Chapter 54

The next morning, as usual, Chu Tianshu was the first to enter the office. He had just tidied up his desk when Liu Chunna arrived. She took the initiative to clean and boil water, brewing tea for all four of them.

Chu Tianshu sat at his desk and began writing the weekly work plan. Although the work in the General Affairs Department was always subject to frequent changes, he and Fan Yibing had developed the habit of organizing and planning their tasks, even before they became department heads.

A few minutes later, Fan Yibing and Qian Meihua arrived one after another, and the office gradually became lively.

When Tian Kemin was around, everyone worked passively out of fear of being scolded for making mistakes. They would avoid uncertain tasks if possible, and if they couldn't avoid them, they would seek Tian Kemin's approval before proceeding. The principle was simple: it was better to do less than to do more, and the goal was to avoid being scolded by Tian Kemin.

Now that this troublemaker was gone, the four of them felt much more relaxed. Their initiative and enthusiasm for work increased, and they all vied to handle the miscellaneous tasks of the General Affairs Department. They found the work less tiring and more enjoyable than before.

The previously estranged personnel from the Secretarial Department and the General Affairs Department became much friendlier, greeting each other and discussing issues together. The office atmosphere became more harmonious than ever before.

Colleagues from other departments, unaware of the changes, quietly asked Qi Dagang how the office had become so cohesive after just a weekend.

Qi Dagang was in a difficult position. He knew very well that after the dinner incident on Friday, his status in the office had plummeted. He was now largely ignored, and Zhao Pingyuan and others had rallied around Chu Tianshu.

However, in the eyes of the leaders of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), Qi Dagang was still ranked ahead of Chu Tianshu.

Around 9:00 AM, Guan Haoyu arrived.

As he was nearing retirement, Guan Haoyu rarely came to work regularly. The daily operations of the SASAC were mostly managed by Huang Roshan. Gradually, everyone understood that when Guan Haoyu came to the office, it usually meant there was a significant matter that required his decision.

Sure enough, Huang Roshan followed Guan Haoyu into his office, gave a brief report, and immediately called Qi Dagang to prepare materials on state-owned enterprise (SOE) reform and to notify the heads of all departments to attend a meeting in the small conference room at 9:30 AM.

Qi Dagang agreed but did not move.

Huang Roshan looked at him in confusion, understanding his intention, and said, "Little Qi, you can attend the meeting as a representative of the office."

Qi Dagang was overjoyed and left the room. Back in the office, he ordered Zhao Pingyuan and others to prepare the materials and called the department heads to notify them to attend the meeting at 9:30 AM.

After finishing his tasks, Chu Tianshu went online to search for and download information about Lingyun Group, learning that Wu Mengdie held the position of Executive Vice President.

Just as he was about to search for her personal information, the office door was gently pushed open, and Qi Dagang walked in, holding a notebook. He said formally, "Little Chu, I'm going to the meeting. I just wanted to let you know."

Chu Tianshu found this amusing but understood Qi Dagang's true intention: to assert his position as the core leader of the office.

Chu Tianshu chuckled and said, "Director Qi, you're too polite. You don't need to let me know what you're doing."

Qi Dagang feigned sincerity and said, "Little Chu, both the Secretarial Department and the General Affairs Department are part of the office. We should keep each other informed."

Chu Tianshu asked, "Oh, I see. What kind of meeting is it?"

This question put Qi Dagang in a difficult position. Knowing the meeting agenda was a political privilege for department heads, and he was reluctant to share it with Chu Tianshu.

Seeing Qi Dagang hesitate, Chu Tianshu said, "Director Qi, I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry."

Fan Yibing, Liu Chunna, and Qian Meihua looked at Qi Dagang with strange expressions, as if to say, "You just said we should keep each other informed, and now you're being so hypocritical."

Qi Dagang could only laugh awkwardly and mumbled, "Oh, it seems to be about SOE reform, but I'm not sure." He then chatted with Fan Yibing and Qian Meihua for a few more minutes before leaving.

So quickly? Chu Tianshu was surprised.

Although he had never worked in the Enterprise Reform Department, he was very familiar with the internal procedures of the SASAC. Once the reform plan submitted by the Instrument Factory was approved, the SASAC would formally report it to the city government.

In general, if the competent department agreed, other city departments would not interfere, and the plan would be approved in due course.

After Qi Dagang left, Chu Tianshu sent a message to Tan Yufen, informing her that the SASAC was about to hold a meeting to discuss the reform plan of the Instrument Factory.

Tan Yufen quickly replied, saying that Zhang Wei and the others had already set out.

About ten minutes later, loud noises came from downstairs, and the sounds grew louder. Chu Tianshu recognized the voices of Zhang Wei, Da Hu, Lao Wan, and several other laid-off workers.

The offices of the SASAC leaders and the small conference room were on the second floor, and the commotion quickly spread upstairs.

Soon, Qi Dagang ran out of the small conference room, looking unhappy. He said, "Little Chu, go see what's happening. The noise is disrupting the meeting, and the leaders are angry."

Chu Tianshu quickly went downstairs and saw a tall, thin old man leading a group of about twenty laid-off workers from the Instrument Factory. They stood in the spacious lobby, making it seem crowded.

The front desk attendant, Xiao Hui, and two security guards were trying to stop them from entering, causing the commotion.

Chu Tianshu walked up to Zhang Wei and asked directly, "Zhang Wei, what are you doing here?"

Chu Tianshu had already decided that pretending not to know Zhang Wei would only raise suspicion.

Zhang Wei said, "Director Chu, we want to report an issue to the leadership."

Chu Tianshu said, "Why are you making such a fuss? This is a government office, not a market. If you cause a disturbance, it's obstructing official duties, and you will be held legally responsible."

At this moment, the old man stepped forward, adjusted his glasses, and asked, "Young comrade, we are representatives of the laid-off workers from the Instrument Factory. We are here to report an issue to the SASAC, not to cause trouble. Could you please inform your leaders that we want to see them?"

Chu Tianshu asked, "Old comrade, what is your name?"

The old man said, "I am Wu Shicai."

"Oh, Mr. Wu," Chu Tianshu said.

Zhang Wei shouted, "What Mr. Wu? He is our factory's chief engineer."

"Sorry," Chu Tianshu ignored Zhang Wei and smiled at Wu Shicai, "Mr. Wu, shouldn't you go to the petition office to report your issue?"

Wu Shicai calmly replied, "We have been there, but they said the SASAC is the competent department for the Instrument Factory, so we came here."

Chu Tianshu inwardly sneered.

These days, the petition office received too many visitors with complex and unclear issues, and they often tried to pass the buck to other departments. For cases like the Instrument Factory, where there was a clear competent department, they would try to push the responsibility away.

Chu Tianshu thought, if it weren't for Qi Dagang asking him to check, who would want to deal with this mess?

The commotion continued for a few minutes, and a crowd gathered outside the SASAC building. Other department staff also poked their heads out to see what was happening. When they saw a group of angry people surrounding Chu Tianshu, they quickly retreated.

Only Fan Yibing and Liu Chunna came out to stand beside Chu Tianshu, helping to persuade and explain.

Chu Tianshu put on a patient face and said, "Alright, we are from the General Affairs Department of the SASAC office. Tell us what your issue is, and I will ask the leaders for you. Is that okay?"

Zhang Wei shouted, "No! Who are you to represent the leadership? Don't try to fool us. We won't leave until we see the leaders."

Da Hu and Lao Wan and others loudly agreed, "Right, we won't leave."

Some of the older workers sat down on the sofas by the door, while some younger ones even sat on the front desk.

This made the scene even more chaotic.

Seeing their determination, Chu Tianshu said, "Little Fan, Little Liu, you stay here and explain. I'll go report to the leaders."

Chu Tianshu went straight to the meeting room, knocked on the door, and Qi Dagang came out to ask, "Little Chu, what's happening?"

Chu Tianshu said, "Laid-off workers from the Instrument Factory. They want to report an issue and insist on seeing the leaders. I can't persuade them."

Just as Chu Tianshu finished explaining, Ouyang Meimei jumped up and said sarcastically, "Chu Tianshu, you're a department head, and you can't handle this small matter?"

Chu Tianshu knew Ouyang Meimei was taking the opportunity to retaliate, so he said, "Director Ouyang, I'm just a section chief. They don't trust me. Why don't you, as a department head, try to handle it?"

Caught off guard, Ouyang Meimei almost lost her temper and said nothing, her face turning red.

When it came to dealing with petitioners, no leader wanted to take the responsibility. Handling it well was expected, but handling it poorly would be seen as incompetence, and such matters were often difficult to handle well.

The leaders looked at each other, all lowering their heads in silence.

Who would be foolish enough to volunteer for such a hot potato?