Chapter 56: Do You Deserve It?

Deputy section chief of the general affairs section—it sounded quite formidable, but in reality, it was merely a sub-股-grade (deputy-section-level) cadre position, which wasn't even an official statutory rank within the civil service hierarchy.

Such personnel appointments were entirely at Pang Zhifeng’s discretion. They fell under internal organizational matters, and positions like this did not come with rigid prerequisites regarding years of service.

That was precisely why Li Xiuyuan dared to set his sights on it. Things had already escalated to this point, so whatever could be contested must be fought for.

A sub-股-grade cadre position was the starting point Li Xiuyuan had envisioned.

Pang Zhifeng looked at Li Xiuyuan in disbelief. "Xiao Li, surely you aren't thinking of becoming the deputy section chief of the general affairs section, are you? How long have you even been working here? What about those seniority-wise ahead of you..."

Li Xiuyuan smiled. "Director Pang, I certainly don't mean it that way. However, this deputy section chief position is just a sub-股-grade role. If promotions were based purely on seniority and age, then everyone might as well just be promoted strictly according to their birthdates. Of course, Director Pang, I'm just speaking loosely; I have no intention of actually demanding this deputy post. It's just that I'm young and inexperienced, and I don't quite understand how things work in this unit. Perhaps I should communicate more with my former classmate who works at the Provincial Daily..."

The veins on Pang Zhifeng's forehead throated visibly. While Li Xiuyuan kept repeating that he "didn't mean it that way," every single word implied a direct threat: he wanted this deputy section chief position, and if he didn't get it, he would bring in his contact from the provincial newspaper.

Pang Zhifeng felt an urge to leap up and slap the documents in his hand right across Li Xiuyuan's face. How could this young man be so thick-skinned? Deputy section chief? Who do you think you are? You just started working and already you want to be a deputy section chief?

Did he even think he was qualified for such a post? Was he worthy?

Yet, the expression on Li Xiuyuan's face told him clearly: he was worthy, and even if he wasn't, he would make himself worthy—he was determined to get this deputy section chief position.

Pang Zhifeng took a deep breath, forcing down the raging fire in his chest, and looked at Li Xiuyuan with a persuasive tone. "Xiuyuan, you've just started working, but I am well aware of your capability. Rest assured, as long as you work diligently, opportunities will be aplenty in the future. Once you've spent a bit more time here, the organization will certainly consider promoting you. Don't worry, the next time there is..."

Pang Zhifeng started serving up grand promises, but Li Xiuyuan didn't believe a single word. You practically want to swallow me alive right now, and you expect me to rely on you for future promotions? The future awaiting me probably wouldn't be promotions and pay raises, but rather a settling of accounts once the autumn harvest was over, right?

"Director Pang, thank you. I understand. It's just that I honestly don't know how much longer I can keep going here. Actually, I've been thinking—instead of being targeted relentlessly by Section Chief Qu, wouldn't it be better for me to just go work as a teacher at a provincial-level civil service exam cram school? You might not know this, but my girlfriend broke up with me recently too. To be frank, I'm feeling rather disheartened..." Li Xiuyuan began playing the pity card.

Playing the pity card seemed like a cliché, a tired trope found everywhere from acceptance speeches on television variety shows to dramatic tear-jerkers.

Yet, it invariably worked. For instance, right now, with Li Xiuyuan acting so pitiful, Pang Zhifeng had to factor in whether Li Xiuyuan might actually do something reckless. After all, the young man had hit rock bottom—dumped by his girlfriend and targeted at work—making it entirely possible that someone of his age would act on impulse.

"You shouldn't overthink things. If you lose one girlfriend, you can always find another. There are plenty of them right here across our various departments. Another day, I'll speak with Deputy Director Zhao and have her introduce someone even better to you. Take that fellow, Big Li, Li Boyang—wasn't he introduced by Deputy Director Zhao...?"

"Director Pang, I'm afraid I can't wait that long. Section Chief Qu..."

Whenever Li Xiuyuan casually dragged Qu Hui into the conversation to make his point, it made Pang Zhifeng's teeth itch with fury. His dissatisfaction was no longer limited to Li Xiuyuan; his resentment toward Qu Hui had reached its absolute peak. Originally, when Luo Yi got into trouble, Pang Zhifeng had intended to give Qu Hui a chance to see if he could be promoted to deputy director.

But now, upon reflection, forget it. That man was far too selfish. Being selfish wasn't necessarily a fatal flaw, but the crucial problem was a total inability to distinguish between what was important and urgent. Did he really have to back someone into such a desperate corner?

Look at how badly this young man, who had just started working, had been tormented!

Promote him to deputy director? Damn it, he could just stay put in his section chief position and reflect on his actions. Otherwise, even if he were promoted, he would only bring more trouble upon himself.

With these thoughts, Pang Zhifeng actually began to hesitate regarding the candidate for the deputy section chief of the general affairs section. Previously, he had given a nod of approval to Huang Wei, whom Qu Hui had recommended. But looking at it now, letting Qu Hui completely control the general affairs section was by no means a good thing for him.

Huang Wei was Qu Hui's man. If he were promoted, Qu Hui would effectively cover the general affairs section with a single hand, which could easily cause endless trouble for Pang Zhifeng down the line.

If Huang Wei wasn't suitable, what about the Li Xiuyuan standing right before him?

Previously, Pang Zhifeng had never considered this direction at all. But now, after careful deliberation, it actually seemed quite feasible. Was it a problem that Li Xiuyuan had only been working for a little over a month?

Not at all. When leadership says you can, even if you can't, you can; when leadership says you can't, even if you can, you can't.

With Luo Yi out of the picture, promoting Li Xiuyuan only required him to secure the agreement of Deputy Director Zhao.

Furthermore, the fact that Li Xiuyuan had such a short tenure could actually be turned into an advantage. Promoting Li Xiuyuan would serve to keep Qu Hui in check while failing to pose any real threat to Qu Hui's authority. After all, one was a section chief and the other a deputy section chief; Qu Hui would naturally outrank Li Xiuyuan by default. Combined with Li Xiuyuan's lack of seniority, he probably wouldn't even be able to manage the workload or issue administrative assignments as a deputy section chief.

He would essentially just hold an empty title.

Yet the benefits of doing so were numerous: it disciplined Qu Hui, placated Li Xiuyuan to stop him from making a scene, and demonstrated Pang Zhifeng's own fairness and impartiality. Everyone assumed Qu Hui was Pang Zhifeng's own protege and that Pang Zhifeng would inevitably favor him, but instead of promoting Huang Wei, Pang Zhifeng had promoted Li Xiuyuan.

That way, even if people wanted to make a fuss, they wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

Once the situation stabilized, kicking Li Xiuyuan aside would become even easier. Being a deputy section chief was no easy task—the higher you were lifted, the harder you fell, leaving Li Xiuyuan with nowhere to seek redress.

Pang Zhifeng was already calculating the pros and cons in his mind, remaining silent for a moment as he weighed the gains and losses. Li Xiuyuan also held his breath, knowing whether his demand would succeed depended entirely on how Pang Zhifeng evaluated the situation.

Since they had already torn off all pretense of civility, he had to give it a try regardless of whether he secured the deputy section chief position. Some people naively believed that climbing the political ladder within the system meant simply waiting around for leaders to hand out promotions—utter nonsense.

Acting as a thorn in the side, provided one possessed united-front value, was also a viable pathway for upward mobility.

If he could secure this deputy section chief position, even though it was only a sub-股-grade rank, it would mark his official entry into officialdom. When stepping outside, people would address him as "Leader," and others would respectfully refer to him as Section Chief Li.

That was a title he hadn't managed to attain even after ten full years of working in the countryside in his past life.