Chapter 29

The next day, Lu Zheng finally moved into his new office.

Inside, the desks, sofas, coffee tables, and even the rotary telephone were all brand new. On the desk, there was a photo of Lu Zheng in his police uniform. The potted plants and spider plants that Zhang Qingming liked were all removed, replaced by a large pot of Lu Zheng's favorite evergreen, with leaves so green they seemed to drip with moisture.

All traces of Zhang Qingming were completely erased, not a shred left behind.

Originally, the head of the bureau's office, Wang Yuguo, had suggested repainting and renovating, but Lu Zheng had stopped him from making such extensive changes.

Now, the person most uneasy in the bureau was not Gao Zhikai, but Wang Yuguo. No matter what, Gao Zhikai would continue to serve as deputy director, but the head of the bureau's office was bound to be replaced by someone loyal to the new director. Wang Yuguo had worked under Zhang Qingming for three years, and others would inevitably see him as one of Zhang Qingming's people.

So these past two days, Wang Yuguo had been particularly enthusiastic, trying hard to show the new director that he had severed ties with Zhang Qingming. In reality, Wang Yuguo and Zhang Qingming did not have a particularly deep connection. Zhang Qingming was ambitious and cared about his reputation, never hinting to Wang Yuguo to do anything underhanded. As a result, although Wang Yuguo was the head of the bureau's office, he always felt he could not enter Zhang Qingming's inner circle.

But Wang Yuguo knew that although he was not a close confidant of Zhang Qingming, others would not see it that way and might gossip about him behind his back.

Wang Yuguo was not yet at the age limit; he was just over forty and still had room for advancement. Originally, if Director Zhang had not left, he would have had a good chance of being promoted in a couple of years. But who knew it would end up like this. If the new director did not favor him, he would have to wait several more years, and by then, he would be close to the age limit, with little chance of further promotion. His life would be set.

Therefore, Wang Yuguo treated Lu Zheng with extra caution, even more so than he had treated Zhang Qingming.

Speaking of which, Lu Zheng's success in solving the May 16th case also owed something to the search warrant he had issued to Hou Jianjun. Of course, if Wang Yuguo thought that way, he would have no future.

Before Lu Zheng had even settled into his new office, Wang Yuguo pushed open the door with a stack of documents, smiling and cautiously asked, "Director, the keys to the family housing complex will be available by the end of the month. Do you want the office to handle the housing allocation?"

Originally, the housing allocation was on the agenda, but it was delayed due to Zhang Qingming's incident.

About half a month ago, the county bureau's housing allocation working group had only worked for two days when the group leader, Zhang Qingming, was suspended, and the housing allocation was put on hold. Neither Lu Zheng nor Ma Yuewu, who were in charge of the bureau's work, would touch such a sensitive issue that affected everyone in the bureau before the new director was officially appointed.

According to the rules set before Zhang Qingming's departure, the housing allocation working group had an office to handle the specific allocation process, which was managed by the bureau's office. In reality, who got a house and who did not was ultimately decided by the director, and the office just played a buffer role, taking the blame for the leadership. After all, from accepting applications to evaluating and reviewing them, and conducting interviews, all these tasks were handled by the bureau's office. If someone did not get a house, who else would they blame?

Of course, as the head of the bureau's office, Wang Yuguo would also have a few机动 houses to allocate as favors.

Now that the head of the housing allocation working group had changed, Wang Yuguo was unsure if Director Lu still wanted him to handle the allocation, so he came to feel out the situation. If Director Lu intended to replace him, he would resign voluntarily to avoid embarrassment.

Lu Zheng took the stack of documents, which were thick housing application forms, but the evaluation forms for each applicant were blank. Lu Zheng frowned slightly and said, "If these forms remain blank, I think it's time to replace the people in the bureau's office!"

Although Lu Zheng frowned, Wang Yuguo was secretly pleased. If Director Lu spoke to him politely, it would be a bad sign.

He quickly said, "So, the bureau's office will start the housing evaluation process? Conduct visits and investigations for the applicants?"

Lu Zheng nodded slightly, "I attended the meeting to determine the housing allocation policy. We will follow the original policy. Your work should be efficient and meticulous. I will add one more rule: those who falsify information will not be considered for priority in the next allocation."

The housing allocation policy, regardless of the unit, always looked official, but it was all about how it was implemented.

For this county bureau's housing allocation, the main plan was: first, one house per household, meaning those who received a new house would have to return their old house in the old family compound; second, priority for dual-employee families, with a hard quota for families with less than ten square meters of living space per person; third, favoring older colleagues and cadres, prioritizing their living conditions and balancing the allocation for those who joined the bureau at different times, essentially a seniority-based system.

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and called out to Wang Yuguo, "This time, don't include me in the housing allocation." Although he had not filled out an application form, he knew that if he did not mention it, he would surely get a three-bedroom apartment.

Back in his office, Wang Yuguo was still pondering what Director Lu meant. Logically, as the head of the bureau, who had no assigned housing, he should be given priority according to any policy, and no one would object. Although the new director was young and single, which was rare, it should not be a barrier to his receiving housing.

Could it be that Director Lu really did not want a house? Or was he just putting on a show?

Wang Yuguo shook his head. No matter what, he had to reserve a house for Director Lu. Even if Lu did not want it, he would find a way to put it in his name, both to win favor and to ensure the director's benefit. This was his primary responsibility as the head of the bureau's office in this housing allocation task.

Wang Yuguo then began to review the applicants' files. Having been the head of the bureau's office for three years, he knew everyone in the bureau well. He could roughly gauge their housing situations without visiting each household.

Except for some young officers who did not apply because they thought they had no chance, almost all the bureau's staff had filled out application forms, even those who already had spacious housing, hoping to move into the new buildings.

Wang Yuguo opened a drawer and looked at the notes from some county leaders and bureau committee heads. Some had already spoken to Zhang Qingming, while others were trying to go through him, but now everything had to start over. Regardless of what Zhang Qingming had promised, it needed Director Lu's approval.

The office door was gently knocked, and Wang Yuguo was startled, quickly closing the drawer. A fragrant breeze arose as Wei Xiangxiu walked in with a click of her heels.

"Director, are you studying the housing allocation?" Wei Xiangxiu was dressed in a smart olive-green police uniform skirt, her delicate face framed by a red velvet badge on her collar, giving her a look reminiscent of a beautiful military officer from the Republican era, a mix of sternness and soft allure. But what was most eye-catching were her super-sized, highly lethal assets.

Sometimes, Wang Yuguo was tempted by this busty policewoman, but now was a critical period for him to impress Director Lu, so he had no time for flirtatious banter. He asked sternly, "Is there something you need?" With Director Zhang gone, she was now one of his subordinates, and he did not need to be overly polite.

"Wow, a leader's mood can change like the weather in June," Wei Xiangxiu said sarcastically.

Wang Yuguo frowned, "If you have no business to report, go back to work. As for your housing issue, the bureau will consider it, don't pry!"

There were rumors about the relationship between Zhang Qingming and Wei Xiangxiu, but Wang Yuguo knew they had no substantial relationship.

Zhang Qingming did have feelings for Wei Xiangxiu, but she was the type who did not act without a clear benefit. Sometimes she might tease Zhang Qingming, but she never let him take advantage of her. Recently, there were some signs that Zhang Qingming had promised her a house. If Zhang Qingming had not left, Wei Xiangxiu might have eventually been taken in by that old pig.

Wang Yuguo was also aware of Wei Xiangxiu's family difficulties. She had graduated from the police academy and was assigned to the north. Two years ago, she married a driver from a local food company in Guangning, but shortly after their wedding, her husband was in a car accident and lost a leg. To make matters worse, because he was driving under the influence, his company did not recognize it as a work injury, only paying for necessary medical expenses and refusing to grant him sick leave or retirement. It was rumored that he was not even getting his full reduced salary.

Wei Xiangxiu had been trying to find her husband a suitable job to prevent him from drinking and giving up on himself. This matter naturally led her to seek help from Zhang Qingming.

Additionally, Wei Xiangxiu had to support her entire family. She had brought her two younger brothers to Guangning, and in her hometown in the south, she had a younger sister in school. Her brothers and sister were in junior high and elementary school, and Wei Xiangxiu had to support them through high school, vocational school, and university. Thinking about it made him feel for her.

In fact, Wei Xiangxiu's brothers and sister were much younger than her. Wang Yuguo guessed that she had started working at a young age and had likely changed her age when she joined the police academy through the militia reserve in her hometown. Her actual age was probably around twenty-two or twenty-three, or even younger.

However, although her family was indeed in great difficulty, she would not get a housing allocation this time. The new leadership had a new style, and what Zhang Qingming had promised had to be sought from Zhang Qingming. Why had she been so close to Zhang Qingming in the past? Moreover, her difficulties could not be solved by housing allocation. In terms of housing, her two brothers should not be counted in the per capita area, otherwise, everyone in the bureau would bring their relatives to live, making the allocation process impossible.

Since she was not getting a house, Wang Yuguo naturally put on a cold and distant attitude.

Wei Xiangxiu clicked her tongue, "Director, you really have a big attitude!" She turned and left Wang Yuguo's office, closing the door behind her. Seeing no one in the corridor, the disdainful look on her face gradually faded, and her eyes became a bit red...

She took a few deep breaths, wiped her eyes, and looked at the next door.

Next to Wang Yuguo's office was the director's office.

Wei Xiangxiu hesitated for a moment, then walked over and gently knocked on Lu Zheng's office door.