I am not a literary giant

Xu Shichao said, "How could I possibly guess what the leader is thinking? You'll find out when you get there."

If he said that, then he guessed correctly.

Prince Xu's anger had just subsided a little, but now it was flaring up again, and he couldn't help but say sarcastically:

"Director Gou sent you here personally to run errands? When did my status as Prince Xu become so great?"

Xu Shichao's eyes widened. He didn't know what had gotten into Wang Zixu today; how had he suddenly become so talkative and aggressive? He quickly said:

"How could you say that? My job is just running errands and providing services, isn't it?"

Wang Zixu stood up: "Yes, we're all in the service business. We're all public servants, we're all in the service business. Isn't Director Gou also in the service business?"

After he finished speaking, everyone in the room was left speechless. Xu Shichao didn't even dare to reply. After Wang Zixu left, he hurriedly turned back and asked, "What happened? What happened today?"

Diao Yiwen lowered her head: "We had a little misunderstanding..."

Song Yinglian shrugged: "He said he offended Shen Qingfeng."

Xu Shichao repeated, "Shen Qingfeng?"

Guo Ranran said, "He's obsessed."

Xu Shichao said, "Xiao Wang wasn't like this before. What happened to him?"

No one answered him.

Wang Zixu always learned from the ancient literati how to cultivate their temper. He rarely lost his temper, and even when he did, he would find a tree hole to stay in for a while, and his anger would subside in no time.

A king's wrath can cause the deaths of millions, while a commoner's wrath can splatter blood five steps away. He is neither a king nor a commoner, stuck in the middle, neither here nor there; he may be angry, but he can't bleed. Prince Xu's wrath could cause chaos within his entire family, or even make him suffer liver pain. Therefore, he doesn't lose his temper. Even if he did, it would be useless.

But today is different. In previous years, Director Gou would talk to him in the same way, and in the years before that, it was the same. In fact, for the past six years, Director Gou has talked to him once a year, and each time he tries to persuade him to postpone the evaluation.

He'd cultivated his temper for so many years, and it had all turned into anger. He was going to vent it anyway, and since he'd already offended his colleagues today, he wouldn't hesitate to offend his boss as well.

So he walked all the way to Director Gou's office, his anger building up along the way. By the time he reached the door of Director Gou's office, his anger had reached its peak. He pushed open the door, only to see Director Gou with a fawning smile on his face.

"Comrade Wang Zixu is here? Please have a seat."

Wang Zixu glared at him coldly. He knew that Director Gou usually wouldn't treat him well; someone who was arrogant at first but obsequious later must have ulterior motives. So, he didn't give him a friendly look either, and sat down casually, speaking first:

"What do you want?"

Director Gou was taken aback for a moment, then regained his amiable expression and said, "Xiao Wang, it's been a long time since we had a heart-to-heart talk. I've called you here today for nothing more than to understand your thoughts and trends."

Wang Zixu said, "Stop beating around the bush. I'm around you every day, how could you not know what I'm thinking? Are you going to talk about the awards? Who are you planning to give the award to this year? Let's finish this quickly so I can leave. I still have things to do."

Gou Ju's expression changed. Wang Zixu used to be a very honest person, like dough, no matter how you knead him, he wouldn't budge. Today he suddenly became a tough nut to crack, there must be a reason. So he dared not put on airs anymore.

Director Gou said in a friendly tone, "Alright, since you want to get straight to the point, I won't beat around the bush. Take a look at this year's evaluation and commendation regulations first."

He handed a red-headed document to Wang Zixu, who sat on the sofa, flipped through a couple of pages, and said, "It's not much different from previous years."

Director Gou raised an eyebrow and said, "What do you mean 'not much change'? Let me tell you, there's been a huge change! Focus on this sentence: '...We must adhere to the principle of selecting and appointing people based on both moral character and competence, with moral character as the priority, emphasizing political standards and practical abilities, and focusing on cultivating young cadres with conviction, a sense of responsibility, ambition, and achievements...' Can you glean anything from this sentence?"

Prince Xu coldly replied, "No."

Director Gou put down the documents in his hand and said, "Xiao Wang, the trend of younger cadres is growing stronger. Our unit also has quite a few outstanding young cadres..."

Wang Zixu sneered, "Whether someone is outstanding or not, isn't it all up to you, Director Gou, to decide with a single word?"

Director Gou quickly said, "Don't interrupt. Whether they're outstanding or not isn't up to me to decide; they are truly outstanding. What I mean is, if we can train them and send them out to other places, wouldn't that be a source of pride for everyone in our unit?"

Wang Zixu said, "Just tell me who you want to train?"

Director Gou unscrewed his teacup and took a sip: "Many of our young colleagues are quite good and worth cultivating. Sigh, I also find it difficult; we can only take them one by one. Take Diao Yiwen, for example. She has actually published articles in 'Xihe Literature and Art.' Leaders from other units mentioned her to me last time; she's very talented."

Wang Zixu said, "So you just want everyone to support Diao Yiwen? Why don't you just say so? Are you done? If you're done, I'm leaving."

Director Gou waved his hand and said, "Xiao Wang, don't be in such a hurry. I just want to have a casual chat and communicate with you. Don't take it so seriously. I know you are very talented. Last time during the inspection, you really amazed everyone at the dinner table."

Wang Zixu said, "If that's the case, why didn't I get recognized for outstanding performance this year? Am I not good enough?"

Director Gou's face flushed slightly: "It's not that she's not good enough, it's that she's not good enough. You heard it yourself, Shen Qingfeng said that whether someone has talent or not can be judged by their published articles, and Diao Yiwen has indeed published some."

Wang Zixu tapped his fingers on the official document, making a "clack-clack" sound: "So, is the evaluation based on writing skills or work performance? Just give me a straight answer. If our evaluation is based on so-called talent, then I'll write a novel every day and submit it to a magazine."

Director Gou said, "No, Xiao Wang, your thinking is a bit off. Our evaluation criteria are definitely based primarily on work performance. But since everyone's performance is good, we also need to take into account their spare time..."

Wang Zixu crossed his legs and said, "Gou Yingbiao, I think you've become so arrogant because you're a leader that you can't see the situation in the unit anymore. How long has it been since you checked on your colleagues' work? In terms of performance, attendance, and quality, aren't we among the best? Where do you get the confidence to say that everyone's performance is about the same?"

Director Gou said sternly, "What's wrong with you? I just said that the trend of younger cadres is growing. Given Diao Yiwen's age, she's already been recognized for her outstanding performance this year, and she might be promoted to a broader stage in the future. Don't you understand the importance of helping others achieve their goals? I'll just be blunt: Diao's background means this place is just a stepping stone for her. Do you understand?"

Wang Zixu squinted: "I don't understand. Does she have a father who's a mayor or a mother who's a minister? You've treated her to a few drinks and given her a few packs of cigarettes, so why don't you just be more explicit?"

Director Gou finally couldn't hold back any longer and slammed his fist on the table: "Enough! Wang Zixu! Don't pretend you don't know what you're talking about! Have I given you face? You're putting on airs here. You're 30 years old, what are you arguing about with a girl? Don't you know your place?"

Prince Xu suddenly stood up, pointed at his nose, and said:

"Gou Yingbiao, I'll fuck your mother!"

Director Gou stood there dumbfounded.

"You, a driver, rose to a leadership position. You gained your qualifications by driving for the leaders. You spent a few days in the government office and now you know how to judge people's talents? Do you even understand literature? Can you even read 'Xihe Literature'?"

"I'm 30 and I'm competing with a girl? How dare you say that? If I really wanted to compete, I should have gotten this award six years ago. Why did you keep putting it off until today? You're a real dog!"

Their voices echoed in the corridor, and on the musical staff, all the notes seemed to come alive. The music had come to life.

The office doors opened one after another, and all the colleagues poked their heads out of their offices. Some even stood in the corridor, peering curiously in this direction.