Chapter 26: Back to Where You Came From?
She seemed to be enjoying the pleasure of provoking He Di.
“Why bring such a shabby set of desk and chairs into my office?” He Di’s voice involuntarily rose a few decibels.
“What do you think?” she replied.
“What exactly are you up to?” He Di’s tone shifted with anger as he pointed at the furniture.
“Hmph, I have new desks and chairs. Get rid of that junk immediately!” He Di waved his hand impatiently, as if that would dispel the irritation before him.
But Bai Wei ignored his orders.
Instead, she feigned surprise and asked, “Move them where?”
“Wherever they came from! Can’t you understand?” He Di snapped in frustration.
“Wherever they came from?” Bai Wei pretended to be confused.
“Yes, exactly! Handle it quickly!” He Di was on the verge of losing control.
“Don’t you know these items originally belong here?”
“This set of desks and chairs belongs here. Shouldn’t they be returned?” she said.
“This is just restoring them to their rightful place!”
He Di was taken aback and took a closer look.
Only then did he realize that Jiang Zhaoyang’s belongings had come back again!
That kid was making a comeback?
Caught between shock and fury, he suddenly shouted, “Wait! Who authorized this? Who told you to do this?”
“Who? Want to know?” Bai Wei’s face was full of disdain.
“Of course I want to know. This is my office; I have the right to know everything!”
“Fine, since you want to know, I’ll tell you—it was Mayor Lin himself who gave the permission,” Bai Wei’s tone carried a subtle hint of mockery.
“That…” He Di was momentarily speechless, as if doused with a bucket of cold water.
All his anger and arrogance instantly died down.
He was choked up, unable to speak.
He murmured, “How could this be?”
“Mayor Lin… how could he allow such a thing?”
“What? You think I’m lying or fabricating an imperial edict?” Bai Wei’s lips curled into a cold smile.
He Di knew very well that Bai Wei wouldn’t lie.
He deflated like a punctured balloon in an instant.
However, this wave of dejection did not last long.
In no time, he bounced up like he had been injected with adrenaline. “No! I can’t just accept this!”
“I have to personally ask Mayor Lin what this is all about!”
He spun around sharply and looked at Zhang Mingwei, Li Yi, and Xia Beili with piercing eyes, shouting, “Stop! All of you, stop right now!”
“Without my permission, no one is allowed to move anything!”
After saying this, he paid no more attention to anything else and dashed toward Lin Weiquan’s office like a gust of wind.
His figure sped through the corridor like a swift breeze.
Zhang Mingwei, Li Yi, and Xia Beili exchanged glances, their faces stiffening.
All three involuntarily halted their actions.
Finally, He Di burst to the door of Lin Weiquan’s office.
Without knocking, he pushed the door open and rushed in.
Lin Weiquan was seated at his desk, focused on reviewing a document.
The sudden noise interrupted his thoughts.
He looked up and saw He Di panting heavily, out of breath.
A slight frown crept onto Lin Weiquan’s brow.
He put down his pen and asked in a mildly reproachful tone, “He Di, what’s the matter with you? So flustered—is something serious happening?”
He Di wiped the sweat beading on his forehead vigorously.
His restless eyes darted around nervously.
He stammered out a few words: “The tide has turned!”
“Hu Hansan—no, Jiang Zhaoyang is back again!”
“Bai Wei said it was your idea, Mayor Lin?”
“She wasn’t lying or making things up, was she?”
Lin Weiquan sat straight behind his large desk, his expression calm and unruffled as he said, “That’s right.”
“She was speaking on my behalf.”
“But Jiang Zhaoyang never really left; how can you say he’s back again?”
He Di hurriedly replied, “Jiang Zhaoyang isn’t one of us. He can’t stay.”
“Do you know why I’m letting him stay for a few days?” Lin Weiquan smiled meaningfully.
“No, I don’t,” He Di admitted, utterly confused.
“Do you know he’s been working on a project about economic transformation and development research?”
“Well… I know a little, but not in detail,” He Di answered.
“Besides, he never lets me interfere with these matters!” He Di’s voice quivered, sounding somewhat uncertain.
Lin Weiquan snorted disdainfully.
His tone was laced with contempt. “Hmph, with your limited abilities, do you think you can interfere?”
“Do you even know your own worth?”
“Besides whining behind his back and slandering him, besides indulging in luxuries, what else do you have that compares to him?”
He Di was left feeling ashamed by Lin Weiquan’s words.
At this point, Lin Weiquan glanced at him and said, “Now you have an opportunity—not just a chance to pick up leftovers, but to shine brilliantly and impress everyone.”
“Will you… give up?” Lin Weiquan deliberately dragged out the tone.
“What opportunity?” He Di’s ears perked up at the prospect of good fortune.
He straightened up, his hairs standing on end, secretly delighted.
The gears in his mind started clicking away.
“Mayor Lin, your words are like a blessing from heaven. How could I ever give up so easily?”
“Hmph, if you want to claim this achievement as your own, Jiang Zhaoyang has to finish polishing this grand research report.”
“So, you’re giving him a few days to perfect the report?”
“And then… ultimately, you’ll sign your name to it as the achievement?”
He Di was momentarily stunned.
Then he slapped his forehead in sudden realization.
A proud smile spread across his face. “Brilliant, brilliant indeed!”
“Mayor Lin, this move of yours is truly ingenious.”
“You’re making Jiang Zhaoyang the one who sews the wedding dress, so I can naturally reap the honor.”
Saying this, He Di immediately flattered, “Of course, this is mainly thanks to the leadership. How dare I take all the credit?”
“A windfall from the heavens—Mayor Lin, you should be the first to sign, shouldn’t you?”
“I’m perfectly content with just adding my name at the end.”
“This could also be a great boost for your upcoming promotion as Party Secretary, right?”
Lin Weiquan chuckled proudly.
Then, suddenly, his smile vanished, his expression twisted with a hint of coldness.
He turned to He Di and spoke deliberately, word by word: “Once the millstone is off, I’ll kill the donkey.”
“Tell your father—give me a few more days and I’ll deal with Jiang Zhaoyang, trample on him so he can never rise again.”
“But for now? You have to treat him well, very well.”
“Keep a low profile in front of him. Endure it for a few days, understand?”
“All right! Understood!”
He Di dashed back to his office.
Once inside, he shed his earlier arrogance and haughtiness.
He seemed like a completely different person.