Reborn in 2000: I'm the Boss's Driver

On Monday morning, Lin Fan arrived at the Finance Bureau office on time.

The air was filled with the familiar smell of ink and paper, mixed with the faint scent of dust after the morning cleaning. Sister Liu was already there, wiping the table with a rag. Seeing Lin Fan, she smiled and nodded, "Good morning, Xiao Lin."

"Good morning, Sister Liu." Lin Fan put down his cloth bag and naturally took the thermos from Sister Liu's hand. "I'll go get some water."

"Oh, no need, I can do it..." Before Sister Liu could finish speaking, Lin Fan had already carried two thermos flasks out. At the water dispenser room at the end of the corridor, several employees from other departments were queuing to get water. When they saw Lin Fan, a stranger, they all glanced at him a few more times. Lin Fan remained calm, quietly waited in line, filled the thermos flasks, and then steadily carried them back.

"You're a quick learner, aren't you?" Sister Liu said, taking the thermos with approval in her voice. In an office setting, being diligent and observant is always a plus.

"Of course." Lin Fan smiled and returned to his temporary seat—an old table against the wall, previously piled with miscellaneous items, which Sister Liu had just cleared out for him yesterday. Today's Steel City Daily and several internal documents that needed to be distributed were already laid out on the table.

Director Du entered the office promptly at 8:30, carrying a thermos. His gaze swept over the room and he saw that Lin Fan was already there, the newspapers neatly arranged, and the floor, still glistening with water after being mopped. He nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Xiao Lin, starting today, you'll primarily be working with Sister Liu to familiarize yourself with the daily document processing in the office." Director Du took a sip of tea, her voice low. "Receiving documents, registering them, drafting them, circulating them, following up on them, and archiving them—this process is the core of the office. Each step is interconnected, and mistakes are unacceptable. Xiao Liu, please mentor him."

"Don't worry, Director," Sister Liu replied.

Lin Fan immediately took out the notebook and pen, adopting a serious learning posture.

For the rest of the day, Lin Fan was like a dry sponge, greedily absorbing every detail about the operation of official documents. Sister Liu was a good teacher, patient and meticulous, explaining everything from the most basic things like how to identify the security level and urgency of documents, to how to fill out the document receipt register and the drafting form, and then to how to determine the circulation scope based on the division of responsibilities among leaders and the content of the documents. She explained everything in great detail.

Lin Fan listened intently and remembered quickly. He not only noted the steps but also pondered the underlying logic: Why did this type of document need to be sent to Deputy Director Sun for review first? Why did that report require the signatures of three departments? What were the processing time limits for urgent and ordinary documents? What did the different handwriting styles of the leader's signatures ("read," "proposed approval," "please handle by Comrade So-and-so") represent?

When he encountered something he didn't understand, he would ask Sister Liu in a consultative tone when she had a spare moment: "Sister Liu, why does this notice about 'self-inspection of special funds' need to be sent to the supervisory office in addition to the business departments? Is it a procedural requirement?"

Sister Liu glanced at him with some surprise and explained, "Special funds involve money, which can easily lead to problems. Sending them to the supervision office is to let them know and serve as a reminder. This is our bureau's internal risk control measure; it's not a written regulation, but it's standard practice."

"Oh, I understand, thank you, Sister Liu." Lin Fan nodded, making another mental note: Sometimes, conventions are more noteworthy than written rules.

In the afternoon, Director Du brought over a draft of a report that needed to be urgently submitted to the municipal government, asking Sister Liu to revise and polish it before printing. Sister Liu was busy processing a batch of documents from higher authorities and couldn't spare the time, looking troubled.

"Director, these documents must be registered and distributed today..."

Director Du frowned and glanced at Lin Fan, who was organizing file boxes beside him: "Xiao Lin, how's your typing speed? Do you know how to use Word for formatting?"

Lin Fan put down his work and stood up: "Director, my typing is okay, and I know the basics of Word."

"Then give it a try. Type out this manuscript on the computer, copying the parts that Xiao Liu revised, and format it properly. Pay attention to the format: use bold Song typeface, size 2 for the title, and Fangsong typeface, size 3 for the body text. Adjust the line spacing so it looks clean. Once you're done, print out a draft for me to see." Director Du handed Lin Fan the densely marked manuscript paper, his tone carrying a hint of "give it a try."

This was a mini-test. It tested not only typing speed, but also attention to detail, familiarity with official document formats, and accuracy in executing instructions.

"Okay, Director." Lin Fan took the manuscript and walked to the CRT monitor computer. He turned it on, revealing the familiar Windows 98 interface, and ran Word. He quickly skimmed through the manuscript to get an overall grasp of the changes, then opened a new document, set the page layout and font formatting as Director Du had requested, and began typing.

"Tap tap tap..." The keyboard clicked slowly at first, but quickly became steady and rhythmic. Lin Fan's eyes darted rapidly between the manuscript and the screen, his fingers flying across the keyboard. He wasn't just mechanically typing; when he encountered sentences that Sister Liu had corrected that didn't flow smoothly, he would pause briefly to clarify them in his mind, ensuring that the typed text flowed fluently. He also silently noted down several obvious typos and inconsistencies in the manuscript, intending to ask for their approval at the end.

About forty minutes later, a neatly formatted and properly formatted manuscript was printed out. Lin Fan carefully checked it again, and after confirming that there were no errors, he took it along with the original manuscript to Director Du.

"Director, it's finished. This is the draft. Also, on the third page of the original manuscript, the data after 'year-on-year increase' doesn't match the figures in the previous appendix; and on the fifth page, 'must' should probably be 'do not'. I've marked these on the original manuscript in pencil. Please review them."

Director Du took the manuscript with some surprise. He first checked the layout: horizontal and vertical lines were straight, the font size and style were standard, and the page was clean—much better than he had expected. Then he looked at the problems the director had pointed out, picked up the original manuscript, and sure enough, they were true. The data inconsistencies were the drafter's mistake, and writing "必须" (bìxū, meaning "must") as "勿必" (wùbì, meaning "do not necessarily") was a typical homophonic misspelling.

"Hmm, not bad." Director Du's face showed satisfaction. He picked up a red pen and signed the manuscript printed by Lin Fan. "Send it out. You can try to do this kind of simple document entry and typesetting in the future. Xiao Liu, you can just proofread it to lighten your workload."

"Okay, good." Sister Liu also breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at Lin Fan with more appreciation in her eyes. This young man is not only hardworking, but also meticulous, and has some potential.

This was just the beginning. In the days that followed, Lin Fan gradually took on more and more basic clerical work in the office. He became increasingly proficient at receiving and sending documents, and his circulation of documents was almost error-free. Occasionally, he could even remind Sister Liu, based on the content of the documents, that a certain department might need special attention. Director Du also began to have him draft the first drafts of simple meeting notices and administrative correspondence.

He always maintained his low profile and humility. The credit went to Sister Liu's excellent guidance and Director Du's effective leadership. Whenever errands needed to be run, he was always the most proactive, delivering documents accurately and without a word. Gradually, everyone in the departments got to know Xiao Lin, the reliable new temporary worker in the office.

Lin Fan's relationship with Section Chief Wu of the Budget Department deepened by chance. That day, Lin Fan went to the Budget Department to deliver an audit rectification feedback report. Section Chief Wu was not there; a young man in his department was frantically fiddling with an old-fashioned dot matrix printer, which kept jamming and making a screeching sound, with a stack of materials waiting to be printed piled up next to it.

"What's wrong?" Lin Fan put down the documents and asked casually.

"This broken printer is acting up again! It jams halfway through printing, it's such a waste of time!" The young man angrily pounded on the machine.

Lin Fan leaned over to take a look. He had seen many of these printers in his previous life at the water company, and they all had a few common problems. He checked the paper feed rollers and the ribbon, and found that the ribbon was a bit loose and misaligned, causing the print head to not hit properly.

"I'll give it a try." Lin Fan gestured for the young man to step aside, skillfully opened the printer cover, tightened and calibrated the ribbon, and cleaned away any debris from the paper path. Then he closed the cover and restarted the printer.

"Try again."

The young man pressed the print button with some skepticism. After a smooth "creak," a clear form emerged.

"Hey! Amazing! Xiaolin, you can fix this too?" The young man was both surprised and delighted.

"I've tinkered with it a bit before," Lin Fan smiled. "This machine is old, so make sure to keep it clean and don't use old ribbons."

Just then, Section Chief Wu returned. Seeing this, he patted Lin Fan on the shoulder: "Not bad, Lin. You're quite the jack-of-all-trades. Thanks, you finally got this thing working. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to submit this report today."

"Section Chief Wu, you're too kind. It was just a small favor." Lin Fan waved his hand and took his leave.

Since then, the people in the budget department have become more genuine in their smiles when they see Lin Fan. Section Chief Wu would occasionally nod and ask, "Busy?" if they bumped into each other in the hallway.

Lin Fan deliberately maintained a proper distance from his brother-in-law, Sun Lin. He knew that the more independent, capable, and trouble-free he appeared, the more at ease his brother-in-law would feel, and the less likely he would object to him staying. Occasionally, when they met in the cafeteria or hallway, Lin Fan would respectfully call him "Brother Sun." Sun Lin would usually just give a curt "Mm," but Lin Fan could sense that the scrutiny and doubt in his brother-in-law's gaze were gradually diminishing, replaced by a faint, almost imperceptible approval.

He hadn't forgotten Old Chen at the bike shed either. Almost every day after get off work, if he saw Old Chen still there, he would go over and offer him a cigarette, help tidy up the small table, and occasionally chat about the weather or the news in the newspaper. Old Chen was still a man of few words, but his gesture of accepting cigarettes became more and more natural. Sometimes he would point to an inconspicuous local news item in the newspaper and mutter, "Just a bunch of nonsense," or "This is interesting." Lin Fan silently kept these in mind and would go back and combine them with the information he already knew to ponder them.

Time slipped into June in this uneventful yet fulfilling rhythm.

Lin Fan's life became a stable routine of three points: the Finance Bureau's guesthouse, the Finance Bureau's office, and the Anjuyuan residential complex under renovation. He would spend two lunch breaks or after get off work each week checking on the renovation progress at Anjuyuan. Zhao Dayong hadn't lied; the work was solid, and the materials used were the brands listed on the initial order to Lin Fan. When Lin Fan visited, he would sometimes bring a couple of bottles of chilled soda for the workers. He didn't interfere much, just observed and asked if anything needed coordination. The workers found this young homeowner to be amiable, knowledgeable, and not stingy, which made them work even harder.

The house changed day by day: the walls were painted snow-white, the tiles were laid smoothly, and the water and electricity pipes were laid in straight lines. Watching this little home that was about to belong to him take shape little by little, Lin Fan felt a stronger and stronger sense of groundedness in his heart.

One day in mid-June, Director Du called Lin Fan over and handed him a document. "Lin, this is a telegram just sent by the Municipal Government Office, a notice soliciting opinions and suggestions on the 'Steel City Master Plan (2003-2020)'. Please study it, and considering our bureau's functions, especially those related to urban construction funding and land transfer fee management, draft our bureau's preliminary feedback. It doesn't need to be too complicated; just list a few key points. Give it to me tomorrow morning."

Lin Fan's heart skipped a beat. This was no longer just basic paperwork, but a "drafting" task involving certain business matters and requiring analytical thinking. Although it was only "drafting preliminary opinions," the fact that Director Du entrusted him with this task was itself a signal of trust and training.

"Okay, Director, I'll do my best." Lin Fan took the documents with a serious expression.

He spent an afternoon carefully studying the draft plan for soliciting opinions. The plan was very ambitious, covering all aspects such as urban positioning, spatial layout, industrial development, and infrastructure. Lin Fan drew upon his memories from his previous life, combined with information he had heard and seen at the Finance Bureau in recent months, as well as information he had learned from the newspapers, and tried to extract the key points related to the functions of the Finance Bureau.

He focused his consideration on several key areas: Where will the funding for the "Northeast Logistics Park" mentioned in the plan come from? How will the government provide matching funds? How will land transfer revenue be managed and used? How can the fiscal subsidy policy for the "old city renovation" emphasized in the plan be designed to be more effective? And for large-scale public infrastructure projects, how can fiscal review and budget supervision intervene in advance to avoid waste and overspending?

He locked himself in the archives (Old Wang had recently taken leave), scribbling and drawing on draft paper, listing rough ideas. He didn't rush into writing, but first organized his thoughts.

After get off work, he returned to the guesthouse and continued to ponder. It wasn't until late at night that he finally distilled five relatively clear, closely related to the functions of finance, and somewhat actionable preliminary suggestions, which he neatly copied onto draft paper. He knew that, given his temporary worker status and limited knowledge, these suggestions might be immature, even incomplete, but his attitude had to be correct, and his thinking had to be thorough.

The next morning, he handed the manuscript to Director Du.

Director Du put on his glasses and examined the document carefully for a full ten minutes, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. After finishing, he took off his glasses, rubbed his nose, and looked at Lin Fan with a somewhat complicated expression.

"These...are these your own ideas?"

"Yes, Director. I've checked some relevant policy documents from the bureau and also read some discussions in the newspapers. My thoughts may not be very deep, so please feel free to criticize me if I'm wrong." Lin Fan's attitude was humble.

Director Du was silent for a moment, then pointed to the third suggestion on the paper and said, "This one, 'It is suggested that a fiscal investment review mechanism be introduced at the planning stage to conduct preliminary cost-benefit analysis for major projects,' is a good idea, but it is difficult to implement, involving departmental coordination and authority issues. However, the fact that you thought of this shows that you have put your mind to it."

He then pointed to Article 5: "'Pay attention to the long-term impact of planning implementation on land revenue, and study the establishment of a sustainable urban construction funding mechanism.' This statement... is quite interesting. Although it's a bit vague, the direction is correct. Currently, many places are indeed overly reliant on land sales."

Director Du put the manuscript away: "Alright, I understand. I'll refer to this. Go on with your work."

There was neither praise nor criticism. But Lin Fan knew he had passed yet another small test. Director Du's final comments had exceeded expectations for a temporary worker.

A few days later, Lin Fan went to the printing room to pick up some materials and happened to overhear the printing room worker chatting with someone from another department: "...Have you heard? Last time the city was soliciting opinions on that planning, our bureau's submission was specifically mentioned by the city government office leader, who said, 'The Finance Bureau's feedback is something, not just a perfunctory response.' Director Du was so happy when he came back..."

Lin Fan lowered his head to organize the documents, his mind calm. He knew that the small pebble he had quietly thrown in seemed to have created a ripple as expected.

In late June, the weather grew increasingly hot. That afternoon, Lin Fan was in the office helping Sister Liu check the filing status of a batch of documents when Director Du received a phone call. He hummed in agreement a few times, and his expression turned somewhat serious.

After hanging up the phone, Director Du said to Sister Liu, "Xiao Liu, get ready immediately. Find all the documents and disbursement vouchers related to subsidies for agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, and special poverty alleviation funds since the beginning of this year, and organize them. The National Audit Office's special commissioner's office is conducting a surprise inspection, and they might come to see us tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow morning? So urgent?" Sister Liu also became nervous. "Some documents are still in various departments, and there's a considerable amount..."

"I know it's urgent, that's why I'm telling you to get it done quickly!" Director Du frowned. "This is a surprise inspection; poor coordination will cause problems. I've ordered all departments to send over the relevant materials immediately. You and Xiao Lin stay here and work through the night to organize them, categorize them, and create indexes so that the auditors can receive them quickly and understand them clearly!"

"Yes, Director!" Sister Liu immediately stood up.

Lin Fan also put down his work, realizing that this was an urgent mission and an important test. Such sudden inspections are the ultimate test of a unit's capabilities and emergency response capabilities, and the office, as the hub, bears a heavy responsibility.

Soon, staff from various departments poured into the office carrying stacks of documents, ledgers, and vouchers. The floor, tables, and chairs were quickly piled high with various materials, creating a somewhat chaotic scene.

With her rich experience, Sister Liu immediately gave instructions: "Xiao Lin, you're in charge of receiving and registering the documents, separating them by department and fund category. I'll do the initial screening and categorization."

"Okay!" Lin Fan immediately brought over a few empty cardboard boxes, labeled them temporarily, and then stood guard at the door. Every time he received a batch of materials, he would quickly glance at the cover, register the source and general content, and then categorize them into different boxes. He was quick-witted and even more agile, and soon he had sorted out the messy materials.

Next, the two began to categorize the documents in detail. Sister Liu was responsible for reviewing the contents and determining which type of special fund it belonged to, while Lin Fan followed her instructions, placing the documents into different folders and writing the name and year on the folder cover in bold. Since the vouchers needed to correspond to the documents, he carefully checked the document number, amount, and date.

The only sounds in the office were the rustling of papers turning and the brief conversation between the two. As night fell, everyone from other departments went home, and the entire floor quieted down, except for the office lights which remained on. Director Du came to check on them briefly, and seeing that they were working efficiently and making good progress, he gave them a few words of advice to take care of their health before going off to coordinate other matters.

Around 9 PM, the materials were initially organized, divided into more than a dozen clear categories, and neatly arranged. But Sister Liu and Lin Fan knew that this wasn't enough. When the auditors came, they would not only check if the materials were complete, but also if the accounts were clear and logically sound.

"Xiao Lin, you have sharp eyes. Double-check these large poverty alleviation fund disbursements with me again." Sister Liu pointed to several disbursement slips and corresponding bank vouchers. "Date, amount, and payee—there can't be the slightest mistake."

"Okay." Lin Fan pulled up a chair and sat down next to Sister Liu. The two of them, heads close together, checked each item one by one. Their eyes started to blur after looking at the numbers for a while, but neither of them dared to relax. When they got hungry, they would nibble on a couple of bites of the cold steamed buns that Sister Liu had brought from the cafeteria, and when they were thirsty, they would drink some cool boiled water.

It wasn't until after 11 p.m. that all the core materials were checked and the index was completed. Looking at the neatly arranged and easily identifiable pile of materials in the office, Sister Liu breathed a long sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her tired face: "It's done! Xiao Lin, thanks to you today, you were quick and meticulous. Otherwise, I would have been exhausted by myself until dawn."

"Sister Liu, you did a great job directing us." Lin Fan rubbed his sore eyes and said sincerely. During the time he worked with Sister Liu, he had indeed learned a lot of practical experience in handling government affairs and crisis management.

The next morning, the people from the National Audit Office's special office arrived as expected. Two simply dressed but capable-looking colleagues, accompanied by Director Du and the bureau's relevant leader, came directly to the office.

Seeing the well-prepared and neatly arranged materials, along with Sister Liu's clear and concise report and Lin Fan's accurate and swift retrieval, the serious expressions on the auditors' faces softened. The inspection process went smoothly; whatever materials were needed, Lin Fan could always find them in the corresponding folder immediately. For some peripheral vouchers, Sister Liu couldn't immediately recall where they were, but Lin Fan could quickly retrieve them from the bottom of a box based on yesterday's memory.

The focused audit was completed in less than two hours. The auditor closed the last book of vouchers and nodded to the accompanying leader: "The materials were very well prepared and standardized. It seems you've done a solid job with your groundwork."

A smile appeared on the leader's face, and Director Du secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After seeing the auditors off, Director Du returned to his office and, unusually, patted Lin Fan on the shoulder, saying to Sister Liu, "You two did a great job in this emergency. Thank you for your hard work, especially Lin, you did a fantastic job."

Sister Liu smiled and said, "Xiao Lin really helped a lot. This young man is reliable and dependable."

Lin Fan just smiled and said, "Director, Sister Liu, it's all I should do."

This matter spread quietly throughout the bureau like a gust of wind. Although it wasn't a big deal, the impression that "Xiao Lin, the temporary worker in the office, is clear-headed, efficient, and can step up in critical moments" quietly took root in the minds of some middle-level managers and staff who had worked with him.

In early July, the renovation of Lin Fan's house was nearing completion. Zhao Dayong called to say it was ready for inspection. Lin Fan chose a weekend to carefully check it over. The plumbing and electrical tests were flawless, the walls and floors were smooth, the doors and windows opened and closed smoothly, and the waterproofing in the kitchen and bathroom had also undergone a water tightness test. Although the renovation was simple, the quality was indeed excellent, fully meeting his requirements. He readily paid the remaining balance.

Receiving the keys, Lin Fan stood in the newly renovated house, sunlight streaming through the clean windows, a faint smell of paint still lingering in the air. He slowly walked through each room, touching the smooth walls and brand-new doorknobs. This would be his home in the steel city for a long time to come, and also the place he planned to bring his parents to live with him.

Almost at the same time, his father called from the village, using the public phone at the village store. His voice was a mix of excitement and caution: "Fanzi, the spinach harvest is finished, and the land has been leveled. The construction team you hired has arrived. We've agreed on the price; it's 120,000 yuan all-inclusive, as you said, until it's finished."

The warehouse work also needs to be started.

Lin Fan held his phone, standing in the center of his new home's living room, gazing out the window.

I have initially established myself in my work and gained initial recognition from my superiors and colleagues.

With a house, I have a place to settle down.

The warehouse is about to be built, marking the first physical industrial project.

My phone is in my pocket, and communication is working smoothly.

I also have my parents' support.

Everything was progressing steadily and surely according to his plan, step by step.

Like a seed, he quietly sprouted resilient roots in the seemingly hardened soil of the steel city in 2003, taking firm hold of the land. Although he had not yet broken through the soil or seen any branches or leaves, only he himself knew the vitality surging within him.

Next, he just had to wait for his benefactor to appear.