A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

"Knock knock knock."

"Enter."\

Hearing the noise, Li Mu pushed open the door and saw Bie Yan gripping the mouse and clicking incessantly on the computer.

"Hmm, what's wrong?"

"Brother Bie, Dong Huaiming just called me."

Don't say the mouse clicked abruptly.

He glanced at the Solitaire game on his computer screen, which was about to end in a "win," then let go of his hand, stood up from behind his desk, pointed to the sofa, and gestured for Li Mu to sit there.

"What did you talk about?"

As he spoke, he went to the sofa and started boiling water to make tea.

"Actually, we didn't talk much. He invited me to dinner that night and asked if I was free..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Mu's phone pinged with a text message.

Dong Huaiming sent over the restaurant's address.

After showing it to Bie Yan, the older brother frowned.

Then he got up, took his phone from his desk, and held it in front of him.

But... from the time the water started boiling until it boiled, no phone call came in.

Why are they only contacting Xiao Li, not me?

He thought for a moment and asked:

"What do you think was his purpose in inviting you to dinner?"

"Besides Director Zhang's matter, I can't think of anything else."

"..."\

Then he fell silent again.

After a moment of silence, he said:

"Then when you go there tonight, listen to what he has to say first, and try not to say too much..."

"Brother, I feel...it's unlikely."

Bie Yan was taken aback, then noticed that Li Mu's eyes were full of clarity:

"Brother, don't forget, I attended everything before and after the old director passed away, including the thank-you banquet... You took me there, and that's when I first met Sister Weiwei. I think that since he didn't call you but contacted me first, he must have already found out some things and knew that I knew some things. If I didn't say anything..."

Li Mu didn't finish his sentence.

Bie Yan, however, already understood the meaning.

Yeah, pretend you don't know?

How could that be?

The fact that they only called Xiao Li today, instead of looking for me, means... they definitely have something on their mind.

That makes sense, really. The eldest son of the provincial procuratorate official, the father-in-law of his wife, was being bullied.

Although there was a time lag involved, now that they're married, what will people think if they don't talk about it?

Even if you put yourself in their shoes and think about it from your own perspective, you can understand it. How could others not understand?

So, indeed.

Xiao Li is right.

There is no solution to this problem by "pretending not to know".

And if you actually did that, you might... offend someone.

Having figured this out, his brows furrowed instantly.

Li Mu then brewed the tea and poured it into Bie Ge's cup.

But Bie Yan didn't rush to drink it. Instead, he waited until the tea cooled down from boiling to a warmer temperature before finally speaking:

"What are your thoughts?"

"I……"\

During this time, Bie Yan was thinking, and Li Mu was also pondering it.

Weigh the pros and cons, and think of solutions.

Following his elder brother's words, Li Mu voiced a "little thought" that had been on his mind:

"Brother Bie, I... I'm thinking like this. If positions like General Manager, Deputy General Manager, or Department Head are vacant, shouldn't we fill the vacancies?"

Bie Yan's first reaction was:

"Isn't that obvious? We definitely need to make up for it... uh."

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, his eyes widening as he looked at his younger brother.

Then came the sentence:

"Are you crazy?!"

Li Mu smiled somewhat awkwardly, but still said:

"Brother, whether I'm crazy or not, let's put that aside for now. But... I think I see the essence of this matter quite clearly."

"nature?"\

"Yes, that's the essence. Look, why did the old director leave? It was because of the argument our unit had with Shenzhen. And why did they argue? Wasn't it the former boss's decision? The old director tried to stop everyone, but they saw it as him not being on their side. So, the old director left… But what happened before the old director left?"

Following Li Mu's train of thought, Bie Yan instantly understood.

yes.\

What happened?

It's simple. The former boss was dismissed and transferred.

The apology letter was sent this morning.

The person was gone by the afternoon.

Back at the company headquarters.

"Now that the storm has passed, although the former boss hasn't returned, but..."

"..."\

He fell silent.

Yes, the former boss can't come back because he made a mistake and can only hold a sinecure position in the group.

Otherwise, that would be a slap in the face to Shenzhen.

To reiterate, running a newspaper should be approached with the perspective of a politician.

Always consider the bigger picture.

The departure of the former leader doesn't mean his faction within the group has abandoned the *Southern Metropolis Daily*; in fact, the *Southern Metropolis Daily* has always been their most important base.

Sure enough, once the dust settled, this series of job reshuffles came into being.

This workplace still belongs to "someone else".

While the elder brother remained silent, Li Mu continued:

"Brother, didn't you say it yourself? They're like a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads. If... it's just simple..."

It's just a municipal-level section chief, that's nothing. But... now it's a matter between in-laws. Sister Weiwei is already... someone's daughter-in-law. The fact that they contacted me today means they weren't just asking casually. It means they're going to get involved; if they weren't, they wouldn't have needed to contact me or you, right? So, the core conflict has emerged. And... whether they're serious, whether they'll get involved or not, we can't tell yet. But at least, shouldn't we make some preparations beforehand?

"..."\

truth.\

Bie Yan was unusually hoarse at this moment.

Upon learning of this, his first reaction was that some people were going to be in trouble.

Those who previously kicked someone when they were down, or pushed them off a cliff, will likely all face dire consequences.

But he really didn't intend to go this far!

But when it came to my younger brother, this matter took on a completely different meaning.

Honestly, is the Southern Metropolis Daily a lucrative target?

nonsense.\

This year, the company's revenue is approaching 100 million... Even without the "GG Regulations," the company's annual revenue from regular publications and GG bonuses is still tens of millions.

It's a golden goose.

But... at this moment, he saw another possibility in his younger brother's words.

The possibility of taking this chicken back to "my own home"!

"How likely do you think...this is?"

"I don't know."

Li Mu shook his head:

"The likelihood is beyond my estimation. But... Brother Bie, let me reiterate, if the essence of this matter is truly as I suspect, then it already began the moment Dong Huaiming called me, didn't it? An avalanche is about to happen. Either let it run rampant, or guide it in a reasonable direction to carve out a gentler slope more suitable for skiers. This slope doesn't require artificial excavation, no large-scale construction; everything only requires us to provide a direction. Of course, when it falls, the earth will shake violently. But after it's over... the ski resort will still exist, won't it?"

"..."\

Don't remain silent.

He stared intently at the young man in front of him.

This was truly the first time he had ever discovered...

My little brother... he's really ruthless.

Both intelligent and ruthless.

I picked up a stone casually, and I thought it was a piece of jade—that was lucky enough.

But then he realized...

seem……\

I misjudged it.

……\

Li Mu silently left Bie Yan's office.

The older brother finally "classified" the matter, which was:

"When you go out for dinner tonight, see what they talked about. If they ask, just answer; don't hold back. Just drink a little, and after dinner... come to my house."

Li Mu agreed and returned to his office.

Not long after, Bie Yan left the company and drove off in his Accord, disappearing without a trace.

Sitting at his workstation, Li Mu was actually feeling quite emotional.

Previously… or rather, from childhood to adulthood, he had never actually experienced the power of the upper echelons in a very direct way.

To put it bluntly, he received an award from the county for ranking first in the county's junior high monthly exam.

The "immortal master" personally brought him the red flower, urging him to study hard and get good grades.

But that's all.

A junior high school student, whose parents were farmers, had never received any such education. He didn't care why the principal was bowing and scraping, or why a few words from the wise man could make everyone nod vigorously, with an expression that said, "A single conversation with a wise man is worth more than ten years of study."

He didn't understand.

I just felt quite proud, that I had brought honor to my family.

Even after starting work, through Brother Bie's introduction, I got to know Sister Zhang and her group, and the news about Liu Xiaoqing that shocked the whole country was just something they did casually...

He thought he had already experienced what energy was.

But at this moment, compared to Dong Huaiming's phone call, all the feelings he had seemed ridiculously pale.

What was just a simple phone call to invite someone to dinner seems to have already become a brewing storm!

And the culprit behind all of this... was merely a casual act two years ago.

Two years ago, a dart was thrown, and now, carrying the force of a thunderous storm, it is slowly flying back.

The person who threw it out might not even realize it, but... Li Mu, this little bug, had already sensed the warning of the natural disaster.

Tsk...\

"You know nothing about power!"

For no apparent reason, this thought popped into his head.

Especially when Zhou Long suddenly appeared in the office near the end of the workday...

Li Mu didn't hear what he said.

She was just staring at him rather directly…

You're holding a grudge against me for skipping half a day of work, aren't you...?

OK.\

Then let me spend the rest of my life atoning for my sins.