Escorting Chen Mo to His New Post in Guangming District

Another ten minutes or so passed before someone knocked on the outer office door.

Li Ze looked up and was startled. The visitor was none other than Pan Yan'an, a member of the municipal Party standing committee and head of the Organization Department.

He immediately stood and almost jogged over. "Hello, Minister Zhou!"

Zhou Minze smiled and waved a hand. "Xiao Li, is the mayor available right now?"

"Minister Zhou, the mayor is inside discussing something with Division Chief Chen. Would you..." Li Ze was somewhat at a loss. Normally, he should ask the official to sit for a moment, then go inside to announce him.

But the inner door was closed, and he did not dare interrupt without warning.

"It's all right. There's no hurry. I'll wait." Pan Yan'an was very easygoing and went over to sit on the sofa in the reception area himself.

Only then did Li Zhe react, hurrying to pour Zhou Minze some tea.

Just as he turned to get the water, Zhou Mingze casually took two packs of cigarettes from his briefcase and slipped them into the half-open drawer of Li Ze's desk with a swift, natural movement.

When Li Ze returned with the tea, Zhou Minze acted as though nothing had happened. He accepted the cup and said with a smile,

"Thank you. You've only just taken over. Settling in all right? If there's anything you don't understand, ask Chen Mo for advice. You can ask me, too."

Li Ze nodded repeatedly. "Thank you for your concern, Minister Zhou. I'll make sure I study hard."

Before he could finish, he caught sight of the two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes in his drawer out of the corner of his eye. His heart gave a sudden jolt, and his words caught in his throat.

"Minister Zhou, this... this is too..." Li Zhe was momentarily at a loss for words, his face growing warm.

Zhou Minze smiled nonchalantly and lowered his voice a little. "Just a small token. Something to perk you up. We'll have plenty of dealings in the future. Don't stand on ceremony." His tone was perfectly natural, but Li Ze instantly understood the meaning behind it.

This was no simple courtesy. It was a gesture, an advance investment and show of goodwill from a powerful standing committee member-the Organization Department director who held officials' hats in his hands.

Just then, the inner door opened.

Chen Mo came out and immediately spotted Zhou Minze sitting on the sofa. His expression changed slightly, and he hurried forward, casting a mildly reproachful glance at Li Ze as he did so.

"Minister Zhou! I'm terribly sorry. I didn't know you were here! How discourteous of us!" Chen Mo hastily apologized, then turned his head and said quietly to Li Ze, "When a senior official arrives, you must notify the mayor immediately. How could you leave him waiting out here?" His tone was urgent and stern.

Li Ze's face instantly flushed crimson. He lowered his head without a word.

Zhou Minze rose magnanimously. "Oh, it's quite all right. I was the one who told Comrade Xiao Li not to interrupt your business. Is Mayor Lin available now?"

"Yes, yes! Please, come in!" Chen Mo immediately stepped aside and respectfully ushered Zhou Minze into the inner office.

After Zhou Minze went inside, Chen Mo gently closed the door, turned to the embarrassed Li Ze, and sighed. His tone softened somewhat, though it remained instructive. "Remember this: whenever an official at standing committee level or above arrives, or an official comes down from the province or the central authorities, you must knock and announce them immediately, no matter what the mayor is doing."

"That's the rule, and it's also basic respect. You can't leave any senior official waiting out here for nothing. Understood?"

"Understood, Division Chief Chen. I'll remember." Li Zhe had broken into a cold sweat.

"Go replace Minister Zhou's tea with a hot cup and take it inside," Chen Mo instructed.

Li Zhe hurried to comply, brewing fresh tea and carrying it carefully into the mayor's office.

He saw Lin Yanzhou and Zhou Minze sitting on the sofa, talking in what seemed to be a very cordial atmosphere. When Lin Yanzhou saw him enter, he merely gave him a brief, indifferent glance.

Li Zhe set down the cup, scarcely daring to breathe, then withdrew on tiptoe.

After roughly ten minutes of conversation, the inner door opened again. Lin Yanzhou and Zhou Minze came out together, both smiling.

"Good. Then it's settled," Lin Yanzhou said to Zhou Minze before turning to Chen Mo. "Chen Mo, are you ready? Minister Zhou and I will escort you over to take up your post."

Chen Mo immediately straightened. "Mayor, Director, I'm all ready!"

"Good. Let's go." Lin Yanzhou led the way out.

Zhou Minze followed with a smile. Chen Mo came right behind him, giving Li Ze an instruction without breaking stride as he passed.

"Call the driver first and tell him the mayor is coming downstairs. Take the mayor's briefcase, put his cup and work phone in the tote bag, and hurry down to join us."

Li Ze nodded firmly, not daring to delay for a moment, and immediately turned and jogged into the mayor's inner office.

His eyes swept quickly over the desk as his mind raced through every detail Chen Mo had taught him that morning.

The briefcase: the understated black one Lin Yanzhou usually used. Li Ze hurried over, deftly opened it, and quickly checked inside. After making sure the usual fountain pen was in its holder, along with a leather notebook and a small box of business cards, he zipped it shut.

The cup: first, he washed the cup on the mayor's desk, making sure not a single water mark remained. He took out the cup reserved for outings and put tea leaves inside. He remembered Chen Mo saying that when the mayor went out, he usually did not drink tea brewed in advance; instead, it was brewed after he arrived.

The work phone: Lin Yanzhou had three mobile phones. One was encrypted and stayed on the mayor's person; one was for work and was carried by Li Ze; and one was private and had previously also been carried by Chen Mo. But Chen Mo had given no instructions about it this time, and it was not on the desk, so Li Ze simply took the work phone.

He surveyed the desktop once more to ensure he had not missed anything the mayor might urgently need, strictly following the principle of touching nothing without instructions.

The entire process took less than two minutes. With the mayor's briefcase in one hand and the tote bag in the other, Li Ze locked the door and hurried at a jog toward the elevators.

When he arrived downstairs, panting, he saw that Lin Yanzhou's official car was already running. Chen Mo stood beside the open car door.

Lin Yanzhou and Zhou Minze were beside the car, exchanging a few final words in low voices.

For a moment, Li Ze was at a loss, standing where he was, unsure whether to approach or wait.

Seeing him, Chen Mo immediately gestured with his eyes toward the insulated flask in his hand and said very quickly in a low voice, "Fill the mayor's tea cup with water first. It's more than a thirty-minute drive. He'll drink water on the way."

Li Ze nodded hurriedly and took the silver insulated flask Chen Mo handed over.

Using the quantities and pouring speed he had learned that morning, he precisely brewed a cup of Longjing tea, secured the lid, and placed it steadily in the cup holder behind the driver's seat-the spot most convenient for Lin Yanzhou to reach.

Once he had finished, he stood a little way behind Chen Mo, his hands at his sides, awaiting instructions and trying to make his presence as unobtrusive as possible.

At that point, Zhou Minze smiled and shook hands with Lin Yanzhou in farewell, then turned toward his own official car.

"Get in," Lin Yanzhou said to Chen Mo, then bent down and entered the car.

Chen Mo closed the door, quickly circled around to the other side, and opened the rear door behind the front passenger seat. Before getting in, he signaled with his eyes for Li Ze to hurry into the front passenger seat.

Li Ze immediately opened the door and climbed in.

The motorcade drove smoothly out of the municipal government compound.

The car was quiet. After a while, Lin Yanzhou spoke. "Li Ze, tell me this afternoon's schedule."

Li Ze's heart tightened. He hurriedly opened the notebook he had been clutching all along, found the page with the schedule, and read from it somewhat nervously. "At two thirty this afternoon, attend and deliver remarks at an investment promotion banquet organized by the Municipal Federation of Industry and Commerce; at four this afternoon, attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the second-phase project at Jingzhou New Energy Industrial Park; at seven this evening, record an exclusive interview for the provincial television program Dialogue with New Handong."

Before he had finished reading, he saw in the rearview mirror that Lin Yanzhou's brows were already tightly furrowed, his displeasure plain on his face.

Li Ze's heart leaped into his throat. Not knowing what he had said wrong, his voice grew quieter and quieter.

Just then, Chen Mo, sitting in the back, immediately spoke in an apologetic tone. "Mayor, this was my oversight."

"There was a lot going on yesterday, and I forgot to check today's schedule with the secretary-general. I haven't had time to screen out some unnecessary events. It's not Li Ze's fault. He's only just taken over and isn't familiar with the procedures yet."

He voluntarily took the responsibility upon himself, giving Li Ze a way to step down gracefully while also calming the mayor's sudden displeasure.

Then Chen Mo turned his head and said sternly to Li Ze, "Li Ze, make a note of this. From now on, you must personally review every draft of the mayor's daily schedule submitted by the General Office. You need to exercise judgment. Take the Federation of Industry and Commerce banquet: occasions like that are usually social gatherings. There's little point in the mayor attending. The deputy mayor responsible can go instead."

"As a rule, groundbreaking ceremonies for businesses shouldn't be scheduled either, unless they're major projects receiving close attention from the province. As for television interviews, they have long production cycles and take time to prepare for. Unless there's a particular publicity need, those should generally be politely declined, too."

"You need to learn to filter out these unnecessary, time-consuming, and inefficient activities for the mayor, so his energy stays focused on the most essential and urgent work. Understood? If you're ever unsure about anything, ask me or consult the secretary-general."

Cold sweat kept breaking out on Li Ze's back as he listened. He nodded hastily. "Understood, Division Chief Chen! Thank you for your guidance. I'll remember! As soon as I get back, I'll review everything again and coordinate adjustments with the General Office!"

After hearing Chen Mo's words, Lin Yanzhou's brow relaxed slightly. He said nothing more and closed his eyes again to rest.