Reborn in 2000: I'm the Boss's Driver

The next morning, Lin Fan woke up in his room at the Finance Bureau's guesthouse.

The room was simple, a single room with a wooden bed, an old desk, a chair, and a peeling wardrobe. The window faced east, letting in a faint glimmer of daylight. There was a faint smell of disinfectant and the dampness of the old house in the air.

He sat up and stared blankly for a while. Faint sounds of washing up came from the next room, and the sounds of early morning buses and bicycle bells began to ring out from the street below. The morning in the steel city of 2003 enveloped him with a slow, authentic rhythm.

Yesterday's events replayed in his mind: the dusty smell of the archives, Director Du's scrutinizing gaze, Old Wang's rough gloves, and the noisy chatter in the canteen. He had become a temporary worker here, earning 800 yuan a month including two meals, and this bed where he could finally settle down.

That's enough. This is a starting point.

He got up briskly, washed up, changed into the clean white shirt and black trousers from yesterday, and carefully polished his shoes. The face in the mirror was still that of a twenty-year-old, but the look in his eyes gave it a calmness beyond his years.

At 7:40, he left the guesthouse and arrived at the gate of the Finance Bureau compound. The old man who looked after the bike shed was already there, sweeping fallen leaves under the shed with a large broom. The two exchanged a glance, and the old man nodded expressionlessly, as if to say hello.

He entered the main building and went up to his office on the fourth floor. The door was already open, but Director Du hadn't arrived yet; only a female clerk in her thirties was wiping the table. Seeing Lin Fan, she smiled and said, "You're here? You're here early."

"Hello," Lin Fan greeted politely. He knew this man, surnamed Liu, was the office clerk.

"Director Du usually arrives at 8:30 in the morning," Sister Liu said while wiping the table. "Master Wang in the archives has a bad back, so he might be a little late. Why don't you sit down for a while, or... could you help me sort those stacks of newspapers over there by date?"

"Okay." Lin Fan immediately went over. There were several thick stacks of the *Steel City Daily* and *Economic Information Daily*, somewhat scattered. Following Sister Liu's instructions, he carefully separated them by date and neatly arranged them. His movements were practiced, without any of the impetuousness typical of young people.

Sister Liu nodded secretly. She had heard Director Du mention it yesterday, saying that it was a temporary worker introduced by Deputy Director Sun, and that he seemed quite reliable.

Just after eight o'clock, Old Wang slowly strolled in, supporting his back. Seeing that Lin Fan was already there and even helping to distribute the newspapers, a smile appeared on his face: "Little Lin, so early."

"Good morning, Master Wang." Lin Fan stopped what he was doing. "Is your back feeling any better?"

"It's an old problem, it comes and goes." Old Wang waved his hand. "I'll have to trouble you again today. There are still two cabinets of stuff left, let's hurry up and try to finish them in the next couple of days."

The two went into the archives room again. With yesterday's experience, their cooperation was even smoother. Old Wang mainly sat and directed, checking and registering, while Lin Fan was responsible for moving, organizing, and shelving. He was strong and meticulous; when he encountered stamps or handwriting that were not clearly visible, he would take them to the light by the window to examine them carefully before asking Old Wang for help.

"This is an internal notice regarding the 1997 adjustment of the 'Urban Maintenance and Construction Tax' rate. It's a photocopy and should be filed in the 'Taxation - Policy Documents - 1997' file," Old Wang pointed.

"Okay." Lin Fan accurately located the corresponding metal cabinet and file folder, inserted the documents into the correct positions, and made a note in the register.

In the midst of his monotonous work, Lin Fan continued his silent observation and learning. The files were static, but the underlying threads of the documents were dynamic. By organizing these documents spanning several years, he could see the evolution of certain policies, adjustments to the functions of a department, and even indirect traces of personnel changes. These fragments of information were slowly piecing together a rough map of the internal operations of the Finance Bureau in his mind.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, the office phone rang. Sister Liu answered it, said a few words, and then called towards the archives: "Xiao Lin, Director Du wants to see you."

Lin Fan took off his gloves and strode into the office.

Director Du was on another phone call. When he saw him come in, he pointed to a brown paper file bag on the table and mouthed, "Send it to the third floor, to the Budget Department, to Section Chief Wu."

Lin Fan understood and picked up the document bag. An internal document receipt was attached to the bag, with the words "Urgent" written on it.

"The budget department is on the third floor, the second room from the east end," Sister Liu whispered a reminder.

"Thank you, Sister Liu." Lin Fan nodded and went downstairs with the file bag.

The third-floor corridor seemed more "lively" than the fourth floor, with a denser mix of ringing phones, conversations, and the hum of photocopiers. The budget department's door was ajar, revealing several desks with people seated inside, but the atmosphere was somewhat tense. A heavy smell of smoke filled the air.

Lin Fan knocked on the door.

"Come in." A slightly hoarse voice said.

He walked in, his gaze sweeping across the room. Behind the largest desk by the window sat Section Chief Wu, the same man he had seen yesterday afternoon, his brow furrowed and driving in a hurry. The ashtray in front of him was already overflowing with cigarette butts, and he held half a cigarette between his fingers, staring intently at the spread-out reports on the desk, his expression grim.

"Hello, Section Chief Wu. Director Du from the office asked me to bring over some documents." Lin Fan stepped forward and placed the document bag on the empty space on the table.

Section Chief Wu grunted in response, without even looking up. He reached for the file folder, untied the binding, pulled out the documents, glanced at them, his brows furrowing even more. He muttered something under his breath and tossed the documents aside. Only then did he look up at Lin Fan, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment. He seemed to find him somewhat unfamiliar, but didn't ask any further questions, and waved his hand dismissively.

Lin Fan tactfully turned and left. As he reached the door, he heard someone inside whisper, "Section Chief Wu, the audit team is pressing for an explanation of that special project again..."

"Got it! I'm working on it!" Section Chief Wu's voice was filled with suppressed frustration.

Lin Fan closed the door and returned to the fourth floor. After reporting back to Director Du, he went back to work in the archives. But the tense atmosphere he had just caught a glimpse of in the budget department, and Section Chief Wu's anxious face, remained in his mind.

During lunch, he paid special attention. Section Chief Wu didn't come to the cafeteria. From the casual conversations of the other people at his table, it seemed that the budget department was under a lot of pressure lately, with audits from above and requests for funds from various units below, caught in the middle.

The afternoon's work proceeded as usual. Near the end of the workday, Director Du asked Lin Fan to make another errand, delivering a report to the personnel department on the second floor. As he passed the second-floor stairwell, he saw a familiar figure—his brother-in-law, Sun Lin, was walking down the corridor talking to a man of similar age and refined bearing. Lin Fan vaguely remembered the man; he seemed to be another deputy director in the bureau, surnamed Zhou, in charge of the office and logistics.

Sun Lin also saw Lin Fan, paused slightly, then said something to Director Zhou beside him. Director Zhou glanced at Lin Fan and nodded. The two then continued walking downstairs without stopping.

But Lin Fan noticed that in his brother-in-law's eyes just now, besides surprise, there seemed to be a hint of... cautious observation. His brother-in-law was definitely keeping track of how his "brother-in-law" was performing on his first day of work.

After get off work, Lin Fan didn't go straight back to the guesthouse. He walked out of the Finance Bureau compound and turned into a nearby old street. The street was lined with small shops: hardware stores, tailor shops, and snack stalls. He sat down at a stall selling steamed buns and porridge, ordered a basket of buns and a bowl of millet porridge, and ate slowly.

As dusk settled and the streetlights came on, a red sign for a welfare lottery betting station stood out prominently across the street. The storefront was small, with lottery results and trend charts posted on the glass door. Incandescent lights shone inside, and people occasionally went in and out.

After finishing the last steamed bun, Lin Fan wiped his mouth, got up, crossed the street, and pushed open the door of the betting station.

A pungent smell of smoke and ink filled the air. In the small space, a lottery machine stood against the wall, which was covered with sample tickets and promotional posters for various lotteries. The owner, a balding middle-aged man, was leaning over the counter reading a copy of *Sports Weekly*. Seeing someone enter, he raised his eyes and asked, "Buying lottery tickets?"

"Hmm." Lin Fan walked to the trend chart and pretended to look carefully at the dense numbers.

He certainly wasn't doing it for research. He remembered very clearly that he bought the lottery ticket on Thursday, May 15, 2003, and the draw was on Sunday night. He knew the winning numbers for the first prize of the Double Color Ball lottery, issue number 2003055, by heart.

"Boss, I'd like to buy one lottery ticket." He took out two yuan and placed it on the counter.

"Okay." The shopkeeper put down his newspaper and skillfully operated the machine. Soon, a lottery ticket was dispensed, printed with his most familiar numbers. Many people had won this round, so on average, he would receive 55.

Lin Fan took the lottery ticket, folded it without even looking at it, and put it in his pocket. This was exactly the kind of "casual" cover he wanted.

As he stepped out of the betting station, night had fallen. The streetlights stretched and shortened his shadow. He slowly strolled back to the Finance Bureau's guesthouse, pondering his next move.

Work is on track; what's needed is consistent performance—humility, diligence, and gradually building trust and a positive impression. The lottery is a potential source of income, but extreme caution is necessary; there's no room for haste. Furthermore, he needs to get his driver's license as soon as possible, as it's the foundation for many future plans. At driving school, he's passed the theory test, but he still needs to take the practical exam.

And... Wang Juan.

Judging by the time, she should be working as a doorman at that newly opened Sichuan restaurant right now.

Lin Fan leaned against the cold wall of the guesthouse room and closed his eyes. In the darkness, the face of his wife from his previous life became clear: she had a ponytail, her eyes crinkled when she smiled, and a small dimple on her right cheek.

A subtle, lingering dull pain emanated from somewhere in my heart. It wasn't the tearing agony of death, but a mellow, bittersweet feeling, a mixture of endless longing and the hope of something lost and then regained.

In this life, he wants to find her sooner. Much sooner. He wants to prevent her from experiencing unnecessary hardship, and to let her live a peaceful and joyful life in the prime of her life.

But all of this requires a foundation. He must first establish himself and possess certain abilities and resources.

He opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the lottery ticket on the table. The white piece of paper looked quiet in the dim light.

This is just the beginning.

Over the next few days, Lin Fan's life settled into a stable rhythm.

I get up around 7 a.m., go to the cafeteria for breakfast, and then go to my office. Sometimes Director Du or Sister Liu will assign me some miscellaneous tasks: fetching materials from the printing room, distributing newspapers and mail to various departments, answering some less important phone calls and taking notes. Most of the time, however, I'm still in the archives with Old Wang, sorting through old documents.

He was a man of few words, but observant and efficient. When asked to deliver documents, he always delivered them accurately, without asking questions or lingering. When asked to record phone calls, he did so concisely and clearly. His work in the archives was particularly impressive. What was originally expected to take more than a week to organize was, with Lin Fan's efficient and meticulous assistance, all completed by Friday afternoon, properly organized, cataloged, and the cabinets were spotless.

Old Wang praised Director Du, saying, "This Xiao Lin is really good. He's meticulous, hardworking, and never complains. He's much better than those impetuous young people I used to mentor."

When Director Du came to inspect the archives with his hands behind his back, he looked at the brand-new archives and the thick, clearly recorded new catalog, and even smiled, nodding to Lin Fan: "Well done. Thank you for your hard work."

On Friday afternoon, near the end of the workday, the atmosphere was more relaxed than usual. Director Du called Lin Fan into his office.

"Xiao Lin, you've done a good job this week." Director Du lit a cigarette. "Old Wang and Sister Liu in the office both praised your diligence. Although temporary workers aren't considered permanent employees, the bureau recognizes your hard work. Starting next month, your salary will be increased to one thousand yuan."

"Thank you for your recognition, Director." Lin Fan bowed slightly. "I will continue to work hard."

"Hmm." Director Du flicked his cigarette ash. "There's no urgent work in the archives next Monday. You can familiarize yourself with the daily office paperwork with Sister Liu, learn how to answer the phone, send and receive documents, and organize meeting minutes. It won't hurt to learn more."

"Yes, Director."

"Also," Director Du added, remembering something, "Director Sun seemed to have mentioned that you were learning to drive? Have you gotten your driver's license yet?"

"Not yet, Director. We've almost finished the practical training; we're just waiting for the exam notification."

"Let me know in advance when you have the exam, and I'll approve a day off for you." Director Du waved his hand. "Go ahead, and have a good rest this weekend."

Stepping out of the office, Lin Fan let out a soft sigh of relief. His salary had increased by two hundred yuan; although not a huge amount, it represented recognition. More importantly, Director Du had begun to give him more involvement in core office clerical work. This was a positive sign.

After getting off work, he didn't leave immediately. He waited until after 5:30, when most of the people in the building had left, before going downstairs and heading towards the bicycle shed at the entrance of the compound.

The old man watching the cars was locking the drawer of his old school desk. He stopped when he saw Lin Fan.

"Grandpa, are you off work?" Lin Fan greeted him.

The old man glanced at him and hummed in response. His gray hair was neatly combed, and his face was deeply wrinkled, but his eyes were not cloudy; instead, they held a kind of calm that came from having experienced the world.

Lin Fan didn't have a moment's rest over the weekend. On Saturday morning, he went to the driving school, found his instructor, and practiced for two extra hours. His driving skills were already quite proficient (he had driven for over twenty years in his previous life), and his feel for the car had returned quickly after his rebirth; he just needed to adapt to the condition of the training vehicles and the test requirements of this era. The instructor was very satisfied with him and told him to go to the vehicle management office driving school for the test next Wednesday afternoon.

On Saturday afternoon, he went to the library in downtown Gangcheng and browsed through recent issues of the *Gangcheng Daily* and *Economic Information Daily* in the newspaper and periodical reading room. He needed to understand what was happening in 2003, not only major national events, but more importantly, local policy trends, construction projects, and personnel changes in Gangcheng. This information was essential for him to integrate into this era and understand his surroundings, and it would also form the basis for any judgments he might make in the future.

On Sunday morning, he went home, packed a few of his clothes, and officially moved into the Finance Bureau's guesthouse.

On Sunday evening, Lin Fan finished dinner early and sat in front of the TV to wait for this exciting moment. Just like in his previous life, it was exactly the same.

A new week begins.

On Monday morning, Lin Fan began learning office paperwork from Sister Liu. Sister Liu was a very patient person, and she explained to him the daily work process in the office: how to answer the phone and record it in a standardized way (time, calling unit/person, reason, handling opinion or recipient), how to receive and send documents (registration, signing, circulation, filing), and how to organize simple meeting minutes (time, location, attendees, main content, resolutions).

These are all trivial and basic tasks, but they are the capillaries that keep the organization running. Lin Fan studied very diligently, taking out a brand-new notebook and writing down the key points one by one. He picked it up very quickly; after Sister Liu demonstrated once or twice, he could do it quite well, and he handled the details very well, such as speaking calmly and politely when answering the phone, and including all the key elements in his notes with neat handwriting.

"Xiao Lin, have you been in contact with these things before?" Sister Liu asked, somewhat surprised.

"No, Sister Liu. I just think these tasks are quite important, so I want to remember them clearly to avoid delays," Lin Fan replied sincerely.

Sister Liu nodded, her opinion of this taciturn young man rising even higher.

In the afternoon, Director Du asked Lin Fan to try to compile a brief summary of last week's director's office meeting. The material was the original meeting minutes, with messy handwriting and some corrections. Lin Fan calmed down, first reading it through to understand the main points, then extracting the key points, reorganizing them in clear language, and neatly copying them onto the special minutes paper. Lin Fan felt that in this life, his mind seemed to be getting clearer and clearer, and he learned things particularly quickly.

After receiving the final draft, Director Du carefully reviewed it, making only two changes to the wording before approving it. "Good, well-organized. For simple minutes like these in the future, you can prepare a first draft first."

This can be considered as another small step forward.

On Tuesday, Lin Fan continued to familiarize himself with office work. In the afternoon, Section Chief Wu from the Budget Department suddenly stormed into the office and slammed a document on Director Du's desk.

"Old Du, look at this! These people from the Audit Bureau, they just won't let go! I've revised this statement three times, and they still say it doesn't meet the requirements! They insist we provide photocopies of all the original vouchers for all relevant projects from 1998 to 2000! Where are we supposed to find that? Some of the people in charge have already been transferred!"

Director Du frowned as he looked at the documents and advised, "Old Wu, don't rush, sit down and talk. The audit is also conducted according to procedure..."

"Procedure? I think this is just deliberately picking a fight!" Section Chief Wu's voice was loud, his face flushed red. "Our section is working overtime every day, everyone's practically exhausted! This special fund was used up long ago according to regulations, is it really meaningful to bring up old issues now?"

The atmosphere in the office became somewhat tense for a moment. Sister Liu and the other staff members all lowered their heads and pretended to be busy.

Lin Fan was tidying up newspapers near the door when he heard this, and his hands paused slightly. He recalled the tense atmosphere he had witnessed last week when he delivered documents to the budget department, and the anxious face of Section Chief Wu. It seemed the pressure was greater than he had imagined.

He remained calm and continued tidying the newspapers, but listened carefully.

Director Du offered a few more words of advice, and Section Chief Wu vented his frustrations, calmed down a bit, complained a few more times, and then left.

After Section Chief Wu left, Director Du turned to Lin Fan: "Lin, did you hear that? The budget department urgently needs to review some historical documents. You just finished organizing the files with Lao Wang, so you're quite familiar with the situation. For the next few days, don't bother with the office; fully cooperate with the budget department in finding and copying the materials they need. Any questions?"

Lin Fan put down the newspaper in his hand and stood up straight: "No problem, Director. I will follow your instructions."

"Okay. Old Wang has a bad back, so you'll have to run errands. The budget department will give you a list of what you need. Once you find it, take it to the printing room to make copies and register it. Remember, all documents you handle must be kept confidential," Director Du instructed.

"clear."

Lin Fan knew this was both a test and an opportunity. It tested his familiarity with the files and his meticulousness and reliability. The opportunity lay in the chance to gain deeper insight into the core operations of the bureau's budget department, and perhaps even uncover some deeper issues. Moreover, helping the budget department resolve this urgent problem would undoubtedly earn him a favor from Section Chief Wu and the entire budget department.

That afternoon, the budget department delivered a list of seven items that needed to be searched, spanning from 1998 to 2000. Each item was followed by a list of voucher types and numbering requirements, some of which were incomplete.

Looking at the densely packed list, Lin Fan didn't frown. He turned and went into the archives room to explain the situation to Old Wang.

Looking at the list, Old Wang gasped, "When will we ever find this?"

"Master Wang, just give me directions, I'll find it," Lin Fan said calmly. "Let's first find all the relevant files by year and approximate project name, and then slowly check the list."

For the next few days, Lin Fan practically lived in the archives. Holding a list, he compared it to the file distribution he had memorized during the organization, rummaging through the mountain of file boxes. Dust filled the air, but he paid no heed, his eyes focused intently. Finding a suspected document, he would take it to the window and carefully check the number, date, and content.

At first, Lao Wang helped with the search, but seeing how efficient and clear-headed Lin Fan was, he simply sat down and took charge of checking whether the documents Lin Fan found fully met the list requirements and registering them.

Items on the list were crossed off one by one. The found documents piled higher and higher on the empty table next to him. He managed to find all the documents before leaving get off work in the afternoon; it was a thick stack. Lin Fan quickly took the documents to the printing room to have them printed, then sent them directly to the budget department, reported to the director, and asked for a day off the next day to take the exam. Lin Fan went straight to the train station, bought the next available ticket, and headed directly to the provincial capital.

On Wednesday morning, Lin Fan successfully redeemed his lottery ticket at the sports lottery center. He then quickly bought a ticket and rushed back to Gangcheng. That afternoon, he took his driving test and passed it on the first try without any trouble. A week later, he received his license, finally completing another important task.

On Thursday, Lin Fan arrived at the office. Section Chief Wu looked at Lin Fan, a temporary worker who hadn't even given a second glance when he delivered documents a few days ago, but now he saw him as completely different.

"Great! Great! That's wonderful!" Section Chief Wu exclaimed repeatedly, his worried expression vanishing, replaced by excitement and gratitude. "Xiao Lin, right? You've really helped USTC this time! Thank you so much!"

"Section Chief Wu, you're too kind. It's what I should do," Lin Fan said modestly.

"What do you mean, 'it's nothing'! Your efficiency and attention to detail are better than some of the veterans in our department!" Section Chief Wu was genuinely pleased; the major problem that had been troubling them for days was about to be solved. "Don't worry, our budget department will remember this favor! If you ever need anything in the future, just let us know!"

Lin Fan simply smiled and didn't respond to the question. Helping others is a job, but expecting something in return is beneath him. He knew that sometimes, keeping quiet was more valuable than asking for favors.

As he left the office, Section Chief Wu patted him hard on the shoulder.

In the fourth-floor office, Director Du had already heard the news, and his gaze towards Lin Fan held a hint of approval: "Well done. Old Wu from the budget department just called to praise you. This time, our office has indirectly helped them out of a predicament."

"It's all thanks to the director's excellent arrangements and Master Wang's skillful guidance," Lin Fan said, sharing the credit.

Director Du smiled and didn't say anything more, but in his heart, his evaluation of Lin Fan had been upgraded from "a fairly reliable temporary worker" to "a young man who is capable and even has some potential".

On his way home from get off work, Lin Fan passed by the bike shed again. Old Chen, who was watching the bikes, was still sitting on his small stool reading a newspaper. This time, as Lin Fan walked by, the old man raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Lin Fan nodded slightly in response.

The weekend has arrived again. This time, Lin Fan is much more relaxed than last week. His work is starting to take off, he'll soon get his driver's license, and he's established a good relationship with the budget department. Everything is moving in a positive direction. He just needs to wait for his benefactor to arrive.