Chapter 8

As soon as the meeting ended, Chu Tianshu was called to the office by the head of the office, Tian Kemin.

"Chu Tianshu, you pig-brain, how could you forget to turn off your phone at such an important meeting? What kind of quality do you have?" Tian Kemin pointed at Chu Tianshu's nose and roared loudly, the veins on his bald head bulging.

At the mobilization meeting for the "Ten Thousand Cadres Enter Villages and Stay in Villages" activity organized by the Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), Director Guan Haoyu was giving a speech when Chu Tianshu's phone suddenly rang: "Warm spring breeze blows in my face, peach blossoms bloom..."

The serious and tense atmosphere was disrupted by this cheerful and lively ringtone, and the entire meeting room burst into laughter.

Having made a mistake, Chu Tianshu was bound to be scolded by Tian Kemin, and the young clerks in the office were already used to it.

Chu Tianshu lowered his head even more to avoid the spittle flying at him and explained in a low voice, "Director, when I was notified about the meeting, I was in the toilet. In a hurry, I put on my pants and forgot."

"Forgot? How could you forget to wipe your ass after defecating?" Tian Kemin was furious, his face full of malice.

Chu Tianshu wished he could bury his head in his crotch, but even so, he could still feel Tian Kemin's vicious gaze, like needles piercing the top of his head. He suppressed his anger and silently warned himself, "Endure, endure more, don't be impulsive, let Tian the Bald vent his anger."

Tian Kemin was probably the most malicious, heartless, and verbally abusive man Chu Tianshu had ever met. Everyone privately called him "Tian the Bald."

At the age of forty-five, Tian Kemin had considerable seniority in the SASAC, but his career had been stagnant. It wasn't until Huang Roshan was promoted to deputy director that he finally managed to climb to the important position of office director through flattery and sycophancy.

After being frustrated for over twenty years, Tian Kemin finally had the opportunity to vent his frustrations on the young people in the office, using every means to oppress and humiliate them, especially the marginal figures in the Comprehensive Affairs Department.

Mentioning Tian the Bald, the young people in the SASAC would all change color.

When the new employee, Liu Chunna, brought a bowl of wontons to work and was seen by Tian Kemin, he forced her to eat the bowl of wontons in the toilet, causing her to feel nauseous and vomit at the sight of wontons.

Fan Yibing was caught by Tian Kemin for making a phone call to his new girlfriend on the office phone. Not only was he criticized in meetings, but he was also forced to write a self-criticism and post it in the bulletin board in the building's lobby, making it impossible for him to hold his head up in front of the SASAC leadership.

Chu Tianshu and Fan Yibing, among others, privately hated Tian Kemin so much that they couldn't help but curse "the damned Tian the Bald," but in his presence, they had to flatter him, hoping to win his favor and get a chance to become the head of the Comprehensive Affairs Department.

There was no other way; this was the nature of the government office.

Nowadays, the phenomenon of small people getting lucky, like Tian Kemin, was too common in government offices, and it was no longer surprising.

In the political arena, everyone was like a monkey hanging on a tree. To rise to prominence, one could only lick the ass of the monkeys above to climb higher.

"Sorry, Director." Chu Tianshu put on a nauseatingly fawning smile and carefully admitted his mistake.

There was no other choice; when caught by Tian Kemin, one could only admit the mistake honestly. Otherwise, Tian Kemin might come up with even crueler punishments.

Tian Kemin interrupted Chu Tianshu's apology arrogantly, "I don't want to hear 'sorry.' If you don't want to work in my office, which business department wants you, you can leave immediately."

"No, no, no, Director's criticism and education are a concern for me. I know I was wrong, and I will deeply reflect and never make the same mistake again."

"Hmph, you want to make the same mistake again? There's no chance." Chu Tianshu gritted his teeth in endurance, but Tian Kemin was still not satisfied. He glanced at Chu Tianshu with disdain and sneered, "You look decent, but you don't know what it means to be ashamed. Young people, if you don't suffer a bit, you won't learn. You'll just have to wait to 'enter the village and stay in the village.'"

Chu Tianshu was startled and pleaded, "Director, I..."

"Shut up, are you still不服气 (unconvinced)?" Tian Kemin didn't let Chu Tianshu speak and said viciously, "Let me tell you, when you make a mistake, you have to pay the price."

The city organized a "Ten Thousand Cadres Enter Villages and Stay in Villages" poverty alleviation activity, and the SASAC was assigned one slot, located in the most remote and poorest Shihexi Township of Nanling County, the city's counterpart support unit.

"Entering the village and staying in the village" would last for a year, which was indeed too cruel for Chu Tianshu, who had yet to achieve his ambitions.

First, the hope of becoming the head of the Comprehensive Affairs Department was completely shattered.

The SASAC leadership would not leave a position for an unlucky person for a whole year.

The hierarchy in the government office was strict, and the opportunities for promotion were limited, especially for young people like Chu Tianshu and Fan Yibing who were just starting out. If they fell behind in one step, they would fall behind in every step.

More terrifyingly, if the dispatch lasted so long, it was possible that the position and the establishment would be taken by someone else. The person sent down might be stuck in a remote and harsh environment, where even birds wouldn't lay eggs. Talking about prospects and development would be like a dreamer's talk. This life, he might not even become a deputy township head.

Given the severity of the situation, Chu Tianshu naturally felt a sense of crisis.

It's over! Being targeted by Tian the Bald, he was sure to be the unlucky one sent to "enter the village and stay in the village."

Chu Tianshu had to force a smile and plead, "Director, can you reconsider?"

"Reconsider what? I'm busy, I don't have time to argue with you." Tian Kemin said rudely.

Since it was irredeemable, Chu Tianshu didn't need to endure anymore. He said angrily, "Director, killing someone doesn't mean hitting the head. If you want to send me, send me, why do you have to spew filth?"

After saying that, Chu Tianshu slammed the door and left, making Tian Kemin's bald head almost burst with anger.

Outside the door, Chu Tianshu cursed Tian Kemin's female relatives and descendants in his heart thousands of times.

Just as he entered the office, his phone rang again.

"Warm spring breeze blows in my face, peach blossoms bloom..."

The agitated Chu Tianshu grabbed the phone and shouted, "Speak if you have something to say, fart if you have to."

He knew without looking that the caller must be the damned Wei Shijie.

As a regular clerk in the Comprehensive Affairs Department of the SASAC, Chu Tianshu had no relatives in Qingyuan City. Among the people he knew, besides his colleagues in the SASAC, there was only this classmate and best friend.

"Old Chu, what's with the fire? So angry?" Wei Shijie's voice came from the other end of the line, laughing.

"What do you want?"

"I got a promotion. Let's celebrate at 7 PM at Dreamland Cafe."

I'm going to hell, and you're getting a promotion. What kind of world is this, where people can't even live?

Chu Tianshu said irritably, "No time!"

"I'll treat you, free food and drinks, and you still have no time?"

"Do you think I'm a call girl with a few bucks?"

Wei Shijie laughed and scolded, "Damn, you're my second uncle. I'll send a sedan to pick you up, okay?"

Chu Tianshu said stiffly, "I'm not in the mood."

Wei Shijie continued to tease, "Got dumped by a girl again? You should come out and vent."

"Are you done? I'm at work. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up." Chu Tianshu didn't wait for Wei Shijie to speak and pressed the red button, muttering, "You're going to kill me, and you expect me to be happy with you?"

Chu Tianshu threw his phone on the table and aimlessly clicked the mouse, the sound of the clicks piercingly loud.

The other three clerks in the Comprehensive Affairs Department, Fan Yibing, Liu Chunna, and Qian Meihua, looked at Chu Tianshu's anger and exchanged glances, not daring to speak, only feeling deep sympathy for his misfortune.

"Warm spring breeze blows in my face, peach blossoms bloom..." The phone on the table started ringing again, and Chu Tianshu lifted his eyelids and continued to click the mouse aimlessly.

Liu Chunna timidly said in a low voice, "Xiao Chu, you have a call."

Chu Tianshu glared at her fiercely.

Liu Chunna lowered her head, looking like a frightened little rabbit.

After a while, the phone on the table started ringing again, and the song "Peach blossoms bloom" played stubbornly.

Chu Tianshu grabbed the phone and shouted, "Are you fucking annoying?" But as soon as he spoke, his face changed, and he immediately put on a bitter smile, explaining humbly, "Sorry, sorry, Director Ouyang, I thought it was my classmate."

Fan Yibing and others recognized that the caller this time was not Wei Shijie, but Director Ouyang Meimei from the Organization and Personnel Department of the SASAC.

"Chu Tianshu, come to my office," Ouyang Meimei said coldly and hung up.

It's over, Ouyang Meimei was going to have a talk with him on behalf of the organization.

Chu Tianshu's heart turned cold, and he stood there holding the phone, dazed.

Fan Yibing put out his cigarette and reminded him, "Xiao Chu, go quickly, don't keep Director 'Mei' waiting."

Ouyang Meimei, the director of the Organization and Personnel Department, was thirty-five years old, a charming and attractive woman with a seductive face and a fiery figure.

According to Qian Meihua, Ouyang Meimei was originally a clerk in the government office and had a relationship with the then Secretary of the Municipal Government, Tang Yifu. After Tang Yifu was promoted to vice mayor and took charge of the SASAC, Guan Haoyu specially transferred Ouyang Meimei to the SASAC, where she became the head of the Personnel and Education Section. Later, when Tang Yifu became a member of the Municipal Party Committee, Guan Haoyu promoted her to the director of the Organization and Personnel Department.

Thanks to Tang Yifu's favor, Guan Haoyu was still the director of the SASAC at the age of fifty-eight.

There are no secrets in government offices!

No one knew how this rumor reached Ouyang Meimei's ears, but Qian Meihua, who was originally a principal clerk in the Organization and Personnel Department, was exiled to the Comprehensive Affairs Department to do miscellaneous work.

Privately, everyone called Ouyang Meimei "Director 'Mei'," which could be interpreted as praising her beauty or as a shortened form of her name.

However, the tone was mostly mocking.

"Go, I'll go!" Chu Tianshu gritted his teeth and said loudly, "If it's a blessing, it's not a disaster; if it's a disaster, it can't be avoided." With that, he walked out with his head held high, looking righteous and determined.