Three days later, Ding Jiuchang was really about to leave the country for an inspection tour.
Before setting off, he went to Li Ye's office to report. "Park In-cheol seems to have settled down these past few days. He's no longer putting on airs with me like he did on the first day. He even humbly asked me about some business matters. I think he's got some real skill to him. We can't underestimate him."
Li Ye smiled. "How much skill is 'some real skill'? How does he compare to my master?"
Ding Jiuchang chuckled. "My dad spent his whole life climbing until he finally reached the same level as that man, so it's hard to compare them. But my dad said that at least when it came to bending and stretching as circumstances demanded, he admitted he was inferior."
Li Ye's master, Old Ding, was certainly capable. Whether it was Lu Zhizhang or anyone else, they all acknowledged that.
But Old Ding had muddled through his entire life and only became a section chief right before retirement, while Park In-cheol had already been a full section chief for several years at just over forty. So where did the gap between them lie?
Being able to bend and stretch was a foundational skill for surviving in the workplace. If you didn't put points into it, your offense would be high and your defense low—you wouldn't be able to guard against sneak attacks and hidden arrows.
Seeing that it was about time, Li Ye gave Ding Jiuchang one final reminder. "Put family matters out of your mind for now. We arranged for you to inspect Europe this time, not to send you on a publicly funded vacation.
"Once you get there, carefully study the materials I wrote for you and compare