0052 57 Acting on the Sound

A thin wisp of smoke drifted from between his fingers, floating aimlessly in the dim light.

The phone rang out with a "beep-beep-beep" sound. Ling Xingzhi put the receiver on the table instead of putting it back on the phone stand. The faint sound was amplified infinitely in the silence.

"If this younger brother is a burden, then what about the other younger brother?"

Ling Xingzhi asked himself, raised his hand to smoke, took a deep drag and exhaled.

At midnight, there was another knock on the study door. Ling Xingzhi turned his head and saw the door being pushed open a crack.

"Secretary, the minister is calling."

Ling Xingzhi glanced at the time, stubbed out his cigarette, and said, "Okay, I understand."

Stepping out of the study and into the living room, Ling Xingzhi answered the phone, "Dad, it's very late."

"Yes, I know. I just saw a document here, Zhou Xiye... Is she the one who reported you? What grudge do you have against her?"

Ling Xingzhi was taken aback, then thought for a moment and said, "This person works for Ye Lifeng, don't worry about him, I'm already taking care of him."

"Okay, then you can handle it yourself. You don't need me to help?"

"Need not."

Ling Xingzhi hung up the phone and sighed deeply. Wei Luochen woke up in the middle of the night and found Ling Xingzhi was not beside her. She got out of bed and went barefoot to the study, but no one was there. She then went to the living room, where Ling Xingzhi was sitting on the sofa, seemingly lost in thought.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Ling Xingzhi looked up at her. "Dad just called."

"What's up?"

Ling Xingzhi shook his head, "Go to sleep," and stood up.

The two ate breakfast as usual that morning, the news playing in their ears—everything seemed normal. But they both knew something was different. Wei Luochen knew she had won, because of her family's future, because of her own fame and fortune; in short, she had won.

Kong Lingqi was far away, while Ling Xingzhi was with her. This made Wei Luochen realize that Ling Xingzhi would not give up everything for love. In that case, no matter how many women she had, she wasn't afraid; he would eventually have to go home.

It was only a matter of time before Ling Xingzhi fell in love with him. Wei Luochen had seen how Ling Xingzhi looked when he loved someone; if he could love someone so much, why couldn't that person be himself?

Wei Luochen enjoyed his breakfast very much.

Zhou Xiye, however, had little appetite. Her transfer order came down, moving her from the Beijing Liaison Office to the Military Region Military Commission to oversee military theory courses. In other words, she was now in charge of the army's ideological education. While the move from the Beijing Liaison Office to the Military Region Military Commission seemed like a promotion, in terms of the job duties, it was a demotion.

A promotion in name only, a demotion in reality.

This was Lu Daiyuan's "reward" to her. Zhou Xiye didn't say much or offer any comment. This matter had its pros and cons. The good thing was that she could be promoted in the army, but the bad thing was that ideological education work was just a marginalized position.

However, Zhou Xiye could not express his dissatisfaction and remained silent for the time being.

After all, the Two Sessions and the National People's Congress are about to begin, so personnel changes are normal. Her sixth sense told her that this position as a military theory teacher was only temporary.

Of course, this sixth sense wasn't innate; it was a keen observation honed through years of political experience. Mao's suppression of Lin Biao's reactionary actions in his later years was almost swift and decisive; without any evidence, he could accurately assess the situation.

This is the difference between great people and ordinary people.

Having been immersed in officialdom for a long time, Zhou Xiye had developed some judgment. He was not capable of commanding thousands of troops, but he could save his life and assess the situation.

"Teacher Zhou, this group consists of newcomers. When you give them a lesson later, you can just start from the first page of the PPT."

Zhou Xiye took the computer issued by the military, entered the password, and viewed the information inside. Her colleague in the same office, Ai Jianshe, had been in that position for over twenty years. Besides teaching courses for the military, he spent most of his time teaching at the National Defense University, Peking University, and Tsinghua University. He was witty and humorous, and it was clear he genuinely loved teaching.

As soon as Ai Jianshe entered, he saw Zhou Xiye looking at documents. He said "Hey," walked to his desk, and put down his teacup. "Little Zhou! Right!"

Zhou Xiye stood up and extended his hand, "Hello, Teacher Ai, I'm Zhou Xiye, I'm new here..."

"I know, I know. The department notified me last week that a new person would be coming to help me with the lectures. Zhou Xiye... Xiye, Xiye... Yexi, Yexi. The 'ye' in your name is the highlight. The character 'xi' is plain, but 'ye' is flamboyant. It's a good name."

Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "It's just a name that my parents gave me casually. Teacher Ai doesn't need to study it so much."

Ai Jianshe shook his head, sat down, unscrewed his thermos, and took a sip. "From the Beijing Liaison Office? That place is quite lucrative. What made you decide to come here?"

Zhou Xiye smiled wryly, unsure how to answer. "It's just that I've changed from serving the people to serving the army. It's all the same to me."

Ai Jianshe sized up Zhou Xiye, looked at him for a few seconds without asking any questions, put down his teacup, and said, "Okay, then look at the information. Just ask me if you don't understand anything."

Teaching military theory classes was much easier than working at the Beijing Liaison Office. When Zhou Xiye met the soldiers who had also recently arrived at the Beijing Military Region, they were already well-trained, sitting silently in their seats, watching Zhou Xiye.

Obeying orders is a soldier's nature.

Zhou Xiye began his lecture, starting with Mao Zedong Thought: its formation and how it was applied to real-world changes. However, the content on the PowerPoint presentation was incredibly boring. Zhou Xiye looked at the young men and felt like yawning, but he clenched his teeth, his eyes filled with tears.

So Zhou Xiye told some short stories about Mao, and the audience listened intently.

"The Zunyi Conference corrected the left-leaning errors of Bogu and Li De, and corrected the left-leaning errors and Maoist errors. It was a turning point in the maturity of the Party's ideology, forming a leadership group with Mao as the core, and no longer listening to the Communist International. Why did they stop listening?"

The person below thought for a moment and said, "Because they are wrong!"

"Because they don't understand the specific situation in China, they give blind orders; they have theory but no practice!"

Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "No, that's not it. The unofficial history says that the reason he didn't listen to the Comintern was because the telegraph machine was lost. Mao deliberately sent someone to lose the telegraph machine, so that he could disobey the emperor's orders when he was in the field."

Some of the people below laughed heartily, while others became serious and solemn.

“I know you think this is disrespectful to Mao, but historical events can be absurd sometimes. The incident of losing the telegraph machine was actually a power struggle. Bo Gu and Li De were left-leaning, and many of them believed in the Comintern at the time, not Mao's ideology. But Mao's ideology was correct, and you have to have the opportunity to put it into practice, right?”

Zhou Xiye took a sip of water and continued, "So he needed an opportunity to get his subordinates to listen to him, to fight for the Chinese people's right to speak, plus Stalin looked down on us, especially Mao Zedong Thought, calling him a 'Margarine-style communist.' Margarine is artificial cream, not real, it's fake. He had to get his revenge! Why should you say it's fake?! You can't let foreigners rule on your own turf..."

The students suddenly perked up. Zhou Xiye smiled and continued, "Haven't you thought about why the Soviet Union would help us? Is it because we're all Marxists? Not necessarily. Helping you definitely means taking something from your pocket. What is it? Control!"

At this moment, someone suddenly raised their hand and stood up to ask, "What about Taiwan? What about the Taiwan issue?"

Zhou Xiye sighed, "The higher-ups definitely want to take it back, probably before 2035... but I think that's unlikely. Think about it, if Taiwan is taken back by force, declaring war on Taiwan is equivalent to declaring war on Japan. Japan and the United States have a security treaty, which involves South Korea. South Korea and the United States also have a security treaty, and now Japan and South Korea also have a security treaty... In short, declaring war on Taiwan by force is equivalent to declaring war on the United States directly. That's terrifying. It means that it will trigger Article 5 of NATO, which means not only declaring war on the United States, but also on Europe. That's terrifying, just like when Empress Dowager Cixi declared war on all nations."

The people below were a little angry. "Our country is powerful, we have the strength to take it back."

"Having the strength is one thing, but it should be taken back at the lowest possible cost. There's no need to declare war on the whole world over a small place; there are better ways."

"Is this a move by them to hinder China's development?"

Hearing this, Zhou Xiye nodded, but didn't say anything more. He shifted his gaze back to the computer screen, turned the page of the PowerPoint presentation, and said, "Come on, let's continue."

After class, Ai Jianshe called Zhou Xiye over, sat down in a chair with a teacup in his hand, and asked, "Little Zhou, was class fun?"

Zhou Xiye paused, realizing that Ai Jianshe was about to reprimand her. She obediently sat down in the chair and said, "Teacher Ai, class is quite fun."

Ai Jianshe nodded, put down his teacup, turned around, and sighed, "Just teach what's in class. Military theory class isn't for you to talk about anecdotal history. You got this position because you had some battlefield experience before." He looked at Zhou Xiye, "Xiao Zhou, understand your place. Just teach the lesson..."

Zhou Xiye nodded. "I understand, Teacher Ai."

Ai Jianshe said a few more words, and Zhou Xiye's phone vibrated a few times, but she didn't have time to check it.

"...Okay, that's enough for today. You have another class this afternoon, so do your best! I'm leaving now."

After the person left, Zhou Xiye sighed and took out his phone to check the message. It was from a friend at the Ministry of Commerce, saying they could come over and take a look at Zhou Guodong's exam paper if they had time today. He glanced at the time, decided to go to the Ministry of Commerce, and come back to class in the afternoon; the timing would be perfect.

Just as Zhou Xiye finished packing and was about to leave, a woman in a long black mink coat knocked on the door and came in, her leather shoes clicking on the floor.

"Little Zhou?"

Zhou Xiye paused, and upon seeing who it was, she recognized them as members of the Women's Federation. "Hello, Teacher Li."

Teacher Li nodded, holding an A4 sheet of paper in her hand. "Xiao Zhou, I'm here to ask about your personal life. Do you have a boyfriend? Are you married?"

"No."

Teacher Li looked somewhat embarrassed. "Xiao Zhou, you should know that to hold an important position within the country, we need to start a family. It's normal to start a family first and then build a career, right?"

Zhou Xiye looked at her without saying a word.

"As someone working within the system, you need to set an example for the people. Settle down, start a family, and have a career. Put the idea of ​​having a third child aside for now. In short, getting married early is a must."

Zhou Xiye nodded calmly.

Teacher Li continued, "These are some unmarried young men in our army, some of whom hold important positions. You see, we'll arrange blind dates for them, let them get to know each other first."

Zhou Xiye took the list and said, "Thank you, Teacher Li."

After Teacher Li disappeared, Zhou Xiye expressionlessly threw the list, which she hadn't even glanced at, into the shredder. Watching the strips of paper go into the trash can one by one, she smiled knowingly.

It was almost noon when they arrived at the Ministry of Commerce. Zhou Xiye humbly apologized to his old friend, and then the two walked into the office where the papers were kept. They had to open several doors before they could enter the reading room where confidential documents were stored.

"Xi Ye, don't worry. I've left the test paper here for you. I'll be outside. Just come find me when you're done."

"Thanks."

Watching his friend leave, Zhou Xiye slowly walked to the table where the exam papers were placed, with Zhou Guodong's name written on the lines.

She looked at the questions one by one, and light shone through a small window on the side of the reading room, making the floating objects in the air clearly visible.

The only sound in the room was the rustling of exam papers.

After Zhou Xiye finished reviewing the exam paper, he went outside. His old friend was leaning against the sofa by the door, scrolling through his phone. When he saw Zhou Xiye come out, he looked up and asked, "Finished reviewing? How was it?"

"Old Yao, I think my brother cheated on the exam."

Old Yao suddenly looked up. "What do you mean?"

Zhou Xiye gave a bleak smile. "This isn't a good place to talk. Shall we go somewhere we can talk?"

Yao Jinling nodded, stood up, went inside to collect the exam papers, locked the door, and walked out with Zhou Xiye. At the restaurant, they ordered food, but after only a few bites, Yao Jinling couldn't contain herself and asked, "You said your brother cheated, what do you mean?"

Zhou Xiye didn't answer her question, but simply said, "Old Yao, who were the proctors and graders?"

Yao Jinling thought for a moment, "They are all from our personnel department. The Ministry of Commerce's exams are very strict, and the punishment is severe if cheating is discovered."

Zhou Xiye chuckled, "Old Yao, my brother took the civil service exam several times before, and his results were always terrible. He was getting married soon, so how could he have time to study? I'm 100% sure he cheated..."

Yao Jinling grabbed Zhou Xiye's arm and glanced at the door of the private room. "Xiye, being caught cheating is a serious matter. Think it over carefully before you speak. Did your brother really cheat?"

"Old Yao," Zhou Xiye said seriously, "You have to give up something to gain something. Now think about it carefully, do you still want to be promoted in the personnel department?"

Yao Jinling slowly released her grip, looking at Zhou Xiye, "...But he's your brother."

Zhou Xiye smiled calmly, “Do you remember that TV series we watched together in college? Wang Zhiwen said in it: ‘Anyone who abandons you when you are most helpless, whether they are relatives, friends or lovers, is not worth getting along with anymore. They know you are suffering, but they can still stand by and watch coldly, or even kick you when you are down. When you are strong, they will forget your weaknesses, and when you are weak, they will magnify your shortcomings. Such people are never worth getting close to or forgiving.’”

Yao Jinling sighed.

Zhou Xiye turned to look at her and said, "If they can't behave themselves and not cause me any trouble, then I have to eliminate them completely."

The room was completely silent.

Zhou Xiye interrupted the silence. "Old Yao," she said, pouring Yao Jinling a glass of wine. "How long have you been the first-level director of the Personnel Department? When I was in Shenyang, you were faster than me, but I went from Shenyang to the Beijing Liaison Office, and now I'm in the Central Military Commission. Although it's a promotion in name only, I've still been promoted. What about you?"

Since friendship can't persuade her, let's use benefits—help me do things, and I'll give you even greater benefits.

"Even if you persevere and make it to the top, are you content with that? A leader's child could easily replace you. Don't you know who the current Minister of Foreign Affairs is? Bo Gu's grandson. Can you handle that kind of relationship? Even if no one competes with you, age will limit your promotions..."

Zhou Xiye pushed his wine glass towards Yao Jinling. "I can help you with my brother's matter, and I can also help myself get rid of a problem. The reason I came to you is to give you this opportunity. You are my good friend, and I trust you more than others."

Yao Jinling looked at the wine glass in front of her, then looked up at her, "How confident are you?"

"Eighty percent."

Yao Jinling frowned.

Zhou Xiye smiled confidently, "The remaining 20% ​​will depend on you."

After a long while, Yao Jinling picked up her wine glass, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp. Then she looked at Zhou Xiye and said, "I want the position of Deputy Director of the Personnel Department."

Zhou Xiye nodded, picked up his wine glass and clinked it against hers, "Okay."

She liked people who understood things immediately. If friendship and interests still couldn't get this old friend to cooperate, then she would have to take action and threaten Yao Jinling. What was that saying again? No matter when or where, you should never bet everything before the final outcome is revealed.

Zhou Xiye finished the wine in his glass with gusto.