0087 96 Fame and fortune are but a fraction of a sheet of paper
The music inside the car was soft, and Zhou Xiye reached out and switched to the traffic radio station, where the host's voice came through.
"What do you want to eat after get off work today? I'll pick you up," Pei Zhiyu asked.
Zhou Xiye shook his head, "Whatever you say, it's up to you."
Pei Zhiyu smiled and drove to Zhou Xiye's workplace, where the car stopped. She unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, and got out. Pei Zhiyu reached out to grab her, but Zhou Xiye slipped through his fingers like a gust of wind.
The first thing Zhou Xiye did upon arriving at work was to go to the personnel department and submit his transfer order; his personnel file needed to be transferred. The old man in the personnel department put down his teacup, exhaled a breath, put on his glasses in one hand, and clicked the mouse with the other, muttering, "Little Zhou, going to Yunnan? I heard from the boss a couple of days ago that you were leaving, but they didn't publicize it..."
The mouse clicked twice, and the old man continued, "What are you going to Yunnan for? Is Yunnan as good as Beijing?" As he spoke, he slowly pressed a couple of keys on the keyboard, leaned closer to the screen, and squinted his eyes. "Wow, is he going to see the Party Secretary?"
Zhou Xiye sat opposite him and nodded politely.
The old man pursed his lips and his hands moved faster. "That's good. A promotion. It's a good thing to go to Kunming from here... But going to this remote area is not as good as not going at all. How far is it from Beijing?" He looked at the screen carefully. "Isn't Xiao Zhou from Beijing? You know District Chief Pei, right? He's also going to a local area, but he's going to Hangzhou to get some experience. What about you? Going to this place is not as comfortable as being stuck in Beijing with a leisurely job."
Zhou Xiye smiled slightly, "What kind of family background does District Chief Pei have? How could I dare to compare? You're just teasing me."
The old man clicked his tongue. "That's true. District Chief Pei, no, now I should call him Mayor Pei, that kid comes from a respectable family and is an outstanding person... I heard he got married not long ago. I wonder which girl is so lucky. I think Mayor Pei has a bright future."
Zhou Xiye leaned back, thinking to himself, "It's me, it's me, the unlucky guy."
"By the way, Xiao Zhou, what's your marital status here? Are you single or married?"
"Married."
The old man nodded. "Did you get married recently? I haven't seen any updates to your status here for very long."
"Yes, we just got our marriage certificate."
"Is your husband going to Kunming with you?"
"I'm not going."
The old man nodded, took off his glasses, and the printer next to him started humming. He took out a pen and wrote something on a piece of paper. “It’s better if you don’t go. After all, you are in a high position now. Women can hold the fort for half a day. Your husband can stay at home and take good care of the family. That’s good too.”
After saying that, he stood up, took the document, opened the drawer, took out the red seal, pressed it a few times, and then handed it to Zhou Xiye.
"alright."
Zhou Xiye stood up, bowed slightly to the old man, and said, "Thank you." Reaching the door, he suddenly remembered something, turned back to the old man, and said, "Not many people know about my transfer yet. I haven't taken office, so I'm not entirely confident. Therefore, I would like to ask you..."
The old man lowered his head, took off his glasses, and waved his hand, "Don't worry, I understand."
Zhou Xiye smiled and left the personnel department. Not long after returning to her office, she received a call from Ye Lifeng, who simply and directly said, "I'll have someone pick you up."
After hanging up the phone, she pinched the bridge of her nose. One thing after another had left her physically and mentally exhausted. She couldn't figure out Ye Lifeng's attitude. Judging from the outcome, he definitely had doubts about whether Zhou Xiye was still one of his men.
She had seen all the tricks Ye Lifeng used against traitors. Zhou Xiye sighed, opened a drawer, and began tidying her personal belongings. But less than two minutes later, the office phone rang again. "Hello, Secretary Zhou? This is Xue Cheng, here to take you to see General Manager Ye."
Zhou Xiye put down what he was holding and stood up. "Okay, I understand."
The sound of heels echoed in the corridor, unhurried and gentle, the polished floor tiles reflecting the brightness of the overhead lights.
"District Chief Pei, I've brought the documents you requested."
Pei Zhiyu, a cigarette between his fingers, looked up at the sound and saw his secretary, Wan Yu. "Come in," Wan Yu said, closing the documents in front of him. After Wan Yu entered, he closed the door. Pei Zhiyu finished his cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray.
"The situation in Hangzhou is indeed complicated; the previous mayor didn't retire normally..."
Pei Zhiyu took the document and flipped through it, a slight joy on his young face. As he looked at the document, he asked, "How's the wedding ring I asked you to order coming along?"
"It's all ready; it's been airlifted from Japan."
Pei Zhiyu nodded and put down the documents. "Regarding the problems with e-commerce in Hangzhou, do you think it's more of a political issue or an economic one?"
"It's hard to say. There are too many interests involved, and the purpose is unclear. Even if it starts as an economic act, it will definitely have some connection to political actions in the end..."
Pei Zhiyu nodded, his expression remaining completely unchanged after listening. He sat ramrod straight, always exuding an imposing aura that made Wan Yu sometimes feel suffocated even when sharing a room with him.
"By the way, how's the wedding venue arrangement going?"
Pei Zhiyu suddenly changed the subject, and Wan Yu breathed a sigh of relief. "Everything is settled. I originally wanted to resolve it with money, but I didn't expect the groom to cheat on his wife. So I sent someone to follow him, take pictures of him cheating, and send them to all his colleagues and the bride's family. Even if they want to downplay the matter, with so many people knowing that the groom cheated, the wedding definitely can't go on. It's a good opportunity for you to use it."
“Okay,” Pei Zhiyu said, praising Wan Yu’s methods. “The wedding invitations are ready too. Please deliver them to my house this afternoon.”
Then, he gave a few more instructions. The handover of work was a problem. He couldn't go to Hangzhou so quickly. The district head of Haidian District was also a lucrative position. Ling Xingzhi's idea was to send his own people over, but Ye Lifeng took the lead, wrote down his name and submitted it. It was unreasonable and illogical for a mere municipal party secretary to try to bypass the prime minister to do things.
However, these things were not of concern to Pei Zhiyu.
As their conversation drew to a close, the phone rang. Pei Zhiyu answered it; it was Li Canyang's second secretary calling—"District Chief, Shang Heming is here."
"Let him in."
Pei Zhiyu hung up the phone, turned around and continued, "That's the problem. We can't be too ambiguous about our attitude towards them... Go and sound them out a bit..."
Before he could finish speaking, there was a knock on the door, and Shang Heming entered Pei Zhiyu's office.
Pei Zhiyu stood up, and Wan Yu also stood up, nodding to Shang Heming, "Hello, Mr. Shang."
Shang Heming smiled at him, and like the temptation of Satan, Wan Yu got goosebumps all over his body.
"You go ahead, come find me if you have any problems."
At Pei Zhiyu's command, Wan Yu practically jogged out of the office.
"Sit down. Is there anything I can do for you?" Pei Zhiyu asked businesslike. Shang Heming sat down and shook his head. "It's nothing major. I'm going to Hong Kong in the next couple of days for a Sotheby's auction. I'm representing the company to auction national treasures."
"Dragon's head?" Pei Zhiyu asked.
Shang Heming nodded, "Yes, the dragon head of the twelve animal heads has been found. I plan to take a picture of it and give it to you as a wedding gift."
"This is too valuable."
"It's alright, there's space in Haidian District. Giving it to the state or to you makes no difference."
Pei Zhiyu smiled slightly, "Then thank you in advance. I will arrange for someone to meet you when the time comes."
Shang Heming smiled knowingly, looking Pei Zhiyu up and down. He frowned slightly. "What's wrong?"
"Were you close to Zhou Xiye in college? You were so quiet... how did you suddenly get married to her?"
Pei Zhiyu lowered her head and chuckled upon hearing this, then raised her head, looking unusually uneasy. "Actually, I didn't expect that I would meet her through a blind date within the system. We were classmates, knew each other well, and got married."
Shang Heming nodded seriously, "A whirlwind marriage?" Then he smiled and said, "I didn't see it coming. Zhou Xiye doesn't seem like the type to have a whirlwind marriage, and neither do you... seem like one."
Pei Zhiyu noticed Shang Heming's subtle emotions and her smile faded. "I don't understand what you mean."
Shang Heming shook his head and smiled, then stood up. "It's nothing. Congratulations, Mayor Pei. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
Pei Zhiyu didn't stand up to see him off. After watching Shang Heming's departing figure for a while, he picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Help me check on Shang Heming's situation in recent years. I need to know very details, such as what girlfriends he's had, what he's done, and his family situation."
The wind blew by, and new buds slowly sprouted on the branches. The moonlight, lonely and dim, fell on the branches.
The Ling family compound was quiet until, after a while, hurried footsteps could be heard inside.
Setting down her teacup, Ling Qingyun pursed her lips and looked at Ling Xingzhi, "Do you know who sent these two letters of complaint?"
Ling Xingzhi glanced at the documents on the wooden table and nodded. "They were sent back from abroad. I don't know who sent them."
"Not Zhou Xiye?"
Ling Xingzhi paused, then looked up at Ling Qingyun, "During that time, she was imprisoned by you, so it couldn't have been her."
Ling Qingyun sighed heavily, "This matter could be a big deal or a small deal. If you want your future path to be smooth, you need to pave the way. Many people have seen that the bigger the tree, the more the wind will blow against it. Now you need to lay low for a while."
Ling Xingzhi didn't respond to that question, but instead asked, "Why would Zhou Xiye cooperate with you? What conditions did she agree to?"
"Don't worry about so much," Ling Qingyun said, his face showing displeasure. "Go lay low and avoid the limelight. Do you understand what I mean?"
"There's no need to treat her like this, Zhou Xiye..."
"She chose this path herself!" Ling Qingyun lost her patience. "Answer me, do you understand?"
Ling Xingzhi felt exhausted. He sighed, "What's the use of me understanding or not? Haven't you already made all the arrangements?"
Ling Qingyun stared coldly at Ling Xingzhi.
Ling Xingzhi, emboldened by some unknown source, suddenly stood up, turned around, and walked out.
"where did you go!"
Ling Xingzhi ignored Ling Qingyun's question and took a few steps. Before he even reached the door, he was stopped by a group of bodyguards who appeared out of nowhere.
He was forced to kneel down.
The shiny black leather shoes stepped silently on the carpet and stopped in front of Ling Xingzhi.
"What, you think you're all grown up now?"
Ling Xingzhi was held down, and he slowly closed his eyes without saying a word.
Aren't you afraid I'll break it?
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