Dong Xuebin had no time to attend Party school classes. He hailed a taxi and stormed back to the Chengxi Branch Bureau.
In the Branch Bureau Courtyard, everyone who saw Dong Xuebin quietly pointed at him and whispered among themselves. The murmurs gradually grew louder.
"Look, it's Director Dong."
"He's really done for this time. So what if he went to Party school? He's lost his position."
"Exactly. He provoked Director Zhou and even wrote a letter reporting him to the disciplinary committee? His career is finished."
"Not necessarily, right? Doesn't he always escape disaster somehow? Haven't people called him the all-powerful Director Dong? You all saw the fires he put out. And what about when he saved Minister Lü's life two weeks ago? Man, that was incredible. Maybe he'll pull through this time too."
"This time is different. No matter how capable Director Dong is, he can't change the Party committee's decision. He's already been removed from office, and that's not even the end of it. Director Zhou definitely won't let him off in the future."
"Uh, that's true."
"Hey, he's coming over. Let's get out of here."
After all those sensational incidents, there was no one in the Chengxi Branch Bureau who did not know Dong Xuebin. Seeing everyone avoid him as though he were the plague and gather in twos and threes to whisper, Dong Xuebin clenched his back teeth even harder. Though he could not hear what they were saying, he knew it was nothing good. He swept his eyes over them, said nothing with a dark expression, and strode into the Gray Building, heading straight for the General Office.
Chang Juan, Tan Limei, Guo Panwei, and the others were all in the office, each more worried than the last.
Creak. The door suddenly flew open,