Chapter 8

At night, Wang Haiquan woke up, and after waking up, he seemed like a different person. Once, he was a man who stood tall and fearless. However, after this incident, Zhang Panshi clearly felt that her husband's eyes were filled with fear, and a kind of panic and unease.

Over the past month, Wang Haiquan had truly learned a harsh lesson. Every day and night, he lived in constant fear. He could hear, smell, and feel everything, but he could not wake up.

Every time it was noon or midnight, he knew he would uncontrollably sit up and babble. He did not want to say such nonsense, but he could not control it, which made his hair stand on end and his scalp tingle with fear, yet he was helpless. That kind of despair was not something ordinary people could understand.

"Panxi, who is that young man?"

Wang Haiquan sat on the hospital bed, his tone somewhat dejected.

Zhang Panshi, who was peeling an apple, paused and said, "You know?"

"I know everything. He told me to find myself."

A look of shock flashed across Zhang Panshi's eyes. She was reluctant to say more, but seeing that her husband seemed like a different person, she said solemnly, "Zushe Dao, Zhang Jue."

"Zushe Dao? Zhang Jue?"

Wang Haiquan murmured, tears welling up in his eyes. "No, I must go and thank him in person."

Zhang Panshi held him back, "Nonsense, it's the middle of the night. If you go, you'll be disturbing his sleep. You haven't eaten for a month; take care of your health first."

Wang Haiquan thought for a moment and nodded, leaning back on the bed. He sighed deeply, "Mr. Zhang not only saved my life but also gave me a new one. Panshi, I won't hide it from you. Over the past month, I felt like an observer of myself. It wasn't just helplessness; it was despair. A despair where I couldn't see any light. If it weren't for that young man, I wouldn't even have the chance to die peacefully."

Hearing this, Zhang Panshi's tears flowed uncontrollably.

Wang Haiquan continued, speaking as if telling a story, "It was like your soul was suddenly sealed in a small box, and you turned into a puppet. You could see yourself, but you were already controlled by someone else. You were no longer yourself."

"To be honest, I hoped every day that the medical equipment would short-circuit and electrocute me to death, so I could be free. But it never happened."

Zhang Panshi's tears streamed down her face, feeling heartache for her husband's ordeal. She scolded him, "Don't talk about death. Now that you're alive, you're not allowed to say such things. It's all over."

After saying this, Zhang Panshi asked, "Can you tell me what really happened? Why did you faint during the meeting? And then suddenly become like this?"

At these words, Wang Haiquan's face changed drastically, becoming particularly grim, not out of anger but out of the grimness that comes from great fear.

Taking a deep breath, Wang Haiquan calmed down, his eyes still filled with fear. He said weakly, "Don't mention this again."

Zhang Panshi was anxious, "Why is that?"

Wang Haiquan hesitated for a long time, then murmured in a voice only he could hear, "I always believed the world was peaceful and scientific... until I finally provoked someone I couldn't afford to. I seemed to have discovered just a corner of this world. Ha, it's far more complex than the surface we see."

Zhang Panshi couldn't hear him clearly, "What did you say? What corner of the world?"

Wang Haiquan shook his head, dispelling those thoughts, and smiled, "Panshi, my only request now is to keep Mr. Zhang Jue around."

"Sure, I'll do that without you asking."

Wang Haiquan nodded, not saying anything more, but he was embarrassed to admit that he felt safe only when he was in the same city as that young man...

The next day, at the International Trade Hotel.

Knock, knock, knock.

Secretary Li, carrying a briefcase, knocked on Zhang Jue's door with a serious expression. Hotel Manager Wang Liping stood beside him. Last night, Wang Liping had learned from Li Ding about Zhang Jue's identity and realized he had made a big mistake, mistaking Zhang Jue for a leader.

He complained in his heart about Secretary Li not giving him a clear explanation and resented Zhang Jue for putting on airs. "He's just a geomancer, yet he outshone the leaders. I spent the whole day flattering him yesterday. And because of my mistake, I treated him with the highest respect. If the boss finds out, I'll be in big trouble."

After a moment, Zhang Jue, who had already washed up and dressed neatly, opened the door. He was wearing a black trench coat as usual. "Good morning, Secretary Li. Good morning, Manager Wang."

"Good morning, Mr. Zhang," Secretary Li said.

"Don't be so formal. You're older and more experienced than me. Calling me 'Little Zhang' is already a favor. How can I call you 'Mr. Zhang'?" Zhang Jue smiled and invited Secretary Li in.

Secretary Li was genuinely puzzled. In his impression, people like Zhang Jue were usually aloof and looked down on everything. He had never heard such a high-ranking person speak so politely. He seemed more like a bureaucrat than a high-ranking person. But no matter what, these words made him feel extremely comfortable. It was a matter of giving him face.

What Secretary Li didn't know was that the Zushe Dao was not a proper Daoist sect. Their early education was not the Four Books and Five Classics but the "Ghosts and Demons." The Zushe Dao always trained their disciples to be future rulers, and rulers needed not only means but also intelligence and the ability to interact with various people.

Therefore, almost every disciple of the Zushe Dao was a competent politician, and Zhang Jue was the best among them.

Secretary Li quickly said, "You're too modest. Although I'm a few years older, I don't dare to call myself senior. I'll still call you Mr. Zhang."

Wang Liping rolled his eyes, thinking Secretary Li must be crazy to show such respect to a fraud. In a moment, Zhang Jue's status had dropped from a leader to a fraud.

Zhang Jue smiled and didn't argue with Secretary Li. He glanced at Wang Liping, who had a dark face, and said, "Manager Wang, please come in."

"Sure."

Wang Liping nodded indifferently and walked in, hands behind his back. One couldn't help but marvel at how quickly he changed his attitude. Yesterday, he had flattered Zhang Jue nonstop, thinking he was a leader. Today, knowing Zhang Jue's real identity, he became cold and distant.

Zhang Jue didn't mind, secretly amused that he had the sense to not really guide Wang Liping's work yesterday. Otherwise, he would have offended a small person.

Seeing Wang Liping's expression, Secretary Li was terrified. "You fool, how could you really take Zhang Jue for a geomancer? Is he just any geomancer? Although Zhang Jue isn't a leader, in our boss's eyes, his word is more powerful than a leader's."

"Your behavior today will be remembered. If the boss decides to make things difficult for you, it will be easy, and I'll be implicated too."

He wanted to warn Wang Liping but couldn't say it openly with Zhang Jue present. He could only give him meaningful looks, but Wang Liping ignored them.

Zhang Jue saw this and smiled, getting straight to the point, "Secretary Li, what brings you here today?"

"Mr. Zhang, you have a keen eye."

Secretary Li praised him but didn't want to dwell on Wang Liping's behavior. He quickly took out a few contract papers from the briefcase and said solemnly, "Under the Feilong Group, in Jiangbei City's Jiangtai District, there is a private high school, a kind of elite school called Zhixing High School."

Zhang Jue smiled, "Zhixing High School? A good name, derived from Wang Yangming's concept of 'unity of knowledge and action.' Nice. But what does it have to do with me?"

Wang Liping interjected with a heavy dose of sarcasm, "Of course it has something to do with you. Secretary Li has already said it. Our boss must want you to check the feng shui or something. It's right up your alley."

Secretary Li's face changed drastically, almost shouting, "Rude!" But he carefully looked at Zhang Jue's calm face and pretended not to hear Wang Liping's sarcasm. He quickly changed the subject, "Mr. Zhang, you are truly talented. You immediately recognized the origin of the school's name. Ha, I think this job is perfect for you." As he spoke, a look of intense admiration appeared in his eyes.

Zhang Jue looked at Secretary Li in confusion, opened the briefcase, and saw the Education Bureau's seal, which was strikingly red. Then he read: "After discussion by the Education Bureau, Mr. Zhang Jue is appointed as the vice-principal of Zhixing High School in Jiangbei City, to take office immediately..."

The second document was from the Feilong Group: "After discussion by the Feilong Group's Human Resources Department, Mr. Zhang Jue is appointed as the vice-principal of Zhixing High School..."

Zhang Jue's eyes widened in disbelief. "An appointment letter? Vice-principal?"

Secretary Li smiled but said nothing. Wang Liping, however, was pale with fear and exclaimed, "Impossible!"

A vice-principal of a high school in a prefecture-level city was a deputy department-level position. Although it was different from a deputy department-level position in an administrative unit, it was still a significant leadership role.

Although Zhang Jue was surprised by this arrangement, he quickly understood. Since Wang Haiquan and his wife knew his identity and could make such an arrangement, it must have a purpose. He had no clear plan, and since Wang Haiquan wanted him to stay, he had no reason to refuse.

Being a vice-principal of a high school, though unrelated to his expertise, he understood that he wasn't really going there to do the job.

Secretary Li knew more. Zhixing High School was one of the most important units under the Feilong Group. It had little commercial significance but great political significance. Zhang Jue's appointment to the school was not about his performance but about giving him a prestigious position and legitimizing his "wild" identity.

This was why Wang Liping was pale with fear. He realized that the boss was legitimizing Zhang Jue. Being sent to such an important unit meant that in the boss's eyes, Zhang Jue's status was on par with his own son.

Wang Liping regretted his actions and decided to flatter Zhang Jue again.

He said with a forced smile, "Oh, Mr. Zhang, you are truly talented. I've always known you were extraordinary. Now you've been appointed as vice-principal, congratulations. To celebrate your new role, I'll set up a banquet and personally toast you with a bottle of wine."

Zhang Jue smiled, waved his hand, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and continued reading the documents.

Wang Liping swallowed, sat back awkwardly, and looked terrible, regretting his words.

Secretary Li gave another meaningful look, and Wang Liping understood: "Your small-minded behavior has gotten you into trouble. Now you know."

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