Chapter 8: Asking for a Beating Again
The phone rang in the office.
Xie Xiaoya promptly answered it and called out, "Master, it’s Madam calling for you."
Upon hearing that it was his wife, Liu Yujie, Zhang Jun initially didn’t want to take the call. But considering he had just been promoted to Secretary for Ma Hongqi, starting a divorce now would surely cause a bad impression.
Cutting off a lover upon landing a job—that’s something only low-level civil servants do.
Zhang Jun was now a leader’s secretary, representing not only himself but also affecting his boss’s prestige and reputation.
His relationship with his wife could be icy and indifferent, but on the surface, they had to maintain an appearance of harmony.
He didn’t want to act rashly and ruin the big picture, so he took the receiver and said, “Hello.”
Liu Yujie’s voice came through, endlessly gentle: “Zhang Jun, why can’t I reach you on your phone?”
Zhang Jun took out his phone and saw it was powered off.
Before meeting Ma Hongqi at the provincial government compound, he had turned off his phone. Although he knew no one would call, it was a precaution.
For such an important meeting, phone interruptions were unacceptable—it was a matter of professionalism and respect for his superior.
“The phone’s off. What’s the matter?” Zhang Jun asked calmly and coldly.
“Come home for dinner tonight? I’ll prepare the meal first,” Liu Yujie said.
That was truly rare.
Over the years of marriage, Liu Yujie, this little fairy, always made excuses to dodge housework: busy at the hospital, inconvenient due to her period, or saying since Zhang was from the countryside, it was only natural he should cook. “You’re a man, it’s your duty to support me!”
When advocating for her rights, she would shout about gender equality.
But when it came to her own duties, she reverted to old, feudal thinking.
As long as it made her comfortable, she would find all sorts of reasons and excuses—plain and simple, exquisite selfishness.
Today, she took the initiative to offer to cook at home. Zhang Jun was more shocked by this than when he found her locked inside with Zhou Wenbin!
“Got it,” Zhang Jun replied indifferently, hanging up.
He turned his phone back on.
As soon as the startup tone ended, the phone began ringing incessantly.
Messages that had been floating in the ether suddenly found their destination, arriving in a flood.
Zhang Jun opened the message list but couldn’t even open a single one because they kept coming one after another. Just as he was about to read one, another would block him.
He waited for all the notifications to stop before glancing over the senders, then selected the important ones to read.
People he hadn’t contacted in a long time, even two elementary school classmates he hadn’t seen in over ten years, sent him messages.
Among them was one from Liu Zhengjie.
If Zhang Jun still had a few friends, Liu Zhengjie was undoubtedly one of them.
Liu Zhengjie was Zhang Jun’s high school classmate who studied media. After graduating, he joined the city’s radio and television station and had now risen to deputy producer.
He sent a message inviting Zhang Jun to a gathering that evening, with the location to be chosen by Zhang.
Just as Zhang was about to reply, the phone rang.
It was a city landline number. Not knowing who it was but afraid to miss anything important, Zhang answered.
“Haha, Zhang Jun, congratulations on your promotion! Let’s drink tonight! I’ve been calling you all along, finally got through!” boomed Liu Zhengjie’s loud voice.
Not wanting anyone nearby to overhear, Zhang Jun spoke seriously, “Director Liu, I’m very busy today. Can we reschedule?”
Liu Zhengjie quickly said, “Understood, understood. You’re the secretary to Vice Governor Ma now—you’re not your own master; your time isn’t your own. When you’re free, let’s meet properly. I have something very important to tell you.”
“What is it?” Zhang Jun asked.
Liu Zhengjie chuckled, “We’ll talk in person. Keep a little mystery—I guarantee it will shock you!”
Zhang Jun agreed and hung up.
The phone rang again.
Everyone in the office watched as Zhang Jun busily answered calls, but no one showed the slightest impatience.
Calls kept coming in nonstop—from acquaintances, strangers, the health system, and other departments.
Zhang Jun spent a lifetime’s worth of calls in just one day!
He used to think buying a phone was a waste of over a thousand yuan since hardly anyone contacted him; his phone rarely rang even once a day.
But now, within an hour, he had answered dozens of calls, with many more queued up.
He answered every call but kept conversations brief, hanging up after a few words. Callers were never upset—instead, they politely said, “You go ahead, don’t worry about us. Sorry to bother you.”
He’d heard compliments he’d never heard in his life!
When the workday ended, Zhang Jun picked up his bag and said to Wu Guoquan, “Director Wu, the leadership needs me at the provincial government starting tomorrow. I don’t have much to hand over, so I’ll begin working there then.”
Wu Guoquan smiled warmly. “Good, good. Just go ahead. We’ll handle your transfer. Secretary Zhou at the provincial government has already informed me.”
Zhang Jun nodded and told Xie Xiaoya, “We’ll meet another day. I have something to do tonight.”
Xie Xiaoya smiled sweetly, her face blooming like a flower. “Okay, Master!”
Back at home, as soon as Zhang Jun entered, the rich aroma of chicken soup greeted him.
His wife peeked out from the kitchen, smiling brightly. “Zhang Jun, you’re home. Sit down for a bit. There’s one more dish coming right up.”
Zhang Jun sat on the sofa, then resumed answering calls and replying to messages.
Liu Yujie brought over a tray, served rice, placed chopsticks, and softly said, “Zhang Jun, dinner’s ready.”
Without a word, Zhang Jun finished replying to one message, picked up his chopsticks, and began eating.
Liu Yujie thoughtfully placed a large chicken drumstick in his bowl and gently said, “You must be tired. Have some chicken.”
Zhang Jun spoke in a low voice, “Do you know something?”
Liu Yujie replied, “I heard you became Vice Governor Ma’s secretary, right?”
Zhang Jun hummed.
Two rosy clouds blossomed on Liu Yujie’s cheeks. She smiled charmingly like a teenage girl. “I knew you were talented. You won’t stay beneath others for long. One day, you’ll definitely succeed! I really wasn’t wrong about you!”
Those words sounded too syrupy. Zhang Jun shivered, goosebumps rising, and said, “Can you talk normally? I can’t stand the childish tone from a woman in her thirties. I’m busy tomorrow. We’ll discuss the divorce later when we have time.”
Liu Yujie said excitedly, “Zhang Jun, I won’t divorce you. You’re at a crucial political rise. Divorce would hurt your image and leave a bad impression on the leadership.”
The door knocked.
Liu Yujie got up to open it.
“Director Zhou, what brings you here?”
To Zhang Jun’s surprise, it was Zhou Wenbin!
His chopsticks paused mid-air as he coldly looked toward the door.
Wasn’t this guy supposed to be hospitalized? Why was he here?
He actually dared to show up?
Could it be that yesterday’s beating wasn’t enough?