I pushed my glasses back twice, but he wasn't angry. He just smiled and said, "I heard the cafeteria can only hold 300 people?"
"Oh, we can split the flow into two groups, that should be about right," Old Zhang stamped his foot.
Just then, Glasses finally spotted the 300-meter runners practicing on the parade ground. The two soldiers were locked in a fierce and powerful exchange. After a few moves, one of them let out a loud "Hey!" and unleashed a flying kick, sending the other flying five meters away. Glasses shuddered slightly, and I felt incredibly smug.
But problems immediately arose: "Don't these students wear any protective gear or anything during practice?"
I was cursing inwardly, but I had to force a smile and say, "It's alright, they're all tough-skinned." Old Zhang was speechless...
The man with glasses, hands behind his back, sneered, "Such a large place with only a few buildings, what a waste!"
Look, their true, hideous faces are showing! Their intentions are as clear as day! I'm going all out too. I slowly waved my arm across the playground and said emotionally, "The vast world offers boundless opportunities."
Principal Zhang couldn't stand it any longer and interrupted, saying, "Director Xiao... let me formally introduce you," he pointed to the man with glasses, "This is Mayor Liang's secretary, surnamed Liu." Then he introduced the man with glasses holding the miniature DV camera, "This is Comrade Wang from the Municipal Office."
I asked in surprise, "A male secretary?"
And it was a bald male secretary—
But now that Old Zhang mentioned it, the man looked familiar to me too. He'd often appeared in the local news, following the mayor, flashing by mysteriously – it seemed like that was him. What was he doing here?
Old Zhang patted me on the shoulder and said, "Secretary Liu is here to invest this time!" As he spoke, he gave me a glare, and I immediately knew I might have said something wrong...
Secretary Liu chuckled and said, "What investment? We're just here to provide logistical support. Many people have high hopes for Yucai School. You're a promising talent in our city; getting into the top five depends on you. Are there any difficulties?"
Old Zhang kicked me with his back leg, and I immediately made a face: "Secretary Liu, you see, our teaching building is too low..."
"Oh, a martial arts school, huh? Its recruitment channels are a bit narrower, but is this enough?"
"...Our dormitory is also small."
"Oh dear, isn't it a bit too extravagant to only have 4 people living in an 8-person room these days?"
"...Our cafeteria can only accommodate 300 people."
Secretary Liu chuckled: "We can divert the flow."
I grabbed his hand and said pitifully, "Secretary Liu, you're just messing with me. Can you just pretend what I said just now was nothing?"
Even Xiao Wang, the clerk, burst out laughing this time.
Secretary Liu laughed and said, "I kept telling you to take the easy way out, but you just wouldn't budge and kept backing away. Since you're so determined, we can't really interfere. Besides, Director Xiao, your bold words have already been recorded."
I scurried back to the car, grabbed a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, stuffed it under Xiao Wang's arm, and said with a forced smile, "Officer Wang, you've worked hard. Cut off this last bit and don't broadcast it."
Xiao Wang hurriedly said, "No, no, I don't smoke." But seeing that Secretary Liu was smiling and didn't stop him, he quickly put it in his bag. To be honest, they naturally didn't care about such a small gift; it was just a way of showing that I was apologizing.
Secretary Liu glanced at the 300-meter team training and said, "Let's get the students' protective gear sorted out first. We can talk about the rest once you've made it into the top five." This statement was quite suggestive.
Secretary Liu patted my shoulder and said meaningfully, "Although this martial arts tournament looks like an ordinary competition, the country has invested a lot of effort in it. As you know, martial arts has become a demonstration sport for the 2008 Olympics and has a good chance of becoming a regular event in the future. The country is looking for martial arts training bases. If you can get into the top three, I'll give you a heads-up on behalf of the city: I'll make sure your house is built in a high-rise. If you get into the top five, you can at least get some scraps. After that, it's hard to say." He took a piece of paper out of his bag and handed it to me, saying, "Take this. See what you need to buy. Lend me 200 of your students."
I looked down and saw a check for 100,000 yuan. What was the government planning to do with a loan of 300 yuan? I thought with mixed feelings: It's a loan, but isn't this amount a bit small?
Secretary Liu said, "This money was allocated to our city by the organizing committee. Specifically, this 100,000 yuan is for arranging the etiquette team on the opening ceremony day. It doesn't matter who gets the money, just take it and buy all the protective gear—I need to see the invoice."
I asked curiously, "Why 200? What are you having them do?"
"There are currently more than 170 teams participating in this competition. All we need them for is to hold up signs. Just have them report to the stadium a week before the opening ceremony."
...170... Uh, it's raining, uh no, it's sweating, cold sweat.
The official deadline for the competition is one week before the opening ceremony. It seems this martial arts tournament is almost as large as the Olympics…
I finally understand why someone dared to promise me that once I made it into the top three, I'd be guaranteed a spot in the top five. It was a desperate gamble, encouraging me to aim for the top three or five without even knowing my actual abilities. Their intentions are utterly despicable; they're trying to lure a fool into making a fool of themselves.
I originally thought there would be a maximum of 30 or so teams. No way! The original plan needs to be adjusted. While it's true that it's good to take shelter under a big tree, this time there are other trees around, their roots intertwined. We don't want to end up stuck in the shade, unable to get any sun and dying of osteoporosis!
Get sixth! We absolutely must get sixth. The top five are all too flashy; getting sixth will at least give the mayor some satisfaction. Besides, I'm beholden to them now; 100,000 yuan is enough to buy some protective gear and install TVs in every dorm room.
Just then, a truck stopped in front of us, and several burly men jumped out, asking in gruff voices, "Who's Xiaoqiang?"
"That's me. Is there something you need?"
"The machine has been delivered to you, where should I put it?"
It took me a moment to realize: my document processing machine had arrived. I never imagined it was so huge; it's basically a lump of metal. 500 yuan a day isn't expensive at all.
Secretary Liu initially thought it was something the school had bought. But seeing how bulky and old it looked, she finally couldn't help but ask, "Director Xiao, what is this...?"
I was sweating bullets. How was I supposed to explain this to a mayor's secretary? Ah, it's alright, Secretary Liu, this is a machine for making fake documents, let's just talk about ours, shall we?
The young officer, Xiao Wang, adjusted his glasses, carefully examined the machine, and said in surprise, "This looks like—" My heart jumped.
"A pasta machine?"
I hugged Xiao Wang tightly, tears of gratitude streaming down my face. "Yes, yes, it's a noodle press." Then I told the porters, "Quickly, move it to the cafeteria."
Now I understand why employers like to emphasize work experience so much. If a seasoned veteran shows up today, and they see you have a scanner and a printing press, you're obviously out of the loop, aren't you?
Secretary Liu shook my hand at the end and said, "Don't hesitate to ask if you have any difficulties. As long as it's reasonable, we'll try our best to accommodate you. We're the hosts this time, so we have responsibilities on our shoulders, but we also have a lot of convenient factors at our disposal, haha."
This statement is practically a blatant reminder: take whatever you want, or you'll be a fool not to take advantage of a bargain. Judging by Secretary Liu's almost bloodshot eyes, he'd probably be happy to help put laxatives in the other athletes' food.
Finally, Secretary Liu took out the pack of cigarettes I had given him, slapped it into my hand, and laughed, "It's not that I'm trying to embarrass you, I don't care about these things." Seeing his resolute expression, I had no choice but to give up.
After he got into the car, Principal Zhang watched their car drive away and said, "This time the government team really put their heart into it."
I asked, "No matter how grand this martial arts tournament is, it's not a political event. Is it worth it for them to do this?"