The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 270 Chen Guifen, Labor Bureau

At 8 p.m., on a quiet street in Beijing, a third of the windows of an old-fashioned building were still lit, and the air conditioner unit was still humming, adding a layer of restlessness to the solemn gray building.

The lights were off in the largest office in the building.

Only the faint city light filtering through the window illuminated Director Lao's figure, hidden in his large executive chair, a pair of lightweight Bluetooth earphones pressed against his ear, from which came clear sounds of vomiting.

Director Lao sighed, smiled wryly, took off his headphones, turned his executive chair around, and quietly looked out at the night.

Half an hour later, the expected ringtone finally sounded.

Director Lao waited until the phone rang three times before slowly answering it.

"..."

"..."

Neither the caller nor Director Lao spoke first.

Finally, the young man lost his patience: "Labor Bureau Chief, we're leaving tomorrow, by charter plane!"

Director Lao rubbed his temples, looking troubled: "How many people?"

"I don't know yet, I'll send you the list later."

"..." Director Lao took the phone away from his ear, looked at the number on the screen with the expression of an old man on the subway, and made sure that the other party was just a 19-year-old masseur, and not one of the few big leaders who could control him, before putting the phone back to his ear. "Comrade Zhao Xiaochui, how late is 'late'? Do all the people on the list have passports? Also, I'm busy with official duties, and I can't just wait for you late at night!"

“Um…” came the embarrassed voice from the phone, “I think most people don’t have passports.”

"..." Director Lao looked somewhat bewildered. "Zhao Xiaochui, do you know who I am?"

Zhao Xiaochui: "Labor Bureau?"

"You actually know that? I thought you mistook me for a professional fake document dealer."

"Hey~ Director Labor, you know what, even the fake document dealers aren't as professional as you guys in this area. The fake ones you make can be used like the real ones..."

"Zhao Xiaochui!" The young man's nonsense made Director Lao frown and reprimand him.

However, the young man's reprimand from such a high-ranking and authoritative leader did not deter him. Instead, he chuckled and replied with a single sentence:

"Of those ten people, how many are still alive?"

Director Lao was taken aback upon hearing this, and quickly sat up straight: "Five!"

At this moment, he had lost all his authority as a bureau chief, and all that remained was a look of heartache on his face.

"Little Hammer, all five of them are good comrades. Any extra thoughts they have are just to complete the task better and faster, even if it exceeds expectations!"

At this moment, the roles reversed, and the young man on the other end spoke in a serious tone.

"Director of Labor, are you sure their extraneous thoughts have nothing to do with promotion and wealth?"

"..." Director Lao thought for a long time, recalling the days when his five colleagues fought on the front line day after day for decades. He slowly stood up, straightened his body, and said, word by word, "I'm sure!"

"Then let them come along. If what you're saying is true, then when we're done playing, I'll give you back five super soldiers!"

Upon hearing this promise, Director Lao's hands trembled with excitement: "I'll notify them right away, I'll notify them right away, Little Hammer, there's no rush for the list, I'll wait for you no matter how late it is."

Zhao Xiaochui: "Chartered plane?"

Director Lao: "We can deploy them as needed. If there are few people, we'll use Gulfstream; if there are many people, we'll use Airbus."

Zhao Xiaochui: "Passport?"

Director Lao thumped his chest loudly: "I'm a professional!"

"Then it'll be fine!"

The joke was over. Director Lao let out a breath and slowly sat down: "What do you want?"

Director Lao was referring to the trouble Zhao Xiaochui might encounter after the banquet. Unfortunately, given his position, there wasn't much he could actually do against those people.

However, to Director Lao's surprise, Zhao Xiaochui's exchange conditions had nothing to do with the dinner party.

"The contents of that container are mine, the money is mine, only RMB in a domestic account, and the handling fees will be handled according to your rules."

Director Lao raised an eyebrow: "Do you know whose things those are?"

“I know, Uncle Lei told me about the treasure trove of Commissioner Smith, who has been operating in South America for eight years. It should be worth billions of dollars.”

Director Lao smiled and said, "I'll convert it to RMB and transfer it to your domestic account."

"Correct!"

Director Lao: "No problem!"

"Thank you, Bureau Chief Labor." The young massage therapist visibly relaxed on the phone, his relief evident in his voice. "In return, if you encounter any 'difficulties' over there, please send me the list as soon as possible!"

Director Lao smiled broadly: "I'm so sorry to trouble you."

"If I'm sorry, could I do you another favor? Five sets of information on overseas personnel!"

"1!"

Zhao Xiaochui: "Four!"

Director Lao: "Two at most, you know that's against the rules!"

“Three!” Zhao Xiaochui emphasized, “Any drug dealer on the list is acceptable!”

"make a deal!"

"Thank you, Labor Bureau. Goodbye, Labor Bureau."

"Little hammer..."

"dududu~"

Director Lao sighed, put down his phone, and thought for a while before turning on the lights in the room.

…………

It wasn't too late yet, and the corridors of this old building still retained the heat of the day. The sweat stains on the back of the shirt of the duty secretary, Xiaolin, had already formed, and she was fanning herself with a folder when suddenly the light in the director's office on the east side of the third floor turned on.

In the offices on both sides, the young people working overtime sat up straight as if by reflex: someone in the data analysis department quickly switched to a game interface, and two staff members in the logistics department who were sneaking a late-night snack almost choked on their spicy hot pot.

Director Lao opened the door.

"Labor Bureau!" Just as the guard on duty stood at attention, the sound of shattering glass suddenly came from the archives room not far away.

Director Lao turned around and saw the new intern frantically cleaning up the broken coffee cups at the end of the corridor.

"Young people are so energetic!" Director Lao nodded in satisfaction.

His physical recovery dispelled his plans for early retirement, and seeing everyone's high spirits, Director Lao's enthusiasm for his work surged within him.

He stopped in front of the innermost office, which had no doorplate. He swiped his access card and it beeped softly. When the door opened, a cool sandalwood scent wafted out—it seemed that the old building had been filled with the aroma of fragrance for some time now.

Director Lao knew that this was related to the young masseur, and that the young man who changed the fate of countless people in the bureau was discovered by the owner of this office.

As I pushed open the door, I saw Chen Guifen reaching for a glass on the coffee table. The faint needle marks on her arm had scabbed over, but her movements were much more agile than when she was in the hospital. The neon lights outside the window illuminated her profile, making her white hair clearly visible.

She was reclining on a deck chair by the window, her figure noticeably thinner than before after recovering from a serious illness, her once robust physique now appearing even more proportionate.

"The dinner is over."

(End of this chapter)