The next day, Tuesday.
Today was an extremely important day in Dong Xuebin's life. The moment he opened his eyes that morning, he began to feel uncontrollably nervous, anxiously climbing out of bed. He took a breath, let it out. Man proposed, Heaven disposed. He had done everything he could; worrying now was useless. So Dong Xuebin stopped dwelling on the Bureau Party Committee meeting that was about to begin. He slapped his forehead and forced himself to calm down, brushed his teeth, washed up, ate breakfast, and arrived at work early.
At the front gate, Dong Xuebin was somewhat surprised to see Guo Shunjie's figure, along with a woman beside him.
"Didn't I tell you not to come looking for me at work? What is it?"
"You think I wanted to come? You forgot your phone."
"Fine, fine, hurry up and go."
Guo Shunjie impatiently took the phone and stuffed it into his pocket, then waved her away as if shooing a fly. This woman was Guo Shunjie's wife. She had developed vitiligo shortly after turning thirty, and white patches covered her neck and face, making her unpleasant to look at. So Guo Shunjie had never mentioned his wife to anyone at work, and he especially hated having her come near his workplace. It was too embarrassing for him. Just as Guo Shunjie was about to check whether any coworkers had seen her, Dong Xuebin, who had crossed the street, brushed past him.
Guo Shunjie's face immediately darkened. "...You're here pretty early."
"Not as early as you." Seeing how Guo Shunjie treated his wife, Dong Xuebin felt even more disgusted by him.
"Did you know? At today's Party Committee meeting, they'll be discussing the candidate for deputy director of the General Office." Guo Shunjie shot him a cold look.