Chapter 388: A Gathering Storm

Beichun, Provincial Family Courtyard.

The road was lined with tall, lush birch and pine trees.

Simple, understated Chinese-style villas were scattered among them like stars in the sky.

At that moment, a Chinese-style villa in the southeast corner was filled with a cheerful and peaceful atmosphere, punctuated by frequent bursts of hearty laughter.

“Old Tang, how has Xiaosheng been doing at work recently?”

“He hasn’t been any trouble for you, has he?”

Qi Guowei, sitting in the center of the living room sofa, asked Tang Jinghui familiarly as he refilled the teapot. Tang Jinghui was seated a short distance to his left.

“Your Xiaosheng is so sensible, I don’t have to worry about him at all.”

Tang Jinghui glanced at Qi Jiaseng, who was sitting obediently beside Qi Guowei, and replied with a smile, “He’s a hard worker, understands how things work, and he even took care of the major milestone of marriage early on. Now he even has a two-year-old son.”

“Then you look at my boy. He’s only two years younger than your Xiaosheng, but he doesn’t even have a girlfriend.”

As he said this, a hint of envy couldn’t help but show in Tang Jinghui’s eyes.

“Hahaha…”

“Old Tang, don’t you worry.”

“You’ll have a grandson eventually. It’s just a matter of time.”

Qi Guowei’s laughter was hearty. It seemed like he was comforting Tang Jinghui, but any discerning eye could see that he was just showing off.

Seeing this, Tang Jinghui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Seriously?”

“Can you try wiping that smirk off your face?”

“You’re going to lose all your friends acting like that!”

After firing off a couple of retorts, Tang Jinghui’s gaze turned slightly probing. “I heard from Xiaosheng that your Xiaoxin is pregnant again?”

“Just two months along.”

“We were originally planning to wait until the five-month mark to announce it.”

Qi Guowei nodded, admitting it openly.

“I’m so envious…”

“If it’s a girl this time, your Jia Sheng will have one of each.”

Tang Jinghui sighed. “After you retire, you can just stay home and look after the kids.”

“It’s best to have children early.”

“When you’re young, your body is strong and recovers quickly.”

As Qi Guowei listened to Tang Jinghui’s words, a trace of fatherly affection unconsciously appeared on his square, imposing face, which was usually stern and authoritative.

“How about we find a new post for your Ziheng?”

“He’s by my side every day acting as my secretary, and the only people he ever interacts with are old geezers. He never gets a moment of free time. Even if we introduce him to someone, he has no time to date.”

Qi Guowei suddenly lowered his voice. “We’re undergoing an organizational restructuring soon. We’re planning to establish a new Anti-Fraud Division, which means a lot of empty positions will open up. Your Ziheng has been my secretary for two years now. This is a good opportunity to give him another promotion. How about making him a detachment commander in the Anti-Fraud Division?”

“Don’t ask me. That would be breaking the rules.”

“Ziheng is your subordinate. How you arrange things is your business.”

Tang Jinghui raised a hand, signaling for Qi Guowei to stop, his expression becoming surprisingly serious. “Even if you sent him down to the grassroots level for training, I wouldn’t say a word. I’d support it with both hands.”

“Things in the Southwest won’t be rampant for much longer.”

“Over the next two years, there will be a lot of opportunities in anti-fraud.”

“After he makes some achievements, the next step up will be a natural progression.”

Qi Guowei continued speaking as if he hadn’t heard Tang Jinghui’s words, and as he spoke, Tang Jinghui remained silent.

“The deputy director of the personnel division in my department is set to retire in the second half of this year. I was thinking of transferring Xiaosheng over. The work is exhausting, it’s true, but it’s the best place in the entire organization for building connections.”

Tang Jinghui looked up at Qi Jiaseng, who was sitting beside Qi Guowei. “Xiaosheng, what’s your opinion? You’re about to be a father of two. The personnel division is much busier than the Education Supervision Office where you are now. You probably see it when you come and go from work—working overtime is the norm there.”

“I will follow your arrangements, Secretary.”

Qi Jiaseng, sitting beside Qi Guowei in a clean, crisp white shirt and silver-rimmed glasses, had an exceptionally refined and humble demeanor. It was a complete contrast to Qi Guowei’s powerful, almost tiger-like presence.

“Hey…”

“How many times have I told you?”

“Address me by my title at the office. At home, just call me Uncle.”

Tang Jinghui waved his hand dismissively. “Today is your eldest son’s birthday banquet, and your father insisted I come over for a couple of drinks. Your parents-in-law will be here soon. If you keep calling me ‘Secretary’ this and ‘Secretary’ that, how are we supposed to enjoy this meal?”

“Old Tang, you can make the call on this one.”

“A good man’s ambition lies in all corners of the world; how can he be tied down by domestic trifles?”

“Xiaoxin is very understanding. Besides, we have a nanny at home to help out. Xiaosheng’s mother and Xiaoxin’s mother are both basically semi-retired. Four or five people looking after two kids is more than enough.”

Qi Guowei didn’t give Qi Jiaseng a chance to speak, responding directly, “Besides, even when he’s not busy, he’s not much help around the house anyway. I don’t know who he learned it from, but he loves to go fishing all the time. If he’s free, he can sit by Jingyue Lake for an entire day. I can’t even sit still for half an hour.”

Though he didn’t state it outright, his meaning was perfectly clear.

“Old Qi, are you taking a jab at me?”

“I’m the one who got him into fishing. What about it?”

“It builds character and patience, you know?”

“We people in education have to be able to remain composed.”

Tang Jinghui huffed, his beard figuratively bristling. “Who’s like you? A man approaching sixty, and you’re still going out to shoot high-caliber sniper rifles with the young folks from your unit. Aren’t you afraid the recoil will shatter your old bones?”

“Real men play with big guns.”

Qi Guowei snorted. “You wouldn’t even have the chance to play with them if you wanted to.”