Qi Tongwei: Can I be young again?

"Comrade Qi?" Seeing Qi Tongwei lost in thought, Zhong Zhengqian called out again, "What's wrong? Is there something you can't say?"

"No!" Qi Tongwei shook his head. "I was planning to go back two days ago, but I was delayed. I'm afraid the boss will be unhappy."

Zhong Zhengqian frowned slightly. "You did a heroic act, why is the leader unhappy?"

"I won't say anymore, it's an internal matter." Qi Tongwei smiled.

He didn't want to tell everyone about his difficulties. Most of the time, even if you told them, others might not understand, let alone help.

But Zhong Zhengqian smelled something unusual.

"What's wrong, young man? You're not getting along well with your superiors?"

"I guess so." Qi Tongwei nodded awkwardly. "People don't understand each other, and I don't expect everyone to understand me."

"Yes, it's good that you have this idea." Zhong Zhengqian stood up. "It's getting late, I'll head back now. Oh, by the way... here's my business card. Feel free to contact me if you need anything!"

Contact you?

Qi Tongwei was baffled. "What's the point of contacting you?"

That's what I thought, but I still accepted the business card and politely escorted Zhong Zhengqian to the door.

The moment Zhong Zhengqian stepped out, two guards immediately followed him, and at the same time... an indescribable aura emanated from the man.

Qi Tongwei immediately realized something was wrong and quickly picked up Zhong Zhengqian's business card.

The majestic national emblem sent a shiver down his spine.

The description at the bottom of the business card made him gasp in shock.

Zhong Zhengqian!

This is... Deputy Secretary Zhong from the ZY Discipline Inspection Commission?

Suddenly, my head started spinning.

Who is Deputy Secretary Zhong? He heard some cadres from the Development and Reform Bureau mention him when he first came to Beijing and was eating at a small restaurant!

Zhong Xiaoai's uncle!

Taking a deep breath, Qi Tongwei quickly recalled the conversation between the two, thinking about whether there was anything amiss. Of course... he hadn't done anything wrong, so he wasn't afraid of Zhong Zhengqian investigating him.

The problem is that the other party is Zhong Xiaoai's uncle, whose influence in the Zhong family is second only to the old master Zhong. If he doesn't take a liking to me, then my future with Zhong Xiaoai may not be smooth sailing.

And so, with a feeling of unease, night fell.

……

After getting off work, Zhong Xiaoai didn't linger. She bought a meal from a restaurant and went straight to the hospital.

"Try it, this is Quanjude roast duck, it tastes very good."

Qi Tongwei took a sniff and said, "Hmm, it smells good."

"Eat more if you like it. The doctor just told me that your lungs have improved a lot today, and you should be able to be discharged soon."

"Ah."

The food smelled delicious, but Qi Tongwei had little appetite. After taking a couple of bites, he put down his chopsticks and then took out the business card left by Zhong Zhengqian from his pocket.

"Look, Xiao Ai, this must be your uncle, right?"

Taking the business card, Zhong Xiaoai glanced at it and then handed it back. "What? He was here today?"

"He's here." Qi Tongwei nodded. "He told me a lot, but I didn't know his identity before, so I might have said something wrong."

"Are you worried?" Zhong Xiaoai raised an eyebrow.

"It would be a lie to say I'm not worried." Qi Tongwei looked at Zhong Xiaoai's profile. "I'm afraid he'll look down on me for coming from a humble background and will object to us being together."

“You’re worrying unnecessarily!” Zhong Xiaoai said calmly. “It’s my own life, and I’m in charge of my own decisions. No one can interfere. Besides… if they disagree, would you abandon me?”

"No." Qi Tongwei shook his head firmly.

“That settles it then.” Zhong Xiaoai said seriously, “I’m not Chen Yang. I won’t reject you because of my family. Besides… my uncle should really like you.”

"Really?"

“I’m guessing.” Zhong Xiaoai pointed to the business card in Qi Tongwei’s hand. “If he didn’t like you, you wouldn’t have gotten his business card. Do you think a ministerial-level official would just give his business card to someone else like that?”

Chapter Thirty-Four: Not Seeking Merit, But Avoiding Mistakes - Li Qingshui

Zhong Xiaoai's words were like a reassuring pill, making Qi Tongwei feel a little more at ease.

Yes, that's the deputy secretary of the ZY Discipline Inspection Commission. If he didn't think much of me, why would he give me his business card?

The following days were much more uneventful.

On the fifteenth day of my hospital stay, I was able to complete the discharge procedures as I had hoped.

Zhong Xiaoai saw him off at the station, holding his hand, her eyes full of reluctance to part.

"Tongwei, you've spent almost all of your fifteen days in Beijing in the hospital. To be honest, I'm a little sad."

"Silly girl, it's nothing. We're so young, we have plenty of time ahead of us."

"Okay." Zhong Xiaoai nodded. "Tongwei, try your best to come to my house to propose marriage as soon as possible."

This is a difficult question.

The Zhong family's reputation is not so easy to sway. Most importantly, Qi Tongwei is only a minor deputy section chief. Even if Zhong Xiaoai doesn't mind, he can't be shameless.

Fortunately, they were both young.

Zhong Xiaoai is 23 years old this year. According to the policy of late birth and late childbirth in the 1990s, Qi Tongwei still has a few years to work hard.

"gone!"

Qi Tongwei gave him a hug, then turned and left.

"Ah."

Zhong Xiaoai stood on tiptoe and waved to the crowd.

Upon returning from Beijing, Qi Tongwei dared not linger and immediately went back to the anti-drug squad.

As a result... he was asked by Wang Dejun to suspend his duties and reflect on his actions.

The reason given was simple and sufficient: Qi Tongwei had requested seven days of leave, but in reality, he was not on duty for fifteen days.

What is this called?

This is called disrespecting leadership and violating rules and regulations. Wang Dejun already disliked him, and now he's even more annoyed.

"Qi Tongwei, don't think you're so great just because you're a drug-fighting hero. My uncle is the provincial public security chief! What you've done is called dereliction of duty! Now, get back home and reflect on your actions. Come back to me when you've done your job!"

"Also, don't even think about reporting me to Director Li. I'm not afraid of him. Wang Hua is an example. He likes to tattle, so I suspended him from his duties to reflect on his actions. You two can keep each other company and think about your messed-up lives!"

Faced with such a terrible boss, Qi Tongwei didn't know what to say.

I've already told him that I was late because I was saving someone, and there's a banner and a copy of the Beijing Times as proof.

But Wang Dejun completely ignored him.

He didn't care what Qi Tongwei had done; he simply wanted to give him a warning.

Despite being kicked out of the anti-drug squad, Qi Tongwei didn't panic; he immediately went to find Wang Hua.

Thinking that my good friend was also suspended and had to reflect on his actions made me feel much better.

"Captain Qi, Wang Dejun is a despicable person. I told Director Li that I was being targeted, and when I came back, he suspended me from my duties to reflect on my actions. He doesn't even try to settle personal scores without anyone knowing!"

Now, Wang Hua doesn't even call him "Detachment Leader Wang" anymore; he starts addressing Wang Dejun by his full name. He could write a book about all the grievances he has.

Qi Tongwei also felt wronged.

He did nothing wrong, he just risked his life to save someone, and he was also suspended without pay. Where can he go to seek justice?

After discussing it, the two decided they couldn't let it go like that.

We need to find Li Qingshui about this.

Well, the reason they offended Wang Dejun was because of that crackdown on prostitution, which was ordered by Li Qingshui. Now that he's done with it, leaving Qi Tongwei and Wang Hua to take the blame, they naturally didn't want to.

When Li Qingshui saw the two of them coming to find him, he wasn't surprised at all; in fact, he chuckled.

There was a hint of schadenfreude in it.

"Director Li, it's not very fair for you to still be laughing at a time like this. Don't forget why we're being targeted in the first place."

“I wasn’t laughing.” Li Qingshui retracted his front teeth. “To be honest, given Wang Dejun’s character, I had already guessed your situation.”

"You guessed it, yet you still sent us to raid prostitution? Director Li, you didn't deliberately set us up, did you?" Wang Hua was a little slow to realize.

"Don't say that. There are many things I can't control. I think you two should know about Wang Dejun's backing by now. Even if I wanted to protect you two, I couldn't do anything about it."

"What do you mean?" Qi Tongwei was unhappy. "Wang Hua and I haven't done anything wrong. Are you just going to abandon us like this?"

"What do you mean by abandoning a pawn? Don't put it so harshly. Besides, do you think I can challenge the provincial public security chief?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Tongwei and Wang Hua exchanged a glance, feeling a sense of abandonment.

Why is my life so bitter?

If junior leaders are unreliable, senior leaders aren't much better, pshaw!