Who wants to take the civil service exam after being reborn?

Chapter 579 "A Master's Gift"

Fuli City, Chaoyang District, Beijing.

In 2008, a three-bedroom apartment in this residential complex located within the East Third Ring Road was already priced at over 500 million yuan. Ren Tong, an employee of Guangdong Mobile, lived here.

He was suddenly summoned back to the capital by Zheng Weizhong these past two days, and he can probably guess what the leader was thinking.

Chen was involved in a lawsuit with Psion in Hong Kong a while ago. While the general public in mainland China may not know about it, people at Zheng Weizhong's and Ren Tong's level have access to information about it.

Zheng Weizhong has good political integrity and is unwilling to stab Chen Zhe in the back when he is fighting against foreign companies.

Therefore, the offensive that was originally scheduled to be launched immediately after the Mid-Autumn Festival was postponed for two days.

Now, the lawsuit has turned into a protracted battle, and Psion has been left looking bad by Chen. Judging from the international situation and public opinion, Su Hui can be considered the winner.

At this point, Zheng Weizhong stopped being polite.

He not only planned to take action, but also summoned Ren Tong back to headquarters for a personal briefing.

After Ren Tong and Chen Zhe discussed it, Ren Tong immediately returned to his home in the capital with the gifts.

Mr. Ren's wife works in a ministry, but she is just an ordinary section chief, so her energy is mainly focused on taking care of the children.

Ren Tong's daughter is in high school at Chaoyang Foreign Language School, while his son is only in elementary school. The family is harmonious, and the good things (one daughter and one son) come in pairs.

"Why are you suddenly home when it's neither a holiday nor a festival?"

His wife found it strange; there were still several days until National Day.

"I might not even have time during the National Day holiday."

Ren Tong handed the gift box to his wife: "President Zheng asked me to come back."

The wife didn't ask any more questions. She knew that her husband was Zheng Weizhong's deputy director of office, which was a relatively close relationship in official circles.

However, she had heard her husband complain before that General Manager Zheng was a bit cold-hearted and not very willing to fight for the interests of his subordinates, so following him might not necessarily lead to good results.

But judging from the current situation, Mr. Zheng is still quite willing to help.

Guangdong is the richest province in the country. Being a branch manager here can earn you much more than in Shanxi or the capital.

Ren Tong's salary card was kept by his wife, so she knew very well about it.

The basic salaries of these regional managers are roughly the same (on the surface), but the better the economy of a province, the more subsidies they receive (under the table).

This is also why many officials prefer to work in coastal areas, where life is convenient and income is high.

"And what about moisturizing?"

Ren Tong asked, "Ren Runze is my son's name. My daughter lives at high school and only comes home on Sundays."

"It's almost 11 o'clock, he must be asleep."

His wife reminded him, "Keep it down. Are you hungry on the plane? I'll make you a bowl of noodles."

"Don't eat."

Ren Tong washed his face, picked up the gift box again, and prepared to go out: "I'm going to deliver some Guangdong specialties to President Zheng."

His wife nodded. She was also a government employee, so she naturally knew that evening was the most suitable time to give gifts.

However, the husband brought back six boxes of local specialties in total, so why did he only take four boxes with him?
"There are still some left."

His wife reminded him.

Ren Tong glanced at it and said, "That's not for President Zheng."

After saying that, he picked up his car keys and went downstairs with a "thump, thump, thump".

The remaining gift boxes were intended for Lu Xiangdong, but that step hasn't been taken yet.

Ren Tong understood that the closer the day of Zheng Weizhong's confrontation with Su Hui drew, the more dangerous his situation would become.

If he didn't want to become a victim, he had to make more preparations.

If things go wrong, immediately return to the capital and ask Chen Zhe to help make connections and get on the good side of Lu Xiangdong.

At most, Zheng Weizhong could only lose his current position, but Chen Zhe's knowledge could land him in jail.

Furthermore, having received so many benefits in Guangdong, Ren Tong didn't have much room to struggle.

……

Zheng Weizhong lives in Park Hyatt Mansion. Although this community is also in Chaoyang District, its location is much better than that of Fuli City.

Standing next to Chang'an Avenue, in a living room with a good view, you can see Tiananmen Square from your home.

Ren Tong drove to the entrance of the residential area and first sent a text message to Zheng Weizhong to ask if he had rested.

Ren Tong, who used to be the deputy director of the office, knew very well that Zheng Weizhong wouldn't go to bed so early.

As expected, Zheng Weizhong replied to the message quickly.

Zheng Weizhong: You haven't rested yet, and you're back in the capital?
Ren Tong: Yes, I just got off the plane. I remember that your throat gets sore in the summer. I happened to bring some dried tangerine peel from Guangdong. Locals say that soaking it in water can soothe the throat and clear the lungs. I thought I'd bring it up to give to you.

Look at Ren Tong after he "learned how to be an official," how skilled he is at giving gifts now.

First, although he works far away in Guangdong, he still cares about the leader's health. Second, when Ren Tong said, "I'll take it up to you," he implied that he was right downstairs from the leader's home, reducing the chance of the leader refusing.

Zheng Weizhong naturally understood these subtle subtexts.

Ren Tong was one of my generals who had been sent out to work. He was as loyal and proactive as ever, and he had even become more articulate than before.

Zheng Weizhong's impression of this subordinate grew better and better.

But he didn't reply immediately. Instead, he went to the living room and said to his wife, Li Xianglan, who was watching TV, "Xiao Ren will be coming over later."

Li Xianglan paused for a moment: "Ren Tong?"

"Correct."

Zheng Weizhong said, "He went to Guangdong to take charge a while ago, and he's coming over tonight to talk about something."

"Oh."

Li Xianglan nodded.

She and her husband rarely spoke at home, so Zheng Weizhong came over specifically to explain.

First, it fulfills the obligation to inform, since outsiders are coming to the house.

Secondly, he hopes his wife will cooperate and present a harmonious picture of their home in front of outsiders.

In fact, when you visit the homes of some department-level leaders, the couples often seem very warm and friendly, exchanging pleasantries and making jokes.

In fact, as soon as the guests left, the two immediately put on the same face.

The world is a stage, and home is no exception.

Li Xianglan was already used to the role. She turned off the TV, went back to her bedroom, and changed into a conservative nightgown with long pants and long sleeves.

Not long after, Ren Tong came to visit.

He kept apologizing as soon as he came in: "I'm so sorry, boss. You work so hard, and I feel really bad for bothering you like this..."

Immediately afterwards, Ren Tong took out two boxes of dried tangerine peel: "This is Chen Li Ji dried tangerine peel from Xinhui, Jiangmen. When I came to Guangdong, I heard them say how effective this stuff is for the throat. Yesterday, I specially asked a friend there to pick out two boxes of dried tangerine peel that the master chef dried by hand."

Some might say that gift-giving should be about downplaying the process.

Why did Ren Tong emphasize that he "specially sought out a friend there and selected dried tangerine peel that the master chef had personally dried and processed"?

Because he then presented a second gift.

This time, Ren Tong casually said, "When I attended the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Regional Communications Cooperation Summit Forum in Macao, the organizers gave me a fountain pen as a small gift."

"As you know, boss, my handwriting is crooked and twisted like an earthworm, so this fountain pen is of no use to me."

Ren Tong smiled and said, "But President Zheng's handwriting is highly regarded in the group. We all say in private that reading President Zheng's approvals is a pleasure, so we simply took the opportunity to present it to you."

Zheng Weizhong has excellent penmanship. When he was a clerk for a high-ranking leader in the Ministry of Electronics Industry (which has since been reorganized), he was appreciated for his elegant and graceful penmanship, which led to his current position.

Zheng Weizhong glanced at it.

Genuine product.

The classic Meisterstück collection from Montblanc, in sterling silver with a wheat ear pattern, is now worth over ten thousand dollars.

I've never seen a conference bring out something like this as a "small gift." It must be that Ren Tong remembered his preferences and carefully selected it.

Therefore, Ren Tong just described it as a "precious gift (pen)" in a very casual way.

The gift of dried tangerine peel, though seemingly insignificant, was given with great solemnity.

This is a master; by subtly shifting the focus, he not only delivered a generous gift but also made it appear incredibly natural and thoughtful, ensuring that all his intentions were truly appreciated.

Moreover, Ren Tong did not give any money.

If you give money to a young, ambitious leader like Zheng Weizhong, he'll feel like you're trying to harm him.

"Xiao Ren, you're very thoughtful."

Zheng Weizhong nodded.

Leaders generally won't praise subordinates even if they give them very thoughtful gifts.

But once you accept it, it means you've accepted the sentiment behind it.

Ren Tong sat down on the sofa, taking up only half the space, his posture respectful and cautious.

He still had a gift left unsent, which was specially prepared for Li Xianglan.

However, Ren Tong did not know whether Li Xianglan was at home or not.

Normally, when a high-level person gives a gift, they will also include one for the leader's family.

If the leader's family member is home, then deliver the gift in person to leave a deeper impression.

If you're not home, then make sure to tell Zheng Weizhong before you leave.

In any case, it's best not to start shouting about what XXX you brought to your family before you've even met the person.

······
(I'm not sure if I should write about these processes. If I do, I'm worried you'll keep saying the pacing is too slow. Actually, it can be replaced with a single sentence, omitting the details of "how to give, what to give, and how to ask." The main issue is that current Qidian novels don't have realistic descriptions of this, so I only wrote a little bit. But if there's a lot of opposition, I'll omit it. [This paragraph is free, within 200 words])
(End of this chapter)