0092 101 Came prepared
Kunming, Yunnan.
After the plane landed and taxied smoothly, Ling Xingzhi unbuckled her seatbelt, got up, took a few steps, pushed open the door, and lifted the curtain. On the simple little bed, Zhou Xiye was still wearing an eye mask. He stared at her for a few seconds, then pulled the curtain forcefully. With a "whoosh," the person lying on the bed stirred.
Ling Xingzhi leaned against the door and said, "Secretary Zhou, we've arrived in Kunming. Would you like to wake up?"
Zhou Xiye slowly sat up, pulled off her eye mask, and said sleepily, "Thank you, Secretary Ling..." She paused, looked up to meet Ling Xingzhi's gaze, and asked, "What is your position now?"
Ling Xingzhi smiled and said, "It seems you've been out of touch with the news during your seclusion. You'll know what I do once you get off the plane."
The plane slowly came to a stop. Zhou Xiye stood up, put on his shoes, straightened his clothes, and picked up his black briefcase. The cabin door opened, and the bright sunshine outside bathed the two of them. "Please come in."
Ling Xingzhi followed Zhou Xiye as they disembarked from the plane. A black Hongqi car with the license plate ending in 02 stopped in front of Ling Xingzhi.
Zhou Xiye looked at the license plate and smiled, "Was this arranged by Committee Member Ling?"
Ling Xingzhi opened the car door. "Secretary Zhou, please get in the car."
Zhou Xiye shook his head, "No need, thank you. I don't think anyone knows I'm here, and I hope Mayor Ling won't make a big fuss about it."
Ling Xingzhi nodded and smiled slightly. "Then I'll take my leave first. I have a meeting arranged." He raised his hand. "See you another day, Secretary Zhou. I'll be going now."
Zhou Xiye crossed his arms and watched Ling Xingzhi get into the car and leave the airport. The staff member standing nearby stood there, looking at Zhou Xiye with a sense of helplessness. He couldn't afford to offend someone Mayor Ling had instructed, but since Zhou Xiye hadn't taken any action, the staff member dared not move either.
After a short while, Zhou Xiye looked left and right, her black hair fluttering in the air. After a few seconds, she turned and walked towards the staff member, asking him, "Where is the airport bus? I need to go to the municipal party committee building."
"I can drive you there, by airport bus..."
Zhou Xiye shook his head, "Just the airport bus."
Once on the airport bus, which was packed with people, all looking tired, Zhou Xiye took out his phone from his briefcase and paid the fare. The ride was bumpy, and along the way they passed unfinished roads, surrounded by green corrugated iron sheets. Curious, Zhou Xiye asked the person next to him, "What's going on here? Road construction?"
The person sitting next to her was a college student. He squinted his eyes, glanced out the window, then turned back to continue resting, muttering, "They've been building the subway for four years, and it's still not finished. Not long ago, the municipal party secretary was dismissed, the mayor was transferred, and the urban construction bureau stopped taking care of it. It's been rotten ever since."
Zhou Xiye raised an eyebrow. "Judging from your accent, you don't seem to be a local from Kunming. How do you know so much?"
The girl shook her head. "This subway line runs from the airport to Yunnan University. I thought I'd be able to ride it before I graduated, but it seems like I'll never get the chance."
Zhou Xiye smiled. The air conditioning in the car was on full blast, and she was still a little sleepy, so she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to rest.
Upon arriving at the municipal party committee building, Zhou Xiye got out of the car. People were coming and going in front of the building, surrounded by lush greenery. Zhou Xiye didn't rush to the building; instead, she went to the supermarket first, and then walked to the security guard's booth at the entrance. She knocked on the window, and the guard poked his head out, speaking in Mandarin with a slight Yunnan accent, "Young lady, who are you looking for? Do you have an appointment?"
Zhou Xiye thought for a moment, "I'm here to see Hu Rui, the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee. I have a meeting with him. Please let me in."
When the security guard heard that he was looking for the deputy secretary, he frowned and looked Zhou Xiye up and down. His suit wasn't very neat, and his shoes were a little dusty. He was good-looking, and his clothes and shoes were expensive, though the brand was hard to tell. Was he looking for Hu Rui?
"Which department are you from? Are you looking for the Party Secretary?"
Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "What department I'm in has nothing to do with you... I really do know him. If you don't let me in and something happens, who will take responsibility?"
The security guard thought about it and realized that it made sense. If he could get through this gate, he might not be able to get through the other gates. Looking at Zhou Xiye's smiling face, he suddenly felt that it wouldn't work.
He's the gatekeeper; whether or not someone can enter is up to him, especially when it comes to a young girl like this.
"No, there are rules. You need to bring something with you, like proof or something..."
Zhou Xiye nodded and took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his bag. "Calm down, next time I come, I'll definitely have all the paperwork done."
The security guard glanced at the Zhonghua cigarettes, his hand itching to take them back, but he didn't dare. With a stern face, he said, "Young lady, when you come to the municipal government to do business, you need to know the rules. All the paperwork is in order..." After saying a few words, he waved his hand on the table, and the cigarettes disappeared, replaced by paper and a pen.
We can't make things difficult for him any longer. If he really is here on business, we really can't afford to offend him. It's better for him to be scolded than to be fired. "Alright, register him."
Zhou Xiye took a pen and paper and registered the information: name, ID card number, reason for visit, and mobile phone number.
After finishing writing, she went inside. Instead of rushing upstairs, she looked up at the magnificent building, a spark of inspiration rising within her.
This is the place she wants to conquer.
This is also where she can truly showcase her talents.
Zhou Xiye felt her blood boiling; this place belonged entirely to her.
Looking down at the road ahead, Zhou Xiye sighed and said, "Let's get started!"
As soon as I entered, someone came out from the doorway and asked, "Who are you looking for? Do you have an appointment?"
Zhou Xiye nodded, "I'm looking for Hu Rui."
"Hu Rui...you're looking for the Party Secretary? He's busy today, come back tomorrow."
Zhou Xiye frowned. "No, he told me yesterday that I should come to see him today, so why isn't he here? Isn't this a workday? If he's not here, doesn't that count as absenteeism? Does being the Party Secretary mean he can be absent from work?"
The man got a little annoyed. "Who said the Party Secretary was absent from work? He went out on an inspection tour... What time did I tell you yesterday?"
Zhou Xiye raised his hand and glanced at his watch, revealing the Rolex logo. "Three-thirty, 3:30 PM."
"It's 3:20 now, the Party Secretary isn't here, you'll have to wait a bit longer!" The man's tone was unfriendly, his gaze lingering on Zhou Xiye's wrist several times. "Hey! Which department are you from? Are you here to see the Party Secretary?"
Zhou Xiye put down his hand, obediently picked up his briefcase, and said without batting an eye, "I am the secretary of the new mayor, Ling Xingzhi. The mayor is here today, but he went to a meeting and asked me to come and find the deputy secretary of the municipal party committee to deliver some things."
Hearing Zhou Xiye say this, he nodded, but his eyes were full of suspicion. "You are Mayor Ling's secretary, so why did you come alone?"
"The mayor just arrived, and we don't have enough staff, so we only provided one car."
The man was half-believing and half-doubting. "Okay, then I'll make a call and ask. Please have a seat." He picked up the landline, dialed a number, and waited a long time before the other end answered with a smile. "Hello, someone at the door said he is Mayor Ling's secretary and is looking for Secretary Hu. I would be very sorry to trouble you to inform your superiors."
Nodding and humming in agreement a few times, the person hung up the phone. Turning to Zhou Xiye, their gaze held a newfound respect, "Please wait a little longer, I'll let you know when Secretary Hu returns."
Zhou Xiye wasn't in a hurry. He sat in the hall, crossed his legs, and looked around.
"Are you Mayor Ling's secretary?" The man came out of the house and strolled over to Zhou Xiye. "I heard... Secretary Zhou and Mayor Ling are both from Beijing. Mayor Ling's reputation is too great, but I wonder, Secretary Zhou, what's behind him..."
Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "Each has its own merits."
Seeing that Zhou Xiye didn't want to talk, the man could only smile and say, "I'll get you a glass of water."
Zhou Xiye nodded.
About an hour and a half later, with half an hour left before the end of the workday, a call came in from above. The person who answered kept nodding, barely able to keep up the smile on their face.
After hanging up the phone, the man came over. "Hey, Secretary, you still have something to attend to. Why don't you go back first and come back when Mayor Ling arrives?"
Zhou Xiye smiled, stood up, walked to the bulletin board where the phone number for the municipal party secretary's office was displayed. Zhou Xiye wrote it down, then turned to the person and said, "May I use your phone?"
The man, unsure of Zhou Xiye's intentions, could only nod. Zhou Xiye walked to the phone and dialed a number.
The call was answered after only two rings. "Hello, I'm looking for Deputy Secretary Hu," Zhou Xiye emphasized the word "Deputy".
The person on the other end of the phone laughed, "Miss, who are you? Looking for Secretary Hu?"
The three words "Secretary Hu" resonated deeply.
Zhou Xiye didn't want to beat around the bush anymore. "My name is Zhou Xiye, and I'm the newly appointed Party Secretary of the Municipal Committee. I'm looking for you, Secretary Hu."
The person opposite paused, then chuckled awkwardly, "Miss Zhou, oh no, Secretary Zhou, you..."
Zhou Xiye stopped talking, hung up the phone, and turned to the person next to him, "Go and get my bag."
The man glanced at Zhou Xiye warily, walked over, took her bag, and handed it to her. Zhou Xiye took out her appointment notice from the bag and placed it in front of the man. The man glanced at it, and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
"Secretary Zhou..."
Zhou Xiye smiled and asked, "Excuse me, which floor is the secretary's office on?"
Footsteps echoed on the polished floor as Zhou Xiye walked straight into the municipal party secretary's office, pushed open the door, and found the room spotless.
Of course, she was followed by people from the secretariat.
"Where is Hu Ruiren? Where did he go?"
Zhou Xiye sat down in the chair in the municipal party secretary's office and looked at the person in front of him.
"Secretary Hu, he didn't know you were coming, so the preparations were inadequate..."
"How many secretaries are in the municipal party committee building?" Zhou Xiye asked with a smile.
The form of address is not important, but in front of Zhou Xiye, Hu Rui must be the deputy secretary, and the secretary can only be Zhou Xiye.
That's the allure of power.
It is also one of the embodiments of rights.
The staff in the secretariat understood her meaning. "I'll contact Deputy Secretary Hu and Secretary Zhou for you right away. Is there anything else you need?"
Zhou Xiye looked around, pointed to the two large vases by the door, and said, "Move these two vases out for me. I don't like them. Also, find two green plants."
“Okay,” Zhou Xiye told them to do it, but they swallowed their anger and did it with a smile. This was not something the secretariat should have done, but Zhou Xiye ordered them to do it, so they did it with a smile.
Two flowers bloom, each representing a different branch.
Pei Zhiyu was searching for Zhou Xiye's whereabouts at the airport when he unexpectedly saw Shang Heming's car waiting outside the airport.
What are you doing here?
Pei Zhiyu walked over with a sullen face. Shang Heming leaned against the car and smiled at him, "Looking for Zhou Xiye?"
Upon hearing the name Zhou Xiye, Pei Zhiyu became extremely alert. "You saw her?"
Shang Heming shook his head, looked down at his shoes, then stood up and took a few steps toward Pei Zhiyu. "She's gone. She should be in Kunming by now."
Pei Zhiyu's pupils dilated suddenly. After a few seconds, he asked, "Did you take her away?"
"right."
Pei Zhiyu took two steps forward and grabbed Shang Heming's collar tightly. He had a lot to say, many unpleasant things to say, but his upbringing told him not to be rude. He was so angry that he could only gasp for breath.
Looking at Pei Zhiyu's furious face, Shang Heming curled his lips into a smug smile, tilted his head, and said, "Oh, right, I remember now, you liked her back in college, didn't you?"
Pei Zhiyu slowly released his hand; he would never lose control in public.
But Shang Heming's notes made him make an exception—"You don't know, do you? While you were secretly in love with her and couldn't express your feelings, she was already in my bed, experiencing ecstasy..."
Pei Zhiyu raised his hand and threw a punch at Shang Heming's cheek.
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All are fictional.
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