Chapter 28: The Biggest Surprise

After finishing his sentence, Qin Feng crouched down, grabbed Yang Delin by the hair, and said coldly, "I tolerated you before because you were technically my superior, but now... what are you, exactly? You’d better get your position straight and stop challenging my bottom line."

Qin Feng stood up, returned to his desk, and resumed signing documents.

"You’d better scramble up and get to the clinic for some medicine," Qin Feng said to Yang Delin while signing. "If someone sees you looking like this later, you won't be able to explain yourself."

Yang Delin gritted his teeth in hatred, yet for some reason, he felt a flicker of fear toward Qin Feng deep down.

Struggling to his feet, Yang Delin shuffled away, clutching his head and muttering, "Just you wait..."

"Fine, I'll be right here waiting. Use whatever tricks you have," Qin Feng replied calmly. "Oh, and you'd better come in early tomorrow, or I’ll deduct your entire year’s performance bonus."

After Yang Delin left, Qin Feng fell into deep thought. He was far less confident than he appeared on the surface.

He had anticipated that Yang Delin would come looking for trouble, so he had prepared his phone in advance to record the altercation. He didn't actually want to use such extreme measures, but he knew that if he didn't bring Yang Delin to heel, he would have no authority as the director, and the work of the Civil Affairs Office would be impossible to carry out.

Yang Delin was a complete hooligan; to deal with a thug, one had to use the language of a thug. If you tried to reason with him, he would only see it as weakness. Even so, Qin Feng hadn't used his full strength when he struck him.

Just then, Qin Feng’s phone rang. It was Xiao Liu from the Party and Government Office: "Director Qin, Secretary Hu wants you to come to her office for an organizational talk."

Organizational talks were standard procedure. Qin Feng had been in Bishan for a while, and it was time for his, especially since he had just taken over as the Director of the Civil Affairs Office. He wasn't particularly surprised by the summons.

This Secretary Hu had spoken up for him when he was previously dismissed, and it was she who had appointed him to manage the Civil Affairs Office. However, Qin Feng had never known who she was or met her in person—until this afternoon.

Qin Feng felt a flicker of anticipation. He was curious to see what the woman everyone called the most beautiful and coldest person in Bishan Township actually looked like.

Qin Feng didn't dare to delay. Carrying his work log, he arrived at Secretary Hu's door, took a moment to compose himself, and knocked.

"Come in!" A woman’s voice drifted from inside—a voice Qin Feng found strangely familiar.

Puzzled, Qin Feng pushed the door open and stepped inside. The moment he caught sight of the woman sitting at her desk, smiling at him, his mind went blank. He stood there, frozen in shock.

"What? Can't recognize me?" Qin Feng's reaction was exactly what Hu Jiayun had expected.

Qin Feng blinked for three seconds before stammering, "You... you are Secretary Hu?"

"Why? Is the nameplate on the door a fake? Come in, you’re at the right place," Hu Jiayun said with a laugh.

Qin Feng walked in, still in a state of utter disbelief.

"Sit down!" Hu Jiayun gestured toward a chair as she watched the mechanical-looking Qin Feng.

Qin Feng sat down. "Thank you, Sister... oh, wait... Secretary Hu..." He was flustered and at a loss for what to do.

"Why so nervous? You’re usually so eloquent and spirited when you see me. What’s wrong today? Does the fact that I’m Secretary Hu change the fact that I’m your sister?" Hu Jiayun teased.

"Ah... no... Secretary Hu... I..." Qin Feng stumbled over his words. He didn't know how to address her—as his sister or as the Secretary—given that their relationship had shifted so dramatically.

"Call me sister when there's no one else around! Want some tea? Make it yourself if you do," Hu Jiayun said, trying to help him relax.

"Uh... alright." Qin Feng took a cup and went to prepare some tea.

After pacing back and forth twice to calm his nerves, Qin Feng began to drink his tea. "Sister, I truly never imagined that you were Secretary Hu. I’ve been wondering all this time who she was, since everyone talked about her so mysteriously."

"Mysterious? Tell me, what have they been saying about me?"

"They say you're beautiful, the 'Number One Beauty of Bishan'..."

"And? You look like you don't agree. Am I not beautiful?"

"I didn't say that; I certainly agree on that point. I just don't agree with them saying you're fierce, cold as ice, and a loner. They even gave you a nickname—the 'Ice Beauty.' That’s total nonsense. When have you ever been fierce?"

"They were right about that part. I’m only not fierce with you," Hu Jiayun replied with a smile.

"Huh? Really? Wait... Sister, why did you let me believe you were a school teacher?"

"When did I ever tell you I was a school teacher?"

"Well, when I assumed you were, you didn't deny it!"

"I didn't confirm it, either."

"Uh... I suppose I should have guessed. If you were just a teacher, how could you know so much about government affairs? And why were you living at the school? Don't leaders usually live in the staff dorms here?"

"I chose to live at the school because it's quiet. The government dorms are crowded, and you’re constantly bumping into people. I don't like that. So I’ve always stayed there. They weren't wrong—I do like being alone and I like the quiet."

As Qin Feng sipped his tea, he lit a cigarette. After a few puffs, his mind began to race, connecting the "strange" events that had occurred since he arrived in Bishan. He stared at Hu Jiayun, feeling as though he had finally found the answers.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?" Hu Jiayun asked with a smile.

"Sister, was the sudden revocation of my disciplinary action and my appointment as Director of the Civil Affairs Office all because of you?" Qin Feng asked her seriously.