Although he had gone without rest for two consecutive nights, Tang Li still appeared punctually at nine in the morning at the Internal Affairs Bureau office building in the northern part of the city.
Then he learned that the word he had put out last night had been passed along in time. It might not have been entirely accurate, but it had still reached the ears of many interested parties.
On the way to the private elevator, the subordinates he encountered all behaved respectfully and politely. Yet once they passed each other, the looks cast his way became exceedingly subtle, accompanied by whispered gossip behind his back and even concealed thoughts.
Some said he had offended the Intelligence Management Center and failed to secure his promotion. Some said he could only advance within the Internal Affairs Bureau system, meaning he would move up to work at the higher-level Internal Affairs Department. Of course, some also said that he had originally intended to go to the Intelligence Management Center, only to be defeated by some unknown competitor... That one was closer to the truth.
Human hearts were subtle. In the past, Tang Li could only make rough guesses and could never know everything. Now, he saw them as clearly as the lines on his palm, yet they stirred nothing in him.
Following the established schedule, Tang Li held a routine meeting, then returned to his office to think things over by himself.
At a stage when he was about to be promoted and transferred away, as long as he did not go looking for trouble himself, rush to "make up for" something, or have someone from above who needed accompanying, he could be very idle.
There was no need to "make up for" anything. He did not care, and besides, whether