Chapter 63

Chapter 19: Director Gong's Summoning

In recent years, Bai Lin's life had been quite smooth sailing. Although his sister Bai Ping was still far away in the northwest, they now met every year, and he knew that her life was thriving, with her standard of living not much different from that in the capital. In fact, Bai Ping even sent some money to her brother and sister-in-law every year, which put Bai Lin's mind at ease.

The only regret was that his young nephew, Fang Mingyuan, ultimately refused his and Xu Xiang's proposal and did not come to the capital to attend school. Over the years, he had also heard from Su Aijun that Old Man Su had once promised to send him to Jingshan School, which made him feel even more regretful. As a native of the capital, he naturally understood the status of Jingshan School in the city's educational system. However, Su Aijun also said that Old Man Su was not angry about it and had promised that this offer would remain valid until Fang Mingyuan went to university. This reassured Bai Lin.

Bai Lin was very impressed with his young nephew. It was because of him that the Bai family and the Su family had become acquainted. During holidays, Bai Lin would visit and bring gifts. If Su Aijun or Fang Mingyuan were in the capital, they could sit and chat for a while at the Su family's home, and the Su family would also return some gifts. Although it seemed a bit distant when Fang Mingyuan was not around, Bai Lin was already quite content. After all, this was the home of a powerful deputy minister of the Ministry of Railways, who was expected to become the minister next year, a full ministerial-level official in charge of a department crucial to the lives of millions of Chinese people. As a small employee of a state-owned enterprise, being able to step into their home and occasionally chat with Su Huandong was already a great satisfaction for him. Bai Lin was very clear that this relationship, while it might not guarantee his rapid promotion in the China Book Import and Export Corporation, could at least ensure that he was not bullied. With a word from Old Man Su, even the company's president would have to think twice.

Moreover, his young nephew had started drawing manga and had caught the attention of two Japanese manga publishers, who had already sent people to Fengyuan to discuss copyright issues. For a child who was only eleven or twelve years old, achieving this was simply unimaginable. As an employee of the China Book Import and Export Corporation, Bai Lin had some understanding of Japan's manga industry. Even third-rate manga artists in Japan earned more in a month than a Chinese person could earn in several years. If Mingyuan could really reach an agreement with the Japanese manga publishers, his sister's family would surely have an even better life.

Thinking about this, Bai Lin began to consider how he could persuade his sister's family to move to the capital. After all, the capital was a big city, and the conditions were much better than in Hai Zhuang Town. His sister and brother-in-law were still young, and finding jobs in the capital should not be too difficult. Even if they couldn't find jobs immediately, Mingyuan's income would be enough to support their family of three in the capital.

"Ah..." Thinking about this, Bai Lin couldn't help but sigh. He originally thought that his own two children were quite good, but compared to Mingyuan, the gap was so large that he, as a father, was embarrassed to mention it. How did his sister and brother-in-law manage to educate that child so differently? At such a young age, he even knew how to hide his talents.

He looked at his watch; it was almost 4:20 PM. It was Monday, and his wife was working the late shift, so she wouldn't be back until late at night. He had to hurry home to cook for the children. Although his eldest son was also skilled in the kitchen, he had just started working and was so exhausted when he got home that he didn't want to move from the bed.

"Old Bai, Director Gong from the后勤部 (Logistics Department) wants you to go over there right away," a colleague suddenly called out.

"Director Gong from the Logistics Department?" Bai Lin was slightly taken aback. What did he want with him? But soon, a smile spread across his face. Could it be that his housing application had been approved? Recently, the company had a batch of new houses to be allocated to employees, and as an old employee, Bai Lin had the right to apply. Although the old house in Liulisi, Dongcheng District, was in a bustling area and the neighbors were all close, the house was too small and lacked a toilet, making it inconvenient. With his two children now older, living there had become increasingly inconvenient. So, even though the new house was far beyond the Second Ring Road, Bai Lin still submitted his application.

Thinking about this, Bai Lin immediately sped up his work and quickly headed to the Logistics Department. It was almost time to leave, and it wouldn't be appropriate to keep Director Gong waiting, especially if it delayed his departure.

"Ah... What a mess!" Director Gong sat by the window, cursing to himself. He had just received a call from a vice president, who had given him a task: to discuss with Bai Lin and see if he could get someone to sign a contract with Japan's "Weekly Shonen." If Bai Lin could do this, he would be given a better house. If he couldn't, he wouldn't get a house this time!

Although the housing allocation list was not yet known to the employees, all the department-level cadres and above were already aware. After all the effort to arrange this, a single word from the vice president had thrown everything into disarray. Bai Lin's situation fully met the company's housing allocation criteria, and he was supposed to get a two-bedroom apartment near the Third Ring Road, which was quite good among the available options. If he wanted a better one, it would either have to be closer to the city center or a three-bedroom apartment, both of which were not easy to arrange. But he had no choice. How could he hide anything in the company? If he didn't adjust the allocation, and Bai Lin found out the truth later, wouldn't he just be creating an enemy in the company? Even the vice president would be dissatisfied. Sigh, this was the power of a higher rank. With a few words, he had to run around like crazy!

He actually hoped that Bai Lin couldn't meet the vice president's requirements. That would be easier, and Bai Lin wouldn't blame him. After all, the vice president had given the order, and what could a small department director do? And an empty house could be used to curry favor with the leadership. No one would complain about having too many houses. Thinking about this, Director Gong chuckled.

At that moment, there were three knocks on the door.

Director Gong immediately sat up straight and said sternly, "Come in!"

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