Lin Zhendong rushed to his floor excitedly. He did not return to his house but went straight to knock on his neighbor's door.
Before the door opened, Aunt Chen's voice could be heard. "He's here. He's here. Is Dongdong back?"
"It's me, Auntie." Lin Zhendong replied with a cheeky smile.
Aunt Chen opened the door and saw the textbook in Lin Zhendong's hand. She nodded in satisfaction. "Come in quickly. Your uncle is back. Auntie made your favorite supper."
"Thank you, Auntie." Lin Zhendong went into the house to change his shoes. Then, he greeted Chen Zhengyi, who was drinking and watching TV on the coffee table in the living room. "Uncle, are you drinking? I'll accompany you to make a few cups."
Chen Zhengyi, who was smiling at Lin Zhendong, raised his eyebrows and scolded, "What are you thinking about..." However, he suddenly came to his senses and slapped his forehead. "I forgot that you're already an adult!"
Then, he waved with a smile, "Quick!" Come over and drink with me! I've been waiting for this day for so many years! Honey, get me a few more dishes to go with the wine!"
"Alright." Aunt Chen responded with a smile and patted Lin Zhendong's arm. "Don't drink too much."
"Don't worry!" Lin Zhendong excitedly rushed to wash his hands. Then, he quickly sat beside Chen Zhengyi and nervously looked at the white liquid in the small cup.
"Come, let's toast." Chen Zhengyi raised his wine glass.
"Yes, a toast for your victorious return!" Lin Zhendong quickly clinked his cup with his hands, then raised his head and drank a mouthful of wine. Then, he started coughing violently.
Chen Zhengyi immediately burst into laughter. Aunt Chen, who had come out with the dishes, put down the plate and patted Lin Zhendong's back while scolding him with concern, "Why are you drinking like that? Take small sips." As she spoke, she glared at Chen Zhengyi. "You too. You're an elder, and you didn't even remind him. You just sat there and watched!"
"Haha, a man should drink the whole glass at once!" Chen Zhengyi laughed.
"I'm fine, Auntie. I just choked because I drank too quickly." Lin Zhendong, who had recovered, quickly waved his hand and said.
"Come, fill it up and eat. This time, we'll drink slowly." Chen Zhengyi giggled as he poured the wine.
Aunt Chen's eyes turned wet when she saw the two of them eating and chatting. However, a blissful smile appeared on her face as she quickly went to the kitchen to prepare the dishes.
After casually asking about Lin Zhendong's studies, Chen Zhengyi changed the topic to Lin Zhendong's work. "I was prepared to bring you in after the mission ended. I didn't expect you to be brought in by the people from the city department."
"Uncle, I can't do anything. Vice-Captain Li Zhi came directly to my door. I can't reject him." Lin Zhendong quickly explained.
"I don't blame you. Besides, you seized this opportunity very well. As soon as you joined, you became a Grade 8 Official. You're much faster than those university students who graduated and became official!"
"Your father and I were promoted to Grade 8 Official after five years. You have a brighter future than us. Even if you don't make any moves in your university years, by the time you come out, those university students will have only been full-time employees for one or two years. At most, they will be at the same level as you. You have to maintain this advantage!"
After a few words of praise, Chen Zhengyi began to guide, "Now that you're working, drinking is inevitable. With your superiors, colleagues, subordinates, and people from all walks of life, these banquets are indispensable, so you need to have an idea of how to handle them."
"You can drink, but you can't get drunk. Moreover, you can't be addicted to alcohol. You have to have a bottom line in your heart. Once you cross the line and pretend to be drunk, it won't work for anyone. After all, your body belongs to you."
"At the same time, only by maintaining clarity can you know what others say and what you can't say. A lot of things are ruined by drinking."
"Also, there's a limit to who you drink with. For example, when you toast to your seniors or superiors, you have to hold your glass like this. Toast to them like this, and then drink like this. "
"Don't think that these gestures are restrictive. They can give people a feeling of respect. When the person you're toasting to sees you, they will naturally feel that you are a sensible person. This feeling may not mean much in everyday life. But during special occasions, it might bring you benefits," Chen Zhengyi explained and demonstrated.
Lin Zhendong, who was seriously memorizing the culture of the drinking scenes, was suddenly stunned. He subconsciously asked, "Uncle, how do you know these details?"
"Haha, do you think your uncle is a fool? After all, I'm so old and have experienced so many things." Chen Zhengyi smiled.
Then, while he was still a little tipsy, he continued to guide, "Dongdong, we're working in the system. Don't worry about the level. The level represents the amount of salary and resources. It's fine as long as it's enough."
"There's no need to care too much about strength. Even if one's strength reached the peak of the pyramid, they were just subordinates in the system. Of course, don't be too weak. If you're too weak, you won't be able to stand out."
"The stronger you are, the better. Because the stronger you are, the more danger you have to face and the more missions you have to go through. Therefore, it's good that your strength is just right."
"What should you pay attention to in the system? Position! Because a position represented power! At the same time, with the enhancement of the system, it can allow the position of the system to ignore many restrictions."
"For example, with your current age and strength, if you were to become the district department chief, everyone in the district who is stronger than you and older than you would have to listen to your orders obediently."
"Even if your order is wrong, your subordinates must pay with their lives before they can truly confirm that your order is wrong."
"There's no way to refute your wrong order with knowledge and experience alone. Only a dead person can make the higher-ups change your orders."
"Moreover, if you don't want to change it, the higher-ups will only forcefully change it when more people die and reach or even exceed the authorized limit of your position. This is the effect of having unrivaled authority."
"Of course, your unrepentant behavior will tarnish your resume. If there's no special reason, you will no longer be able to hold a position above the chief officer in the future."
Lin Zhendong was dumbfounded. He had never heard of such comments before.
Aunt Chen, who had already prepared the dishes and sat down to pour herself a glass of wine, patted Lin Zhendong's arm gently and reminded him, "Remember what your uncle said. This is experience."
"Oh, yes." Lin Zhendong nodded dumbly. He looked at the blushing Chen Zhengyi and hesitated for a second before asking, "Since you know all this, why are you still only a team leader?"
"Hahaha, you think I'm just talking big or theorizing? Hehe, ask your aunt." Chen Zhengyi pointed proudly at his wife.
Lin Zhendong looked over. Aunt Chen raised her glass and took a sip. Then, she smiled and said, "I was able to secure my position as the head of the logistics department because of your uncle's guidance and support. He's not interested in climbing the ranks, so he's happy to stay as a team leader."
"Yes, I'm not interested in grinding the rank. In terms of serving the country and the people, I've been on the front line for decades and haven't even taken good care of my family. I've already fulfilled my duties and obligations, and that's enough to justify the salary and resources provided by the country."
"Besides, we're already this old. Your aunt and I have jobs. We don't have to worry about our salary and cultivation resources. I don't want your aunt to be ordered around by others, and I don't want her to work too hard. That's why I'm helping her with the captain position." Chen Zhengyi said emotionally.
Aunt Chen didn't say anything. She just raised her glass and clinked it with her husband's.