Chapter 7: Suspension and Self-Reflection

Thud, thud, thud...

After getting out of the cab, Yang Dong hurried at full speed toward the municipal office building, heading straight for the floor of the General Affairs Section.

He could hardly spare a thought for the searing pain in his back—he had to get here.

Huff...

Standing at the entrance of the General Affairs Section, he finally let out a breath, then strode inside.

It was already eleven o’clock; most of his colleagues had gone to the cafeteria for lunch. A few who had already eaten were hard at work, pen flying across the page, while others lounged back in their chairs, idly reading e-books.

Li Chen was among those scribbling away—a man known for his diligence and sense of duty at work, which was precisely why he and Yang Dong had become such good friends.

Yang Dong, too, was the type who took his work especially seriously.

If something wasn’t done right, he always placed blame on the issue, not the person.

“Team Leader Yang…”

Li Chen looked up and saw Yang Dong limping inside; he immediately got up and hurried over.

The sudden commotion drew everyone’s attention in the office.

“Well, if it isn’t the great hero Yang Dong himself!” someone called out.

“Did you spend last night bathing in beauty’s company?” Gu Chen quipped with a cold sneer.

He had been at the KTV the previous night, attending the engagement party of Lin Yaodong and Han Wen. But ever since the incident with Guan Jiujui, which caused the evening to end abruptly, everyone had been left with pent-up frustration.

The pleasant atmosphere had been ruined by Yang Dong and Guan Jiujui.

Especially after Lin Yaodong’s failed attempt at chivalry, it was Yang Dong who ended up saving the day, making Lin Yaodong look thoroughly humiliated—so much so that he argued with Han Wen on the way home.

As one of Lin Yaodong’s lackeys, Gu Chen wasn’t about to pass up the chance to shame Yang Dong. After all, Yang Dong was about to fall from grace; there was no reason to fear him now.

“Gu Chen, enough out of you!” Li Chen shot Gu Chen a glare.

“Li Chen, what’s it to you? Stop pretending you matter,” Gu Chen retorted, his face darkening as he pointed at Li Chen.

“Alright, that’s enough! This is the municipal office, not a market stall!” Yang Dong barked, glaring at Gu Chen.

Gu Chen instinctively shrank back, a trace of fear in his eyes. But then he remembered—Yang Dong was nothing but a paper tiger now, so what was there to be afraid of?

“You still remember this is the municipal office? Skipping an entire morning—did you even ask for leave?”

“As a team leader, are you setting an example?” Gu Chen slammed the desk, eyes blazing at Yang Dong.

The loud argument soon caught the attention of people outside.

“What’s all this noise?” Lin Yaodong entered, hands clasped behind his back, dressed in a white shirt and black slacks.

Seeing Lin Yaodong, Gu Chen rushed to tattle, “Brother Lin, Yang Dong’s late!”

“I know,” Lin Yaodong replied coldly—he was there for precisely that reason.

“Yang Dong, Secretary Tian wants to see you. Come with me,” he said without so much as a glance at Yang Dong, giving a cold snort as he turned to leave.

“Team Leader Yang, take care,” Li Chen said anxiously, concern etched in his face.

“Don’t worry,” Yang Dong replied, giving Li Chen’s shoulder a reassuring pat.

This loyal friend had stood by him through thick and thin—last time, even after Yang Dong had fallen from grace, Li Chen never kicked him while he was down, nor did he betray him.

But the outcome was still grim—after Yang Dong was exiled to the countryside, Tian Guanghan found an excuse to send Li Chen to the Department of Retired Personnel.

Elsewhere it might be different, but within the government office of Lingyun City, the Department of Retired Personnel was a dead end—its name said it all.

Yang Dong turned and followed Lin Yaodong toward Deputy Secretary Tian Guanghan’s office.

The two walked one after the other, always keeping about two meters between them.

“Played the hero last night, didn’t you enjoy it?” Lin Yaodong taunted in a low voice from ahead.

Yang Dong ignored him, continuing forward in silence.

“You ruined my engagement night. I’ll settle that score with you sooner or later.”

When they arrived at Tian Guanghan’s office, Lin Yaodong’s expression shifted instantly from threatening to insincere politeness.

“Go ahead, Team Leader Yang,” he said.

Yang Dong was about to knock when Lin Yaodong swung the door open and shoved him from behind.

Yang Dong stumbled into the office, his footsteps clattering loudly.

“Yang Dong!” Tian Guanghan slammed the desk, glaring darkly. “Don’t you know the rules? You didn’t even knock?”

He hadn’t seen what happened outside—he only saw Yang Dong barge in.

Already unimpressed with Yang Dong, the KTV debacle from the night before had only fueled his anger.

“Get out. Knock, then come back in,” he commanded, pointing at the door without another word.

Fury boiled inside Yang Dong. That despicable Lin Yaodong…

But in front of the Deputy Secretary, he couldn’t complain. It would only make him look childish, and Tian Guanghan would never take his side.

He turned and stepped out, standing outside the door.

Lin Yaodong’s shadow had already vanished.

Knock—pause—knock knock.

He rapped steadily, once, waited a second or two, then twice more.

There was an art to knocking. You couldn’t just bang away at the door—only if delivering tragic news, or in the event of a major incident, would one do that.

After three knocks, there was no response from inside.

He knocked again.

Knock—pause—knock knock.

Knock—pause—knock knock.

Knock knock—pause—knock!

Knock knock knock!!!

Yang Dong struggled to contain his anger, but his knocking inevitably quickened.

He wanted nothing more than to kick the door open and drag Tian Guanghan out for a beating.

But he couldn’t—such rashness would only prove his immaturity.

“Come in!”

Nearly three minutes had passed before Tian Guanghan finally called out.

By then, Yang Dong’s fury was at its peak. If he hadn’t answered, Yang Dong really would have turned around and left.

He didn’t need this job—he could always make a living elsewhere, especially with the knowledge he had gained from living through a future decade. He could easily carve out a place for himself in business.

Why should he keep bowing and scraping here?

Taking a deep breath, Yang Dong pushed open the door and entered slowly.

“Yang Dong, why weren’t you at work this morning?”

“And yesterday—your reckless behavior nearly caused a major loss to the City Investment Bureau.”

“Director Ma from the Investment Bureau had some harsh words about you.”

“And President Wu from Building Materials Industries is even more dissatisfied.”

“If it weren’t for several of our leaders speaking on your behalf, that thirty-million investment project from Building Materials would have fallen through—then you’d be the one to blame for hindering Lingyun City’s economic development!”

“You have a responsibility to the three million citizens of Lingyun City!”

Leaders had a way of making everything sound catastrophic, pushing all the blame onto Yang Dong.

It was clear to anyone that Wu from Building Materials was at fault—drunk and behaving badly.

But from Tian Guanghan’s mouth, it was as if Wu were the victim, and Yang Dong’s righteous act had become an unforgivable crime.

“In light of this, the organization has decided—you are to be suspended for reflection.”

“When you have sincerely admitted and corrected your mistakes, I’ll consider letting you return to work.”

With that, Tian Guanghan sat down with a satisfied smile, took a sip of his goji-berry tea, and gestured for Yang Dong to leave.

But Yang Dong looked up, a cold edge in his eyes as he stared at Tian Guanghan.

“Deputy Secretary Tian, which organization decided to suspend me?”

“Yang Dong!”

“Is that your place to ask?”

“Get out. Suspension and reflection!”

Tian Guanghan slammed his cup on the desk, pointing at the door in anger.

Yang Dong turned and left—there was no point in arguing with Tian Guanghan.

This was clearly targeted, a deliberate move to trip him up.

Any further defense or appeal was meaningless.

Suspension for reflection, indeed.

Once Tian Guanghan became secretary of the municipal office, this so-called reflection would quickly turn into a transfer order, sending him into obscurity—just as it had in his past life.