''m rich!


    50,000 RMB!!!


    Orthopedic ward.


    Dong Xuebing returned to his ward to find the nurse and AuntXuan staring at him angrily.


    Aunt Xuan scolded: "Where did you go so early in the morningand why didn''t you switch on your phone? Do you know I am worried for you?" Shewas holding on to the drip bottle. "The nurses havee here looking for youseveral times. You are supposed to be on a drip. How can you sneak out withouta word?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled apologetically: "You did not help mebring the charger. My battery had been dead a long time ago."


    Qu Yunxuan stared at him: "So you are telling me that it ismy fault?"


    "No, no..." Dong Xuebing quickly poured a ss of water forAunt Xuan. "I am bored this morning and went out for a walk. I forgot the timeand came backte. I''m sorry. Don''t be angry with me." He does not intend totell Aunt Xuan about the antique coin. He wanted to give her a surprise.


    Qu Yunxuan calmed down. "Hurry and get back on your bed. Youneed to be on a drip."


    Dong Xuebing took off his slippers and got back on his bedobediently. He extended his hand for the nurse to insert the needle. As thenurse inserts the needle, he shouted: "Ouch, ouch... It''s painful... be gentlerwith the needle."


    Qu Yunxuanughed at him and yfully smacked hisforehead. "Do you dare to sneak out without telling anyone again?" Aunt Xuanwas wearing a light colored spaghetti strap top and white jeans. Her top wasshowing some cleavage, and her tight jeans outlined her shapely legs.


    Dong Xuebing was mesmerized by her figure. He was determinedto make money for her.


    Aunt Xuan, wait for me. I will help you raise enough money toset up your ownpany. I will help you achieve your dreams.


    Yes... I should alsowork hard to achieve my goal of bing a top official too.


    Earn money and getting promoted!!!!

 Chapter 46: Meeting a Great Beauty

    <h4>Chapter 46: Meeting a Great Beauty</h4>


    3rd October, Dong Xuebing was discharged from thehospital. It was the third day of the National Day holidays.


    State Security is different from the rest of the governmentagencies. Other than National Day, the staffs had to work on Oct 2ndand 3rd in shifts. Everyone had to return to work on 4thOct. Today was Dong Xuebing could rest before he returns to work. He returnedhome with Qu Yunxuan and saw his small one-bedroom apartment. He got the familiarfeeling as he sat on his couch.


    Aunt Xuan helped him keep all his belongs: "Hehe... The homestill feel the best?"


    Dong Xuebing replied. "Of course. I am almost going bonkersat the hospital. It was so boring!"


    "Ok. I had escorted you safely back home, and I should go. Istill must work overtime during the holidays." Qu Yunxuan helped Dong Xuebingpour a cup of hot tea and pinched his cheeks yfully: "Sister Luan is notreturning back to Beijing for the holidays? Then you stay at home alone. If youneed anything, just send me a message. Don''t go out by yourself and wait athome for me. Bye."


    "Ok. Bye."


    Clicked. The door closes.


    Dong Xuebing had fully recovered from his injuries. He gotup and wanted to cook a bowl of egg tomato soup. But after the soup was cooked,he discovered he had run out of vinegar. He finished his soup and took theempty bottle to the supermarket nearby. While walking to the supermarket, hethought back on how Aunt Xuan took care of him the past few days, and he smiled.


    Was there anyone else that''s as virtuous as Aunt Xuan inthis world?


    Was there anyone else that''s as pretty as Aunt Xuan in thisworld?


    No.


    There''s no one else as virtuous and pretty as her.


    Dong Xuebing was still letting his imaginations run wildwhen he saw a stunning beauty appearing in his sights. He was shocked. Helooked at that slim figure. The woman was standing under a tree using herphone. Her hair was tied into a bun and was wearing a suit. Her eyes were a crescentshape with longshes and had a small face which was beautiful beyond words.


    There''s really someone as pretty as Aunt Xuan.


    Dong Xuebing took in a deep breath. He was a normal man andlikes to look at pretty women. He pretended to be waiting for someone and keptstealing nces at that woman. The woman should be about slightly older thanhim. She looked mature, and her movements were graceful.


    Many passers-by also notice this beautiful woman and all ofthem were looking at her.


    Dong Xuebing noticed a skinny man walked past that woman andstopped behind her. He seems to be looking at the woman carefully.


    This graceful woman ignored everyone''s looks and continuedto smile and talks on the phone: "Old Zhou, it is not that I am not helpingyou... It is beyond my ability to help... Yes... You can ask Xiao An. He is close toMinister Zhao. Ok?" After talking on the phone for a while, she hung up andkept the phone into her opened handbag. She turned and walked away in her backheels.


    Dong Xuebing took his eyes off her and start walking backtowards his home.


    Sigh... All he could do was to look at the woman from far. Heknew he was not good enough for this type of women.


    After taking two steps, Dong Xuebing heard a sweet woman''svoice: "Eh? Where is my wallet?" Dong Xuebing turned around and saw the womansearching her handbag. She then looked around on the ground.


    A kind olddy went up to her and asked: "You can''t findyour wallet? Did you drop it somewhere?"


    The woman frowned: "I should not have dropped it. It wasstill in my bag 2 minutes ago when I was on the phone."


    "Oh, then your wallet should be stolen."


    2 minutes ago?


    Dong Xuebing paused. He remembered that skinny man standingvery close to her when she was on the phone just now. He stopped beside her forabout 2 seconds. Damn! That was a pickpocket?


    BACK!


    ...


    Time returns back to 1 minute ago.


    The woman was still on the phone under the tree.


    "Old Zhou, it is not that I am not helping you... It isbeyond my ability to help... Yes... You can ask Xiao An. He is close to MinisterZhao. Ok?" The woman was smiling as she talks on the phone. 2 meters from her,the skinny man walked away from her quickly with his hands covering hisstomach.


    Dong Xuebing put down his bottle of vinegar on the floor andran over.


    The bystanders were looking at him as he tried to make aslittle noise as he ran. When he was closer to the skinny man, he pounced ontohim. "Stop!"


    The skinny man fell onto the floor and shouted: "What areyou doing?"


    "What am I doing? You should know what I am doing. Where isthe wallet?" Dong Xuebing got into a tussle with that man.


    The skinny man was very confident of his pickpocketing skills.He thought no one would know he had taken that woman''s wallet. But this manexposed him and was very sure that he had stolen the wallet. The skinny man wasshocked and frightened. He quickly broke off Dong Xuebing''s grip and threw aleather wallet on the floor before running away.


    Dong Xuebing saw that man had left the wallet behind and didnot give chase. That skinny man might have aplices around, and Dong Xuebingmight be ambushed or stabbed if he gave chase.


    That beautiful woman looked at Dong Xuebing puzzledly. Shestill does not understand why this young man got into a fight with that skinnyman. But when she saw the wallet in Dong Xuebing''s hand, she was stunned. Sheimmediately hangs up the phone and checks her handbag.


    Dong Xuebing got up from the floor and walked over to passthe wallet back to that pretty woman. "That man had stolen your wallet."


    "Oh..." The woman took the wallet from Dong Xuebing and shookhis hand. "I was on the phone and did not notice it. Thank you. Are you hurt?"


    "I''m fine." Dong Xuebing shook her hand. His heart hadskipped a beat.


    The woman looks prettier closer. It''s hard to find words todescribe her beauty.


    After some pleasantries, the woman''s handphone rang again.She thanked Dong Xuebing again. "I still have something to attend to. Give meyour number, and I will treat you to dinner some other day." From her tone,this woman seems like a leader at her workce. The way she speaks wamanding.


    Dong Xuebing had wanted to reject her offer, but he couldnot resist her charms. He told her his mobile number.


    The woman took out a notebook and jotted down his number."Ok. I will contact you another day. Bye."


    Dong Xuebing was still in a daze as he looked at that womanwalked away.


    Sigh... Whoever that marries her must be blessed by all his ancestors.

 Chapter 47: Firefighter

    <h4>Chapter 47: Firefighter</h4>


    The next day.


    Meeting, speeches and swear an oath. Dong Xuebing became a Probationarymember of the Communist Party of China (CPC).


    After leaving themeeting room, Li Qing patted Dong Xuebing''s shoulders and asked him to go tohis office. "My former office could not be used anymore. This is my new office.If you need to look for me, just drop by. Xiao Dong, you must not strainyourself. If you are still not recovered, you can rest for a few more days. Butyou do look better nowpared to the time you were at the hospital." ZhouChangchun also entered the office. He smiled: "These few days Xiao Dong willonly deliver some documents. Leave the strenuous work to others."


    Dong Xuebing replied with a grateful expression on his face:"Thank you, leaders. I will do my best."


    Li Qing nodded. "Good. But don''t push yourself too hard."


    The sick looking Zhou Changchun also patted Dong Xuebing onhis shoulders.


    "Old Zhou." Li Qing looked at him. "You need to take care ofyour health too. You are looking pale recently."


    "Sigh... This is an old problem, and there''s nothing I cando."


    Dong Xuebing excused himself as he could tell Li Qing andZhou Changchun had something to discuss.


    After saving the documents from the fire, Li Qing and ZhouChangchun trust in Dong Xuebing increased a lot.


    This was a good sign.


    Dong Xuebing happily return to the General Affairs Office.Everyone was around. Tan Limei and Zhuang Zhi were photocopying some documentsat the copier and chatting at the same time. Changjuan and Old Yan were hidingbehind their monitors. One was reading a woman''s magazine, and the other wasreading his newspaper. Guo Shunjie was nodding off at his desk, and Guo Panweiwas writing a report with his right hand and massaging his thighs with hisleft.


    Old Yan was the first person to notice Dong Xuebing. Helowered his newspaper: "Oh, Xiao Dong, you are back to work?"


    Everyone looked up. Tan Limei smiled and waved to him. "BingZhi, congrattions for entering the party and being discharged from thehospital."


    "Thank you."


    Changjuan asked: "Our great hero is back. How are yourinjuries?"


    "I am fine. Thanks for asking." Dong Xuebing moved his arms,showing that he had recovered.


    Although Guo Panwei was jealous of Dong Xuebing, he stillshowed his concerns: "Xiao Dong, take care not to get your wounds wet if it isnot healed yet."


    The only one who did not speak to Dong Xuebing was GuoShunjie. Both of them had fallen out before the fire. He only took a nce atDong Xuebing and continued dozing off.


    After chatting with his colleagues for a while, Dong Xuebingreturned to his seat and start to work. He noticed a strange sign. Not only GuoPanwei and Guo Shunjie were listless, but even the big sized Zhuang Zhi alsolooks tired. They look liked they had just finished some strenuous exercises. WhenZhuang Zhi went over to Tan Limei at the copier machine, Dong Xuebing alsofollowed. He asked: "Zhuang Zhi, what''s wrong with you? What did you doyesterday?" Dong Xuebing asked and winked at Tan Limei.


    Tan Limei blushed. "Why are you looking at me?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Nothing." He felt that something wasgoing on between both of them. Could they be dating?


    Zhuang Zhi coughed and said. "Bing Zhi, stop making randomguesses. I am tired because of the ser matches these few days."


    "Ser match?"


    "Yes. Our City''s State Security Serpetition." ZhuangZhi exined. "I heard that the District Bureaus heldpetitions every year.But unlike the previous years, where thepetitions were held within thedistrict bureaus, this year we have abinedpetition. All of Beijing''sdistrict branch bureaus must send a team each to participate. Thepetitionhad started before the National Day. Yesterday, we had a match against Miyunbranch, and we lose 5-0."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "No wonder all of you look so tired."


    Tan Limei loves to chat. She added: "Luckily you are not atwork. I tell you, our team y is too dirty...." She looked over at Guo Panweiand Guo Shunjie and lowered her voice: "Dirtier than the toilets. If it weren''tfor Zhuang Zhi, yesterday''s match would have ended 6-0."


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Everyone here is amateurs. Win orlose still depends a lot on luck."


    "Bullshit." Tan Limei pouted. "The other teams yed well.Their forwards were forwards, and defenders were defenders. Look at our team.At the start of the match, our formation was still fine. But as the matchcontinues, all of our forwards became defenders. I was still cheering for themwith my friends from the Finance Department. It was so embarrassing."


    Zhuang Zhi thought Tan Limei was angry with him and quicklysaid: "I will perform better in the next match."


    Tan Limei rolled her eyes. "Other than ying dirty byknocking other yers down, what else can you do? You can''t even run."


    Zhuang Zhi replied embarrassedly: "I... I am already tryingto lose weight."


    "Cough... Errrr... Tan Zhi, Zhuang Zhi, are both of youdating?" Dong Xuebing asked.


    Zhuang Zhi panicked: "I... We..."


    Tan Limei blushed and stared at Dong Xuebing: "Don''t tell anyone."


    Really? Dong Xuebing said: "If I don''t ask the both of you,are you two going to keep it from me? Don''t worry. I will keep my mouth shut.When did both of you start? Have you met the parents? How far have the both ofyou going?" Dong Xuebing was happy for them as a friend. At the same time, hewas also envious of them. Sigh... How long do I need to wait to be dating?


    "Huh?" Zhuang Zhi does not know what to said and quicklyreturned to his desk with his documents.


    Tan Limei also took a set of printouts and smacked DongXuebing''s arm. "You want to die, is it? Why are you so nosey? Hmph! If you wantto know gossips, I can tell you the hottest gossip in our bureau." She changedthe subject. "Do you know? When you are still in the hospital, rumors about youspread because of your bravery. You got a nickname. Firefighter."


    Dong Xuebing was surprised. "Huh? Firefighter?"


    "Hehe. Sounds good?" Tan Limeiughed. "When Li Qing andZhou Changchun heard your nickname, they also said that it suits you well. Notonly you saved the documents, but you also save everyone by writing the speechfor Deputy Bureau Chief Yang. Don''t you think this is a good nickname for you?You can take on whatever issues we have. I think almost all the deputy chiefsof the General Affairs division knows about your nickname. Maybe even theDeputy Bureau Chiefs also know about the firefighter from the General AffairsOffice."


    A firefighter has several meanings to it.


    Dong Xuebing smiled: "Who was the one that came up with thisname? It does not sound nice."


    Tan Limei replied uninterestedly: "Don''t lie. You are feelingpleased now, right?"


    Tan Limei was right. Dong Xuebing was feeling pleased. Thiswas the recognition given to him by the leaders and colleagues.


    Hah! If I continue what I am doing, I should be up forpromotion!

 Chapter 48: Chief Zuo was retiring

    <h4>Chapter 48: Chief Zuo was retiring</h4>


    The next day.


    "Good morning everyone."


    "Morning, Xiao Dong."


    "Good morning firefighter! Hahaha!"


    "Don''t call me that."


    After a short chat, it was time to work. Zhou Changchun didnote to work today. No one had seen him since yesterday afternoon. Maybe hewas on sick leave again. After all, Zhou Changchun had cerebrovascr diseasesand other chronic illness. His health had been in bad shape. Without anyonesupervising in the office, everyone was not doing their work. Guo Panwei waslooking at the stock market. Guo Shunjie was surfing some forums on theinte. Most of the work in the office was done by Tan Limei, Dong Xuebing,and Zhuang Zhi.


    "Chief Zhou had taken dozens of days of medical leave thisyear." Tan Limei grumbled.


    Dong Xuebing was shocked. "So many days?"


    Tan Limei replied: "It is considered not a lot. Last yearwas also the same. When Chief Zhou was not around, my workload increases a lot.Luckily you and Zhuang Zhi are around this year. If not, I can''t cope with allthe work." She looked at Guo Shunjie and the rest. "Clinging to a post withoutdoing any work!"


    Dong Xuebingughed. "I think Chief Zhou will be backtomorrow. Let me help you with the printing."


    During lunchtime, they received news that Zhou Changchun washospitalized for his cerebrovascr illness.


    This was not surprising by many of them. They were used toit.


    Guo Panwei immediately goes and ask which hospital and wardZhou Changchun was in. "I will go and visit Chief Zhou."


    "I will go too." Dong Xuebing does not want to be left behind.Although he was now much closer to Zhou Changchun but visiting him at thehospital will leave a good impression with the leader. The leader will notthink: I am in the hospital, and you do not even visit me? What are youthinking?


    Guo Shunjie and Changjuan also wanted to do. In the end, allof them went to Youyi Hospital in two taxis.


    Neurology ward


    "Chief Zhou, how are you feeling?"


    "Are you feeling better?"


    Zhou Changchun was lying in bed. He looked several yearsolder since hest appeared in the office a few days earlier. He does not lookwell. His wife was beside him clearing his lunch box. She forced a smile asDong Xuebing, and the rest entered the ward. She put the fruits and flowers bythe window and let them sit beside the Zhou Changchun.


    "All of you are here?" Zhou Changchun sighed. "I am fine.But I should not be able to return to work these few days."


    Changjuan pretended to be sad: "Chief Zhou, we will be lostif you are not in the office leading us."


    Guo Panwei also pretended to be nice. He turned to ZhouChangchun''s wife: "Auntie, if you need any help, let me know. I can stay behindin the afternoon to help you take care of Chief Zhou."


    Zhou Changchun''s wife replied. "Thank you. But I can stillcope."


    Zhou Changchun waved his hand. "No need to stay behind toapany me. Go back to work. There are lots of work waiting for you all inthe office." His condition was quite serious. He even had difficulties walkingto the bathroom. His wife had to help him walk. Seems like he could not returnto work soon.


    After chatting for a while with Zhou Changchun, Dong Xuebingand the rest were about to return to the office.


    But Zhou Changchun hesitated for a while and called out: "Panwei,Xiao Bing, I want to talk to you two."


    Guo Shunjie nced at Dong Xuebing and Guo Panwei beforewalking away. Tan Limei, Changjuan, and Zhuang Zhi also walked out of the ward.All of them knew that Guo Panwei and Dong Xuebing held a higher status in ChiefZhou''s heart. Dong Xuebing had helped Zhou Changchun rescued the importantdocuments. Guo Panwei had been loyal to Zhou Changchun for years and had beenhis right-hand man.


    In the ward, Guo Panwei and Dong Xuebing looked at eachother. They were standing there waiting for Zhou Changchun to speak.


    But Zhou Changchun kept quiet for a while before he sighed."The both of you are my most trusted subordinates. In the future..." He pausedfor a while before continuing. "In the future.... Work hard." Dong Xuebing andGuo Panwei were wondering what Zhou Changchun was trying to say. Zhou Changchunwaved his hand. "Go back. My wife will send you out."


    Zhou Changchun walked them out to the corridor.


    Dong Xuebing turned to her and said: "Auntie, there''s noneed to walk us out."


    Zhou Changchun''s wife seems like she had lots of things tosay to them. But in the end, she only said: "Please take care of the GeneralAffairs Office in the future."


    Guo Panwei immediately replied: "Don''t worry. We will do ourwork well."


    Dong Xuebing felt something was off. It seems that thehusband and wife were implying something.


    Back at the office, Dong Xuebing carried on with his work asusual.


    At about 1pm, Guo Shunjie suddenly received a phone call andstarted to do his work seriously. He did his own photocopying and offered todeliver documents. After a while, Guo Panwei who returned from outside behavedthe same way as Guo Shunjie. They started to do their work eagerly with a smileon their faces.Guo Panwei even threwall his stock market graphs and charts away.


    Dong Xuebing was confused. He asked Zhuang Zhi: "Whathappened?"


    Zhuang Zhi looked at both of them: "I don''t know. Maybe it''stime for our increments?"


    Changjuan and Old Yan were also confused.


    Just before they finished work, Tan Limei who returned fromthe Political Section Office told them a piece of shocking news. "Hey, hey,have you all heard the news?"


    Dong Xuebing asked: "What news?"


    Zhuang Zhi scratched his head: "Are we getting a raise?"


    "You wish!" Tan Limei rolled her eyes at him. "It''s aboutChief Zhou. Chief Zhou will be retiring due to his illness." Tan Limei'' words attracted the attention of Dong Xuebing and Zhuang Zhi. "I heard this news fromthe Political Section, and they told me that the next Chief will be selected from one of us in the office."


    Dong Xuebing was shocked: "Is this real?"


    "Ah?" Changjuan eximed: "Chief Zhou has not reached theretirement age yet. Is his illness so serious?"


    Tan Limei lowered her voice: "I heard two versions. One wasthe leaders were unhappy with Chief Zhou for taking so many days of medicalleave. The other rumor is about Chief Zhou''s finances. I heard that there weresome issues with his finances and he was "offered" to retire. It was notvoluntary. If it were, Chief Zhou would have told us just now at the hospital."


    Finance issues?


    Corruption?


    This was a piece of rming news. Old Yan heard this andpaused for a while before continuing reading his papers.


    The two Guos should have received this news earlier. Nowonder they suddenly became so hardworking.


    No matter Chief Zhou was forced to retire or retired voluntary,the position of Deputy Chief was up for grabs.

 Chapter 49: Vying for the position of Deputy Chief

    <h4>Chapter 49: Vying for the position of Deputy Chief</h4>


    The next day, it was busy as usual at the General AffairsOffice.


    Dong Xuebing was printing something at the copier machineand observing the rest secretly.


    "Xiao Tan, is the speech for Director Li ready? Give it tome. I will send it to Director Li." Guo Panwei said.


    "Xiao Sun, is that document printed? Chief Xu is waiting forit. Give it to me." Guo Shunjie said.


    After both of them finished speaking, they stared at eachother. It was tense. After the news of Chief Zhou''s retirement was made known,Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie werepeting for the position. Guo Shunjie usedhis bootlicking skills to "report his work status" with almost all the leadersin the District Branch Bureau. Especially the Chief of the Political Sectionand the District Bureau Chief. Guo Shunjie used a different tactic. He targetedother higher-ups. He tried his best to perform in front of the other leaders ofthe General Affairs Department and start to contact the District PoliticalCommissar more often. They were working all their means to get the position ofDeputy Chief of the General Affairs Office.


    On the other side.


    Old Yan was still acting normally. He was still drinking histea and reading his newspapers. He does not seem to be interested in the DeputyChief''s position. Changjuan was also about the same as before. Butpared tst time, she chatted more often with Guo Shunjie. She should be cing hermoney on Guo Shunjie.


    "Zhuang Zhi." When the two Guos left, Tan Limei cheerfullyasked: "Who do you think will be the Deputy Chief?"


    Zhuang Zhi was a bit slow when replying. "I don''t knoweither. But isn''t everyone in the office had the chance of being promoted?"


    Tan Limei rolled her eyes at him: "Are you stupid? Nevermind. Bing Zhi, who do you think?"


    Dong Xuebing replied listlessly. "The 3 of us does not standa chance."


    "You are speaking the obvious." Tan Limeiughed. "If oneof us were picked to be the Deputy Chief, the sun will rise from the westtomorrow. Bing Zhi, you seem like you also want to be promoted. Hehe... Don''t overthink.We are still young. In another 3 to 5 years, it might be our turn to move up."


    Zhuang Zhi scratched the back of his head: "Actually I thinkBing Zhi is the one most suitable to be promoted."


    Dong Xuebingughed: "Stop talking nonsense. I know mylimits."


    Tan Limei alsoughed: "To be honest, Bing Zhi is suitable.But the Government sector is different from privatepanies. Those withcapabilities might not be promoted. The length of services and connections isthe main criteria."


    Dong Xuebing also knew about this.


    After a while, Guo Panwei returned. He was walking with hishead held high and smiling. Some leaders must have told him he stood a goodchance and boosted his confidence. "Old Yan, stop reading the papers. Xiao Sun,the water dispenser is empty. Call someone to bring a bottle of water up. Latersomeone will be dropping by the office. All of you better work hard and don''tdisgrace our office." A bootlicker who was always hanging around the leaderssaying such things made the rest of them ufortable.


    Dong Xuebing cursed him in his heart.


    A few minutester, Guo Shunjie returned to the office andlooked at Guo Panwei briefly before pping his hand together to get theattention of everyone. "There is a meeting at 1.30 pm. Finish your lunch and beback earlier to prepare for the meeting. Xiao Dong, Xiao Sun, the both of yougo and clean up the meeting room on the third floor. Xiao Tan, you are incharge of the materials and documents for the meeting. Ok. That''s it. Carry onwith your work."


    Dong Xuebing was pissed. Both of them were not promoted, andthey were already giving out orders. What would happen if they were reallypromoted?


    Seeing Dong Xuebing still sitting at his desk, Guo Shunjie''sface turns dark. "Did you not hear what I just said?" Guo Shunjie was 90% surehe would be promoted. Without Zhou Changchun around, he was no afraid of DongXuebing. After staying low for the past few days, he became arrogant again.


    Dong Xuebing frowned and replied coldly. "No."


    Guo Shunjie was furious: "Fine... fine..." He walked over toDong Xuebing and said softly: "Wait until I be the Chief and you will getit. Just wait...."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Ya.... I''m waiting."


    Guo Shunjie: "Hmph!"


    Noon.


    During lunch, Tan Limei pouted and looked at Guo Shunjie andGuo Panwei who were sitting at their tables not far away. "Did you see it? Theyare not even promoted, and they are already acting as leaders. Even when ChiefZhou was not asmanding as them. Hmph! I want to see what they will do ifthey are not promoted."


    Dong Xuebing took a big bite off his bun: "That''s right. Butthere is no one elsepeting with them for the position. The next DeputyChief of our office will surely be the surname Guo."


    Zhuang Zhi quickly shushed them: "Lower your voices. Don''tlet others hear you."


    Tan Limei angrily said: "This is so unfair. Bing Zhi will bein trouble this time. No matter which one of them became our chief, they willbe looking for trouble with Bing Zhi."


    Dong Xuebing waved his hand and sighed. "What else can Ido?"


    Dong Xuebing had analyzed the situationst night. Theposition of Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office will definitely be outof reach for the 3 of them. He and Zhuang Zhi had only joined the office forless than 2 months. They were considered newbies. The Government sector focusesmore on seniority than ability. Even if Dong Xuebing did one or two moreoutstanding performances, it was also useless. It was the same for Tan Limei.She had joined the State Security one year earlier than them. She was stillconsidered too junior.


    Old Yan had offended a leader from the City''s Bureau. Hisrank had been stagnant for so many years. Now, he was near his retirement age,and it was almost impossible for him to be promoted. At most, the agency willgive him a promotion to Deputy Division Chief months before his retirement. Asfor Changjuan, she was senior enough to be promoted. But her character was hermajor w. The impression she gave others was too frivolous. The agency willsurely not consider promoting her.


    After looking at everyone in the office, the two Guos hadthe highest chance of getting promoted.


    Guo Panwei was close to many leaders in the Bureau. If heput in some effect in getting their support, he stands a high chance to bepromoted.


    Guo Shunjie knew the District Political Commissar. If the DistrictPolitical Commissar really wants to groom him, Guo Shunjie does not even needto do anything, and he will be promoted. Furthermore, Guo Shunjie looks morematured, and his chances are slightly higher than Guo Panwei.


    No matter what, one of them will be the Deputy Chief.


    After analyzing all the possibilities, Dong Xuebing becamedepressed. If he had 6 months or 1 year, he would qualify for the promotiontoo. But now, there was no point to try and vie for the promotion. Dong Xuebingonly hope now was for the Bureau to transfer someone from another district overto be their Deputy Chief. It will be hell for him if any of the Guos gets promoted.


    Damn!

 Chapter 50: Opportunity

    <h4>Chapter 50: Opportunity</h4>


    Afternoon.


    Guo Panwei, Guo Shunjie, and Zhuang Zhi came back to theGeneral Affairs Office after their ser match. Zhou Changchun''s retirementwas confirmed by Li Qing. Dong Xuebing, who was still hoping that ZhouChangchun''s retirement was only a rumor, was demoralized. He sighed. ChiefZhou, if only you could retire one yearter, and I will have the chance totake over your ce.


    Good days wereing to an end for Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing clenched his fist. He whispered to Tan Limei ashe went over to the copier machine. "Let''s visit Chief Zhou after work?"


    Tan Limei looked at him weirdly: "Why?"


    "See how he was recovering and at the same time ask him whowill be recing him and if there will be anyone transferring over from otheroffices to take over him." Dong Xuebing was troubled.


    Tan Limeiughed. "Are you out of your mind? Visiting himnow?"


    "Huh? What do you mean?" Dong Xuebing did not understandwhat she meant.


    Tan Limei poked Dong Xuebing''s temple: "Are you stupid? ZhouChangchun is no longer the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office. It ismeaningless for you to bootlick him. Don''t you know this? His early retirementshould be arranged by the leaders of the bureau. Someone up there is not happywith him. He might even be involved in corruption. If you approach him now, youare asking for trouble."


    "Damn." Dong Xuebing shuddered. "Is it that serious? What ifChief Zhou is really sick and wanted to retire?"


    Tan Limei replied. "Bing Zhi, listen to me. Even if it is aswhat you said, no higher-ups are unhappy with Zhou Changchun, and he is notinvolved in any corruption cases, there is still nothing for us to gain forbeing close to him. He is already retired, and he might be involved withsomething which we do not know. We will be in trouble if we approach him now.The safest thing to do now is to stay as far away from him as possible. This isnot the time for you to be emotional."


    Dong Xuebing thought hard at what Tan Limei said. "You areright." Dong Xuebing had wanted to foster a closer rtionship with ZhouChangchun was because of benefits. There was no real friendship between both ofthem. Now Zhou Changchun was in trouble with his finances, only fools will tryto be kind to him. He might also be implicated with the investigations.


    It was still safer to keep a distance from Zhou Changchun.


    Sigh... I had wasted my time to help him trade shares.


    Tan Limei stood up: "Zhuang Zhi should also not know aboutall these. I must remind him to stay away from Chief Zhou when he returns topack his belongings." This ce was really coldhearted. When somethinghappens, everyone will try to keep away.


    Dong Xuebing got a better understanding of the cruelty ofgovernment services.


    The doors of the General Affairs Office were openedsuddenly.


    Click, click, click. It was the footsteps sounds of leathershoes. Dong Xuebing looked up. It was Zhou Changchun. He was discharged fromthe hospital and was walking with a limp. He had recovered slightly, but still,have troubles walking. He should be back to pack his things and also to do thehandover. Maybe he was back for the investigations against him.


    The office was silent.


    1 second...


    2 seconds...


    No one greeted Zhou Changchun. Dong Xuebing felt it was toomuch. He greeted loudly: "Chief Zhou."


    Zhuang Zhi hesitated for a while and looked at Tan Limeibefore greeting him: "Chief Zhou."


    "Chief Zhou." Changjuan, Guo Shunjie and the rest alsogreeted him. But their tones were very different from the past. They seem to begreeting him for the sake of greeting. Even Guo Panwei, the loyalpdog ofChief Zhou was like this. No, he was even worst. He only moved his mouth anddid not even make a sound.


    Seems like everyone felt that there were really discrepancieswith Zhou Changchun''s finances and wanted to cut all ties with him.


    Zhou Changchun could feel their attitude towards him. Hesaid uncaringly: "Panwei,e to my office for a while."


    Guo Panwei was really heartless. He immediately replied:"I''m sorry Chief Zhou. I need to deliver an urgent document." Guo Panwei hadgiven Chief Zhou lots of gifts over the past few years, and he was the closestto him in the office.


    Chief Zhou frowned and looked at Guo Shunjie and the rest.


    Guo Shunjie and Changjuan pretended not to hear anything andcontinued with their work.


    Dong Xuebing was surprised by everybody''s reaction. If itwas a month ago, when Zhou Changchun entered the office, he does not even needto say a word, and all of them will be crowding around him. But now, no one waswilling to help him carry his stuff. Dong Xuebing also lowered his head andpretended to be busy with his work.


    This is the government system. Once you are out of power,you are nothing.


    Zhou Changchun''s face changed. He stared stare at DongXuebing and his former trusted aide, Guo Panwei. "Fine... fine... fine..." Helimped towards his room using the wall to support. No one went up to help him.


    Guo Panwei, Changjuan and the rest looked at each other. Everyoneknew what was in everyone''s mind.


    Tap, tap, tap, tap...


    The room''s door was opened. Zhou Changchun seems to bemaking a phone call.


    "Hello, is this Chief Yan? I am Zhou Changchun." ZhouChangchun purposely speaks loudly. Dong Xuebing and everyone outside could hearwhat he was saying clearly.


    Guo Panwei and the rest were listening attentively. Theywanted to know if Zhou Changchun was under investigations or not and if theywere also implicated.


    But everyone was shocked when they heard what Chief Zhou said."Yesterday, you had asked me to rmend someone to be the deputy chief forthe partymittee to consider.... After serious considerations, I thinkthat..." There was a pause of 2 seconds. "... I think that Xiao Gao from thePolitical section is the most suitable. He is hardworking and meticulous in hiswork.... Yes. That''s right.... Yes... I rmend Xiao Gao to rece me.... Theones from my office? Oh, they still need more experience... That''s right..."


    Everyone in the office was stunned.


    What was happening? Why was Zhou Changchun rmendingsomeone to take over his position?


    Damn! That Bureau Chief Yan trusted Zhou Changchun so much?He needs Zhou Changchun to rmend someone for the partymittee to discuss if that person was suitable for promotion?


    No higher-ups in the bureau were unhappy with Zhou Changchun,and he was not involved in any investigations? Zhou Changchun was reallyretiring because of his illness?


    "Ah..." Guo Panwei stood up from his chair. He wasregretting. Based on his rtionship with Zhou Changchun in the past, he stoodthe highest chance of being rmended. Even Dong Xuebing could not bpared to him. If only he went over and helped Zhou Changchun just now, andZhou Changchun would surely rmend him. Zhou Changchun had called him to hisroom earlier was to discuss with him about the rmendation. He had wastedthis opportunity.


    "Why is it like this?" Guo Shunjie was also regretting. Hethought it was the Bureau''s Party Committee that will decide who to take overthis position. Zhou Changchun and Li Qing were not members of themittee andhave no say in the rmendations. But who knows Chief Yan would ask ZhouChangchun to nominate someone. If he knew this would happen, he would go overto help Zhou Changchun, and Zhou Changchun might choose him. He would havehigher chances to be promoted.


    Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie face turned ck. Theexpressions of the rest of the people were different.


    Some were regretting, some were watching the show, somecouldn''t be bothered.


    Only Dong Xuebing was different from others. He onlyregretted for a split second and immediately looks excited.


    Opportunity.


    This is an opportunity for me!


    Dong Xuebing took in a deep breath: "Hurry and reverse thetime."


    BACK!

 Chapter 51: Deputy Chief nomination

    <h4>Chapter 51: Deputy Chief nomination</h4>


    The scenes in front of Dong Xuebing changed!


    "Chief Zhou."


    "Chief Zhou."


    "Chief Zhou."


    The pale looking Zhou Changchun returned back to the officeagain. Soft and weak greetings could be heard again. Other than Zhuang Zhi,everyone else remains seated in their seats. Everyone was no longer have therespect and fear for Zhou Changchun.


    Zhou Changchun was furious, and he looked at his formertrusted aide, Guo Panwei. "Panwei,e to my office for a while."


    Guo Panwei points to a document in his hand: "I''m sorryChief Zhou. I need to deliver an important document."


    Guo Shunjie immediately looks down. In his heart, he wassnickering. Who would still take your orders now?


    Tan Limei had been scolded by Zhou Changchun for saying thewrong things when she just joined the agency. She was usually cheerful in theoffice, but today, she was the same as Changjuan and Old Yan. She just looksdown and focuses on her work. Anyway, Zhou Changchun can no longer order themin the future. Who cares about him? Zhou Changchun was someone who might beunder investigation for financial discrepancies. Whoever gets close to him nowwill be a fool!


    Zhou Changchun looked around and understood why his formerstaffs were treating him this way. Heughed coldly. "Fine... Fine... Fine...!"He had been in the government sector for several years, and he knew whateveryone was thinking now. That''s right. Who would want to get close to me now?No one! This was how cold-hearted people in the government sector were! Cuttingties with someone when they were in trouble.


    The next moment, everyone in the General Affairs Office,including Zhou Changchun were shocked.


    "Chief Zhou, I have some free time. Are you going to packyour office? Let me help you." A smiling Dong Xuebing ran over and supportedZhou Changchun. "You have just been discharged from the hospital. You must becareful. I will help you with your office. Watch your feet!"


    Zhou Changchun was stunned. "... No need to help me. I canwalk by myself."


    Dong Xuebing immediately said. "I''m sorry. I did not knowyou will be discharged today and the water in your office is empty. It''s myfault. I will change the water bottle for you immediately."


    Zhou Changchun felt better, and his face was no longer asck as before. "Don''t need to be so troublesome. I will be leaving after Ipacked my things."


    Dong Xuebing ignored him and went out to get a bottle ofwater back to Zhou Changchun office. After he refilled the water dispenser, hepoured a cup of water for Zhou Changchun. Dong Xuebing did not stop after this.He continued to pack Zhou Changchun''s belongings for him. He packed ZhouChangchun''s stuff, like food tray, mug, tea set, etc. neatly for him.


    Everyone else in the office was shocked by Dong Xuebing''sactions. What was this Dong Xuebing thinking?


    Guo Shunjie shook his head. This Dong Xuebing was stupid!Why would he still bootlick an outgoing leader?


    Guo Panwei was alsoughing to himself. This Xiao Dong wasreally dumb. If Zhou Changchun were being investigated for corruptions or otherproblems and asked to "retire due to his illness", Dong Xuebing would beimplicated.


    Tan Limei tried making eye signals to Dong Xuebing. But DongXuebing ignored her. She was pissed with him. She had just told Dong Xuebingabout the implications for being close to Zhou Changchun a while ago! What washe thinking?!


    In the small room.


    Zhou Changchun was touched when he saw Dong Xuebing sweatingfor helping him. "Xiao Dong, sit down and rest for a while."


    "It''s okay. I am not tired." Dong Xuebing replied. "Do you stillhave anything else to pack?"


    "That''s about it. Sit down and have a chat." Dong Xuebingsat down on a chair with only half his butt touching the chair. It was likebefore. The correct sitting posture when sitting in front of a leader. ZhouChangchun sighed when he saw this. He patted Dong Xuebing''s shoulder: "It istime like this when you will see someone''s true colors. Xiao Dong. Good. I amright about you!"


    Dong Xuebing sincerely replied: "This is what my duties."


    Zhou Changchun sighed again and squeezed Dong Xuebing''sshoulder. "I can finally see it! I should have known this before! You are theonly one in this office that is worth grooming. But all the paperwork for myretirement werepleted, and I can''t take care of you in the future."


    Dong Xuebing immediately replied: "You have been guiding andtaking care of me since I joined the General Affairs Office. Thank you for yourguidance, Chief Zhou."


    Zhou Changchun paused and seems to be thinking aboutsomething. He suddenly waved his fist and looks like he had made a decision. "Iwill not say anything else to you. Wait a while. I need to make a phone call."


    Dong Xuebing held back his excitement and pretended to becalm. "Then I will go out first?"


    "No need. Sit there." Zhou Changchun picks up the phone onthe desk and dials a number. Zhou Changchun had wanted to nominate Guo Panweiat first. But Guo Panwei''s attitude just now had greatly disappointed him. DongXuebing on the other hand, still treated him with respect like before. ZhouChangchun was moved by Dong Xuebing''s actions.


    The line got through. "Hello, is this Chief Yan? I am ZhouChangchun... Yes. I have decided who I will rmend.... Thank you for yourtrust.... Yes... I think the position of the Deputy Chief of the General AffairsOffice..." Zhou Changchun paused and looked at Dong Xuebing. "... should go toDong Xuebing. He is the most suitable candidate to take on this role... youshould know him... Right. He is the young man that ran into the fire to get backthe documents.... Yes. He just joined this year, and he had performedexceptionally well.... Yes, this year.... Although hecks experience, but otherthan this, he is perfect. He is matured, meticulous, brave... Yes. I am onlynominating him..."


    Dong Xuebing clenched his fist. His heart almost jumped outof his mouth.


    Bureau Chief Yan on the line seems to be troubled. He hadmentioned "experience" several times in the conversation. It was not as smoothsailing when Xiao Gao from the Political Division was nominated. It was apparentthat Dong Xuebing was still too junior.


    But when Dong Xuebing was about to give up hope, he heard Zhou Changchun suddenly said. "Eh? Chief Li is at your office? You can also askChief Li about Xiao Dong...."


    After saying this, Zhou Changchun held the receiver and kept quiet. About 3 to 4 minutester, Zhou Changchun smiled."Chief Li is also nominating Dong Xuebing as the Deputy Chief of General Affairs Office? Yes... Yes... What do you think?... Ok... Thank you, Chief Yan."Zhou Changchun smiled after hanging up. "Xiao Dong, you are fortunate. If onlyme and Chief Li put your name as one of the candidates, the Bureau Chief willnever approve it. But Chief Li Qing had only nominated you alone. That meansour General Affairs Office had the same view. Chief Yan did not say anything,and you are considered to have qualified as one of the candidates. The PartyCommittee will discuss your promotion during their next meeting."


    Done?


    Am I really promoted?!


    Dong Xuebing said gratefully: "Chief Zhou, you... What can Isay?I still did not meet thequalifications... I..."


    Zhou Changchun interrupted him: "Haha, it is only anomination. I will tell you the truth. This position might still be out ofreach for you. Even if the General Affairs Office did not nominate Guo Shunjueand Guo Panwei, their names would also appear in the meeting through otherdepartments. Both of them have backgrounds and connections. It is almostimpossible for you to win them." Zhou Changchun was already retired, and hedoes not hold back. "We nominated you is to let your name appear in front ofthe leaders and let them have an impression of you. This will increase yourchances of promotion the next time. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, sir. Thank you, Chief Zhou. Thank you!"


    As long as he was nominated, he will have a chance!


    Dong Xuebing felt he was too lucky. He did not make anywrong moves since the day he entered the General Affairs Office. He had helpedZhou Changchun traded shares, jumped into a burning office to retrievedocuments, and he had final see the returns for all the efforts he put in.


    Dong Xuebing will not give up this chance for promotion!

 Chapter 52: Strategy to be closer to Xu Yan

    <h4>Chapter 52: Strategy to be closer to Xu Yan</h4>


    Afternoon.


    2:08 pm.


    After Zhou Changchun left, Tan Limei immediately pulled FengYu aside. "Bing Zhi, didn''t you hear what I said? Why are you still so close toChief Zhou?! What if the rumors about the leaders who were unhappy with himknow about this? You will be in trouble! Chief Zhou had been here for a longtime. Even if there were some issues with his finances, the bureau will stilltake care of him and let him retire due to his illness! But you are different!Who would care about a newbie like you?"


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Actually, there is no problem withChief Zhou finances. You all are overthinking."


    Zhuang Zhi also said: "I... I think what Bing Zhi did isright."


    "Right your head!" Tan Limei stared at both of them. "Nevermind. Do what you want. I can''t be bothered with you all."


    Guo Shunjie and Changjuan who had gone to deliver documentsreturned.


    "Xiao Tan, are you unhappy at work?" Guo Shunjie spoke likea leader when he saw Tan Limei talking angrily to Feng Yu.


    Tan Limei, who had been unhappy with Guo Shunjie, repliedpolitely. "I''m fine."


    Guo Shunjie nodded and walked back to his desk with hishands behind his back. He nced at the small office. He can''t wait to sit inthat office. Guo Panwei looked at him and mumbled something. He grabbed a pileof documents and seems like he was about to head off to "report his workprogress" to some leaders.


    Guo Shunjie looked at Guo Panwei. "Panwei, why are youdelivering documents to the leaders again?"


    "Hehehe, didn''t you just return from Political CommissarZhou''s office?" Guo Panwei replied to Guo Shunjie''s sarcastic remarks.


    Guo Shunjie said: "Hmph!"


    Now, the General Affairs Office was the battlefield for GuoShunjie and Guo Panwei. Both of them were facing off each other, and it wastense. They treated each other as their biggestpetitor and were unawarethat Dong Xuebing was nominated. Dong Xuebing also did not want to tell anyoneabout this. His chances would be higher if he kept it a secret. If this wasexposed now, people might gang up against him.


    After a while, Dong Xuebing went to Li Qing''s new office.


    Li Qing was wiping the photo frame of his daughter''s picturewith a napkin. "Xiao Dong? Take a sit.


    "Thank you, but I will stand." Dong Xuebing did not sit downand said: "Director Li, is your daughter''s health getting better?"


    Li Qing sighed and put down the photo frame on his desk."She got leukemia, and it is not easily treated. She is so skinny now... Ok.Let''s drop this subject. Your name has been submitted to Chief Yan. Work hardand perform well. Don''t let Old Zhou and I down."


    Dong Xuebing politely replied: "Yes sir. I will not let youdown. I will get this...."


    "Haha... I am not asking you to get the position of DeputyChief. You are still too junior and do not have many chances. I am asking youto use this chance to let the higher-ups know you. The next time if there areopportunities to enter the Party School or something, the chances of yougetting it will be higher. Do you know to understand me?" Although Li Qinglikes this young man, he felt it was impossible for him to get the position ofDeputy Chief.


    Dong Xuebing had a bitter taste in his mouth, but hepretended to be moved: "Yes sir. Thank you, Director Li, for this opportunity!"


    Li Qing nodded and took out a stack of documents from hisdesk. "The Bureaumittee meeting is in a few days. You should try to get intouch with the leaders these few days. Here, these documents are what Chief Xuwanted. Send these to her."


    "Yes, Sir."


    After walking out of Li Qing''s office, Dong Xuebing thoughtabout his chances of getting promoted. The Bureau Committee meeting is in a fewdays and does he have the opportunity to ovee all the hurdles and beat thehot favorites, Guo Panwei, and Guo Shunjie? What should he do? Continue doingwhat he was doing? Impossible! The only way should be doing the same as whatGuo Panwei and Guo Shunjie were doing. Get help from the higher-ups! He needsto get one of themittee members to speak up for him! This way, his chanceswould be higher!


    Who should he look for?


    Zhou Guoan, Political Commissar Zhou? No. He is GuoShunjie''s backing.


    Political Section''s Chief Pang Bing? No. He is very close toGuo Panwei.


    Dong Xuebing thought about the few members from the BureauCommittee he had met or heard off. In the end, he found someone who was notclose to either Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie. This person had the highestpossibility of speaking up for him and had a strong influence on who should getthe position of Deputy Chief. Xu Yan!


    Knock, knock. Dong Xuebing knocked on Deputy Bureau Chief XuYan''s office.


    "Come in!"


    "Chief Xu, Director Li asked me to send these documents toyou."


    A middle-aged woman, who was sitting crossed legged at herdesk, was looking at a piece of paper. She said in a deep voice. "Ok. Leave thedocuments there!" She is Xu Yan. She is almost 50 years old, and there wererumors that she was a divorcee. Her hair was permed, and there were aged spotsat the corner of her eyes. She had average looks and the aura of someonesessful. She was one of the District Branch Bureau''smittee members andthe Deputy Bureau Chief. At the same time, she was the General AffairsDirector. She can be considered Dong Xuebing''s top superior. Because she wasthe person overseeing the General Affairs Department, she had a bigger say thanthe rest of the Deputy Bureau Chief on who to take on the role of Deputy Chiefof General Affairs Office!


    If Dong Xuebing could foster a good rtionship with herand let Xu Yan put in good words for him in the meeting, the chances ofpromotion will be much higher!


    Dong Xuebing ced the brown envelope carefully on thedesk. He paused for a while. He wanted to speak to Xu Yan and leave animpression on her. He wondered if she had heard of the incident of him runninginto a burning room to retrieve documents. If she knows about this incident, itwould be easier. "Chief Xu, I..." Dong Xuebing also do not know how to start aconversation. He had only seen Xu Yan during meetings before and had neverspoken to her.


    Xu Yan waved the A4 paper in her hand and asked: "Is thereanything else?"


    "Huh? Nothing... I will leave now."


    Xu Yan finally lifted her head and looked at Dong Xuebing."Eh? You are... General Affairs Department? Didn''t I instruct everyone above 20years old and below 35 years old to participate in the ser match? Why didn''t I see you on the field>" Xu Yan was in charge of Western District BranchBureau ser team, and they were participating in the City''s agencies sertournament. She was also the coach of the team.


    Dong Xuebing was disappointed when he realized Xu Yan didnot recognize him. Sensing Xu Yan was getting angry, he quickly exined: "Iwas hospitalized before the National Day holidays and was just discharged two days ago."


    Xu Yan just replied "Oh..." and waved him off.


    Dong Xuebing was relieved and quickly walked out of theoffice and close the door lightly behind him.


    Sigh... Seems like Xu Yan''s character was simr to BureaChief Yan. Both of them were not easy to talk to. How can I establish a goodrtionship with her?

 Chapter 53: Penalty!

    <h4>Chapter 53: Penalty!</h4>


    Next day.


    Afternoon at 1 pm.


    Dong Xuebing was still thinking of how he could earn XuYan''s trust.


    Li Qing, who was in wearing his sports attire entered the GeneralAffairs Office. "The bus is here. Those that are participating in the matchshould change, or you all can choose to change at the stadium. The color is thesame as yesterday''s match. The top must be white, and the shorts do notmatter." Li Qing''s face changed." Everybody listen up. There are only 2 morematches, including this afternoon''s game left. The higher-ups and Chief Xu hadgiven us a mission. We must not lose again. Put in your best performancter!"


    "Ah? Cannot lose?" Everyone was groaning.


    Li Qing replied firmly. "You must treat this as a politicalmission! Do you understand?"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    Guo Panwei and Zhuang Zhi replied immediately. But they werenot confident.


    Dong Xuebing was d that he had escaped this fate. He hadheard from Tan Limei that their team had not won a single match out of the past6 games and they had lost badly for every game they yed. The scores werelike 5:0, 3:0 and even 7:0. They had yet to score a single goal. This was whythe Bureau''s higher-ups gave this "political mission" to them.


    Dong Xuebing, Tan Limei, and Old Yan remained in the office.Changjuan, Zhuang Zhi and the rest followed Li Qing out of the office.


    There was not a lot of work in the afternoon. Dong Xuebingmade himself a cup of tea and watched a movie online.


    During the National Day Holidays, their working hours wereuntil 3 pm. It was 5 minutes to 3 pm, and Tan Limei started packing her things.She cheerfully patted Dong Xuebing''s back. "Bing Zhi, let''s go to YuetanStadium to watch their match. This time, the Bureau is anxious to get a win. Ifthey were lost all the matches in this tournament, they would surely bescolded."


    Dong Xuebing had nothing to do at home, and he nodded. "Ok,let''s go and have a look." Xu Yan was also there. Maybe there will be anopportunity to get closer to her.


    Yuetan Stadium.


    The Bureau had booked this stadium. Dong Xuebing and TanLimei showed their work pass and were allowed to enter the stadium. They walkedthrough the entrance tunnel, and they could hear cheers. Under the scorchingsun, over 20 State Security members were running on the field. Zhuang Zhi wassweating and panting near his goal post. Guo Panwei was running aroundaimlessly and shouting "Pass, pass to me!" Guo Shunjie was also holding on tohis ser boots and sitting by the side of the fields. It seems that he was areserve.


    "Defence! Defense!" By the side of the field, Xu Yan in hersports attire was shouting instructions to her team. "Everyone get back anddefense! Mark that no. 21!"


    "Don''t let him pass! Stop him!" Li Qing was carrying XuYan''s bag by her side and was also shouting to the yers.


    Tan Limei whispered to Dong Xuebing. "Our Chief Xu is veryserious. Seems like she means what she said. Let''s go. Sister Juan is overthere. Let''s go over."


    Dong Xuebing stopped for a while. "Shouldn''t we greet theleaders first?"


    "Can''t you see the leaders are busy?"


    Dong Xuebing looked at Xu Yn''s back view helplessly andfollowed Tan Limei to where Changjuan was sitting. Changjuan was sitting withsome young men and women from the Political Section and Finance Department.They were cheering listlessly for their team. "Go forward and shoot!" But theircheers were too soft. Compared to the other team, their cheers could not beheard.


    "Xiao Dong, Xiao Tan, you all are here?" Changjuan turned tothem and was holding a fan to block the sun.


    Dong Xuebing casually asked: "Sister Juan, how''s the match?What''s the score now?"


    Changjuan replied: "This time, we are ying much betterthan the previous few matches. The score is 0:0, and there are 10 minutes left.Seems this match would be a draw. At least we fulfill Chief Xu''s requirement ofnot losing."


    Tan Limei gasped. "We are ying well!"


    It wasing to the end of the match, and all the yerson the field were tired. They were running slowly after the ball without anytactics or strategies. The Western District Branch Bureau''s team was not of thesame standard as Chaoyang Branch Bureau''s team. Most of the time, they wereying defensively. Their opponent was trying to score from far.


    Xu Yan shouted with her hoarse voice: "Defence properly!There are only 10 minutes left!"


    Li Qing also shouts: "Run faster! All of you, run faster!"


    Chaoyang District Branch Bureau''s no. 21 forward received apass from outside the penalty area, and he turned to shoot at the goal. Zoom!It was an awkward angle, and the ball missed the goal post by inches. No. 21held his head in anguished and then gave a thumbs up to his teammate who passedhim the ball.


    Dong Xuebing blinked/ "Who is that guy? Why is he so good?"Dong Xuebing had yed ser with his University ssmates. Although he wasnot good at it, he could tell the difference between a good yer and anovice. This no. 21 was on a different level from the rest.


    Changjuan replied: "I heard that guy was formerly from thenational youth team. He is more professional than the rest. He had almost brokenour defense several times."


    Not far away, Xu Yan was shouting angrily. "Mark that no.21! Don''t let him get the ball!"


    These few days, Xu Yan was in a bad mood. She thought thesewere all friendly matches to let the staff workers participate in some sportsactivities. That''s why she took on the role of the team manager and coach. Butthe rest of the branch bureaus were trying their best, and her team had beenlosing since the start of the tournament. Xu Yan was too embarrassed by her side.This was why she gave out the orders that they must not lose today. Even a drawis good enough.


    8 minutes left...


    5 minutes left...


    The score was still 0:0.


    Xu Yan was relieved. She looked at a middle-aged woman watchingthe match not far away and frowned.


    The bespectacled woman also saw Xu Yan and returned a sneer.


    Dong Xuebing was observing Xu Yan and watching the game whenhe noticed this detail. He asked Tan Limei if she knew who that woman was. "Whois that person? Chief Xu does not seem to like her. Is she the team manager forChaoyang team?"


    Tan Limei looked at that direction. "I had never seen herbefore. Sister Chang, do you know that person?"


    "Who?" Changjuan looked towards the direction where DongXuebing was pointing. "Why is she here?"


    Dong Xuebing asked: "Who is she?"


    Changjuan looked around her and dragged Tan Limei and DongXuebing to the side. "That person''s name is simr to Chief Xu. Her name is XuYan too. She is the Deputy District Political Commissar of Eastern DistrictBranch Bureau. Oh, I know why she is here. Tomorrow ourst match is against theEastern District Branch Bureau. She should be here to watch our team."


    Dong Xuebing was puzzled. "Isn''t this a recreationaltournament? Is there a need to be so serious?"


    Changjuanughed. "There are many things you don''t know.Chief Xu and Political Commissar Xu are not on good terms. To others, thismight be a friendly match. But for both of them, it''s not. I heard that both ofthem were often arguing during the City Bureau''s meeting. Hmmm.... I will tellyou all another secret. Keep it to yourself." Changjuan lowered her voice. "Doyou know Chief Xu is a divorcee? Her ex-husband remarried, and his new bride isthat Xu Yan. Because of this reason... Hehe..... Do you all understand now?"


    Tan Limei said: "Oh... I was still wondering why Chief Xugave out such orders. She does not want to be looked down by her rival!"


    Dong Xuebing also understood.


    Changjuan replied: "Don''t talk about this anymore. It is notnice if this is spread around. The match is ending soon. Come, let''s cheer forour team!"


    There were only 3 minutes left on the clock.


    Tan Limei waved her hands excitedly: "Western District Team!Go, go go!"


    Dong Xuebing was also influenced by the atmosphere andstarted to cheer loudly for their team: "Defence! Defense!"


    Dong Xuebing and the rest were only hoping for a draw.


    But things did not go as they wished. Guo Panwei, who wasying defender, identally knocked into one of his teammate outside thepenalty area and both of them were slowed down. This gave no.21 a chance tobreak through their defense. He ran into the penalty area with the ball andtricked the central defender into the wrong direction with a feint. Hecontinued onwards, and only the goalkeeper was left standing before him!


    The goalkeeper was Xiao Gao, from the Political Section. Hedoes not know how to y ser. He was chosen to be part of the team becausehe was taller. He rushed forward to try to block no. 21, but he identallytripped no. 21 to the ground. Before no. 21 fell to the ground, he kicked XiaoGao with his boots!


    Both Xiao Gao and no. 21 were rolling on the field in pain.


    Beep! Beep!


    The referee from the City Bureau blew the whistle and points to the spot! Penalty!

 Chapter 54: No one else wants to go? I will go!

    <h4>Chapter 54: No one else wants to go? I will go!</h4>


    The whistle was blown, and the crowd was in an uproar!


    The yers from the Western District were unhappy with thereferee''s decision. "Where did we foul?"


    Guo Panwei shouted anxiously: "This is a misjudgment! He isthe one who kicked Xiao Gao!"


    The referee ignored the yers'' protest and points to thespot.


    "Penalty? What is wrong with you?" Xu Yan ran onto the fieldand shouted to the referee. "We are defending properly! It is no. 21 that hadfouled! He knocked into the goalkeeper! How can you make this decision? You areso close, and you did not see it?" Xu Yan looks around and shouts: "Where arethe linesmen? Get the linesmen here!"


    Tan Limei, who was in the stands, was also shouting:"Misjudgement!"


    After Tan Limei started, the rest of the spectators alsofollowed.


    Dong Xuebing kept quiet. He knew that it was hard to decidewho had foul in such a scenario.


    The referee did not expect the Western District team managerto be so serious. Although the referee was from the City Bureau, his rank wasmuch lower than Chief Xu. He dare not to oppose Xu Yan''s decision. He hesitatedand thought if he should give in to Xu Yan''s demands. After all, this was onlya friendly match. "Errr... I think I might have..."


    Before Chaoyang''s team manager said anything, thebespectacled middle-aged woman walked over with her handbag.


    That''s Eastern District Branch Bureau''s Deputy PoliticalCommissar Xu!


    "Your decision is right. Where is the misjudgment?" Xu Tanwas wearing pants and a short sleeve shirt. Her eyes were small, and she shouldnot be as pretty as Chief Xu when they were young. She sauntered and nced atXu Yan. "I saw the incident clearly. It is the Western District goalkeeper thattripped Chaoyang''s no. 21 first."


    Xu Yan''s face turned ck: "Deputy Political Commissar Xu,what is the meaning of this?"


    Deputy Political Commissar Xu looked at her and replied."Deputy Bureau Chief Xu, I am saying what I had seen."


    Xu Yan replied: "I saw the incident clearly too. You don''tneed to interfere!"


    Deputy Political Commissar Xu: "But you are not the referee.The referee had awarded a penalty! Right?"


    The referee was stuck in the middle and did not know what tosay.


    Chaoyang Branch Bureau''s team manager was only a DivisionalDirector, and he pretended not to see anything. Almost everyone in BeijingState Security''s higher-ups knew Chief Xu, and Deputy Political Commissar Xuwere loggerheads because of that incident in the past. No one wants to getinvolved between both women.


    Chief Xu and Deputy Political Commissar Xu argued for 5minutes.


    In the end, they decided they had to escte this argumentto their higher-ups. A call was made to the City Bureau, who was the organizerof this tournament and the phone was passed to Chief Xu. "Xiao Xu, think of thebigger picture. What''s the use of arguing over such a trivial matter? This is afriendly tournament. The referee had awarded a penalty, and it should be apenalty! The referee''s decision is final! Carry on with the match!"


    After Chief Xu ended the call, Deputy Political Commissar Xusmiled: "Your team had lost how many matches in a row? 7? 8?"


    "Mind your own business!" Chief Xu was trying to control heranger. She could feel her blood pressure rising, and she took deep breathes tocalm herself. She walked back to the sidelines and looked at the injured XiaoGao. "How is your injury? Can you still y?"


    Xiao Gao, who was still half lying on the ground, replied:"I''m sorry, Chief Xu, my leg is too painful."


    The no. 21 was already up on his feet and doing his warm-upfor the penalty kick. He did not seem to be injured at all.


    Xu Yan looks terrible. She thought if Chaoyang Team scoredthis penalty, then Western District team will suffer 7 losses in a row. Shewill beughed by Deputy Political Commissar Xu Yan. Chief Xu can afford tolose this match, but she was not willing to beughed at by that woman! Shegritted her teeth and said: "Substitute the goalkeeper! I don''t care what youall do, but they must not score! You all must block this penalty!"


    Everyone could tell Deputy Bureau Chief Xu was furious andno one dares to say a word.


    It was easy to substitute the goalkeeper as this tournamentdid not restrict the number of substitutes. Anyone who wants to y can just enterthe match as substitutes. But the problem was the no. 21 yer. He can beconsidered a professional yer.


    It was all luck for penalty kicks. No one could tell whichdirection the penalty taker would kick. What if the substituted goalkeepercould not save the penalty and Chief Xu let that person take fullresponsibility? No one dares to say a word.


    1 second...


    5 seconds...


    Xu Yan frowned. "Li Qing! You will pick the goalkeeper!"


    Li Qing smiled wearily and looked at Guo Shunjie. "Xiao Guo,you go and try."


    Guo Shunjie was stunned for a few seconds and immediatelydecline: "I had hurt my waist, and I can''t dive to save the ball. Errr..."


    The corner of Li Qing''s eyes twitched and turned to anotheryer from the finance department. "Xiao Zhao, you are taller. You will be thesubstitute."


    Xiao Zhao replied with a long face: "Director Li, I havenever yed goalkeeper before. I don''t think I can save the penalty."


    "Xiao Wang, you graduate from the Police School. You shouldnot have a problem. You will y."


    "I..."


    Bang! Xu Yan threw her handbag on the floor and points atGuo Shunjie and the other yers. "No one can y goalkeeper?! What the here all of you here for?!"


    Although this was only a friendly tournament, the WesternDistrict team had lost too many matches. All of them also do not want to losethis match, but...


    Tan Limei, who was standing not far away, sighed. "That''sit. We thought this match is a draw. But now..."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "That''s right. That no. 21 is too good.no matter who bes the goalkeeper, it is also useless."


    "7 losses in a row." Changjuan buried her face in her hands."If I know this would happen, I will note here to cheer for them. It''s tooembarrassing!"


    A girl from Public Security Sixth Bureau also said: "ThatDeputy Political Commissar Xu Yan from Eastern District is too much. It is alsonot her team ying now. Why is she interfering in this match?"


    All of them were from the Western district, and that girlwas on Xu Yan''s side.


    The referee walked over and told Xu Yan softly: "Chief Xu,it''s time to take the penalty kick. Your side''s goalkeeper..."


    Deputy Political Commissar Xu and the other team also lookedover at the reserve bench. Some were getting impatient, and some wereughing at them.


    Chief Xu scolded the yers, but no one stepped forward tobe the goalkeeper.


    Deputy Political Commissar Xuughter was irritating. XuYan''s face had turned red in anger. Her hands were already shaking.


    Dong Xuebing wasughing in his heart when he saw GuoShunjie lowering his head. He was hoping for Xu Yan to pick Guo Shunjie to bethe goalkeeper and the other team scored the penalty. Xu Yan would surely hateGuo.... Eh?!


    Wait!


    Wait a minute!


    Dong Xuebing paused for a while. Penalty?


    "I will repeat myself one more time!" Xu Yan was almost ather limits. "One of you have to be the goalkeeper! I don''t care which one ofyou, but one of you must get onto the field!"


    The 6 reserves kept quiet, and they were praying that theywill not be picked.


    "You all!" Xu Yan was about to start screaming at theyers.


    At this moment, a voice came from behind her. "Chief Xu, ifno one wants to be the goalkeeper, can I try?"


    Everyone turned back to see who was the one!


    It was Dong Xuebing!


    High-risk, high returns. This was an opportunity to getcloser to the leaders.


    For the promotion... It''s worth to take the risk!

 Chapter 55: Saving the penalty

    <h4>Chapter 55: Saving the penalty</h4>


    "You?" Xu Yan looked at Dong Xuebing from top to toe. DongXuebing had average height. "Are you sure?"


    Dong Xuebing replied. "I will try my best."


    Li Qing, who was standing beside, was relieved. He knew thatat times like this, Dong Xuebing would surely step forward to help. This was nolonger whether if the penalty kick could be saved or not. It''s an attitude. LiQing was lucky to have a subordinate which will offer to share his burden. Thiswas also why Li Qing did not wish for Xiao Dong to y in this match. Thatno.21 will not miss this penalty kick. Li Qing did not want Xiao Dong to beresponsible for their loss. "Chief Xu, this is Dong Xuebing. He is from ourGeneral Affairs Office. He is the one who ran into the burning office toretrieve the documents. He was injured by the fire and had just been dischargedfrom the hospital a few days ago. Can we don''t let him..."


    Xu Yan frowned and remembered about that incident: "He is thefirefighter?"


    Li Qing smiled. "Yes, that''s him."


    Xu Yan turned and look at Dong Xuebing in his eyes. "Thispenalty will affect our Western District Branch Bureau''s image. We cannotafford to lose this match. Are you sure you will be able to save this penalty?"Xu Yan paused and then continued in a firm tone. "I don''t want you to try yourbest! You must save it! Can you do it?"


    Li Qing immediately interrupts: "Chief Xu, Xiao Dong doesnot know how to y football. He...


    Dong Xuebing knew Li Qing was trying to protect him. Hereplied: "Chief Xu, I will definitely save this penalty!"


    "Good!" Xu Yan nodded. "Get on the field!"


    Dong Xuebing quickly ran to the sidelines. "Brother Gao, canI borrow your gloves?"


    The injured goalkeeper, Xiao Gao, looked at him and passedhim his gloves. "Please do your best!"


    Guo Shunjie''s uneasy feelings were gone. He thought Xu Yanwould order him to be the goalkeeper. But when Dong Xuebing had volunteered, healmost cried out in joy. Foolish! What a stupid person! You are not even 1.8mtall, yet you want to be a goalkeeper? If that yer kicked the ball slightlyhigher, you can''t even touch it! Hah! You are just finding trouble foryourself. Once this penalty was scored, the whole Western District will put theme on you! You really think you are a firefighter?


    Dong Xuebing was not tall and strong enough, but he walkedcalmly towards the goal. Everyone from the Western District was covering theirfaces or rubbing their temples. They looked like they had already lost thematch. 7 losses in a row!


    Guo Panwei also felt they had already lost. He walked overand said: "Xiao Dong, are you confident? Why not let someone take over?" He wasthe one who had knocked into another yer, no. 21 would not be able to breakthrough their defense and be awarded the penalty. He did not want this penaltyto be scored. Everyone will pin the me on him too.


    Tan Limei, Zhuang Zhi, and Changjuan also move closer.


    Zhuang Zhi asked: "Bing Zhi, have you yed goalkeeper before?"


    "Errr... No..." Dong Xuebing was also not very confident.


    Tan Limei stared at him and shouted: "You have never yedas a goalkeeper? Then why did you volunteer? Are you crazy?"


    Changjuan added: "That''s right. It is not easy to be agoalkeeper. Did you even see how that no. 21 y? He is on a different level!"


    Dong Xuebinng also knew about this. But he does not want tomiss this opportunity.


    "Hurry up! Stop wasting time!"


    "Hurry up! We are waiting for more than 10 minutes!"


    "Are we still ying?"


    Chaoyang District Bureau team shouted impatiently.


    The referee points at the goal post, indicating Dong Xuebingto get over there immediately.


    Seeing that they could not change Dong Xuebing''s mind, TanLimei, Changjuan and the rest walked off the pitch. "Bing Zhi! Just dive withall your might!"


    Zhuang Zhi also cheered: "Bing Zhi! You can do it!"


    But other than the few colleagues from the General AffairsOffice, no one cheered for Dong Xuebing. All of them were listless. It was asif they had already lost the match.


    Dong Xuebing was pissed. Damn! Howe no one else cheeredfor me? Do I look like a loser?


    In front of the goal post, Dong Xuebing stretched both hisarms out. He was trying to imitate the professional goalkeepers he watched fromthe English Premier League on TV. He was jumping lightly and waving his arms.After some simple warmup, he stood on the line and bend forward slightly. He wasstaring at no. 21.


    No. 21 had ced the ball on the spot and had moved a fewsteps back.


    Beep! The referee blew his whistle, signaling them to start.


    Everyone was watching quietly.


    It was tense. Dong Xuebing swallowed his saliva and prayedin his heart. Please shoot off target! Please kick the ball over the post!


    Ta.... Ta... Ta... No. 21 had started his run up to the ball!


    1 step...


    5 steps...


    10 steps...


    Dong Xuebing was concentrating on the ball. It''s here!


    Bang!


    No. 21 kicked the ball, and the ball was curved towards thetop left corner!


    Dong Xuebing did not gamble by choosing a direction to dive.He waited until after the ball was kicked and made an ugly save attempt.


    "Ah!" Dong Xuebing shouted as he jumped and stretched out hishand!


    But before his arm was fully stretched, Zoom! The ballentered the!


    It was a goal!


    It was a beautiful goal.... Maybe even a professionalgoalkeeper could not save it!


    It was curved, and the ball had entered at an angle.


    "Yay!!!! We won!!!"


    "Hahahaha! 1:0!"


    Beep, beeeeeep, beeeep! The referee blew the full-timewhistle!


    Xu Yan and everyone from the western district was pale. 7losses in a row! Shame!


    Dong Xuebing took a few deep breaths and was deep inthoughts. Seems like it was impossible for him to miss this penalty. He was outstanding!


    2 secondster, Dong Xuebing had a firm look in his eyes."BACK!"


    ...


    The scenes changed! The cheers were gone!


    It was dead silent.


    Almost 90% of the people in the stadium felt it wasimpossible for Dong Xuebing to save this penalty kick. But Xu Yan and everyonefrom the Western District was looking at Dong Xuebing nervously.


    Beep! The referee blew his whistle, signaling them to start.


    1 second...


    2 seconds...


    No. 21 looked at Dong Xuebing and thought in his heart. Ihad been ying since young and had got into the youth team. I am still practicingnow. No one in this City Public Security can match my skills. If you allswitched to a tall and big size goalkeeper, you all might still have a chanceto save it. But this goalkeeper is short and small in size. How can he block myshot?! Are you all looking down on me?!


    Dong Xuebing did not move an inch. He was still in the sameposition as before. He was worried that if he made any movements, that No. 21would kick the ball to another direction.


    No. 21 took his eyes off Dong Xuebing and slowly ran up tothe ball.


    1 step...


    2 steps...


    3 steps...


    No. 21 was getter closer and closer to the ball!


    Bang!


    No. 21 gave a hard kick!


    The ball flew towards the goalpost. No. 21 and the rest ofChaoyang District team were relieved. There was no mistake! No one would beable to save this ball! No even professional yers!


    Xu Yan and the Western District team were shocked. That''sit!


    But when everyone felt the ball was surely a goal, theyrealized Dong Xuebing was no longer in his previous spot. He had moved beforethe kick. No. 21, Xu Yan and everyone else stared disbelievingly. Xiao Dongseems to be able to know the direction of the ball. Dong Xuebing did not have abit of hesitation and stretched out both his arms and dived towards the topleft corner of the goalpost!


    Dong!!!


    The ball hit Dong Xuebing''s gloves!


    The ball was stopped by Dong Xuebing and dropped onto theground!


    Dong Xuebing shouted and dived again to stop and hug theball tightly under his body. He did not give the other team any chances toshoot again!


    Saved!


    The penalty kick was saved!


    Guo Shunjie, Tan Limei, and Changjuan could not believetheir eyes!


    No. 21 was standing there in a daze. Cannot be... Howe heknows I am aiming for the top left corner?


    The whole stadium was dead quiet for a moment. Xu Yan wasthe first to recover from the shock. She shouted: "Terrific! What a terrificsave!"


    "Good diving save! Hahahaha! He saved that penalty kick!"


    "Xiao Dong! You are the best!"


    "Yay!!!!!!"


    The Western District Team were celebrating!

 Chapter 56: Must win!

    <h4>Chapter 56: Must win!</h4>


    Beep, beeeeeep, beeeep!


    It was the fulltime whistle!


    0:0. It was a draw!


    Dong Xuebing released the ball in his arms and supportedhimself up with both arms. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and panted. Tothe spectators, it was a great save. But only Dong Xuebing knew how close itwas. He nearly couldn''t reach it. Luckily his fingertips on his left hand andhis right thumb touched the ball and stopped it.


    It was really a close shave!


    He was lucky to save it!


    The Chaoyang team lowered their heads in despair. TheWestern District team and its supporters were cheering at the top of theirvoices!


    "Bing Zhi!" The tall and fat Zhuang Zhi ran over. "Youreally did it!"


    A yer which Dong Xuebing does not know gave him a thumbsup. "It was a perfect save! If we know you are so good, we should have let yoube our goalkeeper in the past few matches! This way, we will not lose 6 gamesin a row!"


    Tan Limei also shouted in her high-pitched voice: "Bing Zhi!You are terrific! You can even save that ball! You are the best!"


    Changjuan only shouted: "Terrific!"


    All the yers crowded around Dong Xuebing to thank him.


    Guo Shunjie saw Dong Xuebing had saved the day again and wasspeechless. That ball was aimed for the top left corner. How did Dong Xuebingblock it so easily? This Dong Xuebing was really lucky.


    Eastern District''s Xu Yan saw they did not lose the matchand she shook her head and walk away.


    Chief Xu smiled as she looked at her back view. She walkedover to Dong Xuebing. "You did well! It was a nice save!"


    Dong Xuebing immediately replied: "Thank you. It is allluck." Hahaha. I finally have the chance to impress Xu Yan. Her impression ofme should improve.


    "Xiao Dong, don''t be humble." Li Qing was full of smiles."You are our hero today. Without you, our team will lose!"


    Actually, Xu Yan had heard of a capable newbie from the GeneralAffairs Officest month. She heard about Dong Xuebing from Deputy BureauChief Yang Yizhong. Later, she heard that it was that newbie who risked hislife to enter a burning office to retrieve some important documents. But shehad been swamped and did not have the time to meet this newbie. She only knewXiao Dong was that newbie just now. Xu Yan looked at Dong Xuebing closely andnodded. Dong Xuebing really deserved the nickname "Firefighter." He could evensave that penalty kick.


    On the bus back, everyone was still talking about the matchexcitedly.


    In thest row of the bus, Xu Yan asked Dong Xuebing to sitbeside her. "I heard from Director Li that you had just been discharged fromthe hospital and is not fully recovered yet. Can you y in tomorrow''s match?I am thinking of letting you be our first-choice goalkeeper. I think the restof the yers will agree to this."


    "Huh?" Dong Xuebing was shocked. Damn!


    Xu Yan asked with a stern look: "What''s wrong? You cannoty?"


    Dong Xuebing knew how good he was at ser. He was able tosave the penalty kick because of his power BACK. He can''t use his power for theentire match. He can''t imagine what would happen if he were to y the whole game.He was only able to take advantage of his powers within a minute. Heimmediately exined. "Chief Xu, I''m sorry. The doctors told me to avoidstrenuous exercise for some time. I don''t think I will be able to y the fullmatch. Errr... How about this? If there is a penalty or some free kicks in adangerous position, substitute me in."


    Xu Yan thought for a while: "Fine."


    Dong Xuebing sighed with relieved.


    After that, Xue Yan took out her pen and start scribbling onher notebook. She seems to be nning for tomorrow''s tactics.


    Xu Yan had influence over who to take over the role ofDeputy Chief of the General Affairs Office. These few days, Guo Shunjie hadtried to be closer to her but was unsessful. When he saw Dong Xuebingsitting beside her, he was furious. Guo Shunjie had made ns to get rid ofDong Xuebing once District Political Commissar Zhou helped him get theposition. He must get rid of him at all cost!


    Dong Xuebing also noticed Guo Shunjie staring at him. Hefelt ufortable.


    Dong Xuebing would rather offend a gentleman than to offenda viin. This Guo Shunjie must be up to no good!


    No! He must not be the Deputy Chief! I must work harder toget the position!


    Soon, the bus enters the Western District Branch Bureau''smain gates, and everyone starts to alight. It was after working hours, andthere were no one around.


    Xu Yan was thest to alight from the bus. She stood therelooking at all the yers. "Thankfully Xiao Dong was able to save that penaltykick today, and we can end our 6 matches losing streak. But remember this. Westill have not won a match for 7 matches. We are thest team of thetournament. Don''t you all feel embarrassed?"


    Guo Shunjie wanted to voice out that they were embarrassed.But the team was not strong enough.


    Xu Yan continued with a cold look on her face. "Today, Iwant all of you to go back and have a good rest. At the same time, reflect onthe reason why we can''t win a single match. Tomorrow is thest match of thetournament. I don''t want to see us getting a draw or lose. Tomorrow we will befacing Eastern District. We must win! We will show them how good the WesternDistrict is! Are you all confident of getting a win tomorrow?"


    "Yes."


    "... Yes."


    The yers replied weakly.


    "I can''t hear you!" Xu Yan shouted. "Are you all confident?"


    "Yes!" This time, the yers'' replies were louder.


    "Good. Dismiss!" Xu Yan was acting like a coach.


    Actually, the yers who knew the insider information knewwhy Xu Yan was so serious. The opponent tomorrow was Xu Yan''s long-time rival,Deputy District Political Commissar Xu. No matter whether it was officially orprivately, Xu Yan does not want to lose to Deputy District Political CommissarXu.


    On the way home, Dong Xuebing was thinking about the day''sevent.


    He had left a good impression with Xu Yan. But it was notenough. She would not help him get the position of Deputy Chief over such atrivial matter. If he wants Xu Yan to help him, he must do something moresignificant and will mean a lot to her. But what should he do? Eh? Tomorrow''smatch is significant to Xu Yan and the Western District team! 7 games without asingle win?! No one will want that result! This is a must win the match! Then...what should Dong Xuebing do to perform and let Xu Yan be grateful to him?


    That''s right!


    Must make use of this opportunity to get closer with theleaders! This way, Guo Shunjie will not be promoted!


    Penalty! Let tomorrow''s match have a penalty!


    I pray for a chance to save a penalty kick again tomorrow!


    Tomorrow''s match is critical!

 Chapter 57: We are losing?

    <h4>Chapter 57: We are losing?</h4>


    Next day.


    Yuetan Stadium.


    The air in the stadium was tense. It was the calm before thestorm. Deputy Bureau Chief Xu Yan lead the Western District team into thestadium from the side gates. Across the field, the eastern district team, intheir red jersey, were doing their warm up. Xu Yan had a stern look on herface. She looked at every yer on her team. "I will repeat this once more! Weaim to win! Do your best out there! Don''t embarrass the Western Districtbranch!"


    "Yes!"


    Today''s match was crucial, and many people from the branchbureaus were there to support their team. Tan Limei, Changjuan, and even OldYan were there. Guo Panwei and Zhuang Zhi were in the starting line up asusual. Maybe it was because Xiao Gao and another regr yer were injured inyesterday''s match, Guo Shunjie was in the starting line-up. The yers tookoff their jackets and started their warm up on the field. Dong Xuebing and twoother reserves were standing behind Xu Yan and Li Qing, facing the field.


    Deputy District Political Commissar Xu was standing about 10meters away from Dong Xuebing and the rest.


    Deputy Chief Xu Yan stared at Deputy District PoliticalCommissar Xu coldly.


    Deputy District Political Commissar Xu turned and smiled atXu Yan. "If your team prepared to lose?"


    Xu Yan frowned. "This is the question I wanted to ask you."


    "Hahaha, where did you get your confidence from?"


    Deputy District Political Commissar Xu should have given herteam orders to win at all cost. The spectators could feel the tension betweenboth teams before the start of the match. The referee was still the samereferee from yesterday''s match. When both sides were ready and in position, heblew the whistle to start the game.


    The Eastern District Team kick off, and they immediatelybroke through the midfield defense.


    Commissar Xu shouted loudly: "Attack! Put pressure on them!"


    The Eastern District yers were rushing forward. They didnot even care about their defense. Bang! A misjudged pass was intercepted byWestern District yer from the branch''s Commission for Discipline Inspection.But before his teammates could counter-attack, a boot with the studs facing himcame rushing towards him. He got a shock and quickly avoided that yer. Inthe end, he lost control of the ball, and the Eastern District team got theball back.


    The match was exciting.


    Dong Xuebing clenched his fist and prayed silently in hisheart. Please have a foul or penalty kick. Huh? He suddenly felt bad. All histeammates and leaders wished for a win, but he was praying for his team to bein trouble. If anyone from the Western District knows what he was thinking, hewould surely be beaten up.


    Beep!!! The referee blew the whistle for a foul.


    Dong Xuebing look up and saw Zhuang Zhi on the ground,holding his feet and shouting in pain. A yer was standing beside him withhis palms facing up, talking to the referee. The referee looked at Zhuang Zhi''scondition and hesitated for a few seconds before showing a yellow card to theother yer.


    Xu Yan was pissed. "That is dangerous y! That kick isabove waist level! Why is that only a yellow card?!"


    Dong Xuebing skipped a heartbeat when he saw Zhuang Zhicould not get up on his feet. He immediately ran over with a reserve yerwith the first aid kit. They sprayed some medicine on Zhuang Zhi''s leg. "ZhuangZhi! How bad is your injury?" Dong Xuebing knew Zhuang Zhi well. He was not thetype who would feign injury. He must be really in pain from his facialexpression.


    Zhuang Zhi gritted his teeth and shook his head: "Ahhh.... I... Can''t carry on with the match..."


    "It''s okay. I will help you off the field." Dong Xuebinghelped support Zhang Zhi to the sidelines. The other reserve yer made somegesture to Xu Yan.


    Xu Yan stared at the referee with a long face.


    The Western District yers were unhappy with the referee''sdecision. They crowded around the referee: "He is not aiming for the ball! Heis aiming for his legs!"


    "Red card! He should be sent off!"


    Commissar Xu looked at Xu Yan and said: "I think it is youryer who is diving."


    Damn! Feng Yu was furious.


    The tempers were rising. It was only 5 minutes into the game,and there was 4 dangerous y by the opposing team. If this were not instructionsfrom Commissar Xu, the yers would not dare to be so aggressive. Even theWorld Cup finals matches were not so rough, let alone a friendly match betweentwo government branches! This type of y was explicitly targeting the WesternDistrict team and Xu Yan!


    Tan Limei ran over and took the medical spray from DongXuebing. She continued to spray the medicine on Zhuang Zhi''s injured leg. Shewas almost in tears.


    Dong Xuebing was furious. He nced at the smiling, CommissarXu I will remember this!


    In the end, the reserve yer who went on the field withDong Xuebing earlier reced Zhuang Zhi. After this incident, the WesternDistrict yers became more aggressive in their y. Curses and swears couldbe heard throughout the match. They no longer care if leaders were watching thegame.


    10 minutes...


    20 minutes...


    The Eastern District yers were still tackling frombehind, aiming for the yers'' legs. They did not care even if they will getyellow cards or got sent off.


    "Ahhhhh!!!!!"


    When the first half of the match was about to end, there wasa horrible shriek!


    Eastern District team''s no, 13 had elbowed one of theWestern District yers in the back when they were fighting for the ball. TheWestern District yer was sent flying on the pitch and could no longer get upon his feet!


    The referee could not see what happened from his position,and he just awarded a foul. There were no yellow cards.


    Dong Xuebing and many others saw what happened. Everyoneshouted: "That''s a red card!"


    The Western District yers surrounded the referee: "He had elbowed him!"


    "Are you blind? You did not see what happened?"


    The referee stick to his decision and even showed the yellowcard to the yer who scolded him!


    Xu Yan had a terrible expression on her face. But sheremembered yesterday''s phone call from her higher-up, asking her to think ofthe big picture. She took a deep breath and said: "Stop it and carry on withthe match!"


    The first half was over. The Western District team got ayellow card, and the Eastern District Team got 4. The score was still 0:0/


    During the half time break, a yer from the PublicSecurity Sixth Bureau shouted: "Leader, they are ying dirty. Can this evenbe considered a football match?"


    Another yerint. "The referee is siding with them!There is no way we can win!"


    Xu Yan frowning and not saying a word. She was also furiousby the actions of the opposing team. She suspects Commissar Xu did not want awin from this match. She was only aiming for a draw and wanted the WesternDistrict team to have zero wins from 8 games. She might also be trying to getthe Western District team to use up all their reserve yers. This way, theWestern District team will have to y with lesser yers!


    Because of injuries, the Western District team only have 3reserve yers today. Dong Xuebing was the reserve goalkeeper. With theinjured yer injured substituted out before halftime, the Western Districtteam does not have any more reserve yers except for Dong Xuebing. If therewere still yers injured in the second half, goalkeeper Dong Xuebing mighthave to go on the pitch to y. A goalkeeper ying as a defender or astriker?


    We are losing?!

 Chapter 58: I will play

    <h4>Chapter 58: I will y</h4>


    The second half of the match started.


    The Eastern District continued with their tactics. Otherthan those yers who got yellow cards were yed cautiously, the rest of theyers were ying "dirty." Both sides were attacking. When the WesternDistrict yers threaten them, the Eastern District yers will purposelyfoul them. They pushed, tackled, pulled, and even hugged. They will do whateverit takes to stop the Western District from scoring a goal.


    The Western District yers were not ying to their usualstandards. Xu Yan, Dong Xuebing and the rest of their supporters were vexed!


    Because her boyfriend was injured, Tan Limei was supportingher team angrily. "Western District! Go for it!" Changjuan and a few othergirls from the Finance Department were also cheering for their team. When theopposing team yed dirty, they will curse and swear at that yer.


    15 minutes...


    30 minutes...


    There was no progress in the match. The score was still 0:0.


    Will this game ended in a draw? That will be zero wins in 8games!


    Dong Xuebing was no longer hoping for the other team to beawarded a penalty kick. Even if he had saved the penalty kick, the match wouldstill end in a draw. He was pissed by the Eastern District team and Deputy PoliticalCommissar Xu. He was hoping for a win.


    Finally, in thest two minutes of the match, anopportunity arises for the Western District team!


    Guo Panwei was long pass from the midfield had touched anopposing team yer, and the ball fell in front of their team''s striker. Noyers were guarding him, and that striker turned and ran with the balltowards the goal.


    Xu Yan jolt up and shouted: "Everyone goes forward andsupports him! Press forward!"


    The Eastern District team''s defense line had been moved upthe field, and the striker only has to face a defender. If he gets past thisdefender, he might score the winning goal!


    The Western District team saw a glimpse of hope and rushedforward to provide support!


    At the same time, Political Commissar Xu also shouted. "Stophim! Don''t let him through!" The defender heard her orders and increase hisspeed. The small size striker moved the ball slightly to his left and wanted toget past the defender. But that defender ignored the ball and went straight forthe striker!


    Crash! The defender crashed into the striker!


    The striker fell onto the ground and was rolling in pain.


    Beep! Beep! The referee showed a yellow card and gave a freekick to the Western District team.


    Yellow card and a free kick? If the striker gets past thedefender, it will be a goal!


    Li Qing ran onto the pitch to check the striker''s injuries.Seeing that he could no longer continue with the match, the Western DistrictTeam went into a rage!


    "Fuck! I quit!" A yer from the Finance Department tookoff his jersey and threw it on the floor!


    Guo Panwei shouted furiously: "Shouldn''t this be a redcard?!"


    "You did it on purpose!" Two yers from the PoliticalSection shoved that defender.


    The Eastern District team yers also ran over, and bothsides started arguing. The situation was getting out of control!


    Maybe it was because this was thest match of thetournament, two leaders from the City Bureau entered the stadium through one ofthe side gates. They should be there to watch the game. But when they saw whatwas happening on the pitch, they immediately shouted: "What''s going on? Whatare you all doing?"


    Most of the yers recognized the leaders, and thearguments stopped.


    The leader with a small mustache looked over at the reservebench: "Xu Yan (Deputy Branch Bureau Chief Xu),Xu Yan (Deputy Political Commissar Xu),is this the way you all lead your teams? Look at them!" He pointed at theyers. "Is this the way your yers should act?"


    Deputy Political Commissar Xu tried to push the me:"Director Li, it is Chief Xu''s team that is unhappy with the referee decision."


    Xu Yan was furious. She immediately tried to argue:"Director Lu! The Eastern District team..."


    "Shut up!" Director Lu ignored her. "I don''t care what happened!I just want to know if this match can continue?"


    Xu Yan paused for a few seconds and replied: "Yes!"


    Director Lu waved his hand and said: "Hurry up and carry onwith the match!" He was no longer in the mood to watch the match. He turned andwalked out of the stadium with the other leader.


    Deputy Political Commissar Xu smiled and looked at Xu Yan."Chief Xu, you should substitute your yer."


    Li Qing was furious at Deputy Political Commissar Xu, butshe was higher ranked than him, and he cannot show his anger. He can onlyshout: "Change yer! I want a striker!" But the Western District supporterswere all women and middle-aged men. Dong Xuebing was the only reserve yerleft. There were no strikers to rece the injured yer.


    Xu Yan knew it was impossible to win today''s match.


    Ring, ring, ring... Xu Yan''s mobile phone rang. She let LiQing take over and walked to the reserve bench to answer her phone. It was herex-husband, and also Deputy Political Commissar Xu''s current husband. Xu Yanfrowned and answered. "Hello, what do you want?"


    A man asked in a deep voice. "Where is my son?"


    Xu Yan replied: "At home ying video games."


    "Why are you letting him y video games again? I knew hewill be wasting his time when he goes over to your ce!" The man growled. "Iwill be finishing my work early today and will fetch my son from your ce.Tomorrow is Xu Yan''s birthday, and he said he wanted to celebrate her birthdaywith herst week. He will not be staying with you this week. We shall talkagain next month."


    Xu Yan tightens her grip on her phone: "What is the meaningof this? Our son must live with me for a week every month. This is what weagreed before we divorced! Why are you fetching him away after one day?"


    "Didn''t I said it is Xu Yan''s birthday? Our son had agreed!"


    "What has her birthday got to do with my son?"


    "I don''t want to argue with you! I will bring my son bacter! That''s it!"


    "You..." Xu Yan''s ex-husband had hung up the phone. Xu Yanalmost threw her phone on the floor out of anger. Suddenly she swayed andknocked onto a pir. She almost fell.


    Dong Xuebing had been looking at Xu Yan and immediately ranover to help her. "Chief Xu, are you ok?"


    Xu Yan did not reply and took out a half tablet of highblood pressure medicine from her bag. She swallowed the pill with some waterand sat there panting. Since the day Xu Yan (Deputy Political Commissar Xu)appeared, her life was turned upside down. Her husband was taken away from her,her family was taken away from her. Now, her son will be taken away from her.She got nothing left! All she had left was anger!


    Before this match, Chief Xu wanted to win badly. But now...she could not even fulfill such a small wish!


    This incident had wasted some time, and there was only lessthan 1 minute on the clock. No yers on the pitch could score a goal, andthere were no yers to substitute. Is there anything worse than this?


    Xu Yan felt needleswere poking her heart when she saw the gloating Deputy Political Commissar Xusmiling at her.


    Defeat!


    She was defeated by Deputy Political Commissar Xu again!


    Xu Yanughed at herself and lean back on her chair.


    Dong Xuebing could feel Xu Yan''s helplessness feelings. Hecould not stand there and do nothing. He clenched his fist and said: "Chief Xu!Let me y!"

 Chapter 59: A Miraculous Goal

    <h4>Chapter 59: A Miraculous Goal</h4>


    Xu Yan was very calm. She turned and looked Dong Xuebingslowly. "You y?"


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "Yes."


    "You are good at goalkeeping." Li Qing frowned. "Strikersand goalkeepers are very different positions!"


    Xu Yan had already given up on winning this match. She wavedher hand. "Forget it. There is only 1 minute on the clock. No matter how wey, we will not win. You have just been discharged from the hospital. Didn''tthe doctors tell you not to do strenuous sports? The Eastern District yersare too rough. What if you get injured again? There is no need for you to takethe risk." Xu Yan sighed. "Director Li, tell the referee that we will notchange yers. We will carry on with 10 men."


    Dong Xuebing stubbornly insist: "Chief Xu! Please let mey!"


    Li Qing scolded. "Xiao Dong! We are doing this for your owngood!"


    Xu Yan looked at Dong Xuebing''s determined look. Shehesitated and said: "Just be careful."


    "Yes!" Dong Xuebing turned and ran onto the pitch.


    The referee announced there was one minute of injury timeand blew the whistle. The Western District yers saw Dong Xuebing, who hadjust been discharged from the hospital and was the reserve goalkeeper recingtheir injured striker, they lost confidence. Tan Limei, Changjuan, and the restof the supporters stop their cheering. They watched the match silently. Theyhad lost hopes for winning. Their district will be known as the district withzero wins from 8 games.


    59 seconds remaining...


    55 seconds remaining...


    The yer taking the freekick was big sized. He ran up tothe ball and aimed straight at the goal.


    But it was too far, and the yer was not skillful enough.The ball hit Guo Shunjie''s chest which was beside the wall and rolled to thefeet of the opposing team yer!


    Political Commissar Xu shouts: "Attack! This is the finalchance!"


    49 Seconds remaining...


    The best defense was to attack. The Eastern District yersdid not hide in their own half. All of them rushed forward. With a series ofshort passes, they moved towards the Western District penalty box.


    28 Seconds remaining...


    The Western District yers were running back to defend atfull speed.


    Dong Xuebing did not join the rest to defend. As thestriker, he can only wait at the center of the field waiting for his teammatesto pass him the ball. Come on! Get the ball back!


    The Eastern District yer who had injured Zhuang Zhisuddenly shot at the goal!


    Bang! The ball hit one of the defenders and deflected tofeet of the Western District yer from Commission for Discipline Inspection!


    15 seconds remaining...


    Political Commissar Xu screams at her yers. "There is nomore time! Stop him from passing!"


    Two nearby Eastern District yers immediately charged athim and one of them, a midfielder, managed to steal the ball away from him!


    There were only 11 seconds left!


    That''s it! It''s the end of the match!


    The Eastern District yers stop attacking, and the WesternDistrict yers also gave up hope of winning.


    10 seconds remaining...


    9 seconds remaining...


    The Eastern District midfielder managed to dodge Guo Panweiand another yer''s tackle and kicked the ball back to his own half. But heused slightly more strength, and the ball flew over thest two defenders andndedoutside the penalty box.


    That was not important as there was no more time.


    5 seconds remaining...


    4 seconds...


    The ball bounced twice and went out of y.


    The referee looked at his watch and did not award the throwin. He blew the full-time whistle!


    That''s it. No wins in 8 matches!


    Xu Yanughed at herself and walk off with her bag. TheWestern District yers were walking off the pitch, disappointed. The yersdid not even shake the other team yers'' hands as they walk away.


    The only person that was behaving differently was DongXuebing. He was deep in thoughts as he stared at the other team''s penalty box.


    After a while, Dong Xuebing''s eyes brighten up!


    BACK!!!


    ...


    There were shouts and soundsing from everywhere!


    The next moment, Dong Xuebing saw the Eastern Districtmidfielder stole the ball!


    There were only 10 seconds left!


    The opposing team yers were smiling, and after dodgingGuo Panwei and another yer''s attempt to get the ball back, the EasternDistrict midfielderughed and kicked the ball back to his half. He wanted towaste the remaining few seconds. The moment he kicked the ball, the yersfrom both teams knew that was the end of the match. No one wanted to run afterthe ball and were standing there waiting for the referee to blow the whistle!


    But something unexpected happened!


    "Ah! Look!"


    "Damn! Who is that?"


    Everyone realized that a few seconds before the ball waskicked, a yer from the Western District started running!


    It was Dong Xuebing!


    The moment that midfielder kicked the ball, Dong Xuebing ranpast thest two defenders! To everyone''s surprise, the outstanding goalkeeperfrom yesterday''s match seems to know where the ball was heading and where itwillnd! Dong Xuebing did not even look at the ball and continued runningtowards the area two meters outside of the penalty box. 1 meter! 2 meters! 3meters!


    There were 6 seconds left!


    Everyone was staring in shock. The ball amazinglynded atthat spot!


    The ball uratelynded at Dong Xuebing''s feet, and hestopped it.


    Xu Yan jumped up from her seat!


    One on one with the goalkeeper!


    There were no defenders in front of Dong Xuebing! It wasonly the goalkeeper in front of him!


    Dong Xuebing could hear the footsteps of the defendersapproaching from behind. He kept his cool and continue his run forward with theball!


    There were only 3 seconds left!


    The goalkeeper ran forward to stop Dong Xuebing!


    Dong Xuebing tapped the ball lightly with his feet andchanged his direction!


    1 second left!


    Bang!


    Dong Xuebing used all his strength to kick the ball with hisright foot!


    The football brushed against the goalkeeper''s left boots andcontinued flying towards the goal!


    Dong Xuebing and all the rest of Western District yerscould feel their hearts skipped a beat. They stared at the ball nervously asthe ball flew towards the open goal. It was only 0.5 seconds, but it feels likean eternity.5 meters, 4 meters, 3meters, 2 meters. 1 meter! Swished! The ball entered the goal in the top rightcorner!


    Goal!!!!!


    A miraculous goal!!!!


    The whole stadium was dead quiet. There was no cheers orshouts. It was eerily quiet!


    1-second pass...


    2 seconds pass...


    3 seconds pass...


    Xu Yan was the first to react. She dropped her bag on thefloor and shouted with all her might: "Goal!!!!!!!"


    Dong Xuebing dropped on the ground, raised his arms, andshouted.


    "We won?" The Western District yers could not believetheir eyes!


    "We won! We won the match!!!"


    Then... the whole stadium cheered!

 Chapter 60: Save the day again!

    <h4>Chapter 60: Save the day again!</h4>


    This miraculous goal took only 10 seconds.


    Many of the Eastern District yers were still basking inglory forpleting Political Commissar Xu''s orders when the goal was scored!


    Fast! The goal was too fast for any of them to react!


    The referee was the only person on the pitch who saw thewhole process.


    Dong Xuebing had left a deep impression with the refereefrom yesterday''s match. When Dong Xuebing came onto the pitch in this match,the referee was stillughing in his heart. A goalkeeper ying as a striker?What nonsense is this? But the referee knew that the Western District had nomore reserves and he couldn''t care less. The match was about to end too. He hadalready ced the whistle in his mouth and prepared to end the game. But whenhe was about to blow the whistle, he saw Dong Xuebing started to run towardsthe penalty box on the other end of the field. The referee was curious aboutwhat was he doing.


    The next moment, an unexined situation happened.


    The Eastern District midfielder kicked the ball back to hishalf without even looking back.


    This was more than a stroke of luck. The referee evensuspects that midfielder was in cahoots with Dong Xuebing. The referee sworethat the midfielder''s long pass back was after Dong Xuebing started running.There were no indications that he will pass the ball back. He just turnedaround suddenly and kicked the ball back towards Dong Xuebing''s direction. Theballnded perfectly at Dong Xuebing''s feet. What a coincidence! He could notunderstand how Dong Xuebing did it. It seems impossible!


    After the goal was scored, the referee was stunned. He stoodthere for almost 5 seconds, before blowing the full-time whistle!


    The referee wondered who this person was. It was toounbelievable!


    1:0. Western District Branch Bureau won the game!


    At the stands, Tan Limei grabbed Zhuang Zhi and Changjuan''shands. "Damn! Am I dreaming? We won? We really won this match!?"


    Old Yan, who does not like football, was also excited. "OurXiao Dong is excellent!"


    Cheers! Screams! Shouts!


    The stadium was in an uproar!


    Xu Yan, Li Qing and the rest of Western District supportersran onto the pitch!


    All the Western District yers had already surrounded DongXuebing. "Xiao Dong! You are terrific!"


    The yer from the bureau''s Commission for DisciplineInspection: "I swear that goal was the most beautiful goal I saw in my life!"


    A tall yer from the Political Section asked: "When didyou run over there? It''s too fast! The goal was scored before I can evenreact!"


    "It''s only a coincidence." Dong Xuebing smiled and stood up.


    "Brothers!" A defender from Public Security Sixth Bureaupped his hands. "Let''s have a celebration!"


    "Hahaha! Sure!"


    "That''s what I am thinking too!"


    All the yers turned and looked at Dong Xuebing. BeforeDong Xuebing realized what was happening, 7 to 8 yers grabbed him and threwhim up in the air. "Yeah!" The yers caught him as hends and then threw himup in the air again. "Yeah!" this continued for 5 to 6 times. Before DongXuebing got back on his feet, he noticed his boots were lost!


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed when he saw his teammates sohappy. He finally got the revenge for Deputy Branch Bureau Chief Xu and ZhuangZhi!


    "Let him down!" XuYan walked quickly towards them. "Xiao Dong has just been discharged from thehospital and is not fully recovered!"


    The yers remembered this and quickly put down DongXuebing. They were even more impressed with Dong Xuebing. That''s right. XiaoDong got injured when he ran into the burning office to retrieve documents. Butbefore he recovered from his injuries, he managed to save a penalty kick andscored the winning goal in thest few seconds of today''s match.


    No wonder his nickname was "firefighter!"


    He really deserves this nickname! Whenever there aredifficulties, he will be there to save the day!


    Dong Xuebing stood at attention in front of the twoapproaching leaders. "Chief Xu, Director Li!"


    Li Qing had a wide grin on his face: "You did not disappointeveryone of us! Good! Good!"


    Xu Yan did not say anything, but from her eyes, everyonecould tell that she was overjoyed.


    The other side of the field, the Eastern District yerswere looking down in despair. Deputy District Political Commissar Xu faced wasred with anger. She pointed to the midfielder who gave away that goal andscolded. "What the hell are you doing? There are only seconds away from the endof the match, and you make this stupid mistake? What did I say before thematch? Ah? Are eyes behind your head? No? Then why did you kick the ball back?Why didn''t you check if the coast is clear before you pass the ball? You all!What are the rest of you doing? Don''t you understand what is one on onemarking? Did you all mark him?"


    The midfielder and the rest of the yers bowed their head.There was no way to retort. They were also frustrated by the score. It wasalmost the end of the match, and a reserve goalkeeper scored the winning goal?This sounded like a joke. But this was the truth, and it was still a beautifulgoal!


    Political Commissar Xu was still not satisfied. Shecontinued scolding her yers.


    Xu Yan looked over at the other team. She felt relieved. Shehad finally vented the frustrations she kept in her heart for years.


    "All of you have done well. Go back and have a good rest.Work is as usual tomorrow!" Xu Yan said. As she turned and walked past DongXuebing, she said softly: "Thank you..."


    But Xu Yan was too soft, and Dong Xuebing did not hear it."Ah? What did you say?"


    Xu Yan''s expression returned to her usual no-nonsense,serious expression. She patted Dong Xuebing''s shoulders and walked out of thestadium with Li Qing. Behind them, the yers and supporters crowded aroundDong Xuebing.


    Only Guo Shunjie stood away from Dong Xuebing. He waslooking terrible. He also wishes for his team to win, but he did not want DongXuebing to score the goal. If it was like this, he rather lost the match.Seeing Dong Xuebing was the center of attraction, he was pissed! Why was thisguy so lucky? This happens every time. When will his good luck end?


    After today, Dong Xuebing''s nickname "Firefighter" spread toevery office in the Western District Branch Bureau!

 Chapter 61: Xu Yan strategy, success!

    <h4>Chapter 61: Xu Yan strategy, sess!</h4>


    The next day.


    "Xuebing, you are here?"


    "Xiao Dong, you did well yesterday."


    "Oh, it''s the firefighter. Hahaha."


    Dong Xuebing arrived at his workce as usual. But todaywas different. The biggest difference was many colleagues from otherdepartments went up to him to greet him. Some of them were his teammates whohad yed in thest two matches, and some were strangers. Everyone smiledand greeted him.


    Dong Xuebing replied them politely. He felt he hadsessfully integrated with everyone in the bureau.


    Dong Xuebing arrived at the General Affairs Office. "Goodmorning, everyone. Zhuang Zhi, how''s your leg?"


    Zhuang Zhi nodded. "I feel better this morning."


    "His body is so big. How can his injury be serious?" TanLimeiughed and looked at Dong Xuebing. "Bing Zhi, I told my mother how youscored the goal in thest few seconds of the match. Guess what. My mum does notbelieve me. She insists I am telling lies. She even said that if you are sogood at football, why are you still a civil servant? You would be aprofessional yer!"


    Dong Xuebingughed. His goal was to be a top official. Afootball yer is nothingpared to a senior government official.


    The other side of the office, Changjuan with her signatureseductive smile, showed a crayon painting to Dong Xuebing. It was a picture ofa man and a football. "My son drew this. He said he wanted to be a footballerwhen he grows up. Hehe... Xiao Dong, when my son is older, you must teach himhow to y football."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Sister Chang, I am an average yermyself. If you don''t mind me teaching, I''m fine with it."


    Changjuanughed: "Look, he is modest."


    The office door opened. Guo Shunjie entered the office andsaw Dong Xuebing and the rest chatting. He frowned and asked: "Where is GuoPanwei? Why is he not in the office?"


    Dong Xuebing cursed in his heart. You are not our leader,and what has it got to do with you when one of us iste?


    Changjuan looked at her watch. "I don''t know. Maybe he iscaught in a jam."


    "He should leave for work earlier to avoid the traffic! Itis working hours now!"


    When Guo Shunjie finished, there were footsteps outside, andGuo Panwei arrived at work. He nced at Guo Shunjie and sneered. "Even if Iamte, you are in no position to reprimand me. Furthermore, you also justarrived yourself."


    Guo Shunjie ignored his remarks. He thought to himself. Ishall see if you can continue to be so arrogant after next week''s BranchBureau''s Party Committee meeting! Fight with me for the position of DeputyChief? You are only overestimating yourself!


    The remaining time in the office, both of them tried tooutdo each other!


    It seems like no one knows that Dong Xuebing was nominatedfor the position of Deputy Chief yet.


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself if Bureau Chief Yan hadforgotten about him. But after thinking for a while, he concluded. It should bethe higher-ups that knew about his nomination, and they should feel that it wasimpossible for a neer to be promoted. The nomination was only to make upthe numbers. That''s why District Political Commissar Zhou and Director Pang didnot tell Guo Shunjie and Guo Panwei about his nomination. He was someone whocannot even qualify as their rivals.


    Dong Xuebing was feeling frustrated. The meeting was nextweek, and he cannot wait any longer. If not, Guo Shunjie will be promoted, andhe will be taking revenge on him! What should he do? Ask Xu Yan for help? Whatif Xu Yan refuses to help him? He also cannot tell Xu Yan what he wantsdirectly. Furthermore, he had just gotten closer to Xu Yan, and the next day,he goes and asks her for favors? What will she think? But if he did not ask forXu Yan for help, how would she know that he wants to be the Deputy Chief?


    Dilemma. This was a dilemma!


    Dong Xuebing was just a newbie civil servant, and all thesewere new to him. He still does not have the experience and doesn''t know what todo. He wanted to ask someone for advice. But he cannot ask Tan Limei. She istoo junior. Changjuan and Old Yan were experienced, but they were not close. Hecan''t ask them.


    Dong Xuebing ponder at his desk for over an hour. He couldnot think of a solution.


    Ring, ring, ring. The General Affairs Office phone rang.


    Tan Limei answered the phone politely and hang up after awhile. She turned to Dong Xuebing: "Bing Zhi, Chief Xu wants to bring the keysfor Political Section Old Shen''s room to her."


    Dong Xuebing''s heart skipped a beat: "Where are the keys?"


    "Wait a minute. I will look for it." Tan Limei took her keysand opened a cab by the wall. She looked into the second drawer and tookout a brown envelope. She passed the envelope to Dong Xuebing. There were atleast two to three brunches of keys in it.


    On the way upstairs, Dong Xuebing tried to organize hiswords. He wanted to make himself sounds better.


    Knock, knock. Dong Xuebing knocked on Deputy Bureau ChiefXu''s office.


    "Enter!" Dong Xuebing entered the office and saw Xu Yan in ack suit sipping on a cup of tea. She was sitting in front of her monitor,looking at some reports.


    Dong Xuebing handed over the envelope with both hands."Chief Xu, this are the keys you wanted."


    Xu Yan nodded and pointed to her desk, signaling to DongXuebing to leave the envelope there. "You had run a lot yesterday. How are yourinjuries?"


    Dong Xuebing replied. "Thank you for asking. I am fine."Should I ask her? Tomorrow is Saturday. If I don''t ask now, I will not have thechance to ask again. "... Chief Xu, I..." Dong Xuebing saw Xu Yan looked at himand he immediately change his words. "Errr.... Chief Liu from the FinanceDepartment is still on leave. The gifts given out for the National Day holidaysare still in our office. Should we bring it over to the Finance Departmentfirst?"


    Damn! What was I saying? Stupid!


    "No need. Just leave it in your office first."


    "Yes." Dong Xuebing sighed in his heart. "I will leave now."


    "Ok." Xu Yan suddenly remembered something as Dong Xuebingwas about to leave. "Oh, I heard from your Director Li Qing that other than GuoShunjie and Guo Panwei, you are also one of the nominees for the position ofDeputy Chief?"


    Dong Xuebing was surprised.


    But before he could answer, Xu Yan waved him off. "Go backto work. I will try to help you. But no promises."


    Ah?


    Dong Xuebing had been waiting for Xu Yan to say this!


    He immediately thanked her!


    Hahaha!


    Dong Xuebing had gotten Xu Yan''s crucial vote!

 Chapter 62: Deputy Branch Bureau Chief

    <h4>Chapter 62: Deputy Branch Bureau Chief</h4>


    Noon.


    Branch Bureau''s cafeteria.


    The lunch in the cafeteria was stir fry garlic pork and Scrambledeggs with chives. The air was filled with the cooking smell and was slightlychoking. After getting a bowl of rice, Dong Xuebing sat down with Tan Limei andZhuang Zhi at a table near to the window. The most crucial Xu Yan''s vote wassettled. But it was too early to be happy. If no one else other than DeputyChief Xu helps him, he will also not be able topete with Guo Shunjie andGuo Panwei.


    The first step was a sess. Who should I target next?


    There were 4 more days to the meeting. Dong Xuebing mustmake full use of the remaining time to gather enough votes.


    After lunch, they got back to the office. Dong Xuebing analyzethe situation. He has two targets in mind. One of them was lowly educatedDeputy Bureau Chief Zhong. He was also one of the partymittee members andwas newly transferred to this branch. It seems that he still has not joined anyfactions in the bureau and was considered a "neutral" person. Dong Xuebing hadheard Chief Yang Yizhong had been objective and never take sides during thepastmittee meetings. The other was Deputy Bureau, Chief Liu Hua. Hisconnection was with the Ministry of State Security. He was only transferred tothis branch temporarily. There were rumors that he will be transferred back ina few months. He is slightly younger and low profile. He had also not raisedany objections to any decisions during themittee meetings. He was almostinvisible during the meetings.


    Yes. It''s the both of them!


    Dong Xuebing acted immediately. He pulled out his keyboardand start typing. He was writing the speech for Deputy Chief Yang for his nextmeeting. 3.05 pm. A simple and straight forward draft waspleted. DongXuebing checked if there were any difficult characters in the draft beforeprinting. He took the printout and went upstairs.


    "Didn''t I ask Xiao Wang to go? Why are you going to?"


    "Chief Yang, I..."


    "Get Xiao Wang here immediately! What the hell are you alldoing?"


    Deputy Branch Bureau Chief Yang''s scolding could be heardalong the corridor. Dong Xuebing was not surprised and waited from a distance.He waited until a sullen staff member leaves the office. Dong Xuebingstraightened his cor and knocked on the door. "Chief Yang, the draft foryour speech is ready."


    "Oh, it''s Xiao Dong." Yang Yizhong attitude towards DongXuebing was much better. "I need the script for my speech next month. There isno hurry."


    Dong Xuebing pushed the draft forward lightly. "Errr... I amafraid that the draft is not good enough and wanted to let you vet through itfirst. If you spot any mistakes, I will be able to amend it."


    "The previous speech you wrote was perfect. Fine. Let metake a look." Yang Yizhong took out the few copies of A4 paper and scannedthrough it. "Hmmm... hmmm... Not bad." After a while, he nodded and kept thedraft in his drawer. "This is good enough. There is no need to amend anything.I will use this as my speech."


    Dong Xuebing immediately said: "Then is there any otherdocuments or information you need?"


    Yang Yizhong thought for a while. "Organise and bring me themeeting minute for the no. 3 meeting room. I need all the minutes from thesecond half of the year."


    "Yes, sir. I will bring it to you before the end of theday."


    Yang Yizhongughed. "There is no hurry. Take your time.Oh, your General Affairs Office has two guys with the surname Guo.... I can''tremember their names."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Are you referring to Guo Panwei andGuo Shunjie?"


    "That''s right. Those two guys." Yang Yizhong frowned. "Thismorning, I called your General Affairs Office to ask for some health promotiondata. One person is enough to send this data to me. But why after the firstperson left, another person delivered the same documents to me again? Both ofthem still tried to hang around in my office. What kind of efficiency is this?They are just wasting my time! You go back and tell them not toe over to myoffice again. You will be the one who will deliver documents or anything tome!"


    Hahahaha! Serve them, right! Dong Xuebing almost burst ouughing. "Yes, Sir."


    Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie should not have told each otherthat they will bring the documents to Yang Yizhong. Both of them were eager toshow their faces to the leaders and caused this misunderstanding. There wereonly 3 candidates for the position of Deputy Chief. If Yang Yizhong was unhappywith the both of them, then he will surely support Dong Xuebing! After all,Yang Yizhong was pleased with his work performance after he identally foundout Yang Yizhong had low education levels. Dong Xuebing had used back that time,and Yang Yizhong did not even know Dong Xuebing knew his secret.


    There should be no problem with Yang Yizhong''s vote.


    2 votes in hand!


    The day ended.


    Dong Xuebing packed up his things and prepared to go home.From his office window, he saw Deputy Chief Liu Hua. He was about 35 or 36years old and had a crewcut. He held his briefcase and walked slowly. He wasthe first person to finish work.


    "Chief Liu, are you going back?" Yang Yizhong shouted. "Wantto have dinner together?"


    Liu Hua turned and saw Yang Yizhong walking out of the greybuilding. He smiled: "Some other time. I have ns tonight."


    Yang Yizhong was not surprised. They exchanged a few wordsand walked out of thepound.


    In the office, after most people had left, Tan Limeiughedand said: "Chief Liu is still so low profile."


    Zhuang Zhi asked: "How is he low profile?"


    The two Guos had left, and Tan Limei spoke without hesitation."Are you stupid? Since the day Chief Liu was transferred to the branch 1 yearago, have you ever seen him having a meal with anyone? Have you seen Chief Liuhaving personal conversations with any other leaders? Every morning, afterChief Liu arrives at work, he will remain inside his office until it was timeto go home. He seldom leaves his office. He doesn''t even take his lunch in thecafeteria."


    Dong Xuebing was listening by the side.


    "Also, Chief Liu had never said anything during the Branch BureauChiefs and Party Committee meetings. Whenever there was a redeployment ofmanpower and the Deputies needed to vote and express their views, he will justgive an abstention vote. Even when he was pointed out by Chief Yan, he wouldjust give some excuses. He was just here to pass his time and did not want toget involved in anything else." Tan Limei thought for a while and said: "He isalso not approachable like our Bureau Chief Yan. During festivals, he will notept any gifts. Not even a pen or a book."


    Dong Xuebing was surprised. "Really?"


    It was normal in government agencies for cigarettes andliquor to be given as gifts during festivals, and it was weird to see anyonerejecting gifts.


    Tan Limei turned to Dong Xuebing angrily. "Yes! When I wasnew here, I brought a carton of cigarettes to Chief Liu''s house as gifts duringChinese New Year. But Chief Liu doesn''t even open his door for me to enter. Hejust told me to leave with my gifts and shut his door. I was so embarrassedthen. Sigh... Let''s not talk about that."


    Dong Xuebing nodded and pestered Tan Limei to tell him ChiefLiu''s address. After he got the address, he returned home.


    Dong Xuebing knew that Liu Hua was unapproachable, but hecannot afford to miss this opportunity.


    No matter what, Dong Xuebing must pay a visit to Liu Hua this evening.

 Chapter 63: The thing Liu Hua wants badly

    <h4>Chapter 63: The thing Liu Hua wants badly</h4>


    Evening.


    Dong Xuebing carried a big bag of cosmetics out of GrandPacific Mall and took a bus to a housing estate in the Western District. DongXuebing knew that if he were to show up unexpectedly empty-handed, it would notlook nice on him. This was why he needs to get some gifts along the way. SinceLiu Hua does not ept cigarettes and alcohol, then he can only give Liu Hua''swife some cosmetics. He hopes he will not be rejected.


    The housing estate was not big and have approximately 7 to 8buildings.


    This was not the housing assigned to the families of theState Security agency, and there was no need to register before entering theestate. There was only a security guard standing outside, collecting parkingfees.


    Dong Xuebing used his hand to tidy his hair and was about toenter the estate. But as he was about to enter, he saw a familiar figure fromthe corner of his eyes. It was Guo Shunjie. He was walking out of the housingestate carrying a bag of apples, and he looks gloomy. Dong Xuebing knew that heshould be here to visit Liu Hua.


    Dong Xuebing quickly steps away from the entrance and hidebehind a tree.


    Guo Shunjie was in a bad mood. As an old-timer in theGeneral Affairs Office, he knew that Liu Hua does not ept gifts. Liu Hua didnot even take his apples and asked him to leave. Huh? Could it be that Liu Huasaw the envelope with 10,000 RMB under the apples?


    Guo Shunjie was pissed, but he got over it after a while. IfLiu Hua did not entertain him, then Liu Hua will also not side with Guo Panwei.This will do it. As long as Liu Hua continues to be the ''abstention vote'' ofthemittee meetings, then Guo Panwei will not be able to win him. He will bethe next Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office!


    Dong Xuebing walked out from behind the tree as Guo Shunjiedisappeared from a distance. He hesitated for a moment, but still walk into theestate.


    Unit 1, level 5.


    Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell ofunit 501.


    Ding Dong, Ding Dong. The door opened, and Liu Hua asked:"Who are you looking for?"


    Dong Xuebing was nervous and immediately say: "Chief Liu,you might not know who I am I am Dong Xuebing from the General AffairsDepartment. I had wanted to pay you a visit during the October holidays, butDirector Li''s office caught fire and I was injured and hospitalized." DongXuebing mentioned his credit for saving the precious documents from Li Qing''soffice. He wanted to see if Liu Hua knows about him.


    Liu Hua looked at Dong Xuebing nkly and nodded.


    Seeing Liu Hua not saying a word, Dong Xuebing smiledembarrassedly and lifted the shopping bag he was carrying. "This is for aunty.It is not anything costly. Please ept it." Dong Xuebing opened the shoppingbag to show him. Although from Liu Hua''s age, his wife should be at least 10years older than Dong Xuebing. But Liu Hua was a leader, and it was not wrongto address his wife as aunty.


    Liu Hua frowned and replied. "Thanks for the gift, butplease take it back."


    Dong Xuebing was not giving up so easily. "Chief Liu, I..."


    "Take it away." Liu Hua pushed Dong Xuebing''s hands awayimpatiently.


    Dong Xuebing sighed in his heart. Seem like it will not bean easy task to pull Liu Hua over to his side. Sighed... I am too na?ve to thinkthat giving some gifts to Liu Hua''s wife will let me get closer to him. It wasnot so simple to get his favors. He did not even let me into his house.


    Sighed... What should I do now?


    Dong Xuebing knew that it was impossible for Liu Hua to nothave any desires. Everyone will wish to have something they wanted. If only heknew what Liu Hua wants...


    For example, Yang Yizhong wanted status and does not wantothers to know that he did not know a lot of Chinese characters. This was whyDong Xuebing was able to write his speech and let Yang Yizhong have a favorableimpression of him.


    For example, Zhou Changchun. He likes to y shares andwants to be respected. When Dong Xuebing helped him to y stocks and gave himrespect after he retires, Dong Xuebing was nominated by him to take over hisposition. Li Qing needs to escape the responsibility of his office fireincident. This was why he had a favorable impression of Dong Xuebing when DongXuebing helped him to retrieve the important documents from the fire. Xu Yanwants to win over her rival. So, when Dong Xuebing helped her win the sermatch, she trusted him.


    But... What does Liu Hua want?


    What should I do to know what he wants badly?


    Ring, ring, ring. Liu Hua''s phone, in his pocket, rang.


    Liu Hua looked at the caller disy and answered: "Hello?Brother-inw? Oh... I am at home... Really? Is dad the one who says this or isit mom? Ok... Which day? Fine... Ok... Yes..." He held his phone with one hand andtook out a small notebook with the other from his pocket. He wrote something inhis notebook and said: "Ok. I have jolted it down. I still have something to donow. Bye."


    Dong Xuebing stared at the notebook in a daze.


    People will forget things when they were busy. Many leadershave the habit of taking notes to prevent forgetting their task. Thesenotebooks were essential to them. It was like their personal diary and will typicallynot let others see its contents.


    Will Liu Hua records what he really wanted in that notebook?


    Possible! If Liu Hua likes to y shares, then he willdefinitely record the share prices and codes in that notebook. If Liu Hua hassomething that is troubling him, it might not be recorded in the notebook. Butfrom the tone and things he recorded, one should be able to guess it. If DongXuebing was able to know what Liu Hua needed, then he will know what to do.


    After hanging up the phone, Liu Hua looked at Dong Xuebing."Is there anything else?"


    It was almost impossible for others to look into theirleaders'' privacy.


    But for Dong Xuebing, this was not a problem.


    Dong Xuebing immediately snatched the notebook from LiuHua''s hand!


    Liu Hua was shocked and shouted: "What are you doing?!"


    Dong Xuebing ignored him and start to flip that notebook.


    "Howe the General Affairs Office have such people? Fine!I will remember you!" Liu Hua did not try to take back his notebook and startto make a phone call. "Hello, is this Chief Xu? Is there someone by the name ofDong Xuebing in your department? You should see what he is doing now! Hesnatched my notebook without my permission..."


    Dong Xuebing closed the notebook and shouted: "BACK!"


    ...


    The scenes changed!


    "Ok. I have jolted it down. I still have something to donow. Bye."


    Liu Hua kept his phone and asked: "Is there anything else?"


    Dong Xuebing replied politely: "Sorry to disturb you today."


    After leaving the estate, Dong Xuebing recalled what waswritten in the notebook.


    There was nothing important written on thest page. LiuHua only wrote dinner on the 15th at Wangfu Restaurant, needs to buybeansprout and spinach after work. Meeting at 2 pm, etc. Dong Xuebingremembered a critical word on the secondst page of the notebook. Lion Head!


    15 pages from thest page: These few years I had let TianTian suffered. I must treat her better in the future.


    10 pages from thest page: Tian Tian had searched all overBeijing, and no one was willing to sell. She really wanted the Lion Head. 4sixes Lion Head.


    8 pages from thest page: Buy Lion Head for Tian Tian.


    7 pages from thest page: Buy a Lion Head for next month''swedding anniversary. 46.


    5 pages from thest page: There are only 10 days left.Must get a 46 Lion Head!


    The second line of the page, 3 pages from thest page:Today I must go there again! I don''t believe that I cannot find it!


    The first line of the page, 2 pages from thest: There isno more time. First thing after work. Lion Head!


    Tian Tian should be Liu Hua''s wife, and Liu Hua should besearching for a wedding anniversary gift for his wife. But Dong Xuebing wasconfused. Lion Head? What the hell was that? Wasn''t Lion Head a dish''s name? AuntXuan had just cooked this dish a few days ago. It was just minced meat madeinto a meatball and cooked with cabbage. What''s so difficult about making thisLion Head? Dong Xuebing also know how to cook this dish. What''s 46? 4 sixes?Damn! There was no way for a table full of people to finish 46 Lion Head. Also,who will give their partners food on their wedding anniversary?


    It should not be that Lion Head dish!


    Dong Xuebing was deep in thoughts, thinking what this LionHead means.


    Suddenly, Dong Xuebing stopped in the middle of the pavementand pped his forehead!


    Dong Xuebing ah, Dong Xuebing... you had worked part-time atthe antique market for so many years! Are you dumb? You don''t even know what aLion Head is?


    Dong Xuebing finally figure out what Liu Hua wanted!


    Beijing people like to collect walnuts, and Lion Head wasthe most expensive category of walnut. The 4 sixes written in the notebook didnot mean forty-six or 6666. It was a jargon in the walnut collectorsmunity. It stands for 4.6 cm in length.


    This means that Liu Hua wanted to find a pair of 4.6 cm LionHead walnuts as a gift to his wife on his wedding anniversary!


    Dong Xuebing should be happy to figure this out. But he wasfrowning and troubled.


    Lion Head was the top tier collector''s item in the Walnutcollection. It was in the same category as the Tiger Head and Schr Hat, butit was more valuable. A pair of 40mm Lion Head was already scarce. 44mm and45mm Lion Head were even harder to find, and it cost more than 10,000 RMB for apair!


    Liu Hua wanted 46mm Lion Head?!


    46 and 45 were entirely different. You might not even findone 46 mm walnut in two walnut trees, let alone a pair. It was too difficult!


    Even if someone owns a pair of this 46 Lion Head, they wilso not sell it!


    Damn! Where can I find a pair of 46mm Lion Head?

 Chapter 64: Walnut gambling

    <h4>Chapter 64: Walnut gambling</h4>


    The next day.


    Morning.


    Dong Xuebing was still dreaming. In his dreams, he was inthe middle of a field, and he could smell the scent of flowers. But suddenly,there was a storm and the whole world was flooded and he was drowning in flood.He could not breathe and was struggling to swim... Then, he woke up and saw QuYunxuan''s face in front of him. She was pinching Dong Xuebing''s nose andsmiling. "What did you dream? Why are you grinning like a fool?" Both of themgrew closer over the past few weeks and had exchanged keys to their home. Thiswas why Dong Xuebing was not surprised to see Qu Yunxuan in his room.


    Dong Xuebing rubbed his nose. "I thought I had drowned when I couldn''t breathe."


    Qu Yunxuanughed and knocked his head. "Breakfast isready."


    After she left, Dong Xuebing got dressed and saw thatshopping bag of cosmetics. He remembered that the gifts he prepared for LiuHua''s wife were still with him. He rubbed his nose and thought for a while,before bringing the bag out to the living room. He looked at Qu Yunxuan, whowas bent over wiping the windowsills: "Eh, you don''t need to do this. I will wipeitter. Aunt Xuan, can youe over for a minute? Do you need these cosmetics?"


    Qu Yunxuan was surprised. "Why are you buying things for meagain?"


    Dong Xuebing did not lie: "Actually, I had bought these formy leader''s wife. But he did not ept my gifts."


    Qu Yunxuan looked at him, "Really?"


    "I don''t dare to lie to you. It''s the truth." Dong Xuebingpassed the bag over.


    Qu Yunxuan stared at him and look into the shopping bag."L''Oreal? Elizabeth Arden? These are expensive stuff." Qu Yunxuanughed. "Youreally know about cosmetics. All these are the stuff I can use. I was stillthinking of buying cosmetics next week. Fine. I will ept these."


    "Ok. Let''s have breakfast."


    "I have just eaten, and I need to go to the New agency. Yougo ahead."


    "Today is Saturday. Are you working overtime again?"


    "Yes. If I can clinch these 2 deals today, I will be able toget highmission. I will buy some nice clothing for you if I get it." QuYunxuan finished up cleaning the windows and grab her handbag from the sofa."Ok, I am off to work. I might be having dinner with my clients this eveningand will bete."


    Dong Xuebing knew that Qu Yunxuan was working hard to saveup enough to set up her own business. But it was not easy to save 1 millionRMB. Dong Xuebing was worried that she would tire herself out before she reachesher goal. He decided to think of ways to earn some money after this DeputyChief selection was over.


    9 am. Dong Xuebing went to the bank to withdraw 20,000 RMBand took a bus to Panjiayuan.


    Although he was not confident of finding the 46 mm LionHead, he still wanted to try.


    Panjiayuan, Beijing Antique Market.


    This market was located at the southeast of Beijing''s 3rdRing Road. It was China''s biggest antique market, and all sorts of antiquescould be found there. There were more than 3,000 stalls there and were set upby people from all the various provinces in China. Other than the foodproducts, there were all sorts of goods. It was like a museum and had attractedtourists from all over the world. It was the yground for antique collectors.


    The morning was the busiest time for this antique market.Today was a Saturday, and the crowd was more significant than other days.


    Dong Xuebing looked around the market and head towards thewest. He entered a shop specializing in selling collectible Walnuts and walnutscraving. He had worked in a porcin shop nearby and knew where the walnutsshops were located. "Boss, do you have Lion Heads?"


    The man in the shop replied. "Yes, what type do you want?"


    "46."


    "Huh?" The shop owner shook his head. "I do not have those."


    "I don''t mind about the colors or have slight defects, aslong as it is 46."


    The shop owner shook his head. "46 is too rare. It is toodifficult to find a single piece, let alone a pair. If I have a pair of 46, Iwill also not sell it. I will keep it for my own collection."


    Dong Xuebing sighed and left the shop for the next shop.


    "Boss, do you have 46 Lion Head?"


    "Oh, the biggest pair I have here is 44 Tiger. Do you wantto see it?"


    "Nevermind. Thanks."


    Dong Xuebing went to 4 shops and could not even find asingle 46 Lion Head!


    Dong Xuebing sighed and said to himself. "I knew it. If it canbe found so easily, Liu Hua would have bought it a long time ago."


    When Dong Xuebing was about to return home, he heard someoneshouting.


    "Come and see. Chicken Heart, 200 RMB a pair. Lion Head fromPanshan, 400 RMB for a pair."


    There was a big crowd around a walnut stall not far away.


    Dong Xuebing squeezed his way through the crowd to thefront. This stall was not selling the finished walnut products. It was sellingthe green walnut fruits. There were a few baskets of walnut fruits on the floor,and 5 to 6 hands were choosing the fruits. The business was bustling. Thesecretion from the walnut fruit will turn ck after it was exposed to air.The stall owner''s hands were like coal miners. He used a small knife to cut theskin of the walnut fruit and shouts to attract customers.


    Dong Xuebing was familiar with this.


    This was walnut gambling.


    These walnut fruits were plucked from the trees before theywere ripe. The species of walnut from this region, Shilihe, were mainly SchrHats, Chicken Hearts, Tiger Head, and the top-grade Lion Head. There was no wayto tell how the seeds look like from the exterior of the walnut fruit. This waswhy it was called Walnut gambling. It was all based on luck. This type ofgambling started a few years ago, and it was very popr in Beijing.


    Tiger Head walnut season started earlier, and the fruitswill not be avable by the end of the month. The walnut fruits now weremainly Lion Head.


    Walnut gambling?!


    Dong Xuebing was deep in thoughts. Although these fruitssold by this seller were not high-grade fruits, there should be exceptional.While working part-time in the past, he had seen an old man opened up twowalnut fruits, and it formed a pair of 44mm Tiger Head. Since 46mm Lion Headcould not be found in any of the shops here, should I try my luck in Walnutgambling? What if 46mm Lion Head could really be found in this basket offruits?


    No. This should not be luck. There were so many walnutfruits in Panjiayuan, and there should be at least a pair of 46mm Lion Head.


    But how should I get it?


    From the exterior of the fruits, there was no way to see thesize of the seed inside...


    Notes: Walnut gambling is very interesting. I watched a Youtube video about this walnut gambling and collecting before. It''s a Chinese program, and it exins how it worked


    There were two types of walnut gambling.


    First, it isthe same as what was stated in this chapter. People will buy the fruits from aroad side peddler, and the peddler will cut the fruit for their customers. The fruits were sold in pairs. Customers get to choose the fruits themselves from apile of fruits. Once the fruits were cut open, they will look at the seeds. Ifthe seeds from both fruits were big, simr in size and color, it would wortha lot. The seeds were all measured in mm. The prices of the fruits are a fewhundred RMB a pair.


    The next type of gambling is to buy the whole tree. The buyers will travel to the walnutntations in the countryside and buy all the fruits on a single tree. It costa lot more than the previous type of gambling. But the chances of getting bigwalnut seeds were higher. One tree will produce 400 and more fruits. It mightcost up to a few hundred thousand RMB per tree.

 Chapter 65: It appeared! 46mm!

    <h4>Chapter 65: It appeared! 46mm!</h4>


    Dong Xuebing stood in front of the walnut stall silently.


    The stall owner was still shouting to attract customers:"This year''s big Chicken Hearts are good. Come and try your luck!"


    Someone in the crowd picked a pair of walnut fruits over: "Iwant this pair."


    "Ok!" The wife of the stall owner took 200 RMB from thatperson and threw it into a stic basket. She took out a small knife and startto cut away the flesh of the green color fruits. Soon, the flesh and skin ofthe fruit were cut away, and she washes the seed in a pail of clear water andstarts to scrub away the remaining flesh with a stic brush. After cleaningthe seed, she took out a ruler and measure the seed. She said loudly. "The seedhas some dark spots, and one of them is 37, and the other is 39. It''s not apair." This size was average, and the seeds must be at least 42mm to worthsomething. The dark spot on the fruit was considered blemish, and even if theseed was big, but dark spots will lower the value.


    After hearing these, that buyer turned and walk away.


    Soon, another person bought a pair of Lion Head fruits, andthe seeds were 39 mm and 41mm. These were not good too.


    After that, someone opened a pair of 36mm and 38mm seeds.


    The next person got 40mm and 39mm. This was considered apair.


    After standing there for a while, Dong Xuebing gave up theidea of trying his luck. So many people had bought these fruits, and there wasnot even one that is more than 42mm. The chances of a 46mm appearing were evenslimmer. He knew that even ifdy luck was on his side, it was also near toimpossible.


    But Dong Xuebing was not willing to give up.


    10 minutes...


    30 minutes...


    1 hour...


    Dong Xuebing stood in front of the stall for almost 2 hours.The walnut fruits were getting lesser and lesser.


    There were at least 100 Lion Head walnut fruits, and now,there were less than 30 remainings. One basket of Chicken Heart walnut fruits wassold in less than 2 hours. The stall owner brought a new basket from the backof the stall. The business was bustling for the stall owner. But Dong Xuebingstill have not seen any Lion Head that was more than 44mm. The biggest thatappeared was 43.8mm. But after the seeds were dried, it will shrink slightly,and the finished product should be at most 43mm.


    These were too small!


    All the seeds were too small!


    At noon, Dong Xuebing went to KFC to have his lunch beforereturning back to the stall.


    10...


    20...


    50...


    At 4pm, Dong Xuebing was exhausted. Not only his eyes wereblurry, but his legs were also numbed.


    At this time, there were lesser people, and the stallowner''s wife looked at Dong Xuebing and asked with a northeast ent. "Youngman, do you want to try your luck?" She had noticed Dong Xuebing standing theresince morning. He was standing there for almost 8 hours and did not even buyone fruit.


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while and shook his head.


    There was one person who won a 44.7mm seed. But it was a farcry from Dong Xuebing''s target of 46mm.


    Sighed... the chances were too slim. Time to leave?


    It was gettingte, and Dong Xuebing decided to watch thst pair of fruit cutting before leaving.


    "How much for these Lion Head?" A big sized man squats downand examines the fruits.


    The stall owner replied: "Normal Panshan Lion Head is 400RMB a pair. The bigger fruits are more expensive. There are 600 and 1,000 RMBtypes."


    There were not many Lion Head fruits remaining in thebasket. The man scrutinized the fruits carefully. After a while, he picked twoyellowish and brownish fruits from the left of the basket and threw it to thestall owner. "I will buy these two. Open it!" The fruits were yellowish wasbecause it had been plucked from the tree for some time. Even if the fruitswere kept refrigerated, it will also notst long. But it will not affect thequality of the seeds.


    "These two are bigger, and they cost 800 RMB."


    The man took out his money and paid the stall owner. "Openit!"


    "Ok." The stall owner held the fruit with his ck coloredhand and start to slice open the fruit.


    The first Lion Head seed appeared in front of everybody.43.3mm. It was considered slightly above average.


    That man was satisfied and nodded. "Carry on! See if it is apair!"


    The stall owner starts to slice the other fruit.


    First cut...


    Second cut...


    Third cut...


    "Eh! Look! That seed..."


    "Wow! It''s big!" The crowd starts to stir.


    Dong Xuebing was also stunned. He stared at the half-openfruit. Although he did not measure the seed with a ruler, he knew that the seedin this fruit was very big!


    The stall owner was also surprised. He did not continuecutting the fruit and took a ruler to measure the diameter. He was shocked, andhe looked at his wife. "It is nearly 47mm. 46.8!"


    Dong Xuebing was excited. What? 46.8mm? Even if the seed weredried, it would also be 46mm!


    Damn! Isn''t this the Lion Head I was looking for? It reallyappeared!


    "Hi, excuse me." Dong Xuebing was worried that someone elsewould make an offer. He immediately asked that man. "Are you willing to sellthis 46 Lion Head? Name a price."


    That manughed. "I am not selling it! I want to keep itfor my own collection!"


    Dong Xuebing anxiously said. "This is also not a pair. It isalso not worth collecting. Can you..."


    "I told you I am not selling!" That man waved Dong Xuebingaway and told the stall owner: "Hurry up and open it!"


    What should I do? What should I do now?


    Dong Xuebing was panicking. He had finally found what he waswaiting for. If he missed this opportunity...


    Oh! Damn! I even forgot about it!


    BACK!!!


    ...


    Dong Xuebing felt slight giddiness, and the scenes aroundhim changed!


    "How much for these Lion Head?"


    The stall owner replied: "Normal Panshan Lion Head is 400RMB a pair. The bigger fruits are more expensive. There are 600 and 1,000 RMBtypes."


    The big sized man extended his arm to pick those two bigyellowish fruits on the left of the basket!


    Dong Xuebing immediately leaned forward and grabbed thosetwo yellowish fruits. "I want this pair! Boss! Help me cut it!" Dong Xuebinghad noticed the yellowish and slightly rotten fruits from earlier. He was surethat the ones in his hands were the same as earlier.


    That man frowned and look at Dong Xuebing. He thought tohimself. "What''s the hurry?" He moved aside and looked at the fruits on theright of the basket.


    The stall owner looked at the fruits in Dong Xuebing''s hand."800 RMB."


    Dong Xuebing immediately paid him. His heart was beatingvery fast.


    Please, don''t let the seeds have blemishes! The seeds mustnot be damaged by insects... Please!


    The stall owner had started to cut away the flesh of thefirst fruit.


    First cut...


    Second cut...


    Third cut...


    Soon, the crowd stirred. A Lion Head had appeared!


    There were no blemishes and no dark spots!


    46.8mm!!!


    The big sized man grumbled under him breath. Damn!


    The stall owner and his wife were shocked by this young man.This young man had been standing there from the morning and did not even buy asingle fruit. The moment he buys, a 46mm appeared! He could spot the differencebetween the walnut fruits?! Impossible! The stall owner had been selling walnutfruits for years and could not tell the difference from the exterior!


    Dong Xuebing took a deep breath as he held the big Lion Headin his hand.


    Hahaha! Finally!


    Dong Xuebing had finally gotten 1 46mm Lion Head!

 Chapter 66: One more appeared!

    <h4>Chapter 66: One more appeared!</h4>


    Sunday morning.


    Shilihe Pet Market.


    This ce was just a Subway stop away from Panjiayuen.Although there were not many antiques sold here like Panjiayuen, there werelots of stalls selling birds, fishes, and walnuts.


    Dong Xuebing strolled along the market and visited almostevery stall selling walnuts. Then, he stood beside a makeshift booth and watchpeople gamble walnut fruits. He had already gotten a 46mm Lion Head and wasconfident that he would be able to "snatch" another 46 mm Lion Head fromsomeone else with his ability. Now, he onlycks one more 46 mm Lion Head. Hewanted to repeat what he did yesterday.


    Please appear! Hurry up and appear!


    One hour...


    Two hours...


    It was almost noon, and there was not even a 45mm Lion Head.


    After lunch, Dong Xuebing was anxious. He went to anotherstall and stood there and wait. Why didn''t any 46mm Lion Head appear? Tomorrowwill be on Monday. This month''smittee meeting will undoubtedly be held oneither Monday or Tuesday. If I can''t find the second 46mm Lion Head, then Iwill not be able to get a pair. It will not be in time for tomorrow''s meeting!


    10 minutes... 20 minutes... Soon, half an hour passed.


    Just when Dong Xuebing was about to give up, he heardshouting near to him.


    "Wow! 46!"


    "That''s really a 446 Lion Head!"


    "Hehehe. That''s luck!"


    Dong Xuebing was excited and turned towards the direction ofthe shouting. It was also a walnut stall. But it was a small stall. Withouthesitation, Dong Xuebing ran over to the booth and pushed the onlookers aside."Excuse me! Excuse me! There is the 46 Lion Head? How big is it? Is it morethan 46.8mm?"


    If the walnut seed were not more than 46.8 or 46.9mm, it wouldnot be 46 mm after it was dried.


    The stall owner heard someone asking and replied: "It''s46.6mm."


    Dong Xuebing frowned. Although it was not as big as the onehe got yesterday, but it should be able to meet the minimum requirement to forma pair. He turned and look at the person who bought the fruit. It was a highschool student. "Hi, can you let me have a look at your walnut seed?"


    That boy was very excited and showed it to Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing examined the Lion Head and thenpared it tohis from a picture he took from his iPhone this morning. Hepared thebottom, middle section, the top, etc. Hmmm.... it was not a perfect pair, but itshould be enough.


    An onlooker also said: "Can I see it too?"


    Dong Xuebing passed the Lion Head back to that boy andasked: "Are you willing to selling it? Name me a price." Dong Xuebing did notsee which fruit this boy picked earlier, and it was useless for him to useBACK. If he uses BACK, he could buy out the whole basket of fruits. But whenDong Xuebing looked at the basket, there were at least a few hundred fruits. Ifone fruit cost 300 RMB, then it will cost more than 100,000 RMB for the wholebasket. He only had 50,000 RMB with him!


    That high school student wore branded goods from head totoe. He doesn''t seem tock money. "Sorry, I do not want to sell."


    Other than Dong Xuebing, someone among the crowd was alsointerested in that Lion Head. "How about 3,000 RMB?


    "I will offer 4,000 RMB! Do you want to sell?"


    Dong Xuebing panicked and said: "I will offer 5,000 RMB!"For only a single Lion Head, 5,000 RMB was a high price.


    But that boy shook his head. "I am not selling, but..." Hepaused for a while. "I am looking for a pair of 46mm Chicken Heart. If anyoneof you here has it, I am willing to exchange the pair for this Lion Head."


    46mm Chicken Heart?


    Although Chicken Heart could not bepared to Lion Head,46mm Chicken Heart was also rare!


    The two men who shouted earlier hesitated. Dong Xuebinggritted his teeth and said: "Wait for me here. I will go and get you a pair!"Dong Xuebing must get this Lion Head at all cost. Furthermore, all the ChickenHearts above 42mm in the market were all from artificial grafting, and therewas an abundance of fruits avable. The value of 3 pairs of 46mm ChickenHearts could not even bepared to 1 Lion Head. This was a good deal!


    That high school boy smiled and replied. "Ok. I will waitfor you here."


    "I will reserve your Lion Heart!" Someone from the crowdshouted. "Young man don''t sell it to others. I will bring you the ChickenHeart!"


    Dong Xuebing panicked. "I am the one who said first!"


    The High school boy paused for a while and said: "Errr... howabout I exchange it with the first person who brings the Chicken Heart over?"


    "Ok!"


    Dong Xuebing immediately ran to a nearby walnut store andasked: "Do you have 46 Chicken Heart?"


    The store owner replied: "No. Do you want 44mm Chicken Heart?"


    Dong Xuebing left and ran to the next store. "Give me a pairof 46mm Chicken Hearts!"


    "Oh,we do not have46mm Chicken Hearts."


    After asking 3 stores, Dong Xuebing realized something.Damn, even if I visited all the stores, it will also be useless. If it wereavable in these stores, that high school boy would have bought it from themand not asked to exchange his 46 Lion Head. I am so stupid! But... where shouldI find this Chicken Heart?


    Suddenly there was a loud sound of things dropping on theground behind Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing turned around and saw a young man in hismid-twenties, cing a basket of walnut fruits under a big umbre. Thatyoung man made a few trips into a store and carried out baskets of walnutfruits. Then he started shouting. "Come and see. Green fruits! Big ChickenHeart, Lion Head. All fresh from these two days!" That young man''s store wasnot specialized in selling walnuts. It was a small store selling pet foods.


    Dong Xuebing heard "Big Chicken Heart" and his eyes brightenup.


    This store had just opened, and Dong Xuebing was the onlyperson there. That young man looked at Dong Xuebing and asked: "Hi, do you wantto buy a pair?"


    Dong Xuebing suddenly had an idea. Big Chicken Heart was notlike Lion Head. The chance of 45 and 46mm appearing was much higher. Since 46mmChicken Hearts were not avable in stores, why not try his luck at gambling?If Dong Xuebing was lucky, he should get a pair of 46mm Chicken Hearts fromdozens of fruits! But this method will be costly!


    Fine! That''s what I will do!


    To get the position of Deputy Chief, this amount was nothing!


    I will take a gamble!

 Chapter 67: Big chickenheart becomes lionshead!

    <h4>Chapter 67: Big chickenheart bes lionshead!</h4>


    The makeshift walnut fruit stall in front of the pet foodstore.


    That High school boy was still standing at the same spot 30meters away. People were approaching him and looking at his 46mm Lion Head.They will speak for a while and that High School Boy shook his head. He shouldbe telling them that he did not want to sell this Lion Head. He only wants toexchange it for a pair of Chicken Heart.


    Dong Xuebing knew that he could not waste any more time. Hemoved towards the nearest basket in front of him and asked that young man."What is this?" Chicken Heart and Lion Head fruits all looked the same. Theywere all round and green in color. Dong Xuebing could not tell the differencefrom the exterior of the fruits.


    "Oh... Hang on for a while." That young man took out some cutChicken Heart fruits and Lion Head fruits and ce it in front of the baskets."This is.... Errr... Chicken Heart. 200 RMB for a pair." That young man pointedto another basket and said: "That basket is Lion Head. Some are 700 RMB for apair, and the bigger ones are 1,000 RMB a pair."


    Dong Xuebing looked at the green colored fruits in theChicken Heart basket and picked 4 pairs. "I will take these. Please hurry andcut it open. I only want to see the size of the seed inside. Don''t need toscrub it. You can clean the seedter." Dong Xuebing said and passed 800 RMBto that young man.


    But when the young man started cutting the fruit, DongXuebing regretted buying from this stall. That young man was a newbie, and hewas too slow. He took a long time to cut away the flesh of the fruit.


    Damn! He is damn slow!


    Dong Xuebing wanted to hurry him, but something caught hiseye.


    Dong Xuebing saw a man passing a pair of walnuts to thatHigh School boy. That High School boy looked at the walnuts and nodded. He thengives his 46mm Lion Head to that man and left.


    Damn!


    Dong Xuebing was pissed. He stood up and walked towards thatHigh School Boy. "You exchanged your Lion Head?"


    The High School Boy smiled and showed the pair of walnuts inhis hand. "Look, it''s a pair of 46mm Chicken Heart."


    Damn. I wasted my time.


    Dong Xuebing was feeling frustrated. He saw the Lion Headwas no longer with this High School Boy and there was no point asking himanymore. He turned back to that young man and said: "I''m sorry. Just cut apair. I don''t want the rest." Dong Xuebing knew it was pointless to carry ongambling Chicken Heart fruits.


    That young man frowned: "Don''t want? You said you wanted 4pairs and we don''t do refunds here!"


    Who asked you to cut the fruits slowly? If you can exposethe seed with two cuts and a pair of 46 mm Chicken Hearts appeared, I would beable to exchange that Lion Head! Dong Xuebing was pissed. "The other fruits arestill not cut."


    "Even if it is not cut, you also cannot return it to me."That young man firmly replied. "Are you trying to create trouble?"


    Dong Xuebing frowned. He could not be bothered with thisyoung man. "Then hurry up and cut all the fruits."


    That young man continued to cut the fruit open.


    1 cut....


    2 cuts...


    The flesh of the fruit was slowly cut away, exposing theseed.


    Dong Xuebing could not be bothered. It was only a fewhundred RMB. He was thinking about where to look for the other 46 Lion Head.


    When the seed of the fruit was exposed, that young man, DongXuebing and some onlookers were shocked.


    The seed was not big. It was about 37mm. But the shape andtexture were not Chicken Heart!


    It was Lion Head!


    An onlooker asked: "Oh, did you make a mistake? This personhad bought Chicken Heart."


    Another onlooker said: "The price difference between ChickenHeart and Lion Head is several times!"


    That young man''s face changed and shouted to his father whowas in the pet food store. "Dad,e out. Did you ce the wrong fruits inthe basket?" He immediately picked up and cut another fruit picked by DongXuebing.


    Lion Head!


    It was another Lion Head fruit!


    That young man''s father ran towards the stall and looked atthe fruits closely. After examining the fruits, he roared: "You fool! I hadsaid many times yesterday! That is the basket for Lion Head! Why did not putthe Chicken Hearts in there?" They had just started this walnut gamblingbusiness, and this was a newbie mistake.


    Dong Xuebingughed to himself. This was unexpected. Helooked at the father scolding his son and pointed to the remaining ChickenHeart... No... It should be Lion Head fruits. "Shouldn''t you carry on cutting theremaining fruits?"


    That young man looked at Dong Xuebing with a long face. "Itwas a mistake. These are not Chicken Heart. Your 800 RMB can only open a pair."


    Dong Xuebing raised his brows: "I had paid for 4 pairsearlier."


    "What? Are you trying to take advantage of me?" That youngman stared at Dong Xuebing. "Where can you find a pair of Lion Head selling for200 RMB?"


    Dong Xuebing folded his arms: "I wanted a refund earlier,and you refused. You said that 4 pairs mean 4 pairs. Fine. Now, I don''t want tothe refund, and you im that I am creating trouble and can only give me apair? Hahaha. You set all the rules? This is considered cheating!" Actually,this was a minor mistake. But Dong Xuebing was pissed with this young man''sattitude. This was that young man''s fault, and he should apologize. DongXuebing will also not argue with him over a few hundred RMB.


    That young man''s father stared at Dong Xuebing: "Who ischeating? Watch your mouth!"


    The young man also stared at Dong Xuebing: "I have never metsomeone like you!"


    Fuck!


    Dong Xuebing was already pissed, and he scoffed. "Watch whatI am saying? Fine. You all are asking for it!"


    That young man responded with a hmph and said: "What do youwant to do? Report to the police? Go ahead!"


    Dong Xuebing smiled coldly: "BACK!!!"

 Chapter 68: Finally gotten a pair!

    <h4>Chapter 68: Finally gotten a pair!</h4>


    The wind was blowing, and there was the sound of the leavesrustling.


    Dong Xuebing was still looking at that young man after hereturned to one minute ago. That young man''s father was still tending to somecustomers in the pet food shop. There were a few onlookers around, standingthere silently.


    "Don''t want? You said you wanted 4 pairs and we don''t dorefunds here!"


    Dong Xuebing immediately knew where the conversation hadstopped. "The other fruits are still not cut."


    "Even if it is not cut, you also cannot return it to me."That young man firmly replied. "Are you trying to create trouble?" The youngman replied. He was not willing to make any refunds.


    Dong Xuebing smiled and nodded. "Fine. Then you stop cuttingthe fruit!"


    That young man stared at Dong Xuebing. "You want to cut thefruits yourself? Fine. Here are the fruits you picked. I will not refund you asingle cent."


    "What is wrong with you? Who does business with such anattitude?" Dong Xuebing was not angry, and heughed. "I can''t be bothered toargue with you. Put those 8 walnut fruits back into the basket and count thetotal number of fruits in the basket. I will buy the whole basket of ChickenHearts!"


    That young man thought he had misheard. "Huh? You want thewhole basket?" Hahaha, was this person crazy?


    The crowd starts to stir. "What is this person doing? Hemight as well go and reserved a walnut tree."


    Dong Xuebing ignored that young man and bend over to countthe fruits. "1... 2... 3... 4... 5..." Within minutes, both the young man and DongXuebing finished counting the number of fruits. There were a total of 202fruits. Dong Xuebing did not hesitate for a minute. He took out 20,000 RMB fromhis bag and extract 6 pieces from the stack of money. "I had paid 800 RMBearlier. Here are the remaining. Check it."


    "... Ok. The amount is right." The young man was overjoyed.This deal was so easy!


    Dong Xuebing looked at him and carried the basket. "Can yougive me the basket?" Dong Xuebing knew that the young man was treating him as afool!


    "Take it, take it..." The young man waved goodbye to Dong Xuebing."Take your time ande back again. Hahaha..."


    Looking at Dong Xuebing''s back view, the crowd, includingthe young man, felt Dong Xuebing was crazy. He wanted refunds at first, andthen he bought the whole basket. Who would change his mind within seconds?


    Dong Xuebing was worried that the young man would go afterhim and he did not take the bus. He gged a taxi and went back home.


    Dong Xuebing ced the basket of walnut fruits in hisliving room and took off his shoes excitedly. "Was this consider a lucky find?Hahaha! That''s right! It''s time to cut these fruits! Let''s see if there''s a46mm here! 200 fruits! No matter how unlucky I am, I should be able to find oneor two 46 mm Lion Head!"


    Toilet.


    Dong Xuebing did not want the fruits to stain his hands. Thestain will remain on his hands for months. He put on his mother''s rubbergloves, used for cleaning the toilet, and a small knife. He picked one up andstart to slice the flesh of the fruit.


    1 cut...


    2 cuts...


    3 cuts...


    Dong Xuebing used more than 30 cuts to cut the skin andflesh off the fruit.


    He then used an old toothbrush to clean the seed.


    10 minutes had passed. A short Lion Head appeared. DongXuebing took a ruler from his room to measure the seed.


    41mm. Dong Xuebing smiled and put that Lion Head aside. Hereturned to the toilet and start to cut another fruit. He was still worriedthat if the fruit opened by that young man was ced into this basket bymistake and the rest were all Chicken Heart.


    Lion Head!


    Lion Head!


    Lion Head again!


    Dong Xuebing was assured after Lion Head appeared for 4times.


    After a while, the old toothbrush could not be used to cleanthe seeds as the hairs were frayed. Dong Xuebing threw it away and found a shoebrush from his shoe cab to rece it.


    Dong Xuebing spent the rest of the day cutting those fruits.


    7...


    9...


    13...


    Dong Xuebing prayed while he cut the fruits. Please, let itbe 46mm!


    The 25th fruit... 42mm. No defects.


    The 29th fruit... 40mm. No defects.


    The 36th fruit... 44mm. Insect damaged.


    The 41st fruit... 39mm. Some blemishes.


    Dong Xuebing did not feel tired or feel this was a mundask. He had hoped for every fruit he cut. He was even getting better atcutting these fruits. He could easily cut away all the flesh of fruit withinone minute!


    Beep, beep. It was a message.


    Dong Xuebing wiped his hands and swipe across his iPhone 4.It was a message from Qu Yunxuan. She told him that she will not be cookingdinner as she got to stay back after work. Dong Xuebing replied, "Ok." andlooked at the time. He wiped his sweat and said to himself. "I will have dinnerafter this fruit."


    1 cut!


    2 cuts!


    3 cuts!


    This was the 55th fruit.


    The seed of this fruit was exposed!


    Dong Xuebing continued to cut away the skin and flesh of thefruit. But as he was cutting away the flesh, he felt weird. He looked closelyat the exposed part of the seed and was shocked. His heart was racing, and heeven dropped his knife!


    This...


    This...


    Dong Xuebing quickly picked up the knife again and cut theremaining flesh of the fruit away. He quickly picks up the brush and starts toclean the seed.


    Then he picked up the ruler and measured... 46.8mm!


    This was a 46.8mm Lion Head!


    Dong Xuebing cried out in joy and immediately ran to hisroom to take out the 46mm Lion Head he got yesterday topare. He ced bothseeds together... The sides, mid-section, bottom, and the pointed top werealmost identical!


    Hahaha!


    It''s a pair!


    A pair of 46mm Lion Head!!!

 Chapter 69: Made another killing!

    <h4>Chapter 69: Made another killing!</h4>


    Evenings, after dinner.


    Dong Xuebing held the pair of Lion Head in his hands toadmire it. It was beautiful. He had finally gotten what he wanted and washumming a tune happily. He wiped the pair of Lion Clean and continued to peelthe remaining fruits. There were still over a hundred fruits to be opened.


    85th fruit...


    102nd fruit...


    154th fruit...


    It was about 8pm when Dong Xuebing finished. He carried allthe walnut seeds to his living room.


    His hands were cramping from the cutting, and he sat therepanting.


    These Lion Heads'' colors were above average, but not a lotof them were big. There was the only one that''s above 46mm, and a lot of themwere average size, around 40 to 41mm. After resting for a while, Dong Xuebingstarted thest step of the process. Pairing up the seeds. The worth of thesewalnuts still depends on identical pairs and the size was not that important.


    Dong Xuebing sifted through every seed.


    8.10pm: A pair of 38mm Lion Head was matched.


    8.15pm: A pair of 40mm Lion Head was matched


    8.16pm: A pair of 36.5mm and 36.9mm Lion Head was matched


    8.17pm: A pair of 43mm and 43.3mm Lion Head was matched


    About an hourter, the pairing and matching process wapleted. Other than a dozen walnuts with insect bites and blemishes, the restof the walnuts were paired. The best pairs were a pair of 45mm Lion Head and apair of 44mm and 44.5mm. The worst pair was a pair of 35mm and 36mmm.


    This was great!


    Dong Xuebing knew that these pairs were able to fetch goodprices!


    After resting for a few minutes, Dong Xuebing immediatelypacked the pairs of Lion Heads into stic bags and kept it into his mother''sluggage bag. He did not have enough bags and got to go out to buy some. Afterall the Lion Heads were packed, he dragged the luggage bag downstairs andwalked along the road towards the north. There was a walnut shop near HepingStreet.


    Good, the shop was still open.


    Dong Xuebing walked into the shop and saw 2 to 3 customers.The store owner was introducing a pair of Lion Head to the customers. From thepackaging, this pair should be at least more than 10 years. It was a rare pair.


    The store owner saw Dong Xuebing and asked: "Are you lookingfor walnuts? Are you getting it as a gift or for your own collection? What''sthe size you are looking for?"


    Dong Xuebing asked: "Do you ept walnuts? Paired walnuts?


    The store owner blinked: "What types?"


    "Lion Heads."


    "Oh?" The store owner cleared a space on his counter andsaid. "Can I take a look?"


    "Of course." Dong Xuebing opened his luggage bag and tookout the best pair of 45 Lion Head. He wants to know how much this store willoffer. If the prices were too low, he would go to another shop. "How much isthis pair worth? It''s a 45mm."


    The two walnut customers were also looking at that pair."Oh, that''s rare."


    The store owner took the pair and measured it with a slidecaliper ruler. "It''s really 45mm. It''s a nice pair." The stall owner looked upand asked. "Young man, how much are you selling?"


    Dong Xuebing asked him back: "How much are you offering?"


    The store owner scrutinized the pair and replied. "This isalmost a perfect pair. Hmmm... how about 9,000 RMB?"


    Dong Xuebing felt this was a reasonable offer. But he didnot agree immediately. He took out another pair of 44mm. "How about this pair?"


    "You still have?" The store owner was shocked.


    After measuring, the store owner replied: "My highest offerfor this pair is 5,500 RMB."


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while and took out a pair of43mm. "What about this?"


    "Oh, this size is also above average. Hmmm.... 2,000 RMB."


    Dong Xuebing bent over and took out another pair. "Whatabout this pair?"


    The store owner was excited. "Hahaha, young man, just takeout everything, and I will evaluate all their value."


    "Ok." The store owner and the customers were surprised tosee Dong Xuebing ced a lot of stic bags on the counters.


    The customers were speechless. One of them asked. "Damn,young man. Did you reserve a walnut tree? Howe you have so many pairs?"


    The other customer said: "Reserving a tree is veryexpensive. It cost a few hundred thousand RMB."


    Dong Xuebing smiled. These Lion Head were not bought at LionHead prices. It was bought at Chicken Heart prices.


    The store owner starts to evaluate the Lion Heads. "Thispair is 1,000 RMB... Hmmm..... This pair is not perfect despite it being bigger...500 RMB... This pair is smaller, I can only offer 400 RMB at most... This pair iseven smaller... Even if it is perfectly matched, it is not worth much. I willnot take this pair. Why not you ask some other stores if they are willing totake it?"


    Dong Xuebing replied. "It''s fine even if you offer a lowerprice. I amzy to look for another shop."


    The store owner nodded. "Fine, I will offer 70 RMB for thispair and 100 RMB for that."


    After a while, the store owner tabted the total amount.Other than 7 to 8 pairs which did not fetch good prices, the rest were stible to fetch high prices. The more expensive pairs were a few thousand, andthe lower pairs were a few hundred. The store owner said. "The total is 69,500RMB. Since you are selling so many pairs, I will round it up to 70,000 RMB. Ifyou still have good pairs of walnuts, remember toe back to me."


    70,000 RMB?


    70,000 RMB?


    70,000 RMB!!!


    Dong Xuebing was stunned.


    So much?


    Why was the total so high?


    Howe the total is so high?


    The store owner looked at Dong Xuebing and asked: "You wantcash or..."


    "Cash!" Dong Xuebing replied.


    "Ok. Wait for a while." The store owner called his staff. "XiaoZhao take out 70,000 RMB from the safe!"


    Dong Xuebing took a deep breath. He knew he was notdreaming. 5 minutester, he took the 70,000 RMB from the owner and packed itinto his luggage bag. He was still in a daze when he walks back home.


    Dong Xuebing had only wanted to look for a pair of 46mm LionHead for Liu Hua. This was so unexpected. With the remaining 30,000 RMB in hisbank, he has 100,000 RMB in total!


    How much was 100,000 RMB?!


    It was enough for Dong Xuebing to build a house for hismother in her hometown!


    Dong Xuebing was one step nearer to his target of 1 millionRMB!

 Chapter 70: Giving the wallnuts

    <h4>Chapter 70: Giving the wallnuts</h4>


    It was finally Monday.


    General Affairs Office.


    "Everyone, hurry and clean up the office. There will be aninspection by the leaderster."


    "Eh? Shouldn''t they be at the Party Committee meeting thismorning?"


    "The meeting has been postponed to tomorrow."


    Dong Xuebing was relieved when he overheard the conversationbetween Guo Shunjie and Changjuan. He still has time.


    10 minutester, a team of inspectors arrived at theoffice. The person leading the team was Yan Liang, Bureau Chief Yan. Chief Yanhad a reputation for being fair and impartial. This was why he got a nicknameof Iron to face Chief. The middle age man beside him was totally the oppositeof him. He had a smile on his face and had the worst reputation in the Bureau.He was Political Commissar, Zhou Guoan and there were rumors that he likes toform cliques.


    "Chief Yan, Political Commissar Zhou."


    "Chief Yan, Political Commissar."


    "Chief Yan." Everyone in the office stood up at attention togreet their leaders.


    The two leaders lead a team of staff members to look aroundthe office. Some of the staff members were checking the cleanliness of theoffice and will make notes in their notebooks. A few of them were checking theturnout and bearings of Dong Xuebing and the rest. Actually, this was only forshow. Huh? Chief Yan and Political Commissar Zhou were not the only topofficers in the team. Behind them was... Deputy Chief Liu Hua. But very fewpeople will notice his presence. He was really keeping a low profile and didnot even look like a leader.


    The team inspected the office for a while and left.


    Dong Xuebing looked at Liu Hua''s back view and returned tohis desk to start work.


    At about 10 am, Dong Xuebing looked at the clock. Thisshould be the right time. He immediately left the office.


    Level 3, Liu Hua''s office.


    Liu Hua was in his office alone, as usual. He was watchingyesterday''s evening news on his PC. But today, he could not focus. Every few minutes,his mind will wander and think about his wedding anniversary in a few moredays. He and Tian Tian met at their university. It was love at first sight.They started dating in their 2nd year. But Tian Tian''s father was anofficial in Beijing and had some authority. Liu Hua''s parents were only workersat a food processing factory, and Tian Tian''s parents object to them dating.


    After graduating, Liu Hua knew that it was hard for both ofthem to be together and decided to give up on this rtionship.


    But Tian Tian went against her parent''s wishes and fall outwith them. She left with Liu Hua, and both of them rented a ce outside. Theylived and worked together. It was a small and old one-story house. Theirsries were barely enough for their rent and living expenses. Even theirwedding rings were silver rings. To Liu Hua, it was the toughest period of hislife, but it was also the happiest period. It was until Liu Hua entered theGovernment service and climbed up the ranks before Tian Tian''s father eptedhim. Tian Tian''s father used his connection to help Liu Hua promote to where heis now.


    This was why Liu Hua kept feeling that he owed Tian Tian alot. If it weren''t for him, Tian Tian would not need to suffer for so manyyears.


    It will be their 10th wedding anniversary, andLiu Hua wanted to give his wife something to express his gratitude.Tian Tian does not have any hobbies exceptfor collecting walnuts. She always wanted a pair of 46mm Lion Head and Liu Huaknew about it. He had searched all over the antique markets and inteforums. He thought it should be easy to buy a pair of walnuts if he was willingto pay above the market price. But this was not the case.


    "No." "I''m not selling." "Don''t have." "Not selling." Therewere the answers Liu Hua got.


    Liu Hua was frustrated. He could not even fulfill TianTian''s small wish.


    Bzzzz, bzzzz, bzzzz. Liu Hua''s phone beside his PC monitorstarts vibrating.


    Liu Hua looked at the number and immediately answered. "BossZhao, have you found the walnut I am looking for? What? You still can''t findit... I know 46mm Lion Head are rare, but... Ok. I don''t care how much it cost,but I must get a pair... a few months? I don''t have a few months..."


    Liu Hua threw his phone on his desk and sighed. "There is nomore time!"


    Knock, knock. Someone was knocking on Liu Hua''s office door.


    Liu Hua looked towards the door and said. "Come in."


    The door opened, and Dong Xuebing entered the room nervously."Chief Liu."


    "What do you want?" Liu Hua frowned and massaged hisforehead to calm himself.


    Liu Hua was in-charge of some unimportant departments in thebureau, and he seldom asks the General Affairs Office to do things. This waswhy Dong Xuebing had no excuses to visit his office. There were not evendocuments to be delivered to him. Dong Xuebing awkwardly coughed and took out asmall box from his pocket. "Chief Liu, please ept this... Errr... Don''t get mewrong.... This is just a small gift."


    Liu Hua''s face changed. "Didn''t I make things clear that day?"


    What''s wrong with this Xiao Dong? Giving gifts again andagain? He is too insensible!


    "This..." Dong Xuebing smiled and quickly opened up the box."It is not something valuable. It is just a pair of walnuts. Please take alook."


    Liu Hua was stunned when he saw the pair of yellowishwalnuts in the box.


    Dong Xuebing continued: "This is a pair of Lion Head, andboth are 46.8mm."


    What?


    46mm Lion Heads?!


    Liu Hua''s heart was racing. This was unbelievable. The pairof Lion Heads he had been searching high and low had appeared in front of him.Howe this Xiao Dong know that I am looking for this pair of Lion Head? Whotold him this? Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! Even Tian Tian doesnot know I am looking for Lion Head! I had only written about this in mynotebook! But that notebook is with me all the time. No one should know!


    Liu Hua stared at Dong Xuebing''s eyes. He wants to know whatDong Xuebing was thinking.


    Dong Xuebing was nervous and said: "I passed by the antiquemarket and saw these. I don''t know if you like it or not, but I bought it.


    Liu Hua kept quiet.


    Dong Xuebing knew Liu Hua was tempted, if not he would havechased him out of the room. He ced the box on the desk and said. "Chief Liu,I will go back first."


    "Wait." Liu Hua stopped him and paused for a few seconds."Xiao Dong. I like your gift, but I cannot ept it. How about this? How muchdid you buy this pair of Lion Heads? I will pay for you."


    "No need. It''s not worth anything."


    Liu Hua took out his bag. "How much?"


    Dong Xuebing can only reply: "It''s only a few hundreds."


    Liu Hua knew the value of this pair of 46mm Lion Head, andhe shook his head. He wanted to give Dong Xuebing 15,000 RMB, but he did nothave so much cash with him. He only has about 5,000 RMB in his bag. He knittedhis brows. Since he had already said that he will pay for it, he took out the5,000 RMB in his bag and pass it to Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing pretends to be surprised. "Ah..... This is toomuch."


    Liu Hua ignored him and said: "Take it!"


    "Errr... Ok. I will take it. This is taking advantage ofyou." Dong Xuebing epted the money with politely.


    Liu Hua thought to himself. This young man knows how to saynice things.


    After Dong Xuebing left his office, Liu Hua smiles.


    Finally!


    I have finally found it!


    Liu Hua took out the two 46mm Lion Head and look at it. Hekept it back into the box and immediately call his wife. "Hello? Tian Tian, Ihave made a reservation this weekend. Hahaha.... I have a gift for you..... I willnot tell you now.... I promise it is a surprise!"


    After hanging up, Liu Hua remembered the stories about thisDong Xuebing.


    Firefighter Xiao Dong?! The one who can save all situations?


    Liu Hua was speechless. Since when did such a person appearin the Western District Branch Bureau?!

 Chapter 71: Amazing Xiao Dong

    <h4>Chapter 71: Amazing Xiao Dong</h4>


    Next day. Tuesday.


    Today was the most important day for Dong Xuebing. Themoment he woke up, he was feeling very nervous. He climbed out of his bed andtook a few deep breaths. He had done everything he could. There''s no pointbeing nervous now. Dong Xuebing stopped himself from thinking about the oueof the Party Committee Meeting. He pped himself lightly on his forehead tocalm himself down before preparing himself for work.


    At the entrance of the Western District Branch Bureau, DongXuebing saw Guo Shunjie and a woman.


    "Didn''t I tell you not to look for me at my workce? Whatdo you want?"


    "You think I am willing toe here? You forgot yourphone!"


    "Ok, ok! Hurry up and leave!"


    Guo Shunjie grabbed his phone from that woman impatientlyand kept it in his pocket. He then waved the woman away. This woman was GuoShunjie''s wife. She was 30 years'' old when she got Vitiligo. Her face and neckhave patches of white skin. This was why Guo Shunjie had never mentioned hiswife at work. He was also afraid of his wifeing to his workce. He feltit was embarrassing. But when Guo Shunjie looks around to see if any of hisco-workers had seen his wife, he spotted Dong Xuebing crossing the road andwalk past him.


    Guo Shunjie pulled a long face and said. "You are earlytoday!"


    "Not as early as you!" Dong Xuebing''s hatred for him deepensafter seeing how Guo Shunjie treated his wife.


    "Do you know? The Party Committee Meeting today will bediscussing who will be promoted to be the Deputy Chief of the General AffairsDepartment." Guo Shunjie stared at Dong Xuebing coldly. "Young man, I have toldyou before that I will be a leader within one year. I had offered to groom youas my trusted aide. But you are the one who rejected my kind offer. Are youregretting now? It''s toote! Once the order is passed down, you will be dead!I will make sure you will regret it!"


    Dong Xuebing nced at him. "You are so sure that you willbe promoted?"


    Guo Shunjie arrogantly replied: "Haha, you think Guo Panweiwill win me? Dream on!"


    Dong Xuebing clenched his fist. He must not let Guo Shunjiebe promoted. If not, he will not be able to carry on working here.


    General Affairs Office. People start arriving at work.


    Dong Xuebing could feel the mood in the office wasdifferent. He could feel the tension.


    There seems to be something happening. Guo Panwei enteredthe office, and he was obviously in a bad mood. He did not argue with GuoShunjie like the previous few days. He just dropped his briefcase at his deskand went upstairs, to the Political Section Chief Pang Bin''s office. GuoShunjie took a nce at him confidently and then left for Political CommissarZhou Guoan''s office.


    Political Commissar office.


    This office was dim. The thick curtains had blocked thesunlight from entering the room.


    Guo Shunjie stood cautiously by the side: "Uncle Zhou,terduring the meeting..."


    The scheming looking Zhou Guoan narrowed his eyes andinterrupted him. "Shunjie, I have promised your father I will try my best tohelp you. Don''t worry. There will not be any problems. You should go back towork, and during this period, you should not being to my office. Do youunderstand?" Government officials seldom im that things will surely be done.They will always keep a leeway for themselves. Since Political Commissar Zhousaid there will not be any problems, then it means he was 100% confident opleting this task.


    After hearing this, Guo Shunjie felt assured and thanked himexcitedly. "Thank you. Uncle Zhou. I will give you a thank you gift after thismatter is over."


    Zhou Guoan did not like the way Guo Shunjie put his words.It was too direct. He frowned and wave him off.


    After leaving the office, Guo Shunjie was feeling great. Hewalks back with his back straight and chests out.


    The other side of the building.


    Dong Xuebing had received a call from Xu Yan, asking him togo to her office.


    There was another man in Deputy Branch Bureau Chief Xu Yan''soffice. That man was about Xu Yan''s age and had big eyes. There were a fewstreaks of white hair by his sides, and he looks very alert.


    Dong Xuebing had seen this man before. He was the BranchBureau''s Party Committee Member, Commission for Discipline Inspection SecretarySong Shoujie. He was close to Xu Yan.


    "Chief Xu, Secretary Song."


    Xu Yan acknowledged and pass a document to Dong Xuebing."Make a copy of this document and send the original copy to the filing room."


    Song Shoujie was observing Dong Xuebing quietly.


    Dong Xuebing took the document. "Yes. Is there anythingelse?"


    "That''s all. Go back to work."


    After Dong Xuebing left the office, Song Shoujieughed andshook his head. "That is the Xiao Dong you are talking about? You really wantto push up him to take over the position of Deputy Chief of General AffairsOffice? You should know that Political Commissar Zhou has a candidate in mind,and it is almost decided internally. It will be hard to change."


    Xu Yan smoothed her hair: "I don''t expect to win PoliticalCommissar Zhou, but I just want to try."


    Song Shoujie smiles. "Fine. What I can do is only to say afew good words. But I still must ask you. This person you pick seems to be abit... too ordinary. He is very young, inexperienced, and did not seem to beable to lead. I wonder what you are thinking?"


    Xu Yan slowly took a sip of tea and smiled. "Old Song, youcannot judge Xiao Dong based on his appearance."


    "Oh?" Song Shoujie said. "Tell me about it."


    Xu Yan spoke slowly. "You should have heard what Xiao Dongdid after he joined the General Affairs Office. Haha... You are an athlete whenyou are young, and you are also someone with guts. But Old Song, both of ushave seen the raging fire in Li Qing''s office. If you are your younger selfthat day, do you dare to run into the office to retrieve the documents?"


    Song Shoujie kept quiet.


    Xu Yan continued: "But Xiao Dong dares, and he was able toretrieve the documents."


    Song Shoujie nodded.


    "You should have heard about the football matches a few daysago. Our goalkeeper is injured during the injury time, and our opponents have apenalty. In that situation, who dares to im that he is confident of savingthat penalty kick?" Xu Yan put down her teacup. "But Xiao Dong dares to imthat he will save the penalty kick and he really saves it." After pausing awhile, Xu Yan continued. "The next game on the next day was a tough match. Inthe final 2 minutes, one of our yers got injured, but there are no moresubstitutes. Our branch will be ying 8 games without a single win. At thatmoment, not even those English Premier League star yers could do anything.But Xiao Dong went onto the pitch and scored the winning goal in thestsecond!"


    Song Shoujieughed. "From what you said... This Xiao Dongis really capable."


    "He is even more amazing than that." Xu Yan tapped thetabletop with her fingertips. "That day, I went to the City Bureau for ameeting, and I met an old friend. We had a short chat, and we talked about thefootball tournament. But when I mentioned Xiao Dong''s name, my friend also knowshim. She is one of the interviewers for Xiao Dong, and she told me whathappened during the interview. It was an incredible story."


    Song Shoujie asked curiously. "What happened?"


    Xu Yan stopped for a while and then opened the door of theoffice. There were sounds of footsteps outside, and a staff member walked passthe office carrying some documents. After the staff member walked pass, Xu Yanclosed the door and looked at the puzzled Song Shoujie. "Old Song, the personwho walked pass just now. Can you remember what color his shirt is? What designis that shirt, and what is the design and color of his shoes?"


    Song Shoujie was stunned. "What do you mean?"


    "Nothing. I just want to see if you can remember thosedetails."


    "Yan Zhi, are you joking with me? You did not even tell meto take note of those details, and my attention just now is also not on thatperson."


    Xu Yan returned to her seat. "This is why I say Xiao Dong isamazing. During his interview, the main interviewer tried to make thingsdifficult for him, and purposely asked him the same questions I asked you. Butguess what? 3 people walked pass on that day. Xiao Dong not only remembered thecolors of their shirts and designs. He even remembered the pattern of thedesigns, ne, whether if the shoes had dirt and even the color of theshoces."


    Song Shoujie frowned. "How is this possible?"


    Xu Yan smiled. "I also feel that it is impossible, but itwas the truth. Xiao Dong really did it."


    "..."


    There was a period of silence in the room.


    Xu Yan looked at Song Shoujie. "Now, do you still think XiaoDong is ordinary? I think he is too amazing!"

 Chapter 72: The party committee start

    <h4>Chapter 72: The partymittee start</h4>


    There was only the sound of the photocopier machine in theGeneral Affairs Office. No one speaks a single word. Tan Limei kept looking atthe clock, and she turned to Dong Xuebing and Zhuang Zhi. She waved her watch.It was 10 am. Tan Limei then looked at Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie. DongXuebing''s heart was beating fast.


    Let fate decide!


    5th story, No.1 meeting room. The Branch PartyCommittee meeting starts.


    The morning rays shine through the windows of the meetingroom, and there were a few vases of flowers in the room.


    The 10mittee members all arrived at the meeting room.Branch Bureau Chief Yan Liang was seated at the head of the table. The rest ofthe members were sitting by his sides ordingly. Political Commissar ZhouGuoan, Deputy Political Commissar Li Mingyu, Deputy Political Commissar ChengHaimei, Deputy Branch Bureau Chief and Director of the General AffairsDepartment Xu Yan, Political Section Chief Pang Bin, Deputy Branch Bureau ChiefZhao Jinxi, Commission for Discipline Inspection Secretary Song Shoujie, DeputyBranch Bureau Liu Hua and Deputy Branch Bureau Yang Yizhong. This ranking wasording to the importance of their positions. It was not ording to theirseniority. For instance, Deputy Political Commissar Li Mingyu and Deputy PoliticalCommissar Cheng Haimei were ranked above Political Section Chief Pang Bin dueto their experience and length of service. But in terms of authority, ChiefPang had more influence.


    After all the members were seated, Yan Liang cleared histhroat.


    Xiao Lu, who was in charge of taking the meeting minutes,closed the heavy doors and sat in a corner with a pen and paper.


    "There is a lot of things on today''s agenda. First..." YanLiang was unlike the other leaders where they will start talking about howgreat the party or the policies were. He was not someone who likes to wastetime. He was a direct and straight forward person. "Not too long ago, the demolitionof the Youanmeng area had cleared the rows of houses in front of our branch.The feedback from the ground is that our Bureau has be too open, and it isnot suitable for our intelligence officers to enter. What do you all think?"


    Yang Yizhong was the first to speak. "It''s time for us toshift to a new ce. These buildings are already decades old."


    "Where can we move to?" Deputy Political Commissar Li Mingyuasked. "It will take a long time before we can find a suitable location. Thyout of the new building is also another problem. It is not so easy to shiftto a new ce. You also need to look at the security issues. I think we shouldreport this to the City Bureau and see if they could do anything to the area infront of our branch. It would be best if we do not need to shift."


    The members start to discuss this issue.


    Yan Liang did not say anything. He listened to thediscussion for a while before looking at Xu Yan. "Chief Xu, this is under yourjurisdiction. What do you think?"


    Xu Yan smiled and look up. "Chief Yang is right. Our currentbranch buildings are too old and worn out. Repairs are needed everywhere. If wecan use this opportunity to move to a new building, I will surely agree. Butthe crucial factor is the funds. Our branch''s budget is tight, and this is..."


    Yan Liang lifted his hand to stop Xu Yan. "This is animportant issue. We will find ways to raise funds. You don''t need to worry aboutthe money. We should focus on whether if we should move to a new location." YanLiang paused for a while and continued. "Those that are in favor of shiftingraise your hand." Yan Liang raised his hand, and the rest of themitteemembers also raise their hands except for Deputy Political Commissar Li Mingyuand Commission for Discipline Inspection Secretary Song Shoujie. They opposethis suggestion. Oh, Liu Hua gave an abstention vote. He was looking down allthis while and did not utter a word.


    So, this subject was approved.


    Yan Liang continued: "Next..."


    Actually, the Party Committee should have an odd number ofmembers to prevent a situation where there was an equal number of votes on bothsides. But in the Western District Branch Bureau, there was this Deputy ChiefLiu Hua. The one who will give up his vote on every single issue... The rest ofthe members were used to this. All of them treated thismittee to have 9members. This was also the reason why after Yang Yizhong was transferred over,themittee did not report to the higher-ups to increase the number ofmembers.


    The next issue did not need to vote. After some discussions,almost every member was on the same page and have the same opinions.


    The next issue, 5 voted agree, 4 oppose and 1 abstentionvote.


    The next issue, 9 voted agree and 1 abstention vote.


    The next issue, 7 voted agree, 2 oppose and 1 abstentionvote.


    Most of the leaders ofmittees do not like to use votesto decide. It will make the leader look like he could not control his people.But Yan Liang leadership style was different. He is a fair person and likesbeing fair to others. This was why as long as one member disagrees with therest of the members, he will ask the members to vote to decide on how the issueshould be handled.


    "Next is a personnel issue. Chief Pang." Yan Laing and therest of the members flipped to thest page of the documents in front of them.


    Pang Bin is short and fat. When he heard Chief Yan callinghim, he immediately said. "Some time ago, General Affairs Office''s Deputy ChiefZhou Changchun early retired due to his health, and after some observations, wehave listed 3 nominees to rece him. General Affairs Office Guo Panwei,General Affairs Office Guo Shunjie and General Affairs Office Dong Xuebing."


    Yan Liang nodded. "The information of the 3 candidates is infront of you. Let''s discuss."


    Personnel appointment is a sensitive issue. This is becausethere are many office politics factors in it, and most of the fighting isbecause of this. All the members read the documents carefully. Actually, all ofthem had read the documents before the meeting.


    "I shall start first." Pang Bin sat up straight, and his bigbelly was pressing against the meeting table. "The Deputy Chief of the GeneralAffairs Office is an important role. Most of the documents and other mattershave to pass through there. So, I feel that this Deputy Chief must be someoneexperience. Guo Panwei has been in General Affairs Office for 7 to 8 years. Heis more senior than Guo Shunjie and Dong Xuebing. He is also hardworking andexperienced. I believe he can lead the General Affairs Office to the nextlevel."


    Yan Liang nodded but did not express any opinions.


    After Pang Bin finished, he took a nced at Deputy PoliticalCommissar Cheng Haimei. She knew Pang Bin was waiting for her to speak up andsupport his suggestion. But Cheng Haimei pretended not to see it, and shestared at the spotless tabletop in front of her.


    Pang Binn frowned. This bitch had promised she will supporthis candidate a few days ago. But these few days, her attitude had changed.Pang Bin knew Cheng Haimei had changed her mind and was bought over by Deputy PoliticalCommissar Zhou. Did she change her stance to let her nephew get a transfer?


    Pang Bin could tell Deputy Political Commissar Zhou wasdetermined to let his people get this position.


    It seems that even with Chief Yan''s support, Guo Panwei''svotes will not be enough!


    Zhou Guoan was sitting there confidently drinking his tea.

 Chapter 73: Fierce confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 73: Fierce confrontation</h4>


    Pang Bin''s suggestion was not supported by anyone, and themeeting room fell into silence again.


    The next person that spoke was Deputy Branch Bureau ChiefZhao Jinxi. He was a loyal follower of Political Commissar Zhou. He will dowhatever Political Commissar Zhou ask him to do. "Chief Pang mentioned that wemust look at the experience of the candidates. I totally agree with him. ButChief Pang seems to forget that Guo Shunjie and Guo Panwei had entered thebureau at around the same time. The difference between them is not more than 6months. How can Guo Panwei be more experience than Guo Shunjie? What logic isthis?"


    Pang Bin looked at him. "What the experience I am talkingabout is not only the length of service. I also look at his contributions tothe bureau!"


    Zhao Jinxi had a smile on his old wrinkled face. "GuoShunjie had also devoted all his heart into his work and made manycontributions to our bureau. I personally felt the matured Guo Shunjie is moresuitable to be the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office. Don''t you thinkGuo Panwei is a bit... frivolous? How can such a person be the Deputy Chief?This is being irresponsible to the people in the General Affairs Office!"


    Pang Bin was furious. "Frivolous? How can you use suchdegrading term on ourrades? Deputy Chief Zhao, please watch your words. GuoPanwei is capable of dealing with everyone. This type of people is mostsuitable to work in the General Affairs Office!" Pang Bin was furious. He didnot even address Zhao Jinxi as Chief Zhao. He purposely added the word "Deputy"in front.


    Zhao Jinxi and Pang Bin started quarreling.


    Yan Liang knocked on the table and shouted: "Stop! This is ameeting!"


    Zhou Guoan secretly nced at Cheng Haimei''s direction.


    Cheng Haimei did not say much. She only said: "I support GuoShunjie."


    Pang Bin had a terrible look on his face. The should be thefinal oue. There''s no point arguing anymore. He lowered his head and pouredwater into his cup.


    "I also support Guo Shunjie." Deputy Political Commissar LiMingyu, in his fifties, was closer to Political Commissar Zhou faction. He sawYan Liang did not show any support or objections, he knew what Yan Liang wasthinking. He continued: "I am not looking down on Guo Panwei. But I feel GuoShunjie is more suitable for this role. The ages of most staff members in the GeneralAffairs Office are young, and there are many new faces. That''s why the GeneralAffairs Office need someone mature like Guo Shunjie to lead them!"


    After hearing this, Xu Yan felt ufortable. Who are youto meddle with my General Affairs Department? If it''s the Political Commissaror Political Section Chief, I can still understand. But you are not respectingme now and stepping out of your ce!


    Yan Liang still had an indifferent attitude. He could tell PoliticalCommissar Zhou had nned all these and this should be the final oue. It''stime to end this topic and move on. They were short on time.


    But at this moment, Xu Yan spoke. She ced her teacup onthe table loudly. "The General Affairs Office is under my jurisdiction. I thinkI am the most suitable person to talk about the candidates." She then narrowedher eyes and looked at Li Mingyu and Zhao Jinxi. "I know Guo Panwei and GuoShunjie better than anyone else here. Both of them are good in many ways, buttheyck something. What do theyck? It''s not experience or attitude! It''s adrive!"


    Li Mingyu was stunned and did not understand what Xu Yan wastalking about.


    Xu Yan then said something shocking. "I proposed DongXuebing! The reason is simple! This young man has the drive and is full ofvigor!"


    Zhao Jinxiughed. "Dong Xuebing? How long has he been withthe bureau? One month or two months? He is too junior! How can he be the DeputyChief?"


    Xu Yan replied emotionlessly. "I would like to say thatexperiences are not about the length of service. What we want is results andcontributions to our branch bureau. Do you remember the fire in Director Li''soffice? Xiao Dong is the one who ran in to retrieve the documents. I am sureall of you have heard of this incident. Chief Yan had also granted exceptionpproval for Xiao Dong to enter the Party. All of you should also know aboutthis. During the football tournament a few days ago, Xiao Dong was the one whohelps our branch avoid losing all matches. I am sure all of you are aware ofthis. If all these are not contributions, what are contributions?"


    Yan Liang frowned. He also did not expect Xu Yan to try topush this young man up.


    Commission for Discipline Inspection Secretary Song Shoujiecleared his throat. "I agree with Chief Xu. Although Xiao Dong is new to ourbranch, all of us can see what he had done for the bureau. Many departmentheads and colleagues acknowledge Xiao Dong. This is very rare."


    Li Mingyu shook his head. "He is too young. He is only 23years'' old, and he did not even pass his one-year probation!"


    Zhao Jinxi thought nothing about this andughed. "I knowabout ser matches. But that''s only a friendly game organized by the CityBureau. What has it got to do with our Western District branch bureau''s work?You cannot use this to judge him. We are choosing the Deputy Chief of theGeneral Affairs Office and not an athlete!"


    Xu Yan looked at him. "What I am emphasizing is not DongXuebing''s football skills. It is his attitude in times of need. He dares tostep up in difficult situations! This is an important aspect for leaders! Icannot ept Guo Shunjie''s attitude during the matches. He hides behindeveryone when there are difficulties. How can someone with such attitude besuitable to lead the General Affairs Office?"


    Zhao Jinxi said. "Chief Xu, I think you have misunderstoodGuo Shunjie. I am confident Xiao Guo is not what you said."


    Yang Yizhong suddenly speaks. He was a straight forwardperson, and his words were direct. "I also do not like that Guo Shunjie. He istoo..." Yang Yizhong was searching for the right word to describe. His educationlevel is low, and he thought for a few seconds before he got the word. "... impetuous."He then continued: "Dong Xuebing is good. Smart and dependable!"


    Xu Yan and Song Shoujie exchanged looks. They were surprisedthat his newly transferred Yang Yizhong chose to join her faction. Actually,Yang Yizhong was the sort of person that do not take sides. He looked at theproblems objectively and was considered a free person in the Party Committee.He will just speak his mind and did not consider joining any faction.


    Political Commissar Zhou who had been keeping silent allthis while could feel the tension. He frowned as he never expects the candidateDong Xuebing, he looks down upon had gotten 3 votes supporting him!


    But Political Commissar Zhou remained expressionless. It''sonly 3 votes. Even if he got 4 votes, he still does not stand a chance.


    This personnel appointment had already decided during aprevious conversation between Zhou Guoan and Yan Liang.


    No matter what was discussed during the meeting, Yan Liangwill surely support Guo Shunjie!

 Chapter 74: Voting

    <h4>Chapter 74: Voting</h4>


    Yan Liang will be promoted and transferred out soon.


    He did not tell anyone about this. This was still considereda secret now. But the Political Commissar Zhou has connections in the CityBureau, and he should have heard about it. Political Commissar Zhou went tolook for Yan Liang. Both of them had some minor conflicts over the years, butit was nothing major. Both were still considered to be on good terms. Yan Liangwill be transferred out soon, and his attitude had changed. He felt he shouldlet some of his authority go and sell Zhou Guoan favor. If Zhou Guoan were ableto seed his position, Zhou Guoan would also treat his former closesubordinates well.


    Yes.


    Yan Liang had decided to support Guo Shunjie to be theDeputy Chief of General Affairs Office. Zhou Guoan''s side had got 4 votes. WithYan Liang''s vote, it will be 5 votes. Xu Yan only has 3 votes. She needs 3 morepeople to support her. But Pang Bin had expressed his support and Liu Hua willgive up his vote. There were no more people.


    5:3


    This will be the final oue.


    "Xiao Dong do have the capabilities." Yan Liang did not saymuch. But his tone was very obvious. "But his age?" If this were mentioned bysomeone else, Xu Yan and Song Shoujie would surely retort. But it was Chief Yanwho suggested. It was different. Xu Yan could feel Yan Liang''s attitude. Shesighed in her heart. She knew there was nothing she could do. The No.1 and No.2of the branch had decided to support Guo Shunjie. There was no way Guo Shunjiewould not get this position.


    Zhou Guoan added. "State Security is a special department inour country, and the General Affairs Office handles the documents of a lot ofdepartments. For a two-month-old newbie, we must take time to monitor andobserve him. I am sure no one here wants any idents to happen in thefuture."


    Xu Yan''s face changed. "These words are too serious."


    Zhou Guoan smiled. "It''s better to be safe than sorry."


    Song Shoujie frowned. "Xiao Dong''s background checks werealready concluded. If not, he will also not enter the State Security. Thisshould not be mentioned now..."


    "Let''s stop arguing." Yan Liang massaged his temples. "SinceGuo Shunjie and Dong Xuebing are the top candidates, then we shall vote. Thosethat support Guo Shunjie raise your hands." Yan Liang did not raise his handimmediately. When there were different views, he will usually wait until after everyonehave expressed their views.


    Yan Liang was a righteous person. But being righteous wasonly his weapon for power. Struggling for power... was the primary motive forbeing in politics!


    Yan Liang had high political wisdom. If not, he would notclimb to the position of branch bureau Chief.


    "I support Guo Shunjie."


    "Me too."


    Zhou Guoan, Li Mingyu, Zhao Jingxi, Cheng Haimei raisedtheir hands. 4 votes!


    Yan Liang nodded. "Those that support Dong Xuebing raiseyour hands."


    Xu Yan was the first to raise her hand, followed by SongShoujie and Yang Yizhong. 3 votes!


    Zhao Jingxi smiled, and side nced to his side. But thisgesture made Pang Bin furious again. Chief Pang still remembers Zhao Jingxi''ssarcastic remarks earlier, and he wants to stir up the problem for him. PangBin loudly said. "Since Guo Panwei does not have any chance, then I think DongXuebing is a better candidate than Guo Shunjie." He finished speaking and raisehis hand!


    4 votes!


    Zhou Guoan sneered.


    Zhao Jingxi knew from Zhou Guoan that Chief Yan will supportthem. He smiled at Pang Bin.


    Pang Bin also knew from Yan Liang''s tone that nothing willchange even if he supported Dong Xuebing. But he still raises his hand. Hispurpose was only to add some obstacles to Zhao Jingxi.


    Zhao Jingxi''s sarcastic remarks and Cheng Haimei''sstminute change of mind had pissed Pang Bin off.


    Xu Yan and Song Shoujie looked at each other and smilewarily. They knew this was decided. But they were still surprised to see theyhad gotten 4 votes. It was the same number of votes as Zhou Guoan''s side. Thiswas still a good sign. If Dong Xuebing was slightly older and had a longerlength of service, the results will be different. Chief Yan might also...


    "I support Dong Xuebing!"


    When everyone was waiting for Yan Liang to announce GuoShunjie''s promotion, they heard someone saying this. Everyone was shocked!


    1 second....


    2 seconds...


    The time seems to have stopped!


    Zhao Jingxi looked at the person sitting beside him inshock. This was someone who never says anything during their meeting. He stillthought he had misheard. "What?"


    Yan Laing, Zhou Guoan, Xu Yan, Song Shoujie, Cheng Haimei,Li Mingyu and the rest all turned to look at that person. All of them haddifferent facial expressions.


    This person hade to the Western District for more than ayear. He had never expressed his views during their Party Committee meetingsbefore. All this while, he has been keeping quiet in a corner from the startuntil the end of the meetings. Liu Hua, who have always give up his vote, hadvoted for the very first time in their sessions! Liu Hua raised his hand anddid not give any reason. He only repeated what he said calmly: "I support DongXuebing."


    5 votes!


    No one expected Liu Hua to say anything, but at this verymoment, he opened his mouth!


    This was surprising!!!!


    At this moment, Xu Yan could feel goosebumps. She stared atLiu Hua in shock before turning to look at Yan Liang!


    Zhou Guoan''s face was ck. Very ck. He also turned tolook at Yan Liang!


    Song Shoujie swallowed his saliva and turned to look atChief Yan!


    Soon, everyone was looking at Yan Liang. They want to knowwho will Yan Liang support!?


    Yan Liang took a deep breath. He had wanted to vote for GuoShunjie. Yes. That was what he had decided. Firstly, Dong Xuebing was too young,and he still prefers Guo Shunjie, who was older. Secondly, he wanted to sellZhou Guoan favor. They had already discussed this before the meeting. But now,Yan Liang suddenly realized that... he cannot vote for Gou Shunjie!


    Yes. Yan Liang cannot vote for him!


    It was 5:4 now. Even if Yan Liang vote for Guo Shunjie, itwill still be 5:5. A draw!


    The No.1 and No.2 of a branch bureau voted for the sameperson, and the result was a draw, it will be aughing stock if words getout! This Leaders in the City Bureau will think there are some problems withthe leadership in the Western District branch!


    If Yan Liang had voted for Guo Shunjie at the first moment,Pang Bin will surely not dare to vote for Dong Xuebing!


    If Yan Liang had openly voiced out his support for GuoShunjie, then they will not need to vote!


    If...


    But... there are no so many ifs!!!

 Chapter 75: Deputy Chief

    <h4>Chapter 75: Deputy Chief</h4>


    12 pm. It was the official lunchtime for the General AffairsOffice.


    But no one from the office went out for lunch. Guo Panweiwas staring at the ceiling in a daze. Guo Shunjie was smiling confidently.Changjuan and Tan Limei were looking at each other. Zhuang Zhi was typing somereports, but he kept stealing nces at Guo Shunjie''s direction. Even Old Yanstopped reading his newspaper and kept looking at the corridor. Based onprevious experiences, after the Committee Meeting, Xiao Lu, who was taking themeeting minutes, will pass by the hallway.


    1 minute...


    5 minutes...


    There was still no one.


    Tan Limei''s stomach was growling, and she blushed. "ZhuangZhi, Bing Zhi, let''s go for lunch?"


    Dong Xuebing was very nervous and did not have the mood forlunch. "Let''s wait a while longer."


    Zhuang Zhi scratched his head. "Errrrrr... I will also waitfor a while."


    Guo Shunjie sneered at them. He speaks to himself in hisheart. You all still don''t know the situation? It''s evident that other than me,who else will be the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office? Even GuoPanwei had given up the fight. But despite knowing the final result, GuoShunjie also did not go out for lunch. He wants to hear the news from Xiao Lustraight and look at the expressions of the others!


    Shock? Jealous? Hatred?


    Guo Shunjie was waiting for this beautiful moment. He hadnothing to do now and starts to think of ways to reorganize the General AffairsOffice. Yes. Dong Xuebing must be dealt with first. But Director Li Qing wasclose to him, and I cannot make it too visible. I must think of a way. Right. Iwill let Dong Xuebing take care of the office''s cleanliness from now on. Hewill still have to change the water and carry things. That will be his jobtoday! Guo Panwei will be the second person. Hmph! Dare to vie with me for theposition of Deputy Chief? Xiao Tan have been hardworking. I will let her off.Changjuan knew the situation and had been respectful to me recently. I wilso let her off. As for Sun Zhuang and Old Yan... Depends on my mood!


    At the other side of the office.


    Changjuan dragged Tan Limei, Dong Xuebing, and Zhuangzhi toone corner.


    Tan Limei was hugging her stomach and whispered: "Howethe meeting have not to end? If I wait any longer, I will faint from hunger."


    "I think it should be ending soon." Changjuanughed. "Itshould be another 10 minutes at most. Let''s wait a while more and then go forlunch together."


    Zhuang Zhi nervously asked. "Sister Chang, who do you thinkwill be our new Deputy Chief? Is it that Guo Shunjie? Does Guo Panwei have anychance?" Zhuang Zhi also dislikes these two people. Butparing both, hestill hopes for Guo Panwei to be promoted.


    Changjuan rolled her eyes. "I have told you all previouslythat Guo Shunjie will definitely be our new Deputy Chief. Why are you stisking?"


    Zhuang Zhi smiled embarrassedly.


    Dong Xuebing kept quiet and was ying with his fingers.


    Changjuan could tell Dong Xuebing was very nervous, and shesighed. "Xiao Dong. You might not like what I said. But in government service,you must be humble and respect thee, leaders. Listen to me. If you need to bowdown to others, just bow down. If not, you will do harm to yourself.... Sighed...This is my advice to you. You decide for yourself."


    Zhuang Zhi patted Dong Xuebing on his arm. "Bing Zhi..."


    Dong Xuebing shook his head. Bow down? Bow down to GuoShunjie? Over my dead body!


    Old Yan also walked over and said softly. "This office willnot have peace in the future."


    "That''s right." Tan Limei looked over at Guo Shunjie''sdirection.


    Ta... Ta.... Ta... It was the sounds of footsteps. Everyonelooks out at the corridor. It was Xiao Lu!


    Dong Xuebing''s heart was racing.


    "Eh, Brother Lu, Brother Lu! Wait for a while." Changjuanwas slightly older than Xiao Lu. But this Xiao Lu was Branch Bureau Chief Yan''sfavorite.


    This was why she address him as Brother Lu. "What is it?"


    Xiao Lu stopped outside the office and walked into theoffice, smiling with a stack of documents.


    Guo Shunjie smiled and walk over to him.


    Xiao Lu smiled back at him but did not speak to him. Helooked around the office looking for someone.


    Guo Shunjie had thought that Xiao Lu would speak to him firstand then shake his hand to congratte him for his promotion. But Xiao Lu''sreaction... Guo Shunjie''s smile froze! This... this... I am not the Deputy Chief?!How can this be?!


    Changjuan, Tan Limei, and the rest were shocked. Xiao Lu''sattitude was... Could it be Guo Panwei? Guo Panwei was promoted?!


    Guo Panwei saw how Xiao Lu reacted to Guo Shunjie and wasoverjoyed. He immediately stood up and asked: "Is it me?!"


    But Xiao Lu did not even look at him. He looked towardsChangjuan''s direction and walk over. The whole General Affairs Office wereshocked. Xiao Lu smiled at Dong Xuebing warmly and nodded. "I saw you from farwhen Director Li''s office caught fire. Xiao Dong... Oh, I should address you asChief Dong now.... Hahaha... Congrattions."


    Dong Xuebing''s nervousness was gone, and he replied with atrembling voice: "... Thank you!"


    Chief?


    What Chief?


    Chief Dong!?


    Everyone in the office was stunned.


    Xiao Lu smiled and said: "Chief Dong, I still need todeliver these documents. Let''s chat another day."


    Guo Shunjie was panicking. "What do you mean?!"


    Guo Panwei also asked in shocked: "What is happening?"


    Xiao Lu shook his head and did not say anything. He quicklywalks out of the office.


    After Xiao Lu left the office, the whole office was quiet.


    Everyone looked at each other, and then all of them lookedat Dong Xuebing!


    Tan Limei asked in shock. "Bing Zhi, don''t tell me that youhave be our new Deputy Chief?"


    Changjuan was confused: "How can this be? Is this real?"


    "Bing Zhi!" Zhuang Zhi stared at Dong Xuebing and asked:"Howe it''s you?"


    Dong Xuebing suppressed his excitement and showed a "calm"smile: "The official order is not out yet. I am also not sure."


    Old Yan asked: "Is it really you?"


    Guo Panwei had never expected Dong Xuebing to be promoted.He slumped back on his chair.


    Guo Shunjie''s face became pale, and he turned around and ranout to look for Political Commissar Zhou!


    Howe it''s Dong Xuebing?


    How was it possible?!


    It should be everyone else except for him! This must be amistake!


    When General Affairs Office was still in shocked, DongXuebing received a call from Xu Yan. Xu Yan only said two words: "It''s done."Dong Xuebing sat down on his chair and closes his eyes. He was overjoyed!


    It''s real!


    From now onwards, I am the leader of the General AffairsOffice!!!!

 Chapter 76: Congratulations

    <h4>Chapter 76: Congrattions</h4>


    News of Dong Xuebing''s promotion spread throughout the wholeWestern District in one afternoon. All the office chiefs and staff members weresurprised by this news. Xiao Dong was only 23 years old and had just joined thebureau recently. Howe he was promoted so fast? Those with insiderinformation were shocked. Dong Xuebing managed to get Deputy Bureau Chief LiuHua to speak up for him? Liu Hua had been keeping quiet for almost two years!Dong Xuebing even beat the candidate chosen by Political Commissar Zhou? Thiswas too...


    Political Commissar office.


    Guo Shunjie asked angrily: "Uncle Zhou, what happened?Didn''t you tell me that everything will be alright?"


    Zhou Guoan was also furious. He pulled a long face and said:"You still dare to ask me? What did I tell you on that day when your parentsare around? Have more contacts with Chief Yang! Even if you cannot get hisvote, you must not let him vote for others! But what did you do? Not only YangYizhong and Chief Xu strongly object to you being promoted, even Liu Hua... Youtell me now! Tell me when did you offend them? Why didn''t you tell mebeforehand?"


    Guo Shunjie immediately replied: "Uncle Zhou, I swear I didnot offend any of them, especially that Liu Hua. I did not even speak to himbefore."


    "Shut up!" Zhou Guoan banged the table. "If you did notoffend them, then it''s Dong Xuebing who got their votes by himself? He has justentered the bureau for less than two months! How is it possible he gets theirvotes?!"


    "But I... I really did not offend them!"


    At the same time, the Political Section Chief Office.


    Guo Panwei looked at Pang Bin nkly. "Chief Pang, howeit''s Dong Xuebing that got promoted?"


    Pang Bin was also clueless. He also did not know whathappened. "Panwei, where did this Xiao Donge from? Howe Chief Xusupported him? Also, is his rtionship with Chief Yang and Chief Liu close?Have you seen them speaking to each other in private?"


    Guo Panwei replied with a sullen face. "I only know thatDong Xuebing is close to Director Li Qing. Chief Xu, Chief Liu, and... Oh,during the ser matches, Dong Xuebing had helped the team to win the match.Chief Xu was overjoyed because of this. Could this be the reason? Oh, DongXuebing was in-charge of writing Chief Yang''s speeches. This might be thereason. But... Chief Liu? Eh? Chief Liu supported Dong Xuebing?"


    At the other side of the Western District Branch Bureau.


    A man in his 40s said: "Chief Xiao Dong, congrats."


    Xiao Gao from the Political Affairs Section: "Chief Dong,you are promoted. Shouldn''t you give us a treat?"


    Public Security Sixth Bureau''s Xiao Wang: "Chief Dong, I amhere to congratte you."


    These were all colleagues Dong Xuebing knew from the sermatch. Although Dong Xuebing was overjoyed, he did not let it get to his head.During this time, he must keep a low profile and be humble. His reply to themwas that the official orders were not out yet and asked them to stop addressinghim as Chief Dong.


    After lunch, when Dong Xuebing was about to return to hisoffice, he received a call from Li Qing.


    Dong Xuebing immediately ran upstairs to Li Qing''s office.The moment he entered the office, he heard Li Qingughing loudly: "Good job!You are good!"


    It''s important to be humble and keep a low profile amongcolleagues, but in front of leaders, Dong Xuebing cannot behave this way. Hemust not let the leader feel that he was pretending. Dong Xuebing gratefullyreplied. "Thank you, Director Li. If it wasn''t for your nomination, my namewill also not appear in the Party Committee Meeting, and I will not get theopportunity to be the Deputy Chief."


    Li Qing was satisfied with Dong Xuebing''s attitude. Hughed: "There''s no need to thank me. To be honest, I am not the one who helpsyou get this position. Even Chief Xu and Secretary Song did not expect you tobe promoted. You are fortunate. Chief Yang, Chief Pang, and even Chief Liuvoted for you."


    Dong Xuebing was stunned.


    "Chief Pang? Shouldn''t he be supporting Guo Pangwei?"


    Li Qing smiled and told Dong Xuebing about what happenedduring the meeting. He had heard the whole process.


    Dong Xuebing was sweating after he heard what happenedduring the meeting. It was a close shave. He was relieved that he had yedhis moves right. The speeches for Yang Yizhong, winning the ser match for XuYan, giving Liu Hua the pair of Lion Heads. If he did not do all these... Hewill never get the position of Deputy Chief!


    After leaving Li Qing''s office, Dong Xuebing went straightto Xu Yan''s office.


    On the way to Xu Yan''s office, Dong Xuebing suddenlyremembered that he should thank Xu Yan immediately after he got the news of hispromotion. He should not go for lunch first. Damn. He had forgotten all aboutit!


    Xu Yan and Song Shoujie were in the office.


    Dong Xuebing was worried that Xu Yan would be unhappy withhim. He immediately thanked her and Song Shoujie before they could even opentheir mouth.


    Song Shoujieughed and asked. "Xiao Dong, are you closewith Chief Yang and Chief Liu?"


    Dong Xuebing knew that Song Shoujie wanted to know how closehe was to the two other Deputy Bureau Chiefs. He immediately acts innocent andreplied: "I have only written a few speeches for Chief Yang.... We are not thatclose. I am not sure why Chief Yang and Chief Liu voted for me. Could it bethat Chief Liu does not like Guo Shunjie?"


    Song Shoujie nodded.


    Xu Yan looked at Dong Xuebing and smiled. It was rare to seeher smile. "Cherish this opportunity well. I have been with the Bureau for manyyears, and this is the first time I see someone less than 2 months gettingpromoted."


    Dong Xuebing immediately said. "It''s all because of Chief Xuand Secretary Song''s support."


    Xu Yan asked: "You are 23 this year? Your age and experienceare lower than 95% of the people in our branch. There will surely be peopletalking about you behind your back. You must keep a low profile these fewdays..." Xu Yan gave some advice to Dong Xuebing and then asked him to return towork. "Ok. Go back to work now."


    "Thank you for your advice."


    After leaving Xu Yan''s office, Dong Xuebing thought for awhile and went to thank Yang Yizhong and Liu Hua. After that, he went to thankPang Bin and Yan Liang. No matter what''s the reason they had voted for him, hemust still thank them. If not, they might think of him as someone ungrateful.


    After visiting all the leaders, looked out of the windowalong the corridor.


    He thought he needs a few years to get promoted. He never expectshis promotion toe so early!


    Civil Servant entrance exams... Joining the Party... Promotingto Deputy Chief... He was one more step closer to entering the CentralGovernment!

 Chapter 77: Celebrations

    <h4>Chapter 77: Celebrations</h4>


    Evenings. North Heping Street.


    It was early November, and it was chilly in the morning andevenings. There was a cold breeze. Dong Xuebing had only worn a shirt to work,and the material was not thick. But he was not cold. His whole body was burningdue to his excitement.


    When Dong Xuebing was about to walk up the stairs, he sawhis neighbor Section Chief Xu and his son, Xiao Dong.


    Xiao Dong, who was holding on to some reference books, the facechanged when he saw Dong Xuebing. He keeps staring at Dong Xuebing.


    Section Chief Xu looked at Dong Xuebing for a while and toldhis son: "Let''s go."


    "Ok." Xiao Dong looked away from Dong Xuebing and went up tothe stairs with Section Chief Xu.


    It''s been a while since Dong Xuebing met Xiao Dong. Thesttime they met was at the Civil Service Entrance Exams. Xiao Dong should bepreparing for the next exams which werein the first quarter of the year. DongXuebing could felt the irony. Two months ago, he copied Xiao Dong''s answers andbarely pass the exams. Two monthster, Xiao Dong was still preparing for the exams,and he was already a party member and a Deputy Chief!


    Level 3. Dong Xuebing pressed the doorbell of unit 302. QuYunxuan''s unit.


    Ding-dong, Ding-dong. No one opens the door.


    Dong Xuebing was puzzled. At around 4 pm, Aunt Xuan had sentan SMS to him, telling him that she will prepare dinner. Howe she was notat home? Dong Xuebing took out the spare key given to him by Aunt Xuan andopened the door. He wants to help wash the vegetables and cut the meat first.But when he entered the apartment, he could smell the fragrance of shampoo. Itwas the familiar smell of Head & Shoulders Shampoo.


    "Xiao Bing?" Qu Yunxuan walked out from the bathroom withonly a white towel. Lots of her fair skin was showing. Her deep cleavage, longlegs... She was sexy...


    Dong Xuebing immediately bushed. "Errr... I didn''t know youare at home. I... had pressed the doorbell, and no one opened the door.


    "I am using the hair dryer just now and didn''t hear thedoorbell." Qu Yunxuan lowered her head and looked at herself. She was alsoblushing.


    "Errr... I... I will go back first."


    "Why are you going back? Come in and close the door."


    "Oh... Yes....." Dong Xuebing quickly closes the door. He wasafraid other people will see his Aunt Xuan wrapped in a towel.


    In the living room, Qu Yunxuan flicked her damp hair andpoured Dong Xuebing a ss of tea. "Have some tea first. I need to change."She was gentle, and her breath smells of alcohol.


    After Qu Yunxuan closes the door, Dong Xuebing realized whathappened. "You are drinking just now?"


    Qu Yunxuan replied from the room: "Yes. I drank with aclient during lunch. I am still feeling giddy now."


    "If you can''t drink, don''t drink. You might get drunk." DongXuebing was worried.


    "Haha, I know. When I meet clients, I will normally bringXiao Tao from my team. I seldom drink when I am meeting clients. But I had nochoice today." The bedroom''s door opened. Qu Yunxuan walked out. She waswearing a cream colored silk slip dress, and she adjusts the temperature of theair conditioner. She turned to Dong Xuebing and smiled. "Tell me what you wantto have for dinner?"


    "Oh, I need to tell you something first." Dong Xuebing said.He was excited to share this good news with her.


    "What is it?" Qu Yunxuanughed and rolled her eyes. "Lookhow happy you are. You are grinning like a fool."


    "Hehehe.... It''s..." Dong Xuebing cleared his throat and pausedfor a while. "Our branch has a Party Committee Meeting this morning. Afterdiscussion, they decided to promote me to be the General Affairs Department''sDeputy Chief. But because of my length of service and experience, my rank isstill the same, but my sry and benefits had increased. That''s all." BranchBureaus under Direct-controlled municipality are Divisional level agencies. TheGeneral Affairs Department is Section level, and the General Affairs Officeunder the General Affairs Department is Deputy Section level. Unless it wasthose senior officials like Zhou Changchun that was promoted to the rank ofDeputy Chief, the rest of the deputy chiefs can only receive Deputy Chiefrank''s sries and benefits, and not hold the actual rank.


    Qu Yunxuan sat down beside Dong Xuebing on the sofa andmoved closer to him. She yfully knocked his head 3 times: "Stop bluffing!"


    Dong Xuebing replied anxiously. "It true. The order will beout these two days!"


    Qu Yunxuan raised her arm to scare him: "You really think Iam drunk? I will beat you if you still try to bluff me."


    "Ahhh... Aunt Xuan, it''s real. I am not lying. Almosteveryone in my branch knows about this."


    "You are only 23 years old and have just entered the bureaufor less than 2 months." Qu Yunxuan still does not believe him.


    Ring, ring, ring..... Dong Xuebing''s iPhone 4 rang. Heanswered. The caller spoke loudly, and Qu Yunxuan could hear it. "Hello? Isthis Chief Dong? I am Old Liu from the Political Section. I am calling tocongratte on your promotion. Hahaha. I was still telling my wife about youyesterday. I told her that you are very capable, and you will be promoted soon.I am right. Come over to my ce for dinner some time. I will ask my wife tocook something good for you."


    "Thank You Chief Liu... I will visit you at your ce someother day."


    After hanging up, Dong Xuebing smiled and waved his HP at QuYunxuan. "Did you hear what he said?"


    Qu Yunxuan was stunned. "Xiao Bing! You are really the Chiefof your office?"


    "It''s Deputy Chief."


    "Deputy Chief is also a Chief!" Qu Yunxuan reached out andpinched Dong Xuebing''s cheeks, shaking his left and right. "Since when yoube so capable? How old are you and you are getting the Deputy Chief''ssry and benefits? Tell me, why are you so capable?!"


    Dong Xuebing was slightly embarrassed by Qu Yunxuan''spraises. "Hehe, it''s all luck."


    Qu Yunxuan seems to be more excited than Dong Xuebing. "No.We must celebrate your promotion. Eh, you should have told me earlier. If Iknow about your promotion earlier, I will buy more food back. Why not we eatout today?"


    "There is no need to be so troublesome. Just any two disheswill do."


    "Ok." Qu Yunxuan got up and wore her apron. "I will cook awonderful dinner for you now."


    Dong Xuebing rolled up his sleeves and followed: "Let mehelp you."


    Qu Yunxuan turned and poked his head, making Dong Xuebingmove a few steps back. "My little Chief, you don''t need to do anything today.Just sit there and wait for dinner."

 Chapter 78: Holding Aunt Xuan’s hand

    <h4>Chapter 78: Holding Aunt Xuan''s hand</h4>


    "Come, let''s have a toast for Xiao Bing''s promotion."


    "Ok. Thank you."


    "Hurry up and eat. Try my braised pork belly."


    "Wow... it''s hot and delicious."


    "Eat more. Have some fish too."


    Dong Xuebing let out a loud burp after dinner and sat at thesofa with Aunt Xuan to watch the news. In the past, Dong Xuebing seldom watchTV. It was because there were no TV in his university hostel and his family waspoor. Whenever he has free time, he will be working part-time to make endsmeet. He does not have the time to think of the current affairs. But now, DongXuebing was a leader, and he changed. He needs to take note of the currentaffairs as this will be useful for his future prospect.


    On TV, the Central Government officials were talking abouthousing reforms.


    Qu Yunxuanughed and teased Dong Xuebing. "Our Xiao Bingis interested in news now?"


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "I need to work hard for my future."


    "My advice to you is not to aim too high." Qu Yunxuancrossed her legs. But she remembered she was wearing a short slip dress and shequickly closed her legs and yfully pinched Dong Xuebing''s nose. "You must belucky to get promoted, and you must cherish this opportunity. You must secureyour position first and don''t think of climbing up too soon. Your foundations aretoo week andck the experience. Take one step at a time."


    Dong Xuebing slowly nodded. "I know. I will try not to makeany mistakes first."


    "That''s right. It is not easy to be a leader. You have totake care of your rtionships with others."


    The news ended, and after the advertisements, it was theweather report.


    While watching the weather report, Qu Yunxuan was rubbingher the back of her neck. "It will be cold tomorrow? Remember to wear moreclothes tomorrow."


    Dong Xuebing acknowledged and looked at Qu Yunxuan''s neckcuriously. "Are you having shoulder aches? Is it because of dinner just now? Isaid I will help you, but you refused."


    "It''s not about making dinner. These few days I am very busywith work and have no time to rest."


    "Here, sit straight. I will massage your shoulders."


    "Hehe, no need. I will be fine after a good night sleep."


    "We are so close, you don''t need to be so polite to me.Hurry and sit upright."


    "Ok... Fine. After the massage can you help me do Gua Sha?"


    "Ok." Dong Xuebing had designs on Qu Yunxuan. He was not farfrom fulfilling Aunt Xuan''s dream of setting up her ownpany. Now, he aimedto get into Aunt Xuan''s good books, and this way, she will agree to be hisgirlfriend in the future. Dong Xuebing took out the Gua Sha oil and scrapper.He dripped a few drops of oil on Aunt Xuan''s neck and start the Gua Sha. "AuntXuan, if you have neck aches in the future, let me know. I will help you withGua Sha or massage."


    Qu Yunxuan, who was sitting upright with her head face down,smiled. "Ok. Thank you."


    "There is no need to thank me. You have been cooking anddoing theundry for me these two months. I should be the one thanking you."Dong Xuebing was standing behind the backrest of the sofa, looking at QuYunxuan''s fair neck. She was leaning slightly forward, and Dong Xuebing couldsee the fullness of her bosom through the opening of her dress from the top.Dong Xuebing could feel his temperature rising. His first reaction was totiptoe to try to see more of Qu Yunxuan.


    "Xiao Bing, is it done?"


    Dong Xuebing quickly looked away and replied. "Yes. It isvery red."


    Qu Yunxuan bunched up her hair and said. "My left shoulder isaching the most. Help me, Gua Sha, that part."


    "Ok... Ah... It''s all purple now. You caught a wind?"


    "Maybe it''s because I forgot to close the windowsst night."


    Thest time when Dong Xuebing massaged Qu Yunxuan wasthrough her clothes. But this time, he was rubbing her smooth back. The feelingwas different. After Dong Xuebing performed Gua Sha on Qu Yunxuan''s neck andupper back, his hand was aching.


    "You are tired? Take a break." Qu Yunxuan grabbed his handand massaged it.


    "It''s fine. Are you feeling better?"


    "Yes. I can feel the knots on my neck loosen."


    Dong Xuebing knew that Qu Yunxuan''s impression of him hadincreased. It might not be a lot, but it was better than none. He knew it willtake time for her to change her impression of him. He looked at Qu Yunxuan, whowas gently massaging his hand. He could feel the warmth of her hands, and hethought to himself. ''Is this considered holding hands? Huh? This should not beholding hands. Sighed... when can I hold her hands?''


    Dong Xuebing asked himself the same question again. DoesAunt Xuan like him?


    Dong Xuebing had asked Qu Yunxuan whether if she wouldconsider dating him after she set up her ownpany, during his secondconfession in the hospital. Qu Yunxuan did not answer him and avoided thequestion. She should like me, but she was too shy to admit it.... But herreaction might also be she does not like me and did not want to reject me directly....


    Does she like me or not?


    How does she feel about me? Could it be that she is inbetween?


    Qu Yunxuan released his hand and smiled: "Ok. You watch TVby yourself. I will go and soak the beans, and we will have beans porridgetomorrow morning."


    The TV was ying the opening theme song of a drama. The melodyis gentle and sweet.


    Dong Xuebing felt it was a pleasant ambiance. He blinked andmustered his courage to grab Qu Yunxuan''s hand. He wants to see if she willow him to hold her hands. If she allows, that means she likes Dong Xuebing.But if she shies away, that means... nothing. She might not mean anything evenif she dodged.


    Half a second...


    One second...


    Dong Xuebing''s fingers held Qu Yunxuan tightly. He waslooking forward to her reaction.


    Qu Yunxuan looked at him sternly and retracted her hand."What are you doing? You have no respect for your elder! Are you looking for abeating?"


    She hides from me!


    She still does not ept me!


    Dong Xuebing immediately said the magic word silently.BACK!!!


    ...


    "I will go and soak the beans, and we will have beansporridge tomorrow morning."


    "Ok. Add more barley rice. I like to eat barley rice."


    "Ok."


    Dong Xuebing!


    You still need to try harder!

 Chapter 79: First day at work after promotion

    <h4>Chapter 79: First day at work after promotion</h4>


    Today was the first day after the official orders came out.


    Morning. Dong Xuebing looked at himself in the mirror andadjust the suit he was wearing. He purposely leaves home slightlyter andmade his way slowly to work. Why did he intentionally go to workte? DongXuebing understood why all the leaders in the government agencies went to worka few minuteste. That''s to show their status. If the leader was earlier thanthe staff members, then what''s the difference between being the leader and therest? He needs to show his staffs that he got the privilege to bete.


    Branch Bureau''spound.


    "Good morning Chief Dong."


    "Chief Dong."


    A few staff members from other departments greeted DongXuebing politely.


    It was pleasant to his ears. Dong Xuebing smile and nodded."Good morning..."


    In the past, Dong Xuebing walked around his workce at afast pace. This will leave an impression with the leaders that he washardworking and eager. But now, Dong Xuebing slowed down. He needs to create asteady image. His position was different now, and the things he had to considerwas also changed. Dong Xuebing slowly got the hang of how a leader shouldbehave.


    He walked along the corridor and entered the General AffairsOffice.


    The moment he stepped in, there were sounds of chairsdragging. Tan Limei, Zhuang Zhi, Changjuan, Guo Panwei and the rest stood up.


    Changjuan, with thick makeup, smiled: "Chief Dong, you arehere."


    Tan Limei awkwardly greets: "Good morning Chief Dong."


    Old Yan and Zhuang Zhi also greeted him as Chief Dong.


    Two days had passed. Guo Shunjie and Guo Panwei had eptedthe fact that Dong Xuebing had be their superior. But both their attitudeswere different. Guo Shunjie was thest one to stand up. He unwillinglygreeted Dong Xuebing: "Chief Dong." Then he pulled a long face and return backto his sit to type something. Guo Panwei seems to have gotten over the factthat he did not be the Deputy Chief. He smiled at Dong Xuebing and politelysaid: "Chief Dong, I have cleaned up the office for you. If you feel it isstill not clean, let me know."


    Hehehe, this Guo Panwei knows his ce.


    Dong Xuebing had expected Guo Shunjie to react this way. Buthe did not expect Guo Panwei to change so fast. But Dong Xuebing was stillsatisfied with his performance. Dong Xuebing imitated Zhou Changchun and noddedslightly. "There is a meeting at 10 am in meeting room 3. Guo Panwei, GuoShunjie, both of you go and set up the meeting venue. Xiao Tan will prepare thematerials for the meeting. Prepare 12 sets. Changjuan, Sun Zhuang, both of yougo to Chief Xu''s officeter. There are some documents to be delivered." DongXuebing''s position was different now, and he had to change the way he addresseshis colleagues. It does not matter after work, but at work, he cannot use thenicknames "Tan Zhi, Zhuang Zhi" anymore.


    Guo Panwei replied immediately. "Yes. I will go now."


    Guo Shunjie did not say a word. But he stood up and wentupstairs with a sullen face.


    After assigning the tasks, Dong Xuebing entered his smalloffice. The room was tidied up, and it was spotless. The things left behind byZhou Changchun were removed. Dong Xuebing sat down on thefortable officechair and switched on the PC. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Hethought back about the feeling of assigning tasks earlier. He was still notustomed to it. Luckily, he had practiced several timesst night. If not,he might stutter just now.


    Dong Xuebing hummed a tune and brewed a cup of tea forhimself. He then yed minesweeper on the PC. This is the advantage of being aleader. Everything can be delegated out to the rest, and the leader does notneed to do anything.


    After a while, someone knocked on the door. The knocking wassoft.


    Dong Xuebing could tell the person knocking on his doorshould not be a leader. He closes the minesweeper and said sternly: "Come in."


    The door opened, and Tan Limei and Zhuang Zhi entered.


    After closing the door, Zhuang Zhi scratched his head andsmiled to Dong Xuebing. "Bing Zhi, that..."


    Tan Limei jumped and quickly poked Zhuang Zhi''s waist. She suddenlyinterrupts: "Chief Dong, there is a document that needs your signature." Shewas furious at Zhuang Zhi. She had reminded him several times yesterday to berespectful to Dong Xuebing. They cannot treat Dong Xuebing as friends anymore.Dong Xuebing was now their direct superior. They cannot address him as Bing Zhianymore!


    Zhuang Zhi blushed and looked at Dong Xuebing. "Chief Dong,this is the document from Chief Xu."


    Dong Xuebing was speechless. "Tan Zhi, Zhuang Zhi, don''tbehave this way. When there is no one around, you all can still call me BingZhi."


    Tan Limei looked at Dong Xuebing nervously: "Errr... this isnot right."


    "Save it." Dong Xuebingughed. "When I hear you calling meChief, you give me the feeling that you are up to something no good."


    Tan Limei stared at him: "Who is up to no good? Hmph! Youare the one who said this, I will call you Bing Zhi. Bing Zhi, sign here!"


    Zhuang Zhiughed and passed the document over.


    "Ok. Let me take a look first." Dong Xuebing scanned throughthe document and signed it. "Send it to the filing department."


    Tan Limei smiled and replied in a weird tone: "Chief BingZhi, you are so sessful now. Don''t forget us when you be a director of adepartment or the Branch Bureau Chief in the future. Zhuang Zhi and I willfollow your footsteps closely." She expressed her desire that they will beDong Xuebing''s loyal aides.


    Dong Xuebing replied: "I barely got this position and youare talking about bureau chief? Stop teasing me. But as long as I am in the GeneralAffairs Office, I will make sure no one will bully you all."


    "Hahaha. We will remember your words." Dong Xuebing did notput on the airs of a leader in from of them, and Tan Limei was d. Shereturned to her usual ways of being straightforward. But she still has to becareful of her words when speaking to Dong Xuebing. She cannot speak her mindwithout thinking.


    After Tan Limei and Zhuang Zhi left, Dong Xuebing thoughtabout how he could improve this office.


    A new broom sweeps clean. Should he do something about theoffice?


    Who should he target first? Who else? Guo Shunjie, ofcourse!


    Dong Xuebing also knew that if he creates trouble for GuoShunjie, who had grudges with him in the past, others will see him as someonepetty. But Guo Shunjie had been bullying him since the day he joined the bureauand had even imed that he kicks him out of the bureau when he bes theDeputy Chief. Now, Dong Xuebing was promoted instead of him. There was no wayDong Xuebing would let him off. Take care of him and let him off to show othersthat he was a magnanimous person?


    Damn! Who cares about all these?


    I must take revenge on him!

 Chapter 80: This is the perks of having authority

    <h4>Chapter 80: This is the perks of having authority</h4>


    10 am.


    Dong Xuebing was about to call Guo Shunjie into his officewhen Guo Panwei knocked on the office. Guo Panwei had also ordered Dong Xuebingaround in the past, and Dong Xuebing does not like him. Furthermore, Guo Panweidoes not have any strong backings. Other than being close to Chief Pang, therewere rumors that his uncle was a leader in the Customs. This was the reason GuoPanwei was the second person to be dealt with.


    "Chief Dong, I havepleted my task. Is there any otherorders?"


    "The meeting room is set up?" Dong Xuebing asked.


    Guo Panwei smiled. "I have arranged it ording to yourinstructions. Everything is in order."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. He picked up his teacup and realizedhis tea had gone cold. He ced the cup back on the desk.


    Guo Panwei saw it and immediately bring over the hot watersk. He poured the hot water into Dong Xuebing cup. "Please have some tea."


    "Hmmm." Dong Xuebing was surprised. This Guo Panwei reallyknows how to curry favor. He was also very shameless. Dong Xuebing was muchyounger than him, and he could still bow down. Dong Xuebing knew that he couldnever behave like Guo Panwei. He was quite impressed by Guo Panwei, and hehesitated for a while. Since Guo Panwei knows his ce now, then I will dealwith him some other time. I will observe his performance first. "Call GuoShunjie in."


    Guo Panwei nodded and left the office.


    About 10 secondster, someone knocked on the door softly.


    Dong Xuebing sneered. "Come in!" Guo Shunjie sullen facelooks like his father had just passed away. Dong Xuebing can''t be bothered tospeak to him. He just threw a stack of documents on the table. "Enter thesedata into the system and do a back up on these documents. Do it immediately. Iwant it before the end of the day!" If Tan Limei were to enter these data, shewould take at most 3 to 4 hours. But for Guo Shunjie, he will need at least 7to 8 hours.


    Guo Shunjie gritted his teeth. "I have toplete thisalone?"


    Dong Xuebing looked at him. "What do you think?"


    Guo Shunjie was cursing and swearing in his heart. He kepthis anger and carried the documents out.


    After Guo Shunjie left, Dong Xuebing pressed the inte,and Tan Limei answered. Dong Xuebing said: "Tan Zhi, I have given Guo Shunjie adocument to type. Please help me monitor and don''t let others help him. He gotto do that alone."


    Tan Limeiughed when she heard that. "Ok. I know what todo."


    One month ago, Guo Shunjie had given his work to DongXuebing, Zhuang Zhi and Tan Limei. Now, it''s payback time.


    The whole afternoon, all the staff members had nothing to doexcept for Guo Shunjie. He had been typing furiously since morning. 7 hours hadpassed, and Guo Shunjie was exhausted. His back was killing him, and fingersnumb. Guo Shunjie and the rest of his colleagues did not have a goodrtionship. Tan Limei, Changjuan, Old Yan, and the rest were looking at him.They were enjoying themselves.


    When it was almost time to knock off, Guo Shunjie managed tofinish typing the document and pass the Word document to Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing saved a copy into his PC but did not ask GuoShunjie to sit down. He opened up the file and start reading the document. 10minutes, 20 minutes... Dong Xuebing was furious. He stared at Guo Shunjie andimitated Yang Yizhong and other leaders. "What are you doing? Ah? You can''tevenplete a simple task? Do you even know what you are typing? Did you evengo to school? The whole document is full of wrong words. What am I supposed todo with it? You want me to submit this report to the higher ups?"


    Guo Shunjie turned pale. "I don''t have enough time!"


    "Stop finding excuses!" Dong Xuebing banged the table. "XiaoTan also uses the same amount of time to type out a report. Howe she can doit and not you? You have a smaller brain than Xiao Tan, or are you missing onelimb?" Dong Xuebing paused for a while. "I am telling you that I want thisdocument today no matter what. If you can''t finish, you stay back and finishit. You are not allowed to go back unless you finish this!"


    Guo Shunjie was furious and was cursing Dong Xuebing in hisheart. Damn! I will kill you and then... He left the office to work on thereport.


    Before the office door was closed, Tan Limei gave a thumbsup to Dong Xuebing from under the table.


    Dong Xuebing saw it and smile and winked back at her.


    Changjuan saw Guo Shunjie being dealt with by the newlypromoted Deputy Chief and was worried. Just two days ago, Guo Shunjie was stirrogant and confident that he will be promoted. But now, he was the first toget into trouble. Changjuan remembered that day when the Party CommitteeMeeting was still ongoing, she had advice Dong Xuebing to bow down to GuoShunjie, and she was feeling uneasy. She was worried that Dong Xuebing wouldbear grudges against her.


    The more she thinks, the more she got worried. It was almosttime to knock off, and Changjuan touched up her makeup before knocking on DongXuebing''s office door.


    "Come in."


    After entering the office, Changjuan closes the door behindher and faced Dong Xuebing with a seductive smile. "Chief Dong."


    Dong Xuebing could feel her gaze on him. "Have a seat.What''s wrong?"


    Changjuan sat down with only half her butt on the chair."Chief Dong, I would like to apologize to you. You also know that I don''t knowhow to keep my mouth shut. That afternoon on the day of the Committee Meeting,I... Please forgive me. I..."


    Dong Xuebing was stunned for a second and remembered whatshe was talking about. Heughed. "Sister Chang, take it easy. You are alsotrying to help me, and I understand that. You don''t need to apologize to meover such a trivial matter. I still thought you have done something wrong."


    Changjuan heard Dong Xuebing calling her Sister Chang, shefelt better. "Hehehe, I knew Chief Xiao Dong will not me me. Ah... If thereis no one around, can I call you Chief Xiao Dong? Will you be angry with me?"These words sounded reasonable, but Changjuan''s tone was seductive, especiallywhen she says, "no one around." It seemed awkward.


    Dong Xuebing coughed. "Sister Chang, it''s fine. I don''t mindit."


    "Ah!"


    "It''s time to knock off. You should go back early. Do youneed to fetch your child?"


    "My husband will fetch my child." Changjuanughed. "ChiefXiao Dong, I will go back first. If you need me in any way, just let me know."She moved her right leg outwards, and her skirt was stretched opened. DongXuebing could almost see everything under her skirt.


    Damn! What is she doing now?


    Dong Xuebing could feel his temperature rising. AfterChangjuan left the office, Dong Xuebing wiped the sweat off his forehead.


    Wow... It was a special day today. There was too many thefirst time.


    It was Dong Xuebing''s first time bing a leader, hisfirst time ordering his subordinates, his first time scolding someone, hisfirst time being pleased by others, his first time being seduced...


    No wonder everyone wants to be officials. This is the perksof having authority!

 Chapter 81: Receiving gifts

    <h4>Chapter 81: Receiving gifts</h4>


    Because Dong Xuebing had to monitor Guo Shunjie editing ofthe document, he left workter than usual.


    This was the first time Dong Xuebing experienced the feelinghaving authority. He walked slowly towards his apartment. When he was about toenter the building, he heard the sound of windows opening and a bag of trashwas thrown out from a fourth story. Bang! The bag of trashnded beside garbagesorting bins at the ground floor. The stic bag of trash broke from theimpact, and the garbage was spewed all over the ce. Some leftover soupsshed onto Dong Xuebing''s shoes and socks. The feeling was grossed!


    It''s from Section Chief Xu''s unit!


    Dong Xuebing stood there in a daze for a while and looked athis dirty leather shoes. His anger was rising!


    "Xu Dong! Are you fucking blind? Did you do that onpurpose?" Chief Xu''s whole family had this habit of throwing their garbage outof their windows. There was once the trash almost hit Dong Xuebing and hismother. But at that time, Dong Xuebing''s family do not have any authority anddare not offend Section Chief Xu, who was working for the government. But now,Dong Xuebing was also an official, and he knew the custom officials had limitedauthorities. This was why he dare to shout at the fourth story window. "Howmany times has it been? Ah? Who will throw their garbage like this?! Is thisyour family''s upbringing?"


    Dong Xuebing did not know if it was Xiao Dong or his parentswho threw the garbage. So, he just scolded the whole family.


    Many windows in the building opened to look at thmotion. There were also some residents who had just returned from workstanding there to watch. Everyone living in that building was furious withChief Xu''s family arrogance. But no one dares to offend them. Now everyone wasd to see Dong Xuebing, who had be a Civil servant scolding the Xufamily. All of them felt good!


    Suddenly, Xiao Dong''s head appeared from the fourth story''swindow: "Fuck! Who are you scolding?"


    Dong Xuebing looked up at him and shouted: "I am scoldingyou! What''s wrong?"


    "Fuck you!" Xiao Dong was still feeling sore when DongXuebing passed the entrance exams. He was pissed with Dong Xuebing, and he spitsout for the window.


    Dong Xuebing quickly dodged, and the spitnded justcentimeters away from him. It was a narrow escape.


    Xiao Dong had a smirk on his face, and he closes the window.


    Dong Xuebing was furious. "Damn! Fuck!" Dong Xuebing hadnever scolded so many vulgarities in life. He still wanted to hurl morevulgarities, but he saw Qu Yunxuan running out of the building towards him.Dong Xuebing swallowed all the vulgarities as he did not want to leave any wrongimpression with Qu Yunxuan. No women would like a guy full of vulgarities.


    "Xiao Bing, what happened?"


    "Nothing. Let''s talk upstairs."


    Dong Xuebing returned back to his unit and exined to AuntXuan what happened as he changed his socks.


    After hearing the whole incident, Qu Yunxuan''s face changed."This is too much! They are bullying others!"


    Dong Xuebing pulled a long face. "I suspect he is targetingme. If I am not downstairs, he will not throw that garbage bag!"


    "No! We cannot let this matter rest!" Qu Yunxuan picked upthe dirty socks from the floor and ce it in a pail with detergent. Shefrowned and said angrily. "Xiao Bing, you stay here and watch TV by yourself. Iwill go upstairs to reason with them. How can they be so arrogant? How can theynot apologize to you?"


    "Let''s eat first. After dinner, we will go and look forthem. I will not let this matter rest!" The Xu family had been looking down onDong Xuebing and his mother since the day they moved into this building. Beforethe Civil Service Exams, Section Chief Xu and Xiao Dong were mocking DongXuebing''s mother. This incident today was the breaking point for Dong Xuebing.He will no longer tolerate this family any longer. No matter what, he must getthem to apologize!


    All his mood was gone, and the dinner felt tasteless.


    After dinner, Dong Xuebing went to the bathroom to wash hisfeet again. He looked at the pair of new leather shoes. This pair of shoes weregiven to him by Aunt Xuan. Food stains were hard to remove, and this pair ofshoes could not be worn anymore. Dong Xuebing was boiling. He put on a pair ofcanvas shoes and was about to go upstairs.


    Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong... Someone rang the doorbell.


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself. I still have not gone up,and you are here to find trouble with me?! Fine!


    Qu Yunxuan went to open the door with a ck face!


    The person at the door was shocked as the door was openedforcefully. "Errr... Is this Chief Dong''s house?" It was Guo Panwei at the door!


    Qu Yunxuan was surprised too. She immediately smiles. "Yes.May I know who you are?" She could see Dong Xuebing nodding from the corner ofher eyes, and she steps aside to let him enter.


    Guo Panwei cautiously said: "Nice to meet you. I am GuoPanwei. One of the staff members under Chief Dong." He was carrying a sticbag, and there were two items wrapped in newspaper in it. After entering theunit, he saw Dong Xuebing. He immediately smiles. "Chief Dong, sorry I did nottell you beforeing. Errr... these two cartons of cigarettes are a small giftfor you. Ah... you are still having dinner? Sorry. I will not disturb you." Heleft his gift there and was about to leave.


    Here to send gifts?


    Dong Xuebing was surprised. "I have just finished dinner.Don''t leave so soon. Have a seat."


    "Am I disturbing you?"


    "Don''t worry. Have a seat."


    "Ok!" Guo Panwei sat down on the chair where Dong Xuebingpointed just now. He sat cautiously with half his butt touching the chair.


    Qu Yunxuan almostughed as she saw Dong Xuebing trying toact calm. She walked to the coffee table and poured Guo Panwei a cup of tea."Have some tea."


    "Ah.....! I will pour it myself!" Guo Shunjie stood up toreceive the cup of tea. "Thank you, sister."


    Qu Yunxuan smiled. "Don''t mention it. I will go back to domyundry. Both of you can have a good chat."


    This was the first time Dong Xuebing received gifts. It doesnot matter how much this gift was worth. It''s the thought that matters. He waspleased with Guo Panwei''s gift. He did not stop Qu Yunxuan from leaving as hewanted to have a casual chat with Guo Panwei. There are no evesting friendsnor evesting enemies in the world.


    After Qu Yunxuan left, Dong Xuebing chatted with Guo Panwei.


    Suddenly, there was amotion upstairs. They could hear thesounds of people arguing and scolding!


    It was Xiao Dong and Aunt Xuan''s voices.


    Dong Xuebing''s heart skipped a beat. Damn! Aunt Xuan wentupstairs by herself to reason with the Xu family. He was afraid Aunt Xuan wouldget scolded by them, and he immediately walked upstairs."


    "Chief Dong..." Guo Panwei realized what happened andfollowed Dong Xuebing upstairs.

 Chapter 82: Who is your father? A Section Chief?

    <h4>Chapter 82: Who is your father? A Section Chief?</h4>


    Fourth story corridor.


    Qu Yunxuan was arguing with Xiao Dong in front of unit 402.


    "Xiao Dong, are you the one that threw the garbage?"


    "It''s me. So what? The garbage bag also did not hit you!"


    "You still refuse your mistake? Do you think what you havedone it right?"


    "What I did is none of your business. If Dong Xuebing wantsto fight, let hime and find me! What''s wrong? He is scared of me? Hmph!Even if he does note up to look for me, I will also go and look for him! Myfather had heard what he scolded just now. Sis Qu, go back and tell him towait. He dares to scold my whole family? Fine! I will make sure he regret it!"After Xiao Dong had failed his Civil Servant entrance exams and was failed inwooing Qu Yunxuan, he decided to give up on her. Now, Qu Yunxuan was speakingup for Dong Xuebing, and he was jealous! His tone towards Qu Yunxuan was rude!


    Qu Yunxuan did not expect to see Xiao dong''s true colors. Hehad been courteous towards her, and he suddenly changed. She was furious. "XiaoBing might be wrong to scold you all, but that is because you threw the garbagebag out of the window. You even dirtied his shoes. Even a mild tempered personwill be angry..."


    "Who are you? Do you have any ce to speak here?" SectionChief Xu stood in the middle of the living room and stared at Qu Yunxuan. "I azy to bother with your kids. You go back and tell that brat. He will have topay for what he said. He dares to scold my son and me? Who is he to scold us?He is working with the Public Security Bureau, right? Western District Branch?I know some leaders there. Tell that brat to work hard. Someone will take careof him!"


    "You!" Qu Yunxuan gritted her teeth. "You all areunreasonable!"


    The residents in the other units on the fourth story werelooking out of their peephole and sticking their ears against the wall. All ofthem were interested to know what happened.


    Xiao Dong side nced Qu Yunxuan. "Sis Qu, go back. This isnone of your business. Don''t interfere!"


    Qu Yunxuan was pissed. "If this matter is not sorted out, Iwill not leave! Xu Dong! Section Chief Xu! You all should not behave this way!You all have thrown your garbage out of the windows and hit Xiao Bing! You alldon''t even apologize to him, and now you still want to make use of yourconnections to bully him? Let everybody be the judge! How can you all behavethis way?"


    Xiao Dong retorted. "This is the way my family does things!What''s wrong?"


    Qu Yunxuan points at him angrily. "Xu Dong! You..."


    At this moment, Dong Xuebing had heard the quarreling andrushed upstairs. He saw Aunt Xuan shaking with anger. He was furious. His bloodwas boiling. "Aunt Xuan! Who was the one scolded you just now?!"


    Section Chief Xu sneered. "I am the one!"


    Qu Yunxuan turned around and immediately pulled Dong Xuebingback. "Xiao Bing, you go back first. Let me handle this!"


    "What goes back first?!" Dong Xuebing said. "Hey! Don''t youall feel embarrassed? Fine! I will settle all the scores with you all today!"


    Xiao Dongughed contemptuously.


    Section Chief Xu alsoughed. "You want to settle the scorewith me? You? Who do you think you are?"


    "Chief Dong!" Guo Panwei caught up with Dong Xuebing and wassurprised by what he saw. He immediately rushed forward and stood in front."Chief Dong! Sis! Stand back! Leave this to me!"


    Guo Panwei had been feeling uneasy these few days. He had ordered Dong Xuebing around when Dong Xuebing just entered the bureau. He was also rude to him on several asions. But now, Dong Xuebing became the DeputyChief and had the backing of Bureau Chief Xu, Bureau Chief Yang, and SecretarySong. Dong Xuebing was not someone Guo Panwei could offend now. This was why hehad positioned himself lowly and tried to bootlick Dong Xuebing. He hopes tolet Dong Xuebing changed his impression of him. He did not want to end up likeGuo Shunjie.


    Now, Chief Dong had got into an argument with someone, andGuo Panwei felt this was the opportunity to impress him. No matter how manytimes he bootlicks, it will not be as impressive as helping Dong Xuebing solvehis existing problem! This was only a fight. Even if he lost the fight, the leaderwould still feel his sincerity!


    "Chief Dong?" Xiao Dong and Section Chief Xuughed. "Whatchief? You appointed yourself as chief?"


    Guo Panwei was fuming. "Are you asking for it? What are yousaying?!"


    Xiao Dong stared at him coldly. "You are the one who isasking for it! Where are you from?"


    Dong Xuebing, who was standing beside, suddenly rememberedsomething. He looked at Guo Panwei: "Your uncle is also from the Customs?"


    "Yes." Guo Panwei nodded. "Huh? This family is also fromCustoms? Beijing Customs?"


    Guo Panwei looked at Section Chief Xu. He looks familiar.Section Chief Xu also looked at Guo Panwei. He remembers seeing Guo Panweibefore.


    Xiao Dongughed. "Oh, such a coincident. What is youruncle''s name? Go back and ask if he knows my father!"


    Ah? Guo Panwei was shocked. From the way this person speaks,that middle age man seems to be holding a high rank. Bureau Director rank orDeputy Bureau Director rank?


    Dong Xuebing saw Guo Panwei keeping quiet and was pissed.Didn''t Guo Panwei say he will settle this?


    "Huh? Why are you keeping quiet?" Xiao Dong shoutedarrogantly. "I am asking you! What is your uncle''s name?! I will ask my fatherto give him some special treatment!"


    Section Chief Xu sneered. "Which department if your unclein? Airport Customs? Zhongguancun Customs? Beijing Economic and TechnologicalDevelopment Zone Customs? Or is he from the main office?"


    Huh? Guo Panwei felt he had shot himself in the foot. Hestood there without saying anything. He wanted to please Dong Xuebing, but hecannot get his uncle into trouble. He had a close rtionship with his uncle.


    Dong Xuebing knew he could not rely on Guo Panwei. Hestepped forward!


    Qu Yunxuan saw Dong Xuebing stepping forward. Sheimmediately grabbed Dong Xuebing and shouted. "Section Chief Xu! You are also acivil servant. You..."


    Before Qu Yunxuan could continue, Guo Panwei interrupted."Huh? Sis, what did you say?"


    Qu Yunxuan was stunned. She looked at Guo Panwei. "What didI say?"


    Guo Panwei could not believe his ears. He stared at XiaoDong. "Who is your father? Section Chief Xu? Section Chief?"


    "That''s right!" Xiao Dong replied confidently.


    "@$#$^%$&$%^@%#$^$%&!!!!" Guo Panwei also hurled allsorts of vulgarities at him. Damn! I had nearly lost face in front of ChiefDong! Who is this small Section Chief trying to scare? Dare to boost as if hewas some big shot! I still thought you are the Bureau Director rank! Guo Panweiimmediately puffed out his chest and did not even look at them. He smiled toDong Xuebing. "Chief Dong watch me!"


    Xiao Dong said: "I had asked earlier, what chief is he? Hehas only entered the government service for two..."


    "You shut up!" Guo Panwei did not look at Xiao Dong. Hestared at Section Chief Xu. "A Section Chief in Customs? Which department areyou from? What is your name?" Everyone was shocked. Guo Panwei suddenly ppedhis forehead. "I remember now. No wonder why I find you so familiar. There was once when I followed my uncle to the head office to do something, and you arethe one who opened the car doors for us, right?"

 Chapter 83: Apology

    <h4>Chapter 83: Apology</h4>


    Xiao Dong was stunned when he heard what Guo Panwei said.How could his father help other people open car doors?


    Section Chief Xu was shocked. "Your uncle is..."


    Guo Panwei nced at the both of them and said proudly:"Liu Guowei!"


    Section Chief Xu jumped. "Chief Liu? Chief Liu from Economicand Technological Development Zone Customs?" He immediately looks at GuoPanwei''s face. One second passed, two seconds passed, three seconds passed....Section Chief Xu remembered that day. He took in a deep breath and had anembarrassed look on his face. His face turned red immediately. "Ahh... You areChief Liu''s nephew... This... it''s a misunderstanding. This is amisunderstanding!"


    Xiao Dong was still in shocked. "Dad!"


    Section Chief Xu shouted: "Get back to your room!"


    "I... I..."


    From his father''s reaction, Xiao Dong knew the other party''suncle was a higher rank than his father, and it was much higher. Yes. SectionChief Xu might be somebody in the main office, butpared to Chief Liu, hewas miles behind. There were not on the same level. Section Chief Xu wasregretting. If he knew this person was Chief Liu''s rtive, he would not saythose words just now! Also, how did that brat be Chief Liu''s nephewsuperior? Section Chief was puzzled.


    "I don''t think this is a misunderstanding!" Guo Panwei wasnot willing to let him off. "Tell me, which part of this matter is amisunderstanding?"


    "Errr..."


    Dong Xuebing was surprised to see Guo Panwei taking controlof the whole situation. He exchanged looks with Qu Yunxuan and then give GuoPanwei an approval look. This Guo Panwei was really something, Dong Xuebingthought to himself.


    Guo Panwei saw the appreciative looks from Dong Xuebing, andhe knew he had left a good impression with him. He immediately stares atSection Chief Xu and indirectly bootlicks Dong Xuebing. "I don''t know whathappened in the past. But our Chief Dong is kind and generous to everyone. Hehas a mild temper. Since he has conflicts with your family, then it must be youhave done something wrong and make Chief Dong angry!"


    What Guo Panwei said was very unreasonable. But it waspleasant to Dong Xuebing''s ears.


    Section Chief Xu did not dare to refute Guo Panwei. He wipedthe cold sweat in his palms. "It''s my son who is at fault. That..."


    "Stop finding excuses!" Guo Panwei interrupted him. "Sinceyou all are at fault, why are you all still so arrogant? Who do you think youare? You still dare to scold my sister earlier? Damn! Who are you to scold him?Let me tell you! Scolding sis is the same as scolding our Chief Dong! ScoldingChief Dong is the same as scolding me, Guo Panwei! This is equivalent toscolding my uncle! What are you trying to do? Ah? You dare to scold my uncle?If I remember correctly, you should be a Section Chief at one of the branchoffices? Your surname is Xu?! Fine! I will remember you!"


    Section Chief Xu was panicking. How did this turn out to bescolding Chief Liu? He immediately tried to defend himself. "No. I did notscold Chief Liu..."


    Guo Panwei really knows how to handle such situations. Heimmediately passes the ball to Dong Xuebing. "Chief Dong, what do you think weshould do? Just one word from you, I will call my uncle now."


    Section Chief Xu quickly shouted: "No! No! Xuebing, it''s amisunderstanding. It''s really a misunderstanding!"


    Dong Xuebing was feeling good from what Guo Panwei had said.He looked at the flustered Section Chief Xu and his humiliated son, Xiao Dong.His anger subsided. A few secondster, Dong Xuebing looked at Qu Yunxuan andGuo Panwei. "Let''s go back." Dong Xuebing had the upper hand right now, and hewas not in a rush to make any decision.


    "Xuebing... Errr... I...." Section Chief Xu was at a loss forwords.


    Guo Panwei let out a loud "Hmph!" before following DongXuebing downstairs.


    At level 3, Guo Panwei smiled to Dong Xuebing. "Chief Dong,my uncle has some authority in Customs. It should not be a problem to transferhim out. It''ste now, and you need to rest. I will go back first. If you needme for anything, just give me a call!"


    Dong Xuebing nodded. His impression of Guo Panwei had changedgreatly. "Then, I will not ask you to stay longer. Panwei, be careful on yourway back."


    "Yes!" Guo Panwei could read between the lines. Dong Xuebinghad changed the way he addresses him. It was a load off his mind.


    One hourter.


    Unit 301. Dong Xuebing''s living room.


    Dong Xuebing will not ask Guo Panwei to let his uncletransfer Section Chief Xu to a useless department. It was not about whether GuoPanwei would be able to persuade his uncle or whether if his uncle had theauthority to order this transfer. It was because Dong Xuebing does not want toowe Guo Panwei any favors. Personal favors cannot be owe. Dong Xuebing and QuYunxuan were discussing how to settle this incident in the living room.


    Ding-dong, ding-dong. Someone was at the door.


    Qu Yunxuan blinked. "I will get it." She got up and went toopen the door.


    It was Section Chief Xu and Xiao Dong standing outside. QuYunxuan''s face twitched and step aside to let them enter.


    Dong Xuebing knew what they wanted, but he still asked."What do you want from me, sote at night?"


    Section Chief Xu pulled Xiao Dong towards him roughly andce a shoe box and two bottles of Maotai on the coffee table. He smiled:"Xuebing, I had drunk too much earlier and said something that offended you.Please don''t mind what I said. Errr... It''s this brat fault tonight. He shouldnot have thrown rubbish out of the window. Hehe... I had brought him to the mallearlier to buy a pair of leather shoes for you. Oh, here are two bottles ofalcohol. Please ept it." Section Chief Xu stared at his son: "What are youwaiting for?! Apologize to Xuebing now!"


    Xiao Dong''s face was all red, but he did not utter a word.


    Section Chief Xu immediately gave him a p. "Hurry up!"


    Xiao Dong gritted his teeth and said. "I am sorry!"


    Dong Xuebing was ignoring both of them and sipping on histea. But he was feeling great in his heart.


    Section Chief Xu smiled awkwardly and turned to Qu Yunxuan."Yunxuan, I am feeling sober now, and I regretted what I said earlier. I shouldnot have said those unpleasant words. If you are still sore over what I said,you can scold me now!"


    Qu Yunxuan shook her head.


    Section Chief Xu continued. "I will not drink so much in thefuture. Yunxuan, we are all neighbors, please don''t take it to heart." Aftersaying that, he gave Xiao Dong a kick.


    Xiao Dong lowered his head and said: "Sister Qu, I am too impulsiveearlier. I''m sorry."


    Qu Yunxuan looked at them and said: "I always think thatevery one of us should be reasonable. You hit someone with the things youthrow, and you should apologize. You all should not be arrogant and threatenothers. If you apologize from the start, will there be so many troubles? We areall neighbors, and no one likes for things to turn out this way."


    Xiao Dong''s lips had turned purple. "I''m very sorry."


    Section Chief Xu pped the back of Xiao Dong''s head. "Ihad spoiled him!" He kept quiet for a few seconds and then said to DongXuebing. "Xuebing, I still have not congratted you for your promotion.Hahaha, you have just entered the bureau, and you got promoted? Ah.... You willhave a bright future. Let''s find a day to celebrate. I will treat you todinner. Errr... Xuebing, can you tell Chief Liu''s nephew..."


    Dong Xuebing had a stern look on his face. But in his heart,he wasughing. They had apologized andpensated him with a pair of leathershoes and two bottles of Maotai. This was more than what he and Aunt Xuan haddiscussed earlier. They had only wanted to demand an apology and a new pair ofshoes. Now, they received two bottles of expensive Maotai. But Dong Xuebingcannot ept the apology too quick. He kept quiet and looked at Qu Yunxuan.


    Section Chief Xu smiled awkwardly: "Yunxuan..."


    Qu Yunxuan knew what Dong Xuebing had in mind. She pausedfor a while and sighed. "You all go back first. Let me speak to Xiao Bing."


    Section Chief Xu felt better. "Ok, ok. Thank you."


    Xiao Dong said with a stiffed voice. "Thank you, Sister Qu."


    "Xuebing, we will go back first. We will treat you to dinnersome other days."


    The door closed, and the father and son went back.


    Qu Yunxuan walked back to the living room and saw DongXuebing still had a stern look on his face, pretending to drink his tea. Shughed and knocked his head yfully. "Stop pretending! They had leftalready. Are you trying to put on aires with me?"


    Dong Xuebingughed and asked: "Aunt Xuan, are you feelingbetter?"


    Qu Yunxuan alsoughed and rolled her eyes. "You ah... Let''ssee what shoes did they buy for you." She turned and opened the shoebox. "Oh...this leather feels good, and it''s branded. It is much more expensive than thepair I bought for you. The Maotai is also a costly brand. Oh, we still have notopened up the two cartons of cigarettes your colleague gave you." She walkedover to the sofa and unwrapped the two cartons of cigarettes given by Guo Panwei."Chunghwa brand? Two cartons? It cost a few hundred RMB for one carton."


    Dong Xuebing suddenly stood up and said. "I nearly forgot.Aunt Xuan, check if there is any cash in the gifts."


    "Cash?" Qu Yunxuan checked the cigarettes and the Maotaiboxes. She smiled and shook her head. "There is nothing in the Maotai boxes,and the cigarettes are still wrap up in a stic wrap."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Ok. We must not do anything wrong."


    "But you still received the cigarettes? Isn''t that wrong?"


    "Ahhh... This is different. Cigarettes and alcohol are usualgifts. But if money is given as gifts, it will be different. Money cannot beepted!" Dong Xuebing did not want to make this mistake over a small sum ofmoney. It was not worth it.


    After keeping the cigarettes and alcohol, Qu Yunxuan stoodin the living room, looking at Dong Xuebing for a long time.


    Dong Xuebing blushed and touched his face. "What''s wrong?"


    Qu Yunxuan smiled. "Since the day Section Chief Xu waspromoted, his family had be very arrogant. Everyone in the estate is afraidof offending them. Look at what happened earlier. Sighed... Our Xiao Bing hadgrown up and became sessful. Now, people havee up to your apartment togive gifts and bootlick. When something happens, your subordinate will stepforward to help you settle it. If it was our newspaper agency or a privatpany, a leader with the same rank will not be able to enjoy this respect andtreatment."


    After hearing this, Dong Xuebing had a sense of achievement.That''s right. He and his mother had to bow down to Section Chief Xu in the pastwhenever they met. They were afraid of offending this ''Big Shot.'' But now?Section Chief Xu and Xiao Dong had lost face in front of him. In the future,they will try all means to avoid him!


    Notes: Typical face pping plot in Chinese novels. But it still feels good to see arrogant characters being pped in the face. Maotai is a ChunghwaCigarrette.

 Chapter 84: D*mn! Did something wrong!

    <h4>Chapter 84: D*mn! Did something wrong!</h4>


    The next day.


    "Eh, have you heard it?


    "Heard what?"


    "Xuebing had scolded Section Chief Xu and Xiao Dong!"


    "Really? When did that happen?"


    "Last night. I tell you..."


    News of the arrogant father and son getting scolded by DongXuebing spread in the estate. Everyone who heard the news was shocked, and manydo not believe it. But when they saw the gloomy look on Section Chief Xu andhis familying downstairs, they knew it was true. Section Chief Xu''s familywas moving out! Those residents who were strolling, ying chess, marketing,etc. were all talking aboutst night incident. Some said that Dong Xuebinghad be a high ranking official and some said that Dong Xuebing had beat upSection Chief Xu and Xiao Dong, and they were too embarrassed to continueliving in this building. They had no choice but to move out. All sorts ofrumors were flying.


    Section Chief Xu and his family were finally moving out.


    Actually, the Customs had given Section Chief Xu anapartment more than 6 months ago, and they should have moved a long time ago.But Section Chief Xu was someone who wanted to be first in a vige thansecond in Rome. There were many high ranking officers at the new apartment, andhe was nothing there. He could not show off his status. Only in this smallhousing estate at North Heping Street, he could enjoy the sense of superiority.But now, after he was forced to bow down to Dong Xuebing, he could no longerlive here. So,st night, Section Chief Xu contacted a housing agent to rentout this apartment and move out early this morning.


    Western District Branch Bureau, General Affairs Office.


    Dong Xuebing was sitting in his office with his legs crossed,reading the newspapers when he received an SMS from Qu Yunxuan. ''The Xu familyhad moved out.''


    "Huh? Move out over such a small matter?" Dong Xuebing wassurprised. He immediately replied to Qu Yunxuan. "Then we will have peace inthe future." Good riddance. Dong Xuebing also did not want to see theirirritating faces. He put down his iPhone 4 and thought aboutst night''sincident. The incident was settled because of Guo Panwei. Dong Xuebing pickedup the phone on the desk and called outside. It was Tan Limei who answered it. "TanZhi, ask Guo Panwei toe into my office."


    A few secondster, Guo Panwei knocked and entered theoffice. "Chief Dong, are you looking for me?"


    Dong Xuebing nodded and said: "Tomorrow I will be out of office. When I am not around, help me look after the rest of the staffs. Makesure everything in the office is in order. If I am not back in the afternoon,send the important documents or any documents which require a signature toChief Xu Yan and let her handle it. Remember to handle those ssifieddocuments yourself. Just say it''s my instructions if anyone questions you. Idon''t trust anyone else."


    Guo Panwei was on cloud nine. He replied excitedly. "Thankyou for your trust in me. Rest assured, I will make sure everything in theoffice is in order. I will pay special attention to Guo Shunjie. Oh, should Iincrease his workload? He does not have much work every day. This will affectthe other colleagues. If any leaderes in for rounds, they will think thatour General Affairs Office have nothing to do." Guo Panwei had conflicts withGuo Shunjie a few days ago and had a grudge against him.


    ''You are very evil.'' Dong Xuebing thought to himself. "Youcan make the decisions."


    Guo Panwei acknowledged. "Then I will go back to work. If you need anything, just give me a call."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. After Guo Panwei left the office andcloses the door, Dong Xuebing picked up a few forms and walk out of his room.Tan Limei and Guo Panwei immediately sit upright, and Changjuan quickly putdown her eyebrow pencil and ce her hands on the keyboard. Old Yan also putdown his newspaper and pick up a piece of report. Guo Shunjie looked up andthen continue typing furiously. Dong Xuebing was feeling great to seeeveryone''s reaction. It feels good to be a leader!


    Dong Xuebing walked around the office and then went upstairsto Xu Yan''s office to discuss his task tomorrow.


    After Dong Xuebing returned to his office, he sat down inhis leather chair and sip on his tea. It was so rxing at work.


    Just when Dong Xuebing was thinking about how topletethe task given to him by Deputy Chief Xu Yan, he heard people outside greeting"Director Li!" Dong Xuebing''s office door opened suddenly, and Li Qing walkedin without knocking.


    Dong Xuebing was shocked. He immediately stands up."Director Li." What was wrong? Why was Li Qing so furious?


    Li Qing looked at Dong Xuebing in his eyes and asked: "ChiefXu had given a task to the General Affairs Office in the morning? How can I amnot informed?!"


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. "Ah.... Chief Xu did not tell youabout it?"


    Li Qing shouted with a ck face. "Tell me? Chief Xu is myleader! Does she have the need to report all these things to me? Chief Dong,what is wrong with you? The relocation of ''Guesthouse'' is a critical missionordered by Branch Bureau Party Committee! Fine! It''s been several hours, and I,as the Chief of General Affairs Office, is still not aware of this task? If itweren''t for Guo Shunjie, I still would not know about this mission given by theCommittee and Chief Xu!"


    Guo Shunjie?


    Damn! He backstabbed me!


    But this was also Dong Xuebing''s fault. He had be conceitedafter his promotion to Deputy Chief. Also, Li Qing had left everything to himand seldom care about the work in the General Affairs Office. This was why DongXuebing forgot to inform him and went to Chief Xu Yan straight with the formsfor approval. Damn. He had skipped his direct superior and went directly to thetop leader. This was a taboo in the Government sector. Dong Xuebing had coldsweat when he thought about this. He knew why Li Qing was so furious. AlthoughLi Qing had helped him in the past, he should not have done this!


    Dong Xuebing tried to exin himself: "Director, it''s myoversight. I..."


    "Don''t need to exin!" Li Qing stared at Dong Xuebing andstormed out of the office. He was considering taking back all the authoritieshe had given to Dong Xuebing and the General Affairs Office.


    Guo Shunjie wasughing in his heart when he thought aboutwhat was going on in Dong Xuebing''s office. Hahahaha. Serve you, right!


    Dong Xuebing chased after Li Qing: "Director! Director!" LiQing did not even look back. Dong Xuebing could see Guo Shunjie holding backhisughter and was furious. He stopped chasing immediately!


    Fuck!


    BACK!


    BACK!!


    BACK!!!


    ...


    The scenes changed!


    Dong Xuebing was holding on to a cup of hot tea and wasstill smiling. The moment time returns back to one minute ago, his smiledisappeared. He quickly put down his teacup and grabs the few forms on hisdesk. He immediately rushes out of his office with the forms.


    Tan Limei, Guo Panwei, and the rest were shocked. They didnot know what happened.


    Guo Shunjie could see Li Qing walking towards the main doorof the General Affairs Office from the corner of his eyes, and he knew the showhe was waiting for was starting. He smiled to himself and was waiting for DongXuebing to disgrace himself. Guo Shunjie had been tolerating Dong Xuebing andthe other staff members these two days. He was waiting for a chance to makeDong Xuebing fall out of favor with the leaders. Guo Shunjie knew there weremany unspoken rules in the government sector and the inexperienced Dong Xuebing could not bepared to him. Dong Xuebing will bound to make mistakes, and GuoShunjie will use the opportunity to blow up his mistake. This morning, GuoShunjie finally got the chance. He identally overheard that the Bureau willbe giving the General Affairs Office an important task of preparing a proposalfor the relocation of the ''Guesthouse'' and he noticed Dong Xuebing going to XuYan''s office several times. So, Guo Shunjie looked for an excuse to go to LiQing''s office and "unintentionally" mentioned about this task to him. He only wanted to try his luck. But who knows that this Dong Xuebing was too na?ve. Hedid not report this task to Chief Li Qing! Skipping the direct supervisor andgoing to the top management? Hahahaha. This was a deadly mistake!


    "Oh, Director Li, you are here?" Dong Xuebing asked inshock.


    Li Qing was furious as he entered the office. He had highhopes for Dong Xuebing, but this time, Dong Xuebing had made a grave mistake.Li Qing had waited in his office for over an hour. He thought to himself thatif Dong Xuebing went to report to him, he would let him off after somescoldings. But he waited for 2 hours, and Dong Xuebing did not even show up.This had crossed the line!


    Li Qing showed Dong Xuebing a ck face and looked at him.He was about to question Dong Xuebing.


    But before Li Qing said anything, Dong Xuebing saidsomething that surprised Li Qing and Guo Shunjie. Dong Xuebing said: "DirectorLi, I was just about to look for you to report a task!"


    Li Qing stopped whatever he wanted to say. "What task?"


    "Oh, it is about the guesthouse. Errr... I had wanted to tellyou about this in the morning. But I knocked on your office, and you are notaround." Dong Xuebing made up an excuse.


    "Morning? You went to look for me in the morning?" Li Qingfrowned.


    "Yes. I waited for quite a while."


    "Oh... Maybe I went to the restroom."


    Dong Xuebing passed the pieces of A4 papers to Li Qing. "Can I write this form in this way?"


    Li Qing''s anger was slightly appeased and looked at theforms. He nodded slightly.


    Dong Xuebing continued: "Director, I should have informedyou once I received the task, but you are not in your office, and Chief Xuneeds it urgently. I am afraid that I would mess things up, so I made a draftof the proposal first. I wanted to report to you after I hadpleted it andyou should be back by then."


    So, this was the reason. Li Qing patted Dong Xuebing''sshoulder and smile. "It''s ok. In the future, just give me a call will do."


    "How can I do that? It''s better to report to you personally.After all, you are the person in charge of the General Affairs Office, and I amonly assisting you."


    Li Qing nodded. He knew he had misunderstood Dong Xuebing.


    "Oh,Director Li, youare looking gloomy just now. Did anything happened?"


    "Haha, nothing. I have a toothache."


    Guo Shunjie was furious as he saw Dong Xuebing and Li Qingchatting happily. He was sure that Dong Xuebing had forgotten to report to LiQing. If not, Dong Xuebing would not be panicking 10 seconds before Li Qingarrived. But Guo Shunjie was not sure why Dong Xuebing could rush out at thst moment to save his skin. How did he know Li Qing wasing to the General Affairs Office? A coincidental?


    Dong Xuebing secretly wiped his sweat. It was a close shave!

 Chapter 85: Treasure that was buried underground

    <h4>Chapter 85: Treasure that was buried underground</h4>


    It was almost noon and nearing to the lunch break. Li Qingasked Dong Xuebing to go to the cafeteria with him. "Xuebing, do you have agirlfriend?"


    Huh? This question again? Since the day Dong Xuebing enteredthe bureau, at least 4 people had asked the same question. He did not want todiscuss this question. It was because he had never dated anyone before in hislife... This was not something to be proud of. But he must answer whatever hissuperior asked. Dong Xuebing smiled awkwardly and replied: "Not yet. I need tofocus on my work first. Girlfriends can wait. I''m not in a rush." This wasobviously a lie!


    As both of them walked out of the grey building, Li Qinughed: "I have to scold you for that."


    Dong Xuebingughed.


    "Work is work, and you cannot use it as an excuse to notlook for a partner." Li Qing felt slightly guilty for misunderstanding DongXuebing earlier, and he wanted to advise him. "You are very young and have beenpromoted to the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office. People will talkbehind your back and unhappy with your promotion. I know you are capable, butyour age is still an issue. That''s why you should get a girlfriend and getmarried soon. Don''t dy."


    ".... Married?"


    They reached the cafeteria, and Li Qing patted DongXuebing''s back. "Think about it yourself."


    If Li Qing did not give Dong Xuebing this advice, DongXuebing will still not think about this problem. Indeed, if he were married andhad a family, he would give others the impression that he was more mature thannow. It will ovee his age issue, and it will be good for his career. ButDong Xuebing did not know whether tough or cry. Where can he find someone toget married? Who should he get married with? But when he thought about hisfuture wife, two women appeared in his mind. One was Qu Yunxuan, and the otherwas... the woman whom he used BACK to help her get back her catch thepickpocket. The woman who said she will call him to treat him to dinner. Thatgorgeous and sexy woman!


    Damn. Howe I am thinking about her?


    Dong Xuebing shook his head to remove the image of thatwoman from his head. She had not called him after so long and should haveforgotten about him. He should have no chance to meet her again in the future. Thus,his only choice left was Qu Yunxuan. If he could date Qu Yunxuan, then itshould be a happy ending. Sighed..... But what was Qu Yunxuan thinking now? Damn.This was not the time to be thinking about this. Dong Xuebing must still saveup 1 million RMB to set up apany for Qu Yunxuan first. In the meanwhile, hemust think of ways to capture her heart. With these two methods, Dong Xuebingvow to get Qu Yunxuan within two months!


    That''s right! Make money first! Even if wasn''t for AuntXuan, Dong Xuebing also want to have more money for himself!


    Cars, gifts, a house, etc. Everything needs money.


    The two most important tasks now were making money andcapturing her heart.


    ...


    Next morning.


    The air was dry and cold. Dried leaves were all over thefootpaths.


    Dong Xuebing, in a jacket, alighted from the bus. He went tohis office first. At around 10 am, he walked out of Xu Yan''s office with astack of documents and a digital camera. He went over to Li Qing''s office toreport to him and went back to the General Affairs Office. He gave someinstructions to his staffs and then walked out of the Bureau to get a taxi toYouanmen.


    Western District Branch Bureau''s ''Guesthouse'' was located atYouanmen. The surrounding low-level houses and several buildings had to berelocated. The ''Guesthouse'' which was used to receive reports from intelligenceofficers, was located right in the middle of this ce. This ''Guesthouse'' hadto be shifted. The Party Committee had discussed and decided to let Chief Xu bein charge of this. A proposal was needed, and the pictures of the presentlocation were required by the City Bureau. If the City Bureau approved thisproposal, then the Branch Bureau can start the shifting of the ''Guesthouse.''Dong Xuebing''s job today was to write a report.


    After walking along the City river towards the west, DongXuebing arrived at his destination.


    Bang, bang, bang, ding, ding, ding, dong, dong... Dust wasflying everywhere. About a dozen construction workers were demolishing thehouses.


    Dong Xuebing cough due to the dust. He covered his nose andwalked to the back of a Hutong. He looked around and started to make notes ofthe surroundings. He also took out his camera to take a few pictures. Therewere still a few people who refused to move. There were 3 old men and one oldy. They were sitting in a courtyard, chatting. When they saw Dong Xuebingtaking pictures, they immediately surrounded him.


    "Young man, are you a reporter?" The olddy looked at DongXuebing''s camera.


    One of the old men said excitedly: "Mr. Reporter, you mustexpose them. They are all hooligans. They even threw bricks at our house in themiddle of the night. Even our windows and doors are damaged. They even threatens that if we still do not move out, they will go bad things to us. This... Thisis against thew."


    Dong Xuebing closes his notebook. "I''m sorry, Sir, I am nota reporter."


    The old man asked curiously: "Then why are you takingpictures?"


    Dong Xuebing exined: "I am an art student. These picturesare for me to bring back as reference."


    The old men and woman heard this and walked backdisappointedly.


    Dong Xuebing just smile and continue walking around, takingnotes. Because he was not writing the formal report, the only jolts downpoints. He wanted to finish his job and make a trip to Panjiayuen or Shilihe''santique markets. He wants to see if he could get any lucky finds there. Now,Dong Xuebing total wealth was only slightly more than 100,000 RMB. It was stillfar from his 1 million RMB target.


    Noon, Dong Xuebing went to a small restaurant opposite tohave his lunch.


    He thought if he should follow an expertter atPanjiayuen. He could use BACK to be one step faster than the expert. Sighed....But there were not many experts around. Furthermore, the items picked by theexperts might not be an authentic antique too. What should he do? Walnutsgamble again? But he will not be so lucky every time. If he only waited forsomeone to open a walnut fruit and use BACK to snatch it, it will be a waste.Even if he could use BACK twice and got a pair of 45 mm Lion Head, he can onlysell it for a few thousand RMB. How long will he take to reach 1 million? Also,there should not be many walnut fruits this season. Even if he wants to gamble,he will have to wait until next year!


    Dong Xuebing had a headache. Even with the power BACK, itwas also tough to make money!


    Dong Xuebing returned to the residential estate and lookedat the half-demolished building. Dong Xuebing was thinking about how to makemoney and taking pictures at the same time. Where should he go to make money?He was not hoping to find a Yuen dynasty porcin vase or a Xuande Burner. Heonly wants something that will let him earn 100,000 RMB! Sighed... Where can Ifind treasures?


    Just when Dong Xuebing was still daydreaming, he heardsomeone shouting at him from behind.


    "Hey, hey! What are you doing?" Dong Xuebing turned and sawa middle age man.


    Dong Xuebing took a picture and frowned: "What''s thematter?"


    "What do you think? Stop taking pictures!"


    "I am taking my pictures, did I bother you?"


    There were some workers carrying bricks behind the middleage man. From his attitude, he should be the supervisor of the workers. Themiddle age man stepped forward and tried to snatch Dong Xuebing''s camera. "Thisis our work site. Have you asked for our permission?" The man thought DongXuebign was a reporter. He had received orders from his higher-ups to not letreporters report on their work site and have negative news. This was why thisman was so insistent.


    Dong Xuebing dodged and asked with a long face. "Thisndbelongs to the nation. Since when did this ce belong to you?"


    The man stared at Dong Xuebing furiously. "Shut up! Give methat camera!"


    "I need to be clear to you first. I am not a reporter. I amtaking pictures for me to draw." Dong Xuebing argued and quickly keep thecamera. He looked at him in his eyes. "Why did you try to snatch my thingswithout asking first? Are you a thief? I can''t be bothered with you! Where isthe person in charge? Ask the person in charge toe out!" Dong Xuebing wasused to ordering people around these two days and had no problems saying allthose words.


    The middle age manughed. "Oh? You sure can talk big. Youwant to find the leader? I am the leader here!" He said and moved forward totry to snatch Dong Xuebing''s bag. "Give me the camera!"


    "Stop it!"


    At this moment, a few workers who were working beside acopsed wall and bricks suddenly shouted. One of them threw his spade andkneel on the floor to dig the ground with his hands. He dug out a batteredwooden box cover.


    The middle age supervisor asked: "What''s wrong?"


    A worker with northeast ent shouted: "It''s a box. Justnow, I dug out a piece of tile, and it was buried underneath. I think there is atreasure in it!"


    The supervisor was surprised. "Treasure?!"


    Dong Xuebing was also stunned. He stretched his neck to tryto see what the treasure was. But he could not see it clearly.


    Another northeast ented worker, who was kneeling theresaid. "There is a big metal chest in the box. I am not sure what it contains!"


    Box? Metal chest?


    The middle age man brightens up. He had been in this linefor many years, and he knew that sometimes people will find treasures buriedunderground. This was not umon in the industry. Last year, when he was at awork site in Changchun street, he found two jade pendants buried under a house.He sold the pendants for arge sum of money. The middle age man wasoverjoyed. Hahaha. It''s my lucky day today. He turned around and stared at DongXuebing. He was no longer interested in getting Dong Xuebing''s camera. Heshoved Dong Xuebing: "Ok, ok! Hurry up and get lost!"


    You want to chase me away now?


    Fat hopes!


    After Dong Xuebing saw the wooden box, his eyes alsobrighten up. "BACK!!!"

 Chapter 86: I will not leave

    <h4>Chapter 86: I will not leave</h4>


    Time returned to one minute ago.


    "Shut up! Give me that camera!" The supervisor rushedforward to snatch the camera.


    When Dong Xuebing did not use BACK in the day, he willpractice using it before he sleeps. After practicing for almost a hundredtimes, he was now used to the ufortableness of scenes changing. It tookonly a blink of an eye for Dong Xuebing to recover. He looked at the supervisorcoldly and dodged. He immediately shouted to the few workers who were diggingthe floor tiles behind the supervisor. "Stop digging! Stop! Stop whatever youare doing!" As Dong Xuebing was shouting to them, he was thinking of a n.That box was buried under the tiles, and there was no reason the box did notcontain any treasure. This was a rare opportunity. But how can I get that box?These people were about to discover the box! Dong Xuebing must think of a way!


    The few workers stopped and looked at Dong Xuebing,


    "Who do you think you are to ask them to stop?" Thesupervisor turned and shouted: "Carry on with your work!"


    The workers looked at each other and carried on using theirshovels to lift the tiles.


    That grey stone tile was about to be lifted. Dong Xuebingwas anxious and loses focus slightly. The supervisor took this opportunity tosnatch the camera from Dong Xuebing. The supervisor tried to delete all thephotographs, and Dong Xuebing shout furiously: "You are asking for it!" He suddenlygot an idea. He reached into his bag and took out his new work pass and wavedit in front of the supervisor. "Do you know how to read? Look at this with yourown eyes!"


    "What?" The supervisor was about to delete the pictures whenhe looked up.


    It was a ck leather card holder. The size was about thesame as a driving license. A silver national emblem with the words "Police," inboth English and Mandarin, was printed on the cover. The work pass had DongXuebing''s photo, his name, and his appointment. Beijing City State SecurityWestern District Branch Bureau, General Affairs Office Deputy Chief. Of course,Dong Xuebing covered his personal details with his fingers as he held up hispass. He only showed the words "State Security" and "Deputy Chief."


    The supervisor was stunned: "State Security?"


    Dong Xuebing pointed to those workers who were trying tolift up the stone floor tile. "Stop working!"


    The workers were afraid that the Supervisor would scold them,and they ignored Dong Xuebing''s orders.


    The middle age supervisor recovered from his shock andquickly shouted: "Didn''t you hear what the officer said? Stop whatever you aredoing now!"


    "Officer?" The workers were confused. Their supervisor wasstill trying to snatch that young man''s camera, and the next moment, he wascalling him an officer? But all of them obeyed and stop working. They droppedtheir tools. Bang! The stone tile which was lifted about 30 degrees fell backon the ground.


    The supervisor rubbed his palms embarrassedly and smiled:"Sir, I''m very sorry. I thought you are a reporter."


    Dong Xuebing was relieved that he had gotten control of thesituation, and he remembered the supervisor''s rude attitude towards himearlier. He was pissed. He did not care if the supervisor was more than 20years older than him and started scolding him: "Reporter? Can''t you use yourbrains?! If I am a reporter, will I be taking pictures in front of you? Ah?Also, what''s wrong with reporters? You are allowed to snatch a reporter''spersonal belongings? We are living in aw-abiding society! Do you know whatyou have done is against thew? Ah? Who do you think you are?!"


    The supervisor replied with a sullen face: "No, no... It''s amisunderstanding."


    Dong Xuebing continued scolding for a while. "... Camera!"


    "Ah... Here... I''m very sorry." The supervisor quicklyreturned the digital camera back to Dong Xuebing. He knew the State Securityhad the most authority. He could not afford to offend anyone from this agency,especially the leaders there. He did not even try to retort or argue. He onlywishes Dong Xuebing would leave this ce. He did not want to be invited tothe bureau for "tea."


    But Dong Xuebing had no intentions of leaving.


    Dong Xuebing brushed off the dust on his clothes and walkedover to the workers. "Take a break first. I have some questions for you all."


    The supervisor who was following behind stared at theworkers: "Answer this officer''s questions truthfully. Do you all understand?"He was trembling inside. A State Security Officer was here.... Was he here toinvestigate a case or was he here to investigate about me? This should not be.I only harvested some stubborn residents who refused to move out. I did not doanything thatpromises national security!


    The workers looked at Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing cleared his throat. "Have you all seen a tallman with a darkplexion in his forties around here?"


    Everyone shook their heads.


    The supervisor was relieved when he know that he was not theone who was being investigated. "Think carefully!"


    The workers shook their head again. "We can''t remember."


    Dong Xuebing continued to pretend: "He is about 1.9 m tand have short hair."


    "I don''t think so." The worker with the northeast entreplied: "We were focusing on doing our work every day and did not noticeanyone around here."


    The supervisor also added: "Sir, I also did not see thisperson around here. Did hemit any serious crime?" Dong Xuebing ignored him,and that supervisor smiled embarrassedly. "Sorry... sorry..... I should not beasking."


    Dong Xuebing looked at the condition of the floor tiles fromthe corner of his eyes and moved one step forward. He stopped directly on thatstone floor tile. "Ok. All of you carry on with your work. Don''t tell anyoneabout what I said to you."


    The Supervisor quickly replied: "Don''t worry. We will notsay anything!"


    Dong Xuebing nodded and took out his notebook to continuetaking down notes for his proposal.


    The supervisor looked at Dong Xuebing and wonder why thisState Security officer was not leaving? What was he writing? He askedcautiously: "Sir, they are still working, and it is very dusty here. Yourclothes will be dirtied."


    Dong Xuebing did not lift up his head and replied. "It''sfine. I will stay here."


    The supervisor smiled and looked at his workers. He gesturedto them to carry on with their work.


    A worker took a spade and looked at the stone tile DongXuebing was standing on. He opened his mouth and was about to say somethingwhen another worker quickly dragged him away. The workers went to work onanother part of the house. They continued to demolish the house.


    An hour passed, and Dong Xuebing was still standing there.


    Two hours passed. Dong Xuebing still did not leave.


    Three hours was gone, and Dong Xuebing was still there.


    It was dark, and the supervisor and the workers packed upand left with their tools. Dong Xuebing''s stomach was growling, and his legsand back were aching. He looked around and made sure those workers would notreturn before removing his feet from the stone floor tile. He quickly ran to atoilet before having dinner at a nearby restaurant.


    The opportunity to get rich was here!

 Chapter 87: A box of books

    <h4>Chapter 87: A box of books</h4>


    "Hello? Xiao Bing? Why are you still not back yet?"


    "Oh... Aunt Xuan. I am still busy with work. I will be bacte today."


    "Ok. Then I will not wait for you for dinner. Don''teback toote and watch out for your own safety."


    "Ok. I will take care of myself."


    After hanging up the phone, Dong Xuebing kept his iPhone4 inhis pocket. He finished thest bite of his dinner. There were still peoplewalking around the demolition site, and he had to wait. He continued to writethe draft proposal for Xu Yan which was due tomorrow. When hepleted theproposal, it was almost 8 pm. It was dark, and there were no one around.


    It''s time!


    Dong Xuebing steadied himself and walked out of the small restaurant.


    The dimmed street lights illuminated that messy demolitionsite. This was only the initial phase of the demolition, and there was no heavymachinery. Thus, there were no security guards around. Other than two straygrey cats and a stray dog, there was no one else. It was night, and this cewas messy and dirty. No one wille here. Dong Xuebing looked at the stonefloor tile. He returned to the spot where he stood for hours in the afternoon.The stone tile was still in the same position before he left.


    Time to start digging!


    Dong Xuebing rolled up his sleeves and squat down. He usedhis fingers to hook onto the cold and heavy tile. He braced himself and startto pry the tile open. This tile was too heavy. In the afternoon, he saw a fewworkers working together to remove one stone tile.


    A bit more! More strength! Just a little bit more!


    The stone tile moved. It was slowly rising as Dong Xuebinguses all his strength.


    10 cm... 20 cm... Bang! The stone tiled was flipped over.


    Dong Xuebing quickly look around to see if anyone notice theloud sound. He was relieved and patted the dust off his hands. He leans forwardexcitedly to look at what was buried underneath the tile. It was a box. The boxwas covered in dirt and was worn out. Dong Xuebing swiped the dirt away andpried opened the wooden box. There was a rusty metal box wrapped in a thickstic sheet in the box. From the condition of the box, it should not beburied too long ago.


    What was in this box?


    It will be a waste of BACK if this box contains somethingworthless!


    Dong Xuebing grumbled for a while and unwrap the metal boxfrom the thick stic sheet. He held the box in his hand, and his heartskipped a beat. Damn! This box was too light. It only weighs about two to threeteacups. He shook the box, and there was no sound. That means the box does notcontain any gold, silver, or porcin items. Dong Xuebing was disappointed. Heced the box on the floor.


    The weight of this box feels like it was filled with papers.


    Damn. Don''t tell me that some kid had buried his diary ornewspaper under the floor tile! That will be a joke!


    Dong Xuebing rubbed his cold fingers and put them near hismouth to warm them. Then he starts to open the metal box. Click! He removed therusty lid of the box. From the dim lighting, Dong Xuebing saw what was inside.Fuck! Dong Xuebing pped his forehead.


    There were more than a dozen small books in the box andnothing else!


    It was too dim, and Dong Xuebing could not see the booksclearly. But unless the book pages were made from gold, how much can he sellthese old books for? 1 RMB? 2 RMB? This should be what those garbage collectorswill pay for books. Damn! Wasted the whole afternoon and today''s BACK. DongXuebing shook his head and walked over to themppost with the metal box. Hehad spent so much time and effort to get this box, he wants to see what waswritten in the books.


    The street lights shone on the box.


    Dong Xuebing did not think much about the books. He took outone book from the box.


    When he took a closer look at the book, he was stunned for afew seconds!


    Wait! Wait a minute!


    The title of the book was... <Song Dynasty history>?The famous Song dynasty block-printed <Song Dynasty History>?


    Dong Xuebing quickly took out the other small books from thebox. Jiaqing block-printed <Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden>? QingDynasty Kangxi block-printed <Three Ceremony>? Lu You''s <Jian Nan ShiGao>? Li Zhongshi''s <Tian Xiang Luo Collection>? Thest book was ascripture from the Tang Dynasty... <Dunhuang Scriptures>?!


    Damn!


    These were not worthless books. These were all ssicbooks!!!


    Dong Xuebing had worked part-time in an antique shop thatspecialized in old books and antique four treasures for two months. He knew thevalue of these books. He was speechless. This was terrific! He immediately tookout all the books and kept them carefully in his bag. He checked the time andwent back to return the stone tile back to its original position. After that,he gged a cab and rushed to Panjiayuan.


    The antique market at Panjiayuan closes early. Dong Xuebingwas going to an antique shop just across the street from Panjiayuan.


    Last summer holidays,Dong Xuebing had sold antique books at this shop.


    The taxi stopped, and Dong Xuebing alighted. The lights inthe shop were mostly off except for a small light. He quickly walked to thewooden door and knocked on it. "Boss Jia, Boss Jia... Don''t close so early. I amXiao Dong."


    Creak... A middle-aged man with a mustache opens the door."Xiao Dong? Why are you here?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled and asked. "Can I speak to you inside?It is not convenient here."


    Boss Jiaughed. "Sure. But my business is not good thisyear, and I have no intentions of hiring."


    "It is not about hiring." Dong Xuebing stepped into theshop, and there was a strong scent of books.


    Boss Jia switched on the lights again. "If you are minuteter, I would have locked the door and went to bed. What''s the matter? Why areyou so secretive?"


    Dong Xuebing was close to Boss Jia and did not stand onceremony. He sat on a Qing Dynasty replica official chair and wiped the waterstains on the table before taking out all the antique books from his bag. "I amhere to sell you these. Errr... I am short of cash recently, and these are allmy family''s collection. Name me a price."


    Boss Jia stroked his mustache. "Antique books?"


    "Yes." Dong Xuebing picked a few books and ced it on thetable.


    "Hohoho... You kept all the good stuff for yourself. Youshould have shown me this good stuff in the past. Com, show me what you havethere." Boss Jia wore his spectacles and sat beside Dong Xuebing. He picked upone of the books on the table and start to examine it. "Wow... <ThreeCeremonies>? These are 4 are Qing Dynasty blocked printed books? These aregood stuff."


    "How much is it worth?" Antique books were different fromother antiques. Because of the high production cost, there were very few fakesaround. This was why Dong Xuebing asked for the value straight.


    Boss Jia stroked his mustache again. "Hmmm.... it is still ingood condition. It should be worth about 4,000 RMB. Eh? Why is the book damp?"


    "Ah... It must be I had kept it in a box at home for too longand did not bring it out to air it."


    "Ok. What else do you have? Let me see."


    Dong Xuebing took every out and ced it on the table."Give me a good price for all these. If your offer is too low, I will not sellit. Hahaha."


    Boss Jiaughed. "You brat. Since you are the one sellingthese books, I will surely give you a good price."


    Dong Xuebing did not believe him. Which businessman is notinterested in making more profits? But he knew Boss Jia for quite some time,and he knew Boss Jia will not lowball him.


    Boss Jia starts to examine the books. "Oh... This <TianXiang Luo Collection> have some missing chapters and pages. The condition isalso not very good. Look at this corner. It is damaged by insects. This book isnot worth a lot. 800 RMB? At most, it''s worth about 1,000 RMB... Wow... This is aSong Dynasty block-printed book? <Song Dynasty history>? This is good.Although there is only one chapter, the Song Dynasty block printed books arerare. This should fetch about 6,000 RMB.... <Manual of the Mustard SeedGarden>? I will offer 5,000 RMB for this..."


    Dong Xuebing was calcting the total in his heart.


    Atst, Boss Jia looked at thest book. When he opened itup, he took in a deep breath. "Tang Dynasty scripture... <DunhuangScriptures>?" He looked at Dong Xuebing in shocked. "You have kept this bookin mint condition. This is great. Where did you get this from? Your family''sheirloom?"


    Dong Xuebing smiles. "I am also not sure."


    Boss Jia sees that Dong Xuebing was not willing to tell him,and he did not continue to ask him. He sighed. "This Tang Scripture... I willoffer you 80,000 RMB."


    Dong Xuebing also knew a bit about antique books. He knows<Dunhuang Scriptures> should worth more than this. "100,000 RMB."


    Boss Jia shook his head. "I cannot offer 100,000 RMB. That''sthe auction price."


    Dong Xuebing starts to bargain. "80,000 RMB is too low. Howabout this? I will not bargain for the rest of the books and follow whateverprices you set. But you have to give me a bit more for this Tang Scripture."


    Boss Jia thought for a while and said. "90,000 RMB is thehighest."


    "... Ok! Deal!"


    "Cash?"


    "Sure."


    "Wait a while. I will go and get the cash."


    These few books were sold for more than 110,000 RMB!


    With Dong Xuebing''s savings of about 100,000 RMB, his totssets had reached 220,000 RMB!


    This was an amount Dong Xuebing did not even dare to dream about.

 Chapter 88: Aunt Xuan, what are you doing?

    <h4>Chapter 88: Aunt Xuan, what are you doing?</h4>


    Friday.


    Dong Xuebing was still sleeping when his mother''s phone callwoke him up. "Hello? Mum?"


    "You are still sleeping? How are you doing recently? Are youuse for your work? Did your leader pick on you?" Dong Xuebing''s mother wasanxious about her son. Her son had finally started working and was afraid thathe will get into trouble with his leaders.


    Pick on me? I am the one picking on others now! Dong Xuebingyawned and rubbed his eyes. He sat up and looked at the time. "Everything isall fine. I had called you that day, but you are not in school. Hahaha, whenare youing back to Beijing? I have something to tell you. Are youingback for New Year?"


    "We have sses on New Year too. I have to wait until LunarNew year." Dong Xuebing''s mother replied. "What good news do you have for me?You have a girlfriend?"


    Dong Xuebing coughed. "Not yet. Errr..... I will tell you whenyou are back. It is only less than 2 months to Lunar New Year. I want to giveyou a surprise." Dong Xuebing had been promoted to Deputy Chief and made somemoney. He wants to keep it from his mother and give her a surprise when shes back. "Oh, do you still have money? I will remit some money to yoter?"


    "No need. I still have the money you sent mest time."


    "Huh? You haven''t finished using it? Didn''t I ask you to useit?"


    "Stop talking nonsense. How can you spend all your money?Don''t spend all your sry!"


    "I am only asking you to spend more money on yourself. Don''tkeep scrimping."


    "Don''t worry about me. We have lodging and food here. We donot need to spend much. I will save money for you. You still need to getmarried in the future. Ok. The telephone charges are high, and I got to go backto ss. Bye." If the call were more than 1 minute, Dong Xuebing would becharged for the second minute. His mother did not wait for her son to sayanything and hang up on the 59th second.


    At work.


    Dong Xuebing submitted the relocation proposal to Li Qingand Xu Yan. This proposal was very detailed. There were also pictures includedin the proposal. Xu Yan was quite satisfied with this proposal and gave himanother task. Dong Xuebing was not worried about having more work. In fact, heneeds more work to prove his capabilities. He needs to show others that he wasable to take on the role of Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office. So,before the end of the day, Dong Xuebingpleted the task given to him thatday.


    Dong Xuebing''s career was on track. He only needs moreexperience.


    His finances were also sound. Money had been going into hisount, and he had enough to buy his mother a house in her hometown.


    Dong Xuebing had 3 goals in his life. Be a GovernmentOfficial, make money, and get a wife. Now, his only regret was with hisrtionship.


    That evening, Dong Xuebing decided to woo Aunt Xuan while onhis way home. After alighting from the bus, he went to the supermarket nearbyto buy lots of groceries. On his way back home, he called Qu Yunxuan. "Hello?Aunt Xuan? Have you reached home? I will cook dinner tonight?"


    A gentle voice replied: "Xiao Bing, I need to work overtimetoday and will be backter."


    "Oh, no worries. I will prepare dinner and wait for you toget back."


    Qu Yunxuan''s background was noisy. Many people were talking."No need. I still don''t know what time I will be back. I might have to stayhere until 8 to 9 pm." Qu Yunxuan held the phone away from her and said tosomeone. "Xiao Zhao, that is for the editor. You all help to edit it first."She finishes saying and then told Dong Xuebing. "Xiao Bing, I am quite busy.Don''t wait for me. Take your dinner yourself. I will grab something to eat whenI am back."


    Dong Xuebing could only agree. "Ok."


    Although Dong Xuebing agreed to not wait for her, he did notwant to have dinner without her. He used his spare key and enter Aunt Qu''sunit. The living room was filled with a woman''s scent, and Dong Xuebing stoodthere inhaling this heavenly smell for a few seconds. After that, he went tothe kitchen. Aunt Xuan was someone who loves cleanliness. Her apartment wasspotless. The kitchen which was usually the messiest for most people were neatand tidy. Dong Xuebing start to prepare their ingredients. After that, he saton a stool and lean back on the kitchen cab to think about his n to wooQu Yunxuan.


    He kept thinking...


    He waited and waited.....


    Maybe it was because Dong Xuebing got too excited and didnot sleep wellst night, he dozed off on the stool. When Dong Xuebing openedup his eyes, it was already dark. His back was aching from the ufortableposition. He took out his iPhone 4 and looked at the time. It was 7.55pm. AuntXuan was not back yet? Dong Xuebing touched his growling stomach and walked outof the dark kitchen. The lights in the apartment were not on. It was dark. Heslowly makes his way to the living room as he wanted to watch some TV as hewaited for Qu Yunxuan to return. But when he reaches out for the TV remote, henoticed Qu Yunxuan''s handbag on the sofa.


    Eh? Dong Xuebing did not remember seeing this handbag justnow.


    He looked towards the bedroom and could see lights in thebedroom from the partially closed door!


    Aunt Xuan was home? She did not go to the kitchen and didnot see me?


    Dong Xuebingughed to himself. Who would expect him tofall asleep in the kitchen? He also did not know that Aunt Xuan had returnedhome. He walked over to the bedroom and was about to call her. The words werein his mouth, but he could not call her.


    Dong Xuebing saw something that made him blushed, and his heartracing!


    The door crack was about the width of 4 fingers, and DongXuebing could hear the sounds of someone breathing heavily. It sounds likesomeone having an asthma attack. The breathing was rapid and seemed like shewas in agony. Theputer monitor was ying a movie. From Dong Xuebing''sangle, he could not see what the movie was. He could only see the website namein the corner of the monitor. Qu Yunxuan, in her white blouse and jeans, wassquatting on the chair with her high heels on, in front of the monitor. Yes,she was squatting on the chair. She seems to be biting her fingers and anotherhand on her legs from Dong Xuebing''s angle. Because of the backrest of thechair, Dong Xuebing could not see most of Aunt Xuan''s body. He could only seethat Qu Yunxuan only had her left leg in her jeans. She was shaking and herright leg, which was still in skinned colored stockings and ck heels, wasexposed.


    Damn! What was Aunt Xuan doing?


    Dong Xuebing had never seen anything like this before in hislife. He was stunned!!!

 Chapter 89: The unknown side of Aunt Xuan

    <h4>Chapter 89: The unknown side of Aunt Xuan</h4>


    Virtuous, virtuous, and virtuous!


    This was the only word Dong Xuebing could use to describe QuYunxuan.


    Aunt Xuan was a gentle woman, and to Dong Xuebing, she hadno ws. She had a beautiful face and a perfect hourss figure. She hadss, educated, elegant, kind, gentle to others, etc. She was his perfectwoman. So, when Dong Xuebing saw Qu Yunxuan squatting on the chair doing ''that''to herself, he could not believe his eyes. Was this really Aunt Xuan? How canthis person be Aunt Xuan?!


    It''s too...!


    Dong Xuebing held his breath. He was afraid that Aunt Xuanwould notice him.


    The half squatting Qu Yunxuan was leaning slightly againstthe backrest. Her messy ck long hair was covering her back and shoulders.Her breathing was getting faster, and soft moaning could be heard. She quicklytook out her finger in her mouth and lower it in between her legs. She thensucks her fingers on the other hand. Under the dimmed lights, Dong Xuebingcould see her fair skin turning slightly red.


    Oh my god!!!! Does Aunt Xuan do this every day?


    This is too hard to ept!!!!


    Dong Xuebing heart was beating very fast, and his throat wasparched. He strained his eyes, trying to see more of Qu Yunxuan. But she wasback facing him, and he could not see much. Damn! Dong Xuebing, what are youwaiting for? You must think of a way to leave without her noticing. When AuntXuan finishes whatever she was doing and sees you in her house, there was noway you can exin yourself. Tell her that you fell asleep in the kitchen? Whowould believe you?! Aunt Xuan will surely feel ufortable, and the chancesof capturing her heart would be slim!


    Dong Xuebing broke out in cold sweat when he thought aboutthe consequences. This was not the time to peep. He must leave!


    Dong Xuebing took onest look at Qu Yunxuan''s sexy thighsand turned quietly. He tip-toed to the main door. The door lock was the oldtype, and if he unlocks it, there will be a click sound. Errr... even if AuntXuan was doing ''that,'' she will surely hear the sound of him unlocking thedoor. Dong Xuebing knew Aunt Xuan was about to finish whatever she was doing,and he suddenly thought of an idea.


    He reaches out for the door lock and unlocks it. Click! Hequickly opens the door and stepped on the ground a few times. Then took out hiskeys from his pocket. He shook it a few times and closes the door. He turnedaround to face the living room, pretending he had just opened the door with hiskeys and entered the unit.


    Dong Xuebing hopes he would be able to fool Qu Yunxuan, butthe sounds he made caused chaos in the bedroom!


    Crash! The chair fell on the floor!


    Dong! It sounded like a high heel shoe had fallen on to theground!


    "Who is it?! Xiao Dong?!"


    Dong Xuebing pretended to not know anything: "Ah, Aunt Xuan.You are at home? I thought you are not back yet."


    "Don''te in first. Wait outside for a while. Wait there."Qu Yunxuan might have fallen from the chair, and she sounded like she was inpain. Click, click, click... it was the sounds of high heel shoes and the soundof a belt buckle. The bedroom door was also closed suddenly. "I have justreturned home, and I am changing."


    "Huh? Sorry. I don''t know. You want me to go back first?"


    "You... err.... Wait for a while. I will be ready soon."


    Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and pped himself in hisface to calm himself down. He must not let Aunt Xuan knows he was lying.


    After about 5 to 6 minutes, Qu Yunxuan, whose neck was stillred, walked out from the bedroom. She was still wearing the same jeans DongXuebing saw earlier, but she changed her blouse to a cotton t-shirt. "Hahaha, Ihave too many clothes and don''t know what to wear." Aunt Xuan returned back toher usual virtuous self. She was totally different from that sultry selfearlier.


    Dong Xuebing coughed. "Have you taken your dinner?"


    "I have just returned home."


    "I still have not eaten dinner too. I will go and preparedinner now."


    "Didn''t I ask you not to wait for me? Why can''t you listento me?" Qu Yunxuan stared at him with an angry expression. "I will go andprepare dinner. Stay here and wait."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "I have prepared the ingredients. Ionly need to fry them. You have juste back. Take a rest first. I will dothe cooking."


    "You ah...." Qu Yunxuanughed and used her fingers to flickDong Xuebing''s nose like usual.


    The earlier image which was burned into Dong Xuebing''s mindreappeared. He could feel his temperature rising, and he took in a deep breathto smell her fingers. Her finger was still slightly damp, and there was astrong weird smell.


    Qu Yunxuan might have suddenly remembered something andquickly retract her hand. She immediately uses her sleeves to wipe DongXuebing''s nose. While wiping, she blushed and exined. "I had forgotten thatwhile changing just now, I saw some dirt in my wardrobe and I wiped it with adamp cloth. I did not even wash my hands yet. Xiao Bing, you.... Go and washyour face now. Hurry up. My hand is dirty." Wow, Aunt Xuan also knows how tolie.


    Dong Xuebing touched his nose, and his heart was beatingfast. "Errr.... There''s no need for me to wash."


    Qu Yunxuan looked at his nose, and she blushed. "Ok. Then...I will go and wash my hands. I am looking forward to trying your cooking."


    "Ok. I believe you will like it."


    Dong Xuebing waited until Aunt Xuan enters the bathroombefore going into the kitchen to cook dinner.


    Just when the oil in the wok was heated, and spring onionsand ginger were added, Qu Yunxuan entered the kitchen with a wet face towel.She used the cloth to wiped Dong Xuebing''s face andughed. "You should cleanyour face. I had used that rag to clean everything. It''s dirty and smelly. Itwill not feel good if the smell lingers on your nose."


    Dong Xuebingughed and thanked her.


    Qu Yunxuan wiped his face more than a dozen times.: "Youcarry on with the cooking. I will go and wash clothes now. I still have notwashed your two pairs of socks. Hahaha, your socks really stink. Don''t wear thesocks until it stinks before letting me wash. Pass it to me once it is dirty. Ineed to soak it in detergent longer."


    "Ok." Dong Xuebing replied embarrassedly. "I will call youwhen dinner is ready."


    Dong Xuebing looked at Qu Yunxuan as she walks out of thekitchen.He was staring at her tightjeans. Today he had seen an unknown side of Aunt Xuan. He was feelinplicated. He was shocked, surprised, awkward, excited... Was Aunt Xuan someone who was demure on the outside and wild in bed?!

 Chapter 90: Affection increases!

    <h4>Chapter 90: Affection increases!</h4>


    "Hehe, our Xiao Bing can cook well."


    "Try this shredded meat. See if it tastes good."


    "Hmmm.... It smells nice. It''s delicious."


    Dong Xuebing had forgotten about what he saw in the bedroomearlier. He was now focused on getting Qu Yunxuan''s affection. Aunt Xuan was solonely to the extent she got to resort to doing ''that'' to herself. But hecannot let other guys take advantage of her. He wants to capture her heart inthe shortest time possible. So, Dong Xuebing did not let Qu Yunxuan wash thedishes after dinner. He washes all the dishes and scrubbed the kitchen clean.He hopes his performance today will add some points. Of course, Dong Xuebing knewthis was not enough. He still needs to do more.


    8 plus.


    Dong Xuebing and Qu Yunxuan were in the living room, sendingsongs to each other''s iPhone 4.


    Dong Xuebing tried to start a conversation: "What are youworkingte almost every day recently? Will you be backte tomorrow?"


    "I will be off for tomorrow and the day after that." QuYunxuan was still swiping her phone. She smiled: "Actually I did not work untilveryte today. I had left around 30 minutester, but a leader in mynewspaper agency wants to introduce his brother to me. He told me that hisbrother is still single and wants us to meet. I have to give my leader''s face.So, I met up with his brother and had a short chat in a caf¨¦ nearby."


    Leader''s brother? Introduce to her? Damn!


    Dong Xuebing felt threaten. He immediately asks. "How isthat man?"


    "Errr..... How do I put it?" Dong Xuebing had confessed to QuYunxuan twice and held her hands once. But he used BACK on both asions. So,Qu Yunxuan still does not know Dong Xuebing likes her. If not, she will nottalk to him about her blind date. "That man is alright. His looks, physique,career are all considered above average. But..." Qu Yunxuan shook her head. "Heis not my type. Also, I do not want to date anyone for the time being."


    Dong Xuebing was relieved and asked: "Then what type of mendo you like?"


    Qu Yunxuanughed and crossed her legs. "I also can''t tellyou what type of men do I like. But he must be someone who is clean cut andmeticulous. For example, he should buy me a bouquet of flowers when he finisheswork. This will let me feel... If possible, I also hope my boyfriend will becaring for me. Look." She looked towards her handbag on the sofa. "My handbagwas identally tornst week on the bus. I have been busy these few days anddid not have the time to get a new handbag. My scarf was also slightly torn theother day when it was hooked onto the door lock. I can still use it, though. Myhandphone essories too. My Chinese knot essory is dirtied. No matter howI wash it, I can''t remove the stain. Haha, if there is someone who can give mea new handbag or a new scarf or handphone essory, I will feel.... Warm. Theitems do not need to be expensive. It will just let me know that he cares forme. If someone really cares about me like this, I might..."


    Might what? Dong Xuebing really wanted to know.


    I am together with Aunt Xuan almost every day, and even Idid not notice her handbag had a small tear. I didn''t even know that her scarfwas torn. I didn''t even see her handphone essory have a stain. Dong Xuebinglooked at her handbag. He looked at it for a long time and finally found thetear. But the tear was too small. Even if he picked up the handbag and examineit, he might also not see it! He then looked at the Chinese knot handphoneessory. It was only a tiny ck dot.


    God damn! Aunt Xuan! How meticulous do you want yourboyfriend to be?


    Qu Yunxuan looked at the speechless expression on DongXuebing''s face, and she knocked his head. "Are youughing at me in yourheart?"


    "Coughed. No, no." Dong Xuebingughed. "Meticulous man isgood."


    "I know my expectations are a bit high. This type of mandoes not exist. This is also why I have not dated before. No matter howsessful a man is, he is still not up to my expectations. Sigh... Nevermind.Maybe one day, my dream man will appear before me suddenly."


    Dong Xuebing asked jealously: "If he suddenly appears, whatwill you do?"


    "Haha, then I will grab hold to him and never let go."


    Dong Xuebing wanted to knock some sense into her. You saidyour expectations are not high, but your expectations are ridiculously high.Where can you find such a person in this world? You are just finding..... Eh?Wait! Wait a minute! Dong Xuebing opened his eyes wide and stood up. This typeof man does exist. Why can''t he exist?! Damn! I still have not used my BACKpower today!


    "BACK!"


    ...


    The time was reversed!


    Dong Xuebing eyes blurred, and the next moment, he couldfeel the soft cushion of the sofa. He was now sitting on the sofa.


    Qu Yunxuan touched her hair and said: ""I also can''t tellyou what type of men do I like. But..."


    "Wait." Dong Xuebing interrupted her. "What did I say justnow?"


    Qu Yunxuan looked at him weirdly. "You asked me what type ofman I like. I can''t really tell you, but I like..."


    This was the time before Aunt Xuan told him herexpectations!


    Dong Xuebing quickly stop her. "Nevermind. You don''t reallyneed to tell me that. Errr... I still have something on and need to go back."


    Qu Yunxuan blinked her eyes and replied. "Actually, there isnot much to say anyway. I should not be able to meet the man I like in my wholelifetime. If I tell you my expectations, you willugh at me. Haha. Ok. Restearly. You should be tired from work these few days."


    After leaving Qu Yunxuan''s house, Dong Xuebing did notreturn home immediately. He went downstairs and took a taxi to the nearestshopping mall. It was still 8 plus in the evenings, and the malls were notclose. When Dong Xuebing returns, it was almost 9.20 pm. He was carrying a bigstic shopping bag, and he went to knock on Aunt Xuan''s door. Aunt Xuan hadchanged to her pajamas, and her hair and face were wet. She should be washing upand preparing to go to bed.


    Qu Yunxuan opened the door and let him in. "Why are you notsleeping? What did you buy?"


    "Aunt Xuan,e over here." Dong Xuebing ced theshopping bag on the coffee table.


    Qu Yunxuan walked over and asked: "What''s the matter?"


    Dong Xuebing took out a handphone essory from the bag. Itwas a Chinese knot. "I bought some things for you. See if you like it."


    Qu Yunxuan was stunned. "Handphone essory? You saw thestain on my Chinese knot!?"


    After Dong Xuebing passed the handphone essory to her, hetook out a light colored flowery print scarf. Qu Yunxuan was speechless as DongXuebing wrapped the scarf around her neck. Then, Dong Xuebing took out a cdies handbag and ced it into the stunned Qu Yunxuan''s hands.


    "Handbag? Handphone essory? Scarf?" Qu Yunxuan did notknow what to say. She had not told anyone about her bag being scratched and wastorn. She will also try to cover it with her hands or scarf when she carriesthe bag. She was going to buy a new bag when she was free. She does not knowhowe Dong Xuebing was able to notice this small detail. Qu Yunxuan carriedthe bag and touched the scarf on her neck in silent.


    Dong Xuebing asked. "Do you like the color?"


    Qu Yunxuan paused for a while before replying: "Thank you,Xiao Bing. Thank you."


    Dong Xuebing smiled embarrassedly: "What''s there to thank?The total is less than 300 RMB." Dong Xuebing was in a rush and did not havethe time to choose the items.


    "It''s not about the money. I did not expect this... really...I... I really don''t know what to say." Qu Yunxuan held Dong Xuebing''s arm andsat down with him on the sofa. "Ah.... I don''t feel tired anymore. Anyway, it''smy rest day tomorrow. Let''s... watch a movie together."


    Based on Dong Xuebing''s understanding of Qu Yunxuan, heknows she is ecstatic now. If not, she will definitely not apany him towatch movies.


    Dong Xuebing brighten up! Sess!


    Aunt Xuan''s affection towards him should increase a lot!!!!

 Chapter 91: Touch the wrong place

    <h4>Chapter 91: Touch the wrong ce</h4>


    Qu Yunxuan hugged Dong Xuebing''s arm and watched moviesuntil veryte. Dong Xuebing enjoyed this feeling. He felt like he wasfloating among the clouds, and it seems unreal. Dong Xuebing did not know whenhe dozes off. He woke up when he turned and fell off the sofa at aroundmidnight. After he realized that he was sleeping in Aunt Xuan''s house, hewalked to Aunt Xuan''s room to peep at her. Qu Yunxuan was sleeping and fullyclothed. He peeked for a while and returned back to sleep on the sofa.


    Morning.


    "Xiao Bing, do you want breakfast?"


    Dong Xuebing opened his eyes and saw Qu Yunxuan in an apron.She has ced a bowl of congee on the coffee table. "Huh? What time is itnow?"


    "It is 9 in the morning. You want to carry on sleeping?"


    "I''m fine." Dong Xuebing got up from the sofa.


    After putting down the bowl of congee, Qu Yunxuan blew herfingers which was slightly scalded by the hot bowl. "Go and wash up beforeeating. If you arezy to go back home to wash up, I have new toothbrush andtowel." It was before 15th of the month, and the central heating hadnot started. But Aunt Xuan had on her air conditional. The whole apartment waswarm. There was no need to wear thermal clothes. Qu Yunxuan removed her apron.She was wearing a white silk slip dress and a pair of skinned colored leggings.Her dressing was sexy and homely.


    Dong Xuebing''s heart starts to beat faster. That slip dresswas very short, and he could see her sexy thighs!


    "What are you waiting for?" Qu Yunxuan knocked on his headyfully. "Hurry! Go and brush your teeth!"


    "Ah!" Dong Xuebing quickly took his eyes off her thighs andwent into the bathroom.


    After breakfast, Qu Yunxuan took out her belongings in herold handbag and put them into the new handbag. Then she sat on the sofa andcrossed her legs. She was still holding on to her new handbag, admiring it."Xiao Bing, tell me the truth. You must not lie to me. Why are you so caring? Arethere any girls after you at your workce? How is she? Do you like her?"


    Dong Xuebing replied with a pitiful look. "No. Who wouldlike me?"


    Qu Yunxuan yfully punched his arm and stared at him."Stop saying that. They are the ones who are blind for not liking you. I thinkyou are good enough." Aunt Xuan picked up the newspaper on the table andstarted reading it. After reading two pages, she turned to look at DongXuebing. "Xiao Bing, you are now a Deputy Chief. In the future, there will belots of girls going after you. But you must choose your girlfriend carefully. Youmust know which girl really likes you and which girl is after you because ofyour position. Do you hear me? Don''t rush. If you like any girls, show mefirst. I will be your gatekeeper."


    "Errr... ok." I only like you. You can try being the gatekeeperfor me.


    Qu Yunxuan continued reading the newspaper, and Dong Xuebinghad anything to do. He switched on the TV to watch the morning news. He watchedthe news and thought to himself at the same time. After changing his appearanceand being caring and meticulous yesterday, his impression in front of Aunt Xuanshould have increased. But how much has it improved? It''s too hard to tell.Maybe... try holding her hands and see her reaction?


    That''s right! That should be able to tell!


    After holding her hands and Dong Xuebing will confess to herthe third time! It''s time for Qu Yunxuan to make her decision!


    Dong Xuebing took in a deep breath while facing the TV. Hedid not reach out for Qu Yunxuan''s hand immediately. This was because he hadfailed thest time. That time, Aunt Xuan had brushed his hand off withouteven thinking. That incident had left a trauma in his heart. He was scared itwill happen again. He had thought seriously about that rejection to find outwhat he did wrong. Dong Xuebing knew the reason he failed thest time wasbecause it was too "sudden" and any normal girls will react the same way whensomeone held their hand suddenly. That action should not reflect whether thegirl likes him or not. After all, most girls are shy. What should he do? Whynot just grabbed her hand tightly and don''t give her the chance to retract herhand? This might actually work! But will Aunt Xuan be angry if he was soforceful?


    After hesitating for 5 to 6 minutes, Dong Xuebing grittedhis teeth. That''s it! I will hold her hand first and then talkter!


    Qu Yunxuan was sitting on the sofa quietly reading thenewspaper. She was flipping the pages and her fair left hand, which was holdingthe newspaper, was nearest to Dong Xuebing. Her wrist was resting on her sexythighs, and her palm was facing upwards. Her little finger was above herskinned colored stockings.


    Dong Xuebing saw his target, and his palm was positioned.Hmmm.... From this angle, he should be able to hold her hand. That stupidnewspaper she was holding was a hindrance, but it does not matter. At most, hewill grab the paper together with her hand. That''s right. Must grab her handtightly and not let Aunt Xuan have the chance to escape. This was a do or diemoment!


    Dong Xuebing closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    3...


    2...


    1...


    Dong Xuebing opened his eyes and turn around suddenly. Hishand reach over to the position he anticipated in his mind and grab tightly."Aunt Xuan, I..."


    Qu Yunxuan turned and looked at him. Her right hand washolding the newspaper, and her left hand was tucking her hair behind her ears.She was shocked.


    Ah? What happened? Dong Xuebing was stunned. Why was AuntXuan''s hand by her ear? Then what was he grabbing? Dong Xuebing looked down andwas shocked. Damn!!!! His hand was grabbing Aunt Xuan''s fleshy thighs throughher stockings!


    Grabbed the wrong ce!


    Dong Xuebing had grabbed the wrong part of Qu Yunxuan!


    "Aunt Xuan! It''s not what you think!" God damn! Why did shetuck her hair at this critical moment?!


    Qu Yunxuan was frozen in ce. She was still looking atDong Xuebing in shock. Maybe she did not expect Dong Xuebing to touch hersuddenly.


    Dong Xuebing almost died from this awkwardness. He knew thatthere was no way he could exin himself out of this situation. But heremembered that he has the power ''BACK'' and was relieved. Luckily, he can stillturn back time and save the situation. Dong Xuebing looked where he wastouching and suddenly could resist the temptation. He mustered his courage andslowly squeeze Aunt Xuan''s thighs.


    One squeeze...


    Two squeezes.....


    Dong Xuebing still eximed: "Aunt Xuan, your leg is slender."


    Dong Xuebing did not wait for Aunt Xuan to react and quicklyshouted BACK in his heart.


    Huuu... It''s over.


    Dong Xuebing rxed.


    The TV was still airing the news, and steam was still risingfrom the cup of hot tea. Qu Yunxuan was still staring at him. The scenes infront of Dong Xuebing... did not change!


    Ah? What''s happening?


    Dong Xuebing was shocked. BACK!!


    It''s still the same!


    Damn! Oh shit! BACK!!! BACK!!!


    Suddenly Dong Xuebing remembered that in the wee hourstoday, he had fallen off the sofa and knocked his head. There was still a bumpon his head. He then used BACK to prevent his injury. He had used today''sBACK!?


    Dong Xuebing could feel cold sweat running down his back ashe looked at Qu Yunxuan and his hand on her thigh.


    Damn!


    I''m dead!!!

 Chapter 92: Holding hands

    <h4>Chapter 92: Holding hands</h4>


    Dong Xuebing quickly retracts his hand, but it was toote.


    He could still exin that he wanted to hold her hand, andtouching her thighs was an ident as she moved her hand away. Dong Xuebingcould still have Aunt Xuan''s trust. But the stupid Dong Xuebing thought hecould still use BACK today and did not remove his hand at the first moment. Heeven squeezed Qu Yunxuan''s thigh a few times. The worse thing was he stilmented on her legs. Damn. How can Dong Xuebing exin himself? There was noway for him to get out of this situation! He couldn''t be telling her that therewas a mosquito on her leg and he was helping her to kill the mosquito. That''sbullshit!


    Dong Xuebing wanted to just kill himself. He had caused atragedy for himself!


    Ring, ring, ring... The iPhone 4 on the table rang. It wasAunt Xuan''s phone.


    Dong Xuebing swallowed his saliva. Hee was thinking of agood excuse to exin his actions just now.


    "Hello? Mum?" Qu Yunxuan answered the call.


    Dong Xuebing dare not to look at Qu Yunxuan. He knows hewill be dead when Qu Yunxuan ends this phone call.


    How long more can he live? 30 seconds? 50 seconds? 60seconds?


    "... Yes, I have eaten.... I am fine by myself. You don''t needtoe over this weekend... No need to bring anything. I have everything I needhere... How are you feeling recently? Oh... ok.... Don''t keep staying at home. Ifyou are free, go out for a walk.... Yes..... Ok..... ok... Alright..... Fine..... Ifthere is nothing else, I will hang up. Ok....." A few secondster, she cedher phone on the coffee table.


    It was silent.


    5 seconds...


    10 seconds...


    Dong Xuebing knew he cannot feign dead anymore. He turned aroundand did not know what to say in his current state. "Aunt Xuan, your legs... howthick is your legs? Your legs seem to be slimmer than mine... Hahahaha... Errr...I just want to see whose legs are slimmer." After sprouting this nonsense, DongXuebing nearly gave himself a tight p. What sort of excuse was this? If heused the exnation of a bug was on her leg, even 3-year-olds will not believehim. But the reason forparing the thickness of legs... even 1-year-olds willnot believe him!


    Qu Yunxuan''s neck was reddish. She continued to stare,angrily at him.


    Dong Xuebing was embarrassed. "Your leg should be slimmer...Cough..... Yours is slimmer than mine."


    Qu Yunxuan stared at Dong Xuebing for a few seconds, beforereaching over to pull Dong Xuebing''s ear. She twisted his ear, "You brat! Howcan you have no respect for your elders? You can just ask and not touch. Whosaid you can touch? You... If it is another woman, she would have pped you!"


    Eh? For real?


    Aunt Xuan''s tone... doesn''t sound like she was angry.


    Yeah! Saved!


    "I am talking to you. Do you hear me?"


    Qu Yunxuan smacked Dong Xuebing''s head: "Even if you arecurious, you should not do this. If you want to know anything, you can ask me.I did not say I will not answer your questions!" She raised her hand. "Don''tthink I don''t dare to hit you. If you touch me again, I will smack you to death!You hear me?"


    Hah! Do you look like you are going to hit me?


    Dong Xuebing could feel his blood rushing to his head. Hewas excited! Was this the result of changing my appearance and beingmeticulous? If not, Aunt Xuan will not forgive him for grabbing her thighs. Shedoesn''t seem to be angry at all.


    "... I am asking you a question!!"


    "Yes, yes. I remember what you said. I will not touch you."


    Qu Yunxuan smacked Dong Xuebing''s arm. "That''s more likeit." She reached over to take her teacup and picked up the newspaper. She thenrolled her eyes at Dong Xuebing. "Women''s legs are all slimmer at the calvesand thicker at the thighs. If youpare our thighs, my thighs are thickerthan yours. Do you understand?"


    "Ok."


    Qu Yunxuan did not continue the conversation and continuereading the papers.


    Dong Xuebing peeked at Qu Yunxuan and thought to himself. IfAunt Xuan were not interested in me, she would surely be angry, and I will notget away with only some scoldings. She would have pped me. But... Aunt Xuandid not hit him and only scolded him. This.... was not what a normal woman do!


    5 minutes passed...


    10 minutes passed.....


    Dong Xuebing was sitting on the sofa fidgeting. He wasrubbing his hands and thinking whether if he should make another attempt. ButAunt Xuan had told him not to touch her. Will she get angry? But the mood nowwas right, and if he were to miss this opportunity, it would be a pity. DongXuebing was weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he made his decision. He mustnot be indecisive. He must give it a try! He had even touched Aunt Xuan''sthighs! What''s there to be afraid of? At most he will get a beating from her!


    Dong Xuebing look over at Aunt Xuan''s hand which was holdingon to the newspaper. This time, Dong Xuebing did not dare to close his eyes. Heleaned forward and reach out for her hand. His hand reached her palms andgrabbed her 4 slender fingers. "Aunt Xuan, is your fingers thinner than mine?"


    Qu Yunxuan immediately retracted her hand and stared at DongXuebing, blushing. "Mine is thinner!"


    Seeing Qu Yunxuan pulling her hand away from his, he wasfrustrated. He did not want to give up and reach over to hold her hand again.


    "Irritating fellow!" Qu Yunxuan had an angry expression onher face and pulled her hand back and pped Dong Xuebing''s thighs severaltimes. "Didn''t you hear what I said just now? I will hit you!"


    Dong Xuebing looked at her. He was determined to hold herhands. He does not care about her angry expression and reach over to hold herhand tightly.


    "Are you trying to bully me?" Qu Yunxuan pinched DongXuebing''s thigh with her right hand. "You are making me mad." But this time...Qu Yunxuan did not pull back her left hand. She turned and faced anotherdirection and held the papers with her right hand to continue reading.


    Dong Xuebing looked at her and squeezed her small handsoftly.


    Qu Yunxuan''s brows twitched but did not have any otherreaction.


    Dong Xuebing squeezed her hand lightly again. He felt AuntXuan''s fingers moved slightly and pinched his palm softly. It was like ticklinghis palm. Dong Xuebing immediately spread his fingers and interlocked with herfingers. It was like how lovers hold hands.


    Qu Yunxuan stared at him and turned away. She slowly...tightens her grip on his hand.


    At this very moment, Dong Xuebing could feel his heartracing. That''s it! He had sessfully held Aunt Xuan''s hand!!!

 Chapter 93: Happiness

    <h4>Chapter 93: Happiness</h4>


    Dong Xuebing knew Qu Yunxuan, since the day he moved to NorthHeping Street. She and his mother addressed each other as sisters and DongXuebing had no choice but to call her Aunt Xuan. But after a few days, DongXuebing was mesmerized by the virtuous Aunt Xuan. He secretly admired her. Hedreamt of holding her hands to go out shopping or watching movies. 4 years hadpassed, and today, his wish hade true. It was too sudden, and he thoughtthis was a dream. He could feel his happiness and excitement!


    Qu Yunxuan was still reading the papers. Dong Xuebing wasnot sure what she was thinking at this moment.


    Dong Xuebing secretly peeked at her and squeezed her hand:"Aunt Xuan, your hand is so fair."


    "Shut up." Qu Yunxuan used the newspaper to hit DongXuebing''s chest and blushed. "If you carry on sprouting nonsenses, I will tearyour mouth!"


    "I am telling the truth." This was the first time DongXuebing held a woman''s hand. He was very nervous. "Errrrrr... do you still haveother movies? Some romantic love movies?"


    Qu Yunxuan replied angrily: "No!"


    "Ah... We are not working today, let''s watch some moviestogether."


    Aunt Xuan rolled her eyes. "I don''t have any romanticmovies. You want to watch horror movies?"


    "Huh? Ok. Horror movies are fine too. Where are the discs?"Dong Xuebing walked over the to TV console and found a <Final Destination>DVD. It was thetest series. He ced the disc into the DVD yer and satback on the sofa with the remote control. After he yed the movie, his handreached over towards Aunt Xuan. He wants to continue holding her hand.


    But Qu Yunxuan avoided his hand. "Stop fooling around andwatch the movie."


    Dong Xuebing replied earnestly. "Errr... let me hold yourhand. I am afraid you will be scared by the movie."


    "... No need. I am not afraid of anything."


    Damn. Nevermind. Dong Xuebing replied: "I am timid. Can youhold my hand?"


    "Glib-tongue!" Qu Yunxuan looked at him through the cornerof her eyes and paused for a few seconds before moving her left hand nearer toDong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed. He happily reached over and heldthat small fair hand. They held hands and watch that horror film. This film wastoo horrific. The actor and actress were killed one after another. But DongXuebing was not concentrating on the movie. He was watching <FinalDestination>, but he was feeling blissful in his heart. Throughout themovie, he was smiling andughing.


    Smacked! Aunt Xuan pped Dong Xuebing''s leg. "Why are youghing? Is it funny to see people get killed?"


    "Errr... this film is interesting. This is a good move."


    "What''s so good about this movie? Everyone is all dead."


    Dong Xuebing was in a state of excitement for over an hour.He was still feeling excited after the movie ends. Dong Xuebing looked at hiswatch. It was almost noon. "It''s almost lunchtime. Shall we go out and eat? Iwill treat you to some western cuisine. Errr.... Chinese food is also fine aslong as you like it."


    Qu Yunxuan looked at him. "You had just bought a bag and ascarf for me yesterday. You got to save up for rainy days. Your sry islesser than mine."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "That''s no such things. I am nowricher than you. Let''s go. Western cuisine or Chinese cuisine?"


    Qu Yunxuan heard what Dong Xuebing said and knocked hishead: "Is your sry more than 4,000 RMB? I think your sry is not even3,000 RMB. You still need money for your daily expenses and give your mothermoney. You are still buying me gifts. How much money is left at the end of themonth? Oh, your this month''s sry is still not out. After buying those giftsfor me, do you still have enough? If you do need money, I can lend you some."


    "Ah... I really do notck money." Dong Xuebing still havemore than 200,000 RMB in his ount.


    "... Even so, we should also not eat out. It''s too expensive.We can cook at home. We still have ingredients."


    Dong Xuebing''s rtionship with Qu Yunxuan had just movedup to the next level, and he really wanted to bring her out for a date. But QuYunxuan was insistent on eating at home. So, he gave in. "... Fine. I will helpyou with the cooking.|


    Qu Yunxuan nodded and stood up. She looked at Dong Xuebing:"... your hand."


    Dong Xuebing also stood up and feign ignorance. "Hand?What''s wrong with my hand?"


    Qu Yunxuan stared at him with the corner of her eyes. Shehad the charms of a mature woman. "Are you not shy? Do you think I don''t dareto hit you?"


    Dong Xuebing released his hand unwillingly when they enteredthe kitchen. He picked up the knife and start cutting tomatoes and cucumbers.He looked back at Qu Yunxuan, who was washing the vegetables at the basin. Afew droplets of water was sshed onto her cor bones and trickled down hercleavage. She froze and wiped her chest with the back of her hand.


    Dong Xuebing could feel temperatures rising. He asked anobvious question: "Aunt Xuan, do you have a boyfriend?"


    Qu Yunxuan paused for a second and replied without turningback while washing the cucumbers. "Why are you asking?"


    Dong Xuebing put down the knife and wiped his hands. "Errr....You don''t have a boyfriend, and I also do not have a girlfriend. We should be acouple. Isn''t that great?"


    Qu Yunxuan closed the tap and stared at him angrily. "Great?You are so much younger than me!"


    "Ahhh.... You are only older than me than a few years.|


    "Have you not heard of a saying in Beijing? A woman who is 3years older isparable to a golden brick. A woman who is older by 5 years..."Qu Yunxuan did not continue.


    Dong Xuebing had heard of this saying. A woman who is 3years older isparable to a golden brick. A woman who is older by 5 years...is simr to a mother. This saying is telling you that if you get a womanolder than you by 5 years, you are getting another mother. This is a taboo inthe eyes of the older generations. Dong Xuebing was observing Qu Yunxuan''sexpression. "What''s the big deal of being 5 years older? Even if you are 50years older than me, I will still like you!"


    Qu Yunxuan burst outughing and replied angrily. "Are yousaying that I am an old demon?"


    "That''s not what I meant. I only... wanted to tell you thatthe age difference is not a problem."


    "Then what is considered a problem? You are so much youngerthan me. My rtionship with your mother is already a problem. Stop talkingnonsenses in the future. Other people willugh at you." Qu Yunxuan passed thecucumber to Dong Xuebing. "Hurry up and cut it."


    "Are you saying that if your mother and my mother agree, wecan start dating?"


    "This is not what I meant."


    "Huh? Then what do you mean?"


    "I am asking you to hurry up and cut the vegetables!"


    "Ah... Please tell me what do you mean."


    Qu Yunxuan was blushing, and she raises her hand. "If youstart cutting the vegetables, I will hit you!"


    Dong Xuebing was disappointed when he did not get the answerhe wanted. He stopped asking and start to chop the vegetables. The cucumber wascut into all sorts of sizes.


    Qu Yunxuan looked at him. "What''s wrong?"


    What''s wrong? I''m unhappy and venting my frustrations! DongXuebing kept quiet and start to chop the potatoes.


    Qu Yunxuan sighed and mumbled: "This kid is so hard toplease." She paused for a second. "..., give me your hand."


    "Why?"


    "I ask you to give me your hand."


    Dong Xuebing stretched out his hand, puzzled.


    Qu Yunxuan looked at him and held his hand slowly. "Can youcut the vegetables properly now?"


    "Huh? How can I cut the vegetables with one hand?"


    "That''s your problem."


    Dong Xuebing swallowed his salivia. He knew he should notrush her to be in a rtionship with him. Aunt Xuan had already let him hold herhands and this was prove that she also likes him. Dong Xuebing immediatelycheered up. He decided to take one step at a time. Today he got to hold herhands and touch her legs. Next time, he wanted to try kissing with her!

 Chapter 94: A big discovery about BACK

    <h4>Chapter 94: A big discovery about BACK</h4>


    From joy to sadness. This was the feelings of Dong Xuebing now.


    After holding hands with the woman he secretly admired foryears, Dong Xuebing could not think straight. He spent the whole Sundaymarketing with Aunt Xuan, apanying her to have meals, watch movies, etc.Other than going to the toilet and sleeping, both of them spent all their timetogether. Dong Xuebing could not forget the feeling of holding her hands. Hekept thinking about the feeling, and on Monday morning, he realized that he hadforgotten to do an important thing. That day was the most uneasy day of hislife!


    Dong Xuebing had forgotten to use his Sunday''s BACK!


    Dong Xuebing still have not fully understood his power BACK.Since he had gotten this power from the ident, he only knows that this BACKcan turn back time to one minute ago and he has one chance to use it every day.After he had gotten this power, he maintained the principle of using powerevery day. Even if nothing happens in the day, he will use BACK before hesleeps. This had be his habit, and he had done so without fail. DongXuebing also did not think about what would happen if he missed using his powerfor a day, and he also did not dare to try. He had benefited from his power,and there was no way he could do without it. What if the condition of his powerwas he must use it every day? If he missed one day, the power would be gone?


    Restless, uneasiness, and nervous!


    Back! You must not leave me! I still have to depend on youfor my future happiness!


    "Xiao Bing, why are you in a daze so early in the morning?What''s wrong?"


    "Huh? I''m just thinking about something. Everything''s fine."When Dong Xuebing came back to his senses, he noticed Aunt Xuan kneeling infront of the sofa, helping him to tie his shoces. Dong Xuebing immediatelybend down to stop her. "Stop, stop. I can tie my ownces. Your neck and backare not good, and you might injure yourself."


    "I am not that weak." Qu Yunxuan tied his shoces for himand stood up to straighten his tie for him. "Ok. You look great today. It''stime for you to go to work."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "You should also leave early. You mightget caught in a traffic jam if you arete."


    "Ok. If I am not workingte today, I will prepare dinnerand wait for you."


    After Dong Xuebing went downstairs, away from Qu Yunxuan''ssight, his smiling face was reced by a dejected look. He really wanted totry BACK to see if his power was still around. But after thinking about it fora while, he decided to leave it for now as he still did not know what wouldhappen at work. What if he said the wrong things again? So, Dong Xuebingresisted the urge to try his power until he finishes work. If some idents happenedduring work, he could still test his powers.


    1 hour...


    3 hours...


    5 hours....


    Soon, it was time to get off work. Dong Xuebing did not makeany mistakes at work.


    Dong Xuebing carried his bag and walked out of the branchbureau. He decided to use BACK immediately. Please.... Don''t let BACK disappear!


    "Chief Dong, you have are going back?" A girl from theGeneral Affairs Department smiles and greeted him.


    Dong Xuebing nodded and replied: "Yes."


    "Bye. I will make a move first." The girl smiled and walkedtowards another direction.


    Dong Xuebing remembers that this girl''s surname was Guo.After this girl walked past him, he took a deep breath and said, "BACK!"quietly.


    ...


    The scenes changed!


    That staff member was walking towards Dong Xuebing. "ChiefDong, you have are going back?"


    "Yes."


    "Bye. I will make a move first."


    It was exactly 60 seconds before. Time had returned back to1 minute ago!


    Dong Xuebing was sweating from his nervousness. He wasafraid that his powers would be gone. Now, he was relieved. All the worrieswere gone. He cheered up and walked towards the bus stop smiling. He stood atthe bus stop to wait for his bus and thought to himself. Since BACK was notaffected for missing one day, then he does not need to worry about forgettingto waste his powers before midnight. Oh, it''s not considered wasting. It shouldbe called practicing. If he had not practiced and experimented with his power,he would not be so familiar with it. For instance, if he used BACK whilewalking, he will trip and fall in the past. But now, he can still carry onwalking normally after he returned to one minute before. He had practiced thismovement dozens of times.


    Hiss.... It was the sounds of a bus breaking as it enters thebus stop.


    A woman, who was in charge of maintaining order, was wavinga small red g. "Swipe your card and board the bus from the front door."


    Dong Xuebing was standing near to the front. But the busstop was too crowded, and he was pushed behind by the crowd.


    Damn! What''s the rush? This is considered uncivilizedbehavior.


    Dong Xuebing was now a small leader. It will be a joke ifany of his colleagues saw him jostling and pushing with the crowd to board thebus. So, he stepped aside and let the passengers board before him. He was thst to board after everyone. He stepped onto the steps of the packed bus.


    It might be the issue of the blind spot. The driver closesthe door as Dong Xuebing was boarding the bus.


    Dong Xuebing got a shock and immediately pushed the personin front of him and board the bus. But he could not get out of the way in time,and his left hand was caught in the bus doors!


    "Ah!" Dong Xuebing shouted in pain. He natural instincts kickedin and shouted BACK!


    This was his usual reaction, and he did this unconsciously.After he shouted BACK, he pped his forehead. He had used it 5 minutes agooutside the bureau. What''s the use of shouting now? But the next second, DongXuebing was stunned!


    ...


    Dong Xuebing''s surroundings were not crowded anymore. Hishand does not hurt, and he was standing at the bus stop.


    "Swipe your card and board the bus from the front door." Thewoman was waving a small red g, and all the passengers were rushing forward!


    Huh? BACK happened again? Now it was 60 seconds ago?!


    What the fuck!? Impossible! How can this be possible?! I hadused BACK once today! Howe I can use it twice? Looking at what washappening in front of him, Dong Xuebing still could not believe his eyes. Hestood there in a daze even after the bus left the bus stop!


    What just happened?


    Eh? Wait!


    Twice? I used BACK twice?


    Dong Xuebing immediately thought of one reason!


    Could it be... the Sunday''s BACK did not disappear and wasumted to Monday?


    Damn! Don''t tell me BACK can be umted??


    If this is real, then it would be possible to turn back timeto 5 or 10 minutes ago Dong Xuebing umted 5 to 10 days of BACK!


    Trantor''snotes: New feature of his power. If he umtes 1,440 days, he can return toone day ago. Come to think of it, it is not very useful. Will you try toumte as many days as possible or try to use whenever you have the chanceto use it?

 Chapter 95: Stone gambling

    <h4>Chapter 95: Stone gambling</h4>


    Dong Xuebing, who had discovered the ability to umtehis BACK''s timings, was surprised and shocked. He was not sure if he was right.Could BACK be only umted for only one day? If he carries on umtinghis BACK, will he be able to use it several times in a row? Dong Xuebing felthe must experiment with it. This way, he will be able to use BACK to its fulleffects. So, he stopped himself from using his powers. From Tuesday toSaturday, five days, Dong Xuebing did not use BACK. If his guess were right, hewould have collected 6 days of BACK, including Sunday''s. That means DongXuebing would be able to reverse time to 6 minutes ago!


    Sunday.


    Morning, at 8.30 am.


    Dong Xuebing was sitting on his sofa and lowered the volumeof his TV. He grabbed his iPhone 4 on the coffee table and stared at the timeon the phone. He was able to experiment with BACK.


    Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong. Someone was at the door.


    Dong Xuebing thought it was Aunt Xuan and immediately rushedinto the bathroom tob his hair before opening the door.


    But it was not Aunt Xuan. It was a middle-aged woman."Hahaha, did you just wake up?"


    "Oh, Auntie, why are you here? Come in please." Dong Xuebingstepped aside and invite her into her house. "I had just woke up. What time didyou arrive? Where''s Aunt Xuan?" This woman was Qu Yunxuan''s mother. She seldoes over to visit Aunt Xuan, and Dong Xuebing had only seen her a few timesover the years.


    "I have just arrived. Yunxuan had received a call and had tomeet her clients." Qu Yunxuan''s mother passed a paper box to Dong Xuebing. "Ihave brought some prawns from my hometown. Keep it in the refrigerator."


    "Thank you. You don''t need to bring anything over." DongXuebing said and kept the box of prawns in his freezer.


    "I must bring something for you." Qu Yunxuan''s mothersmiles. "Yunxuan had only told me that you saved her life this morning. If Iknow about this incident earlier, I would havee over to thank youimmediately after the incident."


    "Don''t mention it."


    After thanking, Qu Yunxuan''s mother starts to praise DongXuebing. "I have not seen you for half a year? You look better now. Thereshould be a lot of girls after you now, right? Oh, I heard from Yunxuan thatyou have entered the government service for 2 months and got promoted? Hehehe,you are really capable. From your features, Iknow you are blessed. You should be promoted to Deputy Section Chiefwithin 3 years. Your mother will be proud of you."


    Dong Xuebing felt embarrassed and replied modestly.


    Ring, ring, ring. Qu Yunxuan''s mother phone rang. She wasusing a pink colored smartphone. "Hello, who is this? Oh... Sis... you saw me?Hohoho, yes. I am now at Xiao Bing''s house.... Sure. I will drop by your houster... Sis..... your voice sounds sweeter than before... you should be prettiersince Ist saw you.... No? Impossible... you look the same as 30 years ago.Your looks did not change at all..... I really envy you.... Hahaha... Ok.... Wait forme. I will be over at your ce in a while."


    Dong Xuebing knew Qu Yunxuan''s mother was someone who alwayspayspliments to others. She had a sweet tongue. She will praise anyone shemet. It might be fine if you heard it the first or second time. But after theeighth or tenth time... Dong Xuebing felt it was too fake.


    "Auntie, if you are busy, please carry on."


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother smiles as she hangs up her phone. "It''snothing important. Mrs. Zhou from the second floor asks me to drop by her cefor a chat."


    "Oh... Do you want to have tea? Do you prefer flower tea orred tea?"


    "Hahaha, our Xiao Bing is more sensible now. Don''t bother. Iam leaving soon. Oh, I need to ask you something."


    "What''s is it?"


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother lowered her voice and asked: "I havebeen asking Yunxuan, but she refuses to tell me. Is she dating anyone rightnow?"


    Dong Xuebing jumped slightly and replied: "I don''t thinkso."


    "Then is there anyone after her? How many have you met? Howdo they look like? Are they rich?"


    Damn! I am the one after your daughter. How should I answeryou?! Dong Xuebing cleared his throat: "There is surely be men after Aunt Xuan.But I am not sure whether if they are rich or not. Are you talking about theirsries or jobs?"


    "It would be best if the man is from a wealthy family andhis parents should be some sort of big boss."


    "I don''t think there is anyone like that."


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother grumbled: "She is already so old and sheis still not anxious about her future. She is just working every day. XiaoBing, how long do you think it will take for her to save enough to set up herownpany with her miserable sry? She still insists on waiting under shehas her own career before she considers dating anyone. She might have to waitfor years. I really wish she would hurry up and get married to a wealthyfamily. This way, she will be able to set up her own family, and at the sametime, she will have her ownpany. Isn''t this a good idea?"


    Dong Xuebing mumbled a reply.


    "Ok. I should be going. I will visit you another day." QuYunxuan''s mother stood up. "Xiao Bing, help me talk to Yunxuan. If you know anyguy that have eptable looks and a wealthy family, let me know."


    "Ok. Be careful on your way out."


    After Qu Yunxuan''s mother left, Dong Xuebing sat down on thesofa. He did not me Qu Yunxuan for being snobbish. All parents want the bestfor their children. They all wanted their daughters to get married to someonewho could take care of them financially. Aunt Xuan is so pretty and gentle, andthe requirements for her partner should be higher. Dong Xuebing knew QuYunxuan''s mother would surely look down on him if he wants to be Qu Yunxuan''sboyfriend unless he can take out 1 million RMB for her to set up apany.That might also cover the fact that he was much younger than Qu Yunxuan andgained her mother''s approval.


    Dong Xuebing picked up his iPhone 4 again to experiment withhis power.


    But he held the phone in his hands and did not say the magicword, BACK. He then put down his phone.


    It would be a waste if this experiment were a sess. It''s6 minutes. He could do a lot with 6 minutes!


    Dong Xuebing paced around his living room with his handsbehind his back. He was thinking of how he could earn 1 million RMB. He thoughtabout what Qu Yunxuan''s mother said. Dong Xuebing suddenly stopped. He had abold idea. Time waits for no one, and it was not easy to wait for 6 days. Thiswas a rare opportunity, and he should use the BACK he saved up, to make money.If he seeds, he will be able to make arge sum. If he did not seed, hewould lose 220,000 RMB at most.


    That''s right! He got to take a gamble!


    But what should he do?


    6 minutes... 6 minutes... 6 minutes...


    Ah!


    Dong Xuebing suddenly brightens up. If I have enough time,why not go for stone gambling?!


    If BACK had umted to 6 minutes... then he will surelywin this gamble!

 Chapter 96: Crystal Gambling

    <h4>Chapter 96: Crystal Gambling</h4>


    It was 9.20 am. Dong Xuebing took out his sling bag, whichcontains 110,000 RMB from the sales of the antique books, from his closet.After that, he went to the ICBC bank across the road from his house. This was asmall branch, and one-day notification was needed for withdrawals more than50,000 RMB. Dong Xuebing, who had wanted to withdraw 100,000 RMB from hisount, waszy to go to another branch. So, he only withdraws 50,000 RMB.160,000 RMB should be enough. He pulled up the cor of his jacket and walkout to the streets to g a taxi. He went straight to the stores outside ofPanjiayuan. Many stores were selling raw stones there.


    "Boss, do you have any unprocessed jade stones?"


    "No. We only sell finished products here. You can try othershops."


    "Excuse me, can I gamble stones or jade here?"


    "Oh, we do not have these."


    "Do you know where I can gamble stones?"


    "Stone gambling? There is not a lot of such ces inPanjiayuan. If you are interested, you can go to the Haidian or Chaoyangdistricts. Every weekend, there are auctions for unprocessed stones. The pricesare reasonable, and the quality of the stones are higher." Dong Xuebing alsoknow about the auctions in Haidian''s antique market. But the procedures therewas to pay for the stones first before cutting. It takes too much time. His 6minutes was not enough to even bid for the stones. This was why Dong Xuebingwas targeting those smaller shops.


    Dong Xuebing carries on walking around Panjiayuan.


    Suddenly, there were sounds of a stone cutting machine froma distance.


    Dong Xuebing''s eyes widen. When he was working part-time inthe past, he had seen people gambling stones. This was why he was familiar withthis sound. He raised his head and walked towards the direction of the sound.But when Dong Xuebing reaches the shop, he saw a man using the stone cutter tocut a stone. It was not a jade stone. From the color and shape of the stone, itshould be uncut crystal stones. Natural crystals. Crystal gambling? This wasrare. Dong Xuebing hesitated for a while and then entered the shop. Crystalgambling, Agate gambling, turquoise gambling, jadegambling, and jade stone gambling, can all be considered stone gambling. DongXuebing does not need to specifically to look for jade stones or Nephrite jadestones. The returns for crystal gambling was high too.


    The cutter machine stopped, and a small window was cut outof the natural purple crystal stone.


    The buyers were a young couple, and the girl asked. "Is thiscrystal good? How much can it sells?"


    "The color inside is ordinary." The overweight boss put downthe cutting machine and take a closer look at the stone. "It''s worth 800 to1,000 RMB."


    "We bought it for 5000 RMB, and we can only sell it for1,000 RMB?" The woman heard the boss and gave her boyfriend a p angrily. "Itold you not to buy it, and you insist. See, we lost!" Only 1 out of 10 wins instone gambling. Although the risk for crystal stone gambling was not as high asjade stone gambling, it''s almost the same. It''s normal to pick worthlessstones. If anyone could find an unprocessed stone worth tens of thousand RMBwith 5,000 RMB, it will be abnormal. Furthermore, Beijing was not a ce knownfor stone gamblings. All the unprocessed stones were brought in from otherces and were the leftovers from the quarries. This increases thedifficulties of winning in stone gambling.


    That man was pissed to hear his girlfriend scolding him. Hegritted his teeth: "This and that! Open up these two!"


    The girl shouted angrily: "Stop buying! You can put themoney to better use!"


    The man ignored her and paid the boss.


    "Ok. I will cut it the same way as earlier." The overweightboss grabbed the stone cutter and start to cut the stone steadily. The desof the cutter cut across the surface of the stone. Crystals were not as hard asjade, and it was faster to cut a crystal stone than a jade stone.


    1 cut...


    5 cuts...


    10 cuts...


    Screeched... after a while, both the big and small crystalstones were cut, and the colorless crystal was exposed. The bigger stone hadair bubbles, and it was worthless. The smaller one did not have any defects,but the color was normal, and it was not worth the price he paid for it.


    The young couple left the shop with their crystals arguing.


    Not longter, anold man spent 10,000 RMB to buy a bigger yellow crystal uncut stone. In theend, there was some dirt, the size of a fingernail, in the crystal and thevalue of this crystal dropped. At about 11 am, a group of tourist entered theshop and bought 4 to 5 pieces of natural crystal stones. The best piece wasvalued at the price they purchased, and the rest were worthless.


    This was stone gambling. There were more losers thanwinners. It all depends on luck.


    Dong Xuebing had doubts. After standing there for so long,there was not one person who won. Can he really make money from this?


    "Young man, do you want to try your luck?" The fat shopownerasked as he wiped his hands with a towel.


    Dong Cuebing, who was standing by the entrance, was notready yet. He shook his head and entered the shop to look at the crystalornaments on disy. He pointed to a few of them and asked: "How much is this pinkcrystal ne? 800 RMB? What about that purple crystal Guanyin statue?20,000 RMB? How about that piece? 130,000 RMB?" The items on disy rangedfrom tens of RMB to over 100,000 RMB. The prices depend on the color, rity,and size of the crystals.


    "The finished products are expensive." The shop owner triedto entice Dong Xuebing. "Why not try your luck with these stones? Maybe youwill be rich overnight!"


    Dong Xuebing just smiled and thought to himself. He mightalso be bankrupt overnight!


    After lunch, Dong Xuebing returned to the shop and spent onehour standing there watching and learning. Soon, he understood how crystalstone gambling and how the crystals were valued. Natural purple crystals weremore valuable than natural yellow crystals. Natural yellow crystals were worthmore than colorless crystals. The darker the colors, the more expensive was thecrystal. One-color was worth more than multi-colors ones. The purer crystalsworth more than those with impurities. The weight also ys a part indetermining the value. The heavier the crystal, the more valuable it was. Ifthere were acicr inclusions in the crystal, it will worth more. The valuewould increase further if the acicr in the crystal were in the samedirection.


    After learning this, Dong Xuebing had a n in mind. Hestarted to calcte the time needed to cut a crystal stone. If the stone werecut carefully from the sides slowly, it would take a longer time. But if abigger portion was cut, without worrying about damaging the crystals inside, itwill be much faster. It will take less than a minute.


    10 minutester, Dong Xuebing was ready to act out hisn.


    Dong Xuebing took a deep breath. Ok! Let''s start!

 Chapter 97: Final 3 seconds

    <h4>Chapter 97: Final 3 seconds</h4>


    The floor of this crystal shop was covered with crystalstones dust.


    Dong Xuebing walked to a stack of uncut natural crystalstones and squat there. He picked up a stone, about 2 to 2.5 kg. He examines itclosely. There was a small window cut at a corner. The crystal inside wascolorless and clear. The quality of this crystal seems to be of a higher grade.But Dong Xuebing knew the shopowners will cut the best part of the stone toshow the customers. It might show high-quality crystal from this small cut, butthe crystal might not be the same for the other parts of the stone. "Boss, howmuch is this piece?"


    The shop owner was sweeping the dust, and he looked up. "Oh,that''s 10,000 RMB."


    Dong Xuebing pointed to another purple crystal stone. Thatstone does not have any cuts. "How about that piece?"


    "35,000 EMB."


    "That yellow crystal stone?"


    "That is bigger. 40,000 RMB."


    Dong Xuebing asked the prices of the bigger stones. Thisway, the chances of having bigger crystals were higher. After confirming theprices, Dong Xuebing reached inside his pocket and yed a ringtone beforetaking out his iPhone 4 to pretend to answer a call. He pretended to bespeaking to someone and then hang up. "Boss, I would like to buy some crystals.But I need to rush off. If you can cut the stones faster, I will buy a fewpieces at once. If not, I will go off."


    The shop owner would not give up any business. "Hurry up andpick the stones. I can cut the stones fast."


    "Fine. These two purple crystals, that yellow crystal, thatcolorless crystal, and that pink crystal."


    "Wait, let me calcte." The shop owner picked up hiscalctor and punched in the numbers. "The total is 162,000 RMB. I will roundit off to 160,000 RMB."


    Dong Xuebing took out the stacks of money from his back and pressedthe countdown timer on his phone. 360 seconds.


    The shop owner could tell Dong Xuebing was a novice. But henever expects Dong Xuebing to spend 160,000 RMB to gamble crystal stones. Theyoung men nowadays were so rich. He picked up the stacks of RMB and ce itinto the money counting machine beside him. 10,000... 50,000... 100,000... Hecounted twice, and the amount was right."


    There were 312 seconds left.


    Dong Xuebing anxiously said. "Start cutting the stones.Don''t need to grind it bit by bit. Cut it diagonally from an angle will do."


    The shop owner was stunned. "Oh, you will damage some of thecrystals inside. Are you sure?"


    "Yes. Please hurry."


    There were 303 seconds left.


    The shop owner had promised Dong Xuebing that he will cut thestones fast. His movements were swift as he rolled up his sleeves and kneeldown beside that colorless crystal stone. He held the cutter in his hand andpicked an angle before pressing the cutter against the stone!


    Eeeeeee! Eeeeeee! Eeeeeee! The stonecutter cut through theouteryer of the stone!


    There were 280 seconds left!


    Dong Xuebing clenched his fist tightly. Please hurry up!


    Eeeeeee! The screeching sounds of the cutter were loud!Suddenly the noise stopped!


    The colorless crystal stone was cut open. The cut surfacewas smooth, but there were specks of ck spots. The shop owner rubbed it withhis fingers and could not remove it. "There are not dirt. It''s the impuritiesin the crystal. What a pity." Having impurities in the crystals will lower thevalue of the stone. This stone which cost 10,000 RMB was not worthless.


    Dong Xuebing cursed under his breath and immediately said:"Forget about that and cut the next stone!"


    "Sure." The shop owner turned and start to cut the yellowcrystal stone.


    There were 241 seconds left!


    Dong Xuebing was rubbing his palms together and praying.Please, let me get a good crystal stone without impurities!


    Eeeeeee! Eeeeeee! The second stone was cut open, and therewere no impurities. But the yellow color was not very dark. There was only aslight tint of yellow in the crystal. It was almost like colorless crystals.This stone which cost 30,000 RMB was worth less than 10,000 RMB now!


    Damn!


    Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth and said: "Next one!"


    There were 195 seconds left.


    Eeeeeee! Eeeeeee! Eeeeeee! The third pink crystal stone wascut open!


    This time, the shop owner might have chosen a wrong angle tocut. He did not cut it diagonally. He just cut out a small portion of thestone, but from that small window, they could see lots of tiny bubbles in thecrystal. This piece was another worthless piece!


    Dong Xuebing pped his thighs angrily. "Next!"


    He only has 141 seconds left, and there were 2 purplecrystal stones left.


    132 seconds....


    112 seconds....


    98 seconds....


    Dong Xuebing had seen many people losing money from crystalstone gambling. He thought they were unlucky. But he never expects his luck tobe much worse than them. That 35,000 RMB smaller purple crystal stone was cutopened and the color... Lousy could not even be used to describe the crystal.There were a big crack and two ck lines of impurities. It was totallyworthless!


    There was only the bigger purple crystal stone left!


    There were only 88 seconds left!


    The shop owner looked at Dong Xuebing, and the frustratedDong Xuebing said: "Cut! Continue!" He was really unlucky today.


    The fat shop owner was not surprised. He knew his stoneswell. This batch of crystal stones was bought from his friend in the southernprovince. It was from his friend''s factory. There were all low-grade stoneswhich were unsold. It would be a surprise if there were any high-grade crystalsin there. Oh, there might still be a possibility of a high-grade crystal stonemixed among the stones. After all, the crystals in the stones could not begraded with any equipment. No one could tell for sure if the uncut stonescontain high-grade crystals.


    76 seconds...


    52 seconds...


    47 seconds...


    Thest purple stone was cut. It contains colorlesscrystals. The crystals in the center were almost transparent. There were stillspecks of dirt in the crystal, and some parts were greyish. This was anotherworthless crystal!


    Dong Xuebing was furious. 160,000 RMB! 160,000 RMB waswasted. He was speechless!


    That''s it? It''s all over?


    That''s right! There was still time! 39 seconds wereremaining!


    Dong Xuebing did not waste time choosing the stones. Hepointed to a bigger stone beside the shop owner and said: "Please cut thatone!"


    The shop owner looked at the stone. "This cost 50,000 RMB."


    Dong Xuebing immediately said: "Cut it first. I will pay youin a while!"


    The shop owner did not move. "I am only running a smallbusiness...."


    "I do not have so much cash with me now." Dong Xuebing tookout his identification card and ce it on the table. "I will leave myidentification card with you and will go to the bankter to withdraw money.Is that fine?"


    The shop owner saw the way Dong Xuebing bought the stonesand knew that he should not run away. He nodded.


    There were 24 seconds left!


    Dong Xuebing had only 60,000 RMB left in his bank. If thiscrystal is a low-grade crystal and his BACK cannot be used continuously, hewill lose everything!


    Eeeeeee!


    There were 13 seconds left!


    Dong Xuebing looked at the time remaining on his phone."Please hurry up!"


    The shop owner used more strength to cut the stone. 1 cm... 2cm... 3 cm...


    8 seconds remain!


    6 seconds remain!


    5 seconds remain!


    There was no more time!


    Just when Dong Xuebing was about to say BACK at the final 3seconds, Crack! The outeryer of the stone was cut open and dropped onto thefloor!


    It''s cut!


    Dong Xuebing quickly move forward to look at the crystal!


    "This... This is acicr crystal?" The shop owner wasstunned.


    "Ah?" Dong Xuebing was also surprised. "You mean the type ofcrystals that have acicr inside?!"


    "Yes! This is worth a lot!" The color, size, and purity ofthis crystal were all top grade. The shop owner also did not expect to findsuch high-grade crystal among this batch of stones!


    Dong Xuebing was stunned for a second and shouted in hisheart: BACK! BACK! BACK! BACK! BACK! BACK!


    He said BACK six times!

 Chapter 98: Silver Acicular Crystal

    <h4>Chapter 98: Silver Acicr Crystal</h4>


    Every time BACK was shouted, the scenes in front of DongXuebing shed.


    The first time, Dong Xuebing saw the fat shop owner lookingdown cutting the stone. This was 60 seconds ago.


    The second time, Dong Xuebing saw the fat shop owner talkingto him. This was 120 seconds ago.


    The third time, Dong Xuebing saw the fat shop owner touchingthe crystal stone, preparing to cut it. This was 180 seconds ago.


    ...


    Dong Xuebing''s body and eyes could not keep up with thefast-changing shes and became giddy. When he came back to his senses, hissurroundings were no longer shing. He felt he had just got off a rollercoaster. His legs were wobbly and immediately grabbed onto a corner of the table.Sweat was dripping off his forehead.


    "Oh, are you ok?" The shop owner looked at Dong Xuebing andasked: "What''s wrong?"


    Dong Xuebing blinked and steadied himself. "I''m fine.Errr.... Where did I stop just now?"


    "Where did you stop?" The shop owner was looking at himweirdly and pointed to the few crystal stones on the floor. "You said you wantthese two purple crystal, that yellow crystal, that colorless crystal, and thatpick crystal." The shop owner answered Dong Xuebing and lift up his calctor."The total is 162,000 RMB. I will round it off to 160,000 RMB."


    God damn! It seeded!


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed and had forgotten that he wasstill gambling.


    The shop owner saw Dong Xuebingughing to himself and felta cold shiver up his spine. Was this person crazy? He sub-consciously took onestep back from Dong Xuebing and asked: "You are in a hurry? Do you want all 5pieces? I will cut those stones for you now?"


    "No, no." Dong Xuebing returned back to his senses. "I willnot be on time even if I rush back now. You can take your time to cut thestones slowly." Dong Xuebing said and looked at the stones on the floor. Hiseyes immediately stopped on thest stone the shop owner cut before he usedBACK. "Those 5 pieces are too expensive. I do not want them anymore. Hmmm...That piece. Yes. That piece that is slightly smaller than a football. How muchis that?"


    The shop owner looked at that stone and replied: "Thatpiece? 20,000 RMB."


    "20,000 RMB!?" Dong Xuebing heard the price and cursed inhis heart. Before he uses BACK, the shop owner quoted him 50,000 RMB. The shopowner should have quoted Dong Xuebing a much higher price as he was in a hurryand do not have time to bargain. "There are no small cuts on this piece. 20,000RMB is too expensive."


    The shop owner shook his head. "The weight and size areworth this much."


    Dong Xuebing was in a hurry earlier and did not have time toexamine this stone. He moves closer and picks up the stone. He pointed to theleft side of the rock. "There is a crack here. It is a deep crack. The crystalson this side should be useless. The value of this crystal should be halved."


    The shop owner also knows that this stone was not worthmuch. He thought for a while. "18,000 RMB. This is the final price."


    Dong Xuebing immediately passed him the money. "Start fromthe side without the crack."


    The shop owner nodded and carried the stone to a corner tostart cutting. He was facing the side of the crack, and he knew the crystalsinside should not be any high-grade crystals. He picked up the stone cuttingmachine, switched it on and slowly press it against the side without the crack.


    1st cut... 2nd cut... 3rd cut... A smallopening was cut through the dusty surface of the stone.


    5th cut... 6th cut... 7thcut..... The opening was cut bigger, and it formed a finger width size window.They could see the crystals inside!


    Dong Xuebing quickly walk over. He did not see the crystalsearlier and was nervous.


    The shop owner wiped the dust off the surface and looked atthe crystals. He was stunned.


    The crystals were colorless and very clear. The shop ownercould also see silver-colored needle-like crystals inside through the smallopening. Some of the needles were slightly curved, and some were straight. Itwas beautiful!


    "This is..." The shop owner cried out in surprise: "Acicrcrystal! Silver acicr crystals!!!"


    Dong Xuebing pumped his fist! It''s really acicr crystal!


    The shop owner took out a torchlight and shine into theopening. How could a silver acicr crystal appear in this batch of low-gradecrystal stones? This young man was too lucky. He had only picked one stone andwon the top prize? Damn! I should have open a small window first beforeselling!


    Maybe it was because of the sounds from the shop, twopassers-by walked in.


    "Silver acicr crystal? It is from stone gambling? Let metake a look!" One middle-aged man took the torchlight from the shop owner andexamine the crystal.


    The other middle-aged man looked at Dong Xuebing and asked:"You are lucky. How much did you spend?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled: "18,000 RMB."


    "Hahaha, you should be able to make arge sum from this."


    That middle-aged man finished examing the crystal and noddedto his friend. He turned to Dong Xuebing and asked. "Are you selling thiscrystal?"


    Dong Xuebing replied. "It depends on how much you areoffering.."


    "Hmmm... how about 80,000 RMB?"


    Dong Xuebing shook his head.


    "90,000 RMB?"


    Dong Xuebing shook his head again.


    That man smiled. "90,000 RMB is my highest offer. You shouldconsider my offer. This stone is not fully opened. There might be a risk. Look,there is a deep crack on the other side. If the crack extended into thecrystal, then part of it will be useless. It cannot be used to carve out bigornaments. It can only be made into a small Guanyin statue."


    Dong Xuebing only smile at him and turn to the shop owner."Boss, continue to cut the stone open. This time, start from the cracked part."


    The shop owner did not move. "Young man, I suggest you sellit. If this crack is too deep, then this stone will not be worth so high.90,000 RMB is really a good offer."


    Dong Xuebing had seen the shop owner cut open this stonefrom the cracked part before he used BACK. Although he did not see whether ifthere were acicr crystals, but thee surface was clear, and there were noimpurities. This was why he had no hesitations. "Just cut it."


    The shop owner did not persuade him anymore. He picked upthe stone cutting machine and start to cut the outeryer bit by bit.


    Eeeeee! Eeeee!


    It was only the first cut, and everyone in the shop wereshocked. Part of the crack was cut away!


    The shop owner paused for a while and proceeded to makeanother cut. Another part of the 3 mm deep crack was cut away!


    The shop owner made the 3rd cut! 4thcut!


    The crack was gone entirely, and the colorless, clearcrystal inside was exposed!


    The crack did not extend into the crystal! It was only onthe outyer of the stone!


    The two middle-aged men looked at each other and took a deepbreath. Without the crack, the crystal in the stone will be huge. A smallGuanyin Statue? No. This crystal can be made into a 20 cm diameter crystalball!


    The shop owner looked at Dong Xuebing and felt this youngman was lucky beyond words. "My shop will buy this piece from you. Name aprice!"


    The middle-aged man immediately interrupts. "Young man, Iwill give you a reasonable price. Don''t sell it to others. Come, let''s go outand discuss the price."


    An acicr crystal ball was rare even at auctions. The shopowner really wanted this crystal. "How about 200,000 RMB?"


    Dong Xuebing''s eyes brighten up but did not say anything.


    The middle-aged man frowned and said: "210,000 RMB!"


    The shop owner gritted his teeth. "220,000 RMB!"


    The middle-aged man said without thinking. "230,000 RMB!"


    This time, the shop owner kept quiet and shook his headdisappointedly.


    "If this is not for my collection, I will also make surehigh offer." The middle-aged man said to Dong Xuebing. "Are you willing to sellfor 230,000 RMB?"


    Dong Xuebing hesitated for a moment and then smiled andshook his hand. "Deal."


    The middle-aged manughed. "Ok. I do not have so much cashwith me. Can I pay you with a cheque?"


    Dong Xuebing does not know how to use a cheque. Furthermore,he can''t tell the difference between a real or fake cheque. He hesitated for awhile and said: "Let''s go to the bank together."


    The man could tell Dong Xuebing was worried and nodded. "Ok.You can give me the crystal after the cheque is banked in. Let''s go."


    There was an ICBC bank near Panjiayuan.


    After the cheque was banked into Dong Xuebing''s ount and hechecked the bnce, Dong Xuebing gave the crystal to that man. Those two menleft. But Dong Xuebing remained in the bank and banked in all his cash in hisbag into his ount. After that, he checked his statement. His total savingswas 440,000 RMB! He took a deep breath. Words can''t express his feelings!


    The most important thing was the discovery of a new way touse BACK!


    If he umtes his power every day, and only use it incritical moments, he will be able to store a long time!


    Promotions? Making money? Getting married?


    All these dreams should not be too far.

 Chapter 99: Meeting the beautiful woman again

    <h4>Chapter 99: Meeting the beautiful woman again</h4>


    On the way home.


    There were still a few more stops to North Heping Street.Dong Xuebing was waiting for his bus at a bus stop outside of a shopping centernear to West bridge. He had been waiting for the bus for a long time, but thatdid not dampen his mood. He was humming a tune as he took out the packet ofHongtashan Cigarettes from his pocket. He took out a cigarette and light it.This was the packet Dong Xuebing bought after Director Li Qing gave him acigarette. He had opened up the pack a long time ago, and the taste of thecigarette changed. Dong Xuebing choked on the smoke and was almost in tears.


    The taste was awful!


    Dong Xuebing threw the cigarette on the floor and stepped onit to extinguish it. He also threw away that packet of Hongtashan into a bin.


    The bus had still not arrived. It was more than 20 minutes.


    Just when Dong Xuebing was considering if he should take ataxi back, he saw a familiar figure walking towards his direction from thecorner of his eyes. That person was about 6 to 7 meters away. Her hair was tiedup into a bun, and her facial features were beautiful. She had a slim figureand long legs. This woman was that elegant woman which Dong Xuebing had helpedher to get her wallet back. She was wearing a ck coloreddies suit and apair of ck heels. She was stunning. Her beauty was totally different fromthe gentle Qu Yunxuan. She was more of the elegant type!


    Dong Xuebing could not take his eyes off her. How couldsomeone be as pretty as her?


    Oh, thest time we met was also not far from here. Doesshe stay around here? This ce is quite close to my ce.


    "Chief Xie!" A middle-aged man appeared from anotherdirection and walked towards that woman.


    That woman turned to look at him and smiled. "Old Li, youhave juste back?"


    That man nodded and smiled. "I went to the parents-teachersmeeting at my kid''s school. Are you going out?"


    "Yes. I have some on."


    That man looked at her. "Chief Xie, can I dy your timefor a while? I had asked someone to redo the thing I showed you thest time.We changed the coreponents to mechanical productions, and there are someother modifications..."


    The woman smiled and waved her hand. "Can we not talk aboutwork on our off days?"


    The middle-aged man paused for a while: "This is still notapproved by Minister Zhao''s side. This..."


    The woman was still smiling, but her eyes narrowed. "Bringthe proposal to my office tomorrow when we are at work. Can we not talk aboutwork now?"


    Dong Xuebing was curious. That man was in his forties.Although he was not smiling, he was standing straight unlike that woman, whowas standing there casually. From their conversation, that man had addressedher politely and had used honorifics. This woman should not be more than 30years old and should be holding a much higher position than that man. ChiefXie? Chief? Could she be some divisional chief from a privatepany? If shewas working at a state-owned enterprise or government agency, she should beholding a simr position as Dong Xuebing in the General Affairs Office, basedon her age. Although the title was "Chief" but the actual rank was stillSection Chief.


    Dong Xuebing saw the woman walking nearer towards him, andhe hesitated and wonder if she should speak to her.


    This woman had said she will treat Dong Xuebing for dinnerwhen she has the time. But almost one month had passed, and she still has notcontacted Dong Xuebing. She must have forgotten about this. She might evenforget how Dong Xuebing looks like.


    Dong Xuebing''s mind was wandering when the woman suddenlystopped and looked at him.


    "Huh? It''s you?"


    She still remembers me? Dong Xuebing replied. "Hi. We meetagain. You are living nearby?"


    "Yes. My workce quarters is nearby." The woman smiled. "Iwanted to thank you for that day and had said I will treat you to dinner. But Ihave been swamped. I don''t even have time on weekends. I am on my way to meetclients over dinner. I''m afraid that I cant treat you today."


    Dong Xuebing looked at her pretty face and replied. "It''sfine. You don''t have to treat me."


    "Haha, I must give you a treat. My wallet contains lots ofimportant cards. Identification card can be reced if it is lost. But thename cards in my wallet cannot be reced." The woman twirled her long hairwith one finger. "Oh, I still do not know your name. My name is Xie Hun."


    "Dong Xuebing."


    "Hmm... nice name."


    "Huh? It''s amon name. Your name sounds nicer."


    "Are you above 25 years old this year?"


    "I am almost 24."


    "Hehe, I am older than you. I will call you Xiao Dong ok?"


    "Sure."


    The other passengers, waiting at the bus stop, were staringat Xie Hun. It was rare to see a woman as pretty as her.


    Xie Hunughed and chatted with Dong Xuebing for awhile. After one minute of chatting, she looked at her watch and took out apiece of paper from her handbag. She wrote a string of numbers and passed it toDong Xuebing. "I got to go. This is my number. I owe you a favor. If you needany help, call me. Hmmm.... I am working at the Research division of the NewsBureau under the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China, Ok?"


    Dong Xuebing took the paper from her and looked at thenumbers. Her handwriting was beautiful.


    Eh? Wait! Where was she working at?


    Damn! Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China?News Bureau? Research division?


    This Publicity Department of the Communist Party of Chinawas different from other government departments. The research division underthe Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China was not a Sectionlevel department. It was a real Divisional level agency!!!


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. "Sis Xie, I heard that man calledyou Chief Xie earlier. You... You are the Chief of the News Bureau''s ResearchDivision?"


    Xie Hunughed. "I''m only a Deputy."


    Even if she was a Deputy, she was also a Deputy DivisionalChief!


    She was promoted every two years, or did she enter thegovernment service earlier?


    It might still be possible for Xie Hun to reach hercurrent rank if she is in the Communist Youth League. But she is working for adepartment under the Central Government. She is a Deputy Divisional Chief underthe Publicity Department. She is a leader from the Central Government! Althoughher rank might be the same as Deputy Branch Bureau Chief Xu Yan, theirpositions are totally different. In terms of authority and career prospects,Deputy Divisional Chief of the News Bureau, Research Department is much bettepared to State Security, Deputy Branch Bureau Chief! Her position is not aposition where anyone can reach with just capabilities alone!


    Dong Xuebing was stunned and looked at Xie Hun''s departingback view.


    A Deputy Divisional Chief under the age of 30? Whatbackground does she have?!


    Xie Hun was pretty, elegant, have a strong backing,capable, have good career...


    Damn!


    The woman was too perfect!


    Dong Xuebing was shocked by Xie Hun. He thought tohimself if he should also try harder? At least, he should get the rank of aDeputy Section Chief first.

 Chapter 100: Got into trouble

    <h4>Chapter 100: Got into trouble</h4>


    Monday.


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother needs to visit the hospital once a yearfor her Cerebrovascr disease treatment. Qu Yunxuan was worried about her andwent back with her mother. She will only return back to North Heping Streetnext week. Dong Xuebing had also used up his BACK on Sunday and today, he willstart to umte again. He could not go back to gamble stones. So, DongXuebing focuses on his work and try not to make any mistakes. This way, heneeds to save his power for emergencies.


    The General Affairs Office. Tan Limei, Chang Juan, and therest were chatting.


    "Have you heard the news? The Chief is going to be transferred."Tan Limei said softly.


    Chang Juan nodded: "It seems that Chief Yan will be promotedand transferred to another province''s State Security Bureau."


    Guo Panwei interrupted. "He is going to be promoted toProvincial Deputy Director for a Southern Province."


    "Oh, really?" Chang Juan kept her eyebrow pencil in herdrawer. "I thought he will be transferred to a northern province."


    Dong Xuebing, who had just entered the office, heard whatthey were saying. Chief Yan will be transferred away? He had heard of thisrumorst week, but he ignored this. But there were so many people discussingthis now. This should be true. Who will be the new Chief of this branch bureau?Will he be transferred from other branches or Political Commissar Zhou Guoan taking overthis position?


    "Eh, Chief Dong." Chang Juan was the first to notice DongXuebing entering the office, and she immediately smiles.


    "Good morning, Chief Dong."


    "Chief Dong."


    Dong Xuebing likes the mood in the office, and he smiles toeveryone and acknowledges their greetings. He nced at Guo Shunjie beforegoing into his office. Dong Xuebing still remembers how he was bullied by GuoShunjie and how he went to Director Li Qing to snitch on him. This Guo Shunjiewas too much. Dong Xuebing was already promoted to Deputy Chief of the GeneralAffairs Office, and this Guo Shunjie was still trying to backstab him. If DongXuebing did not have BACK, he would be in trouble with Li Qing.


    After pouring himself a cup of tea, Dong Xuebing thoughtabout how he should deal with Guo Shunjie.


    Knock, knock, knock. Tan Limei and Zhuang Zhi knocked on hisoffice and entered.


    Dong Xuebing saw them: "Oh, Tan Zhi, Zhuang Zhi, why are youtwo looking so serious?"


    Zhuang Zhi blushed. "Bing Zhi, it like this..... Errrrrr...Errrr..."


    "You are so stupid!" Tan Limei chided Zhuang Zhi and thensmiles sweetly at Dong Xuebing. "I will do the talking. Chief Bing Zhi, youshould also know that State Security has more rules than other governmentagencies. For instance, if we are dating, we must report to our directsupervisor. This morning, Zhuang Zhi and I met Director Li Qing on our way towork. The first thing he said when he saw us was whether if we are dating. Weknow that we could not hide it anymore and we admit. He told us to report toyou. I think we will be transferred to different units in a few days." Both ofthem could not work in the same office if they were dating.


    Dong Xuebing was happy for his friends. "Hahaha,congrattions. When is your wedding?"


    Zhuang Zhi embarrassedly replied. "We had met each other''sparents a few days ago. Wedding..... it should be soon."


    "Who says I will marry you?!" Tan Limei pinched him, but shewas smiling sweetly. "I still need to consider."


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Our Zhuang Zhi is an honest chap. TanZhi, you should not bully him like this. Even if he has thick skin, he willstill feel the pain from your pinches."


    "Hehe, ok. I will listen to the Chief." After chatting for awhile, Tan Limei suddenly remembers something. "Oh, I heard something from thePolitical Section earlier. This year''s Western District Party School YoungCadres training course will be starting soon. This time, there will be twosses. One will be for Section Chief level, and the other is for DivisionalChief level. The course duration is 2 weeks."


    Dong Xuebing blinked. " Party school training course?"


    Tan Limei knew Dong Xuebing had only entered the bureau forless than 3 months and does not know about all these. She patiently exinedto Dong Xuebing. "You should also know that our agency is different from othergovernment agencies. They are allocated with some spots regardless of whetherif it is District level or City level party school. But our agency isdifferent. We seldom get even one ce. If it wasn''t for the District''s Industryand Commerce Branch having some internal issues and gave up one ce, our branchwill not even get to participate. Even the Eastern and Northern branches do nothave any spots. This is a rare opportunity, and many leaders are eyeing it."


    Dong Xuebing have also heard of the Party School. If someoneis going to be promoted, they will usually be arranged to join the trainingcourse organized by the Party School. This was to prepare someone to take on ahigher position. Participating in this course is a sign of someone getting apromotion soon.


    Zhuang Zhi added: "Bing Zhi, you should try to get thisspot."


    Dong Xuebing also wanted to participate. If he participatedin this course, it should not be a problem for him to be promoted to DeputySection Chief. But he was just promoted to Deputy Chief of the General AffairsOffice. Although his rank was not Deputy Section Chief, he is getting thebenefits of Deputy Section Chief ranks. There was no way for him to get thisspot.


    Tan Limei could tell what Dong Xuebing was thinking andsmiles. "Getting the Deputy Section Chief''s benefits and entering the partyschool has happened before. There have been instances when staff members whowere going to be promoted, joining this course. So, Chief Bing Zhi, I think youshould really fight for this spot. If you can get this spot, your rank might bepromoted to Deputy Section Chief when you return."


    Dong Xuebing smiled and waved his hand. "It will be tooearly for me to get this rank." Dong Xuebing was tempted.


    He had been thinking of getting the rank of Deputy SectionChief!


    Ring, ring, ring...


    The phone on Dong Xuebing rang. It was Li Qing who called.After hanging up the phone, Dong Xuebing said to Tan Limei and Zhuang Zhi."Let''s talk about our work now. There will be a meeting in the afternoon inmeeting room 2. I will give you the list of documents requiredter. Tan Zhi,I will let you and Chang Juan handle this. Girls are more careful, and therewill be lesser mistakes with the documents. Hmmmm... Let Guo Shunjie go and setup the meeting room." Other than Branch Party Committee meetings, the GeneralAffairs Office was in charge of preparing meeting materials for ordinarymeetings.


    "Yes, Sir!"


    Tan Limei left and passed Dong Xuebing''s instructions toothers.


    When Guo Shunjie heard that he needs to set up the meetingvenue, he stood up angrily and stormed out of the office. Setting up themeeting room was easier than preparing the documents. But this was considered alowly task and Guo Shunjie was upset. He was cursing Dong Xuebing in his heartas he walked to Political Commissar ZhouGuoan''s office. He wants toin to Political Commissar Zhou.


    Zhou Guoan was in a good mood these few days and did notinterrupt Guo Shunjie. He continued with his work while listening to GuoShunjie''sins.


    In the end, Guo Shunjie still said: "Uncle Zhou, the wayDong Xuebing picks on me, clearly does not show any respect for you. He..."


    "Enough." Zhou Guoan was getting frustrated from hiswhinings. He knocked on his desk and said: "I told to that there is no hurry. Iwill settle everything for you. Can you have some patience?"


    Guo Shunjie was furious. When I gave you money, you justept it. Now, you are asking me to be patient? If this carries on, I will beordered around by Dong Xuebing until the day I die! How can I be patient? Afterleaving Political Commissar Zhou''s office, Guo Shunjie clenched his fist andhave an evil look in his eyes!


    Before noon, Tan Limei and Chang Juan organized thedocuments and prepared 13 sets. Only 12 people were attending the meeting, butthey prepared one more set as spare. Dong Xuebing took one random set and tooka look. All the required information were in, and he ced the documents onthe desk before leaving for lunch.


    At 1pm, Dong Xuebing brought the 13 sets of documents tomeeting room 2 and ced all the documents neatly on the table ording tothe names. Actually, Dong Xuebing can ask Guo Panwei or anyone else to do this.But he had won Zhou Guoan''s nomination for his current position during thestParty Committee meeting, and Chief Yan Liang will be transferring out soon. PoliticalCommissar Zhou might be taking over his position. Dong Xuebing needs to makesure he performs well in from of Political Commissar Zhou.


    Suddenly, the door opened, and a few leaders entered themeeting room. Zhou Guoan was thest to arrive.


    "Political Commissar Zhou, everything is ready." DongXuebing said.


    Zhou Guoan nodded and walked over to his seat.


    Dong Xuebing looked at Political Commissar Zhou and left themeeting room.


    This was only an ordinary meeting for passing theinstructions from the central government. Zhou Guoan cleared his throat andopened the documents in front of him to start the meeting.


    5 minutes...


    10 minutes...


    20 minutes....


    Zhou Guoan suddenly stopped speaking when they reached page7 of the documents!


    Everyone could not understand what happened and looked over.


    They saw Zhou Guoan flipping the documents with a long face.Bang! He threw his documents on the table!


    Huh? What''s this?


    Everyone was shocked and doesn''t know why Zhou Guoansuddenly got angry. They looked at the document on the table...


    Everyone was speechless.


    The documents were wrong. A few pages among the documentswere not even words. It was pictures of cakes and desserts! The seniors at themeeting knew Zhou Guoan had diabetes and could not eat sweet food! Everyone waslooking at each other. Was this a genuine mistake or was someone trying toprovoke Zhou Guoan?


    Who was so daring?!

 Chapter 101: Taking on all the blame

    <h4>Chapter 101: Taking on all the me</h4>


    What happened in the meeting room was spread throughout thebranch.


    Everyone was discussing this incident, and they knew theGeneral Affairs Office will be in deep trouble.


    Dong Xuebing, who was ying Minesweeper in his office, wasstill unaware of this incident until Deputy Branch Bureau Chief Xu Yan calledhim. She had an unhappy tone, and Dong Xuebing could hear her tapping her deskwith her pen. "Are you the one who send the documents for Political CommissarZhou Guoan''s meeting? I just don''t understand! How can you make mistakes withphotocopying? Why is it that only Political Commissar Zhou''s document hasmistakes? Why are there pictures of cakes and desserts in his document and notanyone else? Don''t you know that Political Commissar Zhou has diabetes? XiaoDong, what happened?"


    Dong Xuebing felt this was not possible. "Pictures ofdesserts? There are no pictures in the documents."


    Xu Yan took a deep breath. "There will be an internalreorganization soon, and you still create problems... That''s all I have to say.You take care of this problem yourself!"


    Dong Xuebing put down the phone in a daze.


    Ring, ring, ring. Li Qing called. "Political Commissar Zhoucalled me to his office for a scolding. Xiao Dong ah... You..... Why didn''t youcheck through all the documents before you send to the meeting room? How can therebe pictures of desserts in the documents? You.... Sighed... You can''t eveplete such a simple task."


    "Director, I don''t know anything about this. I..."


    "Don''t need to exin it to me. You have to be responsiblefor this. Political Commissar Zhou asks you to bring all your staffs to see himin his office. You exin to him yourself!" Li Qing does not want to getinvolved.


    After hanging up the phone, Dong Xuebing bes pale. Inthe past, there were also instances when the pages of the documents were messedup or missing pages. But they always prepared a spare set. At most, they werereprimanded by the leaders for a while, and it was no big deal. But this timewas different. This was not an important meeting, but it was a crucial time forthe leaders because of the uing internal reorganization. Also, the dessertpictures were directed to Political Commissar Zhou.


    This was life in the government service. Any minor thingscould blow up the next instant.


    Dong Xuebing knew this would not end up well. He opened thedoor and entered the main office. "Who prepared the documents for PoliticalCommissar Zhou!?"


    Tan Limei, Chang Juan, Zhuang Zhi, Guo Panwei, and the resthad been discussing this incident. They had also heard about what happenedduring the meeting.


    Chang Juan immediately exined. "Chief Dong, it''s not me.The documents were photocopied together. All 13 sets are the same, and it isimpossible for there to be dessert pictures mixed in it!"


    Tan Limei added. "That''s right. We still checked throughevery set!"


    Dong Xuebing was reprimanded by Xu Yan and Li Qing. He wasfurious and raised his voice. "Then who can exin about the few pictures inthe documents? Ah? The pictures appeared in the document by themselves? Or didthe pictures dropped from the skies?" Dong Xuebing trust Tan Limei''s workattitude. Chang Juan and Tan Limei should not make any mistakes when preparingthese documents. He also checked a random copy before bringing up thedocuments. How can there be mistakes?


    Provoking Political Commissar Zhou? Dong Xuebing dare not totake on this responsibility!


    After getting scolded, Tan Limei and Chang Juan feltwronged. "We really checked all the documents!"


    "Enough. Follow me. Political Commissar Zhou wants to seeus!"


    Political Commissar Zhou''s office.


    The furious Political Commissar Zhou was sitting behind hisdesk, looking at those pictures. He had already ced all responsibility onDong Xuebing. He was already unhappy with Dong Xuebing for his promotion to theDeputy Chief of the General Affairs Office. Guo Shunjie also kept talking badabout Dong Xuebing and told him how disrespectful Dong Xuebing was towards him.Zhou Guoan might not show it, but he was furious inside. He suspects someonewas behind this incident because he will be taking over as the position ofBranch Bureau Chief. Someone was trying to intimidate him? Who''s themastermind? Xu Yan, who had been supporting Dong Xuebing? Song Shoujie? YangYizhong? Or... Liu Hua? Zhou Guoan was not sure, but he had to do something toprove he was not someone easily intimidated.


    Not longter, Dong Xuebing entered Political CommissarZhou''s office with the staffs from the General Affairs Office.


    "Political Commissar Zhou, we..."


    Zhou Guoan threw the pictures on his desk. "What''s these?Tell me!"


    Dong Xuebing felt wronged. But this was what had happened,and he could not exin for himself. "This might be our oversight..."


    "Oversight?" Bang, bang, bang! Zhou Guoan banged on thetable. "Do you know what does State Security means? Do you know what thepurpose of the General Affairs Office is? Tell me! How did these pictures ofcakes appear in the General Affairs Office? Who is the one that printed these?Ah? Is this the way you all do things?! Not only you all print such pictures inthe office, you all still file it together with the documents? As the DeputyChief of the office, is this the way you supervise your staffs? Give me anexnation!"


    This was what Dong Xuebing did not want. Getting med forwhat happened. Zhou Guoan thought he had mixed those pictures among thedocuments on purposed. Dong Xuebing did not check through all the documents anddid not fulfill his responsibility as the supervisor. But Dong Xuebing did noteven know Zhou Guoan had diabetes before this incident. "Political CommissarZhou, these pictures should be mixed in identally when we are stacking thedocuments. I admit this is our oversight. But I can guarantee that this is nota provocation by anyone!"


    "What provocation? Ah? I am talking about the working attitude of the General Affairs Office!" Zhou Guoan had assumed that this wasall Dong Xuebing''s work. He will not listen to his exnation and startedscolding him!


    Seeing Political Commissar Zhou''s attitude, Dong Xuebingbecame more depressed. He had really offended Political Commissar Zhou. Goddamn it! Why did this have to happen? Damn unlucky!


    Tan Limei, Guo Panwei and the rest lowered their heads.


    Guo Shunjie looked at Dong Xuebing gloatingly before helowered his head.


    Zhou Guoan then asked a question which all of them do notwant to hear. "Who is the one who delivered these documents?"


    All of them knew that Political Commissar was findingsomeone to take the me.


    Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth and replied. "I am the one who sent it to the office."


    Zhou Guoan looked at all of them in the eyes and asked: "Whoprinted all the documents?"


    Guo Panwei and Old Yan looked at Chang Juan and Tan Limeisecretly. Tan Limei and Chang Juan turned pale immediately. Both of them do nothave any Deputy Branch Bureau backing them. If they offended PoliticalCommissar Zhou, god knows what sort of punishments they will have to face. Evenif Political Commissar Zhou let them off this time, what about the next time?If the leader wants to find trouble with you, they could use whatever reasons!Civil Servants were also not iron rice bowls now!


    Tan Limei was at the stage where she was going to getmarried to Zhuang Zhi. If something happens in her work, then...


    Chang Juan''s son was still in school. This was the time whenshe needed money the most. Her sry yed a big part in her family''s monthlyexpenses. If she lost her job, then her family will...


    "I''m the one who printed it."


    "Ah?"


    Not only Tan Limei and Chang Juan were shocked when theyheard this. Even Old Yan, Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie were shocked. All of themturned and looked at Dong Xuebing!


    It was Dong Xuebing who said that. "I am the one who printedthe documents."


    Zhou Guoan looked at him and asked: "Who is the one thatsorted the documents?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "It was me who sorted the documents."


    "Good! Good!" Zhou Guoan just said this.


    Zhuang Zhi, Guo Shunjie, Chang Juan, Tan Limei, Old Yan didnot expect Xiao Dong to take on all the me by himself. He did not even tryto push the responsibility to others. Everyone, except for Zhuang Zhi, was moresenior than Dong Xuebing. They had experienced all sorts of storms and seen toomany incidents of people pushing the me to others. Whenever shit happens,the leaders will try all means to shift the me to his subordinates. This wasvery normal in the Government Service.


    But, the was the first time, even for Old Yan, seeing leadertaking on full responsibility and mes for their staffs!


    Tan Limei and Chang Juan''s eyes were red. "Chief Dong..."


    Dong Xuebing did not let both of them continue. "PoliticalCommissar Zhou, I will write a report and self-reflection letter before the endof the day."


    At this moment, Tan Limei and Chang Juan''s tears rolled downtheir cheeks!


    Old Yan and Guo Panwei looked at each other speechless!


    Such leaders exist in government service?


    Chief Dong''s sense of responsibility was too strong!

 Chapter 102: Got framed

    <h4>Chapter 102: Got framed</h4>


    Back at the General Affairs Office.


    Dong Xuebing entered his office without saying a word andthrew the documents he was holding on his desk. He sat down and cursed whilemassaging his temples. He had shouldered all the me. To others, this mightnot be a wise decision and will feel that Dong Xuebing was too inexperienced atwork. But Dong Xuebing had his own thinking. As the supervisor, he had theresponsibility to check on his subordinates'' work. This was his job, and it wasapparent Zhou Guoan wanted to pin all the me on him. Even if he told ZhouGuoan that it was Chang Juan and Tan Limei who had prepared the documents, itwould be useless. They will only be implicated. What''s the point of getting twomore people into trouble?


    Knock, knock, knock. Someone was at the door.


    "Come in."


    It was Chang Juan and Tan Limei. After closing the officedoor, Tan Limei''s tears start flowing. She stood there and cried. Chang Juan''seyes were also red, and she said: "Chief Dong, Xiao Tan and I had made such abig mistake and you helped us shouldered all the me. We..."


    Dong Xuebing forced a smile and said: "Sis Chang, it''salright. I know you both did not make this mistake on purpose. Everyone makesmistakes. Xiao Tan, stop crying."


    Chang Juan wiped off the tears welling in her eyes: "But I...But..."


    Tan Limei was still sobbing: "Wooo, wooo..... I''m sorry..."


    Dong Xuebing now speaks like a real leader. "Don''t take itto heart. It''s not a big deal. Go back to work."


    Tan Limei cried for a while more and then left with ChangJuan.


    Outside, in the main office. Old Yan said: "The both of youhad met a good leader. This is our Chief Xiao Dong. If it is other leaders..."He did not continue.


    Zhuang Zhi quickly went over tofort Tan Limei.


    Chang Juan sighed. "I am feeling bad. It was not ChiefDong''s fault, but because of us..."


    Old Yan interrupted her: "Our Chief Dong''s nickname isFirefighter. If he can help the leaders put out fires, he will have no problemsputting out the fire in his own backyard."


    Chang Juan nodded. She really hopes everything will be finefor Dong Xuebing,


    Guo Shunjie continued to type on his keyboard as if thesewere not of his concern. He raised his head and looked at everyone in the officewith a smirk secretly.


    ...


    3 dayster.


    Thursday.


    Dong Xuebing had been waiting for the punishment from PoliticalCommissar Zhou. But after so many days, nothing was heard from him. DongXuebing thought if Political Commissar Zhou had forgotten about this incidentor he realized that this was a genuine mistake and it was not meant to provokehim. Huh? This should not be possible. When it was almost time to go back, DongXuebing started to get ready to go home. He packed his stuff, and before heeven stepped out of his small office, he received a piece of shocking news!


    Zhou Guoan will be taking over the Branch Bureau official,and this piece of news was confirmed.


    The new Political Commissar was not the favored candidatesXu Yan or Pang Bin. It was Cheng Haimei, who was close to Zhou Guoan. It wasnot sure what connections she used to get this position!


    The top officials in the branch were changed, and DongXuebing felt his position was in danger!


    The more shocking news was the District Party Trainingcourse''s spot, which was sought after by all the section chief staffs, wasgiven to an unexpected person. Guo Shunjie!


    When Dong Xuebing heard this, he almost could not believehis ears. Why was the spot given to him?


    Dong Xuebing sat down in his office and thought about whathappened. Suddenly, he could feel a chill down his spine. That''s it. Zhou Guoanwanted to pursue that incident and then let Guo Shunjie get the spot to attendthe training course. This way, he could easily promote Guo Shunjie. Zhou Guoanwill be the head of the branch and the Branch Bureau Party Committee will beunder his control. This way, he can easily transfer Director Li Qing to otherpositions and let Guo Shunjie take over as the Chief of the General AffairsOffice. If that happens, Guo Shunjie will have direct control over the GeneralAffairs Office, and Dong Xuebing will be under him!


    Damn!


    This was the worst situation!


    Dong Xuebing was lost. He does not know what to do. He couldfeel the danger approaching him.


    Guo Shunjie was going to be the Chief of the General AffairsOffice and will be his direct supervisor.


    When people are forced into a corner, their minds start tothink fast. Dong Xuebing was such people. He thought hard on what he should doand suddenly realized something. He immediately picked up the phone and calledthe outside office. "Xiao Tan! Call Chang Juan too. I want to see both of youin my office!"


    10 secondster, Chang Juan and Tan Limei entered the smalloffice. "Chief Dong." Both of them had heard that Guo Shunjie will be going forthe training course at the District Party School. They were worried and knewthat Chief Dong''s career mighte to an end soon. When Zhou Guoan bes theBranch Bureau''s Chief, he will push Guo Shunjie to be the Chief of theGeneral Affairs Office. Dong Xuebing, who had offended the Branch Bureau Chiefand the Chief of the General Affairs Office, will not have a good life!


    "Xiao Tan, Chang Juan. I want you all to tell me the truth."Dong Xuebing asked seriously.


    Chang Juan immediately replied: "You are the one who savedour jobs. We will not hide anything from you."


    Dong Xuebing took in a deep breath and asked: "3 days ago,who made the mistake with the meeting documents for Political Commissar Zhou?"


    Chang Juan and Tan Limei looked at each other, and it wasTan Limei who replied: "I might sound like I am shirking responsibility, but Iswear that we have checked all the documents before we pass it to you. We hadchecked every single page. Those pictures are not there!"


    Chang Juan added: "That''s right. We also don''t know how didthose pictures get mixed into the documents!"


    Dong Xuebing paused for a while. "We kept those 13 sets ofdocuments in my office, and we went to lunch. I came backter after you two.Which one of you arrived back at the office first?"


    Chang Juan thought for a while and replied: "I came backearlier than Xiao Tan."


    Dong Xuebing looked at her: "Who is in the office when youcame back?"


    "Ah? Are you suspecting someone is trying to frame us?"Chang Juan was shocked. "I remembered... Guo Shunjie, Guo Panwei, and Old Yanare in the office."


    "Ok. Call old Yan in."


    Chang Juan went out to call him.


    After Old Yan entered the small office, Dong Xuebingimmediately ask: "Old Yan, can you recall on the day of the incident where theerror in meeting documents happens, did someone enter my office when I am notaround?"


    Old Yan frowned. "Monday? No. When I return from lunch, GuoShunjie was working on hisputer."


    Dong Xuebing asked: "He is alone?"


    "Yes."


    "Ok. I understand. All of you can go now."


    Tan Limei asked furiously: "Are you suspecting... Guo Shunjiewas the one who switched the documents?!"


    Chang Juan and Old Yan were shocked. If this was true, thatGuo Shunjie was really daring!


    Dong Xuebing do suspect Guo Shunjie. No. It''s not suspect.He was sure it was Guo Shunjie who framed him!


    Guo Shunjie was the only one who benefited from thisincident!


    This bastard! He was too scheming!

 Chapter 103: End of his career?

    <h4>Chapter 103: End of his career?</h4>


    Friday morning.


    The furious Dong Xuebing had just entered the Branch Bureauand saw Guo Shunjie walking in front of him."


    "Brother Guo, congrattions." A young man from PublicSecurity Sixth Bureau was congratting Guo Shunjie.


    Guo Shunjie smiles: "What''s there to congratte? I am onlygoing to attend a training course."


    A few other people from the Political Section and theFinance department walked past and greeted Guo Shunjie. "Shunjie, not anyonecan attend the training course at the Party School. Hahaha. You will bepromoted soon. When are you giving us a treat?" The leaders in the Bureau willchange soon, and everyone knew Zhou Guoan favors Guo Shunjie. He even let GuoShunjie have the precious spot of the training course. Any smart people will understandthat Zhou Guoan wants to promote Guo Shunjie to be the Chief of the GeneralAffairs Department. That''s why everyone changed their attitude towards him andstart to suck up to him.


    Guo Shunjie enjoyed this feeling and even start to behavelike a leader. He smiled and chatted with them.


    Dong Xuebing, on the other hand, was feeling what ZhouChangchun had gone through when he was retiring early. As Dong Xuebing hadoffended Zhou Guoan, everyone in the branch was avoiding him like the gue.The football yers who were very close to Dong Xuebing stopped interactingwith him. They only nodded to Dong Xuebing as a form of greetings and quicklywalk away. They did not even address him as Chief Dong. No one wants to haveanything to do with Dong Xuebing.


    Guo Shunjie turned and saw everyone was ignoring DongXuebing and gave a smirk. Serve you, right!


    Dong Xuebing''s anger had reached a boiling point. The momenthe arrived back in his office, he called Guo Shunjie into his room.


    "What is it?" In the past, Guo Shunjie would still addressDong Xuebing as Chief unwillingly. But today, he did not even greet him. Helooked at Dong Xuebing straight into the eyes with his head held high. His tonewas like someone superior, like Dong Xuebing''s leader!


    "What''s with this attitude? Do you know who you are speakingto?" Dong Xuebing frowned. "Guo Shunjie don''t think I don''t know what you aredoing. I have been closing one eye when you create some minor problems for me. Butyou are too daring. You even dare to switch the meeting documents and frameyour leader?"


    Guo Shunjie stared at Dong Xuebing and replied coldly: "Don''tuse me!"


    "You know well what you had done!"


    "You need evidence. Where is the proof? Show me!"


    Dong Xuebing had tried to look for evidence yesterday aftereveryone had left. But the photocopier machine in the office does not have thefunction to keep records. Those few pictures might not be printed in theoffice, and Guo Shunjie might have brought them from home. He could not findany proof. That''s why even when Dong Xuebing knew that it was Guo Shunjie whohad framed him, he could not do anything to him. Also, if he went to the topleaders, no one will believe him!


    "Don''t use me if you do not have evidence!" Guo Shunjiehad a mocking smile on his face. "You are making false usations!" GuoShunjie had been waiting for this day. He was feeling terrific. He thought tohimself, Dong Xuebing... serve you right! Just wait and see how I will deal withyou after I have been promoted to the Chief! If I don''t end your career, I willchange my name!


    "It''s too early for you to celebrate!" Dong Xuebing grittedhis teeth and said: "You will pay for what you did. Let''s wait and see!"


    Guo Shunjie smiles: "That''s right. Let''s wait and see. Ifthere is nothing else, I will go out. Oh, get someone else to type the documentyou for me. Political Commissar Zhou wants to see me. I am busy." After sayingthat, Guo Shunjie walked out of Dong Xuebing''s room smiling. Pay for what Idid? Hahaha. Let''s see who will pay!


    Damn! Dong Xuebing banged his desk!


    Not only Dong Xuebing was framed, the culprit stillbenefited from it. He was furious! No! Guo Shunjie must not enter the PartySchool! If he did not attend the training course, then it will be difficult forhim to be promoted from a staff member to a Section Chief. No matter what, hewill still have to be promoted to a Deputy Section Chief first. Dong Xuebing''sonly way of surviving was to stop Guo Shunjie from attending the training!


    After making a call, Dong Xuebing found out that thetraining course will start tomorrow. It was impossible to ask PoliticalCommissar Zhou to withdraw Guo Shunjie from the course. Dong Xuebing could onlypin all his hopes on Branch Bureau Chief Yan Liang. But today was Yan Liang''st day as the Chief. That means... He had only one day to stop Guo Shunjie!Dong Xuebing must remove Guo Shunjie''s name from this course today! If not, itwill be the end of his career!


    Dong Xuebing, who had no other choices, went straight to YanLiang''s office.


    Today, there''s a leader from the National State Securiting to the Western District Branch Bureau for an inspection. The wholebranch bureau was busy cleaning up thepound.


    Knock, knock knock. Dong Xuebing took in a deep breath andknocked on Yan Liang''s office.


    "Come in."


    Yan Liang was going to be promoted, and he should be in agood mood. But his rtionship with his wife was not very good. When he heardthat he will be transferred to a province in the southern region, and his wholefamily had to move with him, Yan Liang''s wife starts to quarrel with him. Sheinsisted on staying in Beijing with their children and refusing to be relocated.This was why Yan Liang was in a bad mood these few days.


    "Chief Yan, I want to report something to you." Dong Xuebingsaid directly.


    Yan Liang raised his head and looked at Dong Xuebing. "Whatis it?"


    Dong Xuebing said: "It is about that the incident of PoliticalCommissar Zhou''s meeting documents. I..."


    Yan Liang interrupted him: "Go and tell this to PoliticalCommissar Zhou."


    "Chief Yan, there are some problems." Dong Xuebing did notcare and continued. "The mistake is not caused by printing and sorting. GuoShunjie was the one who purposely framed me. You should also know that he hadbeen unhappy with me all this while. On the day of the meeting, he sneaked intomy office and switched the documents for Political Commissar Zhou duringlunchtime."


    Yan Liang frowned: "Do you have evidence?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Someone can prove that Guo Shunjiewas alone in the office for a long time during lunch. As for other evidence... Iam still looking for it. Those few pictures of the cakes are still with me. Ifwe can check for fingerprints or..."


    Yan Liang shook his head. "Come to me again when you haveconcrete evidence."


    Dong Xuebing was not willing to give up. "The Party School''straining course spot was given to Guo Shunjie. How can someone of his characterbe allowed to go for this training? Chief Yan, I hope he will be withdrawn fromthe course until the investigation for this incident is over!"


    This was Yan Liang''sst day at Western District Branch. Hedoes not want to meddle with these matters. "I want evidence. Without evidence,everything will be useless. You can go and speak to Political Commissar Zhouabout this." Ring, ring, ring. The phone on Yan Liang''s desk rang. Yan Lianganswered, and he immediately brightens up. After hanging up the call, he madeanother call. "Minister Lui is arriving. Is everything ready?"


    Dong Xuebing could only leave Yan Liang''s office dejected.


    That''s it?


    Everything''s over?


    My career in government service had reached the end?!

 Chapter 104: Unexpected incident!

    <h4>Chapter 104: Unexpected incident!</h4>


    Yan Liang does have the authority to withdraw Guo Shunjiefrom the Party School''s training. As long as he was still the Branch Bureau''sChief, he could still make the final decision on such matters. Yan Liang hadheard a lot about Dong Xuebing. But he did not think Dong Xuebing was capable.He had voted for Dong Xuebing during the Party Committee meeting was because hehad no choice. This was why he refused to help Dong Xuebing.


    Furthermore, he also does not think that Guo Shunjie wouldbe so daring to frame his direct supervisor. Xu Yan did not be the next PoliticalCommissar. Now, the situation had changed for Song Shoujie, Yang Yizhong, andthe rest. They might not even be able to save themselves and will have no timeto help Dong Xuebing with this incident. Even if they wanted to help DongXuebing, they also could not do so.


    That''s why Dong Xuebing was alone to handle this crisis.


    The frontpound of the Western Branch Bureau.


    Yan Liang, Zhou Guoan, Xu Yan and all the top leaders of thebranch were standing at attention in front. Dong Xuebing, Tan Limei, GuoShunjie, and the rest were standing at the back. All of them were there towee Minister Lui, from the National State Security. Minister Lui was veryold and had retired from the State Security many years back. Although he was nolonger holding any portfolio, he still has an influence over the StateSecurity. Many of the Bureau Directors were his former subordinates andstudents. Yan Liang was one of them.


    The metal gates opened, and an ordinary old model Audientered the Branch''spound.


    The car stopped, and there was an old man around his sixtiesor seventies sitting at the back. His hair was almost all white, but he stippears to be in good health.


    Yan Liang''s promotion was actually because of his connectionwith Minister Lui. That''s why Yan Liang was very respectful of him. Heimmediately walks forward to open the car''s door for Minister Lui. Then, hehelped Minister Lui alight from the vehicle. "Minister Lui, I represent theBranch Bureau to wee you. Thank you foring over to inspect and guideus." Yan Liang knew that Minister Lui do not like grand wees. But he stillhas to show his respect for him.


    Minister Lui looked at the people standing behind Yan Liangandughed: "You... since when did you learn all these? Everyone get back towork. I am retired, and what''s there for me to inspect? I was also from theWestern District Branch. I am justing back for a visit today." Minister Luicasually passed his bag to his driver and guard.


    Yan Liang immediately moved over and grabbed the bag. "Letme carry it."


    Minister Luiughed and did not say anything. Many yearsago, Yan Liang was the one who carried his bag for him.


    Zhou Guoan, Xu Yan and the rest walked over and greeted MinisterLui politely. After everyone had greeted Minister Lui, Yan Liang asked everyo disperse. Only the members of the General Affairs Office and a few youngpersonnel from the other departments remained. Yan Liang apanied MinisterLui for a stroll around the branch.


    Minister Lui looked around and sighed. "That Chinese datetree is still there? Eh? The cafeteria is still the same? Nothing had changed.Xiao Yan, is the Political Section still in that corner on level 3?" MinisterLui asks when he walked around. Once in a while, he will speak to the youngstaffs. He did not have the air of a leader. Guo Shunjie, Guo Panwei and twomembers of the Public Security Sixth Bureau silently moved behind Minister Lui,hoping he would speak to them and leave an impression with him.


    Dong Xuebing was not interested in this. He was thestperson at the back and was staring at Guo Shunjie. He really wished he couldgive him a kick on his face.


    Guo Shunjie could feel someone was staring at him frombehind. He turned and gave Dong Xuebing a cold smile.


    Actually, when Dong Xuebing was promoted to be theDeputy Chief of the General Affairs Office, many younger staffs were unhappy.How can someone who had joined the bureau for less than 2 months bepromoted?They had been working therefor 2 to 3 years, and it was not their turn. This was why when Dong Xuebing''scareer wasing to an end, they were gloating.


    Not longter, Minister Lui entered Yan Liang''s office. Therest of them waited outside.


    Guo Shunjie looked around and walked over to Dong Xuebing."Chief Xiao Dong, my training course at the Party is starting next week. I willbe applying for two weeks of leave from work." He purposely emphasis on thewords, Party School to spite Dong Xuebing. Even the leader could not get toattend the training, and his staff member will be participating. This was likea p to Dong Xuebing''s face.


    Tan Limei, who was standing by the side, knew that it wasGuo Shunjie who switched the documents and could not stand it: "Guo Shunjie!You are despicable!"


    Chang Juan and Zhuang Zhi were also furious. This personcould switch documents to frame his superior and colleagues! He was really ascum!


    Guo Shunjie stared at Tan Limei in her eyes: "Who do youthink you are scolding? Ah?"


    The other people who were not from the General AffairsDepartment were watching this free show.


    Suddenly, Yan Liang office''s door opens. Guo Shunjie justlet out a ''Hmph!'' and looks away. Respect for Dong Xuebing? Guo Shunjie doesnot care about this anymore. He was not willing to show any respect to DongXuebing. He now has Zhou Guoan backing him. Once he attended the trainingcourse, he will be promoted to Dong Xuebing''s supervisor!


    Yan Liang walked out with Minister Lui.


    Minister Luiughed and said: "Let''s go and visit thebureau''s quarters. I had lived there for several years. I really miss thatce."


    Yan Liang smiled and replied: "Ok. Can I drive you there?"


    "Let''s take a walk. It is not far from here. We can alsoexercise."


    After leaving the branch, they walked for about 100 metersand turned into a small alley.


    Dong Xuebing followed behind with his fist clenched. He wasthinking about what else he could do to stop Guo Shunjie from entering theParty School and his promotion.


    After walking for about 10 minutes, there was amotion infront.


    "Minister Lui, how are you feeling?"


    "Minister Lui, are you ok?"


    Dong Xuebing, who was walking with Tan Limei and Zhuang Zhiat the back of the group, looked over. They saw Minister Lui panting heavily,but he was still smiling to Yan Liang. "Asthma. I got this condition about 2years ago. It''s ok. I have my inhaler with me. The inhaler is in my bag.


    Everyone was relieved when they heard it was asthma.


    But Yan Liang''s following words shocked everyone. "Ah! Yourbag is left in my office!" Yan Liang was used to be the leader for years. Hehad forgotten the habit of carrying someone else''s bag. He was also troubled byhis family problems recently and had forgotten about Minister Lui''s bag.Although he had noticed that he had forgotten about Minister Lui''s bag after leavingthe branch, he thought nothing about it, as he did not know that Minister Luihad asthma and his medication was in his bag.


    Minister Lui''s breathing became faster when he heard YanLiang. He grabs his chest and starts to gasp for air. His sweat was pouringdown his face.


    Yan Liang panicked. "Damn! Medicine! Who has medicine forasthma? Heart attack medication is also fine! Who have it?"


    All the people there were below 30 years old. All of themwere healthy, and who would bring these medicines around? The guard, who wasfollowing Minister Lui, was only his bodyguard. He did not bring any sparemedicine!


    Guo Shunjie was in a rush to impress the leaders: "I willcall for an ambnce!" He shouted and immediately start dialing the number.


    Yan Liang was holding on to Minister Lui with one hand, andthe other was holding his phone, calling the branch. "Go to my office and bringme that brown colored leather bag! The second Hutong! Drive! I need it now!Hurry up!"


    Minister Lui was struggling to breathe, and he was spasming!


    Goddamn! The branch bureau was too far from here, and theambnce will not be on time!


    Yan Liang was panicking. "Sir! Hang in there! The medicinewill be here!" Yan Liang then turned to the others and shouted: "Go and buymedicine from the nearest pharmacy! Go now!"


    Dong Xuebing was also panicking. Pharmacy? The nearestpharmacy is also a distance from here. It was obvious that Minister Lui couldnot evenst a minute! There will not be enough time!


    Eh?


    Wait a minute!


    Dong Xuebing stopped suddenly and could feel his whole bodygetting heated up!


    Damn!


    This is my chance to save myself!


    BACK! BACK! BACK! BACK! BACK!

 Chapter 105: Reversal

    <h4>Chapter 105: Reversal</h4>


    Dong Xuebing had not used his BACK from Monday to Friday.Without hesitations, he used up all 5 BACK at once!


    ...


    ...


    "Hahaha, this estate is still the same as before." MinisterLui reminisces about the time when he was living around this area. He points toa part of the estate a distance away. "When I was not assigned with quarters, Ihad rented a ce over there. Can you see that Chinese Mahogany tree? It wasnot so tall back then. Every year, Old Xu and I will climb up the roof to helpothers pluck the leaves. Sighed... so many years have passed. The estate and thetree are still around, but all of us are old."


    Everyone from the branch bureau was following behindMinister Lui.


    Yan Liangughed and said: "You are not that old. I thinkyou are healthier than me."


    Minister Luiughed and waved his hand: "I am not thathealthy anymore."


    Time had returned! Now it was precisely 5 minutes ago!


    Dong Xuebing was also not sure if 5 minutes was enough. Buthe had no other choices. He looked around urgently and stopped in the southwestdirection. He remembers seeing a Golden Elephant Pharmacy at the end of thestreet. After confirming the direction, Dong Xuebing immediately ran withoutsaying a word. He did not care whether his image as a leader. He ran as fast ashe could.


    Minister Lui and Yan Liang did not notice Dong Xuebingrunning off to another direction. But Tan Limei, Changjuan and the rest wereshocked.


    Where is Chief Dong going? Why is he running off in a rush?Rushing to the toilet? Even if he needs the bathroom urgently, he also does notneed to run so fast.


    Guo Shunjie sneered as he looked at Dong Xuebing''s backview. This behavior was not what a leader should have.


    Run! Faster! Run!


    Dong Xuebing ran down the alley towards the street. How faris it? Still have not reached? Faster! Run faster! There is not enough time!


    Dong Xuebing was one of the fastest sprinters in his sswhen he was still studying. He was weak in mid to long distance. He could onlyrun 100 to 200 meters at most. But today, he broke his personal records. Hesprinted more than 300 to 400 meters without signs of slowing down. He needs tosave his career. He must not let Guo Shunjie be promoted! This was his onlyhope!


    1 minute passed...


    2 minutes passed...


    I see it! That''s the pharmacy!


    Dong Xuebing was exhausted. 30 meters more... 20 meters... 10meters...


    Bang! Dong Xuebing pushes a young man, who was walking outof the Pharmacy, aside and dash into the Golden Elephant Pharmacy. He does notknow if asthma medication was a prescribed drug and was not sure if thepharmacist would sell the medicine to him. He does not have the time toexin. He immediately took out his work pass and banged the counter. "StateSecurity! I need the medication for asthma and heart attack! Now!"


    The cashier behind the counter was shocked, and she lookedat Dong Xuebing''s identification.


    Dong Xuebing shouted at her: "Hurry up! It is a matter oflife and death!"


    The staffs in the pharmacy were stunned for a while, and onestaff in white coat quickly ran to the back to get the medicines.


    That staff was quite fast, and she returns with a small boxof medicine and a bottle of Nitroglycerin tablets and Instant-effect JiuxinPills. Dong Xuebing grabbed the medicines and threw 300 RMB on the counterbefore running out. "Thank you!"


    "Hey, the medicines do not cost so much. Your change!"


    Dong Xuebing did not turn back and ran back the same wayinto the alleyways!


    He had no more stamina and was much slower on his way back!


    Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth and ran with all his might.Run faster!


    It''s been 5 minutes since he used BACK and Minister Luishould be having his asthma attack now! Is there enough time?


    5 seconds passed...


    10 seconds passed...


    After turning at a Hutong, Dong Xuebing could see the peoplefrom the Bureau panicking in the distance!


    I reached! I had finally reached!


    Yan Liang, who was panicking, was looking at Minister Lui,gasping for air. He had to bear full responsibility. If he knew that MinisterLui had Asthma and had kept his medication in his bag, Yan Liang would neverforget to bring that bag along. It was because he did not know about MinisterLui''s condition and forgot about it and created this mess! Everything was tote now. If anything happens to Minister Lui, then... Yan Liang doesn''t evendare to think what would happen! It will definitely not a matter from gettingfired from his job!


    Minister Lui''s eyes were rolled up, and only the whites wereshowing. He could not make it!


    "Sir! Hang in there! Just hang on for a bit more!" Yan Liangshouted: "Where is the ambnce? Why is the ambnce not here yet?!"


    They were inside a Hutong and the road conditions there werepoor with many turns. It will take at least 20 minutes for the ambnce toarrive at the scene. There was also not enough time for anyone toe overfrom the branch bureau with the medicine. There were too many turns and narrowroads. Even if anyone were to fly from the branch..., they could not reach herein 10 minutes! The pharmacy was the only hope. But all the pharmacies werelocated along the streets outside of the Hutong. It will take at least 6 to 7minutes. Minister Lui now... might not evenst more than a minute!


    Tan Limei, Zhuang Zhi and others from the variousdepartments were panicking! There was nothing they could do!


    That''s it! Yan Liang''s mind was nk! He is finished!


    "Chief Dong! Chief Dong is back!" Chang Juan saw DongXuebing running back and she shouted. She immediately exined what happenedto Dong Xuebing: "Minister Lui is having an asthma attack! Chief Dong, whatshall we do?"


    Guo Shunjie heard this and shouted: "What can he do? Hurryup and call the ambnce to chase them!"


    The other two young staffs from the 6th Bureaushook their heads when they heard what Chang Juan said. They thought tothemselves. Even if your Chief''s nickname was Firefighter, and dares to runinto a burning room and save penalty kicks, but what can he do in thisemergency? This is an asthma attack. What can this Chief Dong do?


    Yan Liang looked at Dong Xuebing''s direction and thoughtnothing about him. He shouted to Guo Shunjie and the others: "Medicine! Go andget medicine!"


    Guo Shunjie wiped the sweat on his forehead: "They had justleft to get the medicine. They need at least 5 to 6 minutes!:


    Yan Liang looked at the dying Minister Lui. "There is nomore time!"


    "Minister Lui!"


    Everyone there had given up!


    Dong Xuebing, who was panting hard, reached in front of everyone:"Haa.... Med... Haaa... I have the med... Haa... medicine!"


    You have?!


    Everyone was shocked when they heard what Dong Xuebingsaid!!!


    "Where is it? Where is medicine?" Yan Liang immediatelystand up!


    Everyone turns to look at Dong Xuebing!


    On his way back, Dong Xuebing had torn open the packaging.He reached into his pocket and took out an inhaler with medicine.


    Oh god! This is really the medicine for asthma?!


    Yan Liang paused for a sec, snatched the bottle of medicinefrom Dong Xuebing and gave it to Minister Lui: "Hurry, take the medicine!Quick!"


    The weak Minister Lui ce the stic mouthpiece in hismouth and inhale deeply. He stopped for a few seconds before inhaling again.Slowly, Minister Lui''s breathing slowed down and was back to normal. But hisexpression was still in pain. He was sweating, and his hand was gripping hischest.


    Yan Liang and the rest, who had just rxed, panickedagain. "Oh, no! He has a heart attack!"


    One thing after another!


    Heart attacks were also fatal!


    Tan Limei, Chang Juan and other female staffs were mumblingto themselves: "Oh no... That''s it!"


    Yan Liang was cursing in his heart! "Hurry and call thosebuying medicine to get heart attack medication too! Quick!"


    "Haaaa.... It''s ok..." Dong Xuebing reached out to stopsomeone who was about to make the phone call. He was still panting, and hereached into his pocket: "I have the medicine... Quick-Acting Heart Reliever pills."


    "Ah?!" Everyone was stunned again.


    Yan Liang was also shocked. But he did not have time to waitany longer. He quickly grabbed the Quick-Acting Heart Reliever pills and fed itto Minister Lui.


    But Minister Lui slowly shook his head and said withdifficulty: "Quick-Acting... Heart Reliever pills... is not effective for me... Ineed... Muxiang... Baoxin Pills... or Nitroglycerin tablets..."


    Damn!


    Everyone panicked again!


    Yan Liang was about to go crazy


    But Dong Xuebing reached into his pocket again: "... I alsohave Nitroglycerin tablets. Here... here..."


    Guo Oanwei, Tan Limei, Chang Juan and the other staffs fromvarious departments nearly fainted on the spot!


    Asthma medicine, Quick-Acting Heart Reliever pills, Nitroglycerintablets... Howe this Chief Dong has everything in his pockets?!


    Yan Liang was also speechless!


    Guo Shunjie nearly cursed out loud. You are not sufferingfrom asthma or heart attacks! Why are you carrying these medications around?Are you a fucking Doraemon?!


    notes:


    Nitroglycerin(medication


    JiuxinPills or Quick-Acting Heart Reliever pills is one of the blood-quickeningstasis-transforming medicinals to relieve angina. It is a type of Chinesetraditional medicine.


    MuxiangBaoxin Pills is another type of Chinese medicine for heart attacks.

 Chapter 106: The omnipotent Chief Xiao Dong

    <h4>Chapter 106: The omnipotent Chief Xiao Dong</h4>


    After taking the two medicines, Minister Lui''s face slowlyregains normal color.


    Yan Liang was still holding on to Minister Lui: "How are youfeeling?"


    "Much better." Minister Lui looked towards Dong Xuebing''sdirection and smiles.


    Yan Liang, who had narrowly escaped, guiltily said: "It''sall because of me. I nearly... I..."


    "Haha, it''s ok." Minister Lui was joyful. "It''s normal forpeople to go when the time is up. Furthermore, I am fine now."


    After this incident, no one had the mood to go visit thebureau''s quarters. When Yan Liang''s driver and Minister Lui''s driver arrives intheir cars, Minister Lui left with his guard. Yan Liang looked at Dong Xuebing.He felt grateful, lucky, and a bit shocked. He had only seen Dong Xuebing runninginto a burning room to retrieve some documents and had heard of what DongXuebing had done by others. He did not think much of it. Firefighter? A lifesaverfor any situation? Bullshit. But today, he experienced Xiao Dong''s miraclesfirst hand. Yan Liang really believed Dong Xuebing could help the leaders inany situation. If it weren''t for taking out the asthma medicine out of nowhere,Yan Liang''s future would be gone...


    Everyone at the scene was staring at Dong Xuebing. It was asif he was a god.


    Yan Liang waved to Dong Xuebing, asking him to go over."Good job. You got all the credit for saving Minister Lui''s life. Howe youcarry so many medicines with you?"


    Dong Xuebing made up a story: "Oh, my neighbor also has thisillness, and these medicines are for him."


    Was this really a coincidence? Yan Liang suspects that DongXuebing had noticed he had forgotten Minister Lui''s bag and purposely went tobuy these medications to perform in front of the leaders. But he thought aboutit and felt it was not possible. Even himself, Minister Lui''s student, did notknow that Minister Lui had gotten asthma recently. How would Xiao Dong know?Yan Liang could not understand why and decided to just stop thinking aboutthis. He nodded at Dong Xuebing and said: "Come, ride the car with me back tothe branch."


    Dong Xuebing was ttered and boarded the car with YanLiang. The rest had to walk back to the branch.


    In the car, Dong Xuebing, who was sitting in the frontpassenger seat, felt it was the right time. He turned and said: "Chief Yan,tomorrow is the registration for the District Party School Training Course. Istill feel that Guo Shunjie is not qualified to participate. The incident aboutthe meeting notes must be done by him..."


    Yan Liang interrupted him: "Ok. Go back and wait for thenews."


    Dong Xuebing''s heart was beating rapidly. Chief Yan...agrees??


    The car arrived at the Branch Bureaupound.


    Back at the office, Yan Liang picked up the phone and calledPolitical Commissar Zhou. "Political Commissar Zhou? The Party School Trainingcourse spot is given to the General Affairs Office''s Guo Shunjie? I don''t thinkit is suitable. He is still not a Section level officer. How can he attend thetraining course meant for Section level officers? The other staffs will beunhappy."


    Zhou Guoan was stunned and could not react.


    Yan Liang did not give him any chance to retort. "I thinkChief Dong from the General Affairs Office is a good candidate. This type ofpeople should be groomed. Let him attend the course."


    Zhou Guoan''s face changed: "Chief Yan, didn''t we agree aboutthis?"


    "This is my decision, and it''s final." Yan Liang did notcare what Zhou Guoan thinks. He owes Xiao Dong favor. If he did not help DongXuebing settle this Party School training course and transferred away, whatwould others think of him?


    Zhou Guoan turns pale when he heard the line was cutabruptly. He threw the phone on the table and then grabbed the teacup and threwit against the wall.


    Dong Xuebing, someone who entered the branch for less than 3months, had disrupted his ns twice! Zhou Guoan had already spread the newsabout Guo Shunjie attending the training at the Party School, and now he had towithdraw his name? He even had to put up Dong Xuebing''s name for the course? Hewas someone who had purposely provoke him by putting dessert pictures in hismeeting notes! What was Yan Liang thinking? He decided to fall out on hisstday? This was like a p to Zhou Guoan''s face!


    After thinking for a while, Zhou Guoan picked up the phone:"Hello? Chief Yan is supposed to apany Minister Lui to the branch bureauquarters. Why is he back suddenly? Help me find out what happened." Zhou Guoanknew there must be a reason why Yan Liang changed his mindst mind.


    At the same time, news of Dong Xuebing recing Guo Shunjieto attend the training course at the district party school spreads throughoutthe branch. Everyone was shocked when they heard of this.


    Was this real? In the morning, everyone was still discussingthe end of Dong Xuebing''s career. But in the afternoon, everything had changed.Furthermore, even if Dong Xuebing did not offend Political Commissar Zhou, DongXuebing was just promoted to Deputy Chief, and it should not be his turn. Hoe Dong Xuebing had all the luck?


    Xu Yan and Song Shoujie were having a discussion in theoffice when they heard about this piece of news. They were also shocked. Whathappened? The reactions of Yang Yizhong, Pang Bin, Liu Hua, and the rest werethe same as Xu Yan and Song Shoujie. They immediately picked up the phone tocall the staff members who had apanied Chief Yan and Minister Lui to thequarters. Something must have happened there.


    When everyone heard of what happened on the way to thequarters, they understood why... and they were stunned.


    On the way to the quarters, Minister Lui had an asthmaattack and a heart attack. But Chief Yan had forgotten to bring Minister Lui''sbag, which contains all the medicines. When Minister Lui was in grave danger,Dong Xuebing just happens to have asthma medicine with him. He also justhappens to have Nitroglycerin tablets with him. And he just happens to saveMinister Lui''s life.


    Everyone was looking at each other speechless.


    "..."


    There were too many coincidences until they want to curse!


    No one would ever expect Dong Xuebing to help Chief Yan to putout his fire. He also helped himself to put out his own fire.


    When Chief Xiao Dong had rushed into a burning room toretrieve documents, he had shocked many people.


    When Chief Xiao Dong dived to save the penalty, he had alsoshocked many people.


    When Chief Xiao Dong scored that goal in the final secondsof the ser match, he had shocked many people.


    When Chief Xiao Dong was promoted to the Deputy Chief of theGeneral Affairs Office, many people were shocked.


    But this time, the word "shocked" could no longer beexpressed how they feel about Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing could save a penalty, scored a winning goal,and run into a burning office and jump out through the windows on the secondfloor.


    Chief Xiao Dong couldn''t be suffering from asthma and heartattacks. When Minister Lui needed these medicines, Chief Xiao Dong could takeit our from his pockets like magic.


    Which leader does not like this type of godlike staff?


    It would be weird if the branch did not put up the name ofthis godlike staff for the training course.


    Firefighter? How can he be called a firefighter?


    Slowly, Dong Xuebing had a new nickname. The OmnipotentChief Xiao Dong!

 Chapter 107: Got the spot for the Party School Training Course

    <h4>Chapter 107: Got the spot for the Party School Training Course</h4>


    In the General Affairs Office, Chang Juan, Tan Limei, Old Yan and the rest were happy for Dong Xuebing. When Zhou Guoan tries to find trouble with them, it was Chief Xiao Dong who had stood in front of them to protect them. If not, Zhou Guoan would have unleashed his anger on Chang Juan and Tan Limei. He will not target Chief Xiao Dong so fast. Everyone in the office knew that Zhou Guoan was trying to suppress Dong Xuebing by letting Guo Shunjie go for the training at the District Party School. This was the result of Dong Xuebing covering up for them. Although they did not say anything, they were very grateful to him.


    Where can you find a leader who takes cares of his men like this?


    "Chief Dong, congrattions. The training is starting tomorrow?" Chang Juan smiles, seductively at Dong Xuebing. Dong Xuebing was still trying to digest thetest news. "Yes. Tomorrow is the day to report, and the course will start on Sunday."


    Tan Limei cheerfully said: "Chief Dong, you have a new nickname. I went to thedies earlier and heard many people calling you the Omnipotent Chief Xiao Dong!"


    "Omnipotent?" Dong Xuebingughed. "Who is the one that spread this?"


    "I also don''t know. Hahaha, everyone is calling you this name." Actually, Tan Limei was the one who gave this nickname and spread it throughout the branch. Guo Panwei also tried to curry favor: "Chief Dong, you are fortunate. When Minister Lui did not bring his medications, you just happen to have the medicines with you. Even heaven is helping you. This opening for the training course is supposed to be yours from the start. How can Guo Shunjie qualify for it?" Guo Panwei should have started to bootlick Guo Shunjie because he was someone who always sits on the fence. But he was moved by Dong Xuebing when he covered up for his subordinates. Also, when they were fighting for the position of Deputy Chief, Guo Panwei had fallen out with Guo Shunjie. He knows that even if he went over to Guo Shunjie''s camp, Guo Shunjie would also not ept him. He might as well take a gamble and ce his bets with Dong Xuebing. After all, Chief Xiao Dong always stages aeback at thest minute. He just hopes that Dong Xuebing would be able to survive this crisis.


    Dong Xuebingughed and shook his head. He looks around the office: "Where is Guo Shunjie?"


    Zhuang Zhi replied: "When he learned about his name was withdrawn from the training, he ran out."


    Tan Limei, a busybody, added: "He must be at Political Commissar''s office making some reports."


    "This type of despicable person... Sighed...." Old Yan was not afraid of offending anyone.


    At that moment, there were sounds of heavy footsteps, and a furious Guo Shunjie stormed into the office. He had gone to Zhou Guoan''s office after he heard that he was being reced by Dong Xuebing for the training course. But Zhou Guoan was fuming, and when he heard Guo Shunjie questioning him, he chased him out of his office.


    Guo Shunjie was about to enter the Party School and will be promoted to Deputy Section Chief after the training. But suddenly he was being reced. He was furious, and was cursing Zhou Guoan and Dong Xuebing''s ancestors in his heart!


    Dong Xuebing looked at him and said: "Guo Shunjie, your leave application is not approved. Come back to work on Monday as usual."


    Guo Shunjie stared at Dong Xuebing. I will not let you off!


    Actually, even Dong Xuebing had not expected to get the spot for the training course. His intent was only to stop Guo Shunjie from attending the training. He does not want to let Guo Shunjie have the opportunity to overtake him. As an ordinary staff member, it will be hard for him to be the Chief of the General Affairs Office. But unexpectedly, Guo Shunjie was reced by him for the training. With the experience of attending this training, Dong Xuebing will be in line to be promoted to the Deputy Section Chief rank. Only one word from the higher-ups, he will be promoted from just getting Deputy Section Chief''s benefits to be a real Deputy Section Chief rank!


    Back at his own office, Dong Xuebing called Director Li Qing to take 2 weeks off. A few days ago, Li Qing was considering to give up his position of the Chief of the General Affairs Office to Guo Shunjie, and only keep his position as the Deputy Director of the General Affairs Department. He was also unhappy with Dong Xuebing who had got into trouble. But when he heard of what happened earlier, he banged his table and praised Dong Xuebing for doing a good job! Li Qing praises Dong Xuebing over the phone and granted his leave application. After hanging up, Xu Yan called Dong Xuebing. She did not say much but reminded Dong Xuebing to keep a low profile.


    Dong Xuebing feltforted. Seems like Deputy Branch Bureau Chief Xu was still concern about him.


    It was the end of the day.


    Dong Xuebing slowly walked out of the branch bureau with a smile on his face.


    On his way out, Dong Xuebing, who had made a significant contribution to the branch, did not get the treatment he deserved. All the staff members and leaders hide away from him. Chief Xiao Dong was in the limelight again for saving Chief Yan''s career and Old Minister Lui''s life. He also got to enter the District Party School. But this was not a matter of the credit he got. Chief Xiao Dong had pped Zhou Guoan''s face by snatching away the training course''s spot. This grudge will never be resolved. Chief Yan Liang will be transferred away on Monday. After that, will Zhou Guoan let Chief Xiao Dong off? Impossible!


    Dong Xuebing also knew Zhou Guoan will take revenge soon. But he couldn''t care less.


    Oh, your trusted aide Guo Shunjie had purposely switched the meeting materials and provoked you. But you vent your anger on me? You find trouble with me and still stupidly try to help Guo Shunjie get his promotion? Are you dumb? Both of you are in cahoots, and I got implicated in it? Getting used for something not done by me? Damn! Why should I be med for all these? Since you, Zhou Guoan started this, then it''s okay for me to snatch the training course opening from you! Who ask you to be so unreasonable? Who ask you to force me to take responsibility before you even investigate the incident thoroughly? Who can you me? Dong Xuebing was someone who hates being used. He was really pissed by Guo Shunjie and Zhou Gouan. He doesn''t care about what others think. He just wants to get the experience of attending the training first. As for the rest... He will only take appropriate measures as the situation calls for in the future!


    A staff member ranked with Deputy Section Chief treatment going against a Divisional Chief?


    This was a joke!


    But... it was not that funny!


    During the selection of the Deputy Section Chief position in the Party Committee Meeting, it was Dong Xuebing going against Zhou Guoan alone. He pulled Xu Yan, Yang Yizhong and Liu Hua over to his side, and won in the end. This time, it was also Dong Xuebing going against Zhou Guoan for the District Party School training course opening. Dong Xuebing had saved Chief Yan''s career, and Chief Yan had to help him. In the end, Dong Xuebing won against Zhou Guoan again.


    Dong Xuebing, this small Deputy Chief had already won against a Divisional Chief level official twice!

 Chapter 108: Legs!

    <h4>Chapter 108: Legs!</h4>


    Saturday morning, Dong Xuebing went to the Western District Party School to report.


    The training course will only start the next day, and after registration, Dong Xuebing returned home before 10 am.


    As Dong Xuebing entered his building, he met a neighbor in winter clothes. They greeted each other and then Dong Xuebing went up the stairs. But before he took the first step, a man in his 30s walked down with a bouquet of roses. He saw Dong Xuebign and asked: "Excuse me, is Qu Yunxuan staying in unit 302?"


    Dong Xuebing immediately frowned and asked: "You are?"


    That man answered: "I am her friend. She is not at home. Do you know where she is?"


    Dong Xuebing shook his head. He will not tell this person that Qu Yunxuan had gone over to her mother''s ce. "I don''t know."


    That man acknowledged and then left.


    When Dong Xuebing reached the 3rd floor and was about to open his door, he saw a note on Aunt Xuan''s door. There was a message about how much water she had used, and Dong Xuebing remembered that someone would being today to check their water meter. He remembers there were no notes outside her door this morning. He hesitated for a moment and went over to press Aunt Xuan''s doorbell. He waited for a while, and no one opened the door. He then knocked on the door and shouted: "Aunt Xuan, it''s me!"


    A few secondster, the door opens, and Qu Yunxuan appeared: "Xiao Bing? Come in."


    Dong Xuebing asked: "I thought you are still not back yet."


    Qu Yunxuanughed. "I just returned home. I need to bring some documents back to the newspaper agency. I will go back to my mother''s ce next Monday. She is still on the drip." Aunt Xuan was in her casual wear at home. Her top was a white woolen sweater, and she was not wearing pants. She only wore a pair of pink long johns over her sexy legs and a pair of woolen slippers on her feet. This was what she wore when she was at home. Dong Xuebing could feel himself getting warmer as he looked at the curves on her thighs and legs.


    Qu Yunxuan looks down and then stared at him: "What''s wrong?"


    "Errr... nothing."


    Dong Xuebing quickly stopped looking at her legs and entered her house. He took off his coat: "Oh, I met a man downstairs, and he said you are not at home?


    Qu Yunxuan took Dong Xuebing''s coat from him and hang it behind the door. She smiles: "I know. He pressed the doorbell, but I did not open the door. Oh, did I tell you about him? He is our the Deputy Chief Editor''s younger brother. My Deputy Chief Editor insists on bringing us together. But I felt that we are not suitable. I had told them about how I feel, but... his brother still wait for me every day after work. He just refuses to give up. Look, he evenes and looks for me at my ce. It must be Deputy Chief Gong who told his brother my address."


    Dong Xuebing had heard from Aunt Xuan before. "Why is he so irritating. I will speak to him when I see him next time."


    Qu Yunxuan turns to him and yfully pinched his nose: "I will settle this myself. Have you eaten?"


    "Not yet."


    "Then you go and surf the while I prepare some food."


    Dong Xuebing misses Qu Yunxuan badly. They had not seen each other for several days. It was also because they had not met each other for several days, he dare not to hold her hands casually like before. It will be too awkward. The mood was not right.


    Dong Xuebing looked at Qu Yunxuan''s butt as she walks to the kitchen. He then entered her bedroom and warm himself up near the heater. He noticed Qu Yunxuan''sputer was on and only the monitor was off. He moved over and switched on the monitor. Qu Yunxuan''s desktop was like her home. It was clean and tidy. Other than My Computer and Recycle Bin, there were no other icons.


    What should he do now? Watch a movie?


    On the top right corner, there was a Xunlei icon that was loading. It seems to be downloading something. Dong Xuebing clicked on that icon and wants to see what movies or music were avable. But after looking at the list of downloaded movies, he was stunned. Other than some films and songs, there were some files titled Asia, Domestics, Hotels, After School, E-508, Hunter, etc. All the suffix behind the titles were VB.


    VB video format?


    Could this be the legendary... Adult Videos?


    Thest time, when Dong Xuebing saw Aunt Xuan in her room alone ying with herself, he did not notice what was ying on theputer. Now he thinks back, it was those type of videos. Errr... Aunt Xuan was too... Even Dong Xuebing also seldom watch such videos, and Aunt Xuan, a gentle and virtuous woman, had downloaded so many videos?


    Dong Xuebing''s heart was racing. He hesitated for a moment. He really wanted to see what sort of genre Aunt Xuan watches.


    Tap, tap, tap... It was the sound of footsteps nearing. "Xiao Bing, I suddenly remember that I am downloading something on myputer. You better watch TV first." Qu Yunxuan was at the door of her room and saw Dong Xuebing had opened Xunlei. She was stunned and immediately blushes. She quickly walks over: "Don''t touch, don''t touch. Don''t open those files."


    Qu Yunxuan quickly reached over and grabbed the mouse to close Xunlei window. "Those videos on the downloaded list are mostly not movies. It''s.... it''s the videos on some research I needed for work. The movies are all in the E drive. If you want to watch... Never mind. I can''t cope in the kitchen. Come and help me prepare lunch." Qu Yunxuan immediately switched off her PC and pulled Dong Xuebing to the kitchen.


    What a lousy liar. Even after lunch, Aunt Xuan was still behaving awkwardly.


    Dong Xuebing felt the mood was weird and tried to start a conversation. "Aunt Xuan, there is something which I have not told you. Tomorrow I will be attending a training course at the District Party School. It is a 2 weeks training course for Section Chief level officers." Dong Xuebing was afraid that Aunt Xuan did not understand about what this course meant. "It is rare for the State Security to get a spot in this training course. I am only receiving Deputy Section Chief level benefits and not holding the rank. That''s why this is a rare opportunity for me."


    Qu Yunxuan looked up and asked: "Does this mean your bureau is going to groom you?"


    "No..... But it will look good on my resume."


    "You have just been promoted, and they are sending you for this course? Seems like your leaders like you a lot." Qu Yunxuan brightens up. She smiled and pinched Dong Xuebing''s cheeks. "Howe you did not tell me earlier? We should go out and celebrate."


    Dong Xuebing pushed her hand away and said: "I snatched this spot from others, and because of this, I had offended our Political Commissar."


    Qu Yunxuan was shocked. "What happened?"


    "Don''t talk about it. I feel irritated when I think about this. Let''s watch some TV."


    Qu Yunxuan did not continue to ask him and passed the remote control to him. "Switch channels yourself."


    Dong Xuebing picked a random channel, and it was a Korean drama. The actor and actress were facing the sea, holding hands.


    In the living room, both were quietly watching TV.


    Dong Xuebing looked at Qu Yunxuan who was sitting beside him on the couch. He reached over lightly and touched her fingers with his fingertips. Seeing Qu Yunxuan not avoiding his hand, Dong Xuebing moved his hand closer and held her hand.


    Qu Yunxuan blushed and froze for a few seconds before she tightens her grip on his hand.


    Although they had held hands several times, Dong Xuebing was still excited. "I miss you."


    Qu Yunxuan: "..."


    Dong Xuebing asked: "Do you miss me?"


    Qu Yunxuan: "..."


    "Aunt Xuan, let''s be together, ok?"


    Qu Yunxuan: ".... Where are your dirty clothes and socks? Bring them out, and I will wash for youter."


    Damn. This was a romantic mood, and you start talking about dirty socks? Dong Xuebing knew she was avoiding this topic and was upset. Sighed... Does Aunt Xuan really likes him or just have some affection for him. If it was thetter, then it will be dangerous. She has many suitors, and who knows if she would get into a rtionship with someone else? No. Dong Xuebing decided to up his game and be more aggressive. He had held her hands, and his next move was to... kiss her on the lips? Huh? Isn''t that a bit too early? Never mind. He had touched her legs identally thest time. It might be easier to feel her legs againpared to kissing her on the lips. But will Aunt Xuan let him touch? Yes? No?


    Dong Xuebing released Qu Yunxuan''s hand, mustered up his courage and moved his hand closer to her pink long johns. His fingertips touched Qu Yunxuan''s thighs.


    Qu Yunxuan jolted and smacked Dong Xuebing''s hand: "What are you doing?"


    Dong Xuebing did not pull back his hand and ced his hand on her thighs. He even squeezes her leg twice.


    "Stop disturbing me, or I will get angry." Qu Yunxuan said angrily. "I will really be angry with you."


    Dong Xuebing looked at her and knew she was pretending to be angry. He got bolder and start to move his hand higher up her thighs. He moved his hand up her legs until he reaches her butt.


    "Hooligan!" Qu Yunxuan''s face was flushed. She hit Dong Xuebing''s hand a few times: "You only know how to bully me."


    Dong Xuebing felt ticklish when she hit him. He squeezed the exterior of her thigh lightly.


    "Idiot! You will be the death of me!" Qu Yunxuan stared at him and thought for a while. She closes her legs and used her left hand to pull her sweater down. Then she stared at Dong Xuebing again and then slowly covered her private part with her left hand. Her 5 fingers were tucked tightly in between her legs. She moved her gaze back to the TV and did not say anything. It was as if she was telling Dong Xuebing, other than this part, he can touch everywhere else.


    Dong Xuebing almost had a nose bled, looking at Qu Yunxuan''s posture.


    She was really allowing me to touch her?


    Dong Xuebing had never expected Aunt Xuan to let him touch her legs. He was very excited and started to feel all over her legs.


    So soft.

 Chapter 109: Warning! Matured content

    <h4>Chapter 109: Warning! Matured content</h4>


    That night, Dong Xuebing dreamt of all sorts of legs. There were slim legs, fair legs, meaty legs, long legs, etc. At least 20 to 30 pairs of legs appeared in his dream. At the end of this dream, Dong Xuebing was crushed by all the legs and woke up. He looked out of his windows. It was still dark, and he realized it was a dream. He rubbed his eyes and went to wash up before leaving home.


    The West District Party School was located near Xin Kai Hu Tong, opposite Guanying Gardens.


    When Dong Xuebing entered thepound of the Party School, he saw a banner asking all the participants to attend the opening ceremony at the hall. Dong Xuebing was excited as he walked towards the hall. Along the way, there were a few more banners. He realized that there were other training courses other than Section Chief training course. There was a Youth Officers training course, Divisional Chief Training course, Management, and Development course, etc. The hall was half-filled and everyone there was holding higher ranks than Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing was nervous and pick a seat at the back. He kept quiet as he was afraid of saying the wrong things.


    The opening ceremony started, and it was speeches after speeches. Among all the speakers, the District Deputy Party Secretary, cum Principal of the Party School could speak the most. He spoke about the importance of training and learning, mindset, motivation, etc.


    Dong Xuebing almost fell asleep, but he saw all other trainees were sitting upright and listening attentively. He also tried his best to stay awake.


    After the opening ceremony, Dong Xuebing followed his fellow course mates back to his ssroom. There were about 40 people in his course, and the majority were men. All the participants were much older than Dong Xuebing. The oldest participant was about middle age and had white hair. The youngest was at least in his 30s. Dong Xuebing was feeling proud as he was the youngest in the course.


    In the morning, there was someone from the district''s General Administration of Sport of China to teach them on the analysis of a health report and teach them how to train their bodies.


    In the afternoon, they learned about political economics and national economics. Dong Xuebing found it hard to understand, but he still took notes.


    After the day''s lessons were over, Dong Xuebing dragged his tired body back home. When he reaches back at his residential building, he started to think about Qu Yunxuan. Both had just met yesterday, and he was missing her badly. Dong Xuebing did not return home but went to Qu Yunxuan''s unit instead. He pressed the doorbell and waited.


    The door opens. "Xiao Bing, you are back?"


    Dong Xuebing smiles and nodded. He entered her unit and immediately reach over to hold her hand.


    Qu Yunxuan jumped and brushes his hand off. She whispered: "Stop fooling around. My mum is here."


    Huh? Dong Xuebing froze and looked towards the kitchen. "Then... I will go back first?"


    "My mum is cooking dinner." Qu Yunxuan whispered. "Have dinner first."


    Dong Xuebing''s heart was racing as they whispered to each other. At that moment, Qu Yunxuan''s mother walked out of the kitchen, and Dong Xuebing immediately greeted her. "Hi, Auntie. Are you feeling better?"


    Qu Yunxuan''s motherughed: "I am fine. The doctor asks me to exercise more. I got nothing to do in the afternoon ande over to Yunxuan''s ce. Tomorrow, we will be going back to my ce."


    Dong Xuebing was reluctant to see Qu Yunxuan leave. "You all are noting back next week?"


    Qu Yunxuanughed and replied. "My mother misses me and insist I stay with her for a few days."


    "Miss you for what? I just want a grandchild to keep me upied." Qu Yunxuan''s mother grumbled and stared at her daughter. "You are not worried and still don''t let me help you look for a partner? I had to make arrangements with Old Wang. I think his son is not bad. He owns a boutique in the Western District and has good business. When you go over to my ce, you must take time to meet him."


    Qu Yunxuan nced at Dong Xuebing and mumbled. "Mum, can you don''t talk about these? Let''s start at dinner."


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother let out a "Hmph!" and turned to Dong Xuebing: "Look at your Aunt Xuan. She is almost 30, and I still have to worry about getting a boyfriend for her."


    Qu Yunxuan replied helplessly: "I said I will take care of this. You don''t need to worry about me."


    "Hmph! How many times have you told me this? But did you do it?"


    During dinner, Qu Yunxuan''s mother switched the subject to Dong Xuebing and started to praise him. "Xiao Bing, you are doing great now. You have be a civil servant, joined the party, and be deputy chief. Now, you are even training at the party school. Haha, your mother should be very proud of you..." Qu Yunxuan''s mother carried on for a while before she suddenly popped a question. "Eh, Xiao Bing, is there any staff members under you that are still single and have a good family background? If there is any, introduce them to your Aunt."


    Dong Xuebing, who was stuffing his face with food, replied weakly. "No. All of them are married."


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother asked: "What about other sections?"


    Qu Yunxuan quickly picks up a chicken wing and put it into her mother''s bowl. "Stop talking during meals."


    Dong Xuebing really wish he could tell Qu Yunxuan''s mother that he wants to be Qu Yunxuan''s boyfriend. But this was not the right time. He still has not saved enough to set up apany for her, and he was not sessful enough to impress her mother.


    After dinner, Qu Yunxuan was sick of her mother''s nagging and dragged Dong Xuebing to her bedroom.


    Dong Xuebing immediately ask Qu Yunxuan the moment they stepped into the room: "Are you going to a matchmaking session tomorrow?"


    "I am too busy with my work and have no time for all these nonsenses." Qu Yunxuan kneeled on her bed and brushed the dust off her covers with a small brush. "My mother is always like this. I had told her several times that I will only date after I have set up my own small tradingpany. I don''t have the time now."


    Dong Xuebing, who was sitting at the end of her bed, looking at her: "Then do you have anyone you like now?"


    Qu Yunxuan did not look at him and replied. "Why are you so nosy?"


    "Huh? Why do you think I want to know?" Dong Xuebing rolled his eyes and continue looking at Qu Yunxuan''s butt swaying as she brushed her covers. He reached over slowly and touched her left butt. It was meaty and felt good. "Aunt Xuan, what do you think of me? Will you consider me after you save enough to set up a trading business?"


    Qu Yunxuan froze for a few seconds and continued to brush her covers. "No."


    Dong Xuebing squeezed her butt softly and asked: "Why?"


    "I am older than you. Our age is not suitable for each other." Qu Yunxuan replied. She acted as if she did not feel Dong Xuebing''s hand on her butt and continued folding the cover. "Also, civil servants, especially state security officers, have many restrictions. If I go into business, it will have a negative influence on you. You have be a deputy section chief at a young age. You will have a bright future. So, for your sake, I am not suitable for you."


    "Ah... What has this got to do with doing business? What matter most is you like me."


    Qu Yunxuan turned around and stared at him: "Who says I like you? Are you asking for a beating?"


    Dong Xuebing squeezed her butt harder: "If you don''t like me, why will you let me touch your butt?"


    Qu Yunxuan blushed and raised her fist, pretending to hit him. "You hooligan! You are the one that touched me, and I did not allow you to touch. You... How can you say I am letting you touch?" Maybe it was because Qu Yunxuan felt she was too loud, and she suddenly lowered her voice. She pushes Dong Xuebing''s hand away from her butt. "Don''t touch me. Get away from me! If you dare to touch me again, I... I will use this brush to hit you! Try me!"


    Dong Xuebing blinked and then reached over to touch her thighs.


    Qu Yunxuan was pissed and used the small brush to hit Dong Xuebing''s legs several times. "How dare you touch me? I will hit you! Hit you! Hit you!"


    Dong Xuebing let her hit a few times and then suddenly hugged her.


    Qu Yunxuan was shocked and quickly pushed Dong Xuebing: "What are you doing? I will hit you."


    Dong Xuebing could not control himself and lowered his head and kissed Qu Yunxuan on her lips.


    "Huh... Huh....." Qu Yunxuan pushes him with all her might. "... Don''t..."


    Dong Xuebing did not know how to kiss. He just sucked on her soft lips and refuses to let go.


    "Don''t... Huh... Let go..." Qu Yunxuan was hitting him.


    It was unsure how long had passed, and Qu Yunxuan stopped hitting.


    1 second...


    2 seconds...


    3 seconds...


    Dong Xuebing nervously opened his eyes and looked at Qu Yunxuan.


    Qu Yunxuan was looking at him with teary eyes.


    "Huh? Sorry." Dong Xuebing dare not to continue kissing Qu Yunxuan after seeing her on the verge of crying. He knocked himself on his head. "I''m really sorry. It''s all my fault... You can scold me or hit me all you want...."


    Qu Yunxuan looked at him expressionlessly without saying a word.


    I''m dead. Aunt Xuan is really pissed this time.


    Dong Xuebing felt guilty and said. "Aunt Xuan... Don''t be like this... You.... I... Can you say something?"


    Qu Yunxuan replied calmly: "That is my first kiss."


    "Ah! First kiss?!" Dong Xuebing was stunned. He thought a woman as pretty as Aunt Xuan should have dated during her school days. She might have done more than kissing. But... first, kiss? Aunt Xuan does not need to lie to him. That means she had never kissed or slept with anyone before? Dong Xuebing was overjoyed, but he suddenly remembered the awkward situation he was in now. He cleared his throat: "Aunt Xuan. I do not know. No, no... I... It is also my first kiss. I... I don''t know what to say... You... you should just give me a beating."


    Dong Xuebing really hope Aunt Xuan would give him a p and he might feel better.


    10 seconds...


    20 seconds...


    30 seconds...


    Suddenly, the moment Dong Xuebing had been waiting for had arrived.


    Qu Yunxuan opened up her arms and pounced on him.


    Dong Xuebing was prepared to sacrifice himself to appease her anger. He closes his eyes. Hit me. Just hit me as hard as you can, but don''t kill me.


    The next moment, Dong Xuebing could feel Qu Yunxuan grabbing his head with both her hands.


    Dong Xuebing clenched his teeth and shut his eyes harder. What move is this? She wants to grab my head and bash it against the wall? She wanted to pull my head off? Does she need to be so ruthless? Never mind. I deserve it. I had hurt her and deserve this type of punishment.


    But Dong Xuebing did not feel any pain or impact on his head. Instead, he felt many warm and ticklish sensations on his face, nose, cheeks, and chin. It felt like... Aunt Xuan''s lips.


    Ah? Dong Xuebing opened his eyes.


    He could feel goosebumps and his heart racing from what he saw.


    Qu Yunxuan did not hit nor scold him. She was holding on to his head, with her hands in his hair, kissing all over his face and neck. She was sucking on his lips aggressively.


    "Aunt Xuan, you are..."


    Qu Yunxuan kissed Dong Xuebing on his lips and did not let him speak. Her hands were still caressing his hair: "Huuu... You hooligan... you only know how to take advantage of me... only know how to bully me... Huuu... Now I will let you take advantage of me... Quick... Huuu... kiss me... faster..."


    Dong Xuebing could not resist any longer. He immediately hugged her, and their lips touched.


    She was kissing his lips.


    He was sucking on her tongue.


    Their tongues were entwined, and they were moaning...


    5 minutester, Qu Yunxuan''s mother shouted from the living room: "Yunxuan, the stocks market report is starting. Come and watch it with me."


    Qu Yunxuan quickly moved away from Dong Xuebing and replied: "Ok. I wille out now." After replying to her mother, she looked at Dong Xuebing. Her face was still flushed, and she whispered: "We did not say anything or do anything just now. Ok?" After that, she raised her hand and stared at Dong Xuebing. "If you dare to tell anyone, I will kill you."


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed, and he nodded: "Yes, yes."


    "Hooligan." Qu Yunxuan pped Dong Xuebing on his arm. She quickly tidied up her hair and wiped her face before walking out of the room.


    "You two are using theputer?" Qu Yunxuan''s mother asked.


    "Yes. We yed some games." Qu Yunxuan replied. "Turn up the volume. I want to see if the stocks I bought is featured in this report."

 Chapter 110: Got framed again!

    <h4>Chapter 110: Got framed again!</h4>


    Monday morning. Qu Yunxuan and her mother had returned to her mother''s ce and will be back after one week. After the incident with Qu Yunxuan, Dong Xuebing was in a good mood. He sent the mother and daughter to their taxi and watches them leave. He was still thinking aboutst evening as he makes his way to the Party School. He already has money and a good career. Now, he was in a rtionship. Tsk, tsk... His life had be better... But when Dong Xuebing remembered that Zhou Guoan would be taking over as the Chief of the branch bureau officially today, he became nervous again. He wonders how Zhou Guoan would deal with him after his training.


    1 day.... 2 days... 3 days... Time flies, and it was Dong Xuebing''s 10th day at the Party School. He had also umted 11 minutes of BACK. It was a Tuesday.


    After the lecture on Sociology ended, Dong Xuebing kept his notes and left his ss. He saw some Section Chief Officers gathering around chatting. Dong Xuebing smiled to himself and went to have lunch alone. It was not that he did not want to foster a better rtionship with his ssmates. He really wanted to blend in with them. But this group of Section Chiefs was all from the Organization Department or Ministry of Supervision. The lowest rank among them was a Deputy Chief from the District''s Auditing Bureau. On the first day, they had a self-introduction session. When Dong Xuebing introduces his department, State Security, and he was only receiving the Deputy Section Chief benefits, the rest of his ssmates were not interested in interacting with him. It was not because they looked down on him. They were jealous to see someone receiving the benefits of a Deputy Section Chief at his age. Furthermore, State Security was a standalone department and seldom have any dealings with other government agencies.


    Dong Xuebing finishes his lunch and still have time before his next ss.


    He went to a small garden outside of the Party School for a walk. He sat on a bench and took out his phone to SMS Aunt Xuan. "What did you have for lunch?" A minuteter. Beep, beep. Qu Yunxuan replied. "I''m to busy to have lunch." Dong Xuebing blinked and replied: "Have Auntiepleted her treatment? When will you return to Beikou? I miss you." Qu Yunxuan''s reply was "..."


    "I am asking you when you will be back?" "Should be the day after tomorrow." "Ok. I will wait for you." After some thoughts, Dong Xuebing send two more words to Qu Yunxuan. "Love you." Beep, beep. "..." It was another reply of dots.


    Dong Xuebingughed and happily kept his phone. He took out his notes to prepare for the afternoon''s lesson. He needs to upgrade himself for his promotion. These few days, Dong Xuebing had been listening attentively in ss. But he did not have a strong foundation, and he would take notes on the parts he did not understand.


    Ring ring ring... Ring ring ring.... Dong Xuebing''s phone rang.


    Dong Xuebing took out his phone, and it was Chang Juan, who called. "Sis Chang, what is it?" Chang Juan''s voice sounded quite urgent. "Chief Dong, where are you? I have been calling you the whole morning!" "I am at the Party School. We can''t use our phones during lessons. I had just switched on my phone during lunch. What''s wrong?" Dong Xuebing frowned as he could feel the urgency in Chang Juan''s voice. He kept his notebook back into his bag.


    "Something happened! You... You..."


    "Just tell me what happened. Why are you stuttering?"


    Chang Juan paused for 2 seconds and said quickly: "Chief Dong, I have a ssmate in State Security City Bureau''s Discipline Inspection Section. This morning, she gave me a call and asked if Dong Xuebing was my leader. I replied yes and asked why she was asking about you. Guess what she said? She told me that the City Bureau received an informant letterst night. It was to report about Political Commissar Zhou... no. It is to report about Branch Bureau Chief Zhou receiving bribes. But the letter did not include any evidence and only states how Zhou Guoan received the bribes."


    Dong Xuebing was confused. "So, someone was reporting against Zhou Guoan. What has it got to do with me?"


    Zhou Guoan was different from Yan Liang. He did not have a good reputation. There were rumors that when his son got married, all the departments and sections in the branch gave cash as gifts. Zhou Guoan just epted it. A Deputy Director did not send any gifts and the following week, Zhou Guoan start to create trouble for that Deputy Director. He transferred him to the filing office. Of course, these were all rumors Tan Limei heard. Dong Xuebing was also not sure if these rumors were true. But from Zhou Guoan''s attitude towards him in thest two weeks, Dong Xuebing also felt that he is clean. It should be normal for people to report against him. But without evidence, the City Bureau''s Discipline Inspection Section will also not investigate the Chief of a Branch Bureau. They will only throw the letter aside. This report was useless.


    "Chief Dong, you... you really do not know about this?"


    "What should I know?"


    Chang Juan replied: "I know it is not you. Seems like it is someone..."


    Dong Xuebing interrupted: "Wait! What do you mean by it''s not me?"


    Chang Juan took a deep breath and said something rming: "My ssmate told me that the informant letter was printed, and it was signed off by you!"


    "What?!" Dong Xuebing''s mind was nk. "Me? Are you sure I am the one who sent the letter?!"


    "Yes. By right, the Discipline Inspection Section should be keeping this confidential. But after I received the call in the morning, rumors had spread throughout the branch. Now, almost everyone in the branch bureau knows about his. Chief Zhou should also.... Chief Dong, I also believe that you are not the one who sent the letter. But... But everyone else believes you are the one because you have some conflicts with Chief Zhou!"


    Dong Xuebing cursed: "What the fuck is happening? I write that informant letter? It''s bullshit!"


    If the letter were anonymous, no one would know the identity of the informant. But now, a name was stated in the letter.... And it was still a subordinate reporting against his superior. This was a taboo in all government agencies. Even if there were concrete evidence, very few subordinates would whistleblow their superiors.


    This was too obvious. Someone was trying to frame Dong Xuebing.


    Who the hell would be so evil? Did I offend you in any way? Why did you sign off the letter with my name?!


    "Chief Dong, don''t be rush." Chang Juan whispered into the phone. "Xiao Tan, Panwei and I had discussed this, and all of us felt it should be Guo Shunjie that sent the letter. He should be trying to create more grudges between you and Chief Zhou, and make use of Chief Zhou to... Errr... This is only our guess. But Guo Shunjie had been very quiet the whole morning. He just starts typing his documents the moment he stepped into the office and did not say a word. This was unusual." Dong Xuebing was furious.


    Dong Xuebing had only offended two people in the branch bureau. Guo Shunjie and Zhou Guoan. Zhou Guoan would not report on himself. It was obvious who was trying to frame Dong Xuebing. It must be Guo Shunjie! Sending this letter will have no impact on Zhou Guoan''s career. But it will increase Zhou Guoan''s grudges against Dong Xuebing. This way, Zhou Guoan will take revenge, and the person who would benefit from all these was Guo Shunjie!


    This bastard!


    Are you addicted to framing me?!


    Dong Xuebing took a few deep breaths to calm himself and asked: "Sis Chang, what are Chief Zhou and Chief Xu''s reaction? They also believe it was me?" Chang Juan replied: "I am not sure. But today is the monthly Party Committee meeting. The meeting still has not ended." "Sis Chang, thank you for telling me all these." "Don''t thank me. I will give you updates once I got any news." After hanging up, Dong Xuebing immediately call Xu Yan''s mobile phone. If her phone was off, then it means she was still in the meeting. Dong Xuebing was furious. He held onto his phone and paced around the garden in circles. He was calling Xu Yan every 10 seconds. But her phone was off!!


    What should I do? The impact of this matter is too big! If I don''t get to exin myself, then... Dong Xuebing hated being used of something he didn''t do. To be framed twice in two weeks was too much for him to handle. He was furious!


    Dong Xuebing returned to the bench and dialed Xu Yan''s number again. Ring, ring..... The line got through.


    "Hello, Chief Xu? I am Dong Xuebing." Dong Xuebing quickly exined himself after he heard Xu Yan''s voice. "I did not write that informant letter. If I want to report about Chief Zhou, I would not be so stupid to sign off my name in the letter. This letter must be written by Guo Shunjie. He is also the one who switched the meeting documents. He is trying to frame me." "Sighed... I also know it is not you. But this is not important anymore." "What do you mean?" Xu Yan replied: "During the Committee meeting just now, Chief Zhou proposed an internal transfer. Although Old Song and I had objected to it, but..." Dong Xuebing was stunned. "Internal transfer?" "He appointed Guo Shunjie to be the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office. You have been reced by him." "What?" Dong Xuebing was shocked.


    Xu Yan sounded dejected. "Xiao Dong. I am the one who groomed you, and I will not beat around the bush. Chief Zhou used the excuse of the heavy workload in the General Affairs Office, and you are attending the training. There must be someone leading the office. So, he appointed Guo Shunjie to take over you. You... He said that he will reassign you to a new department, but this will not happen. After you return from your course, you will continue to work in the General Affairs Office. You will still be receiving Deputy Section Chief''s benefits, but you will no longer be a leader. You will be the same as other staff members." Dong Xuebing sat there listening and did not say a word.


    A newly appointed leader will try to show their authorities. Xu Yan also never expect Zhou Guoan to start from Dong Xuebing. He was too overbearing. During the meeting, Xu Yan had tried to fight for Dong Xuebing. She was the one who helped Dong Xuebing get this position. Treating Dong Xuebing like this was equivalent to pping her face. But Commission for Discipline Inspection Secretary Song Shoujie and her had limited powers. They could only see this proposal getting approved.


    Got reced?


    Be a staff member again?


    From today onwards, I got to address Guo Shunjie as my leader?!


    Dong Xuebing clenches his fist! He was ovee with his anger. Guo Shunjie! Zhou Guoan! I will kill both of you!


    Want to rece me?!


    It''s not so easy!!!

 Chapter 111: Beating him up!

    <h4>Chapter 111: Beating him up!</h4>


    Dong Xuebing did not care about his afternoon lessons at the Party School. He gged a taxi and returned back to the West District Branch Bureau. At thepound of the branch, people saw Dong Xuebing and start to whisper and discussed him.


    "Look, it''s Chief Xiao Dong."


    "He is in trouble now. He went for the training at the Party School, but he still lost his position."


    "That''s right. He had gone against Chief Zhou and still write a letter to report against him. This should be the end of his career."


    "We still don''t know what will happen. Chief Dong also performs miracles at the final minute. If not, why does he have the nickname Omnipotent Chief Xiao Dong? All of you should have seen how many times he saves the day. He had even saved Minister Lui''s life two weeks ago. I think he will be able to pull this off again."


    "This time is different. No matter how capable Chief Xiao Dong is, he also cannot change the Party Committee decision. He is already reced, and this will not be the end of it. Chief Zhou will not let him off so easily."


    "Huh... You are right."


    "Hey, he is walking over. Let''s go!"


    After so many incidents, there was no one in the Western District Branch Bureau that did not know Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing clenched his teeth harder as he saw everyone hiding away from him. Although he could not hear what they were talking about, he knows it should not be anything good. He looked around at all those people and then continued his way towards the grey building. He went straight to the General Affairs Office. In the office, Tan Limei, Chang Juan, Guo Panwei, and the rest were all worried. The office door suddenly opens, and Dong Xuebing stepped in.


    Chang Juan stood up: "Chief Dong, you are back?" Guo Panwei also said: "Chief Dong, earlier at the Committee Party..." Guo Shunjie had be their leader out of a sudden, and all of them did not know what would happen to them. If this is true, then they will not have a good life in the future.


    Dong Xuebing waved his hand: "I know. Where is Guo Shunjie? Where is he?"


    "He..." Everyone in the office did not know what Chief Dong wanted to do. They were worried. After looking at each other for a moment, Tan Limei pointed to Dong Xuebing''s small office. "He is inside there. After the Party Committee meeting ended, he brought all his stuff in."


    Dong Xuebing turned and enter the small office, and he shut the door behind him.


    Guo Shunjie had heard Dong Xuebing and the rest talking outside. He sneered and looked at Dong Xuebing. "Don''t you know how to knock on the door before entering your leader''s office? I will let you off this time. If you do this again, I will ask you to practice knocking the door at home. You can only return to work after you learned how to knock!" Guo Shunjie hates Dong Xuebing. If it was not because of Dong Xuebing, he would be attending the training now and will be promoted to a Section Chief when he returns. He will be able to rece Li Qing as the Chief of the General Affairs Office!


    Dong Xuebing was furious, but he smiled. "Knock? This is my office!"


    Guo Shunjieughed. "I''m sorry to tell you that this office is mine now. Oh, you are here at the right time. Hand over your work pass. I will change it to a staff member work pass for you."


    Guo Shunjie, who was sitting in the office chair, bends over and pushed some teacups, tea leaves, files, etc. on the desk, towards Dong Xuebing. "Carry your stuff away! I am not free to pack for you! Hurry up!" Dong Xuebing was staring at Guo Shunjie in his eyes. "Guo Shunjie, you are too much. I will not talk about you switching the meeting documents. This time you dare to use my name to send an informant letter to report against Chief Zhou? You think it is funny?" Dong Xuebing pointed to Guo Shunjie and shouted: "Don''t think everyone are fools. Everyone can tell that you are the one ying tricks!" Guo Shunjie smiles with a smirk: "You should know if you have sent the letter! Why? Are you trying to use me? I think you are sick! You sent the letter, and you don''t dare to admit it? Are you a man? You got the balls to send it, yet you don''t dare to admit it?!" Dong Xuebing could feel his blood rushing to his head!


    Guo Shunjie was feeling great to see Dong Xuebing''s reaction. "I will say it once more. Hand over your work pass and bring your things out. The desk near the door is your new work desk. Hurry up! Don''t let me repeat for the 3rd time! There is still a lot of work for me to do. I don''t have time to entertain you!" "What if I refuse?" "Refuse?" Guo Shunjie looked at him and pushed Dong Xuebing''s stuff off the desk. Some of the items fell into the bin, and some fell onto the floor. The teacups shattered as itnded onto the floor. The files and documents were all over the ce. "You don''t want all these? Fine. Since these are all rubbish, then I will treat them as rubbish!" Guo Shunjie smiles and picked up the phone to call outside. "Hello, ask Guo Panwei to bring the broom and dustpan into my office now!" "Fuck you!"


    Dong Xuebing exploded. He raised his fist and punched Guo Shunjie on the right side of his face!


    Bang! It was the sound of Dong Xuebing''s fist hitting his face!


    Guo Shunjie could not believe what had happened. He fell from his chair and covered his face: "Are you crazy?!" Hitting a superior was a more serious offense than getting reported to the Disciplinary Inspection department. Dong Xuebing might lose his job and even be arrested and charged in courts. This was why Guo Shunjie never expects Dong Xuebing to hit him.


    Dong Xuebing looked at Guo Shunjie''s swollen face, and he was still not satisfied. He raised his leg and stomped on Guo Shunjie''s stomach!


    "Ah!" Guo Shunjie shouted in pain. "Help! Help!" He was stunned from Dong Xuebing''s punched and could not retaliate. He could only call for help!


    Dong Xuebing had gone all out. He continued to stomp Guo Shunjie''s stomach and gave a hard kick on his face!


    This kick was hard. Guo Shunjie screamed in pain and then spit out a mouthful of blood and a few teeth!


    Bang! The small office''s door opened. Tan Limei, Zhuang Zhi and the rest came running in!


    "Chief Dong! Stop! Stop hitting him!" "Bing Zhi. Stop!" Dong Xuebing ignored theirs pleads and continue kicking Guo Shunjie. "use me? Frame me? Smash my cups? Pretending to be a leader in front of me?! Who do you think you are?!"


    1 kick!


    2 kicks!


    3 kicks!


    "Ah! This... This..." "Hurry, call an ambnce! Don''t let him die!" Guo Shunjie''s cries were getting softer.... After Zhuang Zhi grabbed Dong Xuebing and stopped him, Dong Xuebing felt much better!

 Chapter 112: Evidence? Fine! I will give you evidence

    <h4>Chapter 112: Evidence? Fine! I will give you evidence</h4>


    BACK!


    The scenes shed, and the small office became quiet again.


    Guo Shunjie picked up the phone: "Hello, ask Guo Panwei to bring the broom and dustpan into my office now!"


    Dong Xuebing points at him. "Guo Shunjie! I will remember this! This is not over yet!"


    Guo Shunjie looked at him with a smirk. "Fine. I want to see what you can do to me. I will wait for you!"


    After beating Guo Shunjie up, Dong Xuebing felt much better. However, he was still furious. He was being used, and Zhou Guoan reced him for no reason. Even if he beat both of them up 5 times or 10 times, it will not change the fact. This was why Dong Xuebing left the office after vending his frustrations. He waved his hand to stop Tan Limei, Chang Juan, and the rest from speaking and left. He went upstairs.


    Along the way, people were avoiding Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing arrived at Zhou Guoan''s new office and knocked on the door.


    Zhou Guoan''s cold voice sounded: "Come in."


    Zhou Guoan was now the Branch Bureau''s Chief and was different from Guo Shunjie. Even though Dong Xuebing hated him for removing him from his position, but he still got to follow the rules. Dong Xuebing closes the door behind him after he entered the office and stood there looking at the stern-looking Zhou Guoan. "Chief Zhou, there is something I need to report!"


    Zhou Guoan put down the file he was holding and looked at Dong Xuebing. "Get out!"


    Dong Xuebing controlled his anger and said: "I will leave after I finish!"


    "I am asking you to get out!" Zhou Guoan can''t be bothered with Dong Xuebing. "Can''t you hear me!?"


    Damn! I am just not leaving!


    Dong Xuebing could feel his blood boiling again and said: "If it is because about the informant letter, I think I need to give you an exnation. I will start with the meeting documents incident two weeks ago. You should have read the report I submitted. But on the third day after I submitted the report, I noticed something suspicious. On the day of the incident, all the meeting documents were checked by Chang Juan and Tan Limei. One person might make a mistake, but what about two people? I heard that Guo Shunjie was alone in the office during lunchtime that day. You should know he is unhappy with me and that very afternoon, the meeting documents incident happened. Is there still a need to ask who is ying tricks? I can swear that before that incident, I don''t even know you are suffering from diabetes. How can I purposely print those pictures and put it among the documents? This is all done by Guo Shunjie!"


    Zhou Guoan saw Dong Xuebing ignoring his orders, and his face turns ck.


    Dong Xuebing continued: "Do you really think I am the one who wrote the letter to whistleblow on you? If I dare to report you to the higher-ups, why didn''t I just submit a handwritten letter? Do I still need to type and print out the letter? I am afraid of letting others recognize my handwriting? But the letter had included my name. Why should I be afraid of getting my handwriting recognized? Someone is trying to frame me! Who? Guo Shunjie is the biggest suspect! No! This must be done by him!"


    Zhou Guoan does not know about all these? He knows.


    Leaving the meeting incident aside. This informant letter was very suspicious like what Dong Xuebing had said. But Zhou Guoan doesn''t think it was Guo Shunjie who had sent the letter. He felt Guo Shunjie did not have the guts to do that. He suspects that it had something to do with Xu Yan and Song Shoujie. He suspects that someone wants to let him start a war with Xu Yan and her fiction from this incident. Dong Xuebing was groomed by Xu Yan, and if he were to touch Dong Xuebing, that means he will be waging war on Xu Yan. Someone else will stand to benefit if this happens. His second suspect was Dong Xuebing. This young man dares to fight for the training course spot with him and dare to go against him. A young man like him... would dare to do stupid things. The letter might really be written by him!


    But no matter who was behind this and who wrote the letter, the news had spread. Zhou Guoan cannot sit around and do nothing. If not, he will lose respect from others. So, he pinned all the responsibility on Dong Xuebing and removed Dong Xuebing from his position during the morning meeting. He could also establish his authority at the same time and suppress Xu Yan!


    "Are you done?"


    Dong Xuebing took a deep breath. "Yes!"


    Zhou Guoan stared at Dong Xuebing: "Are you trying to say that I am purposely picking on you?"


    Pretend! Carry on with your pretense! Dong Xuebing replied: "I did not say that. I only want to exin myself."


    Zhou Guoan righteously said: "Everyone has the authority to whistle blow. I don''t care who is it. As long as there is evidence, anyone can report to the Commission for Discipline Inspection. I, Zhou Guoan, is a righteous person. I am not afraid of anyone reporting against me and will not pick on anyone over this letter. Your internal transfer is the organization''s decision, and it has been gone through a discussion and voting during the Party Committee meeting. It is not because I am picking on you. Do you understand?"


    Dong Xuebing felt disgusted to hear Zhou Guoan''s "Official replies." He asked: "Since I did not do anything wrong, why am I being reced? Just because I am attending a training course at the Party School? Just because I can''t take care of the office when I am at the course? My course is ending in 5 more days! Since 10 days have passed, why can''t you wait for another 5 days? If the organization thinks that I can''t cope with the course and managing the office, then I will quit the training course!"


    Zhou Guoan banged on his desk. "Watch your attitude! What do you think the Party School is? It is a ce to groom officers! You think you can just quit like this? You think that ce is a market?!"


    Dong Xuebing stared back at Zhou Guoan into his eyes. "You also say that the Party School is to groom officers. But I am now in the Party School course. Not only I am not groomed, I still lost my position! What''s the reason? Is this how the organization groom me?"


    Zhou Guoan was so furious until he turned pale. He never expects Dong Xuebing would dare to speak to him this way. "Get out of my office now!"


    Dong Xuebing knew it was useless to argue with him. He looked at Zhou Guoan and left.


    Zhou Guoan was furious with Dong Xuebing. Lose your position? I will make sure you can''t even be a staff member!


    Before Dong Xuebing opened the door and left, Zhou Guoan said: "Let me remind you. If you want to report against me, remember to provide evidence. If not, the Commission for Discipline Inspection will not act on it!"


    Dong Xuebing felt his blood rushing to his head again after he heard what Zhou Guoan said!


    I had exined to you for so long, and you still insist I am the one who wrote the letter!?


    Damn! What a moron!


    Fine!


    You insist I am the one who reported against you? You want me to provide evidence?


    I will get the evidence!!!!

 Chapter 113: Searching the house

    <h4>Chapter 113: Searching the house</h4>


    News of Dong Xuebing''s sh with Branch Bureau Chief Zhou spread throughout the branch.


    Everyone was surprised by this piece of news. They were speechless and felt Chief Xiao Dong was too daring!


    Whistleblowing against his top superior? Is there anything else he does not dare to do?


    shing with Zhou Guoan was Dong Xuebing''sst straw. He had offended the Branch''s no. 1 man and loses his position as the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office. His enemy, Guo Shunjie, had reced him and be his direct supervisor. But the furious Dong Xuebing could see the whole picture now. It does not matter if Guo Shunjie was the person that had framed him. As long as Zhou Guoan was the Chief of the branch, it will be the end of his career. There was no way for him to survive at this ce. If Dong Xuebing could drag Zhou Guoan down from his position as the Branch Bureau''s Chief, all problems will be solved. He might even be reinstated as the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office.


    Dong Xuebing had only one choice left!


    Xu Yan''s office.


    Xu Yan and Song Shoujie were drinking tea in the office. Xu Yan received a phone call and knew about what Dong Xuebing did. After hanging up, she shook her head. "This Xiao Dong is too impulsive!"


    Song Shoujie asked: "What''s wrong?"


    "He argued with Chief Zhou and was chased out of his office."


    "He is not to me. After Xiao Dong entered the General Affairs Office, he had made significant contributions and performed extremely well. But now, he caught in this situation, and anyone in his position will also be pissed!" Song Shoujie sighed. "Old Zhou is going to deal with Xiao Dong harshly. What should we do?" At the Committee Meeting, Song Shoujie and Xu Yan had lost to Zhou Guoan. The whole branch was looking at them.


    "We cannot do anything!" Xu Yan sipped on her tea and frowned. "Can''t you tell from the meeting? Pang Bin had already gone over to Zhou Guoan''s side. The rest of the people are on Zhou Guoan''s side too. They are all making eye signals with each other and even Cheng Haimei.... Now, the power is thrown off-bnce. Our days here will not be peaceful in the future!"


    Sighed...


    Xu Yan and Song Shoujie had thought of leaning over to Zhou Guoan''s side. But this was impossible. It was because of an incident which happened a few years ago. Not many people knew about this incident. Commission for Discipline Inspection Secretary Song Shoujie had received an anonymous letter from a whistleblower. The letter states that Zhou Guoan had epted bribes and provided some shreds of evidence. At that time, Song Shoujie and Zhou Guoan had no grudges but were also not close. Because of his duties, Song Shoujie and Xu Yan had to conduct an investigation secretly. But in the end, they could not find concrete evidence. News of this investigation was leaked, and Zhou Guoan knew about it. Although Zhou Guoan did not show any unhappiness, Xu Yan and Song Shoujie could tell he still remembered this incident and was waiting for a chance to get back at them. After this incident, both sides could no longer work peacefully with each other.


    Knock, knock, knock. Someone was at the door.


    Xu Yan shouted: "Come in!"


    Dong Xuebing entered the office with a furious expression. "Chief Xu, Secretary Song!"


    Xu Yan looked at him. "Did you go and look for Chief Zhou just now? Didn''t I tell you to stay low for the time being? Go back to the Party School now! Complete your training course first and don''te back to the branch before your course end!"


    I had lost my position! Do I still have the mood to attend the course? Dong Xuebing controlled his anger and asked: "Chief Xu, I only want to ask something. I will leave after I get an answer!"


    Xu Yan put down her teacup. "What is it?"


    Dong Xuebing''s following question stunned Xu Yan and Song Shoujie.


    "If I can get evidence of Chief Zhou receiving bribes, can he be brought down?!" Dong Xuebing was too direct. But he did not have any other solution. "I am talking about concrete evidence!"


    Xu Yan and Song Shoujie looked at each other without saying anything. Evidence? Xu Yan and Song Shoujie also wanted to get proof and bring Zhou Guoan down. This way, they would have a breather. But both had investigated Zhou Guoan for a long time and could not find anything. A junior staff member, who had joined the bureau for a few months, can find the evidences? This matter was very sensitive, and Xu Yan wanted to tell Dong Xuebing to handover any evidences he has on hand immediately. But both of them do not think that Dong Xuebing have any evidence on hand.


    Dong Xuebing got the answer from Xu Yan''s expression. "Can you tell me Chief Zhou address at the Branch quarters?!"


    Xu Yan was stunned. You want his address? What are you trying to do? Go to his house and steal the evidence? How can this be possible?!


    Song Shoujie was also shocked. "Xiao Dong. Don''t be impulsive!"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "I understand, but his address..."


    Xu Yan kept quiet.


    "Chief Xu...!"


    Xu Yan stared into Dong Xuebing''s eyes for a long time and then took a sip of tea. "Old Yan in your office is going to retire?"


    Dong Xuebing was confused and did not understand what she meant. "I think so. What''s wrong?"


    Xu Yan replied: "Nothing. I am just asking. Oh, yes. Your rank is Deputy Section Chief benefits now?"


    Dong Xuebing was still confused. Why was she asking the obvious? "Yes. I am still not promoted to Deputy Section Chief rank."


    Xu Yan nodded and said: "That''s all. Go back now."


    What does she mean? What about the address? Without the address, how can I get the evidence? Deputy Section Chief benefits? Why was she asking about this now? Dong Xuebing left Xu Yan''s office reluctantly. He thought about what Xu Yan said to him as he walked along the corridor towards the stairs. Suddenly his eyes brighten up and smacked his forehead!


    Old Yan?


    Deputy Section Chief benefits?


    Deputy Branch Bureau Chief Xu was hinting to him that Old Yan knew Zhou Guoan''s address and was implying that if he could get the evidence to bring Zhou Guoan down, then he will... be promoted to Deputy Section Chief rank! This was what Xu Yan wanted to tell him!


    Dong Xuebing quickly walk back to the General Affairs Office.


    "Old Yan!" Dong Xuebing went up to Old Yan after he entered the office.


    Old Yan put down his newspaper and raise his head: "Oh, Chief Xiao Dong."


    Dong Xuebing waved to Tan Limei and the rest to carry on with their work. He looked over to the small office door, and it was closed. He asked in a soft voice: "I need to find out something from you. Which block and is Zhou Guoan staying?!"


    Old Yan was stunned: "I don''t know!"


    Dong Xuebing looked at him in the eyes: "Which unit and which floor?!"


    Old Yan forced a smile. He knew where Zhou Guoan was staying. Many years ago, Old Yan also had backings and had visited all the leaders during Lunar New Year to give them gifts. He had gone to the Branch Bureau''s quarters several times, and Zhou Guoan was staying near his former leader. Old Yan thought for a while and poured some water from his cup onto his desk. He wet his finger and wrote on his desk with his finger. ''Red bricked building 2nd floor, Unit 5.'' He saw Dong Xuebing saw his writings and quickly wiped the water stains off.


    "Thanks!" Dong Xuebing remembered the address and quickly left the Branch Bureau.


    Actually, everyone knows that if someone were corrupted, there would surely be evidence likerge amount of cash, expensive antiques, etc. in their homes. Dong Xuebing was not sure how many houses Zhou Guoan have. But he thought about it and the State Security Quarters was the best location to hide his spoils as it was heavily guarded. It was the best ce to hiderge amounts of cash and antiques. Without concrete evidence, the higher-ups will not issue any search permits and authorizations. No one would be able to enter his home to search for evidence, especially in the State Security branch quarters. It was the safest ce in Beijing.


    But that''s what others think.


    If there was someone in the world that could enter Zhou Guoan''s house to search for evidence without anyone knowing, that someone would be Dong Xuebing!


    He has BACK. He still has 10 minutes left. It was enough for him to do a lot of things!


    Must get the evidence! Dong Xuebing was determined to get back at Zhou Guoan! Not only he can get his position again, but he can also still move up the ranks!!


    Dong Xuebing walked along the path he had walked with Minister Lui and Chief Yan. He entered a Hutong and made many turns through the alleyways. Then Dong Xuebing saw a small estate not far away. Although there was only one building, it was still considered an estate. There was a guardhouse at the main gate, and there was a small side gate. There were no signs or guards at the side gate. From outside, the building looks like a typical state-owned enterprise''s quarters. But Dong Xuebing had had that there was another guardroom at the foot of the building and the guards were patrolling 24 hours. It was impossible for anyone to sneak into the building.


    Dong Xuebing pretended to be a passer-by and walked past the main gate. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the unit number of the building.


    The unit nearest to him was unit 6. That means Zhou Guoan, who was staying in Unit 5, was next to that unit. The first floor of the red-bricked building had metal fences. It was not the newer type of fences where there were sharp pointed edges. The fences were installed when the building was built. Most of them were rusty. There were no fences from the second floor onwards. There were only ss windows. It should be easy and fast for anyone to climb up from the first floor using the fences. This will take lesser time than kicking down the door.


    After confirming his way of entrance, Dong Xuebing bent over and picked up a rock and kept it into his pocket. He looked around the surroundings and saw there were no one. He walked back towards the branch quarters'' gates.


    One step....


    Five steps...


    Ten steps...


    Dong Xuebing looked at his watch and then at the inclothes security guards in the guardhouse. He suddenly started running, pretending to be anxious. He took out his work pass and knocked on the guardhouse windows. "I am from the Branch Bureau''s General Affairs Office. Chief Zhou''s wife is sick and had asked me to bring her to the hospital. You can check my identity! This is a matter of life and death! I will go first!" Dong Xuebing threw his work pass on the counter and started running towards the building.


    The two guards in the guardhouse were stunned. "Eh! Wait! Stop there!"


    Dong Xuebing ignored their cries and ran to the foot of unit 5.


    There were 9 minutes 44 seconds left...


    No intrusions or break-ins had ever happened at this quarters, and the guards did not felt anything was wrong. The taller guard looked at Dong Xuebing''s work pass. He confirmed Dong Xuebing was really the Deputy Section Chief of the General Affairs Office and nodded to his partner. The shorter guard could tell Dong Xuebing was in a hurry, and he quickly found Zhou Guoan''s home number and called. He wants to see if there were anything they could help, and also there was a regtion at the quarters. Even if the visitor was working in the State Security, they were also not allowed to enter thepounds unless permission was granted from the resident. The guards need to call the resident and let the residente out to escort the visitor in. But it was an emergency now. If Chief Zhou''s wife were really sick, she would not be able toe out to fetch Dong Xuebing.


    No one answered.


    "Hey! Hey! What are you doing?! Come down now! Come down at once!"


    A guard who was patrolling thepounds shouted.


    The two guards in the guardhouse did not know what happened and quickly ran out.


    Crash! Dong Xuebing, who had climbed onto 2nd floor, Unit 5, had smashed the windows with a piece of rock and entered the house. After entering the unit through the windows, he still shouted at the 3 security guards: "Chief Zhou had forgotten to pass me his keys, and I can''t open the door. So I can only enter the unit this way!" Dong Xuebing pretended to look into the unit and then shouted out of the windows: "Mrs. Zhou had fainted! You all hurry, get a car or ambnce! Quick! It is an emergency!"


    There were many loopholes in Dong Xuebing''s lies. But the guards never expected Dong Xuebing to be so daring to break into Chief Zhou''s unit in broad daylight. So the guards looked at each other and then one of them started to call for an ambnce. An older guard felt something was off and ran up the stairs to Unit 5. He shouted to Dong Xuebing from outside the door: "Open the door from inside! I will carry her down!"


    There was 8 minute 51 seconds left!


    There was no one in the bedroom. From the items in the room, Dong Xuebing could conclude that it was Zhou Guoan son''s room. He gave up searching this room and ran out to the living room. There were no antiques around, and the paintings on the walls were at most 20 to 30 RMB!


    That''s right. Would Zhou Guoan dare to disy expensive paintings in his living room like this?


    Knock! Knock! Knock! "Open the door! How is Mrs. Zhou?"


    Dong Xuebing shouted: "I am pressing her acupuncture points now! I will open the door in a while! You all hurry up and call for an ambnce!"


    After that, Dong Xuebing ignored the knockings and shouting. He started to ransack all the drawers and cabs. He could not find anything. There were only some DVDs, teacups, etc. Dong Xuebing stood up and smashed the TV on the floor. There was nothing inside and behind the TV.


    He only had 6 minutes and 27 seconds left!


    Bang! Bang! Bang! "Open the door now! Hurry up!"


    Dong Xuebing did not reply to him and entered the master bedroom. He locked the door behind him!


    This ce should be the easiest to get evidence again Zhou Guoan!


    Please! There must be some evidence! I am betting my career and future on this!


    The master bedroom was simple. There was no expensive furniture. There was an old white wardrobe, a queen-size bed, and a small bedside table. Other than this furniture, there was nothing else! But Dong Xuebing felt this was too suspicious. A Divisional Chief Rank officer can''t even afford to change the wardrobe? He must be hiding something!


    Dong Xuebing opened the wardrobe and started throwing all the clothes out. He also touched the pockets to see if there were anything inside.


    After that, Dong Xuebing stood on a chair and searched the higherpartments of the wardrobe.


    Nothing!


    He could not find anything!


    There were only 4 minutes left!


    Dong Xuebing could hear somemotion outside the unit. A woman living on the second floor asked: "What are you all doing?"


    That older security guard, who was still knocking on the door, turned and replied: "Mrs. Zhou had fainted at home. I think she is sick!"


    The woman asked curiously: "No. Sis Liu had gone to her son''s ce this afternoon. She will be backter in the evenings. She is sick? Howe?"


    The older guard realized what was happening. He shouted towards downstairs: "Xiao Sun! Quick! Climb up through the fence and see what is happening!"


    Dong Xuebing heard their shouting and knew that his lies were exposed. He did not have much time left. He must hurry!


    Dong Xuebing kicked the bedside table hard and broke the drawers'' lock. A few documents were scattered on the floor. These were unimportant documents. There was a bank book, and the amount in there was only 85,000 RMB!


    There were only 3 minutes and 22 seconds left!


    Crashed! It was the sounds of someone breaking the windows. Someone had climbed into the unit through the windows!


    There''s no more time! Dong Xuebing still have not searched under the bed and the balcony!


    Dong Xuebing''s heart was racing. He threw the pillows off the bed and pulled the covers off. There was nothing!


    Bang! Someone was hit the bedroom''s door. "Open up! Open the door now!"


    Dong Xuebing cursed under his breath and pulled the queen-sized mattress off the bed with all his strength!


    There were a red ICBC bank book and a small ck colored notebook. Dong Xuebing''s heart skipped a beat and dashed forward to open up the bank book. 1.75 million RMB! There was 1.75 million in this ount! But this ount was not under Zhou Guoan''s name. It belongs to someone by the name of Li Yan!


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed with this finding. He quickly opened up the small notebook.


    Bang! The people outside were trying to kick open the door! The door was almost kicked down!


    "Shit!" Dong Xuebing knew the person outside will be giving the door a second kick. He rushed over and pushed against the door with his back!


    Bang! It was the second kick!


    The bedroom door shook from the impact. The door could not hold on any longer!


    Dong Xuebing quickly opened up the notebook and saw a few familiar names. One of it was a Deputy Chief from the Political Section, Guo Shunjie, and a staff member from the Finance Department. There were numbers behind the names. The number behind the Political Section staff''s name was 9. Guo Shunjie was 6, and that guy from the Finance Department was 2. Behind those numbers, there were more numbers which resemble date and year!


    This was a ledger book?


    A ledger book recording all the bribes he received?!


    "Open up! If not, I will shoot!" The guard outside gave the door another hard kick!


    Dong Xuebing had no time to be shocked or excited. He was focusing all his attention to memorize the contents of that ledger. His memory training for his civil servant exam came into good use now. He immediately memorizes the names and numbers written in the notebook!


    3 seconds...


    5 seconds...


    Crash!


    The door was kicked open! Dong Xuebing, who was leaning against the door, fell forward!


    When Dong Xuebing turns around, a ck gun barrel was pointing to his head. He immediately shouts: "BACK! BACK! BACK! BACK! BACK!..."


    The surrounding shes! It shed 8 times!


    The branch bureau quarters'' entrance.


    Dong Xuebing was standing outside the main gate and felt a cold breeze against his face.


    It was peaceful and breezy. Birds were chirping, and the two guards in the guardhouse were chatting happily with each other.


    Dong Xuebing let out a sigh of relieved and walked towards an alleyway. He took out his pen and notebook while walking, to jolt down the contents he memorized. There were too many dates, and he did not have enough time. He could only remember 6 to 7 names and dates. But it should be enough!


    Arrrgggg....


    I got the evidence!!!

 Chapter 114: Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 114: Evidence</h4>


    3.30 pm.


    Dong Xuebing had left for about 30 minutes.


    Xu Yan and Song Shoujie were still in Xu Yan''s office discussing how they should deal with Zhou Guoan.


    "Cheng Haimei had been promoted to Political Commissar. She might be close to Zhou Guoan in the past. But now, she is the no. 2 figure in the branch. She will not be so close to Zhou Guoan anymore. I can go and speak to her and hope for her toe over to our side." Xu Yan said. "Old Song, what about Chief Yang Yizhong?"


    "I will speak to him." Song Shoujie frowned. "Sighed.... What Dong Xuebing said earlier is still the best way to deal with Zhou Guoan." Xu Yan interrupted him. "That is not practical. Zhou Guoan is very cunning. He will never let anyone get hold of evidence against him. He will surely hide any evidence in a secure ce. No one can get a search warrant to search his house without any strong clues. That''s why it is impossible to get any strong evidence." Song Shoujie smiled. "Then why did you promise Xiao Dong the rank of Deputy Chief just now?" Xu Yan also smiles. "You should know how miraculous Xiao Dong is." Knock, knock, knock... Someone knocks on the door.


    Xu Yan said: "Come in." She frowned when she saw Dong Xuebing. "Why are you here again? Didn''t I tell you to go back to the Party School?" Song Shoujie was also surprised to see Dong Xuebinging back.


    But what Dong Xuebing said almost made Song Shoujie spit out his tea.


    Dong Xuebing looked around secretively and whispered. "Chief Xu, Secretary Song, I found the evidence." Huh? Song Shoujie''s eyes nearly popped out. "What did you find?!"


    Dong Xuebing firmly replied: "I found evidence against Chief Zhou."


    Xu Yan looked at Dong Xuebing. She wanted tough, but when she saw the look in Dong Xuebing''s eyes, she knew Dong Xuebing was not lying. Did he really get the evidence?


    Ah? Song Shoujie could not believe what he heard. Dong Xuebing had only left the office for a short time.


    Xu Yan frowned and thought for a while. She then turned to look at Song Shoujie, before walking over to lock the door to her office.


    "Come in and speak." Xu Yan let Dong Xuebing into the office. Song Shoujie and Xu Yan were looking at Dong Xuebing. "Where is the evidence?"


    Dong Xuebing took out a piece of paper from his pocket carefully. He had thought of a story on his way over. "This information is provided to me by someone. However, I cannot reveal the identity of this person. But the information is urate. There is an ICBC bank passbook in Chief Zhou''s house, and there are 1.75 million RMB in that ount." Dong Xuebing could not exin how he got the evidence. So, he made up a story of getting the information from an informant.


    When Song Shoujie heard the amount in the ount, he was shocked.


    Xu Yan took a deep breath. "More than 1 million? Are you sure?"


    Dong Xuebing replied. "I am very sure. But the ount is not under Zhou Guoan''s name. It belongs to someone by the name of Li Yan. I don''t know if this person is his rtive or friend. Chief Zhou must be afraid that his ount will be checked and that''s why he used someone''s bank ount. The money inside should be the bribes he received. This paper is a list of names and numbers. Many of the names are from our branch. Look, what is written behind Guo Shunjie. It must mean 60,000 RMB followed by the date... The date is a few days before the Party Committee meeting, where the candidate of Deputy Chief is discussed. Also, this Deputy Chief Gao from the Political Section. He should have given Chief Zhou a sum of money on 2nd Junest year." Song Shoujie pped hisp lightly. "Deputy Chief Gao? He is promoted mid ofst year. Xu Yan, can you still remember what happened during that Party Committee meeting?"


    "I remembered he is nominated by Chief Zhou." Xu Yan took the piece of paper from Dong Xuebing. "Liu Fengjiang, Xu Chaoyang? Where are these two people? Xiao Dong, is this list urate?" Dong Xuebing replied: "It is very urate. But the person who provided me with this list could not remember all the names. There is a small ck colored notebook that records all these transactions in Chief Zhou''s house. The notebook and bank book are kept under Chief Zhou''s mattress in the master bedroom. The names in the list are from thest two pages of the notebook? There are at least 5 to 6 pages more. I think there should be at least 20 names in the notebook." Dong Xuebing saw the frown on Xu Yan''s face, and he continued. "Chief Xu, this list includes the dates of the transactions. If the Commission for Discipline Inspection really wants to investigate, they will surely be able to find something against Chief Zhou. They will surely find a way to let these people testify against Chief Zhou. Furthermore, the rest of the evidence is in Chief Zhou''s house. I swear the evidence are still there, as long as the news is not leaked. You all can send people to search for his house." Xu Yan stares at the piece of paper.


    Song Shoujie could also sense the seriousness of this matter. This amount was almost 2 million. Dong Xuebing quickly adds: "Chief Xu, is this evidence enough?" Dong Xuebing had wanted to run away with that notebook earlier. However, he will be arrested for trespassing.


    Xu Yan was deep in thoughts. After a while, her eyes regained focuses and kept the paper. "This evidence is enough. Xiao Dong, you have done a good job. Leave this list with me. Don''t let anyone else know about this."


    Dong Xuebing brightens up. "Yes."


    Xu Yan nodded. "You go back and wait for our news. Try to keep low for these few days."


    After Dong Xuebing left, Song Shoujie rubbed his forehead. "Xu Yan, are you really going to submit this piece of evidence to the higher-ups? We will be in trouble if this evidence is not urate."


    Xu Yan shook her head and replied: "This evidence should be urate. I believe in Xiao Dong. This is not a joking matter. Furthermore, this matter concerns Xiao Dong the most. He will not make up some fake evidence." Xu Yan took out the paper again and unfolds it. She stares at the list and sighs. "He is good..."


    Song Shoujie said. "That''s right. There are just 6 people listed here, and the total amount is almost 100,000 RMB. He is selling government positions like this. He is too daring."


    "I am not talking about Chief Zhou. I am talking about Chief Xiao Dong." Xu Yan smiles. "Remember how hard we tried to get evidence of Chief Zhou receiving bribes? How long did we investigate?"


    "We had tried our best, but, in the end, we could not get any clues, and we even let Chief Zhou knows about the investigation. Look at Dong Xuebing." Xue Yan sighed again. "He had just left my office for a while and returns with evidence. Old Song, why is Xiao Dong is so capable?" Song Shoujie replied: "If I know, I will not be so frustrated. He even knows the notebook and bankbook are kept under Chief Zhou''s master bedroom mattress. Who is the person that provided the evidence? Chief Zhou''s wife or rtive? Is that even possible?" Xu Yan also could not understand how Dong Xuebing got this evidence. It was too weird. Both of them would never guess the reason, as no one would ever expect that there is someone who can control time.

 Chapter 115: Drastic Change

    <h4>Chapter 115: Drastic Change</h4>


    Next day.


    Noon, 12 pm.


    Dong Xuebing, who was having his lunch at the Party School, was waiting for Xu Yan''s phone call. He had been waiting for the whole morning. When his phone rang, he immediately straightened his back and took out his phone. It was Li Qing.


    Dong Xuebing excitedly answered the call: "Director, are you looking for me? Did something happen at the unit?"


    Li Qing replied. "What can happen here? Everything is still the same. Li Qing can be considered Xu Yan''s fraction. He was also anxious about his future recently. He did not know what Zhou Guoan would do and if he will be affected.


    "Huh? Oh..." Dong Xuebing pped his forehead disappointedly. He thought Li Qing had called to tell him that Zhou Guoan or Guo Shunjie were arrested.


    "Xiao Dong, are you still at the Party School?"


    "Yes. We have just finished our morning lesson."


    Li Qing sounded helpless as he said: "It''s like this. The Bureau wants you toe to handover your office to Guo Shunjie and also to return your Deputy Chief work pass. There is a meeting in the afternoon. It would be better if you cane back before the meeting."


    This was not a piece of good news. It was the opposite!


    Howe the unit did not act against Zhou Guoan? I really have to step down?!


    After hanging up, Dong Xuebing almost bang the table. Damn! Handover the office? I am already removed from my position, what''s there to handover? Let that bastard Guo Shunjie humiliate me in front of everyone? Dong Xuebing''s stubborn temper acted again. I will not go back!


    Dong Xuebing does not care about this anymore. He continued with his lunch, and after lunch, he returned to his ss and sat in thest row. Dong Xuebing might look tough, but he was in jitters. He was anxious and wonders what''s the situation was back at the branch. Can Xu Yan bring down Zhou Guoan and Guo Shunjie with the evidence? Will the City Commission for Discipline Inspection conduct a formal investigation against Zhou Gouan with the evidence he found? If the City''s Commission for Discipline Inspection felt the evidence was not sufficient for them to act, then all his efforts will be wasted. It was fine to waste the few minutes of BACK. But his position and career...


    Dong Xuebing had thought of asking the retired State Security Minister Lui for help. But when he called Yan Liang and told him about what happened, Yan Liang agreed to help him speak to Minister Lui. But nothing was heard from him after that. Dong Xuebing thought about this. When Minister Lui almost died from his asthma attack, it was Yan Liang''s fault. If Yan Liang were to ask Minister Lui to help Dong Xuebing, then it will remind Minister Lui of his failure. Why will Yan Liang do this?


    Damn!


    10 minutes passed...


    20 minutes passed...


    Ring, ring, ring... Dong Xuebing''s phone rang, and this time, it was Xu Yan''s office number!


    It''s here! Dong Xuebing immediately answered the call: ''Hello, Chief Xu? Is there any news?"


    "Where are you?" Xu Yan did not answer Dong Xuebing, and she sounded calm.


    "I am at the Party School. That matter..."


    Before Dong Xuebing could ask anything, Xu Yan interrupted: "Didn''t Li Qing tell you toe back? Why are you still at the Party School? The General Affairs Department''s meeting will announce Guo Shunjue''s appointment. Come back now."


    Dong Xuebing replied unwillingly. "Chief Xu, why can''t I return my work pass another day? I will also not run away with the work pass. Errr... can I take off today? I am not feeling well."


    Xu Yan interrupted: "No!"


    Dong Xuebing was in a daze. "Errr.... I..." Dong Xuebing cannot ignore Xu Yan''s orders. But he really does not want to go back and be humiliated. "I... Then I... I will be back in a while."


    "Quick. Don''t miss the good show." Duuuu, duuuu, duuuuu.... The line was cut.


    Huh? What did Chief Xu say? Good show? What good show is she talking about? Suddenly Dong Xuebing thought of a possibility and the hair on his back stands. He immediately grabbed his bag and ran out of the Party School. He got onto a Taxi and rushed to West Branch Bureau!


    At the same time.


    Zhou Guoan''s office.


    Guo Shunjie was standing in front of Zhou Guoan''s desk angrily. "Uncle Zhou, who does Dong Xuebing thinks he is? How dare he talk back at you yesterday? He is too much. I think he is..."


    Zhou Guoan knocked on his desk lightly: "What is it you want?!" Zhou Guoan was getting frustrated by Guo Shunjie.


    Guo Shunjie looked at Zhou Guoan and cleared his throat. He said softly: "I think that after Dong Xuebing return from the Party School, transfer him to the filing department. That ce should suit him." The filing department was like a dead-end for State Security officers. There were a lot of highly confidential documents there and restrictions. Usually, when officers were transferred into this department, they will remain there for the rest of their career. It was like a graveyard for the officers. Guo Shunjie had initially wanted Dong Xuebing to stay in the General Affairs Office. He wants to order and humiliate Dong Xuebing further. But almost everyone in the office was on Dong Xuebing''s side. If Dong Xuebing remains in the office, no one will listen to Guo Shunjie.


    Zhou Guoan nced at him and said: "Go and prepare your speech. Don''te to my office so frequently."


    "Yes!" Guo Shunjie left.


    Zhou Guoan was also thinking of ways to deal with Dong Xuebing. A lowly staff member dares to report against him and still dare to talk back at him? He cannot tolerate such disrespect. Filing department? Zhou Guoan does not want to let Dong Xuebing off so quickly. He wants to find a reason to sack Dong Xuebing! But this is not the right time. He had just been promoted to be the Branch Bureau Chief. Forcefully recing Dong Xuebing was already a big risk. If Yan Liang were not transferred to a southern province, Zhou Guoan would have no chance to touch Dong Xuebing. Furthermore, Dong Xuebing still have Minister Lui as his backing. This was why Zhou Guoan only rece Dong Xuebing''s position and not demote him directly. This was only a test. Zhou Guoan could still do something if the higher-ups gave him pressure or any troubles.


    For example, if Minister Lui really calls up and ask why his lifesaver, Dong Xuebing was being reced, Zhou Guoan could still reply that he wants to transfer Dong Xuebing to another department. This was normal in Government agencies. Of course, Zhou Guoan did not think that Minister Lui would call up to help Dong Xuebing. Furthermore, it was Yan Liang who created that mess and not Minister Lui, who had forgotten to bring his medications. Minister Lui did not call up to question his decision. It was only Xu Yan trying to give him some troubles.


    Zhou Guoan was deep in thoughts when his handphone rang.


    Zhou Guoan looked at the number on the caller disy and frowned. He answered the call.


    He listened to the caller for a few seconds, and his face turns ck. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How can this happen?!" Zhou Guoan was breathing rapidly and banged on his desk twice. "Who is the one that issues the search warrant?! Who gives them the authority?"


    One level below Zhou Guoan''s office.


    No. 3 meeting room.


    This was a meeting to announce Guo Shunjie''s appointment. Usually, appointments of Deputy Section Chief do not need to use No. 3 meeting room. There was no need to be so grand. Furthermore, it was only Deputy Section Chief benefits and not a promotion of his rank. When Dong Xuebing was appointed, there was only one Deputy Director from the General Affairs Department, two officers from the Political Section and the staff members of the General Affairs Office present at the meeting. It was only a formality. But today was different. Branch Bureau Chief Zhou will be attending this meeting. His reason for attending this meeting was to support the Central Government''s directives of grooming younger officers. He also wants to say a few words. But actually, he wants to show his attitude and send out signals to all opposing fractions. With Zhou Guoaning to this meeting, everything changes. Political Section Chief and other section chiefs had to attend this meeting.


    The few members from the General Affairs Office were in the meeting room. Guo Shunjie, who had left Zhou Gouan''s office, was feeling great. He ordered Tan Limei and Guo Panwei to set up the meeting room. "Xiao Tan, go and test the microphone."


    Tan Limei bit her lower lips and replied: "I had tested it earlier. The microphone is fine."


    Guo Shunjie stared at her and said: "I want you to test it again!"


    Tan Limei''s eyes turned red and walked over to the stand.


    "Guo Panwei, the leaders will be arriving soon. Mop the floor again! Now!" Guo Shunjie was enjoying this feeling of ordering people around. "Chang Juan, bring the script for my speech over. It is on the left of my desk!" Chang Juan was arranging the chairs and replied slightly slower. Guo Shunjie got furious and shouted: "Go and get it now!"


    "Behave yourself!" Dong Xuebing shouted from the meeting room''s door. "Stop shouting!" Although Dong Xuebing was reced, he still has the aura of an officer. His tone was the same as before when he was the Deputy Chief.


    "Chief Dong."


    "Chief Dong."


    Chang Juan and the rest greeted Dong Xuebing. Tan Limei almost burst out in tears. She was bullied by Guo Shunjie the whole day.


    Guo Shunjie saw the way Dong Xuebing spoke to him and was furious. "Dong Xuebing! Who do you think you are? What is that tone? What kind of attitude are you showing? Ah? Don''t you know how to respect the leaders?" He points to a direction. "Chang Juan, you don''t need to get my script. Dong Xuebing! You go and bring my scripts! Now! Don''t let me wait!" Dong Xuebing was still a member of the General Affairs Office and after bing a staff member again... Guo Shunjie had the authority to order him around.


    Only the people from the General Affairs Office were in the meeting room, and Dong Xuebing did not hold back. "F**k you!"


    Guo Shunjie was furious and wanted to start scolding. But some staff members from other departments entered the meeting room. Guo Shunjie looked around and controlled his temper. He did not want to be embarrassed in front of so many people. He stared at Dong Xuebing coldly and just said: "Fine, fine, fine..."


    The people who had entered the meeting room were surprised to see Dong Xuebing. They don''t understand why Dong Xuebing was there. All of them were avoiding Dong Xuebing and went to their respective seats. Some of them were close to Dong Xuebing in the past, but now, they treated Dong Xuebing as an invisible person. They don''t even give a greeting nod. After so many things, who doesn''t know Chief Xiao Dong was in deep trouble now? Going against Chief Zhou openly? Reporting against the top superior? Talkback at the Branch Bureau Chief? If anyone did one of the mentioned things, they would be in deep trouble. Let alone doing all three at the same time!


    Seeing how the others treated Dong Xuebing, Guo Shunjieughed. He felt that he does not need to be angry. He had already won when he reced Dong Xuebing as the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office. He will have lots of opportunities to get back at Dong Xuebing in the future.


    More people arrived at the meeting room and their reactions when they saw Dong Xuebing were the same as the people before them. Only Tan Limei, Chang Juan and the other staff members of the General Affairs Office dare to talk to Dong Xuebing.


    After that, Li Qing arrives. Followed by Pang Bing, Xu Yan, and Song Shoujie.


    It was time for the meeting to start. But everyone still has to wait for Zhou Guoan!


    5 minutes passed....


    10 minutes passed....


    Zhou Guoan did not appear. The two staff members who had gone to call Chief Zhou also did not return!


    What happened?


    When everyone was still feeling confused, the doors of the meeting room opened suddenly. Zhou Guoan was there.


    "Chief Zhou is here."


    "Chief Zhou."


    But to everyone''s surprise, Zhou Guoan''s face was red. He looks like he had just lost his temper. Two stern-looking men were standing behind Zhou Guoan. They were following Zhou Guoan on his left and right. They look like they were escorting a criminal.


    "Ah?"


    "What happened?"


    Who dares to make Chief Zhou so angry? Guo Shunjie was stunned for a while and quickly walk over. "Chief Zhou, you..."


    Guo Shunjie had shot himself in his own foot. One of the stern-looking men looked at him and asked: "You are Guo Shunjie?" Guo Shunjie nodded, and that man took out an identification card from his pocket. "City''s Commission for Discipline Inspection. Follow us back."


    Guo Shunjie was shocked. "What do you mean? What''s happening? Chief Zhou?"


    That man from the City Commission for Discipline Inspection can''t be bothered to exin. "You will know what happened when you are back with us."


    What? Commission for Discipline Inspection?


    The whole meeting room was stunned!


    Everyone was shocked except for Dong Xuebing, Xu Yan and Song Shoujie!


    City Commission for Discipline Inspection? It was okay if they were bringing back Guo Shunjie for investigation. But Zhou Guoan was the Branch Bureau Chief! They look like they were going to bring Chief Zhou back with them! They were bringing Chief Zhou back so openly... That means they have enough evidence! If not, the City Commission for Discipline Inspection would not do it in public! Corruption? Receiving bribes? No one knows for sure what offenses Zhou Guoan hadmitted. But everyone knows that Zhou Guoan will note back to West District Branch Bureau again!


    The tides have changed! This was too sudden!


    Zhou Guoan had only be the Branch Bureau Chief for a few days, and he got into trouble? There were no signs at all!


    Who was the one that brought him down?


    Guo Shunjie became pale. Did they found out that he had bribed Zhou Guoan? Who? Who was the one that exposed him?


    "Chief Zhou, let''s go." That man from the City Commission for Discipline Inspection said.


    Zhou Guoan did not move. He found Dong Xuebing and Xu Yan in the crowd and stared at them. Zhou Guoan had received information and knew it was toote. But he could not understand howe the City Commission for Discipline Inspection will issue a search warrant for his house. Was it Xu Yan or Dong Xuebing? Where did they get the evidence against him? Howe they were able to find the proof?


    Zhou Guoan was furious. He had only got promoted!


    Dong Xuebing sneered and thought to himself. ''You are the one who told me to get evidence before reporting against you. Ok. Now I got the evidence. Are you happy now? Goddamn! You think just because I just entered the Bureau and you can do whatever you want with me? You don''t even investigate who was the one that reported you, and you want to rece me? You think I can be bullied easily?''


    Zhou Guoan and Guo Shunjie had tried to suppressed Dong Xuebing for too long. They finally got their retribution. Dong Xuebing was overjoyed now. He finally got his revenge from all the usations! Both of you want to get rid of me? Want to humiliate me? Come on! Why are you not doing anything to me now?


    Feels terrific!!!


    "Hurry up. The car is waiting." That man gave a push to Zhou Guoan and Guo Shunjie.


    Before Guo Shunjie walked out of the meeting room, he turned and stared at Dong Xuebing. Howe this is happening? Why does it have to end this way? I am going to be the Deputy Chief! My career is just starting to take off!


    The rest of the people in the room saw this and turned to look at Dong Xuebing.


    It was not known that they conclude this from Zhou Guoan and Guo Shunjie''s reaction or it was because of that informant letter. Maybe some of them knew the truth behind. But rumors of Dong Xuebing bringing Zhou Guoan and Guo Shunjie down spread throughout the Bureau.


    The Political Section people knows about this.


    The Finance Department knows about this.


    The Public Security Sixth Bureau knows about this.


    Everyone''s first reaction to this rumor was ''unbelievable!''


    Dong Xuebing!


    It''s Dong Xuebing again!


    When Dong Xuebing offended the Branch Bureau''s No. 1, everyone thought Dong Xuebing''s career was gone. But who would expect that after one day of being reced, Dong Xuebing had his revenge and brought Zhou Guoan down! This was....


    The Omnipotent Chief Xiao Dong?


    This nickname might sound exaggerated and nonsensical. But when they list out all the things Dong Xuebing had done at the branch, they will find that this nickname really suits him!


    When vital documents are left in a burning room, Dong Xuebing can run in to retrieve it!


    When there is a penalty kick in a ser match, Dong Xuebing can save the penalty!


    When a ser match only has 1 minute on the clock, Dong Xuebing can enter the game and score the winning goal!


    When Senior Minister Lui was having an asthma attack, Dong Xuebing can take out medicines from his pocket!


    Now, when Chief Zhou wants to rece Dong Xuebing from his position, Dong Xuebing can bring Chief Zhou down!


    When everyone thought about all these, they were shocked!


    Damn! This was too exaggerating. Is there anything Chief Xiao Dong cannot achieve?


    End of arc 1

 Chapter 116: Promotion to Deputy Section Chief Rank

    <h4>Chapter 116: Promotion to Deputy Section Chief Rank</h4>


    A few dayster.


    Dong Xuebingpleted his course at the Party School. He had got this qualification under his belt.


    On his way home, Dong Xuebing''s handphone rang. It was a number from Beihe Province. It should be his mother calling from a public phone. "Hello? Mum?"


    "Xuebing, I am quite busy with my work. My students will be having their exams soon, and I might not be back for the Lunar New Year!"


    "Oh. Then you must take care of yourself."


    "How''s your work? Did you make any mistakes? How is the General Affairs Office Chief''s impression of you?"


    Dong Xuebing had wanted to give his mother a surprise when she returns during the Lunar New Year. He had wanted to tell her that he had be the Deputy Chief of his office. But now, Dong Xuebing was forced to stepdown, and he did not tell his mother. Dong Xuebing was the type where he would rather suffer alone than to let his loved ones worried for him. "It''s fine. I am doing well at work and the leaders like me. Ha ha...."


    "That''s good then."


    After his mother hangs up, Dong Xuebing sighed and went to the bank to transfer some money to his mother. He had money now and wanted to send his mother tens of thousand RMB for her to enjoy herself. But after some considerations, he did not transfer so much to her. He does not want his mother to think that he had received bribes and let her worry. So, he only transfers a few thousands RMB to her. It should be enough.


    The time now was not even 5 pm.


    Qu Yunxuan still has not returned from her mother''s ce, and Dong Xuebing waszy to eat at home. He was about to go to a small restaurant near his house for dinner when he received a call from Xu Yan. He was excited when saw Xu Yan''s number. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself before answering the call. "Hello, Chief Xu!" After Zhou Guoan and Guo Shunjie were brought back by the City Commission for Discipline Inspection officer, he still had not received the news he wished for. He had been thinking about it for the past few days at the Party School.


    It''s here?


    Is it really the news I have been waiting for?


    "Hahaha..." Xu Yan was in a good mood as she seldomughs like this. "Xiao Dong, I represent the Branch Party Committee to inform you that because Zhou Guoan had received bribes, his order of recing the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office will be void. Themittee had decided that you will resume your duties as the Deputy Chief!"


    Hahaha. It''s really a piece of good news!!!


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed, and he thanked gratefully. "Thank you, Chief Xu!"


    "Don''t thank me. You are the one who had done a good job. You deserve it!" Xu Yanughed. "Kid, you didn''t disappoint me!" Xu Yan had thought for the past few days and still could not figure out how Dong Xuebing got the evidence. That afternoon, when the Commission for Discipline Inspection officers went to search Zhou Guoan''s house, they found the bank book under the mattress. There were 1.75 million RMB in that ount. The ledger book contents were exactly the same as what Dong Xuebing told them. Even the officers conducting the search were speechless. They had conducted investigations for years, and this was the first time they felt... it was Zhou Guoan who had reported himself! It was too weird!


    "This case involves too many people, and the amount is huge. The higher-ups are still investigating. Those who are involved will be suspended from their duties. Zhou Guoan and Guo Shunjie will never be able to work in government agencies!"


    Dong Xuebing was pleased with this ending. They deserve it!


    Xu Yan continued: "Now, everyone at the branch bureau is discussing this incident. To prevent any negative impact, I will give you a few days off from work for you to rest at home. Stay away from the branch these few days." Xu Yan was trying to protect Dong Xuebing. After all, people at the branch were still talking about Dong Xuebing bringing down the Branch Bureau Chief. This rumor was not very good for him as all other leaders will be wary of him. Luckily the rumor was only spread among the lower rank staffs. The heads of departments like Political Section Chief Pang Bin, Political Commissar Cheng Haimei, etc. don''t think it was Dong Xuebing who got the evidence against Zhou Guoan. They felt Dong Xuebing was not that capable. All of them also knew about the informant letter and knew it was not Dong Xuebing who wrote it. That''s why they were not very wary of him. Xu Yan wanted to wait until the new Branch Bureau Chief was appointed and things to settle down, before letting Dong Xuebing return to work. "Oh..... there is still one more thing."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "What is it?"


    "Haha... You have graduated from the Party School''s training course. It will be weird if we don''t promote you to Deputy Section Chief rank. When youe back, work hard, and I will fight for your promotion!" Dong Xuebing had only entered the branch for slightly more than 3 months. For him to be the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office was already an exceptional case. It was almost impossible for Dong Xuebing to be promoted to Deputy Section Chief rank now. But Xu Yan had promised him, and he really got the evidence to bring down Zhou Guoan. Xu Yan had to deliver her promise to help Dong Xuebing get promoted.


    Ah? Promotion? Hahaha! I am going to be promoted?


    Dong Xuebing was ecstatic. "Thank you! Thank you for giving me this opportunity!"


    Dong Xuebing had joined the Party, then be the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office, and now, he is going to be promoted to Deputy Section Chief rank. Dong Xuebing progression was too fast!


    After hanging up, Dong Xuebing stretched and could finally rx. He had got rid of Guo Shunjie, and the Chief who had been targeting him will be behind bars soon. He was also able to resume his duties and will be promoted soon. Now all his troubles were over. He could also take a rest. It was tiring for the past few weeks.


    Ah.... What should I do these few days?


    The first-person Dong Xuebing thought of was Qu Yunxuan. He wanted to be with her during his break from work.


    With a good mood, Dong Xuebing finished 4 donkey burgers. He wiped his mouth, called Qu Yunxuan. She answered, and Dong Xuebing asked: "When are youing back? Thest time I called you, you said tomorrow. How many tomorrows has it been?!" Dong Xuebing had be troubled with Zhou Guoan and Guo Shunjie issues for the past few days and did not contact Qu Yunxuan much. He also did not tell her about his troubles at work.


    "I am busy with my work!"


    "Even if you are busy, you can stille home." Dong Xuebing mustered up his courage and said: "Yunxuan, I miss you!"


    Qu Yunxuan''s replied: "Stop it! Is this the way you call me? You want me to give you a p?!"


    Dong Xuebing could sense Qu Yunxuan blushing. "When are youing back? I will be taking a break from work for a few days. I am thinking of going to the movies with you!"


    "3 dayster. I am also not sure. I still have to go to Zhejiang Province for work."


    "Eh? You are from the advertising department? Why do you have to go to Zhejiang? You have clients there?"


    "Yes. I will return back to Beikou to see you after my work trip."


    Dong Xuebing chatted with her for a while. Qu Yunxuan was very busy with her work, and Dong Xuebing had to hang up.


    After returning home, Dong Xuebingid down on his sofa and start to n what he should do during this break. Suddenly, Dong Xuebing remembered something. He got up and went to his PC in his room. He used inte banking to check his ount. He had 440,000 RMB in his ount. He was still short from his target of 1 million RMB. He should take this opportunity to make money.


    Dong Xuebing wanted to make enough money for Qu Yunxuan to set up her tradingpany. This was not only because he wished Qu Yunxuan''s mother to ept him.


    Dong Xuebing also want to have his ownpany. He wanted to be the boss behind the curtains!


    He thought about all these and then quickly called his bank to fix an appointment forrge amount withdrawals.


    Zhou Guoan''s incident reminded him. He was a civil servant now and should be careful with his money. If not, someone might report against him to the Commission for Discipline Inspection, or the officers from the Commission for Discipline Inspection did a random check on his bank ount. Dong Xuebing was not afraid of getting investigated as he could exin where he got his money from. Selling antiques is not against thew. Finding treasures at antique shops is not against thew. Stone gambling is not against thew. Dong Xuebing was confident that he will not get into trouble!


    Hmmm... How should he make money this time?


    Stone gambling at Panjiayuan? Look for treasures at the old antique market? Shares trading?


    Dong Xuebing was surfing the news on the inte. He could not decide how he should make money.


    Suddenly, he noticed an article on the homepage of an antique website.


    The article was about a recent auction. A natural pearl ne of 30 Beikuo pearls, was auctioned off at 920,000 RMB. The article stated that these pearls were bought by a businessman at a pearl breeding farm in Zhejiang Province. The biggest pearl was from the mussel he purchased! He had only spent a few thousand RMB for the pearls.


    Opening oysters? Pearls? Pearls can also be gambled?


    Dong Xuebing became interested and start to read up on pearl gambling.


    Pearl gambling is simr to stone gambling. To know the size and number of pearls in oysters, they need to open the mussel shells. Many businessmen saw this as a business opportunity and came up with this pearl gambling business!


    Dong Xuebingughed as he learned more about this pearl gambling. If he could collect enough pearls to form a ne, then he would be able to reach his target of 1 million RMB!


    Dong Xuebing banged his desk and made a decision in his mind! Book the train tickets! Pearl Gambling at Zhejiang Province!


    Qu Yunxuan will also be going to Zhejiang for work. Dong Xuebing could make some money there and then go visit the ces of interest with Aunt Xuan there.


    Killing 2 birds with one stone!!

 Chapter 117: Pearls, opening muscle

    <h4>Chapter 117: Pearls, opening muscle</h4>


    Zhejiang Province, Zhuji City.


    It was a rainy day and drizzling. But the rain seems to be stopping soon.


    Dong Xuebing alighted from Zhuji train station with a big Merry Supermarket bag. He was walking fast and keep adjusting his clothes. He felt very ufortable. The humidity at Zhuji was very high and cold. Dong Xuebing was used to the cold and dry weather in the North. He was walking along the road and quickly found a small restaurant by the roadside.


    "Boss, give me the menu." Dong Xuebing sat down at an empty table.


    "Coming." A fat middle-aged woman walked over with the menu.


    Dong Xuebing picked two dishes and said: "Give me a local soup too. It''s too cold."


    10 minutester, all the dishes were served.


    The soup was m soup. Although Beijing people called these as ms, it was actually mussel. Pearl mussels. Other than a palm-size mussel, there was nothing else in the soup. Dong Xuebing was curious. He used his chopsticks to open the mussel. The mussel was full of peals. Dong Xuebing took a bite of the mussel flesh and then spit it out. It was too tough. How can anyone eat this shit?


    Thedy boss who was sitting at her counter saw him, andughed. "That mussel is not for eating. You just drink the soup."


    Dong Xuebing''s face was red with embarrassment. "What about the pearls?"


    "Are you here for a holiday? You can pay people to string the pearls for you and bring it back as a souvenir."


    "Oh, then this soup is also considered a form of pearl gambling?"


    "You can say that. If you are lucky, you might be able to find some good pearls. You want me to serve another bowl of soup?"


    "No. This is enough for me." Dong Xuebing knew this person was talking nonsense. He was reading up on pearl gambling on his more than 10 hours train ride. He knows that these mussels are low-grade mussels. One would be considered damn lucky if pearls worth 20 RMB were found in it. These mussels produce worthless pears. "Boss, can I ask you something? Do you know any pearl gambling ces near here? How much will it cost to gamble pearl?"


    The female boss looked at him: "There should be a pushcart two streets away from here. The price is about 200 to 300."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Is there any ces that sell better mussels? Like those 2,000 to 3,000 RMB types?"


    "Oh, then you have to go to the Pearl breeding farms. But they don''t do pearl gambling there. They will open up the mussels themselves and then sell the pearls ording to grades. Pearl gambling here is mainly small roadside stalls. The grades are not high."


    Dong Xuebing chatted with the female boss for a while and got a better understanding of Zhuji''s pearl gambling.


    The rain had stopped, and Dong Xuebing left the restaurant and got into a taxi.


    The driver asked: "Where to?"


    Dong Xuebing said: "Bring me to the nearest pearl breeding farm."


    The driver sped up and asked: "You are from Beijing? Are you here for a holiday?"


    "Yes. I am here to buy some pearl mussels to try my luck."


    "Oh, you want to buy mussels ." The driver thought for a while. "Then we should go towards the west. The two pearl farms nearby are not in season yet. Their mussels are not ready for harvest. The breeding farm on the west side might be further away. I was staying nearby the farm and saw them preparing to harvest the pearls a few days ago."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Ok. Let''s go to the west side then. Thank you."


    About 20 minutester, Dong Xuebing reached his destination. He paid the fare and quickly alight. He looked around and carried his bag tightly. His bag looks ordinary and old fashioned. But Dong Xuebing purpose picks this bag. There was a password box which contains 440,000 RMB, in the bag. Dong Xuebing was determined to raise 1 million on this trip. This was why he withdraws all his savings.


    There were a few white-colored buildings in the distance. As Dong Xuebing got closer, he saw 5 to 6 breeding farms.


    Dong Xuebing walked up to the metal gates. There was no one there, and he continued into thepound.


    "Hey! What are you doing?" A man, covered in mud, stood up from the breeding farm. He shouted at Dong Xuebing: "Who allows you to enter?"


    "I am here to buy pearls!" Dong Xuebing frowned as he looked at that man. "Where is the boss?"


    "Buy pearls?" That man looked at Dong Xuebing from top to toe. "I am the boss here. What pearls do you want? Pearl powder?"


    You are the boss of this farm? Dong Xuebing was surprised. He knew the owners of pearl farms were earning more than 1 million RMB annually. They should be either in suits and ties or at least look like a boss. But this person in front of Dong Xuebing looks like a hill billy. Even the roadside food seller in Beijing looks more like a boss than him.


    At this time, 3 workers walked over from the northwest farm. "Boss, everything is ready. Are we opening the mussels now?"


    Dong Xuebing finally believed this person is the boss of this farm. He asked: "Do you sell pearl mussels here? How much are you selling?"


    The boss shakes the mud off his gloves. "We don''t sell mussels. If you want to buy pearls,e back the day after tomorrow. We still have not open mussels ."


    What I wanted are unopened mussels. Dong Xuebing followed the boss and asked: "What color is this batch of mussels?"


    That boss replied impatiently. "I already said we don''t sell the mussels. Get out of here!"


    "If the color of this batch of the mussel is good, money is not a problem." Dong Xuebing does not like this boss''s attitude. He knew that he looks too young and doesn''t look like a wealthy person. That''s why he was treated this way. If it were a middle-aged man with a bulging tummy, the boss attitude would be different. Dong Xuebing looked at the boss and opened his bag to show the boss his password box. "Even if you don''t want to sell, there is no harm for me to take a look, right? As for the prices.... We can discuss thatter?"


    That boss was surprised, and he frowned. "Come with me."


    Dong Xuebing followed the boss. There were rows of buoys from the shore to the center of theke. The buoys were close to each other and covered the whole area. Along the coast, there were two small boats. On the boats, there weres of mussels. From the pile of mussels on the shore, thoses should be able to hold at least 100 mussels each. There were at least 1,000 mussels. These mussels were bigger than they one at the restaurant. He could tell that these freshwater pearl mussels were of better grades.


    After they got closer, the boss told one of his worker: "Open up one and see."


    That worker nodded and took out a smaller mussel from the. He then picked up a kitchen chopper from the mud. He inserted the chopper into the small opening of the mussel and then twist it. Crack! The mussel was opened, and Dong Xuebing could see the mussel flesh and parts of a gold color pearl. The worker reached into the meat and dug out 9 pearls of different shapes and sizes. He ced the pearls in a stic pail. Freshwater pearls are different from seawater pearls. Seawater mussels can only produce one or two pearls.


    This was pearl gambling?! Dong Xuebing got excited. It was fascinating.


    That boss walked over and took out the biggest pearl. He ced the pearl in a device to measure it. "Hmmm... Not bad." This device was designed to measure the diameter of the pearl. There was a handle for the user to grip, and with one button, it will secure and measure the pearl. "Half of these can be used to make jewelry, and the remaining can be made into pearl powder. Xiao Er. We will open the mussels, and Xiao Liu will do the sorting."


    Fullness, roundness, brightness, and size will determine the grade of the pearl. Although golden pearls were considered top grade pearls, the small pearls or out of shape pearls were also worthless. Just like the mussel that was just opened. More than half of the pearls in it cannot be used to make jewelry.


    "Oh." The boss turns and looks at Dong Xuebing. "How many mussels do you want?"


    Dong Xuebing smiles. "Let me look around first." Although these pearls were valuable, Dong Xuebing was not tempted. He was calcting in his mind. He had used 8 BACK at Zhou Guoan''s house that day and still have 2 times left. He had also saved up all his BACK these few days, and there were still 10 times left.


    The boss and his worker start to open the mussels with choppers.


    Crack! A palm-sized mussel was opened, and there were 11 white pearls in it. The value of an mussel was not based on the number of pearls. It depends on the size of the biggest pearl and whether if the pearl was round and bright. The biggest pearl will fetch the highest prices. That''s why this mussel was not considered good as the biggest pearl was less than 10mm.


    Crack! Another one...


    Another one...


    The fifth one...


    The eighth one...


    10 minutes had passed, and many mussels were opened. Not a single pearl was more than 10mm!


    It was not because this batch of mussels was not good. It was because it was rare to find pearls above the size of 10mm. It was like finding acicr in crystals.


    The ninth mussel ... The biggest pearl was close to 1.3 cm.


    Tenth mussel ... These were all tiny pearls.


    On the 11th pearl...


    "Eh! Boss! This pearl is big!" The worker shouted.


    Dong Xuebing and the boss looks over. They saw the worker digging out a big golden pearl. "This pearl is at least 1.5 cm. The quality is good." The pearl was measured using the device. It was wless. It was a top-grade golden pearl!


    That boss smiles. "Good.... Good..."


    That''s it!


    The prized pearl had finally appeared. Dong Xuebing immediately shouts BACK!

 Chapter 118: Pearl Gambling

    <h4>Chapter 118: Pearl Gambling</h4>


    Time returns back to a moment ago!


    "Xiao Er, how are the pearls on your side?"


    "Boss, the few mussels I opened do not have any pearls bigger than 1.4. The biggest is only 1.3 cm."


    "Ok. 1.3 cm is good enough. Anything more than 1.4 cm is luck."


    The boss and his worker were chatting while harvesting the pearls. That darker worker passed a mussel he opened to his colleague to do the sorting. He then picked up a thick pearl mussel. This should be the mussel he opened before Dong Xuebing used BACK. Dong Xuebing immediately walked forward and stop him. "Wait.... Wait! Don''t open that first! How much is that mussel? I want it!"


    The boss looks at Dong Xuebing and then look at that mussel. "You want this mussel?"


    Dong Xuebing nodded: "I want that mussel. I will pick the restter."


    The boss thought for a while and stopped working. He shook his head and said: "This mussel is quite fat. These types of mussels will produce good pearls. If you just want this mussel, I will not sell to you." ''Fat'' was their jargon. It means the thickness of the mussel. The thicker the mussel was, the bigger the pearl. "Xiao Er, carry on working."


    "Wait....!" Dong Xuebing stopped him. "I offer 5,000 RMB."


    This was a reasonable price, but the boss still shook his head.


    Dong Xuebing frowned and hesitated. "6,000. This is my highest offer!"


    The darker worker looked at his boss. He felt this was a reasonable price. Even if one of the pearls inside was 1.1 cm, it could also not fetch 6,000 RMB. The value of 1.1cm pearls can never reach 6,000 RMB. But if they were fortunate and one of the pearls is bigger than 1.5 cm, than the value will multiply by almost 20 times. But the chances of pearls bigger than 1.4 cm were very low.


    The boss was also thinking like this. He had breed pearl mussels for many years, and with his experience, he also could not tell the size of the pearls from the exterior. He knew that this young man was just guessing. He hesitated for a while and replied. "Fine. 6,000 RMB." He would be a fool to give up this deal. If this young man buys his mussels at 6,000 RMB per piece, then it will reduce his cost. This was a good thing for him.


    Dong Xuebing said: "I will be picking a few more. I will pay you after I picked the ones I want. Ok?" The boss nodded. "Ok. Do you want me to open the mussel for you now?"


    "No need. I will bring it back and open myself. You all carry on." Dong Xuebing will not let them see the pearls in the mussels. It will be too suspicious. He took the mussel from that darker worker and held it in his hands. Then, he happily asks for a from the other worker for his mussel.


    Dong Xuebing had gotten one of the pearls for his pearl ne. But he still needs a few more pearls to form his ne, and he only has 9 minutes left. Will his BACK be enough?


    Just when Dong Xuebing was still thinking, he heard the farm boss shouted: "Ah. I got a big one!"


    Dong Xuebing immediately moved over and saw the boss holding on to an opened greyish white colored mussel. The size of the pearl was about the same as the one he bought earlier. The boss took out his device and measured the pearl. 1.7 cm. This was a big pearl. A pearl of this size might not even appear in 100 mussels!


    The bossughed loudly. "I am damn lucky! This is a rare find!"


    Dong Xuebing took a deep breath.


    BACK!


    There was a sh, and the surroundings changed slightly.


    The boss of the farm smiles and looked at Dong Xuebing. "Ok. Do you want me to open the mussel for you now?"


    It was the moment after Dong Xuebing bought the mussel. "No need. I will bring it back and open myself." Dong Xuebing quickly put the mussel in his and before the boss, and the worker continues working, he said. "Wait. That one. The mussel beside your leg. I want that too. This is also 6,000 RMB right?" Dong Xuebing points to that greyish white colored mussel.


    The boss bends over and picks it up. "This?"


    Dong Xueing replied: "Yes." He took the mussel from him and put it into his.


    The boss was curious but did not say anything. He signaled to his worker, and they continue working.


    20...


    30...


    The stic pail was almost filled by pearls of various sizes.


    Among these mussels, there were about four 1.4 and 1.5 cm pearls. But Dong Xuebing did not use BACK. Maybe it was because of some reasons, but three pearls were white in color. It was different from the golden pearls he bought. His target was to have a perfect pearl ne. That''s why he gave up on those pearls. The other pearl was gold in color, and the size was 1.4 cm. But the shape was not perfect. It was not very round.


    40....


    50...


    Almost an hour had passed. The boss threw away the mussel shells he was holding and said: "We have opened quite a lot. The white pearls'' quality is quite good. But howe 1.4 cm good quality golden pearl did not appear? Even if we are unlucky, at least one should appear by now."


    That worker said: "There are still a lot of mussels left. It should appear soon."


    The boss frowned and picked up a mussel and used his kitchen chopper to crack the shell open. He dug the flesh and then his eyes opened wide: "It''s here! Hah! I was just talking about this, and it really appeared!" The golden pearl was about 1.5 cm in size.


    Dong Xuebing saw it and immediately wanted to shout BACK.


    But when Dong Xuebing was about to shout, he heard the boss shouting excitedly: "Ah! There is one more. There is one more big one inside!" Dong Xuebing immediately paused and looked over. It was rare to find a big pearl inside, let alone two. The probability was too low!


    "Hahaha... This is also about 1.4 cm!"


    Dong Xuebing saw the two wless pearls and quickly shouts BACK!


    The time was reversed.


    "We have opened quite a lot. The white pearls'' quality is quite good. But howe 1.4 cm good quality golden pearl did not appear? Even if we are unlucky, at least one should appear by now."


    "There are still a lot of mussels left. It should appear soon."


    Dong Xuebing cleared his throat and walked over. He bent over and picked up the mussel before the boss. "Boss, I want this too. This is also 6,000?"


    The boss looked at Dong Xuebing and nodded. He grabbed another pearl mussel and breaks It open. The pearls inside were ordinary golden pearls. What was wrong today? Howe all the pearls are so average? Was there something wrong with my methods? Cannot be... The previous batch also used the same method, and there were several high-grade pearls!


    The following hour....


    BACK!


    "Boss, I want this one."


    BACK!


    "Give me this. Not that one. It''s this one. Yes..."


    BACK!


    "This is also 6,000? Fine. I will pay youter."


    Back!


    "Ah! I want this too."


    Dong Xuebing used up 9 BACKs, and he only has 1 more BACK left. His had 9 mussels. All the golden pearls in his mussels were between 1.4 cm to 1.7 cm. There were a total of 11 pearls in the mussels he chose. Two of the mussels had two pearls above 1.4 cm each. He only has one BACK left, and he was in no hurry to use it. He wants to wait for a big pearl above 1.7 cm or two big pearls in one mussel.


    He waited....


    A 1.5 cm golden pearl appears. Dong Xuebing did not buy it.


    A 1.6 cm golden pearl appears. Dong Xuebing still did not act.


    A 1.3 cm and 1.5 cm pearls appeared in one mussel. Dong Xuebing hesitated for a moment but chose not to buy it.


    This was also a good thing. He left some good pearls for the boss if not, the boss would get suspicious.


    200 mussels....


    The boss and his workers had filled 4 pails of pearls. The worker went out and brought two more containers back. Of course, the good pearls were not mixed with other pearls in those stic pails. Those were kept in a small bag.


    It was already 2.40 pm in the afternoon. Dong Xuebing thought if he should just buy the next 1.6 cm pearl and leave that ce when he heard the working shouting with excitement.


    That darkerplexion worker was shouting excitedly: "Boss! This mussel has 3 big pearls!"


    "3?!" Dong Xuebing and the boss were stunned. "How big is it?"


    Ads by Pubfuture


    "One of them is 1.6 cm, and the other two are 1.5 cm!" That worker raised the pearls for them to see. "They are all round and wless!"


    It was already rare to find a pearl above 1.5 cm, let alone 3. The boss put down his knife and wanted to go over to take a closer look. But suddenly he felt something in the opened mussel he was holding. He stopped and dug into the flesh of the mussel. A 1.5 cm pearl pop up. "Hah! This mussel is good too."


    Dong Xuebing saw this and got excited!


    He immediately shouts BACK!


    The scenes in front of him changed!


    The next moment, Dong Xuebing was looking at the boss and worker holding their kitchen choppers, about to open the mussels.


    Dong Xuebing face changes and quickly reach out: "Wait! Don''t open it first! Wait a minute!"


    The boss and worker were interrupted. Both looked up at Dong Xuebing. "What is it?"


    Just in time. "Ah... This mussel and the one you are holding. Yes. I want these two." Before both of them could say anything, Dong Xuebing reached over and took the mussels from them!


    Alright!

 Chapter 119: A Pearl Necklace

    <h4>Chapter 119: A Pearl Ne</h4>


    15 big pearls from 11 pearl mussels. This trip to Zhejiang was worth it.


    At theke, Dong Xuebing, who had no more BACK, was no longer looking at the boss and workers opening the mussels. He was arranging his pearl mussels in the small. The was too small, and he asked for a bigger one from the worker. He packed his mussels carefully in the and then look at the boss and workers. He was in no hurry to leave the ce. He was waiting patiently for them to finish opening all the mussels. His target was to collect enough pearls to make a pearl ne and put it up for auction. This way, he could maximize his profits. If not, just the 15 pearls, he will not earn much and will not be able to hit his target of 1 million RMB.


    After a while, the boss was tired and took a break.


    Dong Xuebing noticed the small bag keeping the high-grade golden pearls was almost full.


    "Young man." The boss took a sip of water from a bottle. "Shouldn''t you pay up now?" The boss was not in a good mood as his golden pearl harvest was not up to his expectations. By right, there should be more 1.4 cm golden pearls. Could all those bigger golden pearls be hiding in those mussels this young man bought? But this should not be possible. Even all the locals in this trade could not tell the difference from the exterior of the mussels. How can an outsider like this young man know?


    Dong Xuebing was also about to tell the boss that he wants to make payments. "I had counted the mussels. 11 mussels. 66,000 RMB. Oh, I still want some pearls from that bag." Dong Xuebing pointed at that small bag. "How much are you selling for 1.5 cm golden pearls?"


    The boss put down his bottle. "Other than the size, we still need to look at the quality and roundness."


    Dong Xuebing walked over and pick up a 1.5 cm pearl. "What about this?"


    "This will fetch 40,000 RMB in the market. But we do not have middleman and rental fees here. I will sell it to you, at... 35,000 RMB."


    "Ok. I will pick a few more."


    Dong Xuebing only had 440,000 RMB in total, and he had brought all his money with him. Other than the 66,000 RMB mussels, he still has 370,000 RMB avable. He picked the pearls and bargained with the boss. In the end, he picked 10 1.5cm pearls, and 5 1.4 cm pearls. With the pearls in his mussels, he had a total of 30 pearls. It was just enough to form a pearl ne.


    The boss calcted the total. "The total is 441,000 RMB."


    Dong Xuebing said: "Round it off."


    "No. 441,000 RMB!"


    You don''t even want to give me a discount of 1,000 RMB? Dong Xuebing nced at him and then took out his money box from his bag. He also took out 1,000 from his wallet. "There is 440,000 RMB in this box, and this is 1,000." Dong Xuebing had used up all his money and had only 2,000 RMB left in his wallet. He had also used up hisst month''s sry and did not have much money in his ount. This ne was all his assets.


    The boss brought Dong Xuebing back to his office to use the counting machine.


    After the transaction waspleted, Dong Xuebing took a taxi to a hotel with an empty money box and mussels.


    Dong Xuebing did not look for a high-ss hotel because he did not have much money left. He needs to spend his money wisely. Also, the was still dripping muddy water, and the pearl mussels were full of mud. Those high-ss hotels will not allow him to enter. So, Dong Xuebing picked a small 3 stories hotel. Even the paint on the hotel signage was peeling off. Despite this torn down hotel, the staffs inside were still rolling their eyes when Dong Xuebing step in.


    Dong Xuebing got a room with bathroom, and immediately pour his mussels into the basin.


    He did not waste time to buy a knife and used his hands to open the mussels. After trying for a while, Crack! He finally opened the first mussels. There was a 1.6 cm pearl, a 1.1 cm pearl, 2 x 1 cm pearls, and 5 x 0.7 pearls. Dong Xuebing kept the 1.6 cm pearl and ce the rest inferior pearls aside.


    He then starts to open the next mussel....


    The third mussel...


    The fifth mussel...


    After a while, Dong Xuebing got all the 15 golden pearls out from the mussels. He happily walked out of the bathroom and ced all his high-grade pearls together to form a circle. If these were regr pearls, even 60 of them will not be enough to create a ne. These pearls were all above 1.4 cm, and 30 of them were enough.


    Dong Xuebing sat there looking at his pearls, but he felt something was off. He could not bring himself to use the word "beautiful" to describe his pearls.


    These pearls... were not very pretty. There seems to be a thinyer of skin covering them.


    Oh! That''s it! Dong Xuebing pped his forehead as he remembered something. These pearls were still not considered finished products. These pearls still need to undergo a polishing process to bring out the natural shine and color. That''s right. After polishing, the pearls have to be string together to form a ne, and it will be ready to be put on auction.


    Dong Xuebing kept his pearls in his money box and went out of the hotel.


    Zhuji was the hometown of freshwater pearls. There were a lot of pearl processing factories there. Dong Xuebing immediately found one after walking out of his hotel.


    In a small 2 stories building, Dong Xuebing was brought by the receptionist to meet with the person-in-charge. He did not waste any time and opened up his money box. "I want to polish all these and make them into a ne. How much do you charge and how long will it take?"


    That person-in-charge was shocked. "Ahhh... these are all top-grade pearls. You should have spent at least 1 million RMB for these?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Around that amount."


    "Hahaha. I am in this business for so long, and this is the first time I saw so many 1.5 cm pearls. Hmmm... the polishing will be slightly expensive." The person-in-charge thought for a while and said. "You still want to make it into a ne.... The total will be 5,000, and it will take about 3 to 4 days."


    Dong Xuebing did not have so much money or time. He thought for a while and took out a bag of pearls. "I still have 100 pearls. These pearls are not as good as those 30 pearls and should be worth about 15,000 RMB. I will pay the processing fees with these pearls. But I have a condition. I know to polish and stringing the pearls will not take 3 days. I need you to hurry up, and I want to see the ne tonight."


    After some bargainings, Dong Xuebing paid the person-in-charge and even topped up 1,000 RMB in cash.


    Dong Xuebing waited and waited...


    Evening.


    A shiny golden ne was ced in front of Dong Xueing.


    Beautiful!


    It was too beautiful!


    Beforeing to Zhuji, Dong Xuebing saw the pearl ne sold for over 900,000 RMB in an auction. But that ne was made from white pearls. It was one grade lower than his pearls. Also, his pearls were bigger than that ne!


    1 million!


    This time, Dong Xuebing will surely make 1 million RMB!

 Chapter 120: Aunt Xuan in trouble

    <h4>Chapter 120: Aunt Xuan in trouble</h4>


    9 pm.


    A hotel along Cheng Shun Road North/


    Dong Xuebing locked the door of his room the moment he enters it. He also checked the windows and pulled the curtains. After that, he ced his precious pearl ne at a spot where he could see it, before taking off his shoes and getting on his bed. He was smiling to himself while he stares at the ceiling. He was in a great mood. After he got back to Beijing, he will put his ne up for auction, and he will have the money to set up apany. He will also put in his best performance at work for his promotion.


    Oh, have Aunt Xuan finished her work?


    Dong Xuebing wanted to share his happiness with someone and grabbed his phone to call Qu Yunxuan.


    The phone rang for quite sometime before it was answered. "Hello...." It was not Aunt Xuan''s voice.


    Dong Xuebing was surprised. "Eh? Did I call the wrong number? Is this Qu Yunxuan''s phone?"


    The girl who answeredughed. "You are Dong Xuebing? Yunxuan is in the bathroom. I am her colleague. You can call me Sister Cao. You want me to pass her a message?"


    "Oh... It''s nothing important. Are you all still in Hangzhou? When are you all returning back to Beijing?"


    "We are nning to return tomorrow afternoon. We are following an unlicensed tour, and there will be a car to fetch us after we submitted the picture of the illegal tour guides and report." Sister Cao was a chatty person. "This group of illegal tour guides is too much. They kept forcing their tourist to buy things and charge ridiculous fees. They charge 100 to 200 RMB more for a ticket to a tourist attraction..."


    Dong Xuebing was confused by her. "Wait... What illegal tour guide? Isn''t Aunt Xuan on her work trip?"


    Sister Cao replied: "Yes. She is on a work trip, and this is her assignment...."


    "Aunt Xuan is from the advertising department. Why is she conducting uncover operations? She is not even a reporter..."


    The other party on the phone kept quiet for a while. "Errr... Aunt Xuan did not tell you what happened?"


    "What is it?" Dong Xuebing asked anxiously. "Sister Cao, tell me what happened?"


    "Ok. I am also not sure about the details and reason. But Yunxuan was transferred from the advertising department to our Reporter department as a backend staff. She was demoted from her position as Team leader. Now she is several ranks lower than before...."


    "What? Demoted? Howe?"


    "Errr... you better ask her for the details. Ah, she came out of the bathroom. I will pass her the phone."


    After a while, Aunt Xuan''s voice sounded over the phone. "Xiao Bing, are you looking for me?"


    Sister Cao''s words let Dong Xuebing realized why Aunt Xuan had not to return back to Heping Street when she was supposed to be back a week ago. She was facing a big problem at work. She was also demoted and did not want to let Dong Xuebing worry about her. So, she hides at her mother''s ce. Dong Xuebing immediately says: "Aunt Xuan, I am in Zhejiang Province, Zhuji. I am not far from Hangzhou City."


    "Huh? Why are you here?"


    "I am here to look for you. Didn''t I tell you that I am having a few days off from work? Nevermind. What happened to you at your job? Who demoted you..." Aunt Xuan kept quiet, and Dong Xuebing continued: "You have been working in the advertising department and why are you transferred to the Reporter Department? You are transferred there to be a backend staff? You are still being sent to Zhejiang for work? The Beijing Daily cannot even cover all the news in Beijing, and yet they want to meddle with Zhejiang illegal tour guides case? Do they think they are People''s daily? Aunt Xuan, tell me honestly. Did you offend any leaders?"


    It was strange for Qu Yunxuan to be transferred to the reporter department or being sent to Zhejiang for undercover investigations!


    "Hahaha, Xiao Cao is lying to you. I am doing fine."


    "Fine your head! Tell me the truth!"


    "It''s nothing really... I had only made a small mistake at work....."


    "A small mistake? A small mistake and you are transferred to be a backend staff? You still even must conduct undercover investigations? Those illegal tour guides are all hooligans. It was reported in the news a few months ago! What happens if you meet danger? I will go and look for you now..."


    "I will hit you. It''s toote now. How are you going toe over? I am fine here..."


    Qu Yunxuan was right. There were no buses or public transport sote at night. "Ok. I will go to Hangzhou tomorrow morning. I will call you when I reach."


    "You just don''t listen!"


    "My phone is running out of battery. I will call you again tomorrow."


    "Sigh... Ok then. Sleep early."


    After hanging up, Dong Xuebing charges his phone andid on the bed, thinking about Aunt Xuan before falling asleep.


    The next day.


    After packing his luggage, Dong Xuebing boarded a long-distance bus to Hangzhou City. He changed bus to get to the Hongdu Hotel. This ce was not considered the heart of Hangzhou City. The Zhejiang province famous tourism spot Daming Mountain was just next to the hotel. There were lots of tourist walking around there. Dong Xuebing had messaged Qu Yunxuan in the morning. She had almost finished her investigation and one of the stops of the tour group in the afternoon was a Daming Mountains. Both Qu Yunxuan and Sister Cao nned to leave the tour group here and meet Dong Xuebing at Hongdu Hotel entrance. Also, there will be a van from the news agencying here to pick them up. Aunt Xuan wants to see if there were empty space in the van and hope to let Dong Xuebing hitch a ride back to Beijing.


    It was almost noon. Dong Xuebing looked around and did not see Qu Yunxuan.


    Traffic jam? There was not much traffic on this road.


    After 10 minutes, Dong Xuebing got impatient and dialed Aunt Xuan''s number. "Hello? Where are you?"


    "On the tour bus..." It was very noisy on Qu Yunxuan side. There was the sound of engine roaring. From the engine sounds, the tour bus does not seem to be a proper tour bus. "The tour guide and driver did not bring us to Daming Mountains. They stopped nearby and insisted us to climb a hill in front. All the tourists were unhappy, and we are arguing with them now. Wait for me. This ce is not far from Daming Mountain. I think if we go along the road towards the northern direction, we will reach Daming Mountain. I will go and find youter...."


    Shouting could be heard in the background.


    "I havee to Hangzhou before. This is not Daming Mountain!"


    "We have already paid. If you are not bringing us to Daming Mountain, then refund us!"


    "That right! Refund! Refund! What type of tour agency is this?"


    "Shut up! Shut up!" Stop shouting..." This loud voice should be that female tour guide. "Who says this is not Daming Mountain? Ah? Who says that? Our Hangzhou city''s Daming Mountain is here! Hurry up and get off the bus! There are a restaurant and shop on the mountain! The minimum spending there is 500 RMB. All of you must spend at least 500!" This illegal tour guide must be getting kickbacks from the shop up in the mountain.


    "Why is there a minimum spending again?" Qu Yunxuan shouted. "You all are forcing us to spend!"


    "Hurry up and get off. We still have another attraction to go in the afternoon...." It was a threatening male voice. It should be the driver.


    Dong Xuebing could hear everything on the phone, and he cursed in his heart. Damn it! These illegal tour guides! He then told Aunt Xuan: "If you are unable toe over, then wait for me. I will follow the road south to look for you all. I should be able to reach where you all are..."


    Qu Yunxuan replied: "Ok."


    Suddenly that tour guide shouted: "Why are you pointing your camera at me? Ah? Give me that camera! Now!"


    "F**k! Who is taking pictures?" It was the driver. "You are asking for it!"


    "What are you doing? I am not taking your pictures! I am taking the scenery..." It was Sister Cao''s voice!


    Qu Yunxuan was also shouting: "You all are snatching our stuff!"


    That tour guide shouts: "What is written in that notebook? Give it to me!"


    Dong Xuebing panicked. "Aunt Xuan! What happened?"


    Qu Yunxuan did not reply. There were lots of shouting, and it seems the tour guide and driver were snatching Sister Cao''s stuff. After a while, the tour guide shouted: "Old Zheng! They had recorded everything about us in this notebook! These two bitches are reporters...."


    The driver scolded furiously: "F**K! Get them off the bus!"


    "What are you doing?! Let go! Let go of us!" Qu Yunxuan shouted. There were lots of knocking sounds, and then the line was cut.


    Dong Xuebing was furious! If anything happens to Aunt Xuan, I will kill you!


    Dong Xuebing immediately ran over to a taxi in front of the hotel. He entered the front passenger seat before the two passengers at the back alighted. "Quick! Drive towards the south! Now!"


    The taxi driver was shocked to see Dong Xuebing. "Sorry. It''s my lunchtime and I am not taking passengers..."


    Lunch your head! Dong Xuebing took out his work pass from his pocket "State Security! Drive now!"


    The driver was stunned for a few seconds and then stepped on the elerator. "Where to in the south?"


    "Just drive along the main road towards the south! There is a ce there where there are a restaurant and shop on a hill!" Dong Xuebing did not bother whether if the driver knew where to go. He picked up his phone and dialed Qu Yunxuan''s number. But she did not answer. He cursed under his breath and then called the police. He did not mention anything about the tour group. He only told the operator that there was a robbery along the main road south of Daming Mountain! Dong Xuebing was worried that the illegal tour guides had connections with the local authorities. If the local police force had some links with those illegal tour groups, then they will not send their officers.


    The taxi was speeding down the main road and was overtaking all the cars.


    But Dong Xuebing felt it was too slow. "Can you drive faster?"


    "It is already very fast...." The driver was sweating. He had heard Dong Xuebing''s call to the police and knew this was about a robbery.


    Dong Xuebing was restless, and he tried to call Qu Yunxuan again. But she still did not answer!


    Aunt Xuan! Please be safe!


    Wait for me! I am reaching you soon!


    Wait for me!

 Chapter 121: Dong Xuebing’s fury

    <h4>Chapter 121: Dong Xuebing''s fury</h4>


    The taxi was speeding down the road towards the south!


    A minute passed...


    2 minutes passed....


    Dong Xuebing almost smashed his phone from his anger. Suddenly, he noticed a minibus parked in a secluded spot of the road in front. That minibus was not those proper tour coach. From Dong Xuebing''s position, he could not see what was happening clearly. But he could see some people pushing and shoving beside the vehicle. Dong Xuebing sat upright and pointed to that direction: "There! Go over there now! Quick!"


    50 meters...


    40 meters...


    30 meters...


    The driver was nervous. He applied the brakes and stop his vehicle. He dares not to stop too near to those people. Dong Xuebing also did not ask the driver to get closer. He opened the door and jump out. The driver saw Dong Xuebing had alighted from his taxi and quickly reverse his taxi and drive off. He does not want to get involved. Robbers were dangerous.


    20 meters...


    10 meters...


    The minibus was right in front of Dong Xuebing, and he could see the passengers in the vehicle looking at the other side. The shouting got louder as Dong Xuebing got nearer. He recognized the voice. It was Sister Cao. She was shouting: "Yunxuan! Run!" Dong Xuebing felt his blood rushing to his head and ran faster. He ran to the other side of the minibus from the back and what he saw made him furious!


    A woman, about 26 years old, was kneeling on the floor hugging her tummy. She should be Sister Cao. There was a red mark on her face, and she seems to be pped by someone. All her belongings were scattered on the floor in front of her. There were small cosmetic boxes, small mirror, wallets, etc. There was also a smashed digital camera and a torn-up notebook.


    Dong Xuebing''s precious Aunt Xuan was not far away. A man, about Zhuang Zhi''s size, was grabbing Qu Yunxian by her hair. A darkplexion female tour guide was trying to snatch Qu Yunxian''s handbag. Qu Yunxuan was in pain, and there were lots of bruises on her hands.


    "Yunxuan! Give them the bag. Give it to them first!" Sister Cao was shouting.


    Qu Yunxuan refuses to let go of her handbag: "Let me go! You are all criminal!"


    That driver used more strength to yank Qu Yunxuan back. "F*** you! Xiao Hong! Check if she has any other cameras in her bag! Check her phone too! We cannot let her report us in the papers!"


    That tour guide scold: "F**king bitch! Let go! Give me your bag!"


    "Aunt Xuan!" Dong Xuebing had lost all his cool at this moment. He felt he had gone crazy and could feel his blood boiling. "You are to touch her one more time! I will kill you!"


    Sister Cao, who was still on the floor, was stunned: "Dong Xuebing?"


    Qu Yunxuan panics, and quickly shouted: "Xiao Bing! Don''te over! Call the police quick! You are no match for them!"


    Dong Xuebing could not hear a thing. He threw his locked money box aside and rushed forward towards that driver. He only had one thing in his mind. He must kill this mother f**ker!


    The female tour guide saw Qu Yunxuan was districted and quickly snatched her handbag from her. She did not even look at Dong Xuebing.


    The driver can''t be bothered with this young man. He was 1.9 m tall and was very fit. Although he was not trained in martial arts, his size made up for that. He had never lost in a fight. Dong Xuebing? He was not as tall or heavy as the tour guide. He was also not fit at all and had seldom got into fights with others. Even if he had fought, he had never won once before.


    The difference was too obvious! These two were not on the same level!


    Dong Xuebing also know he will not beat that tour guide. But when he saw Qu Yunxuan being grabbed by the hair, he lost his senses!


    2 meters....


    1 meter...


    Dong Xuebing ran like a mad man and clenches his fist. He swung his fist at that driver. "Let go of her!"


    It was a straight punch towards the face! Dong Xuebing had used all his strength in this punch.


    The driver was grabbing Qu Yunxuan''s long hair with his hand and sneered. He did not try to dodge Dong Xuebing''s punch. He waited as Dong Xuebing''s fist be closer to him and raises his feet and kicked Dong Xuebing in his stomach. Dong Xuebing''s arm was not as long as his leg. In the end, Dong Xuebing''s punch did not even touch him!


    Crash!


    "Xiao Bing!" Qu Yunxuan''s eyes were red!


    Dong Xuebing flew back about 2 meters and lie t on the floor and could not get up.


    The driverughed and yanked Qu Yunxuan''s hair: "This is your nephew? He is too weak. He can''t even take 1 kick from me!"


    "Found it!" The tour guide threw Qu Yunxuan''s handbag aside and torn a notebook into pieces. "They have recorded what we did in this notebook too! Stupid bitches! You all are from Beijing? Why are you all here for?"


    There were a lot of people on board the minibus looking at them, but all of them kept quiet.


    Dong Xuebing who was on the floor was screaming as he saw the driver still grabbing Qu Yunxuan by the hair. He wanted to save her, but his body could not move. He could feel the pain the moment when he moved and could not stand up!


    "Xiao Bing! Are you ok?"


    Anger! Regrets! Fury! Helplessness! These were all Dong Xuebing''s thoughts at the moment!


    Useless! So damn useless!


    "Xiao Bing! Ah! Let go of me!"


    Qu Yunxuan was shouting in pain. Dong Xuebing''s eyes were bloodshot as he stares at the big sized driver. Suddenly he remembered that he still has not used his BACK today!


    BACK!


    The scenes changed, and time was reversed!


    The pain in his stomach was gone. Dong Xuebing could feel his body leaning forward, and his arm raised up. His fist was in the air and in front of him was that driver. He was about to hit him, and that driver was not trying to dodge. He was still sneering at him and grabbing onto Qu Yunxuan''s hair!


    Dong Xuebing was still about 80 cm away from that driver''s face!


    This was what happened 1 minute ago!


    The driver can''t be bothered with Dong Xuebing. He was very confident of himself, and he could easily beat 4 of this skinny young man! It was like a child trying to fight an adult. The driver could tell Dong Xuebing had never fought before from this punch. He prepared himself to give Dong Xuebing a kick with his full strength!


    Dong Xuebing, who had just regained control over his body, knew his punch would not connect. He quickly shifted his body weight to his left leg and did not pull back his punch. He knew it was toote to pull back his punch. He raised his right foot and kicked forward at the driver.


    The driver also raised his leg at the same moment!


    Everything happened too fast, and something unbelievable happened!


    Everyone on board the minibus, Sister Cao and Qu Yunxuan were shocked. Dong Xuebing had kicked towards the air. There was nothing in front of him, and everyone was confused by his actions. But the next moment, the driver''s kicked out towards the empty space in front of Dong Xuebing!


    The angle of the driver''s kick was very urate. If his kick had moved slightly forward, it would hit Dong Xuebing''s stomach.


    But when everyone saw the angle and height of Dong Xuebing''s kick, no one felt the driver''s kick was urate!


    The driver''s leg looks like it was rushing forward to receive Dong Xuebing''s kick. Bang! Dong Xuebing''s kick had hit the driver!


    This kicknded on the driver''s calf!


    The driver fell backward. He could not believe his eyes! What happened? Howe this young man knew where he was going to kick? Impossible! He was about to punch me! Why did he change to kick suddenly? Damn! This young man was a martial arts expert?!


    The driver was not about to give up. The second before he fell, he swung his leg and tried to sweep Dong Xuebing''s legs!


    Dong Xuebing almost fell.


    The driver tried to stand up immediately. But his injured leg gave way, and he almost kneeled down!


    Dong Xuebing who had regained his bnce, quickly look around him. He knew he would not win if he tried to fight the driver in closebat. Dong Xuebing saw a round stone about the size of a basketball 2 meters away from him. He moved forward and picked up that 5 Kg stone. He then turned towards the driver and cursed: "F**k you!" He raised the stone and threw it at the driver!


    After injuring his leg, the driver could not dodge the stone!


    The stone hit the driver''s right waist and caused a deep cut!


    "Ahhhh!!!!" The driver fell onto the ground again, and he was holding onto his waist screaming in pain. Blood was gushing out from the wound on his waist, and his orange jacket quickly became red!


    Qu Yunxuan, Sister Cao, the female tour guide and all the tourists on the minibus were shocked.


    The driver was so strong and fit. He looks like he could smash a big rock with his fist. He was muscr... but he was beaten up by a skinny Dong Xuebing? He could not even fight back!


    Damn!


    Those muscles were for scaring others?


    You can''t even fight back with all those muscles?!

 Chapter 122: Beat you up again!

    <h4>Chapter 122: Beat you up again!</h4>


    Dong Xuebing''s fight with the driver onlysted less than 20 seconds.


    Fast!


    It was too fast!


    Many people did not even see what happened clearly, and the driver was already on the floor. He was hit by a stone and can''t get up anymore.


    "Old Zheng!" The darkplexion female tour guide looked at the driver. She could not ept that her driver was beaten. As illegal tour guides, they had gotten into fights often. Old Zheng had never disappointed her in the past. He had fought 3 men in the past and won. What''s wrong with him today? Old Zheng lost to a skinny young man?


    When everyone got over their shock, Sister Cao was the first to shout: "Good! Beat him to death!"


    Dong Xuebing dis not stop. He ran forward and gave a hard kick on the driver''s injured leg.


    The driver shouted out in pain on the ground and tried to kick Dong Xuebing back with his other leg.


    Dong Xuebing stepped back and stomp on the driver''s ankle. Crack! He almost broke the driver''s ankle.


    "Ah!!!!" The driver shouted at the top of his voice.


    One kick!


    Two kicks!


    Three kicks!


    Dong Xuebing was cursing and swearing as he kicked the driver: "You think you are great? You think you can grab Aunt Xuan by her hair?! You are asking for it! You dare to stare at me? F**k you! I will kill you!" Dong Xuebing unleashed all his anger, and most of his kicks were on his hand which had grabbed Qu Yunxuan earlier. After stomping for a few times, he stepped on the driver''s left hand and remained there.


    The driver''s thumb and ring fingers were bent at a weird angle. His fingers were fractured.


    Qu Yunxuan worrying said: "Xiao Bing. Just teach him a lesson will do. Don''t kill him."


    Dong Xuebing did not listen and continued to kick and stomp the driver with all his strength.


    "Old Zheng!" The tour guide was panicking. She knew when she and the driver were hitting the two reporters, someone should have called the police. If they were dyed by this young man, then they will not be able to escape. This was why the tour guide ran up to Dong Xuebing and to hit him. She needs to rescue Old Zheng.


    "Careful!" Qu Yunxuan shouted.


    Dong Xuebing saw the tour guide from the corner of his eyes. This tour guide had also hit Qu Yunxuan and her colleague. He did not care whether if she was a woman. He turned and threw a backfist. Itnded on the tour guide''s face, and she flew one meter away.


    The illegal tour guide fainted on the spot.


    The driver shouted: "Xiao Hong!!!!!"


    Sister Cao felt better after seeing Dong Xuebing beating up these two. She got up and ran over to Qu Yunxuan. "Yunxuan, are you ok? Are you hurt anyway?" She saw Qu Yunxuan was fine except for her messy hair and was relieved. "Your friend can really fight! Is he trained in martial arts? Even that big size driver is no match for him!"


    Qu Yunxuan also did not know when did Xiao Bing be such a good fighter.


    Suddenly there were sounds of police sirens approaching them.


    Qu Yunxuan quickly ran over to stop Dong Xuebing. "Xiao Bing. Stop. The police are here."


    Dong Xuebing looked back and cursed. He gave one more kick to the driver and stopped unwillingly. He still has not vented his anger. He had to be careful when he touched Qu Yunxuan''s fingers. But this bastard dare to grab her by her hair! How can this bastard be let off so lightly?


    About one minuteter, two police cars stopped beside the minibus.


    3 policemen alighted and saw the two people lying on the ground. They were shocked: "Who called the police?"


    "I am the one who called." Dong Xuebing stepped forward and pointed to the two people lying on the ground: "These two are operating an illegal tour agency. Not only they force the tourist to buy stuff, they also broke my friend''s camera. They also hit my friends. There! All those people on the minibus had seen the whole incident. If I arrive anyter, my friends will be injured severely. I am only trying to defend ourselves." Dong Xuebing pushes all the me to the illegal tour guide and driver.


    The policeman looked at the driver on the floor and then looked at Dong Xuebing: "You are the one who beat him up?"


    "Yes."


    This was too ruthless. The policeman frowned and wanted to question Dong Xuebing more about the incident.


    But the driver, who knew he can''t escape, start scolding. "Bastard! Didn''t you want to beat me to death? Come on! What are you waiting for? Come and hit me!" The driver knew that the young man could not do anything to him after the police arrived.


    "F**k! You are asking for it!" Dong Xuebing was still furious, and after hearing what the driver said, he exploded.


    "Wait! What are you trying to do?" A policeman in his 40s grabbed Dong Xuebing by his arm. "Follow us back for statements."


    The driver wiped the blood off the corner of his lips andughed: "Come on! I''m waiting for you to hit me!"


    "You are the one asking for it." Dong Xuebing reached into his pocket and took out his work pass. He turned to the older policeman and said: "Give me 30 seconds."


    The policeman took a nced at Dong Xuebing work pass and was stunned.


    Dong Xuebing looked at him and repeated himself. "Just half a minute will do."


    The older policeman thought for a while and let go of Dong Xuebing''s arm. He waved for the two younger officers over and gave them a cigarette each.


    The driver was stunned. "Ah?" What''s happening? Why were the policemen letting that young man go?


    The two young officers were also shocked. "Sir, this...."


    The older police officer whispered softly. "He is ourrade from the same ministry."


    A young officer asked: "He is also from Public Security?"


    "State Security." The older policeman paused for a while and added: "He is the Deputy Chief of an office under State Security."


    The two young officers were surprised. They looked at Dong Xuebing''s back. "How old is he? Howe he can be an officer at such young age? Eh? I remembered the offices under State Security are all "administrative" staffs. They are not involved in criminal cases investigations. Even I and Xiao Zhao cannot beat that man on the ground. How can he beat him up? How is it possible that an administrative officer is so good at fighting?"


    The older police officer was also puzzled. "Who knows? Xiao Zhao, go and wake that illegal tour guide. After ourrade from State Security settled his score, we will go back." Public Security and State Security were under the same system. They were considered under the same family, despite both departments seldom work together. But the top leaders from the Public Security and State Security had been transferred between both ministries. Compared to other government agencies, these two ministries were closer. Also, Dong Xuebing''s work pass indicates that he was from the Beijing branch, and this was why the older officer decided to close one eye.


    Dong Xuebing walked closer to the driver.


    The driver panics. "Police! Stop him! He is going to hit me!"


    The few police officers were standing there smoking and looking up at the skies. They pretended not to hear or see anything.


    "You are the one who asked me toe over to hit you." Dong Xuebing walked up to the driver and squat down. He grabbed the driver by his hair like how he grabbed onto Qu Yunxuan earlier. Although the driver got short hair, Dong Xuebing was still able to catch and yank it!


    Sssss.....


    Dong Xuebing forcefully grabbed and tugged hard. The driver could feel his hair was pulled out by Dong Xuebing. Dong Xuebing opened up his hand and blew the strands of hairs away.


    "Ah!!!!!!"


    ....


    Beijing people were used to calling Public Security Police Stations as "Ju Zhi."


    Dong Xuebing, Qu Yunxuan, and Sister Cao spent two hours recording statements at the station. Luckily Dong Xuebing had his work pass with him, and the policemen there treated them well. They also closed one eye on the driver and the tour guide''s injuries. If not, Dong Xuebing would not be able to leave the station. The driver was severely injured, and it can''t be considered as self-defense.


    Outside of the station.


    "Aunt Xuan, let me see where you are hurt. Show me."


    "I am fine. It''s only some bruises, and it will recover in two days."


    "Aiya... Show me now. We should go to the hospital for an X-ray." Dong Xuebing had no chance to speak to Aunt Xuan earlier, and he was holding her hands examining the bruises. Dong Xuebing could feel her pain and do not care about his image in front of Qu Yunxuan. He scolded: "Those two bastards. Don''t let me see them again. Don''t worry. The police officers told me that they had been tasked by their higher-ups to investigate these illegal tour guides. Those two bastards will not have a good ending."


    Qu Yunxuan smiles, sweetly: "Yes. Serve them right."


    Dong Xuebing nodded in agreement and touched her hands lightly. "Is it still painful?"


    "No...."


    "If you do not want to go to the hospital, then I will buy some medications for you."


    "No need. These are only some bruises."


    Sister Cao, who was looking at both of them, coughed loudly.


    Qu Yunxuan blushed and quickly pull back her hands from Dong Xuebing.


    Sister Caoughed and looked at Qu Yunxuan. "Yunxuan, Sister Qu, Team Leader Qu, you two... have something going on."


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself. Of course, we have something going on. We even kissed before.


    Qu Yunxuan stared at Sister Cao. "Don''t talk nonsense. Oh, I still have not introduced. This is Dong Xuebing. My.... Neighbour. He is working for the government. This is my colleague, Cao Ping. She is a reporter.:


    Dong Xuebing shook her hands: "Sister Cao, how are your injuries?"


    "I am fine." Cao Ping grabbed his hand and thanked him. "Thank goodness you arrived just in time. If you arrive anyter, we will be beaten up badly. This is the first time I encounter danger after working as a reporter for 2 years."


    Qu Yunxuan sighed. "It''s all my fault. If it wasn''t for me, you also do not need toe to Zhejiang Province and will not..."


    Cao Ping consoled her: "Don''t talk about all these. We are good friends."


    Dong Xuebing could tell something was off from their conversation: "Aunt Xuan, yesterday you refuse to tell me over the phone. Did you offend any leaders, and this is why you are assigned with this dangerous task?"


    Qu Yunxuan did not reply.


    "Tell me quickly."


    Qu Yunxuan replied unwillingly: "I will tell you back in Beijing."


    Cao Ping changed the subject. "Oh Xuebing, you are working for the government? No wonder those officers treated you friendlier in the station. You are a leader in your agency?"


    Dong Xuebing stopped questioning Qu Yunxuan and replied casually: "I am only a Deputy Chief at a small office. I am not considered a leader."


    Cao Ping had only wanted to say something beautiful and never expect Dong Xuebing to be a leader. She was surprised and asked: "You... You should not be older than me... Deputy Chief? Ahh... you are capable."


    The 3 of them were chatting when a van suddenly stopped in front of them.


    4 men alighted from the van: "The car broke down on the way here. Sorry, we arete. Team Leader Qu, Cao Ping, are you all hurt?" These people were also from the newspaper agency and had been to another province for work. They were supposed to fetch Qu Yunxuan and Cao Ping on their way back to Beijing. They received a call from Cao Ping two hours ago and knew what happened.


    Cao Ping replied: "We are fine. Luckily Yunxuan''s friend came to our rescue."


    All of them chatted for a while, and Qu Yunxuan looked at Dong Xuebing before turning to a middle-aged man: "Old Qian, is there any space in the van? Can we give my friend a ride?"


    Old Qian looked at the van: "Ah... I''m afraid there is no more space. We can only fetch the both of you." The back of the van was filled with equipment and space was tight even for two people.


    "Then..."


    Dong Xuebing was okay with this and said: "You all go back first. I can take the train."


    Qu Yunxuan thought for a while: "Sigh... Then... be careful on your way back." Dong Xuebing nodded, and Qu Yunxuan looked at the locked money box he was holding. "I had wanted to ask you. What is in that box?"


    Dong Xuebing did not answer her. "I will let you know some other days. This is a surprise." He had nned to tell Qu Yunxuan after he sold the pearl ne. "Oh... after you are back in Beijing, return back to Heping Road. Don''t hide at your mother''s ce. You still have to tell me what happened at your work."


    Qu Yunxuan nodded: "Ok. I will tell you tomorrow."


    Dong Xuebing stood there looking at Aunt Xuan, and her colleagues board the van. Before they close the doors, he could still hear Cao Ping telling the rest what happened excitedly.


    "You all were not there. Yunxuan''s friend can fight really well. That kick was right on target..."


    Dong Xuebingughed and shook his head. He thought to himself. I can fight well? Anyone on the streets can knock me out with a punch. If Dong Xuebing did not have BACK, he would have been beaten up. So, BACK could also be used this way? He had learned something new. In the future, he could predict where his opponents would hit and not afraid of getting into fights.


    Notes: ''Ju Zhi'' is a Chinese short form for the police station. Some sort of local ng in Beijing.

 Chapter 123: Auction company

    <h4>Chapter 123: Auctionpany</h4>


    The next day.


    Beijing.


    Although Dong Xuebing had a lot to ask Qu Yunxuan about her transfer, he did not return back to Heping Road first. He wanted to auction off his pearl ne first. He felt ufortable to carry it with him. He was afraid that someone might steal it. After alighting from the train and eat some lunch, he boarded a bus to Nan Xing Hua Road. He asked around for directions and then walked towards Liu Li Chang East Street.


    Hanhai Auction.


    This was not a bigpany, and there were a few people there chatting softly among themselves. One man was carrying a porcin item, and another man was holding on to a bronze funnel. An expert was there appraising their items. These items had to be valued before it could be put up for auction. This ce was not the location where the auctionpany auctions the things. The auctions would typically take ce at a hotel ballroom or conference room. This ce was only for collecting items.


    Dong Xuebing walked to the counter and said to a female staff: "I want to put up something up for sales at the auction."


    The female staff looked at him: "Hi sir, what item do you want to put up for auction?"


    "Jewellery." Dong Xuebing said. "A pearl nes."


    "Ok. Please wait here for a while." The staff made a call and said something. After she hangs up, she turned to Dong Xuebing and smiles. "Teacher Sun will being down. Please wait for a while."


    "Ok."


    The rest area has a water dispenser. Dong Xuebing helped himself to the water. He poured himself a cup of warm water and finishes in one gulp.


    A man in his 30s walked downstairs after a while. The female staff pointed to Dong Xuebing, and Dong Xuebing walked over. Teacher Sun looked at the locked money case in Dong Xuebing''s hands and smiled. "Can I take a look at the item?"


    Dong Xuebing was worried others might see it: "Can I show you in private?"


    Teacher Sun hesitated for a few seconds and nodded: "Ok. Come with me."


    A small office on the second floor.


    "Haha, there is no one to disturb us here." Teacher Sun sat down with Dong Xuebing on the leather sofa. "This is a pearl ne? Where did you get it from? Have you apprised it before?"


    "Not yet. I got it from Zhuji."


    "Oh?"


    Dong Xuebing enter the pin to unlock his money case. "Can you take a look for me?"


    Actually, Dong Xuebing does not even need to ask. He had seen the pearlsing out from the pearl mussels with his own eyes. These pearls can''t be fakes.


    Teacher Sun was an expert in appraising jewelry. He had seen countless of jewelleries and more than 95% of them were not worth putting up for auctions. Most of these jewellery were bought from malls. There was no need to auction them. When Teacher Sun was called to appraise this pearl ne, his first thought was a standard ne with pearls smaller than 1 cm. But when he saw the shiny golden pearl ne with pearls more than 1.5 cm, he was stunned. "Pearl Ne? Such big pearls? Wow... This is a rare find."


    "Are there any big auctions uing?"


    "Let me take a look first." Teacher Sun looked at Dong Xuebing. He did not expect an ordinary-looking young man to own such a treasure. He took out the ne carefully and examine it with a magnifying ss. He scrutinized every pearl for a while and sighed. "These are top tier pearls! But it''s a pity that the chain stringing the pearls... does not match. The chain is slightly thick, but it''s still fine. It will not affect the value much."


    At Zhuji, Dong Xuebing was in a rush to process and string the pearls. The factory might have cut corners.


    After making a phone call, Teacher Sun said: "Let''s sign an agreement. You can leave this ne with us, and if you agree, I would like to change the chain for you. This will make the ne nicer and might fetch a higher price. What do you think?"


    This person was an expert in this field. Dong Xuebing trusted him. "Ok. I will listen to your advice."


    Teacher Sun continued. "When do you want to auction off your item? The Autumn auction had just ended. Spring Auction is still a few months away, and there are no big auctionsing up. My suggestion is to wait a while. The next big auction is in 1 to 2 months. If possible, wait for the spring auctions...."


    Dong Xuebing interrupted: "I can''t wait that long." He also knows that Spring and Autumn''s auctions are the biggest auctions in China. Most items could fetch reasonable prices in these auctions. But Aunt Xuan had some problems at her workce. She had offended her leaders and must be facing all sorts of difficulties. Maybe she might resign anytime. That''s why Dong Xuebing must raise a sum of money as soon as possible. "Is there any way to auction off earlier? How about the next auction?"


    Teacher Sun smiled. "I made this suggestion is because I think this ne can fetch a good price. If you are in a hurry, fine. I will make the arrangements." Dong Xuebing nodded. Teacher Sun could tell Dong Xuebing needed money, and he added. "There will be a small auction two dayster. Tomorrow we will exhibit the items, and the auction will start the next day. If the buyer payment is fast, you will get the money in 4 to 5 days."


    That''s fast. "Ok. This auction will do."


    "You sure?"


    Dong Xuebing paused and asked: "Errr... will this ne fetch less than 1 million in a small auction?"


    "Hahaha, no. This is a good ne. It should fetch at least 1.2 million."


    1.2 million RMB. After deducting themission, taxes and all other charges, Dong Xuebing should get about 1 million RMB. This was his target. Hmmm... even it this ne was auctioned at the Spring Auctions, the price should be about the same. There was no need to wait a few months for an extra 10 ¨C 20 thousand. He does not have time. "Ok. Then I will put this up for the next auction. Errr... How much should I set as the starting bid?"


    Teacher Sun thought for a while. "Set a lower starting bid. I think 500,000 RMB is a good price. The price will rise slowly, and more people will join in to bid. The final transacted price might be higher. Of course, this is my personal opinion. If you...."


    Dong Xuebing replied without thinking: "I will listen to you. 500,000 RMB starting bid."


    After finalizing some minor details, Dong Xuebing signed the agreement. He will leave the ne with the auction house to change the chain and left for home with an empty money box.


    2 to 3 more days....


    I just have to wait for the auction to end and I will be able to get the money!

 Chapter 124: Aunt Xuan’s trouble

    <h4>Chapter 124: Aunt Xuan''s trouble</h4>


    Dong Xuebing reached Heping North Street at about 4.05 pm.


    He went straight to Qu Yunxuan''s unit and pressed the doorbell. Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Ding Dong... no one answered. Dong Xuebing was frustrated. He had SMS Aunt Xuan while he was on the train and she said she had arrived home. Why was she not in? Bathing? Went out to buy something? Or... she was doing what she did thest time? He got excited as he remembered what happened that day. He pressed the doorbell a few more times and then took out his keys for his own apartment to return home.


    "You are back." A woman''s voice sounded in Dong Xuebing''s living room as he opens the door.


    Dong Xuebing got a shock. "Ah.... Aunt Xuan, you scared me. I thought you went back to work at the newspaper agency."


    "I will start work tomorrow. You got shocked by this? How useless."


    "I am not prepared. Eh? Why are you at my ce?"


    Qu Yunxuan was standing behind the couch. She was wearing a small yellow sweater and holding a pile of dirty socks and clothes in her left hand. "I am not back for 2 weeks, and your ce is in a mess. I hade over to clean up for you. Have you just got off from the train? Hurry up and get changed. Pass me all your dirty socks and underwear. I will wash for you."


    Dong Xuebing grumbled in his heart. "No.... no need. I will wash myundry myself."


    "Hurry up and take it off."


    "Ah... no need."


    Qu Yunxuan had a stern look on her face and raised her hand: "I will hit you! Are you going to take those off?"


    Dong Xuebing was used to having Aunt Xuan washing his dirtyundry for him. But to handover his underwear and socks he was wearing now made him embarrassed. It felt weird. But he remembered that they had even kissed before and why should he feel shy about this? So, Dong Xuebing went to his room to change. He took off his long john and briefs. But he still feels weird, and he wrapped his long johns around his briefs before leaving the room and passing it to Aunt Xuan.


    "Where are your socks?"


    "Ermmm... wrapped in the long johns."


    Qu Yunxuan rolled her eyes and unfolded the long johns. She used the tips of her fingers to pick up Dong Xuebing''s dirty socks and underwear. "It stinks. You are so dirty."


    Dong Xuebing felt embarrassed. It was too damaging to his image.


    "Ok. Go and watch TV. I will wash your clothes for you." Qu Yunxuan walked into the bathroom with a pile of dirty clothing.


    Dong Xuebing looked at Qu Yunxuan''s sexy back view. He had nned to give her a hug or kiss when hees back to show how much he misses her. But his ns were disrupted. "Your hands are injured. Will your wounds get wet? Why not I wash the clothes myself?"


    Aunt Xuan said from inside the bathroom. "There are no open wounds. So, it''s fine."


    Dong Xuebing was bored. He wanted to chat with Aunt Xuan. He noticed that Aunt Xuan had never mentioned anything about him touching her legs and kissing her. She acted as if nothing had happened before. Dong Xuebing does not want to wait any longer. He walked over to the bathroom and looked inside. "Aunt Xuan, I need to use the toilet."


    "Oh...e in then." Qu Yunxuan withdrew her hands from a stic pail full of dirty clothes soaked in detergent.


    Dong Xuebing saw the washing basin. Other than his underwear, there was a skin-colored panties in there. His socks and Aunt Xuan''s socks were soaking in the stic pail. This discovery let Dong Xuebing felt relieved. When a woman was willing to mix her interior wear with another man''s underwear in theundry, it means a lot.


    That''s it.


    Aunt Xuan must be embarrassed to mention what happened that day.


    Dong Xuebing felt he should take some initiative and cannot just wait for Aunt Xuan to make the first move. He mustered up his courage and stepped forward to hug Aunt Xuan.


    Qu Yunxuan immediately blushed: "What are you doing?! Are you asking for a beating? Let go of me. There are still bubbles on my hands."


    Dong Xuebing ignored her and asked. "Yunxuan, did you miss me?"


    "Gross." Qu Yunxuan stared at him angrily and raised her hands. "If you don''t let me go, I will wipe all these bubbles on your face."


    Dong Xuebing moved his face closer to her: "Then you.... Kiss me, and I will let you go."


    "Go to hell. Hooligan!" Qu Yunxuan scolded softly.


    Dong Xuebing hugged tighter. "Then, I will not let you go." This was the first time Dong Xuebing hugged Qu Yunxuan from the front. He could feel her breasts pushing into his chest and got excited. His right hand on her back started to move downwards towards her butt.


    Qu Yunxuan lifted her hands in the air, trying her best to not let the soapy water drip on Dong Xuebing''s clothes. "Idiot! Stop fooling around! I am getting angry."


    "Then, you kiss me first."


    "No."


    "We have kissed before. Thest time, you are the one suddenly hugging my head kissing me...."


    Qu Yunxuan''s face turns redder. She used her elbow to push against Dong Xuebing: "Don''t mention that! You are not allowed to talk about that!"


    "I will stop if you kiss me."


    "You are driving me nuts!" Qu Yunxuan stared at Dong Xuebing angrily and hesitated. She looked at his face and then kissed him on his right cheeks. "Is this ok? Go and use the toilet now! I still need to wash theundry."


    Dong Xuebing shook his head. "I am talking about kissing me on the lips and not the face."


    Qu Yunxuan had an angry expression on her face.


    Dong Xuebing understands Aunt Xuan well. This was not her real angry expression. He ignored her and continued touching her.


    Both stood there for several minutes. Qu Yunxuan could not take it and scold. "Idiot! You just wait! I will make sure you get it from me!" Qu Yunxuan''s head moved closer and gave Dong Xuebing a wet kiss on his lips.


    Hahaha. It works. Dong Xuebing quickly opened his mouth slightly to try and kiss her back.


    But Qu Yunxuan was not as passionate as that day. She quickly moves back after touching his lips and then she kissed him again, and again, and again. Her kisses were getting faster and faster. Dong Xuebing could not get her rhythm and misses some of her kisses. This continued for a 2 to 3 minutes before Dong Xuebing could match her kisses.


    Suddenly, Qu Yunxuan gave Dong Xuebing a hard stare, and her left hand reached to her back and grabbed Dong Xuebing''s hand. His hand had already entered under her pants, and his fingers were on her panties. "Where do you think you are touching?"


    Dong Xuebing smiles and retracts his hand. "Errr.... I am going to the toilet."


    "You are asking for a beating! Where is your respect for your elders?"


    After dinner.


    Dong Xuebing and Qu Yunxuan held hands and stood at the window to admire the moon.


    "I will say this one more time. You are not allowed to tell others. You hear me?" Qu Yunxuan had her "angry" look on as she said. "If not, I will tear your mouth open."


    Dong Xuebing nodded.


    "You hooligan. You only know how to bully me!" Qu Yunxuan reached over to pinch his face. "I need to go back to organize my notes on the illegal tour guide investigations. I need to submit them tomorrow morning." Qu Yunxuan let go of Dong Xuebing''s hand and was about to walk off.


    "Wait!" When Dong Xuebing heard what she said and looked at the bruises on her hands. He got furious. "At Hangzhou, you promised to tell me everything when wee back. You can tell me what happened now. How did you offend your leader? Who is this leader, and what is he in charge of?"


    Qu Yunxuan sighed. "Let''s talk about this tomorrow."


    "No. Tell me everything now."


    Qu Yunxuan sat down on the couch after hesitating for a while. "I have mentioned to you about this person before. He is our deputy editor. His surname is Gong. He is in charge of the Reporter Department."


    Dong Xuebing frowned. "He is the one who tries to matchmake you with his younger brother?" Dong Xuebing had met that person''s brother at the foot of their building. He was still dressed up and holding a bouquet of roses in his hands when they met.


    "Yes. That''s him. I feel very wronged when I think about this. I did not offend anyone at work. Sighed... about 10 days earlier, Deputy Editor Gong tried to ask me to dine with his brother and tried to matchmake us again. But I had dinner with his brother twice before and did not have any feelings for him. So, I rejected him. Furthermore, I still need to have lunch with a client that day. This was a big deal. But Deputy Editor Gong does not listen. He said his brother was waiting for me at the entrance and insisted me to have lunch with his brother. We argued for a while, and my client kept calling me to rush me. Deputy Editor Gong refused to let me go, and I got anxious and talked back to him."


    Dong Xuebing asked: "Then he transferred you to the reporter department as a backend admin staff?"


    "... Yes."


    "There must be a reason. He can''t remove you from your position just like this."


    Qu Yunxuan sighed again. "I have a client who was introduced to me by Deputy Editor Gong. I clinched the deal with this client after that. But many it was because Deputy Editor Gong said something to the client and the client withdrew from the deal. He evenins to the newspaper agency about me. He ims that I am not serious in my work and had a bad attitude. How is this possible? I treat all my customers well. How is it possible that I mistreat him? This must be Deputy Editor Gong''s doing, and he used this and an excused to demote me."


    "Motherf**ker!" Dong Xuebing was furious and banged the table. usations again! It''s usations again!


    Qu Yunxuan gave Dong Xuebing a light pinched on the back of his hand. "Stop swearing. Be more civilize."


    "What''s the reason for him to do that? Getting back at you?"


    "Probably he was too worried about his younger brother''s future. He seems determine to set us up. That''s why he made used his authority to force me. He came to me once and told me that if I agree to be his younger brother''s girlfriend, he will transfer me back to the advertising department. I rejected him on the spot. I told him it was impossible between his brother and me. Then... this undercover investigation at Hangzhou came in. Basically, our newspaper agency does not report all news outside of Beijing, unless it was a major case. We do not send people out to the fields to do undercover investigations. But this undercover investigation of illegal tour guide..... seems to be targeting me."


    Dong Xuebing furiously said: "He is abusing his powers! Threatening his subordinates! Who the hell does he think he is!"


    "He had a bad reputation in our newspaper agency. He is known as a petty person here. But no one could do anything to him. He had connections with someone in the higher-ups."


    "What are you going to do?"


    "On my way back to Beijing, I thought of resigning if I can''t take it anymore. It''s fine if he was targeting me alone. I can bear with it. But you also know from the Hangzhou incident, Deputy Editor Gong had also put Cao Ping in danger with me. He sent us to such a faraway ce. It was my fault that I dragged Cao Ping down with me. I felt really...."


    Dong Xuebing shouted: "This is too much!"


    "Sighed... Just take one step at a time. If he wants to send me to another province next time, I will just resign."


    Dong Xuebing remembered the pain when he saw Aunt Xuan being dragged around by her hair. He was furious when he thought about it. Now, Dong Xuebing found the cause of all these. This bastard Deputy Editor Gong was the culprit! Motherf***er! You want my Xuan Xuan with that useless brother of yours? You get someone to use her of something she never did? You even send Aunt Xuan on such a dangerous mission? Damn! You think you can do whatever you want?


    Ring, ring, ring! Aunt Xuan''s phone rang.


    Qu Yunxuan looked at her phone and frowned as she answered: "Hello, Editor Gong?"


    Dong Xuebing immediately moved his head closer to her phone. He could hear a middle-aged man''s voice: "My brother is outside your house. If you are outside, get home immediately."


    Qu Yunxuan''s face changed. "He is outside my ce? Why is heing over at this time?"


    "You two should have a chat. If we are one family, everything at work can be arranged. XX Department has a vacancy for their deputy head."


    It was almost 9 pm! What''s there to talk about at night?


    Before Qu Yunxuan said anything, Dong Xuebing snatched the phone: "Chat your head! You bastard! I will not let you off! You just wait!"


    Dong Xuebing could not suppress his anger. Bastard! He must teach this bastard a lesson!

 Chapter 125: Creating havoc at the newspaper agency

    <h4>Chapter 125: Creating havoc at the newspaper agency</h4>


    The next morning.


    Teacher Sun from Hanhai Auction called Dong Xuebing, telling him that the pearl ne had been restrung. They will be exhibiting the ne in the morning. He asked if Dong Xuebing wants to go to their venue to take a look. The next auction was not considered a small event. Those small events will not exhibit the items. Dong Xuebing does not want to go. He only asked Teacher Sun to help him get an entrance ticket for tomorrow''s auction as he does not have any money to get the tickets.


    7.30 am. Dong Xuebing washed up and went over to Qu Yunxuan''s unit.


    Qu Yunxuan carried her bag and was about to leave for work. "I thought you are still sleeping. Why are you up so early?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Yesterday I told you. I will go to the newspaper agency with you! I want to see what that idiot is up to!" Qu Yunxuan put up a fierce expression and said: "Xiao Bing. I will settle this myself. You just stay at home."


    "What can you settle? That fellow had already tormented you until like this. What does he want by asking his brother toe over to your ce sote at night? Ah? What''s the meaning of this? Come over here for a chat? Damn!" Dong Xuebing was furious. "If it weren''t for you stopping mest night, I would have beat him up! Bastard! He thinks he is the deputy editor and can do whatever he wants? Who does he think he is?!"


    Qu Yunxuan stared at him and said: "You are not allowed to go there. Listen to me and stay at home!" After arguing for a while, Qu Yunxuan forcefully pushes Dong Xuebing on the couch. "I will go to work now. At most, I will just resign from there. You don''t follow me to work. Listen to me. Just stay at home and watch TV or y some games. You are on break from work. Stop running about and rest at home." She nagged at Dong Xuebing and left.


    But Dong Xuebing did not listen to her. He left home 10 minutester. Aunt Xuan was being used, demoted, and got beaten up. That Gong fellow had bullied his precious Aunt Xuan, and she can only swallow her pride and resign? Damn! He remembered the scene of Qu Yunxuan being dragged about by her hair at Hangzhou and his anger rises again. He cannot just let this carry-on! He got to settle this score!


    Beijing Times News Agency.


    Employees of the news agency, reporters, were slowly walking through the main entrance.


    Dong Xuebing, who had arrived at the entrance of the news agency, looked around. He was not stupid to just rush in and teach that Gong fellow a lesson. He knows Aunt Xuan was shy and does not want many people to know that Deputy Editor was forcing her to date his younger brother. Dong Xuebing was here to reason with the leaders at the news agency. He believes that there must be some reasonable leaders in the agency. As long as they investigate that canceled advertising deal, they would know Aunt Xuan was innocent and expose the true colors of that bastard. If this got that bastard demoted, it would be better.


    Just when Dong Xuebing was about to enter the news agency, he saw a familiar face. This man had some resemnces with that person looking for Aunt Xuan with roses. But his man was slightly older and had some wrinkles on his forehead. This must be that Deputy Editor Gong!


    "Editor Gong."


    "Good morning, Editor Gong."


    Deputy Editor Gong smiled and nodded to the ones who greeted him. He carried his briefcase and walked quickly into the news agency building.


    Dong Xuebing controlled his anger and did not run up to bash him up. After the incident with Zhou Guoan, he knows the importance of controlling his temper. Beating others up was not the best solution. It might let him vent his anger, but he would also get into trouble. After all, Dong Xuebing was also a government servant. It''s okay if this person was some hooligan on the streets. But this ce was Beijing Times news agency, a newspaper under Beijing Daily Group. Beijing Daily Group was a unit under the Beijing Municipal Publicity Department. This was why Dong Xuebing cannot be impulsive.


    After Deputy Editor Gong entered the building and disappeared from his sights, Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and walked into the building.


    The security at the door saw Dong Xuebing but did not stop him.


    Dong Xuebing thought the security officer was stunned by his "Government Official''s Aura" and did not stop him. But actually, the security officer saw him walking in openly and felt he should be here for business. That''s why he did not stop him.


    "Eh, Chief Xiao Dong?" Someone called out from behind. "Why are you here?"


    Dong Xuebing turned around, and it was Cao Ping. "Oh, I am here to look for someone."


    "Looking for Yunxuan? No? Who are you looking for? I can show you the way." Cao Ping had a good impression of Dong Xuebing. After she knew Dong Xuebing was a leader from a government agency, she addressed him as Chief Xiao Dong.


    Dong Xuebing was still wondering how to look for the leaders'' offices. He replied: "Thank you. I am here because of Aunt Xuan. She told me everything yesterday." Dong Xuebing saw Cao Ping was surprised and he continued. "I am here to reason with your leaders. Can you tell me where is your Chief Editor or Division heads'' office? Anyone will do."


    Cao Ping said: "I will be honest with you. Yunxuan had already spoken to the higher-ups, but nothing had changed."


    "Sister Cao, just tell me."


    "Ok. There... you see that 6 stories white-colored building? Our reporter department is on the second floor. You go to the top floor, and the first office on your left after exiting from the lift is our Chief Editor''s office. But it is useless even if you know where his office is. You do not have any appointments, and you are not an employee of the news agency. They will not let you enter."


    Indeed. Dong Xuebing was stopped by the security guards at the lift lobby. He needs to register at the receptionist counter first.


    At the receptionist counter, Dong Xuebing told the receptionist: "I am here to meet your Chief Editor."


    "Do you have any appointments?"


    "No."


    "How do I address you?"


    "Dong."


    "May I ask what''s the reason for you to meet our Chief Editor?"


    "I need to reflect something to him."


    "What are...."


    After a series of questions, Dong Xuebing was still not allowed to go upstairs. The receptionist told him that the Chief Editor was in a meeting and does not have time to meet him. Who are you trying to fool? Dong Xuebing was about to explode, but he told himself to calm down. He took a few deep breaths and said that receptionist. "Then I want to meet Qu Yunxuan. She is from the Reporter Department."


    The receptionist made a phone call and then nodded to the security officer standing by the lift.


    Dong Xuebing entered the lift, and the elevator stopped on the second floor. Someone from the reporter department walked out. But Dong Xuebing remained in the lift and pressed the sixth floor. Ding! The elevator opened. There was a counter at the lift lobby, and there was a frosted ss partition separating the lift lobby and the offices. The Chief Editor''s office was behind the frosted ss partition. Without the news agency employees'' ess card, no one could enter. Visitors could only register at the counter first.


    "Sir, who are you looking for?"


    "I want to meet your Chief Editor."


    "Do you have any appointments?"


    It was another series of questionings. In the end, the receptionist used the excuse of meeting to reject Dong Xuebing. Just when Dong Xuebing wants to ask what time will the meeting ends, there was a beep. A man in his fifties walked out from the ss door. The receptionist saw that man and greeted him as Chief Editor. She then pointed to Dong Xuebing. "Sir, someone is here looking for you. He said he wants to reflect something."


    Dong Xuebing quickly walked forward. "Good morning. I just need a moment of your time. I want to...."


    The Chief Editor pressed the lift and interrupted Dong Xuebing. "Can you wait here? I wille back to you after I finished my work."


    Dong Xuebing frowned but still agreed.


    This wait was two hours. It was almost lunchtime when the doors of the elevator opened and the Chief Editor appears.


    Damn! Did you go andy eggs? Dong Xuebing controlled his tempered and stood up from the rest area. He said: "I would like to feedback on your agency''s Deputy Editor Gong''s actions. Some time ago, he was in cahoots with a client and asked that client toin about the Advertising Division''s Qu Yunxuan on her attitude. Deputy Editor Gong used this as an excuse to demote her and transfer her to the reporter department. He even..." Dong Xuebing lowered his voice and continued. "force her to dare his younger brother. Qu Yunxuan refused, and she was sent on a dangerous undercover investigation at Hangzhou. Is your agency going to sit by and not do anything about this?"


    The Chief Editor thought Dong Xuebing wanted to tell him something important. But when he heard it was about this, he got irritated: "I don''t care about this. You go and look for the ones that are in charge of this."


    "Which leader is in charge of this?"


    The Chief Editor ignored Dong Xuebing and took a brown envelope from the receptionist, before entering the elevator again.


    Dong Xuebing was furious. F**k! I waited two hours for you, and you just brush me off like this? Dong Xuebing took a deep breath to calm himself. He told himself: I am here to reason with them and not to create trouble! Bear with it!


    Dong Xuebing calmed himself and entered the elevator with the Chief Editor. "Chief Editor, that Deputy Editor Gong used his authority to threaten his subordinates. Don''t you think this is not right? Shouldn''t you do something about these actions? You might not know. Because of Deputy Editor Gong, Qu Yunxuan and a female reporter were sent to Hangzhou, and they were beaten up by the illegal tour guides. If it wasn''t for me saving them, who knows what would happen?"


    The Chief Editor frowned and replied: "This is our agency''s internal affairs. We will settle this ourselves. You don''t need to interfere."


    "But someone must conduct investigations."


    Ding! The lift reached the second floor, and the Chief Editor walked out towards the Report Department.


    Dong Xuebing tried his best to be patient and followed him. "Chief Editor, this incident..."


    "What the hell are you all doing?! Ah?" A middle-aged man was shouting at the top of his voice. Dong Xuebing looked over and saw 3 people standing behind a row of desks. One of them was that Deputy Editor Gong and the other two were Qu Yunxuan and Cao Ping. Dong Xuebing saw Deputy Editor Gong pointing at Qu Yunxuan in her face, scolding: "Why did I send you to Hangzhou? You can even screw up such a simple undercover assignment?! You two are beaten up, and the camera is smashed? Useless!"


    Deputy Editor Gong only has a younger brother, and they were very close. His brother was in his 30s and did not even have a girlfriend. He was worried about his brother''s future and tried to introduce Qu Yunxuan to him. His brother was attracted to Qu Yunxuan after meeting her and refused to meet other women. Deputy Editor Gong was also happy for his brother and wanted both of them to be together. But Qu Yunxuan refused and even argued with him. After their argument, Qu Yunxuan did not answer any of his brother''s calls. This action pissed Deputy Editor Gong and coupled with his younger brother''s eagerness to date Qu Yunxuan, he got no choice but to use force. He demoted Qu Yunxuan and sent her out on an assignment. He just wanted to teach her a lesson. Butst night phone call, he knew Qu Yunxuan still refuse to give in. There was also a man scolding him over the phone. His brother also came back toin to him. Now, Deputy Editor Gong was really furious. Bitch! My brother''s sry is several times of yours, and it''s your fortune for him to like you. You still dare to reject him? Fine! I will make sure you will not be able to work peacefully here!


    Qu Yunxuan pulled a long face. "Deputy Editor Gong, we also do not want to be beaten or let them snatch away our camera. But that is an ident. No one could expect that. This is the risk of being a reporter. Furthermore, I am from the advertising division. I had worked there for 4 years. How can you expect me to be a top reporter overnight? I think you have overestimated my abilities."


    Deputy Editor Gong got even more furious after Qu Yunxuan talks back at him. "You can''t do a proper job at the Advertising Division, and you also cannot do a reporter''s job well. Fine! Since you are not good at anything... you know how to operate an elevator? Do you know how? Great. That lift operator had resignedst week. You will be her temporary recement!" Deputy Editor Gong could only demote Qu Yunxuan to the lowest rank in the office. He could not transfer her to operate the lifts. But he could still use the excuse of temporary recement to transfer her.


    "Operate the elevators?" Qu Yunxuan''s face changed!


    The Chief Editor frowned and shouted: "Quiet down!"


    Deputy Editor Gong turned and saw the Chief Editor. He exined: "Chief Editor, this Qu Yunxuan have a bad work attitude. She had just returned from an assignment from Zhejiang Province and did not even have a picture."


    Bear with it! Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. He turned to the Chief Editor: "You have seen everything, right? He is trying to transfer someone who had worked for 4 years in the agency to operate the lift? Isn''t this abusing his authority? How can such a person be a Deputy Editor?"


    "Xiao Bing!" Qu Yunxuan panicked.


    Deputy Editor Gong was stunned. He recognized this voice. It was that man who scolded him over the phone. His face turned ck and shouted: "Who are you? Outsiders are not allowed to be here! Get out!"


    Dong Xuebing looked at the Chef Editor: "Chief Editor! We must be reasonable. He kept abusing his authority..."


    "Enough!" The Chief Editor turns to someone by his side: "Call the security to chase him out! Trouble maker! Tell the receptionist downstairs to stop letting this type of people in!"


    Deputy Editor Gong nced at Dong Xuebing coldly and thought to himself. Who do you think you are? Who are you toe and create trouble here?


    Dong Xuebing had been tolerating all these until now. He could not take it anymore!


    Watch out for the consequences?


    F**k with the consequences!


    Crash!


    The furious Dong Xuebing kicked an empty desk in front of him over!


    "F**k! You want to chase me away? If all of you don''t give me an answer today, I will not leave!"


    Everyone in the office were shocked. Everyone in the reporter department turned and looked at Dong Xuebing!


    The Chief Editor did not expect this person to act this way and was stunned.


    Dong Xuebing saw the Chief Editor looking at him, and he scolded: "What are you looking at?! You just keep asking me to wait. Do you know how long I waited? I have waited 2 hours for you on the sixth floor! I have tolerated you for 2 hours! I called you Chief Editor, and you think you are somebody? You refuse to get involved with everything and only know how to brush me aside?! How did you get to this position? Bullshit!"


    The Chief Editor''s face turned green and shouts: "Call the security!"


    Dong Xuebing points at the main culprit, Deputy Editor Gong. "You! Old bastard! Ask your brother to look at himself in the mirror and see if he is good enough for my Aunt Xuan! You used your authority to suppress my Aunt Xuan? Because of your ridiculous undercover investigations, she was beaten up! F**k! You still ask a client to frame her? You are really daring!"


    Everyone in the reporter section looked at each other. They did not know about all these.


    Deputy Editor Gong turned pale: "Stop talking nonsenses here! Get out!"


    Qu Yunxuan was worried things will get out of hand, and quickly went over to stop Dong Xuebing: "Xiao Bing!"


    Dong Xuebing was too furious to listen to her. "Aunt Xuan, don''t stop me. I must make things clear today. How can they just abuse their authority like this?"


    The lift''s door opened, and two security guards ran over!


    Deputy Editor Gong points at Dong Xuebing: "It''s him! Get him out of here! Yes! Call the police too!"


    The two security guards rushed forward.


    "I shall see who dares to touch me!" Dong Xuebing reached into his pocket and took out his work pass and threw it on the desk in front of him. His work pass did not state State Security. There were only a Police logo and the word Police on it. Dong Xuebing also knew what he did was not right. He also did not want to let others know which unit he was working at. With the police logo, everyone''s first thought was Public Security Bureau.


    The two security guards stopped when they saw Dong Xuebing''s ID. They looked at Deputy Editor Gong. They do not want to be charged for assaulting a police officer.


    Dong Xuebing furiously points at Deputy Editor Gong: "Don''t think you are a Deputy Editor and you can do whatever you want. Don''t think you are close to the leaders at the agency and no one can touch you!" Dong Xuebing also did not want things to turn out like this. But these people were too much. Qu Yunxuan did not make any mistakes at work. He must get an answer from them. Of course, Dong Xuebing did not let his anger cloud his mind. If this were a different ce, he would not dare to blow up too. Because this was a newspaper agency and it''s under China''s Publicity Department. Xie Hun, who owes him a favor, told him to call her if he needed help. She is a leader in the China Publicity Department. "Fine! No one in this agency wants to interfere with this or give me an answer? Ok. Then I will give all of you an answer!"


    Dong Xuebing took out his phone and called Xie Hun!

 Chapter 126: Stop publication for restructuring

    <h4>Chapter 126: Stop publication for restructuring</h4>


    You want to give us an answer? How are you going to do it? What answer are you giving us? What a joke! The Chief Editor and Deputy Editor Gong looked at Dong Xuebing. They want to see who he was calling. Public Security Bureau? The Public Security Bureau cannot do anything to them! Unless you are calling Beijing Daily Group. Those are their direct supervisors. Calling other departments are useless! All the reporters in the office were looking at Dong Xuebing as if he was a joke. They were enjoying this show. This was the first time someone came to their news agency to create trouble.


    Under everyone''s watchful eyes, Dong Xuebing was waiting for the other party to answer his call.


    Ring... ring... ring...


    Qu Yuxuan was touched to see Dong Xuebing came to get justice for her. But she was also worried that he would get into trouble. She quickly said: "Xiao Bing, go back with me. I have already prepared my resignation letter. I will quit this job. What''s the big deal? Come, let''s go." Cao Ping was also making eye signals to Dong Xuebing. She was telling him to stop. Both of them felt Dong Xuebing does not have any connections that could influence Beijing Times news agency. They were afraid that he would get into trouble.


    Dong Xuebing refused to listen. "Let me handle this. Don''t interfere."


    The call got through. "Hello? Xiao Dong?"


    "It''s me." Dong Xuebing quickly say: "I need your help here."


    "Oh. Wait a while." Dong Xuebing could hear Xie Hun talking to someone. "There is no need for that. Tell them to go to the meeting first. I will goter... Xiao Dong. Tell me what happened."


    Dong Xuebing knew she was very busy with her work. He walked over to a quiet corner and said softly: "I have a friend working in a newspaper agency. A while ago, her leader wanted to matchmake her with his brother. But my friend refused, and that leader took revenge on her. That leader got a client to frame my friend and then demoted her from a team leader in the advertising division to a backend staff in the reporter department. He even sent her on a dangerous undercover investigation on illegal tour guides at Zhejiang. Because of this investigation, my friend was beaten up by that illegal tour guide. Now, that person still wants to send my friend to operate the lifts. How can he do this? I am now at the newspaper agency to reason with their leader, but that Chief Editor just ignores myints. He turned a blind eye to all these, and..."


    "Which newspaper agency?"


    "Beijing Times News Agency."


    "What is that leader''s name?"


    Dong Xuebing covered the phone and asked Aunt Xuan. "What''s that Gong fellow''s full name?"


    Qu Yunxuan hesitated and said: "Gong Wei." Dong Xuebing then walked away from the other, and no one could hear what he was saying and who he was talking to.


    "His name is Gong Wei." Dong Xuebing also did not want to bother Xie Hun. But he got no other choices. "Sister Xie, this matter..."


    "Ok. I got the whole picture. Their Chief Editor is over there? Can you pass the phone to him?"


    Dong Xuebing said yes and walked over to the Chief Editor to pass him the phone. "Answer it!"


    The Head of the Newspaper agency knew about themotion in the Reporter Department, and the Chief Editor was exining to the head over the phone. He saw Dong Xuebing passing him his phone and replied without thinking: "I am not answering it!" He thought Dong Xuebing had gone to his Public Security Bureau leader. But Public Security had nothing to do with his newspaper agency. He does not need to give any face to the Public Security Bureau''s leaders.


    Gong Wei looked at Dong Xuebing with a smirk on his face.


    Dong Xuebing shrugged his shoulders and said into the phone. "Sister Xie, he refuses to answer."


    Xie Hun, on the other line, paused for a few seconds before saying: "I know!" Tuuuuu.... The line was cut.


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. What does she mean by she knows? She still has not told me what she will be doing. Why did she hang up? This matter was too troublesome for her to handle? Shouldn''t be. Even if she does not have any authority, she was also from the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China. The Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China was the department that oversees the Beijing Daily Group. This should not be troublesome for her.


    After thinking for a while, Dong Xuebing kept his phone.


    Qu Yunxuan asked: "Xiao Bing, who did you called?"


    "A friend."


    The Chief Editor finished reporting to the Head of the agency, and Deputy Editor Gong shouted to the two security guards. "What are you waiting for? Chase him out!"


    The Chief Editor also waved his hand: "Get him out of here! Don''t let him create any more nuisance here!"


    The two security guards heard the orders from their leaders. They hesitated for a while and looked at the police logo on Dong Xuebing''s ID card. But they still move closer to Dong Xuebing slowly.


    The rest of the reporters were slightly disappointed that the show was ending.


    Deputy Editor Gong pointed at Qu Yunxuan. "You are the one who brought him here? Kicking the desk?! Destroying our agency''s property?! Disrupting our work here?! Scolding the leaders?! Fine! Qu Yunxuan, you are very capable! I will not settle all these scores with that guy! I will settle all these with you! From today onwards, you will..."


    Just when Gong Wei was scolding relentlessly and the two security guards trying to carry Dong Xuebing out, a young man ran out of the elevator. "Chief Editor! Chief Editor! We are in trouble!"


    The Chief Editor frowned. "What''s there to panic? Tell me what happened."


    The young man panted and said: "There was a phone call to your office earlier. You are not around, so I answered for you. The higher-ups had issued an order. With immediate effect, our newspaper agency will stop publication for restructuring!"


    "What?"


    Everyone was dumbfounded!


    The Chief Editor and Gong Wei were shocked. They did not care about Dong Xuebing and quickly took out their phones to make calls!


    Soon, the whole newspaper agency knew about the order. Everyone who heard of the order were shocked. Stop publication? Why? Restructuring? They had restructured in the past. But stop publication for restructuring? This was the first time they heard of such order. Moreover, the order starts with "With immediate effect." That means they had to stop publication more than one day. It might be one week or even one month! How can this be happening? That means everyone at the agency will be out of jobs for a month?


    The other departments of the agency might not know the reason, but the people at the reporter department turned to look at Dong Xuebing after they got over the shock!


    Qu Yunxuan was also in a daze. She asked: "Xiao Bing, this.... You are the one behind this?"


    The Chief Editor and Gong Wei had not thought of Dong Xuebing. But when they heard Qu Yunxuan, they turned to look at Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing was shocked too. Damn! Stop publication? Does she need to be so ruthless? He had only wanted to ask Xie Hun to pressurize the leaders at the agency and settle his problem. But stopping publication was a bit too much. This... was Xie Hun doings? Beijing Times might not be some major newspapers, but it was still a newspaper with the word "Beijing" in its name. This was a word with weight. She could just ask them to stop publication just like that? Ask for restructuring without any reason?


    Dong Xuebing was shocked, but he did not show it on his face. He pretended he knew what was be happening.


    The Chief Editor does not believe it was Dong Xuebing that caused this to happen. It was because everything happened too fast. It was only a few minutes after Dong Xuebing hang up. Even if Dong Xuebing had gone to the leaders at the City''s Publicity Department, it was also impossible for the order to be issued so fast. Issuing an order like this without discussion or approvals? Who has the authority to order them to stop publication? No one! No one dares to give such an order! No one can take on this responsibility!


    The Chief Editor immediately called a leader from another department. He also does not know what happened. He did not even know about the order of them stopping publication. That''s it. The Chief Editor was relieved. It must be his secretary who had misheard, or someone was impersonating a leader from the Publicity Department. Stop publication? Hahaha. How is this possible?!


    But a few secondster, the Chief Editor''s phone rang. It was a number from the City''s Publicity Department.


    The Chief Editor paused for a few seconds and answered: "Director Yan."


    Director Yan, on the other end of the phone, started scolding: "What the hell is your Beijing Times doing? Ah? What did you all do?" Bang, bang, bang! It was the sounds of Director Yan banging on the table. "A leader from the Central Publicity Department called us toin about your newspaper agency! The caller specifically named you and someone by the name of Gong Wei! You all really did us proud! Now, the whole department knows both of you!!!"


    "Ah? Central Publicity Department?" The Chief Editor immediately turns pale. "Director Yan, this..."


    Because Director Yan was shouting at the top of his voice, Gong Wei heard everything. He almost shits his pants. A leader from the Central Publicity Department specificallyined about him? Goddamn!


    Director Yan shouts: "I don''t care what happened! I don''t want to know who did you all offended! I want you to solve this immediately! If the order is not retracted by noon, you and that Gong Wei will pack your bags and go!" Tuuuuu... He hanged up!


    The Chief Editor and Gong Wei were looking at the phone in a daze. They did not expect this incident to blow up like this. Now, even if these two people were idiots, they also know that it was this young man who caused the newspaper agency to stop publications! The rest of the people in the office saw their Chief Editor and Gong Wei''s facial expressions and then looked at Dong Xuebing. This young man only made a call, and the whole agency had to stop publications. How influential were his connections? They remembered what Dong Xuebing said before his phone call. "If you all don''t give me an answer, then I will give you all an answer!" Everyone realized that Dong Xuebing was not boasting when he said this.


    The Chief Editor immediately regretted. This incident had nothing to do with him. It was all caused by Gong Wei. Just because he chose to ignore this, he was dragged into this mess. What the hell was this? He was thinking how to pacify Dong Xuebing. But there were too many employees present. He was not willing to lose face in front of them. He did not say a word and stood there looking at Dong Xuebing.


    Suddenly the elevator doors opened, and the Head of the news agency walked out. "What''s happening? What is going on?"


    The Chief Editor sighed and walked over to exin to the Head.


    The Head of the agency''s face became darker as he listened to the Chief Editor. He was furious and points at Gong Wei without saying a word.


    Dong Xuebing took a nce at the few leaders of the agency and said coldly: "I also want to settle this amicably. But since I arrived in the morning, no one wants to listen to me. All of you only knows how to use your authority to brush me aside. Fine. Now, can you all settle this issue for me?" At first, Dong Xuebing felt it might be too overbearing to make this newspaper agency to stop publications. But after thinking for a while, they were the unreasonable ones first. Why should Dong Xuebing be reasonable with them? If this order did note in, no one would bother to listen to him!


    The Head of the agency looked at Dong Xuebing. He knew that the higher-ups did not really want to let the agency stop publications. They only wanted to warn the agency that if they don''t settle this problem, the agency might have to stop publications. This was why the agency''s head panicked. He forced a smile: "Hi, can we speak in private at my office? We will make sure we will investigate all yourints and give you an answer."


    Dong Xuebing also did not want to make Qu Yunxuan embarrass in front of so many people. He nodded and followed the Agency''s Head.


    Qu Yunxuan followed behind and asked softly: "Xiao Bing, is the newspaper really going to stop publishing? Who did you call?"


    Dong Xuebing turned and replied: "A leader from the Central Publicity Department. She owes me a favor in the past."


    Agency''s Head office.


    Gong Wei knew he was in deep trouble. At the same time, he felt wronged. He had only transferred that bitch to another department. What''s the big deal? He could not understand why Dong Xuebing would get a leader from the Central Publicity Department to help him over such a small matter. This was not all. The leader even ordered a suspension on their agency? All these just to get back at him and want an answer? Gong Wei believed that Dong Xuebing wanted more. So, he tried to act smart and said: "I might have overlooked over Qu Yunxuan''s work. Head, I suggest transferring Qu Yunxuan back to the advertising division. There is a vacancy for the deputy chief there."


    The Agency Head looked at Dong Xuebing.


    But Dong Xuebing immediately blow up: "F**k you! Overlook? You really know how to avoid taking responsibility! I am telling all of you now! I am here today is not to ask for a promotion for Aunt Xuan! I am here to reason with you all! You think leaders have rights and your subordinates do not have human rights? Let''s settle our scores one by one. Coborating with a client to use Aunt Xuan, transferring her to another department as support staff, picking on her at work, and forcing her to date with Gong Wei''s brother! If none of you can give me a good exnation, fine. I am not in a hurry too. Aunt Xuan, let''s go!" Dong Xuebing pulled Qu Yunxuan and was about to walk out.


    The Chief Editor panicked. "Don''t... wait a minute..."


    The Agency Head banged the table angrily and points at Gong Wei: "Something like this had happened? Why am I not informed?!" It was not sure if he was pretending or was really not aware.


    Gong Wei tried to exin himself: "Head, it''s not..."


    Dong Xuebing does not want to waste any more time. "I only have a few requests. Number 1. Gong Wei must apologize to Aunt Xuan. Number 2. He must be demoted from his position of Deputy Editor. Number 3. I don''t what he will be doing in the future, but from today onwards, I want him to work as the lift attendant for a week! All three demands must be met!" Dong Xuebing had the upper hand now. Xie Hun had helped him set up all these, and he can''t just let them off so lightly.


    Demote? Operate the lift? Gong Wei''s face changed: "Head!" He wanted to kill Dong Xuebing on the spot. This was too humiliating!


    The Head frowned. "Young man, I can understand your feelings now. But we still have not investigated this incident thoroughly, and I can''t make the decisions now. How about this? If Deputy Editor really had something to do with Qu Yunxuan''s transfer and forced her to date with his brother, I promise I will demote him."


    "How long will it be for this investigation to be over? You want to drag this out? It''s fine with me. We will go back first. Call me when you get the evidence."


    The Agency Head did not expect Dong Xuebing''s temper to be so foul. "Young man, we also have our difficulties. I can''t just demote a Deputy Editor without evidence. I do not have this authority. I still need to report this to the higher-ups. Furthermore, to ask him to operate the lifts..."


    "Now you are telling me about evidence? When Gong Wei used Aunt Xuan, what are you all doing? When Aunt Xuanined to you all, why didn''t you all investigate and get the evidence? Stop bullshiting me!" Dong Xuebing showed 3 fingers. "I only have 3 demands, and there''s no negotiation. Just say whether you all agree or not!"


    Qu Yunxuan was moved. She did not say a word and let Dong Xuebing handle everything.


    The Agency Head had a headache. Why does he have to face someone so unreasonable? He rubbed the bridge of his nose and nced at the Chief Editor.


    The Chief Editor was in a hurry to save himself and does not have the time to care about Gong Wei. He blinked and nodded.


    Gong Wei panicked: "Head! Chief!"


    The Agency head sighed and looked at his watch. He does not have much time from noon, the time when their papers are published. If he cant settle this as soon as possible and that leader in the Central Publicity Department got angry, he might also be dragged down and lose his position. The Agency Head thought about this and made his decision. "Ok! Qu Yunxuan will resume her former position and be transferred back to the Advertising Division. Deputy Editor Gong will be removed from his position. Before his next job arrangement is out, he will be operating the elevators!" The Head then turned to Gong Wei: "Apologize to Team Leader Qu now!"


    "Head! I really did not abuse my authority...."


    The Agency Head stared at him. "Hurry Up!" You are responsible for all this mess, and you are still not willing to take responsibility?


    Gong Wei gave up. He knew it''s over for him. He wanted to just throw his resignation letter and just leave. He had the experience of being the Deputy Editor at Beijing Times and should be able to get a job at other newspaper agencies. But he knew if he did not settle this today, that leader from the Central Publicity Department would not let him off. He will not be able to survive in any workce. Gong Wei turned to Qu Yunxuan and looked at her for a long time. He gritted his teeth and said: "I''m sorry."


    The Agency Head says: "Young man, we have given you an exnation now. Can you..."


    Dong Xuebing looked at Qu Yunxuan, and she nodded. He turned to the Agency Head: "Fine. Everything will end here. But before I go, I must take the elevator operated by Gong Wei."


    Gong Wei: You!"


    News of Editor Gong operating the lifts spread throughout the agency. Many people did not believe it and ran to the elevators to see for themselves. The former almighty Editor Gong was standing there pressing the buttons of the elevators.


    Dong Xuebing felt terrific. Back on the second floor, he remembered that he had left his work ID at the reporter department. He took his ID and kept it back in his pocket. Cao Ping and the rest were looking at him as he walked out of the News Agency. On the way out, he called Xie Hun. "Sister Xie, everything is settled. Thank you very much."

 Chapter 127: Under the bed

    <h4>Chapter 127: Under the bed</h4>


    8 pm.


    Qu Yunxuan''s unit.


    It was getting colder as winter approaches. The heating in this estate was not very powerful, and Dong Xuebing could only sit near the heater in the living room watching the news on TV. He knows after the mess he created at the newspaper agency, Qu Yunxuan, who had resumed her position, will have many works to do. She won''t be able to return home at about 7pm. But Dong Xuebing waited until 8pm. Aunt Xuan was still not back yet. Dong Xuebing thought for a while and sent her an SMS asking where she was. Then he went to the bathroom to cut his nails.


    Sounds of keys rattling could be heard outside the door, and after a while, the door opens.


    "Mum, I have already submitted my resignation letter. Let''s stop talking about this." Qu Yunxuan walked in with her phone. She hanged her bag on a hook and looked towards the bathroom. "I can just look for another job.... Don''t worry about me. I am fine. You don''t need toe over.... No need... Yes... I am really fine. Let''s talk again, tomorrow... Ok. Bye."


    Dong Xuebing heard the conversation, put down the nail clipper, and walked out of the bathroom. "What resignation letter?"


    Qu Yunxuan kept her iPhone 4 and smiles: "I resigned this afternoon. Make a guess, what did I write in my resignation letter? I only wrote two words. I quit. Hahaha. I am backte is because of a farewell dinner with my colleagues."


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while: "Is it because of the trouble I created?" He knew that the head of the news agency and the rest had agreed to reinstate Qu Yunxuan''s position was due to the pressure from the Central Publicity Department. But there will definitely rumors, and gossip about Qu Yunxuan and the leaders will look at her differently. It was not easy to face these.


    "What are you talking about?! If it wasn''t for you, I would still be used and got to resign with humiliation. But you have help me get back at them and that Gong Wei still had to operate the elevators. What''s the big deal with resigning?" Qu Yunxuanughed as she said this. "My colleagues at the agency are still talking about this. Some people who hated that Gong Wei did not do any work in the afternoon. They spent the whole afternoon taking the elevators up and down."


    Dong Xuebing also felt this was a good thing for Qu Yunxuan. He rather Qu Yunxuan to resign with her head held high than to leave after being humiliated.


    "Oh, your friend seems to be somebody. After you leave, the higher-ups withdraw the order to stop publications."


    "Ah... I am also not sure about this. Her position should not be so influential." Dong Xuebing felt Xue Hun must have asked someone to help her. The State Publicity Department''s research division should not have the authority to give such orders. Sighed... I had only helped her get back her wallet from that thief, and she returned such a big favor. Now, I am the one owing her a favour. Hmmm.... I must return her the favour in the future.


    Qu Yunxuan took off her leather shoes and changed to slippers. She sat on the sofa and took a sip of hot tea. She looked at Dong Xuebing without blinking.


    Dong Xuebing felt ufortable: "What''s wrong? Why are you looking at me this way?"


    Qu Yunxuan replied in a serious tone: "Xiao Bing, do you still remember about the traffic ident near our estate? If you did not save me from that truck, I would have died. Also, I can''t imagine how badly beaten up I will be if you arrived a few minuteste in Hangzhou. Plus, this time, you... you have helped me a lot... I can''t..." Qu Yunxuan touched Dong Xuebing''s face lightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much."


    Dong Xuebing coughed embarrassedly: "What are you talking about? We are already in that sort of rtionship and what''s there to be thankful about?"


    "Rubbish! Who is in a rtionship with you?" Qu Yunxuan flicked his forehead andughed. "I will go take a shower now. You rest early tonight."


    "Errr... the heating system in our building is not warm. Can I sleep at your ce tonight?"


    ".... What do you think?"


    "I can sleep on the sofa."


    "Even if you sleep on the floor is also not allowed."


    "Ah... just for this one time... Please...."


    "Go away! Or I will hit you!" Qu Yunxuan was feeling angry and funny at the same time. She pped Dong Xuebing''s hand, which was about to grope her butt. Then she stood up and went back to her room to get a set of long johns. She brought the long johns into the bathroom and mmed the door shut. "If you are not in a hurry to go back, then watch TV by yourself. I might need your helpter."


    "Ok!"


    Although Aunt Xuan was acting the same as before, Dong Xuebing knew that they had gotten closer after everything that had happened. Dong Xuebing could not concentrate on the TV after he heard some movements in the bathroom. He looked towards the direction of the toilet for a long time. He mustered up his courage and carried a chair softly towards the bathroom door. He ced the chair outside the bathroom door and looked at the frosted ss door. Nothing can be seen through the frosted ss door. He could only see some shadows. But at least this was better than watching the TV.


    Swish, tap ¨C this sounds like Aunt Xuan taking off her clothes and cing them in the washing machine.


    Flip flop, flip flops ¨C It was the sound of rubber slippers.


    Shhhh.... The water for the shower head was turned on.


    Stter... Aunt Xuan should be washing her hair or cleaning her body with shower foam.


    Dong Xuebing felt he could see what Aunt Xuan was doing behind the door.


    The water sound stopped, and after a while, the bathroom door opened slightly. "Xiao Bing, help me.... Huh? What are you doing here?" Qu Yunxuan saw Dong Xuebing through the small crack of the door and immediately m the door shut. "Pervert! Why are you peeping? You want a beating by me?"


    Dong Xuebing sweated. "I did not see anything. Really. This ce is warmer, so I sat here for a while. Err... why did you call out to me?"


    Qu Yunxuan paused for a while. "I forgot to bring my underwear. It is in the bottom drawer of my closet. Can you bring it to me?"


    Dong Xuebing became excited when he heard this ''mission.'' "Ok! Be right back!"


    "Don''t go through all my things!"


    "I know." Dong Xuebing quickly entered Qu Yunxuan''s room and opened the bottom drawer. He could smell a lovely fragrance as he opened the drawer. The drawer was full of woman''s underwear and bra. There was a red-colored piece, some werecy, and some were skinned colored. Dong Xuebing shouted: "What color do you want? Do you want those thicker type or the thin type? Also, what designs do you need? Lacy or noncy?"


    "Do you believe that I will kill you when Ie out?"


    "Huh? I just want to get the right piece for you. You want me to choose for you?"


    "Just hurry up and don''t go through my stuff."


    "Ok." Qu Yunxuan''s underwear was big. It was bigger than his underwear. Dong Xuebing chose a matching set he likes. It wascy and very sexy. But he thought for a while and felt it does not suit Aunt Xuan. So, he picked another set which was skinned colored. The material felt soft and smooth. This should suit her well. "Oh, do you need me to bring you a pair of stockings?"


    Aunt Xuan paused for a while and replied: "Bring me a pair."


    "You want the thin types or the thicker ones? White or red color?"


    "Are you done with your questions? Just hurry up!"


    Dong Xuebing swung her panties with his fingers and walked to the bathroom. He knocked on the door. "Here...."


    The person outside the frosted ss door could not see clearly if the person inside stands away from the door. But if the person inside moved nearer to the door, the one outside will be able to see the inside clearer. Aunt Xuan was pressing against the door to avoid Dong Xuebing from getting a glimpse of her naked body when she opens the door slightly. She opened the door slightly and extended her hand out. "Where is it?"


    Qu Yunxuan was leaning against the ss door, and Dong Xuebing could see her breast clearly!


    "Pass it to me. What are you waiting for?"


    Dong Xuebing''s heart was racing. He had always wanted to see this part of Qu Yunxuan.


    A few secondster, Aunt Xuan realized what was happening and quickly step away from the frosted ss door. But the two round watermarks were still on the door.


    Dong Xuebing swallowed his saliva: "Here.... Take it."


    That fair smooth hand snatched the underwear from Dong Xuebing, and her fingernails even scratched his arm. "Sooner orter, I will die from anger! Go and switch on the air conditioner! Go and warm up the house now!"


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself. ''When did I piss you off?'' He returned to the living and switch on the air conditioner. Warm air started to flow out after a while. At the same time, Qu Yunxuan also walks into the living room in her long johns and dripping hair. She looked beautiful as usual, and her body-hugging long johns showed her voluptuous figure.


    Dong Xuebing could not take his eyes off her and extended his arms to hug her. "Xuan Xuan."


    "Stop fooling around." Qu Yunxuan rolled her eyes. "Help me first. I have some scratches which I can''t reach. These scratches should be from Hangzhou. Can you apply some anti-inmmation cream for me?" She picked up a tube of medicine and passed it to Dong Xuebing. "Let''s go to the room."


    Dong Xuebing heard that and felt his heart ached. "You should have told me earlier. Quick, show me the wound. If it is serious, you should go and see a doctor."


    "I will be fine after applying some medicine." After entering the bedroom, Qu Yunxuan sat on the bed and hesitated. Her face was red as she turned away from Dong Xuebing. She slowly lifts her long johns to show her fair and smooth back. "Can you see it?"


    Dong Xuebing controlled himself and replied. "I can''t see it."


    Qu Yunxuan lifted her top higher, and her bra and the whole lower back was showing. "How about now?"


    "There are no wounds at all."


    "You want me to hit you with a broom?"


    Dong Xuebing replied innocently. "I am not lying. There are really no wounds. Errr... I can only see a little mole on your back."


    Qu Yunxuan turned and stared at him. She hesitated and slowly removed her top. After removing her top, she quickly covers her chest with her clothes. "How about now?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Aunt Xuan, do you want me to bring a mirror for you? There are no wounds on your back."


    "Oh... my bra strap must be covering the scratches. You... Errrr..." Qu Yunxuan did not continue and only show him her exposed back.


    Dong Xuebing immediately understood what she wants. "You want me to unhook your bra?" Seeing no reply from her, Dong Xuebing cleared his throat and rubbed his hands. He carefully reached over with his fingers and fumble with the hook. He finally manages to unhook her bra after a long time. Aunt Xuan''s back was fully exposed to him.


    "Don''t look at other ces. Can you see the scratches?"


    Dong Xuebing saw some scratches in the center of her back and quickly applied some medication evenly on the wound. "The wound is not very big and should heal soon. Is it painful?"


    "No. It just feels itchy."


    "Then, it must be healing. Be careful when you wear your bra these few days. Avoid touching the wound." After applying the medicine, Dong Xuebing lowered his head and blew on her wound lightly.


    Qu Yunxuan shivered. "It''s ticklish. Stop fooling around." She looked at the time. "It''s already 9 pm. Go back and sleep."


    Dong Xuebing was unwilling to leave. "I really cannot sleep here with you?"


    "Nonsense. How can we sleep together?" Qu Yunxuan turned around and looked at him. She lowered her head and give him a peck on his checks. "Go back. I still need to wear my clothes."


    Dong Xuebing blinked and said: "One more kiss."


    Qu Yunxuan used her legs and knees to prevent Dong Xuebing from moving closer to her and gave him a light kiss on his lips.


    Although it was not enough, Dong Xuebing was satisfied. "Wear your clothes now and don''t catch a cold. I will go..."


    Clicked, clicked! Someone was opening the gates of Qu Yunxuan''s unit. Before both of them could react, the main door opened, and someone shouted. "Yunxuan, why did you resign? Hurry up and tell me what happened." It was Qu Yunxuan''s mother. "Even if they transfer you to another department, you also do not have to resign. Did something happen at work?"


    Qu Yunxuan panicked and tried to wear back her bra and top. However, she could not find the opening of her top in her rush. Instead, she exposed her breast to Dong Xuebing.


    But Dong Xuebing was not in the mood to enjoy the view. He quickly stood up and looked at Qu Yunxuan, asking her what he should do now.


    "Yunxuan, are you sleeping?"


    Qu Yunxuan had no time to wear back her clothes and grabbed Dong Xuebing. She pushes him down, asking him to hide under the bed first. If she were caught in her current state with Xiao Bing by her mother, her mother would surely misunderstand them were doing something in the room. "Mum... didn''t I tell you not to go out sote at night? It is almost new year, and it is not safe outside!"


    Dong Xuebing knew what Aunt Xuan meant and quickly lifted the sheets and hid under the bed.


    "I am concern about you. You just keep everything to yourself!" Qu Yunxuan''s mother had walked to the bedroom and entered!


    Qu Yunxuan immediately moved forward to block her mother.


    Dong Xuebing knew both his legs were still outside and quickly moved his legs under the bed.


    "Eh, why are you not wearing anything? What are you doing?"


    "I have some scratches on my back, and I am applying medicine. Let''s go to the living room. I had switched on the air conditioner. Let''s talk in the living room."


    "Where is the wound? Let me see."


    Dong Xuebing, who was under the bed, could hear the door of the bedroom closing, and the mother and daughter''s voices getting softer. He looked around him and was speechless. How did such a ridiculous thing happen to him? He could faintly hear Qu Yunxuan telling her mother what happened at the newspaper agency. 5 minutes... 10 minutes... 15 minutes...


    After a while. "Mum, you better go back now."


    "Didn''t you say it is dangerous outside? It is almost 9.30 pm. How can I go back now?"


    "Then... you... Errr..."


    "Ok. I am feeling more assured now. It''s also good you resign from that ce. Those people should be taught a lesson. That Dong Xuebing brat is really capable now. He even knows people in the Central Publicity Department?"


    Dong Xuebing rolled his eyes when he heard it. In front of me, you call me Xiao Bing, when I am not around, you call me a brat?


    "Ok. Let stop talking and sleep. Yunxuan, get me a nket. We will sleep together tonight."


    "Errr...."


    "What is wrong with you today? What do you want to say?"


    "Nothing. Why not you sleep on the sofa tonight?"


    "Huh? I raise you up for almost 30 years, and you are telling me to sleep on the sofa?"


    "That''s not I meant. Look at my hands and here. These are the injuries I got from Hangzhou. If we slept on a bed together, you might touch my wounds. I also have some scratches on my back. It will be painful if you identally touch it and I won''t be able to sleep well."


    "You are so pampered?"


    "..."


    "Fine. Go and get me a nket. I will sleep on the sofa tonight! Hmph!"


    The bedroom door opened and Dong Xuebing could see Qu Yunxuan''s feet. She took a nket from her closet and passed to her mother. She then chatted with her mother for a while before returning to her room. She closes the door softly and locked it.


    "Eh,e out." Qu Yunxuan kicked her bed and said softly.


    Dong Xuebing slowly crawled out from under the bed. "What should we do now? Wait for Aunty to sleep first?"


    Qu Yunxuan sat on the bed helplessly. "She will hear us opening the door even when she sleeps."


    Dong Xuebing blinked: "Then..."


    Qu Yunxuan sat there for a while and then walked over to the closet. She looked around in her closet and took out a thick nket. She threw it on her bed. "You are not allowed to speak in your dreams, and you are not allowed to touch me, Do you understand?"


    Damn!


    Dong Xuebing brightens up. "I can sleep here? Both of us in one bed?"


    Qu Yunxuan stares at him. "If you want, you can sleep on the floor! I will not care if you caught a cold!"


    Hahaha. Being trap inside the room by Qu Yunxuan''s mother was not a bad thing at all!

 Chapter 128: Adult content! Pushing Xuan Xuan down

    <h4>Chapter 128: Adult content! Pushing Xuan Xuan down</h4>


    "Eh, Yunxuan, why did you close your door? The warm air from the air conditioner will not enter your room."


    "Mum, I''m not cold."


    "Then I will switch the air conditioner off. Don''t waste electricity. Sleep early."


    "Ok. Goodnight."


    After Qu Yunxuan finishes talking to her mother from her room, she switches off the lights. She sat down in her skinned-colored long johns and took off her socks. She turned to look at Dong Xuebing and then got under her pink nket. Sheid on her pillow and moved to the right side of her small double bed.


    Dong Xuebing stood beside the bed and called out softly: "Aunt Xuan."


    "..."


    "Let''s surf the for a while. I''m not sleepy yet."


    "..."


    "How about ying some cards?"


    "..."


    Dong Xuebing was disappointed when he saw Qu Yunxuan was ignoring him. He could only take off his clothes and ce his coat and pants neatly on the nightstand. Dong Xuebing thought for a while and then take off his long johns. Wearing only his underpants, he got under the new nket. It was cold.


    Qu Yunxuan, who was back facing him, stirred: "Why are you shivering?"


    Dong Xuebing rubbed his hands under the nket. "It''s too cold. Your heater is even worse than my unit. Those heatingpanies are so stingy. How much more does it cost if they turn up the heat slightly? We are paying them for heating services."


    Qu Yunxuan turned slowly and faced Dong Xuebing. "It is the same every year."


    Faint moonlight wasing through the windows, and Dong Xuebing was looking at her. "Aunt Xuan, why are you so beautiful?"


    "Shut up...." Qu Yunxuan was smiling. "You are just saying this to make me happy."


    "Huh? Didn''t you say I only know how to make you mad? When did this change?"


    Qu Yunxuan got her hand out from her nket and hit his thighs.


    Dong Xuebing grumbled softly: "Aunt Xuan, I am also a small leader now. Can you stop hitting me like this? It''s embarrassing."


    Qu Yunxuanughed, but she felt she was too loud and quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "Who ask you to keep touching me?"


    "That''s because I like you." Dong Xuebing blinked and asked: "Do you like me?


    "Nonsense. I will tear your mouth." Qu Yunxuan stared at him.


    "Why do you always stare at me like this when I mention this? Xuan Xuan, we have held hands and kissed. Now we are even sleeping on the same bed. Are we in a rtionship?" Dong Xuebing''s hand reached under Qu Yunxuan''s nket and held her hand. "Be my girlfriend. Don''t let me wait any longer. My mum had called to ask me to look for a girlfriend."


    Qu Yunxuanughed: "Go and look for someone else."


    Dong Xuebing replied unhappily: "If you say this, I will go and look for a girlfriend. I will really look for someone else."


    "..." Qu Yunxuan did not say anything and pped Dong Xuebing''s hand away. She then hugged her nket and turned away from him.


    "Aunt Xuan, say something." Dong Xuebing pushes Qu Yunxuan''s back lightly. "Give me an answer."


    Qu Yunxuan seems to be deliberating about something. She tosses and turns for a while and then looked at Dong Xuebing. "Xiao Bing, give me some time to consider can? To me, getting into a rtionship is not a joking matter. I need to consider this seriously. I will only get into a rtionship for marriage. If I agree to be with you, do you think we will get married? Even if we got married, I am so much older than you. Your colleagues and leaders at your workce will know and gossip behind your back."


    Dong Xuebing opened his eyes wide: "I shall see who dares to talk behind my back."


    "Look at yourself." Qu Yunxuan pinched Dong Xuebing''s cheeks. "You think you can stop everyone from gossiping about you?"


    "Let them gossip. I don''t care. Errr.... Will you be bothered by this?"


    ".... I... don''t care."


    "That''s it. This will not be a problem. Be my girlfriend, ok?"


    Qu Yunxuan blushed slightly and then cleared her throat. "Hmmm... Let me think about it."


    "What''s there to think? Although I have ordinary looks, height, character, family backgrounds and does not have high IQ or EQ, but... but I am still good in many areas, like... like... Damn. What am I talking about? No... What I want to say is that there are still some good points about me. Right? Right? You know, right?" Dong Xuebing said so much but could note up with any good points about himself.


    Qu Yunxuanughed and poked his head with his fingers. "Stupid."


    "See, you are doing this again. I''m stupid? I just can''t articte well and not smart enough. But my IQ should be around the national average, and definitely not below it. Stop calling me stupid. You make me feel like an idiot in front of you." This was something Dong Xuebing could not change. But he knew his EQ had increased a lot after he entered the workforce. He was much better than before.


    Qu Yunxuanughed. "You... I am praising you when I call you stupid. I don''t like those people who are smooth-talking."


    Dong Xuebing looked at her: "Then you like me?"


    "I did not say that."


    Dong Xuebing felt he stands a chance. He kicks his nket away and quickly got under Qu Yunxuan''s nket. "Give me an answer now. Are you willing to be my girlfriend?"


    "What are you doing? I told you not to touch me." Qu Yunxuan pushes him angrily. "Get out of my nket, or I will hit you."


    "You promise to be my girlfriend, and I will get out."


    "Let me think about it. Why are you so anxious?"


    "Ah? You ask me why I am anxious? I am already in my twenties and have never dated before. Now, I finally found someone I like, and this person I like still let me hold her hands, kiss her, and she even show some interest in me. Tell me, why shouldn''t I be anxious? Let me have a feel of being in a rtionship, ok?"


    Qu Yunxuan heard what Dong Xuebing and stop pushing him out of her nket. "I have also never dated anyone before. Why am I not anxious?"


    "Balls! You are almost 30, and you are not anxious? Who would believe you?"


    p. Qu Yunxuan hit his arms. "Stop swearing."


    Both argued on the topic of being anxious for several minutes when Dong Xuebing felt this was a meaningless argument. He rolled his eyes and stopped. Then he hugged Aunt Xuan''s curvy body from her back and pulled her back against his chest. His hand on her tummy pinched her fats lightly. "I don''t care whether if you are anxious or not. I only know that I am anxious. If you refuse to give me an answer, then I.... I will touch you."


    Qu Yunxuan used her head to push back against Dong Xuebing, hitting him on his chin lightly. "What are you saying? I will kill you!"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "You will also agree to be my girlfriend eventually. Just let me touch you in advance. Furthermore, I have also touched you before."


    "Who will agree to you? Fat hope!" Qu Yunxuan pinched the hand on her tummy and kept quiet for a long time. She turned her head slightly towards Dong Xuebing and covered her chest area with her left hand and covered her bottom part with her right. "Don''t be too much, or I will not allow you to touch me. Do you understand?"


    Dong Xuebing got excited and nodded.


    "Pervert!" Qu Yunxuan scolded and then closes her eyes.


    Dong Xuebing could felt his throat feeling dry from the excitement. He moved his hand down to Qu Yunxuan''s butt and squeezed outside her long johns. He lowered his head and kissed her ear lightly. He could feel her jumped slightly and he continued to kiss her ear lobes. Dong Xuebing had touched her thighs and legs before and thought he should try some other ces. This time, he decided to try the upper body. He moved his hand around her waist and found the opening of her long john top. He immediately put his cold hand under it.


    "It''s cold! Take it out!"


    "Hehe, it will warm up soon."


    "... You can only touch me outside my clothes. Do you hear me?"


    "Hah, it''s the same inside and outside. My hands are cold. You can help me warm it."


    "Then you are not allowed to move upwards! Stop! This is the furthest you can touch! Don''t move upwards anymore, or I will hit you."


    "Eh, this is only your tummy. I will just move upwards slightly. Hmmm... 5 cm ok?"


    "At most 1 cm."


    "How about 4 cm? 1 cm is too little." Dong Xuebing bargained.


    "2 cm. If you move any higher, you will touch my... You can take your hand out if you think it''s too little."


    "Ok. 2 cm will do. Release my hand."


    Dong Xuebing moved his hand higher and at the same time, pulled up her top slightly.


    A few secondster, Qu Yunxuan panicked. "Idiot! I told you not to be too much! Is this 2 cm? It is more than 6 cm! Stop fooling around! No! You cannot touch there!"


    "Just for 1 minute. I will take my hands away after 1 minute."


    "Eh..... you are being..."


    "Only 1 minute, ok? Please..."


    "You think you are allowed to touch anywhere you like? You will be the death of me! You... At most 10 seconds. I will count for you. 1.... 2... 3..." After counting 10 seconds, "Your 10 seconds is up. Move your hand away!"


    "A while more. Give me a few more minutes."


    "You don''t want to listen to me, is it? I am getting mad! Are you going to move your hand away?"


    "Aiya, just give me 1 more minute. Only 1 minute..." Dong Xuebing continued to bargain.


    5 minutes passed...


    10 minutes passed...


    Qu Yunxuan''s top was crumpled and pushed up all the way to her armpits. Her bottom was much better. Only the area around her butt was crumpled. Her long johns looked like it was just taken out from the washing machine.


    At this moment, Dong Xuebing was supporting himself with his arms above Qu Yunxuan. He was sweating. "Aunt Xuan, can I?"


    "What can?" Qu Yunxuan was blushing. Both her hands were covering the part between her legs. She opened her eyes wide and scolded: "I already let you touch all over my upper body. Now you want more? No! Absolutely no!"


    Dong Xuebing knew this will end up in a debate again. He decided to save his breath and reach over to pull her pants.


    "Do you believe that I will bite you to death?"


    ".... No."


    "You... stop. How can you... Wait! Stop! Wait, wait, wait..."


    "Huh? How long do I have to wait?"


    "Let me consider about our rtionship first. We cannot do this now!"


    "Then you can consider now and tell me."


    "Let''s talk about this a few dayster. How can I... Eh! I told you to stop! Why are you so anxious? You will tear my pants.... You... no... how about I show you that part, but you are not allowed to touch. This is the furthest I will go. Ok?" Qu Yunxuan gave in slightly.


    Seeing Qu Yunxuan giving in, Dong Xuebing took the chance. "We are already like this, what''s the difference with me looking and doing it?" Actually, he did not expect Qu Yunxuan to give in to him. After all, they are still not considered lovers. He was only trying his luck.


    "Of course. There is a big difference. You don''t... Wait... Errr... I... will let you touch that part, but we cannot do it, ok? You.... Why are you still pulling my pants down? Stop it..." Both of them wrestled under the nket for a while, and Qu Yunxuan gave up. She hit him on his arm. "Ok! Fine! Let go! I will take it off myself!"


    Dong Xuebing''s heart was racing and let go of his hand.


    Qu Yunxuan gave him a stare and pulled down her long john pants slowly. She was so slow that she took 1 minute to take it off.


    Dong Xuebing swallowed his saliva and asked: "Can we do it now?"


    "Let me think about it." Qu Yunxuan took in a deep breath and exhaled. "You really want to do it?"


    "Yes!"


    "But... that..."


    "What''s wrong?"


    Qu Yunxuan looked at him and then rxed. ".... Nothing. Then you... you..."


    She agreed? Dong Xuebing was excited and pressed down on her.


    "Stop... wait a while. Let me think about it. Stop first. I need to consider this." Qu Yunxuan curled up and covered all her important areas.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Qu Yunxuan tapped her face with both her hands to calm herself down. She looked at him and then looked at the door. Qu Yunxuan covered her chest and sat up, pushing Dong Xuebing away. "Move aside. I will go and hear if my Mum is asleep or not." She got off the bed, tip-toed to the door and pressed her ear against the door for a few minutes. She could hear faint snoring sounds in her living room and returned back under the nket.


    "Ok now?" Dong Xuebing asked eagerly.


    Qu Yunxuan rubbed her face and asked: "Are we really going to do it? How did things end up like this? I am not prepared at all.... Xiao Bing, can we do this tomorrow? Give me some time to prepare myself. My mother is still outside, and if we are too loud, she might hear us. Be a good boy and listen to me. Tomorrow. I promise to do that with you tomorrow. I will let you do whatever you want, ok?"


    "Is there any difference between today and tomorrow?" Dong Xuebing had been waiting for this for a long time. "I can''t even wait a single minute."


    Qu Yunxuan hesitated and said: "Then... then..."


    "Then what?" Dong Xuebing grabbed her hand, who was covering her lower body and lift it up above her pillow. He lowered himself and kissed her on her lips.


    Qu Yunxuan looked at him and returned the kisses. "... let''s do it then... you only know how to take advantage of me. You know that I can''t bear to hit you for real."


    Dong Xuebing was afraid that she will shout out "wait" at the final minute. "I am going to do that now."


    "Ok..."


    "You cannot ask me to stop now, ok?"


    "Hmmm."


    Hahaha. Sess!


    Dong Xuebing was looking forward to this day. He was more excited now than he got the results of the civil servant exams and his promotion. The woman lying on the bed beneath him was Aunt Xuan. A woman he secretly admired for years. She was his goddess, the perfect goddess!


    Now, Aunt Xuan had agreed to let him do that with her? Dong Xuebing felt he was dreaming.


    "What are you thinking?" Qu Yunxuan gave him a stare. "Are you going to do it? If you are not going to do it, I will sleep."


    "No, no, no...."


    Dong Xuebing was afraid that they would be too loud, he used the nket to cover both of them. It was dark inside, but Dong Xuebing could feel and found the right ces. The wriggled inside the nket for a while, and then a corner of the nket was lifted up, and long john pants were thrown out. After a while, a skinned-colored panty was thrown out.


    About a minuteter, Qu Yunxuan shouted out in pain.


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother asked: "Yunxuan, why are you shouting? What happened?"


    Dong Xuebing froze in his tracks. He dares not move.


    Qu Yunxuan was in pain and was covering her mouth. She heard her mother asking and quickly stick her head out of the nket and took a deep breath, before saying: "I identally touched my wound when I turned. I''m fine."


    "I thought something had happened. Go back to sleep." After saying that she yawned and outside became quiet again.


    Qu Yunxuan whispered in pain. "Wait for my Mum to sleep first. Can we stop now?"


    Dong Xuebing, who was ovee with lust, did not want to wait a single second more. He immediately starts to move again.


    "I told you to wait a while.... Ahhh...."


    10 minutes...


    15 minutes...


    The nket was moving up and down, and the bed was shaking with a steady rhythm. This was the first time Dong Xuebing touched a woman. He also did not know what to do. He just moved based on his feelings. Up, up, down, down, left, left, right, right... This feeling was terrific!!

 Chapter 129: Auction

    <h4>Chapter 129: Auction</h4>


    Next morning.


    The skies just turned bright, and Dong Xuebing woke up. He rubbed his eyes and stretched. He opened his mouth wide and wanted to yawn. But before he could yawn, p! A small fair hand covered his mouth, and the other hand put the finger on her lips, telling him not to make any noise. Dong Xuebing remembered he was still in Qu Yunxuan''s unit and her mother was still sleeping on the sofa outside. He listened carefully for a while, but could not hear any movements outside.


    "Xuan Xuan, you are up?"


    "Call me Aunt Xuan. Where is your respect? I woke up for a while."


    "We have already done that, how can I still address you as Aunt now?"


    "..."


    Qu Yunxuan was hugging Dong Xuebing''s waist and resting her head on his arms. Her long hair was on his shoulders, and she looked so cute and helpless. Dong Xuebing noticed there were some changes in Qu Yunxuan and he smiled. He had a sense of aplishment and felt fulfilled. He reached over and hugged her naked body. "You are awake for a while and is still hugging me? Huh? You still don''t want to admit that you like me all this while?"


    "Stop smirking!" Qu Yunxuan heard what Dong Xuebing said and blushed. She quickly pushes him away. "Who likes you?!"


    "Xiao Xuan Xuan..."


    "Call me Aunt!"


    Dong Xuebing cleared his throat: "Aunt Xuan, have you considered now? Are you willing to be my girlfriend?"


    Qu Yunxuan looked at him and pinched his nose yfully. "I still need to consider."


    "Huh? We are already in this state, and you still want to think about it?" Dong Xuebing replied and squeezed her butt.


    "I will hit you! Stop touching me!"


    "Fine... fine... go and consider. I will listen to you."


    Qu Yunxuanughed sweetly and pinched his nose again. "Ok. I will give you an answer when I am ready. Are you still going back to sleep? My Mum should be still sleeping. Later when she goes to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, you secretly sneak out. You cannot go out now. If you are sleepy, sleep a while more."


    "I''m not sleepy." Dong Xuebing hugged her tightly and asked. "Shall we do it one more time?"


    "Stop it! It''s still painful!"


    "You should be fine. Come, let try again. If you are in pain, we will stop."


    "Go to hell." Qu Yunxuan pinched his thigh hard. "Last night, my Mum almost heard us. We can''t do it now. If you still want, you got to wait until tonight."


    "We really cannot do it now?"


    "Absolutely no!"


    Dong Xuebing was itching to do it again. He had tasted Aunt Xuan once and wanted more. But Qu Yunxuan refused to do it now, and he did not want to force her. He suppressed his desire and just touched her all over her body. This time, Qu Yunxuan did not stop him. She looked at him lovingly and yed with his hair, twirling his hair around her fingers and used her long hair to tickle his face.


    Suddenly there were the sounds of slippers, and someone tried to open the bedroom door. "Why did you lock your door? Are you awake?"


    Qu Yunxuan immediately replies: "I was drained yesterday. Let me sleep a while longer. Are you preparing breakfast, or do you want me to prepare?"


    "Stop your nonsense. You are going to sleep a while more, how are you going to prepare breakfast? I will cook breakfast. You get up now. Later you got to look for a new job." After nagging at her daughter, Qu Yunxuan''s mother went to the bathroom to wash up.


    Qu Yunxuan pped the hand which was still on her breast lightly. "Go and get dress."


    Dong Xuebing unwillingly take his hands off her and start to wear his clothes. Qu Yunxuan felt embarrassed, but she still got out from under the nket to look for her underwear and long johns. Dong Xuebing was looking at her while she wore her clothes. She gave him a stare, and after she got dressed, she walked over to Dong Xuebing and helped him button up his shirt. She was like a newlywed wife helping her husband wear his shirt.


    Dong Xuebing suddenly got an idea: "Aunt Xuan, let me hear you calling me, Dear."


    Qu Yunxuan blushed and rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about?!"


    "Just once. One time will do."


    "Shameless." Qu Yunxuan straightens his cor. "I''m not calling you that."


    "Eh, you got nothing to lose when you call me dear."


    Qu Yunxuan rolled her eyes again and ignored him. She quickly took out the blood-stained bedsheets and stuff it into the bottom of her closet.


    There were sounds of cooking in the kitchen. Qu Yunxuan''s mother had started cooking.


    "Go back now. If not, you will not have the chance to go out." Qu Yunxuan opened the door and looked outside. She saw there was no one in the living room and turned back to pull Dong Xuebing. They quickly walked across the living to the door and opened the door softly. "Hurry up."


    Dong Xuebing said: "I need to go out in the morning and should be back in the afternoon. I will look for you when Ie back."


    Qu Yunxuan nodded. "I.... will wait for you."


    "Try to ask your mother to go back tonight, so we can..."


    "Just go! Stop talking nonsense here! Go!"


    Dong Xuebing returned back to his unit with a good mood. He had finally bedded Aunt Xuan. He had finally tried the feeling of making love.... It was... it was... exciting. Dong Xuebing took off his clothes and went to take a shower. After he dried his hair, he thought if he should go and watch those type of films to learn some tricks.


    Ring, ring, ring... Dong Xuebing''s iPhone 4 rang.


    Dong Xuebing looked at the number. It was Teacher Sun from Hanhai Auctions. "Hello, Teacher Sun?"


    "Xiao Dong, the auctions will be starting soon. I have prepared the ticket for you. What time are youing?"


    "Thank you. It''s from Ya An Hotel? I will go over now."


    "Ok. I will wait for you at the carpark."


    After hanging up, Dong Xuebing was thinking of giving Aunt Xuan a surprise. His pearl ne would be auctioned off in the morning, and he should get 1 million RMB. He would be able to help her set up apany she wants.


    10 am.


    An Ya Hotel.


    There was a big open-air carpark in front of the hotel. Dong Xuebing saw Teacher Sun the moment he alighted from his taxi. Teacher Sun was on the phone not far from the entrance of the hotel. He seems to be very busy. He ended his call when Dong Xuebing walked over to him. Teacher Sun saw him and smiled. "You are here? Let''s go up together. The auctions are at the ballroom on level 7." Teacher Sun took out a number sign. "Here. This is for you. No. 33."


    Dong Xuebing took the sign from him: "Thank you."


    "Don''t mention it. Actually, you don''t need this sign to enter the auctions. I can just tell them to let you in."


    "Oh really? I thought I need to ce a deposit to enter."


    "Hahaha, you are a seller. We will let you in. You have your own sign now. If you see anything that interests you, you can bid. I saw the list of items on auctions. There are some items which are quite worth bidding."


    Dong Xuebing nodded and thought to himself. He had less than 2,000 RMB left. How to bid?


    Teacher Sun brought Dong Xuebing to the ballroom and then left. He seems to be in a hurry. He should have some work back at Han Hai Auctions waiting for him.


    The small ballroom was spacious, and there were not a lot of chairs around. There was only 7 ¨C 8 rows of chairs. Many men in business suits were walking in after registering. Dong Xuebing showed his number sign to the staffs at the entrance and entered. He chose a seat in thest row at a corner and sat there waiting for the auction to start.


    10 minutester, the auction starts.


    The auctioneer walked up the stage with a mic and said: "Good morning,dies and gentlemen. Wee to Han Hai Auctions'' 27th auctions. It''s an honor for me to hold the bidding hammer in front of you. I am Li Bin, a national auctioneer in the country. My registration number is 15336781." The auctioneer was about 40 years old. After his opening, he started to count the number signs present.


    It was not long before the first item appeared on the screen.


    The auctioneer introduces: "This is a 3-legged furnace from the mid-Qing dynasty. The height is 13 cm, and the color is fine with good craftsmanship. This furnace is rare and very hard to find. The starting bid is 2,000 and every time you raise your number sign is an increase of 500 RMB. Ok, let the bidding start."


    Dong Xuebing heard raising the sign was only adding 500 RMB to the bid, he knew this item will not fetch a high price.


    A fatdy raises her number sign.


    The auctioneer says: "2,500... No. 2 bid 2,500..."


    A man from southern province raised his sign and shouted: "4,000."


    "4,000... is there anyone higher? 4,000..."


    In the end, the man from the southern province won the furnace. The transaction price was 10,000 RMB.


    2 minutester, the bidding started for the second item.


    This was the first time Dong Xuebing went to an auction. He was looking at those people bidding with interest. Suddenly, someone opened the door, and 4 young men entered with their number signs. After entering, they started to look for seats. The leader of them, about 30 years old, with long hair looked over toward Dong Xuebing. There were 3 empty seats beside him.


    The man with a mole said to the long-haired man. "Wei Nan, let''s sit over there."


    The long hair man nodded and walked over with his 3 friends. "Hey, friend."


    Dong Xuebing had seen them and knew they will be going to him as there were 3 empty ces beside him. He moved his legs to let them pass. But those people did not move. Dong Xuebing was puzzled. "You all are not going in?"


    That Wei Nan said: "Friend, can you sit some other ces?"


    Dong Xuebing was stunned for a few seconds. "What do you think?"


    Wei Nan replied. "There is an empty seat in front. We are here together and would want to sit together."


    Dong Xuebing was frustrated. Damn. You all want to sit together, and I got to give up my seat for you all? Why should I? Who do you think you are? "If you all want to sit together at the auction,e early next time. I want to sit here. You all can look for other seats." Dong Xuebing had been a leader for a month. His way of talking had changed slightly and sounded like he was teaching others. If these people were here before the auctions, Dong Xuebing would not mind switching seats with them. But the auction started, and they werete. Yet they still want to choose seats? You want me to give up my seat to you all and then go to the front to look for an empty seat? Are you crazy?!


    "Hey!" That man with a mole was furious. "You think you are some sort of big shot?"


    Wei Nan frowned and stared at Dong Xuebing. "Bro, give me some face."


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself. You all don''t even know basic courtesy and still, want me to give up my seat? He smiled coldly and said: "You want me to give you face? Then who will give me face?!"


    A young man at the back banged the table: "F**K! Are you going to change seats?"


    Dong Xuebing looked at that man in his eyes and said slowly: "Watch yournguage! I am not changing!"


    That young man was furious, but Wei Nan pulled him back and shook his head. He looked at Dong Xuebing and then told the person beside him: "You go and find a ce in front." That man seems to be his follower. He nodded and quickly walk to the front. Wei Nan and the other two men sat down beside Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing can''t be bothered with them and continued to watch the auctions.


    The 3rd item...


    The 5th item...


    Wei Nan and his men seem to be waiting for some item. They did not raise their number signs even once.


    Suddenly, the auctioneer on the stage announced: "The following item... is an item lots of you are waiting for. This is also thest item up for auction in the morning. Pearl Ne. The pearls are all-natural and are all golden pearls. Every pearl has a diameter ranging from 1.4 cm to 1.8 cm. You can never find such a ne elsewhere.... The starting bid is... 500,000 RMB! Every time you raise your number sign is 10,000 RMB. Bidding starts now!"


    It''s here! Dong Xuebing brightens up and starts to look around!


    A man with a mustache raised his sign.


    "510,000.... Is there anyone higher? 510,000...."


    A middle-aged woman raised her sign without hesitations and shouted: "550,000!"


    A young man in the front roll raised his sign. 560,000.


    That middle-aged woman shouted again: "600,000 RMB!"


    The auctioneer shouted: "600,000... No. 6 bid 600,000... is there anyone else interested? 600,000 once..."


    Dong Xuebing also got excited when he saw people fighting over his item. He secretly prayed that there are a few tycoons among the crowded. If only two people were interested in this ne, then the prices will not go up. Can it be higher?


    "620,000!"


    "No. 21 bid 620,000... 620,000... Oh, thatdy over there. No. 6 bid 630,000... is 630,000 the highest bid? Ah! No. 21 bid 650,000! 650,000 once... 650,000 twice... Over there! 690,000.... Is there anyone higher?"


    That No. 6 middle-aged woman gave up.


    Just when Dong Xuebing was nervously looking at the auctions, a loud voice shouted beside him: "750,000!"


    Dong Xuebing was shocked and turned to look at the long hair man sitting beside him. It was Wei Nan who made that bid. Dong Xuebing thought to himself. So, these people are here for my pearl ne. No wonder they did not bid on other items. But when Dong Xuebing looked at them, they were also looking at Dong Xuebing proudly. Their eyes were looking down at him. It was like saying ''look, we made a 750,000 bid. Can you bid so much?''


    Damn! The ne you all are bidding is mine! Do you all need to be so proud?! Dong Xuebing could tell that this Wei Nan was wealthy and look down on others. He took a nce at Dong Xuebing arrogantly, and look away.


    "750,000... No. 36 bid 750,000... any more bids?"


    A middle-aged man, who had made a bid for the ne, turned and saw Wei Nan. He looked surprised and then smiled.


    Wei Nan returned his smile.


    That middle-aged man put down his number sign. He decided to give up on that ne.


    Dong Xuebing was surprised too. These two people knew each other? Damn! They are not going to outbid each other? Come on! Increase the bids! It''s only 750,000 now!


    That man from the southern province continued to bid. "800,000!"


    Wei Nan did not even think about it. "850,000!"


    That man thought for a while: "860,000!"


    Wei Nan shouted loudly: "880,000!"


    Dong Xuebing also realized that quite a lot of people at the auction knew Wei Nan. A lot of them turned and smiles at him. Dong Xuebing immediately knew this Wei Nan must be someone prominent, or someone from his family had lots of connections. If not, those people in their 40s and 50s will not give in to a young man in his early 30s.


    Someone powerful? Who cares! Hurry up and raise the bids! 880,000 is still too little!


    Dong Xuebing did not care about anything else. He was only concern about how much his ne could fetch. He needed the money to set up apany!


    "880,000 once... Any higher bids? 880,000..." The auctioneer shouted. "880,000 twice..."


    Dong Xuebing was worried.


    No more bids?! No one at the auction dares topete with this man?!


    F**k! What was happening? Come on! Don''t end this so early!


    Dong Xuebing''s heart was thumping. The starting bid was low and increased very fast. But now, the ne had only fetched a low price of 880,000 RMB. Dong Xuebing still have to pay the auction housemission. He might as well sell the ne to someone at 1 million. These people at the auction might not be interested in this ne, or they might have stop bidding because of some other reasons.


    Dong Xuebing would only get about 600,000 RMB after deducting themission if the ne was sold at 880,000!


    God damn it! I put in so much effort for this ne, and I can only get 600,000 RMB?! It was too far from 1 million!


    "880,000... any more bids?" The auctioneer had already raised his hammer.


    Wei Nan was smiling confidently. This was a surprise. He had expected this ne to reach 1.2 million. He had got a big bargain! The people here were not interested in pearls. Hahaha... I will save quite a bit.


    Damn! Dong Xuebing was pissed when he saw Wei Nan''s smile.


    This is it? Let this fellow get this bargain? I can only get back about 600,000 RMB? I wasted my time to go to Zhejiang?


    "880,000..." The auctioneer moved his hammer and was about to drop it. "Going thrice..."


    Before he could finish saying his sentence, someone quickly raises his number sign and shouts: "1 million!"


    Everyone at the auction turned and look!


    It was Dong Xuebing who had bid!


    Wei Nan was stunned for a while and looked at Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing did not look at anyone. He was just looking at the ne.


    "1 million... No. 33 bid 1 million..."


    A young man sitting beside Wei Nan cursed and then whispered something to Wei Nan. After that, Wei Nan raised his sign "1.05 million!" Wei Nan was thinking to himself. ''I shall see if you dare to continue.'' Wei Nan was from a wealthy family and had met lots of sessful businessmen before. He could tell from Dong Xuebing''s dressing and bodynguage, that he was not someone rich.


    But Dong Xuebing did not even hesitate. He just raised the bid: "1.2 million!"


    Wei Nan was shocked. His friends beside him were also shocked. This young brat dares to bid more than 1 million?


    "Oh... 1.2 million... anyone else with higher bids? No. 33 had bid 1.2 million... Going once... 1.2 million... Going twice..."


    Wei Nan gritted his teeth. "1.3 million!" He felt Dong Xuebing should not dare to raise his bid any further.


    But Dong Xuebing dares: "1.4 million!"


    Wei Nan was furious. This person had made him lose face in front of his friends earlier. He could have won this ne at 880,000 RMB, but this person purposely increases the bid. Trying topete who have more money with me? I am not scared! He raised: "1.45 million!"


    Dong Xuebing shouts: "1.5 million!"


    Wei Nan clenched his teeth: "1.55 million!"


    Dong Xuebing turned and took a look at Wei Nan, before raising his sign: "1.6 million!"


    The rest of the people at the auction stirred.


    Everyone at the auction could feel the tension and keep quiet. They were looking at both Dong Xuebing and Wei Nan. 1.6 million... This was a ridiculous price. Was he bidding this ne for his girlfriend?


    Wei Nan''s face changed and looked furious for a while, before calming himself down. He knew he should not continue to bid. It was not because he did not have the money. It was because he felt it was not worth it. He smiled coldly to himself. 1.6 million for a ne which was worth only about 1 million RMB? Are you stupid? He turned to the two young men beside him and said something. Those two young men looked at Dong Xuebing and smiled. With themission, Dong Xuebing got to pay at least 1.8 million!


    "1.6 million once... 1.6 million twice..." The auctioneer raised his hammer and hit it hard. "1.6 million thrice! Sold!"


    Wei Nan was pleased. Heughed to himself and called Dong Xuebing fool in his heart.


    Dong Xuebing turned and looked at Wei Nan. He was also calling him a fool in his heart. He smiled at Wei Nan and said: BACK!


    The scenes before his eyes shed!


    Dong Xuebing could feel his hand was raised. He looked up and saw he was holding his number sign.


    The auctioneer, which had dropped the hammer earlier, had returned back to the time when Dong Xuebing and Wei Nan werepeting. He pointed to Dong Xuebing: "Oh... 1.2 million... anyone else with higher bids? No. 33 had bid 1.2 million... Going once... 1.2 million... Going twice..."


    This was the time before the bidding ends!


    Dong Xuebing had saved his powers, and he could use it 3 times. Now, he had used once, and he still have two times left.


    Dong Xuebing suddenly got this idea when Wei Nan was about to win the ne at 880,000 RMB. He had almost forgotten about his powers after not using it for a few days.


    Wei Nan gritted his teeth and looked at Dong Xuebing coldly. "1.3 million!" It was as if he was daring Dong Xuebing to raise the bid.


    Dong Xuebing shouts: "1.4 million!"


    Wei Nan frowned and raised the bid: "1.45 million!"


    Dong Xuebing shouts: "1.5 million!"


    Wei Nan looked at his two friends and then shouted: "1.55 million!" Wei Nan calmed down and took a few deep breaths. He had thought about this. From Dong Xuebing''s previous few bids, Wei Nan felt Dong Xuebing would surely increase his bids. You are so confident about getting that ne? But I am not! I will not waste my money like this. Hahaha, this will teach you a lesson!


    "1.55 million.... Any more bids? 1.55 million once..."


    Wei Nan lowered his head and said something to his friends.


    Those two young men seem to understand what was happening and were looking at Dong Xuebing. They were trying to dare Dong Xuebing to bid.


    But after Dong Xuebing shouted 1.5 million, he did not say anything else and closes his eyes!


    Wei Nan did not expect Dong Xuebing to react this way. He was stunned.


    "1.55 million twice... Anyone with a higher bid?" That Auctioneer looked at Dong Xuebing in the crowd and noticed that Dong Xuebing looks like he had fallen asleep. The auctioneer was speechless and then raise his hammer: "1.55 million... thrice! Bang!" He dropped the hammer hard: "Sold!"


    Wei Nan and his friends'' face changed! Why this person did not carry on bid? He had been bidding without hesitation earlier. He seemed to be determined to get this ne, and that''s why he bid 1.5 million....


    p, p, p... Everyone at the auction pped. They were pping for Wei Nan!


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed in his heart. The returns this time was huge!


    1.55 million RMB!


    After deducting themission and other charges, Dong Xuebing would get about 1.3 million RMB! This was 300,000 more than the 1 million he expected!!!

 Chapter 130: Company

    <h4>Chapter 130: Company</h4>


    Evening.


    Dong Xuebing was humming a song excitedly as he returned to Heping North street. He had just returned from Han Hai Auctions. He waste because he wanted to give Aunt Xuan a surprise. That Wei Nan had paid for the ne with a credit card in the afternoon. By right, Dong Xuebing would get the money one weekter. But he went to Han Hai Auctions to wait for them to transfer 1.32 million RMB into his ount.


    Qu Yunxuan''s unit.


    Qu Yunxuan and her mother had brought out the dishes from the kitchen.


    Dong Xuebing, who had just entered the apartment,ughed: "Aunt Xuan, Aunty, I am here for dinner."


    "Xiao Bing, you are back at the right time. I did not see you for some time, and you look brighter. Are you dating someone now?" Qu Yunxuan''s mother said.


    Dong Xuebing secretly looked at Qu Yunxuan and cleared his throat. "No. Who would want to date someone like me?"


    Qu Yunxuan set the chopsticks and bowls on the table and knocked Dong Xuebing''s head. "Can''t you give other replies? What''s wrong with you? Although your sry is not high, at least you are getting the benefits of a Deputy Section Chief. You are still very young. I had the farewell dinner with my colleagues yesterday, and an older sister of mine kept asking me about you. She says she wants to introduce her niece to you."


    Qu Yunxuan''s motherughed. "Good. Yunxuan, you must help Xiao Bing keep a lookout."


    Qu Yunxuanughed: "I must see what Xiao Bing thinks. If he is interested, I will introduce someone to him."


    "Errr... Never mind. I am not in a hurry." Dong Xuebing rolled his eyes and thought to himself. Aunt Xuan is good at pretending.


    During dinner, Qu Yunxuan''s mother kept adding food to Dong Xuebing''s bowl. "Xiao Bing, I have heard what happened at the news agency. I really want to thank you. You have saved Yunxuan''s life before, and you have helped her again this time. Here... eat more..." Qu Yunxuan''s mother kept saying beautiful things to Dong Xuebing and suddenly asked: "Xiao Bing, I heard that you know a leader at the Central Publicity department?"


    Dong Xuebing swallowed his food and replied: "Yes. I know her, but we are not very close."


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother looked at Dong Xuebing and put down her chopsticks. "Can you ask that leader if she can help your Aunt Xuan get a job?"


    "Mum!" Qu Yunxuan frowned. "Xiao Bing had helped me a lot. We cannot bother him anymore."


    Dong Xuebing smiled and rubbed his nose. "This... should not be a problem. Aunt Xuan, you still want to work in the media industry? If you want, I can ask for you. But I thought you want to set up apany and be a general manager?"


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother smiled when he heard Dong Xuebing was willing to help. "Come, try this braised pork. Hahaha. Don''t listen to your Aunt Xuan. Who would want her to be a General Manager? Didn''t the stock market crash recently? All her savings are trapped inside. It will take at least 1 year before she can take out her savings. How can she set up apany without money? She can''t even afford the rent of a roadside stall."


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. "Ah? You lost money in the stock market? Why didn''t you tell me?"


    Qu Yunxuan smiled wearily. "It''s not a lot of money."


    "Aiyo... if you need money, I can give you some." Qu Yunxuan should be feeling the strain after losing her savings and job.


    Qu Yunxuan rolled her eyes. "Save it. Your sry is not high too. I can manage on my own."


    "Oh, ok."


    Dong Xuebing noticed that Qu Yunxuan might have bathed when he was out. Her dressing and makeup were not the same as the morning. She was now wearing a white knitted sweater and a pair of tight ck pants. He could see the outlines of her shapely legs. Dong Xuebing continued eating and secretly took off his slippers under the table. He used his feet and toes to rub against Aunt Xuan''s legs.


    Qu Yunxuan immediately blushed and avoided looking at Dong Xuebing. She just lowered her head and continue eating.


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother did not notice anything wrong and was still talking. "Among the few youngsters in the neighborhood, only Xiao Bing stand out. I was chatting with some neighbors in the afternoon, and they were still talking about that Section Chief Xu incident. Sigh... Just look at our Yunxuan. She tried to set up apany with her friends after graduation, but thepany failed. Now? She lost her job and savings. If this carries on, when will I get to carry a grandson? Xiao Bing, you must help me persuade your Aunt Xuan. It is not practical to set up apany and do business. She should just get a husband...."


    Dong Xuebing smiled embarrassedly. "Ok. I will try to talk to her." As he was replying, he raised his feet upwards to caress Aunt Xuan''s thighs under the table.


    Qu Yunxuan was fidgeting, and she lowered one hand to stop Dong Xuebing''s feet in between her legs. "Don''t try to persuade me. I will stop dreaming about owning a business. I also did not say I need a partner to set up a business. But now, even I want to set up a business or get into a partnership with someone else, is also impossible."


    Qu Yunxuan was pressing down on Dong Xuebing''s ankle to stop his leg from moving, but he could still move his toes. His toes were moving up and down, feeling her thighs through the smooth fabric of her pants.


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother was oblivious to what was happening under the table. She smiled when she heard what her daughter said. "That''s right. You should get a husband as soon as possible and have a grandson for me to take care."


    Qu Yunxuan''s breathing was getting faster and then said: "Let me... get a job first. I can get a job myself and don''t need Xiao Bing''s help."


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother grumbled. "It is better to work for the government. What job can you get? Privatepanies? Foreignpanies?"


    "Just let me handle this." Qu Yunxuan closed her legs tightly and was trying to push Dong Xuebing''s leg away under the table.


    "Eh, why is your face red?" Qu Yunxuan''s mother frowned. "Are you having a fever? Come over and let me take a look."


    "Nothing. I just feel a bit warm."


    Dong Xuebing stopped teasing her and retract his leg and wear back his slippers. He continued with his dinner heartily. Tight pants feel the best. It was smooth, stic, and feel like he was touching her legs directly.


    After dinner, Qu Yunxuan said: "Mum, you go back and rest early. I will wash the dishes."


    Qu Yunxuan''s mother nodded: "You better get a job soon. Xiao Bing, I will go back now. Come over to my ce when you are free."


    "Ok. Bye."


    Dong Xuebing and Qu Yunxuan walked Qu Yunxuan''s mother to the door and watch her walked down the stairs. After Qu Yunxuan closed the door, she immediately hit Dong Xuebing a few times on his arm. "You pervert. My mother is around, and you still dare to touch me? Are you itching for a beating?" p, p, p. "Do you still dare to touch me again?"


    Touch you?


    Dong Xuebing heard the word ''touch'' and got excited. "Xuan Xuan, then can I touch you now?"


    "What are you talking about?" Qu Yunxuan immediately takes one step back. "Shameless. You cannot touch me today."


    Dong Xuebing selectively choose to not hear that, and move forward and pinned both of her hands against the door.


    Qu Yunxuan was against the door and could not move away. "You hooligan! Stop disturbing me. I still have not wash the dishes... Ah.... Don''t touch there... No... it is still daylight now. Let''s wait until night... Ah... Noooo... We cannot do this in the day... stop taking off my clothes... you... stop! You will be the death of me... you... go to the room! If we do it here, the neighbors will hear us."


    Dong Xuebing stopped kissing her neck and then carried her up.


    Qu Yunxuan blushed and hugged him around his neck. Her face was all red as she stares at him. "I should not let you do itst night. I should have known after the first time, you will keep wanting it... Why did I have to get involved with you? You are a hooligan, pervert!"


    Dong Xuebing carried her and walked quickly into her room and threw her onto the bed. "Am I really that bad?"


    "What do you think?" Qu Yunxuan immediately pulled up her pants, which was around her knees. "Other than bullying me, what else can you do? You are just a hooligan." Although Qu Yunxuan was scolding Dong Xuebing, she was still looking very feminine and sexy.


    "Then I will show you what is bad!" Dong Xuebing took off all his clothes in a few seconds and jumped onto the bed. "What''s wrong?"


    Qu Yunxuan was staring at him angrily for a few seconds, and then she slowly pulled up her sweater. "Switch off the lights and pull up the curtains." After she stripped, she moved over and opened the bottom drawer of her bedside drawers. She took out a small box and threw it at Dong Xuebing. "Wear this!"


    Dong Xuebing picked up that small box. Everything on the box was written in English. "What is this?"


    Qu Yunxuan blushed. "I also don''t know."


    "Huh? You don''t know what this is, and you want me to wear it?" Dong Xuebing looked at the back of the box and realized what this item was. It was a box of condoms. "You bought this during the day?"


    Qu Yunxuan seems to remember something and hit him. "You still dare to mention this? I am so embarrassed today. That look from the cashier is so..."


    Dong Xuebingughed. "You are just feeling guilty, and that''s the reason why you feel other people are giving you weird looks."


    "You are the guilty one. It''s all your fault!"


    "Fine, fine, fine... Everything is my fault." Dong Xuebing opened the box and took out everything from the box. He then tears open one and examines it. "Errr... Aunt Xuan, this.... How do I use this? Do you know?"


    "How would I know? You are asking for a beating?!"


    "I also don''t know how to use it. Huh, there are instructions. Wait a while."


    5 minutes passed...


    10 minutes passed...


    After experimenting and wasting two condoms, Dong Xuebing finally knew how to wear it. He saw Qu Yunxuan looking at him and felt he was belittled. "The instructions are not clear. It''s too vague. I... "Qu Yunxuan rolled her eyes, and Dong Xuebing stopped exining. He jumped on top of her and start their ''wrestling'' session.


    Time passes.


    The skies had turned dark, and the curtains had blocked most of the moonlight. The room was very dark.


    Both their breathing slowly calmed down. After a while, Qu Yunxuan said in the darkness. She sounded tired. "You got what you want now. You are not allowed to ask for more tonight. I whole body is aching."


    "Hmmm... Let''s talk about itter at night."


    p! Dong Xuebing got a p on his arm. "I still have not agreed to be your girlfriend. What is this?" Dong Xuebing felt Qu Yunxuan hugging him around his waist. "If your mother and my mother find out about our rtionship, there will be an uproar."


    Dong Xuebing held her hand, which was hugging him. "Stop being so negative. What uproar? My mother would be overjoyed to have a daughter-inw like you. Your mother also likes me a lot. I think they will not mind."


    "My mother is..." Aunt Xuan stopped halfway.


    Dong Xuebing knew what she wanted to say. Her mother does not speak her mind and thinks different from the way she acts. "Let''s stop thinking about these. Xuan Xuan, I want to ask you something."


    "Call me, Aunt Xuan!"


    "Aunt Xuan, I want to ask you something."


    "What?"


    "Do you really want to start your own business?"


    "Not anymore."


    "Really?"


    "... Yes..."


    Dong Xuebingughed. "I thought I can surprise with a gift. Never mind. Seems like my gift is useless now."


    "Surprise? What surprise?"


    "Never mind. Just pretend I never say anything."


    Dong Xuebing felt a pinch on his tummy. "You cannot do this. Quick tell me about this surprise."


    "Call me ''Dear hubby'' and I will tell you."


    "You... you are making fun of me. I will not call you that."


    "Then forget it."


    One minuteter. "... Can I just call you, dear?"


    "No."


    "You... It''s fine even if you do not want to tell me. You must have bought some cosmetics for me, right?" After a while, Qu Yunxuan asked. "Xiao Bing, is it cosmetics? Or.... Perfume? It must be perfume. What brand is it?" Qu Yunxuan was a bit mad when she saw Dong Xuebing ignoring her. She hit him twice on his back and hesitated for a long time. Finally, she moved closer to Dong Xuebing''s ear and bit it lightly. She said softly into his ears: "Dear hubby, dear Xiao Bing Xiao Bing Gege.... are you satisfy now?"


    Dong Xuebing could feel his body melting. "Yes... yes... Xiao Bing Gege sounds nice. You will call me this in the future."


    "Why don''t you go to hell?" Qu Yunxuan felt embarrassing to call someone much younger than her as an older brother. Her face was already as red as a tomato. "Hurry up and tell me. What surprises do you have for me? Did you spend money on some expensive items again? If you do that, I will hit you with a feather duster."


    Dong Xuebing cleared his throat and got up from the bed. He put on his slippers and switch on the lights. Qu Yunxuan immediately covers herself up with the nkets. Dong Xuebingughed and walked naked to his clothes on the chair. He took out a bank book from his pocket. It was an ICBC bank book. This saving ount is linked to an ATM card in his wallet. A few years ago, ICBC bank had issued ATM cards which were linked directly to savings ounts. But this was stopped because of security issues. Now, not a lot of people owns ATM cards with full ess to their savings ount.


    "Bank book?" Qu Yunxuan''s eyes opened wide. She was older than Dong Xuebing and had more pride. "Didn''t I say I still have enough money? I don''t need to use your money."


    Dong Xuebing passed the bank book to her: "Eh, I did not say I am lending you money. Take a look at first."


    Qu Yunxuan snatched the bank book from and threw it on the bed. "I am not looking, and I don''t need your money."


    "Just one look." Dong Xuebing opened up the bank book and showed it to Qu Yunxuan. "Here. Look here."


    Qu Yunxuan gave him a stare and then took a nce at the bank book. "Ok. I have seen it. What do you want?" Qu Yunxuan finished saying and then froze suddenly. She looked at the bank book again. "1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 7 zeros? 1.32 million?"


    Dong Xuebing nodded and was waiting for Qu Yunxuan to praise him. How many people can raise 1 million in 3 months? Dong Xuebing felt proud of this achievement.


    But Qu Yunxuan did not praise him. Instead, her face turned ck with anger and pointed at him in his face. She then grabbed a pillow and start hitting him. "You brat! What did I tell you before you enter the government service? You must not ept any money from others. Why you did not listen to me? 1 million? Are you crazy?"


    Dong Xuebing quickly raised his hand to shield himself. "Aunt Xuan, Xuan Xuan, wait. Listen to me first."


    "What do you want to say? Hurry and return the money. Do you want to go to jail?"


    "Huh? This is my hard-earned money and is not from bribes." Dong Xuebing was speechless. He grabbed Qu Yunxuan and exined: "Just think about it. I am only a deputy Chief of a General Affairs Office. What authority do I have? Who is willing to spend so much money to bribe me? Are they idiots?" Qu Yunxuan stopped, and Dong Xuebing continued. "I got this money legally. I traded shares once, found an ancient coin once, stone and pearl gambling. Here, I still have a contract with me. This morning, I sold a golden pearl ne at Han Hai Auctions and got 1.32 million RMB."


    Qu Yunxuan asked: "Really?


    "Of course. I will not lie to you."


    Qu Yunxuan opened the bank book and looked at all the transactions. "What about all these transactions? Exin all these transactions to me."


    Dong Xuebing briefly exined to her, and he ims it was all due to his luck.


    After hearing Dong Xuebing''s exnations, Qu Yunxuan took a deep breath. "Wow... you got 1.3 million just like this?" Qu Yunxuan was happy for Dong Xuebing and gave him a yful pinched on his nose. "You are really capable. Now, you do not need to rent an apartment here. Hurry and buy a two-bedroom unit. You should not be renting apartment forever. Hmmmm... 1.3 million should be able to get a small 2-bedrooms apartment outside of the fourth ring. When are you going to view houses? I can help to give you some suggestions."


    Dong Xuebingughed and put the bank book into Qu Yunxuan''s hand.


    Qu Yunxuan was stunned. "What are you going to?"


    "What am I doing?" Dong Xuebingughed and said: "This is for you to set up your own business."


    Qu Yunxuanughed and gave him a stare: "Stop joking, or I will really take this bank book away."


    Dong Xuebing replied. "I am serious. This money if for you. Didn''t I say I am giving you a surprise? Here. This is a surprise."


    "For me?" Qu Yunxuan paused for a while, before throwing the bank book back at him. "I cannot ept your money."


    Dong Xuebing pushed the bank book back to her. "Why not? Don''t you want to start your own business? 1.3 million should be enough."


    Qu Yunxuan''s eyes were teary and said: "How can I use your money? No."


    "Eh, is there still a need to differentiate what''s mine and yours? I have thought about this before. Buying a house can wait. When thepany can make money, we will be able to afford a new house easily. Let''s split this money equally. Thepany will be registered under your name, and you will manage it. I will just get 50% of shares of thepany and wait for my share of the profits. Ok?"


    "Of course not. The money belongs to you, why are you only getting 50%?"


    "Then I get 60% shares."


    Qu Yunxuan thought for a while and said. "Xiao Bing... Thank you. Thank you so much. It has been my dream to set up my own business, but I cannot use your many. If you really care for me and wants to set up a business, then I can register thepany under my name. But you own all the shares of thepany. I will only help you manage thepany. Just give me some sry after thepany is set up. If the business fails, then... Forget it. Let''s forget it. I do not have confidence to make this work. I am afraid of your money..."


    "It''s our money."


    "It''s yours."


    "It''s ours."


    "..."


    Dong Xuebing continued: "Stop thinking about the profits and losses. What matter most is you are happy. Just do whatever business you like and don''t give yourself too much pressure. It''s fine even if you lose money." Dong Xuebing hugged her and nted a kiss on her chest. "I am happy when you are happy."


    Qu Yunxuan''s tears were able to fall. She hugged Dong Xuebing and asked: "Why do you treat me so well?"


    "Because I like you."


    "This is more than 1 million, and you are just leaving so much money with me? You don''t even care about what business I will be doing, and don''t care about the profits and losses?"


    "Hahaha, I just care about you. Since you want to start your own business, then we will start it."


    Qu Yunxuan tightens her hug: "Thank you... Thank you very much. This is really a surprise. I..."


    Dong Xuebing interrupted her: "To be honest, you are the one who had given me a bigger surprise. I never expected to be able to sleep with you."


    "You are talking nonsense." Qu Yunxuan rolled her eyes. "I am very touched, and you just blurt out such vulgar words. You want me to hit you?"


    Dong Xuebing eximed: "Sleeping with you is vulgar?"


    "Yes."


    "Then let''s talk about something which is not vulgar."


    Dong Xuebing and Qu Yunxuan held hands and sat on the bed. They were discussing happily and while holding on to the bank book. They were looking forward to the future and feels like a married couple. In the end, Qu Yunxuan decided to look around first before deciding what business to go into. She was considering the industry of their business and whether if they should set up the business in Beijing. These were all not decided. She also refused to own any shares of thispany, despite Dong Xuebing persuasions. Dong Xuebing also gave up. Anyway, both of them were already in a rtionship, and it doesn''t matter who owns more shares. They just want to work hard together and make thispany a sess.


    Notes: Ge Ge (¸ç¸ç) = older brother. In China, some women would call their boyfriends Ge Ge.

 Chapter 131: Back to work

    <h4>Chapter 131: Back to work</h4>


    The next day.


    Dong Xuebing had handed over the task of setting up apany with Aunt Xuan and did not want to interfere. After waking up, he cleaned up his unit and then took a taxi to the Western District Branch Bureau. He had received a call from Deputy Chief Xu Yanst night, telling him that his vacation was over. Dong Xuebing had also finished what he needs to do. He has the money and a girlfriend now. What''s left was his promotion to Deputy Section Chief rank.


    Dong Xuebing smiled and greeted his colleagues as he walked into the bureau''spound.


    "Oh, Chief Dong, you are back."


    "Good morning Chief Dong. I still have not congratted you for resuming your position."


    "Chief Dong, you are looking great today. Are you free this evening? Want to have dinner together?"


    Those staff members and leaders, who had avoided Dong Xuebing in the past, greeted him enthusiastically. After so many incidents, everyone in the branch knew who Chief Xiao Dong was. Firefighter. Able to fight any fire and save the situation. The omnipotent Xiao Dong, the gue Xiao Dong, the godly Xiao Dong, etc. There were too many nicknames. But no matter whether if the staff likes Dong Xuebing or not, no one would doubt his abilities. Just look atst week''s incident. The corruption case had shocked the whole State Security in Beijing. It does not matter if it was Chief Xiao Dong that brought down Zhou Guoan. But what matters most was Chief Xiao Dong was still able toe back to work, and Zhuo Guoan and Guo Shunjie, who had conflicts with him, will never return.


    What does this mean? This is Chief Xiao Dong''s capabilities.


    This is what he could do.


    The General Affairs Office.


    Tan Limei and Zhuang Zhi were making eyes with each other in front of the copying machine. Guo Panwei was staring at the ceiling in a daze. Chang Juan was touching up her makeup as usual, and Old Yan was still reading his papers. If any leaders saw their staffs like this, they would surely blow up. But Dong Xuebing likes them to be like this. He likes this rxing mood. After everything that had happened, they should have some peaceful days.


    After observing his colleagues for a while, Dong Xuebing cleared his throat and walked in. "All of you are busy at work?"


    Everyone in the office jumps.


    Chang Juan quickly put her cosmetics into her drawer, and Guo Panwei immediately stands up.


    "I will prepare tea for you."


    "Chief Dong, your.... Your vacation is over?"


    "Yes. I am officially back to work today." Dong Xuebing has never wanted to be a strict supervisor. He still felt he should mix around with his staff. He looked at Tan Limei and Sun Zhuang andughingly said: "Xiao Tan, Xiao Sun, both of you are dating now, right? Howe you two are still working in the same office? The higher-ups still have not transfer one of you out?" The past few days, when Dong Xuebing was not in the office, he was busy with his own things and did not catch up on his work. He only heard that there is a new branch bureau chief and a new branch bureau partymittee member.


    Tan Limei saw everyone looking at them and blushed. "Errr.... Recently many things happened in the bureau, and there is a shortage of manpower. So, we are still not transferred yet. Director Li Qing said our transfer will have to wait."


    Dong Xuebing thought back and knew there will be a manpower shortage. Zhou Guoan''s incident had dragged many people down with him. A few staff members and some low-level leaders were involved in this corruption case. Dong Xuebing reminded himself that he had offended quite many people in this incident and got to stay low. But luckily for him, most people do not believe that it was he who found evidence of Zhou Guoan receiving bribes. Yes. No one must know about this. If not, his promotion will be out of reach. No leaders would want to use someone who had brought down a top leader before. Maybe the only leaders who dare to use someone like Dong Xuebing were Xu Yan and Song Shoujie. Damn. It was dangerous when he thought back. If Xu Yan was also corrupted and he had helped her bring down Zhou Guoan, she would also be wary of him.


    This incident had made Dong Xuebing matured slightly.


    Yes. He must not be so rush in the future. If he encounters another incident like Zhou Guoan, he must do everything in secret and send an anonymous letter to report. No one must find out it was him who did it.


    Dong Xuebing must stay cool-headed, keep low and not be rush.


    After chatting with the staff members for a while, Dong Xuebing returned to his office. It was still the same table and PC. Guo Shunjie''s belongings were all removed, and all his stuff was brought back into the office. Looking at the clean office, Dong Xuebing was relieved. Too many things had happened, and after so many twists and turns, he finally returns back to this room. It was not afortable journey.


    Knock, knock. Guo Panwei knocked and entered Dong Xuebing''s room. "Chief Dong. I have washed the cup for you."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "Are you the one who cleans up this office?"


    "Yes. I have thrown Guo Shunjie''s stuff out and wiped the desk and chair several times. I guarantee that there are no dirty things left behind."


    Dong Xuebing heard that and thought to himself. This Guo Panwei is a talent. He knows that I will feel ufortable sitting in a chair that Guo Shunjie sat before. He had anticipated what I will think and wipe the chair and desk several times. Guo Panwei really knows how to bootlick. "Well done. Thank you."


    Guo Panwei had a bright smile on his face: "Chief Dong, do you have any other instructions?"


    Dong Xuebing patted him on his shoulders: "Panwei, have a seat and tell me what happened at the unit when I am not around."


    "Yes." Guo Panwei waited until Dong Xuebing sat down before he sits. He sat upright and said: "Our office has been busy with Director Li''s task..."


    Dong Xuebing waved his hand. "What I want to know is not this."


    Guo Panwei immediately understood and lowered his voice. "There are changes to our branch bureau''s top leaders. An officer was transferred from the City Bureau Political Section. Wang Jie. He was appointed as one of our branch''s Party Committee members and Deputy Political Commissar/ I have not met him yet. Our new Branch Bureau Chief calls Zeng Anguo. Chief Zeng was transferred from the Public Security. I heard that he was in charge of criminal investigation there. He is considered an experienced police officer and is easy going. Oh, he had brought someone from the Public Security with him. His name is Yan Lei. He is currently under the General affairs department and is Chief Zhen''s secretary."


    Both leaders were transferred from outside. It seems like the higher-ups were not happy with what happened in the Western District branch.


    Dong Xuebing asked a few more questions on the current situation and asked Guo Panwei to go back to work. Dong Xuebing only want to know what had been going on in the branch, when he was not around. He was still not qualified to interfere with the higher level''s power struggle. What he wanted was to get his promotion.


    Xu Yan''s office.


    Dong Xuebing smiled as he knocked on the door and enter. "Chief Xu, I am here to report."


    Xu Yan, who was reading some files, looked up at Dong Xuebing and smiles. "Have you rest well?"


    If it were in the past, Dong Xuebing would surely reply in a severe tone. But after Zhou Guoan''s incident, he was much closer to Xu Yan than before. He could be more casual. "Thank you for asking. I have rested well. Haha, I even went to Zhejiang for a short trip." When he was saying this, he suddenly remembered something. He had forgotten to get some souvenirs or local specialties for his leaders. Damn. His political wisdom is still not high. How can he forget about something so important? But he also cannot bring such items to the bureau or the officers'' quarters.


    Xu Yan replied: "Good to hear that. Now, you have to focus on your work. The General Affairs Office cannot do without you."


    Dong Xuebing replied humbly. "I am not that capable except for some strength on my shoulders. I will listen to your instructions and attack wherever you point." It was hard for Dong Xuebing to ask for his promotion directly. So, Dong Xuebing decided to pledge his loyalty.


    Xu Yanughed and thought to herself. If you are not capable, then who else in the branch is capable?


    The phone in Xu Yan''s office rang, and she waved with one hand. "Go back to work." She smiles. "You... put in your best performance."


    "Yes, Mdm." Dong Xuebing understood what Xu Yan meant. Putting in his best performance and he will get promoted.


    Back at the General Affairs Office, Dong Xuebing was prepared to work hard to show the higher-ups that he was qualified to be promoted. Just lovely, the office received a call from Deputy Branch Bureau Chief Yang Yizhong, requesting for some files. When Dong Xuebing heard this, he immediately asked Tan Limei to prepare the documents for Yang Yizhong.


    Suddenly, a man in his 30s entered the office. He had big eyes and a sharp nose and was quite handsome.


    Dong Xuebing had never seen this person before and looked at him.


    That man did not say anything and just waved to Dong Xuebing, who was the closest to him. "You. Come with me to carry some stuff."


    Dong Xuebing was stunned and thought to himself. Who does this person think he is? Anyone thates into my office can order me around? Who is this person? But Dong Xuebing felt this person should have some authority. If not, he would not dare to ask people from the General Affairs Office to do work. Only the leaders can issue instructions to the General Affairs Office. So, Dong Xuebing did not dy and turned to Guo Panwei. "Panwei, you go and help him."


    Yan Lei was surprised. I am asking you, and you dare to ask someone else? He immediately got pissed.


    Guo Panwei quickly walks over. "Secretary Yan, I will help you. Chief Dong, I will go out for a while." This was equivalent to him introducing both men.


    Dong Xuebing looked at that man. Secretary Yan? The one who Chief Zhen brought over from the Public Security?


    Yan Lei looked Dong Xuebing. Chief Dong? The Chief of the General Affairs Office should be Li Qing. That means this person is the deputy? Howe I never seen him in the past two days? After knowing Dong Xuebing was the deputy chief of this office, he understood why Dong Xuebing assigned someone else to help him. But understanding is understanding. He was still angry. He was transferred to the branch bureau for two days, and because Chief Zhen is the Chief of the branch, as his secretary, he was treated as a top officer. Even the Political Section''s Chief had to be courteous and address him politely as Secretary Yan. Why can''t I order you to do thing?


    Yan Lei was also under the General Affairs Department. Although he is not in charge of any departments or sections, his rank was a Deputy Section Chief. He treated himself as Dong Xuebing''s superior, and he was the Branch Bureau Chief''s secretary. He had the backing of Chief Zhen. Who in this bureau can defy his orders? So, Yan Lei stared at Dong Xuebing emotionlessly and repeated what he said. "Youe out with me to carry some things."


    F**k you! Who the hell you think you are?!


    Dong Xuebing got furious when he heard this. He knew this Yan Lei was the secretary of the No. 1 man in the branch. But does he need a Deputy Chief to help him carry things? Help you do hardbor? This was also not a task assigned by Chief Zhen. The most frustrating part was Guo Panwei had already told him his identity, and he still insists on asking me to carry stuff? He can ask any of the staff members here, but he just wants Dong Xuebing, the leader in this office? This was purposely pping Dong Xuebing''s face.


    Half an hour ago, Dong Xuebing had reminded himself to keep calm and stay low. But now, Dong Xuebing could not control himself. If he gives in to Yan Lei, he will not get respect from his subordinates in the future.


    "Panwei." Dong Xuebing said. "You go and help Secretary Yan."


    "Yes." Guo Panwei replied.


    The Public Security might seem to be a big government agency, but Yan Lei was only a low-rank officer there. His job there was only doing some misceneous tasks. Now, he had the authority and was enjoying it. He did not feel what he did was wrong. Those things might not be for Chief Zhen, but he could not carry everything by himself. That''s why he came down to the General Affairs Office to ask someone to help him. This was equivalent to doing work for Chief Zhen. But Dong Xuebing still refuses to move. Yan Lei''s face changed and nodded, meaning he will remember what happened today. Then he turned and walked out of the office.


    After being treated as a VIP for two days, he finally met someone who refused to listen to his orders. Dong Xuebing was now on his hate list.


    What an idiot. Dong Xuebing mumbled to himself.


    Tan Limei, Chang Juan, and the rest also felt this Secretary Yan was too much. He could just call anyone to help me, but he insisted on asking their leader to carry stuff for him? He was only here to create trouble.


    Two staff from the Finance Department walked past and saw what happened between Chief Xiao Dong and Secretary Yan.


    Both of them looked at each other and smiles. "Secretary Yan is new here and doesn''t know what happened in the past. Why did he go and offend Chief Xiao Dong? He got nothing to do?"


    The other man replied: "Secretary Yan represents Chief Zhen. Even if Chief Xiao Dong does not give Secretary Yan face, he must also give Chief Zhen face."


    "Hehe, you forgot what happenedst week?"


    The other man pped his own forehead. That''s right. Chief Xiao Dong had talked back to the former Bureau Chief. It would be weird if he gives in to Secretary Yan. That Secretary Yan had be big-headed recently. Even if he represents the Chief, but he should not just do whatever he wants. He cannot just step all over those lower ranks than him. Guo Shunjie had stepped all over Chief Xiao Dong, and was fired. Zhou Guoan had stepped on Chief Xiao Dong and was now behind bars in some jail. Secretary Yan... he should at least find out more about Chief Xiao Dong before deciding whether to look for trouble with him.


    News of the sh between Chief Xiao Dong and Secretary Yan spreads rapidly throughout the branch.


    Many people were waiting to watch how this will turn out.


    Secretary Yan had the backing of Chief Zhen and had much more authority than a lowly Deputy Section Chief under Xu Yan. However, most people were supporting Dong Xuebing instead.

 Chapter 132: Deputy Section Chief

    <h4>Chapter 132: Deputy Section Chief</h4>


    Since 10 am, Dong Xuebing had been running around the whole branch. He was working hard and delivered documents personally to most departments. He even helped two leaders write a speech and a report. Of course, some minor tasks were delegated to his staffs. Dong Xuebing only serve the leaders above him.


    Noon, Dong Xuebing returned from lunch at the cafeteria.


    Chang Juan smiles seductively at Dong Xuebing the moment he stepped in. "Chief Dong, Chief Xu just called. She wants to see you."


    "Ok." Dong Xuebing immediately went upstairs to Xu Yan''s office. "Chief Xu, are you looking for me?"


    Xu Yan looked up at him and pointed to the chair in front of her.


    Dong Xuebing sat down respectfully on the chair. "Is there any task for me?"


    "You have just returned to work, and you start to create trouble for me? What is it now? I heard you shed with Secretary Yan?" If this had happened to other people, news of this incident would not spread. But who is Chief Xiao Dong? He is the legendary Chief of the Western District. Who is Secretary Yan? He is the trusted aide of Chief Zhen.


    Dong Xuebing heard this. He wondered howe Xu Yan knew about this. He immediately stands at attention. "Chief Xu, you should know me well. I have been working hard and spent all my energy on my work. I had never started any conflicts with others." Dong Xuebing face turned slightly red when he said he was working hard at work. But he was telling the truth when he said he had never started any conflicts at work. He always sticks to his own business until otherse and offend him. "That Yan Lei is too much. You be the judge. I am assigning tasks to the other staff members in the office. That Yan Lei just barged in and ordered me to carry things for him. I asked Guo Panwei to help him, but Yan Lei refused. He insists that I have to help him. He did not give me any face. How can I give in? If I followed his orders, I will not only lose respect. Your authority will also be affected."


    After 3 months in the government sector, Dong Xuebing''s political wisdom might not have increased much, but he became better at talking.


    5 things about Bruce Springsteen you might not know


    "You ah... Even Chief Zhen cannot order you?"


    "If this was Chief Zhen''s orders, I will follow. But that Yan Lei asked me to carry things for him. He was just abusing his authority."


    Xu Yan shook her head. "You should change your foul temper. Secretary Yan had been Chief Zhen''s trusted aide for years. He has some say in front of Chief Yan. Do you understand?"


    "Yes." Dong Xuebing knew Yan Lei would speak badly about him in front of Chief Zhen, and Chief Zhen would see him in a different light. But Dong Xuebing could not swallow his pride and let Yan Lei order him around.


    Xu Yan smiled. From Dong Xuebing''s facial expression, she knew he did not understand. She did not want to say much and took out a small brown envelope from her drawer and ced it on the table. Cling, cling... it sounded like a few bunches of keys. "Chief Zhen''s lodging is ready. I had asked someone to clean it. Help me bring the keys to Chief Zhen." Xu Yan wants to let Dong Xuebing leave a good impression with Chief Zhen first, before putting up his promotion.


    Dong Xuebing replied excitedly. "Yes. I willplete this task."


    Xu Yanughed. "Hahaha, if you can''t even deliver some keys, you better pack your bags and get lost."


    Dong Xuebing smiled embarrassedly and picked up that envelope. "Chief Xu, I will go now."


    Branch Bureau Chief''s office.


    A middle-aged man in his 40s, with a crew cut, was sitting behind his desk. He looked smart, and his eyes were sharp. It was 20 minutes more before the lunch break ends. Zhen Anguo was writing a letter. It was a simple letter to his ex-wife, telling her about his transfer. When he was still in the investigation branch of the Public Security, his wife had divorced him. He had spent too much time at work and neglected his family. So, after his wife left him, he still misses his wife very much. He would send his ex-wife a letter every week. Even if his wife did not return his letter, but he did this for the past 10 years without fail.


    Knock, knock, knock. Someone was knocking on the door.


    Zhen Anguo put down his pen and looked up. "Come in."


    Dong Xuebing entered and closes the door. "Chief Zhen.


    Zhen Anguo looked at Dong Xuebing and smiled. "Chief Dong from the General Affairs Office? Haha, sit. Sit down first." He had never met Dong Xuebing or heard about what he had done. On his first day, Zhen Anguo had asked for the organization charts and pictures of all the department leaders. He memorized all the names and faces. This was his habit since his days in the investigation branch of the Public Security.


    Dong Xuebing was surprised. He did not expect Zhen Anguo to know him. He was overjoyed but still stood upright. "Thank You, Chief Zhen. I am tasked by Chief Xu to deliver your keys to your lodging at the quarters. Your apartment is already cleaned, and you can move in anytime." Zhen Anguo was like what Guo Panwei said. This new Bureau''s chief was very easy going and had no airs. He was much better than that old man, Zhou Guoan. Hmmm, but why did he pick that Yan Lei as his secretary?


    Zhou Anguo smiles and kept his keys. He looked at Dong Xuebing and asked. "If your job at the General Affairs Office tough?"


    Dong Xuebing straightened his back and replied: "No sir. We are just doing the backend work for the leaders. Our work cannot bepared to yours. Your job is many times tougher than us." Suddenly, Dong Xuebing noticed Chief Zhen''s ent. Dong Xuebing thought for a while and then asked: "Chief Zhen, can I ask you something? Is your hometown from Fenzhou City?


    Zhen Anguo paused for a while: "That''s right."


    "Ah, such a coincident." Dong Xuebing replied. "My hometown is also in Fenzhou, Yantai county, Huitian vige."


    Zhen Anguo smiled and thought to himself. Your Beijing ent is so strong and doesn''t sound like you are from Fenzhou. But he stillughed and asked: "This is really coincident. Come, have a sit. I have not been to Yantai county for many years. How is the stability there?"


    Chief Zhen had asked Dong Xuebing to sit down twice. The first time, he might be courteous. But when he asked the second time, it would be rude for Dong Xuebing to not sit down. He immediately sat down with half of his butt touching the chair. Dong Xuebing had grown up in Beijing, but his mother was from Fenzhou city. So, Dong Xuebing was not wrong to say Fenzhou as his hometown.


    Zhen Anguo was nice to Dong Xuebing was not because they were from the same hometown. It was because of his character and the work of General Affairs Office. The General Affairs Office had to deal with all the leaders in the branch, and many relevant documents had to go through this department. Zhen Anguo, as the new Chief of the branch, had to understand the current situation to better manage the branch.


    Both chatted for about 6-7 minute.


    Dong Xuebing walked out from Chief Zhen''s office with a good mood. He never expects to chat with Chief Zhen for so long in their first meeting. Yes! I should have left a good impression with Chief Zhen. There should not be any problems with my promotion.


    But after walking for a few steps, Dong Xuebing saw Yan Lei walking towards his direction from the opposite end of the corridor.


    Yan Lei was carrying a stack of files, and he paused for a second when he saw Dong Xuebing. He gave him a cold stare and then carried on walking. He treated Dong Xuebing as a nobody. This Deputy Section Chief did not even have the rank. He will definitely get back at Dong Xuebing for disrespecting him this morning. But he could not do it now. On Chief Zhen''s first day, he had instructed Yan Lei to observe the situation at the branch first.


    Dong Xuebing cursed in his heart. I can tell from one look that you did not have any authority beforeing here. Now, you have a bit of authority, and you be arrogant? You are just a secretary and what right do you have to look down on others? If you are given the role of a Section Chief in some departments, are you going to go crazy? Furthermore, Branch Bureau Chiefs are not allowed to have secretaries. At most, you are just a messenger for the Chief.


    Back at the General Affairs Office, Dong Xuebing calmed himself down and forgot about Yan Lei.


    His top priority now was to get his Deputy Section Chief rank first.


    The whole afternoon, Dong Xuebing was busy traveling to various departments. He needs to show all the leaders how hardworking he was. He hopes to let everyone in the branch to forget about his involvement in the Zhou Guoan''s incident.


    Political Section, Finance Department, Archive Room, Political Commissar office, etc.


    Dong Xuebing would appear in front of the leaders whenever they have any tasks for the General Affairs Office. He tried his best toplete all the tasks given by the leaders. Even if it were a minor task, Dong Xuebing would also put in his 100% to prevent any mistakes.


    Everyone saw Chief Xiao Dong working hard and were puzzled. Is there any higher position up for grabs, and Chief Xiao Dong wanted it? But Chief Xiao Dong had just got his position as the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office and entered the Party School for training. Howe he is thinking of getting promoted again?


    Everyone was speechless. If you are promoted again, your promotions will not be considered sitting on a rocket. Even a spaceship is not as fast as your promotions.


    Although many people felt Dong Xuebing would not be promoted so fast, they got to admit one thing. Nothing is impossible for Chief Xiao Dong. If not, where did his nickname ''Omnipotent''es from?

 Chapter 133: Badmouthed

    <h4>Chapter 133: Badmouthed</h4>


    The next morning.


    Xu Yan arrived at work and was about to go upstairs to her office when she met Zhen Anguo.


    "Chief Zhen." Xu Yan slowed down and walk slightly behind Chief Zhen. "How is your apartment? I had asked my people to prepare it for you. If you find anythingcking, let me know. I will ask them to prepare it for you. Haha, our branch''s quarter is quite old. When Chief Yan was around, he had proposed to the higher-ups to rebuild it. But it is not approved. We can only do some simple renovations."


    Zhen Anguo smiled: "Thanks for preparing the apartment for me. It is quite good and is much better than my previous lodging."


    Xu Yan maintained her speed to be slightly behind Zhen Anguo. "I''m d you are satisfied."


    Zhen Anguo immediately noticed her movements and knew she had something to talk to her.


    When Xu Yan reaches her office''s floor, she did not turn into the corridor. "Chief Zhen, I remembered something suddenly."


    Zhen Anguo looked at her. "Let''s talk in my office?"


    "Ok."


    By right, the secretary of the leader must clean up the office before the leader arrives. But Yan Lei was not considered Chief Zhen''s secretary. Zhen Anguo also did not give Yan Lei his office''s keys due to the regtions. State Security was a department which handles lots of confidential information. Zhen Anguo got to be careful. The past two days, Yan Lei could only wait patiently outside the office for Zhen Anguo to arrive, before going in to clean up the office. But today was different. Yan Lei saw Xu Yan walking with Zhen Anguo to the office, and he just greeted both of them, before returning back to the General Affairs Department. He knew these two leaders must have some important discussions.


    After they entered the office, Zhen Anguo smiled and asked Xu Yan to sit.


    They discussed some unimportant issues about work as they waited for the water dispenser to boil the water.


    When they saw the water had been heated up, Xu Yan walked over and poured a cup of water for Zhen Anguo. Zhen Anguo did not wait for Xu Yan to ce the cup of water on his desk. He knew Xu Yan''s friction was influential in the branch, and he stood up to take the cup from her. "Hahaha, Chief Xu had poured a cup of water for me. I am ttered."


    "It''s my job. Before you are transferred here, the city bureau is not quite happy with the performance of the Western District Branch. Hahaha, we hope you can lead us to achieve and improve our performance. All of us are depending on your leadership." Xu Yan said as she poured herself a cup of water. She had lowered herself to pour water for Zhen Anguo. This gesture was to show her decision to be on Zhen Anguo''s side, but at the same time, she did not lower her status too low. All of Xu Yan''s movements had meaning.


    Zhen Anguo understood what Xu Yan was trying to convey through her actions. He knew that Xu Yan wanted to stand on his side.


    However, Zhen Anguo did not ept her offer immediately. This was only his third day at the bureau and still did not understand the power struggle in the branch well. He changed his tone and smile. He was showing some signs of epting her offer, but at the same time, he was showing that he was wary of her. "Chief Xu, you are giving me a lot of pressure with your words. Improving the branch''s performance should be an overall effort. You also y an important part." The timing, method, and the vary of degree, of standing with one side is veryplicated. Xu Yan had not shown enough determination of joining Zhen Anguo''s side, and Zhen Anguo only expressed slight interest in weing her.


    After some casual talk, Xu Yan and Zhen Anguo got along well.


    This was a good start for both, but no one knows what would happen in the future.


    In the end, Xu Yan felt it was the right time to talk about Dong Xuebing. She thought for a while and asked: "Chief Zhen, have you met Chief Xiao Dong from our General Affairs Office? This young man ispetent and works hard. Young men like him should be groomed. I am thinking of promoting his rank to Deputy Section Chief."


    Zhen Anguo remembered Dong Xuebing''s information he had read from the files and frowned. He did not understand why Xu Yan made such a proposal. Chief Dong? That young man who ims to be from the same hometown as him? His probation period should not be over. It was already weird for him to be the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office. Why does Xu Yan want to promote him now? Zhen Anguo thought for a while but did not reject Xu Yan directly. After all, Xu Yan was offering to stand on his side, and he should not disappoint her. "I met Chief Dong yesterday. Yes. He is indeed meticulous in his work. But... he is too young. He does not have enough experience."


    Xu Yan smiled: "If the experiences you are talking about is his performance, then I think Xiao Dong is more than qualified. He has only entered the branch for less than 4 months, but had achieved the results equivalent to 4 years work of most people here." Xu Yan knew Zhen Anguo would not believe her. Zhen Anguo might still have not heard of Dong Xuebing''s achievements. So, she told him about Dong Xuebing''s amazing feats over the past few months. "There was one time when the office of the Chief of the General Affairs Office caught fire. The fire was raging, and everything in the office was burning. But there are a few important documents in the office which needs to be saved. During that situation, who would dare to enter the office? It was life-threatening. But Xiao Dong ran in without any hesitations...."


    Xu Yan also told Zhen Anguo about the ser matches and the incident when Dong Xuebing miraculously took out asthma and heart attack medications at the critical moment.


    The more Zhen Anguo heard about the fantastic stories about Dong Xuebing, the more he was interested in this young man. This is an amazing young man. Howe everything he does seems to be out of some novels. Were all this real? Zhen Anguo knew that Xu Yan does not need to lie to him, and it should be right. However, he did not see those incidents with his own eyes, and it was too hard to believe. After Xu Yan finished, heughed: "This Chief Xiao Dong really have some amazing achievements."


    Xu Yan continued. "That''s right. The General Affairs Office''s work is to assist the leaders. This is the most suitable role for Xiao Dong. Although he might be young, it was also because he is young, I proposed to promote him. We can use him to set an example to others. Those who work hard will be rewarded and those who skive at work... will be removed from their position. This will motivate everyone in the branch. Oh, Chief Xiao Dong had just returned from the Section Chief Training course at the Party School. It is only a matter of time before he gets promoted."


    Zhen Anguo just smiles.


    Xu Yan knew Zhen Anguo would not agree so quickly. They chatted for a while more, and Xu Yan left. Promoting someone was not easily done with Xu Yan''s efforts alone. It must be a decision proposed by the Branch''s No. 1 or No. 2. Xu Yan was not close with Political Commissar Cheng Haimei. Also, Cheng Haimei had opposed Xiao Dong to be the General Affairs Office''s Deputy Chief during the Committee Meeting. She would not propose Xiao Dong''s promotion. So, Xu Yan could only look for Zhen Anguo. If Zhen Anguo agrees to this, then no one would oppose Dong Xuebing''s promotion.


    Back at the office, Xu Yan called Dong Xuebing to her office.


    "Chief Xu, are you looking for me?"


    "Xiao Dong, I had discussed your promotion with Chief Zhen earlier this morning. I am still not sure about Chief Zhen''s decision. I will give you the same advice. Do your best during these few days, and show some results. I had praised you to the skies in front of Chief Zhen. Don''t let me down."


    "Yes, Mdm. Rest assured I will do my best. Thank you." Dong Xuebing was overjoyed. He had conversed well with Chief Zhen yesterday, and Chief Zhen should have no problems promoting him.


    At the same time, Branch Bureau''s Chief office.


    Yan Lei was cleaning up the office with a rag.


    Zhen Anguo was sitting in his leather chair, signing a document. Suddenly, he put down his pen and looked at Yan Lei. "Xiao Yan, are you getting used to working here?"


    Yan Lei put down his rag and stood at attention. "Yes, Sir. As soon as I am with you, I will get use to whatever environment."


    Zhen Anguoughed. "Actually, I wanted you to remain in the Public Security for a few more years, before transferring you to a county Public Security branch as the Deputy Chief there. But my transfer was too sudden. Even I did not expect it. That''s why I drag you along with me. Hahaha, do you hate me for this decision?"


    Yan Lei immediately replied: "Of course not. I am d to be able to learn from you."


    Zhen Anguo nodded. "Wait for a while more. When the time is right, I will transfer you to the lower levels to gain some experience."


    Yan Lei also wanted to be transferred to the lower levels as a Deputy Branch Chief with authority. That will be much better than being an unofficial secretary. Also, there were too many restrictions in the State Security. He did not have many career paths like Public Security. But even if he thinks this way, he could not tell Chief Zhen about it.


    "Oh." Zhen Anguo suddenly remembered about his discussion with Xu Yan in the morning. "Do you know Chief Xiao Dong from the General Affairs Office?"


    Yan Lei was stunned. He thought Zhen Anguo had heard about what happened and quickly tried to exin himself: "Chief Zhen, it''s him..."


    "Chief Xu had spoken to me about Chief Xiao Dong this morning. She is proposing to promote Xiao Dong to Deputy Section Chief." Zhen Anguo still has not made his decision. He asked: "I would like to hear your opinions. I heard that this Xiao Dong is very capable."


    "Promote to Deputy Section Chief?" Yan Lei was surprised. He looked at Zhen Anguo''s facial expression and then replied: "Chief Zhen, I had met Xiao Dong yesterday. He is too young and is a Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office at age 23. How can he be promoted to Deputy Section Chief rank? This is not right." Yan Lei had conducted a background check on Dong Xuebing. He knew Dong Xuebing had just graduated from University. He did not have any experience at all.


    "Chief Xu was thinking of granting an exception for him and use him as an example for others. What do you think?"


    Yan Lei had been thinking for getting back at Dong Xuebing. Now, this is the best opportunity. "I will be honest with you. Yesterday, I had gone to the General Affairs Office to ask Chief Dong for some help with your matters. I asked him to help me carry some stuff. This is supposed to be the General Affairs Office''s job. But he ignored me. I called him twice, and maybe he thinks to carry some stuff for you will affect his status. He is too immature and did not think of the big picture. He also disrespected you. How can such person be promoted?" Yan Lei purposely skipped the parts that he was the one who caused this conflict.


    Zhen Anguo heard this andughed. "It''s only a small matter. You don''t need to mind this."


    Yan Lei frowned and replied. "This is not a joking matter. He has no respect for you."


    "Fine. I know." Zhen Anguo knew Yan Lei might have some unpleasant sh with Chief Xiao Dong, and that''s why he was biased. As a leader for so many years, he could sense it, and will not trust his words entirely.

 Chapter 134: Call Chief Xiao Dong to come over

    <h4>Chapter 134: Call Chief Xiao Dong toe over</h4>


    Afternoon.


    Zhen Anguo was still considering whether if he should promote Dong Xuebing.


    Ring, ring, ring. The phone on the desk rang. Zhen Anguo answered, and the other party immediately shouts into the phone. Zhen Anguo was shocked. "Western district again! Why is it the Western district again?! What are you all trying to do? Ah? Tell me!"


    Yan Lei, who was standing near to Zhen Anguo, could hear everything clearly. Who was this person? Howe he dare to shout at Chief Zhen?


    Zhen Anguo recognized the voice and immediately asked: "Chief Jiang, what happened?"


    Yan Lei got shocked. Chief Jiang? Could it be that Chief Jiang? How is this possible? Why did Chief Jiang call Chief Zhen''s office?


    5 minutester.


    Dong Xuebing was in his own office waiting for the news of his promotion. He felt Zhen Anguo should agree to his promotion, but he was still uneasy. Xu Yan had promised to promote him, and this should bot be a problem. But there was still a difference between promoting this week and promoting next year. Dong Xuebing wished his promotion would be within this week... no. It would be best if he could get his promotion today.


    Tan Limei knocked on the door and entered suddenly. "Chief Bing Zhi."


    Dong Xuebingughed: "It''s ok. There are no outsiders around. Don''t give me such weird titles. Just Bing Zhi will do."


    Tan Limei continued: "Bing Zhi, I think something had happened in our branch. I heard Chief Zhen had called for an emergency meeting with all the heads. Something big must have happened. It felt tense." Emergency meeting? This was umon in Western District branch. It only happens when there was some emergency.


    Dong Xuebing asked: "What happened?" He had been upstairs earlier, and howe he did not notice it?


    "I also don''t know. I just heard about the emergency meeting and quickly came back to tell you."


    Dong Xuebing frowned. "You call Panwei to ask around and let me know." Dong Xuebing was about to be promoted, and he needs to know what was happening with the higher-ups.


    "Ok." Tan Limei left.


    Guo Panwei knows a lot of people in the branch, and within minutes, he entered Dong Xuebing''s office. "Chief Dong. I found out the reason for the emergency meeting. The Sixth Bureau had arrested the wrong person."


    General Affairs Office, Political Section, Finance Department, Commission for Discipline Inspection, etc. were all administrative departments. These departments only handle the matters within the bureau and do not investigate the cases concerning about State security. Only the sixth bureau would investigate these cases. Of course, those big cases were not handled by them. Those bigger cases were handled by the City Bureau or higher level bureaus. The Sixth Bureau only handles minor incidents, like taking pictures of government buildings, spreading malicious rumors about the government, etc. Their work might seem to be same as Public Security, but actually, these cases were all handled by the Sixth Bureau.


    Dong Xuebing paused for a while and did not understand. "Be more specific. What happened?"


    Guo Panwei continued: "I have just heard this news from others. Do you know about the rumor about earthquake on the inte? This morning, the Sixth Bureau received information about a man using hisptop spreading this rumor in a caf¨¦. The Sixth Bureau immediately send their men over to make arrest. That man resisted, and the officers from the Sixth Bureau injured that man during the arrest. They checked hisptop, and in the chat records, there was picture simr to the picture in the rumor. The fonts of the wordings were simr, but the contents were different. The wordings beneath the picture was saying if anyone sees this picture, he or she must share with 100 other people if not, something bad will happen. This was only a prank."


    Arrested the wrong person? The State Security depends typically on their informants for information. The information received might not be urate, and Dong Xuebing knew that the Sixth Bureau had arrested the wrong people before. Even if they had arrested the wrong person, they could just release him. If he was injured, just pay somepensations. Why was Chief Zhen creating such a big fuss?


    Guo Panwei could tell what Dong Xuebing was thinking. He exined. "The Sixth Bureau had hit someone rted to our agency."


    "What is his background?"


    Guo Panwei lowered his voice and said: "The father of that person, who got beaten up, is a rtive of Beijing City''s State Security Bureau. They all have the same surname, Jiang. They should be close."


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. The No.1 man in the City''s State Security? Chief Jiang? Damn! He is a big shot!


    "Now, Chief Jiang is furious, and he demands an exnation from the Western District. Why did the Western District Branch arrest his rtive?" Guo Panwei continued. "That''s why Chief Zhen called for an emergency meeting to discuss this incident. They need to think of an exnation and who should be responsible. Most importantly, how should they appease Chief Jiang. You should also know that we had a case of corruption and bribery in our branchst week. The City Bureau is already unhappy with our branch. Now, with this incident, it will make matter worst."


    Dong Xuebing understood what happened. No wonder Zhen Anguo and the rest of the leaders had such big reactions. This incident was serious. If it were Dong Xuebing''s mother who was arrested and beaten up, Dong Xuebing would also go crazy. No one could me Chief Jiang for getting angry.


    Not longter, news of this incident had spread throughout the branch.


    Everyone was discussing this incident. This was an unlucky year for the bureau. City Bureau''s Chief Jiang controls the City''s Party Committee. He could kick the leaders of the branch bureaus out if he wants. Who dares to offend Chief Jiang? It seems like someone would have to go.


    Branch Bureau Chief office.


    Zhen Anguo did not even go to the meeting room. He called all the leaders to his office for a meeting. Zhen Anguo did not know what happened when Chief Jiang called. After getting his head chewed off, he found out what happened. It was that document from the Sixth bureau, he signed in the morning. They had arrested the wrong person and even beat up a rtive of the City Bureau Chief. This was no longer a small case. This was like challenging the City bureau''s authority. This was like a p to the City Bureau Chief''s face.


    "Are his injuries serious?" Chief Zhen did not beat around the bush and asked.


    A deputy Director from the Sixth Bureau replied: "No. There are only some bruises near the eye and his wrist. There are no fractures."


    Zhen Anguo nodded. "Where is the officer who hit him?"


    That Deputy Director sighed. "In my office."


    Yan Lei was standing behind Chief Zhen. He felt sorry for Chief Zhen. Zhen Anguo had only been transferred here for a few days and got to clear up this mess. This was too unlucky.


    The Director of the Sixth Bureau, Director Jian, was wearing his State Security uniform. He was in his 40s but was still very fit. Director Jian was the person in charge of this incident. Seeing that Chief Zhen might be pursuing this matter, he immediately said: "Chief Zhen, all along, the intel we received have been very vague and cannot be 100% urate. No one had waned this to happen. I admit that my men might be wrong, but it is the other party who started to fight back first. He..."


    Zhen Anguo knew what he was about to say and interrupted him. "We should be discussing the solution now and not trying to push the me. Chief Jiang is on his way to the hospital. We do not have time to discuss anymore. Zhen Anguo looked at Xu Yan and Director Jian. "Ok. Chief Xu and Director Jian wille with me to the hospital. We will discuss the solution on our way there."


    This meeting ended very fast. It was only about 4 to 5 minutes.


    The rest of the leaders also got into their cars and went to the hospital. Although the injuries were not serious, they had to put up a show for Chief Jiang.


    Dong Xuebing, who was standing in the corridor, was looking at the leaders rushing out. From the leaders'' reactions, he knew this incident should be quite severe. Even if the officer who hit that man was punished, who knows what Chief Jiang would do. Will he continue to pursue this matter?


    Xuan Wu Hospital.


    Zhen Anguo and the rest entered the hospital''s carpark. When they were about to enter the hospital, the Deputy Director from the Sixth Bureau saw Chief Jiang''s car entering. Zhen Anguo and the rest quickly walk over to that vehicle. It was not sure if the driver did it purposely or failed to see them. The car did not stop and drove past Zhen Anguo and the rest, and stopped at a parking lot.


    Zhen Anguo did not dare to lose his temper. He turned and walked back towards the parking lot.


    The car door opened and a man in his 50s alighted. He was not tall but had the air of a leader. This person was Chief Jiang. The No. 1 man in the City Bureau. Many people knew Chief Jiang was a quiet person. He loves calligraphy and gardening. He was also health-conscious and seldom got angry. But today, Chief Jiang pulled a long face. He stared coldly at Zhen Anguo, who was walking towards him. He was furious. No one could me him for being so mad. His nephew had been beaten up for no reason, and the ones who beat him were from the State Security. His subordinates!


    "Chief Jiang." Zhen Anguo had discussed with the other leaders on their way to the hospital. He immediately apologizes: "This incident is entirely our fault. We are very sorry. I promise those involved will be punished. Especially the two officers who hit your rtive."


    Chief Jiang stared at Zhen Anguo in his eyes: "It is toote for anything. What have you been doing?"


    Zhen Anguo replied: "I swear this will not happen again."


    Chief Jiang: "Hmph!" and walked towards the hospital. Zhen Anguo and the rest were about to follow him to visit the injured and try to calm him down. But Chief Jiang turned back suddenly: "All of you wait here!" Zhen Anguo and the rest stopped immediately as Chief Jiang entered the hospital.


    Outside of the hospital.


    Xu Yan worrying said: "Chief Jiang is furious. I''m afraid...."


    Everyone could tell that Chief Jiang would not let this matter rest. Punishing two State Security Officers should not be enough. But the top leaders in the branch had been changed twice recently. If Chief Jiang really wants to pursue this matter, who will he target? The Deputy Director who leads the operation? Director Jian? The Deputy Branch Chiefs? This will be a hit to their reputation, especially Zhen Anguo''s reputation. He had offended the Chief of the City Bureau within days of bing the head of the branch. Zhen Anguo''s future looks dim.


    Sigh... Why that person has to be Chief Jiang''s rtive?


    Damn it!


    Xu Yan and the rest of the leaders were standing outside the hospital. They did not even move a step.


    The Deputy Director from the Sixth Bureau was the most nervous. He should be first that will be punished first. He was rubbing his hands nervously, thinking of a solution. Suddenly, a name appeared in his mind. No one in the branch is unaware of this name. If he cane over... then.... The Deputy Director found hisst hope. He quickly turned to Xu Yan. "Chief Xu, Chief Xiao Dong should still be at work, right? Can you call him over?"


    Xu Yan frowned.


    Director Jian, who was seldom at the branch, had also heard of the miraculous deeds by Dong Xuebing. He thought for a while and agreed: "We also have no other ways. Just let Chief Xiao Dong try. Maybe he can save the situation."


    Yan Lei heard everything. What are they talking about? Call that person here? These few leaders seem to trust Dong Xuebing a lot. Isn''t him just the Chief of a General Affairs Office? He is still the deputy. What right does he have for so many leaders to talk about him? Yan Lei was shocked by the conversation between the leaders. He realized that he had made a mistake. This Dong Xuebing... was not an ordinary Deputy Chief of a small office.


    Zhen Anguo also could not believe Xiao Dong was able to solve this incident. But he remembered what Xu Yan told him. "Look for Xiao Dong if you got any trouble." Zhen Anguo had no other options now. He could only try his luck.


    Xu Yan did not want to drag Dong Xuebing into this. It was not because she does not trust Dong Xuebing''s abilities. She just does not wish to get Dong Xuebing involved. This incident had nothing to do with the General Affairs Department and General Affairs Office in the first ce. But when she saw Zhen Anguo nodding at her, Xu Yan got no choice. She took out her phone and walked aside to call the General Affairs Office. "Hello, Xiao Dong. Come to Xuan Wu Hospital now."

 Chapter 135: Firefighter arrived

    <h4>Chapter 135: Firefighter arrived</h4>


    After receiving the call from Xu Yan, Dong Xuebing almost cursed out loud.


    Chief Jiang was furious now. Chief Zhen and Director Jian had no other solutions and want me to save the situation by putting out the fire? F**k! One of you is the head of this branch, and the other is the head of a department. Both of you are powerless to do anything, what can I do? Who is Chief Jiang? He is the head of the Beijing City State Security Bureau. He is the boss of all State Security officers in Beijing. Are you all trying to get me killed? What has this got to do with me? It''s the Sixth Bureau who had beat up Chief Jiang''s rtive.


    "Chief Xu." Dong Xuebing was anxious. "This mess is created by the Sixth Bureau, right?"


    Xu Yan replied: "Helping the leaders to solve headaches is also the General Affairs Office''s duties. It''s your job!"


    Dong Xuebing was dumbfounded. "But... But even if I go there, I also cannot do anything."


    Xu Yan walked further away from the rest with her phone. She lowered her voice to prevent Zhen Anguo and the rest from hearing. "I know you can do it. Don''t be humble. I know more about your capabilities than the others. Director Jian and the rest also know what you can achieve. This is our trust in you. Do you know how many people wish for this opportunity? Ok. Even Chief Zhen wanted you to be here. Come over now. If you can solve this issue perfectly, I will give you your promotion within these 2 weeks." Xu Yan also felt Xiao Dong was being used. But she could only promise his promotion in return.


    Dong Xuebing knew he could not hide from this and replied: "Then... Then I will go over now."


    "Ok. Bring along two staff members with you. It''s almost dinner time. Later, maybe we will be having dinner with Chief Jiang."


    After hanging up, Dong Xuebing was not excited at all, despite being promised his promotion within these two weeks. Excited? What''s there to be excited? He knew that he would definitely be promoted if he could solve this incident. But the problem is how is he going to do that? How can he ask Chief Jiang to stop pursuing the responsibility on the Western District? How can he appease Chief Jiang''s anger and make him change his opinion of the Western District? Damn! If Dong Xuebing could do all these, he will not be struggling in this district branch. He would be inside the Central Government.


    Dong Xuebing stormed out of his office.


    Chang Juan smiled seductively: "Chief Dong, are you going back?"


    "Go back?" Dong Xuebing looked at his staffs. "Chang Juan, put aside your work and follow me out. Panwei, get a car from Director Li Qing. Tell him that we have received ast-minute mission from Chief Zhen." Dong Xuebing knew he would offend the leaders if he could not achieve this task. That''s why he tried to protect his close friends, Tan Limei and Sun Zhuang. He only asked Chang Juan and Guo Panwei to follow him.


    Guo Panwei immediately knew what was going on, and quickly ran out to get a car.


    Chang Juan did not have any worries. She smiled and asked: "Chief Dong, is it that Chief Zhen could not handle that incident and asked you, the firefighter, to put out the fire?"


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself. You still canugh now? "Yes."


    Chang Juan replied: "If you are there, you will definitely solve it."


    Tan Limei alsoughed and said: "That''s right. Chief Dong, you entered the bureau for 3 months, and there is nothing you cannot solve."


    Almost everyone in the General Affairs Office trusted Dong Xuebing blindly. It was all because he had always achieved the impossible.


    Dong Xuebing can''t be bothered to say anything. You all are too optimistic. If I can''t solve this problem, can I still maintain my position? I don''t even know when I can get my promotion if I screw this up. Damn. Why do I have to be dragged into this? Chief Zhen and Director Jian can''t handle this, what can I do? You all really think I can save any situation?


    Not longter, Guo Panwei was waiting at the front of the building with an old Volkswagen Jetta.


    Dong Xuebing listlessly walked over. Guo Panwei saw him walking over and quickly opened the passenger door for him. He covered the top of the door to prevent Dong Xuebing from knocking his head as he boards. After that, he closed the door and went back to the driver seat. Chang Juan sat on the front passenger seat.


    "Chief Dong, where are we going?"


    "Xuan Yu Hospital."


    Dong Xuebing knew himself well. He really felt he could not do anything in this incident. But he had no choice. If not, he will leave a bad impression with Chief Zhen and Chief Xu. On the way, Dong Xuebing asked Chang Juan about Chief Jiang. Chang Juan told him that Chief Jiang does not have any bad habits. He does not smoke or drink. His only hobbies were gardening and collecting calligraphies and paintings. He was a quiet person and seldom re-up. But when these types of people got angry, they will be terrifying.


    Ring, ring, ring. Dong Xuebing''s iPhone 4 rang. He looked at the phone. It was an unknown number.


    "Hello?"


    "Hello, is this Chief Dong? I''m Yan Lei."


    Dong Xuebing''s eye twitched. Why was this moron calling me? "It''s you? What is it?"


    Yan Lei was pissed with Dong Xuebing''s attitude. But all the leaders of the branch were beside him, and he could only bear with it. "You don''t need toe to Xuan Wu Hospital. Just go straight to the Hu Tong opposite the hospital. There is a Kang De restaurant. The leaders will be going there for dinner." Dong Xuebing understood why Yan Lei called him. No matter how close he was with Chief Xu, she was still his superior. She had called him once to go over, and if she called the second time, it would be lowering her status. That''s why Yan Lei was calling Dong Xuebing.


    "Ok. I will be there." Dong Xuebing hanged up. "Panwei, go to Kang De Restaurant now. Hurry."


    "Yes." Guo Panwei replied. "Hold on tight."


    Kang De Restaurant.


    It might be Chief Jiang who picks this ce. This restaurant has 3 levels. It is not majestic, but the renovations have an elegant feel to it. When Dong Xuebing reached the entrance, he noticed Chief Jiang, Chief Zhen, and other leaders'' vehicles were not there. Dong Xuebing immediately entered the restaurant to book the best private room, while Guo Panwei and Chang Juan waited outside, looking towards the hospital''s direction.


    A few minutester, a few cars stopped at the entrance.


    Dong Xuebing and Guo Panwei quickly walked over to open the doors for the leaders. This was the first time Dong Xuebing met Chief Jiang. There was a young man around Dong Xuebing''s age sitting beside Chief Jiang in the car. This young man had some bruises at the corner of his eyes, and his forearm was bandaged. The injuries do not seem to be severe. After both men alighted, Dong Xuebing said politely: "Chief Jiang, a private room is booked. It''s on..."


    Chief Jiang could guess that Dong Xuebing was from the Western District. He did not even look at him and entered the restaurant with his nephew.


    Dong Xuebing felt embarrassed. He saw Chief Zhen and the rest and quickly walked over to greet the leaders. "Chief Zhen, Chief Xu, Director Jian..."


    Chief Zhen nodded. "Let''s go in." He quickly followed Chief Jiang into the restaurant.


    Xu Yan patted Dong Xuebing on his back. "Make me proud."


    The Deputy Director whispered: "Chief Dong, it''s all up to you now. You must put out this fire no matter what. I, your older brother, will treat you to dinner when this is over."


    Dong Xuebing almost gave him a kick. What older brother? How can I put out this fire?


    Yan Lei, who was following Chief Zhen closely, turned and looked at Dong Xuebing. He also wanted to see what Dong Xuebing can do. Why all the leaders thought so highly of him? It was too weird. What''s so special about him?


    In the restaurant lobby, Chief Jiang told the receptionist. "Ask your boss to open up the "tranquillity" private room." Then he walked up the stairs to the 3rd level. His nephew opened the door of the private room for him. After that, Chief Jiang''s nephew turned and looked at Chief Zhen and the rest with a long face, before entering the room.


    This "tranquillity" private room was not opened to the public. But the staffs at the restaurant knew this person was their boss''s friend and did not stop him. The manager even got the prettiest waitress to serve this customer while she went to the office to inform her boss.


    This private room was elegant and quiet. All the tables, chairs, tes, etc. in the room were specially picked. The colors were, and designs gave the room a tranquillity feel. ssy calligraphy was hanged on the wall. The frame was made of old redwood with gold-colored finishing. There were 4 Chinese words written. ''Tranquility yields transcendence'' The overall ambiance in this private room does give people the feeling of tranquillity... Huh? There will not be any tranquillityter....


    That young man was arrested for no reason.


    Chief Jiang''s rtive was beaten up by his subordinates.


    The Deputy Director of the Sixth Bureau will soon be fired.


    Chief Zhen got to shoulder the full responsibility for this incident.


    Can all of them be calm?


    Dong Xuebing was also not calm. He still did not know what he could do toplete this mission given to him by the leaders.


    The waitress could tell who had the highest status at the table. She ced the menu in front of Chief Jiang, who was sitting at the Seat of Honor. Chief Jiang pushed the menu away from him and looked at his nephew: "Xiao Yu, just order whatever you want. But before your injuries heal, don''t eat any food which will worsen your injuries."


    The young man nodded and start ordering.


    After ordering the food, tea was also served. Chief Zhen stood up and raised his teacup. He lowered his status and said: "Xiao Yu, this incident is a misunderstanding, and it is also our fault. I represent our branch''s Party Committee members to apologize to you formally. The two officers who injured you will be punished. I will definitely give you and your family an answer." Xu Yan, Dong Xuebing and the rest saw Chief Zhen was apologizing and they quickly stood up and raised their teacup. Of course, Yan Lei, Chang Juan, and Guo Panwei did not raise their cups. They were not even seated at the table. They could only stand behind the leaders to top up the leaders'' sses.


    The Chief of a branch bureau was apologizing to him, and no matter how angry Xiao Yu was, he had to ept the apology. He took a sip of his tea. But when Chief Zhen and the rest offered tea to Chief Jiang, Chief Jiang did not give any face. He just sat there without touching his teacup. Everyone could tell that Xiao Yu was okay now. After all, his injuries were not serious. But now, they had to pacify Chief Jiang.


    It was awkward, and no one said anything for a long time.


    It was until Chief Zhen offered tea again and Chief Jiang hit the table lightly. "Stop doing all these unnecessary things. You think everything will be over just by punishing those two officers? Ah? Have you all reflected on this incident? How did this incident happen? Who should be responsible for it?"


    "Chief Jiang..." Zhen Anguo and the rest could feel a cold shiver. Chief Jiang wants to hold them ountable for this incident.


    "I had spent most of my life in State Security. Now, my own nephew is arrested and beaten up by my subordinates? Why is this happening? Tell me!"


    Knock, knock, knock. The waitress knocked on the door and entered with the dishes.


    With outsiders around, Chief Jiang did not continue to scold them. He took a sip of his tea and saw that calligraphy from the corner of his eyes. He frowned and then shouted. "Waitress, take that calligraphy away."


    Remove that calligraphy? What does he mean? Dong Xuebing, Zhen Anguo and the rest were stunned.


    The waitress was also shocked. She was new here, but she knew that this calligraphy is her boss''s favorite treasure. Take it away? The waitress did not even dare to touch it. "Sir, this only is a decoration. I..." Chief Jiang stared at her, and the waitress panicked. "Our boss is away and will be back soon. Can I ask him when he returns? I really cannot make a decision."


    Zhen Anguo looked at that calligraphy and understood. They might not be experts in calligraphy but could tell that this piece of work had no seal or names. It looks like some work from a roadside stall. It should not be in this room. Chief Jiang loves collecting calligraphies and books and was an expert. He was also furious over his nephew''s incident. His mood got worse when he saw this ordinary piece of calligraphy.


    Yan Lei turned and stared at that waitress: "Just hurry up and remove it."


    The waitress was also slightly angry with these unreasonable customers. "What''s wrong with this calligraphy?"


    Dong Xuebing was still bothered for not being able to speak to Chief Jiang. This was an excellent opportunity, and he did not want Yan Lei to be ahead of him. He stepped forward: "What''s wrong? Even I can tell that this is a piece of lousy work, let alone an expert like Chief Jiang. ''Tranquility yields transcendence''? The strokes of these characters do not even show any hints of tranquillity." Dong Xuebing used this opportunity to bootlick Chief Jiang. "Don''t think no one knows about calligraphy here. Our Chief Jiang is an expert in this. If Chief Jiang thinks this is not a good piece of work, then it is a piece of lousy work! Take it away. Put in in some other room."


    Xu Yan and Deputy Director of the Sixth Bureau nodded. Chief Xiao Dong reacted fast. If he could appease Chief Jiang slightly, then things might change.


    The waitress replied: "Can we... can we wait for our boss to return? Please bear with it for a while."


    Chief Jiang suddenly got mad: "Didn''t you hear what I said?"


    Zhen Anguo was also furious. Was this waitress new? Howe she could not see that the customers were getting angry.


    Yan Lei saw Chief Jiang was furious and went over to try to remove that calligraphy.


    Dong Xuebing was smart too. He will not give others the opportunity to perform in front of the leaders. He reached out before Yan Lei and grabbed that calligraphy. Then he walked out of the room and threw it in the corridor, before returning back to the private room. Dong Xuebing saw Chief Jiang was still furious and said: "Chief Jiang, don''t be angry. I had thrown that calligraphy outside. That is really some lousy writing. I wonder what the boss of this restaurant thought when he hangs this in the room. It will affect customers'' appetite."


    Yan Lei stared at Dong Xuebing coldly. He was pissed for not missing the opportunity to perform in front of the leaders. Dong Xuebing was much faster than him.


    Dong Xuebing also felt his performance was perfect. This should calm Chief Jiang down slightly. It will be easier for them ask for forgiveness now. Zhen Anguo, Xu Yan and the rest were also thinking the same. But Chief Jiang... huh? He seems to be angrier. Even Zhen Anguo who had been in the investigation branch did not know what was happening. This was the only a piece of calligraphy. Even if the writings were not nice, there was no need to be so angry. Could it be that Chief Jiang loves calligraphy so much that he cannot tolerate lousy works to be around him?


    Everyone was at a loss of words.


    At this moment, a middle-aged man entered the room with that calligraphy. From his dressing, he should be the boss of this restaurant.


    Dong Xuebing was irritated. "What are you all trying to do? Don''t you know customers are always right? Why did you bring in that calligraphy again? Are you trying to provoke us and make us lose our appetites?"


    "Enough!" Chief Jiang banged the table suddenly.


    The boss of the restaurant had never seen Chief Jiang so angry before. He was also shocked. He thought Chief Jiang was mad at him for hanging his calligraphy in this room. He quickly exined: "Chief Jiang, your calligraphy is supposed to be hanged in my office. But we are having renovations there, and I am afraid that your masterpiece will be damaged. So, I brought it to this room. I... I will take it back now."


    What? What did he say?


    Everyone from the Western District branch was stunned.


    Your masterpiece? These words were written by Chief Jiang? It was Chief Jiang that gave this calligraphy to the boss of this restaurant? Damn it! This was really written by Chief Jiang?


    No one had expected this to happen.


    Dong Xuebing''s face turned green. F**k. Is this a joke? This calligraphy turned out to be written by Chief Jiang? Why did he got mad and asked the waitress to take it away? Dong Xuebing, Zhen Anguo and the rest understood why Chief Jiang got angrier. It must be that he does not like others to discuss his calligraphy. That''s why he did not allow the boss of this restaurant to hang in outside. When he saw his calligraphy was hanged in this private room, he asked the waitress to take it away. Of course, he got more furious after he heard Dong Xuebing criticizing his work.


    Oh shit!


    Dong Xuebing wanted to bang his head against the wall. Why did he have to criticize those words? This was like scolding Chief Jiang in front of everyone. This was more than giving Chief Jiang a p across his face. It was many ps!


    That''s right!


    There is still a chance to salvage the situation.


    Dong Xuebing brighten up suddenly. BACK!


    Dong Xuebing had umted 4 days of BACK, and he immediately uses 3 BACKs.


    ...


    ...


    Time returned.


    Scenes shed three times in front of Dong Xuebing.


    The first thing Dong Xuebing saw was a teacup. It was still hot with steam rising. Dong Xuebing quickly scanned the surroundings to confirm the timing. If necessary, he will use BACK one more time. He looked around and saw Xu Yan, Zhen Anguo and the rest lowering their head, looking at the teacup and tes in front of them. Dong Xuebing immediately hear Chief Jiang scolding. "I had spent most of my life with State Security. Now, my own nephew is arrested and beaten up by my subordinates? Why is this happening? Tell me!"


    This timing was just nice, and Dong Xuebing still had 1 more BACK as spare.


    Knock, knock, knock. The waitress entered with a dish. "Your saut¨¦ corn with pine nuts is ready."


    Chief Jiang took a deep breath and stop his scolding. He then took a sip of tea and turned to the calligraphy and frowned. "Waitress, take that calligraphy away."


    Zhen Anguo, Xu Yan and the rest were stunned.


    The waitress paused and replied with a distressed look. "Sir, this only is a decoration. I... Our boss is away and will be back soon. Can I ask him when he returns? I really cannot make a decision."


    Yan Lei immediately stepped forward. "Just hurry up and remove it."


    The waitress replied: "What''s wrong with this calligraphy?"


    Yan Lei replied angrily: "Can''t you see that our Chief Jiang does not like it? Take it away." Because Dong Xuebing did not interrupt Yan Lei, this was different from earlier.


    "Can you all bear with it for a while? Our boss..."


    Chief Jiang stared at the waitress: "Didn''t you hear what I said? Take it away. If your boss is unhappy, ask him to see me."


    The waitress was frustrated. She thought to herself. What''s wrong with all these people? It''s just calligraphy.


    Chief Jiang saw the waitress was still not moving and looked at the people from the Western District. "Remove it."


    Zhen Anguo, Xu Yan and the rest could also tell that these words were not written nicely. It does not have any artistic value at all. Zhen Anguo gave Yan Lei a look. Yan Lei was overjoyed. He quickly walked over and reached out for that calligraphy.


    But at this moment, Chief Xiao Dong, whom everyone had almost forgotten about him, said something shocking. "Chief Jiang, this calligraphy cannot be removed."


    What?


    Why did Chief Xiao Dong say such things?


    Zhen Anguo, Director Jian, Yan Lei, Xiao Yu, and even Chief Jiang were stunned.


    Cannot be removed? Chief Xiao Dong says this calligraphy cannot be removed? Chang Juan and Guo Panwei looked at each other.


    Chief Jiang paused for a few seconds and red up. Cannot be removed? You don''t even listen to my orders? Who is the leader here? You or me?


    Xu Yan''s face changed. "Xiao Dong, what are you saying?"


    Dong Xuebing pretended to rub his eyebrows and blocked Chief Jiang''s view, while he gave Xu Yan and the rest a look.


    The Deputy Director of the Sixth Bureau was stunned. He was hoping for Xiao Dong to save him. But instead of putting out the fire, he was adding oil to it. Chief Jiang does want to see that calligraphy, you should go along with him and criticize those words. But you stopped everyone from removing it now? What are you trying to do? Making Chief Jiang angrier? The Deputy Director of the Sixth Bureau shouted: "Xiao Dong. Stop your nonsense."


    Yan Lei also could not believe what he had heard. Did I hear wrongly? What is this person trying to do?


    What Dong Xuebing saidter was more shocking.


    Dong Xuebing pointed to the calligraphy on the wall and said: "Chief Jiang, can I put in a few words for this calligraphy? From the moment I saw this masterpiece when I entered the room, no words can describe my feelings. This is too well written. ''Tranquillity yields transcendence'' Having tranquillity will not let our minds wander and make us reflect on our actions. This will help us achieve our goals. This calligraphy has deep meanings. From the strokes of the characters.... This must be written by a master."


    Everyone from the Western District branch jaws dropped. What was Xiao Dong saying? Masterpiece? Bullshit. This was just an ordinary piece of calligraphy. Anyone on the streets can write better than this.


    Chief Jiang was stunned.


    Zhen Anguo saw that Chief Jiang was stunned, and was furious. He turned and look at Xu Yan. Xu Yan, is this the firefighter you praised to the skies?


    Xu Yan''s face turned pale when she saw Chief Zhen staring at her. But the next second, she saw Dong Xuebing secretly winking at her. It was like earlier. He seems to be signaling something. Xu Yan thought about Dong Xuebing''s actions. She knew Dong Xuebing was not someone so immature. He must have said those things for a purpose. Xu Yan trusted Dong Xuebing fully and did not stop him. She saw everyone else was distracted by Dong Xuebing and whispered to Zhen Anguo: "Chief Zhen since we asked Xiao Dong over to save the situation, I think... I think we should let him handle this."


    Zhen Anguo looked at Xu Yan weirdly. Let him handle this? Let him stir up more problems? This is called putting out the fire? It''s more like lighting fire!


    Xu Yan smiled: "I believe Xiao Dong did not say those things for no reason."


    Zhen Anguo frowned. Under this circumstance, Xu Yan still trust Dong Xuebing so much?


    Yan Lei did not get Dong Xuebing''s signal and stared at him. "Chief Jiang is an expert in calligraphies. Stop talking nonsense!"


    "Secretary Yan, you are the one who doesn''t know anything about calligraphies." Dong Xuebing purposely said this to Yan Lei. He continued: "Chief Jiang, although this piece of work does not have any seal indicating the master who wrote these words, I am sure the one who wrote these 4 characters must be a master in calligraphy. The strokes are so swift, powerful, and smooth. This is... no words can descript the skills of this master. This is really a terrific masterpiece! I feel that as someone who loves calligraphy must respect such masterpiece. Errr... I hope you will forgive me for speaking my mind." Actually, Dong Xuebing know nuts about calligraphy. Even if you give him a brush now, he can''t also hold it properly.


    Yan Lei only have one thought in his mind. Dong Xuebing is crazy!


    Chief Jiang looked at Dong Xuebing in his eyes: "Calligraphy master?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "I think this must be Master Tian''s work."


    Chief Jiangughed. But no one could tell if he wasughing in jest or really happy.


    Chang Juan was panicking. What was Chief Xiao Dong saying? Can''t he tell that Chief Jiang was furious?


    Guo Panwei was also trying to signal to Dong Xuebing to stop with his eyes. He did not know what Chief Dong was up to today. Dong Xuebing did not drink any alcohol today. Why was he praising this calligraphy non-stop? What was he trying to do? Also, these characters were not as well written as what Dong Xuebing ims.


    Suddenly, the door of the room opened, and the restaurant''s boss entered.


    The boss could feel the tension in the room and be shocked. "Chief Jiang, you are here? Do you need anything? I will bring it to you personally." The boss does not know that Chief Jiang wanted the calligraphy to be removed from the room.


    Dong Xuebing looked at the boss and grabbed his arm. "You are the boss of this restaurant?"


    The Boss was surprised. ''Huh? Yes, I am."


    "Ah... you are finally here." Dong Xuebing quickly pointed to the calligraphy on the wall. "Which master wrote these words? Is this Master Tian''s masterpiece?"


    The boss was shocked and secretly looked at Chief Jiang before replying: "No."


    Dong Xuebing pretended to not believe him. "Boss, if this is really Master Tian''s work, you can just admit it. We will also not steal this masterpiece from you. We just want to learn more about calligraphy. Stop trying to hide it."


    The Boss replied: "No. It''s really not Master Tian''s work. It''s... it''s a gift from someone special."


    Dong Xuebing continued to act surprised. "It''s not Master Tian''s masterpiece? Impossible..." Dong Xuebing paused for a while and asked: "Boss, I really love this masterpiece. Can you let me bring it back? Just name a price."


    "Oh, I can''t let you have it. If it wasn''t for my office''s renovation, I will also not hang this calligraphy here. I still want to keep it in my office."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "You are right. These words are priceless, and it''s worth cannot be determined with money. Errr... Boss, can you help me get a masterpiece from this master?"


    Chang Juan and Guo Panwei could already see Chief Xiao Dong getting punished and fired.


    Zhen Anguo could not stand it any longer. He looked at Xu Yan again and thought to himself. You still don''t feel that this Xiao Dong had gone crazy?


    Xu Yan sighed helplessly. She also did not know what Xiao Dong is up to. Why was he getting so worked up over such a lousy piece of calligraphy?


    If no leaders from the Western Districte out to stop Dong Xuebing, it would make the matter worse. Zhen Anguo said apologetically. "Chief Jiang, I am really sorry. This Xiao Dong had just joined our branch and is not good with his words." He then turned to Dong Xuebing with a long face: "Sit down!"


    The Deputy Director of the Sixth Bureau had lost all hope. Chief Jiang should be furious, and he will be sacked. Chief Xiao Dong, what the hell are you doing?


    Director Jian and the rest were also thinking that they will be dead. Who will bear Chief Jiang''s fury?


    Yan Lei was worried for Chief Zhen, and at the same time, he was alsoughing in his heart. Dong Xuebing is finished! What Master Tian''s masterpiece? Anyone who knows calligraphy can write better characters than this. Even Chief Jiang could see it, and you still try to go against him? Crazy!


    But 2 secondster, something more shocking happened.


    Chief Jiang, who had been pulling a long face the whole day, suddenlyughed loudly. He took a sip of tea and said: "Who says this Xiao Dong is not good with words? Hahaha, from what I see, he is much better than all of you!"


    Chief Zhen and the rest were shocked. What does Chief Jiang mean?


    Chief Jiangughed and looked at Dong Xuebing. "Young man, you also like calligraphies? You say this is Master Tian''s masterpiece? Hahaha, you should train your eyesight more." He turned to the restaurant''s boss and said. "This is not some masterpiece from any masters. I had written these words a few years ago, and Old Zheng here saw it and ask me for this. I thought he had thrown it away long time ago. I did not expect him to even frame it up. Hahaha."


    Not only Zhen Anguo, Xu Yan and the rest from the Western district branch were shocked. Even Chief Jiang''s nephew was shocked.


    Chief Jiang was the one who wrote those words?


    These words were all written by him?


    Everyone could not believe their ears. But when they saw the smiles on Chief Jiang and the boss''s face, no one could say anything. Everyone turned to look at Chief Xiao Dong as if they had seen a ghost. This was too unbelievable.


    Xu Yan took in a deep breath. She finally understood what Dong Xuebing meant when he signaled to her. Dong Xuebing was bootlicking indirectly!


    Dong Xuebing pretended to be surprised: "Chief Jiang, are you serious? This masterpiece is written by you?"


    Chief Jiangughed.


    The restaurant''s boss said: "Chief Jiang''s skills are only slightly behind Master Tian."


    "What slightly behind?" Dong Xuebing stared with his eyes wide opened. "They are on the same level! If no one tells me the truth, I also can''t recognize it."


    Yan Lei was cursing in his heart. On the same level? Bullshit!


    Another dish was served.


    Chief Jiang waved his hand. "Ok, ok. Sit down and eat."


    Dong Xuebing did not sit. "Chief Jiang, I dare not to sit down. Ah... Look at me, I really thought that this masterpiece is written by Master Tian or other Masters. I really love calligraphies. To me, Master Tian is one of the top calligraphers. That''s why I got so excited. I.... Chief Jiang, I''m sorry."


    Chief Jiang waved. "It''s fine. Have a sit." Chief Jiang anger had subsided a lot.


    Dong Xuebing sat down cautiously.


    Only Chief Jiang and the restaurant boss knows about this calligraphy. Chief Jiang knew it was impossible for Dong Xuebing to know that he was the one who wrote those words beforehand. He thought Dong Xuebing was only a fresh graduate who loves calligraphy and respected this piece of work. That''s why he dares to disobey his instructions. Yes. Protecting this piece of work was a good thing and made him happy. Dong Xuebing even though this was written by Master Tian? This was the perfectpliment. "Xiao Dong, it''s rare to see young men like you who loves calligraphies."


    Guo Panwei and Chang Juang almost fainted when they heard this.


    Chief Xiao Dong loves calligraphies? Bullshit! Chief Dong knows nothing about calligraphies!


    Chief Jiang had never met Dong Xuebing before and did not know him well. But Guo Panwei and Chang Juang knew what Dong Xuebing was doing every day. Chief Xiao Dong rarely uses pen. He only used PC to type everything. Guo Panwei also knows that Chief Xiao Dong''s Chinese was not very good too. Whenever Chief Xiao Dong wrote something, there will be lots of wrong words. This was because he had used PC too much. Also, Chief Xiao Dong''s handwriting.... was too ugly. Even Guo Panwei''s writing was nicer than his.


    Chief Xiao Dong loves calligraphies?


    That''s bullshit. He might never even hold a brush.


    Guo Panwei dares to confirm that Chief Xiao Dong knew this was written by Chief Jiang. If not, he would not dare to say such things and ims he loves calligraphy. But.... Even Chief Zhen, who had done investigation work before did not know, how did Chief Xiao Dong know that this was written by Chief Jiang? Also, Chief Xiao Dong seems to be very confident. This was impossible. It should be Chief Xiao Dong''s first time here.


    Guo Panwei and the rest could not understand why.


    Dong Xuebing felt this was the right time and he raised his teacup: "Chief Jiang, our branch had created this trouble for you and your rtives. I had also offended you earlier. I... I... I will punish myself by drinking three cups. I hope to seek your forgiveness." By right, Dong Xuebing''s status was too low to raise his cup. But the situation now was different.


    Chief Jiang frowned when Dong Xuebing mentioned about his nephew''s incident. He looked at Chief Zhen and the rest and waved his hand. "Fine. In the future, make sure to investigate thoroughly before making any arrest. Do you all understand? Ok. Let''s eat." Chief Jiang had decided to forgive them and will not pursue this matter anymore.


    It''s settled!


    This big headache of all the leaders from the Western District Branch had been solved!


    Everyone was relieved and turned to look at Dong Xuebing. They did not know what to say.


    Who would expect this ugly calligraphy hanged in a private room of a restaurant was written by Chief Jiang?


    Chief Xiao Dong!


    It''s this god damn Chief Xiao Dong again!


    Guo Panwei and Chang Juan had full respect for Chief Xiao Dong. He had saved the day again!


    Director Jian knocked his head a few times. They had apologized and bow down to Chief Jiang for almost half a day. But Chief Jiang did not forgive them. This Chief Xiao Dong just came over to the restaurant and settled the problem within a few minutes by talking about calligraphy? We are all humans, why is there such a big difference?


    Xu Yan smiled and shook her head. This Xiao Dong is full of surprises.


    The Deputy Director from the Sixth Bureau, who had narrowly escaped death, was excited and speechless. He could not understand why Chief Xiao Dong was so capable.


    Those who were from the Western District for some time had seen the miraculous feats of Dong Xuebing many times and were not very surprised. But this was the first time for Zhen Anguo and Yan Lei. If they had never seen it with their own eyes, they would never believe a Deputy Chief of a small office can solve the branch''s biggest headache just like that.


    If you say Chief Xiao Dong did not know that calligraphy was written by Chief Jiang and it was all luck, why would he signal and winked towards the Western District''s leaders when he was praising those words? But it should be impossible for Chief Xiao Dong to know it was Chief Jiang''s writings beforehand. No one in the room knew and how can Chief Xiao Dong know about this?


    This was too weird.


    But all these do not matter. Chief Xiao Dong had saved the day again.


    This is Dong Xuebing''s capability.


    No one can doubt it!

 Chapter 136: This is his capability

    <h4>Chapter 136: This is his capability</h4>


    Kang De Restaurant''s entrance.


    There were strict restrictions on State Security on drinking. This was why the dinner ended quite early.


    Dong Xuebing opened the car door for Chief Jiang and his nephew. Chief Jiang smiled and gave Dong Xuebing some words of encouragement before leaving. Dong Xuebing, Zhen Anguo, Xu Yan and the rest stood there watching Chief Jiang go. Dong Xuebing had wanted to ask for a piece of calligraphy from Chief Jiang, but he knew that within the same organization, the top leader cannot give his calligraphy to anyone he likes. If he gave Dong Xuebing a piece of calligraphy, the calligraphy would be Dong Xuebing''s safety talisman. Dong Xuebing felt Chief Jiang still did not like him that much to give him a piece of calligraphy.


    After Chief Jiang left, Dong Xuebing started exining to his leaders.


    He turned to all the leaders and said: "Chief Zhen, Chief Xu and leaders, I apologize for my actions. Please punish me."


    Zhen Anguo looked at Dong Xuebing: "Why should we punish you?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "I had talked back at Chief Jiang and nearly made him angry."


    Zhen Anguoughed and pointed at him: "You are not asking for our forgiveness. Hahaha, I think you are asking for rewards." This was the first time Zhen Anguo saw with his own eyes on Dong Xuebing performing miracles. It was more miraculous than what Xu Yan described. Zhen Anguo wonders why there is such a capable person in a small office.


    Xu Yan put on a stern face: "You gave all of us a fright when you said all those things." Although Xu Yan was criticizing Dong Xuebing, she was overjoyed in her heart. Dong Xuebing was her subordinate and was someone she valued a lot. He had helped the whole branch settled a difficult problem, and she felt proud. "Hmmm, how do you know that calligraphy is written by Chief Jiang?"


    "I guess it." Dong Xuebing still had a "guilty" look on his face. "Actually when Chief Jiang asked to remove that calligraphy, I had the feeling that it might be written by Chief Zhen. But Chief Zhen was sitting right in front of us, and I did not have the chance to tell you all. I can only secretly wink at you. I had said all those things without permission and I... Errr..... I''m sorry."


    Yan Lei heard this and was furious. Why didn''t you give me a signal?


    Zhen Anguoughed and waved his hand: "You are right. You do not have the chance to exin during that situation."


    If Dong Xuebing had not secretly winked at them, Zhen Anguo and the rest of the leaders would not feelfortable. Oh, you know that calligraphy is written by Chief Jiang and is trying to hide it from us? But with those few winks, things were different. Dong Xuebing had hinted to them and had no chance to exin. It was their fault that they did not realize it. Damn. Who would have thought that the calligraphy was written by Chief Jiang? There were no clues at all.


    This Chief Xiao Dong was extraordinary.


    After this issue was settled, Chief Zhen was also in a good mood. "Let''s go back to the branch."


    Xu Yan gave Dong Xuebing a pat on his back. "Well done."


    After all the leaders boarded their vehicles, the Deputy Director from the Sixth bureau went up to Dong Xuebing and shook his hand. "Chief Xiao Dong, please forgive me. At the start, I still thought you are... that''s why I had raised my voice at you. Please don''t mind me. Sigh... in the future, let me know if you need any help." He had sat together with Chief Zhen and Xu Yan at the table and had seen Dong Xuebing signaling to them. But he did not know what Dong Xuebing meant. Instead, he still raised his voice and scolded Dong Xuebing.


    Yan Lei felt frustrated. He had embarrassed himself earlier when he scolded Dong Xuebing that he did not know anything about calligraphy. But in the end, Yan Lei made a fool out of himself.


    Dong Xuebing felt he was walking on clouds. He knew he had settled this problem nicely. But when he thought about the time before he used BACK, he broke out in cold sweat. You all only see me resolving this issue, but my future was almost destroyed by all of you. Dong Xuebing had criticized that calligraphy, and if he did not use BACK, he would be in deep trouble now.


    Western District Branch Bureau.


    Tan Limei, Sun Zhuang and Old Yan were still in the office when Dong Xuebing, Guo Panwei, and Chang Juan returned. When Dong Xuebing returned, even Old Yan, who does not care about work, gave a questioning look to Dong Xuebing. He was also curious about the result. Dong Xuebing had wanted to brag about what he had done, but he was still the leader of this office. He got to humble, and somethings cannot be said by himself. Dong Xuebing just returned back to his own room to pack his bag, leaving Chang Juan and Guo Panwei the chance to tell what happened at the restaurant to the rest.


    Tan Limei''s heart skipped a beat when she says Dong Xuebing returning back to his office without saying a word. "Sister Chang, Brother Guo, is the problem settled?"


    Sun Zhuang asked: "Is Chief Jiang still angry? Who is he going to hold responsible for this incident?"


    Guo Panwei rolled his eyes and said loudly: "How is that possible? Didn''t you see who had gone to save the day? Is there anything our Chief Dong that can''t settle?" Guo Panwei was so loud that even Dong Xuebing could hear him in his room.


    Old Yan excitedly said: "Quick, tell us what happened."


    Tan Limei also added: "Sister Chang, quick tell us."


    Chang Juan took a deep breath first before saying: "I am impressed with our Chief Xiao Dong. You all did not see what happened today. It''s like... like..."


    Guo Panwei added: "It''s like we have seen a ghost."


    Chang Juanughed: "That''s right. It''s like we have seen a ghost. It''s too unbelievable." Tan Limei, Sun Zhuang and the rest were looking at her, and she continued. "I shall tell you all from the start. Chief Jiang was furious and had banged the table in the restaurant. He said he wanted to hold our branch responsible for this incident. At this moment, Chief Jiang noticed calligraphy hung in the private room and ordered the waitress to remove it. But the waitress dares not to remove. Chief Jiang got mad and insist the calligraphy be thrown out of the room. Haha... Do you all know the reason?"


    Tan Limei quickly replied: "Chief Jiang likes calligraphy and must think that piece of work is ugly and will affect his appetite."


    Sun Zhuang also nodded.


    Guo Panwei smiled. "All of us also thought the same way at that moment. But make a guess. What did our Chief Dong say?"


    Old Yan asked: "What did he say?"


    "No one could ever guess what Chief Dong had said. Even all the leaders were shocked." Chang Juan continued. "Chief Dong openly opposed Chief Jiang''s orders and said that the calligraphy cannot be removed."


    Sun Zhuang was stunned. "Really? Why did Chief Dong say that?"


    Old Yan also could not believe his ears andughed. "Chief Dong is still in his room. You two better not make up stories." Everyone knows Chief Xiao Dong does not have high political wisdom. But no one feels he is an idiot. Openly oppose the No.1 man of the City''s bureau? Rubbish.


    Chang Juan and Guo Panwei looked at each other and smiles. "Don''t doubt us. We are not joking. Chief Dong really did say that." Chang Juanughed when she saw the rest staring at her with their mouths opened. "That''s right. Everyone in the private room had the same expression as all of you now. All of us were stunned. Who would expect Chief Dong to say this? What happens next was more shocking. Chief Dong ignored Chief Jiang''s furious expression and start to praise that calligraphy. He still ims that this calligraphy was written by Master Tian and as a calligraphy lover, Chief Dong will not allow anyone to disrespect this masterpiece. That''s why he doesn''t allow Chief Jiang to remove it."


    "Chief Dong is a calligraphy lover?" Tan Limei and the rest almost fell off their chairs.


    All of them had seen Chief Dong''s handwriting. Calligraphy lover? Bullshit!


    Old Yan asked: "Chief Jiang got angrier? This is not settling the problem. It is totally the opposite."


    Chang Juan replied. "We all have the same expression as all of you now. We thought Chief Jiang would blow his top, but guess what? Chief Jiang did not lose his temper. Instead, heughed loudly." Chang Juan paused for a while and continued. "Chief Jiang said that he was the one who wrote this calligraphy few years back. He had given it to the boss of the restaurant then. Yes. That was Chief Jiang''s writings."


    "Ah?!!!"


    "Really? Are you serious?" Tan Limei and Sun Zhuang''s eyes nearly popped out. "This is coincident?"


    Chang Juan smiled: "Even when I think back at what happened at the restaurant, I still get shivers. I can tell all of you that this is not coincident. Chief Dong knew that calligraphy is written by Chief Jiang before he said those things. Don''t ask me how he knows that. But what Chief Dong said appeased Chief Jiang and Chief Dong took the opportunity to ask for forgiveness, and Chief Jiang said he will not pursue the matter."


    Tan Limei, Sun Zhuang, and Old Yan were stunned.


    Guo Panwei sighed. "Our Chief Dong is too capable. It seems that he could settle all sorts of problems easily." Guo Panwei was not bootlicking. This was his real feelings.


    "That''s right. It''s too unbelievable."


    Dong Xuebing walked out of his office and cleared his throat. He had waited for Chang Juan and Guo Panwei to finish telling the story to the rest purposely. "It''s almost the New Year, and there is a lot of work. All of you have worked hard. Pack up and go back." Dong Xuebing was overjoyed to see so many people praising him.


    Tan Limei looked at Dong Xuebing: "Chief Dong, if there are such incidents again in the future, you must bring me along."


    Dong Xuebing stared at her: "Just focus on your work and stop thinking about all these." Dong Xuebing said in his heart. Are you cursing me? Such incidents in the future? I do not want to experience this again. My future is almost gone. "Oh, don''t spread about the calligraphy. Keep it to yourselves." Dong Xuebing does not want Chief Jiang to know about this.


    At the same time.


    Because of this incident, most of the staff in the Western District branch were still in their offices. Everyone was worried that Chief Jiang would hold the branch responsible and the leaders will be transferred away. There would be a significant impact if this happened. What will happen next? Who would Chief Jiang me? The Deputy Director of the Sixth Bureau? Director Jiang or someone higher than him?


    Suddenly, everyone received the news they were waiting for.


    Other than the two officers who hit Chief Jiang''s nephew, no one else will be punished. This incident was over.


    What was this possible?


    Chief Jiang should be furious over this incident.


    The following news they received made everyone speechless. Damn! It''s Chief Xiao Dong again!


    The news those people received does not contain the details. They only knew that when all the leaders were helpless, Chief Xiao Dong was summoned over to put out the fire. Chief Xiao Dong reached the restaurant and then praised calligraphy there. This calligraphy waster found out that it was written by Chief Jiang and Chief Jiang''s anger was appeased. Chief Xiao Dong solved this issue within 10 minutes.


    Everyone was dumbfounded.


    What else can they say? This was Chief Xiao Dong''s capability.


    As everyone was going back, they were still discussing this incident.


    "Look, what did I say this afternoon? I said this incident can only be handled by Chief Xiao Dong. No one else can settle it."


    "Don''t you think it''s weird? Howe Chief Xiao Dong can just settle this issue so easily?"


    "That''s because he is Chief Xiao Dong."


    "Hahaha, Xiao Liu, you sound like you are worshiping him."


    In the branch, the most surprised person was Chief Zhen''s secretary, Yan Lei. Yan Lei felt what Dong Xuebing did was too unbelievable. Everyone in the branch should be shocked. What was more incredible was the attitude of the rest of the people in the branch. They were only surprised for a while and then continued with their work. It seems like Dong Xuebing had only gone to the market... and then got a KG of cabbage at 1 cent. People were only surprised but not shocked.


    Yan Lei started to ask around about Dong Xuebing and found out about Dong Xuebing''s miraculous feats.


    Yan Lei almost vomit blood when he heard it.


    Saving documents... penalty kick... scoring the goal in the final seconds... giving Minister Lu medication... Zhou Guoan''s corruption case...


    Yan Lei finally understood why everyone was not shocked to find out Dong Xuebing had settled this issue. He finally understood why the leaders in the branch trusted Dong Xuebing so much.


    Dong Xuebing could put out any fire.

 Chapter 137: Deputy Section Chief

    <h4>Chapter 137: Deputy Section Chief</h4>


    Night.


    North Heping Road, Qu Yunxuan''s apartment.


    Qu Yunxuan was putting up a pair of couplets on the wall. There were some red and gold Lunar New Year decorations in the living room. On the coffee table, there were some packets of sweets, nuts, and seeds. There were also some choctes and gummy candies in a ss bowl. This year''s Lunar New Year was slightly earlier. In a few more days, it will be Lunar New Year''s eve. This was the time when everyone in China starts to decorate their houses.


    The door opened, and someone entered the house.


    Qu Yunxuan knew who hade in without even raising her head. "You had dinner with your leaders? Are you still hungry?"


    "Yes. I want to eat you."


    "Eat your head! Stop talking nonsenses! Are you asking for a beating?"


    "Hahaha..." Dong Xuebing did not care what Qu Yunxuan was doing and went over to carry her up to the sofa. He even spins around with her in his arms. Dong Xuebing could not show his happiness too openly at his unit, as he was afraid others might gossip about him. Now, he had returned home and could openly show his joy and excitement. "Aunt Xuan, I had gotten some credits when I was dining with the leaders. This is a great credit. I think someone from the Political Section will look for me within these few days."


    Qu Yunxuan was holding on to Dong Xuebing around his neck as she was being carried by Dong Xuebing. "Why will they be looking for you?"


    Dong Xuebingughed. "It is about my promotion. I will be getting my promotion to Deputy Section Chief rank!"


    Qu Yunxuan was surprised. She pinched Dong Xuebing lightly: "Don''t try to trick me. You are really going to be promoted?"


    Dong Xuebingughed. "If it is this morning, I only stand a 50% chance of getting this promotion. But now, I am sure! Hahaha, you might not know. Although there are strict regtions on promotions, like minimum number of years, probations, or two years observations, etc. but it will all depend on the leaders. Oh, I did not tell you about what I had done since I entered the government sector. I can''t even count the number of times I got credit with one hand. Why will they not promote me? No one will say anything, even if I am promoted based on an exceptional basis."


    "Really?"


    "Of course. Why should I lie?"


    "Then what are you waiting for?" Qu Yunxuan got up from Dong Xuebing''s arms and kissed him on his forehead. "You are terrific. This calls for a celebration. I will go and buy some alcohol."


    Dong Xuebing replied. "You want me to break the rules? Our department forbids us to drink too much alcohol. I also cannot drink. I will be drunk even if it is a small ss."


    "Then... Let''s go to the restaurant."


    "Huh? I just had my dinner. Didn''t I SMS you?"


    Qu Yunxuan grumbled. "That Section Chief Xu, who was driven out by you, got his Deputy Chief Rank when he was almost 40. He only got Section Chief Rank when he is 50. How old are you now? How long have you joined your agency? Shouldn''t we celebrate? We did not even celebrate when you be the Deputy Chief of your office."


    Dong Xuebing also felt this promotion was a significant leap in his career. He was only receiving Deputy Section Chief''s benefits but did not have the rank. With this promotion, he will be considered a real government official. This really calls for a celebration. "Errr... I am still full. Why not we have dinner at Wang Fu after work tomorrow? Wait. The excitement will die off if we wait until tomorrow. Let''s go shopping and then watch a movie today."


    Qu Yunxuan yfully pinched his nose. "Ok. I will listen to everything you say today."


    Dong Xuebing''s eyes fluttered and looked at Qu Yunxuan, who was in her long johns. "I can also decide what you wear today?"


    Qu Yunxuan blushed and quickly covered her chest. She stared at Dong Xuebing and scolded. "You pervert. Are you trying to bully me again?" She reached over to hold Dong Xuebing''s hand and led him to her bedroom. She switched on the lights and draw up the curtains. She then walked over to her wardrobe: "I am in a good mood today, and I will listen to you this time. But this is the only time. If you have any weird requests in the future, I will beat you up! There. All my clothes are there. You can pick what you want me to wear."


    Dong Xuebing rubbed his hands excitedly. Everyone has their own preferences, and preferences change over time. For example, when Dong Xuebing was in Junior High, he likes to see his female ssmates in short skirts. But his ssmates had to wear uniforms in school. It was only on school outings or tuition sses on weeks ends when they wear dresses. But now, Dong Xuebing prefers mature and smart dressing. He felt women in such dressing were more feminine and attractive. That''s why Dong Xuebing was very excited to pick the clothes for Qu Yunxuan.


    Dong Xuebing decided to start picking the clothes from the inside. He bent over and opened the drawer containing Qu Yunxuan''s bras and panties.


    Qu Yunxuan immediately blushed and reached over to pull Dong Xuebing''s ear. "You cannot pick those. I... I had just changed this morning."


    Dong Xuebing turned and looked at her. "Didn''t you say you will listen to me today?"


    ".... You cannot choose my inner wear."


    "Ah... why are you still so shy? Look at you. You are blushing."


    "You want me to tear your mouth?"


    Dong Xuebing love to tease Qu Yunxuan. No matter how much she objected, he started search through the drawer, looking for the bra and panties he likes. Qu Yunxuan hit him a few times on his back and saw he still was continuing, she gave up.


    "Oh." Dong Xuebing suddenly stopped and asked: "Aunt Xuan, what is the color of your bra now?"


    Qu Yunxuan stared at him angrily. "White!"


    Dong Xuebing smiled shyly. "Can you let me take a look?"


    "You want to die?!"


    "Errr... Just one look. If I don''t know what you are wearing now, how can I choose your outfit today?"


    After bargaining for some time, Qu Yunxuan finally gave in. She hit him a few times and then lift up her top for one second. She blushed and quickly covered herself up. "Are you satisfied now?"


    Dong Xuebing nodded. Actually, he does not care what Qu Yunxuan was wearing. He only wants to see her change. After searching through the drawer for a while, he took out a pair of matchingcy bra and panties and gave it to her.


    Qu Yunxuan quickly snatched it from him and said: "I will change after you go out."


    Dong Xuebing will never do that. "Change now. I will not peep."


    "Who would believe you?"


    "Didn''t you say you will listen to me? Why did you change so fast?"


    "..." After hesitating for one minute, Qu Yunxuan took off her clothes when Dong Xuebing turned back to choose her clothes.


    Dong Xuebing was peeping through the corner of his eyes. He then continued to choose the stockings. He picked a pair of skin-colored stockings. "Wear this too."


    Qu Yunxuan, who was only in her bra and panties, covered her chest with her arms and stared at him: "You want me to wear a skirt in Winter?"


    "What skirt are you talking about?"


    "Then why are you asking me to wear stockings?"


    Dong Xuebing blushed. "Errr... It''s my personal preference." Dong Xuebing loves the smooth feeling of stockings. He felt stockings were a must for a mature and beautiful woman like Qu Yunxuan. Although ck stockings were sexier, it does not suit a virtuous woman like Qu Yunxuan. Skin-colored stockings feel more homely and gentle.


    Qu Yunxuan gritted her teeth and sat down on the bed to put on the stockings. She pretended to not see Dong Xuebing peeping at her.


    After a while, the perfectly dressed up Qu Yunxuan appeared in front of Dong Xuebing.


    Qu Yunxuan''s hair was tied up in a bun with a clip and had light makeup. She was wearing a white shirt with tight ck pants. She looked more mature than usual. Dong Xuebing walked around her a few times admiring her and nodded.


    "Am I beautiful?"


    "Yes. You are the prettiest woman I had ever seen."


    Qu Yunxuan smiled and rolled her eyes. "You are just saying this to make me happy."


    Dong Xuebing swallowed his saliva and said: "Seeing you like this makes me feel like staying at home. Why not we celebrate in bed?"


    Qu Yunxuan pped the back of Dong Xuebing''s head and grabbed her coat. "Stop your nonsense. Let''s go."


    On the way out, they met their neighbor, Aunt Liu walking up the stairs with a bottle of peanut oil. She saw Qu Yunxuan and Dong Xuebing and smiled: "Xuebing, Xiao Qu, you two are going out?"


    Qu Yunxuan quietly moved slightly away from Dong Xuebing and replied. "Yes. It''s almost New Year. I am going to the supermarket to buy a packet of rice. It''s too heavy, and I can''t carry it myself. So, I got Xiao Bing toe with me. Hahaha."


    Aunt Liuughed: "That''s right. You should get a husband. It is inconvenient to not have a man around."


    Qu Yunxuan nodded. "I am still looking for one too."


    After both of them walked out of their estate, Dong Xuebing rolled his eyes. "You really know how to lie. Buy rice?"


    Qu Yunxuan saw it was already dark and there was no one around. She moved closer and held Dong Xuebing''s hand lightly: "Then what should I say?"


    "Just say we are going out for a date."


    "Go to hell! I still have not agreed to be your girlfriend."


    Qu Yunxuan and Dong Xuebing strolled along shopping street slowly. Almost everyone, regardless of old and young, will turn back to look at Qu Yunxuan. Dong Xuebing felt proud to be walking alongside with her. In Beijing, almost everyone wants to stand out among the rest. If you ask any guys on the streets of Beijing, what type of girlfriend are they looking for, their answer will most likely be "someone whom I can bring out." There are two meanings to this answer. One is about the woman''s look. The prettier their girlfriends are, the more they will want to bring them out. Another type is the woman''s character. The woman must not throw a tantrum or talk back to her boyfriend in front of his friends. Qu Yunxuan is a beautiful and matured woman. She was the perfectbination of both types.


    As it was gettingte, Dong Xuebing and Qu Yunxuan did not go the Cinema in the central part of Beijing. They went to a small cinema nearby.


    After getting the tickets, they went to a caf¨¦ for a drink to wait for the movie. They were watching an overseas romance movie, and there were not many people in the cinema. At most, there were only about a dozen people in the cinema, and they were seated in the center and near the front. Dong Xuebing had naughty thoughts when they enter the cinema. He pulled Qu Yunxuan to the corner in thest row. This was not the right spot to watch the movie, but it was quiet, and no one was seated nearby.


    Qu Yunxuan put on a straight face: "Idiot! Are you thinking of doing something to me again?"


    Dong Xuebingughed: "Absolutely not."


    "We are in public. You better behave yourself. If not, I will hit you." Qu Yunxuan took off her coat and sat down with a box of popcorns beside Dong Xuebing. She picked up popcorn and was about to put it into her mouth when she saw Dong Xuebing move nearer with his mouth opened. Qu Yunxuan could only put the popcorn into his mouth. "Behave yourself."


    The movies started. The plot of the film was the same as all romance movies.


    Dong Xuebing was not even looking at the screen. He saw Qu Yunxuan watching the movie attentively and secretly moved his hand over to her thighs. He was feeling her up. Qu Yunxuan felt Dong Xuebing''s hand and quickly looked around before she gave him a stare. She did not say anything and continued watching the movie. But she was not as focused as before.


    "Xuan Xuan, sit on myp."


    "What for?"


    "I want to hold you while I watch the movie."


    "..."


    "Quick. I still have something to discuss with you."


    "..."


    Qu Yunxuan did not reply, and Dong Xuebing just bent over to carry her up. Qu Yunxuan was tall and with her voluptuous figure, her weight was about the same as Dong Xuebing. It was hard for him to carry her to hisp in this position. Dong Xuebing was panting when he ced her on hisp and start hugging her around her waist.


    "Stop it." Qu Yunxuan pped Dong Xuebing''s thigh. "What is it you want to discuss with me?"


    Dong Xuebing rested his chin on her shoulders and asked. "You said earlier that you will listen to me today?"


    "I did not say that."


    "You did."


    "Tell me what you want to do first."


    Dong Xuebing was looking at Qu Yunxuan''s thick red lips and whispered something shyly to her.


    Qu Yunxuan immediately blushed and pinched his thigh. "You... You... you want me to use... what sort of celebration is this? You pervert. I will kill you." Dong Xuebing was still staring at her lips, and she got mad. "Stop looking at me like this, or I will dig your eyes out!"


    "Really cannot?"


    "Absolutely no!"


    "We have already done that, what''s the difference? It''s all the same."


    "... the same? My mouth and.... How can it be the same?"


    "I think it is the same." Dong Xuebing also did not expect he will seed. He was only trying his luck. After all, Qu Yunxuan was very shy. "Errr... forget it. Just treat it as I did not say anything. Let''s carry on with the movie." Dong Xuebing felt embarrassed. Qu Yunxuan must be thinking that he was a pervert.


    Qu Yunxuan kept quiet and sat on hisp, watching the movie.


    Dong Xuebing took a quick nce at her. He does not know whether if she was angry or not. "Aunt Xuan, I am only joking with you. Really. Don''t take it so seriously. Errr... if you are angry, I will let you pinch me. Here, I offer this leg for you to pinch."


    Qu Yunxuan was still ignoring him.


    Suddenly, Dong Xuebing''s phone rang.


    Dong Xuebing was afraid he would affect the rest, he quickly answers his phone. "Hello?"


    "Xuebing." It was Dong Xuebing''s mother, Luan Xiaoping. "Where are you now? What is your background so loud?"


    "Oh, I am watching a movie in the cinema."


    "You are alone?"


    Dong Xuebing suddenly noticed Qu Yunxuan had got off hisp as he was replying to his mother: "Yes. I am alone. I am bored at home, so I came out for a walk." Dong Xuebing was stunned when he saw Qu Yunxuan squat down facing him. He wanted to ask her want was she doing, but he was still on the phone with his mother.


    "It will be Lunar New Year soon. I will be going back to see you in a few days."


    A pair was small hands moved to Dong Xuebing''s belt and start to unbuckle it slowly. Dong Xuebing was stunned. Damn! What are you trying to do? Didn''t you say no? Why are you taking off my belt?


    Qu Yunxuan looked up at Dong Xuebing and then continue to remove his belt.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother asked: "Xuebing, I am talking to you. I will be going back during Lunar New Year."


    "Yes, yes, yes. Come back. Ok. Juste back."


    "I will only be back for 2 days. I should be back on Eve and will return on the first day of New Year."


    A momentter, Dong Xuebing took in a deep breath. He could feel his blood boiling. "Yes. Yes. I... I will prepare the dumplings."


    "What''s wrong with you? Why do you sound so weird today?"


    "Nothing. It''s an exciting part of the movie." Dong Xuebing was breathing rapidly.


    "Oh, then you go and watch your movie. I will hang up now. Remember to work hard and don''t make mistakes. Your probation is one year. Once you canst until your probation is over, you will have an iron rice bowl. You might not be able to be a leader, but what I wish for is for you to have a secure job."


    "Ok, ok... Bye... Let''s talk again when you are back."


    10 minutester.


    Qu Yunxuan stood up with one hand covering her mouth and ran towards the toilet in the cinema.


    Dong Xuebing''s face was red as he waited for Qu Yunxuan outside the toilet. When he saw Qu Yunxuan staring at him when she came out, he immediately asked. "Err... have you decided on ourpany? What will you be doing? Do you have any ns?" He was afraid she would be angry and tried to divert her attention.


    Qu Yunxuan stared at Dong Xuebing angrily and replied: "I have not decided yet."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "That''s right. We should not rush. You can speak to your friends first. Errr... how is the movie? It should be ending in 30 minutes."


    Qu Yunxuan took out a napkin and wiped her mouth. Her face was still red when she threw the napkin into the bin. "What are you looking at? You pervert! I am warning you. This is the only andst time. Do not ask me to do this again! If you still make these weird demands, give me back my keys. I will not let you step a foot into my apartment again! Do you hear me?"


    "Yes... yes..." Dong Xuebingughed: "I hear you loud and clear."


    Qu Yunxuan gave him an angry look: "Idiot. Let''s go back."


    Dong Xuebing and Qu Yunxuan walked back, hand in hand, to North Heping Road.


    Dong Xuebing''s promotion celebration was officially over.


    ...


    A few dayster.


    Pang Bin, the Chief of the Political Section, lead a team, consisting of a leader from the cadre section and two staff members, to have an official talk with Dong Xuebing. After that, they interviewed the staff from the General Affairs Office to find out their views of Dong Xuebing. At the same time, they also consulted the Chief of the General Affairs office, Li Qing, and other leaders. Finally, they consolidate a report and submit it to the branch''s Party Committee. The Party Committee announced that Dong Xuebing has high aspirations and is a loyal follower of the party. He also showed excellent results and had outstanding work performance. Therefore, he is officially promoted to Deputy Section Chief. The nature of his work will not be changed.


    Many people were shocked to find out that Dong Xuebing was promoted.


    Everyone knows Chief Xiao Dong had only entered the bureau for 4 months, and his civil servant''s probation was not over yet.


    When everyone thinks back about Dong Xuebing''s progression, they were shocked. Application to enter the Party will take at least 3 to 4 years for others. But Chief Xiao Dong got the approval in just 3 to 4 days. Ordinary staff members will need at least 2 to 3 years to be the Deputy Chief of a section. But Chief Xiao Dong took only 2 to 3 months. He even got the chance to attend the training course held at the Party School. This was reserved for people who were holding Deputy Section Chief rank. Other people need at least 3 to 4 years to get the Deputy Section Chief rank. But Chief Xiao Dong took only 3 to 4 months.


    Exceptional case.


    Exceptional case again.


    Why Chief Xiao Dong can move up the ranks so fast?


    The speed of Chief Xiao Dong moving up the ranks was like sitting on a rocket to space!

 Chapter 138: Lunar New Year

    <h4>Chapter 138: Lunar New Year</h4>


    Lunar New Year.


    It''s Lunar New Year''s Eve today, and people in Beijing calls this day, the 30th.


    Sounds of firecrackers can be heard everywhere. Everyone can feel the celebration vibes along the streets. Dong Xuebing''s mood was also excellent. He had received the official confirmation of his promotion to Deputy Section Chief from the higher-ups yesterday and was overjoyed. After pasting a pair of couplets and a "Fu" word on his front door, he returned to his apartment to start wrapping the chives and pork dumplings.


    But Dong Xuebing''s only regret for this New Year was it was as quiet as before in his house.


    Aunt Xuan is not married and had to return to her parents'' and grandparents'' house to celebrate. This was because she has a big family. She had left for her parents'' ce yesterday morning and should return after the New Year holidays. Dong Xuebing''s mother was currently on the way back to Beijing, and Dong Xuebing could only knead the dough himself.


    Ring, ring, ring. Dong Xuebing''s phone rang. It was an unknown number.


    "Chief Xiao Dong, I''m Old Yan. Hahaha, I am calling you to wish you a happy new year."


    Dong Xuebing was surprised and replied: "Happy New Year to you too."


    Old Yan chatted with him for a while. Dong Xuebing remembered that he is different from before. Not only people will be calling him to wish him Happy New Year, he also has to send his greetings to his leaders. He cannot visit the State Security''s quarters to visit His leaders personally. His promotion was an exceptional case and if he visits the leaders, there will bound to have gossips and rumors. It would be worse if he brought New Year gifts for the leaders. State Security is different from other government agencies. So, after pondering for a while, Dong Xuebing start to call Zhen Anguo, Xu Yan, and other leaders to send his greetings.


    "Chief Xu, I am calling you to wish you a Happy Lunar New Year. Thank you for taking care of me all this time. Thising year, I will continue to work hard and follow your footsteps...."


    "Chief Zhen, Happy Lunar New Year. I wish for you to have a prosperous year..."


    Dong Xuebing even called Xie Hun to wish her. No surprises, her number was the hardest to get through. Dong Xuebing had only called Chief Xu twice and Chief Zhen four times before the line got through. But he had to try dialing Xie Hun''s number 18 times before he could reach her on the 19th call. He wonders how many people were calling her to send her Lunar New Year''s wishes. This is the peak period for people to call their leaders.


    After calling all the leaders, Dong Xuebing continued to knead the dumplings'' dough.


    Ring, ring, ring. Dong Xuebing''s phone rang again.


    It was Tan Limei who called. "Hehe, Happy Lunar New Year, Chief Dong. I hope thising year will be a good year for you."


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Thank you. I also wish the best for you and Sun Zhuang." She was one of his closest subordinates, and he could be more casual with him.


    "Thank you. Eh? Why is your ce so quiet? Are you alone?"


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Xiao Tan, stop adding salt to my wounds. Hahaha. My mother is on her way back. This year will still be both of us. If not, why would I be kneading the dough for dumplings myself."


    "Ahh... This should not be happening. I will go over with Zhuang Zhi to help you."


    "It''s fine. Thank you."


    "My family has our reunion dinner at night, and I am quite free now. If it is convenient, I can go over now. Errr... Actually, Zhuang Zhi and I have a small request. We had nned to go over to your ce on the first day of New Year to speak to you.


    Dong Xuebing heard what she said and did not stop her. "Ok, then. Come over for lunch."


    The doorbell rang when Dong Xuebing hangs up the call.


    Dong Xuebing thought his mother had reached and went over to open the door.


    But it was Guo Panwei. He had two big bags with him. "Chief Dong, Happy New Year. These are some gifts for you. Here. I will not bother you anymore." The unspoken rule was to visit the leaders on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd day of the Lunar New Year. But Guo Panwei knows about Chief Xiao Dong''s family background. He does not have many rtives, and Guo Panwei came over to see if he could help with anything.


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Come in,e in. There is no need for gifts."


    Guo Panwei looked into Dong Xuebing''s apartment: "Errr... is it convenient?"


    "Of course. I am alone at home. My mother will be backter. Come in for a sit."


    "Thank you. Hope I had not bothered you."


    ...


    Outside of the apartment building.


    Dong Xuebing''s mother, Luan Xiaoping, walked towards the building. She saw all households had hanged rednterns outside of their windows and kids ying with firecrackers. Luan Xiaoping smiles to herself. Since her son had entered the Civil Service, she had not returned home. Now, she could finally see her son and was overjoyed. But she was also worried about her son. Luan Xiaoping knew she had a weak character and would cry easily. Dong Xuebing was matured and kept a lot of things from her to prevent her from getting worried. She wondered how Dong Xuebing was doing in the government agency. He kept telling her that everything was fine with his work and she wonders if he was telling her the truth.


    "Eh, Sister Luan?" An old neighbor saw Luan Xiaoping and went over to greet her. "Happy New Year."


    Luan Xiaoping smiled: "Happy New year to you too. How is your kid? Has he graduated from University?"


    That neighbor replied: "He had graduated and got a job. But his sry is just enough, unlike your son, Xiao Bing."


    Luan Xiaoping was feeling good in her heart, but she did not show her happiness on her face. "Xuebing''s sry if also not very high. How much can a staff member earn? At most, he is getting 3,000 RMB a month and getting some gifts from the government during festivals."


    That neighbor was surprised: "That''s not right. I thought Xiao Bing had been promoted?"


    Luan Xiaoping paused for a while andughed. "He is promoted? His probation is not over yet."


    That neighbor replied: "But everyone here is talking about this. Oh, maybe I had misheard. Hahaha, but your Xiao Bing is still very capable. Even that arrogant Section Chief Xu was driven away by him. His unit is now rented out to a couple who sells clothing at North Heping road." Luan Xiaoping was stunned again. Section Chief Xu? That government officer staying upstairs? Xiao Bing had driven him away? What does this mean? How did Xiao Bing drive them away? But before she could ask any more details, that neighbor said: "Oh, my rtives are here. I need to fetch them at the entrance. Come over to my ce for tea when you are free."


    The confused Luan Xiaoping continued her way back home. Along the way, she was scared by the loud firecrackers.


    Clink, nk, clink, nk... Luan Xiaoping opened the door with her keys. "Xuebing, I''m back."


    "Mum? Why are you sote? Traffic jams?"


    "The bus got dyed."


    "You must be Aunty. Happy New Year."


    Luan Xiaoping was surprised to see there were two men in the apartment. Other than her son, there was another man in his early 30s. From one look, she knew this man must also be working with the government. Luan Xiaoping, hanged her coat and entered the unit. "You must be Xuebing''s colleague. Happy New Year to you too." She was puzzled why would her son''s colleague came over to his apartment on New Year''s Eve. She saw there was not even a ss of water on the coffee table, and she stared at her son. "You don''t know how to prepare tea for your colleagues?"


    Dong Xuebingughed: "He had just arrived too."


    Guo Panwei quickly stood up: "Aunty, I can pour myself. Let me do it."


    Guo Panwei took the hot water sk and poured a ss of water for Luan Xiaoping and Dong Xuebing, followed by himself.


    Luan Xiaoping was stunned. She thought to herself. You all are staff members in the same office, why are you pouring water for my son? You are also much older than my son. After thanking Guo Panwei, Luan Xiaoping looked at him: "... Errr..... How do I address you?"


    Guo Panwei was sitting upright, with 1/3 of his butt touching the sofa. He replied politely: "Guo Panwei. Aunty, you can call me Xiao Guo."


    "Oh, you are also from the General Affairs Office?"


    "Yes."


    Luan Xiaoping was speechless when she saw Guo Panwei being so uptight. She thought to herself. Am I that scary? All my students said I look gentle. Why was this man so nervous when he sees me? Luan Xiaoping sat down on the sofa. "Don''t stand on ceremony. Just treat this ce as your own ce. How is work? Are you all busy?" Luan Xiaoping was trying to strike a conversation.


    Guo Panwei replied with his back straighten. "It''s festive seasons, and we are slightly busier than usual."


    Luan Xiaoping nodded. "How is our Xuebing''s performance at work? Did he get scolded by the leaders? This son of mine... he always keeps everything to himself and did not tell me anything."


    Guo Panwei was stunned: "... got scolded? Aunty, who dares to scold Chief Dong?" Guo Panwei said to himself. Someone did scold Chief Dong. Zhou Guoan and Guo Shunjie had scolded him before. But both of them were invited to have tea with the Commission for Discipline Inspection, and no one had seen them afterward. Since that incident, everyone will think twice if they want to scold Chief Dong.


    It was Luan Xiaoping''s turn to be shocked. "Chief Dong? What Chief Dong?"


    Guo Panwei was surprised. "You do not know?"


    "What should I know?"


    Dong Xuebingughed and patted the back of his mother''s hand. "Mum, you have been working in the vige and have not returned. That''s why I have not told you. I wanted to tell you about this when I see you. I am now the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office and joined the Party. Oh, my promotion to Deputy Section Chief was confirmed yesterday. I am now considered a government cadre." He had not told his mother about his work was because he wanted to give her a surprise. He was overjoyed when he sees his mother''s facial expression now.


    "Huh?" Luan Xiaoping was shocked. "You are promoted?"


    Guo Panwei added: "Aunty, since the day Chief Dong joined the bureau, his performance cannot bepared. No one can achieve his results. He hadpleted impossible tasks and assignments. Even if Chief Dong is promoted to Section Chief... no, even if he is promoted to Deputy Director, no one will say anything. It''s normal for him to be promoted."


    Luan Xiaoping was trying to digest what she heard. Results? She knows her son well. Since young, her son had been clumsy and not very smart. What results can he have? It would be a blessing if he did not get into trouble.


    Dong Xuebingughed: "Mum, there will be some more peopleing over in a while. Let''s wrap dumplings. The dumplings I wrapped are too ugly."


    "Let me do it. Let me do it." Guo Panwei volunteered and ran to the bathroom to wash his hands. After he washed his hands, he carried the dumpling dough and fillings to the kitchen. "Chief Dong, Aunty has not been back for a while. I''m sure you two have lots of things to say. I will not disturb you two. I will wrap the dumplings in the kitchen."


    Dong Xuebing stopped him. "Panwei, don''t need to do this. Sit down."


    "It''s fine. I am free today and had dropped by to see if there is anything I can help you with. But the dumplings I wrapped might not be as nice as yours or aunty."


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Look at you. You came all over to my ce and still have to do work for me."


    "It''s my duty."


    Luan Xiaoping grabbed her son''s hand and asked: "Xuebing, you are really promoted?"


    "Of course."


    "Did you get his colleague to trick me?"


    "Huh? What should I trick you?"


    Luan Xiaoping still does not believe this. How is this possible? Her son should not be so capable. Just when she was able to ask Dong Xuebing for his identification pass, the doorbell rang. Luan Xiaoping was closer to the door, and she walked over to open it. There was a couple standing outside. The guy was tall and fat, and the girl was small in size.


    "You all are?"


    Tan Limei smiled: "Aunty, you must be Chief Dong''s mother. Hello. Happy New Year."


    Sun Zhuang also greeted: "Happy Lunar New Year, Aunty."


    Hearing this couple calling her son Chief Dong, Luan Xiaoping believed her son was not lying to her. She opened the door and invited them in.


    After entering, Tan Limei and Sun Zhuang ced the gifts they bought by the side of the door. There were some red Chinese knots and fruits. There seem to be two cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes. Luan Xiaoping got a shock. Although she does not know much about cigarettes, she knew the prices of Zhonghua brand of cigarettes. This was an expensive brand. Tan Limei faced Dong Xuebing and smiled: "Chief Dong, I am here to help you wrap dumplings."


    Dong Xuebingughed: "Panwei is wrapping the dumplings in the kitchen."


    Tan Limei gasped: "Brother Guo is here too? Then I will not have the chance to impress you. No. I must find something to do too." She looked around and then held Luan Xiaoping''s hand. "Aunty, I have learned some massage from my mother. Let me massage your shoulders."


    Luan Xiaoping quickly waved her hands. "No need. No need."


    "Hehe, I am really good with my skills. I guarantee you will be impressed. Give me a chance to perform, please." Sun Zhuang was not good with words, but Tan Limei have a sweet tongue. After a while, she made Luan Xiaoping sit down on the sofa and start massaging her shoulders like a daughter giving her mother massage. She continued: "Aunty, yourplexion is perfect. Even youngsters like us cannot bepared to yourplexion."


    Luan Xiaopingughed. "Haha, I am almost 50. How can I bepared to you all?"


    "Ah... you are almost 50? You don''t look like your age. I still thought you are 40 years old."


    Luan Xiaoping had never experienced this type of treatment before. She smiled: "Girl, you must be tired. Sit down and have some water. I will brew some tea."


    Tan Limei replied: "I''m not tired. I still have to massage your legs."


    Sun Zhuang was also not idling. He took the broom and dustpan and start cleaning up the house.


    Dong Xuebing wondered why these two were so trying so hard to please him today. Also, why did they get so many gifts? He remembered Tan Limei had mentioned she needed his help over the phone and decided to let them be. Anyway, his mother had worked hard for most of her life, and he could finally let her enjoy life.


    Luan Xiaoping was feeling good by Tan Limei''s massage. Not only her shoulders felt good, but she also felt good inside. She finally believes her son had be a government officer. People are bringing him gifts and pouring water and tea. Someone is helping him wrap dumplings, massaging her shoulders and one of them is sweeping the floor. Their family had never experienced this type of treatment before. My son is capable now.


    Half an hourter.


    Guo Panwei walked out of the kitchen, smiling. "Chief Dong, Aunty, I have wrapped all the dumplings."


    Luan Xiaoping felt apologetic. "Thank you. Come over and have some fruits." She looked at Tan Limei, who was still massaging her legs. "Girl, you must be tired. You can stop the massaging now. Come over and take a break. I will prepare lunch for all of you."


    Guo Panwei quickly replied: "No need. If there is nothing else for me to help, I will be going. Thank you for your offer."


    Tan Limei looked at Guo Panwei and said: "We will be going back soon."


    Luan Xiaoping was overjoyed to know her son was promoted and does not want to let them go back. "It is lunchtime soon. All of you stay here for lunch. I will just prepare a few dishes."


    Guo Panwei, Tan Limei, and Sun Zhuang looked at Dong Xuebing. All of them also wanted to stay longer. It was not about lunch. It was about attitude. Only the trusted aides of the leader can be invited to have meals with the leader''s family members. Furthermore, today was Lunar New Year Eve. If they could dine with their leader and his family today, that means they are his trusted subordinates.


    Dong Xuebing waved his hand. "If you all have matters to attend at home, go ahead. It''s Lunar New Year, and family is more important. If you all do not have anything important, stay for lunch. We are all one family after all." After saying this, Dong Xuebing felt great. He feels like he was bing more and more like a leader.


    Luan Xiaoping was feeling proud of her son when she saw her son behaving like some top leader.


    Guo Panwei was ecstatic when he heard Dong Xuebing saying they are one family. He knew that Chief Xiao Dong no long has grudges with him. "Then.... Let me help Aunty wash the vegetables."


    Tan Limei also said: "I will help with the cooking."


    Sun Zhuang added: "I... I will help too."


    The dumplings were for dinner, and they prepared some simple dishes for lunch.


    After lunch, Guo Panwei helped Luan Xiaoping wash the dishes before he leaves. This time, Luan Xiaoping did not stop him from going. She knew that everyone should be busy during this period. But Tan Limei and Sun Zhuang did not leave. After Guo Panwei stepped out of the apartment, Sun Zhuang and Tan Limei seem to be holding back something. Tan Limei did not know how to say it, and she just continues her massage on Luan Xiaoping''s legs.


    Luan Xiaoping could also tell they had something to say to Dong Xuebing. "Girl, both of you want to ask Xuebing something?"


    Tan Limei cleared her throat embarrassedly: "Yes.... We... We need a favor from Chief Dong, but it''s embarrassing to ask. We should not be talking about this during Lunar New Year." During Lunar New Year, people will be exchanging gifts, and seldom will they ask for favors, unless it was very urgent.


    Dong Xuebingughed. "What is it?"


    Tan Limei gave Sun Zhuang a look, and he blushed. He waited for a while but did not say anything. He signaled to Tan Limei with his eyes. Tan Limei stared at him angrily and told Dong Xuebing. "Chief Dong. Sun Zhuang and I are dating, and we are not allowed to work in the same department. But due to manpower shortage some time ago, we are not separated. But Director Li Qing had looked for Sun Zhuang yesterday. He wants to transfer Sun Zhuang to the Commission for Discipline Inspection Department."


    Dong Xuebing heard this. Commission for Discipline Inspection? It''s good. At least it''s better than the Archive department.


    Tan Limei looked at Dong Xuebing and said: "You should also know about the work at Commission for Discipline Inspection... I am afraid..."


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Ok. I know. Just say what department you want him to go."


    Luan Xiaoping was shocked. What does this mean? Her son can pick the department to transfer his subordinate? He has this authority?


    Sun Zhuang finally opened his mouth. "I think the Political Section''s work... Errr... If possible..." The Political Section is a popr department in the branch. Their job was to observe and monitor the performance of the staff in the branch. Everyone wants to be transferred there. But it''s tough to enter.


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while and replied: "Ok. I will help you ask around after Lunar New Year. This should not be a problem." He was quite close to the leaders now, and this was only a small issue.


    Tan Limei and Sun Zhuang were ted. They quickly thanked Dong Xuebing.


    Before they leave, Dong Xuebing looks through the gifts they bought and said: "I will keep the fruits and Chinese knots. Take the cigarettes back."


    Tan Limei quickly said: "Chief Dong, you have helped Sun Zhuang a lot. We..."


    Dong Xuebing waved his hand. "This is only a small matter. I also do not smoke. Bring these cigarettes back for the elders in your families. Oh, wait a while." Dong Xuebing opened a cab and took out a bottle of Maotai. He smiled and gave it to Sun Zhuang. "This is a gift from others. I am also a non-drinker. Take this back with you all." When Dong Xuebing was not a leader, he looked forward to being receiving gifts. But after he had be a leader, he started to wonder what to do with all the gifts he received.


    Tan Limei replied: "Chief Dong..."


    "Just take it. Go back and enjoy the holiday."


    Luan Xiaoping looked at that bottle of Maotai. Although she could not bear to give that bottle of Maotai away, she added: "Just take it. Xuebing does not drink."


    "Errr... Thank you, Chief Dong." Both of them took the bottle from Dong Xuebing and left.


    After leaving Dong Xuebing''s apartment building, Tan Limei looked at the bottle of Maotai and said: "We are here to ask Chief Xiao Dong for favors. But he did not ept our gifts. Instead, we are the ones going back with his gift..."


    Sun Zhuang said: "Bing Zhi is a good man."


    Tan Limei sighed. "Yes. I have never met such a good leader. I don''t know how he treats others, but he really takes care of his subordinates. Remember that time when Guo Shunjie framed Chief Xiao Dong, Chang Juan, and I? If Chief Xiao Dong did not ept the full responsibility for that incident, Chang Juan and I would be in trouble. Where else can we find such a good leader?"

 Chapter 139: Xie Huilan is in danger

    <h4>Chapter 139: Xie Hun is in danger</h4>


    It''s the 2nd day of Lunar New Year.


    Luan Xiaoping had nned to return yesterday. But she was ted by the news of her son''s promotion and decided to stay one more day to apany Dong Xuebing. This morning, Dong Xuebing sent her to the bus stop. Before she left, she cried. She felt Dong Xuebing had made her proud and want him to visit the vige when he is free. Dong Xuebing was not close to his mother''s side of rtives and rarely go back. But seeing his mother''s tears, he promised he will visit her when he got the time.


    Dong Xuebing returned back to his apartment alone.


    Qu Yunxuan was still at her parents'' ce. Chang Juan and the rest had also visited him yesterday. There should be no one visiting today.


    Dong Xuebing felt bored. He went online to see if any of his former ssmates were online for a chat. But all of them were offline. After switching off the PC, Dong Xuebing wondered if he should buy some gifts to his leaders. This was not bribery. It''s the Chinese culture to send gifts during festivals. Since it''s not convenient for him to visit the State Security Branch quarters, but it should be fine for him to visit Xie Hun. Xie Hun had helped him a lot with the incident at the Newspaper agency. He has to pay her a visit to thank her again.


    That''s right. Visit Sister Xie. She is a leader in the Central Government. It will not be a bad thing to be close to her.


    Dong Xuebing immediately went to the nearby shopping mall and bought a bottle of perfume worth over 1,000 RMB.


    Giving gifts to leaders had lots of unspoken rules too. Firstly, Dong Xuebing cannot call up and tell the other party that he will be visiting them in advanced. He will be rejected. He will also not know if the other party was being courteous or really mean it. If he wants to give gifts, he had to visit the leaders'' straight or give them a call when he reached their ce. The gift must also be specially selected. The leaders will not ept expensive presents and they will not be happy with him. If the gift were too cheap, the leaders would think that Dong Xuebing had no respect for him. That''s why Dong Xuebing picked this bottle of perfume. It''s not too expensive or cheap, and it''s suitable for female leaders.


    Beiqiao.


    This was the ce when Dong Xuebing met Xie Hun the first time. She mentioned that she was living in her department''s quarters nearby.


    Dong Xuebing asked around and finally got the address of the Publicity Department, News division''s quarters. It was a small and old estate. There was a concrete wall surrounding the estate, and there were 3 to 4 grey apartment buildings. When the guards saw Dong Xuebing holding on to a gift, they knew he must be here to visit the leaders. They did not stop him and let him enter. The security guards there will not stop people who came here with gifts. They will only stop those who acted suspiciously.


    It was quiet outside the estate, but when Dong Xuebing entered the estate, he got shocked. It was very crowded inside.


    Some people were walking out empty handed, and some were walking up the stairs with lots of gifts in their hands. Outside of an apartment building, 3 people were carrying their gifts and waiting outside the gate. After someone had exit, one person outside will enter. The other two continued to remain there. They seem to be queuing up to send gifts.


    Dong Xuebing was dumbfounded. The Central Government''s departments were different.


    Dong Xuebing took out his phone and called Xie Hun. He still does not know if she was at home.


    The line got through. "Hello."


    Dong Xuebing quickly say: "Sister Xie, thank you for your help with the newspaper agency. I am at the News division quarters. I would like to pay you a visit. Errr... is this a good time?" Before Dong Xuebing knew about Xie Hun''s position, he did not speak politely with her. But after he found out that she was the Deputy Director of the News Division, Research Department, he changed the way he talks to her. He got no choice. Her rank was way higher than him.


    Xie Hunughed. "Don''t be so courteous. I had owed you a favor in the past, and that''s returning your favor."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "How can your help bepared to my favor? I must thank you personally."


    "Fine. Since you are here,e up to my ce. I am staying at block 6, unit 303. Come up 10 minutester."


    After hanging up, Dong Xuebing realized that block 6 was the apartment building where all the leaders from the News Division were staying. Those people who were queuing up were waiting to enter block 6. There should be someone in Xie Hun''s apartment now. If not, she will not ask him to wait for 10 minutes.


    10 minutester, it was almost lunchtime. The crowd in the quarters thinned.


    Dong Xuebing walked up to the electronic gates of block 6 and pressed unit 303. "Sister Xie, it''s me."


    This was the inte to Xie Hun''s unit. Clicked. The electronic gate was opened, and Xie Hun said over the inte. "Come up."


    Dong Xuebing quickly entered the building. But before he could walk up the stairs, he heard someone talking upstairs.


    "Director Xie, you don''t need to walk me out."


    "Old Xu, then I will not send you."


    "Yes. Please go back."


    When Dong Xuebing reached the second level, he walked past Old Xu. He was in his 40s, and they looked at each other without saying a word. Xie Hun had not closed her doors and was waiting outside her unit. She smiled when she saw Dong Xuebing. Dong Xuebing quickly walks over. It''s not good to let a leader wait. "Sister Xie, Happy Lunar New Year."


    Xie Hun smiled. "Happy New Year to you too. Come in."


    Dong Xuebing entered her apartment and saw a cab full of gifts. There were cosmetics, wine, health supplements, fruit baskets, etc. Dong Xuebing looked at all those gifts and ced his perfume on the cab. After that, he chatted with Xie Hun as they walked over to the living room. This was an old apartment, but it was well decorated.


    "What tea would you prefer? Flower or red tea?"


    "No need. in water will do. I will pour myself."


    "Hahaha. You are too courteous with me."


    Dong Xuebing poured a ss of water for himself and sat upright on the sofa.


    Xie Hun was wearing a white shirt and ck pants. Her hair was tied up in a bun and had crossed her legs. She was wearing skin-colored stockings with a pair of ck high heels. She was very sexy with a slim and tall figure, coupled with her beautiful features.


    Dong Xuebing had a hard time controlling his eyes. His eyes kept drifting down to look at her body.


    Damn! What am I thinking? Sister Xie is a bigshot! What am I looking at? I already have Aunt Xuan, and I am still not satisfied?


    Dong Xuebing scolded himself in his heart and took a sip of water to hide his embarrassment.


    Xie Hun was looking at him with a smile. She gracefully picks up a piece of orange and eats it. She smiled and pushes the fruit tter towards Dong Xuebing. "Have some fruits. Oh, Xiao Dong, I still do not know what you are working as."


    Dong Xuebing straightened his back and replied. "I am also working for the government agency. I am working at Western District State Security''s General Affairs Office."


    "Oh... State Security? One of my colleague''s partner is also from your branch. General Affairs Office''s job should be quite tiring. What do you handle?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled shyly. "Our Chief had delegated most of the work to us. I am in charge of most of the back-end support in the branch."


    Xie Hun looked at him in surprise andughed: "Deputy Chief?"


    "Yes...." Dong Xuebing took another sip of water and secretly looked at her chest again.


    Xie Hun looked more surprised. "Not bad. You are about to reach this rank at your age is not easy. Do your best."


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself. You are also not much older than me, and you are already a Deputy Director of a big department. What am Ipared to your rank? But Dong Xuebing knew that if they were topare the speed of their promotions, he would win her. He was promoted to Deputy Section Chief in 4 months. How many people can bepared to him? Of course, those highly educated people who joined as Deputy Section Chief cannot be considered.


    Both chatted for a few minutes. Dong Xuebing also wanted to be closer to a high-ranking leader like Xie Hun. But they had only met each other a few times. They cannot be considered close.


    After a while, Xie Hun looked at her watch casually.


    Dong Xuebing knew that this was a hint for him to leave. He quickly stood up and said. "Sister Xie, it''s almost twelve. I will not bother you anymore. I would like to thank you again for your help with the newspaper agency. If you need my help in the future, just let me know. I will do my best." Dong Xuebing knew what he said was meaningless. Xie Hun is a high-ranking leader and definitely will have some background. How can he offer any help to her?


    Xie Hun stood up slowly: "Ok. I will not keep you here. I still have a lunch appointmentter."


    "I will be going then. Please stay here. I will walk myself out."


    After leaving Xie Hun''s apartment, Dong Xuebing stood in the estate''spound and took a deep breath. His performance earlier was not excellent. He had chatted with Xie Hun for so long and could not find a topic that could interest her. This is not good. But at least she epted his gift. There is still chance for him to get closer to her in the future.


    After walking out of the estate, Dong Xuebing felt hungry. He looked around and saw a restaurant. He entered and ordered two dishes. In his mind, he was still thinking about Xie Hun''s perfect looks and her sweet smile. He could feel his heart beating faster. Sigh.... The ancestors of the one who gets to marry Sister Xie would be dancing in their graves. Dong Xuebing wonders if Sister Xie was married or has any children. In the end, Dong Xuebing forced himself to stop thinking about Xie Hun.


    "Director Xie, Happy New Year. You are going out?"


    "Happy New Year to you too. Yes. I''m going out for lunch."


    Dong Xuebing saw Xie Hun walking out of the estate and spoke to a middle-aged man near the gates. A firecrackernded near her. That middle-aged man quickly stepped in front of Xie Hun to protect her. "Director Xie, firecrackers are dangerous. You must be careful when you are outside."


    Xie Hunughed. "Thank you. I will be safe."


    "Take care."


    Dong Xuebing felt the distance between him and Xie Hun was too far apart. He is also a leader, but only the staff at the General Affairs Office gave him respect. Look at Sister Xie, anyone she met on the streets treated her respectfully. It was not only because of her rank and position. It was the temperament of a leader. Dong Xuebing felt he still does not have the experience and air of a leader.


    Dong Xuebing looked at Xie Hun''s back view as she walked away. He was secretly learning from her.


    After finishing his lunch, Dong Xuebing walked towards the bus stop slowly.


    A few buses went past the bus stop, but the bus Dong Xuebing was waiting for had not arrived. He deliberates if he should walk home as it was not too far away from his house. Ring, ring, ring. Dong Xuebing''s iPhone rang. He looked at the caller ID and was surprised. It was Xie Hun''s number. Eh? This should not be possible. I am not that close with Sister Xie, and why is she calling me?


    Dong Xuebing quickly answered the call.


    He cleared his throat and said: "Hello, Sister Xie."


    But the voice of the caller was not Xie Hun, and Dong Xuebing was shocked. It was an old man''s voice. "I saw your number on the phone, that''s why I called you. Are you thisdy''s family? If not, can you inform her family?"


    "What are you talking about?" Dong Xuebing sense something was not right. "What happened to Sister Xie?"


    "A young girl had fallen into the water at the river east of Qiao Bei. Thisdy past by and saw it. She immediately drops her phone by the river bank and jumps into the water to save the girl. She managed to pull the girl to shore, but her legs got entangled with the seaweeds. I don''t know how to swim, and the rest of the onlookers dare not go into the water after seeing the seaweeds. Now... now..."


    Dong Xuebing turned pale immediately. "Hurry up and tell me."


    The old man continued: "Sighed... she is dead. Her body is still in the water. We have called the police and are waiting for them toe and retrieve her body. Young man, can you notify her family?"


    "Impossible... This is impossible..."


    "Sighed... I''m sorry for your loss."


    Xie Hun is dead?


    Xie Hun is dead?


    Dong Xuebing hanged up in a daze. He could not believe what he heard. Was this a prank? Sister Xie was still chatting with him earlier, and now, she''s dead??


    How was this possible?


    1 second...


    2 seconds...


    Suddenly Dong Xuebing remembered something. He shouted at the top of his voice: "BACK!"


    He can save her!


    He must save her!

 Chapter 140: Rescue

    <h4>Chapter 140: Rescue</h4>


    Dong Xuebing immediately used all 7 BACKs without hesitation. These were all the BACKs he saved over the past few days.


    "Why is the bus not here yet? Is there a traffic jam?"


    "Who knows? I think 2 buses will arrive togetherter. We should be able to find a seatter."


    The traffic on the road was heavy, and many people at the bus stop wereining about their wait for the buses. This was precisely 7 minutes ago. Dong Xuebing was thinking about many things. He saw Xie Hun not too long ago when he was having lunch. Qiaobei''s river was not too far away, and that little girl should have just fallen into the river now. There''s still time!


    Dong Xuebing immediately took out his phone can call Xie Hun.


    Ring... ring... ring... ring...


    Please answer... Quick... Don''t go into the water...


    Xie Hun did not answer his call. The phone had rung for quite long, but no one was answering. Shit! Shit! Shit! Sister Xie must have thrown her phone by the riverbank and entered the water to save that girl. No.... Maybe she saw that girl fell into the water from afar and was rushing to save her. That''s why she did not answer her phone.


    What should I do? What should I do?


    Dong Xuebing almost threw his phone on the floor from his anxiousness.


    No. I cannot let Sister Xie die. I must save her!


    Although Dong Xuebing did not want to face it, deep in his heart, he lusts after Xie Hun. This had nothing to do with or without Aunt Xuan. All men have lusts. That''s why when Dong Xuebing heard that Xie Hun will be leaving this world soon, he lost his mind. He could not keep calm. He started running towards the direction of the river while calling Xie Hun again.


    Ring.... Ring... ring... No one was answering.


    F**k! Dong Xuebing cursed and ran as fast as he could towards the East.


    Wait for me. I will be there soon. Hang on!


    Dong Xuebing did not know he could reach in time. What he could do now was to run as fast as possible. 50m... 100m... 200m... 300m... Suddenly, the word ''seaweeds'' appeared in his mind. That old man mentioned that all the onlookers did not enter the water to save Sister Xie was because of the seaweeds. Even if Dong Xuebing reaches there in time, he also could not save her. He might also be drowned. He immediately looked around and saw a small general store nearby. He dashed into the store.


    "Boss!" Dong Xuebing threw a 100 RMB bill on the counter. "Give me a knife!"


    That boss was shocked and did not move.


    Dong Xuebing had no time to waste. He took out his work pass and ms it on the counter. "Police! Give me a knife!"


    That boss saw Dong Xuebing''s identification card and quickly took out a fruit knife from under the counter. There was still a piece of apple peel on it. "We do not sell knives here. This is for our own use. You..."


    Dong Xuebing grabbed his work pass and the small knife and ran out. He continued to run towards the river.


    After making a turn into a corner, Dong Xuebing continued running forward. There were rows of houses by the side. The main road outside was bustling, but this ce was formerly a vige and was quite secluded. That small river on the east was not well maintained. There were all sorts of rubbish and was full of seaweeds. Sister Xie should be passing by that area to get to the food street on the opposite bank. Dong Xuebing quickly estimates the location where Xie Hun drowned and nned the route in his mind.


    I must get there in time!


    500m... 600m... 700m...


    Almost 3 minutes had passed. In another 3 minutes, that old man will be calling him to notify him about Xie Hun''s death.


    Hurry up! Dong Xuebing, why are you so slow? Run faster!


    3 minutes and 15 seconds...


    3 minutes and 30 seconds...


    Suddenly Dong Xuebing could see the end of the row of houses. Dong Xuebing had gone to the food street here several times during his university''s days. He had walked on this route before and knew after these houses, he will reach the river. He used all his strength to run faster.


    5 steps....


    10 steps...


    15 steps...


    20 steps...


    Dong Xuebing finally got out of the alleyway.


    He looked at the river. Where? Where is Xie Hun?


    The river was not frozen and was still flowing. At about 50 meters away, a young girl, covered in water, was lying by the riverbank coughing. There were 3 to 5 middle-aged men and an old man shouting towards the river anxiously. One of the men had one leg in the water and was poking around the water with a bamboo stick.


    That''s the ce!


    Dong Xuebing could feel his blood rushing to his head and shouted: "Move aside!"


    The people at the riverbank stopped moving and looked at Dong Xuebing, who was running towards them. "Young man, what are you doing? There are lots of seaweeds in the river. You will die if you enter the water."


    The man was using the bamboo pole to poke around in the water while shouting: "Grab onto the pole, quick!"


    Dong Xuebing had reached those people. "Take that pole away and get out of my way!" Before all of them could react, Dong Xuebing had jumped into the water with his coat and shoes on. Everyone by the riverbank was shocked. That middle-aged man quickly moves aside with his pole. He shouted to Dong Xuebing that it''s dangerous in the water. But Dong Xuebing could no longer hear him.


    Cold. The water was piercing cold!


    The water was smelly, but it was not cloudy. Seaweeds had covered the bottom of the river.


    Both Dong Xuebing''s legsnded into the seaweeds the moment he jumped in. But luckily, he reacted fast and tuck his legs up, preventing his legs from getting entangled in the seaweeds. He opened his eyes and ignored the stinging pain to search for Xie Hun. He turned to his left, right, bottom....


    There she is!!!!


    Dong Xuebing saw Xie Hun 2 meters diagonally bottom from him. Her face was pale, and her lips had turned purple. Her long hair was messy, and her eyes were shut. She was no longer moving and seems to have lost consciousness. Dong Xuebing''s heart skipped a beat. I''mte? Am I toote? But Dong Xuebing had no time to waste. He swam towards her while praying in his heart. Sister Xie, you must not die. Hang on for a while more. I will bring you back to shore....


    Dong Xuebing, who had been sprinting all the way here, had used up all his stamina. What was supporting him was his determination to save Xie Hun.


    1 meter...


    2 meters....


    Dong Xuebing swam over and grabbed Xie Hun by her waist with his left hand. He started kicking and used his right hand to try to swim to the surface. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not pull Xie Hun up. He looked down and saw a bunch of ck colored seaweeds entangled on her right leg. Damn! Dong Xuebing quickly dived and took out the fruit knife to cut away the seaweeds on her leg.


    The seaweeds were cut.


    But just when Dong Xuebing was about to swim towards the shore, he felt something pulling him by his leg. One of his legs got entangled by the seaweed. The more he struggled, the tighter he got trapped. He could feel he was nearing his death. He had no more strength and could not hold his breath any longer.


    Will I die here?


    Dong Xuebing had used all his BACKs and had no other options. He gritted his teeth and summoned thest of his strength to cut the seaweeds on his leg.


    Hang on for a while more...


    Dong Xuebing kept telling himself to hang on for a while more, while he swam towards the surface with Xie Hun''''s lifeless body in his arms.


    1.5m to the surface...


    1m to the surface...


    0.5m more...


    Har!!!! Dong Xuebing finally got to the surface and was gasping for air.


    Alive! I am still alive.


    Dong Xuebing turned and looked at Xie Hun. He quickly swims towards the shore.


    The people by the riverbank were stunned by Dong Xuebing''s bravery. No one ever expects Dong Xuebing to carry a fruit knife with him.


    "How is the girl?"


    "Save her! Save her quick! Is she still alive?"


    The tired Dong Xuebing carried Xie Hun onto the riverbank andy her t on the ground. He checked her breathing. 1 second, 2 seconds... Dong Xuebing was shocked. He quickly checks her pulse. 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds... Dong Xuebing was silent as he looked at Xie Hun''s pale face.


    No breathing and no pulse. Sister Xie is dead...


    Dead? She is gone? I still did not get here on time?


    The onlookers could tell from Dong Xuebing''s expression. Some of them sighed while others looked away.


    Suddenly, the young girl, which Xie Hun saved, shouted: "My teacher says you should do CPR during times like this. Hurry up and save her!"


    Yes! That''s right! CPR!


    There''s still a glimmer of hope left. Dong Xuebing immediately straddled Xie Hun and start doing chestpressions. 1 press, 2 press, 3 press... water began to flow out of her mouth. Dong Xuebing lowered his head. He hesitated for a moment and start blowing air into her mouth. 1 blow, 2 blows, 3 blows... he got up and start the chestpressions again.


    "Sister Xie, open your eyes! Don''t die!"


    1 press, 2 press, 3 press...


    1 blow, 2 blows, 3 blows...


    "Xie Hun! Wake up! Do you hear me? Wake up now!"


    After a few cycles, Xie Hun was still lying there motionlessly.


    An old man sighed and said: "Young man, you know thisdy? I think you should contact her family."


    That little girl started crying. All the bystanders felt there was no way for Xie Hun to return to life.


    Dong Xuebing was furious when he heard this. "Contact her family? Who the f**k says she is dead? Ah?!" Whenever Dong Xuebing got agitated, he will start swearing. This was Beijing natives'' character. No matter whether if it is a quiet and shy woman or a little girl, they will curse. "Wake up now! Xie Hun! Wake up!"


    After some chestpressions, Dong Xuebing gave a few blows into her mouth again...


    "Cough, cough..." It was a coughing sound.


    Dong Xuebing felt Xie Hun vomiting the river water into his mouth.


    "Ah! She''s coughing!"


    "She is still alive! She is alive!"


    "Miss..."


    Dong Xuebing''s eyes were all red and continued with the chestpressions. He had revived Sister Xie.


    Not long after, Xie Hun vomited out more water and looked around her. She smiled weakly and asked: "What happened to me?"


    Dong Xuebing stopped the CPR: "You still can smile? Do you know you almost died?"


    Xie Hun rubbed her face and suddenly remembered something: "How is the kid?"


    "You saved her." Dong Xuebing got off from Xie Hun. "Justy there. That little girl is fine."


    "Aunty... I''m fine. Thank you for saving me."


    Xie Hun smiled and nodded. But she was frail. She asked softly: "Xiao Dong, why are you here? I remembered I got entangled in the seaweeds. Cough...." Xie Hun coughed a few times. "I remembered I got not pull the seaweed off me, no matter how I tried. Cough... Why am I still alive?"


    Dong Xuebing was full of respect for Xie Hun. She could still be so calm and think logically after she was almost drowned. "I just happen to pass by."


    "Youngdy..." The old man said. "You are fortunate to meet this young man. We tried to save you from the riverbank, but everywhere is seaweeds, and none of us dare to enter the water. This young man ran over from a distance and jumped into the water without any hesitation. We were all shocked. We thought he will be... but who knows he had a fruit knife with him and used it to save you. But after he dragged you to shore, you have no heartbeats, and we thought you are gone. But this young man did not give up and performed CPR until you wake up."


    Another man added: "You own him your life."


    Someone said: "That''s right. Luckily, this young man is around. It''s rare to see such a brave and selfless young man at this age." The crowd felt that when Xie Hun went into the water to save the child, she did not know about the overgrown seaweeds in the river. She did not know about the danger. But when Dong Xuebing jumped into the river to save her, the crowd had told him about the threat. Even when he knew about the danger, he still jumps into the water without hesitation.


    Xie Hun heard what happened and looked at Dong Xuebing. "You... What should I say?"


    "All this does not matter as long as you are fine." Dong Xuebing was exhausted. He was relieved and could no longer stand upright. He fell on the ground panting. Actually, Dong Xuebing was not as great as what the onlookers said. He only did not want a woman he likes to die before him.


    Xie Hun was touched. She does not know why Xiao Dong appeared here or why he was carrying a knife with him. She could not understand why someone who she had met a few times would risk his life to save her.


    Xie Hun could not express how grateful she was to Dong Xuebing.


    Xie Hun thanked him. "Xiao Dong. Thank you for saving me."


    After a while, the Police and Ambnce arrived.


    Dong Xuebing recovered some of his strength and went over to help Xie Hun up. "Sister Xie, I will help you to the Ambnce."


    Xie Hun frowned and shook her head. She spoke with a shivering voice. "Can you tell them that I am not going to the hospital? Cough... I am fine now. Furthermore, it is the Lunar New Year now. I should not let people visit me at the hospital. This is the bad thing about working in government service. Cough... you should understand this too." Although the temperature was not below 0 degrees, it was still winter. Xie Hun, who was drenched, was shivering. Even the coat she got from one of the onlookers did not help. Her clothes were all wet, and she could not remove them in public.


    Dong Xuebing replied: "You are coughing and shivering. You should go to the hospital. It will only be a temporary stay, and no one will know that you are hospitalized." Dong Xuebing knew what Xie Hun was worried about. If Dong Xuebing was hospitalized during Lunar New Year, he also does not want to tell his parents and colleagues. He will not be in the mood to entertain his colleagues and subordinates. "You can choose not to tell anyone."


    Xie Hun smiled. "Listen to me. I cannot go to the hospital. I guarantee that within 5 minutes after I step foot into the hospital, my family and some people will know. I do not want them to visit a hospital during the new year."


    Dong Xuebing was surprised. "Will they know if you don''t use your identification card to register?"


    Xie Hun smiled weakly. "I am also not sure. Help me back... Cough..."


    Dong Xuebing held her and said. "If you are worried that others will find out, you cane over to my ce for a rest first. I am staying nearby."


    "It''s Lunar New Year now, and I will be disturbing your family. I... I will go over to my brother''s ce."


    "It''s fine. I am living alone."


    Xie Hun looked at him and smiled. "Ok... Sorry to bother you."


    Dong Xuebing spoke to the ambnce staff, and after they left, he went over to pick up Xie Hun''s handbag, high heels, and phone. But one of her heels was missing. She might have dropped it in the river. Dong Xuebing helped Xie Hun over to the police car and asked an officer, who was about his age. "Hi, can you send my leader and I to North Heping Road? It''s not far from here."


    That officer hesitated for a while: "... I can help you all get a taxi."


    Dong Xuebing took out his wet work pass. "We are all from the same unit. Thank you."


    The officer saw Dong Xuebing''s work pass andughed. "Sure, no problems."


    North Heping Road.


    The police car stopped not far away from Dong Xuebing''s estate. After thanking the officer, Dong Xuebing helped the shivering Xie Hun alight from the vehicle. Xie Hun''s stockings were drenched and had lost one of her heels. So, Dong Xuebing took off his shoes: "Wear my shoes first."


    Xie Hun raised her arm to stop him, "I''m fine. It''s just a few steps."


    "There are firecrackers bits all over the ce. You might hurt your foot."


    "You also cannot walk back barefooted."


    "Then... Let me carry you up?"


    Xie Hun nodded slightly, and Dong Xuebing bend over to piggyback her. He could feel two soft mounds pressing against his back, and his heart starts beating faster. He used his hands to hold her thighs and begin to walk back to his building and up the stairs. He did not let her down until he entered his room. He carefully lowered her onto the bed. "You need to change out of your wet clothes and get a hot shower before you catch a cold."


    Xie Hun replied weakly. "I am still feeling giddy. I will not take a shower. I need to lie down for a while first. You should take a shower first."


    Dong Xuebing looked at her worrying. But his eyes uncontrobly drifted to her sexy lips. During the CPR earlier, he had close contact with those lips. He blushed and took out some clothes from his wardrobe. "Ok... let me know if you are feeling unwell. I will close the door you." As he was leaving, he asked: "Do you want a ss of hot water to warm yourself up?"


    "My stomach is full of that smelly river water. Cough... I don''t feel like drinking anything." Xie Hun smiled. "Xiao Dong, you have saved my life, and you don''t need to treat me so politely. Haha, I am also not your leader."


    Dong Xuebing also knew that he will be closer to Xie Hun after this incident. But he could not be casual with her immediately. Also, Xie Hun had the air of a leader, and it was hard for him to act naturally in front of her. "Ok. Have a good rest."


    After closing the door, Dong Xuebing went to take a shower.


    The hot water fell on his body and warmed him up. His blocked nose was also cleared. Xie Hun, who was supposed to be dead, was saved by him with his powers. BACK was too powerful. His life had changed since he got BACK from that ident. His life had be smooth sailing.


    After the shower, Dong Xuebing changed into clean clothes.


    After blowing his hair dry, Dong Xuebing wanted to see how Xie Hun was doing. But before he leaves the bathroom, he heard the sound of the bedroom door opening, and there were fast and heavy footsteps nearing the bathroom. The next moment, a naked Xie Hun appeared at the bathroom door. She was covering her mouth and dashed in. She did not even look at the stunned Dong Xuebing and started vomiting into the toilet bowl.


    Dong Xuebing was standing there looking at her slim naked body. She''s... She''s... Damn! Why was she not wearing anything?


    Luckily Dong Xuebing was no longer a virgin and had seen Aunt Xuan''s body many times. He quickly covers his eyes and reaches over to pat Xie Hun''s back. He also wanted to help her bnce herself. Dong Xuebing could turn away or shut his eyes close, and he will not see Xie Hun''s body. But this was not the issue of whether he had seen her body. He needs to let her know that he was not looking at her, that''s why he covered his eyes with one hand.


    Xie Hun''s back was damp and warm. Herplexion was very smooth, and Dong Xuebing could feel the outline of her bones. She was very slim.


    After patting her back for a while, the vomiting sounds died down, and Xie Hun said with a hoarse voice. "Thank you. Haha. I had embarrassed myself in front of you."


    Huh? You are still able tough now? "I will help you back to the room now?"


    "Let me rinse my mouth first. Cough..." Xie Hun still could not stand properly and was still feeling giddy.


    "Don''t walk by yourself. You will fall." Dong Xuebing replied with one hand, still covering his eyes. "Give me your hand. I will help you up."


    "Haha, it''s fine. You can open your eyes. I don''t mind."


    Dong Xuebing jumped. "Huh? How can I do that?" He could hear Xie Hun trying to walk in front of him. He was afraid that she would fall. The bathroom''s floor was still wet after his shower. So, he mustered his courage and take his hand off his eyes. He narrowed his eyes and pulled Xie Hun up and bring her closer to the basin.


    Xie Hun was not as shy as Aunt Xuan. She did not cover her chest or privates and did not blush. She opened the tap and washed her face. She rinsed her mouth a few times and then turned toward Dong Xuebing. She smiled: "I think I really need you to help me back to the room. I am feeling very giddy now."


    Dong Xuebing quickly covered his eyes again. "Ok. Be careful. Let''s walk slowly."


    "How can you walk with your eyes shut? I''m fine. You can open your eyes."


    "Errr..." She''s not shy about this, and why should I be feeling shy?


    Dong Xuebing slowly opened his eyes, but he did not look down. If he looked down, he would see her whole naked body. He looked straight ahead and helped Xie Hun walk back to the bedroom slowly. He only turns towards Xie Hun after she got under the covers. He went over to his wardrobe and took out a white shirt and a pair of long pants. "Sister Xie, these are new clothes. If you don''t mind, you can wear them first. I will help you buy a set of new clothes in the afternoon." She can''t be walking around his apartment naked.


    "Haha. Thank you."


    After cing the clothes on the bed, Dong Xuebing saw the pile of wet clothes on the chair. He turned back and wanted to ask Xie Hun, but she had fallen asleep. Dong Xuebing did not wake her up and went over to carry the pile of clothes out and closes the door. He brought the clothes into the bathroom and soak them in soap. He also separated the darker colored clothes into another pail.


    Xie Hun''s bra was ck in color with a beautiful red flower embroidered on it. It was very sexy.


    Dong Xuebing was surprised. He did not expect a leader in the Central Government would wear this type of sexy undergarments. His impression of high-ranking officers in the government was conservative. The higher the rank they are, the more conservative they are. But... these were undergarments, and no one will know even if they were sexy.


    Dong Xuebing swallowed his salvia and started to help her wash her clothes. He gently scrubbed the bra with his hands.


    Hmmm... Is Sister Xie married? She seems to be living alone and should be single. Ahhh.... If she can be my wife, it will be like a dreame true. I am not good at political wisdom, and Sister Xie is so smart. She can help me with my career. Furthermore, she is also a leader in government service. But... Dong Xuebing was only fantasizing. Xie Hun was so pretty and held a high position in the government. She was also older than him. There was no way for her to like him. Anyway, Dong Xuebing wanted to date Aunt Xuan. How can he be thinking of betraying Aunt Xuan?


    Long johns... shirt... pants... coat...


    After washing all those clothing, Dong Xuebing threw them into the dryer. What''s left was Xie Hun''s stockings. He started scrubbing her stockings.


    The pair of stockings were slightly torn. There was no need to wash it. But Dong Xuebing still washed it cleanly. He seldom washes a woman''s clothing. It was not because he wanted to bootlick Xie Hun. It was mainly because he wants to satisfy his own curiosity. If he missed this chance, he might never get to wash the bra and stockings of a female leader in the Central Government.


    Dong Xuebing felt satisfied after all the clothes were washed. He hanged them by the heater in the living room for them to dry.


    Dong Xuebing quietly walked back into the bedroom to look at Xie Hun. What he saw was her naked back. She must have kicked the nket off when she turns. He could see her whole back, from her neck to her feet. His heart started beating faster. He suppressed his desires and walked softly over to the bed. He covered his eyes slightly and pulled up the covers for her. Actually, it does not mind whether if he had covered his eyes or not. But who knows if Xie Hun would wake up suddenly or not. This was showing his respect for her.


    Wow.... I am so lucky today. I get to hug her in the river, kissed her on the lips during the CPR, carried her on my back, seen her naked in the bathroom, and still get to touch her bra and stockings....


    Dong Xuebing was reminiscing about what happened today. He looked at the time and went out to help Xie Hun to buy some clothes and shoes. He brought along Xie Hun''s heel with him to the nearby mall to get a pair of simr heels. Then he went to the women''s section to buy a set of woman''s clothing. After that, he dropped by a pharmacy to get some cold and fever medications.


    Dong Xuebing had gone out for more than an hour and wonders if Sister Xie had woke up.


    Dong Xuebing opened the door of his apartment with all the shopping bags in his hands. The moment he stepped into his unit, he heard Xie Hun talking on the phone.


    "Happy New Year to you too... Hahaha... you don''t need to visit me... I''m... Cough... I am not with my family... I am fine. I just caught a cold.... Yes..... Thank you.... There is no need for you to visit me.... That''s it." Xie Hun was leaning against the bathroom''s door frame. Her hair was still wet and had the fragrance of shampoo. She was wearing the set of clothes given to her by Dong Xuebing earlier. The clothes were slightly bigger, but it was still fitting. After hanging up the phone, she rubbed the center of her brows and looked at Dong Xuebing. She then looked at her bra and long johns hanging in the living room. "I''m sorry to let you wash my clothes for me."


    Dong Xuebing blushed and replied: "Your clothes still have the smelly river water smell. If it is not washed as soon as possible, the smell might remain. That''s why I washed them without your permission... Errr... I hang your clothes in the living room is because the heater is here. If you do not like it, I will hang them at the back. But it will dry slower."


    Xie Hun waved her hand. "It''s alright. I told you that you do not need to be so polite to me."


    "Oh... you have taken a shower? Are you feeling better?"


    "Yes. But I am still feeling giddy. Maybe I have a fever."


    "Ah... I had bought fever medications. Oh, I have bought a set of clothes and high heels for you. You can change into this. It''s not nice for you to... wear my clothes." Dong Xuebing waved the shopping bags in his hands. His eyes wandered to Xie Hun''s shirt, and his heart started to beat faster. His shirt was white in color, and the material was thin. Xie Hun was not wearing anything underneath his shirt, and he could see the outline of her nipples clearly.


    Xie Hun should have noticed it, but she still acted normally. Sheughed: "Your shirt is fine. It''s quitefortable. Haha, I will wear the clothes you bought when I am leaving. I am feeling very weak now. Cough... Oh, how much are the clothes? I will pay you."


    Dong Xuebing walked over and supported her by her arm. "You don''t need to pay me anything. Let''s check your temperature first and get you recovered first."


    Dong Xuebing took out a thermometer from a drawer and passed it to Xie Hun. He went to the kitchen and cook a pot of porridge fromst night''s leftover rice. When he returned back to the living room with a bowl of porridge, Xie Hun was done with her temperature reading. 38.9 degrees Celsius.


    Dong Xuebing looked at the thermometer. "No wonder you are feeling dizzy. You are having high fever now. You should eat some porridge before you take medicines." He passed the bowl of hot porridge to her carefully. "Be careful. It''s hot." Dong Xuebing cared for her like a man caring for his girlfriend. But he cannot let Xie Hun know about this feeling. If not, the rtionship he built up would be over. That''s why Dong Xuebing acted like a subordinate caring for his leader.


    After eating the porridge and medicines, Dong Xuebing helped Xie Hun back into the bedroom.


    Dong Xuebing had thought Xie Hun had only choked on the in the water and should be fine. But now, she was running a fever and should visit the hospital. But Dong Xuebing did not suggest this to her. At the riverbank, Xie Hun had refused to go to the hospital. If he asked her to go to the hospital now, she might think that he is trying to drive her away.


    After getting under the nkets, Xie Hun looked at Dong Xuebing: "Not only you had saved my life, you even need to take care of me during Lunar New Year. Cough..."


    Dong Xuebing helped her pull up the nket. "It''s ok. I am very free these few days too. It''s not a problem even if I take care of you for another 3 to 5 days. Oh, do you need to inform your husband?" He was asking this just to find out if she was single.


    Xie Hun smiled and tucked her long hair behind her ears. "I am still single. What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?"


    Not married yet? Dong Xuebing smiled shyly. "Huh? I... I am considered single and don''t have a girlfriend."


    "Haha, you are so young and is already a Deputy Section Chief. Many people must be gossiping behind your back. It was the same for me back then. I have a suggestion for you. You should consider setting up a family now. At least there will be lesser people saying you are young and immature." Xie Hunughed. "Hahaha, but I don''t have the right to say this. I am also... Being single is also fun. Don''t you think so?"


    "Yes, Mdm. You are right."


    "You..." Xie Hun shook her head andughed. "Stop treating me as your leader. Do you understand?"


    "Huh? Yes." Dong Xuebing said in his heart. Look at your tone when you speak and the words you used. How can I don''t treat you as a leader? But this was not Xie Hun''s fault. If Dong Xuebing were in her position, he would also be speaking like her tone after a few years. "Are you feeling better now?"


    "Yes. My coughing had stopped."


    "That''s good. What would you like to have for dinner? Do you prefer nd food or heavy meals? I am not good at cooking. How about I go out and get dinner?"


    "Don''t trouble yourself. I am fine with in porridge." Xie Hun patted the side of the bed. "Xiao Dong. Come over and sit."


    Dong Xuebing hesitated for a while and sat down upright, with half of his butt touching the bed.


    Suddenly, Xie Hun reached over and held Dong Xuebing''s hand.


    Dong Xuebing was shocked. WTF? What''s the meaning of this? Why are you holding my hands?


    But Dong Xuebing had overthought. Xie Hun smiled and patted the back of Dong Xuebing''s hand with her other hand. "Xiao Dong, I will remember what you did for me. Thank you. Haha, I know this might not sound right. But in Beijing, I still have some influence. If you encounter any problems in the future, you can just call me.


    Dong Xuebing noticed that Xie Hun mentioned Beijing and not the Central Publicity Department.


    She has influence in Beijing? Isn''t she from the News department?

 Chapter 141: Embarrassing moment

    <h4>Chapter 141: Embarrassing moment</h4>


    Night.


    Dong Xuebing used glutinous rice and dates to cook porridge for dinner. After dinner, Xie Hun''s fever subsided slightly. She took one more fever pill and went to rest in the bedroom. Dong Xuebing had nothing to do. So, he watched the re-run of the Spring G night on the TV. He was worried that he would disturb Xie Hun and did not dare to turn up the volume. People were still setting off firecrackers outside, and he could not hear the TV at all. In the end, Dong Xuebing chose to look at Xie Hun''s bra, which was hanging by the heater. He finds it more interesting than what was showing on the TV.


    Ring, ring, ring, ring.... Xie Hun''s phone was ringing.


    Dong Xuebing quickly looks away from the bra and turns back to face the TV.


    The phone rang for some time before Xie Hun answer. "Hello? Xiao Hao?" It was Xie Hun''szy voice. "What are you doing at my ce? I am not at home.... Yes. I am at my friend''s ce. Cough... Ya... I have a fever. It''s alright... Why do you want toe over? I will be going back soon.... I am fine.... Cough..." There was a pause. "Fine... fine... if you want toe over, juste. You can also send me back... North Heping Road estate. It''s the first block, unit 301.... Ok. Bye."


    Dong Xuebing blinked and poured a cup of warm water, before knocking on the door. "Sister Xie, can I enter?"


    "Come in." Xie Hun was sitting up slightly on the bed. "Haha, this is your room. There is no need for you to knock."


    Dong Xuebing smiled shyly and passed her the ss. "It''s warm. You will feel better."


    "Thank you." Xie Hun took the ss from him and yawnedzily. She took a sip of water and looked at Dong Xuebing. "My younger brother, Xie Hao, will being over in a while. Is it fine?"


    "Of course."


    "Haha, I had troubled you a lot today."


    "It''s alright. I don''t feel troubled." Dong Xuebing wished in his heart that she would stay in his ce longer.


    10 minutester. Ding Dong, ding dong.... Someone was at the door.


    Dong Xuebing grumbled in his heart. Why did he have toe so fast? He walked over and opened the door. There was a teenager, about 15 years old, standing outside. He was shorter than Dong Xuebing, and his features were not as sharp as Xie Hun. But he still resembles her. Dong Xuebing opened the gate. "Xie Hao? Pleasee in."


    That boy saw Dong Xuebing and was shocked. His face changed and pushed Dong Xuebing aside and ran into the unit.


    Dong Xuebing lost his bnce and took two steps back. He was furious. F**k. What''s wrong with you?!


    "Sis!" Bang. Xie Hao opened the bedroom door and saw the sickly Xie Hun on the bed. "Sis! What happened? Who did this to you?" Before Xie Hun could reply, Xie Hao turned and grabbed Dong Xuebing by his cor. "F**k! What did you do to my sister? I will kill you! Do you know who my grandfather is?! Ah?!"


    Dong Xuebing was pissed. I had saved your sister''s life, and you still want to hit me? Who cares about your grandfather?!


    "Xie Hao!" Xie Hun looked at Xie Hao coldly. "Get over here!"


    Xie Hao gave Dong Xuebing a stare before letting go of him. He turned to his sister. "Sis, is he the one who bully you?"


    Xie Hun stared at Xie Hao in his eyes: "Who do you think you are? You dare to fight in front of me?!"


    Xie Hao tried to exin himself: "No... I... you are on a man''s bed... and I thought..."


    "You thought? What are you thinking? Also, who is your grandfather? Ah? Tell me now! Who is your grandfather?!"


    Xie Hao was stunned to see his sister so furious. He replied softly: "My grandfather is also your grandfather."


    "You still dare to talk back?!" Xie Hun banged on the bedframe and pointed to Dong Xuebing. "I fell into the river and got entangled by the seaweeds today. I was almost drowned, and Xiao Dong had risked his life to save me. If it''s not for him, you will be at the mortuary collecting my body now! You are to grab Xiao Dong by his cor? What are you trying to do? Ah? Tell me!"


    Xi Hao jumped up in fright. "Sis! You are almost.... Ah..."


    Xie Hun stared at him. "Apologize to your Brother Dong now!"


    Xie Hao realized that he had misunderstood Dong Xuebing and quickly run over to Dong Xuebing. "Brother Dong. You will be my elder brother from today onwards. You had saved my sister, and yet, I...." Xie Hao pped himself lightly on his face. "I am sorry. No.... Brother Dong, you must hit me today. Come. You must also grab me by my cor and give me a scolding."


    Dong Xuebing was no longer angry with Xia Hao. "Never mind. You are also concern about your sister."


    Xie Hao refused. "Brother Dong, you must hit me for being so rude to you! It''s a must!"


    Dong Xuebingughed. Damn. What is this request? "It''s just a small misunderstanding. It''s fine."


    "No. You have saved my sister''s life, and I still treated you like this. If you don''t hit me at least once, I will feel ufortable. Quick. Just hit me as hard as you want!" Xie Hao moved his face forward.


    Dong Xuebing looked at him andughed. He hit him lightly on this head. "Ok. I had hit you. Are you satisfied?"


    Xie Haoughed and turned to Xie Hun. "Sis, Brother Dong had epted my apologies."


    Xie Hun looked at her brother: "Use your brain before you say or do anything in the future!"


    "Yes, yes." Xie Hao saw his sister was no longer angry, and he moved closer. "Sis, are you still having fever? Do you need medicine? Do you need me to help you get some water?"


    Xie Hun looked at Xie Hao and nodded. "Help your Brother Dong pour a ss of water too."


    "Okay!"


    Dong Xuebing said: "Let me do it."


    Xie Hao quickly stopped him. "No, no. Brother Dong, you sit here and wait. I will go and get the water."


    Xie Hun shook her head and smiled at Dong Xuebing. "My brother is spoilt by my family since young. He is too impulsive and jumps to conclusion easily. But he has a good nature and knows how to care for others."


    "Sis, Brother Dong, water."


    Dong Xuebing could tell that Xie Hao was extremely afraid of Xie Hun. He could not me him for being so scared of his sister. Xie Hun is older than him by more than 10 years. She is also a leader in the central government and has a strong character. It would be weird if Xie Hao is not afraid of her. Oh... Why did Xie Hao mention about their grandfather just now? Xie Hun''s grandfather? Is he also a leader in the Central Government?


    After a while of chatting, Xie Hun rubbed her temples. She seems to be unwell. Dong Xuebing told her to rest awhile more before leaving and left the room with Xie Hao.


    "Xiao Hao, what school are you studying in?" Dong Xuebing tried to start a conversation.


    Xie Hao replied with a smile. "Yu Cai. City''s best high school."


    "Wow... that''s a good school."


    "Hah... I got in through connections. Oh, Brother Dong, tell me about this afternoon. How did you save my sister?"


    Xie Hao was afraid of Xie Hun since young. Whenever he saw his sister''s face, he would tremble. Xie Hun was the only person he was scared of in his family. He was not even afraid of their grandfather. But despite being fearful of his sister, he was closest to her. He was closer to his sister than their parents. When he learned about his sister''s ident, his heart almost stopped.


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while and told Xie Hao what happened. But he only says that he had passed by that area during the ident. Oh, he also did not mention about the CPR.


    "Ah... That''s was so f**king dangerous!" Xie Hao cursed and quickly covered his mouth. His elder sister was still in the bedroom. "Brother Dong, you are the man! You are a real man! Give me a call if anyone bothers you. I can help you get as many people as I can! I am never afraid of fights." Xie Hao picked up Dong Xuebing''s iPhone and exchanged numbers.


    Fights? Dong Xuebing was speechless. "You should be studying. Do you always get into fights in school?"


    Xie Hao quickly ''Shhhh" and said: "Don''t let my sister hear this. If not, I will be in trouble."


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Look at yourselves. You are even skinner than me. What fights can you win? You should focus on your studies!"


    Xie Hao boasts. "Brother Dong, I am not talking big. I might not be tall, but I can easily fight one or two people at once. Damn! Why are you looking at me like this? I am telling the truth!"


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself. Bullshit. You can''t even win me with your frail body.


    When ites to boasting, very few people could win people from Beijing. Anyone on the streets of Beijing could boast until others faint. But they were not serious. They treated boasting as a joke. It''s like telling someone a joke, and no one will think much about it.


    Dong Xuebing felt Xie Hao was interesting after chatting for a while. He had forgotten what happened earlier. Instead, they had be closer.


    Suddenly, Xie Hun shouted from the room. "Xiao Hao, it''ste. Let''s go back."


    "Ok!" Xie Hao replied and turned to Dong Xuebing. "Brother Dong, remember to call me if you need any help."


    "Ok. I will." Dong Xuebingughed and walked to the bedroom. He knocked on the door and entered. "Sister Xie. You still have a fever. You will be sick if you walk out like this. Can I call a taxi for you first? You can wrap yourself in the nket when you walk out." Dong Xuebing could still joke and chat casually with Xie Hao. But in front of Xie Hun, a leader in the Central Government, he cannot be so casual. Even when he had saved her life, he still has to treat her with respect.


    Xie Hun raised the corner of her lips: "Thank you. Xiao Hao can go out to get a taxi."


    Xie Hao quickly replied: "I will go, I will go.... Brother Dong, you have already taken care of my sister the whole day. Let me go and get a taxi."


    After Xie Hao went out, Dong Xuebing said: "Why not stay for the night? You can lock the bedroom, and I can sleep on the sofa. Oh, I can also sleepover at my neighbor''s ce."


    Xie Hun waved her hand slightly and got up from the bed. Sheughed: "I will feel bad if I trouble you any further. You should be tired today. I will treat you to dinner after I recover. Ok?"


    "Ok." Dong Xuebing moved closer and help her up. She was covered in sweat.


    Xie Hun was still wearing Dong Xuebing''s white shirt and had nothing inside. With her sweat, the shirt had be translucent. Not only her breasts were exposed, but her t tummy and cor bones could also be seen clearly. It so damn seductive....


    Dong Xuebing quickly shouted and avoided looking at her. "Don''te out from the nkets. I will help you get your clothes!"


    Xie Hun did not blush and could still smile. "Ok. Sorry, your clothes are dirtied."


    "It''s fine. Wait for me here under the nkets." Dong Xuebing ran out to the living room and took all of Xie Hun''s clothing. The long johns were dried, but her underwear and coat were still damp. So, Dong Xuebing grabbed the set of clothes, he bought in the afternoon, with him to the room. "Some of your clothes are still damp. I will get you a bag for damp clothes."


    "Ok. Thank you."


    After closing the door, Dong Xuebing waited outside with a paper bag.


    A few minutester, the room''s door opened, and Xie Hun walked out. She did not wear her bra and coat which were still damp. She was holding them in her arms. Dong Xuebing lowered his head to avoid looking for her and passed her the paper bag. As he was looking down, Dong Xuebing saw Xie Hun wearing the high heels he bought. But her stockings... Huh? That''s right. Her stockings were torn, and he had forgotten to buy it for her.


    Xie Hun should be feeling ufortable without stockings.


    Xie Hao returned upstairs. "Sis, there is no taxi. I had called my friend to drive us back. He should be arriving in half an hour."


    Xie Hun frowned. "Don''t bother your friend. We will take a taxi back ourselves."


    Xie Hao looked at her and nodded. "Ok. I will give him a call now."


    Xie Hun turned and smile. She extended her hand: "Xiao Dong, I will not thank you anymore today. Let me thank you properly another day."


    Dong Xuebing looked at her hand and used both hands to shake it. "Don''t mention it." This was how they shook their leaders'' hands.


    Xie Hunughed. "We will be going off. You don''t need to walk us down."


    "No. I have to walk you down and will leave after you got in the taxi."


    "No need. Do you understand?"


    "Errr... Fine... Be careful on your way back."


    Dong Xuebing returned home after watching Xie Hun, and Xie Hao walked down the stairs. He closed the door and took a deep breath. Xie Hun was still a high ranking officer in the government. When he was in front of her, he could feel the pressure. He wonders when he could enter the Central Government.


    He thought back about the whole day''s events and what he had gained.


    He had saved a woman he likes and became closer to a leader from the Central Government. These were his returns for risking his life.


    Dong Xuebing was exhausted. He had run like crazy, dived into the river to save Xie Hun, carried her up the stairs, wash and cooked for her.... Ah... He could finally rest. He massaged his own shoulders and went back to his room. He dropped himself on the bed. A matured woman''s scent was still lingering on the bed. Dong Xuebing picked up the damp nket and sniffed. Hmmm... A leader from the Central Government is different. Her sweat smells good even after she had fallen into a smelly river!


    Suddenly, Dong Xuebing saw something.


    Dong Xuebing had a small bin in his room. A pair of skinned colored stockings were hanging by the side of the bin. It looks like Xie Hun''s torn stockings. He quickly got up from the bed and to take a closer look. It was the pair of stockings he washed in the afternoon. Xie Hun must have thrown it into the bin after noticing the tear at the bottom. Dong Xuebing bent over and picked up the pair of stockings and yed around it in his hands. Smooth...


    Dong Xuebing had put a stic bag in his bin. He had just changed the stic bag, and the bin was very clean.


    Dong Xuebing yed with the stockings for a while, and suddenly a dirty thought shed across his mind. His face turned slightly red. Aunt Xuan had been away for several days and will return a few dayster. After losing his virginity, Dong Xuebing had been feeling horny all the time. Coupled with what Xie Hun''s body he saw in the afternoon, he could not hold back any longer.


    What should he do?


    After deliberating for 1 second, Dong Xuebing made his decision. He quickly switched on his PC and yed a porn video. Then he grabbed Xie Hun''s used stockings and start.... Sometimes, men had to settle their own problems. Dong Xuebing seldom do this, but today, he really cannot control himself.


    1 minute...


    2 minutes...


    Maybe Xie Hun''s status was too high, or she was too pretty, Dong Xuebing was very excited. He started fantasizing about her in her sexy ck underwear under her business wear. He finished the deed in 3 minutes.


    After switching off the PC, he threw the wet and sticky stockings into the bin.


    But before he could pull up his pants, Ding Dong, Ding Dong... The doorbell rang.


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. Who is it sote at night? He quickly wore back his pants and went to open the door. "Huh? Sister Xie? Why did youe back? Where''s Xiao Hao?" Xie Hun, who had left 5 minutes ago, was standing outside. Dong Xuebing did not dare to let her wait outside and quickly open the gate.


    Xie Hun smiled and walked into the apartment with a limp. "I asked Xiao Hao to wait for a taxi downstairs while Ie up to get something."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Oh.... You have forgotten something? You can just give me a call, and I will bring it down for you. You don''t need to climb up the stairs again. You might fall."


    "It''s fine. I''m feeling much better now." Xie Hun smiled and entered.


    Dong Xuebing closed the door and followed behind her. "What did you forget? I had passed your clothes and bag."


    Xie Hun smiled: "I feel ufortable wearing heels without stockings. My feet hurt. Haha, the pair of stockings you washed for me might be torn, but I think I can still wear it. I will throw it after I returned home." Xie Hun walked into the room.


    What did she say?!


    She''s going to wear back that pair of stockings??


    Dong Xuebing''s face turns green immediately. Damn! Damn! Damn! That pair of stockings still have my...!!!


    Dong Xuebing first thought was to shout out in his heart. BACK! BACK! BACK! F**K!!! There''s no more BACK left!!


    "Sister Xie! Sister Xie!" Dong Xuebing''s sweat was flowing down his forehead. He quickly chased after her. "No! Don''t wear those! I will get you a new pair! Those are torn!"


    Xie Hun waved her hand and looked at the stic bin by the wall. "No need. I am just wearing it until I get home."


    Dong Xuebing panicked. His in deep shit. "Don''t pick it up! Don''t!"


    "I said it''s fine. Do you understand?" Xie Hun ignored him and reached into the bin.


    "Ah! Sister Xie! You!"


    That''s it. I''m finished!


    Xie Hun was already holding the pair of stockings in her hand. Huh? It''s wet? She remembered when she threw them into the bin, it was already dried. Also, the stockings seem to be heavier? Xie Hun paused for a second and bring the stockings near to look at it. 1 second... 2 seconds... 3 seconds... Xie Hun turned and looked at Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing wished he could bury his head into the ground. He could feel the whole world crumbling down around him. "Sister Xie! It''s like this... I... I had spit into the bin!"


    This was themest excuse he coulde up with! Dong Xuebing believed that Xie Hun knew what''s the stuff on her stockings.


    Even morons could guess what that was!


    Xie Hun looked at Dong Xuebing for 3 to 4 seconds and smiled. "Why didn''t you tell me earlier. Fine. I will go back now." She threw the stockings back into the bin and took a napkin to wipe her hands. After throwing the dirty napkin into the bin, she left.


    Dong Xuebing was too ashamed to walk her to the door. He was too embarrassed to face her!


    Xie Hun knew what he did to her stockings! She must be furious now!


    Damn!!!

 Chapter 142: What does Sister Xie mean?

    <h4>Chapter 142: What does Sister Xie mean?</h4>


    3rd day of Lunar New Year.


    Dong Xuebing woke up to the sounds of firecrackers. He got off his bed with heavy eye bags. He went to wash up, and after breakfast, he sat on his sofa pping himself on the forehead. He thought back on what happenedst night and knew his rtionship with Xie Hun was over. So what if he had saved her life? He had used her stockings to do that type of thing, and she must be furious.


    What should I do?


    After thinking about this for the whole morning, Dong Xuebing got an answer. What should he do? Nothing! He could only wait for Sister Xie''s revenge!


    At about 11 am, Dong Xuebing was about to go out and set off some firecrackers to vent his frustrations. Just when he was about to step out of his house, his phone rang. He looked at the caller disy and turned pale. It was Xie Hun''s number. She must be embarrassedst night and did not expose him. She must be called to settle the score now. What should I say if she asks about the stockings?


    Answer or do not answer?


    After hesitating for a few seconds, Dong Xuebing answered the call. "Hello, Sister Xie?"


    "Xiao Dong, are you free now? My car is parked outside your neighborhood. Let''s have lunch together."


    Dong Xuebing''s heart skipped a beat. She wants to get back at him?


    "... Xiao Dong, are you there?"


    "Ah... Yes. But... you no longer have a fever?"


    "I am fine after a good night''s sleep. I will be waiting for you at the entrance. Do you understand?"


    "Huh? Ok. I will go over now."


    After Dong Xuebing hangs up, he wonders if Sister Xie had brought people with her to beat him up. But he still got to go out and meet her. Dong Xuebing grabbed his hair and paced around in his living room. Suddenly he stopped and gritted his teeth. He still got to face it no matter what. He grabbed his bag and walked out of his estate. He had used the stockings of a Central Government''s leader to do that sort of thing. This was not a small issue. He could be charged in court. He decided to face the music and let Xie Hun do whatever she wants to him. He was in the wrong, after all.


    Outside of the estate.


    There was a ck Audi A6l parked by the road, and Xie Hun was in the driver''s seat. She seems to be alone in the car.


    Dong Xuebing was guilty and strolled towards the car.


    There were a few entry permits on the windscreen of the Audi. This vehicle should be assigned to Xie Hun by her department. The Party and Government had changed all their cars recently. In some ces, governments were restricted to vehicles worth 180,000 RMB and below. The capacity of the vehicles was also limited to 1.8 liters. But the Central Government''s Publicity Department does not have any restrictions. They have luxury vehicles for the leaders. Of course, this Audi might also be Xie Hun''s personal car. However, this was almost impossible, as Beijing was the capital of China. All government officials in Beijing had to keep low profile. Even if they have the means to buy personal vehicles, they will avoid getting expensive cars. Xie Hun was a high ranking officer with the government, and other officers at her rank were still riding motorcycles.


    After a few seconds, Xie Hun saw Dong Xuebing, and she rolled down the windows. "What''s wrong with your leg?"


    Dong Xuebing wanted to tell her that he just caught a disease that causes him to lose his ability to walk. He really wants to return home. But when he saw Xie Hun, he knew there was no way for him to escape. He gritted his teeth and walked faster. "I''m fine. My leg had muscle cramps." After thinking for a while, he walked to the passenger door and entered the vehicle. His head was hung low and was too ashamed to face her.


    Come. I am prepared for your scolding. You can question me about your stockings!


    Dong Xuebing was mentally prepared to be questioned.


    "... Xiao Dong, fasten your seatbelt."


    Dong Xuebing did not fasten his seatbelt immediately. He turned towards Xie Hun: "Xie... Director Xie, please scold me." He changed the way he addresses Xie Hun. He no longer dares to call her Sister Xie.


    Xie Hun looked at him: ".... Why should I scold you?"


    Dong Xuebing replied embarrassedly: "I... Yesterday it was... Errr.... I am really..."


    Xie Hun burst outughing. "You have saved my life and took care of me yesterday. I should be the one thanking you. Why should I scold you? Xiao Dong, what''s wrong with you? Eh?" Xie Hun smiled and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Also, why are you calling me Director Xie? I think Sister Xie sounds nicer."


    Dong Xuebing was stunned: "But I..."


    Xie Hun looked at him curiously and smiled. "What''s wrong? You can tell me."


    After hearing what Xie Hun said and attitude, Dong Xuebing was confused. Could Xie Hun really think that the stuff on her stockings was his spit? Impossible. Whose spit looks like this? Also, her facial expressions yesterday... She knew what that was. But why was she acting like nothing had happened yesterday? Damn. What does she mean by behaving this way? She''s not going to pursue this matter? Dong Xuebing quickly replied: "Huh... Nothing. Nothing happened."


    "Really?"


    Dong Xuebing gave a firm answer: "Yes. Nothing happened!"


    Xie Hunughed and nodded. She did not act differently. "Ok. Let''s go for lunch now. Let''s go to Wang Fu Hotel. Ok?"


    Dong Xuebing could only agree. Since Sister Xie did not mention aboutst night''s incident, he also did not want to bring it up. From Xie Hun''s attitude, she seems to be not pissed with the stocking incident. Although Dong Xuebing could not tell what she was thinking, but... Hahaha, the danger is over, and I am saved. Look at her... Central Government''s leader is different. She''s so forgiving....


    The Audi drove towards Wang Fu Hotel.


    Xie Hun was wearing a ck women''s suit. It was a tailored suit, and it''s considered half casual.


    Dong Xuebing fastened his seatbelt, and from the corner of his eyes, he saw Xie Hun''s heels and her skin-colored stockings. His heart started beating faster and quickly look away. Even if Xie Hun had behaved like she forgave him, she should still be thinking about that white stuff in her mind. Dong Xuebing''s face was red and burning. He dares not to look towards Xie Hun''s direction and look around the interior of the car. He was feeling more rigid and ufortable than yesterday.


    Dong Xuebing got no choice. Xie Hun had got something on him.


    "Hahaha... what are you looking for?" Xie Hun turned to look at Dong Xuebing with a smile.


    "Nothing..." Dong Xuebing pointed to the entry permits on the windscreen. The entry permits were for the City''s Party Committee, Publicity Department, Central Government departments, and a lot of government department''s quarters. "I... I am looking at these."


    "Oh, hehe, I need to visit a lot of ces for my work. That''s why I got more entry permits."


    Work? You are from the Publicity Department. What work do you have in the Beijing Municipal building? Ministry of Finance? Dong Xuebing was curious, but he did not ask anything.


    Half an hourter.


    They finally reach the Wang Fu Hotel. Dong Xuebing felt very awkward and embarrassed in the car.


    Wang Fu Hotel was located in one of Beijing''s oldest 5 stars hotel. They have 7 ballrooms and all sorts of meeting rooms. They also offer trantion and secretarial services. There were a few restaurants in the hotel, offering western and Chinese cuisines. They also provided all sorts of services to serve their guests. There were childcare services, tours, safe, shoe polishing, vehicle rentals, money exchange, ATM, delivery,undry, etc.


    The car stopped, and the guilty-conscious Dong Xuebing quickly alight to help Xie Hun open her door. He hopes he would be able to leave a good impression.


    But the bellboy or staff of the hotel ran over to open the door for Xie Hun, giving Dong Xuebing no chance to perform. That young man took note of the license te number and helped open the door for Xie Hun. After Xie Hun alighted, that young man whispers something to another young man with a notebook. After that, he said something into his walkie talkie. Dong Xuebing thought this was the hotel''s service to all guests. But after he and Xie Hun alighted from the vehicle, another car arrived. This time, the staff did not open the door for that car. Those two staff just stood there and did not move.


    Dong Xuebing was speechless. What''s happening? Special service? Most of the people thate to Wang Fu Hotel were wealthy, and even if Xie Hun frequent this ce or she''s a leader in the Central Government, the hotel staff should not treat her differently.


    Xie Hun seems to be used to this sort of treatment. "... Xiao Dong, let''s go in."


    "Ok." Dong Xuebing quickly followed her. He purposely walks slightly behind her.


    Xie Hun noticed this andughed. She waved to Dong Xuebing: "Why are you so nervous? You are also not my secretary. Just walk beside me."


    Dong Xuebing hesitated for a moment and nodded. He walked carefully beside Xie Hun.


    When both stepped into the hotel entrance, a middle-aged man, wearing a smart suit, walked over and extended his hand. "Thank you foring, Ms. Xie. Sorry I did not wee you outside." This man seems to havee out to receive Xie Hun. It must be the hotel staff outside who informed him.


    Xie Hun smiled and shook his hand. "Manager Zhao. Stop joking with me."


    Manager Zhaoughed: "Haha, I don''t dare to joke with you. The VIP room is ready. You are here today is for..."


    Xie Hun waved her hand. "I am just having lunch with a friend. I will not use that room. I... will dine in the Bamboo Garden."


    "Sure. I will make the arrangements for you." Manager Zhao quickly makes a phone call and chatted with Xie Hun for a while. He waved two hotel staff over and whispered something to them before leaving. After that, those two staffs lead the way.


    Dong Xuebing could tell that the hotel treated Xie Hun differently from others. Damn! Sister Xie is so influential? Even the Manager of the hotel had toe out to receive her? Even the Western District Party Committee Secretary does not have this treatment.


    Bamboo Garden.


    This was not a private dining room or a venue for special asions. Bamboos were used to create small booths for the guests. All the tables and chairs were made of rattan. The floor was paved with little pebbles. There was also a pond there.


    After the food was served, Xie Hun cheerfully raised her ss. "I know about your department''s regtion. But this is red wine, and you should be fine. Haha, let me give you a toast for saving my life and taking care of me."


    Dong Xuebing blushed and raised his ss. "Thank you. It''s my duty."


    After drinking some wine, Xie Hun and Dong Xuebing started eating and chatting.


    "Xiao Dong, why are you not with your parents during Lunar New Year?"


    "My mother is in Hebei Province. She''s busy with her work and could only stay here on the eve and the first day of Lunar New Year."


    "What are your parents working?"


    "My mother is a teacher in a countryside vige. My father... had passed away."


    "I''m sorry."


    It was until now, Dong Xuebing could finally rx. He knew Xie Hun was not settling the score with him over her stockings. She was only treating him for a meal because he had saved her.


    Suddenly, Dong Xuebing saw a middle-aged man walking along the corridor. He looks very familiar. Dong Xuebing had seen him on TV before. Oh, he''s Beijing City''s Party Committee member and Public Security Bureau Chief Feng Xueliang. He was a smart-looking man in his 50s. The other side of the corridor might be the private rooms, and he should be heading there.


    This was the first time Dong Xuebing met a Sub-Provincial (Ministerial) level official in person.


    Just when he was thinking, Chief Feng looked towards his direction. He paused for a second and smiled. After that, he walked towards Dong Xuebing''s direction.


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. What''s happening?


    "Hun! Hahaha!" Dong Xuebing was still in shock, and Feng Xueliang had arrived at his table. "It''s Lunar New Year and why are you here at Wang Fu?"


    Xie Hun saw him and stood up. She shook his hand and replied. "I am here with a friend. Uncle Feng, Happy New Year. How''s Auntie doing?"


    Feng Xueling looked at Dong Xuebing, who was also standing up and smiled at him. He turned back to Xie Hun: "She is still the same. She got high blood pressure, and she still refuses to watch her diet. She is in the private room eating whatever she likes now. I can''t be bothered with her. Hahaha. Alright. I shall not disturb you anymore. Bye."


    Xie Hunughed. "Then, I will drop by your private room to have a drink with youter."


    "Hahaha, you think you can make me drunk? You can try!"


    Dong Xuebing was in a state of shock. The City''s Party Committee member had a smile to me? He had just given me a smile! Wow... Sister Xie knows him?


    Dong Xuebing knew Xie Hun had some background and connections. If not, she couldn''t climb to her current rank at her age. But all the entry permits in her Audi, the special treatment she received in Wang Fu Hotel, the casual conversation with Beijing City''s Party Committee member... Xie Hun not only have some backings. She got huge backing!

 Chapter 143: Two million!

    <h4>Chapter 143: Two million!</h4>


    Afternoon, at 1.50 pm.


    After leaving Wang Fu Hotel, Xie Hun and Dong Xuebing boarded the Audi and drove out of the carpark.


    Dong Xuebing was sitting in the front passenger seat nervously. He secretly peeps at Xie Hun. She had a stern look on her beautiful face. She was not only a high-ranking leader in the Central Government, but she also has a powerful backing. Now, Dong Xuebing doesn''t even dare to smile in front of her. He was d and worried at the same time. He was delighted that he had saved her life, but he was also concerned because he had used her stockings to do that shameless thing. What''s worst was she knew about it!


    Dong Xuebing''s feelings wereplicated!


    It was quiet in the car, and Xie Hun suddenlyughed. "Xiao Dong, do you have any hobbies?"


    Dong Xuebing cleared his throat. "Errr... It''s not considered a hobby. But I like shopping around Antique markets and watch TV programs about antiques and collections." He tried to make himself sound high ss. He will not tell Xie Hun that his hobbies were watching movies, online chatting, etc. These were all too ordinary.


    "Oh. I also like to visit Liulichang when I am free."


    "You also like collecting stuff?"


    "Yes. But I am only a beginner."


    "You are too modest. I can tell you must know a lot about antiques."


    "Is it written on my forehead? How can you tell? Hahaha...." Xie Hun was holding on to the steering wheel gracefully. She thought for a while and slowed down the car. "I am still thinking of buying two shirts for you as a gift. But since you like antiques, let''s go to Liulichang. The temple fair''s food street is moved to Taoranting Park, but Liulichang should still be open. You can choose an antique you like, and I will buy it as a gift for you. Ok?"


    Dong Xuebing quick rejects her suggestion. "No need. No need. You have treated me to lunch, and it''s enough."


    "How can a meal bepared to life?" Xie Hun replied firmly and drove towards the west. She did not give Dong Xuebing any choice. "Listen to me, you understand?"


    Huh? I got no right to make any decision. Dong Xuebing could only smile and nod.


    Two years ago, temple fair was held at Nan Xin Hua Street, and the whole street will be filled with people. All public transports were re-routed. Of course, anyone can still drive into the street if they want. But there were too many people there, and traffic wille to a standstill. It was so crowded that the distance between two people was less than the width of a palm. After the food street was shifted to Taoranting Park recently, it was not so crowded, and cars can enter that area.


    West of Liulichang.


    After the Audi stopped, Dong Xuebing unfastened his seatbelt and ran over to the driver''s door to open the door for Xie Hun. He even learns from Guo Panwei to ce his hand at the top of the vehicle to "protect" Xie Hun.


    Xie Hun shook her head and smile. "You...."


    After these two days, Dong Xuebing noticed Xie Hun likes to smile. She used different types of smiles to express her expressions. She looks like the Officialdies in Ancient times.


    After entering an antique shop, Xie Hun looked at Dong Xuebing. "Look around and see if there''s anything you like."


    Dong Xuebing did not want to let her buy any gift for him. But if he did not choose anything, she would not agree. So, after walking around the shop, he stopped in front of a wooden shelf and pointed to a grasshopper gourd, made from rosewood. Dong Xuebing knew this was the cheapest item in the shop. Even the low-grade paintings, calligraphy, and pottery were more expensive. "Sister Xie. This is a good gourd."


    Xie Hunughed: "It''s almost the end of grasshopper rearing season. Pick something better, ok?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled shyly. "I like this."


    "Fine." Xie Hun asked the store assistant about the price of that gourd. It was 2,000 RMB, and she paid without saying a word. She than pass the gourd to Dong Xuebing. "Let''s look around. This gift is too cheap."


    "It''s fine. It''s fine." Dong Xuebing held the grasshopper gourd. "This is good enough. Thank you, Sister Xie."


    Xie Hun shook her head andughed. "I knew you will not pick anything. Let''s walk around and see if there is anything better." She saw Dong Xuebing still wanted to reject her, she immediately waved her hand to stop him. "I will not buy it for you, ok? I will pick something for myself. You can give me some suggestions."


    Dong Xuebing replied. "Ok. But I do not know about antiques as well as you."


    "Hahaha, stop ttering me. Let''s go."


    A lot of shops in Liulichang were closed. After walking for a while, Xie Hun did not see anything that caught her attention. They slowly walked to East Liulichang. Xie Hun noticed a Yellow Stone seal in the first shop she enters in East Liulichang. But when she enquires about the price, it was more than 1 million RMB. Xie Hun shook her head. She did not buy it. It was not because she does not like it. It was because she could not afford it. How much can a Deputy Director level earn monthly?


    An hourter, Dong Xuebing and Xie Hun stood at the junction of East and West Liulichang.


    Xie Hun looked at her watch. "Let''s stop shopping. Come, I will send you back."


    "No need. You have already fetched me from my ce this morning... I can take a taxi back."


    "No... Eh?" Xie Hun suddenly looked at a few roadside stalls. The stalls were selling balloons and cotton candies. One of the stalls had disyed all sorts of porcin items on its shelf. Kangxi porcin, ancientmoner''s bowl, etc. Xie Hun was interested in these items: "Xiao Dong, let''s take a look at this store."


    "Oh.... Ok." Dong Xuebing followed her to the store.


    The store owner was a young man around 30 years old. He was stunned by Xie Hun''s beauty and kept looking at her. "Hi, what would you like to see?"


    Xie Hun looked at the shelves and saw a blue-colored small bowl. The bowl was painted with clouds, and the interior of the bowl had a golden dragon. Xie Hun picked it up and examine the bottom of the bowl. There were some wordings engraved at the bottom of the bowl, stating that it was manufactured by the official kiln during Qian Long Emperor era. Usually, the antiques from these roadside stores were low-grade antiques. This bowl must also be either a counterfeit or a low-grade antique. This antique bowl was rare even in auctions, let alone by the streets. But there were still exceptions. If not, there will also not be so many stories about people finding real antiques on the streets.


    The store owner looked at Xie Hun and said: "This is from my hometown. It''s an antique produced by the ancient government''s kiln."


    Xie Hun examined the bowl carefully and turned to Dong Xuebing and smiled: "Xiao Dong, take a look at this. What do you think?"


    Dong Xuebing recognized this bowl. The name of this bowl was the Qing Dynasty Qian Long Emperor Dragon bowl. He knew about this bowl was because when he was working part-time in Pan Jia Yuan, the shop he worked for had a broken fragment of this type of bowl. That broken fragment was authentic. Although it was not worth anything, Dong Xuebing had scrutinized it several times. Seeing that Xie Hun asking his opinion, he felt that he should show off his talent. He picked up the bowl with both hands and examined every detail of the bowl.


    Hmmm... this bowl looks simr to that broken fragment, but there seems to have some differences.


    The color of this bowl was newer, and the paint was brighter. But the outlines of the designs look very simr to that fragment. The golden dragon was also more detailed.


    Xie Hun asked: "What do you think?"


    Dong Xuebing jumped: "Errr... this seems to be real, but some parts are suspicious. I am also not very sure."


    Xie Hun turned towards the store owner. "How much are you selling?"


    The store owner replied. "50,000 RMB."


    Xie Hun shook her head and smiled: "If this is really from the government kiln, you will not sell it for 50,000 RMB. Make it cheaper."


    "This is really an antique. The ancestor of that man from my hometown was from Beijing...


    Xie Hun waved her hand to stop him. "Let''s talk about the price and not the story. Ok?"


    The store owner smiled embarrassedly. "I got this bowl at 40,000 RMB. My profit is not a lot. I really can''t sell it to you lower than 50,000 RMB."


    "Never mind."


    If this bowl were real, it would be worth more than a few hundred thousand. This would be considered finding a treasure on the streets. If this bowl is selling for a few hundred or thousand, it''s not a problem to take a gamble. But 50,000 RMB is not a small amount. Furthermore, Dong Xuebing and Xie Hun could not tell whether if this bowl was authentic. More than 70 to 80% of such bowls in the market were fakes. That''s why Xie Hun decided not to buy it.


    "Xiao Dong, let''s go."


    Dong Xuebing was disappointed for failing to impress Xie Hun. This was the problem with antiques. Even if you had seen an authentic antique before and understand it well, but it''s hard to tell the difference between a fake and the real item. This was because of how the antique was preserved. If it was well kept, the colors and paintings would be different from another antique, which was not maintained properly. Sigh... if I can examine it from the broken section. He had examined the broken part of a fragment of that Qing Dynasty Qian Long Emperor Dragon bowl before. He would be able to tell whether if that bowl was real or fake by the broken section. No matter how real the exterior painting was, the fractured section... Who would be able to tell? There were thousands of ways to authenticate an antique and no one in the world would smash an antique to authenticate it. If the antique were found to be real through this method, it would be meaningless. The bowl was already shattered and the value...


    Eh?


    Dong Xuebing stopped in his tracks when he thought until here!


    Damn! There''s someone who can authenticate an antique through this crazy method.


    Dong Xuebing was the one who can do this!


    The store owner saw the woman walking away, but this young man was still standing there. "Young man, please take a look carefully. This bowl is really from the government''s kiln."


    "Really?" Dong Xuebing picks up the bowl again. "Let me take a closer look."


    The store ownerughed. "Sure. Go ahead."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. He raised his arms suddenly and smashed the bowl on the floor in front of the shocked store owner. Smash! The bowl was shattered into pieces.


    "What the f**k are you doing?!" The storeowner was furious.


    Xie Hun, who was a few steps away, was also stunned. "Xiao Dong! What''s wrong?"


    Dong Xuebing calmly replies. "I want to look at the interior of the bowl."


    The store owner points at Dong Xuebing and shouts: "Everybody saw you breaking this bowl! 50,000 RMB! Pay up! Pay me now!"


    Dong Xuebing ignored the storeowner''s screaming and the bystanders. He quickly picks up a broken piece of the bowl from the floor carefully and examines it. He also touched the broken section carefully to feel the texture.


    After a while, Dong Xuebing''s face changed color. That''s right. Everything fits.


    The thickness of the paint was the same, and the interior of the bowl was white and smooth. It''s not the same as the fake porcin created by modern technology. The piece in his hand felt precisely the same as that broken fragment he has seen before!


    This bowl was real!


    It''s really from the Ancient Government Kilin!!!


    Damn! BACK!


    ...


    Dong Xuebing used the only BACK he had!


    The scenes in front of him shed! Time had turned back to the bargaining between Xie Hun and the store owner!


    "This is really an antique. The ancestor of that man from my hometown was from Beijing...


    "Let''s talk about the price and not the story. Ok?"


    "I got this bowl at 40,000 RMB. My profit is not a lot. I really can''t sell it to you lower than 50,000 RMB."


    "Never mind." Xie Hun put down the bowl lightly and said: "Xiao Dong, let''s go."


    The store owner did not stop them when they were about to leave. He had acquired this bowl from his hometown. But the ancestor of the person who sold this bowl to him was not some wealthy person in the olden days. The person who sold him this bowl was someone who collects waste products from the counties. He had gotten this bowl for 2,200 RMB from some vige. Their hometown was famous for producing counterfeit antiques. There were many small factories there, and the store owner thought this bowl was also a counterfeit. He was only trying his luck to see if he could see this bowl for 50,000 RMB.


    "Sister Xie, wait a while." Dong Xuebing called Xie Hun.


    "Huh?" Xie Hun turned around.


    Dong Xuebing whispered to her softly: "That bowl is real. You should buy it now."


    Xie Hun paused for a second and smiled: "Did you tell me you are not very sure? I think the bowl is not real. The color is too bright."


    "Sister Xie, just buy it. I will not lie to you."


    "Hahaha, nevermind. 50,000 RMB is too expensive."


    Dong Xuebing wants to return Xie Hun favour and hope she will forget about the embarrassing incident. He smiled wearily when he sees Xie Hun refusing to listen to him. He knew Xie Hun have a strong personality and have her own views. Once she made a decision, she will stick to it and not listen to others. Dong Xuebing decided not to persuade her anymore. "... If you don''t want to buy, then I will buy it."


    Xie Hun looked at him: "You are confident?"


    "Yes. I am very sure."


    Xie Hun did not say anything and nodded.


    Dong Xuebing firmly believes his judgment. Unless the person who made fake antiques could perfectly imitate even the interior of the porcin. But no one would be so free to do that. He turned around and went back to the store and point to that bowl. "If you really want to sell, I will buy it for 40,000 RMB. That''s my highest offer. I do not have so much money with me."


    The store owner heard this and was overjoyed. "Ah... 40,000 RMB is too little. 50,000 RMB is the lowest price."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "I said I do not have so much money. If you really can''t sell this bowl to me at 40,000 RMB, I will leave."


    The store owner quickly stopped Dong Xuebing from leaving. "45,000 RMB. How about 45,000 RMB?" Dong Xuebing turned, and the store owner immediately shout. "42,000! This is the lowest!"


    Dong Xuebing hesitated for a while. "Fine. I will give you the money in a while."


    There is an ICBC bank next to the store, and Dong Xuebing does not need to fix appointment with the bank to withdraw 40,000 RMB. He returned with the cash very soon andplete the transaction.


    The storeowner was overjoyed as he counted the money. He wrapped the bowl nicely and gave it to Dong Xuebing. "The value of this bowl will increase further in a few years. You should keep it." The store owner said, but this was not his real thoughts. The fake products from his hometown were usually shipped to Beijing. Why? This was because Beijing people are stupid. Hehe, look at this young man. He still thought he had gotten a treasure. Does he really believe that real antiques are all over the ce?


    Dong Xuebing and Xie Hun left with the bowl.


    "Xiao Dong, shall we look for a ce to check the authenticity of this bowl?" Xie Hun asked with a smile. "Haha, to be honest, I still don''t believe that this Qing Dynasty Qian Long Emperor Dragon bowl is real."


    Dong Xuebing hesitates. "This..." He was afraid that Xie Hun would be embarrassed if the bowl was proven to be real. That''s why he does not want to send it to the experts in front of her.


    But Xie Hun did not give Dong Xuebing the chance to reject as usual. "Let''s go to Rong Bao Zhai. It''s reputable. Ok?"


    Dong Xuebing had no choice but to reply: "Yes."


    Rong Bao Zhai was quiet, and there were not many customers around. It might because it was still the Lunar New Year. Dong Xuebing looked around and saw someone who looks like an expert. He went over and asked: "Do you all buy Qing Dynasty Qian Long Emperor Dragon bowl here?" Xie Hun was standing beside quietly.


    That old man looked at Dong Xuebing: "It depends on the item. Do you have it with you?"


    Dong Xuebing ced the small bowl carefully on the table.


    The old man looked at the porcin bowl and carefully pick it up. He examined it carefully and asked: "Young man, are you in a hurry? I need some time to examine it."


    Dong Xuebing turned and looked at Xie Hun.


    Xie Hun smiled. "No. We are not in a hurry."


    Dong Xuebing was afraid Xie Hun would be tired from standing, he pulled a chair over for her. "Have a seat first. I will buy you a bottle of water."


    "No need." Xie Hun sat down andughed. "Bring a chair over for yourself too. Stop standing there like a fool."


    The old man took out a big magnifying ss and much other equipment. He took his time to examine the bowl and after 5 minutes, he took off his sses and called a middle-aged man down from upstairs. After that, both of them considered and discussed about the bowl for more than 10 minutes.


    Dong Xuebing felt it was okay for him to wait so long, but time for a Central Government leader was precious. He asked: "Are you all done?"


    The old man and the middle-aged man looked at each other, and that old man said. "How much do you want to sell this?"


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while: "1 million RMB."


    The middle-aged man shook his head. "It is too high. You won''t even get this amount at the auctions."


    The old man looked at Dong Xuebing. "This is a good piece, and it is well preserved. But it is definitely not worth 1 million. The highest I can offer is 600,000 RMB."


    Xie Hun''s eyes narrowed and looked at Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed. Hahaha, I''m right! It''s really from the ancient government kiln!


    Dong Xuebing was only trying his luck when he said 1 million. He did not expect to sell the bowl at that price. Now, he knew this bowl is a real antique, he started to bargain. In the end, they finalized at 700,000 RMB. Dong Xuebing had not thought about making use of his power to sell this bowl at the auctions. After all, it was against the regtions for the owner of the product to interfere in auctions. It was coincident during thest auction when he sold his pearl ne. It was Teacher Sun who used his own identification card to register for Dong Xuebing. After the auctions, he reprimanded Dong Xuebing for bidding on his own ne. That''s why he was not allowed to do it again.


    "Young man, how do you want us to pay you?"


    "Cheque?"


    "Ok. Please wait for a while."


    After getting the cheque, Dong Xuebing left Rong Bao Zhai in a good mood. But he remembered Xie Hun was still beside him, and he quicklyposed himself. "Sister Xie, let''s split the money. If you did not notice that bowl, I will also not buy it. The credit is all yours." Dong Xuebing said. He also knew that Xie Hun would not want his money.


    Xie Hunughed: "Xiao Dong. I didn''t expect you to be so skillful. How long have you been collecting antiques?"


    "Hah. I am only lucky."


    "Haha, stop ttering me. You bought that 42,000 RMB bowl without hesitation. You must be very confident that it is real. I am not as good as you." Xie Hun looked at Dong Xuebing and smiled. "I think I must bring you along when I want to shop at the antique markets in the future."


    Dong Xuebing thought in his heart. As long as you don''t bring up the incident with your stockings, I will go wherever you want me to go.


    ...


    At 4pm, Dong Xuebing deposit that 700,000 RMB cheque into his bank ount and was surprised at his current savings. 2 million! It''s 2 million RMB!


    Dong Xuebing wiped the sweat off his forehead and happily called Qu Yunxuan. "Aunt Xuan, I bought a porcin bowl at a bargain in Liulichang earlier."


    Qu Yunxuan was surprised: "Huh? You found a treasure again? Why are you so lucky?"


    Dong Xuebing replied. "Hehe.... I made 700,000 RMB this time. We have 2 million in total now."


    Qu Yunxuan: "..."


    "I think I should not keep so much money in my ount. If my unit conducts checks on me... I decided to transfer all my money to your ount. In future, if I make any money, I will deposit into your ount. You will manage my money for me. Just set up whateverpany you want and make more money together. Ok?" Dong Xuebing was surprised that he was speaking like Xie Hun unconsciously.


    "You really make 700,000 RMB?


    "Haha, you will know when you check your bank ountter."


    "Idiot! You are so capable! I will be going back tomorrow. Let''s celebrate!"


    "Huh? Will we be going back to the same cinema to celebrate?"


    "Go to hell!"

 Chapter 144: Chief Xiao Dong protecting his staff!

    <h4>Chapter 144: Chief Xiao Dong protecting his staff!</h4>


    The Lunar New Year''s holidays had ended, and today was the official first day at work.


    "Good morning Chief Dong."


    "Chief Dong, Happy New Year."


    "Chief Dong, congrattions on your promotion."


    Everyone who saw Dong Xuebing greeted and smiled at him, regardless of whether they knew him or not. In the past, there were still some people who doubt Chief Xiao Dong''s ability. They felt it was ridiculous to im that Chief Xiao Dong could solve any problems. But after the calligraphy incident and his promotion, no one dares to doubt him. Even those that dislike Dong Xuebing had to ept the fact that Dong Xuebing was very capable!


    Dong Xuebing smiled and greeted everyone. He felt everyone''s attitude towards him had changed after he was promoted to Deputy Section Chief rank.


    "Xiao Dong!" Someone shouted from the back.


    Now, no one in the branch would call Dong Xuebing as Xiao Dong. Even General Affairs Office''s Chief Li Qing called him Chef Dong. Those who call Dong Xuebing as Xiao Dong were the Branch Bureau''s Deputy Chiefs and above. So, when Dong Xuebing heard someone calling Xiao Dong, he immediately turns back. He thought it was one of the Deputy Branch Bureau Chiefs. But when he saw the one calling him, his face changed. F**k. It''s only Chief Zhen''s secretary, Yan Lei!


    Yan Lei walked over and said emotionlessly: "Xiao Dong, there''s a meetingter in the branch. Go and prepare the materials."


    Dong Xuebing cursed in his heart. He was now the same rank as Yan Lei. No, in terms of position, he had more authority than Yan Lei. Howe he was acting like he was Dong Xuebing''s superior? You dare to order me around? Also, what''s with your attitude?!


    "What materials?"


    Yan Lei frowned: "Didn''t I had faxed the materials to General Affairs Office before Lunar New Year?"


    "Really?" Dong Xuebing replied. "I will look for it in the office."


    Yan Lei''s face turned ck. "The documents are Chief Zhen''s ns for this year! Chief Dong! Don''t me me for not reminding you!"


    Dong Xuebing cursed again in his heart. Damn! You are only making use of Chief Zhen''s name to force people to do your bidding. "Ok. I know."


    Yan Lei was furious with Dong Xuebing''s attitude. He was Chief Zhen''s secretary, and everyone in the branch speaks to him politely. But only Dong Xuebing treated him differently. The first time they met, Dong Xuebing had not given him any face. At the restaurant with Chief Jiang, Dong Xuebing had made a fool out of him. Yan Lei knew Dong Xuebing had done a lot for the branch, but everyone knew they had a grudge against each other. There was no reason for Yan Lei to treat Dong Xuebing respectfully. Even if Dong Xuebing were close to the branch''s leaders, he would not be as close to Chief Zhen as Yan Lei. With Zhen Anguo backing Yan Lei, Yan Lei felt a Deputy Section Chief was a nobody to him. So what if he was capable? I represent the branch bureau''s top leader. You have to listen to me!


    "Oh, Brother Yan. Good morning."


    Yan Lei turned and smile.


    Dong Xuebing ignored him and returned to the General Affairs Office.


    After the encounter with Yan Lei, Dong Xuebing''s good mood was all gone. He was pissed. He hated Yan Lei more. Look at the former Chief Yan''s secretary, Brother Lui. He treated everyone with respect and seldom abuse his position. He was also close to the various departments'' leaders. Secretaries should behave like him. But look at Yan Lei. Petty, small-minded, putting on airs every now and then. Dong Xuebing wonders why Zhen Anguo picks Yan Lei as his secretary.


    "Chief Dong, you are here."


    "Good morning Chief Dong."


    "Chief Dong, what''s wrong?"


    Tan Limei, Chang Juan, Guo Panwei, and Old Yan greeted Dong Xuebing. There was a new staff in the office.


    Dong Xuebing waved his hand and instructed them to prepare the materials for Yan Lei, before entering his room. He disliked Yan Lei, but he cannot ignore Chief Zhen. That''s why Dong Xuebing will not sh with Yan Lei in public and will still do whatever he was supposed to do.


    After all the work in the morning waspleted, Tan Limei knocked on the door and entered Dong Xuebing''s office.


    "Chief Dong, thank you for helping Sun Zhuang." Tan Limei said gratefully.


    Dong Xuebing had called Xu Yanst night to request for Sun Zhuang''s transfer. Deputy Branch Bureau Chief Xu did not promise him anything. She only says she will help him ask around. But this morning, Sun Zhuang was asked to report to the Political Section. Xu Yan treated Dong Xuebing very well. Dong Xuebing''s mood became better andughed. "Don''t mention it. Oh, there is a new staff transferred here?"


    Tan Limei replied: "Yes. She is transferred here from the Political Section. Her name is Wang Xin. She passed her Civil servant entry examsst year."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "Ok. Can you ask her toe in for a while?"


    Tan Limei left and closed the door behind her. She cheerfully walked over to Wang Xin''s desk. "Chief Dong wants to see you."


    Wang Xin had average looks and had delicate features. When she heard that Chief Dong wants to meet her, she panicked. She was transferred to the General Affairs Office was because she had offended a Deputy Section Chief in the Political Section due to her clumsiness. She could notplete the tasks assigned to her on time and often made mistakes. Due to all these reasons, she was scolded by her leaders frequently and had a phobia of meeting leaders. She had heard a lot about Chief Xiao Dong and panicked. "Sister Tan, errr... errr... Do you know why Chief Dong wants to meet me?"


    "I am not sure."


    "Did I do something wrong? Is Chief Dong going to reprimand me?"


    Tan Limeiughed. "No. Chief Dong treats us very well. I have never seen him get angry and scold anyone of us. Hehe, you are lucky to be transferred here. Although the work here is busy, the working environment here is good. There is no other leader in the branch that treats us better than Chief Dong."


    Chang Juan, who was beside Wang Xin,ughed. "Xiao Tan is right. Xiao Wang, you better go in now. Don''t let Chief Dong wait."


    "Oh, oh... ok." Wang Xin quickly walks over to Dong Xuebing''s office and knock on the door.


    Dong Xuebing: "Come in."


    Wang Xin asked softly: "Chief Dong, you want to see me?"


    Dong Xuebingughed and nodded. He points to the sofa. "Sit. Sit down first."


    Wang Xin dares not sit down. But Dong Xuebing repeated himself, and she sat down cautiously. She was nervous as she was afraid of getting scolded again.


    Dong Xuebing calmly asked: "You are Xiao Wang? Hehe, don''t be so scared. Who is the one who guides you this morning?"


    Wang Xin replied softly: "It''s Sister Tan."


    "Ok. Xiao Tan''s performance is good. You should learn from her. Actually, the work in the General Affairs Office is simple. You only need to be meticulous, and you will be fine." Dong Xuebing was speechless when he saw Wang Xin''s sweat rolling down her forehead. What''s there to be so nervous? "How is your typing speed? Do you know how to write scripts for speeches?"


    Wang Xin replied softly: "My typing speed... is not very fast. I have never written any scripts before... I don''t know if..."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "It''s fine. You can learn. No one knows everything. Haha, you can ask Xiao Tan, Chang Juan or the rest if you need help. You can alsoe and ask me." Dong Xuebing paused for a while and looked at the nervous Wang Xin. "Ok. If there is nothing else, you can go back to work. Feel free to look for me if you need help."


    Wang Xin was relieved. "Thank you for your concern. I... I will go back to work now?"


    "Ok."


    After leaving Dong Xuebing''s office, Wang Xin could feel her sweat on her back. She had heard how capable Chief Xiao Dong was. She never expects Dong Xuebing to be so friendly and did not act like a leader. This was quite surprising for Wang Xin. But she knows she cannot judge him just from this meeting. The Deputy Chief of the Political Section was also very friendly and approachable. But when she made a small mistake, he would stare and scold her. All leaders were like this.


    Yan Lei suddenly barged into the General Affairs office.


    Yan Lei saw Wang Xin and gave her a few pieces of A4 paper. "Type all these into a word document. I wille and get itter. It''s urgent."


    Wang Xin quickly replied: "Yes, Secretary Yan."


    Tan Limei, Chang Juan, and the rest pretended not to see Yan Lei. They knew Chief Xiao Dong was not on good terms with Secretary Yan.


    After Yan Lei left, Wang Xin started typing carefully. She even checked the dictionary for some characters to be sure.


    After a while, Yan Lei returned. He walked over to Wang Xin: "Is the document ready? Give it to me now."


    Wang Xin panicked. "... it''s not ready yet. I will finish it in 10 minutes."


    Yan Lei heard this and frowned. "Why is it not ready? How long has it been? Didn''t I tell you that I need this urgently?"


    Wang Xin looked down timidly. She knows she was in trouble and was frightened. "Secretary Yan, I''m sorry. I... I did not know you need it so urgently. I..." She knew who Secretary Yan was. He was Chief Zhen''s trusted aide and was someone she could not offend.


    Yan Lei stared at her. "You are still finding excuses?! Are you deaf?! Didn''t I tell you to hurry up just now? Do I still need to tell you what time I will being back to collect it?" Yan Lei was pissed when he came to the General Affairs Office previous. This time, he exploded!


    Wang Xin felt used. If Yan Lei had told her that he will be collecting the document in 5 minutes, she would have asked Tan Limei for help. Her typing speed was not fast. Her eyes turned red, bite her lips, and started sobbing. She had entered the branch for several months and was almost scolded every day. She could not hold back her tears any longer.


    Tan Limei was shocked and quickly go over. "Secretary Yan. I will help you type the document now."


    Yan Lei looked at Wang Xin and scolded: "You can''t evenplete a simple task! Cry?! Is this the General Affairs Office''s efficiency?!"


    Wang Xin covered her mouth and cried even louder.


    Dong Xuebing heard themotion outside and knew what was going on. He was furious. Yan Lei dares to shout in his turf? He totally has no respect for Dong Xuebing! What is he trying to do? pping me in the face? Scolding me indirectly? Dong Xuebing opened the door and stormed out. "Why are you shouting here?! What''s wrong with the General Affairs Office? Ah? What''s wrong with our efficiency?!"


    It was tense. Tan Limei, Chang Juan, and the rest held their breath.


    Yan Lei looked at Dong Xuebing coldly: "What do you think? The document I want is still half finish after 5 minutes! Are you going to be responsible if Chief Zhen asks?"


    F**k you! Other than making use of Chief Zhen''s name, what else do you know?


    Dong Xuebing was pissed. Yan Lei hade to his office to create trouble, and this was pping Dong Xuebing in his face and a challenge to his authority. Dong Xuebing will not tolerate this. Fine. Since you started this, I will not give you any look! He points at Yan Lei in his nose: "Then I will ask you now! Why didn''t you tell us exactly when you need this document?! Ah? You did not make yourself clear, and you want to me Wang Xin? Are you here purposely to create trouble? This is your problem, not ours!"


    Yan Lei''s face turned white from his anger. "You should find out what''s going on first! All of you should reflect on yourselves for your incapability! Now, you still dare to im that I am here to create trouble? Chief Dong! You better watch your words!"


    Dong Xuebing stared at Yan Lei. "This is the way I speak! You better not raise your voice at me here! Can''t you see the rest of them are working? Do you know what this ce is? The General Affairs Office! We are providing support to the various departments in the branch! You are affecting the rest now! If they make any mistakes, are you going to be responsible?!"


    Yan Lei was furious: "It''s your people that...."


    Dong Xuebing banged on the table: "I know how to manage my people! It is not up to you to lecture them!"


    "Fine! Fine! I finally see the working attitude of the General Affairs Office!" Yan Lei turned and stormed out of the office.


    Motherf**ker! Who the f**k do you think you are?! Dong Xuebing wanted to stay low, but these people just can''t leave him alone. Now, Dong Xuebing couldn''t care less. He had dared to go against and talk back to Zhou Guoan, the former Branch Bureau Chief. This was nothing. So what if you are the Branch Bureau Chief''s secretary? You think you can do whatever you want here? You want to lecture my people? It''s not up to you to discipline my staff! In the General Affairs Office, I am the leader! You are only holding the Deputy Section Chief rank. You do not have any position nor in charge of any department... what right do you have to order people around?"


    Of course, Dong Xuebing was furious was not because of himself only. There was one more reason. Dong Xuebing was overprotective of his people.


    Dong Xuebing felt that leaders can look so grand was because of their subordinates. When they were outside, the subordinates will help the leaders carry their briefcases. In the workce, they will help the leaders prepare hot tea. During festivals, the subordinates will give gifts to the leaders. In the General Affairs Office, the staff members had given Dong Xuebing face. During Lunar New Year, Tan Limei, Guo Panwei, and the rest had given Dong Xuebing face by going to his ce to help him. His mother was overjoyed when she met them. Dong Xuebing was someone who would treat others the same way as they treated him. That''s why Dong Xuebing makes sure he takes care of his staff. He was furious when he saw Wang Xin crying because of Yan Lei.


    Wang Xin was stunned by Dong Xuebing''s words.


    Everyone knew who Yan Lei was. He was the Branch Bureau Chief''s trusted secretary! But Chief Xiao Dong banged the table in from of him because of a newly joined staff member. This.... This... Wang Xin''s tears started flowing again. "Sob... Chief Dong. I... caused trouble for you... Sob... Please punish me!"


    Dong Xuebing looked at her andfort her. "Stop crying. Hmph! Some people just think they are somebody and goes around abusing his authority. Xiao Wang, you are not at fault. You are slow at typing is also not your fault. You have just been transferred over, and you are still not familiar with the work here. No one will me you. Do you hear me? Stop crying and wipe your tears."


    Wang Xin cried even louder after Chief Dongforts her.


    Dong Xuebing let out a ''huh'' and said: "Xiao Tan, you go andfort her. Sister Chang, help her type out the document. We must not cause any dy to Chief Zhen." After saying all these, Dong Xuebing returned to his office.


    Tan Limei passed a piece of tissue to Wang Xin. "What did I say earlier? Chief Dong treats us well, right? Hehe, do you know about the meeting document incident when Chief Zhou was still around? Although we were framed by someone, Sister Chang and I were in-charge of preparing the documents. When Chief Zhou wanted to pursue the matter, Chief Dong shouldered all the responsibility and ims to be the one who prepared the meeting materials. Sister Chang and I were so moved, and we cried."


    Wang Xin believed what Tan Limei said was true. She nodded while wiping her tears. She had never met such a good leader before. "But... But I had caused trouble for Chief Dong. Secretary Yan will..."


    Chang Juan walked over with Yan Lei''s document andughed. "This is only a small issue to Chief Dong."


    Guo Panwei alsoughed. "That''s right. We shall wait and see how Yan Lei get into trouble." Everything that happened in the past was enough to prove that it will not end up well with those who offended Chief Xiao Dong.


    Noon. News of the sh between Chief Xiao Dong and Secretary Yan spread throughout the branch.


    On one side, it was the newly promoted Chief Xiao Dong. On the other hand, it was the blue-eyed boy, Branch Bureau Chief''s secretary. Everyone thought both had shed over some important matters. But when they found out the reason behind the argument, they were speechless.


    An argument over such a trivial matter???


    Under normal circumstances, it''s not a big deal for Secretary Yan to lecture a staff member. After all, he was working for Chief Zhen. Other leaders will pretend not to see even if they were unhappy with Secretary Yan. They still have to give the branch Chief face. They would not want to fall out with Secretary Yan over this small issue.


    But of course. These were other leaders.


    Everyone in the Western District Branch Bureau knows Chief Xiao Dong was not an ordinary person!

 Chapter 145: Provincial exchange learning program place

    <h4>Chapter 145: Provincial exchange learning program ce</h4>


    Lunchtime.


    Dong Xuebing had just stepped out of his office to go to the cafeteria when he heard the news of the Provincial Exchange learning program being brought forward to February. This time, their bureau will be going to Zhejiang Province, and there were only 10 ces. Actually, exchange program was all bullshit. It''s actually an excuse to go on holiday. The Western District Branch Bureau will organize this program annually. Because the State Security was a specialized agency, they could not go overseas like other government agencies. They could only pick other provinces.


    "Sister Chang." Dong Xuebing called Chang Juan. "How were the spots assignst year? Our General Affairs Office gets to participate?"


    Chang Juan thought for a while and replied. "We have not participated before. Those who get the spots were leaders, someone who had significant contributions to the branch, or..." Chang Juan''s voice became softer. "... someone with connections or backgrounds. Err... Chief Dong, maybe you might get a spot this year." Who else in the branch had more contributions than Dong Xuebing this year? Connections? Chief Xiao Dong is close to all the leaders. Rank? Chief Xiao Dong is also now Deputy Section Chief rank. That''s why Chang Juan felt Dong Xuebing would surely qualify to get a ce.


    Dong Xuebing also felt the same way. But when he thought about his argument with Yan Lei, he was not that confident.


    After Lunch.


    Dong Xuebing went to Deputy Branch Bureau Xu Yan''s office. "Chief Xu, I am here to admit my mistake."


    Xu Yan, who was at her desk, replied without even looking up. "Your mistake? What can you do wrong?"


    Dong Xuebing could sense Xu Yan was angry. He cleared his throat and replied. "Chief Xu. It''s like this. Secretary Xu hade to the General Affairs Office this morning and instructed a new girl to do some work. He did not say when he need the task to bepleted and just gave Xiao Wang a document for her to type. But after 5 minutes, he returned and saw the task was notpleted. He started creating a scene in the General Affairs Office and even made our new staff member cry. The words he used were indirectly scolding you and me. I do not understand why the General Affairs Department staffs have to be disciplined by him."


    Xu Yan raised her head and looked at him. "This is called admitting your mistake?"


    "Errr... I am at fault too. I admit that I should not be rush and shed with him."


    Xu Yan put down her pen and looked at Dong Xuebing: "What did I say during the previous time when you fight with Secretary Yan? Don''t you understand the meaning of staying low? You just got your promotion, and now you got into trouble again. When are you going to change that foul temper of yours? Ah?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled embarrassedly and helped Xu Yan pour a ss of water. "Yes, Mdm. You are right."


    Xu Yan knocked on her desk. "Is it that hard to get along with Secretary Yan? Even if you are unhappy with him, you should still give him face." It''s because he was Dong Xuebing. If not, Xu Yan would not say so much.


    Dong Xuebing felt being wrongly used. "Chief Xu, I am not finding excuses. The fact is I also wanted to get along well with Secretary Yan. But this morning, when I am on my way to work, he came over and act like he is my leader, ordering me to do things. I can''t find words to describe his attitude. What did I do? I gave in and tolerated him. But he went to my office and started to shout at my subordinates. He is the one who did not give clear instructions. How can I let him do what he wants in my office? He is the one who did not give me face and wanted to find fault with me!"


    Xu Yan stared him Dong Xuebing. "You are full of reasons!"


    Dong Xuebing was groomed by Xu Yan and had helped Xu Yanplete many difficult tasks in return. He had made the General Affairs Department proud. Xu Yan trusted Dong Xuebing fully. What about Yan Lei? He was newly transferred to the branch and had no results at all. Furthermore, he shed with Xiao Dong several times. It does not matter who was the right or wrong. Xu Yan already has a terrible impression of Yan Lei. Xiao Dong was young and immature. He was impulsive and rash. But Xiao Dong was capable. He could solve problems for the leaders. What about Yan Lei? No capabilities and immature. Everyone has biases. Xu Yan felt Yan Lei was too much in this incident. He was not suitable to be the leader''s secretary. He would offend all other leaders and will make his life difficult. No one would work with Yan Lei, and it will be difficult for Chief Zhen to lead the branch.


    But Xu Yan still wanted to teach Dong Xuebing a lesson. "Stop talking about others. Why everyone else can get along well with Secretary Yan except for you? The problem lies in you too!"


    "... Yes. You are right."


    During the Branch''s Party Committee Meeting, Xu Yan had gone over to Zhen Anguo''s side. This was also Xiao Dong''s credit. During the calligraphy incident, Dong Xuebing had brought Xu Yan and Zhen Anguo closer to each other. This was also the reason why Xu Yan does not want to see Dong Xuebing fall out with Yan Lei. Dong Xuebing was her trusted aide, and Yan Lei was Chief Zhen''s, right-hand man. If they grudge between them was too big, both leaders will feel embarrassed. Just the incident in the morning was too hard for the leaders to ept. It''s unbing for them to bang tables and fight in front of the staff members.


    "Think before you act in the future. Don''t be hot-headed and do whatever you like. You will regret if you are punished for this morning''s incident." Xu Yan reached over and took a sip of the tea poured by Dong Xuebing. "Go back and reflect on your actions."


    Dong Xuebing was feeling uneasy. "Chief Xu, will Chief Zhen have a bad impression of me?"


    Xu Yan replied: "You finally thought about this now? What were you thinking earlier? Chief Zhen''s secretary had shed with you twice. You tell me, will he have a good impression of you?"


    At the same time.


    Yan Lei was in Zhen Anguo''s office.


    "Chief Zhen. The General Affairs Office is too uncooperative. If this carries on, it will be hard for me to do my work."


    Zhen Anguo looked at Yan Lei: "What happened?" Zhen Guoan was newly transferred over and held the highest rank in the branch. That''s why he did not receive the news as fast as Xu Yan.


    Yan Lei knew Zhen Anguo does not like to hear all these small matters. But he was too furious. "It''s that Chief Dong. Yes. I got to admit that he is capable and has outstanding results. But he has no respect for you and had ignored me. Earlier, I had asked staff at the General Affairs Office to type a document. They are too slow and could not evenplete typing a simple document in half a day. I got mad and scolded that staff member. That Dong Xuebing suddenly came out of his office and started arguing with me. He says that this is the way they work, and I have no right to scold his people. He is unreasonable!"


    Zhen Anguo frowned.


    Yan Lei continued. "Chief Zhen, when have you seen me lose my temper? But that Dong Xuebing was too much. He does not have any respect for others just because he had achieved some results!"


    "Are you telling the truth?"


    "Yes. Many people saw what happened."


    This was the job of a secretary. A secretary might not be able to do his or her job well, but when ites to creating trouble for someone else, it would be a piece of cake for them.


    Zhen Anguo was a good leader. But no matter how good he was, he still has biases. Yan Lei also did not tell him the truth, and Zhen Anguo felt Dong Xuebing was too much. Yan Lei had worked for Zhen Anguo for years, and he had never seen Yan Lei losing his temper before. He thought Xiao Dong must have said something that pissed Yan Lei.


    This Xiao Dong was too immature!


    Zhen Anguo shook his head. He did not think too much this, as he still like Dong Xuebing''s capabilities. If not, he will also not support Xu Yan''s proposal to promote Dong Xuebing to Deputy Section Chief. Yan Lei told him this incident did not affect Zhen Anguo''s impression of Dong Xuebing much. Everyone has ws. Young and impulsive? Just give him some punishments, and he will change for the better. Zhen Anguo also knew that Dong Xuebing had just started work, and that''s why he was rash and inexperience. He did not consider the impact of his actions. Zhen Anguo thought for a while and made up his mind in his heart.


    ...


    Dong Xuebing was worried that he would leave a bad impression with Zhen Anguo. After leaving Xu Yan''s office, he went to Chief Zhen''s office.


    Knock, knock. Dong Xuebing knocked on the door.


    "Come in."


    Dong Xuebing entered the office with a sad face. "Chief Zhen. I am here to admit my wrong."


    Yan Lei was also in the office. He was sorting the documents for Zhen Anguo. When he saw Dong Xuebing, he sneered.


    Zhen Anguo did not ask Dong Xuebing to sit down and ignored him. He took a look at Dong Xuebing and continued with his work.


    When Dong Xuebing was at Xu Yan''s office earlier, she was also writing something. That was because she treated Dong Xuebing as her own people. But Zhen Anguo was purposely making things difficult for Dong Xuebing now. Dong Xuebing was furious and looked at Yan Lei. It was not hard to guess. This bastard must haveined to Chief Zhen and most likely exaggerated the story. If not, Chief Zhen would not treat someone who had to help him greatly like this!


    Yan Lei! This is not the end between us!


    Dong Xuebing could only stand there and wait.


    About 5 to 6 minutester, Zhen Anguo lifted his head. "Xiao Dong. What is it?"


    Yan Lei was standing by the side, looking at Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth. "Chief Zhen, I apologized for what happened between Secretary Yan and me earlier. I was too rash." He did not know what Yan Lei said to Zhen Anguo. But Dong Xuebing could not give any exnation and could only apologize, even though he felt he had done nothing wrong.


    Zhen Anguo nodded. "I think both of you are in the wrong. You all are colleagues, and if there are problems at work, you all should settle amicably."


    Dong Xuebing replied. "Yes. You are right."


    Zhen Anguo said. "Ok. Go back to work."


    Dong Xuebing hesitated for a while and left. He thought the matter was over. But before the end of the day, Dong Xuebing received a piece of terrible news.


    The "Exchange learning program" name list was released. Dong Xuebing was not on the list. Dong Xuebing was not very surprised by this. After all, he and Yan Lei had fought. So, it''s normal for him to be left out. But the next moment, Dong Xuebing heard that Yan Lei was included as one of the participants!


    Motherf**ker!!!


    Dong Xuebing was furious. He banged his table in anger and went upstairs to look for Xu Yan in her office.


    "Chief Xu, what does Chief Zhen mean by this?" Dong Xuebing did not beat around the bush. "He is doing this on purpose by not letting me go on this holiday. Even if this was because of the incident between Yan Lei and me, why is Yan Lei included? I am not the only one in the wrong this morning. I can''t be hiding in my office when Yan Lei is scolding me indirectly. This is not right! I will be in the wrong if I hide in my office when Yan Lei is scolding my people! He has no respect for me! What he did is not wrong? Chief Xu, I don''t mind being included in the list, but Yan Lei should not be included too. Why did Chief Zhen allow him to participate and not me? If you want to punish me by leaving me out, then Yan Lei should also not be included!"


    Xu Yan looked at Dong Xuebing: "Sit down first."


    Dong Xuebing sat on the sofa panting. "Chief Xu, am I wrong for saying these?!"


    If this were another incident, Xu Yan would surely reprimand Dong Xuebing. But she could not scold him now. When she heard Yan Lei was included as one of the participants, she frowned. She also felt Chief Zhen was too bias. Chief Zhen would not put in Yan Lei''s name, and all the participants were selected by the Party Committee. But Chief Zhen had the final say, and this was the problem.


    Secretary Yan and Xiao Dong had just got into a conflict, and both should be punished. Xu Yan also felt Secretary Yan was being too much and should receive harsher punishment than Xiao Dong. But Chief Zhen did not punish Yan Lei and rewarded him instead. In this end, Dong Xuebing was the only one who got punished. Anyone in Dong Xuebing''s shoes would be furious!


    Xu Yan felt Chief Zhen should not be so unreasonable. Why did he do this?


    "Xiao Dong, did Yan Lei say anything to Chief Zhen?"


    Dong Xuebing replied angrily: "He must have left out the part that he was shouting in my office and making my staff cry when he told Chief Zhen. I think he did not tell Chief Zhen the truth. When I went to look for Chief Zhen, Chief Zhen made me stand there for 5 to 6 minutes."


    Xu Yan frowned. This Yan Lei dares to y such tricks?!


    "Chief Xu, I will go and look for Chief Zhen now! I want to exin it to him and let him be the judge!"


    "Come back here!" Xu Yan stopped him. "This is already confirmed, and it''s useless no matter how you exin. Forget about this incident, and we will discuss this another time."


    Dong Xuebing was still mad. "Let him off like this? Chief Xu, don''t you think this is too much? You should also know about my contributions to the Branch over the past few months. I just want to ask, what had Yan Lei did to be included? Does he have any results? None! He only knows how to abuse his authority under Chief Zhen''s name! Now, he is allowed to go for this holiday, and I am left out? What would others think? Chief Zhen is too biased."


    Xu Yan also felt that Chief Zhen had only listened to one side of the story. But she could not say this. "Chief Zhen was the one who gave the approval for your promotion. What else do you want?"


    Dong Xuebing was too angry and did not hold back his words: "My Deputy Section Chief rank is given by you. All Chief Zhen did was just nod. If it weren''t for you and Secretary Song helping me, I would not get my promotion even in 3 years. I only know you treated me well and not others."


    "Rubbish!" Xu Yan scolded, but she felt good. She and Song Shoujie had pushed for Dong Xuebing''s promotion. "Don''t be so calctive. Didn''t you just go to Zhejiang Province recently?"


    Dong Xuebing replied angrily: "Going for a holiday myself is different from getting permission from the bureau to go for a holiday."


    Xu Yan gave Dong Xuebing a stare: "It''s exchange program! It''s not a holiday!"


    "Yes. It''s exchange program. Those that are selected are the ones trusted by the bureau. How can someone without any contributions be selected, and someone like me, who had made significant contributions to the bureau, be left out? I am not trusted by the Bureau? Chief Xu, this is too disappointing!" Dong Xuebing was ovee by his anger. Zhen Anguo''s punishment to him was too harsh. A few days ago, he still thinks Chief Zhen was a nice person. But with Yan Lei sowing discontent, he hated him now.


    Ring, ring, ring. The phone on the desk rang. Xu Yan waved her hand. "Ok. Just put aside this matter for the time being and go back to work."


    Dong Xuebing knew that after the list was confirmed by the Branch Bureau Chief, there will not be anymore changed. Xu Yan still has other matters to attend, and he left her office.


    Xu Yan answered the phone. "Hello?"


    "Chief Xu..." It was the guardhouse guard calling. "There is something I need to report to you. There are a few students outside our main gate blocking the entrance. They seem to be waiting for someone and are affecting people from entering and exiting the branch. I asked them to leave, but they ignored me."


    "Do they know what ce this is?"


    "I don''t think so."


    "Give a call to Director Li Qing and ask him to settle this!"


    After hanging up, Xu Yan thought for a while before calling Zhen Anguo''s office. "Hello, Chief Zhen? I would like to speak to you about the Exchange program''s name list."


    Zhen Anguo replied: "Oh, what is it?"


    Xu Yan paused for a while and said: "I think Chief Xiao Dong had made significant contributions for our branch. Shouldn''t someone like him be included in this program? We should not disappoint our staff! Chief Zhen, if there are no more spots left on the list, I don''t mind giving Xiao Dong my spot." If it were someone else, Xu Yan would not bother to make this call. This is the government agency, and you must follow the orders of the higher-ups. But this concern Dong Xuebing and Xu Yan had to help.


    Zhen Anguo was shocked to hear this. This Xu Yan treats Xiao Dong too well.


    Zhen Anguo also has high hopes for Xiao Dong. If not, he would not punish him like this. He could have given a harsher punishment for banging table without reason at Yan Lei. "Chief Xu, Xiao Dong''s name was included in the initial list. But after some considerations, I took his name out. I know Xiao Dong is capable, but much other staff also wanted to participate in this program. Also, if there are any problems in the backend, someone had to solve it. Xiao Dong is capable and should do more. I think it would be best to let Xiao Dong remain in the bureau. He can settle any problems that arise in the backend."


    Xu Yan frowned when she heard this. The more capable you are, the more you should not be rewarded? People like Yan Lei, who had not made any contributions, should be rewarded? Capability and contributions should be rewarded! How can Xiao Dong do more just because he is capable?


    Chief Zhen continued. "You should have heard about the incident in the morning. Xiao Dong is still too young and impulsive. This is a good chance to let him know that he should not bang tables at his colleagues." This was the real reason why Chief Zhen did this. He wanted to nurture and discipline Dong Xuebing.


    After putting down the phone, Xu Yan''s turned ck. It takes two hands to p. If Xiao Dong was immature, then Yan Lei is considered matured? He had scolded Xiao Dong''s staff in Xiao Dong''s office and is not regarded as impulsive? The one who is supposed to be included in the program is left out, and the one who is not supposed to be included will be going? Xu Yan was furious too. She thought even if Chief Zhen were biased towards Yan Lei, he would not do this. It must be Yan Lei who yed some dirty tricks! Secretaries are the leaders'' mouthpiece and listening post. Yan Lei had twisted the facts for his own benefits!


    ...


    Dong Xuebing stormed back to the ground floor and saw Yan Lei speaking to a few people.


    "Brother Yan, congrattions."


    "Brother Yan, I heard the scenery at Zhejiang is beautiful. I didn''t have the chance to go there even once."


    "Secretary Yan, not anyone can participate in this annual exchange program."


    Yan Lei was smiling brightly: "It''s all because of the leaders thinking so highly of me." Yan lei''s girlfriend is from Zhejiang province. Chief Zhen had wanted to omit Yan Lei''s name initially because of the incident between him and Dong Xuebing. But Yan Lei pleaded with him and told him about his girlfriend''sins. In the end, Chief Zhen pitied him and included his name.


    The group saw Dong Xuebing and looked at him with evil intentions.


    Yan Lei was in a good mood as Chief Zhen had helped him get back at Dong Xuebing and removed Dong Xuebing''s name from the list. He had a smirk on his face as he looked at Dong Xuebing. Although he did not say a word, the smile on his face said everything!


    Motherf**ker!


    Dong Xuebing was infuriated!

 Chapter 146: Another fire

    <h4>Chapter 146: Another fire</h4>


    The next day.


    Dong Xuebing felt everyone was giving him weird looks when he arrived at the Western District Branch. Some people who were closer to Yan Lei wereughing at him. Everyone in the branch knew he was not selected for the exchange program despite his outstanding results. Instead, Dong Xuebing''s enemy, Yan Lei, who had no results at all was selected. It was apparent that Chief Zhen was punishing Chief Xiao Dong. Some people wereughing at him, and some people felt unjust for Chief Xiao Dong. Everyone in the bureau was discussing this.


    Dong Xuebing was pissed as he entered the General Affairs Office.


    "Chief Dong!" The newly transferred staff, Wang Xin, stood up. Her eyes were all red. "It''s all my fault. I.... I..."


    Dong Xuebing calmed himself down and said gently. "It''s not your fault. Just focus on your work."


    "Chief Dong, I''m sorry. I will not create any problems for you in the future." Wang Xin was feeling very guilty. If Chief Xiao Dong had not helped her, he would definitely be included in the exchange program. He would not be punished by Chief Zhen. She thought about the incident the whole night and felt it was all her fault.


    Tan Limei said angrily: "The higher-ups are unreasonable. Yan Lei was the one who came here to create trouble, but he is selected to go for the holiday."


    Chang Juan added: "It''s too unfair! Chief Dong had so many contributions to the branch! How many problems have Chief Dong solved for the branch? Now, Chief Dong had solved all the problems, and the higher-ups just kick him aside, pretending not to see his past contributions? They cannot do as they please!"


    Old Yan frowned and sighed. "This is really unfair."


    Everyone in the General Affairs Office was pissed.


    By making this decision, Chief Zhen was indirectly punishing the General Affairs Office! He was telling everyone that the General Affairs Office is inefficient and did not provide the required administrative support for his secretary! All the staff in the office were wrongly used! How can they provide the necessary support when Yan Lei did not say when he wanted that document?! He was the one who was being unreasonable and started scolding and shouting in the office! What''s wrong with Chief Dong shouting back at him? Just because Yan Lei was the Branch Bureau Chief''s secretary and he gets special privileges? He can be unreasonable? The ones in the General Affairs Office had witnessed the whole incident. Zhen Anguo, Xu Yan and the rest of the people in the branch had only heard about the incident from someone else. Chief Xiao Dong might be in the wrong, but Yan Lei was the one who started this.


    Dong Xuebing knew how everyone feels. But as the leader, he cannot allow his staff to say such things. "Alright. The name list is already confirmed. Let''s not talk about this anymore. Get back to work." The ''number one'' of the branch had already decided, and Dong Xuebing could not change anything.


    Yan Lei! This f**king bastard!


    Dong Xuebing threw his briefcase on the table and stared at his monitor.


    Ring, ring, ring. The phone rang. Dong Xuebing reached over and answered. "Hello."


    "Chief Dong, do you know that there is some trouble at the entrance?" It was Director Li Qing who called. "There is a group of students outside. They were also here yesterday evening and stood at the entrance looking inside. Chief Xu had asked me to chase them away, but they were gone before I reached. They are here again, and I heard they are looking for female staff with long hair. They want to get to know that staff.... What nonsense."


    These students are too daring. Going to the State Security to get to know girls?


    When Dong Xuebing was still a student, he had seen many incidents like this before. But this was the first time he saw studentsing to wait for a girl outside a government agency. "You want me, to..."


    Li Qing also knew that Chief Xiao Dong was in a bad mood. "Ask Guo Panwei to wait for me downstairs."


    Dong Xuebing was not in the mood to work. Chief Zhen''s decision had disappointed him greatly. He acknowledged and called Guo Panwei to go downstairs. He checked his outstanding work and went to the toilet to have a smoke. He did not go upstairs to look for the leaders today. He was still pissed and did not want to do any work today. In the toilet, he lit a cigarette and coughed while smoking. At the same time, he was looking at the branch''s entrance through the toilet''s windows.


    There were a few students outside the main gate. He could not see their features, but he recognized their uniforms. They were from No.15 Middle School, Shi Da Fu Middle School, and No. 4 Middle School. Dong Xuebing wonders why these students from different schools were mixing together and hade to a government agency to wait for a girl.


    After a while, Li Qing and Guo Panwei walked towards the entrance.


    "Do you know what this ce is?" Li Qing said sternly. "This is a government agency! Why are you all standing here?!"


    A boyughed and said: "So what? It is not against thew for us to stand outside."


    Guo Panwei shouted: "It is against thew! This ce belongs to State Security! Hurry up and leave!" Although the Western District Branch Bureau did not have any signage, it''s an open secret that this ce belongs to the State Security.


    A boy from No. 15 Middle School said: "Oh, State Security? Hehe, Liu Kong, that girl you like is from the State Security."


    "Wow, it''s a good department. Hey, can you help me call that pretty sister out? She has long hair, big eyes, and thin lips."


    "There is no such person! Hurry up and go back to your schools!"


    "Stop lying. I saw her in thepound yesterday."


    "Anyway, she will surelye out when she finishes work. Let''s just wait here."


    Li Qing patiently persuades these boys to leave. But these boys were stubborn and refused. Li Qing does not want to waste any more time with them and reported the situation to the higher-ups. Most of the staff members were looking out of their windows to look at the situation outside. They had noticed these students yesterday. This was not the first time such incident happening at the branch. In the past, people outside will leave after the people from the General Affairs Department went to speak to them.


    Zhen Anguo shook his head after he received Li Qing''s report. He called Public Security Sixth Bureau to ask them to settle this.


    A few momentster, 5 to 6 police officers arrived in their uniforms.


    The leader of the officers pointed at the students: "You all dare to block the entrance of the State Security? Hurry up and leave, or you all will have to bear the consequences!"


    The students were stunned when they saw the officers taking out their handcuffs. All of them turned and looked at a good-looking student. This student had been keeping quiet earlier and should be the leader. He nced at the officers and said: "So what if you all have handcuffs? We stand wherever we want, and we are also not bothering anyone. Why? You all want to arrest us?"


    The rest of the students joined in: "That''s right! We have notmitted any crimes!"


    "What''s wrong with us standing by the streets? Even if you all are from the State Security, you all also cannot stop us."


    The officers from the Public Security Sixth Bureau saw these students behaving so arrogantly and got mad. "I am asking you all to leave now!"


    "We will not leave! What can you all do?!"


    "That''s right! We will not leave until we see that pretty sister!" The rest of the students joined in.


    The leader of the officers shouted: "Fine. You all are asking for it!" He turned to his men and said: "Cuff them!"


    The Shi Da student shouts: "You all dare to arrest us?!"


    Another student shouted: "Damn! Try to arrest us! I will make sure you all regret it!"


    The officers from the Public Security Sixth Bureau did not care and ran forward to handcuff them. After a while, all 6 students were handcuffed and locked in a room behind the guardhouse. Once the students were in the ce, they were handcuffed to a metal pipe. There were no lockups or holding cells in the Branch Bureau. This room was a storeroom to store water bottles and other misceneous items.


    The leader of the officers looked at the students: "You all don''t want to leave, right? Fine! You all can stay here all you want!"


    The students started cursing and swearing: "F**k! Release us now!"


    "This is illegal confinement!"


    The officers from the Public Security Sixth Bureau ignored them and returned back to the bureau.


    The officers from the Public Security Sixth Bureau did not really want to arrest the students. They were only scaring the students. These arrogant students were a nuisance to others by standing outside the branch''s entrance. When these students were scared, they will be released. This way, the officers would be able to answer to Chief Zhen.


    But no one expected this arrest... caused a huge uproar!


    A few minutester.


    The phone in Chief Zhen''s office rang.


    Yan Lei answered the call, and his face changed. He quickly passes the phone to Zhen Anguo.


    It was Chief Jiang from the City Bureau. "Chief Zhen, the leaders in the western district branch have just been reced and what the branch needs is stability! Stability! Can you all stop creating trouble for me?! They are just kids! If there a need for you all to handcuff them? Release them immediately!"


    Zhen Anguo was stunned. ".... Are you talking about the few students blocking our branch?"


    Zhen Anguo felt there was nothing wrong with the way he handled the situation. This was different from the incident with Chief Jiang''s nephew. Chief Jiang also understands this and replied: "A leader from the Ministry of Land and Resources had called me. One of the students is that leader''s nephew!"


    Zhen Anguo realized what was happening. "Yes... I will release them immediately!" If the students were from ordinary households, it''s okay. But if it''s the rtives of a Central Government leader, this has to be handled differently. He has to release them immediately, as this would affect many people. If this dragged on, it would be more serious. After hanging up, Zhen Anguo shouted to Yan Lei. "Go to the Sixth Bureau and tell them to release the students immediately! One of those kids is the rtive of a Central Government leader!"


    Yan Lei jumped and ran out of the office.


    Ring, ring, ring. The phone rang again. Zhen Anguo frowned and answered. "Hello?"


    "I am calling from the City''s Ministry of Finance. I heard that your branch had arrested my son? Ah? What crime has my sonmitted? Why did you arrest him?" For someone who dares to say he is calling from the City''s Ministry of Finance, he must be holding a high rank. This person should be at least the Deputy Chief or one of the department heads!


    At the other end.


    Xu Yan received a call from her former Party School''s ssmate.


    "Chief Xu. I am Old Liu from the Audit Office. Why did your branch arrest, my nephew? I heard he was even handcuffed! He is only a kid. Even if he did something wrong, there is no need to arrest him like this."


    At the same time.


    Political Commissar Cheng Haimei received a call from an old friend of hers.


    "Sister Cheng. I heard the Western District Branch had arrested the youngest son of our Party Secretary. That group of kids has strong backings. You better release them and don''t blow up the matter! My Party Secretary''s son is still fine. I am quite close to him.... That''s all I can tell you! You better release them before it''s toote!"


    Phone calls starteding in, and everyone in the branch panicked.


    Dong Xuebing, who was smoking and watching from the toilet window, sense something was not right. The officers from the Sixth Bureau ran back to the room behind the guardhouse. Dong Xuebing wondered what happened when someone entered the toilet. Dong Xuebing looked at the person, and it was someone from the Political Section. He offered a cigarette to him and asked: "Did something happened?"


    "Oh. Thank you, Chief Dong." That man received the cigarette and smiled wearily. "It was an unlucky year for our branchst year. But luckily, you are around, and we managed to escape unscathed. I thought this year would be better. But.... We got into trouble again. Those students outside by the entrance have strong family backgrounds. They are either rtive of some bureau chief or son of some Deputy Sub-provincial leader. Sighed... My Deputy Chief is still monitoring the situation outside by his window. If this incident is not handled properly, the branch will be in deep trouble."


    Dong Xuebing was speechless. He turned and look at the small room through the toilet windows. Arrested the wrong person again?


    The officers from the Sixth Bureau had entered the room.


    The leader of the officers was relieved that he had not hit those students. If not, he would be in deeper trouble. He looked at the students. "Alright. All of you can go back now." He turned to the other officers. "Release them!" The other officers took out the keys and walked over.


    The student from No. 15 Middle School exploded: "Go back? F**k! You all are the ones who arrested us! You want me to go back now?"


    The good-looking student holds on to the handcuffs tightly. "Brothers! Don''t let them release the handcuffs! This is the evidence! If they are unable to give us a good exnation, we will not go back!"


    "That''s right! We will not go back! F**k!" The student from Shi Da pushes the officer who was trying to release the handcuffs away. He held on to his wrist: "Why did you all arrest us? Is it a crime to walk along the streets?"


    The other students also followed suit and prevent the officers from releasing the handcuffs. "I will wait for my father toe! I will not let you all off just like this!"


    "That''s right! My uncle is on his way here! I want to show my uncle how you all treat us!"


    The few students sat on the water dispenser bottles and refuse to leave!


    This matter had gotten out of control!!!

 Chapter 147: Fire fighter appears again!

    <h4>Chapter 147: Fire fighter appears again!</h4>


    Chief Zhen''s office.


    After receiving the phone call from her former ssmate, Xu Yan rushed to Zhen Anguo''s office. After a while, Cheng Haimei and Political Section''s Chief Pang Bin also arrived. The parents of those students must have gotten their connections to contact them. Yan Lei was the only non-leader in the office. This was like an emergency meeting. Hmmm... This was really an emergency meeting, as many leaders from the City and Central Government were involved.


    Zhen Anguo knew why the leaders hade to look for him. "I had asked the Sixth Bureau to release them."


    Pang Bin looked at Chief Zhen worryingly. "Chief, are the kids hurt?"


    Zhen Anguo replied: "No. There are only handcuffed."


    Cheng Haimei, Xu Yan, and the rest of the leaders were relieved to hear that. If the kids were injured, there would be no way to resolve this incident.


    Knock, knock, knock.


    Director Jian from the Sixth Bureau entered the office, followed by an old officer. He was the one who leads the team to release the students.


    Chief Zhen looked at them. "Have they left?"


    The old officer wiped his sweat and replied: "I brought my men over, but those children refuse to leave. They demanded an exnation from us. They want to know why we arrested them. I wanted to uncuff them, but they refused and covered the keyhole of the handcuffs. They imed the handcuffs are evidence and want to show it to their family members. We dare not to use force on them. Chief Zhen, what should we do not?"


    Zhen Anguo''s face changed. "You all can''t even do a simple thing, right?"


    Cheng Haimei, Pang Bin, and the rest panicked. The students want to leave the handcuffs on and wait for their family members? The branch bureau will be in deep trouble if this happens!


    Cheng Haimei said with a straight face: "Remove the handcuffs first!"


    "Political Commissar Cheng..." The old officer replied. "I had asked our officers to leave the handcuff keys on the floor. But they just refuse to leave. I also..."


    Director Jian added: "These kids are stubborn and refuse to listen to us. If we use force to remove the handcuffs, they might be injured."


    Pang Bin frowned: "But we also cannot wait here like this. Do we really want their family members toe and fetch them?" If the family members of those students reallye and fetch the students personally, Western District Branch will be famous.


    "Then, let''s try to persuade them!" Zhen Anguo looked at Xu Yan. "Chief Xu, can you speak to them?"


    Xu Yan nodded.


    Cheng Haimei felt uneasy and stood up. "I will go too."


    Pang Bin also followed.


    Zhen Anguo said. "Xiao Lei, go with them and try to persuade the students to leave. Remember, those students must leave our branch safely within half an hour. Also, make sure no one is rough to them." After Yan Lei left, Zhen Anguo rubbed his temples. When he was in the investigation branch, he was also very busy. New cases were ced on his desk almost every hour. But despite being so busy, he did not face such headaches like what he was facing now. Since the day he was transferred to State Security, he had endless headaches and face countless problems.


    Zhen Anguo looked out of his window at the branch''s main entrance. He knew this was a sensitive issue and must be settled as soon as possible!


    Inside the small storage room at the main gate, the few students were smoking their free hand.


    Xu Yan and Cheng Haimei covered their mouth and cough from the cigarette smoke. They looked at the students, and Xu Yan asked: "Who is Liu Zi?" Three students turned to look one boy in Shi Da uniform. Xu Yan said: "Liu Zi, I am ssmates with your uncle. He had called me to bring you back. Hurry up and remove the handcuffs. What''s the point of staying here?" The handcuff keys were on the floor, and Xu Yan picked one key up.


    That Liu Zi threw the cigarette butt and covered the handcuff keyhole. "Auntie, I have never been treated like this before in my life. No. I cannot leave just like this!"


    Xu Yan frowned. "Be good! Don''t let your uncle be worried about you!"


    Liu Zi turned his head away and kept quiet.


    Cheng Haimei saw that and looked at the students. She noticed one student at the back. "You must be Xiao Qian? Hurry up and release those handcuffs. Don''t you feel ufortable? Tell your friends to leave too. Stop creating trouble here. Your family members are still waiting for you all to go back."


    That Xiao Qian refused to listen and shouted: "We are creating trouble? We are standing along the streets, waiting for someone. Is this illegal? Why are did you all arrest us? Why are we handcuffed? Are we some criminals? You all are the ones who started this! We are arrested by you all in the first ce! Fine! We will not leave now! Are you all satisfied?"


    Cheng Haimei also frowned: "It''s fine if you all wait outside other government agencies. But you all should know what State Security does. We cannot let people loiter outside."


    Another student rebutted: "Stop scaring us! I will wait here for my father toe and be the judge!"


    Ring, ring, ring. One of the student''s phone rang.


    A student reached into his pocket and took out his phone. "Hello? Dad? ... I am still being handcuffed and locked in a small dark room...." The student exaggerated the whole incident. "We are only standing by the entrance for a while, and they rush out and arrest us. They even twisted my arm and almost broke my neck. My waist is also very painful.... Dad! No... Do you even care about me? Ah? Then tell mum that I am being bullied by these people!" That student hanged up in anger.


    Yan Lei felt this was an excellent opportunity to im credit. If he could put out this fire, it would be all due to him. He stepped forward with a smile. "Students, it is almost lunchtime. Let''s go out for lunch together. You all can pick the ce, and we can discuss over lunch. Ok?"


    The students looked at their watches and then looked at that good-looking student. "Brother Hao..."


    That good-looking student was sitting cross-legged arrogantly. "Are you all hungry? Anyway, I am not hungry!"


    Liu Zi immediately said: "I am also not hungry!"


    "That''s right! We can wait!"


    Yan Lei could tell that the good-looking student was the leader of the students, and he turned to him. "How about I get you all some water?"


    The good-looking student let out a "Hmph!". He knew Yan Lei was not a leader in the branch and did not give him any respect. "Who do you think you are?! You think you can fool us?! Give us water to drink and want to make us go toilet?"


    Another student scolded: "F**k! You are too evil!"


    Xu Yan frowned and stared at Yan Lei.


    Yan Lei immediately move to the back.


    Pang Bin also found his friend''s rtive. But the response he got from that student was the same as Xu Yan and Cheng Haimei. All these students were in their rebellious stage, and they have strong family backgrounds. They were stubborn and refuse to listen to others.


    Damn!


    It was lunchtime, and the students still refuse to leave. Xu Yan immediately informs Zhen Anguo about the situation.


    Many staff hade out for lunch and saw many leaders standing near the small storage room. They already knew what happened. Sighed... Western District Branch was really unlucky this year. The previous time was the wrongful arrest of Chief Jiang''s nephew. Now, it was the wrongful arrest of many central government leaders'' rtives! This had serious consequences! It was too severe for Chief Zhen to bear!


    Zhen Anguo could not sit still anymore. After hearing the report from Xu Yan, he walked over to the entrance. He had no choice but to try and settle this incident himself.


    Outside of the storage room.


    "Chief Zhen, they still refuse to leave..."


    "Sighed... They do not want to listen to us!"


    Zhen Anguo took a deep breath and entered the room. He put on a gentle smile and said: "I am the Chief of the Western District Branch Bureau. Your rtives had called several times and are worried about you. Nothing will be solved if you all remain here. How about we find a nice ce to have a discussion?"


    One of the students replied: "Chief, it''s not we do not give you face. But we cannot be arrested like this. We are allw-abiding citizens! Why did your men arrest us? I have never been so humiliated all my life!"


    Zhen Anguo smiled: "Yes. There are some problems with the way they handle this incident. I will punish them!"


    Another student added: "Punishment is not enough. They have to apologize and bow to us. Also, ask that long hair sister toe out. Liu Zi wants to ask her out for dinner."


    Zhen Anguo knew he could not reason with these students and had wanted to persuade them nicely. But when he heard what the student said, he was furious. These brats were spoilt and unreasonable. But Zhen Anguo could not argue with them. The leaders of the branch had just been reshuffled due to the corruption case, and Chief Jiang''s nephew incident had only been resolved. He could not let the branch to get into any more trouble. If not for all these reasons, he would just ignore them and make their parentse over to fetch them. These brats were the ones who started this incident, and the branch was not at fault. They were the ones who refused to leave and had nothing to do with the branch.


    Zhen Anguo cannot disappoint Chief Jiang further! He can''t wait for the parents and rtives of these students toe over! He had to resolve this incident and exin it to their parents and rtives!


    After leaving the storage room, Zhen Anguo received a call from Chief Jiang.


    "Why are the students not released yet! How long has it been?!"


    "Chief Jiang, we wanted to let them go, but they refuse to leave. They even stop us from uncuffing them."


    "What the hell is your branch doing? Ah?! Why are you all giving me so many problems?! I don''t care what you do. This must be settled now! Release them immediately! I will give you all 20 minutes to resolve this!" Chief Jiang hanged up.


    All the leaders and the staff members standing there looked at each other without saying a word.


    Everyone knew they had to make these students leave. The branch cannot afford to have any more bad reputation. Who knows what would happen to the branch if this was not resolved. These brats refused to listen to anyone, and their family members were all higher-ranked than Chief Zhen. Force cannot be used on them. How can the branch make them leave under such circumstances?


    Impossible!


    No one wants dares to step forward as no one knows how to resolve this.


    The branch was eerily quiet at this moment.


    1 second...


    2 seconds...


    3 seconds...


    Pang Bin cleared his throat to break the silence, and everyone, including Chief Zhen, Xu Yan, and Cheng Haimei looked at him. He paused for a while and mentioned a name. "How about we ask Chief Xiao Dong toe over for a while?"


    Many people suddenly remembered Dong Xuebing.


    That''s right! Western District branch still have Chief Xiao Dong!


    Why did they forget about him earlier?!


    But just when everyone remembered Chief Xiao Dong, they turned to look at Chief Zhen. Chief Zhen had only punished Chief Xiao Dong yesterday.


    Zhen Anguo frowned. He does not believe that Xiao Dong would be able to resolve this issue. This was no longer about his ability. Xiao Dong, who does not have any background would be chased out of the room by the students. But Guo Anguo had no other choices. He turned and looked at his men: "Call Xiao Dong over!"


    Xu Yan looked at Zhen Anguo. She did not call Xiao Dong. You only remember Xiao Dong when you encounter problems?


    Someone called the General Affairs Office, but the staff members do not know where Chief Xiao Dong went. He is not in the office.


    Zhen Anguo shouted to Yan Lei and the rest: "Go and find him! Go upstairs and find him now!"


    Actually, Dong Xuebing had been watching from the toilet windows. He knew the branch was in trouble again. When he saw Yan Lei and a few other younger staff members running back to the building, he immediately took off his pants and squat down, pretending to be shitting.


    5 minutester, the toilet door was pushed open!


    Yan Lei was panting and looking at him furiously. "Dong Xuebing! Why are you still here?! Come with me now! Chief Zhen is looking for you!"


    Dong Xuebing stared at him: "Why are you shouting? Can''t you see I am shitting?"


    Yan Lei did not want Dong Xuebing to go over, but this was Chief Zhen''s orders. Furthermore, he also believes that Dong Xuebing could not settle this. "Hurry up! The leaders are waiting for you! Stop wasting time!"


    "What is wrong with your attitude?" Dong Xuebing was furious. "My stomach hurts, and I am still shitting! How can I hurry up?"


    Yan Lei pointed at him: "Fine! You think you are so great?! Even Chief Zhen cannot call you over?!"


    "F**k you! Stop using the leaders to scare me! Other than making use of the leaders'' name, what else do you know?"


    Yan Lei shouted: "Fine!" He turned and stormed off.


    Dong Xuebing was really furious now. Oh, I had put out so many fires for the branch, and just because I had some arguments with Yan Lei, all my contributions are forgotten? Not only Yan Lei is rewarded, I am also punished? This is too much! Damn! Now there is trouble, and you all think of me? What are all of you doing in the first ce?! F**k! You all created this mess and want me to put out the fire? I got to help you all when the higher-ups are angry? No one remembers my contributions, and I am still being punished? You want me to save you all now? Forget it! I am not an idiot!


    Dong Xuebing decided to ignore them. Whoever wants to go and put out this fire, just go ahead. Just don''t look for me!


    Dong Xuebing did not want to help was due to his anger over Chief Zhen''s treatment towards him, and also, he did not know how to resolve this. Those students all had strong backgrounds. He does not know how to get them to leave.


    But after thinking about this incident for a while, Dong Xuebing felt he should not be doing this. All the leaders of the branch were waiting for him outside, and if he still tries to hide, he would offend all the leaders. Furthermore, Dong Xuebing was only pissed with Chief Zhen''s decision.


    Dong Xuebing quickly put on his pants and walk out of the toilet.


    Yan Lei had already reached the entrance.


    Chief Zhen and the rest looked at him. "Where is Xiao Dong? Have you found him?"


    "I have found him." Yan Lei replied furiously. "He is in the toilet. I told him that all the leaders are waiting for him, and there is something urgent for him to resolve. But he put on airs and refused toe out!"


    Refuse toe out? Everyone''s face turned green.


    Chief Xiao Dong must be throwing a tantrum over the exchange program''s name list. But... But Dong Xuebing should think of the bigger picture. He should not disrespect all the leaders.


    Xu Yan thought for a while and called Dong Xuebing on his handphone. But no one answered.


    Xu Yan called 3 times, but no one was answering. Suddenly, she saw Dong Xuebing running out from the main building towards them.


    Zhen Anguo was furious with Dong Xuebing''s attitude. "Chief Dong! You really know how to put on airs! We are all waiting for you."


    Dong Xuebing paused for a second and saw everyone staring at him. "Chief Zhen, what are you talking about?"


    Xu Yan asked: "Why are you sote?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "I have an upset stomach and is shitting in the toilet. When Secretary Yan came to look for me, I was shitting halfway. When I heard the leaders are looking for me, I immediately wipe my butt and wash my hands before running out. I did not even waste a single second. Chief Xu, you can''t be asking me to run out of the toilet without wearing my pants, do you?"


    Xu Yan immediately turned to Yan Lei: "Secretary Yan! What are you trying to do? You are trying to make up stories?"


    Yan Lei thought Dong Xuebing woulde out after 5 to 6 minutes, or even don''t show up. He did not expect Dong Xuebing toe out of the toilet so fast. Since he had already said all those things, he had to stick to it. "When I saw Dong Xuebing earlier, he refused toe with me. He even scolded me!"


    Dong Xuebing retorted: "I was shitting and did not even wipe my butt! You insisted me to leave the toilet immediately! Before I can even wipe my butt, you shouted. ''even Chief Zhen cannot call you over?!'' You are putting words in my mouth! You stormed off before I can say anything! What do you want me to do? Walk out with you without my pants? Secretary Yan! You are setting me up!"


    All the leaders knew they had wronged Chief Xiao Dong. How could someone just leave the toilet immediately when they were shitting halfway? This was too unreasonable.


    Yan Lei panicked: "You said..."


    Dong Xuebing interrupted him: "What did I say?"


    "Enough!" Zhen Anguo shouted: "This is not the time for these nonsenses!"


    Xu Yan was pissed when she saw Zhen Anguo still trying to help Yan Lei. She stared at Yan Lei for 3 to 4 seconds and then turned to Dong Xuebing. "Xiao Dong, you should know what happened in the morning. If you can get those students out of the branch within 5 minutes and settle this problem amicably, I promise I will give you an exnation for everything that had happened yesterday and today!" Everyone understood what Xu Yan was saying. It was about the conflicts between Secretary Yan and Chief Xiao Dong.


    Dong Xuebing was touched by Xu Yan''s words! He had been waiting for this.


    Zhen Anguo was shocked to hear what Xu Yan said.


    The other leaders were also surprised. What was Xu Yan trying to do? Going against Chief Zhen because of Chief Xiao Dong?


    Didn''t Chief Zhen and Xu Yan be closer recently?


    Xu Yan had joined Chief Zhen''s faction, but she did not abandon her dignity and honor. She still has her ego. Chief Zhen''s secretary had provoked Dong Xuebing over and over again, and Chief Zhen kept siding with Yan Lei. This pissed Xu Yan off. Oh, Xiao Dong had shed with Yan Lei, and you pin the me on Xiao Dong before you even investigate the whole incident. Now, the branch is in trouble, and you want Xiao Dong to save you?


    But Xu Yan did not want to fall out with Zhen Anguo. She turned to him. "Chief Zhen, if Xiao Dong can resolve this incident, there is something I need to tell you."


    Zhen Anguo heard Xu Yan, and his first thought was he had not handled Xiao Dong and Yan Lei''s conflict well yesterday. Xu Yan was unhappy with the punishment imposed on Xiao Dong. But this was because Xiao Dong had scolded Yan Lei for no reason. Zhen Anguo felt he might have missed out something from the way Xu Yan acted. Zhen Anguo looked at Yan Lei and said: "We can talkter. Chief Jiang will be calling in another 5 minutes. Xiao Dong, can you settle this within 5 minutes?"


    Dong Xuebing said in his heart. You all really think too highly of me. But since the leader had spoken, Dong Xuebing could only reply: "I will try my best." In his heart, he said, ''I am not doing this because of you. I am doing this for Chief Xu!''


    "Good!" Zhen Anguo nodded. "Go!"


    Xu Yan gave Dong Xuebing a pat on his back.


    Cheng Haimei, Pang Bin, and the rest of the leaders and staff members looked at Dong Xuebing. Many people felt it was impossible for Dong Xuebing to resolve this. All those students were rebellious and had strong backgrounds. Unless it was their family members, if not, they will not listen to anyone else. Chief Xiao Dong will not be able to pacify them! But Chief Dong was someone who had save the branch several times. Whenever everyone had given up hope, he was the one who saves the day.


    Stress. Dong Xuebing could feel the weight on his shoulders.


    Dong Xuebing smiled wearily to himself and walked towards the storage room. He also wanted to resolve this. He was punished by Zhen Anguo, and Yan Lei had framed him several times. This was his chance for aeback. But the condition was he must settle this incident sessfully. He still has no idea how to resolve this.


    Xu Yan, Cheng Haimei, and even Zhen Anguo had tried but failed.


    Those students did not want to listen to anyone! There was nothing Dong Xuebing could do even if he enters that storage room.


    When Dong Xuebing was nearing the door, he remembered he had not used his BACK since Lunar New Year. He thought hard and felt he should do something different. Since the students refuse to listen to any persuasions, he might as well use force. You brats dare to loiter in from of my workce and created this mess? Arrogant brats!


    Suddenly, Dong Xuebing overheard the conversation in the room.


    "That State Security long hair sister, which Liu Zi likes, is really pretty. We must get her number today."


    "Damn. All of you don''t try to snatch her away from me. Huh... Other than brother Hao."


    "Hmph! Brother Hao has some many women. You think he will care about this girl?"


    Dong Xuebing had been in a very bad mood over thest two days. When he heard what the students were talking about in the room, he exploded.


    You brats are still talking about getting to know girls now? F**k!


    Dong Xuebing walked faster and stopped at the door. Everyone in the branch was wondering how Chief Xiao Dong was going to resolve this, and they saw him raising one leg. To everyone''s surprise, Dong Xuebing kicked the door opened. "This is State Security''spound! What the hell are you all trying to do? Ah? Tell me!"


    The people outside were stunned. Damn! This was adding fuel to the fire! What was Chief Xiao Dong thinking?


    The students inside were also shocked. "Shit! You dare to scold us?! You are digging your own grave!"


    Dong Xuebing had BACK and does not care about the consequences. He started scolding the students, venting all his anger from the past two days on them. "You all should be in school! Why are you all trying to know girls in State Security?! Are you all blind?! You all think you all can do whatever you want with your family backing you all? Fine! Since you all are not afraid of shaming yourselves, we are not afraid of offending them! Go on! Call them toe over to bring you all back! If they don''te personally, we will not release you! Let''s see if your parents will feel ashamed to see their children behaving this way!"


    Liu Zi had never been scolded like this in his life. He stood up and gave a kick to Dong Xuebing. But one of his hands was still handcuffed, and he could not reach Dong Xuebing. "Brothers! Kill him!"


    The other students were furious!


    Dong Xuebing looked at them coldly and suddenly noticed one of the students behaving differently. He was covering his face with his hand. Dong Xuebing felt that student... looks familiar and pointed at him: "You! Why are you covering your face?!"


    A No. 15 Middle School student, who was nearest to Dong Xuebing, shouted: "You dare to shout at Brother Hao?! I will kill you!" He rushed forward and tried to kick Dong Xuebing.


    When Dong Xuebing was about to dodge that kick, a figure moved. It was that student who had covered his face earlier. He kicked that No. 15 Middle School''s student from his side. Everyone was stunned and wondered why Brother Hao had kicked him. Brother Hao looked at the rest of them and shouted: "Stop!" He pointed to Dong Xuebing. "Who are you all trying to kill? Ah? This is my big brother! He is my big brother, do you all understand?!"


    This Brother Hao, the leader of these students, was Xie Hun''s younger brother, Xie Hao!


    The rest of the students stopped. "Oh, Brother Hao, we are sorry. We do not know."


    Xie Hao looked at Dong Xuebing and smiled embarrassedly: "Brother Dong, you are from the Western District? Errr... This is a misunderstanding. I do not know you are working here. If I know, I will nevere here."


    Dong Xuebing was also surprised to see Xie Hao. But he was still furious. "Damn! You are the one who brought them here? You have guts to create trouble in State Security. What are you trying to do? Are you crazy? What''s the point of your family sending all of you to school? Ah? Is this the way you all repay them? Fine! You all want to blow up this matter, right? Want your family members toe and fetch you all? Ok! I will help you all do that!" Dong Xuebing took out his phone from his pocket.


    Xie Hao panicked. He quickly pulls Dong Xuebing''s arm. "Brother Dong, please don''t call my sister. Please." Xie Hao had not called his family for help earlier. He thought his friends'' backings should be sufficient. More importantly, he cannot let his sister know that he hade to the State Security to woo girls!


    Dong Xuebing shouted: "Stop calling my brother! Who is your brother?!"


    Xie Hao pleaded. "Brother Dong, you are my brother." He then turned to the rest. "All of you will call him Brother Dong from now onwards!"


    Liu Zi and the rest of the students saw this person knew Xie Hao''s elder sister and immediately quiet down. They knew Xie Hao was from an influential family.


    "Brother Dong...."


    "Brother Dong, I''m sorry for earlier..."


    "Brother Dong, I was too impulsive earlier and shouldn''t have scolded you."


    Dong Xuebing felt strange. He did not expect all the students to listen to Xie Hao. He continued to put on a stern face: "Don''t want to let your sister know? You also know that what you did is wrong?! If you know it, then you should not do it in the first ce! Do you know how much trouble you have cause for my branch? Ah?!"


    Xie Hao smiled embarrassedly: "We also do not want to blow up this matter. We are only scaring them."


    Dong Xuebing banged on a table. "Do you know what agency this is? I am the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office here, and my department is in charge of clearing up the mess you all created! Are you trying to scare me?! Are you trying to get me in trouble?!"


    "Brother Dong. I''m sorry." Xie Hao was not afraid of anyone except for his sister. If his sister knows that he had gone to the workce of the person who saved her life to create trouble, he will be in deep shit.


    Dong Xuebing took in a deep breath and looked at Xie Hao, before keeping his phone.


    Xie Hao immediately smiles. "Brother Dong, please keep this from my sister. Ok?"


    Dong Xuebing did not reply to him and looked at his watch. "Uncuff yourselves!"


    "Sure!" Xie Hao picked up the key from the floor and removed the handcuffs. He then turned to his friends. "What are you all waiting for? Hurry up and uncuff yourselves and leave. Stop giving Brother Dong problems!"


    Xie Hao was the leader, and all of the students listened to him. They quickly pick up the keys from the ground.


    ...


    Outside of the room. Everyone was waiting anxiously.


    They were some distance from the storage room, and the door was closed. No one knew what was going on in that small room. They had only seen Chief Xiao Dong kicking the door opened and scolded those students. Everyone felt Chief Xiao Dong was not trying to resolve this issue. Instead, he was trying to make matters worse!


    One minute passed....


    Two minutes passed...


    Yan Lei moved closer to Zhen Anguo and whispered: "Chief Zhen. Xiao Dong is too aggressive! How can he scold those students? Scolding will not solve any issues." Yan Lei was not the only one thinking like this. Everyone outside felt the same way too.


    Zhen Anguo looked at his watch. The 20 minutes time limit given by Chief Jiang was almost up!


    The door of the storage room was still closed!


    Xiao Dong must have failed, and Chief Jiang will be punishing the Western District Branch.


    Suddenly, the door opened, and Dong Xuebing walked out.


    Zhen Anguo, Xu Yan, Cheng Haimei, Chang Juan, Tan Limei, and the rest looked over and saw Dong Xuebing was alone. Everyone sighed in disappointment. That''s right. Those students were too arrogant and unreasonable. They would not uncuff themselves and leave. This was impossible in the first ce!


    Yan Lei sneered in his heart. Firefighter? Solve all problems? You finally face something that you cannot resolve!


    Everyone had pinned their hopes on Chief Xiao Dong and were disappointed: "Chief Dong... The students..."


    When everyone was about to say something, what they saw next made them speechless!


    All the students walked out one after another. After a while, all 6 students had left the room, and they were not wearing any cuffs. Everyone could not believe what they saw. What happened next was more shocking!


    Xie Hao smiled: "Brother Dong. We are sorry for causing so much trouble for you."


    Liu Zi added. "Brother Dong, can we leave now?"


    Another student said. "Brother Dong. Please don''t walk us out. We will leave by ourselves."


    Dong Xuebing cursed in his heart. Who the hell is going to walk you all out?! He looked at the students and nodded. "Get back to school and stop loitering around! Study hard! Your studies are more important! Do you all understand?!"


    Xie Hao looked at his friends: "Do you all hear what Brother Dong had said?! Brother Dong wants us to study hard! This afternoon, all of you must do your homework!"


    Liu Zi smiled embarrassedly: "We will study hard."


    Another student added: "Yes. I will revise my schoolwork overnight."


    Xie Hao smiled: "I will also study hard every day."


    "Alright!" Dong Xuebing waved his hand. "Go back now and remember to call your family members to let them know you are safe."


    "Ok. We know what to do."


    "Bye, Brother Dong!"


    "We are leaving now!"


    The few students walked out of the branch obediently, and Dong Xuebing walked over to the leaders. "Chief Zhen, Chief Xu, Director Pang, and leaders. I hadpleted the task. Are there any other instructions?"


    "...!!!"


    Everyone in the branch was dumbfounded!


    Even Chief Zhen and other leaders could not persuade those brats. Chief Xiao Dong had only entered the room for a few minutes, and the students became so obedient. They even address Dong Xuebing as Brother Dong. They were still demanding to look for that long hair girl earlier.... And they want to study hard now?!


    What the hell was going on?


    Why did those brats change suddenly?


    Everyone was staring at Dong Xuebing.


    Miracle! This was a goddamn miracle!


    No one knows what Chief Xiao Dong did or say in the room. Even the buddha could not change these hooligans within minutes!


    Speechless, shocked, surprised, appalled...


    This is Western District Branch Bureau''s, Chief Xiao Dong.


    The omnipotent Chief Xiao Dong!


    Are there really any problems that Chief Xiao Dong cannot resolve?!

 Chapter 148: Chief Xiao Dong demands an explanation

    <h4>Chapter 148: Chief Xiao Dong demands an exnation</h4>


    Branch Bureau''s front yard.


    There were dozens of people, including the leaders, standing near the entrance, staring at Dong Xuebing. Dong Xuebing felt ufortable from everyone''s looks and cleared his throat. He was in the limelight again. Another credit under his belt!


    Ring, ring, ring. A phone rang, breaking the silence.


    Zhen Anguo picked up his phone. "Hello, Chief Jiang."


    "Good job!" Chief Jiang only said two words and hang up.


    Zhen Anguoughed to himself. Chief Jiang was still shouting at him over the phone 20 minutes earlier, and he was telling him good job now?! Those kids must have called their rtives and stop pursuing the matter. Chief Jiang knew that the Western District branch had done nothing wrong, and since everything was settled, he was relieved.


    Zhen Anguo kept his phone. That''s right. Good job!


    Xu Yan looked at Dong Xuebing. Xiao Dong had made her proud again!


    Pang Bin, Cheng Haimei, and the rest were speechless. Chief Xiao Dong! It was Chief Xiao Dong again! The whole branch cannot do without him! They had been in the government service for many years, and this was the first time they met someone like Dong Xuebing! No one could understand why Xiao Dong was so capable.


    "Alright." Zhen Anguo said: "Go back for lunch."


    How did Dong Xuebing do it? He got the credit again. Yan Lei was furious, but he was more worried about Xu Yan''s exnation of Dong Xuebing. It seems to involve him!


    After entering the cafeteria, Dong Xuebing was surrounded by Guo Panwei, Chang Juan, and the rest.


    Guo Panwei said: "Before you arrived, those students were very arrogant. But after you entered the room, they became docile immediately."


    Chang Juan added: "Chief Dong, you are terrific!"


    Dong Xuebing was feeling pleased to be surrounded by so many people. He waved. "Enough, enough. Stop currying favor here and go have your lunch." He was disgraced yesterday and made aeback today. He kept thinking about what Xu Yan said. He does not want to see that Yan Lei being stepping all over him. He must get back to him yesterday!


    After lunch, Dong Xuebing went up to Xu Yan''s office.


    "Chief Xu, I am here to see you about Yan Lei..."


    Xu Yan did not reply to him andughed. She joked: "Xiao Dong, you managed to tame those arrogant kids. I think you also have some backgrounds or connections. Hahaha."


    Dong Xuebing smiled. "Stop poking fun at me. What background do I have?"


    "Really?" Xu Yan did not continue to ask. "You have done a good job today. You can make use of this opportunity to exin yourself to Chief Zhen about what happened between Yan Lei and you." Xu Yan had wanted to speak to Zhen Anguo. But after some thoughts, she felt she should not do it. Dong Xuebing should be the one rifying the misunderstanding himself. "If Chief Zhen''s attitude is still... Come and see me!" Xiao Dong had helped the branch solve another problem, and if Zhen Anguo is still biased and sided with Yan Lei, Xu Yan will act!


    Giving Yan Lei the spot for the exchanging program was too much.


    Oh, when there are problems, Xu Yan''s people will have to solve it, and when there are benefits, your people will get it? Why?! Xiao Dong had done so much for the branch, and he cannot bepared to that useless Secretary Yan? Xiao Dong does not deserve to be rewarded?


    Dong Xuebing was still furious. He acknowledged and went upstairs to demand an exnation!


    Everyone in the branch was talking about Chief Xiao Dong''s glorious feats, and they knew that this was not the end. The external problems were solved, and now, it''s time to settle the internal issues. It''s not a secret that Chief Xiao Dong and Secretary Yan could not get along with each other. Secretary Yan had imed that Chief Xiao Dong was putting on airs earlier, and Chief Xiao Dong imed that Secretary Yan had used him. This... had to be resolved. This will affect the rtionship between Chief Zhen and Chief Xu. When news of Chief Xiao Dong went up to see Chief Zhen, everyone was waiting eagerly for the oue.


    Chief Zhen''s office.


    After lunch, Zhen Anguo was back in his office deep in thoughts. He questioned Yan Lei again about the incident between him and Xiao Dong in the General Affairs Office. Yan Lei still insist that it was Dong Xuebing who scolded him because of his staff member. Zhen Anguo does not understand. Xiao Dong was the one at fault. Why was Xu Yan so firm about helping him? If Xu Yan was his political rival, he could understand. But Xu Yan was on his side. Zhen Anguo did not know that Yan Lei had lied to him. He thought that maybe Xiao Dong and Xu Yan had some ''special'' rtionship....


    Zhen Anguo picked up the phone and wanted to call someone to ask about yesterday''s incident.


    Knock, knock, knock. Zhen Anguo put down the phone. "Come in."


    Dong Xuebing entered the office. "Chief Zhen. I would like to speak to you."


    Zhen Anguoughed. "Sure. Have a seat." Zhen Anguo did not make Dong Xuebing stand in front of him like yesterday. This was the treatment Dong Xuebing deserved for helping the branch again. Furthermore, those kids were so respectful to Dong Xuebing, and Zhen Anguo felt it was weird. Xiao Dong might be capable, but there must be reasons why he could solve so many problems for the branch. Xiao Dong was able to solve this crisis for the branch today was too weird. Could Xiao Dong also have some backings? Could his backing strong enough to suppress those central government leaders?


    Zhen Anguo smiled, but Dong Xuebing was still unhappy with him. He did not sit down and said: "I am a straightforward person. If I had said anything that offended you, please forgive me."


    Zhen Anguo could sense Dong Xuebing''s unhappiness. "Haha, sure."


    Dong Xuebing organized his thoughts and said: "Chief Zhen, I am not bragging. Since the day I joined the State Security, I had made significant contributions to the branch and helped the branch to avoid many crises. All of you can see it clearly. I... Fine. Even if you think my contributions are too insignificant, but at least I worked hard to achieve it."


    Zhen Anguoughed. "If your contributions are still considered insignificant, who else can perform better than you?"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "But since you acknowledged my contributions, why am I left out for the Zhejiang Province''s exchange program?"


    "You still dare to ask me?" Zhen Anguo replied in a joking manner. "It''s all because of your foul temper. How can you stare and scold your colleagues over some minor issues? No matter how significant your contributions are, you still have to take note of your conduct. You scolded and chased Xiao Yan out of the General Affairs Office. Have you thought about how this will affect others? How can I send you to the exchange program?"


    Dong Xuebing heard that and explodes. "Then why is Yan Lei allowed to go? Chief Zhen, do you think I am the only at fault? Yan Lei came into the General Affairs Office and started scolding my staff. Wang Xin, a newly transferred youngdy, was scolded until she cried. She was only transferred to our office for less than a few hours. But Yan Lei still thought nothing about it. He continued scolding her even after she started crying. He did it on purpose. What do you expect me to do? Shouldn''t I go out and stop him? Are you expecting me to hide in my office like a coward and listen to Secretary Yan scolding me indirectly?"


    Zhen Anguo''s face changed when he heard this. "What actually happened?"


    Dong Xuebing replied. "Chief Zhen, Secretary Yan might have not told you everything. I will tell you the whole incident from the start. I swear I will not make up any stories. After hearing my side of the story, you can verify with those that were present. Yesterday, Secretary Yan came to the General Affairs Office and said you needed a document to be typed. He gave a document to Wang Xin and did not say when he needed it. He only says he needed it urgently and left. He returned 5 minutester and demanded the document. When he saw Wang Xin still working on the document, he started scolding her at the top of his voice. I only came out of my room after Wang Xin started crying. I did bang the table and shouted at Secretary Yan during our argument. I admit I am rash. But Secretary Yan was purposely provoking me and wanted to create trouble in my office. If I keep quiet, how do you expect me to face my subordinates?"


    Zhen Anguo''s face turns ck. "Did he really shout in your office?"


    "You can ask the people from the office next door. All of them heard it!"


    Bang! Zhen Anguo hit his desk. "Nonsense!"


    Dong Xuebing continued. "About the incident earlier, I was still squatting on the toilet bowl when Secretary Yan came to look for me. He ordered me to follow him, saying that the leaders were looking for me and asked me to stop wasting time. His attitude was like I am his grandson. I also want to hurry. But I was shitting and how can I leave like this? Guess what Secretary Yan said. He said ''Even Chief Zhen also can''t ask to do something?'' and he left. I did not say I am not going out of the toilet. But what did he tell you? He said I am putting on airs and refuse to go and meet you. How am I supposed to go out of the toilet at that time? I still need to wipe my butt and put on my pants! Chief Zhen, you can be the judge. Is he framing me?"


    Zhen Anguo was shaking from his anger. He grabbed the phone and dialed a number. "Come to my office immediately!"


    Dong Xuebing knew Chief Zhen had called Yan Lei. "Chief Zhen. I will go back to work first?"


    "Go back to work. Xiao Dong, I am not an unreasonable person. If what you said is true, I will give you an answer!" After Dong Xuebing left, Zhen Anguo made a few phone calls to ask about yesterday and today''s incidents. He almost threw the phone on the floor after he got the full ount. Xiao Dong was not lying. Yan Lei was the one who created a scene at the General Affairs Office yesterday!


    Knock, knock, knock. Yan Lei knocked on the door before entering the office.


    Bang! Zhen Anguo banged on the table. "What have you done?! What did you do at the General Affairs Office yesterday?! Ah? You told me that you did not scold that staff member? If you did not scold her, can the people from other offices hear your voice? Will that staff member cry?"


    Sweat starts to roll down from Yan Lei''s forehead. "Chief Zhen.... I... I was not loud."


    "You still don''t want to tell me the truth?! What did I say before I transfer you over? Ah? Work is work! Don''t mix your emotions with work! But did you do that? You are not Xiao Dong''s superior and not one of the leaders in the General Affairs Office. You expect Xiao Dong to not stop you from scolding his staff in his office? Xiao Dong might be impulsive, but you are the one who started it! Fine! You know how to y with words in front of me now? Push all the me to Xiao Dong and make yourself innocent?"


    "Chief Zhen, I..."


    Yan Lei had worked for Zhen Anguo for several years. Zhen Anguo trusted him fully. If not, he would not bring Yan Lei over to State Security with him. But this incident really pissed Zhen Anguo off. "Shut up and get out!"


    Yan Lei looked at Zhen Anguo and dare not to say a word. He makes his way out of the office with his head bowed down. He knew that Chief Zhen would not trust him anymore.


    Zhen Anguo was very angry. He finally understood why Xu Yan gave him that attitude. It was not Xiao Dong''s fault. Yan Lei was the one who caused all these, but he punished Xiao Dong and rewarded Yan Lei instead. No wonder Xu Yan and Xiao Dong were so mad. Zhen Anguo had only listened to one side of the whole incident and made the wrong decisions.


    But why didn''t Xu Yan tell Zhen Anguo about this earlier?


    Zhen Anguo thought for a while and knew the reason. He was newly transferred to the branch, and no one knew his character. They might feel that he was an unreasonable person who sided with his own people. That''s why when everyone saw Zhen Anguo included Yan Lei''s name into the list for the exchange program, no one voiced out this unfairness. They were afraid that Zhen Anguo would get back at them. Furthermore, the name list was confirmed, and it''s meaningless to say anything.


    Sighed... This Xiao Yan had almost created a big problem for me!


    Zhen Anguo thought for a few minutes and called Xu Yan. He needs to clear up the misunderstanding. He had not handled this incident well. "Hello, Chief Xu. I had overlooked some details when I was handling the incident between Xiao Yan and Xiao Dong yesterday. Xiao Dong will rece Xiao Yan for the exchange program. This Xiao Yan is too much! He was at fault for what happened yesterday and this morning. I have already scolded him."


    Xu Yan heard what Zhen Anguo said and knew that he had found out the truth behind yesterday''s incident. She understood Chief Zhen''s character better. He was someone reasonable and would admit his mistakes. Xu Yan thought for a while. "Chief Zhen, if Xiao Yan is reced so suddenly, it will not look good on him. I will give my spot to Xiao Dong." Xu Yan had considered about Chief Zhen. Recing Yan Lei was a small issue, but for Chief Zhen, it would affect his reputation. Xu Yan also does not want any unhappiness between them because of a secretary.


    Zhen Anguo nodded. Xu Yan still has some respect for him. "Haha, Chief Xu, you must go for this trip. I am still thinking of letting you lead the team in Zhejiang. You should also know about Xiao Dong''s foul temper. You are the only one who can control him."


    "Yes. He does have a foul temper. I will talk to him tomorrow. Hahaha."


    "But Xiao Dong''s work performance is really outstanding. He can handle all sorts of situations. Sighed... I am thinking of transferring Xiao Dong over to help me." Zhen Anguo joked. He really wanted to appoint Xiao Dong as his assistant. No one in Beijing''s government agency is as capable as him.


    "Chief Zhen, you cannot take him away from me."


    "Hahaha, I knew you can''t bear for him to leave you."


    Xu Yan and Zhen Anguo wanted to clear any misunderstandings between them. After talking for a while, they knew that this incident had not affected their rtionship. It was only a small misunderstanding. They were both Divisional rank officers and knew what they were doing.


    Before the end of the day, news of Dong Xuebing recing Yan Lei for the exchange program spread throughout the branch!


    Some people were surprised to see Chief Zhen admitting his mistakes!


    Yan Lei''s reputation as someone untrustworthy also spread!


    Many peopleughed when they heard this piece of news. No one was surprised by Chief Zhen''s decision! Just look at what Chief Xiao Dong had done in the past. When Guo Panwei and Guo Shunjie were fighting for the position of General Affairs Office''s Deputy Chief, Dong Xuebing was the one who got the position! When Guo Shunjie was supposed to be going for the Party''s school training, who was the one that reced him? It''s Chief Xiao Dong! What''s there to be surprised when Chief Xiao Dong reces Yan Lei for the exchange program?


    This was not the first time Chief Xiao Dong recing someone else!

 Chapter 149: 2.7 million

    <h4>Chapter 149: 2.7 million</h4>


    6 dayster.


    Zhejiang Province Lin''an District.


    Branch Bureau Deputy Chief Xu Yan lead the team to Zhejiang Province. The group consists of another Branch Bureau Deputy Chief, Zhao Jingxi, a Deputy Director from the Finance Department, an old officer from the Sixth Bureau, a Section Chief, and a staff member, Xiao Gao from the Political Section and a few others. With Dong Xuebing, there were precisely 10 members. After alighting from the ce, Xu Yan brought the team to check in to their hotel. The rooms were assigned, and after they kept their luggage, it was free and easy time. This "study" tour willst for 3 days. Other than visiting Lin''an District''s State Security, they were free to do whatever they want. If any members wish to stay outside of the hotel overnight, they have to inform the team leader first.


    Hotel. Room 3026.


    The room was nicely renovated, and the d¨¦cor was elegant. This was not a cheap hotel.


    Dong Xuebing and Political Section Xiao Gao were assigned to a room. Dong Xuebing still has not reached the rank where he could get his own room. But Xu Yan took special care of him and gave him the biggest room.


    Xiao Gao looked around the spacious room. "Chief Dong, thank you. If it is not for you, I will not get to stay in this room."


    Dong Xuebing dropped his luggage by the bed. "Haha, where are you goingter? Are there any famous attractions here in Lin''an?"


    "Ah... There are many interesting ces like mountains and rivers here. I had read up a tourist brochure while on the flight. Errr... if you don''t mind, can I follow you around in the afternoon?" Other government agencies could bring their family members along on official visits. But State Security was different. This trip was a bit boring. What can one do alone? That''s why Xiao Gao wishes to tag along with Chief Xiao Dong. At the same time, he hopes he would be able to foster a closer rtionship with him.


    Dong Xuebingughed. "I''m sorry. I still have something to doter."


    Xiao Gao quickly waves his hand. "It''s fine."


    After a while, Xiao Gao called that old officer from the Sixth Bureau and a few others to go out.


    Dong Xuebing was alone in the room and went to take a shower. After drying his hair, heid on his bed and called Qu Yunxuan. "Hello, Xiao Xuanxuan, I am in Lin''an now."


    "Call me, Aunt!"


    "Ah, what''s wrong with you? Oh, where are you now?"


    "I just arrived in Shanghai. I am asking one of my friends to teach me about business."


    "Huh? How long has it been? You still have not decided what business to do? Stop deliberating. Just pick the industry you like. It doesn''t matter even if you lose money!"


    "How can you say that? The money is your hard-earned money. I must n ahead and make preparations."


    "Errr.... Then what''s your n?"


    Qu Yunxuan paused for a while. "I will tell you my n, and you see if it will work. Hehe, I think that since you are about to find treasures easily, how about we go into antiques and collection business? You can find precious ancient coins, pearl nes, ancient government kiln''s bowl easily, and know about stone gambling. Also, there are more and more people going into this hobby. We will have many business opportunities. These few days, I have been reading up in this field."


    Dong Xuebing''s eyes brighten up. His BACK will be handy in this antique business and stone gambling. There was no way for him to make any losses. "Good idea! What are you going to do? Antique shop?"


    "If we are going to set up an Antique shop, it will only be a small business. If we are going to do a rare stone business, a piece of high-grade jade stone will cost over a million RMB. If we are doing porcin and ancient painting business, our cost will also be very high. Even ordinary paintings and porcin cost a few hundred thousand. We only have 2 million, and it is not enough."


    Dong Xuebing also felt the same. "You have any solutions?"


    "Yes. What do you think of setting up an auction house?"


    Dong Xuebing paused for a second. "It''s a good idea. But our investment will be much higher."


    "High investment is a must. But it should not be higher than setting up a high-grade antique shop. Those antiques for going for auction are also not bought by the auction houses. The sellers only sign a contract and leave their antiques with the auction house. Even if the item is sold for a low price, there will not be any losses for the auction house. The auction house will still get a cut from the transaction. Of course, the cost of an auction house is also very high. In the initial stage, we have to think of ways to persuade people to sell their antiques through us. We need to market our services and rent venues for our auctions. The staff we hire must include experts, etc. But I still think that this business will work."


    "Is 2 million RMB enough?"


    "It''s not enough for sure. Ie to Shanghai to visit a friend to ask about this business. When I was working in a newspaper agency, I know a lot of people. One rtive of this friend owns an antique business and understand this industry inside out. I had spoken briefly with him, and he said we need at least 3 million RMB to set up a small auction house in a second-tier city."


    "Then, we do not have enough funds."


    Qu Yunxuan paused for a while and said. "We are only a bit short. My friend might also be interested in working with us. If you decide to set up an auction house, I will speak to him."


    Dong Xuebing frowned. "Aunt Xuan, I disagree."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I don''t mind setting up an auction house. This is a good idea and has a good prospect. But I do not want to partner with someone else. I want this business to belong to both of us only." Dong Xuebing felt it would be troublesome if there were other partners. He knew that he would increase his investments in thispany in the future. If there is one more partner, the share proportion will beplicated.


    "Haha, ok. I will listen to you."


    "Yes."


    "Then, should we set up a small antique shop with the 2 million?"


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while and said. "We will set up an auction house. It is only about money, right? I am now in Lin''an. Changhua Chicken-Blood Stone and Field-yellow stone is found here. I can go stone gamblingter in the afternoon. We are only short of a few hundred thousand to a million, right?"


    "Stone gambling is too risky."


    "Aunt Xuan, I will not suggest this if I am not confident. Just listen to me."


    After hanging up, Dong Xuebing got off the bed and took out a bag from his luggage. Dong Xuebing did note here for a holiday. It was not easy for him to go to Zhejiang Province again, and he must make full use of this trip to make some money. He had prepared 100,000 RMB for this trip. But because he was traveling with his colleagues, he dare not bring too much cash. If his money is not enough, he can call Aunt Xuan to transfer some over.


    Dong Xuebing had umted 12 times of BACK, and it should be enough.


    After leaving the hotel, Dong Xuebing walked around the City''s streets, asking people if there were any ces for stone gambling. Although Chicken-Blood Stone was found in Lin''an, there were no ces selling uncut stones. After asking many people, Dong Xuebing finally met an old man who gave him an address.


    This was an old shop, and the signboard was faded.


    Dong Xuebing stood in front of the shop and looked around, before entering the small shop. There were many Chicken-Blood Stone seals on disy at the counter. The seals were bright red. On a shelf, there were 7 to 8 pieces of Chicken-Blood Stones and Field-yellow stone artifacts. However, there were no uncut stones.


    "Boss" Dong Xuebing pointed to a seal on the counter. "How much is this?"


    The boss of the shop was a middle-aged man with small eyes. "This seal is 70% red and is considered ''Big Red Coat''. It is worth at least 800,000 RMB."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "What about this?"


    "The red color for this seal is lesser. 150, 000 RMB."


    Chicken-Blood Stone''s value depends on the color. The size, weight, quality, and coloration will determine the value. Among the Chicken-Blood Stones, the most valuable is ''Big Red Coat.'' If the red color was more than 90%, the stone is worth at least a few million. Chicken-Blood Stones were more valuable than crystals.


    After checking the prices of the stones, Dong Xuebing asked. "Boss, is there any ce nearby that has stone gambling?"


    The boss looked at him and hesitated for a few seconds. "Chicken-Blood Stones are not allowed to sell directly ording to the regtions. But if you want to gamble...e with me." The boss called one of his staff over and then brought Dong Xuebing to the backyard. It was noisy, and it sounded like someone was cutting stones. Dong Xuebing looked towards a corner and saw a crowd there.


    Dong Xuebing brightened up. He finally found the ce.


    In that corner, 7 to 8 people were watching a man cutting an uncut Chicken-Blood Stone. The surface of the uncut Chicken-Blood Stones was not as smooth as crystal stones. They were rough and had odd shapes.


    "Red! Red!"


    "This stone should not have any problem! The red color had prated the insides!"


    "Quick! Cut a bit more!"


    Dong Xuebing walked over to the crowd. The stone weighed at least 10 kg, and on one corner, there were patches of red color. This stone must be expensive. If the red color on the surface could prate to the rest of the stone, it will be more valuable. But if the red color was only on the surface, it will be worthless.


    Now, the shop assistant was using the grinding machine to cut the corners of the stone to see how far the red color had prated.


    Screech.... Screech....


    The surface of the stone was slowly grinded away....


    Dong Xuebing looked at the grinding process. Chicken-Blood Stone was softer than other stones and can be easily cut. If he bought 7 to 8 pieces of Chicken-Blood Stones at once and cut the stones fast, he should be able to seed. But after thinking for a while, he gave up this thought. He knows Chicken-Blood Stone is not a famous gambling stone. It is not like jade or Field-yellow stones. Why there are not many stone gambling ces for Chicken-Blood Stones in Lin''an? It is because it is not worth gambling. The red patches can be seen from the surface of the stone, and it depends on the depth where the red color prates.


    The raw Chicken-Blood Stone in front of Dong Xuebing cost more than 200,000 RMB. If the red color had prated into the stone, the value of the stone would increase to about 300,000 RMB. But if the color inside the stone is not as bright as the exterior, the value will drop to about 180,000. Very seldom there will be surprises like jade stone gambling. The chances were slim for someone to get rich from Chicken-Blood Stone gambling.


    If Dong Xuebing used the same method as what he did for the crystal stone gambling, it would be wasting his BACK. Even if he won, he would only earn a few hundred thousand. Furthermore, he only has 100,000 RMB with him. He can''t buy many stones at once. If he used 1 BACK for 1 stone, it would be a waste.


    What should he do?


    "Eh! It''s cut open!"


    "How is it?"


    "It''s ordinary. The red color is about the same as the surface. There are no changes to the value."


    This was not a surprise to the crowd. This is Chicken-Blood Stone gambling. No one will win arge amount of money, but the losses are also not a lot.


    "Bring me another stone! That''s right! That one!" The man who bought the stone refuses to give up. He spent another 80,000RMB on buying a smaller stone.


    Screech.... Screech.... The shop assistant started to help him cut the stone.


    Dong Xuebing was looking at them and thinking of ways to use BACK to earn several hundred thousand from Chicken-Blood Stone gambling. He needed money to set up his auctionpany. Yes. Since I cannot use the same method as crystal stone gambling, I can wait until others finish cutting the Chicken-Blood Stones, and if the red color had prated deep into the stone, ii would use BACK to buy that stone. But the only problem was the stone was purchased by others, and I have no control over time. They were careful when cutting the stones and took more than 20 minutes to finish cutting one stone. I only have 12 minutes of BACK. It will not be sufficient.


    Dong Xuebing had no choice but to wait and see.


    Half an hour passed...


    An hour passed...


    Two hours passed....


    The crowd around the cutting machine had changed thrice, and Chicken-Blood Stones had appeared 16 to 17 times. But the value of those stones was simr. The best stone was a stone bought by a woman. She spent 50,000 RMB on it, and the final value was 100,000 RMB. The worst was this man who was still cutting the stones. He had spent more than 110,000 RMB on the stones, but it was only worth 50,000 RMB. The value of the rest of the cut stones was about the same as their selling prices. The difference was less than 30,000 RMB.


    Dong Xuebing looked at his watch. It was almost dinnertime.


    Dong Xuebing was getting impatient. Sighed... It was not easy to get here, but Chicken-Blood Stone is too rare. There was not even a high-grade Chicken-Blood Stone in the whole afternoon. Dong Xuebing was disappointed. If a high-grade Chicken-Blood Stone appeared, his BACK and money might also not be enough. He thought about this for a while and decided to go for dinner after this stone was cut.


    Screech... screech...


    The shop assistant was grinding a medium size stone. He was grinding off the areas beside the red color parts, hoping the red would spread more significantly into the interior of the stone. But the stone did not change color. It was still greyish ck color!


    "Ah! The red color did not prate into the stone!"


    "Hah! The value will drop."


    A middle-aged man was staring at the stone, and he cursed. "Damn! This is my second stone!" He looked at his stone and knew this stone was a worthless piece. He turned to the crowd: "Anyone wants to buy this stone? The back of the stone is still not cut. You all can try your luck. I had paid 80,000 RMB for this stone, and I am selling it at 30,000 RMB now!"


    "Just cut it yourself!"


    "Hahaha, who will buy it?"


    "If you are selling it for a few thousand, maybe you will get a buyer."


    The onlookers were not stupid. The part around the red color exterior was already wasted. Who would be so stupid to buy it?


    Even Dong Xuebing felt this man was ridiculous. 30,000 RMB? No one will buy it at 3,000 RMB!


    That man gave the crowd a stare and told the shop assistant: "I will keep it for myself! I can afford it!"


    The shop assistant looked at that man and continued grinding the back of the stone. Screech.... Screech....!


    The crowd lost interest in that stone and left to pick the uncut stones. Some of them were chatting among themselves.


    Suddenly, that was a loud gasp!


    When the shop assistant made a few deep cuts, he let out a loud "Wow!" and attracted the people nearby. The crowd looked at the cut surface and eximed!


    Red!


    The inside of the stone was red!


    It was bright red, and the density of the red color was dense. This was the highest-grade Chicken-Blood Stone, Big Red Coat!


    Dong Xuebing was also stunned. Who would expect the part where there was almost no red color on the surface will be bright red inside? This stone was not a big piece, but the red color parts were enough to make a seal. A Chicken-Blood Stone Big Red Coat Seal!


    That man startedughing! He would earn a few hundred thousand!


    The color and density of the red were scarce!


    Dong Xuebing finally got his chance. BACK! BACK! He used two BACKs in a row!


    ...


    The scenes shed before Dong Xuebing''s eyes!


    It was two minutes ago!


    "Damn! This is my second stone! Anyone wants to buy this stone? The back of the stone is still not cut. You all can try your luck. I had paid 80,000 RMB for this stone, and I am selling it at 30,000 RMB now!"


    "Just cut it yourself!"


    "Hahaha, who will buy it?"


    "If you are selling it for a few thousand, maybe you will get a buyer."


    The man had given up hope on this stone. He was thinking of lowering his losses. But he knew the people there were not idiots. No one would want to buy this stone. He thought to himself. Since no one is willing to buy, he might as well keep it for himself. He turned to the shop assistant.


    "Wait a minute." Someone among the crowd said.


    That man turned and asked. "What is it? You want to buy this stone?"


    It was Dong Xuebing. "I am interested in this stone. But the price you asked for is ridiculous. I can buy an uncut stone with 30,000 RMB. Why should I buy this from you?"


    That man looked at Dong Xuebing and knew he was a noob in stone gambling. However, he was overjoyed when he saw Dong Xuebing was interested in buying this stone. He asked. "Alright. Make an offer." That man did not want to continue cutting the stone. He knew this stone would worth only a few thousand if he carries on cutting it. He might as well sell it.


    Dong Xuebing waszy to bargain with him. "10,000 RMB."


    The crowded was shocked. They thought this person was crazy. 10,000 RMB was enough to get a small uncut stone.


    That man wasughing in his heart. "No. At least 25,000 RMB."


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Forget it."


    "Wait!" That man tried to bargain a while more, but in the end, he sold the stone to Dong Xuebing at 10,000 RMB.


    Dong Xuebing took out 10,000 RMB from his bag and gave it to that man. That man was overjoyed as he had minimalized his losses. The crowd looked at Dong Xuebing and shook their heads. This person must not know anything about stone gambling. He doesn''t even know the market price of Chicken-Blood Stone.


    Dong Xuebing looked at that shop assistant. "Can you help me cut it?"


    The shop assistant nodded. He also does not believe this stone would be red inside. He carried on cutting the stone from another angel.


    1 cut...


    2 cuts...


    3 cuts....


    The shop assistant only made 3 simple cuts!


    But after the third cut, everyone drew in a deep breath!


    The whole surface area was bright red!


    Sudden! This was too sudden! No one was prepared for this to happen!


    1 second... 2 seconds... 3 seconds...


    The crowd looked at each other and were speechless!


    This was not a waste stone! This was the top-grade Chicken-Blood Stone!


    The man, who sold this stone to Dong Xuebing, turned green! He hit himself on hisp in regret. Why did I sell it? Why didn''t I continue?!


    This is stone gambling. No one knows what is inside an uncut stone.


    "Young man, do you want to sell this Big Red Coat?" The shop assistant asked and then run out to get his boss.


    A young man said: "I offer 400,000 RMB!"


    A middle-aged man asked: "550,000 RMB! Are you selling? If you agree, I will write you a cheque now!"


    "Sell it to me at 550,000 RMB!"


    Big Red Coat was extremely rare, and the crowd started to make offers.


    Dong Xuebing was not in a rush to sell it. He listened to the offers patiently.


    The boss arrived at the backyard. "Big Red Coat? Where is it?" The boss saw the half-cut stone on the floor and squat down to get a closer look. He nodded: "This is a quality stone. Young man, this stone belongs to you? You are very lucky. I do not know about how much other people offered you, but I have a 700,000 RMB cheque with me. Do you want to sell it?


    Everyone heard 700,000 RMB and stopped making offers.


    Dong Xuebing was jumping with joy in his heart. He thought for a while and nodded.


    With this 700,000 RMB, Dong Xuebing''s total assets had reached 2.7 million RMB!


    It is sufficient to set up a small auctionpany!

 Chapter 150: Blasting

    <h4>Chapter 150: sting</h4>


    It was before 5 pm.


    Dong Xuebing walked to the nearest bank to deposit his 700,000 RMB cheque. After leaving ICBC bank, he went to a random restaurant along the streets to have his dinner. After dinner, he called Qu Yunxuan. "Aunt Xuan, I have a piece of good news to tell you. I made 700,000 RMB from Chicken-Blood Stone gambling. We should have enough money to set up our auctionpany."


    "..."


    "Aunt Xuan?"


    "..."


    "Xuan Xuan, can you say something?"


    "What do you want me to say? I don''t want to talk to you!"


    "Haha, I am still waiting for you to praise me." Dong Xuebing was feeling good with the result. He had used 2 BACKs and still have 10 BACKs left. "We have enough money now. After the money is credited into my ount tomorrow, I will transfer it to you. You can start thinking about where you want to register thepany and who you want to hire. I will just provide you with the funds."


    "Xiao Bing, tell me honestly. Who did you learn antiques and stone gambling from?"


    "Errr... I worked part-time at the Antique Market in the past. I am a fast learner."


    "But all those experts are not as good as you. Which expert can make so much money like you? Did you rob the bank?! No, even robbing the bank might not even get you so much money! Stone gambling is very risky, and you can make 700,000 RMB easily? You can find real antiques in the past too. It''s been only a few hours since I talk to you about my ns. I feel you are much better than those experts. You seem to have changed. I... I don''t even know what to say!"


    Dong Xuebingughed. "What''s wrong with me making more money? Are you happy?"


    "Of course, I feel happy for you."


    "Aunt Xuan, how about praising me a bit? Can you call me ''that'' as praise?" Dong Xuebing was asking Qu Yunxuan to call him ''hubby'' or ''brother.''


    "Go to hell! You want me to hit you?"


    "Huh? I had contributed so much to our family. Shouldn''t I get some rewards?"


    "Idiot. Who is your family? Haha." Qu Yunxuan was in a good mood and keptughing. "Idiot, since you are so capable, why do we still need to set up apany? You can just go stone gambling or go find real antiques in the antique markets. Money just seems to be flowing into your pocket."


    Dong Xuebing was speechless. He can''t be using all his powers to make money. "Errr... we still need to set up apany. Furthermore, I can''t be so urate every time. Finding antiques depends on luck." What he said was true. If his luck was not good today, that top-grade Chick-Blood Stone might not be his. "After our auctionpany is set up, I will go and look for more antiques to let ourpany sell."


    "Hmm." Dong Xuebing could tell Qu Yunxuan was looking forward to the opening of their auctionpany. "We have enough funds now. I will start researching the location of ourpany and look for antique experts. It should take at least 2 months. We do not need the money now. You can use the money to look for more antiques or rare stones first. It''s much better than leaving the money in the bank."


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while. "Ok. Let me think about what other ways I can increase our funds." After chatting for a while, Dong Xuebing said. "Aunt Xuan, I got to go. My branch''s leader will be giving us a briefing for tomorrow''s exchange program."


    "How long will you be in Lin''an?"


    "3 days. Why?"


    "I will fly there to look for you tomorrow?"


    "Oh... you miss me?"


    "I want to hit you! Who misses you?!"


    "You don''t miss me? Then why do you want toe here to look for me?" Dong Xuebing knew Qu Yunxuan was shy to admit it, and heughed. "Haha, I don''t care if you miss me or not. I just know that I miss you badly. Call me when you reach. I will be waiting for you."


    "Ok."


    After keeping his phone, Dong Xuebing took a taxi back to the hotel. Along the way, he was thinking of what he should do with his 2.7 million. Buy a random share? No. what if the stock market copse? The stock market had not been stable recently. Aunt Xuan had her savings trapped in the stock market. What about buying some financial products from the bank? But the interest for the short term is meager and it''s not worth it. Forget it. It''s only for 1 to 2 months. Just leave it in the bank.


    Xiao Gao had returned with lots of shopping bags. He seems to have enjoyed himself.


    "Chief Dong, how is your day?"


    "It''s fine. Where did you all go today?"


    "We went to Tianmu Mountain today." Xiao Gao suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Chief Dong. The higher-ups said we will be visiting Lin''an State Security tomorrow at 8 am. The leader told us to wake up early, and we are not allowed to bete or take leave. After the visit, we can go wherever we want."


    "Ok. Thanks for telling me."


    Ring, ring, ring. Dong Xuebing''s phone rang. It was Xu Yan.


    "Hello, Xiao Dong. Come to my room now."


    Dong Xuebing acknowledged and quickly go out of his room. State Security had booked all the rooms on the same level. Dong Xuebing walked to the end of the corridor and knocked on the door. Xu Yan opened the door to let him in. She did not close the door and left it wide open. This was to prevent others from gossiping even when their age difference was more than 20 years. They were both in the same government agency and got to take note of this.


    "Chief Xu, I am here."


    "Have a seat first."


    Dong Xuebing sat down on a chair.


    Xu Yan sat on the bed and smiled. "It''s not about work. My son knows that I am in Zhejiang and want me to get him a present. But he did not say what he wants. Haha, I don''t know what to get him. Xiao Dong, you are only a few years older than my son. Can you give me some suggestions?" Xu Yan is a divorcee, and her son is staying with her ex-husband. Her son will only stay with her once or twice a month.


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "Your son should be still in school? Do you know what his hobby is or what he likes?"


    Xu Yan thought for a while and smiled. "He likes to y PC games and online chatting. Kids nowadays are like this."


    Dong Xuebing suggested: "How about getting him aptop? The new Apple 11inchptop is very popr. It is light and thin. The specs might not be the best in the market, but it should be sufficient for him to y normal games on it. If your son ys thetest games, this mac-book air should suit him. The 64g version cost about 10,000 RMB."


    Xu Yan nodded. "He does not have aptop. Ok. I will get this. But what''s the model again? What mac? 64g?" Xu Yan does not know English or thetest technology products. "Xiao Dong, can you apany me to buy thisptop after the exchange program tomorrow? You know much more aboutputers than me."


    Dong Xuebing nodded.


    The next morning.


    Xu Yan led the team to the Lin''an State Security bureau. Everyone knows this was only a formality and it ended after an hour. After leaving the bureau, Xu Yan announced to the team that they are free to go wherever they want. Then she went to a nearby shopping mall with Dong Xuebing to buy the Appleptop. There were still avable stocks, and Xu Yan paid for it.


    It was only 10.30 am.


    Xu Yan asked. "Xiao Dong, where are you visiting today? Tianmu Mountain or Daming Mountain?"


    "I still have not decided yet."


    Xu Yanughed. "Want to go to Changhua mines with me? I heard the scenery there is beautiful. I hade here once, but I did not have the time to visit Changhua."


    Dong Xuebing did not want to go. Aunt Xuan should be arriving in the afternoon. If he goes to Changhua, he might not be able to fetch Aunt Xuan. But he also does not want to reject Xu Yan. After all, she had helped him a lot. Dong Xuebing thought for a while and said: "Ok. I will be your bodyguard today. Haha, I also want to see how they mine Chicken-Blood Stones."


    Changhua county.


    Guoshi vige at the foot of Yuyan mountain was a wealthy vige because of Chicken-Blood stones. All the vigers there lived in 4 story houses.


    There were a lot of shops along the streets and alleys selling Chicken-Blood stones.


    After they reached, Xu Yan and Dong Xuebing visited a few Chicken-Blood stone shops. There were a lot of high-quality stones there, and they were expensive. A Big Red Coat seal cost 1.5 million RMB. There was also a 2 meters wide Chicken-Blood stone artifact. The price of this artifact was 10 million RMB.


    "Xiao Dong, let''s go up the mountains."


    "Ok. Please be careful."


    They walked on a trail towards Yuyan mountain. But after walking for a while, they were stopped by two vigers. "Outsiders cannot enter."


    Xu Yan smiled: "We are only going in to look at the mines."


    The older viger shook his head and pointed to a sign. "This ce is dangerous."


    Dong Xuebing took out his work pass. "We are working for the government and will not give you all any trouble. We are here for sightseeing."


    The vigers exchanged looks and said. "Fine. I will show you all around." Civil servants can still be trusted.


    Dong Xuebing and Xu Yan walked up towards the mountain on the dirt trail.


    After climbing up the stone steps, they reached the mines. It was shocking. The right side of the mountain had been dug away. On the other side, part of the mountain peak was gone. The miners must have used explosives to st it away. The two vigers said that the empty plot ofnd in front of the mine used to be a mountain peak. But because they had mined that area and it was on the verge of copsing. So, they used explosives to st it away.


    Around the mine, there was a metal fence with a blue color signboard. Danger! No entry!


    But the viger still brought Dong Xuebing and Xu Yan in. "Our mine is in front."


    Xu Yan asks curiously: "Your mine?"


    "Yes. Many of the mines in the mountain were leased by us and the few viges nearby. We pooled our money to lease it. Outsiders are not allowed to own the mines here. Only the locals can rent it from the government. But the locals can sub-let to other people." No wonder all the vigers in this vige are so wealthy.


    Suddenly, Boom!!!! Boom!!! Boom!!! There were a few loud noises.


    Dong Xuebing opened his eyes wide. "They are sting the mine?"


    "No. This is not the sound of sting." The viger looked towards the direction of the sound. "It''s just some kids ying with firecrackers." He turned to the other viger and said: "Go and chase those kids away. How can theye here to y with firecrackers? It is too dangerous!" It was still considered Lunar New Year, and unlike Beijing, there were no restrictions on firecrackers here.


    After a while, the older viger brought Dong Xuebing and Xu Yan to their mine. The entrance was a cave, about the height of a grown man. Standing at the entrance, they could hear lots of knocking sounds. There seems to have lots of people working inside. The air is filled with gasoline smell, and tools were left all over the floor.


    The Viger said. "It is dangerous inside. There will be a stingter. If you want to see how the inside of a mine looks like, you can go there." He pointed to another entrance, not far away. "Come, I will show you the way." That entrance was about the same. But the only difference is that mine is only 10 meters deep. They could see the end of the mining tunnel from the entrance.


    Xu Yan asked. "This mine is abandoned?"


    The viger exined: "Yes. This is the mine rented by Old Ye and some vigers from my vigest year. But they had mined for a few months, but not a single Chicken-Blood Stone has been found. They lost a lot of money. This mine is some distance away from the main vein. Even if they dig deeper, they will not find any Chicken-Blood Stones. That''s why they decided to stop digging."


    Dong Xuebing asked. "There are no Chicken-Blood Stones in there?"


    The viger replied: "Chicken-Blood Stone is not found everywhere. It still depends on luck. There are a lot of abandoned mines around the mountain. Errr... These cannot be considered abandon mines. There is still a possibility of finding Chicken-Blood Stones inside. Those vigers who had rented these mines are still looking for people to take over them. If the price is right, they will transfer ownership immediately."


    They entered the mine with a torchlight. Dong Xuebing looked around, and he saw a pile of explosives in a corner. "Why are there explosives here?" The explosives were stacked in the innermost corner. The number of explosives is enough to st a small hill away. Dong Xuebing immediately step in front of Xu Yan to protect her.


    The viger calmly replied. "Don''t worry. These explosives have been modified and cannot be lit with fire. You must use a detonator to set them off. Our explosive storage is quite far from here. That''s why we will store all the explosives needed for the day here. Without the detonator, you will be safe even if you throw a cigarette butt there."


    "Oh, ok." Dong Xuebing felt better.


    Xu Yan was not worried at all. She seems to know about this.


    The walls of the abandoned mine were ''clean,'' and there was not a single strain of red color on it. Dong Xuebing touched the walls and thought to himself. Those vigers should have rented the mines for 1 year, and it cost at least a few million. It''s such a waste. The risk of renting mines is far higher than Chicken-Blood Stone gambling.


    After staying in the mine for a while, the viger brought Xu Yan and Dong Xuebing out.


    "Haha, I have learned a lot today." Xu Yan said to the viger. "Thank you for bringing us around."


    The viger smiled. "You are wee."


    Xu Yan''s curiosity was satisfied: "Xiao Dong, let''s go back."


    "Ok."


    Xu Yan and Dong Xuebing walked towards the footpath leading down from the mountains. That viger also went to his mine.


    Suddenly, Dong Xuebing saw those kids lighting a firecracker nearby. Bam! It was a double-explosion firecracker. Those kids had ced the firecracker at an angle, and the firecracker did not fly towards the sky. Instead, it flew into the abandoned mine filled with explosives!


    The next moment!


    BOOM!!!!


    The whole mountain shook!


    Dong Xuebing eardrums almost burst. He was shocked. "What happened?"


    The people in the other mines were also shocked. "The explosives had gone off! It''s the explosives!"


    "What happened? Who set off the detonator?"


    "Is anyone hurt?!"


    It was chaos on the mountain. Everyone was running towards the sound of explosion with their tools in hand. The viger who brought Dong Xuebing and Xu Yan around was one of them.


    Dong Xuebing looked at Xu Yan and asked: "I thought mes will not set those explosives off?"


    Xu Yan''s face had also changed. A few minutes ago, they were still inside that mine. It was a close shave. "It''s hard to set off the explosives with fire. But I know firecrackers are simr to a detonator. Although it''s hard, firecrackers should be able to set those explosives off."


    Dong Xuebing almost cursed out loud. They narrowly escaped death! Those brats!


    "Let''s go and take a look!" Xu Yan walked back towards that abandoned mine.


    There was a crowd outside the mine. But no one dares to enter it as they were afraid there would be a second explosion.


    "It''s those kids!"


    "Firecrackers can set off explosives? Damn! If I know about this earlier, I would have chased them out of the mountains!"


    "Yes. It''s too dangerous. Luckily no one is hurt!"


    The kids were in shock. All of them were dumbfounded and sitting on the floor crying.


    Dong Xuebing and Xu Yan stood behind the crowd and saw the viger who brought them around, shining his torch into the mine. "There should not be anyone inside. I had left this ce with two government people just minutes ago. No one had entered after I left. We... Huh? Ah... This is..." The old viger''s voice started shaking. He stood outside the mine in a daze.


    "What''s wrong?" The person beside him looked into the mine and was stunned.


    Dong Xuebing also looked into the mine. Wow! Wow! Wow!


    Blood!


    There was blood everywhere!


    It was not a human''s blood! It was Chicken-Blood Stone''s blood!!!


    There were too many explosives inside, and the explosion was too powerful. Part of the roof of the mine was sted off. Pieces of rocks were everywhere. This was normal. But what was shocking was all the small pieces of stones were red in color! It''s Chicken-Blood Stones!


    The old viger eximed: "This is not an abandoned mine! This mine is much better than my mine!"


    "Oh! Old Ye''s losses are too big!"


    "Such a waste! So many Chicken-Blood Stones are damaged!"


    Dong Xuebing had learned how the miners mine Chicken-Blood Stones from the viger earlier. The miners do not use arge number of explosives to st the mining cave. They must use mining picks to dig out a small hole around the Chicken-Blood Stones and use small amount of explosives to st them. Chicken-Blood Stones are softer and will break easily. A 5kg Chicken-Blood Stone might worth 100,000 RMB, but 5kg of small Chicken-Blood Stone fragments are worth less than 1,000 RMB.


    Everyone felt sorry for Old Ye. If there was no explosion and they carried on mining this mine... they will be able to get lots of Chicken-Blood Stones!


    But now... everything is gone!


    Dong Xuebing felt the blood rushing to his head. Opportunity! This is an opportunity to make money!


    BACK! BACK! BACK!


    ...


    The scenes shed before Dong Xuebing''s eyes! Time had returned to 3 minutes earlier!


    "Haha, I have learned a lot today. Thank you for bringing us around."


    "You are wee."


    "Xiao Dong, let''s go back."


    The moment Dong Xuebing returned back to his senses, he started running forward. Xu Yan and that old viger were stunned. They do not know what Dong Xuebing was doing. 5 steps... 10 steps... 15 steps! Dong Xuebing reached that group of kids. One of them was about to light a Double-Explosion firecracker. Dong Xuebing quickly kick the firecracker away. "What are you all doing? Do you all know what this ce is? What happens if you all set off the explosives stored here? Ah?"


    The group of kids was shocked.


    Dong Xuebing stood there with a stern look on his face. "Go home now! Stop ying with firecrackers here!"


    The old viger walked over. "Didn''t I tell you all to get away from here? Go home now!" The old viger said, but he did not think that firecrackers can set off the explosives.


    The few kids started running down the mountain, and Dong Xuebing was relieved.


    "Xiao Dong, let''s go back." Xu Yanughed.


    Dong Xuebing turned and look at that abandoned mine, before walking down the mountain with Xu Yan. At the foot of the mountain, he told Xu Yan that he will be meeting a friend in a while. Xu Yan smiled and nodded. She told Dong Xuebing to go ahead, and she left in a taxi towards Daming Mountain.


    After Xu Yan left, Dong Xuebing immediately call Qu Yunxuan. "Aunt Xuan, where are you now?"


    "I just arrived and was about to call you. Where are you meeting me?"


    "Come over to Changhua Guoshi Vige now. Quick."


    "Why? Are you in a hurry?"


    "Of course. Just get over here now. It''s urgent. I will be waiting at the foot of the mountain!"


    Noon.


    Qu Yunxuan arrived at the foot of Yuyan mountain. Dong Xuebing had not seen Qu Yunxuan for a few days, and she looks prettier. When Qu Yunxuan saw Dong Xuebing, she gave him a p to the back of his head. "What''s the rush? Is there a need to call me so many times? Don''t you know how far this ce is from the airport?"


    Dong Xuebing held her hand. "I don''t have much time. Let''s go up the mountain. There is an opportunity to make money!"


    Qu Yunxuan looked at him puzzledly. "Tell me the details."


    "I saw a mine, and I need to take over it. I guarantee that we can make money from this mine."


    "How do you know?"


    "I can tell. Just trust me."


    "But we still need to set up ourpany. If you take over this mine, how are we going to set up ourpany?"


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while. "Let''s discuss with the owner first and see if we can rent it for 1 or 2 months. You also need some time to prepare for ourpany. When we make money from this mine, we can set up a biggerpany." Dong Xuebing does not know whether the deeper part of the mine has Chicken-Blood Stones. He only knows the area near to the explosives has lots of stones. That''s why he decided to rent the mine for 2 months.


    West mining area.


    Dong Xuebing and Aunt Xuan returned to the abandoned mine, and he showed her around.


    Qu Yunxuan looked around the mine. "This is the mine you are talking about? Didn''t they stop mining?"


    "Hey, who are you?" A middle-aged man asked as he shines his torch at Dong Xuebing and Qu Yunxuan. "Why are you two in my mine? There are lots of explosives here, and it is dangerous. Get out of here now." The man was in his 40s, and he should be "Old Ye'', the owner of this mine.


    "This is your mine?" Dong Xuebing looked at him. "Can you make the decisions here?"


    Old Ye frowned: "What do you want?"


    "Let''s talk outside. It''s too dark here."


    After walking out of the mine, Dong Xuebing met that old viger. The old viger asked: "Why did youe back?"


    Dong Xuebing replied. "It is about this mine. My friend is interested in renting it."


    The viger was confused. He had told Dong Xuebing that this was a useless mine, and there were no Chicken-Blood Stones. Why did he still ask his friend to rent it? But Old Ye was around, and he did not say much to Dong Xuebing. He just nodded and walk away. A few other vigers heard their conversations and shook their heads. Everyone there knows about this mine. They had tried mining for several months, but there was not a single Chick-Blood Stone.


    Old Ye was the happiest. He had tried to look for someone to take over the mine for weeks, and he finally found someone who is interested!


    "Young man, Miss,e over and have a seat." Old Ye took out a few stools. "You all want to rent this mine?"


    Dong Xuebing replied. "That''s right. But it still depends on the price. How long have you leased this mine? One year? Two years?"


    Old Ye said. "I had leased this mine for a year, and there are still 5 months remaining. If you all are interested in renting it for 2 years, I can go and apply for an extension when my lease is up."


    Qu Yunxuan did not say anything as she did not know what was going on. She also did not know why Xiao Bing wants to rent that mine.


    Dong Xuebing said. "We are thinking of renting it for 2 months. What is the price?"


    Old Ye frowned. "2 months? It''s too short." Normally people would rent the mines for years. The shortest he had seen was also 6 months. No one would rent it for 1 to 2 months. "If you all are renting it for 5 months, I can give you a good price. How about 4 million?"


    Dong Xuebing shook his head. "We do not have so much money. How about 1.5 million RMB for 2 months?"


    "No way. It''s too low."


    "I heard about your mine. There is not a single Chick-Blood Stone found in the past 6 months. 1.5 million is a good price."


    "Even if there are no Chick-Blood Stones, there might still be some deeper inside. Also, you can sell other stones found in there."


    Dong Xuebing replied firmly. "I only want 2 months. If not, the deal is off."


    Old Ye also know that this mine was worthless. He could not even recover his losses if he carries on mining. He thought for a while and said. "Fine. 2 months. But 1.5 million is too low." It''s not easy to find people to take over this useless mine. "2 million for 2 months. This is the best price I can give you."


    Dong Xuebing frowned. "If this is a better mine, it will be worth 2 million. But this mine is..."


    Old Ye interrupted him. "I will charge you lesser for the workers, machinery, and transportation. You all are not locals, and it''s hard for you all to hire workers here. I still have workers working for me. All you need to do is to hire someone to supervise them. I am well known around here, and you can rest assured."


    Dong Xuebing looked at Qu Yunxuan.


    Qu Yunxuan smiled. "You can decide. I don''t know anything about this."


    "Ok." Dong Xuebing said. "2 million RMB for 2 months. When can we sign the contract?"


    "I need to speak to the other vigers first. But it should not be a problem. We should be able to sign the contract tonight."


    Dong Xuebing did not need to wait until night. Later in the afternoon, Old Ye and another viger came to look for Dong Xuebing to sign the contract. They seem to be desperate to offload this mine. After signing the contract, they discussed the wages of the workers and rental of the machines, before leaving the mining mountain.


    At the foot of the mountain.


    Dong Xuebing said. "Aunt Xuan, hire someone to watch over the mine. We still have 700,000 RMB and should be enough for the workers, explosives, and transportation. Hahaha, we will be able to set up a bigpany after two months!"


    Qu Yunxuan was still in doubt. "This is all our money. Are you really going to use it on this mine? That mine seemed to be..."


    "You cannot judge the mine from the exterior. You will know after we start mining!" Dong Xuebing had seen lots of Chick-Blood Stones fragments with his eyes!


    They will surely hit the jackpot this time!!!

 Chapter 151: Future career path

    <h4>Chapter 151: Future career path</h4>


    A few dayster, Dong Xuebing returned to work after the Zhejiang trip.


    Dong Xuebing was exhausted. He did not visit any tourist attractions in Lin''an during the few days there. He spent the past few days going around the Chicken-Blood Stone mines, learning the ropes of mining, and the value of the uncut stones. He also had to apply for explosives from the local authorities. He had only returned to Beijing the day before and went straight to bed. He woke up at 7 am this morning and went to work. Seeing that all his staff members were not in, he yed Minesweeper in his office.


    Aunt Xuan did not return with him. She remained in Lin''an to supervise the mining.


    Ring, ring, ring. It was about the time when the staff arrived at work when Dong Xuebing''s phone rang. He looked at the number. It was Qu Yunxuan.


    "Hello, Xiao Bing. After preparing for a few days, we started mining this morning. One of the miners drilled a hole on the wall you instructed and..." The reception on the mountain was not good, and there were lots of interferences. "... the explosives had been set. We will be sting soon. Is there really no problem? We had spent tens of thousands on this mine. If there are no Chicken-Blood Stones, our 2.7 million will go down the drain."


    Dong Xuebing was also nervous. "Err... There should be Chicken-Blood Stones."


    "You were still very confident yesterday. Howe you don''t sound so confident today?"


    "Huh? Errr... there will be Chicken-Blood Stones in there."


    "Then... I will set off the explosives?"


    "Ok. Move further away and cover your eyes."


    Many miners, including the old viger and Old Ye, were standing outside the mines looking at them. They were talking among themselves. This was a new mine, and they had not found any valuable stones in there. Most of the people there were curious to see if there were any Chicken-Blood Stones.


    "It''s starting!"


    "Move back, everyone!"


    It was quiet over the phone. Dong Xuebing cloud hear his heart beating. He closed the Minesweeper''s window and waited.


    Boom!!!!


    A loud st was heard over the phone!


    5 secondster...


    10 seconds...


    15 seconds...


    Dong Xuebing could only hear footsteps and echo over his iPhone4. It sounded like someone was walking in a cave.


    Suddenly, there was amotion. Qu Yunxuan shouted excitedly. "Xiao Bing! Xiao Bing! I can see the rocks from the st!" It was the sound of panting. "Ahhh! Blood! The stones are all Chicken-Blood Stones! There are more at the back! The walls of the sted part are all red! These are all raw Chicken-Blood Stones! You are terrific!"


    Dong Xuebing could hear the background. "Wow! This loosens rock from the st is worth at least 500,000 to 600,000 RMB!"


    "Impossible! How is this possible?" It was Old Ye''s voice. He was frustrated. He had mined for a few months and did not discover even a single piece of Chicken-Blood Stone. He wanted to cut losses and rented out the mine. But after renting out the mine, the first st they discover Chicken-Blood Stones and the whole wall of the mine were full of these stones!


    Dong Xuebing exhaled and said: "Haha, Aunt Xuan, you should be assured now."


    "We manage to recover most of our cost on the first day. If this carries on, we should be able to double our investment in 2 months!" Qu Yunxuan''s voice was trembling from excitement. "Xiao Bing, I will not being back today. I need to stay here to watch over the mine. I don''t trust anyone else. Ok. That''s it. I still have lots of work. Just focus on your work and leave everything here to me."


    Dong Xuebing acknowledge. "You must watch out for your own safety. Don''t go up the mountain at night and stay away from the explosives."


    "I know. You must also take care of yourself in Beijing. Remember to off the stove after cooking and wash your underwear and socks."


    "Ah! Why do you have to say these?"


    "If I go back and see all your dirty underwear and socks lying around, I will beat you to death. Hahaha."


    "I know what to do. Bye!"


    After hanging up, Dong Xuebing looked up at the ceiling andughed. This Chicken-Blood Stone mine should be able to generate lots of money. He does not have any spare cash with him now and can stop thinking about making money for the time being. He should think about his career path. He had joined the Party, participated in the training course organized by the Party School, got promoted to Deputy Section Chief and gotten lots of credits. What should be his next short-term goal?


    After thinking for a while, Dong Xuebing looked at his watch and walk out of his room to the main office to assign the work to the staff members.


    After assigning the daily tasks, Tan Limei cheerfully said: "Chief Dong, Secretary Yan had quiet down when you are not around. He came by our office a few times, but other than work, he did not say anything else. Most of the time, he will just call us if there is any work for us. He seems to be avoidinging to our office. Haha, this type of person should be taught a lesson before they know how to behave!"


    Chang Juan added. "That''s right. Let''s see who else dares to bully the General Affairs Office!"


    If this were another department, Tan Limei and Chang Juan would never say these things in front of everyone. But they know Chief Xiao Dong will protect them. He will not even scold them when they make mistakes.


    Dong Xuebing held back hisughter: "Stop talking nonsense. It''s time to start work. Be more serious!"


    "Ok!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    Wang Xin loves working in the General Affairs Office. It was not easy to meet a leader like Dong Xuebing.


    At about 10 am, Dong Xuebing brought a document to Xu Yan''s office. On his way to her office, everyone he met greeted him. Even those who were of higher rank than him greeted him. After so many incidents, no one in the branch dares to go against Chief Xiao Dong. It was proven. Zhou Guoan, Guo Shunjie, Yan Lei.... Everyone that shed with Chief Xiao Dong did not have a good ending.


    Xu Yan''s office.


    Dong Xuebing ced the document on Xu Yan''s desk. "Chief Xu, Director Li had asked me to pass this to you."


    Xu Yan nodded and continued her work without looking up. "ce it there. I will look at itter." She suddenly remembered something and looked up at Dong Xuebing with a smile. "Oh, my son loves the Appleptop you helped me pick. He even gave me a hug and a kiss. Haha, he spent the past two days at my ce ying with theptop. Thank You."


    Dong Xuebing quickly said: "Don''t mention it."


    Seeing Dong Xuebing did not leave her office, Xu Yan put down her pen and asked: "Is there anything you want to ask me? Have a seat."


    Dong Xuebing sat down with his back straighten and smiled embarrassedly. "Chief Xu, a few days ago... I have been promoted to Deputy Section Chief... Will my position move up?" Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office was a position for those without ranks. It''s a position without official title.


    Xu Yan pointed at Dong Xuebing, slightly pissed. "Youe here to ask for a better position?"


    Dong Xuebing coughed embarrassedly. He only dares to mention this to Xu Yan and not other leaders. "No..... Errrr... I am only asking... Hahaha, it''s just a casual question."


    Xu Yan almostughed. "You still dare to ask? Ask yourself, how long have you entered the Party? Ah? How long has it been since you be Deputy Section Chief? Ah? How long has it been since you entered the Party School? Ah? How long has it been since you be Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office? Ah? Almost all the leaders have beenining to me. You are still not satisfied at the rate you are moving up? What do you want now? Thinking of a Deputy Section Chief''s position? I know you have made many contributions to the branch, but you must still abide by the rules."


    Dong Xuebing nodded and kept quiet.


    "You... Stop thinking about all these for the next 3 years. You need more experience. We will talk about this 3 yearster."


    Dong Xuebing also know that he had moved up too fast, and his foundations were not strong. He had only entered the government service for 4 to 5 months and had been promoted from a staff member to a Deputy Section Chief. This was a first in the branch. There was no way for him to get promoted to Section Chief without 2 to 3 years of experience. All he could do now was to wait.


    But.... 3 years!


    The ambitious Dong Xuebing was not willing to wait even for one year!


    After leaving Xu Yan''s office, Dong Xuebing was deep in thoughts. How can he get promoted fast? Does he really need to wait for 3 years?


    Dong Xuebing walked backed to the General Affairs Office and stopped outside suddenly. His eyes brightened up and smacked his forehead!


    Since I can''t be promoted in the State Security, why can''t I move to another agency?


    Dong Xuebing suddenly sees a clear path in front of him. State Security is a specialized unit, and the career path is fixed. The chances of moving up the ranks are slim and do not have much authority. It is also not a mainstream government agency. It is almost impossible to enter the Central Government from State Security. But Public Security is different. Although it''s hard to be transferred from the State Security to Public Security, it''s still possible. After all, both agencies are from the same Police system, and Public Security has more options to move up. The departments in Public Security have more authoritypared to State Security, and this was Dong Xuebing''s best option!


    An idea formed in Dong Xuebing''s mind.


    Transfer to Public Security system! Even if he could not get a leader''s role, he must also try to be transferred!


    This will be Dong Xuebing''s future career path!

 Chapter 152: Magic!

    <h4>Chapter 152: Magic!</h4>


    At 4 pm. Dong Xuebing report off earlier with his briefcase.


    This was the first time Dong Xuebing going back early. He could not focus on his work as he was thinking about moving up the ranks.


    Leaders in the government service have some special privileges, but the General Affairs Office''s leader is different. The General Affairs Office oversees the branch''s backend support and administrative work. The leaders of the branch might call anytime. If the Chief of the General Affairs Office is not around, who else can they find? The General Affairs Office is unlike the Political Section or the Commission for Discipline Inspection, where the leaders have nothing to do. No one from the General Affairs Office dares to report off early. This will leave a bad impression on the higher-ups. But the one who reported off early was Chief Xiao Dong. Even Chief Zhen might not say anything.


    After reaching the bus stop, Dong Xuebing rubbed the bridge of his nose. It will not be easy to be transferred from State Security to Public Security. His rtionship is close to the leaders of the branch and has many credits under his belt. But it was also because of his credits, Xu Yan and Zhen Anguo will not let him go. They will not help him to get the transfer. He needs to look for someone else to help him.


    Who should he look for?


    Who else? Xie Hun was the only person whom he knew could help him.


    That''s right. Other than Xie Hun, no one else have the connections to help Dong Xuebing. This was not transferring from one department to another. This was moving from one agency to another agency. Even Chief Zhen and Xu Yan might not be able to do it. They do not have authority. During the lunch with Xie Hun at Wang Fu Restaurant, the City''s Party and Standing Committee member and Public Security Chief, Feng Xueliang, spoke to Sister Xie. If Feng Xueliang was able to help, then there will be no problem for his transfer.


    Dong Xuebing knew who to look for help, but how should he ask?


    Dong Xuebing had saved Xie Hun''s life, and if nothing else happened, he would have called her straight. But he was caught doing despicable things to her stockings. He was too embarrassed to ask her for help.


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while and called Xie Hao. "Hello, Xiao Hao, have you finish your ss?"


    Xie Hao, on the other line, replied excitedly. "Brother Dong, is there a fight, and you need my help? No problem! Where are you now? I will bring my men over!"


    Dong Xuebing was dumbfounded. He had agreed casually and never expect Xie Hao to remember it. "What fight?! Stop thinking about fights! If your sister knows about this, she will beat you to death!" Xie Haoughed, and Dong Xuebing continued. "I need to speak to you. If your sses have ended, let''s meet up."


    "No problem. Where are you now? I will go over!"


    "Let''s meet at Bei Wei Road. It''s nearer to your school."


    After arranging the location, Dong Xuebing took a taxi over. Dong Xuebing did not tell Xie Hun about Xie Hao creating trouble at the Western District branch, and Xie Hao called him several times to thank him. He even sends Lunar New Year greeting SMS on thest day of the Lunar New Year. After the Western District branch incident, they had gotten closer.


    Bei Wei Road, T-junction.


    Xie Hao, who was still in his uniform, was squatting by the roadside smoking.


    Dong Xuebing alighted from the taxi and frowned when he saw Xie Hao smoking. But he did not scold him as he was not his family member. Also, Xie Hao would not listen to him. "Xiao Hao, have you waited long?"


    "Oh, you are here." Xie Hao stood up and snubbed the cigarette butt with his feet. "I just reached."


    "Did you skip school? I pass by your school just now, and there are no other students."


    Xue Hao smiled. "Brother Dong is looking for me, and I must be here early. Skipping one or two lessons is nothing."


    "You..." Dong Xuebing shook his head andughed. "It''s not a big problem. I only want to ask you about your sister. Cough... What''s with that look? Come, let''s talk on the way." Dong Xuebing turned and walked towards the east direction. Xie Hao was looking at Dong Xuebing suspiciously, and Dong Xuebing asked. "Xiao Hao, Chief Xue... is there anything she likes? Like a small present that will make her happy?" Dong Xuebing wanted to give Xie Hun a gift and ask her for help. It will not be so awkward, but he does not know what Xie Hun likes the gift must be worth less than 2,000 RMB.


    Xie Hao thought for a while: "My sister likes to collect antiques."


    Dong Xuebing knows about this hobby of hers, but it is too expensive, and Sister Xie will not ept it. "Anything else?"


    "Errr... errr..." Xie Hao thought for a while. "Oh, recently, she likes to watch magic shows!"


    Magic show? Damn! There will not be enough time for me to learn it. "Anything else?"


    Xie Hao cursed. "Brother Dong, are you thinking of asking my Sister for help?"


    Dong Xuebing nodded embarrassedly. "Yes."


    "Sigh... you don''t need to overthink. You had saved my sister''s life and why do you still need to prepare gifts? She will surely help you." Xie Hao took out his phone. "I will call sis now!"


    Dong Xuebing quickly stops him. "No, no... It''s hard for me to ask her. Never mind. I will speak to her another time."


    Xie Hao replied eagerly. "Brother Dong, what''s there to be shy? Fine. Why not I ask my sister out for dinner together? It''s almost dinnertime soon. You can see if you want to ask her over dinner. I will not interfere. Ok?"


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while. "Fine. Thanks."


    "Hah, there is no need to thank me. I had said before. You had saved my sister, which means I owe you a debt too. I will treat you as real elder brother!" Xie Hao dialed his sister''s number on his phone. "Hello, Sis? I met Brother Dong just now. We are looking for a ce to have dinner. You want to join us? ... What? He went to look for you again? ... no... I am with Brother Dong now... He is meeting you for dinner? Ok. Where will you all be going? I will go over with Brother Dong... I promise I will not cause any problems... Fine..... Ok... We will be there shortly. Bye."


    Dong Xuebing saw Xie Hao keeping his phone and asked. "Someone had invited Chief Xie for dinner?"


    Xie Hao replied angrily. "It''s someone by the name of Wei Nan. His father is close to our family, and my grandfather wants to matchmake my sister and him. I have respect for Uncle We. His family is doing medical equipment business. But that Wei Nan... Damn! I just hated him. He is not good enough for my sister, and my sister does not like him! Hmph! If it weren''t for my grandfather, I would have given him a kick to his face!"


    Wei Nan? This name sounds familiar.


    Dong Xuebing asked. "Your sister is in the government and is a Deputy Divisional Chief at her age. Even if she is looking for a partner, shouldn''t she look for someone in the government?"


    Xie Hao replied: "That''s right. My sister also feels the same. But my grandfather does not like my sister to be in politics. He says my sister is a woman and should not be involved in politics. My grandfather is the head of the family, and everyone had to listen to him. That''s why it''s a miracle for my sister to remain single until now. But this time, my grandfather is serious. My sister might be forced to marry that Wei Nan! F**k!"


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself. Sister Xie is from an influential family, and her marriage have to be arranged by her family. No wonder she is still single now. She does not want to marry a businessman and prefers someone working in the government.


    Dong Xuebing felt unhappy when he heard Xie Hun might be getting married. He was unhappier after he met Wei Nan!


    Make Ximu Restaurant.


    Xie Hao greeted a long hair guy, unwillingly. "Sis, Brother Wei." Xie Hun was around, and he dare not to be rude.


    Wei Nan smiled and nodded. "Xiao Hao, who is this?" He looked at Dong Xuebing and felt he seems familiar.


    Dong Xuebing was someone who holds grudges. He recognized Wei Nan immediately. Wei Nan was the leader of that group of people who werete at Han Hai Auctions. He even tried to chase Dong Xuebing away from his seat, but Dong Xuebing did not agree. Sister Xie''s grandfather wants her to marry this person?


    Dong Xuebing was furious. He secretly admires Xie Hun and does not want her to be with another guy. But he cannot show his anger in front of Xie Hun. He smiled at Wei Nan. "Hi, nice to meet you again. How is that pearl ne?"


    Wei Nan remembered where he met Dong Xuebing when he heard the pearl ne. Heughed. "Oh, it''s you. No wonder I find you familiar."


    Xie Hao looked at the both of them curiously.


    Xie Hun had just finished work and was wearing ady''s suit. She smiled. "Xiao Dong, Wei Nan, you all know each other?"


    Wei Nan was standing very near to Xie Hun. "Yes. We had auctioned for that ne I gave to Aunty at the auction house."


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "That''s right. We also fought over the seats."


    Wei Nan gave Dong Xuebing a look.


    Xie Hun narrowed her eyes and looked at both of them. "Let''s go in for dinner."


    Xie Hao could sense that Brother Dong and Wei Nan had something against each other. Before entering the restaurant, he whispered to Dong Xuebing. "Don''t you find him irritating? I feel like beating him up!"


    Dong Xuebingughed and entered the restaurant.


    This was a high-ss restaurant, and there were dress codes. Dong Xuebing was wearing a jacket, and he was fine. Xie Hao was still wearing his school uniform, but he did not care. He walked in front and pulled out two chairs. "Sis, Brother Dong, have a seat."


    Xie Hun gave a cold look to Xie Hao.


    Xie Hao unwillingly pulled out a chair for Wei Nan.


    After ordering, Wei Nan asked with a smile. "Xiao Dong, on our way here, I heard from Hun that you had saved her when she fell into the river? Thank you for saving her. If you arrivedte, Hun might be..."


    Dong Xuebing was furious when he heard Wei Nan calling Xie Hun so intimately. Wei Nan was about 30 years old and was much older than Dong Xuebing. But in his office, one of his subordinates was almost 60. Dong Xuebing treated people in their 30s as his peers. In the branch, other than the leaders, who else dares to address him as Xiao Dong. Even Political Section''s Chief Pang Bin called him Chief Dong. Who is this Wei Nan to call him Xiao Dong?


    Xie Hao does not know why Dong Xuebing was angry. But he knew they had amon enemy. "You don''t need to thank him. My sister and I had thanked Brother Dong." This sentence means ''Who are you to thank Brother Dong on behalf of my sister?''


    Wei Nan took a sip of his red wine. "I had to thank Xiao Dong. We will be getting engaged soon. If it''s wasn''t for Xiao Dong..."


    Going to be engaged? Dong Xuebing was pissed!


    Xie Hao almost cursed. He does not want Wei Nan to be his brother-inw. His brother-inw must be cultured and handsome. He must be holding at least a Divisional Chief rank. Xie Hao tried to piss him off. "Ah! Since you mentioned it, then you must thank Brother Dong properly. If Brother Dong had not given CPR to my sister, we would not be having dinner with her now."


    F**k! Dong Xuebing almost fainted. Why did you have to bring up about the CPR?!


    Wei Nan''s hand shook, and his face turned ck! CPR? His face looks like he had just swallowed 100 flies. When he gave the pearl ne to Xie Hun''s mother, she told him that Xie Hun had never dated anyone in her life and told Wei Nan to cherish her. That means no men had touched her before, and she might still have her first kiss. This was also one of the reasons why he was determined to woo Xie Hun. But now, he heard the words CPR! Even if it was to save her life, Dong Xuebing had kissed her!


    Xie Hun narrowed her eyes. "Xiao Hao, is your steak good?"


    Xie Hao immediately knew his sister was angry, and he dare not to say a single word.


    Dong Xuebing was also nervous. He also wanted to piss Wei Nan off, but he dares not mention anything about CPR. He must not say anything that would remind Sister Xie about the stocking incident. He still needed her help.


    It was awkward.


    A few secondster, Xie Hun took a sip of her wine and swirl the wine in the ss. "Chateau le pin. French 1990. I had seen this wine once at an auction. Did you bring this from home? Haha, this meal is cost around my 3 months sry. Wei Nan, don''t bring me to this fancy restaurant in the future. If not, I will not dare to dine with you. Do you understand?"


    Wei Nan rposed himself and nodded. "Ok. I will listen to you." Xie Hun''s tone was always somanding, regardless she is speaking to her friends or colleagues. Wei Nan could not stand the way she speaks. He could only agree to her and had to amodate her like her subordinates. Wei Nan likes everything about Xie Hun, except for the way she speaks. He got no choice. His father might be a prominent businessman, butpared to Xie Hun''s family, his father was too far apart. If it weren''t for Xie Hun''s grandfather wanting Xie Hun to get married to a businessman, he would never have the opportunity to meet her. Although he was unwilling, he had to give in to her.


    With the change of the subject, the dinner was not so tense. Xie Hun starts to talk about wine. She seems to be into red wine.


    After the main course, the waiters started to serve desserts.


    Xie Hun wiped her mouth after dessert and looked at Dong Xuebing with a smile. "Xiao Dong, is there anything you want to ask me?"


    Damn! I can''t hide anything from Sister Xie. This was not the right moment to ask her for a favour. Dong Xuebing could only shake his head.


    Wei Nan nced at Dong Xuebing coldly and then looked at Xie Hun. "Hun, I had booked a private room. Shall we go and watch a movie?"


    Xie Hunughed. "It''s only a movie. You don''t need to call my mother for such a trivial matter in the future."


    Wei Nan smiled. He was afraid that Xie Hun would reject him, so he called Xie Hun''s mother before meeting her.


    Xie Hun looked at her watch and said. "Alright. I still have half an hour to spare. I will have work to doter. I will not be able to finish the movie and will have to leave halfway. It is nothing against you. Haha..."


    Wei Nan replied: "It''s fine. Work is more important."


    Dong Xuebing was feeling jealous when he heard movies and a private room. But he was in no position to say anything.


    "No, no... I have something to say." Xie Hao still remembers that he needs to help Brother Dong. "Sis, you must go back with me today. I have a few math problems which I don''t understand. You must help me."


    Xie Hunughed. "Since when you changed for the better?"


    Xie Hao replied: "Didn''t you ask me to study hard?"


    Xie Hun looked at Xie Hao and Dong Xuebing. "Another day, alright?"


    Wei Nan interrupted. "Xiao Hao, you can ask Xiao Dong to help you. The movie is starting."


    Xie Hao replied angrily. "Is watching movies more important than my studies? My Brother Dong is not good with Math, and I want my sister to help me. Sister, can you help me?!"


    Dong Xuebing nodded with approval in his heart. This Xie Hao is too adorable.


    Xie Hun shook her head with a smile. She did not say a word and seems to be troubled.


    Wei Nan had prepared today for a long time. He was pissed when he heard that Xie Hun tells him that Xie Hao and the person who saved her life will be joining them for dinner. But when Xie Hao goes against him a few times, he started to frown.


    1 second...


    2 seconds...


    3 seconds...


    Xie Hun suddenlyughed. "How about this? I be interested in magic recently. I watched the magic show segment on the Spring Festival G Night program 3 times. Haha, Wei Nan, didn''t you say you prepared a magic trick for me over the phone? My brother also knows some magic tricks. Why not you twopete? I will follow the winner. Alright?" Sister Xie had agreed to go out with Wei Nan, and it was hard for her to reject him. But she still wants to go back with Xie Hao.


    Wei Nan smiled: "No problem!"


    Xie Hao was surprised. "Huh? Brother Wei also knows magic tricks? Wow... I would like to see it."


    "Haha, you can go first." Wei Nan had heard from Xie Hun''s mother that Xie Hun had be interested in magic recently. He purposely learned a magic trick and wanted to perform to her in the cinema. But since Xie Hun will not be able to finish the movie, he does not have to wait any longer. He was very confident with this magic trick. He spent a lot of money to learn this trick from a magician.


    "Ok. I will go first." Xie Hao took out a pack of cards from his school bag. He smiled and started to shuffle the cards. "Sis, I learned this trick recently, and I am sure that you cannot see through it." Xie Hao did not look at the cards and showed it to Xie Hun. "Sis, pick one card and don''t show it to me."


    Xie Hunughed and pulled out 5 of Diamonds from the pack.


    Xie Hao took the card from her. "Alright. This is the card? I do not know what this card is." He ced the card back onto the pack and shuffles it, before passing it to Xie Hun. "Sis, shuffle the cards."


    Xie Hun shuffled the cards for a while. "Alright."


    "Ok. Now, I will pick out the card you picked just now from the pack. Haha, you don''t believe me, right? Watch carefully!" Xie Hao confidently picks up the pack of cards facing down, and start throwing the cards one by one on the table. Suddenly he stopped and flip the top card. "This is the card you picked!" It was that Diamond 5.


    Dong Xuebing also hope Xie Hao would win. After all, he was helping him. He immediately cheered: "Good."


    But Wei Nan said. "Hahaha, you did not look at the card when you pick it from Hun. But you used your fingernails to make a marking at the back of the card. Am I right?" He picked up that card, and there was a fingernail marking at the back. "This is how you pick out the earlier card, right?"


    Dong Xuebing cursed in his heart. This guy knows his stuff.


    Xie Hunughed. "Oh, I see...."


    After being exposed, Xie Hao got angry. "It''s your turn! Show me your trick!"


    Wei Nan smiled confidently and turned his body slightly towards Xie Hun. He then took out a ck handkerchief from his suit''s pocket. "Watch carefully. I am only holding on to a handkerchief and nothing else." He waved the handkerchief around and saw Xie Hun nodding. Then he reached underneath the handkerchief and took out a rose from it!


    Xie Hun was surprised.


    Xie Hao was also surprised. "Did you hide that flower somewhere?"


    Dong Xuebing also knew that Wei Nan had hidden the flower somewhere on him. If not, it will not appear suddenly. But he does not know where he hid it.


    Wei Nan smiled and held out the rose. "Hun, this is for you."


    Xie Hunughed: "Interesting. I have seen it several times on TV but still have not figure out who this trick is performed. Haha, this is an eyeopener." She paused for a while and said: "Xiao Hao, you should be satisfied now. Let''s go and watch the movie. But after the movie, you must tell me about your trick. Okay?"


    Dong Xuebing took a nce at Wei Nan. Damn! This guy was able to show off. Sister Xie really seems to be interested in magic tricks!


    "Wait!" Xie Hao was not willing to give up. "Sis, you said that you will follow whoever that has the best magic trick. Brother Dong still has not performed." Xie Hao looked at Dong Xuebing. "Brother Dong! Show us a trick!"


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. He also wanted to perform something, but he does not know any tricks!


    Xie Hun and Wei Nan could tell from Dong Xuebing''s looks. They smiled and stood up, preparing to leave.


    "Wait! Wait!" Xie Hao looked around and saw a couple in their 30s at a nearby table. They should be dating and had just finished their meals. There was a bouquet of flowers and a small box, wrapped nicely. "That box. If Brother Dong can guess what is in that box correctly, then Sis will leave with him!"


    Wei Nan frowned. "Xiao Hao, you don''t need to let Xiao Dong guess, and I can tell you the answer now. There is a diamond ring in that box."


    Dong Xuebing also knows that Xie Hao was trying to make things difficult. But other than diamond ring, what else can that box contain? That man must be proposing to that woman.


    Xie Hun smiled. "There must be a diamond ring in that box. This is not called magic. It ismon sense."


    Xie Hao rolled his eyes and kept quiet.


    Suddenly, Dong Xuebing smiled and said. "Actually, it is not a diamond ring. It is a 1 Yuan 1992 coin. Haha."


    Xie Hun and Wei Nan thought nothing about it andughed along with Dong Xuebing. They packed their things and were about to leave the restaurant.


    Xia Hao whispered. "Brother Dong, I tried my best."


    Dong Xuebing patted his shoulder. "Thanks."


    All of them stood up and were about to leave. That man at the nearby table suddenly unwrap the small gift, and it was a small wooden box. He smiled at the woman and said: "Do you still remember how we met?" The woman looked at the man confused. The man continued: "A few years ago, I dropped something at the cross junction, and you helped me picked it up. That''s when we got to know each other. Without this thing, we will not be together. I had kept it with me for 5 years. Today, I will let you keep this item for me. This is a token of our love."


    Xie Hun and Wei Nan looked over. Xie Hao also took a nce at that table.


    Dong Xuebing was the only one who had a smile on his face and did not look over.


    That man opened the box, and it contained a shiny silver colored item!


    Under the chandelier''s lights, everyone could see what was in that box. It was not a diamond ring, ne, or earrings. It contained... a shiny silver 1 yuan coin!!!


    Xie Hun was stunned!


    Wei Nan was stunned!


    Xie Hao was also stunned!


    Xie Hao could not believe what he had saw. He remembered Brother Dong saying it was a coin, and he sounded like he was joking. He froze for about 3 seconds before asking. "Which year is that coin?"


    That man got a scare and noticed a group of people looking at him. "Why are you asking me that? I don''t remember." He frowned and looked at the coin and said. "It was 1992. Why?"


    1992?!


    This simple reply shocked Xie Hao, Wei Nan, and Xie Hun!


    Xie Hao eximed: "Damn! It''s really a 1992, 1-yuan coin!"


    Xie Hun and Wei Nan took in a deep breath and looked at Dong Xuebing!


    Xie Hao was almost crazy. He grabbed Dong Xuebing''s arm. "Brother Dong! You are right!" Xie Hun and Wei Nan could not believe what they saw. That box was wrapped up, and Dong Xuebing had not spoken with that man before. Xie Hao had mentioned it randomly, and even the owner of that box does not know the year of the coin. How did Dong Xuebing know it contains a 1-yuan coin, and he also knows it is a 1992 coin?!


    This was ridiculous!


    They left the restaurant in a daze, and at the entrance, Xie Hao quickly ask: "Brother Dong, tell me! How do you know what is in that box?"


    Dong Xuebingughed. "It''s magic. Some tricks cannot be revealed. I can''t tell you."


    Xie Hun smiled. She really likes Dong Xuebing''s magic trick. "You also know magic tricks?"


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "Errr.... I only know some tricks."


    "This is really an eye-opener. I had never seen such magic tricks in my life. This is even an impromptu performance. The magic show I watched on TV cannot bepared to your trick!" Xie Hunughed and turned to Wei Nan. "Sorry. I got to keep to my words. Xiao Dong''s magic trick is outstanding. Haha. I can only leave with Xiao Dong today."


    Wei Nan almost cursed out loud!


    That is also considered a magic trick? Magic tricks are only tricks that could fool people!


    But what Dong Xuebing did earlier.... How can that be considered a magic trick?!!


    Dong Xuebing does not know magic. After Xie Hao pointed to that box, Dong Xuebing used BACK to look at the contents!!!

 Chapter 153: Chief Xiao Dong is famous

    <h4>Chapter 153: Chief Xiao Dong is famous</h4>


    Dong Xuebing''s ''magic performance'' was outstanding. Although he had wasted a BACK, he had stored many BACKs since Chinese New Year and the trip to Zhejiang. He still has 10 BACKs remaining and does not mind using it once or twice to leave a good impression with Xie Hun or piss Wei Nan off. This BACK was worth it. Dong Xuebing looked at Wei Nan andughed in his heart. Wei Nan looked like he was about to skin Dong Xuebing alive.


    Xie Hun smiled and asked. "Xiao Dong, are you sitting in my car?"


    Xie Hao secretly showed a thumbs up to Dong Xuebing and said: "Sis, can you give me a ride?"


    Wei Nan knew he had no chance and said. "Hun, we will go to the movies tomorrow. I will call..."


    Xie Hun shook her head. "Thank you for dinner today. I will be busy with work and do not have time tomorrow. Let''s meet another day, alright?"


    Wei Nan was furious. This was a nice dinner date, and it was messed up by Dong Xuebing. Not only that, he found out that his future wife had been kissed by Dong Xuebing. He watched Xie Hun boarded her Audi and drove away. It was all Dong Xuebing''s fault! He is only a lowly civil servant! Damn! I will settle this score with you another time!


    In the Audi.


    Xie Hun was driving with a smile. "Xiao Dong, where do you want to go?"


    Sister Xie had said she will follow the person with the best magic trick. Dong Xuebing did not expect to win and had not thought of where to go. But Dong Xuebing was still a civil servant after all. He will not speak his mind. "Sister Xie, sorry for interrupting your date. Actually, I did not expect to perform that magic trick. If you are busy, you can drop me off here. You don''t need to mind me."


    Xie Hunughed. "How can I go back on my words? Furthermore, your magic trick is the best. Show me more tricks in the future. I think you are an expert in magic tricks. Haha. We were discussing magic earlier, and you kept quiet all the while. But in the end, you are the real magician."


    Xie Haoughed. "Brother Dong is being modest."


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself. What modest? All the leaders in my branch think I am always in the limelight.


    Xie Hun saw Dong Xuebing did not say where to go and knew that he should be embarrassed to say it out. She also knows that Dong Xuebing must have something to speak to her when Xie Hao asked her out for dinner together. She smiled and said. "My electric heater at home had broken down. How about apanying me to the mall to get a new one and then go to my ce?"


    Dong Xuebing politely replied. "I am afraid of bothering you."


    "You are too polite to me. This is set."


    "Errr... I will listen to you."


    To be invited to a Central Government Officer''s home was signs of being trusted. Dong Xuebing felt it is an excellent opportunity to ask her for help at her houseter. He suddenly rubbed his temples and looked at her Xie Hun''s expression. She seems to not mind about the stocking incident. Any woman would be furious if they found out a man had used their stockings to do that... but Sister Xie was...


    Dong Xuebing could only think of one possibility.


    Dong Xuebing felt he might have overthought. He assumed that Xie Hun knows what that stuff on her stockings was. But why would she know? She is from a good family and is a high-rank government officer. She will not watch those movies like Aunt Xuan in her free time. Since Sister Xie is still single, she might never have any rtionships with men before and will not know what that sticky stuff on her stockings is. Spit, and that stuff looks simr! Dong Xuebing brightens up. That''s right. Sister Xie might not know what he did with her stockings. This will exin her reactions over the past few days!


    Dong Xuebing was excited and relieved!


    Dong Xuebing felt rxed. Xie Hun was too innocent to know about all these.


    Ring, ring, ring. Sister Xie''s phone rang.


    Xie Hun was still driving along the main road, and the traffic was heavy. She could not park her car on the roadside. She smiled and looked into the rear-view mirror.


    "Xiao Hao, phone."


    But Xie Hao could not reach her phone from his position. Dong Xuebing quickly bent forward from the backseat and opened her handbag in the front passenger seat. He took out her phone from the bag and near Xie Hun''s ear. "You are driving, and it is not safe to use the phone. I will hold it for you." After saying that, he pressed the answer button.


    "Thank you." Xie Hun smiled. "Hello? .... Oh, Chief Wu?"


    Dong Xuebing was quite close to Sister Xie and could smell her fragrance. It was not her perfume. It was her womanly scent. She smells nice, and it was like a drug to Dong Xuebing, and he was addicted. He did not move and quietly enjoyed the smell. Suddenly, from the corner of his eyes, he saw the opening from the top of Xie Hun''s blouse. She had taken off her jacket when she boarded the car, and her top button was undone. From Dong Xuebing''s position, he could see her cleavage clearly!


    Xie Hun was looking in front and talking on the phone. "There is no need for that, alright? I am outside now... Hahaha. You ah... Since when you learn all these things? Huh? Your wife is also here? Haha... Fine... You are at my ce already? Ok...." She looked at her watch and said. "Then wait for me with your wife. I will reach home in 20 minutes. Hahaha.... No problem."


    One nce... two nces... three nces...


    Xie Hun had ended her call, and Dong Xuebing dare not to continue peeping at her. He forced himself to look away and help her keep her phone into her bag.


    Xie Hun looked into the mirror and smiled. "Xiao Dong, do you still remember I told you that one of my colleague''s wife is from your branch? Haha, they hade over to my ce for a visit. I can''t reject them. Why not you go to a coffeeshop with Xiao Hao first? You all cane up to my ce after an hour."


    Dong Xuebing quickly replied: "Sister Xie, since you are busy, I will not bother you. I will go back first."


    Xie Hun shook her head. "No. It''s only an hour, alright?"


    Dong Xuebing hesitated. He knew Sister Xie knows he needed something from her. "How about I go to the mall to help you get an electric heater since you are busy? After you are done, you can ask Xiao Hao to give me a call, and I will send the heater up."


    Xie Hun smiled. "How can I bother you? Xiao Hao can go."


    Xie Hao replied: "That''s right. I can go and buy a heater."


    Dong Xuebing still needed Xie Hun''s help, but he did not prepare any gifts. "No, no. I am fine alone. Xiao Hao had been in school the whole day. Let him go back and rest." Dong Xuebing pointed to a shopping mall in front. "Sister Xie, you can drop me off here. There is a supermarket inside."


    "Alright, then. Sorry to trouble you."


    "Don''t mention it."


    After alighting, Dong Xuebing did not leave immediately. This will be disrespecting the leader and is a taboo in the government service. He stood there with a smile, watching the Audi go. After the Audi had turned to a corner, he entered the shopping mall to buy the electric heater.


    ...


    News Department employees'' quarters.


    "Pleasee in. Sorry to keep you all waiting." Xie Hun opened the door to let a couple in their 40s enter.


    "Chief Xie, we are sorry to bother you. This is after working hours and...." Chief Wu was holding a few shopping bags, and all the bags were not transparent. These gifts should not be cheap. He entered Xie Hun''s house with his wife and put down the bags, before looking at Xie Hao. "This is your brother? Heh, he is quite good looking. Are you in High School?"


    Xie Hunughed. "He just entered Junior high. This kid never let me stop worrying about him. He caused lots of trouble for me."


    Xie Hao was not pleased, but he did not refute his sister.


    Xie Hun looked at Xie Hao. "Go and prepare tea for Chief Wu and his wife."


    Xie Hao looked at Mrs. Wu. He heard that she was working at the Western District Branch and was afraid that she would recognize him and tell his sister. But he was assured when he saw the look on her face. He acknowledged his sister and ran into the kitchen to make tea.


    Chief Wu and his wife hade to visit Xie Hun for a purpose. He had been in his current position, Deputy Chief for almost 8 years, and was not promoted. He found out that a Section Chief from the News Department will be retiring soon, and Chief Wu would like to take over that leader''s position. This was the reason for him to visit Xie Hun with gifts today. He believed Xie Hun was smart enough to guess the purpose of his visit today, and he does not need to mention it. He brought his wife along was to make this meeting more enjoyable. After all, Xie Hun was also a woman, and they would havemon topics to chat with.


    Binging gifts to the leader''s ce when asking for a favor is not enough. There are lots of preparation work to do. They need to know what the leader''s hobbies and interest are, what sort of gifts is suitable, what to say during the meeting and how to bring up the main subject while chatting. All these had to be nned. Chief Wu had thought it out over the past few days. After sitting down on the sofa, Chief Wu took special notice on Xie Hun''s expressions while chatting. His wife would join in the conversation asionally. They were d to see Xie Hun not showing signs of impatient or irritation. This was a good sign.


    After listening to their conversation for a while, Xie Hao went to Xie Hun''s room to y PC games.


    In the living room, Xie Hun took a sip of tea and asked. "Oh, Mrs. Wu, you are from the Western District State Security Branch? Is your work there busy?"


    Mrs. Wu smiled and replied: "I am working in the confidential archive department, so it''s not that busy. Most of the time, I am doing sorting and filing confidential files."


    Xie Hun smiled. "I have a friend working in your branch. Haha, do you know Xiao Dong from the General Affairs Office?"


    Mrs. Wu was stunned. Before she replied, Chief Wu asked. "You are talking about Chief Xiao Dong?"


    Xie Hun was surprised by their reactions. "Chief Wu, you also heard of him?"


    Chief Wu replied. "I heard about him from my wife. But her workce has strict regtions on confidentiality, and she did not tell me about the details. Chief Xiao Dong is your friend?"


    Xie Hun nodded. "I would like to know more about his performance at work. Haha, but since you are not allowed to reveal much because of regtions, it''s fine."


    Chief Wu kept quiet for a moment and used his leg to nudge his wife. He could tell that Xie Hun was interested in finding out more about Chief Xiao Dong. She said it''s okay, but what she meant was she really wanted to know. He quickly signaled to his wife to tell Xie Hun about Xiao Dong. The regtions only restrict the State Security officers from revealing secrets to outsiders. But Xie Hun and her family were closely tied to the government. They do not need to hide anything from her!


    Xie Hao heard them talking about Brother Dong in the living room, and he quickly stops ying game. He moved closer to the door. He was also interested in finding out more about Dong Xuebing.


    Mrs. Wu hesitated for a while. "Chief Xie, actually, I don''t need to hide anything from you."


    Xie Hun waved her hand. "It''s fine. I know there are strict regtions in your agency. Haha, I am asking about Xiao Dong is because I know he had entered the government service for only a few months. How did he get promoted to Deputy Section Chief so fast? He did not tell me anything about this." Xie Hun does not know Dong Xuebing well. She only knows that he is working as the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office and is holding a Deputy Section Chief rank. He does not have any backings and is just an ordinary civilian. She is just curious about Dong Xuebing.


    Mrs. Wuughed. "From what I see, there is no problem with Chief Xiao Dong''s promotion. Everyone in the branch knows who Chief Xiao Dong is. All the things he did for the branch can be written into a novel. A fantasy novel."


    Xie Hun got interested. "Oh? Tell me about it."


    Mrs. Wu thought for a while and said. "There was once, the General Affairs Office Chief''s office caught fire, and there are several important documents in there. The fire spread very fast, and the whole office is engulfed in mes. No one would survive in that fire. But Chief Xiao Dong was the only one that dares to enter the office to retrieve the documents."


    Xie Hun nodded. "He is brave."


    Mrs. Wu was full of admiration for Xiao Dong. "This incident can only show Chief Xiao Dong''s guts and bravery. But the things after the fire incident are unexinable. Our agency has a ser tournament. During a match, our opponents were awarded a penalty in the dying minutes. No one was confident of saving that penalty except for Chief Xiao Dong. He stepped forward and volunteered to be the goalkeeper. The ball was going to the top corner of the goal, and he managed to save it. The next day, during the final minutes of the ser match, Chief Xiao Dong was substituted onto the field, and he scored the winning goal in the final second of the match."


    Xie Hao walked out of the room and asked. "Brother Dong also knows how to y ser?"


    Mrs. Wu looked at him andughed. "Chief Xiao Dong knows more than ying ser. An old leader from State Security came to our branch for a visit. On his way to our quarters, he got an asthma attack, which triggered a heart attack. His medication was not with him and could hardly make it out alive. But Chief Xiao Dong appeared and reached into his pocket and take out asthma and heart attack medications. Another time, our branch had arrested the wrong person, and the person arrested happened to be our City Bureau Leader''s nephew. This is a serious incident, and no one could pacify that leader. In the end, our branch leaders called Chief Xiao Dong for help, and he only took a few minutes to solve this problem."


    Chief Wu had not heard of all these stories from his wife. He felt the stories are unbelievable and gave his wife a nudge. "Don''t exaggerate the stories!"


    Xie Hun blinked. "It really sounds like stories from a fantasy novel."


    Mrs. Wuughed. "But it is the truth. I had seen many of the incidents with my own eyes. I also don''t understand why Chief Xiao Dong is so capable. Now, whoever mentioned him in our branch, they will give him a thumbs up. All problems will be solved if Chief Xiao Dong shows up!"


    Xie Hun looked at her. "Xiao Dong can really solve all problems?"


    Mrs. Wu replied firmly. "I am not lying. He really can solve any problems... without any issues!"


    Xie Hao asked with doubt. "Brother Dong is really so capable?"


    Chief Wu also had doubts. "Is it true?"


    "Of course." Mrs. Wu replied. "If not, how can Chief Xiao Dong be promoted to Deputy Section Chief after a few months? He really has the capability. When he was promoted, many people were unhappy with this decision. But now, after Chief Xiao Dong save the branch a few times, no one dares to doubt him!" If Mrs. Wu had not seen what Dong Xuebing did with her own eyes, she would also not believe the stories about him. Even after seeing what Dong Xuebing did, she still felt it was unbelievable.


    Xie Hunughed. "Haha, this is so interesting."


    After Chief Wu and his wife left, Xie Hao looked at his sister. "Sis, you believe what she said?"


    Xie Hunughed. "I don''t think she dares to lie to me."


    "Wow, Brother Dong is so capable? I thought he is just an ordinary civil servant!" Xie Hao did not find anything special about Dong Xuebing. Errr.... Except for his magic trick.


    Xie Hun thought for a while and smiled. "Some people might look ordinary, but they can get extraordinary results. Do you still remember the incident when I fell into the river? Why Xiao Dong could suddenly appear out of nowhere? Howe he has a fruit knife with him to cut the seaweeds? Haha.... The magic trick earlier. Do you really think that is magic?"


    Xie Hao was dumbfounded.


    Xie Hun mumbled to herself. "Can solve all problems? Haha.... Can you solve my problem?"

 Chapter 154: Xie Huilan’s promise

    <h4>Chapter 154: Xie Hun''s promise</h4>


    News Department quarters.


    After buying the electric heater from the supermarket, Dong Xuebing waited at a nearby 24hrs KFC. After waiting for a while, he received a call from Xie Hun, telling him that her guests had left. He quickly picks up the electric heater and left for her house. When he reached Xie Hun''s estate, he took a few deep breaths topose himself before entering the unit number into the security gate. After Xie Hun unlocked the gate, he slowly makes his way upstairs. He was worried if Xie Hun would help him arrange the transfer.


    Xie Hun''s apartment.


    Xie Hun opened the door to let Dong Xuebing enter. "Haha, you looked tired. Thank you so much."


    "It''s fine." Dong Xuebing ced the electric heater by the wall. "Is this model suitable?"


    "Oh, this is an expensive brand. How much is it? I will pay for you."


    "Ah, it does not cost much. You don''t need to pay me."


    "The previous time you had bought the clothes for me. How can I let you pay this time?" Xie Hun took out a few notes from her purse. "I don''t know how much this heater cost. Here, take it. Don''t make me repeat this, alright?"


    After rejecting a few times, Dong Xuebing epted the money. "Xiao Hao went back?"


    Xie Hun nodded. "I asked him to go back to do his homework. Come, have a seat."


    Dong Xuebing noticed Xie Hun had changed her clothes. She was wearing a sweatshirt and a pair of casual pants. She was dressed casually and wore a pair of wool slippers. Dong Xuebing knew Xie Hun should not be wearing this attire when she met Chief Wu and his wife. The fact that she was wearing this attire now tells him that Xie Hun treated him as someone close. Dong Xuebing was relieved and confirmed that Sister Xie does not know about the stocking incident!


    "Xiao Dong..."


    "Yes."


    Xie Hun looked at him andughed. "Haha, I heard a lot about you just now. You are so young and had achieved so many things. No wonder you are promoted so fast. My achievements cannot bepared to you when I joined government service. No... I can''t even bepared to you now if I consider the problems you solved for your branch."


    Dong Xuebing was surprised. Damn. Sister Xie also knows about the things I had done? Dong Xuebing was feeling overjoyed to be praised by a woman he likes. But he had to be humble. "No, no... How can I bepared to you? You are solving problems for the nation. I am only.... The problems I solved are all trivial matters. This cannot bepared."


    Xie Hunughed. "We are all working for the people. Is there a need to differentiate whether if the problem is a big issue or a small issue?"


    "Yes... Yes..."


    "Haha, you are looking for me to ask me something?"


    Dong Xuebing looked at her expression and asked cautiously. "Errr... I do need a favor from you. But it''s embarrassing to ask you."


    Xie Hun waved her hand. "What is there to be embarrassed about? Tell me."


    Dong Xuebing organized his words in his mind and said. "Sister Xie. I had joined State Security for almost 5 months now. But... I think that the environment does not suit me." Dong Xuebing will not say that he wants a transfer because he can''t be promoted. "Errr... if possible, can you help me get a transfer to Public Security? I personally prefer the environment there as I will be able to serve the public on the frontline. It is much better than when I am doing now."


    Xie Hun frowned. "You want to go to Public Security?"


    Dong Xuebing nodded. "I know it''s hard for this to be arranged. After all, it is an inter-agency transfer. Errr... I also don''t need to be holding a leadership position. I am willing to be a Deputy Section Chief level police officer." That was what Dong Xuebing wanted. It would be hard for him to get a leader''s role as there might not be any vacancies now. All he wanted was to enter the public security, and he will be able to move up the ranks with his own capability.


    Xie Hun did not say a word and continue sipping her tea.


    Dong Xuebing''s heart was racing. Was it too difficult? Sister Xie could not help him?


    1-minute past....


    2-minute past...


    Dong Xuebing had lost all hopes: "Sister Xie, if it is not possible, it''s alright. I will go back first."


    Xie Hun massaged the center of her brows. "Xiao Dong, you had saved my life. It is not a problem for me to help you get this transfer. But this..."


    Dong Xuebing replied. "Sister Xie, it''s alright. I am asking for too much."


    Xie Hun was deep in thoughts and sighed. She looked at Dong Xuebing with a bitter smile. "I have been thinking of how to repay you for saving me. How can I reject your request? Haha, ok. I will try my best to help you. I will not let you be a Deputy Section Chief Rank Police Officer. Tell me, is there any department you wish to enter? I will see if there are any vacancies for a leadership role and help you make the arrangement."


    Leader role?!


    I can get a Deputy Section Chief position?


    Dong Xuebing was excited when he heard this. It was tough for him to be transferred out of State Security. He could still get a position with higher authority?


    "Sister Xie. Thank you so much. I... I am fine with any position."


    Xie Hun smiled and shook her head. "Haha, since I am going to help you, I must do my best. Tell me, and I shall see what I can do."


    Dong Xuebing looked at Sister Xie and asked. "County Public Security Deputy Bureau''s Deputy Chief? Errr... is it possible?"


    Xie Hun had a bitter smile on her face.


    Dong Xuebing knew he was asking for too much and almost pped himself. Dong Xuebing, you are too greedy. A leader position is good enough, and you still want to be so picky? He was afraid that Xie Hun would not be happy and quickly say: "Actually, a deputy instructor position in Beijing will do."


    "Deputy instructor?" Xie Hun paused for a few seconds. "Alright... County''s Public Security Deputy Bureau''s Deputy Chief will do. I will get back to you in a few days."


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. "Sister Xie! I... I...."


    Xie Hun narrowed her eyes and waved her hand. "Don''t thank me first. Go back and wait for my call, understand? Hahaha..."


    "O... Ok." Dong Xuebing did not know what to say.


    County''s Public Security Deputy Bureau''s Deputy Chief is a Deputy Section Chief position. But it is at the grassroots level, and the Deputy Bureau Chiefs there had more authority than the Deputy Bureau Chiefs in Beijing City! They had more powers than the investigation branch or any department head in the City Bureau! This was the best position Dong Xuebing wished for. A position with real powers! This is an upgrade from Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office to a County''s Public Security Deputy Chief.


    Dong Xuebing will have much more authority than before!


    To Dong Xuebing, this was like winning the top price in a lottery!!!

 Chapter 155: Invitation from Xie Huilan’s family

    <h4>Chapter 155: Invitation from Xie Hun''s family</h4>


    Promotion!


    Deputy Bureau Chief!


    The next few days, Dong Xuebing had a smile on his face all the time. He was in a good mood and worked hard. Every day, he would be running from offices to offices to deliver documents to the leaders. When everybody saw Dong Xuebing''s enthusiasm, they start to wonder if there are any vacate positions in the higher-ups. Dong Xuebing wants a promotion? Impossible. He had only been promoted and can''t move up in the next 3 years.


    Dong Xuebing did not tell anyone about his request to be transferred. After all, this was not finalized. But he believes Xie Hun would be able to help him. Leaders from the Central Government will not make promises easily. Since she said she will try, it will be more or less settled.


    Today.


    Saturday Morning.


    Dong Xuebing woke up and looked at his phone. There were no missed calls. He did not switch his phone off these few days. He was afraid that he would miss Xie Hun''s call. He was anxious but did not dare to call her. He cannot show that he was impatient as this will leave a bad impression with Sister Xie.


    Please.... Please call me.... It''s been almost 8 days.


    Which county will it be? Never mind. It does not matter if it is a wealth county or a poor county as long as I can be a Deputy Bureau Chief!


    Ring, ring, ring. Dong Xuebing''s phone rang. He picked it up excitedly. Huh? It''s his mother.


    "Hello, Xiao Bing? Have you wake up?"


    "I just woke up and still have not to brush my teeth."


    "Are you busy with work recently? Take care of your health, and don''t fall sick." After nagging for a while, Dong Xuebing''s mother, Luan Xiaoping, said proudly. "Xiao Bing. I told our rtives about your promotion, and all of them don''t believe me. They insist I am lying. Hahaha, only your 2nd Aunt''s family believes me. They even invited me over to their ce for dinner. They even praise you."


    Dong Xuebingughed. "What''s there to be proud of?"


    "You be a Deputy Section Chief at such a young age. Why shouldn''t you be proud?"


    "Hehe, Mum. I might be getting promoted again." Dong Xuebing had kept this secret to himself for days and dare not tell anyone. But after hearing his mother''s voice, he could not resist telling her this secret.


    "Huh?!"


    Dong Xuebing cleared his throat and said softly. "It is still not confirmed yet and is a secret. I will let you know once the official orders are out."


    "Ah.... What happened? Tell me. Why are you getting promoted again?"


    "Because your son is capable. Hahaha... I cannot say much now, but I should be going to the grassroots level. Everything is not confirmed yet, and I will call you once I got my posting."


    Dong Xuebing''s mother cried. "You are a good boy! You are terrific!"


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Mum, can you stop crying? I am afraid of you getting so emotional!"


    After chatting for a few minutes, Dong Xuebing hang up the phone. He hummed a song as he went to wash up. He thought about how he would get credits when he was posted to the grassroots level. The work at a Public Security''s grassroots bureau is very different from the General Affairs Office. Although Dong Xuebing had many contributions in the Western District Branch, many of his credits cannot be documented in his personal files. For example, getting medications for Minister Lui and settling the wrongful arrest of Chief Jiang''s nephew. This was why he needs to get practical achievements when he is posted to a grassroots bureau.


    Ring, ring, ring.... It was Dong Xuebing''s phone again.


    Dong Xuebing wiped his face with a towel and ran out to get his phone. He looked at the caller ID and cleared his throat excitedly. "Hello, Sister Xie?"


    "Haha, Xiao Dong, are you still sleeping?"


    "No... I am awake."


    "Ok. I hope I have not disturbed you. Haha, about your transfer... actually, I am powerless to help. After all, this involves two agencies. The people I know might have the authority to help, but I cannot ask them for favors because of my family. It is tooplicated. That''s why I asked my grandfather for help. Since you want to go to the grassroots level, your transfer must go through many departments and agencies. Only after my grandfather gives the green light, then I can use his connections to help you. Now.... Everything should be settled. Although my grandfather felt you are too young... but he agreed."


    Alright! Deputy Bureau Chief!!!


    Dong Xuebing was overjoyed. "Thank You! Sister Xie! Thank you so much!"


    "Stop saying this. This is nothingpared to you saving my life. Haha, but my grandfather heard that you had saved my life, and he wants to meet you. Hmm... I think this is also good for your career, so I help you agree. Alright. You should be off today? Wait for me at home. I will pick you up and go to my grandfather''s ce, alright?"


    Ah? Meet Xie Hun''s grandfather?


    Dong Xuebing panicked. "Huh? Sister Xie, I... I... should I wear a suit?"


    "No need. Haha... Casual wear is fine."


    Casual? What does casual means? Xie Hao had shouted "Do you know who my grandfather is?" before. Xie Hun was able to enter the Central Government at her age and had the power to arrange for Dong Xuebing''s transfer to another agency. During their conversations, she also reveals some of her backgrounds. Even an idiot knows that her grandfather was not someone ordinary. He might be a former top government official or even the vice-premier. It would be a miracle for Dong Xuebing to be not nervous when meeting him. Dong Xuebing wiped the sweat off his forehead and ask cautiously: "Then... do I need to bring some gifts?"


    "My grandfather does not need any gifts. Hmmm... Maybe you can get some fruits."


    "Huh? Fruits?"


    "It''s fine. My grandfather will not be pleased if you bring anything expensive. Haha, do you know how to y chess? How good are you with chess?"


    Dong Xuebing paused for a while. "I know chess... My skills can be considered above average."


    "That will do it. My grandfather loves to y chess. If you are good at chess and can y with him, it will be much better than giving him gifts. Alright."


    After hanging up, Dong Xuebing''s heart was beating very fast. He ran to his closet and look through all his clothes. In the end, he wore a ck suit. He then ran into the bathroom to shave and cut his fingernails. But he was still worried. He quickly washes his hair and tried to look as smart as possible. After he was satisfied with his looks, he went downstairs to buy some fruits.


    North Heping Road.


    Dong Xuebing did not wait for Xie Hun''s call at home. This was too disrespectful. He carried a bag of fruits and waited by the side of the road, waiting for Xie Hun''s Audi to appear. After a while, Xie Hun''s Audi stopped by the road, and Dong Xuebing quickly boarded the front passenger seat.


    "Sister Xie, I''m sorry that you have to pick me up...." Dong Xuebing felt it''s time for him to buy a car.


    "Don''t need to stand on ceremony. Stop treating me like your superior." Xie Hun was wearing a ck suit. She smiled and yed a ssical CD. "Ok. Fasten your seatbelt."


    Xishan Vi.


    This ce was also known as the Imperial Gardens. It was beside some mountains and had beautiful sceneries. It is a tourist attraction and has a long history. The district here is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Beijing. Dong Xuebing was in awe as he looks at all the majestic vis along the roads. He wonders when he can afford a vi here. The few million he owns is not enough to buy a garden here.


    After traveling for more than 10 minutes, a 3 stories vi appeared in front of Dong Xuebing.


    This small vi was different from the other vis Dong Xuebing saw along the road. The most significant difference was the surroundings. There were no other properties within 1,000 meters from this vi. It was all greenery, and there was a wall around the vi. There should be a garden behind the walls. At the entrance, there were two armed police officers. The security here was tight.


    Dong Xuebing was shocked by what he saw!


    Armed guards? Guns? Who the hell was Xie Hun''s grandfather?


    Xie Hun droved to a garage beside the vi. This garage was not linked to the vi. It was a separate building and was huge. However, there were not a lot of cars parked there. Other than two Hongqi vehicles, there was a Nissan minibus and an old Mercedes. Oh, there was a BMW 7 series parked in a corner. The lights of the BMW were still on, but there were seems to be no one inside.


    Xie Hun stopped her car. "Wei Nan''s car?"


    Dong Xuebing asked. "He is also here?"


    Xie Hun smiled. "My grandfather likes him was not only because of Uncle Wei. Wei Nan had been studying Chess since young and is very good at it. My grandfather will call him over to have a game of chess asionally. Hahaha. I know what you are thinking from your eyes. That''s right. You can''t judge him from his looks. I had yed chess with him in the past, and he is much better than me."


    Suddenly, the BMW''s door opened, and Wei Nan alighted. "Hun, why are you here today?"


    Xie Hun winded down the windows and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Grandfather wants to meet Xiao Dong. I brought him over."


    Wei Nan''s face changed when he saw Dong Xuebing sitting in the front passenger seat. Goddamn! Why is this person with Xie Hun again? Senior Xie wants to meet him? What right does he have to meet Senior Xie? Wei Nan felt something was not right. He knew Xie Hun does not like him and had purposely dy their engagement. However, Wei Nan was good at chess, and his father was good friends with Senior Xie. He believed that Xie Hun would listen to her grandfather''s orders and will marry him. But Dong Xuebing''s appearance made Wei Nan uneasy. Xie Hun treated him differently, and he had saved her life. He even kissed her before. Now, Xie Hun even brought him to meet Senior Xie! What is the meaning of this? Xie Hun likes Dong Xuebing? Impossible! This guy does not have looks nor status! He is even younger than Xie Hun. How could Xie Hun like him?


    Wei Nan suppressed his anger and smiled. "Hun, why does Grandfather Xie wants to meet Xiao Dong?"


    Xie Hun looked at him andughed. "He wants to have a chat with Xiao Dong. What''s wrong?"


    Wei Nan does not know how to reply. "Oh, nothing. I am just asking." Xie Hun did not tell him the reason, and it made him feel more uneasy. Even if Dong Xuebing had saved Xie Hun''s life, Senior Xie would not meet him personally. Could this meeting arrange by Xie Hun? Why did she bring Xiao Dong here? Just to repay him for saving her life? For Dong Xuebing''s career? Wei Nan knew he imagined things, but he can''t help it. His marriage with the Xie family was significant. Nothing must go wrong with this marriage!


    Dong Xuebing quickly got off the car and ran over the other side to open the door for Sister Xie.


    Wei Nan still thought if he should open the door for Xie Hun when Dong Xuebing opened it.


    Wei Nan stared at Dong Xuebing coldly. Dong Xuebing was officially his enemy.


    "Sister Xie, please watch out." Dong Xuebing opened the door with one hand, and the other was covering the top of the door, protecting her head.


    Xie Hunughed. "How many times have I say this? We are friends. You don''t need to open doors for me, alright?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled and hesitated.


    After waiting for about 2 seconds, Dong Xuebing was still by the door. Xie Hunughed and shook her head. She stretched out one leg to alight. Dong Xuebing felt he might be leaving a wrong impression with Xie Hun if he continues treating her as a leader. So, he moved a step back to let her alight. But Xie Hun did not expect Dong Xuebing to move, and she lost her bnce and identally stepped on Dong Xuebing''s foot with her high heels.


    "Ah!" Dong Xuebing shouted in pain.


    Xie Hun fell to her side after losing her bnce!


    "Hun!" Wei Nan ran forward to help her.


    Oh, shit. A central government leader had a fall because of me? I will be in deep trouble. Dong Xuebing was just next to Xie Hun and quickly bend forward to carry her, despite the pain in his foot. When Xie Hun was about an arms length from hitting the ground, Dong Xuebing managed to get one arm around her neck and the other around her butt to carry her. But Xie Hun''s momentum from the fall was too strong, and Dong Xuebing''s knee hit the floor. He gritted his teeth and asked. "Sister Xie, are you alright? It''s my fault for making you fall."


    Xie Hun was in Dong Xuebing''s arms, and she smiled. "See? Stop opening doors for me in the future. Haha."


    Dong Xuebing was amazed by how calm she was. He remembered that one of his arms was still around her butt area and quickly move it to her legs, before helping her back to her feet. But when Xie Hun and Dong Xuebing stood up, Wei Nan rushed forward and gave a kick to Dong Xuebing''s leg. "Get away from Hun!"


    Dong Xuebing did not expect Wei Nan to hit him suddenly and was not prepared. He shouted out in pain and fell to the ground!


    Xie Hun was stunned for a second and scolded. "Wei Nan! What are you doing?"


    Dong Xuebing was sweating profusely from the pain. His leg seems to be fractured from Wei Nan''s kick.


    Xie Hun squat down and support Dong Xuebing''s head with one arm. Xiao Dong! Are you ok?" Seeing Dong Xuebing grimacing in pain, she turned and stared at Wei Nan. "What the hell are you doing?"


    Wei Nan was full of hatred for Dong Xuebing. His date with Xie Hun was interrupted by Dong Xuebing, and he even kissed her before. Now, Dong Xuebing even ced his hand on Xie Hun''s butt. He could not tolerate any longer. His fianc¨¦e was lying in another man''s arms, and she was still joking with that man. Which man can tolerate this? Wei Nan nearly lost his mind when Xie Hun scolded him for kicking Dong Xuebing now!


    Dong Xuebing had never experienced such pain all his life. He could not move his leg, and it must be fractured! F**k You! I still have not settled the auction house score with you! Now you even dare to kick me?! You dare to kick me in front of Sister Xie? Dong Xuebing was furious. He was kicked for no reason, and he will not let Wei Nan off!


    BACK!


    ...


    The scenes shed!


    Dong Xuebing could not feel the pain in his leg. He could only feel some pain in his knee, and he was still kneeling on one knee on the ground with Xie Hun in his arms. She was smiling at him and said: "See? Stop opening doors for me in the future. Haha."


    Dong Xuebing took in a deep breath and helped Xie Hun stand up. But all his attention was on his back.


    Ta... Ta... Ta... it was the sounds of footsteps running towards Dong Xuebing from his back.


    Dong Xuebing calcted the time when he was kicked earlier and moved a step to his side suddenly!


    "Get away from Hun!" Swoosh! Wei Nan''s kick barely missed Dong Xuebing''s leg!


    Wei Nan was shocked to see Dong Xuebing dodging his kick with his back against him.


    Xie Hun''s face changed and shouted: "Wei Nan! What are you doing?"


    After dodging Wei Nan''s sneak attack, Dong Xuebing will not let him off lightly. Wei Nan had lost his bnce after that kick, and Dong Xuebing clenched his fist and gave him a punch on the right side of his face. "F**k! Sneak attack?! Go to hell!"


    Bang!!!


    Dong Xuebing did not hold back in this punch! He had used all his strength.


    Wei Nan fell against Audi''s door from the impact!


    Xie Hun grabbed Dong Xuebing''s arm to stop him. "Xiao Dong!"


    Dong Xuebing still wanted to give Wei Nan a beating, but he had to listen to Sister Xie. He stood there, panting. "Sister Xie, you also saw it. I am not the one who started it. He is too despicable to try a sneak attack from my back! You saw the strength of that kick! If I did not react in time, my leg would have been broken!" Dong Xuebing stared at Wei Nan, who was covering his face in pain. "What the hell is wrong with you? I did not offend you! Why are you trying to hit me? Are you mad?"


    Wei Nan got up and rushed towards Dong Xuebing. "Go to hell!"


    Xie Hun quickly steps in front of Dong Xuebing. "Wei Nan! What are you trying to do?! Stop!"


    Wei Nan loses his mind when he saw his fianc¨¦e helping another man. "He took advantage of you, and you are still siding him? He hit me, and you are protecting him? Ah? Who is your fianc¨¦?!"


    Dong Xuebing shouted: "F**k you! You are the one who tried to kick me first! You think you are in the right?"


    Xie Hun replied coldly. "Xiao Dong was helping to stop my fall. How can you try to beat him up? Ah? Who do you think you are? Who gives you the authority to hit others? Xiao Dong is my lifesaver! He is my guest! You are too unreasonable, and I am very disappointed with you. Fianc¨¦? Hmph! Don''t ever call me this again! I will tell you now. I will never be your fianc¨¦e!"


    Wei Nan''s face turns pale. "Hun! You are saying these because of an outsider?"


    Xie Hun looked at him. "Outsider? Xiao Dong risked his life to save me. When everyone thought I was dead, he was the only that did not give up and continue performing CPR on me! I am still alive because of him! You? You have a good family background and is close to my grandfather, you think you can treat my lifesaver this way? Outsider? Let me tell you now! I am closer to Xiao Dong than I am with you! You are the outsider in my eyes!"


    "You two are closer, and I am an outsider?" Wei Nanughed in disbelief. "Fine!" He turned and walked away.


    Dong Xuebing did not expect Xie Hun to say those things. He felt good in his heart. How can such a person be Sister Xie''s husband? Even if Sister Xie''s family forced her to marry him, she must not give in! If not, her life will be ruined. But that sentence "I am closer to Xiao Dong" had... many meanings. From Wei Nan''s expression, he seemed to have misunderstood that sentence. Never mind. Who cares!


    The garaged was quiet.


    Dong Xuebing cleared his throat. "I''m sorry, Sister Xie. I was too rash earlier and should not have hit him."


    Xie Hun waved her hand. "It was Wei Nan who tried to kick you from your back. It is not your fault. This Wei Nan was too much!"


    Dong Xuebing looked at Xie Hun''s expression and could tell she did not me him. "Sister Xie, Wei Nan is not good enough for you. He is too arrogant. When I met him for the first time at an auction, he and his friends arrivedte and tried to chase me away from my seat. Who the hell will do such things?"


    Xie Hunughed. "That''s why I dislike him. Alright. Stop talking about him. Let''s go."


    Dong Xuebing nodded and went to take out the fruits from the car. After that, he walked out of the garage with Xie Hun.


    Ring, ring, ring... Xie Hun''s phone rang, and she answered. "Xiao Hao. I am at grandfather''s ce here. Where are you? You saw Wei Nan? You have reached?" Xie Hun smiled and looked at Xiao Dong. "Yes. The injuries on his face are from your Brother Dong.... Yes.... Something happened here earlier... Fine. Stop asking so many questions. Wait for us. We are reaching the vi!"


    At the vi''s entrance.


    A guard stopped Dong Xuebing and conducted a body search on him emotionlessly.


    This procedure made Dong Xuebing nervous.


    "Sis! Brother Dong!" Xie Hao ran out excitedly. He asked softly. "What happened? Tell me what happen earlier."


    Dong Xuebing did not reply to him.


    Xie Hun looked at Xie Hao and told him briefly what happened earlier.


    After listening to the whole incident, Xie Haoughed out loudly. "Brother Dong! Terrific! He deserved to be punched!"


    "Behave yourself!" Xie Hun scolded with a smile.


    Xie Hao quickly quiets down, but he secretly gave Dong Xuebing a thumbs up and a wink. If it were not for his sister, he would have beaten up Wei Nan several times. After hearing the whole incident, he felt Wei Nan deserved it. Bastard! Sneak attack from the back? Why can''t Brother Dong help Sis to her feet? F**k! Wei Nan deserves more than a punch! Xie Hao''s admiration for Dong Xuebing increases after this incident. Not only he saved his sister''s life and knows magic tricks, he was also good at fighting. He knew where Wei Nan was kicking without even looking at him!


    Xie Hun leads the way. They did not enter the vi and went straight to the garden at the back.


    Ta, ta, ta... It was the sound of chess pieces on the chessboard. There was stillughter sounds of an old man.


    Ah.... Dong Xuebing was finally able to meet Sister Xie''s grandfather!


    Dong Xuebing reminder himself to put on his best performance to leave a good impression with him. He still needs Sister Xie''s grandfather''s help for his transfer!


    Dong Xuebing took a few deep breaths topose himself as he walked along the pebbled path into the garden. His heart nearly stops beating when he saw Xie Hun''s grandfather. He froze there, looking at that old man, who was ying chess.


    Dong Xuebing was mentally prepared that Xie Hun''s grandfather was a former high-ranking government official or even a Vice Premier. But when Dong Xuebing saw that frail-looking old man, he realized that he was not prepared at all!


    Damn!


    High-ranking government officer?!


    Vice-Premier?!


    Sister Xie''s grandfather... was the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of China!!!

 Chapter 156: Dating Sister Xie!

    <h4>Chapter 156: Dating Sister Xie!</h4>


    Garden of the vi.


    There were a few white stone chairs and tables in the garden. Senior Xie, who was in his 70s, was ying chess with an old man in his 60s.


    Dong Xuebing was nervous and excited to meet the former Communist Party General Secretary in real life. He had only seen him on TV when he was young. He still could not believe his eyes. He knew that Senior Xie was not only the former General Secretary. Even today, he still has enormous influence over the Communist Party and government. He might not have the most authority now, but he is definitely one of the top 3 most influential people in China!


    That person is Xie Hun''s grandfather?


    This is Xie Hun''s background?


    "Hahaha, Old Zhang! This is a good move!" Senior Xie touched his beard and moved a chesspiece.


    The old man sitting opposite him replied. "Senior Xie, Haha, your chess skills are getting better."


    Xie Hun whispered softly. "My grandfather does not like to be disturbed when he is ying chess. Xiao Dong, let''s wait over there."


    Xie Hao saw Brother Dong was in shocked andughed. "Brother Dong doesn''t think my grandfather is retired now and looks old. He still has great influence in the government. Just yesterday, our President came over to visit him. I heard from Sis that you want to be transferred to the grassroots level? Hehe... it''s simple. All it takes is for Grandfather to nod his head, and you will be part of the Xie''s faction."


    Xie Hun looked at her brother, sternly. "How many times have I told you not to say such things?!"


    Xie Hao quickly bows his head.


    Xie''s faction? Dong Xuebing wiped the sweat on his forehead. Fighting exists in politics, and when there are fighting, there will be factions. In the Western District Branch, Dong Xuebing was part of Xu Yan''s faction, and many people see him as a member of Xu''s faction. But Xu faction and Xie''s faction were not on the same level. One was within a branch bureau, and the other was the central government. Eh? Wait! Xie''s faction? Dong Xuebing suddenly remembered Beijing City''s Party Secretary... seems to have the same surname. Ah! This can''t be true!!!


    Dong Xuebing and Xie Hun sat down at another chess table some distance away. Dong Xuebing asked cautiously. "Sister Xie, the City''s Party Secretary Xie is..."


    Xie Hunughed: "He is my father."


    Dong Xuebing was dumbfounded. Beijing is the center of China''s politics. It is a direct-controlled municipality of the Central Government. All the former no. 1 of Beijing City had entered the Central Government as Sub-national leaders. The City''s party secretary is Xie Hun''s father? The former Communist Party General Secretary is her grandfather? No wonder she could be a leader in the Publicity Department News division at her age! With her background, she can do whatever she wants in Beijing! Dong Xuebing looked at Xie Hun and felt they were from different worlds. Sister Xie''s uncles and aunties should also be government officials! What Dong Xuebing saw was only the tip of the iceberg!


    Dong Xuebing hid his feelings for Xie Hun deeper in his heart. Xie Hun was someone out of reach from him.


    On the other side, Senior Xie''s chess game was still ongoing.


    Xie Hun looked at his grandfather and turned to Dong Xuebing with a smile. "Xiao Dong, didn''t you say you are quite good at Chess? Let''s y a game since we are still waiting."


    Xie Hao eximed. "Brother Hao, you are also an expert in Chinese chess? Is there anything that you do not know?"


    Dong Xuebing humbly said something. ying chess can calm his nerves and show off his skills to Xie Hun at the same time. Ta, ta, ta. After arranging the chess pieces, Dong Xuebing said. "Ladies first. Sister Xie, you can go first." Dong Xuebing thought Xie Hun''s chess skills are about the same as him, and he can let her win by a small margin. It''s not good to win the leaders.


    Xie Hunughed. "Ok. I will go first." She moved the cannon.


    Dong Xuebing also did not think much and moved his horse.


    Xie Hun made another move, and Dong Xuebing continued.


    After about a dozen moves, Dong Xuebing''s facial expression bes serious. He was shocked.


    A few minutester, Xie Hun smiled and made herst move. "Checkmate. Haha, I win."


    Xie Hao cleared his throat. "Errr.... Brother Dong, do you really know how to y Chinese chess?"


    Xie Hunughed. "Xiao Dong let me win on purpose." Actually, Dong Xuebing had tried his best. Xie Hun and Xie Hao could tell from his expression. Xie Hun said that to make him feel better.


    15 minutes!


    Xie Hun took only 15 minutes to win Dong Xuebing!


    Dong Xuebing wanted to bury his head in the ground. Damn! Why was this happening? He was still thinking of letting Xie Hun win. But even he tried his best, he could not beat her! Shit! This is too embarrassing! If I know Sister Xie is so good at chess, I will never say I am good.


    Dong Xuebing''s chess skills were quite good. He had learned chess since young as a hobby. He did not attend any sses orpetitions. In Junior High, Dong Xuebing''s after school program was chess. In his High school and university, he did not take part in afterschool programs, but he still yed chess with his ssmates asionally and seldom lose. This was why he felt confident. Now, he thought back and knew all the opponents he yed with before were just novices. He had never yed with a real expert before!


    Dong Xuebing had finally met an expert and knew where he stands!


    His standards were nowhere near average!


    "Xiao Dong, want to y one more game?" Xie Hun asked.


    y another game?! Dong Xuebing replied with an embarrassed look. "Sister Xie, I am not your match. You are very good at chess."


    Xie Hunughed and shook her head. "How can I consider good? I yed with my grandfather and could not even win once in 10 games. Haha. Even Wei Nan is better than me."


    Dong Xuebing''s eyes opened wide. "Senior Xie is better than you?" Really? Sister Xie was the best chess yer Dong Xuebing had ever met. Even with her skills, she cannot win Senior Xie? Was Xie Hun letting his grandfather win?


    Xie Hun narrowed her eyes: "Haha, I know what you are thinking. I did not let my grandfather win because there is no need to. His skills might not be the top 10 in China, but he is definitely in the top 100." Xie Hun could see Dong Xuebing did not believe her from his expression and continued. "Do you know who is ying chess with my grandfather there?"


    Dong Xuebing looked at that man. "He looks familiar."


    Xie Hun smiled. "He is Grandpa Zhang, Zhang Wanxu. Chinese Chess grandmaster. He was formerly China''s top chess yer and had multiple world and national championships. He might be in his 60s, but he is still outstanding. Even professional chess yers can''t beat him.


    Dong Xuebing remembered this name. Grandmaster Zhang Wanxu!


    Xie Hao added: "My grandfather might not be as good as Zhang Wanxu, but out of 10 games, my grandfather can still win 2 games, and Zhang Wanxu can win 4 games. The remaining are all ties. Oh, that Wei Nan might not be a match for my grandfather, but he can still win 2 games out of 10. Hmph! That guy is irritating, but he is good at chess."


    Dong Xuebing nearly fainted. Senior Xie is so good at chess? Damn! I was still thinking of trying to impress him at chess. Now.... Shit! Even the former China number one chess grandmaster will asionally lose to him. I will be embarrassing myself!


    "Xiao Dong, let''s y one more game." Xie Hun ced the chess pieces.


    Dong Xuebing smiled. He had no choice but to y with her.


    Xie Hun knew Dong Xuebing''s standard and give in to him on several moves. She could easily win him, but she did not. She just yed around with him, and the game ended in a draw. Their skills were too far apart.


    After they finished the game, Xie Hun stood up and said: "I am going inside to get water. Haha."


    Xie Hao could tell Brother Dong''s standard. "Hehe, Brother Dong, let''s y a game?"


    Dong Xuebing stared at him. Damn! You also want to bully me? If I still lose to you, I will bang my head against the wall!


    Suddenly, Wei Nan, with bruises on his face, appeared in the gardens. He looked at Senior Xie and Zhang Wanxu and turned to Dong Xuebing. He looked at Dong Xuebing coldly. Dong Xuebing and Xie Hao saw him and did not say anything.


    They stood there staring at each other for a few seconds, and Wei Nan smiled coldly. "You also know how to y chess?"


    Dong Xuebing rebutted: "I know everything except for attacking someone sneakily from the back!" Xie Hun had gone into the vi, and Senior Xie was too far away to hear what they were saying. Dong Xuebing did not hold back his words.


    A fire could be seen in Wei Nan''s eyes. He walked forward. "Fine. Let''s y a game. I want to see how good you are!"


    Xie Hao interrupted: "Go and wait by the side. Brother Dong is going to y with me."


    Wei Nan looked at Dong Xuebing and asked: "You are scared?"


    Dong Xuebing did not want to y with Wei Nan. He could not even win Sister Xie, let alone Wei Nan. But he must not back away from his provocations. He patted Xie Hao on his shoulders and said: "Xiao Hao, our game can wait. I will y with him first!" Dong Xuebing turned to Wei Nan. "Bring it on!" Dong Xuebing was not in his best state during the previous two games with Xie Hun as he had not yed for a long time. But after those two games as a warm-up, Dong Xuebing felt he was prepared.


    Wei Nan sat down opposite Dong Xuebing and started the game.


    Horse, carriage, soldiers, cannons...


    Miracles did not happen, and Dong Xuebing looked at his remaining chess pieces. There was no way he could win Wei Nan. He was too good at chess. He was much better than Xie Hun. This was like a game of chess between a professional and an amateur!


    Wei Nan thought Dong Xuebing had some moves and never expect him to be so weak at chess. Heughed. "That''s the best you can do?"


    Dong Xuebing almost flipped the table out of anger. But Senior Xie was sitting not far away. He could only swear in his heart and continue with the game.


    Wei Nan could win Dong Xuebing easily, but he purposely did not win immediately. He slowly takes out Dong Xuebing''s chess pieces one by one. At the end of the game, Dong Xuebing was left with only his general. Dong Xuebing knew Wei Nan was humiliating him, but he refused to admit defeat.


    Xie Hun returned with a servant, carrying a teapot.


    Xie Hao walked over: "Sis, quick. Come and help Brother Dong take revenge!"


    Xie Hun looked at the chessboard and frowned. "Stop! Is there a need to continue this game?!"


    Wei Nan put down his chess piece and felt much better. But when he remembered what Xie Hun said in the garage, he got mad again. He does not want to see Xie Hun marrying someone else. Wei Nan was determined to marry her. It was not only for himself. He needs to marry her for his family''s benefits too. When he heard Xie Hun saying she will never marry him, he was furious!


    "Hahaha..."


    Senior Xie''s game had ended. Heughed: "Almost! I had almost lost to you! Luckily this game ended in a tie!"


    Grandpa Zhang replied: "Your final 10 moves were good. I could hardly stop you."


    Senior Xie said: "Your mid-section is too powerful! I have no advantage at all!"


    After discussing the game for a while, Senior Xie looked towards Xie Hun''s direction. "Haha, you all are here?"


    Wei Nan and Xie Hao greeted him as Grandfather. Dong Xuebing was not close to him and could only address him as Senior Xie.


    Xie Hun smiled and tapped Dong Xuebing on his shoulder. "Grandfather. This is Dong Xuebing."


    Senior Xie stroked his beard and nodded. "Good. Come, y a game of chess with me!"


    "Why are you asking everyone to y chess with you?" Xie Hunughed. "I thought you want to speak with Xiao Dong?"


    Senior Xieughed. "We can talk while ying."


    Dong Xuebing did not dare to reject Senior Xie. He quickly walks over, and Grandpa Zhang lets him have a seat. Dong Xuebing sat down cautiously and said: "Senior Xie... My chess skill is very poor. I am afraid that...."


    "It''s fine. Come. You go first!"


    Xie Hun, Xie Hao, and Wei Nan saw this and walked back to the other chess table.


    Senior Xie was in his 70s, but his aura was much stronger than Xie Hun. Dong Xuebing could feel the pressure in front of him. After two moves, Dong Xuebing was sweating profusely.


    "Xiao Dong, thank you for saving my granddaughter." Senior Xie said as he moved his "horse" piece.


    Dong Xuebing straighten his back and quickly gave a reply. He could not talk while ying chess like Senior Xie. He had to look at Senior Xie when he was speaking. This was respect for the elders.


    "You look quite young. Are you 25?"


    "I am 24 this year."


    "Haha, when Xie Hun told me that you are not even 30 years old, I thought you should be at least 28 or 29. I did not expect you to be so young." Senior Xie looked at Dong Xuebing. "You should have joined the government not long ago. Why do you want to go to the grassroots level? The grassroots level''s environment is not as good as Beijing''s. Some ces are very backward. Are you able to take the hardship?"


    This is the main topic!


    Dong Xuebing replied firmly: "Senior Xie, no matter how poor the environment is, or how backward the ce is, I am willing to ept it. I wanted to go to the grassroots level is because I want to do something for the people there. The work at the grassroots level might not be as important as what I am doing now, but I feel it will be more meaningful."


    Senior Xie nodded and did not say a word.


    Dong Xuebing does not know what Senior Xie was thinking and continued with the game.


    Senior Xie was very good at Chinese chess. His overall view and control over the chessboard were extraordinary. Dong Xuebing could only predict two moves in advanced, but Senior Xie could see up to 7 steps ahead. He was unbeatable. No wonder Xie Hun and Wei Nan could not win him. Senior Xie was a professional. Even with an opponent like Dong Xuebing, he did not hold back.


    Zhang Wanxu, who was close to Senior Xie, was sitting beside watching the game. He smiled and shook his head as he watches Senior Xie "bullies" a novice. He knew Senior Xie well. He knows that Senior Xie does not like others to give in to him, and he does not like to give in to others. He will never hold back regardless who was sitting opposite him.


    The game ended fast.


    Dong Xuebing''s forehead was covered in sweat as he put down his chess piece. "You are too good. Even if I trained for another 100 years, I am also not your match." This sounded like bootlicking, but it was the truth. Dong Xuebing had tried his best.


    "Xiao Dong, stay here for lunch." Senior Xie said.


    Dong Xuebing knew Senior Xie was not saying this out of courtesy. He replied: "Yes. Sorry to bother you." Dong Xuebing stood up and walked away from the table respectfully.


    Senior Xie spoke to Grandpa Zhang for a while and suddenly turned. "Xiao Nan, I am feeling good today. Come and y a game with me."


    Wei Nan quickly walked over. "Grandpa Xie, you must let me two moves. If not, I will never win you."


    "Haha, what''s the point of ying chess if I have to give in to you? Eh? What happened to your face?"


    Wei Nan smiled wearily and did not reply.


    Zhang Wanxu looked at Wei Nan and smiles, before walking over to Xie Hun. Dong Xuebing had started his game with Wei Hao at the other table.


    Senior Xie waved his hand, asking Wei Nan to sit down. "You got into a fight?"


    Wei Nan hesitated. He thought with Senior Xie around, Xie Hun would surely marry him sooner orter. But now, things have changed, and he cannot wait any longer. "Grandpa Xie, I do not dare lie to you. I was hit by Dong Xuebing."


    Senior Xie frowned. "Xiao Dong? What happened?"


    Wei Nan replied: "Earlier at the garage, Hun was tripped by Dong Xuebing when she was alighting from the car. But after tripping Hun, Dong Xuebing immediately went over to stop her from falling, and he took advantage of her by cing his hands at inappropriate ces. I went over to stop him, and he gave me a punch on my face. Even so, Xie Hun still sided with him and med me." Wei Nan omitted the part where he tried to kick Dong Xuebing from his back.


    Senior Xie frowned.


    Wei Nan noticed the changes on Senior Xie''s face and said: "It''s not a big deal to be hit by him. But Hun''s attitude... I feel that Xiao Dong and her have something... Grandpa Xie, you know I love Hun and wanted to marry her. But now, if this carries on, the engagement might be called off... that Xiao Dong is not good enough for Hun." If Xie Hun did not say those things at the garage, Wei Nan would also not say these to Senior Xie. This was a significant risk. But Wei Nan couldn''t care less. He must marry Xie Hun!


    Senior Xie did not say a word and continued with the game.


    Wei Nan was not in the mood to carry on with the chess game. "Grandpa Xie!"


    Senior Xie likes Wei Nan not because he was good at chess. Senior Xie had taken his family''s future into consideration. The Xie family''s influence in politics was significant, and it would be meaningless for his granddaughter to marry someone with political backgrounds. After so many years in politics, Senior Xie also wanted to enter the business sector. But no one in the Xie family was in business. Letting Xie Hun marry someone from the business sector would be suitable for Xie family''s 3rd generation. But Xie Hun refused to listen to him. Senior Xie was doing this for the good of the family!


    Senior Xie was furious when he heard from Wei Nan that Xie Hun might like Dong Xuebing, and Dong Xuebing even hit his future grandson-inw. He was a stubborn and overbearing person. His words are orders in the Xie family. No one can have other opinions. Even if Dong Xuebing had saved his granddaughter''s life, he will also not give in! Senior Xie will never allow Xie Hun to do whatever she wants!


    "Grandpa Xie!" Wei Nan called out anxiously.


    Senior Xie waved his hand. "Ok. I know. Carry on with the game."


    Wei Nan was overjoyed.


    About half an hourter, Senior Xie, apanied by his personal doctor, entered the vi with Wei Nan. He called Xie Hun, Xie Hao, and Dong Xuebing over. His first sentence shocked everyone. "Hun, you will get engaged with Xiao Nan next week."


    Xie Hun''s face changed. "What did Wei Nan say to you?"


    Senior Xie did not reply to her. He looked at her in her eyes and said: "You have dragged this matter for 2 to 3 years. How long more do you want to drag? Until you are 40 or 50?" He waved his hand. "This is decided by me! Stop finding excuses and get engaged immediately!" Senior Xie''s personal doctor might not be an outsider. Their servants might also not be outsiders, but Dong Xuebing was an outsider. Under no circumstances, this matter would be discussed in front of outsiders. But Senior Xie had purposely called Dong Xuebing over.


    Wei Nan controlled his excitement and said: "Grandpa, I will take good care of Hun in the future." He started addressing Senior Xie as Grandpa.


    Senior Xie smiled and nodded.


    Xie Hun narrowed her eyes and asked. "Grandpa, we had discussed this some time ago. There are no good dates in the near future, and the engagement has to wait until theter half of the year. Why did you change your mind suddenly?"


    Senior Xie replied: "Stop being so superstitious!"


    Xie Hun frowned. "I am not prepared yet. I am also very busy with my work. Can we discuss thister this year?" Xie Hun used the same strategy as the past few years.


    Senior Xie got mad and raised his voice. "How long are you going to wait? Do you know how old you are now?"


    "I..."


    "Shut up!"


    Dong Xuebing was shocked. Damn! Sister Xie had to marry to that bastard?


    Dong Xuebing felt like giving a kick to Wei Nan''s smiling face. But he had no ce to say anything here!


    Xie Hao''s face had turned pale from anger. But he knew no one can change his grandfather''s mind once he decided on something.


    Wei Nan was relieved to have his wish granted. He could finally marry Xie Hun!


    But just when the doctor was smiling and congratting Wei Nan and Senior Xie, Xie Hun exploded!


    Bang!


    Xie Hun banged on the table: "I disagree!"


    No one had dared to bang tables in front of Senior Xie. No one from the government or his family had ever dared to bang tables in front of him!


    Except for Xie Hun!


    Senior Xie''s face turned ck: "You dare to say that again?!"


    Xie Hun shouted at him: "I disagree!"


    Xie Hao was afraid that his sister will lose control. His sister was always smiling, but she was more overbearing and stubborn than their grandfather. She does not care whether if it is a high-ranking officer or her elders in her family. This was not her first-time banging tables in front of her elders. Xie Hao saw his sister exploding, he gritted his teeth and banged the table. "I also disagree!"


    Senior Xie shouted furiously: "You all are going against me?!"


    Xie Hao mustered up his courage and shouted. "Grandpa, what''s so good about that guy? Why are you treating him like a treasure?! Can''t you tell Sis does not like him at all? Now, it is the era of marriage freedom!"


    Senior Xie scolded: "You have no right to say anything here!"


    Xie Hao pointed to Wei Nan: "If he bes my brother-inw, I will beat him up every time I see him!"


    "Get lost from here!" Senior Xie stood up in anger!


    Xie Hun stepped in front of Xie Hao. "Grandpa, since things had be like this, let''s make things clear once and for all. For so many years, you have been forcing me to marry to his person or that person. Have you ever considered how I feel? You are only thinking of yourself by making me marry Wei Nan! You are doing all these for this family and others! You are not doing this for me! I have been tolerating all this while. I will not give in today! I had enough! I will decide about my marriage myself! No one can decide my marriage for me!"


    Senior Xie was too angry to say a word!


    Wei Nan did not expect Xie Hun to blow up so suddenly. He quickly moves nearer and support Senior Xie and shouted at Xie Hun: "How can you speak to Grandpa like this?"


    Senior Xie pointed at Dong Xuebing: "You decide for yourself? You are going to pick him?"


    Xie Hao was stunned!


    Dong Xuebing was stunned!


    Xie Hun was also stunned. "What are you talking about? What has this got to do with Xiao Dong?"


    Senior Xie replied: "Your fianc¨¦ is beaten up by him, and you are still siding him?! What is your rtionship with him?!"


    Xie Hun stared at Wei Nan when she heard this. "Wei Nan! What nonsense are you talking about?! You are the one who tried to kick Xiao Dong from his back. You nearly broke his leg! You are the victim now?! What''s my rtionship with Xiao Dong? Huh? What did you say about us?!" Xie Hun turned towards her grandfather: "Grandpa, I know you have be senile since you retired. This is normal for old people. But I did not expect you to be so stupid! Xiao Dong is my lifesaver! He was almost beaten up by Wei Nan for no reason! If I don''t side with him, who should I side with?"


    Dong Xuebing was also furious. "Senior Xie, if there is CCTV in the garage, you can go and check it! Wei Nan tried to attack me from my back! You expect me to stand there and let him hit me? I am not allowed to retaliate?"


    Wei Nan quickly said: "Grandpa, I did not try to kick him. He is taking advantage of Hun at that time, and I am only trying to stop him. What''s wrong with me trying to stop him?"


    Xie Hun roared: "Wei Nan! You are despicable! You are trying to stop him? You used your leg to stop people?"


    Wei Nan replied: "Hun, I am trying to protect you. Why don''t you understand?"


    Xie Hao pointed at Wei Nan in his face: "F**k you!"


    Senior Xie was more furious than them. He banged on the table hard. "All of you shut up!" Senior Xie was too stubborn to listen to them. "Xie Hun! I don''t care whether if you have any rtionship with Xiao Dong! Everything will end here! He had saved your life, and I will get someone to arrange his transfer! You will get engaged with Xiao Nan!"


    F**k! What rtionship do we have?! Dong Xuebing almost cursed out loud!


    Xie Hun''s lips were trembling. "Grandpa, you rather believe an outsider instead of me? Xiao Dong had saved my life! He is my guest!! But he was almost beaten up the moment he entered the vi! This is how you treat him? You even believe that I and Xiao Dong..." Xie Hun was panting from her anger. "How can you believe such baseless statement?"


    Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth and said: "Senior Xie, Sister Xie, and I are not...."


    "I did not ask you to talk!" Senior Xie interrupted him.


    Damn! Dong Xuebing could feel his lungs about to explode!


    Senior Xie also had doubts over Wei Nan''s words. Xie Hun was his granddaughter, and he trusted her more than Wei Nan. But he was stubborn and does not go back on his words. After Xie Hun and Xie Hao banged tables in front of him, he loses his temper and does not care about anything else. What he wants to do was to suppress all opposing voices and force Xie Hun to get married to Wei Nan. This is how the top leaders in the government handle problems. He does not care who was in the right or wrong and does not care the reasons. Everyone must do ording to his orders!


    Dong Xuebing could tell that Senior Xie was being unreasonable and does not care about what happened in the garage. That was only the breaking point of Xie Hun and Wei Nan''s engagement. Even without that incident, Senior Xie would also lose his patient and force them to get married. But Dong Xuebing felt he was responsible for what happened today. If he did not ask Sister Xie to help him or did not hit Wei Nan in the garage, she might still be able to drag this out for a few more months.


    F**K! This was too frustrating!


    1 minute... 2 minutes... the situation was tense, and no one said a word.


    Dong Xuebing had never felt so upset in his life. "Sister Xie, I''m sorry. It''s all my fault."


    Xie Hun had a stern look on her face. "This is not your fault. This will happen sooner orter, and I am prepared for this."


    On the other side of the room, the doctor was giving some pills to Senior Xie, and Wei Nan was standing by the side with a ss of water. He behaved like he was already Senior Xie''s Grandson-inw.


    Dong Xuebing clenched his fist as he looked at that despicable Wei Nan. He had no way to vent his anger!


    "Sis! What should we do now?!" Xie Hao knew that if their grandfather does not change his mind, his sister would have to marry that bastard.


    Xie Hun smiled: "What else can we do? Our grandfather is only concern about our family''s future. There is no point in reasoning with him. Wei Nan had used despicable tricks, and grandpa is not willing to listen to us. You should know his temper well. Once he decided, he will go ahead even if he knows it is a wrong decision."


    Xie Hao shouted angrily: "That bastard Wei Nan! I will kill him sooner orter!"


    Xie Hun suddenly turned and looked at Dong Xuebing for about 3 seconds.


    Dong Xuebing asked: "Sister Xie, just speak your mind."


    Xie Hun replied emotionlessly: "They are using us of having some rtionship. I am not willing to be used. How about you?"


    "I am also pissed by this!"


    "Fine. We will not ept their usation."


    Dong Xuebing looked at Xie Hun nkly. He does not understand what she means.


    "Xiao Dong." Xie Hun looked at Dong Xuebing in his eyes and paused for a while, before saying something shocking. "Do you want to date me?"


    Damn!


    Dong Xuebing and Xie Hao almost fainted on the spot!

 Chapter 157: Firefighter saves the day again!

    <h4>Chapter 157: Firefighter saves the day again!</h4>


    Want to date Sister Xie?


    Deep in Dong Xuebing''s heart, he wants to date her. But he only dares to imagine and dare not really date her. Yes. Not taking Aunt Xuan into consideration, Dong Xuebing''s looks and status were not good enough for Xie Hun. He was also much younger than her. He believes that Xie Hun would never like him. She would choose anyone else but him. When he heard what Xie Hun said, he was stunned for more than 5 seconds.


    Xie Hun looked at him and repeated herself. "Do you want to date me?"


    Dong Xuebing confirmed he had not misheard Xie Hun and nodded in a daze.


    Xie Hun nodded with satisfaction. "Alright! From this moment on, we are officially dating."


    Xie Hao cried out in shock: "Sis! What are you trying to do?"


    "I am not trying to do anything. I will decide about my marriage myself." Xie Hun turned and held Dong Xuebing''s hand and walked towards Senior Xie. She stopped in front of Senior Xie and Wei Nan, and said: "You all imed that something is going on with me and Xiao Dong? That''s right. We do have something going on. We are dating. Grandpa, I agree to get engaged. But my partner is not Wei Nan. I will get engage to Xiao Dong!"


    Wei Nan turned pale. "Hun! What are you..."


    Senior Xie threw the teacup he was holding onto the floor: "Nonsense!"


    Xie Hao immediately knew what his sister was up to. His sister was going along with their usations to piss them off and use this as an excuse to call off her engagement with Wei Nan. Brother Dong and his sister were not dating for real. He added fuel to the fire: "Grandpa, I think Brother Dong is morepatible with Sis than Wei nan. You cannot judge a book by its cover. Brother Dong is the most capable person I have ever met. If you don''t believe me, you can ask the people from his unit. Grandpa, my sister, has finally found someone she likes. Please give them your blessings!"


    Wei Nan had only suspected something was going on between Xie Hun and Dong Xuebing. He did not expect this to be true. He was furious and pointed to Dong Xuebing: "How is he morepatible?! He does not have looks and is so much younger than Hun! Hun! What are you thinking?! I know he had saved your life! But you do not need to do this! There are no good qualities in this guy!"


    Dong Xuebing shouted at Wei Nan furiously: "Hey! What are you saying?! I do not have any good qualities? What about you? Oh yes.... You have more talents than me! You are good at sneaking up on others back and attack them! You are good at using others! Good at creating driving wedges between others! I can never win you in these areas!" After Dong Xuebing knew what Xie Hun was going to do, he was prepared to support her. After all, he was the one who started this fight. "Senior Xie, I know I am not good enough for your granddaughter, but my feelings for her are true!" Dong Xuebing had no right to say anything earlier. But now, he was "dating" Sister Xie, and he had the right to speak!


    Senior Xie points at his granddaughter. His hand was trembling. "You are really dating him?"


    Xie Hun was still holding Dong Xuebing''s hand. "Grandpa, I know who really cares for me. I feel at ease when I am with Xiao Dong. I do not need good looking guys or someone with high status or wealth. I just want to be with someone I like. I do not wish to spend the rest of my life in an unhappy family! I like Xiao Dong!"


    Dong Xuebing knew everything was lies, but his heart was racing with excitement.


    Wei Nan shouted: "Hun! How can you be so silly?"


    Xie Hunughed. "I am silly? I will be smart if I get engaged with you? Who says this? Wei Nan, stop thinking so highly of yourself!"


    Xie Hao added: "Brother Dong is so much better than you! Look at yourself in a mirror!"


    Wei Nan shouted back: "Xiao Hao! How can you speak to me this way?!"


    Xie Hao retorted. "You are also not my family members! I can say whatever I want! What''s wrong?" Xie Hao was not afraid of him!


    "Enough!" Senior Xie swings his arm and pushes all the teacups off the table. Crash!!! He looked at Xie Hun and Dong Xuebing. "You are not allowed to negotiate with me. Xiao Dong, I will get someone to arrange your transfer. You can leave now!"


    Wei Nan was relieved. He was afraid that his engagement will be called off.


    Xie Hun looked at Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing is someone who does not care about the consequences when he is angry. He was furious when he heard what Senior Xie says. He understands why Sister Xie was looking at him. She was afraid that she would drag him down with her. But Dong Xuebing knows that regardless of what he does or says now, he had already offended Senior Xie. He does not care anymore. "Senior Xie! I do not want the transfer now! I just want to be with Sister Xie!" Dong Xuebing was an emotional person. You threaten me with my career? F**k You!


    Xie Hun tightens her grip on Dong Xuebing''s hand.


    Xie Hao was surprised to see Brother Dong going against his grandfather head-on.


    Senior Xie was furious when he saw his granddaughter, grandson, and Dong Xuebing going against his orders. "You don''t want to go to the grassroots level? No! I remember there are lots of vacancies in the Northwest region. You should go there to gain some experience!" Police chiefs in vige and town police stations have lower status and authority than a County''s Deputy Station Chief. Furthermore, the Northwest region is a harsh environment. This was no longer a transfer. This was an exiled! Most likely, Dong Xuebing will never return for the rest of his life!


    Wei Nan held back hisughter. Senior Xie was going to banish Dong Xuebing from Beijing to stop him from seeing Hun.


    Xie Hun scowled: "Grandpa, what is the meaning of this?!"


    Senior Xie coldly replied. "Didn''t Xiao Dong say that he can take hardships? That ce is an excellent training ground for him!


    Xie Hun shouted: "You are banishing him! Is this the way our Xie family treats our benefactor? Ah? Just because of Wei Nan, you be like this?!"


    Dong Xuebing''s face turned green. His career might end after this meeting with Senior Xie. Senior Xie only needs to use his mouth, and he can demote Dong Xuebing! There was no way Dong Xuebing could retaliate! Damn! Dong Xuebing''s stubbornness act ups again. The end of my career? So be it! Even if I am kicked out of the government service, I will also support Sister Xie. "Northwest is fine! Senior Xie! I will go wherever you want me to! At most, I will quit from the government service! But as long as you don''t send me to outer space, I will f**king marry Sister Xie!"


    Everyone was shocked by Dong Xuebing''s words!


    Xie Hao was in awe by Brother Dong!


    Wei Nan wasughing in his heart. This Dong Xuebing does not know his ce. "Dong Xuebing! Who are you to speak to Grandpa this way?!"


    Dong Xuebing looked at him coldly: "Know your ce! Are you engaged with Sister Xie now? Sister Xie is my girlfriend! You are the one who has no right to say anything here!" Xie Hun was forced by her grandfather to get engaged was because of Dong Xuebing. He felt he had to take on full responsibility. Career? Transfer? F**k off! He no longer cares about all these! No matter what he does now, his job will be gone! He might as well blow things up! Former Party Secretary? Former Chairman? You can take my career away from me, but you can''t kill me!


    Dong Xuebing had never been in a worse situation like this before. This was also the reason he does not need to hold back!


    Dong Xuebing had nothing to lose! At most, he will return back to the starting point! What''s there to worry about?


    Senior Xie was panting from his anger as he pointed at Dong Xuebing.


    Xiao Dong does not care anymore, but Xie Hun did not want to drag him down with her. "Grandpa, Xiao Dong said all these things is because of me. But put yourself in his shoes. The moment he stepped into our house, he was almost beaten up by your appointed future grandson-inw. His girlfriend is forced to get engaged with someone else. His career is also gone. How can he remain calm? It will be a miracle if he is still calm. If you want to banish someone, banish me! This has nothing to do with Xiao Dong!"


    The younger generations were challenging Senior Xie''s authority. He was furious. But when he thinks of his granddaughter had already found someone she likes, and he is going to force her to marry someone else for the benefits of the Xie family, he relents slightly. However, he will not give in. "Fine. Hun, if you stop seeing Xiao Dong in the future and be with Xiao Nan, I can pretend nothing had happened today!"


    Dong Xuebing said: "Senior Xie..."


    Senior Xie stared at him and interrupted: "Young man! I have given you lots of respect today! If you had not saved Hun''s life, I would have thrown you out! Don''t think you are her benefactor, and you can ask for everything!"


    Dong Xuebing did not cower and retorted: "Am I the one at fault now? You are the one that abused your authority to break us up! I know reasoning does not work when ites to benefits. But don''t you care about your granddaughter? You are forcing your granddaughter to get engaged with someone she does not like! You think this is right?"


    Xie Hao added: "Grandpa, at most, I will get married to someone from the business sector. Can you let Sis off?"


    Xie Hun scolded: "Xiao Hao! Stop talking nonsense!"


    Senior Xie had be senile? Maybe. But when ites to such important matters, he will think through it carefully. He knew his granddaughter''s character. If he pushed her into a corner, she would fight back. That''s why all these years, Senior Xie allowed Xie Hun to dy her engagement. But now, he can''t wait any longer as all the third-generation children were getting older. He needed Wei Nan''s father''s help and had to bring forward the marriage. But doing this would hurt his rtionship with his granddaughter. He also does not want this to happen. But for the family''s benefit, he had to sacrifice Xie Hun. There are no other ways about this. So, Senior Xie chose a new tactic, or else he does not know what extreme measures his granddaughter would do.


    Senior Xie looked at everyone in front of him. "Fine. Don''t say I am unreasonable. Hun, your father had an argument with me more than 10 years ago. You should also know about this. We settled the argument over a game of chess. Now, I am giving Xiao Dong a chance as he had saved your life. Xiao Dong, you want to marry my granddaughter? Fine. If you can beat me in a game of chess, I will help you get your transfer and even agree to let you be with Hun!"


    Wei Nan panicked when he heard Senior Xie was giving Dong Xuebing a chance. But he was reassured when he heard chess.


    Everyone there knows about Dong Xuebing''s chess skills. He might not be a novice, but he was way below average.


    Hun frowned: "Grandpa, this is what you call being reasonable? You should know Xiao Dong''s standard in Chess!"


    Senior Xie replied: "I have given you all a chance. Don''t me me if he cannot win me. Hun, just get engaged with Wei Nan. This is agreed by the whole family!"


    Xie Hao shouted: "Brother Dong cannot even win me! How can he win you?"


    Dong Xuebing was infuriated. This is also considered a chance? You can even win the former Chess grandmaster. How can I win?!


    Senior Xie looked at Dong Xuebing. "You don''t even dare to take up the challenge? How can you marry my granddaughter?"


    Dong Xuebing knew he had zero chances of winning. If he lost, everything would be over, and Sister Xie had to get engaged with Wei Nan! F**k! This old man was too despicable! He was not willing to let Sister Xie off! Is Sister Xie really his granddaughter?


    Senior Xie was not giving them any chances. Let Hun get engaged with Xiao Dong? Impossible!


    1 second...


    5 seconds...


    10 seconds...


    Xie Hun suddenly sighed and released her grip on Dong Xuebing''s hand. "Never mind. When is the engagement?"


    Dong Xuebing shouted: "Sister Xie! What are you talking about?!"


    Xie Hao also shouted: "Sis!"


    Senior Xie had a slight smile. "Next weekend."


    Xie Hun replied: "Fine. But I have a request. You must not make things difficult for Xiao Dong in the future!"


    Senior Xie nced at Dong Xuebing: "Why will I do that to a brat?"


    Dong Xuebing was going crazy. "Sister Xie! You don''t need to worry about me! It''s just a job! Who cares about it!"


    Xie Hun had a bitter smile on her face: "You saved my life, and I can''t even help you get a transfer. I even get you into trouble. I am sorry. Never mind. There is no way I can escape this engagement. I will just get engaged!"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "I am the one giving you this trouble!"


    Xie Hun waved her hand helplessly. "Stop, alright?"


    Wei Nan had a smile on his face. Xie Hun and Senior Xie had agreed. This engagement will go on.


    Dong Xuebing was boiling with anger. Wei Nan''s victory smile and Senior Xie''s facial expression was like a knife stabbing into his heart. What should I do? I can''t let Sister Xie get married to someone she does not like. I can''t allow Wei Nan''s scheme to seed!


    Xie Hao had given up and was staring at Wei Nan.


    Senior Xie and Xie Hun were discussing who to invite for her engagement.


    Dong Xuebing looked at the sad look on Sister Xie''s face and Wei Nan''s irritating smile. If he walked away just like this, he would never forgive himself. He was willing to give in on certain things, but he must not bow down now! He looked at them and said: "I do not agree!"


    Everyone was shocked.


    Wei Nan sneered. You don''t agree? Who cares?


    Xie Hun shouted: "Xiao Dong! Stop!"


    Dong Xuebing looked at Senior Xie and asked: "I want to confirm this. If I win you at chess, you will agree to let me be with Sister Xie?"


    Senior Xie narrowed his eyes: "Didn''t you hear what I said earlier?"


    Dong Xuebing took off his coat and threw it on a chair. "Alright! Let''s start!"


    Wei Nan was stunned for a second andughed. You want to challenge Senior Xie with your skills? You think too highly of yourself!


    Xie Hao also knows Brother Dong can never win. He should be taking a gamble and see if he could win by luck. But in front of absolute power, luck is useless. Brother Dong''s skills were too weak. He couldn''t win his grandfather even when his grandfather is not in his best state.


    Xie Hun firmly said: "Xiao Dong, give up."


    Dong Xuebing looked at Xie Hun with resolved. "Sister Xie, I will win!"


    Xie Hun frowned. "How confident are you?"


    Dong Xuebing replied without hesitation. "None! But I will win!"


    Xie Hun kept quiet for a while and said: "Give it a try then."


    Since Senior Xie had said this earlier, this game of chess must proceed on no matter what. Everyone stood up and walked towards the garden.


    Dong Xuebing knew that no matter what he says, Senior Xie will never change his mind. To save Sister Xie, the only way was to win this game of chess. Yes. This is Dong Xuebing''s only hope. He must win! He must win at all costs!


    Garden.


    Dong Xuebing looked around. "Where is Grandmaster Zhang?"


    Xie Hao asked: "You want Grandpa Zhang to be the referee? Ok! I will go and get him!"


    After a while, Zhang Wanxu walked into the garden with a smile. He heard what had happened. That novice wants to challenge Senior Xie? He was seen Dong Xuebing yed against Senior Xie earlier and knows his standards well. He knew Dong Xuebing had not purposely let Senior Xie win earlier. He will never win against Senior Xie even when Senior Xie gives up two ''horse'' chess pieces. This will be a one-sided game.


    Senior Xie said: "Let''s start!"


    Dong Xuebing was not in a hurry to start. "Senior Xie, this game is crucial to Sister Xie and me. I need to warm up first."


    Wei Nan frowned: "Why are you so troublesome?! You want grandpa to wait for you?"


    Dong Xuebing shouts back at him, furiously: "What are you shouting for?" You really think you are from the Xie family?


    Wei Nan hated Dong Xuebing to the core. He swore that he will get back at Dong Xuebing after his engagement with Xie Hun.


    Senior Xie frowned and waved his hand, agreeing to Dong Xuebing''s request.


    Dong Xuebing walked over to the chessboard and looked at Xie Hun. "Sister Xie, can you y two games with me? I need to get ready." It''s been a while since Dong Xuebing yed chess. This is an important game, and he needs to be in his best state of mind. Of course, no one in the world could get better at chess after one or two games. Dong Xuebing only needs to get back to his usual standards!


    Xie Hun nodded and sat opposite Dong Xuebing. "You go first."


    Dong Xuebing moved his ''horse'' first.


    One move... 5 moves... 10 moves...


    Xie Hao and Wei Nan were standing beside watching them. Senior Xie and Zhang Wanxu were also interested in Dong Xuebing''s warm-up preparation. They want to see if Dong Xuebing had held back in the earlier games. But after watching for a while, everyone was speechless. Dong Xuebing''s skills were the same as before. Xie Hun could beat Dong Xuebing effortlessly. Dong Xuebing could not attack Xie Hun even once.


    After 10 minutes, Dong Xuebing sighed. "Sister Xie, please y one more game with me."


    Xie Hun looked at him and did not say a word. She arranged the chess pieces and start the second game.


    In this game, Dong Xuebing finally got back to his former standard and managed to attack Xie Hun a few times. But his standard was too far from Sister Xie. After about 20 minutes, Dong Xuebing was defeated again. He rubbed his temples and said. "Sister Xie! One more game!"


    Xie Hun shook her head. "Xiao Dong, give up. You can never win my grandfather."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Sister Xie! Again!"


    Xie Hun looked at him and sighed. She yed another game with Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing lost again!


    Xie Hao could not bear to watch anymore. "Brother Dong, just give up!"


    Senior Xie, Zhang Wanxu, and the rest could see clearly. Xie Hun could not even win 1 game out of 10 against her grandfather, and Dong Xuebing could not win her. The oue of the challenge was obvious!


    "Sorry to keep you waiting." After a while, Dong Xuebing walked over and sat opposite Senior Xie. "I am ready."


    Wei Nanughed. "You really want to challenge?"


    Dong Xuebing gave him a stare: "Why not?"


    Xie Hao said: "Brother Dong, just give up." He does not want to see Dong Xuebing embarrass himself.


    Dong Xuebing ignored them and looked at Senior Xie: "Senior Xie, I am ready."


    Senior Xie nodded. "Old Zhang, you will be the referee."


    Xie Hun, Xie Hao, the personal doctor, and Wei Nan moved closer to the chessboard. This match was critical. It concerns Xie Hun''s future. Even when everyone felt Dong Xuebing had no chance of winning, all of them still stares at the chessboard without blinking.


    Senior Xie: "You will go first. Don''t say I am bullying you!"


    Dong Xuebing did not reject him. He focused all his attention on his chess pieces and moved his ''horse.''


    Senior Xie did not take him lightly. No matter who he yed chess with, he would do his best. He also moves his ''horse.''


    The first few moves of the chess were fast. If the standard of both yers were not too far apart, the first few steps would not show the differences between both yers. But from the 8th and 9th moves onwards, everyone could tell the differences in their skills. Dong Xuebing was no match for Senior Xie. He did not guard Senior Xie''s ''cannon'' and allowed Senior Xie to move his ''cannon'' and limited the movements of Dong Xuebing''s chess pieces.


    Xie Hun sighed and shook her head.


    Xie Hao pped his thigh in disappointment. This winner of this game was obvious and should end in less than 10 minutes!


    Wei Nan had a smirk on his face as he looks at Dong Xuebing. Zhang Wanxu was not surprised as he already knew Dong Xuebing''s standard.


    Dong Xuebing cursed in his heart. He did not expect himself to make the wrong move. He put down his chess piece and said. "Senior Xie, I made the wrong move. I lost."


    Wei Nan burst outughing. "You are admitting defeat so fast? This match will decide your fate!"


    Senior Xie frowned and felt this young man does not have any perseverance. One wrong move, and he admitted defeat?


    Dong Xuebing quickly turned to Zhang Wanxu and asked: Grandmaster Zhang, can you point out what move should I make earlier?"


    Zhang Wanxu is a Chinese Chess coach now. He saw Dong Xuebing asking him for advice and said: "Your ''horse'' should not move here. You should move it to here, and Senior Xie will undoubtedly make this move. After that, you will be able to cross the river." He moved Dong Xuebing''s chess pieces and nodded. "Senior Xie''s next move will definitely be defending this area. This way, you will be able to attack from this side."


    Senior Xie moved a chess piece. "Then, I will move this piece here."


    Zhang Wanxu looked at Dong Xuebing''s ''soldier'' "Xiao Dong, move your soldier forward and then your ''horse'' after that. This way, the game will be in your favor. After all, you made the first move."


    Ok!


    BACK!


    ...


    The scenes shed before Dong Xuebing''s eyes!


    When he came back to his senses, he realized he was about to put his ''horse'' down on the chessboard. He quickly stops and ces his ''horse'' at the spot where Zhang Wanxu told him earlier. Senior Xie thought for a while and moved his chess piece. It was the same as what Zhang Wanxu said. Dong Xuebing did not hesitate for a moment and moved his ''horse'' across the river. Senior Xie made a defensive move, and Dong Xuebing immediately move his ''soldier'' forward.


    Senior Xie started frowning.


    Xie Hun, Wei Nan, and the rest looked at Dong Xuebing in shock. The few moves he made were precise and urate. More importantly, Dong Xuebing made those moves without thinking. It was like he changed into someone else! What was going on? Dong Xuebing had not won against Xie Hun. How did he make those moves? Luck?


    After thinking for a while, Senior Xie moved his ''cannon.''


    Dong Xuebing rubbed his chin and moved his other ''horse'' forward. Senior Xie moved his ''Chariot,'' and Dong Xuebing followed. He wanted to exchange with Senior Xie, but Senior Xie moved his ''Chariot'' away. Dong Xuebing moved his ''soldier'' a step forward. Senior Xieughed and moved his ''Chariot'' forward to the center of Dong Xuebing''s territory. Dong Xuebing was stunned. Damn! I made the wrong move again!


    "I lost." Dong Xuebing said and turned to Zhang Wanxu. "Grandmaster Zhang, how should I move earlier?"


    Zhang Wanxu replied: "You should not move that soldier. That piece is to defend your territory and could not cross the river easily. Your ''Chariot'' should move here. Senior Xie''s next move will undoubtedly be defending this chess piece. You will then move your ''horse here, and his ''Chariot'' got to move away. This way, Senior Xie''s ''horse'' will be stuck in his territory. You will have more options after this. Here, here and here... you can move wherever you want."


    OK! BACK!


    ...


    The scenes before Dong Xuebing''s eyes shed again!


    Dong Xuebing could estimate 1 minute at the back of his hands now. He returned to the moment when he was about to move his ''soldier.'' He moved his hand slightly to the right and picked up his ''Chariot'' and ce it at the spot where Grandmaster Zhang taught him. Senior Xie really moves a chess piece to defend. Dong Xuebing immediately move his ''cannon'' attack Senior Xie''s ''horse'' and Senior Xie moved his ''Chariot'' ording to what Grandmaster Zhang said. Dong Xuebing move his ''Chariot'' and block all avable moves of Senior Xie''s ''horse,'' trapping it inside his own territory!


    Senior Xie looked at Dong Xuebing in surprised. He could not understand why Dong Xuebing felt like he suddenly bes someone else.


    Wei Nan was also stunned. What''s happening? Howe Dong Xuebing suddenly be so good at chess?! When he yed chess with me, he was not this good! When he yed against Xie Hun, he made lots of mistakes! But the few moves he made now were outstanding! He is just better than me! It feels like... Zhang Wanxu''s moves!


    Xie Hao pped his thigh excitedly: "Sis! Brother Dong! Brother Dong is..."


    "I know!" Xie Hun was breathing heavily. Her eyes were glued to the chessboard.


    After thinking for a long time, Senior Xie made his move. He moved his ''elephant.'' Dong Xuebing hesitated for a while and moved his ''cannon'' to the right. Senior Xie saw it and immediately move his ''Guard.'' Dong Xuebing continued his attack and moved his ''horse.'' Senior Xie moved his ''horse'' to defend. Dong Xuebing''s next move was to move his other ''cannon'' across the river. Senior Xie stroked his beard and ''Chariot.'' Now, Dong Xuebing had to sacrifice one of his chess pieces!


    Dong Xuebing pped his forehead. "I lost! Grandmaster Zhang, I should not have moved my ''cannon'' across?"


    Zhang Wanxu shook his head. "You are too anxious. Your other ''cannon'' can remain in your territory. What you should do is to suppress his chess pieces. You are ahead in the game and why didn''t you continue attacking with your ''horse''? Here and here... there are many more moves. Senior Xie will move his ''elephant'' back down, and you can move your ''horse'' here. Senior Xie will have no choice but to move his guard. This way, you will be able to eat his ''Chariot,'' and he will be on the defensive. You can then move your ''cannon''!"


    BACK!


    ...


    The time returned to 1 minute ago.


    Dong Xuebing stopped his hand midair and move slightly forward to pick up his ''horse'' to attack. Senior Xie moved his ''elephant'' back, and Dong Xuebing continued with his attacks. Dong Xuebing was relieved when Senior Xie moves his ''Guard'' back. Dong Xuebing move his ''horse'' a step back to attack Senior Xie''s ''Chariot.'' After Senior Xie moved his ''Chariot'' away, Dong Xuebing moved his other ''cannon'' across the river!


    Senior Xie''s face changed!


    Wei Nan and the rest were shocked!


    16 times of BACK!


    A total of 16 BACKs!


    Dong Xuebing had used up all the BACKs umted over the past few weeks in this game!


    ...


    5 minutes passed...


    10 minutes passed...


    20 minutes passed...


    Ta, ta, ta... it was the sounds of chess piecesnding on the chessboard.


    Dong Xuebing looked at Senior Xie and moved his ''Chariot'' forward. "Checkmate!" He could finally rx!


    This was unbelievable!


    Goddamn! Is this really Xiao Dong? The Xiao Dong who could not even win Xie Hao just now?


    Everyone had seen Dong Xuebing''s skills. He lost to Wei Nan, Xie Hun, and Xie Hao. His standard cannot even be called average. No one believes that he will win Senior Xie!


    But Dong Xuebing won!


    Dong Xuebing had won Senior Xie!


    Under the watchful eyes of Xie Hun, Zhang Wanxu, and the rest, Dong Xuebing had not made any wrong moves from the start of the game. He moved his chess pieces without any hesitation. The moment Senior Xie moves his chess piece, Dong Xuebing would immediately move without thinking. He seems to have predicted all of Senior Xie''s moves. Even the best chess yers in the world cannot y as fast as Dong Xuebing. He controlled the whole game and suppressed Senior Xie''s chess pieces in his own territory. Senior Xie could not even retaliate!


    This was an overwhelming victory!


    Dong Xuebing was the clear-cut winner!


    Zhang Wanxu looked at Dong Xuebing and smiled. Hidden talent?


    Xie Hao jumped up: "Wow! Brother Dong, you won!"


    Xie Hun was still in shocked. She took in a deep breath. Xiao Dong really won?!


    Wei Nan was staring at the chessboard in a daze. How did this happen? Impossible! How can there be someone that can beat Senior Xie effortlessly? Dong Xuebing should not be this good!


    No one knew what was going on.


    Even the personal doctor and servants were shocked.


    Senior Xie looked at the chessboard, deep in thoughts. Suddenly, he hit the table and eximed. "Splendid move! This move is outstanding!" He turned to Zhang Wanxu. "Old Zhang, if you y with Xiao Dong, are you confident of winning?"


    Zhang Wanxu thought for a while and replied: "If I am ying the red chess and I go first, I am confident. But if he goes first, I will not win."


    Xie Hao was dumbfounded. Brother Dong is so good at chess?! Even Grandmaster Zhang cannot win him?


    Wei Nan panicked. "Grandpa! Grandpa Xie!" How is this possible?! Xie Hun will get engage in Dong Xuebing?


    Dong Xuebing knew clearly that regardless of the oue of this game, he had already offended Senior Xie. He was no longer afraid of anything. He does not care about his job anymore. All he wanted was to save Sister Xie. "Senior Xie, Sister Xie, and I..."


    Senior Xie looked at Dong Xuebing and did not say a word. He got up and walked towards the vi with his doctor.


    Wei Nan also cried out to him: "Grandpa!"


    Senior Xie ignored him and entered the building.


    Inside of the Vi.


    Senior Xie was sitting on the sofa, and he looked over to his personal doctor. This doctor had been serving him for many years. "The youngsters nowadays are getting more capable and have fouler temper. Haha... I lost the game. I admit my defeat. That Xiao Dong is as good as Old Zhang. Old Zhang had always given in to me during our games. If not, I will also not win him so many times. Xiao Dong is on the same level as Old Zhang. I cannot win him. This young man cannot be judged by his looks."


    The personal doctor replied: "You must watch out of your health. Stop getting angry with them."


    Senior Xieughed. "Am I really that unreasonable?"


    The doctor said: "No. Wei Nan''s father can help the children in critical times. You are also doing this for their own good. In the family, Xiao Hao might seem to have a foul temper, and only you and Hun can control him. But when Hun is angry, her father also cannot stop her."


    Senior Xie waved his hand. "Not only her father. I can''t even stop her. She is even more stubborn than me when I was young. No one can control her!" Senior Xie sighed. "My grandson and granddaughter scolded me senile. I also know that Xiao Nan is not good enough to be with Hun. How many youngsters are good enough for my granddaughter? None! Not a single one! Maybe this was a mistake from the start."


    The personal doctor knew Senior Xie was looking for an excuse for himself to call off the engagement. "Senior Xie, it is not a good thing for a family to fight. Why not... just call off the engagement?"


    Senior Xie thought for a while and asked: "What do you think of Xiao Dong?"


    The doctor thought for a second and replied: "He looks ordinary, but he should not be simple. If not, Hun will not pick him."


    Senior Xie sighed... This is fate...


    The garden outside.


    Zhang Wanxu looked at Dong Xuebing with a smile. "Xiao Dong, your standard is good enough to be in the top 3 of the professional leagues. It is rare to see people of your age be so good at chess. Hahaha, although I already have a disciple, if you want to enter the Chinese Chess league, I will make an exception and take you as my disciple. Are you interested?" Zhang Wanxu really likes Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing was surprised. "Grandmaster Zhang. I am very sorry. I want to develop a career in government service." Dong Xuebing does not have the skills. The match earlier was actually Zhang Wanxu ying against Senior Xie. Most of his moves were taught by Zhang Wanxu. Zhang Wanxu was also family with Senior Xie''s chess moves. If not, it would be impossible for Dong Xuebing to win.


    Xie Haoughed loudly: "Brother Dong! You are pretending to be lousy at chess just now?! You are just trying to show off! Hahaha!"


    Wei Nan gritted his teeth. Pretending?! Impossible! We are enemies! When he yed with me earlier, why can''t he win? He should win me and humiliate me! If Dong Xuebing were really on the same level as Zhang Wanxu, Wei Nan would never win him!


    Dong Xuebing smiled and turned to look at Sister Xie: "Did Senior Xie agree to call off your engagement?"


    Xie Hun replied excitedly. "Since Grandpa made a promise, he will keep to his words. Xiao Dong, thank you very much!"


    Dong Xuebing replied: "I am the one who caused trouble for you. It''s great to know that Senior Xie will not force you to get engaged with Wei Nan."


    Xie Hao saw the bitter Wei Nan and purposely said: "Sis, Brother Dong, I wish you two to have a harmonious unionsting a hundred years!"


    Dong Xuebing blushed.


    Xie Hun smiled: "We should think of how we are going to apologize to Grandpa! We made him really mad this time!"


    Dong Xuebing sighed when he heard this. I''m dead. I still need to face Senior Xie''s wrath. But when he saw Wei Nan''s face as he ran into Senior Xie''s vi, Dong Xuebingughed in his heart! You want to marry Sister Xie? Get lost!

 Chapter 158: The job transfer is complete

    <h4>Chapter 158: The job transfer isplete</h4>


    The next day.


    Sunday.


    Dong Xuebing listlessly finishes his breakfast, and Xie Hao came to his ce.


    After yesterday''s events, Dong Xuebing felt good to have vented his anger. But until Dong Xuebing leaves Senior Xie''s vi, he did not see Senior Xie again. He does not know what Senior Xie was thinking. Will Senior Xie take away his job? Was Sister Xie''s engagement called off? Dong Xuebing did not know what happened after he left. He was very worried. Now, he could finally ask someone. "Xiao Hao, why are you here? Did your sister ask you toe? What happened yesterday after I left?"


    Xie Haoughed and sat on the sofa. "Brother Dong, after you left yesterday, my Sis and I went to apologize to our grandfather. But my grandfather did not say a word. After that, my sister asks me to go back first. She will speak to our grandfather. I do not know the oue."


    Yesterday, Dong Xuebing and Xie Hao had fought against the same enemy and had gotten closer. Dong Xuebing asked. "Then, why are you here?"


    "Hehe, I am here to thank you."


    "Never mind. I am the one who started this. What''s there to thank?"


    Xie Hao replied. "You are wrong. If you are not around, my sister will still have to get engaged with Wei Nan in two months. You saved my sister. Brother Dong, you are traffic. When I was at my sister''s ce, I heard from your colleague that you can solve all sorts of trouble. She praised you like you are invincible. I still don''t believe it until yesterday''s game of chess... I was shocked. Brother Dong, you are my idol. My goal in life is to be as capable as you. Give me an autograph!"


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Get lost!"


    Xie Haoughed. "Brother Dong, I really respect you. If it were someone else in yesterday''s circumstances, he would not even dare to utter a single word. Who is not scared of my grandfather? But you dare to stare and talk back to my grandfather because of my sister. You are even willing to give up your job." A friend in need is a friend indeed. After yesterday''s incident, Xie Hao could tell Brother Dong will go all out to help his friends.


    Dong Xuebing rolled his eyes. "Stop talking nonsense. I still don''t know how Senior Xie will punish me!"


    Xie Hao smiled cunningly. "He might not punish you. My grandfather had said that if you can win him, he will agree to help you get your transfer and allow you to date, my sister. My grandfather will not go back on his words. You are my sister''s boyfriend now. Why will my grandfather punish you?"


    Dong Xuebing almost fainted. "What, boyfriend? It''s fake. We were forced to say that. Your sister also did not take that seriously."


    "Hehe... but my family members thought it is real. My Aunt calledst night to ask me about you."


    Dong Xuebing was shocked. "Your Aunt? Sister Xie''s mother? What did she ask?" She is the wife of Beijing City Party Secretary!


    Xie Hao replied: "She asked how you met my sister and what happened yesterday. I think my whole family knows about yesterday''s incident now."


    Dong Xuebing pped his forehead. I''m dead. Sister Xie''s whole family will hate me now. I am in deep trouble!


    Xie Hao stayed at Dong Xuebing''s apartment for a while until he received a call from his friends to go to a bar.


    Dong Xuebing sat on his sofa in his living room to wait for Sister Xie''s updates. He even rejected a lunch invitation by Political Section Deputy Chief Liu. If this matter were not resolved, Dong Xuebing would not have the mood to do anything else. This concerns his future in the government, and it all depends on Senior Xie.


    Ring, ring, ring. Dong Xuebing''s phone rang!


    Dong Xuebing looked at the number. It was from Sister Xie. He quickly answered: "Sister Xie, how was it?"


    "Hahaha, what are you talking about?" Xie Hun asked.


    Dong Xuebing replied: "Your engagement with Wei Nan. Is it canceled?"


    "Let me tell you everything from the start. Haha, after you left with Xiao Hao yesterday, I went to speak to Grandpa about us dating. Grandpa did not agree or disagree with. But Wei Nan tried to meet my grandpa and was rejected. He refuses to leave. In the evenings, Wei Nan''s father came over and spoke to my grandfather. I do not know what they say, but Uncle Wei went back with Wei Nan with a bitter smile."


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while and asked: "That means your engagement is called off?"


    "It should be. Xiao Dong, thank you for your help!"


    "Don''t mention it." Dong Xuebing was slightly relieved. But he still has one more worry. His job...


    "As for your transfer..." Sister Xie seems to know what Dong Xuebing was thinking. She giggled and said: "My grandfather did not mention anything about it. But I tried to use my grandfather''s connection to try to get a transfer for youst night. My grandfather did not say anything, and I know that he had agreed. I helped you ask again this morning, and there should not be any problem with your transfer."


    It''s confirmed? I will be a Deputy Bureau Chief?


    Dong Xuebing brighten up. This was the best news he heard. But after thinking for a while, he was still worried: "Sister Xie, I was very rude to Senior Xie yesterday. Err... Is he still...? Will I be..." He was afraid Senior Xie will get back at him. But Senior Xie''s status was so high up. He should not get revenge with a nobody like Dong Xuebing.


    "Haha, you had helped me yesterday. Even if anything happens in the future, I will protect you!"


    "Ah... That''s not what I mean."


    Xie Hun paused for a second. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Hehe, Xiao Dong, your hometown is Yantai County? When you told me that you want to be transferred to a County Public Security Station, I helped you asked that area, and there is really a Deputy Bureau Chief vacancy there. What do you think?"


    Yantai County?


    Mother''s hometown?


    Dong Xuebing jumped up from the sofa. "Sister Xie, will it be too troublesome for you?"


    "No. If it is fine with you, I will confirm it?"


    Of course, it''s fine! Dong Xuebing quickly thanked Xie Hun!


    Xie Hunughed. "You helped me put out a fire that had troubled me for more than a year. I should be the one thanking you. Alright. Just wait for the news. The official order should be out in a few days."


    After hanging up, Dong Xuebing still sat there excitedly. I will be transferred to Yantai County?


    I will be returning home with honor!!!


    Trantor''s notes: A very short chapterpared to the previous few chapters. So, Xiao Hao is Xie Hun''s cousin. In China, cousins addressed each other as brothers and sisters.

 Chapter 159: Date for real

    <h4>Chapter 159: Date for real</h4>


    Noon.


    It was the start of Spring, and the temperature got warmer slightly.


    Dong Xuebing knew he was about to get promoted, and he happily went to a shopping mall in the West of the bridge. He picked some branded cosmetics and paid. After leaving for the items, he left the mall. Dong Xuebing had saved Xie Hun from drowning and helped her stop her engagement with Wei Nan. He does not need to thank her for these gifts. But Dong Xuebing wanted to build a closer rtionship with her. Rtionships had to be built up slowly.


    Dong Xuebing took out his phone and called Xie Hun. "Hello, Sister Xie?"


    "Xiao Dong? Haha, are you looking for me?" Dong Xuebing could hear the sounds of writing in the background.


    "Errr.... Are you busy now?"


    "Yes. I have a meeting at the Central Publicity Department tomorrow. I am preparing the materials." Xie Hun was speaking to Dong Xuebing while writing something. "I had asked the people from the Central Department to help me get the materials and news articles on heating supply a few days ago. But they are too inefficient. A while theye back to me and tell me that they need approvals, and then they tell me that they are understaffed because of the holidays. It''s been 2 to 3 days, and they only got 5 to 6 articles. This efficiency is too... Hah. Let''s stop talking about this. Why are you calling? You are unhappy with the transfer?"


    Dong Xuebing quickly reply: "No... I am very happy with your arrangement, and I would like to pay you a visit."


    "Stop being so polite. We are now dating, what''s there to pay me a visit?"


    Dong Xuebing replied. "Stop joking with me. Errr... If I am not bothering you, I will drop by your ce in a while?"


    "Haha, I will be waiting at home. Don''t bring any gifts, ok?"


    Dong Xuebing acknowledged and hang up. He gged a taxi and went to Sister Xie''s unit quarters.


    When Dong Xuebing reached Sister Xie''s block, a middle-aged man had just exited the building, and the electric gate was about to close. Dong Xuebing quickly step forward and stop the gate from closing. This way, he does not need to call Sister Xie and ask her to unlock the gate for him. He went upstairs and pressed Sister Xie''s doorbell.


    The door opened. Xie Hun was standing there. "Xiao Dong? How did you enter?"


    "Someone just happened to exit from the building, and I entered." Xie Hun opened the gates, and Dong Xuebing secretly look at her feet. She was wearing ck suit pants with skin-colored stockings. Dong Xuebing swallowed his saliva and entered with his gifts. "Sister Xie, I bought some cosmetics for you. These are not expensive gifts." Dong Xuebing said as he ced the gifts on the small cab beside the door.


    Xie Hun smiled. "Why are you giving me gifts again? Didn''t I tell you not to bring any gifts? You just don''t listen. Our rtionship is so close, and there is no need for all these. I do not want to say this, but I still have not used the perfume you gave mest time. There... you open that cab and see for yourself. There are all sorts of cosmetics there. You can find all sorts of brands there. Haha, I have more variety of cosmetics than shopping malls. Juste over without gifts in the future. Save your money. Oh, bring some of those cosmetics back with you. You can give it to your mother. I can''t finish using all those."


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself. I got the wrong gifts!


    "Have a seat. What tea do you prefer?"


    "Anything will do." Dong Xuebing looked at Xie Hun. "Sister Xie, errr.... What sort of gifts do you like?"


    Xie Hun smiled sweetly. "Actually, gifts are just a token. I do not care about what sort of gifts. Hehe... let me tell you this. The best gifts I want is something that can help me with my work. You can also tell that my family is not very supportive of me working for the government. My grandfather, father, and mother do not support me. At my workce, they address me as Chief Xie, but in their hearts, they are looking down on me. Everyone thinks that I got my position because of my family background. That''s why I need to show some results to prove myself to my family and colleagues. Tomorrow''s meeting is crucial for me. If someone can provide me with news articles on heating supply issues, it will be the best gift. Haha..."


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while. News articles on heating supply issues as gifts?


    BACK! BACK!


    ...


    Everything shed before Dong Xuebing''s eyes.


    Although Dong Xuebing said BACK twice in his heart, he had used up all his BACK yesterday during the chess game. He only has 1 BACK left!


    Dong Xuebing was standing outside of Xie Hun''s gate, and his hand was about to press the doorbell. He quickly stopped his hand and walk downstairs silently. Dong Xuebing left the quarters. During the phone call, Sister Xie had mentioned something about news articles on heating supply issues. He thought nothing about it. She should be preparing a presentation and report on this issue. These few days, most of the government agencies were on holiday break. That''s why the relevant departments were not able to provide Sister Xie with the materials she wanted.


    What''s the best gift?


    Alright! I will give her this!


    Dong Xuebing knew he must hurry before she got the materials herself.


    Dong Xuebing took out his phone and called his unit''s Sixth Bureau''s Deputy Chief. "Hello, Chief Zheng? Are you at work?"


    "Oh, Chief Dong? Haha, I am working overtime today. I am in the office now. Why?"


    "Oh, I remember thest time I went over to your department, I saw someone checking through this year''s newspapers, and all the articles were scanned into the PC."


    "That''s right. This is a task given by the higher-ups before Lunar New Year. Why are you asking?"


    "I am looking for some articles on heating supply issues. Errr.... This is my personal matter. Can you give me a copy of your records?"


    "Oh, I am not sure if they keep a copy of those records. Chief Dong, let me check for you, and I will call you back." 5 minutester, Sixth Bureau''s Deputy Chief called Dong Xuebing. "Chief Dong, we still have the records. I will get them to extract the articles you want. Heating supply issues, right? Ok. You can drop byter to collect them."


    Dong Xuebing said: "Thank you. You can just pass me all the records."


    "No. You had helped me during the wrongful arrest of Chief Jiang''s nephew. I am only returning you a favor."


    "Thank you very much." Chief Zheng had owed Dong Xuebing a favor, and this was why Dong Xuebing called him. After all, this was Dong Xuebing''s personal matter. Although the materials were from public sources, it is against the State Security regtions to bring materials out of the branch. Dong Xuebing had to get someone close to help him.


    An hourter, Dong Xuebing got this year''s news articles on heating supply issues. It was a stack of printouts, weighing several KG. Dong Xuebing could get the materials so fast was because Deputy Chief Zheng got all his men to sort and extract the articles. Dong Xuebing returned home with the cosmetics and printed out all the materials, before going back to Sister Xie''s home.


    Xie Hun''s home.


    Xie Hun frowning on her phone in the living room. "Where are the articles I wanted? You can''t even get January''s articles? Howe you all do not have a backup copy of all the newspapers? What? The people from the resource center are on holiday, and there is no way to get it? Is this how your department works?! Get your leaders to the phone.... The leaders are not around?" Xie Hun mmed down the phone. The Central Publicity Department had informed her about this meeting toote, coupled with Xie Hun''s family problems over the past two days, caused this dy in getting the required materials. She had to make a presentation tomorrow and does not have enough resources.


    Di,di,di.... It was the electric gate''s phone.


    Xie Hun knew it was Dong Xuebing, and she unlocked the gate.


    "Sister Xie, I''m sorry. There are some dys." Dong Xuebing was panting as he stood outside Xie Hun''s home.


    Xie Hun opened the gates andughed: "Come in. Eh? Didn''t I tell you not to buy anything? Why are you bringing gifts over again?"


    Dong Xuebing smiled and entered the living room.


    Xie Hun poured a cup of tea for Dong Xuebing and smiled: "Xiao Dong, have some fruits yourself first. I still need to make some calls. If I even cannot get the articles on heating supply issues by tonight, I will not be able to do up my presentation for tomorrow''s meeting.


    Dong Xuebing stopped her. "Sister Xie, wait a while."


    Xie Hun turned and looked at him: "What''s wrong?"


    Dong Xuebing opened his bag and took out a thick stack of A4 papers and ced it on the coffee table. Seeing the confused look on Sister Xie''s face, Dong Xuebing said: "You mentioned you need news articles on heating supply issues over the phone. So, I got these articles for you. See if these can help you. Err... but these materials might not be enough. These are all January and February''s newspaper articles."


    Xie Hun was stunned for a while and quickly flip through the pages. "You extracted out the individual articles for me?"


    Dong Xuebing replied. "I am also not sure if this will help."


    Xie Hun did not expect Dong Xuebing would take note of her grumble over the phone. He even sorted out all the materials she needed. She was touched. "Of course. These materials are what I needed. I was still troubled over it. Xiao Dong, you are really..."


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Good to know that I can help." Dong Xuebing saw that she was distracted by articles and secretly peeped at her feet. After that stockings incident, Dong Xuebing will keep looking at her stockings. The more he looks at it, the faster his heart beats. Luckily Sister Xie does not know what the stuff on her stockings was. If not, the transfer would not happen, and she will never allow him to step into her house.


    Xie Hun carried all the papers and smiled. "Xiao Dong, I find you more and more interesting. When my wallet was stolen, you appear out of nowhere and caught the thief. When I fell into the river, you also appeared and save me. When I was being forced to get married, you made my grandfather change his mind. Now, I need these materials urgently, and you brought them to me. Haha, I really don''t know how to describe you."


    Dong Xuebing felt great in his heart. "Sister Xie, you..."


    "You... you... you... again." Xie Hunughed and looked at him. "We are now dating. Can you don''t treat me like a stranger?"


    Dong Xuebingughed. "Stop joking."


    Xie Hun put down the stack of paper on the coffee table and looked at Dong Xuebing in his eyes. "Joke? When am I say it is a joke?"


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. "Ah? We... we are not pretending?"


    "Pretending?" Xie Hunughed. "Xiao Dong, what did I say to you at Xishan Vi?"


    Dong Xuebing replied in a daze. "You asked me if I want to date you."


    Xie Hun smiled: "What was your reply?"


    "Errr... I think I nodded."


    "Haha, you don''t need to think. You nodded. So, we are in a rtionship now, right?"


    Dong Xuebing was stunned. "Sister Xie, you are not saying that to stop your engagement with Wei Nan? It was Wei Nan that misunderstood us yesterday, and that''s why you said that."


    Xie Hun smiled. "Did I say we are pretending to date? I did not say that!"


    Dong Xuebing was dumbfounded and stood up. "Ah! Sister Xie, how can I date you? I am not good enough for you. I... I cannot really date you. My looks and status are not good enough for you!" That circumstances yesterday were different. Dong Xuebing had never thought about dating Xie Hun. The gap between them was too far apart. Furthermore, he still has Qu Yunxuan. How can he date someone else? Dong Xuebing was satisfied to just admire Xie Hun secretly. He dares not to wish for more!


    Xie Hun yed with her teacup. "You are saying that you want to stop dating me?"


    Dong Xuebing did not know how to answer her. "Ah... I... I know where I stand. You are so pretty, how is it possible that you will like me?"


    Xie Hunughed. "I admire you a lot. I have never admired anyone like this before."


    "Admire... It is different from dating."


    "Xiao Dong, you have a girlfriend?" Xie Hun took a sip of tea and asked.


    Dong Xuebing wiped his sweat off his forehead. "Errr... you can say so... Errr... I can be considered single now." Aunt Xuan still has not agreed to be his girlfriend.


    Xie Hun looked at him for a while. "You have no feelings for me?"


    Damn! How should I answer this question?!


    Of course, I have feelings for you. But if I admit it, I will not be able to speak to her like this. No! It will be too awkward!


    Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth and replied: "I only have respect for you. My most heartfelt respect and nothing else..."


    Xie Hun nodded and put down her teacup. "Fine. Since you say so, then let''s make things clear. On the day you save me at your house..." Xie Hun looked at Dong Xuebing. "What did you do with my stockings? Give me an exnation."


    F**K!


    At that very moment, Dong Xuebing felt the world was copsing around him!


    Sister Xie knows!!!


    Trantor''s notes: She knows.... Who wouldn''t? Xie Hun is not a kid. Only an idiot like Dong Xuebing will think that she does not know.

 Chapter 160: A date with a central government leader

    <h4>Chapter 160: A date with a central government leader</h4>


    1 second.... 5 seconds... 10 seconds... It was eerily silent in Sister Xie''s living room.


    Dong Xuebing was standing by the coffee table, embarrassed. He wanted to dig a hole and bury his head in it. He thought Xie Hun was innocent and does not know what was on her stockings that day. She knew it. Goddamn! Since you already know what that was, why did you pretended nothing had happened? I''m dead. The righteous imagine I built is all gone. She is trying to settle the score now!


    "Sister Xie, that day.... I..." Dong Xuebing does not know how to exin his actions that day.


    Xie Hun looked at him. "You still dare to tell me that you only have respect for me? You do not have feelings for me?"


    Dong Xuebing replied with a dismal look. "No... it''s not like that."


    "Oh, then give me an exnation of what is on my stockings..."


    Dong Xuebing surrendered. "Sister Xie, please stop talking about it. Please. It was a moment of folly. I am wrong. I... Please punish me."


    "Hehe, I am not your leader. News Department is also not your governing body. I do not have the authority." Xie Hun smiled. "I am now your girlfriend. What I can do is to remind you not to do this again. It is not good for your health, and that is a worn stocking. It is unhygienic to use it to do that. Take note of this in the future, alright?"


    Dong Xuebing wanted to kill himself on the spot. He had never been so embarrassed before in his life. "O... Ok"


    Xie Hun nodded. "Don''t be so uptight. Rx. Haha, have a seat."


    Dong Xuebing sat down cautiously and look at Xie Hun''s expression secretly. She does not even feel embarrassed when she said all those things. She was still as calm and graceful as before. Dong Xuebing could never be like her.


    Xie Hun pushed the te of fruits towards Dong Xuebing. "Want some oranges?"


    Dong Xuebing replied with a straight face. "Thank you. I will pass."


    Xie Hunughed and pointed at him. "You... do we look like we are dating?"


    Huh? We are not really dating in the first ce. But Dong Xuebing does not dare to say it out. Xie Hun had a hold against him. "Errr... I will have an orange." He saw Xie Hun was about to help him peel the orange, he quickly snatches it from her and peels an orange for her, before peeling one more for himself.


    Xie Hun ate the orange slowly, and after she finishes eating, she said. "Address me as Hun in the future, alright?"


    Dong Xuebing could only nod.


    Xie Hun added. "Watch TV by yourself here. I will go and write my presentation first."


    Xie Hun bends over to pick up the stack of materials, and Dong Xuebing quickly carried it for her. "Let me.... Let me bring it into the room for you."


    "Hehe, thank you."


    Xie Hun''s bedroom looks more like a study room. Other than a bed, PC, and a closet, there were rows of bookshelves. There were all sorts of books. Dong Xuebing took a nce at the books. There were books on Thick ck Theory, Economy, philosophy, and records from the News Department. Xie Hun was self-motivated. But she was different from Dong Xuebing. She will prepare herself and then try to move upwards. Dong Xuebing on the other hand, only focuses on climbing up the ranks.


    But Dong Xuebing knew he had no choice. The job of the General Affairs Office was only supporting the leaders. He could only get promoted if the leaders were close to him. If he did something on his own, that would be acting beyond his power. He will be able to do much more when he goes to the grassroots level. All the things he does at the grassroots level will be his credit.


    Xie Hun quickly enters here work mode. She looked at the materials Dong Xuebing brought and start writing her report.


    Dong Xuebing does not want to disturb her and went out of the room silently. He went out to brew a cup of tea and left it on her desk before leaving and closing the door behind him. He sat in the living room thinking about what had happened. What the hell was going on? Aunt Xuan still had not given me an answer, and I have to date a Central Government Leader? Is Sister Xie serious? She really likes me? Impossible. She must be joking. But she does not sound like she is joking with me...


    Dong Xuebing hadplicated feelings.


    1 minute passed...


    10 minutes passed...


    Dong Xuebing was afraid that he would disturb Xie Hun, and he mutes the TV. He could not calm himself as he watched the TV in silent. He had gotten into a rtionship suddenly, and it felt surreal. Sister Xie also knew about the stockings. He really has the urge to jump down from the building. What was Sister Xie''s impression of him? A pervert? A hooligan? But why did she still want to date him?


    Dong Xuebing could not figure out the answer.


    Dong Xuebing sat on the sofa restlessly. He stood up and look around. He needs to find something to do. That''s right. I can help Sister Xie tidy up her apartment. I will rebuild my image and cannot let the stocking incident affect my rtionship with Sister Xie. I must show her the better side of me.


    Dong Xuebing rolled up his sleeves and start cleaning up the kitchen. He wiped the venttion hood first. Xie Hun should be someone that does not do household chores. She must have a part-time helper to help her clean the apartment. The tables were cleaned, and only the venttion hood was slightly dirty. Dong Xuebing was poor when he was young. His family could not afford to hire someone to clean their venttion hood. Everything had to be cleaned himself. Dong Xuebing dismantled the hood and start cleaning it. After that, he went to get a mop and start mopping the floor. Sister Xie was still at work after he finishes, and Dong Xuebing went to get a rag and old newspapers to start cleaning the window panels. He even washes Xie Hun''s clothes.


    After 3 hours of household chores, Dong Xuebing was sweating buckets. But he felt much better.


    5.25 pm.


    Dong Xuebing was squatting by the shoe cab in the living, polishing Sister Xie''s heels when the bedroom door opened.


    Xie Hun walked out of her room and ask: "Xiao Dong, what are you doing?"


    Actually, Dong Xuebing had heard the sounds of Xie Hun''s slippers and knew she will being out of the room. He quickly opens the shoe cab and starts wiping her heels. Helping the leader wash her clothes and clean the windows were still fine. But polishing heels was... too degrading. Dong Xuebing purposely did this was to make himself look more pitiful and hope to let Xie Hun forgive him about her stockings. "Ah, Sister Xie. You finished your work? Sorry, I did not get your permission and cleaned your house for you. I have cleaned your venttion hood and the windows."


    Xie Hun was surprised and looked at her kitchen and the windows. "What are you doing? I can get a part-timer to clean."


    Dong Xuebing continued to wipe the shoes: "Oh, I have nothing to do. Is it fine for me to use ck polish on this pair of heels?"


    Xie Hun smiled and walked over to take that pair of heels from him. "Stop it. You are my boyfriend now. How can you polish my heels and clean up my ce? This should be what women do for their men. Go and rest. You should be tired."


    Dong Xuebing was eager to please her. "It''s fine. Let me finish cleaning this pair of heels first."


    Xie Hun narrowed her eyes. "Go and rest, alright?"


    Dong Xuebing was only pretending. He did not really want to polish her heels for her. He ''unwillingly'' let go of the heels and went to the bathroom.


    "Oh, you helped me wash my clothes?" Xie Hun smiled. "You mopped the floor, wiped all the windows, clean my venttion hood, polished my heels... You spent the whole afternoon.... Xiao Dong, let me tell you again. We are dating now. I am not your superior. Do not do these again, alright?"


    Huh? You keep calling me Xiao Dong, and how can this be considered dating? You should at least call me Big Brother.


    Dong Xuebing just nodded his head.


    Xie Hun looked at the spotless bathroom and her suits that were hung out to dry by the heater. Sheughed: "I was still thinking of ordering take-outs for our dinner. But seeing you have worked hard the whole afternoon, let go out and eat. Chinese or Western food?"


    Dong Xuebing shook his head. "No... Don''t be so troublesome. I will go back and eat."


    "How can I let you go back after you helped me clean up my apartment?"


    "Hah, it''s nothing. Err... how about we cook something for dinner here?"


    Xie Hun looked at him andughed. "Are you trying to embarrass me? I can''t cook."


    "Huh... No... I am saying that I will... prepare dinner for you. My cooking skills are still alright. If you don''t mind..."


    Xie Hun started counting with her fingers. "How many times have you helped me? You caught the thief, saved my life, stop my engagement, help me get the materials I needed, and even clean up my apartment. Haha, how can I let you cook dinner for me? Never mind. Since you want to have dinner at home, so be it. I will cook two simple dishes. Alright?"


    "Let me help you."


    In the kitchen.


    Xie Hun was beating the eggs with a pair of chopsticks and threw some chopped green onions in it. "Xiao Dong, my house only has eggs and some vegetables. I seldom cook at home. I eat out or order food most of the time. That''s why I do not have many ingredients in my fridge."


    Dong Xuebing replied: "I am fine with anything. Two simple dishes are enough. Eh, don''t put too much salt in the eggs."


    "Like this?"


    "Yes. Err... add more chopped green onions into the eggs. It will taste better."


    "Oh." Xie Hun smiled and looked at him. "Xiao Dong, we are doing something like dating couples do now. Hehe, don''t you think so?"


    Dong Xuebing blushed. "Sister Xie, err... are we really going to date?"


    Xie Hun narrowed her eyes and looked at him. "What do you want to say?"


    Huh? What do you think I want to say? I have lots of things to say! Dong Xuebing coughed. "Nothing... erm... you should pour some oil now."


    A te of fried eggs and a te of stir fry vegetables. This was a simple dinner.


    Xie Hun tasted a piece of egg and said: "Haha, the taste is not very nice. I should have let you cook it."


    Dong Xuebing had not expected Xie Hun to cook anything delicious. He could tell from her family background. "It''s fine. The eggs and vegetables are delicious. It is much better than my cooking." Dong Xuebing ate and said.


    Xie Hunughed. "Stop saying nice things. I know my cooking skills."


    If it were in the past, Dong Xuebing would never imagine having dinner so casually with a Central Government leader. Dating Xie Hun was like a dream. But he was still not very sure if Sister Xie was serious about them dating.


    After dinner, Dong Xuebing and Xie Hun sat on the sofa to watch the evening news.


    During themercial break before the weather report, Xie Hun suddenly asked. "Xiao Dong, have you dated anyone before?"


    Dong Xuebing replied nervously. "I think so." Sleeping with Aunt Xuan should be considered dating.


    "What sort of girls do you like?"


    "Errr.... It depends on feelings. I also don''t know how to tell you."


    "Haha, is it boring to date someone like me?" Xie Hunughed. "We have known each other not too long ago, and we do not know each other well. I am someone who ces my job before anything. Most of my time is spent on it. I seldom have time for movies, dramas or games. I spent my free time reading articles and writing reports. That can be considered my hobby. Hehe, but since we are dating, I should make some changed to my life. I can''t be the same as before, and you should not like it, right?"


    Dong Xuebing did not know how to answer her. "No... no..."


    Xie Hun smiled: "Alright. I have finished my work today. Shall we go shopping?"


    Dong Xuebing''s eyes nearly popped out. "Shopping?" Shopping with a Central Government Leader?


    "Shopping is a date for couples, right?" Before Dong Xuebing could react, Xie Hun switched off the TV and grabbed her handbag from the sofa. She walked over to wear her heels. "Xiao Dong, we have to work tomorrow and do not have much time. Let''s go somewhere nearby." Xie Hun was too overbearing. She does not let anyone reject her.


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself. Let it be. Anyway, I still do not know what Sister Xie is thinking. It will be a waste of time to guess. Not everyone will get the chance to go out on a date with Sister Xie. What''s there to worry about?! Dong Xuebing felt better and stopped thinking whether if they were dating for real.


    Audi A6 drove out of the estate.


    Dong Xuebing, who was in the front passenger seat secretly took a nce at Xie Hun''s slender body. Sigh... Life is so unfair. Sister Xie''s beauty, her slim figure, shapely ass, and long legs... All those pretty movie stars were nowhere near Xie Hun''s looks.


    Xie Hun looked at Dong Xuebing. "Xiao Dong, am I wearing too formal?"


    Dong Xuebing quickly takes his eyes off her chest. "No... you look good in suits."


    "Haha, that''s good." Xie Hun continued to drive.


    Dong Xuebing was relieved. He saw Xie Hun looking in front, and he continued to look at her body.


    Since Xie Hun insisted that they are dating now, then as the boyfriend, Dong Xuebing should have some special privileges. She already knows what he did with her used stockings, and she should not be angry if Dong Xuebing looked at her body. But Xie Hun was still a Central Government Official, and Dong Xuebing dare not to look openly. This might make her feel he was not respecting her.


    A newly opened shopping mall at Anzhen Bridge.


    The shoppers and staff of the mall were looking with jealousy as Dong Xuebing walked beside Xie Hun. Everyone was looking at them. It was because Xie Hun was too pretty, and she was hugging Dong Xuebing''s arm. At Senior Xie''s vi, Xie Hun had wrapped her arm around Dong Xuebing''s arm too. But they were forced by the circumstances, and Dong Xuebing did not overthink about it. The feeling was very different now. Dong Xuebing was nervous, and his back was covered with sweat.


    Xie Hunughed and said: "Just rx, alright?"


    Dong Xuebing replied ufortably. "Errr... I am very rxed now."


    "You are rxed now? Your whole body is so stiff. Hahaha, do I look like a tigress?"


    "No..." Dong Xuebing took in a deep breath and rxed his shoulders. But once he rxed his shoulders, his elbows were lowered, and his upper arm was pressing against Xie Hun''s left breast. Sister Xie was wearing a thin bra, and he could feel the softness of her breast. He quickly pulls back his arm. "Ah... Sorry... I''m very sorry. I did not do that on purpose."


    Xie Hunughed. "It''s alright. Let''s go."


    Dong Xuebing could tell from Xie Hun''s expressions that she was not angry at all. They continued to walk around the mall.


    "Xiao Dong, you have dated someone before and experience. Where should couples go? The Men''s section or thedies'' section?"


    Dong Xuebing thought for a while and replied: "I do not have much experience too. Err... it does not matter which section we go. More importantly, it depends on what you like." He was secretly hoping that Xie Hun would help him pick one or two shirts, or he chooses a few clothing for her. That will feel more like dating. But Xie Hun was a government official, and Dong Xuebing dare not to speak his mind.


    Xie Hun turned and hugged Dong Xuebing''s arm naturally. "I want to get some books. Can you apany me to level 6 to look at books? Haha, is this still consider a date?"


    Dong Xuebing thought to himself. How can I refuse you? He nodded and said: "Ok. I would like to get some books too."


    Xie Hunughed. "Is this not a good idea? How about I pick a few shirts for you?"


    Dong Xuebing quickly say: "No. Let''s go and get the books you want."


    There was a bookshop on level 6. Xie Hun released her arms around Dong Xuebing the moment she stepped out of the elevator. She walks to a shelf and starts flipping a book. She shook her head and return the book back on the shelf. She took another book and start reading it. "Xiao Dong, get some media-rted books for me." After saying that, she realized her tone was not right and smiled. "Can you help me get those books, please."


    Dong Xuebing quickly replied. "No problem. The books that are rted to your work? I will go and get it now."


    "Thank you."


    After a while, Dong Xuebing returned with 4 ¨C 5 books. "Are these ok?"


    Xie Hun was reading the book in her hands and did not notice Dong Xuebing.


    Dong Xuebing did not interrupt her and stood beside her. After waiting about 10 minutes, Xie Hun finally put down that book, and he asked: "I got these books for you..."


    Xie Hun thanked him and look through the books. In the end, she picked one thest book. "This is a good book. Put the rest back."


    "Ok!" Dong Xuebing returned the books back to the shelves and came back with a few more books.


    An hour passed....


    Two hours passed...


    Xie Hun walks out of the mall empty-handed, but Dong Xuebing was carrying 3 big bags of books.


    At the carpark, Xie Hun suddenly remembered something. She turned and smiled embarrassedly. "Look at me. I said I will buy you a few shirts. Why didn''t you remind me? Haha, this cannot be considered a date. You are just apanying me to buy my stuff." Xie Hun looked at her watch and said: "It iste now. Next time... We will go on a proper date next time."


    Dong Xuebing had helped Xie Hun cleaned her apartment, and now, he was carrying 3 heavy bags of books. He was exhausted. When he heard what Xie Hun said, he almost fainted. You also know this is not a date? Next time? No more next time! I don''t want to go on a date with you again!


    Dong Xuebing thought he could enjoy himself on this date. But... their first date was helping Xie Hun clean her venttion hood, washing her clothes, apanying her to the mall, helping her to get the books she wanted and carrying the books she bought for her. This was Dong Xuebing and a Central Government Leader''s first date!


    Damn!


    Central Government Officials are indeed different from ordinary folks. Even their dates are different from others!


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!