Report to the Chief of Staff, It Was Me

Chapter 46: Reporting... Reporting, Chief of Staff, it was me.

(Some revisions were made in the previous chapter to explain things in more detail. If you found it confusing, feel free to reread.)

"Haha, Director Yang, your work is famous throughout the province. You're a model for leading troops. Who could possibly doubt you?"

Deputy Director Liu's rambling made everyone present feel rather uncomfortable.

But besides Yang Yonghua, no one else here could easily speak up.

Yang Yonghua saw that Liu had subtly and overtly criticized everyone, and thought to himself, I've given him enough face; it's time to set the tone for this matter.

He said sternly, "Jiang Peng, can you work hard and make a good impression in Squad Leader Pan's squad from now on? With your uncle here today, give me a clear statement!"

Jiang Peng was taken aback.

Not switching squads?

Deputy Director Liu saw how pathetic he looked and, remembering his wife's repeated instructions, couldn't help but probe again.

"Squad Leader Hao, the new recruit who swapped with him before... how are his living habits? Has he been held back? I still think..."

"He's performing very well," Hao Chengbin immediately replied. "That new recruit, Han Yong! He had a conflict with a new recruit in Eighth Squad before, and after transferring to our squad, he's become much more proactive!"

Hao Chengbin had been waiting to say this. He had rehearsed it countless times in his mind, fearing the Chief of Staff wouldn't remember. He even emphasized Han Yong's name.

This assist reminded Yang Yonghua of Chelsea's classic assist against Burnley. He immediately slapped the table.

"That's good! I was wondering how to report this to Director Luo! Han Yong, the one who swapped with Jiang Peng, was sent by Director Luo of the General Team! I only found out when Political Commissar Zhou of the base called me a couple of days ago!"

Deputy Director Liu immediately felt he had spoken out of turn.

He shouldn't have come this time.

"Old Yang, why didn't you tell me earlier? You this..."

Even Wang Jian, Hao Chengbin, and Pan Zhaohui were stunned.

Pan Zhaohui felt a great sense of relief.

Damn it, good thing we didn't fight, good thing we didn't fight...

Hao Chengbin also replayed the events in his mind, lost in thought.

What kind of intel does Fang Huai have? The connections with the General Team, the relationship with the leaders of the General Team, why didn't he mention it clearly?

Deputy Director Luo, the third-highest-ranking official, ranks first among the seven deputy division commanders of the General Team. He might even become the main commander in a couple of years.

Wang Jian, however, had a clear look in his eyes. He suddenly remembered what he had told Pan Zhaohui that morning: "A new recruit's assignment isn't decided by the new recruit."

Actually, he had spoken a bit carelessly at the time; it wasn't entirely absolute...

Deputy Director Liu no longer stood on ceremony with the Chief of Staff and got up directly.

"Jiang Peng, come with me for a moment."

With that, he walked out the door.

Although Deputy Director Liu didn't directly blame Jiang Peng, he had acted somewhat rashly, and this small action had put Jiang Peng in a precarious position.

Fortunately, Jiang Peng still had some muscle memory and subconsciously glanced at the Chief of Staff.

The Chief of Staff waved his hand, and only then did Jiang Peng leave.

If Jiang Peng had left directly just now, it would have shown a lack of understanding of who the superior officer was, essentially disregarding authority.

Deputy Director Liu was still in plain clothes. Today, with only Pan Zhaohui present, he still had to ask for permission from the squad leader before leaving.

The principle was the same as the day they ate in the cafeteria.

When Jiang Peng returned, he was extremely dejected.

His uncle had actually told him not to offend people indiscriminately, but to be proactive and build good relationships with his fellow recruits.

The helplessness on his uncle's face was less reassuring than a scolding would have been.

At least this way, his uncle still seemed as composed in his mind as when he first saw him in the office; it was just that he had made a mistake and displeased him.

But the reality was that his uncle hadn't scolded him. Instead, he had spoken in a gentle tone, each word piercing his heart.

Our family doesn't have strong connections or a powerful background. Don't offend anyone...

The only slight comfort was his uncle's final sentence: "That Little Pan probably won't do anything further, so stay in Eighth Squad with peace of mind."

His family's capabilities only extended this far.

Others had backgrounds; he only had his back...

Deputy Director Liu entered the office, picked up his bag from the desk, and chuckled.

"Old Yang, I'll have to trouble you with this matter. Regarding Jiang Peng's previous transfer, you won't blame me for causing trouble for the new recruit regiment, will you? Don't report me to the higher-ups!"

He was familiar with Yang Yonghua, who was straightforward. So, he decided to cut to the chase, to avoid feeling anxious later.

Yang Yonghua waved his hand and delivered his concluding remarks.

"Alright, we're comrades from the same company. Do we need to say all this? The outcome is quite good now! Both of them can be trained into capable individuals!"

"I'll keep an eye on your nephew for you too!"

"Today's incident really was... I'm also bending a principle here, we won't hold either of you accountable!"

"Pan Zhaohui, you need to make a statement to the new recruit's family too! In the future, when leading soldiers, you must pay attention to your methods! Just yesterday, the Regimental Commander was saying..."

Yang Yonghua intended to give Pan Zhaohui a good dressing down, but felt it wasn't the right time. He could only point at Pan Zhaohui, gritting his teeth.

"I'll deal with you later!"

Pan Zhaohui and Wang Jian breathed a sigh of relief. Since the Chief of Staff had said that, there would be no report or criticism.

Moreover, they had given face and spoken about making a statement to the family. Pan Zhaohui couldn't be ungrateful. He turned to Deputy Director Liu with an apologetic expression.

"Director Liu, my apologies for my previous methods of leading soldiers..."

"Ah!" Deputy Director Liu interrupted and took Pan Zhaohui's hand.

"Chief of Staff Yang is still blaming me! Squad Leader Pan, you must be strict with mischievous new recruits like Jiang Peng! You did the right thing! Thank you for your silent contributions to training new recruits, veteran squad leaders! Let's keep in touch!"

Since he was putting on a show, there was no need to make the other person apologize.

The last sentence, "Let's keep in touch," sounded like he was doing them a favor, but it didn't mean anything.

Deputy Director Liu's move had effectively erased any negative impression Jiang Peng had made on everyone.

A sly fox, not even thirty years old, how could he withstand this kind of manipulation from a seasoned veteran? By the time the words were spoken, Pan Zhaohui was already smiling.

He then shook hands with Wang Jian, exchanging pleasantries like "Company Commander, you're young and promising."

He just strategically forgot about Hao Chengbin.

In the office today, he already understood who was truly unhappy with Jiang Peng from what had happened earlier.

Although Pan Zhaohui had hit someone, it was only about the incident. Hao Chengbin's eagerness to oppose the change of squad was the real sign of his dissatisfaction with Jiang Peng.

And when a seasoned veteran expresses dissatisfaction with someone, they don't necessarily have to say it out loud. A more civilized way is to be polite to everyone else, and simply leave that one person out.

Even after Deputy Director Liu left the office, Yang Yonghua was still lecturing Pan Zhaohui incessantly.

But as soon as the door closed, Yang Yonghua's expression changed immediately. He leaned back in his office chair and looked calmly at Wang Jian.

"Wang Jian, what was scheduled for this morning?"

Wang Jian snapped to attention. "Reporting, Chief of Staff, reciting Regulations and Ordinances!"

"Take him back."

The Chief of Staff waved his hand dismissively, as if the play had ended and he no longer wanted to pretend.

"Yes!"

Jiang Peng's eyes widened in disbelief.

I'm still here! My uncle just left! Nothing was resolved, and I'm just being taken back like this?

At least give me some psychological counseling!

But this was the Chief of Staff's clear message: your uncle is your uncle, but you, little brat, aren't worth my effort to pretend, not even for a second.

This was his unambiguous attitude.

Wang Jian gave Pan Zhaohui a look, then pulled Jiang Peng, preparing to leave.

Hao Chengbin, seeing that the matter was settled, glanced at his Rolex, then at a set of keys on the desk. His expression shifted, and he walked up to Yang Yonghua with a fawning smile.

"Chief of Staff, can I borrow your car?"

Yang Yonghua followed his gaze and his eyes widened. He quickly reached out and covered the keys.

"What are you trying to do?? Cars and wives are not lent out!"

Hao Chengbin glanced at his watch, his expression conveying a sense of urgency, "It's an emergency! If I handle this well, I'll definitely give you a surprise!"

Ninth Squad.

As soon as the squad leader went out, everyone was reciting.

But reciting was a task that required patience, and most of the people in Ninth Squad lacked it.

Reciting regulations was too boring, so they started drawing or sleeping with their eyes half-open.

But no one dared to lie down.

They were all afraid that the door would suddenly open, the squad leader would suddenly appear, and their happy little lives would vanish.

They were trying to maintain the status quo while cautiously indulging themselves.

Squad Leader Pan's voice had long since echoed in the hallway, but the squad leader hadn't returned yet.

Fang Huai could only curse inwardly.

Sigh, this little Hao, out playing all day, not even managing the new recruits. After I arrived, life has become more and more indulgent.

Fang's mental victory method once again took the upper hand.

Just as he was thinking this, Wang Jian's voice sounded from outside the door.

"Damn it, Hao Chengbin fell downstairs! Let's go down and check on him!"

As soon as the words fell, Ninth Squad descended into chaos.

Han Yong, sitting at the back, turned and rushed to the window first, opening it and sticking his head out.

Ninth Squad's window directly faced the entrance to the New Recruit Building, and they could even see the base's main gate.

Several people nearby also quickly crowded towards the window.

None of them could see clearly, so it was up to Zhao Bing, who had good eyesight. After just one glance, he pointed.

"It really looks like the squad leader!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Huai stopped pushing his way in. He opened the door in three quick strides and chased out, shouting.

"Company Commander! Company Commander Wang!"

Without the Company Commander leading them, not only the large iron gate downstairs but also the fifth and third floors were forbidden zones for them.

Luckily.

"What is it?" Company Commander Wang had already gone downstairs but, hearing the voice, he retreated a couple of steps and poked his head out from the stairwell.

"Company Commander, can you take me down?"

Wang Jian recognized Fang Huai and, after a moment's thought, beckoned him over.

"Run! Hurry up!"

Fang Huai quickly followed with long strides.

They scrambled down as if rushing to save a critically ill patient, only to find a minor scrape upon reaching the entrance.

Hao Chengbin was already standing.

Wang Jian, Clerk Huang who had also come down, and Fang Huai were all stunned.

Rushing over in a panic, however, were not only them but also the Chief of Staff.

His expression could only be described as indignant.

"Damn it, my vehicle!"

The Chief of Staff's eyebrows were so furrowed they almost touched. He patted the side of a rather bulky, military-green motorcycle with great distress.

Two small red flags hung on either side of the rearview mirror at the front of the bike, and a large guitar case was tied to the back.

Fang Huai finally understood what the squad leader had been doing all morning.

Hao Chengbin's face showed three parts sadness, three parts embarrassment, and the remaining four parts were all focused on the guitar case behind the motorcycle.

"The slope at the entrance... I didn't notice it when I came down... I checked, it's just a small scrape. I'll ride it out and get it repainted for you..."

The Chief of Staff exploded.

"Ride it? Ride your grandpa's ass!"

The culprit, Hao Chengbin, waved his hands helplessly. "Okay, okay! I won't ride it! You spray paint it yourself! I'll pay you for it!... This scratch should only be a hundred or two, right?"

"Bullshit! At least two hundred plus!" the Chief of Staff said, lifting the motorcycle and looking around for any other damage.

As the two discussed compensation, they didn't seem like superiors and subordinates at all, but rather like car owners who had bumped into each other on the road and were settling it privately.

"Alright! Let me check if the guitar is damaged first!" Hao Chengbin said, reaching out to untie the ropes holding the guitar.

The Chief of Staff slapped his hand away. He glanced at the guitar and then cursed loudly.

"This is the surprise you were talking about?? What do you need this for? Are you going to sing a song or two? Or are you going to teach me how to sing??"

A soul-piercing quadruple question.

The Chief of Staff insisted that Hao Chengbin explain what the hell this surprise was.

Fang Huai, standing on the periphery, awkwardly raised a hand.

"Re... Report, Chief of Staff, it's mine..."