Chapter 23: Sucking Up to the Big Boss?

The weekend arrived in a blur of busyness.

After lunch, Gu Yao tried calling Director Gu, but no one answered. Eventually, the line auto-forwarded to Teacher Shen’s number.

Over the hum of dishwashing through the receiver, Gu Yao raised an eyebrow and asked, “It’s Saturday—Dad’s not home?”

Could it be his old habit acting up again, sneaking off with Old Man Wang from next door to fish at Qingshui River?

“This time you’re falsely accusing him,” Teacher Shen said, placing chopsticks into the sterilizer with deliberate care. “Your dad’s been swamped lately. He couldn’t relax even if he wanted to.”

After a bit of prodding, Gu Yao finally learned the details—Director Gu had been assigned to oversee a long-abandoned construction project. There were all sorts of historical issues involved, and he was now consulting public lawyers while coordinating with the developer, trying to salvage what he could to protect homeowners’ original rights.

“Mom, is it the one across from the wetland park?”

“That’s the one.”

Teacher Shen sighed softly. “It’s been shelved for five whole years. The homeowners had long given up hope—no one expected a sudden turnaround.”

“Apparently, a high-level city official got wind of the situation and issued direct orders. The county government was forced to sign a ‘military pledge’—that project has to be completed by the end of this year, and the homes delivered to the people.”

A high-level official…

Naturally, Gu Yao thought of Zhou Zhengliang.

After a few interactions, she had a clear sense—unlike officials who chased flashy achievements, Secretary Zhou truly cared about people’s livelihood.

When he made a promise, he meant it.

He really did put the people first.

After ending the call, Gu Yao opened WeChat.

She left a message for Secretary Xu to book an appointment: she’d be reporting on the progress of the system reform at the municipal office next Friday. She asked whether Secretary Zhou would be available.

About ten minutes later, a reply came.

Xu Mo sounded a little surprised:

【I haven’t heard anything about a Friday report.】

Reading each word carefully, Gu Yao froze.

She typed cautiously:

【That’s what Director Meng said… Wait—wasn’t it Secretary Zhou’s instruction?】

【……】

Even through the screen, her panic was palpable.

Xu Mo chuckled softly to himself, then sent a reassuring message:

【Let me look into it and get back to you.】

Oh…

Gu Yao locked her phone and stared at the ceiling, dazed.

She began to wonder—maybe the section chief was just hard of hearing and misheard something.

She had already found it suspicious.

A regular, face-to-face report at city hall every Friday? That made it sound like some classified national mission.

How awkward.

Eyes shut, Gu Yao felt utterly defeated. She debated whether to message Secretary Xu again—maybe ask him not to trouble the higher-ups over such a minor misunderstanding. She could just pretend she never asked.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, her phone chimed with a new message.

She grabbed it immediately.

【Secretary Zhou is available after 3 p.m. on Friday.】

??

Stunned, she paused two full seconds.

She hurriedly typed:

【If Secretary Zhou is busy, I can reschedule. I’m available anytime.】

【No need. I just confirmed with him personally.】

…Well then.

Xiao Gu had nothing more to say.

And so, on an otherwise ordinary weekend, at precisely 10 p.m., Meng Changjun received a rare personal call from Secretary Xu.

He got straight to the point:

“You’re overstepping. Tired of how snug that official hat of yours fits?”

No explanation was needed. The meaning was clear as day.

But Meng Changjun played dumb. He simply gave a faint smile and said nothing.

After a pause, Xu Mo continued, “As both a colleague and fellow alum, I have to remind you—if you spend too much energy guessing what the leader wants, and guess right, you’ll be called insightful. But guess wrong, and you’re the one holding the grenade. Whatever happens after that, you’ll have no one to blame.”

Naturally.

“I appreciate Secretary Xu’s reminder,” Meng said, gaze drifting toward the night skyline beyond his window. His casual tone carried a hint of helplessness. “System reform isn’t just about swapping out platforms. There are hundreds of thousands of project records in that database. Who knows—one day, another bomb might drop.”

The message was clear enough.

Having Gu Yao report directly to Secretary Zhou each week might seem excessive, but in truth, it was just being prepared.

She was still green. Putting her under the direct eye of a senior official meant giving her shade from the tree—letting the whole economic planning office cool off under that canopy.

What no one realized was—

When storms hit, that tree’s shade wasn’t just a shield.

It was also a sword, hanging overhead.

Otherwise, there was no way a minor clerk like her would have been handed a task as monumental as system reform.

The big boss’s approach this time completely defied convention—his motives were a mystery to all, including even his trusted aide, Meng Changjun.

Still, with a new leader in office, Meng didn’t want to disappoint Secretary Zhou.

This move—was the safest bet.

—

By early July, the weather had grown increasingly hot.

On the final day of the project announcement, Gu Yao tallied the bidding companies. A total of twelve had registered.

With time tight and Gu Yao bringing her own lunch to work these past few weeks, she took advantage of her break to polish and refine her report content.

Once everything was in order, around 2:30 p.m., she informed her section chief and quickly made her way to the municipal government building, documents in hand.

Xu Mo had just stepped out of a meeting room when he saw a slightly disheveled figure rushing up the stairs.

The young woman was panting slightly as she greeted him, eyes darting toward the office, clearly checking whether she was late.

“The appointment’s after three. No need to rush like this next time,” Xu Mo said with a smile.

Next time?

Gu Yao’s heart sank.

She silently wondered—shouldn’t someone as busy as Secretary Zhou be unable to spare time every Friday?

Thinking this over, her clear eyes flicked slightly, then she carefully chose her words: “Secretary Xu, I have a small request.”

He raised an eyebrow, motioning for her to go ahead.

Completely unaware of herself inching closer, Gu Yao lowered her voice. “Could you help me pass along a suggestion to Secretary Zhou—maybe reduce the reporting frequency to twice a month?”

It seemed that after the field inspection trip to the county, Gu Yao had thickened her skin and begun trying to cozy up to Secretary Xu.

Was there any rapport between them?

Xu Mo figured—yes, there was.

After a brief pause, he decided to give the girl a gentle nudge in the right direction.

“The second drawer from the bottom in the storage wall on the west side of the office—there’s some new tea in there. Secretary Zhou’s been enjoying Huangshan Maofeng lately.”

Uh…

What did that mean?

She blinked, staring blankly into Secretary Xu’s amused eyes. She thought she understood.

Then again… maybe only halfway.

Working in the system for long enough, people started to speak in riddles by default. Xu Mo was no exception.

After all, there were some things you just couldn’t say outright.

So, two minutes later, Gu Yao once again found herself alone in the massive office.

Relying on memory, she found the drawer he’d mentioned.

She pulled out her phone and asked AI to walk her through the tea-making steps.

Rinse the glass cup, measure out the dry leaves, pour in water at around 85°C—that’s the “downward infusion” method.

Huangshan Maofeng has low density and unfurls easily, making it prone to floating. This method worked best.

Soon, the air filled with a faint, elegant tea fragrance.

Gu Yao leaned in slightly and took a sniff, a small smile of satisfaction blooming on her face.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside.

Startled, she quickly wiped the expression from her face. As she turned around, she realized—Secretary Zhou wasn’t alone. Several other department officials trailed behind him.

Oh no.

She froze.

A lowly clerk from the Development and Reform Committee, showing up in the mayor’s office in broad daylight… and not only that—she’d even taken it upon herself to brew his favorite tea?

She couldn’t exactly say, in front of all these cadres, “Thankfully Secretary Xu tipped me off. I figured out how to curry favor using whatever was on hand.”

Her brain spun wildly for a solution.

Just as a glimmer of inspiration struck, the approaching voices suddenly fell silent.

What she didn’t know—

Down the hall, Secretary Zhou, who had been listening intently to an official explaining production capacity issues, had abruptly stopped in his tracks.

He lifted his gaze slightly, eyes drifting toward the office.

The faint tea fragrance lingering in the air signaled one thing: this meeting was about to become a one-on-one.

Ah. Right. It’s Friday.

If Xu Mo hadn’t mentioned it, he would’ve forgotten.

After a pause of two seconds, Secretary Zhou tilted his head ever so slightly and calmly instructed Director Qin, “Go ahead with the internal procedure. Later, have Director Zhang from Housing call me back.”

And just like that, the once-mighty procession of officials… was dismissed at the door.

For the first time, they were left outside, turned away by the big boss without warning.

Xu Mo quietly turned his face away.

He didn’t know anything.

Really.

If anyone was to blame… blame the girl for brewing tea too well.