In February 2008, Jijiang Province.
Lingyun City Government Office.
"Have you heard? Last night, Secretary-general Yin was taken away by the Disciplinary Committee in his car."
"Of course I've heard, who in the city doesn't know?"
"Tsk, tsk, I heard the Disciplinary Committee found five hundred thousand in cash in his fridge at home, my goodness, it filled up the entire fridge."
Several employees from the City Government's General Office were chatting quietly among themselves.
But after they finished talking, they couldn't help but glance at the desk in front.
"Hey, do you think Yang Dong is done for?"
"Him? Definitely, he's one of Yin Tiejun's men, if Secretary-general Yin is finished, he's definitely done!"
"Serves him right, a team leader who's not even a deputy section chief, ordering us around, showing off his abilities?" a woman scoffed, her eyes burning with anger.
"Hush, lower your voice, he's still our team leader," someone next to her pulled at her sleeve, their face full of anxiety.
"What's there to worry about? He's like a grasshopper after autumn, how much longer can he bounce?" The woman dismissed their worries, laughing coldly.
Yang Dong could clearly hear the discussions and ridicule from the people behind him.
But he didn't have time to care about them, his mind was still somewhat dazed.
Because he had been reborn, back to fifteen years ago.
He bowed his head, tightly clutching a cigarette box torn in half, on which a string of numbers was written—a phone number.
Yang Dong stared at this string of phone numbers, his thoughts couldn't help but drift far away.
He still remembered, in his previous life, that is, fifteen years ago.
One night, the cold wind was hurried, and the snow was falling heavily.
At the doorway of his rented room, a big shot arrived.
The Municipal Office Secretary-General, Yin Tiejun.
When he saw Yin Tiejun standing at his doorstep, dripping with snowwater, he was utterly astonished.
Yin Tiejun dragged him into the rented room, gave him a phone number written on a cigarette box.
From beginning to end, Yin Tiejun only said one sentence.
"Call this number, report!"
After saying that, Yin Tiejun hastily left, disappearing under the night of feathers flying snow.
At that moment, he was somewhat perplexed, but merely half an hour later, he received a call from his best colleague at the municipal office, Li Chen.
"Team leader, Secretary Yin was taken away by the Municipal Discipline Commission in his car."
"I heard it in the duty room."
That day, Li Chen was on duty at the municipal office.
It was only then that Yang Dong realized just how hot the phone number Yin Tiejun had given him was to handle.
In normal days, Yin Tiejun was quite amiable in the Municipal Office, kind-hearted, and took great care of them, these "men of letters."
Especially him, he was particularly favored by Yin Tiejun.
In the past municipal test, he had topped both the written and the interview section, and thus was recruited by Yin Tiejun into the Municipal Office.
During these four years, Yin Tiejun had never failed to look after him, initially helping him to land a full-time position, and later letting him take charge of a sub-group within jurisdiction of the General Department.
His power ranks only secondary to the department head of the General Department and several deputy department heads.
It can be said that he was the typical protegé of Yin Tiejun.
Originally, Yin Tiejun had intended to promote him to the rank of deputy department head.
Once approved by the Party organization, it could be carried out.
However, all these came to an end with Yin Tiejun being taken away by the Municipal Disciplinary Committee.
In his past life, he was frightened, and didn't dare to dial this number.
As a result, Yin Tiejun's case was handled swiftly. The Municipal Disciplinary Committee had only taken three days to hand the case to the judicial authorities and sentenced him to ten years in prison.
Everyone knew that there was something fishy about this. How could a case be resolved so impatiently?
It was later confirmed, indeed, that the whole incident was a set-up, deliberately targeting Secretary Yin.
But what does it matter now? No one would care anymore.
A week after Yin Tiejun was sentenced.
The newly appointed Secretary General of the Municipal Government Office, Tian Guanghan, kicked out his own close follower of Yin Tiejun, flinging him to the farming office of a remote town.
From that point, he was tucked away in a narrow mountain valley, working face-down in the yellow soil under the sky, leading the villagers in cultivating potatoes and trees as a member of the farming office.
Although he'd plunged into the thick of the crowd, he could no longer extricate himself from the masses.
Just turned forty, he drowned while rescuing others during a flood control operation.
He'd thought, once the floodwaters receded, everything would dissipate like smoke in thin air.
Unexpectedly, when he opened his eyes, he'd actually returned to fifteen years prior, to the afternoon of the first day after Yin Tiejun was put under double regulation.
Which was right now.
Yang Dong snapped back to reality, his gaze restored with vitality.
In his previous life, due to his cowardice, he had dared not make this phone call.
So in this lifetime, would he still not dare to dial?
He did not want to endure the failure of his past life for the second time.
Thud, Thud!!
"Yang Dong, what are you daydreaming about? Is this your work attitude?"
The urgent knocking on the table disrupted all of Yang Dong's thoughts.
Looking up, he saw a middle-aged man in a black jacket, standing in front of his desk, glaring at him with an unhappy expression.
"Deputy Secretary-General Tian…"
Yang Dong was startled and quickly stood up.
"You seem to be the most idle in the office, so off you go! Deliver these documents to the Department of Materials!"
"Yao Dong, give him the documents!"
Tian Guanghan said, gesturing to the young man behind him.
With a smile on his face, Lin Yao Dong stepped forward and slapped a large pile of documents onto Yang Dong's desk.
With a bang, it must have weighed more than twenty pounds.
"Team Leader Yang, thanks for your hard work."
Lin Yao Dong had a smile on his face which looked all too sarcastic, no matter how you viewed it.
The sight of his face alone was enough to ignite the fire in Yang Dong's heart.
Lin Yao Dong, his rival in the General Office of the Municipal Administration, held grudges against him at every turn.
Adding insult to injury, half a month ago, Lin Yao Dong stole his girlfriend, Han Wen.
Not only that, after the downfall of Yin Tiejun from his previous life, Lin Yao Dong had shamelessly ran to slander Yang Dong in front of Tian Guanghan, accusing him of disparaging the newly appointed Secretary-General behind his back.
This led to Yang Dong being kicked out by Tian Guanghan.
Lin Yaodong, this little man, successfully assumed the role of deputy director of the municipal office's comprehensive department, a position that was originally his own. His promising future as a secretary in the municipal office was ruined as he now found himself in a poverty-stricken and remote area, working for the agricultural office. His political career was over.
"Yang Dong, why are you daydreaming? Hurry up and go deliver!"
Tian Guanghan glared at Yang Dong with a stern face. As the deputy secretary-general of the municipal office, he was quite frustrated at the moment.
"Deputy Secretary-General Tian, is it really my job to deliver these documents?"
Yang Dong’s face flushed as he questioned Tian Guanghan.
"Can't deliver? If you can't, then get out! The municipal office doesn't employ idle hands!"
With that said, Tian Guanghan angrily turned away, storming off with a swing of his sleeve.
"Team Leader Yang, you should deliver it anyway. A wise man won't make unnecessary trouble for himself at present."
Lin Yaodong hypocritically advised, patting the documents and then walking away with self-satisfaction.
Yang Dong clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on the departing Tian Guanghan and Lin Yaodong.
Tian Guanghan was making things difficult for him, all because of Yin Tiejun.
He had been a rival to Yin Tiejun for the position of secretary of the municipal office. He lost and was always deep down, not accepting of it. Now that Yin Tiejun was taken away by the Municipal Disciplinary Committee for investigation, how could Tian Guanghan miss such an opportunity? Of course, he would take it out on him, a man of Yin Tiejun's.
As for Lin Yaodong, he was indeed a despicable man!
Seeing this situation, they've already sided with Tian Guanghan.
"Team leader, let me deliver it..."
At this point, his best colleague in the city government office, Li Chen, came over.
He was about to pick up the large stack of documents.
"No need, I will do it myself!"
Yang Dong pushed Li Chen away, picked up over twenty pounds of documents in one hand, and started to walk out.
He wasn't surprised to be made difficult and tormented by Tian Guanghan, but he was still angry.
"Tsk, see that? The sign of losing power, right? Let him show off, now let's see how bad luck he will have!"
"Such a dog-like thing, is he even worthy of being the leader of the Cultural and Creative Team?"
The woman who had been full of mockery just now, started to make fun of the situation again.
Upon hearing this, Li Chen couldn't help but bark at her, "Are you serious, Zhou Hui? You're bitter about the one time Team Leader Yang criticized you?"
"Shut up, Li Chen, you are just a dog raised by Yang Dong!"
"You... you're a shrew!"
"You'll insult me again?"
For a time, the Comprehensive Department was as lively as a marketplace.
...
Yang Dong came to the Material Science Division of the Municipal Office, panting and holding a pile of documents.
The staff of the Material Science Division, who always greeted him with a smile, now disregarded him.
Obviously, they all knew that Yin Tiejun was doomed, and as someone favoured by Yin Tiejun, he would be in trouble too.
"Put it here!"
Yang Dong placed all the files and documents on the cabinet, addressing the workers of the Material Science Division.
But nobody paid him any attention.
The warmth and coldness of human relations, the true face of the bureaucratic scene came to light.
He shook his head, didn't bother to stick his hot face onto their cold butts, and turned to leave.
He didn't go back to the Comprehensive Department, but quickly left the city government building.
The sky was getting dark outside, and it was almost the end of work.
He gripped the cigarette pack in his hand, not daring to be negligent.
Hastily, he rushed to the office of China Unicom.
"Get a card!"
Two minutes later, Yang Dong inserted the new card into his phone.
He found a deserted place.
Taking a deep breath, his heart fluttered as he dialed the string of numbers.
And made the call...
