Power and Wealth

On this day, after resting for a few days, I was back to work on Monday. When Dong Xuebing drove into the unit, his mood remained slightly fluctuating. He arrived very early today, an hour ahead of schedule. He had been idle for so long, and today he could finally meet the new subordinate who was reporting. This was a significant event for him. Apart from Luo Haiting and Han Fei, the two people he appointed, Dong Xuebing had no idea who else would come to the Second Division. Mainly because his relationship with the supervising leader, Fang Wenping, was somewhat sour. Neither of them wanted to deal with each other. Naturally, Dong Xuebing was a bit out of the loop.

Upstairs.

Ninth Division.

Second Section office area.

Dong Xuebing pushed open the door, expecting to see the same empty scene a few days ago. After all, it was only eight o'clock, still early for work. Generally, except for the cleaners and some staff, no one would come so early. However, when he entered the office area, Dong Xuebing was taken aback. Someone had arrived earlier than him, already cleaning and tidying up the office. It was a female comrade, not a cleaner, but a new face. She was wearing casual pants and a sweater, with a big and plump figure, and she was probably a mother, not young anymore.

"Who are you?" Dong Xuebing asked.

The woman turned around, revealing a face in her forties, not as well maintained as Zhang Longjuan or Xu Yan, but still not bad-looking. Her appearance was average, but her figure had many attractive points, and her temperament was decent. She looked very elegant. She immediately greeted Dong Xuebing with a smile, "You must be Director Dong. I'm Zhang Lili, transferred from the malpractices department." The malpractices department was merged with other departments, so some personnel had to be trimmed, and it was customary to transfer people.

Dong Xuebing suddenly realized, "Oh, you're the new colleague. Welcome, welcome."

Zhang Lili put down the cleaning cloth and handed the transfer order to Dong Xuebing, "Reporting to you, Director. I'll be under your command from now on. Please take care of me."

Also, a deputy at the Malpractices Department.

This time, it's a lateral transfer.

Dong Xuebing looked at it and smiled, "There's no need to be polite, Sister Zhang."

Zhang Lili hurriedly said, "I can't afford to be called 'sister,' just call me Old Zhang."

Dong Xuebing said, "Just pick any desk. You're the first one here, so choose your spot. Oh, and don't bother with cleaning. The cleaners will come soon."

Zhang Lili smiled, "It's okay. I'm just idle."

Dong Xuebing glanced at her and didn't say anything else. He let her tidy the room and returned to his office to put down his bag. It was clear that Comrade Zhang Lili was ambitious. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come so early to clean. She wanted to leave a good impression. Having ambition was a good thing. Dong Xuebing liked this kind of comrade the most because you knew what they cared about, which made communication easier and benefited the work. What Dong Xuebing feared most was someone like Chang Juan, who always wanted to slack off and had no desire for improvement, just coasting through life. Dong Xuebing felt powerless against someone like Chang Juan. If his office was full of people like her, he might as well not work. If everyone just followed orders without any enthusiasm, who would he command? So, after a brief observation, Dong Xuebing had a good impression of Zhang Lili, the first to report. She was someone willing to do real work. As for her shortcomings, they were probably not small. Otherwise, the Discipline Inspection Commission wouldn't have kicked her to his department. Dong Xuebing didn't ask for personnel from them, but as they say, nobody's perfect. Moreover, just because Zhang Lili didn't perform well in their department, she couldn't perform well here with him. Many things depended on adjustment.

Just as Dong Xuebing settled in, he heard voices outside.

Since Dong Xuebing didn't close the door, he could hear quite clearly.

"Hey, Sister Zhang," a female voice sounded relatively young.

"Yeah, Xiaoli, you're here too?" This was Zhang Lili's voice.

The woman responded, "Mm-hmm," "I was just informed yesterday. It was quite sudden. Is your leader here? Should I report in?"

Zhang Lili replied, "Director Dong is here, inside."

"Okay, I'll go then." The footsteps approached slowly.

The next moment, Dong Xuebing saw a woman in her late twenties or early thirties, looking average. Compared to Luo Haiting, the beautiful woman, she was pretty ordinary. Even compared to Han Fei, she fell short. However, she had a pleasant and gentle demeanor, which was quite comfortable.

Knock, knock.

The woman also saw Dong Xuebing but still knocked on the open door following protocol. After seeing Dong Xuebing nod, she entered with her transfer order, neatly placing it on his desk, and introduced herself, "Hello, Director Dong. I'm Li Hong, transferred from the Third Supervisory Office."

A Section Chief.

Also, a lateral transfer

After Dong Xuebing glanced at it, he nodded, "Welcome."

Li Hong didn't say anything else; they just stood there.

Dong Xuebing could tell she was not much of a talker. However, as a new colleague, he had to communicate with her. He said, "It was sudden for you to be notified yesterday. I wouldn't have been able to adjust, either. But it's okay. We'll have plenty of opportunities to communicate in the future. If you encounter any difficulties or problems, just come to me directly. I'll help solve them if I can. Conversely, I hope everyone will work seriously in the future and focus on their work."

Li Hong replied, "Understood."

Dong Xuebing said, "Alright, just pick any desk and sit down. Regarding work, I'll hold a brief meeting after everyone arrives."

Li Hong said okay and then left.

Although Li Hong didn't talk much, Dong Xuebing's impression of her was still okay. Female comrades were more or less the same age as him, and as long as they weren't too problematic, Dong Xuebing generally didn't have a bad first impression. He had always been someone who valued women more than men. Dong Xuebing thought this wasn't entirely his fault. It mainly had to do with gender. As they say, opposites attract, which is the principle here.

At eight-twenty, Han Fei was the next to arrive.

Dong Xuebing was still in his office when he heard Han Fei's giggling laughter. As soon as she came in, she started chatting with Zhang Lili. After working in the same unit for so many years, they probably knew each other to some extent, even if they hadn't spoken before. For example, Li Hong and Zhang Lili knew each other, and Han Fei also seemed to interact with Zhang Lili. This time, Han Fei was promoted to deputy supervisor, the same rank as Zhang Lili, so it wasn't surprising that they were chatting. On the other hand, Li Hong remained as quiet as ever, exchanging greetings before falling silent.

After a while, Han Fei giggled as she walked into Dong Xuebing's office, "Director Dong, I'm here to report to you." With that, she handed him her transfer order.

Dong Xuebing took it and said, "Okay, work well from now on. I'm counting on you."

Han Fei smiled and said, "No problem. Wherever you point, I'll hit. Rest assured, I'll contribute to the Ninth Bureau and Second Section."

Dong Xuebing chuckled, "I'll be looking forward to it."

After that, Han Fei blinked and asked, "Has the deputy director arrived?"

Dong Xuebing checked the time. "Not yet, but I think they'll be here soon."

Han Fei asked, "Was the deputy director arranged from above or your choice?"

Dong Xuebing smiled, "She's someone who's been on my team for many years."

Han Fei understood. If Director Fang Wenping disagreed with Dong Xuebing's appointment of a deputy director, she would stand by Dong Xuebing's side to help him deal with political enemies. But now it seemed that the upper management had considered everything carefully. To ensure that the newly established department could start working as soon as possible, the selection of deputy heads was mostly done with the approval of the top leadership. This was the best scenario as it could temporarily set aside any political and internal conflicts that might arise, allowing everyone to focus on their work and fully form a fighting force.

"Go on then," Dong Xuebing said.

Han Fei asked, "Is my desk arranged?"

Dong Xuebing smiled and said, "Many departments have trimmed their staff, including our new department. Plus, with Old Luo not here yet, only five of us are in the entire Second Division for now. Plenty of desks are available, so sit wherever you like and find a place you're comfortable with."

"Got it," Han Fei replied and left.

It was around 8:40, just before the official start of work.

Outside, the sound of high heels could be heard, followed by a woman's voice, "Is this the Ninth Bureau, Second Section?"

"Yes," Zhang Lili replied. "Are you Director Luo? Hello, I'm Zhang Lili, a deputy division chief-level inspector. If you need anything, just let me know."

The woman smiled. "Hello, Director Zhang."

Zhang Lili said, "You're only a few years older than me. You can call me Old Zhang or Xiao Zhang."

"Hello, Director Luo," Han Fei also said. I'm Han Fei, also a deputy division chief-level inspector. Please take care of us. Oh, this is Li Hong."

"Hello, everyone. Today is my first day at the Commission for Discipline Inspection. I'll need your guidance," the woman said. "Is Director Dong here?"

"He's inside his office," Zhang Lili replied.

"Okay, I'll go in. Let's talk later," the woman said.

Then, a woman in a fiery red long dress appeared outside Dong Xuebing's office. It didn't feel like a long-awaited reunion after so long apart. Instead, Luo Haiting smiled, closed the door, and walked up. "Director Dong."

Dong Xuebing smiled. "I've been waiting for you. It must have been a long bus ride. Please have a seat."

"Yeah, it wasn't too long, just three hours. We got stuck in traffic for a bit, or I would have been here earlier," Luo Haiting said as she sat across from him.

Luo Haiting wasn't afraid of the cold at all. It was already winter, but she was still wearing such a colorful long dress, with only a pair of black stockings covering her thighs and revealing a lot of the top of her feet. She was really into beauty. However, Dong Xuebing liked it. He liked this kind of style, the kind that he could never get tired of looking at.