Power and Wealth
Chapter 1699 – Anticipation
At ten o’clock, the meeting ended. People gradually left the small conference room. Chen Kai’an, the head of the Comprehensive Division, was filled with anger. His eyes were cold and heavy. He wanted nothing more than to kick Dong Xuebing to death. He had only responded to some doubts raised by other comrades and said a few words. But then Dong Xuebing started lecturing him with nonsense and slapped him with one accusation after another. Chen Kai’an didn’t even get a chance to rebut. From start to finish, his words were stuck in his throat. When Director Fang announced the adjournment of the meeting, he hadn’t had a chance to say anything. He was furious, his lungs almost exploding with anger. Being lectured like this by a subordinate who was much younger than him was something he couldn’t accept. Chen Kai’an had only seen this kind of eloquence in Director Fang before. He never expected this surnamed Dong to have such a sharp tongue, just like Director Fang.
Encountering a thorny issue, Chen Kai’an’s face turned dark. Originally, he wanted to help Director Fang punish Dong Xuebing and teach him a lesson, to tell him not to be too arrogant. But unexpectedly, things developed far beyond his expectations and turned into the current situation. Chen Kai’an couldn’t save face at all.
On the other side, Dong Xuebing was also in a bad mood. Although he won the verbal battle, he didn’t expect someone to make a fuss about such trivial matters just two days into his new position. It was all about women being unfavorable. Dong Xuebing admitted that this was somewhat problematic, but it couldn’t be openly discussed. It felt like someone was deliberately trying to upset him.
After the meeting, Dong Xuebing went for a walk, bought a bottle of chilled cola from the internal supermarket, and stood outside in the cold, gulping it down. The cold water helped cool his temper a bit. Then he snorted and returned to his department’s office area.
Inside, everyone was talking.
“What does that guy Chen mean?”
“The Comprehensive Division is just picking faults for no reason.”
“Just because it’s all women, it’s not good anymore. Who are they scolding?”
It was obvious that the matter had reached their ears. Zhang Lili and Han Fei were the most aggressive, ranting about Chen Kai’an and even scolding the other members of the Comprehensive Division. Luo Haiting was probably in the office and didn’t show up, while the usually quiet Li Hong didn’t say much, but her expression didn’t look good either.
Dong Xuebing walked in.
“Director Dong,” Han Fei stood up abruptly. “They’re making trouble out of nothing. You can’t go easy on them. We can’t compromise.”
Dong Xuebing smiled, “What did I compromise on?”
Li Hong, unusually, spoke up, “Are we going to have personnel adjustments?”
Zhang Lili had more information. She spoke up for Dong Xuebing, “What adjustments? Director Dong already scolded Chen Kai’an during the meeting. I heard Director Chen didn’t even have the strength to retort. If it hadn’t been for Director Fang to step in later, Chen Director would have been scolded to the ground by Director Dong. This matter seems to be over now. Director Fang didn’t mention it again after adjourning the meeting, so we definitely won’t take action.”
Han Fei breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Haha, Director Dong is formidable.”
Dong Xuebing said helplessly, “Stop flattering. Get back to work quickly. The tasks have been assigned. I’ll discuss with Old Luo first and then distribute the work to you later.”
“Yes, sir,” Han Fei chirped.
With Han Fei’s cheerful demeanor, the atmosphere in the office relaxed a lot.
At this moment, Luo Haiting probably heard the voices and came out of the office. “Director Dong, you’re back.”
Dong Xuebing nodded, “Director Luo, I was just about to find you. Let’s have a chat and discuss the work allocation. Come to my office for a moment.”
“Okay,” Luo Haiting followed him.
Luo Haiting looked at him inside the office, “Are you angry?”
Dong Xuebing waved his hand, “I’m not angry. If anyone should be angry, it should be Chen Kai’an. I didn’t hold back during the meeting.”
Luo Haiting chuckled, “He didn’t even bother to find out who you are and still dared to argue with you. Isn’t he just inviting trouble upon himself?” Luo Haiting was the person in the unit who knew Dong Xuebing the best. After working together for many years, she had never seen Dong Xuebing lose a verbal argument. Even if it was something unreasonable, Dong Xuebing could argue his way through it.
Dong Xuebing took out some documents, “Let’s not talk about him.”
“Alright,” Luo Haiting pulled over a chair, “I heard you had a big conflict with Director Fang. Will it affect our work?”
Dong Xuebing shrugged, “It doesn’t matter. Let’s do our job. As long as there are no major issues that people can use against us.” He had nothing to hide from Luo Haiting.
The two began discussing their work. Since it was a new department, there was still much to communicate and discuss. This discussion lasted for an hour, and it was almost eleven o’clock. Dong Xuebing felt a bit tired and stretched his slightly sore shoulders. He picked up a cup of tea and took a sip, intending to suggest a break to Luo Haiting. But as he raised his head, he caught sight of Luo Haiting’s slightly exposed skirt. She was sitting next to Dong Xuebing, and at a slightly oblique angle, her legs were crossed. Maybe she was tired and shifted her position, crossing her legs more prominently. The hem of her skirt moved up slightly, revealing a hint of a deep blue color. It was just a trace, but because of the angle and the lighting, Dong Xuebing could see it.
Dong Xuebing glanced but then felt slightly embarrassed, quickly turning his head away. “Would you like some water, Director Luo? Take a break.”
Luo Haiting stood up, “I’ll do it myself.”
The fleeting glimpse was gone, much to Dong Xuebing’s regret.
“I’ll have a cup too,” Dong Xuebing handed over his cup. “Thanks.” After pouring the water, Dong Xuebing drank another large sip and then stretched his neck, making a cracking sound.
“Let me massage your shoulders, Director,” without waiting for his response, Luo Haiting walked up from behind and began massaging Dong Xuebing’s shoulders.
“It’s okay, not necessary,” Dong Xuebing politely declined.
But Luo Haiting didn’t listen. Instead, she pressed his head back, making Dong Xuebing lie on her ample chest, and began massaging his neck and scalp.
So comfortable.
Dong Xuebing thoroughly enjoyed it and looked forward to the “working environment” in the future.