It was the fourth update already. Did anyone still have Recommendation Tickets?
As usual, Dong Xuebin used yesterday's BACK to practice and adapt.
When he got up Wednesday morning, Dong Xuebin was summoned by a call from Qu Yunxuan to have breakfast at her place.
Aunt Xuan's office might have an important client coming in today, so she wore a pure white business suit. Paired with her fair skin and voluptuous figure, she was simply irresistible. Whether it was Tan Limei or Chang Juan from the office, neither came close to Qu Yunxuan. Even the prettiest girl at Dong Xuebin's university had been somewhat inferior to Aunt Xuan.
"Aunt Xuan." While eating, Dong Xuebin could not help saying, "You look really beautiful today."
The moment he said it, he regretted it a little. What the hell did I say that for?
Qu Yunxuan's cheeks reddened. She glared at him and raised a hand as if to hit him. "Trying to sweet-talk your way into a beating?"
Dong Xuebin coughed and said nothing, quickly shoveling millet porridge into his mouth.
"Slow down, slow down. It's not like anyone's going to steal it from you." Qu Yunxuan rolled her big eyes at him, then pulled out a napkin and dabbed the corner of his mouth. Gently, she said, "Yesterday was your first day at work, right? How did it feel? Let me tell you, you can't talk carelessly in a government office. That kind of place has rules. If you offend some leader, life will be hard for you afterward. So you can't act like you did back in school anymore. When you should speak less, speak less. When you should flatter a leader, flatter them. Understand?"
"I understand," Dong Xuebin said.
After breakfast, Dong Xuebin said goodbye to Aunt Xuan and went downstairs to work.
He ran into Aunt Xu and her son downstairs. She seemed to be taking Xiao Dong out and was hailing a taxi. The moment she saw Dong Xuebin, Aunt Xu's eyelids twitched. She quickly adjusted herself and greeted him with a smile. "Xiao Bin, heading to work? Has work been tiring lately?" Ever since Dong Xuebin had passed the civil service exam, Aunt Xu's attitude toward him had gradually changed. She was no longer so disdainful.
"It's all right," Dong Xuebin said. "The office is busy in the mornings, but pretty quiet in the afternoons."
Xiao Dong looked at him darkly, bent down, and got into the taxi first.
Aunt Xu opened the car door as well. "Xiao Dong said he wanted to take a look around the Antique Market, so we'll be going."
"Mm." Look at that. Once you get into a government office, everything changes. No wonder people say you have to become an official.
In a relaxed mood, Dong Xuebin took the bus to the Chengxi Branch Bureau. He smiled and nodded to the Receptionist Old Man, then entered the Gray Building with several clerks from other departments whom he did not know. After turning into the office and setting down his things, Dong Xuebin picked up a broom and began sweeping the floor.
In the past, sweeping the office had been Guo Panwei's job. He did it so he could show off in front of the leaders at every opportunity. But ever since Director Zhou had been hospitalized for an IV drip last week, Guo Panwei had stopped sweeping. Why? The leader was not around to see it, so there was no point performing so well.
"Yo, Little Dong, you're here so early?" Guo Shunjie came in with a bag slung over his shoulder.
"Yeah," Dong Xuebin said with a smile. "There wasn't any traffic today, so I got here early."
Behind him, Guo Panwei and Chang Juan chatted idly as they entered the office.
Tan Limei was the fifth to arrive, Zhuangzi was the sixth, and Lao Yan was the last, arriving right on the dot for work.
Wednesday's workload was clearly much lighter than Monday's or Tuesday's. Seeing that Tan Limei did not need help with anything, Dong Xuebin took a mop to the restroom at the end of the corridor to rinse it out, then mopped the area outside the office door. Someone had spat there several times and scattered sunflower seed shells all over the floor. It was filthy.
While he was busy, the sound of leather shoes echoed from the far end of the corridor.
Looking up, Dong Xuebin saw a middle-aged man of about fifty slowly walking toward him. The man's legs seemed somewhat unsteady; his left stride was noticeably larger than his right, like the stiff movements caused by cerebral thrombosis. Dong Xuebin understood at once. This had to be Deputy Director Zhou Changchun, who had spent a week in the hospital—the head of the General Affairs Office and his immediate superior.
Dong Xuebin wanted to leave the best possible impression on his superior, so he pretended not to see him and mopped the floor with great effort, looking like a diligent and hardworking employee.
"You are?" Zhou Changchun asked suspiciously.
Dong Xuebin pretended he had only just noticed him. He froze for a moment, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, "Ah... you're Deputy Director Zhou, right? Hello, hello. I'm new to the office. My name is Dong Xuebin. You..."
Zhou Changchun gave an "oh." "I know." Without saying anything else, he gently pushed open the office door.
"Deputy Director Zhou, I..." Dong Xuebin had been waiting for the leader to ask him a few more questions, but Zhou Changchun simply left. Dong Xuebin was left a little dumbfounded. What's with this leader?
But just as he thought Deputy Director Zhou simply had a cold personality, Zhou Changchun entered the main office and warmly greeted the clerks. "Everyone's worked hard. Hehe, while I was hospitalized, nothing major happened in the office, did it?"
Tan Limei grinned playfully. "Director Zhou, don't you trust us?"
Chang Juan gave a flirtatious smile. "That's right, Director Zhou. When have we ever made you lose face?"
Guo Panwei rushed over at once. "I'll make you some tea."
"Director Zhou, are you feeling better?" Guo Shunjie asked with concern.
Dong Xuebin was stunned speechless. When he came back to his senses, he smacked his forehead hard. Only then did he understand why Zhou Changchun had treated him that way. Damn, everyone called him Director Zhou, leaving out the word "deputy," while stupidly enough, Dong Xuebin had called him Deputy Director Zhou. It was only one word, but the meaning was completely different. Leaving out "deputy" and directly calling him Director Zhou sounded more pleasant to him and showed respect for the leader. This was one of the unwritten rules of government offices. Everyone addressed him that way.
Actually, Dong Xuebin knew all this. Grandpa Hu had told him about it in the hospital. But before, it had not concerned him, so he had never kept it in mind. Now that he had suddenly entered a government office, he had failed to react in time. As a result, on only his second day at work, he had offended a leader without even realizing it and made a huge mistake.
Panicking, Dong Xuebin shouted, "BACK!"
The scene rapidly rewound.
The sunflower seed shells he had already swept away reappeared by his feet.
Tap, tap, tap. The sound of leather shoes striking the floor gradually reached his ears.
"You are?" Zhou Changchun's weathered face, slightly weakened by illness, appeared before Dong Xuebin.
"Ah, you're Director Zhou, right?" Dong Xuebin said energetically. "I'm new to the office. My name is Dong Xuebin. Hello, Director Zhou."
Zhou Changchun smiled and nodded. "You're a spirited young man. You came yesterday? Have you gotten familiar with the work yet?"
Flattered, Dong Xuebin said, "Thank you for your concern, Leader. I'm mostly familiar with it now."
Zhou Changchun patted his shoulder. "Mm. Work hard."
The difference in his attitude before and after was like night and day.
Sure enough, he had said that one word, "deputy," wrong.
Still shaken, Dong Xuebin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. That had been close.
P.S. Fourth update, fourth update! Please send Recommendation Tickets!
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