Chapter 182: Mutual Understanding

Hearing this, Zhao De understood she wanted him to accompany her. He cupped her pointed chin in his hand, looked at her beautiful face, and said with a gentle, light laugh, "Sister Bai, let's make it this Saturday. I'll take you to the hospital on Saturday, okay? Now you don't have to be scared of going alone."

"Mm... then... then I'll be going out now," Bai Ling said softly, preparing to turn and leave. Zhao De stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and said with a chuckle, "Sister Bai, what's the rush? Sit for a while and warm up; it's so cold outside!"

With her wrist held by him, Bai Ling felt a sudden stir in her heart. She glanced at him shyly, pulled her arm back slightly, and declined, "No, you're about to start work, it will affect your job..."

Just as Zhao De was about to stroke her cold palm, he heard the locked door being turned from the outside. He quickly let go of her hand. He heard a few coughs from outside, and then Zhang Da's head appeared at the window, saying with a grin, "Little Zhao, what are you and Bai Ling chatting about in the office? Locking the door and everything—what kind of secrets are you sharing that you're afraid of being heard?"

Damn! Forgot to pull the curtains!

Zhao De responded calmly with a smile, "Director Zhang, here for work so early?" As he spoke, he walked over and opened the office door. "Director Zhang, come in and sit. It's so cold outside."

Zhang Da walked into the office. Zhao De pulled up a chair for him to sit respectfully and instructed Bai Ling, "Sister Bai, alright, there's nothing left for you to do. Just remember to sweep the courtyard on time this afternoon."

Bai Ling, in mutual understanding, lowered her head and walked quickly out of the Logistics Department without a word. Only after watching her walk away did Zhao De breathe a sigh of relief.

"What did that woman Bai Ling come to find you for again?" Zhang Da asked as he lit a cigarette.

Zhao De moved the electric heater closer to him, sat down, and said nonchalantly, "Nothing much, just wanting to ask for leave to go back and take care of her husband again! I told her that you, Director Zhang, had already shown leniency by letting her stay on, and if she keeps asking for leave like this, she'll be fired!"

Zhang Da glanced at him and chuckled, "Little Zhao, you're quite concerned about work. You've been in the Logistics Department for several months now, how do you feel about it?"

This bastard Zhang Da never comes to his office for no reason. It seems he's up to no good today. I'll have to see what kind of bad idea he's come up with to fix me! Zhao De thought to himself, then laughed, "Heh, it's not bad, it's quite character-building."

"Then how come I heard that Little Ma from the Safety and Quality Section has been transferred to the Municipal Government, and you want to go to the Safety and Quality Section to take his place?" Zhang Da tilted his head, looking at him, and blew a light ring of smoke. His face was shrouded in mist, looking malicious.

Seeing that he was here for this matter, Zhao De didn't beat around the bush and said directly with a smile, "Director Zhang, you are truly well-informed. I just had this intention, and you, as a leader, already knew about it... Heh..."

Zhang Da laughed, "Little Zhao, you're getting spoiled by favor now. It's an open secret in the bureau that Director Zhang is bent on promoting you. Who doesn't know that?"

"Leader, are you supporting me in this or not? If I go to the Safety and Quality Section, it can be considered as me moving out of the Logistics Department. When the time comes, I will certainly not forget your cultivation, Director Zhang."

Zhang Da glanced at him, flicked the ash, took a drag of his cigarette, and narrowed his eyes. His gaze was clouded with mist as he pondered, "If you say support, I support it. If you say don't support, I don't support it. Whether you can go to the Safety and Quality Section depends on whether the bureau leaders agree. I, Zhang Da, don't have that kind of heaven-reaching ability. At most, I can only give my opinion at the Party Group meeting."

Zhao De moved his chair closer to Zhang Da and said with a smile, "Director Zhang, what do you mean by that? Are you planning to agree or disagree with me going to the Safety and Quality Section at the Party Group meeting?"

Zhang Da glanced at him, rolled his eyes, and chuckled, "Little Zhao, actually, I've always wanted to keep you in the Logistics Department. Look, our Logistics Department is always short-handed. I really am not willing to let you go to the Safety and Quality Section. Not only am I not willing, but even the Vice Director in charge, Wang, isn't too willing to let you leave the Logistics Department. Think about it again, how about that?"

Fuck his mother! It was that bastard who secretly ordered him to come. Otherwise, this animal Zhang Da would have been wishing for him to leave the Logistics Department sooner, having long wanted to get rid of this thorn in his side.

Zhao De lowered his head and thought to himself, then looked up and smiled without speaking, also taking out a cigarette to light.

"Knock, knock, knock." Someone knocked on the office door.

Zhao De said, "Come in."

The door opened, and Zhang Zhang Zhang Zhang Zhang Xiaoyan stood at the entrance, saying, "Director Zhang, there's a meeting in the office building conference room. Please go over quickly."

"What meeting?" Zhang Da asked her.

"Party Committee leadership team meeting."

"Alright, got it." After saying this, Zhang Da gave Zhao De a strange smile, stood up, and said, "It should be a meeting specifically called by Director Zhang regarding your transfer to the Safety and Quality Section. Director Zhang really values you." After saying this, he gave a ghostly laugh, turned around, and followed Zhang Zhang Zhang Zhang Zhang Xiaoyan to the front office building.

Zhao De sent a message to Zhang Ai, asking if the meeting was to discuss his transfer to the Safety and Quality Section. Zhang Ai replied that it was, and that most leaders wouldn't object; it was just a procedure, so he shouldn't worry, there would be no problem.

Although he had Zhang Ai's word, thinking about that old guy Wang Wang Wang Wang Wang Anguo, if he were to object at the meeting and speak ill of him, as a Vice Director, it would still have some effect.

Therefore, Zhao De decided to burn his bridges to leave the Logistics Department. He dug out a racy photo of Wang Wang Wang Wang Wang Anguo and Zhang Zhang Zhang Zhang Zhang Xiaoyan from the encrypted album on his phone, added the text "Leader, you wouldn't object to me going to the Safety and Quality Section, would you?", and sent it to Wang Wang Wang Wang Wang Anguo as an MMS.

Zhao De's MMS was indeed extremely effective. In the office building conference room, when Wang Wang Wang Wang Wang Anguo's phone vibrated twice on the table, he was puzzled when he saw it was an MMS from Zhao De. He picked up the phone, received the MMS, and as soon as he saw the photo and the line of text on the screen, his eyes widened in panic. He hurriedly deleted the MMS, put the phone down, and felt very restless, his face even turning green. He had intended to use this Party Committee leadership meeting to give Zhao De a hard time in front of the bureau's Party Committee members, but the result was counterproductive. Having his handle grabbed by the kid, he really didn't have the guts to go against him.

At the bureau Party Group meeting, Zhang Ai stated the purpose of the meeting straight to the point and asked each Party Group member to take turns expressing their views.

Except for Wang Wang Wang Wang Wang Anguo and a few department-level cadres who were dissatisfied with this young man who had changed positions frequently in less than half a year, the other Party Group members valued Zhao De highly. These old guys had always appreciated young people who were smart, flexible, and good at reading the room. Moreover, at the New Year's party dinner, Vice Mayor Yu personally greeted Zhao De and invited him to sit at the same table. Knowing that Vice Mayor Yu valued Zhao De, they were very supportive of his transfer to the Safety and Quality Section to take Little Ma's vacant spot.

After receiving that MMS from Zhao De, Wang Wang Wang Wang Wang Anguo was afraid that casting a dissenting vote would lead to unnecessary trouble, so he could only go with the flow and agree to Zhao De's transfer to the Safety and Quality Section.

After sending that MMS, Zhao De sat in his office, smoking and waiting for the result, feeling perfectly at ease. He knew that old guy Wang Wang Wang Wang Wang Anguo wasn't stupid and definitely wouldn't go against him.

About an hour later, the Party Group meeting ended. Zhang Zhang Zhang Zhang Zhang Xiaoyan took the bureau's personnel transfer order and came to the Logistics Department to knock on Zhao De's office door.

"Come in," Zhao De said.