Facing everyone's gaze, Ji Yang said, "Perfect, some decisions regarding personnel were made at the meeting we just finished, and the leaders asked us to get the documents ready."
"What decisions were made?" Liu Yun asked.
Ji Yang glanced at her, thinking to himself that he saw the leaders texting during the meeting, and he believed they all knew about his situation.
It seemed they all very well understood the ins and outs of office politics; even if they knew, they would pretend not to know.
Since decisions had already been made, Ji Yang saw no need for secrecy anymore. He turned to Wei Wuyin and said, "Sister Wei, the newly established Convenience Service Center is a major department, and it needs experienced cadres to take charge. You will become the director of the Service Center. Congratulations!"
Ji Yang was not wrong in his words. She was currently a deputy and would be promoted to a chief position once she went there.
Wei Wuyin forced a smile. She knew her own situation all too well; the price paid was somewhat steep.
"Ji, you'll have to look out for me in the future," she said, knowing full well that Ji Yang was different now — his path to promotion was nearly wide open, and in the future, she might very well need his support.
Observing this young man she hadn't taken too seriously before, she suddenly noticed he was quite handsome. Perhaps it was time to engage in more exchanges with him in the future.
As for winning Ji Yang over, the thought had crossed her mind, but the person backing her had said that this young man was already being handled by someone else, and excessive contact was unnecessary for the time being.
However, this time, whether it was luck or something else, he had unexpectedly caught Chu Shuyuan's attention.
"Look at what you're saying. I still have much to learn from you. If there's ever any trouble, I'll need Sister Wei's help," Ji Yang replied.
"As long as Director Ji needs me, I'll be on call," she answered.
After exchanging a few words, Ji Yang looked at Liu Yun and said, "Liu, we should now address you as Deputy Director Liu. It's impressive that you hold posts in both the Party Government Office and the People's Congress."
Liu Yun's complexion turned somewhat ugly, knowing her own situation. She had become intimate with a certain leader in the county and thought she might become a director this time, even contemplating entering the leadership team. Instead, she was met with this outcome.
Still, not having become a director this time meant she could use it as an excuse to avoid certain obligations.
Forcing a smile, Liu Yun said, "Congratulations to you too. You've jumped to the rank of director in one go."
She was not satisfied with this outcome.
She really couldn't understand how Ji Yang had suddenly become a director — something she had not anticipated.
Only then did Liu Yun seriously look at Ji Yang. Before, because she hadn't considered him important, she didn't pay much attention; now, she realized this boy was actually quite attractive.
She glanced at Wei Wuyin, who had always been her target. Unexpectedly, her target was now off, and the tactics she had prepared against Wei Wuyin now seemed pointless.
"Yes indeed, our Director Ji is something else. Quietly biding his time, he suddenly made such a big move!" Wu Guoping said with a snide remark at this moment.
If there was someone among them who was the most disappointed, it was Wu Guoping. He had gained nothing and no one had spoken up for him, leaving him somewhat ashamed to show his face.
"I didn't expect it either!" Ji Yang said with a wry smile.
Everyone gave Ji Yang another look; they had all privately analyzed the situation numerous times. Ji Yang had not been to the county lately, only to the city at most. Could it be that he had pulled some strings behind the scenes?
Ji Yang then turned to Qiu Ling and said, "Sister Qiu, congratulations on becoming the director of the Social Affairs Office."
Qiu Ling was already pleased and smiled, "I must thank the leaders for their trust. When the time comes, Ji — I mean, Director Ji, you'll have to support me."
"Of course."
Regardless of everything, all present had reaped some benefits from the situation and had made a good show of gratitude.
Everyone had something to gain, and they chatted amongst themselves, the atmosphere becoming lively.
The awkward one was Wu Guoping, whose expression grew increasingly grim. He had also pulled strings, expecting to benefit but had ended up with this result. Seeing others gain while he did not was somewhat humiliating, and he forced a smile, "I'll take my leave first, you folks chat."
Watching Wu Guoping's retreating back, the expressions of the few women present were complex.
At first, they all thought Wu Guoping was their competitor. Unexpectedly, Ji Yang turned out to be the dark horse.
The group then inquired about the adjustments within the local township.
Wei Wuyin said, "From now on, the Party and Government Office will have only you and Old Wu left, Ji. The difficulty is getting a bit serious." She had long noticed that Wu Guoping would definitely not support Ji Yang's work in the next step.
Qiu Ling also said, "Director Ji, if you need my help, just let me know."
"There must be quite a few things going on in your department too," Ji Yang knew they were just saying it for the sake of saying it.
Each of these women was as cunning as a fox; who could truly know what they were thinking inside their hearts? They might even be looking forward to seeing him make a fool of himself.
"Director Ji, the People's Congress is about to convene, and I guess I won't have much time to come here," Liu Yun obviously hadn't adjusted yet.
After all, she didn't have enough experience, and Liu Yun's displeasure was showing; now she just wanted to go back and reflect, signaling her unwillingness to offer help.
"Liu, you're also busy with the important task of the People's Congress meeting," Ji Yang said with a smile, expressing his understanding.
After chatting with everyone for a while, Ji Yang began to work on his computer.
Although everyone was here, expecting their help was unnecessary; Ji Yang didn't want to ask them to work together.
To be honest, even if he were alone, the work wasn't difficult; everyone was simply paying lip service, and none were genuinely willing to help. Wu Guoping had already left outright, so the entire task inevitably fell on Ji Yang's shoulders.
As everyone left, one by one, Liu Yun hesitated for a moment, and Ji Yang said, "Liu, you need to focus on the work of the People's Congress. You should go back first."
"What about the work here?" Liu Yun felt somewhat embarrassed; after all, she held a position here too.
"It's fine, I'll leave after I finish."
"All right then." Liu Yun looked over at Ji Yang once more.
The office suddenly became quiet, and Ji Yang lit a cigarette and started smoking.
Today's sudden turn of events had left Ji Yang feeling unprepared; he'd never expected such a thing.
After a few deep drags, Ji Yang managed to calm his mind.
And then the phone calls started coming in.
What surprised Ji Yang even more was that Qian Yongping was calling him too.
"Bro, you're amazing. I didn't expect you to become the Office Director. What connections did you use? Tell your bro a bit about it." There was a sour note in his voice.
Had Ji Yang not known what Chu Shuyuan had said, he might have truly wanted to share his feelings with his brother. But now, he sensed that the other party wanted to probe him for information.
"It's a long story; I didn't expect things to turn out like this either. I feel like I'm dreaming," Ji Yang said, no longer with his old personality. Some things were better kept to himself and not shown; he knew this guy was the Vice County Chief's secretary and capable of mischief, so Ji Yang played dumb for now, slowly plotting to deal with him.
"Bro, come on, I don't believe you didn't use connections. I had no idea you had such strong connections," Qian Yongping was genuinely shocked to hear that Ji Yang had become the director. After confirming the truth of the matter, he still found it hard to believe and wanted to know which relationships Ji Yang had used. Could it be that a certain bigwig stood behind Ji Yang, allowing Chu Shuyuan to help him?
"To be honest, what about my situation don't you know? I truly don't know what happened. Anyway, Secretary Chu entered the office, nonchalantly pointed at me, then suddenly asked me to attend a meeting; and what's more unexpected, she proposed that I become the director, and even more surprising, many leaders agreed. It's like a dream."
"Really? No one helped you?" Qian Yongping knew Ji Yang's situation; he was aware that Ji Yang had absolutely no connection with Chu Shuyuan. He had hinted to others that when the cadre adjustment came, they should send Ji Yang to an even worse position, preferably to a village work team for training. He hadn't expected this twist of events and was somewhat puzzled. Now calling Ji Yang, he didn't hear what he wanted to learn.
Honestly, Qian Yongping had mixed feelings about Ji Yang; his excellence in all aspects had made him the standard to measure against. This time, having the chance to suppress Ji Yang, he wanted to keep him down, which gave him a strange sense of pleasure.
Yet, he didn't want Ji Yang to find out that he was behind these schemes.
"I'm still dazed," Ji Yang said. "If you say I'm Secretary Chu's man, well, she just pointed at random. If not, now everyone knows I was promoted by her. I'm thinking of asking you for advice on what to do next." Ji Yang pretended to be completely unaware.
He knew Qian Yongping's intentions all too well; only by speaking this way could he temporarily alleviate his suspicions.
"Alright, let's have a good chat when we're back in the county," Qian Yongping replied with a laugh, pleased at the thought of being consulted.
After hanging up, Ji Yang took several more harsh drags from his cigarette until it burned close to his fingers, and then he stubbed it out forcefully in the ashtray.
He hadn't expected to be secretly undermined by his so-called good brother, and Ji Yang felt an impulse to retaliate.
Taking several deep breaths, Ji Yang once again immersed himself in drafting documents.
With so many people having been moved around today, he knew tomorrow would not be a peaceful day.