Chapter 1: Selection

The office of the Secretary of the Hancheng City District Committee.

Song Jieming, the head of the Organization Department, was showing the list of candidates for the new village party branch secretaries to the District Party Secretary, Cheng Yue.

“Secretary Cheng, these are the 32 village party branch secretaries selected by the district for this round of elections.” Song Jieming handed over the list, his eyes keenly observing Cheng Yue’s expression.

“We must nurture our young talents and show concern for the work and lives of our party cadres. Schedule a discussion with them, and I’ll try to attend as well.” Cheng Yue said, his eyes fixed on one name, “Wei Lai.”

“Alright, Secretary Cheng, I will arrange it and report back to you.” Song Jieming left.

With the elections underway, some villages with prominent conflicts needed party members to be sent down from the various government offices to become the appointed party branch secretaries. The Organization Department had assessed candidates across several criteria, selecting 32 individuals from various townships and government offices.

Wei Lai, 26 years old, graduated from the China University of Political Science and Law. After graduation, she worked in Beijing for two years. However, she felt unfulfilled and realized she wasn’t cut out to be a lawyer, so she yearned for a more stable life. Two years ago, she passed the civil service exam and secured a job at the Pingyi Township People’s Government. The past two years have been peaceful, but uneventful. Her father, Wei Qishan, was transferred to a middle school in the provincial capital to teach chemistry five years ago. Her mother, Shao Yufang, retired from the street office this year and also went to the provincial capital. She was taking care of her husband and helping her eldest daughter, Wei Xuan, with her children. Whenever they had free time, they would come back and stay with their younger daughter, Wei Lai, for a few days.

Late last month, while Wei Lai was working, she was distracted and browsing her phone. Suddenly, the “Hancheng News” public account pushed a notification: “Hancheng City District’s Latest Personnel Appointments: Cheng Yue, male, 28 years old, undergraduate degree in Aviation from Tsinghua University, graduate degree in Law from Tsinghua University, served as County Head in Tonghua County for 2 years, now nominated for Secretary of the Hancheng City District Committee.”

28 years old, a rising star. It was Cheng Yue, the one she knew.

They hadn’t seen each other for years, probably five years now. Would she even recognize him? Now he had become the District Party Secretary, her superiors’ superior, a figure in the news. So distant.

That night, she video-chatted with her best friend, Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao was her high school classmate and also worked in Hancheng City. She graduated from Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, with a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Last year, she passed the exam and returned to the Hancheng City Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. Xiao Xiao’s family lived not far from Wei Lai’s, just a 10-minute walk.

As they were chatting casually, Xiao Xiao suddenly said, “Lai Lai, I saw the appointment notice today, he’s your ‘男神’ (ideal man), right? How talented! He’s become our parents’ leader now.”

“Of course he’s excellent. He was recruited as a pilot in the early admission program, jointly cultivated by Tsinghua University and the Air Force. How could he not be excellent if he’s my ‘男神’ (ideal man)?” Wei Lai lay on her bed, saying this to Xiao Xiao on the video call.

“Lai Lai, I saw his picture. He has piercing eyes and a strong brow. He’s matured since the photos you showed me before, but his looks are still top-notch! Lai Lai, opportunity is knocking! You might have the chance to work with him. Over time, feelings might rekindle, you might even relive your past dreams… You’ll be living a fairytale.” Xiao Xiao became more and more excited.

“Stop, stop!” Wei Lai was startled by her best friend’s wild imagination. “Even novels don’t dare to write something like that. The gap between him and me before was like heaven and earth. Now it’s a million miles apart, okay? He started as a county head, not even thirty yet. I wouldn’t even dare dream of becoming a county head.”

“Lai Lai, I’ve noticed that whenever you talk about Cheng Yue, you put yourself down in the dust. You are also very talented, you know. I’ve introduced you to at least eighty eligible men in the past two years.” Xiao Xiao said. To be fair, she had been constantly introducing men to Wei Lai since she returned, but Wei Lai hadn’t met many of them.

“It’s not that I put myself down, it’s that I’m actually in the dust. He’s like a star in the sky, shining brightly but out of reach,” Wei Lai sighed.

Xiao Xiao looked at her friend and couldn’t help but tease her, “You’re a completely different person when you talk about Cheng Yue. Where’s the confident and free-spirited Lai Lai?”

“She’s gone into hiding,” Wei Lai laughed.

They both burst into laughter on the video call.

The day after the appointment announcements were released, a notice appeared in the group chat for the appointed party secretaries. Wang Hao, the deputy head of the Organization Department, posted, “To all appointed party branch secretaries, a discussion meeting for appointed cadres will be held this Thursday (the day after tomorrow) at 9 am in the meeting room on the third floor of the District Party Committee Organization Department. Secretary Cheng and Minister Song will be attending. Please prepare yourselves.”

This was a golden opportunity. Many people spend their entire lives without getting the chance to have a face-to-face discussion with the District Party Secretary and the Head of the Organization Department. If they perform well and leave a good impression on the leaders, they might be able to rise quickly. Many people lack just this kind of opportunity, don’t they?

So, as soon as Wang Hao sent out the notification, Wei Lai’s phone buzzed incessantly with replies, all saying “Received.”

Wei Lai reluctantly replied “Received” as well, feeling rather gloomy inside.

On the one hand, she was only taking on this appointed secretary role out of necessity. Of everyone in her unit who met the criteria, it was just her and Li Ke. They both joined the Pingyi Township People’s Government in the same year, and now they were both being appointed. It was fate, she supposed. During the interview with the District Party Committee Organization Department, Wei Lai cautiously asked, “What if I’m not really willing?”

The Organization Department official smiled and said, “Obey the organizational arrangements.”

On the other hand, Cheng Yue would be attending the meeting. Although he wouldn’t necessarily pay attention to her, and they hadn’t seen each other in five years, he might not even recognize her, Wei Lai still felt a little awkward about it. It would be best to just blend in, remain unseen.

But what could she do? It was her job assignment.

With these anxieties swirling in her head, Wei Lai drove her Smart Fortwo, affectionately nicknamed “Spirit One,” down to the village. She needed to familiarize herself with the local conditions. After all, she’d have to say something at the meeting. She didn’t want to make a bad impression and be remembered by the leaders.

Speaking of which, when Wei Lai returned home, her father, Wei Qishan, immediately started making arrangements for her to buy a car. Wei Lai initially didn’t want to buy one, but after passing the civil service exam and landing a job at the Pingyi Township People’s Government, she had to. Her commute was 20 kilometers, with no public transport available.

When looking at cars, Wei Lai immediately fell for this one: a soft pop-pink color. It fulfilled her inner girly love for pink, but wasn’t too flashy. Wei Qishan had two daughters, and as he put it, “All the money I’ve saved in my life is for you two.” So, without a blink, he swiped his card for the car, which cost 220,000 yuan after the discount.

Her mother, Shao Yufang, smiled and said, “Lai Lai, you need to find someone like your father, who is so good to you, and doesn’t even bat an eye when it comes to spending money.”

“Guaranteed to complete the mission,” Wei Lai even cheerfully saluted her parents.

Compared to their eldest daughter’s calm elegance, their younger daughter was lively and cheerful. Fortunately, their parents didn’t have to worry much about them, whether in their studies or their work. Everything had gone smoothly.