The next morning.
Teacher Sun from Hanhai Auction called Dong Xuebing, telling him that the pearl necklace had been restrung. They will be exhibiting the necklace in the morning. He asked if Dong Xuebing wants to go to their venue to take a look. The next auction was not considered a small event. Those small events will not exhibit the items. Dong Xuebing does not want to go. He only asked Teacher Sun to help him get an entrance ticket for tomorrow’s auction as he does not have any money to get the tickets.
7.30 am. Dong Xuebing washed up and went over to Qu Yunxuan’s unit.
Qu Yunxuan carried her bag and was about to leave for work. “I thought you are still sleeping. Why are you up so early?”
Dong Xuebing replied: “Yesterday I told you. I will go to the newspaper agency with you! I want to see what that idiot is up to!” Qu Yunxuan put up a fierce expression and said: “Xiao Bing. I will settle this myself. You just stay at home.”
“What can you settle? That fellow had already tormented you until like this. What does he want by asking his brother to come over to your place so late at night? Ah? What’s the meaning of this? Come over here for a chat? Damn!” Dong Xuebing was furious. “If it weren’t for you stopping me last night, I would have beat him up! Bastard! He thinks he is the deputy editor and can do whatever he wants? Who does he think he is?!”
Qu Yunxuan stared at him and said: “You are not allowed to go there. Listen to me and stay at home!” After arguing for a while, Qu Yunxuan forcefully pushes Dong Xuebing on the couch. “I will go to work now. At most, I will just resign from there. You don’t follow me to work. Listen to me. Just stay at home and watch TV or play some games. You are on break from work. Stop running about and rest at home.” She nagged at Dong Xuebing and left.
But Dong Xuebing did not listen to her. He left home 10 minutes later. Aunt Xuan was being accused, demoted, and got beaten up. That Gong fellow had bullied his precious Aunt Xuan, and she can only swallow her pride and resign? Damn! He remembered the scene of Qu Yunxuan being dragged about by her hair at Hangzhou and his anger rises again. He cannot just let this carry-on! He got to settle this score!
Beijing Times News Agency.
Employees of the news agency, reporters, were slowly walking through the main entrance.
Dong Xuebing, who had arrived at the entrance of the news agency, looked around. He was not stupid to just rush in and teach that Gong fellow a lesson. He knows Aunt Xuan was shy and does not want many people to know that Deputy Editor was forcing her to date his younger brother. Dong Xuebing was here to reason with the leaders at the news agency. He believes that there must be some reasonable leaders in the agency. As long as they investigate that canceled advertising deal, they would know Aunt Xuan was innocent and expose the true colors of that bastard. If this got that bastard demoted, it would be better.
Just when Dong Xuebing was about to enter the news agency, he saw a familiar face. This man had some resemblances with that person looking for Aunt Xuan with roses. But his man was slightly older and had some wrinkles on his forehead. This must be that Deputy Editor Gong!
“Editor Gong.”
“Good morning, Editor Gong.”
Deputy Editor Gong smiled and nodded to the ones who greeted him. He carried his briefcase and walked quickly into the news agency building.
Dong Xuebing controlled his anger and did not run up to bash him up. After the incident with Zhou Guoan, he knows the importance of controlling his temper. Beating others up was not the best solution. It might let him vent his anger, but he would also get into trouble. After all, Dong Xuebing was also a government servant. It’s okay if this person was some hooligan on the streets. But this place was Beijing Times news agency, a newspaper under Beijing Daily Group. Beijing Daily Group was a unit under the Beijing Municipal Publicity Department. This was why Dong Xuebing cannot be impulsive.
After Deputy Editor Gong entered the building and disappeared from his sights, Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and walked into the building.
The security at the door saw Dong Xuebing but did not stop him.
Dong Xuebing thought the security officer was stunned by his “Government Official’s Aura” and did not stop him. But actually, the security officer saw him walking in openly and felt he should be here for business. That’s why he did not stop him.
“Eh, Chief Xiao Dong?” Someone called out from behind. “Why are you here?”
Dong Xuebing turned around, and it was Cao Ping. “Oh, I am here to look for someone.”
“Looking for Yunxuan? No? Who are you looking for? I can show you the way.” Cao Ping had a good impression of Dong Xuebing. After she knew Dong Xuebing was a leader from a government agency, she addressed him as Chief Xiao Dong.
Dong Xuebing was still wondering how to look for the leaders’ offices. He replied: “Thank you. I am here because of Aunt Xuan. She told me everything yesterday.” Dong Xuebing saw Cao Ping was surprised and he continued. “I am here to reason with your leaders. Can you tell me where is your Chief Editor or Division heads’ office? Anyone will do.”
Cao Ping said: “I will be honest with you. Yunxuan had already spoken to the higher-ups, but nothing had changed.”
“Sister Cao, just tell me.”
“Ok. There...... you see that 6 stories white-colored building? Our reporter department is on the second floor. You go to the top floor, and the first office on your left after exiting from the lift is our Chief Editor’s office. But it is useless even if you know where his office is. You do not have any appointments, and you are not an employee of the news agency. They will not let you enter.”
Indeed. Dong Xuebing was stopped by the security guards at the lift lobby. He needs to register at the receptionist counter first.
At the receptionist counter, Dong Xuebing told the receptionist: “I am here to meet your Chief Editor.”
“Do you have any appointments?”
“No.”
“How do I address you?”
“Dong.”
“May I ask what’s the reason for you to meet our Chief Editor?”
“I need to reflect something to him.”
“What are.......”
After a series of questions, Dong Xuebing was still not allowed to go upstairs. The receptionist told him that the Chief Editor was in a meeting and does not have time to meet him. Who are you trying to fool? Dong Xuebing was about to explode, but he told himself to calm down. He took a few deep breaths and said that receptionist. “Then I want to meet Qu Yunxuan. She is from the Reporter Department.”
The receptionist made a phone call and then nodded to the security officer standing by the lift.
Dong Xuebing entered the lift, and the elevator stopped on the second floor. Someone from the reporter department walked out. But Dong Xuebing remained in the lift and pressed the sixth floor. Ding! The elevator opened. There was a counter at the lift lobby, and there was a frosted glass partition separating the lift lobby and the offices. The Chief Editor’s office was behind the frosted glass partition. Without the news agency employees’ access card, no one could enter. Visitors could only register at the counter first.
“Sir, who are you looking for?”
“I want to meet your Chief Editor.”
“Do you have any appointments?”
It was another series of questionings. In the end, the receptionist used the excuse of meeting to reject Dong Xuebing. Just when Dong Xuebing wants to ask what time will the meeting ends, there was a beep. A man in his fifties walked out from the glass door. The receptionist saw that man and greeted him as Chief Editor. She then pointed to Dong Xuebing. “Sir, someone is here looking for you. He said he wants to reflect something.”
Dong Xuebing quickly walked forward. “Good morning. I just need a moment of your time. I want to.......”
The Chief Editor pressed the lift and interrupted Dong Xuebing. “Can you wait here? I will come back to you after I finished my work.”
Dong Xuebing frowned but still agreed.
This wait was two hours. It was almost lunchtime when the doors of the elevator opened and the Chief Editor appears.
Damn! Did you go and lay eggs? Dong Xuebing controlled his tempered and stood up from the rest area. He said: “I would like to feedback on your agency’s Deputy Editor Gong’s actions. Some time ago, he was in cahoots with a client and asked that client to complain about the Advertising Division’s Qu Yunxuan on her attitude. Deputy Editor Gong used this as an excuse to demote her and transfer her to the reporter department. He even......” Dong Xuebing lowered his voice and continued. “force her to dare his younger brother. Qu Yunxuan refused, and she was sent on a dangerous undercover investigation at Hangzhou. Is your agency going to sit by and not do anything about this?”
The Chief Editor thought Dong Xuebing wanted to tell him something important. But when he heard it was about this, he got irritated: “I don’t care about this. You go and look for the ones that are in charge of this.”
“Which leader is in charge of this?”
The Chief Editor ignored Dong Xuebing and took a brown envelope from the receptionist, before entering the elevator again.
Dong Xuebing was furious. F**k! I waited two hours for you, and you just brush me off like this? Dong Xuebing took a deep breath to calm himself. He told himself: I am here to reason with them and not to create trouble! Bear with it!
Dong Xuebing calmed himself and entered the elevator with the Chief Editor. “Chief Editor, that Deputy Editor Gong used his authority to threaten his subordinates. Don’t you think this is not right? Shouldn’t you do something about these actions? You might not know. Because of Deputy Editor Gong, Qu Yunxuan and a female reporter were sent to Hangzhou, and they were beaten up by the illegal tour guides. If it wasn’t for me saving them, who knows what would happen?”
The Chief Editor frowned and replied: “This is our agency’s internal affairs. We will settle this ourselves. You don’t need to interfere.”
“But someone must conduct investigations.”
Ding! The lift reached the second floor, and the Chief Editor walked out towards the Report Department.
Dong Xuebing tried his best to be patient and followed him. “Chief Editor, this incident......”
“What the hell are you all doing?! Ah?” A middle-aged man was shouting at the top of his voice. Dong Xuebing looked over and saw 3 people standing behind a row of desks. One of them was that Deputy Editor Gong and the other two were Qu Yunxuan and Cao Ping. Dong Xuebing saw Deputy Editor Gong pointing at Qu Yunxuan in her face, scolding: “Why did I send you to Hangzhou? You can even screw up such a simple undercover assignment?! You two are beaten up, and the camera is smashed? Useless!”
Deputy Editor Gong only has a younger brother, and they were very close. His brother was in his 30s and did not even have a girlfriend. He was worried about his brother’s future and tried to introduce Qu Yunxuan to him. His brother was attracted to Qu Yunxuan after meeting her and refused to meet other women. Deputy Editor Gong was also happy for his brother and wanted both of them to be together. But Qu Yunxuan refused and even argued with him. After their argument, Qu Yunxuan did not answer any of his brother’s calls. This action pissed Deputy Editor Gong and coupled with his younger brother’s eagerness to date Qu Yunxuan, he got no choice but to use force. He demoted Qu Yunxuan and sent her out on an assignment. He just wanted to teach her a lesson. But last night phone call, he knew Qu Yunxuan still refuse to give in. There was also a man scolding him over the phone. His brother also came back to complain to him. Now, Deputy Editor Gong was really furious. Bitch! My brother’s salary is several times of yours, and it’s your fortune for him to like you. You still dare to reject him? Fine! I will make sure you will not be able to work peacefully here!
Qu Yunxuan pulled a long face. “Deputy Editor Gong, we also do not want to be beaten or let them snatch away our camera. But that is an accident. No one could expect that. This is the risk of being a reporter. Furthermore, I am from the advertising division. I had worked there for 4 years. How can you expect me to be a top reporter overnight? I think you have overestimated my abilities.”
Deputy Editor Gong got even more furious after Qu Yunxuan talks back at him. “You can’t do a proper job at the Advertising Division, and you also cannot do a reporter’s job well. Fine! Since you are not good at anything...... you know how to operate an elevator? Do you know how? Great. That lift operator had resigned last week. You will be her temporary replacement!” Deputy Editor Gong could only demote Qu Yunxuan to the lowest rank in the office. He could not transfer her to operate the lifts. But he could still use the excuse of temporary replacement to transfer her.
“Operate the elevators?” Qu Yunxuan’s face changed!
The Chief Editor frowned and shouted: “Quiet down!”
Deputy Editor Gong turned and saw the Chief Editor. He explained: “Chief Editor, this Qu Yunxuan have a bad work attitude. She had just returned from an assignment from Zhejiang Province and did not even have a picture.”
Bear with it! Dong Xuebing gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. He turned to the Chief Editor: “You have seen everything, right? He is trying to transfer someone who had worked for 4 years in the agency to operate the lift? Isn’t this abusing his authority? How can such a person be a Deputy Editor?”
“Xiao Bing!” Qu Yunxuan panicked.
Deputy Editor Gong was stunned. He recognized this voice. It was that man who scolded him over the phone. His face turned black and shouted: “Who are you? Outsiders are not allowed to be here! Get out!”
Dong Xuebing looked at the Chef Editor: “Chief Editor! We must be reasonable. He kept abusing his authority......”
“Enough!” The Chief Editor turns to someone by his side: “Call the security to chase him out! Trouble maker! Tell the receptionist downstairs to stop letting this type of people in!”
Deputy Editor Gong glanced at Dong Xuebing coldly and thought to himself. Who do you think you are? Who are you to come and create trouble here?
Dong Xuebing had been tolerating all these until now. He could not take it anymore!
Watch out for the consequences?
F**k with the consequences!
Crash!
The furious Dong Xuebing kicked an empty desk in front of him over!
“F**k! You want to chase me away? If all of you don’t give me an answer today, I will not leave!”
Everyone in the office were shocked. Everyone in the reporter department turned and looked at Dong Xuebing!
The Chief Editor did not expect this person to act this way and was stunned.
Dong Xuebing saw the Chief Editor looking at him, and he scolded: “What are you looking at?! You just keep asking me to wait. Do you know how long I waited? I have waited 2 hours for you on the sixth floor! I have tolerated you for 2 hours! I called you Chief Editor, and you think you are somebody? You refuse to get involved with everything and only know how to brush me aside?! How did you get to this position? Bullshit!”
The Chief Editor’s face turned green and shouts: “Call the security!”
Dong Xuebing points at the main culprit, Deputy Editor Gong. “You! Old bastard! Ask your brother to look at himself in the mirror and see if he is good enough for my Aunt Xuan! You used your authority to suppress my Aunt Xuan? Because of your ridiculous undercover investigations, she was beaten up! F**k! You still ask a client to frame her? You are really daring!”
Everyone in the reporter section looked at each other. They did not know about all these.
Deputy Editor Gong turned pale: “Stop talking nonsenses here! Get out!”
Qu Yunxuan was worried things will get out of hand, and quickly went over to stop Dong Xuebing: “Xiao Bing!”
Dong Xuebing was too furious to listen to her. “Aunt Xuan, don’t stop me. I must make things clear today. How can they just abuse their authority like this?”
The lift’s door opened, and two security guards ran over!
Deputy Editor Gong points at Dong Xuebing: “It’s him! Get him out of here! Yes! Call the police too!”
The two security guards rushed forward.
“I shall see who dares to touch me!” Dong Xuebing reached into his pocket and took out his work pass and threw it on the desk in front of him. His work pass did not state State Security. There were only a Police logo and the word Police on it. Dong Xuebing also knew what he did was not right. He also did not want to let others know which unit he was working at. With the police logo, everyone’s first thought was Public Security Bureau.
The two security guards stopped when they saw Dong Xuebing’s ID. They looked at Deputy Editor Gong. They do not want to be charged for assaulting a police officer.
Dong Xuebing furiously points at Deputy Editor Gong: “Don’t think you are a Deputy Editor and you can do whatever you want. Don’t think you are close to the leaders at the agency and no one can touch you!” Dong Xuebing also did not want things to turn out like this. But these people were too much. Qu Yunxuan did not make any mistakes at work. He must get an answer from them. Of course, Dong Xuebing did not let his anger cloud his mind. If this were a different place, he would not dare to blow up too. Because this was a newspaper agency and it’s under China’s Publicity Department. Xie Huilan, who owes him a favor, told him to call her if he needed help. She is a leader in the China Publicity Department. “Fine! No one in this agency wants to interfere with this or give me an answer? Ok. Then I will give all of you an answer!”
Dong Xuebing took out his phone and called Xie Huilan!