132: Chapter 132 Two Days? Who Do They Think They Are?

As Liu Jianguo left, he thought to himself, it would be best if this kid knew when to retreat.

So you have connections? It would be best if you transferred to another department; just don't cause trouble for me.

Looking at the thick stack of materials, the office fell silent for three seconds.

Sun Peng couldn't help it and let out a "pfft" of laughter.

Chen Xiaotong lowered her head to flip through documents, the corners of her mouth curling up uncontrollably.

Liu Jianguo hadn't let her continue organizing them; it turned out he was saving them to give the newcomer a hard time.

This time, it looked like there would be a joke to watch.

Zhou Fei glanced at that stack of briefings, his mouth twitching slightly.

Zhao Yang's arrival cast a shadow over his heart.

He wanted to be promoted to Deputy Division Chief, but suddenly, he had a strong competitor.

But now, his mood had suddenly improved.

From the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection? A First-Class Merit? And he became the Section Chief of the Investment Section the moment he arrived?

So what?

Division Chief Liu's move clearly told everyone:

This newcomer isn't going to have it easy.

He looked up and swept his gaze over Zhao Yang, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

Sun Peng leaned over and lowered his voice: "Two days? Three thousand copies? I bet he won't even be able to finish flipping through them."

Lv Bin chuckled: "So what if he finishes? He still has to provide suggestions. Just wait and see, next week he'll be crying and begging Division Chief Liu for a transfer."

"Transfer where?" Sun Peng raised an eyebrow. "He's a First-Class Merit recipient, how could he possibly admit defeat?"

"First-Class Merit?" Lv Bin curled his lip. "Who knows how he got that."

The two looked at each other and smiled meaningfully.

Gao Wenbo reclined in his chair with a cigarette in his mouth, squinting at that stack of briefings.

His gaze landed on Zhao Yang's face; there was no anger, no panic, and not even any expression on that face.

Gao Wenbo suddenly remembered himself from years ago.

When he was in the General Office, someone had also dumped similar work on him.

Back then, he was young and impulsive, toughing it out for three days and three nights. In the end, the leader took one look, said "not bad," and that was the end of it.

Later, he realized that the work wasn't meant to be done; it was meant to be seen.

It was to see if you would admit defeat and if you knew how to behave.

He had no one to teach him or remind him; he was worn down until his edges were smoothed out, becoming what he was now.

He exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze lingering on Zhao Yang for a moment before moving away.

Young man, I hope you can make it through.

An afternoon passed.

Zhao Yang sat in front of his computer the whole time, sometimes quickly flipping through the briefings, sometimes typing rapidly with his fingers flying.

Busy but not chaotic.

With the comprehensive, big-picture thinking unique to a reborn person, he grasped the general gist.

He quickly filtered high-frequency topics and distilled common issues.

When it was time to get off work, Sun Peng passed by Zhao Yang's desk and took a deliberate glance.

The five stacks of briefings were still there, but he couldn't see what document was open on the computer screen.

He sneered and picked up his bag to leave.

At 7:50 the next morning, Liu Jianguo walked into the office carrying his teacup.

His gaze habitually swept toward Zhao Yang's desk.

According to his experience, that spot should be piled high with briefings at this moment, with someone looking distressed.

But what he saw was Zhao Yang leisurely drinking tea, with the computer screen in front of him lit up.

Where were those briefings?

Liu Jianguo was stunned. He walked two steps closer and only then saw the briefings divided into five neat stacks on the corner of the desk.

"Little Zhao?" Liu Jianguo frowned. "Are the briefings finished?"

Zhao Yang looked up and smiled calmly:

"Finished. Division Chief Liu, I've also written the reference opinions. Would you like to take a look?"

Liu Jianguo was stunned and snatched up the top sheet of paper.

"Correlation Analysis and Reference Suggestions for Provincial Dynamic Briefings from the Past Three Months"

Liu Jianguo read on.

Topic: State-owned enterprise reform, involving 7 provinces. Common issues: arrears in employee resettlement fees...

There were five topics in total, and each item followed a three-part structure: "Common Issues—Differentiated Experience—Specific Suggestions."

The logic was clear, and it went straight to the point.

Liu Jianguo stood there, flipping through page after page, his expression changing.

The office was so quiet that the ticking of the wall clock could be heard.

Sun Peng looked up, saw Liu Jianguo's expression, and his heart skipped a beat.

Chen Xiaotong bit her lip, her face turning red and then white.

How was this newcomer's brain wired?

The ease on Zhou Fei's face from yesterday was gone.

He had originally thought Zhao Yang would fail on this pile of briefings, struggle to the end, and then end up begging for help, looking disheveled.

But what happened?

Not only did he finish it, but he did it beautifully.

Gao Wenbo lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

His gaze fell on Zhao Yang; this kid had some skills.

He was better than he had been back then.

Liu Jianguo finally looked up, looked at Zhao Yang, and opened his mouth.

He wanted to say something, to offer some praise, but the words that came out were dry and brief:

"Done... not bad."

Zhao Yang smiled and didn't respond.

Liu Jianguo tucked the papers into his chest, turned around, returned to his office, and closed the door.

The office was quiet for a few seconds.

Zhou Fei was the first to stand up, a warm smile on his face, and walked over to Zhao Yang.

"Section Chief Zhao, impressive!" He gave a thumbs up.

"Over three thousand briefings, finished in one day, and you even produced an analysis report. I've never seen anyone so efficient."

Sun Peng and Lv Bin exchanged a glance and also crowded over.

"Yeah, yeah, Section Chief Zhao, with your level of skill, you'll have to show us the ropes in the future."

Zhou Fei laughed: "Section Chief Zhao, are you free tonight? Let's throw a welcome dinner for you and have a drink!"

Chen Xiaotong looked up and smiled, pursing her lips:

"Section Chief Zhao, it's not common for Section Chief Zhou to treat, so don't refuse."

Zhao Yang looked at the enthusiastic faces in front of him, understanding clearly what was going on.

These guys changed their faces faster than flipping a book.

Yesterday they had expressions of schadenfreude, and now they were acting like close brothers.

He nodded with a smile: "I'm new here and will need everyone's guidance. Let me treat everyone."

Zhou Fei boldly patted his shoulder. "It's settled. I'm treating, and we won't stop until we're drunk!"

Before leaving work, Zhao Yang went to the restroom.

When he came out, Gao Wenbo was leaning against the wall at the corner of the corridor smoking, as if waiting for someone.

Seeing Zhao Yang, he stubbed out his cigarette, scanned the surroundings, and lowered his voice:

"Little Zhao, right? At dinner tonight, drink less and eat more."

Zhao Yang stopped and looked at Gao Wenbo.

Gao Wenbo didn't look at him; his gaze fell on the end of the corridor, his voice even lower:

"That guy Zhou Fei is petty. You're too big, and you're blocking his path."

After saying this, Gao Wenbo turned and left, as if nothing had happened.

After work, Zhou Fei indeed organized a trip to a nearby restaurant.

In the private room, all seven people from the office were present.

The dishes were served, the drinks were poured, and Zhou Fei raised his glass:

"Come, Section Chief Zhao, let's have a toast to you! Welcome to the Economic Division!"

Zhao Yang raised his glass and clinked it with everyone else's.

After three rounds of drinks, Zhou Fei asked:

"Section Chief Zhao, where were you before coming to the provincial capital?"

"Tongan." Zhao Yang was a bit curious; how did he know he wasn't in the provincial capital before?

Unexpectedly, the next second, Sun Peng and Lv Bin clapped simultaneously:

"Tongan is great! It just so happens there's a reform research project for Tongan in the division. It looks like it's yours!"

Zhao Yang showed no emotion on the surface, but he sneered in his heart:

Are these two guys digging a hole, trying to make me jump in?