Chapter 25: Wu Yiyi

Wu Yiyi wore a white shirt today, her slender figure and elegant temperament elevating her appearance from a standard six out of ten to at least an eight, even overshadowing the young Mrs. Yang sitting across from her. Facing Sister Zhang’s inquiry, she smiled and said, "The leader had to attend a meeting at the municipal level, so I didn't tag along to avoid causing any trouble."

Sister Zhang nodded. "Little Wu, I’ve had my eye on you since you first joined the Comprehensive Division. Look at you, it hasn't even been that long, and you’ve already soared to the top, becoming the leader's secretary..."

"Oh, Sister Zhang, that’s not the case at all. I’m just running errands when the leader is too busy. Nothing is set in stone yet." Although Wu Yiyi spoke with humility, the expression on her face betrayed her inner joy.

She certainly had reason to be happy. At that moment, both Wang Zhitao and Li Xiuyuan looked at her with envy. There was no need to mention Wang Zhitao; he had started at the same time as Wu Yiyi, yet she was now a secretary to a leader, while he was still stuck in the Comprehensive Division, running errands and shuffling paperwork to get by.

Li Xiuyuan, meanwhile, thought to himself that if he were valued by a leader like that, his survival crisis in the Comprehensive Division would vanish. Even Li Boyang and the young Mrs. Yang were envious; once one becomes a secretary to a leader, a promotion to deputy section chief in a couple of years is practically guaranteed. Otherwise, even working in the main office, earning such a promotion is no easy feat.

"Little Wang, Little Li, you two should learn more from Little Wu and strive to be noticed by the leadership and selected as secretaries yourselves," Sister Zhang said with a chuckle.

"Of course, Sister Yang, we will definitely learn from Sister Wu," Li Xiuyuan replied with a smile. Before he arrived at the office, Li Boyang was "Little Li," but after Li Xiuyuan joined, that title became his exclusive nickname, while Li Boyang became "Big Li." If there were an "Old Li" in the office, they would have had three generations represented.

Wu Yiyi waved her hand. "Li Xiuyuan, is it? Don't listen to Sister Zhang’s teasing. Why learn from me? You should learn more from Sister Zhang, Sister Yang, Brother Zhu, and Brother Li..."

"I'll learn from everyone, definitely," Li Xiuyuan said with a bright smile.

The conversation soon shifted, but whether it was his imagination or not, Li Xiuyuan felt as though Wu Yiyi lingered on him with her gaze for a second longer than necessary. Perhaps it was just the common male delusion: "She likes me."

As they chatted casually, the end of the workday approached. Li Xiuyuan was preparing to head home when Wang Zhitao stopped him, suggesting they grab a bite to eat. He had originally wanted to invite Li Boyang, but Li Boyang had to accompany his wife to visit her parents that evening, so it ended up being just Wang Zhitao and Li Xiuyuan.

After finding a casual restaurant and sitting down, Wang Zhitao immediately ordered drinks. Li Xiuyuan could tell that Wang had been stung by Wu Yiyi’s success that afternoon. He understood the feeling; it was a jarring disparity. They had started at the same time and worked for over a year, yet Wu Yiyi was on the verge of becoming a high-level secretary while he remained a grunt in the Comprehensive Division. Resentment was inevitable.

Sure enough, after a few drinks, Wang Zhitao began to pour out his grievances. He talked about how hard he had worked over the past year, how many hours of overtime he had put in, but argued that no amount of effort could compete with those who had connections and a background.

Listening to Wang, Li Xiuyuan learned that Wu Yiyi’s background was far from simple; her mother was a deputy branch manager at a local bank and was on excellent terms with Director Zhao of the Government Office.

Wang Zhitao, his eyes reddened by the alcohol, looked at Li Xiuyuan and said, "Xiuyuan, do you know? For the year and a half, almost two years I’ve been here, I’ve been truly diligent. I’m the first to arrive and the last to leave. When I first started, I’d come in early to scrub the office clean, refill the water, and move heavy boxes. All the dirty, exhausting work was mine. When it came to field research in the villages that no one else wanted to do, I was the one who volunteered..."

"But look at Wu Yiyi. From her very first day at the Government Office, she called Director Zhao 'Auntie Zhao.' How am I supposed to compete with that? She works a standard nine-to-five, and all the good opportunities fall into her lap. This time, when Deputy County Magistrate Gu was transferred here, Director Zhao pushed Wu Yiyi directly onto the leader. The rest of us didn't even get a chance. How are we supposed to fight that?"

"Born into ordinary families like ours, even after entering the system, it's hard to get ahead. We seem to stand on the same starting line, but the true watershed of life is back in the womb..."

Li Xiuyuan offered a bitter smile. Wang Zhitao’s words were a bit crude, but they were the truth. There really was no comparison.

"Brother Wang, you're actually better off than me. I'm worse off than you. I had the bad luck of running into that mess with Section Chief Qu. At least you can stay in the Government Office; as long as you hang in there, there will always be an opportunity. I’m not even sure if I’ll be kicked out one of these days," Li Xiuyuan said with a wry smile.

Hearing this, Wang Zhitao felt a bit better and looked at Li Xiuyuan with sympathy. At least he hadn't faced a situation like that when he started.

"I’ll give you an idea. What do you think of Wu Yiyi? You’re handsome, why don't you try pursuing her? If you could make her your girlfriend, you wouldn't even need her to go to Director Zhao. If Wu Yiyi just said a word to Deputy County Magistrate Gu, you wouldn't have to fear Section Chief Qu anymore," Wang Zhitao suggested with a mischievous grin.

Li Xiuyuan’s face darkened as he glared at Wang. *I treat you like a brother, and you’re trying to set me up for ruin?* Pursuing Wu Yiyi—the very thought was absurd. He had considered finding a girlfriend with connections to help his career, but there had to be genuine feelings involved first.

Furthermore, in the current climate, if he were to pursue Wu Yiyi and she wasn't interested, she could turn around and report him to the leadership, and he would be transferred out even faster. A newcomer who didn't focus on work but instead chased after colleagues would give Qu Hui the perfect excuse; Qu would wake up laughing in his dreams.

Even if they did get together—a scenario that was a stretch—one of them would have to leave. There was no official rule against office romances in the system, but once married, a couple could not work in the same office; one of them would have to transfer. One was a promising secretary to the deputy county magistrate, the other a new recruit—there was no question as to who would be the one to go.

So, Wang Zhitao’s suggestion was absolutely a terrible idea.

"Brother Wang, you have to punish yourself with a drink for that. You're just teasing me. How could Sister Wu possibly be interested in me?" Li Xiuyuan said, feeling speechless.

Wang Zhitao laughed, nodded, and raised his glass. "Fine, I’ll drink. You’re right; Wu Yiyi has high standards. Someone from that kind of background would naturally look for someone of equal standing..."

Just then, Li Xiuyuan’s phone chimed with an incoming text message. He pulled it out and saw it was from an unknown number.

"Comrade Li Xiuyuan, this is Wu Yiyi. Please save my number for future contact. If you have any questions about work, feel free to ask me..."