Power and Wealth

Two weeks later.

This day.

Monday morning.

Dong Xuebing got up from the northern room of the quadrangle house a little after seven. He treated himself to a hearty breakfast and finished it all by himself. Dong Xuebing had been ordered by his superiors to reflect at home for nearly a month. It had been quite a boring month, except for the incident with Fang Wenping. After that, Dong Xuebing had been idle at home, which was extremely dull. Fortunately, his boss called last night to inform him that he was officially returning to work today. Otherwise, Dong Xuebing might have gone crazy from staying home for so long.

Changing clothes.

Polishing shoes.

Combing his hair.

Dong Xuebing stood before the mirror for a long time, tidying himself up neatly. After checking his appearance, he nodded satisfactorily and glanced at his watch.

It was eight o'clock.

Oh, almost forgot something.

Dong Xuebing reluctantly walked to the closet door, bent down, and picked out a women's sweater from below. Shaking his head, he found an opaque bag to put it in. Then he left, driving towards his workplace. The sweater belonged to Fang Wenping. While at Dong Xuebing's house that day, she washed all her clothes. By the afternoon, her bra and panties had dried, and the long skirt was almost dry. Only the sweater, with its thicker fabric, was still damp. It looked like it wouldn't be completely dry even after a night. Fang Wenping picked out a jacket from Dong Xuebing's closet, the only thing she could wear. Although it felt odd when she put it on, it was better than nothing. After putting it on, Fang Wenping left without saying a word, leaving the sweater in Dong Xuebing's courtyard. She forgot to take it with her.

At the workplace.

It was almost time to start work, so quite a few people were around.

When Dong Xuebing's Land Rover arrived, many people glanced at him. Although Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping had caused a big commotion at the open day event, the incident passed almost a month ago, and the uproar gradually died. So, people just gave Dong Xuebing a few glances and didn't say much. Only a few people recalled the events of that day and briefly discussed Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping's sensational quarrel. Most people focused on the ongoing organizational reform of the Discipline Inspection Commission.

The car stopped.

Dong Xuebing got out of the car, but instead of going directly to his office building, he went to the First Supervision Room. He strode into the corridor.

This was Fang Wenping's department. Because of that incident, most people knew Dong Xuebing. They became alert when they saw him coming, even though Fang Wenping had a bad reputation and a somewhat domineering personality. However, she was still the head of the First Supervision Room, representing the department. So, although people looked at Dong Xuebing with unfriendly expressions, they didn't say anything.

"Is Director Fang here?" Dong Xuebing found a young female colleague and asked.

The woman glanced at Dong Xuebing, hesitated momentarily, and then said, "Director Fang is here, in the office."

"Thanks." Dong Xuebing went straight to the door of the director's office without knocking and pushed the door open, not bothering to be polite with Fang Wenping.

Inside the room.

Fang Wenping had probably arrived not long ago, as her bag was still on the desk. At the moment, she was bending over to fill the water at the water dispenser. Her shapely buttocks, wrapped in trousers, faced the direction of the door. The tight trousers emphasized the curves of her buttocks, but perhaps because she was wearing long johns or thermal pants, there were no visible lines of her underwear, which disappointed Dong Xuebing a bit. Nonetheless, he still took a few good looks.

Fang Wenping turned back with a stern face. "Don't you know how to knock?"

"No." Dong Xuebing tossed the bag onto the sofa. "Your clothes."

The water in the cup was filled, and Fang Wenping took a gentle sip before sitting back at her desk. She glanced at him and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Dong Xuebing reached out. "Where's my clothes?"

"What clothes?" Fang Wenping replied coldly.

"What clothes? My jacket!" Dong Xuebing retorted impatiently.

Fang Wenping's tone turned even colder. "I don't know. Threw them away."

"You threw away a jacket that cost over a thousand yuan?" Dong Xuebing was furious. "You're ungrateful. If I had known, I would have let you leave without it. Forget it. I don't want to waste my breath on you. But let me tell you, Fang Wenping, you owe me a favor."

Fang Wenping continued working with her head down. "Make sure to close the door when you leave."

Dong Xuebing snorted and turned to leave. As he exited, he slammed the door heavily, making a loud noise that startled many people in the corridor. They all looked at Dong Xuebing, but he didn't pay them attention. He walked out of the office building. He hadn't intended to ask Fang Wenping for his clothes back. A piece of clothing wasn't worth much, and he knew Fang Wenping's personality well enough to know she wouldn't bother bringing it over after washing it. What angered Dong Xuebing was Fang Wenping's attitude, which was extremely infuriating. She didn't appreciate his kindness at all. He regretted not kicking her onto the street that day, saving himself from her pickiness.

Outside the corridor.

Many people were heading inside, but Dong Xuebing walked past them without looking at anyone.

Suddenly, a voice outside called his name, "Xiao Dong."

Dong Xuebing looked over and saw Zhu Weiye, the director of the Eighth Supervision Room. Zhu Weiye helped Dong Xuebing with the incident involving Yang Zhen by suppressing the matter without punishing him. Dong Xuebing knew Zhu Weiye was aware of his background but still appreciated his help. Compared to Fang Wenping, Zhu Weiye was much more mature and composed.

"Director Zhu," Dong Xuebing greeted him. "Good morning."

Zhu Weiye seemed to have just gotten out of the car, and his trouser legs were rolled up to his ankles, revealing his socks. He was adjusting his pants when he stood up and looked at Dong Xuebing. "I just ran into you. Come with me to my office. I have something to discuss with you."

"Sure," Dong Xuebing said.

Zhu Weiye walked ahead, greeting a few familiar colleagues along the way.

Dong Xuebing followed behind him as they went upstairs and entered Zhu Weiye's office.

"Pour yourself some water and sit wherever you like," Zhu Weiye said, putting his bag on the table and sitting down. He then began organizing some things, taking out a few items and arranging them. He didn't treat Dong Xuebing like an outsider and appeared quite casual.

However, Dong Xuebing wasn't as relaxed. He just sat on the guest sofa without moving, waiting for Zhu Weiye to speak. His attitude towards Fang Wenping was special because they had clashed before, tearing their faces apart. So, even though Fang Wenping was his superior, Dong Xuebing didn't have much respect for her. But Zhu Weiye was different. He was Dong Xuebing's direct superior and had helped him before, so Dong Xuebing naturally showed him respect. At least he would pretend to, as Dong Xuebing was well aware of the rules within the system.

About two minutes passed.

Zhu Weiye finished organizing and looked at Dong Xuebing. "What have you reflected on during this past month of self-reflection at home? Tell me."

Dong Xuebing replied solemnly, "I have realized my mistakes. I shouldn't have argued with Director Fang. I will correct it in the future." Dong Xuebing would never have said such words if it had been a month ago. He hadn't thought he was in the wrong at all. But now Dong Xuebing's mentality had changed. Firstly, he felt that his relationship with Fang Wenping was no longer purely antagonistic but had become subtle. He couldn't even explain it, so there was no need to clash with Fang Wenping for the rest of his life. Secondly, Dong Xuebing had heard about the reform of the Discipline Inspection Commission from his mother-in-law. His mind was already focused on promotion. Admitting his mistakes would naturally be more proactive. In Dong Xuebing's value system, everything was superficial, and only promotion was real.

Zhu Weiye nodded slightly in approval. "It's good that you recognize your mistakes. A good comrade can acknowledge and correct their mistakes."

Dong Xuebing pledged, "Rest assured, I won't make the same mistake again. In the future, I will work diligently and maintain good relationships with my colleagues."

Zhu Weiye smiled. "It's good to see you thinking like this. Well, I called you here for another matter. The Discipline Inspection Commission is going to undergo reform. You must have heard about it. Our Eighth Supervision Room may expand to become the Tenth Supervision Room. The new Ninth and Tenth Rooms will be established, and the overall plan has been finalized. Now, we need to adjust personnel. Since it's a new department, we must supplement it with capable cadres to lead the new departments. This will help expedite our work and stabilize the new department more quickly. However, this also means that the original eight supervision rooms will face some personnel reductions as they support the new department."

Dong Xuebing listened quietly, his face unchanged, but his heart skipped a beat.

Zhu Weiye continued, "Yesterday, there was a meeting where the leadership separately discussed several department head candidates for the new Ninth and Tenth Rooms. After some consideration, I decided to recommend you. Although you're a bit impulsive in personality, your party principles are solid. Your previous files also demonstrate this. Putting the people's interests first is what I value most about you. Your workability goes without saying, and your files are impeccable. You're also young and ambitious. I think you're the most suitable candidate. What do you think?"

Dong Xuebing calmly replied, "I obey the organization's arrangements."

"Good," Zhu Weiye said, looking at him. "Although nothing is certain yet, you should prepare yourself."

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