After hanging up the phone, Guan Feng still felt a little confused.

He immediately called his mother on his phone to explain the situation. She said it was a good thing, and she had guessed that the minister would give instructions. She didn't expect him to call personally to give instructions, saying that the ministry probably wanted to set an example and a role model.

She also revealed something to Guan Feng, telling him not to tell anyone: yesterday, Minister Wang spoke with her, and besides asking about his son's situation and Guan Lidong's story, he also told her to be prepared, as the ministry planned to give her more responsibilities.

Guan Feng's expression changed immediately.

My mother is already a bureau-level cadre in the ministry, and she is in charge of the overall economic crime investigation. If she were to take on more responsibilities, wouldn't she be able to become a member of the ministry committee or a vice minister?

Guan Feng immediately said, "Congratulations on your promotion, Mom!"

Chen Xiufen said, "Yes! Just keep it to yourself. Don't tell anyone. I'm telling you this in advance so you won't be afraid. I'll be here to keep things under control for you."

Guan Feng chuckled and said, "I'll visit Mom in Beijing next time."

Chen Xiufen snorted, "You've forgotten about your mom now that you have a girlfriend? You still want to see your mom? You've been back for over half a year, have you come to see her even once? You're always clinging to your girlfriend, aren't you?"

Guan Feng vehemently denied it: "Heaven and earth bear witness! I wish I could visit my mom every day, but I'm just too busy with work. I'm practically working non-stop. Besides, how can a girlfriend compare to my mom?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiufen reminded him, "You also need to take care of yourself. Don't always be on the front lines. Your father back then... If you continue like this, what hope do I have left?"

Guan Feng quickly offered a few words of comfort and said he would make time to visit the capital.

Chen Xiufen said, "It's good that you have the intention, but you should still focus on your work. The department plans to commend outstanding individuals in the system this year, a total of 30 people. You can come to the capital to see your mother then."

Guan Feng was taken aback: "Does this mean I'm among these 30 people?"

Chen Xiufen said, "You've solved so many cases and recovered so much money. Even if we're talking about seniority, it's your turn to be in charge. My son, Chen Xiufen's son, shouldn't be bullied, even if he doesn't bully others, shouldn't he?"

Guan Feng laughed and said, "Mom is so cool."

Chen Xiufen added, "Later, you can tell Chen Guoqiang and Zhao Dong about the minister's phone call. You can also tell them about my situation, but don't mention it to anyone else."

Guan Feng nodded: "Understood."

The mother and son chatted for a while longer.

Guan Feng hung up the phone and called Zhao Dong, saying he had an important work report to give.

Zhao Dong frowned and said, "Is it urgent? Then come over now."

Guan Feng then went to the office on the second-to-last floor.

Zhao Dong was finalizing several documents. Since becoming deputy director, he hadn't been involved in specific business matters much, but his administrative workload had increased dramatically. He was overwhelmed by the number of documents he had to process every day. When he saw Guan Feng arrive, he rubbed his head and pointed to his teacup, saying, "Pour yourself some tea!"

Guan Feng glanced at the table, but didn't find what he wanted. He immediately asked, "Uncle Zhao, what about the Longjing tea from Meijiawu last time? I want to try it."

Zhao Dong immediately braced himself against the drawer door like a protective father, saying, "You're gulping it down like a whale, how can you possibly taste anything? Just drink this one on the table, it's also the first harvest before the Qingming Festival, the taste can't be any different!"

Guan Feng: "???"

Zhao Dong found Guan Feng's expression somewhat amusing, but stubbornly refused to let go, saying, "You don't know anything about tea either? What kind of tea can't you drink? Right? Tell me, what's the matter?"

Guan Feng said, "Is there something wrong with Uncle Chen? I'd like to report to both of you at the same time."

Zhao Dong glanced at Guan Feng's appearance and instinctively felt something was off, especially the way Guan Feng addressed him as "uncle" at work, which was inconsistent with Guan Feng's personality. He had always been very particular about these workplace principles.

He asked, "Is it a very important private matter?"

Guan Feng nodded.

Zhao Dong stood up and said, "Come on! I'll take you to find Director Chen. No matter what happens, don't panic. We have two uncles here."

Although Guan Feng didn't need these things, he was deeply moved and said, "Uncle Zhao, this is a good thing!"

Zhao Dong nodded, relieved, and led Guan Feng to Chen Guoqiang's office.

Chen Guoqiang was surprised that the two of them arrived together. He put down his pen, looked at them, and smiled, saying, "What is it that you two have come to report together?"

Guan Feng solemnly closed and locked the door, then said to Chen Guoqiang, "Uncle Chen, Minister Wang just called me."

Chen Guoqiang's expression visibly changed, then a certain possibility occurred to him, his pupils dilated, and he pointed to the ceiling, asking, "Is it...is it our Minister Wang?"

Even with his status, his voice trembled slightly when he mentioned that person.

Guan Feng nodded and briefly recounted what had just happened.

Of course, he knows perfectly well what can and cannot be said.

Chen Guoqiang's expression changed slightly as he carefully considered each word. He said, "Xiao Guan, your timely reminder is very important. Here's what we'll do: Zhao Dong, you should immediately report Guan Feng's assessment results. Don't do it one by one. The best way to refute the doubts is to show everyone with better results that these can withstand scrutiny."

Zhao Dong nodded and asked, "Xiao Guan, which skills are you most confident in?"

Guan Feng wanted to say that he was confident in every skill he had, and that they were all advanced, but that was obviously not possible or realistic. He said, "In that case, let's start with handwriting analysis and portrait sketching. The department specifically asked about these two things."

Then she recounted the incident of appraising calligraphy and paintings for Chen Qingxin.