After Zhou Weimin left, Sun Zhengguo noticed that Chen Wanchun seemed hesitant to speak several times, so he couldn't help but ask.
"Deputy Director Chen, is there something wrong with my arrangements?"
"No, no, Director Sun, how about we skip the welcome dinner? After all, we can't make special arrangements just because of me."
Chen Wanchun hesitated for a moment before finally speaking his mind.
Having gotten used to the hardships of the past few years, I'm still finding it a bit hard to adjust.
"Deputy Director Chen, don't worry, no one will gossip. Normally, we pay for our own meals when we're entertaining guests, but this time is different because it's our usual practice."
After hearing Sun Zhengguo's explanation, Chen Wanchun stopped insisting.
After all, if you want to fit into this circle, you can't take everything too seriously.
Soon, Zhou Weimin returned to the conference room and said very enthusiastically, "Deputy Director Chen, let me show you the new office."
"Thank you, Director Zhou."
After thanking him, Chen Wanchun turned and greeted Sun Zhengguo before following Zhou Weimin to the new office.
After everyone left, Sun Zhengguo also returned to his office.
As soon as he returned to his office, before he could even sit down properly, Zhang Yucheng trotted in, his face full of flattery.
"Boss, Zhang Yucheng is here to report for duty. From now on, I will follow you. I promise to do whatever you say."
"Hehe! You know quite a lot. I'm free right now, I'll call you when I need something. Go find something to do!" Sun Zhengguo waved with a smile.
"Alright! I'll go change offices first, and then wait for the boss to summon me."
Looking at Zhang Yucheng's somewhat cynical attitude, Sun Zhengguo shook his head and smiled before starting his work.
It was noon soon, and a group of people were drinking and chatting in a small private room in the cafeteria, creating a lively atmosphere.
Today, not only are several members of the Standing Committee present, but Chen Lianshan has also come.
Now he has been promoted to deputy division-level cadre, and as Chen Wanchun's assistant, he can barely sit at the table.
At the dinner table, when Sun Zhengguo saw Chen Wanchun and Chen Lianshan chatting and laughing, he couldn't help but wonder when the two of them had gotten together.
So he asked, "Deputy Director Chen, you two seem to be getting along very well. I have a feeling you two have known each other before."
"Hahaha!" Chen Wanchun laughed and said, "Director Sun, you didn't expect this, did you? Apart from you and Director Zhou, I know everyone else at this table."
"Actually, I'm very familiar with you too. I've heard people talk about you for years, and I'm almost tired of it. It's just that we've never met."
"Well…!"
Hearing Chen Wanchun's words, Sun Zhengguo's mind raced, and finally, one possibility came to mind...
However, with so many people at the table, he couldn't possibly ask in detail. He simply smiled and nodded to Chen Wanchun, and everyone understood without saying a word.
Then everyone ate, drank, and chatted, occasionally toasting each other, creating a lively atmosphere that lasted until the end of the banquet.
Just as everyone was about to leave, Sun Zhengguo found an opportunity to call out to Chen Wanchun.
"Deputy Director Chen, I happen to have some work-related issues. Why don't we come to my office and discuss them in detail?"
"I couldn't have gotten it."
Chen Wanchun readily accepted the invitation and then followed Sun Zhengguo toward his office.
Back in his office, Sun Zhengguo closed the door to prevent anyone from disturbing him.
"Deputy Director Chen, please have a seat." As he spoke, Sun Zhengguo began to make tea.
After the tea was brewed and the two sat down, Sun Zhengguo asked a question out of the blue.
"Deputy Director Chen, how is my teacher doing?"
"You guessed it all?" Chen Wanchun replied casually.
Sun Zhengguo nodded and said happily, "Yes! I should have guessed it sooner, but I just didn't think of it that way."
"hehe!"
Chen Wanchun gave a wry smile and then said, "You don't need to worry. At least when I came back, Lao Wu was able to eat and drink well, and he was perfectly healthy."
"By the way, how is Brother Dajiang doing now? I wasn't there the day he passed away, and I didn't even have time to see him off on his final journey."
“My dad is doing great! He’s now the deputy director of the Beijing Power Supply Bureau. I’ll just give him a call now and tell him the good news.”
After saying that, Sun Zhengguo did not hesitate and immediately picked up the phone to call the switchboard to connect him to the power supply bureau.
Soon, a familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Hello, this is the Power Engineering Department of the Power Supply Bureau. This is Sun Dajiang. Who are you looking for?"
"Dad, it's me, Zhengguo."
Hearing his son's voice, Sun Dajiang was somewhat puzzled.
"Jung-guk, why did you suddenly decide to call Dad? Is something wrong?"
"Dad, I have some good news for you. I have an old friend here who I'd like to talk to you about."
"Who is it? Why are you being so mysterious? Let him answer the phone."
"Okay!"
Immediately afterwards, Sun Zhengguo handed the phone to Chen Wanchun and gestured to him with his eyes to answer the phone quickly.
At this moment, Chen Wanchun was somewhat excited, and his voice trembled slightly as he answered the phone.
"Brother, it's...it's me! I'm back."
This short sentence is heartbreaking, as if it had exhausted all of Chen Wanchun's strength.
Sun Dajiang, on the other end of the phone, froze on the spot upon hearing that all-too-familiar voice.
The sound instantly brought back memories of those days spent finding joy amidst hardship in the Gobi Desert.
At that time, his best friend was Professor Wu, and besides that, it was Engineer Chen, Chen Wanchun, who is now on the phone.
"Hey! Dajiang, are you listening?"
Because he hadn't received a response for a long time, Chen Wanchun became a little anxious and asked again.
"Hey, hey! Old Chen, is that really you? When did you get back? I had no idea. How is Professor Wu doing? And what are you doing with my son...?"
Faced with a series of questions from Sun Dajiang, Chen Wanchun did not find it troublesome. Instead, he patiently explained each question to him one by one.
However, since Sun Zhengguo was still present, some issues could only be glossed over.
The two had so much to say that the phone call lasted for twenty minutes.
Finally, still somewhat unsatisfied, Chen Wanchun handed the phone back to Sun Zhengguo.
Sun Zhengguo took the phone and, finding that it hadn't been disconnected, continued to ask.
"Dad, is there anything else?"
"Zhengguo, Dad would like to invite Engineer Chen home for dinner tonight. I'd appreciate it if you could bring him along and keep us company."
"No problem, Dad. I'll bring a few bottles of good wine with me."
"Thank you, son."
After the father and son finished their phone call, Sun Zhengguo put down the receiver and said to Chen Wanchun.
"Deputy Director Chen, my dad just said he'd like to invite you to dinner tonight. You must know that, right? I hope you'll do me the honor of joining us."
"Okay! I'll definitely go tonight. If I drink too much, Director Sun, you can't just ignore me."
Chen Wanchun agreed very readily, without any hesitation.
He even cracked a joke while he was happy.
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