The pushover offended a top-tier boss

District Party Secretary's Office.

A stack of documents lay before Zhou Huaijin. The covers bore red headings—Housing and Construction Bureau, Development Bureau, Culture and Tourism Bureau—all concerning the development plans for Nanjing County over the next three years. The papers were neatly stacked.

He leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

"Lin Rui, what are your thoughts on the position of County Magistrate of Nanjing?"

Lin Rui stood in front of his desk, holding a set of materials he had just compiled, and paused for a moment upon hearing this.

He considered for a few seconds: "Nanjing is in dire need of reconstruction and needs a pragmatic cadre. It's not enough to just talk the talk; he needs to understand economics, people's livelihood, and have the courage to walk the walk."

Zhou Huaijin nodded, but did not immediately express his opinion.

The office was quiet for a few seconds, with only the clock on the wall ticking away.

"What do you think about being put in this position?"

He knew Lin Rui's abilities and trusted his character. Having followed him for so many years, what storms hadn't he weathered? Nan Jing's mess needed someone capable and trustworthy to clean it up.

But they didn't exchange secrets, nor did they need to.

"Or will you come with me when your term ends?" So he added.

Lin Rui's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the materials.

He had followed the Party Secretary for so many years, and the tacit understanding between them hadn't developed overnight. He understood the leader's style of personnel management: no beating around the bush, no cryptic remarks, and always speaking directly when necessary.

The way the question is phrased now shows that the leader is genuinely considering this matter.

He's only thirty-one years old this year. As the Secretary-General of the District Committee and concurrently the Secretary of the District Committee, he's already reached a very high position. The New District isn't an ordinary district; it's an economic zone allocated and prioritized for development by higher authorities, directly under their jurisdiction. Its prestige far surpasses that of ordinary counties and districts.

The position of county magistrate of Nanjing is indeed a powerful one. There are very few people in the entire province who can sit in this position at their age.

After a few seconds of silence, Lin Rui replied:

"Sir, I still want to assist you in the new district."

The leader will eventually return to Beijing. If he goes to Nanjing now, he might not be able to get out for three or five years. By the time the leader is transferred, he'll still be stuck in that poor, remote place. He needs to have a long-term perspective. Nanjing is just a stepping stone, but he knows whether it's worth stepping on.

Besides, his wife had just given birth and the baby was not even a month old, so he couldn't bear to do it.

Zhou Huaijin neither said it was good nor bad.

He simply gave a soft "hmm," picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then looked back at the documents in front of him.

After a moment, he put down the cup.

"Call Ye Zhenzhen over."

Whenever her superiors summoned her, Ye Zhenzhen would instinctively feel afraid.

I have a feeling that I've made another mistake and am going to get criticized.

She quietly picked up the pair of baby elephants, clenched them in her hands as if they were two talismans.

You're obligated to take bribes.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Enter."

She pushed open the door, a standard subordinate's smile on her face, and quickly took the pair of wooden elephant carvings and placed them neatly on his desk, next to a stack of documents.

One wears a pearl, the other a gold chain; they stand side by side, looking adorable.

"Boss, these are the two baby elephants that were meant for you." Her voice was sweet. "I've put them here for you!"

Zhou Huaijin glanced down at it.

His gaze fell on the necks of the two baby elephants.

childish.

He lowered his gaze but said nothing.

"Hmm." He pushed the stack of documents in front of him toward her. "This is the development plan for the various bureaus in Nanjing. Take a look."

Ye Zhenzhen was stunned for a moment.

"From your perspective, consider the feasibility and offer some of your ideas."

Ye Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief.

No mistakes were made, and no criticism was given.

Sure enough, you can't refuse someone who gives you money.

"Yes, boss, I will read it carefully." She reached for the stack of documents.

My gaze unconsciously fell on the other corner of the desk, where there was an exquisite paper bag with the logo of a well-known old-brand pastry shop in Beijing.

"I'm not eating it, you can take it away." Zhou Huaijin's voice came down from above.

Ye Zhenzhen's eyes lit up instantly.

"Thank you, boss!"

Today is truly a good day.

She happily carried the pastries, just about to turn around.

My wrist was suddenly grabbed.

"How should I thank you?" the man asked her, his voice trailing off.

Ye Zhenzhen froze in fright and instinctively turned to look at the door.

Is it closed? It should be closed, right? Did you put it on when you came in?

She quickly scanned the room to make sure the door was closed and the curtains were drawn.

This person has absolutely no sense of vigilance.

Ye Zhenzhen cursed inwardly.

How else can I thank you? I've already said thank you, why aren't we done yet?

He met those deep, slightly playful eyes.

She bit her lip, then quickly leaned over like a thief and lightly touched the corner of his mouth.

Damn, having an affair is so exciting...

Zhou Huaijin looked at the person in front of her, her face flushed, her eyes darting around, looking guilty and flustered.

He smiled slightly and released his grip.

He didn't intend to do anything; he just wanted to tease her a little.

Ye Zhenzhen, as if granted a pardon, grabbed the paper bag and slipped out without looking back.

Zhou Huaijin looked at the door that had closed behind him, his gaze lingering on the two small elephants wearing necklaces for a moment.

"Naive," he said to himself again.

He reached out and moved the pair of baby elephants next to the pile of documents, placing them right in the middle.

Ye Zhenzhen returned to her office with a blush on her face.

There was an unfamiliar face in the office.

A young girl was standing next to Secretary Lin's desk, holding a document in her hand, tilting her head slightly as she listened to what he was saying.

"This summary is well written; the leader even mentioned it specifically today."

Hearing the noise, she turned around and smiled at Ye Zhenzhen.

"Hello, Sister Zhenzhen."

Ye Zhenzhen was taken aback for a moment and glanced at her.

The girl looked to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old. She was wearing a light blue knit sweater paired with white wide-leg pants, and her hair was tied in a low ponytail, revealing a delicate oval face. She had slender eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, a high nose bridge, and her eyes crinkled when she smiled.

It's not the kind of intense, aggressive beauty, but rather a lively and pleasing appearance.

"Professor Ye, this is Wei Zixuan, a new colleague in the secretariat. She has a master's degree from Peking University," Lin Rui introduced.

"Hello Zixuan," Ye Zhenzhen replied with a smile.

She's a top student from a prestigious university, and more importantly, she's very beautiful.

Ye Zhenzhen couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "There really are people who are both beautiful and academically gifted."

I was praised by my supervisor on my first day of writing the report.

Unlike me, who has been criticized the whole time since I arrived.

Ye Zhenzhen sighed silently in her heart, sat back down at her workstation, spread out the development plans, and flipped through them one by one.

The Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau's plan was over thirty pages long, covering everything from road renovations to shantytown demolitions, from landscaping projects to pipeline laying—it was so densely packed that it made her dizzy. The Development and Reform Bureau's plan was even thicker, filled with all sorts of economic data and industrial plans: GDP, fixed asset investment, investment attraction targets—it was enough to make her, a Chinese literature major, see stars.

The Culture and Tourism Bureau is a bit better, since they're somewhat related. Their pronouncements about "exploring the historical and cultural resources of Nanjing County," "creating high-quality red tourism routes," and "developing rural ecotourism" sound plausible, but upon closer inspection, they're all empty rhetoric and platitudes, just repeating the same few words over and over.

She read and took notes all day long, her neck was stiff.

After getting off work in the evening, Ye Zhenzhen returned to her rented apartment, changed into comfortable loungewear, and prepared to cook herself a delicious meal.

She took out the cured meat she had brought from her hometown from the refrigerator and sliced ​​it into a small dish.

I washed another bunch of green bok choy, which was bright green, and then steamed some rice.

The aroma of the cured pork filled the entire kitchen as soon as it hit the pan. She then stir-fried a plate of bok choy.

I found two tomatoes and eggs in the refrigerator and made a tomato and egg drop soup, which was sweet and sour.

Once the food was served, she turned on the TV, randomly picked a show to watch while she ate.

After finishing my meal and washing the dishes, I turned on my phone. Chen Zheng's team-up invitation popped up right on time.

"Sister Ye, wanna play some games? I just started practicing a jungler today, I'll carry you."

The two had just started their first game and were still blaming each other in voice chat when suddenly the door was banged on.

"Bang! Bang!"

It wasn't knocking; it was pounding on the door with a fist. The force was so great that the whole door was shaking.

"Open the door!" A rough, hoarse male voice came from outside the door.