Chapter 652: Division Chief Bi and Brother Bi

Zhu Hua Yu made me leave the house right on time.

First, I went to Lao Bi's office, waiting at his door for his tardy arrival.

This time I didn't come empty-handed; I brought a few cartons of high-quality cigarettes in a bag by my feet. Seeing Lao Bi open the door, I slipped inside like a loach.

Lao Bi was startled by my sudden appearance. He stared at me for a long time with eyes like a dog's testicles, the smile on his face freezing until he looked like a corpse that had been struck on a laughing pressure point.

Before he could speak, I fished a pack of cigarettes from my pocket and said with a face full of smiles, "Brother Lao Bi, this is a small token of respect for you."

The smile on Lao Bi's face came back to life, but he immediately put on a stern expression and roared in a low voice, "Little Chen, what kind of trick are you playing?"

I said with a grin, "I came to visit Brother Bi. I didn't have anything good to bring, but I remembered you smoke, and since we're cut from the same cloth, I just picked up a few cartons for us to try together."

Lao Bi looked nervously out the door. I knew he was feeling guilty, so I comforted him, "It's fine. I just came over to find you, and I didn't see a single office open."

"Those sons of bitches!" Lao Bi cursed. He gestured for me to sit while he busied himself looking for a teapot to boil water for tea.

I stopped him, saying, "Division Chief Bi, don't go to the trouble. It's early in the morning, and my stomach isn't ready for tea, so let's skip it."

Lao Bi rubbed his hands together and looked at me, full of apology, "No tea? I don't have anything else here to offer you."

I waved my hand, "We're brothers, not outsiders; no need for formalities. I'm just sitting for a moment and will be off soon."

Lao Bi laughed, "What kind of scheme are you cooking up in that head of yours? Do you think I, Lao Bi, am just eating for free? Can't I even tell that much? Speak up, what do you need me to do?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!" I said, bowing respectfully with cupped hands, shouting, "Even if it were a matter of heaven-shaking importance, I wouldn't dare trouble Division Chief Bi to take action!"

Lao Bi's expression turned cold, "What? Playing games with me? If you're going to play games, take this stuff and get out!"

He pointed at the bag of cigarettes on the floor and said disdainfully, "If you treat me like a brother, I'll treat you like a brother. Since we're brothers, just say what you have to say directly. Don't beat around the bush; it's exhausting."

I chuckled and pulled the project report approved by Elder Xu Da from my briefcase, along with the long news report on Vice Provincial Governor Lin's inspection of the Hengyue City Industrial Park, and presented them to Lao Bi with both hands.

Lao Bi took them with one hand. As soon as he caught sight of Elder Xu's approval on the report, his brow furrowed. He examined the report from left to right for a long time, then asked me suspiciously, "Where did this come from?"

I answered him respectfully, "A friend helped out."

"You're something else!" Lao Bi glanced at me and sighed, "Minister Xu has never written such an approval for anyone in his life. If I didn't recognize his handwriting, I'd really suspect you were trying to fool me with a fake."

I said earnestly, "Division Chief Bi, I don't have the guts for that! Forging a leader's signature is a crime. Who do you think I am? I wouldn't dare try to fool our Division Chief Bi."

Lao Bi smiled conceitedly, "You brat, I suppose you wouldn't dare."

After he finished reviewing Elder Xu's approval, he picked up the *Hengyue Daily* and asked me in surprise, "You're bringing me a newspaper from your city; what kind of show are you trying to put on?"

I stood up and walked to his desk, pointing at the front-page headline, "Vice Provincial Governor Lin went to inspect our industrial park and gave it high praise."

"You know how to play the game!" Lao Bi didn't look at the paper. He closed it, shut his eyes to feign sleep for a moment, then opened them and said, "You're playing palace games!"

I said helplessly, "Division Chief Bi, you understand me. I had no other choice."

Lao Bi ignored my comment. He stood up, walked to the filing cabinet, and took out a stack of documents, "I was planning to hold this off until next year to find a way for you, but since you've played your hand to this point, I have no choice but to help you process the countersignatures. Whatever the result, you can't blame me!"

I said repeatedly, "I wouldn't, I wouldn't. Division Chief Bi has worn himself out for our Hengyue City. No matter the result, you are a great hero to the people of Hengyue City. Whenever you want to come to Hengyue City, the people of Hengyue will welcome you!"

"You brat!" Lao Bi laughed and scolded, "You have a way with words even when you meet a ghost. With this kind of ability to get things done, I, Lao Bi, should call you teacher."

Lao Bi agreeing to process the countersignatures was just a matter of going through the motions. This process could take three to five days if fast, but if one wanted to be slow, ten days or half a month wasn't the baseline; cases of it taking one or two years happened often.

The so-called countersignature process meant the Development and Reform Commission would form a report, attach my project report, and send it along to leaders for their signatures. Since the allocation of funds was a complex task, the countersignature had to pass through at least three departments. Starting from the Development and Reform Commission, it would first be sent to the main leaders for review; if they agreed, they would sign off. Then it would go to the competent department, and once they signed off, it had to be sent to the Provincial Governor's Office. If the Provincial Governor signed his opinion, the report would then go to the Finance Department.

Once the report reached the Finance Department, it meant the countersignature process was complete, and the next step was waiting for the money to arrive.

I knew this set of procedures too well, so I smiled ingratiatingly, "Division Chief Bi, I'll still need you to look after this; project construction waits for no one!"

Lao Bi glared at me, "Don't I know that? Rest assured, I'll keep an eye on it for you. You brat, you've got me running around like a dog with just a few lousy cigarettes. I'm not happy about this!"

I accompanied him with a smile, "Division Chief Bi, I understand. You've truly worked hard. Tonight, I'll play host—dinner, drinks, and a foot massage, the whole package. Dare you?"

Lao Bi stiffened his neck, "What do I have to be afraid of?"

We looked at each other and immediately burst into laughter.

Lao Bi had a mountain of work to do to process the countersignatures. I couldn't disturb him in his office any longer, so I took my leave, planning to return to the hotel to catch up on some sleep.

Before I even left, Lao Bi called me back. He told me that ever since Meng Xiaoyu got the stele rubbings from me last time, he had been asking about me, saying he wanted to return them.

I said, "Brother Bi, you know that thing was passed down by my ancestors. I don't understand it, so in my hands, it's just a pile of scrap paper. Secretary-General Meng is an expert; it's like a precious sword matching a hero—only in his hands will it have value. Brother Bi, if you have a chance to see Secretary-General Meng, tell him that I, Chen Feng, don't want to waste such a treasure!"

I deliberately called him "Brother Bi" repeatedly, moving from the title "Division Chief Bi" to "Brother Bi" to show that our relationship had become incredibly intimate.

Lao Bi accepted the address with peace of mind. He said sternly, "You should go to his office and tell him yourself. I'm not going to pass messages for you."

I agreed repeatedly, took my leave, and turned to walk toward the hotel.

Zhu Hua Yu was still resting at the hotel. She told me she had already taken the day off and didn't need to go back to school for class. Besides, as a graduate student, she wasn't like the undergraduate girls and boys who had to attend several classes a day. A graduate student's time was relatively free; as long as you completed your research project, no one cared if you were at school or in the classroom.

As soon as I thought of Zhu Hua Yu, the blood in my body began to surge, and I felt hot and unrestrained all over.

I remembered the first time I saw her in the Chunshan County Party Committee compound years ago—timid as a morning glory, hiding behind her mother and brother, her face flushed with shyness. She had come to the county government to cause trouble, but didn't dare say a word.

Later, when she became my secretary, she changed every single day. At that time, I had no intention of paying attention to her. Her becoming my secretary was a bad idea from Wei Yan in the county government office—letting a frail high school student be the secretary for an Executive Deputy County Magistrate was a joke that sounded like a fantasy.

Moreover, the government had requirements for secretary assignments; male leaders could not have female secretaries.

But Wei Yan assigned her to me anyway, and I accepted it with peace of mind. All of this was because Zhu Hua Yu was hand-picked by Guan Peishan. By placing a Zhu Hua Yu by my side, every move I made would be under his watchful eye.

Later on, that brat Huang Qishan set his sights on her, determined to marry her. I thought she and Huang Qishan would eventually end up together, but who would have thought that after a period of dating, she felt Huang Qishan wasn't the person she loved, so she firmly broke up with him.

After breaking up with her, I don't know if it was because of a sense of loss or some other reason, but Huang Qishan refused to stay in Chunshan County. I don't know what method he used, but he moved from the position of Chunshan County Youth League Committee Secretary to a bureau in Hengyue City. As for which bureau and what position he holds now, I still know nothing to this day.

Lost in thought, I arrived at the hotel without realizing it.

When I went out, I had asked the front desk for two room cards, so I didn't need to call her to open the door; I just swiped the card and went in.

Zhu Hua Yu was wrapped in the quilt, her black hair scattered on the white bedding, looking incredibly alluring.

She was fast asleep and had no idea I had arrived.

I walked over on tiptoe, sat down on the chair, and looked at the fair, rosy face in the quilt. My heart felt as comfortable as if a spring breeze had brushed over it.

I didn't want to disturb her sleep! She had worried for me all night, and now she was sleeping as soundly as a baby. All of this made me feel the peace and gentleness of the world.

I didn't even dare to turn on the TV; I just sat blankly on the chair, and slowly, waves of sleepiness began to wash over me.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I felt a pair of hands wrap around me from behind, and before I could turn around, my back was pressed against a soft body. ===== CHAPTER 653 =====