Chapter 41: Tian Mi Reviews the Manuscript
Page 1 of 3
Ou Huasheng took the initiative to speak, leaving He Shinian no choice but to make the introductions.
When they were finished, Ou Huasheng handed He Shinian a sheet of paper. “Little He, Secretary Wu is giving a speech this Thursday. I want you to write the draft. Here are the outline and the topic. Take a look.”
He Shinian was no stranger to speechwriting.
During his final year in the military, he had often assisted the political commissar with official reports and communications.
That year, his writing skills had improved tremendously.
“All right, Director Ou. Once I’ve finished, I’ll bring it down for you to review.”
Ou Huasheng gave a noncommittal grunt, cast Qiao Yina one last searching glance, and turned to leave.
“As you can see, I have a great deal of work and I’m very busy. Whatever it is, we can discuss it after we get home. This is the county Party committee office, and I’m sure you don’t want us arguing here and letting everyone in the building know, do you?”
Qiao Yina’s attitude softened as she composed herself. “Fine. I’ll wait for you at home after work.”
After Qiao Yina left, He Shinian let out a long breath and quickly steadied his mind.
He glanced over the outline and topic Ou Huasheng had given him, then searched through the cabinet for speeches Secretary Wu Yunqiu had delivered over the past three months and read through them.
He soon had a clear direction.
After jotting down a few keywords, key phrases, and reminders on the draft paper, he began typing furiously on the computer.
In less than two hours, a speech of roughly three thousand words was complete.
He checked it twice, revised several words and sentences, then examined each line carefully from Wu Yunqiu’s perspective.
He considered the article’s central points as well as the main ideas it needed to convey.
Satisfied, he printed it out and prepared to take it to Ou Huasheng for review.
But just as he reached the door, He Shinian hesitated.
This draft was plainly a test—or perhaps a probe—by Ou Huasheng.
If Ou Huasheng was dissatisfied and sent it back, he might then tell Wu Yunqiu that He Shinian’s writing skills were inadequate.
Although Wu Yunqiu might not say anything, it would still be awkward.
With that in mind, He Shinian temporarily abandoned the idea of taking it to Ou Huasheng.
Perhaps he should let Tian Mi look it over first.
Once the thought occurred to him, He Shinian sent Tian Mi a message: “Are you free after work today? Let me take you out to dinner.”
“Oh? Section Chief, what made you think of treating me to dinner?”
He Shinian did not hide anything. He explained the situation, then replied, “I’m treating you to dinner, and in return I’d like you to look over the draft. It’s my first time writing something for the county Party committee, and I’m not confident.”
Tian Mi sent back a laughing emoji and, without putting on airs, replied, “All right. We’ll consider it payment for my services.”
The restaurant He Shinian chose was called Sichuan Flavor: Waterside Residence.
Page 1 of 3
Page 2 of 3
Although he considered himself entirely lacking in poetic or romantic sensibilities, he still found the name rather poetic.
Waterside Residence had been built beside the Ning River. It was a detached villa with distinctive decor, a retro entrance, and two large red lanterns hanging festively above the doorway.
It was not only the restaurant’s name that had character; even the names of its private dining rooms were distinctive.
The room He Shinian reserved was called “Nostalgia.” Whether it was meant to echo Yu Guangzhong’s modern poem of the same name was difficult to say.
Tian Mi had not yet arrived. He Shinian sipped his tea and listened to the rushing sound of the Ning River outside, finding the moment rather pleasant.
Before long, footsteps sounded in the corridor. A fragrance like flowering crabapple drifted through the air, and Tian Mi’s graceful figure entered his line of sight.
That day, Tian Mi was wearing a fitted, long, pale-yellow dress with a flowing hem. Her hair was swept high and back, revealing a forehead as fair as moonlight.
Her slender, willow-shaped brows were delicate yet full of vitality, as though carved by a master craftsman, while her moon-bright eyes were dark as night.
He Shinian found himself staring in a daze.
“Is there something on my face?” Tian Mi asked with a coquettish smile.
He Shinian came to himself and smiled. “That dress suits you very well.”
Tian Mi secretly delighted in the compliment. With a smile, she said, “The section chief is not only good at his secretary’s work—who would have thought he was also so good at flattering people?”
He Shinian fell silent.
After inviting her to sit, he asked, “I ordered Sichuan cuisine. Can you handle spicy food?”
“Far better than you can imagine!”
He Shinian was slightly surprised. “In that case, shall we go for the most extreme level of Sichuan spice?”
“You’re paying, so you decide.”
They ordered five dishes, all of them specialties of the restaurant. While they waited for the food, He Shinian took out the draft and handed it to Tian Mi.
“Could you look it over and tell me what needs changing?”
Tian Mi accepted it and began reading with great concentration.
Ten minutes later, she looked up. “I think it’s fine.”
“Really? This is Secretary Wu’s speech. Don’t spare my feelings and tell me it’s fine if you don’t actually think so.”
Tian Mi answered seriously, “The conception, tone, emphasis, and central message all meet Secretary Wu’s requirements. The wording and phrasing are smooth, and they conform to the usual style of county Party committee documents. You can submit it.”
He Shinian was delighted, but Tian Mi continued, “However, since this is your first submission to Ou Huasheng, he’ll find fault with it no matter what. There’s no way he’ll let you pass on the first try.”
He Shinian froze slightly. “Why?”
Tian Mi took a sip of tea. “Because the purpose of having you write this is to find fault with you and assert his authority as director of the county Party committee office. So no matter how well you write it, he’s bound to pick at it.”
At once, He Shinian understood. “How do you know?”
“Because I know him better than you do. This is the sort of trick he habitually uses to make life difficult for people.”
Page 2 of 3
Page 3 of 3
He Shinian fell silent.
Anger flashed across Tian Mi’s face. She continued, “Do you know why a graduate student like me was bullied by Ou Huasheng into cleaning toilets and doing janitorial work?”
He Shinian shook his head.
Tian Mi had previously said that Ou Huasheng did not trust the cleaning company with the secretary’s office, so he had assigned her to clean it herself.
The fact that she was telling him this now suggested there was another reason.
“The county guesthouse has always been Ou Huasheng’s personal territory. Not only is there money to be made there, it also makes it convenient for him to engage in sordid affairs.”
“One day, Ou Huasheng summoned me to the county guesthouse under the pretense of discussing work. In reality, he wanted me to sleep with him. I refused, so he punished me by sending me there to clean.”
He Shinian’s eyes widened in shock.
Who would have thought that the dignified member of the Ning County Party Committee and director of its office was, in private, such a filthy, despicable, shameless scoundrel?
Thinking of his face—one way in public and another behind closed doors, always looking for ways to make life difficult for others—perhaps he really was the sort of lecherous villain who acted on his basest impulses.
Fortunately—thank heavens—Tian Mi was such an innocent beauty. If she had truly been defiled by that swine Ou Huasheng, it would have been a terrible waste.
Then again, he wondered which vile man would eventually have the good fortune to win a beauty like Tian Mi.
“You did the right thing by refusing him. I approve of and support your decision,” He Shinian said solemnly.
“After that, he began isolating me, ostracizing me, making things difficult for me, and targeting me at every turn. He assigned me the dirtiest and most exhausting jobs—cleaning, mopping floors, scrubbing toilets…”
“Any young and attractive woman becomes a target for that swine Ou Huasheng. I heard he once got a female server at the guesthouse pregnant.”
“When her parents found out, they went to the county government and caused a huge commotion. I later heard that he paid them more than a hundred thousand yuan in private before the matter was finally settled.”
He Shinian was shaken to the core.
He cursed Ou Huasheng inwardly. As director of the county Party committee office, he had actually engaged in such vile and sordid behavior. Who knew how many young women he had ruined?
He Shinian’s opinion of Ou Huasheng plummeted completely, but he naturally kept his anger to himself in front of Tian Mi.
“Still, whether Ou Huasheng intends to force me into submission or drive me away, he can forget it. I will neither yield nor give in.”
“Not only that—if he keeps pressing me until I have nowhere left to go, I’ll fight back. I’ll bite him to death.”
Bite him?
The thought shocked He Shinian, and his lower body instinctively tightened.
He had never imagined that the pure, gentle, breathtakingly beautiful woman before him could have such a fierce side.