Chapter 929: Stepping into the Lion’s Den!
The next morning!
In his sleep, Li Yi was jolted awake by an intense, gnawing sensation.
Opening his eyes, he instinctively headed for the bathroom, then got out of bed, stepped off the kang, and put on his slippers—only to discover there was no door on the right side of the room.
Upon closer inspection, he realized this wasn’t his own home—it was the Jiang family’s old mansion!
Had he stayed out all night last night?
Rubbing his dizzy, throbbing head, he tried to recall last night’s events. First, he had spent over an hour chatting with Old Chen and his own grandfather in the study. Later, his stomach had made an embarrassing rumbling sound, so his grandfather had suggested they eat first.
Afterward, the three of them moved to the dining room, eating and chatting.
After a while, the old man had someone bring out a bottle of Maotai aged over twenty years. He couldn’t resist having a sip, and after that… he couldn’t remember what happened next.
Realizing he’d blacked out, Li Yi didn’t bother racking his brain over it.
After taking care of his bodily needs, he splashed some water on his face and headed next door to find the old man, just in case he’d said something foolish while drunk last night, so he could make amends in time.
When he entered the main living room, Li Yi saw the old man sitting in a traditional armchair, eyes closed, listening to the radio.
A small teapot sat on the coffee table beside him, and the old man would occasionally pick it up for a sip.
He simply blew directly into the spout of the teapot; the gesture looked rather dashing and carefree, though one couldn’t help but wonder if the tea was too hot for his mouth!
“Click!”
Li Yi walked straight over and turned off the radio!
Immediately, the old man opened his eyes.
Seeing it was Li Yi, he immediately smiled and said, “You little rascal, you’re awake?”
“I’m awake!”
Then Li Yi asked cautiously, “Grandpa, I didn’t say anything crazy last night, did I?”
“What do you think?”
Seeing the old man’s ambiguous expression, Li Yi’s heart sank. Could it be that he really had spoken some reckless words last night?
Drinking really does lead to trouble—the ancients were certainly right!
The old man chuckled and said, “Actually, you didn’t say much. You just said our country has a bright future, that we’ll soon surpass countries like Britain, France, Italy, and Germany, and that we…”
“What else did I say?”
“None of that really matters. What matters is that thing you promised Old Chen!” the old man said.
“What did I promise Old Chen? I don’t remember a thing.”
As he spoke, a sense of foreboding crept into Li Yi’s heart.
“You promised Old Chen you’d take a position at the National Development and Reform Commission!” Old Man Jiang said, his words coming as a shock.
Crack!
Li Yi felt as if his whole body had split open; this was truly a bolt from the blue for him.
How could he have agreed to take a position at the National Planning Commission? Wasn’t that just digging a hole for himself?
After all, once he took a position in a government department, he would be considered a government official.
And while the management of officials wasn’t as strict as it would be in later years, there were still all sorts of restrictions on traveling abroad. What would happen to his business then?
He’d been planning to go and “harvest” the “foot-basin chicken” in a couple of years, “stomp on the Koreans,” and then set up a “Bear Alliance” to fight with the “Big Americans” over the spoils.
But now, with this move, it was like putting a muzzle on himself. This whole situation…
Seeing the look of frustration on Li Yi’s face, the old man smiled and said, “What’s the matter? Regretting it?”
“Well, you know I don’t want to be a bureaucrat. This conflicts massively with my career plans. Could you please have a word with Old Chen…”
“If anyone’s going to talk, it’s you who needs to talk to Old Chen. I tried my hardest to stop you last night, but I just couldn’t hold you back. If I speak up for you, Old Chen will think I’m the one sabotaging things!”
“Well…”
“I think the National Development and Reform Commission isn’t a bad place to work. Not only is the workload light, but it’s a ministerial-level agency. With Old Chen looking out for you, who knows—by the time you’re Shiying’s age, you might even make it to a provincial or ministerial-level position!” the old man said with a laugh.
“What’s the point of that? You know as well as I do that I’m not cut out for a career in government.”
Li Yi continued, “Besides, I have assets in Hong Kong, the US, and the British Isles now. I have over ten thousand employees working directly for me—I have to take responsibility for them.”
Old Man Jiang immediately asked, “Is there a conflict between being an official and running a business?”
Li Yi was taken aback for a moment, then replied, “Don’t they? I recall there are quite a few restrictions in our country’s cadre management regulations—like not being allowed to travel abroad freely, or to socialize with foreign guests without authorization…”
Before he could finish, Old Master Jiang laughed and said, “Those rules are meant to regulate full-time officials. You’re just a part-time consultant—they shouldn’t be that strict with you!”
“Part-time advisor?”
“Yes. Actually, Old Chen invited you yesterday to serve as deputy director of the Policy Research Office, but I put a stop to it. In the end, you and Old Chen agreed that you’d serve as a part-time advisor to the Policy Research Office. You don’t have to be in the office regularly—just drop by when there’s something to discuss!” Old Master Jiang explained.
Hearing this, Li Yi let out a long sigh of relief and said, still feeling a bit nervous, “An advisor is fine… an advisor is fine!”
“What’s so great about that? An advisor is just a deputy division-level official with a formal position but no real power, while the deputy director of the Policy Research Office is a deputy department-level position. Don’t you know the difference between the two?” the old man said.
“I know, I know. But if I had to choose between a vast forest and a lopsided tree, I know which one I’d pick!” Li Yi said.
Old Man Jiang was momentarily at a loss for words. “You young man, you’re taking your blessings for granted. So many people struggle their whole lives in the bureaucracy, only to end up as section-level or division-level officials. You’ve started so high and yet don’t know how to cherish it. Sigh…”
“Don’t get all sentimental, old man. That’s not my calling. Sure, as a leader you’re surrounded by people and sit high and mighty, but you have to shoulder the corresponding responsibilities. Every word and deed is under public scrutiny—how could that compare to being a wealthy man?” Li Yi said.
“Never mind… You can’t force someone to do something they don’t want to do. At least our family doesn’t need another official!” the old man said with a touch of resignation.
“Heh, that’s true. Fifth Brother came to see me yesterday…”
Just as he was speaking, a series of heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the door, and moments later, the old man’s secretary walked in with a young man.
As soon as they entered, Secretary Song addressed the old man: “Sir, Old Chen sent this young man to see Comrade Li Yi!”
Li Yi was taken aback for a moment, then asked, “Looking for me?”
“Are you Comrade Li Yi?” the young man Secretary Song had brought in asked, looking at Li Yi.
“Yes, I’m Li Yi!”
The young man immediately took a file folder from the briefcase he was carrying and handed it to Li Yi, saying, “The Chief asked me to give this to you!”
Li Yi took the file folder with a hint of puzzlement.
Just as he was about to open it, the young man exchanged a brief greeting with Old Master Jiang and turned to leave.
Only after the other man had left did Li Yi open the folder.
Inside were several forms and a few red-covered booklets.
Taking everything out, Li Yi examined it carefully. The forms were all statements regarding his personal circumstances, such as a cadre registration form and a special circumstances statement, among others.
But those red booklets were interesting!
The first red booklet turned out to be an employee ID card. Upon opening it, he found not only his name, age, and place of employment, but also a stamped photo of himself—he had no idea where they’d gotten that photo from!
When he saw the words “State Planning Commission, Deputy Division-Level Advisor” printed in black on white, Li Yi’s expression turned somewhat dazed. Had he actually become an official?
Although it was just a part-time advisory role, this “Cadre Work ID” was no fake.
And with a specific title, a formal position, and a rank, it was clear they were treating him as a genuine official. Li Yi felt he had truly gotten himself into a sticky situation this time…
………