It was afternoon.
A gentle breeze blew outside.
In the office of the Ministry of Finance's First Vice Minister, Xie Guoliang stood before the window, speaking on the phone. He had pushed the glass open slightly to let in some air.
Inside the room,
Dong Xuebin was the only one seated.
Director Qian, Yan Yizhi, and Chen Xiaomei naturally did not dare sit in Minister Xie's office. They were not of that rank and could only stand there respectfully, astonishment in their eyes. Their minds were still stuck on Dong Xuebin's earlier "Uncle." They simply could not wrap their heads around it, because there had not been the slightest warning. How could County Chief Dong be related to the First Vice Minister of Finance? Yan Yizhi and the other two knew County Chief Dong had connections and had been sent down to gain experience, but they had assumed his background was fairly ordinary. They thought he merely knew a few people through some minor connections. Who would have imagined... County Chief Dong's background was actually this formidable!
This...
It was frighteningly formidable!
"Director Yan," Chen Xiaomei could not hold herself back any longer and said quietly, "This..."
Although Chen Xiaomei spoke softly, Yan Yizhi hurriedly shushed her. "Don't talk."
Director Qian immediately reminded her as well, "Minister Xie is still on the phone. Watch yourselves. Quiet, quiet!"
Chen Xiaomei promptly shut her mouth. Her eyes flicked toward Minister Xie, then secretly settled on Dong Xuebin's face, her gaze uncertain.
One minute...
Two minutes...
"Then have Lao Liu go. Mm, I have something to handle here. All right, goodbye." Xie Guoliang finally hung up and returned to his seat with a smile. He ignored everyone else and simply looked at Dong Xuebin, asking naturally, "How many days are you planning to