0035 40 By the Mandate of Heaven
Zhou Xiye drove herself to the location of the class reunion, the same place she had been to before, Wangyue Villa.
She originally planned to pick up Zhong Lingxi, with whom she had a good relationship during college, but now that Zhong Lingxi is a famous leading lady on CCTV, she needs bodyguards to accompany her when she goes out, so she naturally doesn't need Zhou Xiye to pick her up.
The gathering had been arranged long ago, but the venue kept changing. On the phone, Zhong Lingxi complained, "I heard Pei Zhiyu is coming. We originally booked the Bulgari Hotel, but he changed it to some Wangyue Villa. I can't even find it. Does this address even exist?"
Zhou Xiye had arrived long ago. She stood at the door without going in. "I'm here. Where are you? I'm coming to find you."
"I've been going around in circles here... Are you trying to fool me? He didn't open my eyes in college, is he trying to open them now?"
Zhong Lingxi cursed again, and Zhou Xiye smiled as he listened to her rant.
If it weren't for this gathering, she wouldn't have had any contact with Zhong Lingxi.
After all, one of them went to work as a news reporter at CCTV right after graduation, which was a job that matched his major, while Zhou Xiye went to become an official, so they didn't really have any connection.
A car drove by in the distance. Hearing this, a tall, burly man got out of the car, opened the back door, and stepped out. A woman in a white casual suit and light-colored high heels stepped out of the car, carrying a bag.
Her hair was casually combed and coiled at the back of her head, with a few thin strands fluttering in the wind. Zhong Lingxi smiled at Zhou Xiye, her dimples on both sides of her cheeks pure and lovely. She walked over slowly, each step full of grace and charm.
Zhong Lingxi walked to Zhou Xiye's side and naturally took his arm, just like in college. "Let's go, this is my first time here."
"I came here once for a business dinner, and it turned out to be a completely different world inside."
Zhou Xiye gave a brief explanation, the gate opened, and the two went inside. After registering and going through security, a car came to pick them up. This time, the car was going in a completely different direction than last time. Zhong Lingxi asked her gossipy, "Zhou Xiye, it's been so long since we graduated, it's really been a long time."
Zhou Xiye smiled and asked, "Did you guys have a good time at the last gathering?"
Zhong Lingxi shook her head. "It's still the same old story. Xu Min is arrogant and looks down on everyone. People like you who work in the system fawn over her. It's so boring... And that monster, Shang Heming, he appears and disappears like a ghost... By the way, do you know Pei Zhiyu? He never attends gatherings. Why did he come this time?"
Zhou Xiye thought for a moment, "I don't know much about him either. I heard that he started working in a legal and political unit and had a bright future. Later, for some reason, he was transferred to a local position and is now the district head of Xicheng District... That's all I know about him."
Zhong Lingxi gently bit her finger and whispered in Zhou Xiye's ear, "That's true... You two didn't have much interaction during college... Could it be that his grandfather passed away?"
Zhou Xiye's eyes widened in surprise, then he smiled helplessly, "How could that be? Don't overthink it."
Pei Zhiyu's maternal grandfather, Pei Xuncheng, is the current Minister of Justice, and his mother, Pei Weian, is the chairperson of the All-China Women's Federation. They come from a prominent family and are the only son in the family. They are considered top figures at the very top of the Beijing social circle.
The car stopped, and a waiter at the door led them inside.
This room is completely different from Ling Xingzhi's private room. It is extremely luxurious. As we walked around, the staff introduced that this room was inspired by the Western-style landscape of the Grand Fountain in the Old Summer Palace. It is another luxurious and ultimate combination of Chinese and Western styles.
The two walked in, and unlike the antique exterior, the combination of modern and classical art was surprisingly harmonious. An unidentified Western sculpture stood in the middle of the hall, and a fountain sprayed from the mouth of an animal head on the side. "These are all replicas, but please don't touch them."
Zhou Xiye took a glass of champagne. She knew that even if it was a counterfeit, it must have been made by a master.
There were already some people in the hall, all of them students from the same department at Tsinghua University. Each class at Tsinghua doesn't have many students, but each department has more.
This gathering was definitely attended by Zhou Xiye's classmates from the journalism department. Everyone was dressed smartly, their eyes subtly probing each other.
After exchanging pleasantries with them, Zhou Xiye wandered around the lobby. She had come tonight only to make connections with Gao Min, but Gao Min wasn't there, so she decided to wander around on her own and broaden her horizons.
Pei Zhiyu... Pei Zhiyu was truly an unexpected person.
"Miss, this is a vase from the Qing Dynasty. Please be careful."
Someone next to her reminded Zhou Xiye, and she frowned. It had been a long time since she had heard anyone speak to her like that. "Okay, I understand."
Are you Zhou Xiye?
A waiter came over and asked, and Zhou Xiye nodded, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"plz follow me."
Rich and powerful people like to put on airs. Zhou Xiye followed him through the hall, past rows of rooms, like a maze, around corridors and stairs, twisting and turning, and finally stopped in front of a large red door.
The waiter gestured for Zhou Xiye to go inside. The room was dimly lit, and it took her a while for her vision to clear.
"welcome--"
The low, gloomy voice echoed in the empty space, suddenly like a sharp thorn piercing Zhou Xiye's temple, causing her to shiver involuntarily.
Turning his head, he saw a wild and sexy woman with wild, flowing hair cascading over her shoulders. A tight dress clung to her alluring body, and the seductive view at the neckline was captivating. She was looking at Zhou Xiye from the rim of her wine glass, a contemptuous and arrogant smile playing on her lips.
Xu Min was the most beautiful girl in Zhou Xiye's class. She came from a good family, was good-looking, and I heard that she was also Pei Zhiyu's lover.
"Our talented girl from the Journalism Department at Tsinghua University has never been here before, right? Should I find someone to give you a visit? You'll probably never have this opportunity again."
His condescending tone and disdainful gaze were exactly like Pei Zhiyu's. Zhou Xiye wasn't unfamiliar with Pei Zhiyu; in fact, she knew him very well, and she disliked him intensely. Especially after that campus debate between Zhou Xiye and Pei Zhiyu, when Pei Zhiyu lost.
Every time she saw Pei Zhiyu after that, his gaze towards Zhou Xiye was filled with contempt, as if he were looking at a circus clown. The disdain that permeated his very bones was enough to crush all pride with just a look. Zhou Xiye felt humiliated every time she thought about it.
"Instead of having someone take me on a tour here, Xu Min, why don't you give me the opportunity to see the landscape garden designed by your father? I'm sure the scenery there will be even more spectacular."
Xu Min coldly turned her head away, exhaled smoke, and ignored Zhou Xiye.
A few people were sitting on a sofa not far away, chatting and laughing with wine glasses in their hands.
"There's something rather strange, I don't know if you've researched it... Back then, Liu Bowen severed ninety-nine dragon veins, leaving only one, which is the Changbai Mountain vein, the foundation of the Qing Dynasty's dragon vein."
Someone whispered something, and Zhou Xiye walked over slowly, taking a sip of wine as he went, before sitting down to the side.
"Back then, when the Japanese invaded Fengtian, they all wanted that command platform. Fortunately, the prince at the time was guarding the Fengtian Palace, which is also known as the Shengjing Palace. That command platform is the dragon eye of the Qing Dynasty's dragon vein. Guarding Fengtian is guarding the spirit of China..."
"Hey, that's not right. There are so many dragon veins on the land of China. When the country was first founded, I even heard that there were dragon veins in the Kunlun Mountains!"
A few people started chattering and arguing, when suddenly an old man spoke slowly in a deep voice, “I think it’s just a fight between gods from a big place. Look at the former Minister of Defense, he was from the Northeast, and the person who was fighting with the higher-ups for the position was also from the Northeast… It just shows that the Northeast still has the aura of an emperor.”
"However, the great immortals of the Northeast have been unable to defeat the Buddhas of the coastal areas in the past two years. After all, the Northeast has lost talent, and incense offerings are the foundation of the power of local deities. The Buddhas of the coastal areas have more worshippers, so naturally their powers have become stronger."
"Nonsense! You can't say that... How dare you interfere in the affairs of gods?"
After he finished speaking, everyone laughed. It was just a joke they made when they had nothing else to do.
Zhou Xiye found it interesting that some recent disputes were explained using metaphysics. She didn't believe in these things, but others did. Sometimes, luck plays a significant role in a person's success.
"Smack—"
The sound of a lighter made Zhou Xiye turn her head slightly. Pei Zhiyu had been sitting next to her at some point. She watched as he took a cigarette from the pack, tapped it lightly on the pack, and put it in his mouth.
The two looked at each other. Pei Zhiyu's eyes were as deep as a still pool. Then he lowered his gaze, lit a cigarette in his hand, and the white smoke curled up and spread. He kept the lighter on, and one hand was placed on the cushion behind him, showing a lazy and noble air.
"Director Zhou, it really has been a long time. We haven't seen each other since graduation, have we?"
Pei Zhiyu spoke, his deep, magnetic voice resonating gently.
Zhou Xiye was no longer the weakling who had just arrived in Beijing and started university. She smiled, leaned back, and her hair brushed against Pei Zhiyu's sleeve.
"Congratulations, District Chief Pei. You're so young, yet you've already become the District Chief of Beijing."
He smirked, tapped his cigarette ash, and said, "Not as good as Director Zhou..." He paused, exhaled a puff of smoke, and continued, "But this position is what you deserve."
Zhou Xiye sneered inwardly. "Quite arrogant," she thought, "this tone is just like her good-for-nothing father." Before she could even speak, that cold and alluring voice came from behind her again.
"Director Zhou, District Chief Pei?"
Xu Min came over again at some point and sat opposite Zhou Xiye. "My dad said there's some kind of flower arrangement exhibition in Xiangtan, and they're inviting a designer to attend?"
Zhou Xiye sat up straight. "That's right, that's why I came to see you. I wanted to know if you have any candidates you could recommend."
Xu Min scoffed and tossed the cigarette into her wine glass. "What's the use of you coming to me? Projects are all about bidding and competition. Could it be that Zhou Xiye, who once firmly believed that 'fairness, impartiality, and transparency' were the basic principles of conduct for officials, has now learned to bow down for a pittance?"
"I was young and didn't understand social etiquette back then, so I'm paying the price for my naivety now."
"Pay the bill?" Xu Min carefully considered these two words, then looked at Pei Zhiyu beside her. "District Chief Pei, what do you think..."
Pei Zhiyu withdrew her hand, sat up straight, and said calmly, "Do what needs to be done. The procedures always have to be followed."
The cigarette smoke flew out from between his fingers, and Zhou Xiye stared at its trajectory for a long time, unable to come back to his senses.
There's a stark difference in treatment between officials from privileged families and ordinary people when it comes to getting things done. The only way to resolve this is to endure it and climb the ladder.
Climb over them and crush their dignity.
Zhou Xiye looked up and met Xu Min's gaze. "I understand. Xu Min, your father is getting old. It would be quite a burden for him to handle such a large project."
After speaking, she stood up, ignoring the expressions of the people behind her, and left the hall.
She had just stepped outside and gotten into the car when it was the first time the driver had picked her up and dropped her off; it was the first time he had taken her to Ling Xingzhi's place.
"Secretary Ling is also at the resort. I was wondering if you have some time..."
Zhou Xiye closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. "I'm busy, my boyfriend is coming to pick me up."
She just texted Yi Chenling, asking him to come pick her up.
After leaving Wangyue Villa, Zhou Xiye got into his car, took out a pack of cigarettes from the center console, lit it, and started smoking.
Thinking of Ling Xingzhi's invitation, she suddenly laughed. Logically speaking, Ling Xingzhi was much more powerful than Pei Zhiyu and Xu Min's family. With his real power, he could easily bring Xu Min's family down from their pedestals.
But she didn't know when it started, she was able to refuse Ling Xingzhi so confidently.
Was it because of the shadows they cast on her back in college? Zhou Xiye took another drag of her cigarette; she hadn't felt this inferior for a long time.
Thinking of this, she smiled; it was a good thing.
This is a good thing; fear can drive people forward regardless of everything.
There was a knock on the car window. Zhou Xiye looked up and saw Yi Chenling.
She unlocked the car, and Yi Chenling got in. He frowned when he smelled the mixture of smoke and alcohol.
"Your house or mine?"
Zhou Xiye stubbed out his cigarette and shook his head. "Let's go to a hotel. I want to sleep with you right now."
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The meat is for tomorrow!
Pei Zhiyu is out too, the new guy, hahaha!
In addition, it's not that Sister Zhou is scared, but that Pei Zhiyu and Xu Min (especially Pei Zhiyu) brought Sister Zhou bad memories, and she has some PTSD.
Think about it, Sister Zhou is a talented woman, just starting out, so she's naturally quite arrogant.
Upon arriving in Beijing, at Tsinghua University—a place where the cream of the crop resides—she was naturally destined to endure some "torture."
Sister Zhou is naturally rebellious, but she needs to work on herself before her rebellious nature can be truly invincible.
In short, she also has her own story and her own "fears" to overcome.
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