Huang Xueli burst out laughing at his remark about a "police dog" and clapped a big hand on Wang Xiaoliang's shoulder. "You little punk, that mouth of yours just keeps getting nastier!"
The three of them clinked glasses again.
Before they knew it, more than half the bottle of strong liquor on the table was gone. As the alcohol went to their heads, they grew more talkative.
Huang Xueli let out a drunken burp, then suddenly leaned forward, lowering his voice to a deep murmur that carried an unmistakable hint of showing off.
"The chief of our General Management Section has a few years left before retirement, and he's already completely hands-off. He doesn't deal with anything. He can't even be bothered to look at the mountains of paperwork. He dumps it all on me."
Zhou Qiang picked up a piece of beef and chewed it leisurely, raising an eyebrow at him. "Isn't that perfect? You've got all the power to yourself."
"Keep a low profile, keep a low profile!" Huang Xueli said, even as he gestured in the air. "But this time, I really do have to thank Song Yi properly. Without him, this wouldn't have happened."
He paused.
"Song Yi recommended me to the New Principal. The principal spoke to me personally, and everything he said pointed to the same thing: stick with him and do a good job from now on."
Zhou Qiang's expression barely changed after hearing this. He simply said, "Building up his own people."
"What's wrong with that?" Huang Xueli bristled as if someone had stepped on his tail. "Put yourself in his shoes. A new leader gets parachuted in, and everyone under him pays lip service while doing the opposite. How's he supposed to get any work done? If he wants to accomplish