Chapter 25: Open Defiance

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“Good morning, Director Qin!” Wang Xiaojun hurriedly rose and greeted Qin Feng respectfully when he saw him enter.

“Good morning!” Lin Xiaoyan also nodded to Qin Feng.

“Good morning.” Qin Feng smiled and glanced around the empty office. It was already time to start work.

“Sister Lin, did you notify everyone yesterday that we’d be having a meeting later?” Qin Feng asked.

“I did. I told them to meet here in the office at nine.”

Qin Feng checked the time. There was still half an hour until nine.

“Sister Lin, call each of them again and tell them they must get here for the meeting within half an hour.”

Lin Xiaoyan looked at Qin Feng in surprise, then nodded. “All right. But, Director Qin, habits formed over many years cannot be changed in a day. They may not listen.”

Qin Feng naturally understood what she meant. He answered helplessly, “Notify them first.”

“I’ll call them right away.” Lin Xiaoyan took out her phone and began calling them one by one.

Smoking a cigarette, Qin Feng walked into his office.

He was neither angry nor surprised by everyone’s lax attitude toward work. The Civil Affairs Office had always operated this way, and the entire Bishan Township Government was much the same. He had long since grown accustomed to it.

Half an hour later, Qin Feng returned to the office with his work notebook. He saw that only Lin Xiaoyan and Wang Xiaojun were still sitting there, and he could not help frowning.

“Still no one here?” Qin Feng asked.

Lin Xiaoyan shook her head.

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Qin Feng found a chair and sat down. “Let’s wait a little longer.”

Work began at eight, and Qin Feng had scheduled the meeting for nine. It was not until half past nine that the two newly transferred employees finally strolled in, chatting and laughing.

Yang Delin was the last to arrive. He came in carrying a bowl of noodles and eating leisurely. When he saw Qin Feng sitting there, he glared at him and said, “What are you looking at? Don’t tell me you actually think you’re somebody now?”

Muttering curses as he walked past Qin Feng, Yang Delin sat down and continued eating his noodles while joking and laughing with the people beside him, treating Qin Feng as though he were invisible.

Qin Feng was seething inside, but he still spoke calmly. “All right. Since everyone is here, let’s begin the meeting.”

“I haven’t even finished breakfast. What the hell kind of meeting can I attend? Go somewhere else if you want to hold one. Don’t disturb me while I’m eating,” Yang Delin said, slurping his noodles noisily.

Qin Feng frowned again and suppressed his anger. “Then we’ll wait for you. Hurry up and don’t waste everyone’s time.”

Another ten minutes passed before Yang Delin finally finished his noodles. He picked up a tissue and smacked his lips as he wiped his mouth.

Seeing that the time was right, Qin Feng said again, “All right, let’s begin.”

“I ate too much and my stomach feels uncomfortable. I’m going to take a dump.” After saying this, Yang Delin swaggered out.

Qin Feng’s anger had nearly risen to his throat, but in the end he forced himself to endure it.

The two new employees in the office were also watching Qin Feng’s reaction. Seeing how remarkably easygoing he was, they looked down on him even more. They began chatting and laughing among themselves, no longer taking him seriously.

Lin Xiaoyan watched coldly from the sidelines. She found the newcomers’ outrageous behavior unbearable and badly wanted to lose her temper, but she held herself back because of her position. If even Director Qin was not angry, what right did she have to interfere? Inwardly, she despised Qin Feng.

Qin Feng lit another cigarette, thinking Yang Delin would return in a few minutes. But half an hour passed, and Yang Delin still had not come back.

“We won’t wait for him. Let’s begin the meeting,” Qin Feng said directly after checking the time. If they delayed any longer, the entire morning would be gone.

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Just as Qin Feng was about to begin, Yang Delin swaggered into the office, tugging at his belt as he walked. He showed not the slightest trace of apology and plopped himself down at his desk.

Qin Feng gave him a cold look, then continued. “All right, let’s begin.”

“Here, have a cigarette!” Just as Qin Feng was about to speak, Yang Delin pulled out a pack and offered cigarettes to the two newcomers.

“Quiet down. Whatever you have to say can wait until after the meeting,” Qin Feng reminded them, forcing down his anger.

“You talk about your business, and I’ll talk about mine. What the hell does it have to do with you?” Yang Delin said arrogantly.

It was Qin Feng’s first day in office. For the sake of the bigger picture, he endured his anger and chose not to quarrel with Yang Delin. He continued, “Our Civil Affairs Office has just gone through such a major upheaval, so there are two urgent tasks we need to complete. The first is reconstruction, and the second is rectification—”

“Oh, listen to you… You really think you’re a leader now, don’t you? You’ve barely opened your mouth and you’re already listing things one, two, and three. It’s all damn nonsense. Get to the point and stop wasting my time.” Yang Delin interrupted Qin Feng again.

Qin Feng knew he could not engage with Yang Delin. If he did, the meeting would never get underway. So he continued, “There is no need to say much about reconstruction. The staff has already been reassigned. What we need to do now is reorganize the division of responsibilities, establish work standards and regulations, and get everyone back to work as quickly as possible—”

Before Qin Feng could finish, Yang Delin turned to the two newcomers and said, “See? These are all mistakes made by the people who were here before, but now they’re making the two of you newcomers deal with them. It’s all hard work with no benefit.”

“Don’t forget, you were also responsible for those mistakes!” Qin Feng said coldly.

“That’s right. That’s why I was removed from my position. Isn’t that how you ended up stepping in dog shit and becoming a director?”

“If you want to do it, go ahead. I’m not doing any of it. You two see what he’s doing? He’s obviously bullying the two of you newcomers.” Yang Delin deliberately tried to incite the two new employees.