My family updates weekly.

Chapter 63 is a big shot

"Jiang Yu?"

Wang Li's voice pulled him back to reality.

"what?"

"Let's go to the playground and take a group photo with everyone."

"Okay, sure."

Jiang Yu put his phone in his pocket and followed Wang Li as they turned to leave.

……

As I walked out of the teaching building, the middle of the playground was already full of people.

The students and parents of Class 3, Grade 7, lined up in several rows and were taking a family photo.

The photographer was a long-haired man carrying a camera, directing everyone to adjust their positions.

"Come on, tall people, stand in the middle; short people, stand on either side!"

"The parent stands behind the child, yes, that's it!"

After Jiang Yu and Wang Li returned to the team, they quickly found their positions and stood in line.

His tall figure standing behind the petite Jiang Ning gave off a strangely adorable charm.

Jiang Ning couldn't help but turn her head: "Brother, why did you take so long?"

"I went to get your phone."

After saying that, he took out his phone and waved it in front of Jiang Ning's eyes.

Here, take it.

"Aaaaaah! My phone!"

Jiang Ning excitedly took the phone, unlocked the screen, and swiped it a couple of times.

After confirming that everything was normal, I was overjoyed.

"Brother, you're so kind! I thought you'd forgotten!"

"Forgot? Wouldn't that drive me crazy?"

"hey-hey…"

"Be more careful next time. The teacher said this is a one-time exception."

"Um! What else did the teacher say? Did she say anything bad about me...?"

"I didn't say anything bad about you; your teacher is a really nice person."

"Oh..."

The photographer couldn't help but call out to the brother and sister, "Hey, you handsome guy and pretty girl! Stop chatting and look at the camera!"

Jiang Yu and Jiang Ning quickly smiled at the camera together.

The photographer's lens was pointed at the crowd.

"Come on, I'll say one, two, three, and everyone shout 'Absolutely certain!' together!"

"one two three!"

"Absolutely ruthless!"

The shutter clicked, freezing this moment in time.

After the photos were taken, the parents' meeting came to an end.

Jiang Yu glanced at the time; it was only 4:10.

The event ended much earlier than he had anticipated.

This is all thanks to Wang Li, the homeroom teacher, who is very efficient and avoids unnecessary chatter and procedures.

Unlike when he was in school, his homeroom teacher could talk on the podium for three hours straight.

From academic performance to life ideals, from life ideals to personal struggles, from struggles to national affairs…

Wait until you're almost asleep, then suddenly say, "So you all need to study hard."

That instantly perked everyone up.

It wasn't because I was motivated, but because I was angry.

The parents chatted with Wang Li for a few minutes on the playground, and then dispersed in twos and threes.

Wang Li led the students back to their classroom.

The students also had to restore the desks and chairs, clean up, and so on.

Jiang Yu told Jiang Ning to wait for him at the school gate, and he would come back to pick her up after he went back to clock in.

Jiang Ning gave an "OK" sign, then skipped and hopped along with the group.

Parents were walking towards the school gate in droves…

When everyone arrived at the school gate, Liu Xudong called out to them.

"Dear parents, I'd like to treat everyone tonight so we can all get together and celebrate!"

He was surrounded by a group of parents, mostly highly educated individuals who had voted for him.

Those supporters responded immediately.

"Great! Since Mr. Liu is treating, we won't stand on ceremony!"

"Chairman Liu's appointment is certainly something to celebrate!"

"Where should we eat, Mr. Liu?"

Liu Xudong said with a smile, "I had the nanny book a private room at the Shangri-La Hotel. See you all at 7 pm tonight!"

"Wow! Shangri-La! Mr. Liu is so generous!"

"That's wonderful! The food at Shangri-La is excellent; their Huaiyang cuisine is absolutely amazing!"

"Let's raise a glass together tonight to celebrate Mr. Liu's achievement!"

The group chatted and laughed, creating a lively atmosphere like Chinese New Year.

Several "ordinary parents" passing by couldn't help but glance at them.

His eyes were filled with envy and jealousy.

Sun Hongda and his group stood not far away, their faces showing disdain.

He didn't go over to join in the fun, nor did he speak to Liu Xudong again.

He simply said goodbye to the parents who supported him, patted one of them on the shoulder, and said, "I'll arrange it another day."

Then he drove off in his Land Rover, flooring the gas pedal.

Liu Xudong walked up to Li Jianfei, bowed slightly, and spoke to him with the respect due to an elder.

"Brother Fei, would you do me the honor of joining us tonight?"

Li Jianfei smiled and shook his head, the string of shiny beads on his wrist shimmering in the sunlight.

"No, I've quit smoking and drinking, and I don't like joining in on fun. You young people have fun."

After he finished speaking, he patted Liu Xudong on the shoulder, like an older brother comforting a younger brother.

Liu Xudong was a little embarrassed.

Surrounded by two bodyguards, Li Jianfei walked out of the school gate and got into a black Lexus minivan.

Liu Xudong watched the van leave, his face still bearing a polite smile, showing no sign of displeasure at being rejected.

Jiang Yu and some grandparents walked to the intersection.

The elderly people chatted as they walked, discussing topics such as "My grandson hasn't been eating well lately," "My granddaughter passed the sixth grade piano exam," and "Kids these days are so different from when we were kids."

Jiang Yu just mumbled "uh-huh" and "yeah" throughout.

After saying goodbye to his grandparents, Jiang Yu stood at the intersection waiting for a ride-hailing car.

At this moment, Liu Xudong walked towards him from a distance.

"Brother Jiang, how about we get together tonight? I'd like to chat with you a bit more."

His tone was very sincere, so sincere that it seemed like he genuinely hoped you would come.

Jiang Yu smiled and shook his head.

"No thanks, Brother Liu. I have something to do tonight, so I won't join in. We'll have plenty of opportunities in the future."

Jiang Yu politely declined.

In such a setting, a group of parents would clink glasses, flatter each other, and form cliques—just thinking about it gives me a headache.

Instead of wasting this time, why not go home and chat with your sister about her recent worries?

Moreover, Jiang Yu understood that Liu Xudong was just being polite.

He just wanted to cultivate a positive image in front of his supporters, saying things like, "Look, I even invite ordinary parents."

Liu Xudong and Sun Hongda are different.

Sun Hongda wears his disdain for everyone on his face.

The way I look at you is with a contemptuous "You dare to talk to me?" attitude.

Liu Xudong doesn't know how.

He was the kind of person who was a gentleman to everyone, spoke politely, and always had a smile on his face.

But you can sense that there's something hard to describe beneath his smile.

It's not hypocrisy, it's a sense of superiority ingrained in one's bones.

Just like how he was able to raise a son like Liu Shixian.

He's the kind of gentleman who says, "I'm different from you, but I'm willing to respect you on the surface."

Jiang Yu doesn't dislike this kind of person, but he can't say he likes them either.

While we were chatting, the ride-hailing car arrived.

A white Nissan Sylphy stopped in front of Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu opened the car door, got in, and waved to Liu Xudong.

"I'm leaving now, Brother Liu. Let's talk another day."

"Okay, take care!"

Liu Xudong waved and then turned to walk towards the group of parents who were waiting for him.

……

Jiang Yu met up with Zhang Wei and Zhao Mingyuan.

The timing is a bit awkward; there's still a little while before I can leave work.

So the three of them drove around the area again, placing detectors in dozens of locations...

All green lights, everything is normal.

As it was nearing the end of the workday, Zhang Wei drove back to his workplace.

The three of them returned to the 25th floor to clock out.

As Jiang Yu finished swiping his card and walked towards the elevator, he happened to see Lin Wei pushing an elderly person out from the depths of the corridor.

The old man sat in a wheelchair with a thin, dark gray blanket covering his legs.

It seems... empty under the thin blanket?

His hair was completely white, sparsely hanging on his head, revealing the bluish-gray scalp underneath.

His face was deeply wrinkled, like the bark of a dead tree.

But his eyes were very bright.

Jiang Yu could feel the light in the old man's eyes even from a distance.

Those eyes were more imposing than his, a young man's.

When the staff passing by in the corridor saw the elderly man, they all stopped and bowed slightly, greeting him respectfully.

"Director Zhou!"

"Good morning, Director!"

"Good evening, Director Zhou!"

"Hello, Mr. Zhou!"

……

The old man would occasionally nod in response, but most of the time he would just hum in response without even looking at the other person.

Those people didn't seem to care, as if they were already used to it.

After exchanging greetings, they went about their own business.

Jiang Yu had no idea who this old man was.

But everyone treats him with such respect, calling him Director Zhou and Chief Zhou, so it's obvious he's some big shot.

So he followed the example of the others, stopped and bowed slightly.

"Good morning, Director Zhou!"

Zhou Jingtian's wheelchair paused briefly in front of him.

He raised his head, his eagle-like eyes landing on Jiang Yu.

Then he smiled slightly, the wrinkles at the corners of his mouth deepening...

But he didn't say anything.

Lin Wei continued pushing the wheelchair forward.

Jiang Yu stood there, watching the wheelchair slowly disappear at the end of the corridor…

A strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.

I can't quite put my finger on it.

It felt like something had glanced at me.

It wasn't the ordinary kind of "being glanced at."

Instead, it's like being scanned by an X-ray, with everything seen through from the inside out.

Perhaps it's because the other person's eyes are too bright?

He shook himself, stepped into the elevator, and pressed the button for the first floor.

……

Lin Wei pushed Zhou Jingtian through the core office area.

We arrived at a large, dark brown door at the end of the corridor.

There were no signs on the door, only a facial recognition device and a keypad.

This is the highest-level conference room of the Planning Bureau.

It is rarely used in normal times, and only comrades at the bureau chief level and above are qualified to set foot there.

Zhou Jingtian placed his right thumb on the fingerprint scanner and entered a password.

Then it went through facial recognition scanning again...

With a "click," the door lock popped open.

Lin Wei pushed Zhou Jingtian inside.

The conference room was large, with the curtains drawn tightly and glaring spotlights shining down from above.

Circular patches of light were cast onto the dark wooden table.

On each side of the conference table sat three people dressed in strange costumes.

They are the other six directors of the Coastal Planning Authority.

The six bureau chiefs are usually stationed in different branches.

They rarely appear at the General Administration at the same time.

Only special circumstances would summon all six of them at the same time.

The six bureau chiefs were dressed differently and were of different ages.

Some people were wearing black executive jackets, others were wearing military green shirts…

Some people were wearing a unique ethnic patterned shawl, with tassels hanging down to their waists and swaying gently with their breath.

There was another person wearing a kasaya and a monk's hat, who looked like a highly accomplished monk.

Everyone appeared somber under the dim light.

No one was talking, no one was looking at their phones, and no one was flipping through the documents on the table.

They just sat there, like six statues.

Lin Wei pushed Zhou Jingtian to the center position, then quietly left.

The conference room door closed slowly behind her, making a dull "click" sound.

The air fell into a deathly silence.

Zhou Jingtian placed his hand on the conference table and tapped the surface lightly with his fingers twice. The sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet conference room.

"Now that everyone's here, let's start our conversation..."

"Let's talk about the Level 4.1 anomaly in Yushan..."

Let's talk about that newcomer named Jiang Yu.