Official excuse: I've put you on patrol in Handong, and the whole province is in a panic.

He knew that tomorrow's first meeting of the working group wouldn't be easy. These key personnel drawn from various ministries were all "important" figures, and might not be easy to manage. Especially the two deputy group leaders at the ministerial level, whose seniority and rank were higher than his, whether they would genuinely cooperate with him was still an unknown.

But there is no turning back when the bow is drawn.

Now that I've taken on this task, I must lead the team well and do the job well.

……

The next morning, at 8:50.

Su Zhe arrived at the third conference room ten minutes early.

The conference room is small, accommodating about twenty people. It features an oval-shaped conference table.

Li Wei was already preparing in the conference room, adjusting the projector and setting up name tags and meeting materials.

"Team Leader Su, you've arrived." Li Wei greeted him.

"Hmm, have you notified everyone?" Su Zhe walked to the head seat and sat down, flipping through the list in his hand.

"We've notified everyone and emphasized that punctuality is required."

Su Zhe nodded without saying anything and continued looking at the materials in his hand.

Seeing this, Li Wei turned around and went back to his work.

At 8:55, the members began to enter the meeting room one after another.

Su Zhe sat in the main seat, watching each person who came in.

When most people entered and saw how young Su Zhe was sitting in the main seat, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes, but they quickly concealed it and found their own seats. Some took the initiative to greet Su Zhe and introduce themselves; others simply nodded and sat down.

Yang Hong, a section chief from the Ministry of Public Security and deputy head of the working group, arrived.

He was around 40 years old, tall, with a sharply defined face, exuding the capable air characteristic of a police officer. After entering, his gaze lingered on Su Zhe for a moment, then he strode over and extended his hand: "Team Leader Su, right? I'm Yang Hong."

"Hello, Director Yang!"

Su Zhe stood up and shook hands with Yang Hong. Yang Hong's hand was very strong.

"Team Leader Su is here really early!"

Yang Hong said with a smile, but there was a hint of scrutiny in his smile. After all, being led by someone more than twenty years younger than oneself and half a rank lower would inevitably cause some reservations.

Su Zhe laughed and said, "After all, I'm staying at the office, so I can't be later than everyone else, that would be unreasonable."

Hearing Su Zhe's humble words...

Yang Hong smiled as well.

"The work ahead will depend on your leadership!"

Su Zhe smiled and said, "Director Yang, you're too kind! I'll be relying on you a lot from now on!"

Yang Hong smiled upon hearing this.

His facial expression was very relaxed.

Nine o'clock sharp.

Su Zhe glanced around the conference room.

There were fifteen seats on both sides of the long table. Everyone except the deputy group leader next to me was present.

The person who was absent was named Liu Ziming.

He is a division chief under the Supervision Department of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

Su Zhe looked at Li Wei, asking with his eyes.

Li Wei jogged over and whispered, "Team Leader Su, I just contacted Deputy Team Leader Liu Ziming. He said they're stuck in traffic on the Second Ring Road and it'll probably take another ten minutes or so."

Su Zhe's face remained expressionless; he simply nodded.

He didn't announce the start of the meeting, nor did he speak; he simply picked up the teacup in front of him and slowly took a sip of water.

The meeting room gradually quieted down.

The faint sounds of conversation that had been building up also disappeared.

Everyone looked at Su Zhe, who was in the main seat.

This excessively young team leader remained silent and did not urge anyone; he simply waited quietly.

But that invisible pressure slowly permeated the conference room.

9:10.

The conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Some people began to shift their bodies uncomfortably.

Someone looked down and pretended to look at the documents.

Some people secretly took out their phones, but after glancing at Su Zhe, who sat calmly in the main seat, they silently put them back.

Su Zhe shook his head.

"Comrades, let's begin the meeting!"

Yang Hong couldn't help but glance at Su Zhe.

"Team Leader Su, shouldn't we wait a little longer? After all, Director Liu is also a deputy team leader..."

Su Zhe said calmly, "We're not waiting any longer. The meeting will start on time. The first rule of work discipline is punctuality. How can we carry out subsequent work if we don't even have a basic sense of time? When Liu Ziming arrives, he must apologize to everyone!"

talking.

Su Zhe looked at Li Wei.

"Remove Liu Ziming's nameplate!"

Upon hearing this, Li Wei nodded and took Liu Ziming's nameplate away.

Upon hearing this, Yang Hong knew that Su Zhe was angry, and stopped talking.

I'm so much older than him, it would be too embarrassing for me to be scolded by Su Zhe, I can't stand it.

As soon as Su Zhe said this, the quiet chatter in the conference room stopped instantly, and those who were playing on their phones quickly put them away and looked up at Su Zhe.

Most of them were meeting Su Zhe for the first time. They only knew that this new team leader held an important position at a young age, but they did not expect him to be so strict.

Su Zhe's gaze swept across the entire room, and he said in a deep voice, "First of all, let me introduce myself. My name is Su Zhe, and I am the leader of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's Leading Group for the Special Campaign Against Corruption in Handong. For the next period of time, I will be leading everyone in carrying out our work."

Then.

Su Zhe began to convey the spirit of the documents related to this case to everyone.

After the message was delivered.

Su Zhe looked at everyone, paused, and continued, "The purpose of this special campaign is to thoroughly investigate the corruption problems existing in Handong Province, break the entrenched vested interests, and purify the political environment. The task is arduous and the responsibility is heavy. I hope everyone can take it seriously and act accordingly."

"Next, I would like to emphasize three requirements. First, strictly adhere to work discipline. All members must strictly abide by all regulations governing case handling, and are not allowed to act without authorization, disclose work secrets, or accept any form of banquet or gift from the local authorities. Second, clarify the division of labor. Based on everyone's professional expertise, I will divide the working group into three groups: one group will be responsible for verifying leads, the second group will be responsible for case investigation, and the third group will be responsible for coordination and support. The specific division of labor list will be distributed to everyone later. Third, strengthen your sense of responsibility. Do not shirk responsibility or back down when encountering problems; be willing to confront difficulties head-on. Report any difficulties to me promptly."

Su Zhe spoke clearly and firmly, without any unnecessary words.

Even so, a few people still seemed distracted. One young man sitting in the back row even secretly took out his phone and scrolled through messages.

9:30.

The meeting room door was pushed open.

A middle-aged man wearing a light blue shirt and tie walked in.

He had a smile on his face and didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with being late.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, everyone, the traffic is terrible! The traffic in Yanjing is hopeless!"

As Liu Ziming spoke, his gaze swept across the conference room, landing on Su Zhe in the main seat. He then glanced at Yang Hong, who was already seated next to Su Zhe, and naturally walked toward the empty seat next to Su Zhe. As the deputy group leader, one of the three main seats was bound to be his.

"Director Liu."

Su Zhe spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly carried throughout the conference room.