Officialdom: The beautiful leader took me to the top

Li Dong continued, "Of course, I was just using an analogy."

“Even if my wife wasn’t a police officer, I would never pursue Ma Xiaotang. After all, I’m not that kind of shallow man.”

"To be honest, my wife is much prettier than Ma Xiaotang, so there's no need for me to lose the big picture for a small one."

"Of course, I'm not saying Ma Xiaotang isn't pretty, it's just that she's not right for me."

"Or perhaps, our time just wasn't meant to be."

"I have photos of my wife on my phone, it's definitely not appropriate to show them to you."

"Okay, after the welcome dinner, my wife might pick me up from get off work. I'll introduce you to her then."

"I don't mean to show off, I just want you to understand that I am already a winner in life, and there is no need for me to go back and take a detour."

Zhao Chenyu couldn't help but give a thumbs up, "Brother Dong, I have nothing more to say."

"I admire you for being able to explain all this to me; you're a real man."

"I like your personality; you say what you mean."

"It seems I really misunderstood something. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done this before..."

Li Dong smiled and said, "Let's not talk about the past."

"It's okay to have misunderstandings, the important thing is to clarify them."

"Besides, if this hadn't happened, I wouldn't have met you. So, you could say we became friends through a misunderstanding." Zhao Chenyu then lit a cigarette. "Brother Dong, it seems I made the right choice coming to this welcome banquet today."

"If you hadn't come today, I wouldn't have known what kind of person you are."

"It seems we get along well now."

"Although I, Zhao Chenyu, am from a mining family, I do not bully men or women."

"Even if you really like someone, you either have to spend money on them or use your skills to pursue them. If you can't win them over, I'll accept it."

"So don't worry, I will never do anything to bully men or women. You don't need to have any concerns about being friends with me."

After getting to know him, Li Dong realized that the kid was simple-minded, so he frankly said, "The reason I'm telling you all this isn't because I'm afraid of you."

“I understand that you came to this welcome banquet today because it was at your father’s behest.”

"If I'm not mistaken, your father will be here later, right?"

Zhao Chenyu's eyes widened. "Wow, Dong-ge, you even guessed that? Could it be that Dong Shou'an told you?"

Li Dong waved his hand, cigarette between his fingers, "I don't need anyone to tell me. Your father just arrived at Guodong Mine and needs to establish himself."

"I'm new to the police station, and I need to get a foothold in the system."

"On this point, I share the same position as your father."

“Even if I wanted to establish my authority, I couldn’t do it above your father. First, I’m not high enough in rank, and second, I don’t have the ability.”

"And if your father wants to establish his authority, he's even less likely to come after me."

“I’m a police officer, I can’t run into his gun, and he has no jurisdiction over me.”

“Even if I did make a mistake, it’s not your father’s place to deal with it.”

"And even if you get rid of me, it won't help your father's situation in the mine."

"He asked you to come over not because he was afraid of me, but because he didn't want to make enemies easily."

"I'm telling you this not because I'm afraid of him, but also because I want to make friends."

“The environment at Guodong Mine is complex. He’s new here, and so am I.”

"If we two newcomers don't stick together for warmth at a time like this, and instead it comes down to fistfights, wouldn't that just benefit those who are watching from the sidelines?"

Li Dong's words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.

After a moment of stunned silence, Zhao Chenyu's heart was also stirred.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette, and the smoke rings slowly dissipated between the two of them.

The expression on his face changed from initial surprise to agreement.

“Brother Dong, what you said is exactly the same as what my dad said.”

“I hadn’t thought of that before, but now that you’ve reminded me, I’ve realized it too.”

“Something’s not right with these people at the mine. They all greet me with smiles, but who knows what they’re saying about my dad behind my back.”

Li Dong flicked his cigarette ash and glanced at the private room of the card and mahjong parlor not far away. "Normal."

"Guodong Mine hasn't changed its mine manager for over a decade. Pang Shibiao has managed it for so many years, and his people have long been united as one."

"Moreover, his father was the previous mine manager. With the change of power, no matter who becomes the mine manager, they will not escape the influence of the Pang family."

“Now that your father has been parachuted in as chairman, it is very likely to affect their interests, so naturally they will not be able to work together with you.”

"To put it bluntly, you're from the provincial capital."

“When your dad reaches the end of his term, he’ll have to be transferred and go back home sooner or later.”

“But they are different; they are locals from Tianzhou, and they started from scratch.”

Zhao Chenyu clenched his fist, his tone carrying a youthful vigor, "Then let's fight them!"

“My dad has connections, so you can keep things under control in the police station.”

"With both sides joining forces, can't we handle these old foxes?"

Li Dong smiled and said, "We can't rush things. Our foundation is not yet solid, and a head-on confrontation will only result in losses."

"Besides, whether or not to cooperate with me, and how to cooperate with me, is not up to you. You have to listen to your father."

"Okay, go out now and call your dad, tell him what I just said, and ask him what he thinks."

"There are some things you should ask me, rather than me asking them, so we don't have to test each other later!"

“If he wants to cooperate with me, let him attend this welcome banquet. Just say that I, Li Dong, am here to wait for him.”

“If he doesn’t want to cooperate with me, then there’s no need for him to come.”

"He wasted my time, and I had to put on a smiling face for him. Everyone was tired."

Zhao Chenyu said nothing, gave a thumbs-up, and immediately walked out of the banquet hall.

After Zhao Chenyu left, Ma Xiaotang walked over alone with a wine glass. "Brother Dong, why are you alone? Where's Zhao Chenyu?"

Li Dong shrugged. "I got a phone call. Something's probably up."

"Oh, right, I haven't thanked you for today yet."

“Sister Min told me everything, about when I was surrounded by Zhang Biao and his gang at the hospital.”

"It was you who called Zhao Chenyu and asked Dong Shouan to step in, which saved me from my immediate predicament."

Ma Xiaotang joked, "Why thank me? I didn't help at all."

"The reason this matter was resolved smoothly today is entirely due to your own abilities."

"By the way, Li Dong, it's been so many years. I didn't expect you to be so capable and have so many friends now."

"If I had known you were so capable and not afraid of Zhang Biao's gang at all, I wouldn't have gotten involved and caused trouble this afternoon."

"So, did I do anything unnecessary or cause you any trouble?"

Li Dong smiled and said, "What are you saying? You've done me a great favor, I don't know how to repay you."