Chapter Seventy-Nine: A Sudden Turn of Events

"It's me," Chen Zi'ang replied. "And you are?"

"Confidential secretary, Song Mingyuan." Though the man wore a pleasant smile and spoke with a gentle tone, the weight carried by the title "confidential secretary" was not lost even on someone of Chen Zi'ang's rank.

This was the personal secretary to the governor of the star district!

"I heard you work in the Public Security Bureau of Extreme North City, and have been with Countermeasures Section Six for five years?" Song Mingyuan asked amiably.

"Yes," Chen Zi'ang nodded. "In another half a year, it'll be six years."

"Very good. There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you." Song Mingyuan cast a glance at Tsukimiya Suzuna.

Suzuna, catching on, excused herself with the pretense of using the restroom, inwardly sulking.

First Takano Seiko, now Song Mingyuan... I brought my senior to this wedding so that Mimi-chan could help me play matchmaker, and so I could declare my claim in front of everyone—not so these people could each take turns having a private talk with him!

She quickly resolved: as soon as the wedding festivities were over, she'd whisk her senior away and resume their sweet time together.

The group wedding would take place in the afternoon, followed by a fireworks display in the evening. She would stick to the plan and make sure nothing went awry.

With Suzuna gone, Song Mingyuan led Chen Zi'ang over to the dolphin bay's railing and spoke in a leisurely tone:

"In fact, on the day Tsukimiya formally joined Section Six, I already made it a point to learn about your team."

"I can say for certain that her decision to join wasn't motivated by any interest in such dangerous work."

"Uh." Chen Zi'ang was at a loss for words—Song Mingyuan was clearly implying that Tsukimiya Suzuna had become an officer for no other reason than for him.

Fortunately, Song Mingyuan seemed to notice his awkwardness and simply rested his arms on the rail, gazing at the dolphins swirling below before continuing:

"Chen Zi'ang, you joined Section Six five years ago. Now, you're the top field agent, handling over thirty percent of the department's cases single-handedly—an outstanding achievement for someone at the grassroots level."

"You're too kind," Chen Zi'ang replied modestly. "I'm merely doing my duty."

"In our system, simply doing your duty is not enough," Song Mingyuan advised him. "In our environment, the one thing we have no shortage of is tools—people who do all the work but, when something goes wrong, end up taking the blame."

"In the eyes of those in charge, being competent is only the baseline. What matters more is your ability to navigate relationships... and at the core of that is: Whose man are you?"

Chen Zi'ang fell silent, pondering this.

"Ma Baoyongjian was personally mentored by Matsuo Hisoura," Song Mingyuan went on. "Matsuo is a capable man, but lacks the proper background. Serving as Director of Public Security is likely as far as he'll ever go."

"He knows this himself, so he's not aiming any higher. When problems crop up, his first instinct is to paper them over and just hang on until retirement."

"Ma Baoyongjian's proposal to cooperate with private organizations is a good stopgap, but not a long-term solution. With Matsuo having lost all ambition, he'll likely be too lazy to make further adjustments, letting things run their course—completely at odds with what we actually need for proper oversight."

"Consequently, the decision has been made: Section Six will be stripped from the public security system and reconstituted as an independent professional agency, free from the old system's constraints."

"Section Chief Takahashi is competent enough, but his affiliation with Ma's faction is too obvious. We have other plans for him. Deputy Chief Saki Ken has already requested a transfer and will be moving to the Ministry of Labor."

"So, after the reorganization, you will be appointed chief of the new department, with Tsukimiya Suzuna as your deputy. The rest of the staff stays the same, and you report directly to your immediate superior."

This barrage of bombshells left Chen Zi'ang too stunned to respond. All he could do was mentally note the key points, intending to mull them over carefully later.

"Of course," Song Mingyuan smiled, "carving a department out of the public security system is like cutting flesh from an elephant—hardly a smooth process."

"If Matsuo Hisoura wants a peaceful retirement, we can grant him an early one and fulfill the old cadre's wish."

"Although Section Six will be independent, its work remains largely unchanged and will still require cooperation from the Extreme North City Public Security Bureau. Ma Baoyongjian has held the director's seat for too long, and may not adapt well to this shift."

"Therefore, we've arranged for a new official to take over his position. This will help the bureau adapt to the new era, and ensure better cooperation with your actions."

"Next week, your immediate superior will contact you directly. You'll need to accompany her to the Public Security Bureau to announce the organizational restructuring and handle the necessary handover of responsibilities. Will that be a problem?"

Chen Zi'ang nodded in astonishment, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from his heart, swiftly replaced by a flood of joy.

To be honest, the recent talk of "outsourcing all operations" or "being sidelined by the leadership" had left him anxious and unsettled.

Who could have guessed that in just two days, everything would turn around so dramatically!

Not only would he keep his job, he'd be promoted to chief—no longer beholden to either the idiot or the big idiot above him.

Best of all, the big idiot would finally be ousted!

Whether or not Song Mingyuan could see the delight in his eyes, he maintained his kindly smile and patted Chen Zi'ang on the shoulder:

"Your new immediate superior is a highly capable person. You'll find she's a completely different breed from Ma Baoyongjian."

"From now on, stick by her and do your best."

After Song Mingyuan left, Chen Zi'ang lingered by the dolphin pool, letting his thoughts wander back to the matters he hadn't had time to consider.

Clearly, Ma Baoyongjian's new policy had become the spark that would topple his patron, Matsuo Hisoura, in the higher echelons.

This fall would trigger a sweeping purge and reshuffle of their entire faction from top to bottom.

With his backer unable to protect himself, the big idiot could no longer hold onto his director's seat. He'd either resign or be sent off to some backwater post.

The moment this realization dawned on him, the world seemed to open up, and he breathed easier than he had in ages.

But who exactly was his new superior?

Song Mingyuan had said he'd need to accompany her to the bureau to announce the restructuring and oversee the handover. The latter made sense—after all, Section Six was to become independent, so the office would move, and everything would have to be inventoried and brought along.

But the "organizational restructuring announcement"—wasn't that HR's job? Was it really necessary for his new boss to go in person?

Chen Zi'ang pondered for a moment, and suddenly, enlightenment struck.

Song Mingyuan knew full well about his feud with Ma Baoyongjian; otherwise, he wouldn't have offered advice about how to conduct himself.

Having him accompany his new boss to the bureau for an "announcement"—what was the real purpose? The point was to stand before Ma Baoyongjian and tell him, "You're dismissed!" "Get lost, you idiot!"

This was his new boss avenging him and doing him a personal favor!