I was a little excited, and I gestured in the air with my hands consciously, and said angrily: "I'm tired of the twists and turns in the officialdom. I now understand the true meaning of Li Bai's words, 'How can I bow my head and serve the rich and powerful, so that I can be happy?' I just want to live a simple and happy life, and don't want to be hypocritical and compromise like this every day."
Zhang Xiaodong leaned forward slightly, staring at me with a serious look: "Have you really thought it through? You are just a section-level cadre, but those billionaire bosses still bow and scrape to you. Do you think they respect you as a person? You are wrong. They are in awe of the power in your hands. What's the saying of 'serving the powerful and wealthy'? If you become a boss, you will know what it means to be truly independent, and then you will understand what it means to 'make you happy'. The business world is like a battlefield, with fierce competition, calculations and compromises everywhere. In order to win projects and attract investment, do you think you don't have to look at other people's faces and be servile?"
After he gave me this advice, I was shocked, as if I was awakened by a basin of cold water. After thinking about it again and again, it was really the truth. Those bosses who are usually very polite to me are indeed more attracted by the power I hold. Once I lose this status, who will still look up to me?
Seeing that I was silent and did not talk back, Zhang Xiaodong continued earnestly, "Take Tian Zhenyu for example. It is undeniable that he has a very good reputation outside, but there are also things about this person that deserve recognition. At least he is calmer than you. Like you, you get angry easily, act impulsively, and do not consider the consequences. Have you ever thought about why every company has a board of directors and government agencies have leadership teams? The purpose of this democratic centralism design is to ensure the healthy operation of the entire collective and prevent excessive concentration of power and major bias in decision-making. Bad. No one is a saint, so who can guarantee that they are always right? Is it the same for you and me? In ancient times, emperors used both wise men and wicked men in order to play the game of balancing power. Of course, our starting point is different now. From a certain perspective, the existence of people like Tian Zhenyu is a kind of restriction and balance. He has his own style of doing things, and you have your bottom line of principles. Checking each other can make things develop in a more reasonable direction. Think about it carefully, is this the truth? Don't go into extremes, young man, and take a long-term view. "
After listening to his heartfelt words, the energy in my heart gradually drained away. I looked a little depressed and said helplessly, "Brother, I understand all the principles you are talking about, but I just feel so choked up in my heart that I can't calm down no matter what I do."
Zhang Xiaodong had a gentle smile on his face. "Wine, sex, money and anger are what people desire. But anger is the most important of these four things. Since you are holding your anger in your heart, find another way to relieve it. Come on, we haven't sat together and had a couple of drinks for a while. I'll accompany you to drink some 'venting wine' tonight to give you an outlet for your anger."
I forced a smile and half-jokingly said, "Drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health, brother, how about we change to sex?"
Zhang Xiaodong couldn't help laughing when he heard it, pointing at me and scolding me, "You, don't make fun of me. I'm not interested in those things, so stop being picky and calm down first."
We were just about to get up and go out when my cell phone suddenly rang. I looked down at the phone screen and saw that it was a call from Chen Mengzhao. When I saw the name, my heart suddenly tightened. I hesitated for a long time, my finger lingering on the answer button. In the end, I gritted my teeth and didn't answer the call.
Zhang Xiaodong's sharp eyes caught my strangeness, and he raised his lips slightly, teasing: "Why, you dared to answer the phone in front of me? It seems that some confidante is afraid that I will hear it and it will be inconvenient."
I quickly shook my head and pretended to be calm and explained: "Yes, it's just an unfamiliar number. I guess I dialed the wrong number."
But before he could finish his words, Chen Mengzhao sent a text message: "Guan Hongjun, you won't answer my call, right? If you believe me, I will go to Zhang Xiaodong's office in the provincial government compound right now and find you out! Go to the hotel you often go to right away, I'll wait for you in the lobby, don't dawdle."
After reading the text message, my heart suddenly hung in my throat. I know her willful and willful nature too well. She is capable of doing anything. I looked at Zhang Xiaodong with an apologetic look on my face, and said with some embarrassment, "Brother, I'm sorry, something urgent happened suddenly, and I'm afraid I can't accompany you tonight."
Zhang Xiaodong was slightly stunned for a moment, then smiled knowingly and said, "Hey, what do you mean by you accompany me? It's obviously me who wants to accompany you to relieve your boredom. Well, since you have something to do, I won't force you to stay. Finally, I will remind you that all the honors and disgraces in this world are just passing clouds. The ones who can really accompany you through the ups and downs and experience the ups and downs are those who treat you sincerely around you. You must learn to cherish them, and don't regret it until you lose them."
I savored Zhang Xiaodong's words, my mind was full of mixed emotions, and I left his office.
Walking out of the provincial government compound, the streets were busy with traffic. I raised my hand to stop a taxi and told the driver to go to the hotel mentioned in Chen Mengzhao's text message.
Along the way, the hustle and bustle of the city came in through the car window, but I had no heart to appreciate it. My heart was filled with anxiety about the upcoming meeting. As I stepped into the hotel lobby, I caught sight of Chen Mengzhao at first sight. She was sitting leisurely on the sofa, crossing her legs, her eyes seemingly scanning the lobby casually.
I pretended not to see her, walked straight to the front desk, checked in, and then walked towards the elevator. Seeing this, she also stood up and followed him pretending to be nonchalant.
As soon as she entered the elevator, she seemed like a different person. She skillfully took my arm, her face filled with that smile that was unique to her, a little cunning and full of satisfaction. I subconsciously looked up at the surveillance camera on the upper left corner of the elevator, frowned slightly, and reminded softly: "There is a surveillance camera, be careful."
But she curled her lips in a nonchalant manner and said nonchalantly: "If there is, there is. What are you afraid of?"
I sighed helplessly and advised, "You are now at the stage of discussing marriage. You should be careful about the impact in public."
Soon, the elevator arrived at the floor and we walked into the room. She closed the door, her smile widened, and she said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "It is said that 'a wife is like a concubine, a concubine is like a whore, and a whore is like stealing'. Do you feel this way?"
I rolled my eyes at her and responded unhappily, "You even said, 'Stealing is like stealing'. Now, I really wish you were the one I was stealing."
When she heard this, her face darkened instantly, and she pretended to be angry and said, "Guan Hongjun, why do your words sound so harsh? Why do I feel like you are annoyed with me?"
I was a little overwhelmed by her unreasonable demands. I panicked and quickly changed the subject: "Did Lin Xun tell you my whereabouts again?"
She rolled her eyes and said angrily, "You really don't know what's good for you. She just cares about you and is afraid that you will do something stupid when you are angry, so she told me."
After she reminded me of this, I slapped my head suddenly, and then I remembered that I had promised Lin Xun to report my safety after arriving in the provincial capital. So, I ignored Chen Mengzhao, quickly took out my cell phone and called Lin Xun.
As soon as the call was connected, Lin Xun's anxious voice came over: "Hongjun, have you arrived in the provincial capital? Is everything okay?"
My heart warmed up, and I tried to be as relaxed as possible, saying, "Look at what you said. I just came to the provincial capital to complain to Zhang Xiaodong. What can go wrong? Don't worry about it."
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