Captain Jiang stood there, his face pale, clutching the bag of gold, his heart filled with panic and helplessness.
I'm done for!
Whether Director Zhou thought it was too little or genuinely refused to take bribes, there was no way he could give him this gift now. Not only that, but his chances of becoming Deputy Department Director were surely finished too.
"Director Zhou, I was wrong..."
He still had no idea what he had done wrong, but he couldn't go wrong by admitting fault right away.
Zhou Yi waved a hand, signaling him to stop.
"There's nothing wrong with your ability or your experience, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to become Deputy Department Director. The problem is how you went about asking for my help."
Zhou Yi's anger faded, but his gaze grew even sharper. "I don't need gifts like this from you. A carton of cigarettes or a box of tea would make me very happy. All right, that's the end of it. You can go!"
Jiang Xuezeng left in a state of anxiety. The moment he returned to his office, he summoned Deputy Detachment Captain Cai Xiaobo.
Thanks to his deliberate efforts to cultivate a friendship lately, he was on reasonably good terms with this trusted subordinate of Director Zhou's. He thought asking him a few questions might prove useful.
"Xiaobo, well, let me ask you something. Does Director Zhou have any particular preferences?" Jiang Xuezeng asked warmly, offering him a cigarette.
After turning it over in his mind, he decided that, aside from somehow getting off on the wrong foot when he entered, the main reason today's gift had failed was that he had gone about it the wrong way.
Director Zhou must not like gold!
"Are you looking to give Director Zhou a gift,