Chapter 14: Insidious Tactics

He had originally intended to speak reasonably, but Chen Tianlong refused to listen to advice. Unlike Sun Qian, Chen was one of those people who, when given an inch, would take a mile; if one didn't push back, others would only perceive one as an easy target. Furthermore, with Zhang Qing and Hu Yue present today, if he didn't employ some tactics, how could he expect these young people to follow him with genuine conviction?

Sun Qian had helped him several times, so both for public and private reasons, he had to put Chen Tianlong in his place. If he had merely tried to win him over, even if Sun Qian said nothing, there would inevitably be lingering resentment. Such is the nature of the bureaucracy: at any given moment, one must choose a side. As it stood, the results seemed quite promising.

"Division Chief Sun, is that man the former chief of the Fourth Division? The Chen Tianlong who was transferred to the Retired Cadres Division?" Lin Hao asked.

He had reviewed the personnel files, so he knew exactly who it was the moment Sun Qian mentioned the name. What puzzled him was why the man would act so recklessly. Even if he hadn't made a scene, his caustic remarks would certainly displease the leadership.

Sun Qian understood what Lin Hao was asking and replied with a slow, cold snort: "Chen Tianlong is over fifty now, and this is his very last chance to be promoted to deputy bureau-level. In the Fourth Division, he was always dealing with leadership and had opportunities for merit, but the Retired Cadres Division is essentially a place to wait out one's days. His career prospects are effectively dead, and he's nearing retirement age."

Sun Qian left the rest unsaid, but Lin Hao understood. The man had simply stopped caring. In a government office, as long as you stop striving for advancement, the leadership finds you a massive headache. He had seniority, so they couldn't exactly transfer him to a county office to watch over a fish pond. To put it bluntly, Chen Tianlong was relying on his age to bully others, hoping to force the leadership to appease him or to take one last gamble. Perhaps if the leadership found him annoying enough and wanted to avoid the embarrassment of his behavior spreading, they might just grant him that deputy bureau-level promotion to get rid of him.

"He really doesn't know how to be an official, does he? What does he gain besides offending his superiors? Isn't he afraid that once he retires, no one will pay him any mind?" Hu Yue remarked indignantly.

Lin Hao and Sun Qian exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. How innocent the newly hired youngsters were. If one could gamble their way into a deputy bureau-level retirement, what did it matter if they offended the leadership? The benefits were entirely different. If they tried to give him a hard time, he could immediately cause a scene; retired veteran cadres were the most untouchable people of all.

Seeing both his superiors laughing, Hu Yue scratched his head in embarrassment and looked at his companion. "Did I say something wrong?"

Not far away, Ma Bo finished his meal, wiped his mouth, and cast a meaningful look toward Lin Hao’s group.

"Director Ma, after Chen Tianlong went back, he took a folder to Secretary Lin's office. I don't know what it was for, but when he came out, he didn't have the papers anymore," someone walked up and whispered to Ma Bo.

Ma Bo nodded to acknowledge the information and stood up to leave.

After lunch, Lin Hao returned to the secretariat office, handled a few routine calls, and began organizing the documents that needed to be presented to Secretary Gu that afternoon. He brewed a pot of tea, estimating the right time to take it in. Just then, footsteps sounded at the door.

Lin Hao looked up to see Ma Bo carrying a teacup, strolling by as if taking a walk.

"Director Ma," Lin Hao greeted him warmly.

"Little Lin, are you about to deliver documents?" Ma Bo glanced at the files in Lin Hao’s hand and blew on his hot tea.

"Yes, there are some items from the research office and other departments that the Secretary needs to review."

He couldn't disclose the specifics, but the other party would know regardless. If the Director of the General Office didn't know which department was sending files to the secretariat, he would be failing at his job. Keeping a constant pulse on the movements of the leadership was a political responsibility.

"Little Lin, you’ve just taken over, so you must be quite busy. Everything is in such a tangle that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. It’s often the seemingly unimportant departments whose documents no one pays attention to that end up causing the most trouble," Ma Bo remarked with a sense of gravity. He then seemed to recall something: "I remember a chief of the First Comprehensive Division years ago who overlooked one inconspicuous document, which caused an action team to miss their window of opportunity. He was severely reprimanded by the leadership and stripped of his position. A pity, really; he was young and had a bright future."

Seeing the pointed nature of his words, Lin Hao frowned. The next second, Ma Bo took a sip of tea and wandered off slowly. "Well, I won't bother you anymore. Little Lin, you must be very diligent in your work."

Watching him walk away, Lin Hao fell into deep thought. His brain raced, and his expression suddenly shifted. He scrambled to his desk and began frantically flipping through the documents he had processed that morning.

Sure enough, buried among the files meant to be sealed away, he found a proposal: "Request and Plan for the Upcoming Veteran Cadre Condolence Activities," accompanied by a joint letter, complete with a designated date.

Lin Hao stood frozen, his heart pounding, sweat breaking out on his forehead. Ma Bo was warning him! He not only knew about Chen Tianlong’s tactics but had anticipated Lin Hao’s negligence. Sun Qian’s change in attitude must have been guided by Ma Bo, and the arrangement regarding the Fourth Division surely had Ma Bo’s fingerprints on it as well. So, what was Ma Bo’s goal now? He vaguely recalled that when Chen Tianlong was throwing his tantrum, Ma Bo had been nearby; he must have heard the talk about factionalism.

Was he using him as a pawn to eliminate an enemy?

A cold shiver ran down Lin Hao’s spine, and his breathing grew heavy. Was this the true reach of a General Office Director? To recruit someone without them even realizing it, yet forcing them to be grateful? At the same time, he was relieved that he had discovered it; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Visiting veteran cadres was a long-standing tradition. Every year, such activities were held, and the top leadership would visit these retirees to ask if they needed help or if there was anything that could be improved. After all, everyone grows old; one must go through the motions so that when one retires, others will treat them with the same courtesy. This was why, whenever top officials took office, they would immediately visit the local veteran cadres—to secure political resources and fulfill political mandates.

The matter itself wasn't important; had he just missed it, he could have submitted it another time. But Chen Tianlong had insidiously included the joint letter from the veterans, along with a requested date. This meant the veterans already knew about it. Secretary Gu had to approve it; if he didn't, how would they interpret that? *Does Gu Yuejin look down on us old timers? Is he planning to become a dictator and act arbitrarily, refusing to make room for us?*

Although this group of retired cadres no longer held power, they were not ordinary people. The network of connections they had built over decades was terrifying. The Discipline Inspection Commission was the most fearsome place for such networks to form—what if some high-ranking official had once made a mistake in their youth and been let off lightly, only to rise to a high position later?

What would Secretary Gu face in that situation? What choice could he make? They were secretaries, after all; the veteran cadres wouldn't necessarily fight him to the death. They would need a scapegoat. Who was the most suitable? It would certainly be his secretary—the person closest to the leader, especially since he was only a seconded intern. Once his secondment ended and he was cast out, would he have any future left? Would Xu Fei let him go? Would He Fei or Zhang Nan let him go?

*Bastards. They are trying to ruin me.*

There was no time for further thought. He checked the document again to ensure everything was in order. He emptied some of the tea and added hot water; Secretary Gu liked it warm, and it had been sitting out too long.

At this point, Lin Hao knew he couldn't panic. He had finally caught a glimpse of the cutthroat nature of the Provincial Committee compound. A minor trick from someone else could lead to his complete destruction. He had to be cautious—meticulously cautious.

After finishing, he picked up the tea tray, hooked his briefcase over his arm, and entered Secretary Gu’s office.

What he didn't know was that at the moment he stepped inside, Ma Bo, standing not far away, was watching with his arms crossed, a look of intrigue on his face.

"The kid is even sharper than I thought. Interesting. No wonder Secretary Gu took a liking to him—he’s a clever one."