Newcomer

I'm not exactly looking down on my job, but ours is a government department that deals directly with the public. It involves the significant interests of the masses, making it even tougher than working for the neighborhood committee or the police station. Chen Xiaoqiu, at first glance, doesn't seem like someone who could handle public relations well. She's completely different from Guo Yujie, that goofy, tomboyish type. To put it bluntly, if she stands in front of the public, most people, except for a few men, will instinctively feel repelled. How can any work proceed after that?

The old leader must have known about this girl's issues. He said to Guo Yujie and Chen Xiaoqiu with a kindly smile, "Xiao Guo, you and Xiao Chen can start by introducing the current situation of your team. Xiao Chen, listen carefully and learn. Xiao Guo is a very good person; ask her if you don't understand anything."

The two girls nodded, and Guo Yujie responded cheerfully.

The old leader then turned to me, "Xiao Lin, come with me. What's the current situation with Grandpa Wang you're responsible for?"

I understood and quickly followed the old leader's steps, pretending to report on Grandpa Wang's situation. We finished the report appropriately shortly after leaving the office.

The old leader didn't bring up the matter again. He said to me, "This Xiao Chen, she used to be in the State Taxation Bureau. Her father is an old comrade-in-arms of mine and is now working in the central government. He wants me to give her some experience."

I was inwardly surprised.

Transferring from the State Taxation Bureau to a small demolition office? What kind of experience is that? This isn't even how you send someone down to the grassroots.

The old leader looked like an elder troubled by a younger generation. "You saw it yourself, she's arrogant, just a bit too arrogant. No matter how capable her father is, he can't make everyone revolve around her, can he? She's been in the State Taxation Bureau for over a year, her interpersonal relationships are a mess, work is difficult, and she's unhappy. Her father is so worried!"

I was a bit speechless. Having a powerful father and still ending up like this, what kind of frustrating personality must she have!

"This girl Xiao Chen isn't bad-hearted, and she has abilities. So, her father and I thought of changing her environment. Bringing her here, with me watching over her, her father can be at ease." The old leader changed the subject and patted my shoulder, "I'm entrusting her to you."

I forced a bitter smile. "Old leader, what do you mean 'entrusting her to me'? If she's really as you described, wouldn't it be better for her to do some technical, specialized work? Like computers, software, high-tech stuff? She could manage her own work, wouldn't that suit her better?"

"Nonsense, do you think professional technical talents don't need teamwork?" The old leader put away his troubled expression and said with a chuckle, "Xiao Lin, I know you like the back of my hand. I'm very confident entrusting Xiao Chen to you, and my old comrade-in-arms is also very confident. You work hard." After saying that, he walked away with his hands behind his back, humming a tune.

What is this all about? Is he introducing a son-in-law? And he's confident!

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she was already assigned to my team, and I couldn't push her away.

Sighing, I returned to the office. I saw Skinny and Fatty were back and were exchanging glances and winks, communicating secretly. Their eyes would occasionally dart towards Chen Xiaoqiu, looking particularly lecherous.

"Lin Qi, you're back. We were just saying we should all go out for dinner later to welcome Xiao Qiu. It happens that these two don't have to work overtime today." Guo Yujie gestured towards Skinny and Fatty, laughing heartily.

The two stopped looking lecherous. Skinny's face darkened, while Fatty looked worried.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

They must have gone to look for guest information from Junli Hotel this afternoon, trying to find out the identities of Ye Qing and Liu Miao. Did something go wrong?

Skinny frowned. "Brother Qi, I really think I was right. That law firm is too weird."

"Huh? What happened?" I was surprised.

"The hotel didn't find any records. Their database was damaged once a few years ago, and some guest data was lost. It just so happened that it included the times the law firm stayed there," Fatty replied.

Skinny slapped his thigh. "Tell me, isn't that weird? What else could it be? How could it be such a coincidence? The archives at the housing authority are illegible, the handwriting at the company is messy, and now the hotel's data is also problematic. Can this be a coincidence?"

Seeing Skinny getting agitated, I quickly soothed him, "It might really be a coincidence. If it were really weird, why would the 'Qingye' sign and all those archives inside be fine? Besides, a lot of time has passed; it's understandable for archives and data to have issues. If the hotel can't find it, then they can't. You guys start with that list first, then contact their clients."

"I don't think we'll get anything from the clients," Skinny shook his head. "At least we need to narrow down the targets and have someone recognize their faces."

"That's what I mean. You guys start with the list first." A thought struck me, and I looked at Chen Xiaoqiu. "Perfect timing, Chen Xiaoqiu, you know them, right? Starting tomorrow, you'll work with them to screen that list and narrow down the scope."

This way, Chen Xiaoqiu wouldn't have to interact with people directly, preventing her from offending anyone and affecting our work.

The old leader didn't elaborate, and I had no idea how "capable" Chen Xiaoqiu really was. I could only be extremely cautious.

Chen Xiaoqiu asked, "I just heard Guo Yujie mention the Qingye Paranormal Investigation Agency. Since you can't determine the identity of their property owner, why are you looking for them? Gongnong Sixth Village is company housing; if you're doing a large-scale investigation, you should be checking the company's employees."

Fatty said tactfully, "That company is Steel Factory No. 3, formerly the Qingzhou Manufacturing Bureau."

"No matter what its predecessor was, you just need to look at the final personnel archives before the housing allocation," Chen Xiaoqiu frowned. Her gaze towards Fatty wasn't dismissive, but her tone implied, '1+1=2'.

Skinny rolled his eyes.

"There are no such archives?" Chen Xiaoqiu pressed.

"No," Skinny said irritably. "I told you, it's an old factory with a history, dating back before the founding of the People's Republic. Do you know what they called it back then? Qingzhou City wasn't Qingzhou City then; it was Qingzhou, and they were the Qingzhou Manufacturing Bureau, one of only seven manufacturing bureaus in the country! It was personally overseen by an imperial envoy! During the war, they even became an arsenal! The guns and cannons used to fight the Japanese devils were all made by them! After the founding of the People's Republic, they were split into one, two, three, and four! Four whole steel plants! Plus two machinery factories! What is Steel Factory No. 3? It's just a little finger of theirs! They managed workers and paid salaries, all from the Qingzhou Manufacturing Bureau!"

Chen Xiaoqiu didn't understand. "What do you mean?"

Fatty quickly explained for Skinny, "Don't mind him. He's just repeating what an old employee from that company said. Although the Qingzhou Manufacturing Bureau has undergone many reforms, it has actually retained its old foundation internally and handled internal affairs according to the old ways. On the surface, it was divided into several factories, and the government appointed leaders, but in private... Those houses are nominally company housing for Steel Factory No. 3, but the people who received them were not just from Steel Factory No. 3, and many of them weren't even employees of the other three steel plants and two machinery factories."

Chen Xiaoqiu was bewildered, clearly not expecting such a situation.