Xu Keke followed Secretary Chen to his office.
Secretary Chen first led Xu Keke to the sofa. Then he picked up the thermos on the floor and opened the lid of the white porcelain teacup, as faculty and staff often came to report their thoughts to Secretary Chen. His secretary would prepare tea leaves in the teacup in advance each day.
Secretary Chen watched as hot water was poured into the teacup, the tea leaves swirling inside. He wasn't in a hurry; he waited until the water settled before putting the lid on and smiling as he presented it to Xu Keke.
"Alright, tell us. We leaders can't just listen to one side of the story."
Xu Keke didn't say much, but just recounted what happened at the hospital that day, picking out the parts she could.
Secretary Chen sat back in his armchair, a gentle, elder-like smile on his face. He was focused, and his right index finger twitched slightly from time to time.
After confirming that Xu Keke had finished speaking, he smiled and said, "It seems that what we know, as well as what Comrade Li Shaojie and the organization have told us, is pretty much the same as what you said."
Secretary Chen leaned over the table, picked up his ceramic teacup, and took a sip. When he put the teacup back on the table, the four bright red characters "Defend the Country and Protect the Homeland" were directly facing Xu Keke, who was sitting next to him.
"Comrade Du, being a high school teacher must be very hard work."
Xu Keke was a little confused by this sudden remark; it was clear that it wasn't just a casual greeting.
Without waiting for her response, Secretary Chen stroked his chin, as if discussing some school business with her. "These high school students, you might say they're immature, but they seem more sensible than elementary school students. Everyone has different mischievous traits, and it's inevitable that they'll make a small mistake every now and then, causing some trouble for the teachers. Am I right?"
"When a student makes a mistake, what can we teachers do besides get angry? We can only reason with them, help them realize their mistake, give them a chance to correct it, right? Actually, when we adults get distracted, our thinking is pretty much the same as that high school student's. There are always times when people can't figure things out."
"No one can guarantee they'll never make a mistake in their entire life. Don't you agree, Comrade Du?"
When Xu Keke talks to people, she likes to look them in the eye. This time, however, her gaze fell on Secretary Chen's hair.
Secretary Chen and Du Junsheng should be about the same age, but both of them have completely white hair. However, there are a few black hairs mixed in with his thick white hair, which looks rather out of place.
He gives the illusion that he should be in his prime but is already old. Only this kind of old age is a seasoned one.
Secretary Chen's ever-present smile is highly deceptive, making it easy for people to overlook the stubbornness and persistence in his eyes.
Xu Keke did not respond to Secretary Chen's smile; her expression remained somewhat serious.
"Adultery during marriage is not the same as a student making a mistake. Maintaining an ambiguous relationship with someone else during courtship is not a minor moral issue or a slip of the mind. I agreed to marry Li Shaojie based on our feelings for each other, and now that those feelings are gone, there is no need to continue the marriage. Therefore, divorce is necessary. Moreover, I am not his teacher, and I have no obligation to tolerate him. What do you think?"
"I hope the college can issue us a divorce certificate so that we can end this marriage as soon as possible, and that Li Shaojie will be punished accordingly."
Xu Keke looked directly into the old Party Secretary's eyes, showing no sign of yielding.
Despite her lack of understanding, Secretary Chen's expression remained largely unchanged. His smile, in fact, grew even warmer. It was as if he were genuinely having a casual chat with a younger person he liked.
He didn't respond to Xu Keke's words, but pushed the cup in front of her closer to her. "Haha, have some water first. Did you come from home? You've been waiting for so long. We, as leaders, haven't done our job properly. We should have come to you first. Here, have some water first, don't rush. Nothing can be solved immediately."
Seeing that Xu Keke didn't touch her cup, he wasn't angry. He still smiled and said, "It's not easy for our school to train a faculty member. Everyone from top to bottom has done a lot of work. To us, they are like our students and children. As leaders, we hope that you can treat your feelings carefully. Our Director Zhou and Comrade Shaojie have also talked. Li Shaojie has realized his mistakes and promised the organization that he will definitely work diligently and be an honest person in the future."
Secretary Chen stood up and took a piece of paper from a dark blue notebook on his desk. He handed it to Xu Keke.
“I also have a piece of paper here, take a look. This is Comrade Li Shaojie’s ideological report to the organization. The self-criticism in it is definitely not just for show. It’s his deep reflection on his own problems. I think he really understands his problems very thoroughly. It’s okay to have problems, as long as you correct them, that’s good, comrade.”
Xu Keke took it and pretended to glance at it.
Xu Keke didn't doubt Secretary Chen's motives; he genuinely treated every faculty and staff member in the college as his own subordinates. He would protect them and care for them, just like he would his own children.
Communicating with someone like Secretary Chen, who is always trying to persuade you and change your mind, is mostly ineffective.
Because they won't listen to what you say; they'll just quote scriptures and try to figure out how to change your mind.
Xu Keke knew that she had probably made a wasted trip today.
"Young people, we must look at problems with dialectical materialism. We cannot look at people in a static way; we must look at them with a developmental perspective, because people and things are subject to change."
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