Officialdom: The beautiful leader took me to the top

Lin Mei's words were like a needle, gently piercing Su Xiaotang's feigned calm.

She recalled how Li Dong looked standing in the sunlight, a figure that perfectly matched her impression of "Brother Dong".

Even now, thinking about it still makes my heart flutter!

Su Xiaotang quickly said, "Alright, stop exaggerating. He really came down to work this time."

"He's reporting for duty at the mine police station today!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Mei was taken aback. "Wait, you mean the mine's police station? The section chief was here a couple of days ago..."

Su Xiaotang and she exchanged a glance, and the atmosphere instantly became quiet.

Lin Mei dared not joke anymore. "Xiao Tang, you should handle this yourself. I won't try to persuade you anymore!"

Su Xiaotang didn't say anything.

Guodong Mining is currently in the eye of the storm. Li Dong, a rising star in the Tianzhou police force, chose this time to come to work at the mine. It's hard to say whether this is a blessing or a curse!

At the same time, Li Dong returned to the police station.

As expected, the security team was empty; Officer Xu and two auxiliary police officers had not yet returned!

After Liu Mei's earlier reminder, Li Dong realized that he had offended someone.

My arrival at the mine's police station this time was most likely an unannounced arrival, without any internal consultation, which disrupted some people's original plans.

Although being stationed at the mine was an exile for him, it was a stepping stone for others.

Now that Li Dong has stepped down, no one else has a chance to go up.

Otherwise, what job could be so important?

Should everyone be required to leave their posts on his first day as team leader?

Presumably, Officer Xu already knew about his work arrangements, and deliberately brought people down today to show him.

To put it bluntly, it was to give him a hard time!

Thinking of this, Li Dong couldn't help but smile wryly.

It's a shame he even wanted to get involved in the mess at Guodong Mining. He hasn't even finished dealing with the trouble at the police station, so how could he have the energy to worry about anything else?

Sure enough, a small temple has a strong demonic influence, and shallow waters have many turtles.

Previously, Minjin Township was also a small town, but it had a proper staffing system and was a legitimate grassroots police unit, so it didn't have these messy troubles.

This police station stationed at the mine has a special organizational structure and is quite rife with unsavory practices!

On his very first day as team leader, he was given a lesson by several of his subordinates—quite a show of force!

Li Dong was angry, but he wouldn't lose his temper.

Officer Xu did that on purpose, just to see him get angry.

If it were when Li Dong had just started working, he definitely wouldn't have been able to swallow this insult and would have immediately retaliated.

At the very least, the other party needs to understand who is in charge.

However, through the trials of the past six months, coupled with Song Ci's daily influence, Li Dong has become well-versed in a way of officialdom: to protect oneself wisely.

A dog that bites doesn't bark, and a dog that barks doesn't bite.

Especially when working in such remote places, the stronger the wind, the more cautious you must be, and you must not easily reveal your emotions.

If others know your likes and dislikes, they can take targeted measures to avoid you and try to please you.

The less one can discern joy or anger, the more sophisticated one's shrewdness becomes.

And this is his way of surviving at Guodong Mining!

Just then, there was a knock on the door outside.

Li Dong composed himself, looked up and shouted, "Go in!"

As expected, it was Liu Min who came in. "Team Leader Li, it's time to leave work, aren't you going?"

Li Dong asked in surprise, "Where to?"

Liu Min smiled wryly, "Where else can we go? Of course, we'll have lunch."

Li Dong suddenly realized that it was lunchtime.

Liu Mei explained, "Since it's your first day at the mine, I was worried you wouldn't be familiar with the situation, so I specifically asked me to take you there so you can get acquainted with the canteen environment first."

As they were talking, Liu Mei handed them a lunchbox.

“There are also public tablewares at the mine, but I was afraid you would find them unhygienic. This is a spare set that I have never used.”

"If you don't mind, you can take it and use it for now."

"You can return it to me when your family has prepared it for you another day."

Li Dong didn't mince words, "Then thank you, Sister Liu!"

Liu Min quite liked Li Dong's personality. "Let's go, or there won't be any food left!"

The mining area gradually became lively along the way.

The miners and office workers all walked together in twos and threes toward the canteen.

On the way there, Liu Min explained the situation to Li Dong as they walked.

The police station does not have a separate canteen; everyone usually eats at the mine's canteen.

As for the food standards, they are the same as those at the mine.

It wasn't amazing, but it was quite plentiful, meeting the standards of a buffet, with plenty of meat, fruits, and vegetables.

As for the expenses, the police station subsidizes half and the mine subsidizes the other half.

Of course, this is just a casual remark.

In reality, the police station was facing financial difficulties, and the government subsidies had not yet arrived.

Therefore, the police station has basically not spent any money over the years, and the mine has always fully reimbursed its meals.

Perhaps it is for this reason that the police station cannot stand up for itself in the mine.

There's no way around it; you're beholden to those who give you money and food.

If you still have to beg for food, how can you dare to be too assertive with the other party?

On his very first day in office, Li Dong saw the crux of the problem.

It seems I need to talk to Song Ci when I get back and find a way to resolve this issue.

How can this be allowed to have its mouth sealed shut?

It's not that you can't eat at the mine, but the finances must be clearly separated.

If you can't even handle this basic thing, how will you work independently later?

If they cannot work independently, they lose the objectivity of the police station and become an appendage of the mine!

Seemingly sensing Li Dong's thoughts, Liu Min said, "Team Leader Li, I know you came down here this time to do some practical things, but some things cannot be changed overnight."

“Before you arrived, there were many unwritten rules in the police station.”

"Actually, these food subsidies have been received, but the arrival of the funds has been delayed."

“After the government allocates funds, the mines generally don’t ask for them back, and the police station doesn’t hand them over voluntarily either.”

"So later, these subsidies were distributed to everyone under other names."

"The mine knows what's going on, but they turn a blind eye."

"I know you want to find a workaround, but this is a very complicated situation, and it's hard to figure out the details."

"Besides, the police station has been established for so many years, how much subsidy has the mine given it?"

"This is a complete mess, there's no way to calculate it!"

"Besides, the police station has had so many different leaders, you simply can't find out anything, so who are you going to trace it back to?"

"So, I'm not trying to discourage you, but this deficit can't be filled, and most people don't want you to fill it either!"

"People have tried this before, but most of them ended up badly..."

It was clear from Liu Min's words that she was worried and didn't want him to cause trouble.

Li Dong was just a little curious as to why Liu Min was telling him all this.