Five p.m.
Family courtyard, Lao Yang's house.
Dong Xuebin was holding the child in his arms and playing with her in the house. Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring. The phone rang. It was a number for which he did not save his business card.
"Hello, I'm Dong Xuebin." Dong Xuebin answered.
"Xue Bin, I'm Hou Qing." There was a woman's voice on the other end.
Dong Xuebin smiled and said: "Sister Hou, is this your mobile phone number?"
"It's mine, haha. It took me a long time to find your number before someone found it," Hou Qing said.
Dong Xuebin said: "Hey, I forgot to leave it for you. By the way, I haven't thanked you for lunch."
Hou Qing chuckled, "I didn't help much either. I don't dare to take this word of thanks."
Dong Xuebin said: "You did me a favor by not letting those policemen arrest people. Otherwise, if I let out all my words, I wouldn't know how to deal with a conflict if it happened."
"I don't want them to get into trouble either. How can these police officers in our bureau be your opponents? Even if we come as a team, if they want to arrest you, they will be asking for trouble, right?"
"Don't worry, I'm not that powerful."
"You, please don't be modest. I have seen your fighting ability with my own eyes."
"By the way, do you have something to do with me?"
"It's nothing. Do you have time later? Let's have a meal together?"
"This..." Dong Xuebin looked to the side, "Originally, it was the food at home..."
Hou Qing said: "You should go back to work tomorrow, right? It's so hard to come here once. I can't let this opportunity go. You won't give me any face?"
Dong Xuebin smiled bitterly, "That's OK. Can you tell me the place?"
Hou Qing gave an address and said, "Six o'clock, see you or not?"
"Sure, I'll be there on time. We'll talk about it then."
"Okay, let's talk after we meet."
After hanging up the phone, Dong Xuebin looked at his mother who was picking vegetables in the living room and Yang Zhaode who was watching TV, and smiled sheepishly, "Uncle Yang, Mom, I have to go out in the evening."
Luan Xiaoping looked at him and said, "Who are you with?"
Dong Xuebin said: "Hou Qing, deputy director of the Lu'an Municipal Police Bureau."
Yang Zhaode smiled unexpectedly, "Xiao Bin, you are quite popular. Do you have any acquaintances in our city? I know Xiao Hou, he is a very capable cadre."
Dong Xuebin explained: "I also met her when I was on a mission. It's funny to say that we were both undercover at that time, investigating the theft of the Provincial Museum. Later, Sister Hou was exposed, and I was the one who saved her. With her, the friendship was established at that time." From a certain point of view, no relationship is stronger than a relationship bound by interests, but a life-long friendship is always more real than an exchange of interests.
Yang Zhaode nodded slightly, "It is always beneficial to expand your network."
"Then I won't eat at home tonight?" Dong Xuebin said.
Luan Xiaoping said with some displeasure: "I don't usually see you so busy. Why do you have so many things to do during the New Year? You can't even have a solid meal at home?"
Dong Xuebin knew that his mother missed him. He hadn't been able to see her for a long time. Now that he finally came back, his mother definitely wanted to spend more time with her.
"This..." Dong Xuebin scratched his head.
Yang Zhaode helped persuade: "Let the child go. With his current level and position, does he have enough social entertainment? He can't socialize too much every day. Now that his seat is here, he can't run away."
Luan Xiaoping said: "He didn't have any social activities before."
Yang Zhaode was stunned, "Xiaobin didn't have any social activities?"
Dong Xuebin laughed sarcastically, "It's really not much."
"How is that possible?" Yang Zhaode said in surprise: "When I was at your time, I almost never had dinner at home every day. Isn't it common for merchants, colleagues, and cadres to have dinner with others? This is already part of the job. Yes, you don’t have one?”
Dong Xuebin became depressed when he mentioned this and didn't know what to say.
It was Luan Xiaoping who said for him, "When he was working at Jingcheng Guo'an, he severely offended the head of the unit, Director Zhen. Later, when he took office in Yantai County, he arrested a relative of the county party committee secretary, which also angered them. Later, when I went to Nanshan District, I gave the District Party Committee Secretary a lot of trouble. Now I'm in Fenzhou City. No, the Municipal Party Committee Secretary was offended just a while ago because of Yunxuan's incident. Socializing? Who dares to go to dinner with him like Xiao Bin? No one dares to go to him except for a few colleagues who are very close to each other."
What Luan Xiaoping said is indeed the truth. This is also the fundamental reason why Dong Xuebin is very leisurely when he goes home every day. He has offended too many people, and all of them are leaders at the higher level, so everyone has to go to Dong Xuebin before contacting him. Weigh and weigh first, and the result of weighing is often that you will not get too close to him at all, so as not to be seen by interested people and misunderstood by the superiors. Therefore, since Dong Xuebin entered the system, except for a few people, his popularity has always been Not good, making enemies on all sides.
It's just that this matter is not very public, Dong Xuebin has never wanted to admit it.
When Yang Zhaode heard it, he understood that it was like this. He was immediately amused, "Xiao Bin is not taking an unusual path. He is able to rise step by step in such a situation where he is surrounded by enemies. From this perspective, we can also see the abilities of our children." , the future will definitely be limitless.”
Luan Xiaoping curled her lips and said, "You always follow what he says, huh."
But Dong Xuebin is not Yang Zhaode's biological son. It is impossible for Lao Yang to criticize him every day. That will only be counterproductive. Lao Yang knows the appropriateness very well.
Dong Xuebin didn't like to hear: "Mom, can you please stop stepping on me?"
"You can do it, why don't you tell your mother? Have you ever seen an official who offended as many people as you? Calculate for yourself how many people you have offended since you became a civil servant? There are more than hundreds! Others have offended more people. The officials are all very kind, so why don't you take the ordinary path? You are obviously causing trouble." Luan Xiaoping glared at him and said, "I can't control you anymore. Go ahead. What time will you be back in the evening?"
Dong Xuebin said, "Maybe, we'll talk about it then."
What happened downstairs at noon must have made my mother angry, and Dong Xuebin did not dare to break up with her.
At this time, Yang Zhaode always turned to Dong Xuebin, immediately helped him change the subject with a smile, and told Dong Xuebin: "Xiao Hou is a late bloomer, and he was only promoted in the past two years. Such people often cannot be underestimated. Look, get in touch with her more."
Dong Xuebin said yes, "I know Uncle Yang, how about I ask her to come to your place to sit and have a meal in a few days?"
Yang Zhaode smiled, "Okay, I want to talk to her too. I've seen Xiao Hou's file, it's pretty good, and his background is also very innocent."
Dong Xuebin knew it right away. He had a clean background? That means there is no one up there. Comrade Lao Yang probably wants to pull Hou Qing towards him. Lao Yang and his mother have just come to Lu'an City not long ago. It is always good to have more help. Having yourself It seems that the relationship with Hou Qing should be easier. Comrade Lao Yang deliberately asked himself to help him connect the dots, and Dong Xuebin was naturally willing to oblige.
…
six o'clock.
A hotel in the center of Luan.
When Dong Xuebin arrived, Hou Qing was already waiting for him at the door. Sister Hou had already changed out of her police uniform and was very smart in a windbreaker and trousers.
Dong Xuebin immediately got out of the car and greeted him. Hou Qing was now one level higher than Dong Xuebin and much older than him. Logically speaking, if Hou Qing had come early, she would have just sat in the hotel and waited for him instead of coming out. To greet him, she probably knew about her relationship with Lao Yang. Also, since the incident was so big at noon and so many people in the family home saw it, someone would tell her even if Hou Qing left.
"Sister Hou."
"coming?"
"Have you been waiting for a long time?"
"No, I just arrived."
"Shall we go in? I'm treating you today."
"Wait for someone else, eh, here they come."
Dong Xuebin was startled, is there anyone else? I couldn't help but take a look at a car that just stopped on the roadside, huh? Isn't this Vice Mayor Zhou whom I just met at noon? There were two other people who got off the bus. Dong Xuebin had never been seen before. It seemed that he was also a cadre of Lu'an City.
Vice Mayor Zhou got out of the car and smiled at Dong Xuebin: "Xiao Dong is here?"
"Mayor Zhou." Dong Xuebin also said hello.
Hou Qing introduced the other two people to Dong Xuebin, "This is Director Liu from the Finance Bureau, and this is Director Li from the court." He turned around and said, "This is Director Dong Xuebin."
Dong Xuebin knew as soon as he heard that these two should be deputy positions.
Director Liu immediately stretched out his hand to shake his hand, "Director Dong, I have admired your name for a long time."
Dong Xuebin smiled bitterly, "Don't say that. What kind of reputation do I have? Even if I have one, I have a bad reputation."
Hearing what he said, Hou Qing burst into laughter. He was amused by Dong Xuebin and said to himself that you are quite self-aware.
But Hou Qing is related to Dong Xuebin, and it will be fine no matter what, but Director Liu and Dean Li are obviously not good at it. They just open their mouths and say "How could it be? Director Dong is too humble. Just you and the earthquake victims" Our court organization studied the story of risking one’s life to save others for several days.”
This is really not a compliment.
At that time, Dong Xuebin was buried under the rubble. Everyone thought he was dead. Indeed, many units organized working meetings to learn from the martyr Comrade Dong Xuebin. However, Dong Xuebin suddenly "alive" later. This person who learned from the martyr The activity did not continue.
Everyone was polite for a while before entering the hotel.
Vice Mayor Zhou is the highest ranking person, so he naturally sits at the top.
However, as soon as the dinner started, Dong Xuebin found that he was the centerpiece of the table. After eating some, Vice Mayor Zhou took a phone call and left. Director Liu and Dean Li were both very enthusiastic about Dong Xuebin. Hou Qing also drank frequently with Dong Xuebin, drinking one cup after another. After a while, as soon as the door of the box opened, several more cadres who were eating in the box next to them came and came over to toast. It was very lively.
This scene really made Dong Xuebin uncomfortable. Alas, how long has it been since I had such a social meal
In the places where Dong Xuebin worked, many cadres saw him going to eat and hid away before they got close. He had experienced this feeling of being surrounded for a long time.
Of course, Dong Xuebin also knew that most of it was Lao Yang's face.