Power and Wealth

The Second Morning.

Waking up in the morning, Dong Xuebing yawned as he got out of bed and walked to the living room to brush his teeth and freshen up. He also intended to wake up Teacher Jiang but noticed that the door to the main bedroom wasn't closed.

"Hmm."

"Teacher Jiang?"

"Are you awake, Teacher Jiang?"

Despite calling out several times, there was no response.

Dong Xuebing frowned slightly, unable to help but walk into the main bedroom. Only then did he realize that the bed was empty, the sheets neatly folded. Teacher Jiang's luggage was gone, and the room was empty, except for a note on the table pressed down by a desk lamp.

Upon closer inspection, it was Teacher Jiang's handwriting.

It read: "Teacher has left first. You should head home early."

Dong Xuebing sighed helplessly and quickly dialed a phone number. It connected.

"Hello, Teacher Jiang, why did you leave?" Dong Xuebing asked.

The voice on the other end sounded a bit chaotic. "Hehe, Teacher has returned to Beijing. I'm on a long-distance bus."

Dong Xuebing said, "But you were supposed to let me take you back. Look at you."

"If you had escorted me all the way, you would have insisted on driving me back to Beijing. I didn't want to trouble you, so I left alone. When you return, you still have things to do, and going to Beijing isn't on your way. How could I keep troubling you? Alright, the long-distance bus has already departed. Being polite now won't change anything. Thank you for accompanying me everywhere. I had a delightful trip this time. It's been years since I've felt this relaxed. Please give my regards to your mother when you go back. Come over for dinner at Teacher's place sometime."

"Oh, I'm not in a hurry to go home. Why don't you get off the bus, and I'll pick you up."

"In the future, there will be plenty of chances for us to meet. No need. Oh, by the way, our university's 50th anniversary celebration is coming up. You should attend."

"The anniversary celebration?"

"Yes, it's quite grand this time. The school has been renovating."

"Aren't those just for the leaders and business executives to return to their alma mater? Should I go?"

"It's not just leaders and executives, hehe. You're talking about the anniversary celebration of Tsinghua and Peking University. Our university isn't as prestigious, and few notable alumni have emerged over the years."

"Alright, I'll go if I have the time."

"What are you, just a staff member, busy with? If you have the time, you should come. You're not giving Teacher face by refusing my invitation."

"Hey, no, that's not what I meant. Alright, I'll come when the anniversary comes around. I'll have to postpone some of my tasks. Hehe."

"Okay, then it's settled."

"Alright, take care on your journey."

After hanging up the phone, Dong Xuebing went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and freshen up. After washing up, he suddenly felt there was nothing urgent to do now that Teacher Jiang had left. His desire to play had diminished significantly. Glancing at the clock, it was just before eight, so he wasn't rushing to drive back home. He sat on the bed in the main bedroom, blinked his eyes, took off his shoes, stretched out on the bed, and got under the covers, closing his eyes to rest.

Hmm, why does it smell so good?

Dong Xuebing was startled, only then realizing that this was Teacher Jiang's bed. The scent of her mature fragrance permeated the sheets and pillows. Dong Xuebing's face flushed with embarrassment, quickly crawling out of the covers. But then he thought Teacher Jiang had already left, so he lay back down, indifferent to everything.

Ah, what a good teacher.ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ ɴoᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt

Ah, what a good figure she has.

Dong Xuebing sighed incessantly, rolling around in the bed where she had slept, feeling exceptionally comfortable psychologically, experiencing a warm feeling. Unknowingly, he fell asleep again.

After a while.

The phone rang.

Dong Xuebing was startled awake, rubbing his eyes as he glanced at his phone. It was his wife, Xie Huilan, so he quickly answered, "Hello, Huilan."

"You're not up yet?"

"I am; I just woke up. Took a quick nap."

"Hehe, where are you, little guy?"

"I'm in Xishan Province. If all goes well, I should reach Fenzhou City by this afternoon."

"Will you be having dinner when you get back?"

"Yes, please keep me some dinner. I'm looking forward to having dinner with my wife."

"You seem to be in a good mood. You've been talking about this for over half a year, and now it's finally happening. Aren't you happy?"

"It's alright. Who asked me to be so capable?" Dong Xuebing was proud as he sat in bed, boasting, "Huilan, even though you entered the system before me, I'm catching up to you. I'm about to be promoted to a higher level, almost becoming a deputy bureau chief. We'll be on the same level soon. If you ever rechallenge me, you'll have to think twice. I won't let you off easy, haha."

"Oh, you're getting arrogant now."

"That's because you always use your rank to pressure me."

"Hehe, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

"What do you mean?"

"I am now also in charge of transportation and public security. Theoretically, there will be some changes once the work is settled after I give birth and finish my maternity leave. I'm not too keen on returning to Beijing. It might be in a local city, possibly moving to another city."

Dong Xuebing was stunned. "You're getting promoted again?"

As if she could see the beautiful crescent moon-like smile on the other end of the phone, Xie Huilan said, "If you can be promoted, why can't Sister Xie? Hehe. But nothing is certain yet. I'll discuss it with the family later."

"What position will you have?"

"If it's a city similar to Fenzhou City, it's likely to be acting mayor. If it's a smaller prefecture-level city, directly becoming the party secretary is also possible."

"Oh."

"Why so silent?"

"You're just teasing me. I boasted momentarily, and you immediately brought me back to earth. Oh, I'll never catch up to you in this lifetime." Dong Xuebing complained, but deep down, he was happy. He and Huilan were a married couple, supporting each other. Huilan's promotion didn't make him unhappy. It was natural for Huilan to be promoted even more so than himself. She was in her early thirties, with many years of work experience and qualifications, and she was well-connected. Her work ability was outstanding, and with the achievements she had accumulated from the earthquake incident, it was normal for her to be promoted to a higher level, even more so than Dong Xuebing's promotion.

"Hehe, I am just saying. Whether the transfer can be successfully arranged is uncertain. Whether it's the party secretary or the mayor, it's still up for discussion. We have many friends, but we also have many political enemies. If Sister Xie, at her age, were to become the head of a prefecture-level city directly, it might not be so smooth. She'll have to make some compromises."

"Are you afraid they'll come after one of us?" Dong Xuebing, although already a department leader, still spoke like he used to, with silk.

"Alright, enough from you. Come back soon."

"Okay, I'll set off now. Wait for me."

"Alright, come back home. I miss you. Hehe."