Chapter 10: Encountering Obstacles at Registration

Today was Zhang Jun’s first day working at the provincial government compound.

Because his new work ID had not yet been issued, he had to register again at the guardhouse.

As a secretary, he was required to arrive at the office before his superior to prepare for the day’s work.

But the guard refused to let him in without first calling the Provincial Office.

So early in the morning, who at the Provincial Office could possibly be on duty?

The problem was, Zhang Jun didn’t even know the phone number for the Provincial Office.

Just as he was growing anxious, Wu Li rode up on his bicycle.

Although Wu Li resented Zhang Jun for taking over his secretary position, he quickly accepted the reality.

Ma Hongqi would rather hire someone from outside than promote Wu Li, showing that Wu Li had never truly earned the leader’s trust. Even if Zhang Jun had never come, someone else would have replaced him.

So Wu Li greeted Zhang Jun naturally.

“Old Liu, this is Comrade Zhang Jun, the new secretary to Vice Governor Ma. His work ID will be ready in a day or two. From now on, just let him in when you see him.”

Wu Li explained the situation to the guard inside.

“Oh, alright!” Old Liu waved his hand, signaling Zhang Jun could enter.

Zhang Jun and Wu Li pushed their bikes into the courtyard and locked them in the bike shed.

“Thank you, Brother Wu,” Zhang Jun smiled gratefully. “You’re older than me, right?”

“I’m 33.”

“I’m almost 30. Brother Wu, I just arrived and know nothing yet. I’ll have a lot to learn from you.”

“No problem. If you have questions, just ask. When Gao Hai was here — that’s your predecessor — I was very close to him.”

“Oh? I heard Gao Hai was in a car accident. Is that true?”

“It is.” Wu Li glanced around cautiously, then lowered his voice. “Strange, isn’t it? Vice Governor Ma was supposed to take that car that day but had a last-minute change of plans and didn’t go. Gao Hai went instead—and the accident happened.”

“I heard there was a woman in the car too?”

“Yes, Gao Hai’s wife.”

“His official wife?”

“Yeah. They both died. No one really knows what happened. Don’t talk about it around the office. Vice Governor Ma hates the subject. His official car was fixed but never used again. They replaced it with a new one.”

Zhang Jun listened solemnly.

The two of them then headed to the Provincial Office.

Wu Li said, “Go check in with Deputy Secretary-General Zhou first. Let him take you to Section Four to meet your colleagues. Then head to Vice Governor Ma’s secretary office. And remember—don’t be late.”

Zhang Jun nodded and went to find Secretary-General Zhou.

He waited five minutes before Zhou Kang appeared.

Zhou wore a stern expression, as if everyone owed him a fortune.

He glanced at Zhang Jun sideways and said, “You may have a graduate degree, but you’ve never served a leader before. You might not be up to this job. Be mentally prepared—if you can’t do it well, you’ll be out immediately.”

Was this an attempt to intimidate?

Zhang Jun felt annoyed but dared not offend his superior. He replied respectfully, “No problem. No matter how difficult the work, I can learn. I look forward to your guidance, Secretary-General Zhou.”

Zhou’s tone softened slightly. “Let me give you some rules. Remember them well.”

Zhang Jun immediately pulled out a pen and paper from his briefcase.

Seeing his attitude, Zhou continued, “No smoking in the secretary office. No crossing your legs. No idle chatter. No gossiping about leaders. I know some of your previous departments were lax, just reading newspapers and drinking tea during office hours. This is a government office—no slacking off!”

“Yes, Secretary-General Zhou. I’ve noted everything.”

“Also, get your home affairs in order. Now you work for a leader. No matter the time, serving the leader comes first. If the leader hasn’t left work, you don’t rest. If the leader needs you, wherever you are, you must be ready to respond.”

“Understood.”

Zhou Kang then led him to Section Four of the Provincial Office’s General Affairs Department.

The Provincial Office is shorthand for the Provincial Government Office.

The director of the office holds a principal bureau-level rank, usually concurrently held by the Provincial Government Secretary-General or First Deputy Secretary-General. Sometimes a Deputy Secretary-General also serves as the office director.

Section Four, where Zhang Jun was assigned, was a subdivision of the General Affairs Department.

In addition to the General Affairs Department, there are the Secretariat Department, Secretariat Section One through Four, each corresponding to one of the five vice governors.

There are also departments for meetings, research, supervision, personnel, administration, advisors, archives, and duty offices.

Logically, Zhang Jun should have been assigned to Secretariat Section Four.

The secretary to Vice Governor Ma Hongqi was supposed to concurrently serve as the director of Secretariat Section Four and oversee its work.

But Zhang Jun’s rank was too low—he had only just been promoted to principal staff member, not even deputy director. If he joined Secretariat Section Four, he couldn’t be the leader there.

Since Gao Hai’s death, the director position in Section Four had been vacant, but several deputy directors remained, including Wu Li.

If Zhang Jun worked in Section Four, would he lead the deputy directors, or would they supervise him?

It was difficult for anyone to work under such conditions.

Ma Hongqi chose a compromise: Zhang Jun was appointed director of Section Four within the General Affairs Department.

After a transition period, Ma Hongqi intended to promote Zhang Jun to deputy director.

At that time, Zhang Jun could oversee the work of Secretariat Section Four with deputy director status.

Zhang Jun understood this reasoning and took no offense.

Upon arriving at Section Four, Zhou Kang cleared his throat.

The staff immediately greeted, “Hello, Secretary-General Zhou!”

An unspoken rule in government offices was that when no outsiders were present, deputy leaders were addressed without the “deputy” prefix as a sign of respect.

Zhou nodded, hands behind his back, and said, “Everyone, pause your work. Let me introduce a newcomer. This is Comrade Zhang Jun, the new secretary to Vice Governor Ma. He will serve as director of Section Four!”

The office burst into applause.

Only one middle-aged man with glasses did not clap. He loudly questioned, “Secretary-General Zhou, the secretary to Vice Governor Ma should be in Secretariat Section Four. Why is he here taking up space? What am I supposed to do? Are there going to be two directors for one section?”

Zhang Jun realized this man was the current director of Section Four, displaced by his arrival.

Zhou gave the glasses man a stern look. “Zheng Zhongyang, if you have objections, report them to me privately. This is the office’s decision. You must comply. You will be transferred to the Archives Department, where I will remain your director.”

Zhang Jun thought that although both were directors, the General Affairs Department and the Archives Department were very different. Zheng’s so-called lateral transfer was actually a demotion.

Sure enough, Zheng’s face reddened as he protested, “I don’t agree! Why him? Why not put him in Archives as director? I’m not going!”

Zhang Jun remained silent. With Zhou present, he left the matter in his hands.

Suddenly, he felt a burning gaze and looked over to see a delicate, charming young woman staring at him.

When she noticed his glance, she smiled sweetly and waved.