[Not Wenqing, but Illiterate!]

The entire office was rushing to draft the speech all morning.

Zhou Changchun not only instructed Dong Xuebin to write it, but for insurance, Zhuangzi, Tan Limei, Guo Panwei, and everyone else had to write one too, striving to satisfy Director Yang.

Dong Xuebin was the most determined in his writing. Although he hadn't met Deputy Director Yang Yizhong, he analyzed from the words of Tan Limei and others that since Deputy Director Yang was so strict with the manuscript, he must be someone with a "Wenqing"-like sensibility. Therefore, Dong Xuebin tried his best to make his writing ethereal and literary, using all the idioms, historical allusions, and foreign references he could, and writing all the metaphors and similes he could think of.

During the lunch break, Dong Xuebin finally took his hands off the keyboard and nodded in satisfaction at the computer screen.

Alright, this time it's definitely going to work! Chapter 23 [Not a Wenqing, but an Illiterate!], Dong Xuebin, Dong Xuebin, your chance to shine in front of the leader has arrived!

Holding the speech, Dong Xuebin went upstairs to Yang Yizhong's office. Taking a breath, he confidently knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Dong Xuebin pushed the door open and entered. After seeing Yang Yizhong sitting in his office chair, he was slightly taken aback, feeling that Deputy Director Yang's image was not quite the "Wenqing" he had imagined. He was a bit rough around the edges. However, Dong Xuebin had already formed his preconceived notions, thinking that appearances were too deceptive, and that this guy must be a "Wenqing" at heart.

Yang Yizhong knitted his thick eyebrows and glanced at him, "You are?"

Dong Xuebin respectfully replied, "I am Dong Xuebin, newly arrived at the General Office."

"Oh, the manuscript is ready, right?" Deputy Director Yang reached out, "...Let me see it."

Dong Xuebin handed him the A4 paper with excited emotions, and then waited happily for the leader's praise and commendation. I've made a contribution! When I get back, Deputy Director Zhou and several colleagues will definitely look at him with new eyes.

But before Dong Xuebin could be happy for three seconds, Yang Yizhong threw the speech back at him.

"What the hell is this you wrote? Huh?" Yang Yizhong's face darkened, and he slapped the table hard, "Nonsense!"

Chapter 23 [Not a Wenqing, but an Illiterate!] Dong Xuebin's face turned green, "Huh?" You didn't even look at it and you're saying it's no good?

Yang Yizhong said loudly, "I said, what's going on with your General Office? I'm wondering, can't you even write a simple speech well? Especially this one of yours! What topic range did I ask you to write about? Look at what you wrote!" He angrily pointed to the first few lines of the manuscript, "Know honor and stop, jointly consolidate harmony, what is this? Huh? What is this?"

Dong Xuebin uh-ed for a moment, "Director Yang, you misread it, that is... it is know honor and shame, jointly build harmony."

Yang Yizhong was poked at a sore spot and immediately flew into a rage, "Can't I not recognize words with my elementary school education?"

Dong Xuebin was completely dumbfounded. What the heck? Aren't you a Wenqing? Aren't you very demanding of the language in the manuscript? Elementary school education? I'll be damned, so you're not a Wenqing, you're an illiterate?

I was wondering why you couldn't stand anyone's manuscript. It turns out there are too many words you don't recognize!

This is bad, this is bad, I've caused trouble!

Knowing that he had offended Yang Yizhong badly, Dong Xuebin hurriedly shouted, "BACK!"

The deafening roar quietly receded.

Only the clock was ticking away.

"You are?" Yang Yizhong looked at Dong Xuebin.

Dong Xuebin immediately understood the time period he was in and breathed a sigh of relief, "I am Dong Xuebin, newly arrived at the General Office."

"Oh, the manuscript is ready, right?" Deputy Director Yang reached out and said, "...Let me see it."

Dong Xuebin didn't dare to give it to him, hid the manuscript behind his back, and hurriedly made an excuse, "Sorry, Director Yang, it's not ready yet. I came to ask what is the latest time I can give you the manuscript this afternoon?"

Yang Yizhong frowned impatiently, "Didn't I say, the sooner the better?"

"Sorry to bother you, then I'll go back and prepare."

Watching Dong Xuebin open the door and leave, Yang Yizhong got up and leaned on the windowsill, lighting a cigarette for himself. Years ago, he worked at a chemical factory in the suburbs of Beijing. Later, he followed the right leader and, by chance, was brought into the system by the leader. His education level was very low, and he didn't recognize slightly more complex characters. Therefore, the speech drafts from the General Office had been rejected by him without mercy. He didn't explain the real reason. How could he? Say that I only graduated from elementary school? Say that I have a low level of education? He couldn't afford to lose face. Yang Yizhong thought that if no one in the General Office could understand his intentions, he would have to find a few old subordinates from the East City Branch Bureau to write the draft for him in the evening.

On the other side, on the way back to the office, Dong Xuebin tore up the speech draft and threw it away. Damn draft, it almost killed me. Luckily, I had back sitting in town, otherwise I wouldn't have known how I died.

Tan Limei, Zhuangzi, and a few others returned to the General Office after lunch. Seeing Dong Xuebin come in, they asked, "Binzi, how's the writing going?"

"Ah, almost done, almost done."

Guo Shunjie looked at him sarcastically, thinking, You're quite active. Even we old-timers can't write the draft, how could you write it?

Chang Juan pushed the keyboard away irritably, "I can't write anymore."

Guo Panwei grabbed his hair, racking his brains.

Tan Limei said angrily, "I don't know what kind of draft he wants. My writing is good enough."

Only Lao Yan was leisurely reading the newspaper, as if it was none of his business.

Dong Xuebin didn't have time to chat. He sat down at the computer, pulled out the keyboard, and began to type desperately. This time, he truly understood Yang Yizhong's intentions, and there were no obstacles to writing. Idioms? Allusions? Absolutely not needed. Similes? Metaphors? Get as far away as you can.

Straightforward.

What he wanted was straightforward.

Speech draft: Hello, leaders, my speech topic is Raise the Sails of Honor and Disgrace. After finishing it, Dong Xuebin felt it was inappropriate and deleted it. No, Deputy Director Yang might not recognize the word "insult" (rǔ, disgrace), so he changed it to The rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of everyone. Hmm, these are all familiar characters.

Write, write, write, think, think, think.

Don't mention it, this elementary school composition-like thing was really not that easy to write. The words had to be straightforward, but the content couldn't be straightforward. It was very challenging.  

Before he knew it, the office door was pushed open.

"Uh, Director Yang."

"Director Yang."

Tan Limei and Guo Panwei and others stopped their work, feeling their scalps tingle.

Yang Yizhong's face was ashen, "The draft is not finished yet? It's been more than half a day?"

Zhou Changchun quickly came out from the small office, "It's finished, I was just about to send it to you. Xiao Tan, Xiao Chang, bring the drafts here."

Including Zhuangzi and the "Two Guos," a total of five speech drafts were written.

Yang Yizhong lowered his eyes and took them, quickly looking through them one by one, "No... not right... this one is also not right... what is this writing... this one is also... no..." In the blink of an eye, all five people's speech drafts were rejected. "I said Lao Zhou, can't your General Office even write a speech draft? Huh?"

Tan Limei and Chang Juan lowered their heads and said nothing.

"Director Yang, we..." Officials of a higher rank can crush those below them, not to mention that Yang Yizhong was several ranks higher than him and had considerable influence in the system. If he really developed some dissatisfaction with Zhou Changchun, he wouldn't feel secure in his position as deputy director, and it might be taken away one day. Therefore, Zhou Changchun really wanted to have a good relationship with this newly arrived deputy director, but now, not only had the relationship not improved, but it had been ruined instead.

The more Zhou Changchun thought about it, the angrier he became, but he couldn't vent his anger on Director Yang. So, he turned his head and looked at Guo Shunjie, Guo Panwei, Chang Juan, and others with a dark face. These people under him usually looked very capable, with a very positive work attitude and high work enthusiasm, but when it came to the critical moment, look, not one of them was useful.

"Director Yang." Dong Xuebin suddenly pulled out the freshly printed A4 paper from the printer, "I've finished writing."

Guo Panwei glanced at him, thinking that he was really a newborn calf who wasn't afraid of tigers. He dared to rush forward at this time? Wasn't he just asking for a scolding?

Guo Shunjie snorted in his heart, watching coldly how Dong Xuebin would make a fool of himself.

Yang Yizhong had already lost faith in them and didn't speak, his face cold as he reached out his hand.

Dong Xuebin carefully handed him the manuscript with both hands, "I don't know if it suits your liking, I can revise it if it doesn't."

Several colleagues in the General Office sighed in their hearts, closed their eyes, and waited for a new round of scolding.

One minute...

Two minutes...

Three minutes...

Unexpectedly, the expected roar did not sound. After a long while, under the stunned gazes of everyone, the dark clouds on Yang Yizhong's face suddenly dissipated. He raised his right hand and patted the manuscript heavily, actually laughing loudly, "Take a good look at how others write! Haha! A speech should be written like this!"

This unexpected result stunned Guo Shunjie, Zhou Changchun, and the others.

Yang Yizhong patted Zhou Changchun on the shoulder, "Lao Zhou, I think your General Office is still very capable. Not bad, not bad." Immediately, Yang Yizhong looked at Dong Xuebin approvingly and nodded vigorously, "I remember your name is Dong... Dong Xuebin, right? Good young man. In the future, I don't need anyone else for my manuscripts, you'll be responsible for them!"

"Thank you for your trust, Director Yang!" Being able to leave an impression on the leader was a very rare thing. Dong Xuebin immediately straightened his back and tried to show his spirit.

As soon as Yang Yizhong left, the General Office was in an uproar.

Tan Limei exclaimed first, "Binzi, what did you write? Why is Director Yang so happy?"

Chang Juan smiled, "Our General Office is full of hidden talents."

Guo Panwei glanced at him jealously.

Guo Shunjie's face was not very good. Director Yang, who was so picky, was actually so satisfied? His group had written more than a dozen copies, and none of them were good. What was going on?

Dong Xuebin naturally couldn't tell others that Yang Yizhong didn't recognize many words. Otherwise, if Director Yang knew that he had spread the word, he would be in big trouble. So he just said that Yang Yizhong might like more straightforward and concise writing.

After reading the manuscript document saved on Dong Xuebin's computer, everyone understood what "straightforward and concise" meant.

Tan Limei admired him to the point of prostration, giving a thumbs up and saying, "Binzi, amazing!"

Zhou Changchun also never expected that the problem would lie in Yang Yizhong's level of education. He secretly took a higher look at Dong Xuebin's observation skills, and then patted his shoulder with great appreciation, "Good boy, you didn't embarrass our office!" Zhou Changchun felt that what the General Office lacked now was someone like Dong Xuebin who could hold the line at critical moments.

[ps: There have been a lot of updates these past two days, everyone give some support! Second update, asking for recommendation tickets]

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