Chapter 3: Hotel Storm (Part 1)

  Liu Fei thought that as long as he ranked first in the written test and interview scores, he could rest easy and be sure to pass.

  However, that afternoon, Personnel Department Director Du Xiaobo went to report the interview situation to Public Security Department Director Zhao Yong, and things took a turn.

  After Du Xiaobo finished his report, Zhao Yong simply nodded calmly, with no expression on his face.

  However, Du Xiaobo clearly felt a sense of oppression, and he sensitively grasped that Zhao Yongtang's mood was not good. It was extremely bad.

  Du Xiaobo's mood suddenly became tense.

  Zhao Yong smiled: "Director Du, don't be so tense! It's normal if Zhao Shijie didn't pass the exam. According to the civil service examination and recruitment procedure, the next step is the political review, right? You must uphold the principle of fairness and justice as you did this morning."

  Du Xiaobo's eyes lit up instantly, and he smiled knowingly. "I understand, Zhao Ting! I'll go take care of it right away!"

  After Du Xiaobo left, he quickly sent someone to find Liu Fei's file and carefully examined every piece of information on it, even to the extent of scrutinizing each word and sentence. In the end, he finally discovered that there was no record of Liu Fei's parents in his file, and according to the file, Liu Fei seemed to be an orphan who had grown up with a nanny since childhood. This made Liu Fei's background a mystery. Du Xiaobo sneered: "How can someone with an unclear background like this be recruited as a civil servant?" He immediately convened an office meeting to question Liu Fei's political review and decided at the meeting to cancel Liu Fei's recruitment qualification, and instead recruit Zhao Shijie, who was ranked second!

  The matter has been confirmed, but the notification has not been issued yet, and it is currently in the process of going through the formalities.

  After the meeting, Du Xiaobo was in a good mood and returned to his office to tidy up before immediately going to Director Zhao Yong to report on the discussion results of the meeting. However, just at this time, a phone call came to his desk, and when he answered it, there was a very serious voice on the other end: "Du Xiaobo, Liu Fei's background is completely clean!"

  Du Xiaobo was stunned because he found that the phone number was from Yanjing City, and he thought to himself how did the news just spread to Beijing, so he curiously asked: "Where are you?"

  "Central Personnel Department!" The other party's voice was full of impatience.

  "HR department?"

  "The head of the personnel management department is Yue Zhongqi! If you don't believe me, you can call the personnel department directly to confirm! But remember, I didn't just call you." Then he hung up the phone.

  Du Xiaobo was stunned after listening. He had some doubts about the other party's identity, so he called the personnel department to inquire and confirmed that the person who had just called him was indeed Director Yue. At this point, a layer of fine cold sweat broke out on his forehead, flowing down rapidly, and his heart rate accelerated. His hand holding the phone also started shaking. Du Xiaobo felt his brain getting a bit mixed up, but he now had a feeling that Liu Fei's admission quota must not be cancelled! So, he quickly picked up the phone and reconvened the meeting with all parties involved to reconfirm Liu Fei's civil service qualifications. Although everyone was surprised, Du Xiaobo was after all the chief examiner this time, so no one raised any objections. After the meeting, Du Xiaobo went straight to Zhao Yong's office and told him what had just happened. Zhao Yong remained silent for a long time before sighing and saying, "Well, let it be then!"

  The Athenaeum Palace is a very famous hotel in Beijing. It's said that the boss is a person with a very impressive background.

  Tonight's business is booming, and the hall is almost full of customers at every table.

  In the private room, Liu Fei, Xu Zhe, Liu Dun and Xiao Qiang, four iron buddies who were just in the same dormitory at Peking University, gathered here for a dinner party, warmly celebrating Liu Fei's recent success in passing the civil service examination of Shanxi Provincial Public Security Department, and also bidding farewell to Liu Fei. Because in a few days, Liu Fei will go to Shanxi Provincial Public Security Department to report for duty.

  In college, the four were inseparable. With graduation looming, they would soon be going their separate ways, so today's gathering had them drinking quite a bit. The table was filled with an assortment of dishes and delicacies, but what caught everyone's eye was the exquisite crystal dragon sculpture in the center of the table. This ornate centerpiece featured two crystal dragons entwined in a "two dragons playing with a pearl" pose, with tiny fountains shooting out from their mouths to suspend a crystal glass ball aloft.

  Liu Fei sat in the main seat. He raised his wine glass and said loudly, "Brothers, come on! Let's have another drink for our four-year university friendship!"

  "Cheers!" The four men stood up at the same time, clinked their cups together and downed two shots of white wine in one breath!

  Put down the wine cup, four people eating dishes while chatting casually.

  Xu Zhe sat on Liu Fei's left side. He stood up slowly, patted Liu Fei's shoulder and said: "Boss, you're really too proud, really, do you know? At the beginning of school, our first class was to elect a class monitor, you just stood on the stage and said one sentence, 'This class monitor is mine, nobody needs to compete.' Of course, I couldn't stop everyone's progress, for fairness, I'll be the last one to give a speech, otherwise, I'm afraid that after I finish speaking, everyone will be ashamed! Brothers, listen, proud, really fucking proud, it's proud to the bone! Boss, do you know? At that time, seeing your expression on your face, I wanted to rush up and beat you! Who have I, Xu Zhe, ever conceded to? Nobody has ever made me concede. From primary school to high school, I was always the class monitor, but that time, when I gave my speech, I felt inferior, lost face! You were like a huge shadow shrouding me! My performance at that time was not bad! But the result was that you were elected as the class monitor! Four years have passed, your achievements are clear to everyone, brother, I concede! Come on, let's drink!" After finishing speaking, he raised his wine glass in front of Liu Fei.

  Liu Fei smiled and raised his glass, recalling the time when he was elected class monitor. With an air of dominance, he had taken the position of class monitor, relegating the son of the Deputy Minister of Finance to the role of deputy class monitor. He felt a sense of pride and satisfaction as he clinked glasses with Xu Zhe and downed his drink in one gulp.

  At this time, Liu Dong took over the topic and said: "What Xu Zhe said is right, boss. It's not that we're saying you're arrogant, but you really are too proud! The most beautiful school flower in our school, Xie Yu Xin, sends you flowers every day and chases after you, but you don't even give her a glance. I'm impressed, brother, I really am! I've seen people being arrogant before, but I've never seen anyone as arrogant as you. But honestly, I just can't figure it out. In terms of looks, Xie Yu Xin is definitely a top-notch beauty, and in terms of family background, her dad is even more impressive than the combined wealth of our dads! Really, boss, I don't get it! We three have grown up with her since childhood, and while we may not be as handsome as you, we're not far off either. So why does Xie Yu Xin have a special affection for you?"

  Liu Fei hehe'd dryly: "It's not that she's not pretty, but I already have a girlfriend!"

  Liu Dong asked: "Let's put this aside for now, I just want to know, what have you done to her? Why does she have a special affection for you?"

  Xu Zhe also urged: "Old big, you'd better confess honestly, otherwise we won't let you go today until you're drunk!"

  Xiao Qiang also nodded in agreement.

  Liu Fei couldn't bear the urging of his brothers and recalled: "I think I gave her a slap at the beginning of school!"

  "What? Why?" The three of them stared at each other in disbelief, their appetites clearly spoiled.

  Liu Fei smiled slyly, "This is something I really can't say. I've already promised her that within a year after graduation, I absolutely won't tell anyone. If you guys really want to know the reason, come find me in a year and I'll tell you then. You all know my personality, once I say something, I never go back on it."

  Xiao Qiang said thoughtfully, "Yes, I absolutely believe in Lao Da's character! Think back to the winter break of our sophomore year. Our class had agreed to have a dinner gathering at the Marriott Hotel, but that day, it snowed so heavily, half a meter deep! Our school was at least 10 kilometers away from the hotel, but you still walked there. When you called me from the hotel, I only had one word in my mind - admiration! Really, up to now, except for my old man, I've never admired anyone else, but Lao Da, your character, I really admire!"

  Liu Duan raised a glass of wine to toast Liu Fei, saying: "Old big brother, you're really a good friend and a man of your word! However, you're too mysterious. Let's not talk about other things, just the fact that every time we take an exam, my brothers and I wouldn't have passed if it weren't for your cheat sheet. The most amazing thing is that every time you pass us answers during the exam, they're always different, yet guaranteed to be enough for all three of us to pass! What's even more incredible is that none of us know how your answers ended up on our desks. Honestly, old big brother, you're too mysterious. We four brothers have been classmates for four years, and we still don't know anything about your family background - you never mention it. Tomorrow we'll be going our separate ways, can't you reveal a little bit about your family?"

  Liu Fei raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, with a hint of helplessness and playfulness in his eyes. "Brothers, it's not that I won't say anything, but even I'm not clear about it right now," he said. "However, I promise you that if I do become clear, I'll definitely notify the three of you first, OK?"

  Outside the hotel, a red Ferrari stopped suddenly in the parking lot with a screeching sound, and a girl got out of the car.

  The service staff in charge of parking management saw the girl and was stunned on the spot, thinking: "Wow, this girl is really too pretty!"

  The girl was tall and slender, wearing a blue denim skirt that revealed a pair of straight, snow-white, long legs. The denim skirt was tight, accentuating her small buttocks, which made the waiter's eyes almost pop out. As he looked up, he saw an extremely delicate face, even more beautiful than Lin Chiling, making the waiter almost suffocate. Just as the girl ran into the lobby, the waiter came back to his senses and discovered that her car was parked in the middle of the road, blocking other cars from entering the parking lot, which gave the waiter a headache.

  The door of the private room was kicked open by someone.

  Liu Fei and the others looked up to see a tall, beautiful young girl rushing in, moving a chair herself, and inserting it directly between Liu Fei and Xu Zhe. Xu Zhe saw this and had no choice but to pinch his nose and move his own chair aside. The girl then sat down next to Liu Fei without any politeness.

  Liu Peng saw the situation and gave Liu Fei a ambiguous squeeze of the eyes, Liu Fei could only bitterly smile and start to feel a headache. This girl was none other than Xie Yuxin, who had been pestering him for four years since university, no matter how he explained himself, she never gave up, and even vowed that if she couldn't catch up with Liu Fei, she would remain unmarried for life.

  Xie Yuxin sat down, poured herself a cup of tea, and drank it all in one gulp. She wiped her mouth and glared at Liu Fei with a pair of almond-shaped eyes, asking: "Liu Fei, I heard you got accepted into the civil service in Hebei Province? Why didn't you tell me? Don't you know that if I just make a phone call, you can stay in the departmental agency in Yanjing? Why did you have to go all the way to Hebei Province? You should know that working in the departmental agency in Yanjing has more potential for development than Hebei Province. And with your abilities, you would be more than qualified no matter where you take the exam. Even if others have connections, your abilities alone would guarantee your success. After all, you're the most capable student union president in the history of Beida! Just during your term, you brought in 10 million yuan in sponsorship funds for the student union, and there's still over 5 million left unused in the account!"

  At this time, Liu Dong, Xiao Qiang and Xu Zhe all stared at Liu Fei with wide eyes, then suddenly stood up and punched him. Liu Dong even gritted his teeth and said: "Boss, you are really too much! You can bring so much money to the student union, but still come every day to extort our three poor pocket money, wuwu, boss, you are really shameless!"

  Xiao Qiang and Xu Zhe also nodded in unison: "Right, shameless!"

  Liu Fei glared at Xie Yuxin and made a silly face, grinning foolishly: "That money was brought in by me for the student union, it can't be used privately!"

  Liu Pang and the other two immediately raised their middle fingers at the same time and said in unison: "Boss, we despise you!"

  Liu Fei pointed with his hand and said with a sly smile, "Hey, be careful about the influence, there's a beautiful girl next to you!"

  Xie Yuxin's eyebrows shot up, a hint of resentment flickered across her face, and she glared fiercely at Liu Fei. "You still know I'm a beauty, so why won't you accept me? If you don't give me a reasonable explanation today, I'll never let you off!"

  Liu Fei glanced sideways, and saw Xie Yu Xin's long hair cascading down her shoulders, her face pretty, especially those enchanting starry eyes and the sexy red lips that were slightly pursed up, paired with the faint sense of loss and sadness on her face, couldn't help but feel a little moved. He was also a man, being pursued by such a beautiful woman for four whole years, how could he not have any feelings? But he didn't want to accept this feeling, because in Henan Province, there was a girl who made him worried, a girl who had once sworn an oath with him.

  The room suddenly fell silent, and Liu Zhuang, Xiao Qiang, and Xu Zhe all stared at Liu Fei.

  Liu Fei saw everyone's eyes looking over, especially seeing Xie Yuxin's expectant gaze, Liu Fei's heart softened and said: "I once set a rule for myself that I absolutely wouldn't find a girlfriend before the age of 22. I'm only 21 now!"

  Upon hearing this, Xie Yuxin's face lit up with a smile, and she became extremely excited. She suddenly threw her arms around Liu Fei's neck and gave him a big kiss on the cheek, saying proudly: "Hmph, since that's the case, I'll wait! I'll wait for you! Hmph, you Liu Fei will definitely not be able to escape my grasp!" After speaking, her face flushed with a layer of red clouds.

  Liu Fei thought to himself: "In a few days, I'll be going to Henan Province to take office. By then, you won't even be able to find me! Let's just end things between us here!" As he thought this, Liu Fei also cracked a smile on his face.

  Xie Yuxin sat for a while and left after receiving a phone call. The four brothers continued drinking.

  The door of the room creaked open, revealing a small gap. A stealthy figure poked his head in to take a look, then squeezed inside and quietly closed the door behind him.

  Although many people had drunk a lot, they were still sober. When Liu Fei heard the footsteps and turned his head around, he saw an extremely cute girl standing tensely beside the table. The girl looked like she was only seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a snow-white dress that exposed her jade-like arms, with a pair of big eyes rolling around to size up the four people, her gaze carrying a hint of vigilance.

  Liu Fei put down his chopsticks and gave her a faint smile: "Respected lady, is there anything we can help you with?"

  Perhaps it was the gentle kindness revealed in Liu Fei's eyes that dispelled the girl's wariness, she nervously glanced at the door while pleading: "Brothers, can I hide under your table? Someone is chasing me outside!"

  Liu Fei saw the girl's pitiful appearance and couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy, so he nodded slightly. The girl immediately lifted up the tablecloth and crawled under the table.

  Liu Fei had already agreed, so Xiao Qiang and the others naturally didn't have any objections, and they continued drinking. However, at this point, drinking no longer held the same excitement as before, after all, there was still someone hiding under the table.

  After a while, two middle-aged men knocked on the door politely and came in. They scanned the room and saw that there were no other people, then apologized to the four of them and left.

  Liu Fei knocked on the edge of the table and shouted at the girl under the table: "Okay, you can come out now, the person looking for you has left!"

  A thank you from a girl came from under the table, and at the same time, the girl was also ready to come out.

  At this time, the girl who had been hiding under the table for more than ten minutes was a little excited and stood up suddenly after being moved.

  As she stood up, the table was suddenly overturned by her, and all the dishes on the table were scattered all over the floor. The crystal dragon sculpture that looked quite elegant was also smashed to pieces.

  The girl was tripped again by the tablecloth and fell into the pile of dishes. When she got up, she was covered in oil stains. She looked embarrassed, clutching at her clothes like a child who had done something wrong in front of their parents. In a low voice, she said to Liu Fei: "I... I'm sorry, it wasn't on purpose!"

  Liu Fei and the other three people looked at each other with wry smiles, shaking their heads in dismay. Just then, the waiter came over to serve the final dish of soup, but upon seeing the situation in the room, he didn't even leave the soup behind, instead quickly slipping out. The five people in the room were left stunned and bewildered, unsure what was wrong with this waiter. Normally, a waiter should come in to clean up after serving, but this one just popped his head in without saying a word and then retreated, leaving an air of strangeness behind.

  Three minutes later, the waiter followed a fat-bottomed female manager with a heavily made-up face into the private room.

  After entering, the hall manager pulled a long face, didn't say a word and handed over an invoice, saying: "This is your bill, read it and go to the cashier to settle!"

  Xu Zhe took the bill and looked at it for a few moments, his face suddenly changed. He handed the bill to Liu Fei, who looked at it and smiled coldly after reading it, then handed it to Liu Zhuang. After all four of them had seen the bill, Xu Zhe lightly tapped on the bill with a cold smile and said: "This table's dishes are only 2000 yuan, why did you overcharge us by 50,000 yuan?"

  The manager of the hall, with a cold face, said: "Because of the crystal dragon sculpture on the table, do you know where that sculpture came from? Let me tell you, that crystal sculpture was brought back by our boss from Italy. You'd better go to the cashier and pay!"