I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 174: Chapter 109: Promotion to Police Commissioner

This was a significant gift, representing both recognition and an investment.

Seeing this, Vice Director Gao immediately reminded Yang Wenqing, "Wenqing, hurry and thank Director Qin. No, thank Teacher Qin."

Yang Wenqing froze for a moment. Seeing the smile on Director Qin’s face, he immediately understood what was happening and went along with it. "Thank you, Teacher Qin."

"Mm, good!"

Director Qin extended the notebook in his hand a little further.

Yang Wenqing quickly stepped forward to take it, earning an envious look from Secretary Chen, who stood nearby.

This wasn’t a formal acceptance of discipleship, but rather the establishment of a relationship. It signified that Yang Wenqing was now in Director Qin’s observation period. Whether he could truly be taken under his wing would depend on his future performance and character.

But even so, this meant he had officially entered Director Qin’s circle and now had a clear backer within the City Defense System. In the future, if he encountered irresolvable difficulties at the local level, he would have a channel to request a transfer or seek protection.

"Your dedication is what matters."

Director Qin was quite satisfied with Yang Wenqing’s reaction. He then changed the subject. "At the meeting just now, the Director was very pleased to hear that our city bureau system has another Police Commissioner under the age of thirty. The Director has always cherished talent, especially young talent. After the meeting, he specifically asked me to bring you to see him. This is a great opportunity, Wenqing."

He glanced at the sergeant’s uniform Yang Wenqing was wearing and said, "Go to the break room inside and change into your new uniform."

"Yes, sir!"

Yang Wenqing couldn’t describe his feelings at that moment, but he knew that being able to meet the top leader of the Coral City Defense System was an immense opportunity.

He took the uniform box and, under Secretary Chen’s guidance, entered the break room attached to the office to change into the brand-new, white Police Commissioner uniform.

The uniform was perfectly tailored. Faint Spirit-Gathering runes provided a subtle sense of comfort, and the defensive Array was in a standby state, faintly stimulated by the Spiritual Qi under his skin. After pinning on his new badge and service bars, the young man in the mirror instantly appeared sharp and composed, with a completely different air about him.

Since his superiors were waiting outside, he only took a quick look before walking out of the break room.

The envy in Secretary Chen’s eyes was palpable as he waited at the door. Vice Director Gao also walked over, laughed, and said, "You’d probably only see a Police Commissioner as young as Wenqing at the Provincial Hall."

Director Qin looked him over and nodded. "Not bad. Very sharp. Let’s go. The Director is in the small conference room on the fifteenth floor. Xiaogao, this is a rare opportunity, you should come along too." As he spoke, he was already walking out of his office area. He gave Secretary Chen a few instructions, telling him to stay and mind the office, while he personally led the two of them to meet the Director.

After leaving the office, he tirelessly briefed Yang Wenqing on the proper etiquette for meeting the Director. By the time they took the private elevator to the fifteenth floor, he had fallen silent.

Yang Wenqing and Vice Director Gao naturally remained silent as well.

Director Qin stopped in front of a conference room that had no nameplate, marked only by a special rune. He straightened his collar and then knocked gently.

"Enter."

A voice that permitted no argument came from within. Director Qin pushed the door open and entered, with Vice Director Gao and Yang Wenqing following close behind.

The conference room wasn’t large, its decor simple yet stately. Three men were seated at a long, dark conference table.

At the head of the table sat a refined, scholarly-looking man of about sixty. He wore a white uniform with four rows of service bars on his chest. His collar had gold floral embroidery, and his epaulets bore three golden insignia. Just by sitting there silently, he naturally exuded the oppressive aura of someone long accustomed to power.

This was the Director of the Coral City Defense Bureau, Shen Wenyuan. His rank was Police Chief, and his Cultivation had reached the late Second Realm.

To Director Shen’s left sat another man in a white uniform, his epaulets bearing two golden insignia indicating the rank of Captain of the Police Department. His expression was rather stern. This was the First Deputy Director, Zhao Shouzheng, who assisted the Director with daily affairs. His Cultivation was at the Late Entry Stage.

To his right was another middle-aged man, also with the rank of Captain of the Police Department. This was Deputy Director Qi, whom Yang Wenqing had met before.

After entering, Director Qin first gave a slight bow to Director Shen in the center. "Director, Yang Wenqing is here." He then turned to the others, his posture respectful. "Director Zhao, Director Qi."

He then stepped aside to present Yang Wenqing, introducing them formally. "Wenqing, Xiaogao, this is Director Shen, this is Deputy Director Zhao, and this is Deputy Director Qi."

Yang Wenqing snapped to attention, his back ramrod straight. He gave the three leaders a standard, sharp police salute, his voice clear and steady. "Greetings, Director! Greetings, Deputy Director Zhao! Greetings, Deputy Director Qi!"

Vice Director Gao did the same.

As Yang Wenqing’s respectful gaze swept over the three men, he felt an unmistakable flash of hostility from Deputy Director Zhao. He wasn’t surprised, as this was the man propped up by the Zhang family.

A smile appeared on Director Shen’s face. His gaze lingered on Yang Wenqing as he said, "Mm, you have a fine bearing. This morning, my secretary mentioned that our Coral City system had another Police Commissioner under the age of thirty. Seeing you in person now, you are indeed a fine talent. Young man, you’re with the Qianjiao County Major Case Team?"

"Yes, Director. I am currently serving in the Qianjiao County Major Case Team," Yang Wenqing answered, his reply concise and clear.

"A grassroots Major Case Team is a good place to temper a person. It’s not easy to have come this far at your age." Director Shen nodded slightly, his tone encouraging.

"Wearing this uniform means greater responsibility. From now on, you must maintain your youthful drive and have the courage to take on tasks, but you must also be more steady and thorough, acting in accordance with the law and regulations. Don’t slack off in your Cultivation, either. Cultivation is one of our fundamentals."

"Yes, sir! I will take the Director’s teachings to heart! I will carry out my duties diligently, advance my Cultivation, and not disappoint my leaders’ expectations!" Yang Wenqing replied in a solemn, earnest voice.

Deputy Director Zhao Shouzheng, who was at the side, also chimed in, "I hear you’ve performed exceptionally well in Qianjiao County. Director Shen values talent, and we all look forward to seeing what our young people can do."

His words sounded encouraging, but his tone was flat, betraying little emotion. It felt more like a perfunctory, routine statement.

Deputy Director Qi Yue’s smile, however, was more genuine. He said to Director Shen, "Director, it seems Old Qin has a good eye, and Gao Zhen has also done a fine job mentoring him down below."

Director Shen smiled and didn’t say anything more, simply nodding at Director Qin.

Yang Wenqing maintained a respectful and composed demeanor, furtively sizing up the three leaders from the corner of his eye.

This Director Shen was the person with the highest Cultivation and greatest authority he had ever faced directly. Seeing even Director Qin, an Entry-level Cultivator, acting with such caution, he felt a subtle mix of awe and longing for that supreme power and authority, as well as an almost instinctive, cool-headed assessment.

’Power, Cultivation, and status wove together to form a great magnetic field, attracting countless people to vie for it, while also consuming those who overestimated themselves.’

Yang Wenqing felt a flame of ambition ignite quietly in his chest. ’I want to stand taller, possess greater power, and not be a pawn for others to move at will.’ But in the next moment, he suppressed this ambition with his powerful sense of reason.

Just then, Director Shen leaned back slightly. His gaze seemed to wander unintentionally over a report on the desk that mentioned Lingshan Town. He tapped a finger lightly on the smooth tabletop, steering the conversation in a subtle direction.

"Speaking of practical matters at the grassroots level, the preparatory work over at Lingshan Town has been going on for some time. The relevant departments in the county and the city have been debating for nearly a month without reaching a solid, unified consensus."

He said it as if it were just a casual remark, then turned his gaze to Zhao Shouzheng and Qi Yue beside him.

"Weren’t we just talking about this? Leaving it unresolved isn’t a solution. Our grassroots cadres are motivated and need opportunities. Since this young man is from Qianjiao County and has been tempered in the Major Case Team, he shouldn’t be a stranger to the local situation. Perhaps we could have him go take a look first, get a feel for the actual situation. It would be good experience for him, don’t you think?"

His tone was questioning.

Yang Wenqing was taken aback, and Vice Director Gao was just as surprised. The eyes of Director Qin and Deputy Director Qi flashed, and they both subconsciously looked toward Zhao Shouzheng.

Deputy Director Zhao Shouzheng’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly before his expression returned to its usual sternness. He then stated his position clearly.

"Director, the situation in Lingshan Town is unique. The Provincial Hall has already given clear guidance that it will be upgraded in the future to a level equivalent to a county. While Yang Wenqing is certainly outstanding, he has only just been promoted and is still quite junior. In my opinion, it would be more prudent to dispatch a colleague with more experience and greater authority to oversee the preliminary work."

He was using Yang Wenqing’s insufficient rank as a direct reason for refusal, and it was indeed a solid argument.