Today, Wu Daguang was more than just a little annoyed. His phone was almost exploding with calls, and his ears were ringing from answering them. His hands were sore, and his head was throbbing. The two top officials in the city, the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and their bureau chief were all furious, questioning why the case had not progressed.
The problem was, solving a case wasn't that simple. Even if he had the power to move heaven and earth, he still needed evidence to solve a case, right? The bureau chief had given him a deadline of three days to solve the case, and this order was like a tight-fitting circlet on his head. He had already taken his team to the crime scene several times, and the external investigation had begun in earnest, but so far, they had not found any clues that could help solve the case.
Wu Daguang's mind was preoccupied with solving this murder case. He originally didn't want to attend today's gathering. However, Chen Binnan had been promoted, and given Chen Binnan's connections, this visit could mean a bright future. He had to take some time to make an appearance.
The six people present were all familiar to Wu Daguang. Yes, in Wu Daguang's eyes, there were six people. As for the handsome young man, he didn't know him and didn't need to pay attention to him. However, this young man was quite perceptive. As soon as Wu Daguang entered, he quietly stood behind him, pulled the chair a little further away, and invited him to sit down. Then he handed him a hot towel, and after Wu Daguang wiped his face and hands, he promptly took it away. These considerate actions immediately made Wu Daguang, who was from the criminal investigation department, guess his identity: this young man must be someone's secretary!
Even though he didn't bother to say "thank you," Wu Daguang was still quite satisfied in his heart: the young man was good!
However, just as he was about to leave, this young man actually had the audacity to stop him! This made him somewhat unhappy, but he couldn't ignore Chen Binnan's face, so he asked with a half-smile, "Xiao Cheng, do you have something else?"
Seeing the complex expression on Wu Daguang's face, Cheng Jemin knew that Wu Daguang didn't take him seriously. But now, there was no turning back. He smiled frankly and said, "Director Wu, you are an expert in solving cases, and I shouldn't be giving you advice. But I have something I can't help but say. If it helps you break the case, that would be great. I love reading detective novels in my free time, and the case you mentioned just now seems to me like it could be a crime committed by someone familiar."
"Oh, good, Xiao Cheng, thank you for providing a lead for the police. I'll discuss it with the special task force when I get back," Wu Daguang patted Cheng Jemin's shoulder and said casually. From Wu Daguang's expression, Cheng Jemin knew that Wu Daguang was just humoring him. Well, I've said what I needed to say. Whether you take it seriously or not is up to you!
After seeing Wu Daguang off, the banquet had reached its climax. Cheng Jemin toasted everyone in turn and drank freely, earning praise from Director Wang and the others with his two-glass-per-person drinking capacity.
At the hotel entrance, they parted ways. Cheng Jemin accompanied Chen Binnan to his car. After Chen Binnan smoked a cigarette, he said to Cheng Jemin, "If you have any problems in the future, you can find these few people. They may not be able to help much, but they will at least give me some face."
"Director, I understand," Cheng Jemin said, moved. However, at this moment, the ambition that had already begun to stir in his heart grew even more. He thought that one day, even if he couldn't stand on equal footing with these people who could command the world, he would become one of them, and they would have to listen to him obediently.
Chen Binnan smiled and continued, "Xiao Cheng, you have a good understanding. Work hard during your three years of rural service. After all, sharpening the axe doesn't hinder chopping wood!"
After sending Chen Binnan home, Cheng Jemin was about to return to his dormitory. However, halfway through the ride, the driver suddenly said, "Director Cheng, ... just now, my family called, saying the child has a fever. I want to go home quickly to check on her. What do you think...?"
Although the driver only said half of it, Cheng Jemin understood his meaning. He immediately said, "The child comes first. You go ahead, I'm not far from the dormitory, I can walk the rest of the way."
"Thank you, Director Cheng, for your understanding." The driver thanked him profusely. After Cheng Jemin got out of the car, he stepped on the gas and sped away.
Watching the car drive in the opposite direction, Cheng Jemin suddenly felt a huge sense of humiliation and hurt. The driver's home was in a residential area not far from the office. Wasn't he driving in the wrong direction? In the past, this guy would drop him off at the building without any conditions. Damn it, as soon as Director Chen left, this guy was already playing tricks on him!
The winter night was a bit chilly. Under the dim streetlights, the street was deserted. At this moment, Cheng Jemin missed the small hill in his hometown, where he could shout and call out freely, feeling a sense of thorough relief. However, this was the city, where everyone was armed with a mask. Cheng Jemin secretly vowed that one day, he would show them a different side of him!
It was about four or five miles to the dormitory. After crossing a street, Cheng Jemin stepped onto Tianyuan Avenue, the most famous street in Tianyuan City. This road was the political and cultural center of Tianyuan City, as the office buildings of the Donghu Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government stood on this street.
Looking in the direction of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, a few lights were still on. Cheng Jemin looked at the place representing the highest power in Donghu Province in the night, and a thought suddenly arose in his heart: which of these solemn offices was Gu Xixi's workplace?
As someone who had just fallen in love, Cheng Jemin was eager to see this lovely girl. He had already embraced her waist and kissed her lips, and her unique fragrance made him linger. He was so infatuated with her! Cheng Jemin found that he was like a farmer, delighted to see the tender sprout of the seeds he had diligently cultivated for years. He would carefully nurture it until the bright autumn day, when he would water it into a full fruit and harvest it.
However, in the end, Cheng Jemin still gave up the idea of calling Gu Xixi. It was late, and he didn't want to bother her anymore.
The next morning, Cheng Jemin woke up as usual. He lay in bed for about ten minutes before getting up to wash his face and brush his teeth.
The second floor of the dormitory was already in chaos, with various busy sounds echoing in the corridor. When Cheng Jemin came out, he met a few colleagues chatting. Seeing him, they awkwardly stopped.
"Good morning," Cheng Jemin smiled at them and then walked downstairs. The usual invitations to eat were not absent, but they were much colder. Although such changes were within Cheng Jemin's expectations, it still felt like a thorn in his throat.
"Xiao Cheng, I have something to talk to you about!" As soon as he entered the office and tidied up, Deputy Director Dong Huacheng came in. Cheng Jemin and Dong Huacheng had not had much deep interaction in the past, but Dong Huacheng always liked to chat with him.
"Director Dong, have some water," Cheng Jemin quickly poured a cup of water and handed it to Dong Huacheng with both hands.
Dong Huacheng nodded but didn't drink, and said softly, "Xiao Cheng, office work is actually quite difficult. For example, office space, office supplies, cars, and fuel tickets. If any of these are handled poorly, it can cause problems!"
Cheng Jemin smiled and said, "Director Dong, that's why everyone says you are the logistics manager of our Water Resources Department. Without you managing all these things, our department couldn't function properly!"
"Hahaha, I can't take all the credit for that," Dong Huacheng took a sip of water and continued, "Xiao Cheng, the office is a bit tight these days. I heard that the new leader is coming soon, and the department has asked us to prepare the office supplies for the new leader. I need your full support on this!"
Looking at Dong Huacheng's somewhat cold face, how could Cheng Jemin not understand that this was a reminder to move out? As Secretary to Director Chen, he had always had his own office. Now, even before Director Chen had left, they were urging him to move out.
Cheng Jemin pondered for a moment and then said, "Director Dong, I will firmly follow your decision. However, I need a place to store my things, right?"
"Of course, Xiao Cheng. No matter what, you are part of our office. I can't just leave you without a place. How about this, you can share the archive room with Old Mi for now. After all, you will be going to the countryside for service in a few days. Xiao Cheng, time is tight, and you need to vacate this office today." Dong Huacheng took a sip of water and said, "Xiao Cheng, you have worked with Director Chen for many years and have a good sense of the bigger picture. I hope you won't make things difficult for me!"
Cheng Jemin's smile disappeared as soon as he saw Dong Huacheng out of the office. Although he had expected someone to take advantage of his situation, he didn't expect it to happen so quickly. He hadn't offended them much, yet they were already impatient after Director Chen left.
He didn't intend to occupy this office. He was about to go to the countryside for service and would leave this office in just over a week. Dong Huacheng's urgency in making him move out was clearly meant to make him uncomfortable.
Suppressing his anger, Cheng Jemin took a sip of water. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Without waiting for his response, Zheng Yuanhong, wearing a red coat, burst in.
Although Zheng Yuanhong was not tall, she exuded a fiery passion. Cheng Jemin quickly stood up and offered her a seat, "Sister Zheng, please sit down."
"Jemin, I just ran into Dong Huacheng. He was telling Fu Jiangbo that you need to move out of the office today. On this matter, you should listen to your big sister. Don't be impulsive, okay? Director Chen has already left, and when you need to be patient, you must be patient!"