However, they were certainly annoyed. The two looked at each other, got up and went to the restroom. Once outside the office, they started talking again, and their words naturally carried a lot of criticism towards Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan stuffed tissues into his ears, which was just an action. Although his ears were stuffed with tissues, his hearing was still intact. The distance between the two women and the restroom was less than fifty meters, so Zhou Xuan didn't even need to condense his superpower into a beam to hear them automatically.
"Xiaoya, let's talk to Director Liu. It seems Director Liu doesn't treat this new guy, Zhou Xuan, very well. Today is his first day at work, and he's playing games in the office. Director Liu should at least give him a warning or a fine. I heard he's a relative of the new acting director, but I heard from Deputy Director Luo's wife that the acting director's position is just a rabbit's tail—it won't last long."
"Yeah, yeah, I get angry just looking at Zhang Lei. She thinks she's the prettiest woman in the world, but I think she's just a vixen, seducing men everywhere. This Zhou Xuan, I don't know what he's better than Zhu Jie in. Zhang Lei must be blind. But it's fine, a vixen with cow dung, neither of them loses out."
Zhou Xuan was furious. The two women were muttering to themselves as they walked toward Liu Xingzhou's office, ready to tattle. He thought to himself, let them be. He figured Director Liu Xingzhou would probably come and vent his anger again soon.
Zhang Lei was completely unaware of all this and was still diligently writing her report. Zhou Xuan smiled. It seemed that Liu Xingzhou's special arrangement for Zhang Lei to join the Municipal Bureau was quite suitable for him. At least in his eyes, Zhang Lei was much better than those so-called elites. Although she was a bit arrogant, she was very straightforward and honest. If she had been assigned to a group like Zhu Jie's, she would have had a hard time.
Zhou Xuan lost focus, and his already poor skills worsened, leading to a loss in the game. His opponent captured the flag prematurely, and his own team was caught in a pincer attack.
The opponent was very angry. He typed an angry emoticon on the screen and said, "Go eat shit!" before running away. As a result, both of them lost points.
Zhou Xuan smiled wryly. This guy was too ill-mannered. Before he knew it, the two women had returned and sat down in their respective seats, pretending to be working very seriously with their documents and files.
Outside the alley, Zhou Xuan noticed that Director Liu Xingzhou was coming this way. He immediately realized that the two women had successfully snitched and that Liu Xingzhou was on his way to inspect the area.
Zhou Xuan thought for a moment, then instead of closing QQ Games, he entered another room and quickly joined the game with others. When Liu Xingzhou entered, his eyes immediately fell on Zhou Xuan. He didn't even look at Zhang Lei, because even if Zhang Lei had made a mistake, he couldn't punish her. But Zhou Xuan was different. Behind Zhou Xuan was Fu Yuanshan, who was competing with his backer for the position of bureau chief. Moreover, Fu Yuanshan had no chance of winning and would be forced to leave in a few days at most. So there was no need to give his people a good look now. He could even catch him in the act and embarrass Fu Yuanshan. He guessed that Fu Yuanshan would not only scold him but also sulk behind his back.
This Zhou Xuan seems to be just a crooked employee with connections; he has no other abilities whatsoever, a gilded exterior but a rotten interior. Targeting him first is a good idea, since he doesn't care at all and plays games during work hours. These things are actually common in government offices; who doesn't play games? Who doesn't slack off? But the key is the connection.
As soon as Liu Xingzhou entered, he walked straight toward Zhou Xuan, but Zhou Xuan ignored him and pretended not to see him.
Liu Xingzhou snorted coldly and said, "Zhou Xuan, are you here to work or to play games? If you want to play games, then quit your job and go home. This is a workplace."
Liu Xingzhou's initial words were relatively polite, not completely tearing off the mask of civility, but Zhou Xuan didn't even look up, continuing with his game, saying, "Go shout somewhere else, don't bother me."
Liu Xingzhou and the two female employees were taken aback by Zhou Xuan's words. The two female employees were even more astonished by Zhou Xuan's audacity. Did he really think that he could rest easy by relying on Fu Yuanshan, the short-lived bureau chief? After all, a local official is more powerful than a distant one. Liu Xingzhou's official position was not small either; he was a section chief in the municipal bureau, and his rank was equivalent to that of a deputy bureau chief in a branch bureau. It seemed that Zhou Xuan was just a reckless guy who didn't know his place.
Zhou Xuan was certainly not a reckless guy. By nature, he would naturally keep a low profile in such matters and not cause so much trouble. But his thoughts were different now. He could keep a low profile when catching criminals and showing his ability, but he might as well take the opportunity to strike hard against Fu Yuanshan's opposing forces in the Municipal Bureau and suppress their arrogance for Fu Yuanshan. This Liu Xingzhou's actions towards him clearly showed that he was targeting Fu Yuanshan.
Not only were Liu Xingzhou and the two female employees shocked by Zhou Xuan's words, but even Zhang Lei, who was writing a report, was shocked by them. No matter how arrogant or ignorant she was, she wouldn't go this far. Knowing that it was wrong to play games at work, she still wanted to fight with her boss. Wasn't she just asking for trouble?
Even if you have a powerful backer, you can't do something like this. If Zhang Lei didn't know Zhou Xuan before, she would have thought that Zhou Xuan was just a nepotism hire and an immature playboy. But now her opinion is different because Zhou Xuan is too amazing. He has such amazing skills. Generally speaking, the more mysterious and capable a person is, the more eccentric their personality may be.
Everyone was taken aback for a moment, but Liu Xingzhou immediately became furious. He slammed his hand on the table with such force that it knocked some small items such as pens and paper off the table.
"Insolence!" Liu Xingzhou shouted, "Who do you think you are? Let me tell you, this is a police station, a place where we, the people's police, serve the people, not a place for you to play games. You...you..."
Before Liu Xingzhou could speak, Zhou Xuan interrupted him coldly, saying, "Don't try to glorify yourself with the words 'serving the people.' I know exactly what kind of person you are. Hmph, serving the people? You never leave your house. It's hot in summer, cold in winter, and spring and autumn are just right, but difficult to walk in. Is that how you serve the people? You're a police officer, aren't you? Do you really understand the duties of a police officer? You've downloaded hundreds of pornographic films on your computer. Is that how you serve the people?"
Liu Xingzhou blushed, wondering how Zhou Xuan knew he had downloaded so many pornographic videos. Logically, it shouldn't be possible for anyone to know. During regular working hours, he never left his office, and after get off work, all the employees left, leaving no one behind. His office was always locked, accessible only to him. How could anyone else have seen what was on his computer? And he always looked at them alone; there was absolutely no way anyone else could have known.
Liu Xingzhou's face turned red, then purple, then black from the shock. It took him a while to recover. His face was gloomy, and he was panting heavily. This guy really didn't give him any face, daring to openly contradict him in front of his subordinates and make him lose face.
Zhou Xuan did it on purpose, of course. He wanted to utterly discredit Liu Xingzhou. The pornographic video on his computer was something Zhou Xuan had seen Liu Xingzhou watching alone in his office after locking the door from the inside. He didn't want to look at Liu Xingzhou's ugly appearance any longer. Zhou Xuan absolutely did not believe that such a person could be a good policeman who served the people.
Liu Xingzhou was panting heavily, his eyes glaring at Zhou Xuan, growing ever wider. His finger trembled as he pointed at Zhou Xuan; if his gaze could turn into knives, he would have already shredded Zhou Xuan into countless pieces.
Zhou Xuan snorted and said coldly, "What, you're not convinced? If you're not convinced, I can give you a few suggestions. Either you play a game with me. I've heard that the Criminal Investigation Department of the Municipal Public Security Bureau is full of experts, not a place for ordinary people. As the head of a department, Director Liu must be top-notch. How about we have a match? Or, if Director Liu doesn't like me, he can just fire me. That would save trouble. But I don't know if Director Liu has the ability to fire me. If things go wrong, the disciplinary inspection department might investigate you instead, which would be a joke."
"You...you...you..." Liu Xingzhou was so angry he was practically fuming. But just as Zhou Xuan had said, he really wanted to fire Zhou Xuan on the spot. However, he didn't have that kind of power. To fire someone, you need stronger evidence and a higher-ranking official to have the authority to dismiss an employee. Because coming to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Municipal Public Security Bureau meant he wasn't just an ordinary low-level policeman; he was someone with ability and rank. It was unprecedented for a low-level rookie like Zhou Xuan to be able to come to the Criminal Investigation Department.
Moreover, although Liu Xingzhou is a section chief, he has not exercised for many years, and his physical fitness is far inferior to that of his subordinates. In addition, his private life is somewhat decadent, and his body is no longer comparable to that of his younger days. If he were twenty years younger, there might be some comparability. Now, no matter how harsh Zhou Xuan's words are, he will not agree to this proposal. If he had to, he would choose to fire Zhou Xuan directly.
But he was really furious. Liu Xingzhou was panting heavily when he took out his phone and immediately called Deputy Director Luo of the Municipal Bureau, who was the person he was closest to and relied on in the Municipal Bureau. He didn't have the power to fire Zhou Xuan, but Deputy Director Luo did.
Zhou Xuan was a relative of Fu Yuanshan, a fact that was never hidden from the beginning and couldn't be hidden anyway. Therefore, Deputy Director Luo understood. As soon as Liu Xingzhou dialed the number, he immediately said, "Director Luo, that... that Zhou Xuan, the one who was recently transferred to our department, was playing games at work. I caught him in the act, and instead of showing remorse, he started spouting nonsense at me, saying he'd beat me up and that if I had the guts, I could fire him, and so on. I think..."
Liu Xingzhou was furious and called Deputy Director Luo to complain about the matter. Deputy Director Luo had already informed him of Fu Yuanshan's intentions and background, and told him to be careful. He was to be notified of Fu Yuanshan's actions or assigned tasks as soon as possible so that he could decide whether to carry them out. Liu Xingzhou naturally agreed without hesitation. He was basically tied to Deputy Director Luo and had no say in the matter.
But before he could finish speaking, Deputy Director Luo interrupted him abruptly: "Liu Xingzhou, what the hell are you doing? Where are your eyes? The city bureau is in an uproar, and you don't know anything about it? You're just hiding in your office enjoying the air conditioning and getting into a fight with them?"
Liu Xingzhou had never seen Deputy Director Luo lose his temper like this before, and he was startled. Zhou Xuan's matter was completely forgotten. He hurriedly asked, "What...what...what happened?"
"Damn it, you call yourself the head of the Fourth Criminal Investigation Division? What are you even good for?" Deputy Director Luo was furious, his words flowing freely with profanity. "The moment Fu Yuanshan arrived at the Municipal Bureau today, he immediately organized a dozen or so cadres who were usually sidelined, and launched an operation to solve and arrest suspects in six or seven major backlog cases. The suspects in those cases have all been apprehended and are being interrogated. You didn't know about all this? You're truly oblivious to what's going on around you. Heh heh, Fu Yuanshan has secured his position as director, and you still want to fire his cronies? Keep dreaming!"
Deputy Director Luo was furious and gave Liu Xingzhou a severe scolding. Then he said, "Your fight with that Zhou guy is your own business, don't drag me into it." After saying that, he hung up the phone with a "click," not giving Liu Xingzhou any chance to explain or ask any further questions.
Deputy Director Luo was indeed angry. Liu Xingzhou knew nothing about this. What use was such a subordinate? What could be expected of him?
Although Fu Yuanshan's actions today kept everyone in the dark, and he accomplished something so significant, it's said that the suspects in those cases have been mostly apprehended, with four criminals already confessing and signing confessions. With these cases solved, Fu Yuanshan's position is practically secure. The actions of the other deputy directors have been in vain. Behind Fu Yuanshan stands Wei Haihe. Originally, some city leaders wanted to use this opportunity to suppress Wei Haihe's arrogance, but they didn't expect Fu Yuanshan to be so powerful and to make such a bold move, silencing everyone and leaving them speechless.
Now that Fu Yuanshan is about to be officially appointed and take a real position, there is no need for them to fight anymore. Fighting again will only result in them suffering losses. A wise man doesn't suffer losses in the present. If they want to fight, they should wait for the right opportunity in the future. They definitely can't fight openly anymore.
At this crucial moment, Liu Xingzhou unexpectedly made this phone call, which naturally infuriated Deputy Director Luo. He gave him a severe scolding and vented his anger.
Volume 1, Chapter 545: Superiors and Subordinates
Liu Xingzhou arrived with an air of authority and prestige, naturally wanting to project the dignity of a department head in front of his subordinates. However, he never expected that Zhou Xuan would immediately humiliate him.
When he tried to get rid of Zhou Xuan and reported it to his patron, Deputy Director Luo, he was met with a severe reprimand from Deputy Director Luo. Even after Deputy Director Luo hung up the phone, he was still in a daze and it took him a long time to come to his senses. Looking at Zhou Xuan, who was sneering at him, he realized that the person he was dealing with was not as simple as he had imagined, and that he had at least misjudged some of the circumstances.
Just now on the phone, Deputy Director Luo was so angry that he said he was a coward. That must mean that something big had happened in the Municipal Bureau that even Deputy Director Luo was powerless to do anything about. Judging from his tone, he was even prepared to accept this situation and didn't even want to fight for the director's seat anymore. So the accident must have been something serious. But I really didn't hear anything. None of the clerks in the office had reported to him. The only one who had reported was the two female employees who came to report that Zhou Xuan was playing games.
Thinking of this, Liu Xingzhou suddenly became annoyed. The employees in his office weren't even his cronies; they were just idle people who did nothing but gossip and chatter all day. They never did anything truly useful, just like him, the department head—never leaving their offices. Once they entered the office building in the morning, they wouldn't leave until the end of the workday. What real help could they possibly offer him? That was wishful thinking.
Although Liu Xingzhou was extremely angry at Zhou Xuan's actions, his future was at stake, so he had to put aside his personal dissatisfaction and quickly investigate what Deputy Director Luo had said; otherwise, he would really have to go back to eating shit.
Liu Xingzhou turned and walked out of the office with a dark face, without looking back. The two female employees were dumbfounded. Zhou Xuan had trampled on Liu Xingzhou's face so thoroughly, so why did Director Liu let him off so easily?
No, no, Director Liu must have made preparations. She's negotiated with the higher-ups to get Zhou Xuan fired. It probably won't take half an hour for Zhou Xuan to completely disappear from their office.
Zhang Lei was also stunned, forgetting to write her report. After a while, she asked, "Zhou Xuan, aren't you...aren't you afraid...?"
"Is the report finished?" Zhou Xuan knew what she was going to ask, but he wouldn't answer anyway. He immediately interrupted her and said, "If it's finished, read it to me. If not, hurry up and finish it."