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

At seven o'clock the next morning, Lin Fan drove to the hotel where Zhou Wenyuan was staying. Zhou Wenyuan was already waiting at the door, carrying a briefcase.

"Good morning, Brother Zhou." Lin Fan got out of the car and opened the door.

"Good morning." Zhou Wenyuan sat in the back seat. "I have a lot to do today. I have a leadership meeting in the morning and a meeting with people from the Provincial Development and Reform Commission in the afternoon."

"it is good."

I drove to the company. The provincial capital was terribly congested during rush hour. Stop-and-go traffic made a 20-minute journey take 40 minutes.

"Steel City is still the best, no traffic jams." Lin Fan said with emotion as he looked at the long line of cars in front of him.

"It's the provincial capital, so it's normal for there to be a lot of cars," Zhou Wenyuan said. "By the way, our new secretary started work today. His surname is Yang, and his name is Yang Zhiyuan. You should meet him; the two of you will be working together from now on."

"it is good."

Upon arriving at the company, they parked the car and went upstairs. The office was on the 26th floor. In the elevator, they ran into several colleagues who all greeted Zhou Wenyuan.

Good morning, Jay Chou.

"morning."

Upon arriving at the office, Lin Fan first made tea for Zhou Wenyuan, then went to his cubicle to organize documents. His cubicle was in the outer room, next to the secretary's office, allowing him to respond at any time.

At 8:30, someone knocked on the door.

"Excuse me, is Section Chief Lin here?"

Lin Fan looked up and saw a man in his early thirties standing at the door, wearing glasses and looking refined.

"I am Lin Fan, and you are?"

"I'm Yang Zhiyuan, the new secretary." The man walked in. "Chairman Zhou sent me to report for duty."

"Secretary Yang, hello." Lin Fan stood up and shook hands. "Please have a seat."

Yang Zhiyuan sat down, a little reserved: "Section Chief Lin, I'm new here and unfamiliar with many things. Please guide me in the future."

"Don't be so polite, just call me Lin Fan," Lin Fan said with a smile. "I've only been here a few days, let's learn from each other."

The two chatted for a while. Yang Zhiyuan used to work at the Provincial Development and Reform Commission. He was a skilled writer and wrote excellent reports, which led to his transfer by Zhou Wenyuan. He was a very honest person and spoke directly.

"Section Chief Lin, no, Lin Fan, you need to tell me about Chairman Zhou's work habits." Yang Zhiyuan took out his notebook. "I'm afraid I'm doing something wrong."

Lin Fan thought for a moment: "Chairman Zhou is a hard worker with high standards, but he's also very down-to-earth and not pretentious. He likes to hear the truth and doesn't like beating around the bush. Materials need to be concise and the data needs to be accurate. Also, he usually arrives at the office at 7:30 in the morning and leaves at 7:00 in the evening, but he often works overtime."

Yang Zhiyuan took notes carefully.

"Furthermore," Lin Fan added, "Chairman Zhou dislikes formalism. Meetings should be practical, and research should be in-depth. Keep that in mind when you're arranging events."

"Understood." Yang Zhiyuan nodded. "And what about routine tasks? Document circulation, meeting arrangements, and so on..."

"You'll take care of these, and I'll cooperate," Lin Fan said. "I'll mainly be in charge of Jay Chou's travel and logistics, as well as handling some miscellaneous tasks. We'll divide the work and communicate more when needed."

"OK."

Just then, the internal phone rang. Zhou Wenyuan called Yang Zhiyuan in.

Yang Zhiyuan quickly got up, straightened his clothes, and went inside. Lin Fan continued organizing the documents, filing the materials from this rural research trip.

Half an hour later, Yang Zhiyuan came out with a document in his hand.

"Lin Fan, Chairman Zhou wants us to write up the report on this research trip. It's due this afternoon." He said with a pained expression, "So much content, and we only have half a day..."

"Don't worry, I have notes." Lin Fan took out his notebook. "Look, I've written down all the key points. The structure can be like this..."

The two huddled together to discuss how to write the report. Although Lin Fan wasn't good at writing reports, his thinking was clear, and he knew what Zhou Wenyuan wanted to see. Yang Zhiyuan wrote quickly and soon had a framework in place.

"Okay, I'll write it, you help me check the data," Yang Zhiyuan said.

"it is good."

At lunchtime, the two went to the cafeteria together. The cafeteria was quite crowded, with long queues. While waiting in line, they overheard two people in front of them chatting.

"Have you heard? Old Zheng from the logistics department made a fool of himself yesterday."

"What's wrong?"

"Isn't he in charge of providing cars for the leaders? The new CEO, Mr. Zhou, got an Audi A8. When Lao Zheng went to pick up his car, he saw a Rolls-Royce in the dealership and his eyes widened. He came back and said to the department head, 'Why don't we provide Mr. Zhou with a Rolls-Royce?' The department head scolded him, saying, 'Do you think we're a private company?'"

Those around them who heard this laughed. Lin Fan and Yang Zhiyuan exchanged a smile as well.

"There are quite a few interesting people in our company," Yang Zhiyuan said in a low voice.

"It's the same everywhere," Lin Fan said. "State-owned enterprises have a lot of people, so there are a lot of stories."

After getting my food, I found a corner to sit down. I had just taken a couple of bites when a man in his fifties came over with a plate.

Is anyone here?

"No, please have a seat," Lin Fan said.

The man sat down and looked at them. "New here? Never seen them before."

"Yes, I am Jay Chou's secretary, Yang Zhiyuan, and he is his assistant, Lin Fan," Yang Zhiyuan introduced.

"Oh, one of Jay Chou's men." The man nodded. "My surname is Zhao, I'm from the union. You can just call me Lao Zhao."

"Hello, Master Zhao," Lin Fan greeted him.

Old Zhao was very talkative, chatting as he ate: "There are many interesting things in our company. Do you know that old locust tree at the entrance of the company compound?"

"I know, it's a pretty big one," Yang Zhiyuan said.

"That tree is quite old," Old Zhao said. "It was there when the factory was built in 1958. Back then, this was still the suburbs, all farmland. The first factory director said that this tree couldn't be cut down, it should be kept as a memento. And it's been there for over sixty years."

"More than sixty years?" Lin Fan did the math. "Then it must be an antique."

"Absolutely," Old Zhao said. "A few years ago, someone suggested cutting it down to expand the parking lot. The veteran employees objected and wrote a joint letter. In the end, the Party Secretary made the decision: not only was it not cut down, but it was also fenced off and a sign was hung up—'Witness Tree to Factory History'."

Yang Zhiyuan smiled: "This is a good story; it has a sense of history."

"And there's more," Old Zhao said, his interest piqued. "Our company has a tradition where every year when new employees join, they have to go to that tree to listen to the old factory director tell stories. Although the old factory director is long gone, this tradition has been preserved. Now it's retired cadres who are telling the stories."

"What are you going to say?" Lin Fan asked.

"Tell me about the hardships of the early days of building the factory," Old Zhao said. "Back then, we had no equipment, no technology, and everything was done by hand. The first transformer was carried back from the train station by more than 30 people, a journey of five kilometers. Thinking about it now, it really wasn't easy."

Lin Fan listened, deeply moved. Every organization has its own history and traditions. These stories are a testament to the transmission of culture.

After lunch, we returned to the office. Yang Zhiyuan was working on a report, and Lin Fan helped him verify the data. At 2 PM, the report was finished and sent in to Zhou Wenyuan for review.

Zhou Wenyuan looked at it very carefully and made several changes.

"Here, the data needs to be more precise, to two decimal places." Zhou Wenyuan pointed to the report. "Here, the wording needs to be rigorous; words like 'approximately' or 'possibly' cannot be used."

"Yes, I'll change it right away," Yang Zhiyuan said.

"Overall, it's good, and the thinking is clear," Zhou Wenyuan said. "Zhiyuan, your writing is good. You'll need to put more effort into the materials section in the future."

"Of course, Mr. Jay Chou."

After revising the report, it was already past three o'clock. Zhou Wenyuan was going to meet with people from the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and Lin Fan prepared the car.

In the underground parking garage, the black Audi A8 was parked there. Lin Fan checked the car's condition; the gas tank was full, and the car was clean. Zhou Wenyuan got out and sat in the back seat.

The car drove out of the company and headed towards the provincial government.

"Lin Fan, how is Yang Zhiyuan?" Zhou Wenyuan asked.

"He's great, honest, and capable," Lin Fan said. "He writes the reports quickly and is humble."

"Okay, that's good," Zhou Wenyuan said. "If you two work well together, my work will be much easier."

"Don't worry."

Upon arriving at the provincial government, Zhou Wenyuan went inside for a meeting. Lin Fan waited in the car, taking out his phone to send a WeChat message to Wang Juan.

"How was your day?"

"It's going well. The kids are already settling in on their second day of kindergarten," Wang Juan replied. "And you? Have you met your new secretary?"

"I met him, he seemed nice. I even heard an old story at noon about the old locust tree in front of the company."

"What story? Tell me."

Lin Fan recounted the story Old Zhao had told him. Wang Juan listened and smiled, "That's really interesting. Every workplace has these kinds of old stories."

"Yes, history gives us depth."

After waiting for more than two hours, Zhou Wenyuan came out, looking quite well.

"How did the talks go?" Lin Fan asked.

"Great, the province supports our plan." Zhou Wenyuan got into the car. "Let's go back to the company."

Back at the company, it was almost time to leave. Zhou Wenyuan still had some documents to process, so he told Lin Fan and Yang Zhiyuan to go ahead.

"You've all had a busy day, go home early," Zhou Wenyuan said. "There's an expanded meeting for the leadership team at eight o'clock tomorrow, so get ready."

"it is good."

Lin Fan and Yang Zhiyuan went downstairs together. While waiting for the elevator, Yang Zhiyuan said, "Brother Lin, thank you for today. Without your notes, the report wouldn't have been finished so quickly."

"Don't mention it, it's nothing," Lin Fan said. "We'll help each other out in the future."

"Hmm." Yang Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment. "Brother Lin, I have a question, but I'm not sure if I should ask it."

"Go ahead and ask, it's nothing."

"Why...don't you hold a real position?" Yang Zhiyuan said. "With your relationship with Chairman Zhou, being a department head wouldn't be a problem, right? Why have you always been a driver and assistant?"

Lin Fan smiled: "Many people have asked me this question. It's actually very simple—I like it this way."

"like?"

"Hmm," Lin Fan said, "I don't like managing people, nor do I like being managed. Being a driver or an assistant is simple and straightforward. Just do your job well, and you don't have to think too much."

Yang Zhiyuan said thoughtfully, "That's true, everyone has their own ambitions."

"And you? You were doing so well at the National Development and Reform Commission, why did you come here?" Lin Fan asked.

"I want a change of scenery," Yang Zhiyuan said. "The National Development and Reform Commission is too macro-level and far removed from the grassroots. The power company is more practical and deals with people's livelihoods. Besides, I've heard of Chairman Zhou's reputation in the steel city, and I can learn something from him."

"Then we're on the same page." Lin Fan patted him on the shoulder. "Do a good job."

The elevator arrived, and the two got in. It was rush hour, and the elevator was quite crowded, with people chatting about what to eat for dinner and where to go for the weekend.

An ordinary day, an ordinary job.

But Lin Fan thought it was fine this way.

I drove home, and there was some traffic. By the time I got home, it was already dark.

As soon as I entered, I smelled the aroma of food. Baby Beibei was playing with building blocks in the living room. When she saw him come back, she ran over.

"dad!"

"Sigh." Lin Fan picked up his two sons. "Did you have fun at kindergarten today?"

"It's fun! The teacher taught us to sing!" the baby said.

"We also drew pictures!" Beibei said.

Wang Juan came out of the kitchen: "You're back? Dinner will be ready soon."

My father-in-law was watering the flowers on the balcony, and my mother-in-law was setting the table. The house was full of life.

During dinner, Lin Fan told his family the story of the old locust tree he had heard that day.

"Sixty years old! It's older than me," my father-in-law exclaimed. "This tree has a spirit; it can't be cut down."

"Yes, it's good to keep it," Lin Fan said. "Units with history have character."

"What other stories are there about your workplace?" Wang Juan asked.

"I just heard something today," Lin Fan said. "Old Zheng from the logistics department wanted to get Jay Chou a Rolls-Royce, but he got scolded by the department head."

Everyone laughed.

"This person is really interesting," Wang Juan said. "But he meant well, wanting the leader to ride in a nice car."

"Good intentions gone wrong," my father-in-law said. "State-owned enterprises have their own rules; they can't be too ostentatious."

"Yeah, Brother Zhou doesn't like to be flashy either," Lin Fan said. "The A8 is enough; it's comfortable and doesn't attract attention."

After dinner, Lin Fan played with the children for a while and then put them to bed. Lin Fan and Wang Juan sat on the sofa and watched TV.

"Xiao Fan, I can tell you really like your current job," Wang Juan said.

"Yeah, I like it," Lin Fan said. "The work atmosphere is good, and my colleagues are easy to get along with. Most importantly, I feel at ease working with Brother Zhou."

"That's good." Wang Juan leaned on his shoulder. "As long as you think it's good, I'll support you."

"Thank you, honey."

He turned off the TV, washed up, and went to bed. Lying in bed, Lin Fan thought about the day's events.

Old Zhao's story about the old locust tree, Old Zheng's jokes from the logistics department, Yang Zhiyuan's earnestness, Zhou Wenyuan's meticulousness...

These little things made up his new life in the provincial capital.

Ordinary, but fulfilling.

Interesting, yet practical.

This is the life he wanted.

The moonlight streamed in through the window, soft and gentle.

The second night in the provincial capital was quiet and beautiful.

A new day is about to begin.

And such days will continue.

Day by day, year by year.

Down-to-earth, stable, and fun.

This is enough.