0042 47 Nonsense
When Ye Lifeng learned that Zhou Xiye had gotten into a fight with Young Master Yi and ended up in the police station, he called Zhou Xiye and invited him to his house.
Zhou Xiye also knew that he had done something wrong this time. He had lost his mind by hanging out with a man and got into a fight on the street, which led to him being arrested and taken to the police station.
It all seems so frivolous, yet I feel a chill run down my spine. Even if it's not illegal, it's at most a matter of personal conduct. But Yi Chenling, his identity is extraordinary.
The day I went to Ye Lifeng's house, it had just rained, the chill hadn't dissipated, and the ground was still damp.
Ye Lifeng sent her a car, and the driver who picked her up drove the car to the outside of the courtyard. There were soldiers guarding the gate as soon as she got out of the car. Zhou Xiye followed a soldier inside. The courtyard was clean, as if no one had ever lived there.
"Director Zhou, please wait a moment. Minister Ye has guests inside."
With that, the soldier left, leaving Zhou Xiye standing alone at the study door.
It was early autumn, and the wind wasn't strong. Zhou Xiye looked up at the carvings outside the study—ancient style, with small wooden lions and pixiu, and various floral decorations at the entrance. The glass windows were covered by curtains, so nothing could be seen inside.
Zhou Xiye raised his wrist and glanced at his watch; ten minutes had passed.
She turned around and looked out from under the eaves; there was no one there. The courtyard had many branches, but unfortunately, with the autumn wind and rain, the leaves were scattered all over the ground.
Judging from the dust on the ground, someone swept it early this morning.
There was no sound in the study. Zhou Xiye, wearing high heels, had been waiting for half an hour. She shifted her feet, having stood for a while. Normally, she didn't need to stand during meetings or work, so she wouldn't get tired. But now that Ye Lifeng had made her wait, Zhou Xiye understood—Ye Lifeng was disciplining her.
She willingly accepted the punishment. It's normal to be hit with a cane for doing something wrong; she just had to stand up straight and take the beating.
She wasn't wearing much, just a thin trench coat and a white shirt underneath. As leaves fell in the distance, the wind seeped into her clothes. Her hands were in her pockets, as if they were in an icebox. She stretched out her hands, made a loose clenching motion, breathed on them, and then put them back in her pockets.
Another hour passed. Zhou Xiye took a few steps, but she still didn't dare leave the doorway, pacing back and forth in the corridor. Completely lost in thought, how would Ye Lifeng treat her? Would he scold her and then postpone her promotion? Thinking of this, Zhou Xiye stopped in her tracks.
Are we going to stay stuck in the same place again? Zhou Xiye sighed deeply, feeling even more regretful.
What is she doing in Beijing? Isn't it just to get into a core institution? A mere director of a Beijing liaison office—that's hardly her goal. Ye Lifeng isn't her father; he can't clean up her messes. Now, she can only take it one step at a time.
Two hours had passed, and Ye Lifeng still showed no intention of seeing her.
Zhou Xiye moved his legs, and his phone vibrated at that moment. He took it out and saw that it was a message from Li Xiaocen: "Director, it has already started. When are you coming? There is also a speech by the principal of the Party School today."
She thought for a moment and figured she wouldn't be able to get there anytime soon. "Could you sign me in first? I'll be there in a bit. I won't be absent."
After sending the message, she stood there for a few more minutes. At that moment, there was a sound in the study. She stopped fidgeting, straightened up, and the door opened from the inside.
She is Ye Lifeng's secretary.
"Director Zhou is here? Come in quickly, Minister Ye is inside."
Zhou Xiye nodded and smiled at him. After the secretary had walked away, she knocked on the study door and heard a voice say, "Come in."
She had just gone inside.
She had just closed the study door and taken a few steps when a teacup flew to her feet, splashing water and shattering the cup into pieces.
Zhou Xiye stopped and looked up. Ye Lifeng stood behind the desk, wearing a gray cotton knitted shirt, his hair neatly combed, and an angry expression on his face.
"I'm sorry, I know I did something wrong."
Zhou Xiye calmly said to Ye Lifeng, "I shouldn't have gotten entangled with Yi Chenling, and I shouldn't have messed around with him. Now, this situation..." Zhou Xiye sighed, "may be exactly what he wants. I was careless."
Ye Lifeng snorted, turned around, and took something out of the bookshelf.
Zhou Xiye didn't move. He looked down at the teacup at his feet and the water on the ground. Some things are like this broken teacup. Once they happen, they happen. What you need to do is not figure out why they broke, but how to clean up the mess.
Can you be compared to him?
Ye Lifeng suddenly spoke up, "He's the bank manager's son. If something happens to him, someone will cover for him. What about you? Have you thought about that?"
Zhou Xiye lowered his head slightly.
"By the same logic, Ye Rouxin can act recklessly because he's my son. And you? Hmm? Do I think I'm giving you important responsibilities just so you can beat someone up in the street and end up at the police station? Zhou Xiye, have you forgotten who you are?"
Zhou Xiye looked up at him and met Ye Lifeng's gaze. She had never forgotten who she was.
"Go and get me another cup of tea!"
Zhou Xiye nodded, took a few steps to the desk, took out a new teacup, brewed tea, poured it, and steam wafted out, finally filling the room with the aroma of tea.
Ye Lifeng sat down in the chair, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then put it down. "Your tea skills have improved recently. Sit down!"
Zhou Xiye sat opposite him; the fight was considered a thing of the past by Ye Lifeng.
"I went to a meeting of the Politburo a couple of days ago. After the meeting, I talked with Ji Qingzhou. I also told the Premier about the situation at the central bank. He will communicate with the President as appropriate."
Zhou Xiye nodded.
"I gave Yi Shuyuan face, and they'll handle the rest in a meeting," Ye Lifeng said, his expression becoming much more relaxed as he spoke.
Zhou Xiye smiled.
"How are your recent Party classes going? Did Ling Xingzhi arrange them for you?"
Ye Lifeng asked again.
“Attending classes on time, things are going well. He… is just laughing at me.”
Ye Lifeng snorted and leaned back in his chair. "You can't say that. Yi Shuyuan taught Yi Chenling a lesson. You're just a lowly director of the Beijing office. If the organization doesn't deal with you, it'll be hard to explain. Sending you to teach a class is actually a relief."
"I know……"
"Good to know. I'll waive the punishment for you. This matter could be a big deal or a small deal. Don't waste your time on men... The National People's Congress has already started preparing for the election."
Zhou Xiye nodded, looked at him, and waited for Ye Lifeng to continue.
"I want that position."
A gust of wind blew in, and Zhou Xiye's fingers twitched.
Ye Lifeng stood up, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtain. There were several people sweeping outside, who were sweeping up the fallen leaves and piling them up.
"The candidates are me and Ling Qingyun. The higher-ups definitely want Ling Qingyun to take the position, since they are all his people."
He put his hands behind his back, looked out the window, and turned his head slightly. "Do you have any thoughts?"
Zhou Xiye stood up. "Ling Qingyun only has his favor. Not everyone in the Politburo likes him, as you know."
"The position of prime minister can only be held by his people."
Zhou Xiye lowered his head and moved the pen on his desk. "It's not his people, it's people from the group behind him."
Ye Lifeng turned to look at her, a sudden shock running through him. The reason the previous Politburo members chose the current chairman was simply because they saw him as easy to manipulate. But he was different from his predecessor; he wanted power. After several struggles with the old chairman, their power was now almost evenly matched.
However, the current president has an advantage. After the law was changed, his biggest advantage is that he is in office and has time.
No matter how vast the old chairman's net is, he will gradually erode them.
Like Ye Lifeng, Ling Xingzhi was a veteran of three administrations; one had joined a newcomer, while the other held firm to his position. These complexities were known only to people within their circle; even in Beijing, she had no way of knowing anything about them.
Ye Lifeng was unsure whether Zhou Xiye knew these things or deduced them from the situation.
"What's the meaning?"
Zhou Xiye looked up and said, "If you want a big tree to die, you don't peel off its leaves little by little and cut off its branches, but you have to cut off the trunk directly."
The two looked at each other and understood what the other meant. A person in a high position is definitely not fighting alone. The chain of interests has long been intertwined and complicated. Some things cannot be decided by one person alone.
Ye Lifeng walked back and said, "This is a bit troublesome. Time is tight. I'm going to Tibet for a while. You stay here and take good care of yourself. Don't cause any trouble!"
Zhou Xiye nodded and smiled.
Arriving at the Party School, Zhou Xiye had already missed the regular classes, so Li Xiaocen listened to them for her. Zhou Xiye went directly to the conference hall to listen to the principal's speech, which mainly focused on the extension of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.
Zhou Xiye was already late, and there were others who arrived even later, sitting next to him.
His hair was neatly combed, and he smelled faintly of perfume. Zhou Xiye glanced at him sideways. The man had a refined appearance and was wearing a suit.
The face looked familiar. Zhou Xiye looked at the principal on the podium and wondered who this person was.
After a couple of seconds, she remembered.
Lu Daiyuan, Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee.
The principal's presentation was interesting and engaging, and the audience was laughing. Lu Daiyuan turned to Zhou Xiye and asked, "Did you find his presentation interesting?"
Zhou Xiye's smile froze. "It's alright."
Lu Daiyuan nodded. "Where's the humor?"
Zhou Xiye was taken aback for a moment, but Lu Daiyuan was amused by her expression. "I came here to audit the class and had no intention of disturbing you."
The Party Secretary of Zhejiang Province is here? Is he auditing a class?
Zhou Xiye turned his head. It was strange for the provincial party secretary to be here at this time of day—not really strange, but rather a kind of omen. During a break in the speech, the group went to the buffet restaurant for lunch.
"What do you mean? What did he say?"
Zhou Xiye moved closer to Lu Daiyuan's back. "...If I had that time, would I need to ask him for it?" He angrily hung up the phone. Zhou Xiye chose the right moment, picked up the plate, and sat down at the table closest to Lu Daiyuan.
People who come to the Party School to take classes know each other, and those who work in Beijing know each other. Provincial Party secretaries from other places do know each other, but no one would expect to be here.
Lu Daiyuan put his phone in his pocket and glanced at Zhou Xiye, who was alone.
"Hello, I heard someone call you Director Zhou. Which department are you the director of?"
Zhou Xiye paused, "I'm from the Beijing Liaison Office. Hello, Secretary Lu."
He smiled and said, "Some discerning people have already seen it."
The two stopped talking and ate their meal quietly. The Party School canteen was brightly lit, and the small lights overhead were solemn and warm.
"Hey, where did you graduate from?"
Suddenly, Lu Daiyuan looked up and asked her.
Tsinghua University.
"PhD?"
Zhou Xiye shook his head. "No, I'm an undergraduate student."
Lu Daiyuan nodded, suddenly showing some approval for Zhou Xiye, "You didn't go to the central government or abroad... You rose through the ranks from the local level?"
"yes."
Zhou Xiye put down her chopsticks and focused on talking to him, showing respect.
"You're pretty amazing..."
Zhou Xiye shook his head, "He wasn't that great. He went to the battlefield right after graduation..."
Lu Daiyuan was quite surprised. He lowered his head, took a spoonful of the soup, and drank it. As if he hadn't heard Zhou Xiye's words, he said, "I'm a master's student from Zhejiang University. I came to Beijing to visit some universities... So you're very familiar with Tsinghua University?"
Zhou Xiye laughed; she had figured out what was going on. "Yes, we're quite familiar with each other. I have quite a few alumni here; I was an outstanding graduate when I graduated."
Lu Daiyuan smiled, took a bite of fried rice, and said, "By the way, young lady, have you ever attended a state banquet?"
"No."
Lu Daiyuan looked up at her and changed the subject, "The scenery by Weiming Lake isn't good; the gate of Tsinghua University is much prettier."
After leaving the Party School, Zhou Xiye got into the car and asked the driver to take her to Tsinghua University.
During the journey, she made a phone call to Ye Lifeng.
"Minister, someone might be leaving the Politburo, and someone might be going in."
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Zhou Jie's one-woman show!
The old order is coming out soon!!
Don't rush, meat~
It will happen when the time comes!
By the way, Lao Lu can't be one of the men in Sister Zhou's harem!!
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