Chapter 57: Two Good Brothers

Pang Zhifeng's office fell silent for a long time. After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Pang Zhifeng slowly looked at Li Xiuyuan and said, "How about this? I will consider it and give you a reply as soon as possible. Next Monday, there will definitely be a result. Go back and wait for now."

Li Xiuyuan nodded. He understood in his heart that this matter could not be rushed. Getting this reply from Pang Zhifeng was already enough; forcing Pang Zhifeng to give an immediate answer right now was not very realistic.

As long as Pang Zhifeng seriously considered it in his heart, Li Xiuyuan could accept any outcome.

If he truly failed to secure the position of deputy section chief, he could simply wait until he became the new county mayor's secretary, as proposing this condition would be a natural byproduct of that promotion.

The main purpose was to let Qu Hui and Pang Zhifeng know that he was not someone to be trifled with, buying himself a period of peace and stability.

After stepping out of Pang Zhifeng's office, Li Xiuyuan returned to the General Affairs Section. His appearance there immediately caused a stir, and everyone looked at him with somewhat strange expressions.

Elder Sister Zhang sighed, looked at Li Xiuyuan, and said, "Little Li, you were too impulsive. You shouldn't have done that..."

Huang Wei was still in the office, and since she didn't want to offend Qu Hui, she could only say this much.

"Thank you for your concern, Elder Sister Zhang." Li Xiuyuan smiled and didn't say anything more.

"Let's go, let's go smoke a cigarette." Wang Zh涛 pulled Li Xiuyuan along, wanting to talk privately outside. Li Boyang also followed. Li Boyang basically didn't smoke, except for a couple of cigarettes when drinking, but this time he tagged along as well.

Coming down from the third floor, the small spot for smoking was located right outside the back door of the administrative building.

"Xiuyuan, what did Director Pang call you in for just now?" As soon as they reached the spot, Wang Zhitao asked impatiently.

This question was difficult for Li Xiuyuan to answer. Telling the truth was inappropriate, and many things were not meant to be publicized. Therefore, Li Xiuyuan pulled out a pack of cigarettes, handed one to Wang Zhitao, and lit one for himself. After taking a drag, he sighed and shook his head.

He had said nothing, yet it seemed as though everything went without saying.

"Xiuyuan, you were too impulsive this time. Sometimes you need to endure. The official system is different from the outside world; you can't act purely on impulse. Look at me back then, when I competed with Qu Hui for the position of section chief of the General Affairs Section. Actually, I knew he was the one playing dirty tricks, and I knew the leaders favored him, but there was nothing I could do. In officialdom, a higher rank crushes you completely..."

Li Boyang smoked his cigarette as the midday sunlight poured down, casting mottled shadows that seemed to transport him back to the past years. Li Xiuyuan was simply too young! Initially, seeing how clever he was, Li Boyang thought he was different, but when a crisis hit, problems arose. Youth brings hotheadedness!

"I understand, Brother Li, but this Qu Hui... I simply couldn't endure it anymore," Li Xiuyuan said quietly. Of course he understood Li Boyang's words, but his impulsiveness this time was a calculated one after careful consideration—though there was no way he could explain that.

With no final outcome determined yet, many things could not be spoken aloud. Great undertakings are achieved through secrecy, while speech brings failure; countless people had stumbled over this.

"Sigh, you lad. Anyway, Xiuyuan, your Brother Li acknowledges you as a friend. No matter where you go in the future, if you need Brother Li's help, just a single phone call will do, as long as it's something I can help with," Li Boyang sighed, speaking with a tone of deep regret. In his mind, Li Xiuyuan was definitely a goner after clashing with Qu Hui like this.

One of them had to leave.

One was a newcomer who had just started working, and the other was the section chief of the General Affairs Section. It was obvious who would leave and who would stay.

Li Xiuyuan wore a somewhat peculiar expression. Leave? Go where? He was still plotting to become the deputy section chief, and next he was planning to aim for the position of the new county mayor's secretary! Leave? Why would he leave?

However, at this moment, he could only nod and say, "Alright, thank you, Brother Li."

"Xiuyuan, it's the same for me. No matter what happens, we're brothers," Wang Zhitao also patted Li Xiuyuan's arm and said.

"Thank you, Brother Wang," Li Xiuyuan played along, acting the part. "No matter where I end up in the future, being able to work in the government office and make two good older brothers like you means my time here wasn't wasted."

Hearing Li Xiuyuan say this, Wang Zhitao was even more moved. "Why don't you find a way to approach Wu Yiyi? If Wu Yiyi can step in, maybe there's still room for a turnaround in this matter."

Li Boyang nodded in agreement and advised, "That's right. Don't let your pride get in the way. For matters like this, you should try whatever is possible."

Hearing this, Li Xiuyuan smiled bitterly and said, "My two brothers, if it were possible, I'd want to as well. But we're not that close. How can I bring myself to ask her? What kind of face do I have? If I ask her for a favor, will she just help? In the end, I'd only be asking for embarrassment."

Li Boyang sighed, acknowledging that this was true as well.

"Alright, I'll treat you tonight, the three of us are going to get a drink," Wang Zhitao said to comfort Li Xiuyuan. Li Xiuyuan had originally wanted to go back in the evening to revise his manuscript; today was Thursday, and tomorrow night he had to take the manuscript to the provincial capital.

He had already calculated the time. He would leave a little early then, catch the last bus at the bus station, arrive in the provincial capital around 6:30 PM, and the 7:00 PM dinner appointment would be perfectly timed. Although the schedule was a bit tight, there was no help for it—the weekend only had two days, and he had to hurry back by Monday.

However, since Wang Zhitao had already brought it up, Li Xiuyuan had no choice but to nod and agree.

After the three returned to the office, Li Xiuyuan seized the time to get busy. Since there was a dinner gathering tonight, he had to finish his work during the day.

Everyone else in the office was also busy with their own tasks, though their gazes toward Li Xiuyuan carried a strange look. The only exception was Wu Yiyi, who was absent; she had only attended a large government office meeting, and after it ended, no one knew where she had gone to be busy, failing to show up even by the end of the workday.

After work, hosted by Wang Zhitao, the three of them went to a small restaurant they frequented, got a private room, ordered some dishes, and began chatting. As the alcohol flowed and they were feeling somewhat buzzed, Li Boyang patted Li Xiuyuan's shoulder and said.

"Xiuyuan, brother is inferior to you. Back when I competed with Qu Hui, if I had your boldness, even if I couldn't stay in the county government office, at the very least I wouldn't have let Qu Hui become section chief, and today's situation wouldn't have happened.

"But there was no help for it; my family situation back then meant I didn't dare to throw a reckless tantrum. I could only endure..."

Li Boyang's eyes were somewhat bloodshot, looking as though he hadn't been made drunk by the alcohol itself, but rather by his own emotions.

"Brother Li, there's no need to dwell on that, it's all in the past."

"Brother has to thank you. With this stunt you pulled, Qu Hui will have to restrain himself a bit from now on. In the future, the situation for both Wang Zhitao and me in the General Affairs Section will be much better. But it's a pity neither of us has any connections and can't help you..."

As Li Boyang spoke, Wang Zhitao also nodded regretfully.

Li Xiuyuan waved his hand and was just about to say something when his cell phone rang. Taking it out to check, he saw it was a call from Wu Yiyi. He was just about to stand up and step outside to answer it when Wang Zhitao, catching sight of it from the side, widened his eyes. "Xiuyuan, didn't you just say you and Wu Yiyi are just ordinary colleagues and aren't close? What is she calling you for so late at night?"

"I..." Li Xiuyuan was instantly at a loss for words. Fumbling for an explanation, he stammered, "I don't know either. Maybe she heard about what happened today and is calling to offer some comfort?"

"Then answer it." Wang Zhitao nodded. Li Xiuyuan had no choice but to abandon the idea of stepping outside to take the call, gritting his teeth as he answered it.

"Hello, Sister Wu..." Previously, Li Xiuyuan had always called Wu Yiyi "Sister Yiyi," but this time he purposely called her "Sister Wu" precisely to let her know that it was inconvenient for him to speak freely right now.

To his surprise, Wu Yiyi on the other end of the line didn't catch on at all. In an anxious tone, she said, "I heard about what happened today. You were too impulsive."

"I..."

"Where are you? I just finished my work and am coming to find you right now."