Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

Liu Jianguo pushed open the door and entered. As soon as Nie Huaiyuan saw him, a genuine smile immediately appeared on his face. He stood up from behind his desk, walked around the desk to greet him, and firmly shook Liu Jianguo's hand: "Comrade Jianguo, you've worked hard. Congratulations!"

Liu Jianguo stood ramrod straight and replied in a calm tone, "Reporting to Secretary Nie, I have successfully completed the mission. I have not brought shame to our Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill."

Nie Huaiyuan lowered his voice, a knowing look on his face:

"I learned the details yesterday through special channels. I estimate the factory office will receive the official document soon."

His expression turned serious, and he instructed:

"Comrade Jianguo, your trip to Hong Kong was a top-secret mission. Therefore, the organization and leadership have decided that your reward will be announced publicly based on your usual work performance. You must be fully aware of this and ensure that it is kept confidential. You must not reveal a single detail to anyone."

Then, with a broad smile, he patted Liu Jianguo on the shoulder:

"I'd like to congratulate you in advance!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Secretary!"

Liu Jianguo answered knowingly.

"You've been away for quite a while this time. The factory's security department has a lot of work to do. Although the director is doing a good job, you should still go and take a look around and familiarize yourself with the situation."

"Nie Huaiyuan said. Liu Jianguo knew this meant he was being asked to leave first and await official notification, so he responded:"

"Yes, Secretary, I'll go and check on everything right away."

Instead of returning directly to the security office building, Liu Jianguo called Li Bing and Li Cheng, the head of the security section, and the three of them conducted a surprise inspection of every corner of the factory area.

He observed everything carefully, from the raw material warehouse to the main workshops, from the oil depot to the power distribution station, and asked detailed questions.

The workers were a little nervous when they saw him, but since the security measures were basically in place, Liu Jianguo was quite satisfied.

This was partly to demonstrate that he was aware of the situation, and partly to show those who might be interested in him that he had immediately returned to his daily work.

Just after inspecting the last checkpoint, Secretary Nie's secretary arrived hurriedly on his bicycle, his forehead covered in a fine sheen of sweat.

"Director Liu, we've finally found you. Secretary Nie wants you and Section Chief Li Bing to come to the small conference room immediately."

"Okay, got it."

Liu Jianguo responded and instructed Li Cheng:

"Li Cheng, go back to the department first and follow up on those minor issues we found during the examination."

After saying that, he and Li Bing walked quickly toward the factory building.

Along the way, Liu Jianguo's mind raced: Here it comes, the official rewards and appointments have been announced. Even with his resolute will, he couldn't help but feel a little anticipation for what kind of commendation the organization would bestow upon him for this life-or-death experience.

Upon reaching the door of the small conference room, the secretary gently pushed it open, stepped aside to let Liu Jianguo and Li Bing in, and then closed the door tightly from the outside.

Liu Jianguo glanced around the room. Four people sat around the oval conference table: Nie Huaiyuan, the factory's Party Secretary; Yang Weiguo, the factory director; Wang Pengyuan, the head of the security department; and a middle-aged man in a Type 55 police uniform, with a serious face and sharp eyes, whom Liu Jianguo didn't recognize. This group was clearly no ordinary people.

When Nie Huaiyuan saw the two of them come in, he nodded and gestured for them to sit down in the empty seats opposite him.

Then, with a serious expression, he looked at Liu Jianguo and Li Bing, and first introduced the man in the police uniform:

"Comrade Jianguo, Comrade Li Bing, this is Director Sun of the Political Department of the Municipal Public Security Bureau."

Director Sun nodded slightly to the two of them.

Nie Huaiyuan cleared his throat, picked up a red-headed document in front of him, and read it aloud in a solemn tone:

"Now, the following decisions are announced by the Party Committee of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill and relevant higher authorities: After deliberation by the Party Committee and approval by higher authorities, the following decisions are made: Comrade Liu Jianguo, effective immediately, is appointed as the Director of the Security Department of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, with an administrative rank of Level 13 and a monthly salary of 155.5 yuan. In recognition of his significant contributions in special work, he is awarded a First-Class Merit, and his deeds are recorded in the Top Secret File. Comrade Li Bing is appointed as the Deputy Director of the Security Department of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, with an administrative rank of Level 15 and a monthly salary of 124 yuan. He is awarded a Second-Class Merit, and his deeds are recorded in the Top Secret File."

As soon as Nie Huaiyuan finished speaking, Director Sun of the Municipal Public Security Bureau picked up another document and announced in a calm tone:

"According to the decision of the Municipal People's Government, Comrade Liu Jianguo is appointed as the Executive Deputy Director of the Dongcheng Branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. This is the appointment letter."

As he spoke, he handed an appointment letter stamped with a large red seal to Liu Jianguo.

Although he was mentally prepared for the appointment as the head of the security department and the executive deputy director of the Dongcheng branch, the weight of this powerful position still shocked Liu Jianguo, and a huge sense of surprise and accomplishment instantly welled up in his heart.

He took a deep breath, accepted the appointment letter with both hands, stood up, chest out, head held high, and spoke in a loud and firm voice:

"Thank you for the organization's trust and training. Liu Jianguo will resolutely obey the organization's arrangements and will work hard to live up to the organization's expectations."

After the brief but important announcement of the appointment, Secretary Nie, Factory Director Yang, and Director Sun left one after another, leaving only Liu Jianguo, Li Bing, and Wang Pengyuan in the meeting room.

Before leaving, Secretary Nie smiled and said to Wang Pengyuan:

"Comrade Pengyuan, you and Jianguo will hand over the work of the Security Department today. Congratulations on your handover!"

Wang Pengyuan laughed heartily, appearing very cheerful:

"Secretary Nie, you're too kind. I'm only doing this because of the founding of the nation. Otherwise, I would have had to stay in the factory for a few more years as planned."

He turned to Liu Jianguo and affectionately put his arm around his shoulder:

"Jianguo, from now on we're real partners. To be honest, I did some classified missions outside a few years ago, and coming to the steel mill is just a temporary rest. Now the official appointment has come through, and I'm the director of the Dongcheng branch, a deputy director-level position."

You're not getting away this time, kid. You'd better work hard under me. You're the executive deputy director, and once I take office in a few days, the tough nuts of criminal investigation and public security in the branch will be yours. Let's work together, brothers, and make a name for ourselves in this little corner of Dongcheng.

Secretary Nie nodded:

"Alright, you can discuss the specifics of the branch office's work privately. For now, let's focus on the handover of the factory's security department. Comrade Li Bing has been promoted to deputy director, and the position of head of the security section that he vacated is crucial. Pengyuan, Jianguo, do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Pengyuan immediately expressed his stance, smiling as he said to Liu Jianguo:

"Jianguo, you're a section chief now, so you'll be in charge of personnel arrangements. I fully support you."

This clearly demonstrates a delegation of authority and a lack of interference with Liu Jianguo's plans for the steel rolling mill.