Chapter 84

Wei Xiangxiu persuaded her in-laws to rest in the inner room, while He Daxing stood to one side, at a loss as to what to do. Lu Zheng ignored him and called out to the inner room, "Xiao Wei, I'm leaving!" He turned to go out, but as he took two steps and opened the door, a hard object fell from above, landing with a "smack" on Lu Zheng's arm, then slid off and shattered on the ground.

Lu Zheng felt a tingling in his arm and saw a thin line of blood slowly seep out from his forearm, which was exposed as he had rolled up his sleeve. The blood dripped faster and faster. Lu Zheng quickly covered it with his hand and shouted, "Xiao Wei, get me a towel." He inwardly sighed, thinking how unlucky he was.

The object that had fallen was a piece of broken glass, which had just grazed Lu Zheng's exposed arm before shattering on the ground.

This residential building was an old-style one, with glass windows in the door frames. The glass in the door frame of Wei Xiangxiu's home was already cracked and held together with tape. It seems that when Zhang Feng and Huang Zixuan had entered and exited, slamming the door had made it precarious, and it ended up hitting Lu Zheng.

Outside, there was a loud noise, and Wei Xiangxiu ran out. Seeing Lu Zheng holding his arm, with blood dripping, she turned pale with fright. Hearing that he needed a towel, she ran to the bathroom to get one and handed it to Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng took it and tightly bound it around his arm. Wei Xiangxiu tried to help tie the knot, but Lu Zheng was very quick, using his teeth to tear the towel in half and then tying the knot with one hand.

Lu Zheng turned and, seeing Wei Xiangxiu looking at him, smiled and said, "I'm fine, I'm leaving. You clean up the mess inside."

The floor was a mess, with broken wine bottles, glass shards, bloodstains, and wine stains everywhere.

Wei Xiangxiu hesitated for a moment and then said, "No, can you drive like this? I'll take you to the hospital!" She turned to He Daxing and said, "Lao Wu, you clean up the house. I'll take Lu Chief to the hospital."

He Daxing nodded dumbly. He was still in shock, thinking about how the lofty Zhang Chief had been beaten like a dog and crawled out. Who were these two friends of his sister-in-law? They were too arrogant, acting as if there were no laws.

...

Although Lu Zheng insisted he didn't need to, Wei Xiangxiu still took him to the hospital, where he got a few stitches and some antiseptic and anti-inflammatory drugs. Wei Xiangxiu then drove Lu Zheng back to Guo Dali.

Wei Xiangxiu had learned to drive at the police academy and practiced with the bureau's cars every year, so she drove steadily.

She accompanied Lu Zheng up to his apartment and made him sit on the sofa. Wei Xiangxiu went to boil water and called out from the kitchen, "Tea or coffee?"

Lu Zheng sighed, "A cold watermelon juice would be nice."

"Fat chance, where am I going to find ice?" Wei Xiangxiu retorted.

Lu Zheng coughed and said, "Tomorrow, let's buy a refrigerator at the department store at noon."

"You're amazing!" Wei Xiangxiu smiled and brought a cup of coffee from the kitchen, placing it on the coffee table. "I'm leaving, you rest well."

Lu Zheng nodded, and Wei Xiangxiu frowned slightly, saying, "What's wrong with your forehead?"

Lu Zheng touched it and said, "What?" He then felt a slight sting.

"Let me see." Wei Xiangxiu came closer and held Lu Zheng's head, examining it carefully. It was just a bit bruised, probably from an unknown bump.

"It's nothing, I'll put some medicine on it." Wei Xiangxiu picked up the medicine from the table, which she had just gotten from the hospital, and found some iodine and cotton.

"It will look bad at work, all red and purple." Lu Zheng waved his hand and pushed Wei Xiangxiu's hand away.

"Don't move, it will be fine by tomorrow morning. Just wash it." Wei Xiangxiu held Lu Zheng's head and forcibly applied the iodine to his forehead.

Lu Zheng could easily have pulled away, but with Wei Xiangxiu holding his head, he saw the high peaks under her green police uniform, the fresh scent, and the visible elasticity. He didn't want to struggle, as it might make it seem like he was taking advantage.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Wei Xiangxiu asked, concerned, after applying the medicine.

"No." Lu Zheng waved his hand and said, "It's late, you should go home." He paused and asked, "Do you have to take care of your in-laws after work? I heard you didn't go for a training opportunity in the provincial capital?"

Wei Xiangxiu nodded lightly and said, "I'm leaving." She turned and left gracefully.

...

The cicadas chirped incessantly outside, and the summer heat was stifling, making people irritable.

In the office, Pei Aihong had just had a big argument with Cheng Kai and was still breathing heavily.

It had been over half a month since Huang Zixuan beat up Zhang Chief. Lu Zheng had attended a few more days of classes at the Party School and successfully completed the training program, even receiving a certificate.

Zhang Feng later called to invite Lu Zheng for dinner, but Lu Zheng excused himself, saying he was busy. It seemed that Huang Sier was right; that night, Huang Sier had personally accompanied Zhang Feng to the hospital, which had terrified Zhang Feng. Although the beating was confusing, Zhang Feng must have understood the cause and would not dare to harass Wei Xiangxiu again.

The office phone rang, and Pei Aihong answered, casually telling Lu Zheng, "Lu Zheng, Old Huang wants to see you."

Pei Aihong had a good impression of Lu Zheng, finding him low-key, sensible, and hardworking, and impressed by how well he had won over Old Huang.

Pei Aihong couldn't imagine what Lu Zheng was like outside the office, stripped of his official identity.

When Lu Zheng knocked and entered Old Huang's room, Old Huang had just hung up the phone and smiled, gesturing for Lu Zheng to sit.

"Xiao Lu, you've been here at the Gu Commission for quite some time. What do you think? Any thoughts?" Old Huang asked with a smile.

Lu Zheng was taken aback, thought for a moment, and said, "It's hard to say. I'm still learning. There's a lot to learn."

Old Huang smiled and nodded, "You, they say you're stubborn. I say you're slick. Be honest! Is it boring here at the Gu Commission?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said honestly, "It is, but I can learn a lot."

"What are you learning? Learning to be as cautious as us old folks?" Old Huang glared at Lu Zheng and said, "Don't lose your youthful vigor!"

Lu Zheng didn't know what to say, just smiled and remained silent.

Old Huang said, "Here's the thing. Lately, you've been running around with me on educational matters, and I'm not entirely satisfied with the results. But the director of the Education Commission, Wang, and the city's education official, Old Du, both appreciate you and have been pestering me to let you go. What do you think? Should I let you go or not?" He smiled and looked Lu Zheng up and down.

Lu Zheng coughed and said, "I still want to learn more from Old Huang."

Old Huang laughed and waved his hand, "Alright, go. Get prepared. Education is a noble cause, and it's not an easy job!"

Lu Zheng pondered Old Huang's words and had just returned to the office when the phone rang again.

Lu Zheng answered, and a man's voice came through the receiver, "Zengzi, congratulations."

The voice belonged to Zeng Jiang, the director of the city's organization department, who was the first official Lu Zheng had met when he reported to the city. They had since become good friends.

"Congratulations for what?" Lu Zheng already had a hunch.

"You, you're so tight-lipped. How could you not know?" Zeng Jiang chuckled, "At the standing committee meeting just now, it was decided that you will be transferred to the Education Commission as deputy director. Congratulations, congratulations. The leadership just gave the order, and we need to prepare your evaluation materials."

The appointment of officials follows a certain procedure. Before the organization department nominates someone, they need to evaluate the official, with a clear process. However, in cases of sudden promotions by leadership, the process is simplified, and sometimes, no evaluation is needed, just a quick form to be filed.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Let's not talk about this. How about dinner tonight?"

Zeng Jiang readily agreed, clearly impressed by the young official who had been demoted but was now back on the rise. In just three months, he had been transferred from the Gu Commission to a deputy director position, which, though not in a powerful department, was still a significant promotion.

Moreover, in the government, commissions are not necessarily powerful, but they often receive more policy support.

For example, the city's Education Commission, which was recently renamed from the Education Bureau, reflects the national emphasis on education. The head of the National Education Commission is a member of the Politburo, showing the importance of education and the policy support it receives.

Zeng Jiang might have thought of an old saying, "It's better to bully an old man with a white beard than a poor young man." Indeed, the fate of young people can change dramatically, and their future is unpredictable.

Lu Zheng hung up the phone and had just returned to his desk when the phone rang again. Pei Aihong answered and tapped the table, "Lu Zheng, phone call." If it were anyone else, she would have been annoyed by the constant calls, but she treated Lu Zheng differently.

Lu Zheng walked over and answered. This time, it was Liu Baojun.

"Zengzi, you're really something. Old Zhang and Old Cheng both spoke up for you, and now, Old Huang even called Director Yugong. You, you're really something, really something..."

On the phone, Liu Baojun sincerely praised him. It was indeed difficult to smooth things over with these different old officials, let alone get them to speak up for him.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Baojun, let's talk tonight."

Liu Baojun laughed, "Got it, you're busy." He hung up.

"Lu Zheng, do you have some good news?" Pei Aihong, like most women, loved to eavesdrop. Every time the office phone rang, she would lean in to listen, so she often knew what was going on. This was her way of surviving in the office.

This time, she vaguely heard that Lu Zheng had some good news.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Not sure yet. If I do have good news, I'll definitely tell you, Director Pei, first."

Pei Aihong giggled and waved her hand, returning to her work.