Chapter 64

January 1st marks the beginning of the year. It’s unknown whether it was a senior official from the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department with a good sense of humor who set the departure date for this batch of agricultural support cadres on this day.

At seven in the morning, they gathered in the courtyard of the Provincial Party School, then directly boarded the waiting buses. Hundreds of agricultural support cadres, divided among dozens of buses, set off for various cities and counties in Donghu Province in a grand procession.

It had snowed a few days ago, and the silver ice blocks, as if harboring grievances, glistened with a fine layer of tears under the sunlight. Suddenly, a fierce cold wind blew, and the power lines hummed in the wind. Cheng Jie felt a desolate atmosphere at the Party School in winter, and his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Gu Xixi. Last night, on the small bed in his dormitory, Gu Xixi had lain on his chest, her ear pressed against him, calling his name affectionately over and over again. Despite his repeated urging, Gu Xixi had eventually left, looking back repeatedly, but the passionate night had left Cheng Jie’s legs weak, as if he were walking on cotton.

"Think of me, miss me, don’t forget me!"

This was the message Gu Xixi had sent to his pager this morning, and Cheng Jie felt a warm feeling in his heart. At this moment, what he most wanted to do was call this beloved girl and tell her he was about to leave.

Should I buy a mobile phone? This thought appeared but was quickly dismissed by Cheng Jie. Although he still had 90,000 yuan, which many people would consider a small fortune, he couldn’t easily spend it. He thought about coming back more often. Recalling the passionate night, holding her smooth and tender body, and caressing her flushed face, Cheng Jie was lost in the vision of a beautiful future.

While Cheng Jie was thinking about Gu Xixi, he suddenly caught a pleasant scent. He had found a seat by the window and was lost in his thoughts, not noticing the person sitting next to him.

Turning his head, he saw a long-haired woman with a cold expression. When Cheng Jie looked at her, she was also looking at him.

Under the woman’s gaze, Cheng Jie felt an inexplicable embarrassment. He secretly observed her, wondering why he felt inferior despite having no impure thoughts.

The girl seemed young, and Cheng Jie guessed she was about his age. Usually, those sent to support agriculture were men, so why was there a girl?

At this moment, conversations had started in the bus. After all, the participants were all government officials, and everyone knew that more friends meant more opportunities. Being assigned to the same city meant they would likely have future interactions.

Cheng Jie also wanted to build some connections, but the cold attitude of the woman next to him completely dampened his interest. Closing his eyes, Cheng Jie began to recall what he had done recently.

Before yesterday, he had visited Li Zhonghua’s office again to report on his agricultural support work. In fact, Li Zhonghua could have seen the details in the documents, but Cheng Jie’s visit was a matter of attitude.

Li Zhonghua might not care about him, but he had to care about Li Zhonghua.

It was clear that Li Zhonghua was pleased with his report and gave his speech another strong endorsement. Cheng Jie said, "I know Director Li is my backing, and I feel very confident." Li Zhonghua nodded happily and earnestly instructed him to work hard, promising to support him if he needed help from the Water Resources Department.

Besides Li Zhonghua, Cheng Jie also met with Feng Changhai, Xiao Hu, and others, and visited Tang Zhengshan’s home. He also took the time to have dinner with Wu Daguang, who insisted on paying the bill, but Cheng Jie had already paid in advance, making Wu Daguang pat his shoulder and shake his hand, saying, "Brother, you’re a real man."

Before leaving, two things made Cheng Jie happy. The first was the appointment of the new deputy director of the Water Resources Department, but it wasn’t Zhao Huazhong, as recorded in the diary, but another deputy director.

Although this deputy director’s relationship with Chen Bingshan was average, he had no grudges against Chen Bingshan, and thus no grudges against Cheng Jie, who was seen by many as Li Zhonghua’s political legacy.

Cheng Jie did a lot of private analysis on why Zhao Huazhong didn’t get the position. The current environment was the same as in the diary. Chen Bingshan left on the same day, and the provincial leaders hadn’t changed. Li Zhonghua was still Li Zhonghua.

The only difference from the diary was Cheng Jie himself. Thinking that he had an 80% chance of being the one who prevented Zhao Huazhong from advancing, Cheng Jie felt a sense of joy.

However, he wouldn’t show this joy openly. Although political struggles were common in the bureaucracy, they were never openly fought to the bitter end. Hurting others without benefiting oneself was the most foolish strategy. Moreover, Zhao Huazhong was still a deputy director, and Cheng Jie was not even a deputy section chief. The outcome of a direct confrontation was obvious.

After the results were announced, Zhao Huazhong appeared calm on the surface but privately threw a fit, scalding his favorite plant to death with boiling water. The secretary, to avoid letting others know, quietly bought a similar plant to replace it.

Compared to Zhao Huazhong’s stagnation, the other news was less significant. However, it was very meaningful to Cheng Jie: Zheng Yuanhong was appointed as the deputy director of the Finance Department, as she had wished.

Zheng Yuanhong was usually kind to him. But when Cheng Jie heard that her marriage was troubled, he kept his distance. Marriage was like that; after the initial warmth wore off, it was like a plant dried by time. No matter how gentle and kind a person of the opposite sex was, for Cheng Jie, who wanted to advance, they were a dangerous presence.

When the appointment document came down, Zheng Yuanhong was overjoyed. It wasn’t easy for her to get this position. In the bureaucracy, every position was filled. From the moment the position became vacant, countless people had been vying for it. Why did Li Zhonghua choose her?

Meritocracy? That was a joke! Who was virtuous and who wasn’t wasn’t written on their faces. Talent-based selection? That wasn’t realistic. The bureaucracy was full of elites, and a handful of talented people could be found with a simple reach. In such an environment, the best shortcut to stand out among many competitors was to have a trusted leader speak on your behalf.

What was even more remarkable was that Cheng Jie had spoken up for her without her knowing. This was quite rare.

Zheng Yuanhong specially came to see Cheng Jie, smiling and giving him a small gift. When Cheng Jie opened the package, he found a shopping card. He firmly refused, saying, "Sister Zheng, this is an insult. I’m not a leader, and you can’t treat me like a corrupt official!"

Flustered, Zheng Yuanhong blushed and said, "This is just a token of my appreciation. If you refuse, it will make me lose face."

Cheng Jie, with a seasoned demeanor, said, "Sister Zheng, if you say that, you’re desecrating our friendship. I’m going to support agriculture, but our sister-brother relationship won’t change, right? If I ever have difficulties, you, as my sister, will certainly help me."

Zheng Yuanhong nodded repeatedly, but the next day, she still bought Cheng Jie an expensive brand-name cashmere sweater to feel at ease.

This time, he must make a good impression during the agricultural support mission! According to the diary, some of the agricultural support cadres were promoted to deputy section chiefs. Although the chance was one in several hundred, Cheng Jie swore to strive for it!

If he could achieve this, perhaps it would change Zuo Xinlan’s view of him? What’s wrong with being from the countryside? People from the countryside are resilient and hardworking. I must carve out my own path!

"Oh..."

While Cheng Jie was thinking about how to make a good start, a groan of discomfort came from beside him. Instinctively, he turned to look at the seat next to him.

He saw the woman’s face was pale, and she was holding her mouth, bending over in discomfort. Cheng Jie quickly realized: the girl was carsick!

He quickly opened the window a crack, but before he could offer to switch seats, the girl had already rushed past him and was vomiting out the window.

Cheng Jie hesitated for a moment, then gently patted the girl’s back.

The cold wind blew into the bus, and the girl, after vomiting for a few minutes, collapsed weakly. Cheng Jie was puzzled; this girl clearly hadn’t experienced much hardship, so why was she here to support agriculture?

"Thank you," the girl said weakly as she sat down.

"It’s nothing. When you’re away from home, helping each other is only right."

"Would you like to sit inside? It might be better by the window." Cheng Jie hesitated for a moment and suggested softly.

The woman glanced at Cheng Jie and coldly replied, "Thank you."

After switching seats, the woman opened the window a crack and stared out. Seeing her return to her cold demeanor, Cheng Jie swallowed his questions.

But as he closed his eyes to rest, his mind was filled with thoughts about where this woman worked and why she was here to support agriculture. As he thought, he drifted into a semi-sleep.

Suddenly, the bus stopped, and someone announced, "We’ve arrived. Everyone, prepare to get off!"

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