official career

"It's good to be a waiter here now. Although, as you said, I'm bossed around and busy all day long, it's very tiring and the salary isn't high, at least it's a job that I can handle and that shows my value."

“Qin Feng, I know you mean well, but you have to understand me too. It’s not that I’m too extreme, but after being confined to a wheelchair for several years, I’m now terrified of becoming a completely useless person who needs to be taken care of by others and has no value.” “This job isn’t exactly good, and I don’t really like it. You could say it’s out of necessity in life, but at least it gives my existence meaning, right?” Hong Yue said as she put more food into Qin Feng’s bowl.

"Eat some more, and smoke less," Hong Yue said with a smile.

Qin Feng nodded, threw away his cigarette, picked up his chopsticks, and continued eating.

"Actually, you're wrong. The reason you were targeted, investigated, and dismissed this time wasn't because you offended your superiors, nor was it a problem with your own abilities. The problem actually lies with me," Qin Feng said after taking a couple of bites.

"On you? What does this have to do with you?" Hong Yue didn't believe her and continued, "You don't need to comfort me. I know the reason myself."

Qin Feng shook his head and continued, "There are some things I haven't told you before, but you probably already know the general idea. When you applied for the job at the school for disabled people, I had someone put in a good word for you behind the scenes, and later, when you went from a temporary contract to a permanent position, I also used my connections."

"And the person who greeted him was Chen Wuning, the former deputy secretary of the Dongyang Municipal Party Committee," Qin Feng said.

"I know, he must have put in a good word for me to become the principal, right?"

"No." Qin Feng shook his head and continued, "I was actually unaware that you were going to become the principal, and it wasn't Chen Wuning's idea either."

"Because Chen Wuning had given you instructions beforehand, everyone under you knew that your relationship with Chen Wuning was unusual. Later, these people wanted to curry favor with Chen Wuning, so they took it upon themselves to remove the original principal and let you take over the principal's position."

"Of course, it's on the premise that your abilities, character, and other aspects are all sound. Otherwise, even if we knew that your relationship with Chen Wuning was unusual, we wouldn't dare to promote you to this position so rashly," Qin Feng said.

"I see, but it's not much different from what I thought before." Hong Yue nodded.

Hong Yue originally thought that Qin Feng had secretly manipulated things to promote you to the position of principal.

"Chen Wuning was investigated by the Discipline Inspection Commission a few months ago. The results came out some time ago. Although he was released, he was dismissed from his post."

"I know about this. I saw it on the news. You weren't affected, were you?" At this point, Hong Yue's first thought was still Qin Feng.

Qin Feng shook his head and said, "No, this matter is actually a political struggle among the top officials in Dongyang."

"Chen Wuning has fallen, so naturally his subordinates will be purged, and the new ones will try their best to distance themselves from Chen Wuning. It's also possible that some people will deliberately suppress Chen Wuning's people to curry favor with his opponents. Your superiors, and your superiors' superiors, all thought this way, which is why your superiors made things difficult for you at every turn, and why the Discipline Inspection Commission investigated you and dismissed you from your post." Qin Feng recounted the whole process.

Hong Yue's eyes widened. She never imagined there was such a complicated reason behind it all, let alone that she, a mere principal of a school for disabled people, would be involved in the downfall of the deputy secretary of the Dongyang Municipal Party Committee. She had always thought that she was being targeted because she had offended a leader.

"You were indeed appointed as the principal partly because of my influence, but not entirely. As I said before, the reason you were put in this position is firstly because your ability and character are fully capable of the job, and secondly because of my influence. However, your dismissal this time is entirely due to your involvement with Chen Wuning, and it has nothing to do with you personally."

"You don't need to deny your own work ability; everyone has seen it. So you need to know that your work ability is absolutely fine." Qin Feng put down his chopsticks again after saying this.

"I can see that you still really like working at the school. Do you want to go back to work at the school?" Qin Feng asked Hong Yue.

"How can I go back to school? I've already been dismissed from my post."

"Where there's a will, there's a way. There's nothing in this world that can't be accomplished. Although I've been away from Dongyang City for many years, I still have some old connections. Getting you back to work at the school will be difficult, but it's still achievable," Qin Feng said.

Hong Yue shook her head upon hearing this.

"Why? Do you not want to go back to work at the school, or do you not want to bother me anymore?" Qin Feng asked.

"I don't want to think about it anymore. Although you've been comforting me that it's not my fault, even if there are the reasons you mentioned, wasn't my dismissal due to my own personal reasons? I know my own limitations. Although I think I've taken good care of the children, administrative work is not my forte, and how to communicate with leaders within the system is a skill I just can't seem to learn."

"My ability to stay at this school for so long has little to do with my personal abilities; it's all because of you behind the scenes. And being dismissed this time is just me returning to where I should have been."

“I want to stay at the school and continue to be with the children and take care of them, but I know I’m no longer capable of working at the school, and I don’t want to do administrative work there anymore, let alone deal with bureaucrats within the system. Of course, I don’t want to trouble you anymore either,” Hong Yue said, rattling off a series of things she didn’t want to do.

“You don’t want to go to school? Fine, I’ll find you another job.” Qin Feng compromised.

"Qin Feng, you still didn't listen carefully to what I said earlier. I don't want to live under your wing anymore, and I don't want to live like a useless person."

"How can you call this living like a useless person? I just don't want you to live such a hard life..." Qin Feng was anxious and a little angry.

"Didn't you say you were making up for my New Year's Eve dinner tonight?" Hong Yue interrupted Qin Feng.

"Then let's have a happy New Year's Eve dinner tonight and not talk about these things, okay?" Hong Yue asked Qin Feng.

Qin Feng paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, let's not talk about these things anymore."

Hong Yue continued to serve food to Qin Feng.

"You've lost weight," Qin Feng said, looking at Hong Yue.

"That's because I gained weight before." Hong Yue blushed slightly under Qin Feng's gaze.

“You’ve lost weight, gotten darker, and your skin looks much worse. You look several years older than before,” Hong Yue asked Qin Feng.

"Yes, I have aged a lot. Nobody would think I'm only in my thirties now," Qin Feng said with a self-deprecating laugh.