Chapter 20: Have I Offended Him?

After leaving Pang Zhifeng’s office, Wang Zhitao led Li Xiuyuan back to another office adjacent to the General Affairs Department office. The sign above read: Office of the General Affairs Department Director.

After knocking, Wang Zhitao and Li Xiuyuan entered.

“Director Qu,” Wang Zhitao greeted, noticeably more relaxed than when they were in Pang Zhifeng’s office.

“Hm, Zhitao, what’s the matter?” Behind the desk sat a man who appeared to be in his thirties, not quite forty, slender in build, with a faint air of arrogance in his eyes.

“Director Qu, this is Li Xiuyuan, newly assigned to our office. Director Pang said he belongs to our General Affairs Department and asked me to bring him to see you,” Wang Zhitao reported.

Qu Hui turned to size up Li Xiuyuan, who quickly greeted, “Hello, Director Qu, I’m the new arrival, Li Xiuyuan.”

Qu Hui said nothing but kept his sharp gaze fixed on Li Xiuyuan. Li felt an inexplicable hostility in that look—there was none of the usual warmth or enthusiasm a department leader would show a newcomer. It was as if he had offended the man somehow.

But that made no sense. This was their first meeting; they had never met before. How could he have offended him? As for the reporting process, Li felt there was nothing unusual.

He had first reported to Pang Zhifeng, which wasn’t really bypassing protocol since Pang was the director and the only one authorized to assign him to a department.

The county government office wasn’t a single room but a collection of departments: General Affairs, Secretariat, Information, Oversight, Legal Affairs, and more. It wasn’t possible to just show up directly to the General Affairs director, so there was no question of skipping steps.

Then why did Qu Hui look so displeased?

After a long pause, Qu Hui gave a faint snort. “Li Xiuyuan, right?”

“Yes, Director Qu,” Li nodded, puzzled but maintaining a composed expression.

“Getting into the county government office, you must be good at exams,” Qu Hui said lightly.

Li’s expression shifted subtly. If this were a young novice, he might’ve thought it was praise, but having spent over ten years in the system in his previous life, Li immediately recognized the thinly veiled malice.

What did “good at exams” imply? That he could only pass tests but couldn’t handle any real work?

Li was certain his judgment was correct: Qu Hui simply didn’t like him, though he had no idea why.

“Director Qu, I did indeed study hard to pass the civil service exam. Once I start working, I intend to carry that same diligence into my job and work earnestly…” Li smiled, as if oblivious to the underlying hostility, carefully following Qu Hui’s lead to express a positive attitude.

Qu Hui’s eyes narrowed slightly in surprise. He hadn’t expected this newcomer to respond so flawlessly, turning the conversation toward work attitude. This reply blocked any further remarks from him, like “Our office doesn’t want people who just know how to study, but those who know how to get things done,” words he found difficult to voice now.

“Alright, remember what you said. Our General Affairs Department demands strong personal ability. I hope you’ll quickly familiarize yourself with the environment and immerse yourself in the work,” Qu Hui said with a hint of warning.

Then he turned to Wang Zhitao. “Take him to the Personnel Department to complete the onboarding procedures, get a cafeteria card, familiarize him with the office environment, and then hand him over to Li Boyang from our General Affairs team to guide him.”

Afterwards, he looked at Li Xiuyuan again. “Comrade Li Boyang has worked here five or six years, an experienced colleague well versed in the job. Follow him and ask if you don’t understand something.”

Leaving Qu Hui’s office, Li Xiuyuan immediately sensed something off about Wang Zhitao’s mood, but he didn’t press him. Instead, they talked about the workplace and a little about Wang’s own situation.

Through the conversation, Li learned that Wang Zhitao was also part of the General Affairs Department—the big office Li had first entered. This department served as the office’s first point of contact, dealing with a diverse crowd. There were seven people in total, eight including Li himself: five men and three women.

The entire office housed seven departments: General Affairs, Information, Policy Research, Legal Affairs, Archives, Logistics, and Personnel.

Altogether, there were about thirty staff members, with General Affairs being the largest department; the others had fewer people.

They reached the Personnel Department, completed the onboarding, and received Li’s cafeteria card, which needed activation in the cafeteria.

“It’s quiet now. Let’s go activate your card in the cafeteria before lunchtime rush, or no one will be available to help,” Wang said.

From their chat, Li also learned that Wang had been working just a year and a half—only slightly longer than him. Wang seemed warm-hearted but cautious; in such an environment, even a year and a half’s experience sharpened one’s wits more than several years in ordinary workplaces.

Because people are hard to teach, but tasks are learned after one demonstration.

After activating the card, they returned to General Affairs, where Wang introduced Li to the team.

First was Li Boyang, the colleague Qu Hui had mentioned to mentor Li. He looked a bit over thirty, but his hair was thinning and receding. His expression was cold, and he merely nodded when introduced.

Second was the real veteran, Old Zhu, who appeared around fifty, smiling kindly like a benevolent elder.

Third was Huang Wei, whose sharp features gave him a somewhat crafty look. Among the three men, he was the most enthusiastic, though Li silently raised his guard against such warmth.

There were also three female colleagues: an older woman surnamed Zhang, who looked very kind and was in her forties; a young married woman surnamed Yang, whose eyes seemed sharp and alluring; and another young woman who had started with Wang and was away on a field survey with the leadership. She would be introduced later.

Li greeted them all and then took a vacant desk. It was already past eleven, close to lunchtime. He took out his notebook, pretending to jot down notes but in truth was carefully reviewing the morning’s reporting experience.