The Secretary - Chapter 6

Being face-to-face with the director of the hall for the first time was nerve-wracking, to say the least.  It wasn’t an exaggeration to say she felt like a minor official in ancient times reporting to his superior.

This instinctive reverence for those at the center of power was ingrained in China’s system. 

Whoever occupied that position had the power to shape her future – success or failure. It demanded extreme caution.

As Wei Wan descended from the sixth floor, her back still tingled with a sense of apprehension; she went to the restroom and felt beads of sweat forming on her skin.  

For the rest of the day, she couldn’t shake the image of Director Xie’s expression when he glanced at her. It was unremarkable, devoid of any emotion, completely professional.

That was good. Very good.

At least it meant she could safely push aside the fire escape incident. 

Year-end was always the busiest time of year; reports from all the cities and counties had to be submitted, along with a review of indicators set by higher authorities.  Director Xu’s departure was unfortunate, but on the other hand, it opened up opportunities for Wei Wan.

No matter how well you performed in your position, if you remained outside the leader’s vision, their acknowledgement, then it wouldn’t matter much. 

Wei Wan was swamped, with daily reports to be submitted to the Director’s office. From the initial nervousness that made her back ache and sweat, to being able to deliver them confidently now, she felt a sense of progress.

One afternoon, a phone call came from upstairs. The tone was sharp; it was said that Director Xie wanted to see her. 

Wei Wan tried to ask what it was about, but the caller hung up without giving her a chance. 

The director’s office was spacious, with a long sofa in the reception area and a large potted plant in the corner. The atmosphere was tense; two department heads stood facing the wall, their expressions anxious and restless, fidgeting constantly.

Director Xie tapped a thin document on his desk with his pen: “One of you explain this to me.”

The two department heads began a lively game of passing the buck. 

Director Xie flung the document across the room; it sailed over their shoulders and landed at Wei Wan’s feet.

Yao, the head of the Drug Administration Department, turned and saw Wei Wan. His eyes lit up as he barked an order for her to come forward: “The report came from your office. You explain.”

Wei Wan realized now that this was a deliberate attempt to shift the blame.

She picked up the report, brushed off the dust, and walked confidently towards the desk. The department heads stepped aside, clearing the battlefield.

The head of the Finance Department leaned over and pointed to the third page, whispering something about the figures in Chunhua County.

Wei Wan, who had majored in economics, was sensitive to numbers. She stated firmly: “This figure is correct.”

Everyone stared at her in surprise. Director Xie leaned back, resting his right hand on the desk, tapping his fingers rhythmically. “Good,” he said, “Tell me about it.”

Director Xu trusted her for a reason; she was responsible for compiling and reviewing most reports. She wouldn’t allow herself to make any elementary errors, so whenever discrepancies were found during her review, she would personally call the relevant city or county offices to verify.

She had double-checked this 5.12% data herself. At the time, it seemed strange because it far exceeded the targets set by the hall.

She had even asked Director Xu if there was a problem with reporting such a high figure. He had simply said it didn’t matter, that they just needed to compile the data.

This was her first report directly submitted to the director. 

Thoughts raced through her mind; many things seemed like coincidences, but perhaps they weren’t.

Fortunately, Wei Wan was well-prepared. Under Director Xie’s implicit nod, she moved to a corner of the desk and began flipping through the pages, narrating what she found.

Besides the text in the report, she also shared information she had gathered from the Chunhua County Health Bureau, presenting it clearly and concisely.

Director Xie paused for a moment before saying, “That’s good. You can go now.” 

As Wei Wan passed the two department heads, the head of the Finance Department gave her a discreet nod of approval.