1994: Starting with unpaid leave

No. 3 Middle School, classrooms and offices.

Sitting at her desk, Zheng Rui closed the lesson plan she had just opened and couldn't help but sigh.

Ms. Wu Yan, who was sitting next to her, saw that she looked worried and couldn't help but nudge her arm.

"Ms. Zheng, the school is forming 'elite classes' this year. How many top students from your class will be selected?"

"Six..."

"Wow, that many! Only three from our class were sent out... Why don't you complain to the head of the grade?"

Zheng Rui shook her head with a wry smile: "The students are assigned to a list based on their grade ranking. What difference would it make to talk to the head teacher? Besides... those at the top are all good kids. We can't ruin their future, can we?"

"What do you mean by 'ruining your future'? If you ask me, the fact that your class produced the most students means that your teaching quality is the highest! Even if we don't stop the school from reassigning classes, I would say that you should be transferred to the top class as the homeroom teacher."

"Don't talk nonsense, I don't have that kind of luck..."

"Of course you are! If it weren't for the fact that the competition at our school is so fierce, with your abilities, you would have made it long ago..."

"Forget it, let's not talk about that. My problem isn't that... my partner has been..."

Zheng Rui, a homeroom teacher of an ordinary class, has been having a lot of troubles lately.

It wasn't just that the good students they had nurtured for two years were going to be reassigned; there was also the matter of her own husband, Dong Weiguo.

A perfectly healthy worker at the No. 1 Machine Tool Factory was suddenly told to go home and become unemployed.

Now that he sees his younger brother making money in business, he's got his eye on the newly vacated school store.

But... how can an ordinary person without connections afford to run such a lucrative business?

A few days ago I heard that Director Bai, who is in charge of logistics, was asking for a 10,000 yuan bribe. Today at lunch in the cafeteria, I heard other colleagues say that the price had risen to 15,000 yuan...

Although she knew it wasn't good to talk behind someone's back, Zheng Rui felt like she would go crazy if she didn't vent her frustrations...

The two whispered to each other for a while until another teacher came into the office, at which point they leaned back in their chairs and closed their eyes to rest as if nothing had happened.

Zheng Rui had just rested for a while when someone nudged her shoulder.

When she opened her eyes, she saw her husband, Dong Weiguo, and her brother-in-law, Dong Jianguo, was standing outside the classroom office.

"Oh, what brings you two here?"

Zheng Rui quickly sat up, straightened her clothes, and led her husband outside the office.

"Well, Jian Guo said he knows Director Bai. Maybe if we chat with her and build a relationship, we can save some money on kickbacks..."

Zheng Rui was taken aback and turned to look at Dong Jianguo: "What's wrong, Jianguo? Did Director Bai buy eggs from your family?"

Dong Jianguo: "..."

"Second sister-in-law, please take me with you to give it a try. I've already talked to my second brother. If we can get through to him, we can save a lot of money. If we can't, I'll cover your commission!"

"What are you going to pay? Your brother probably doesn't know yet, right? The kickback just went up to 15,000 this afternoon! You don't make money off of thin air, what are you going to use to pay?!"

Dong Weiguo was taken aback: "Yesterday, 10,000 was enough. How come it's gone up again? Is the price changing every day?"

Zheng Rui nodded, saying somewhat helplessly, "Judging from this trend, it might rise to 20,000 in a couple of days!"

Dong Jianguo patted his second brother on the shoulder: "It's alright, I'll cover it for you no matter how much it goes up!"

"Don't talk nonsense! Even if you offered it to me, I wouldn't take it!" Dong Weiguo said with a worried look on his face, his face as ugly as a bitter gourd.

With the money increasing so much all of a sudden, Dong Weiguo insisted that his younger brother couldn't possibly pay for it.

However, he couldn't help but hold onto a sliver of hope: what if his brother could actually persuade Director Bai?

What if?!

That's 15,000 yuan!

It can't hurt to give it a try, right?

Thinking of this, Dong Weiguo looked at his wife and said, "Why don't you let Jian Guo give it a try..."

……

Bai Jie, the logistics director of No. 3 Middle School, had just finished lunch and was looking in the dressing mirror in her office.

Although she is almost 40 years old and has already had children, she takes good care of herself and still has fair and tender skin that radiates a healthy glow.

With rosy cheeks and a pair of perfectly almond-shaped eyes, she always had a faint misty look over her.

She is most satisfied with her figure. Although she is not tall, only 162 cm, she can look slender and beautiful when she wears high heels.

Especially her erect breasts, completely unaffected by gravity... that's what she loves most.

"Clang clang."

A knock sounded at the door. Director Bai paused, then twirled around in her long dress and was back at her desk: "Who is it?"

"Hello Director Bai, I'm here to discuss a collaboration with your school's convenience store."

"Come in."

The door opened, revealing a strange yet young face.

Although I don't know him, he's incredibly handsome, and looks a lot like my idol, Leon Lai.

"Director Bai, right? Hello, my surname is Dong, and my name is Dong Jianguo..."

Upon entering the office, Dong Jianguo extended his hand in a generous manner.

Director Bai shook hands with the young man briefly, then gestured to the chair in front of his desk: "Please sit down."

Are you familiar with the situation here?

"The person who introduced me to it gave me a brief overview, and I thought it was a good business opportunity, so I'd like to give it a try..."

Who introduced you to someone?

"Director Gao of the Fine Weaving and Textile Factory, are you familiar with him, Director Bai?"

High ideals?

Director Bai felt a chill run down his spine when he unexpectedly heard his lover's name from a stranger.

She raised her almond-shaped eyes and looked at Dong Jianguo, momentarily confused about what this handsome young man meant.

Was Gao Yi a benefactor who offered him money, or was he trying to use their secret relationship to threaten him?

"Are you very familiar with Factory Director Gao?"

"Absolutely! Director Gao has been good to me; he put me on unpaid leave for a minor incident at the factory."

"He caused me considerable losses, so I'm trying to find some compensation. Director Bai, don't you think this is the right thing to do?"

Dong Jianguo smiled slightly, watching Director Bai's expression with amusement, an expression that resembled that of a hunter eyeing his prey.

A flicker of panic crossed Director Bai's face. To avoid giving herself away, she turned her gaze to the documents in front of her.

"Oh? Is that so? But I think if you're dissatisfied with Factory Director Gao, you should talk to him. Why did you come to me? I'm not familiar with him..."

"Snapped!"

Dong Jianguo suddenly stood up and slammed his hand on the documents in front of Director Bai:

"Since your lover caused trouble, I'm naturally going to make up for it by taking it out on you!"

"We're all adults here, what are you pretending to be, acting all high and mighty in front of me?!"

"I'm signing a contract for your school's convenience store today, so just tell me if you can transfer it to me!"

Seeing the hesitation on Director Bai's face, Dong Jianguo sneered:

"Director Bai, you don't want your affair with Factory Director Gao to become common knowledge, do you...?"