Chapter 12: When the Greater Trend Is in Motion, Minor Luck Is Hard to Resist

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Chapter 12: When the Greater Trend Is in Motion, Minor Luck Is Hard to Resist

Yu Shenliu didn’t take Chen Yuan and Huo Jian to some luxurious hotel or anything like that. After all, he was a government official, and that wouldn’t look good. Besides, he wasn’t even the Party Secretary ; he was only a deputy mayor.

He chose the municipal government cafeteria instead.

Cafeterias in other places could often be pretty terrible, with all sorts of complaints, like steamed buns that were hard enough to hammer nails with. But a place like the municipal government was different. Many officials would eat in the cafeteria from time to time to show their approachable side, so the food there couldn’t be too bad. And with the meal allowance added to their meal cards every month, eating at the municipal government cafeteria was actually a pretty good option.

On the other hand, Yu Shenliu had other reasons for choosing it. First, Huo Jian was his nephew, so naturally he should bring him around and introduce him to people. Otherwise, if something happened that was difficult to explain, wouldn’t Huo Jian be the one at a disadvantage? No matter how developed society became, Chinese culture still made connections an important factor. Yu Shenliu knew that, given Huo Jian’s upbringing, he would never charge around recklessly like some spoiled second-generation heir. But he still had to guard against other people recklessly crashing into him, didn’t he?

Second, Chen Yuan’s abilities were astonishing, yet ordinary people would often assume he was a fraud. Chen Yuan himself certainly wouldn’t care about that, given his state of mind, but it was still not ideal. With Yu Shenliu’s support, however, people would at least show him some respect, wouldn’t they? It was also a way of building a good relationship with a great master like Chen Yuan. Capable people deserved respect in the first place, not to mention that Chen Yuan was his own nephew’s “master.”

As they walked into the cafeteria, people kept greeting Yu Shenliu. Following behind him, Chen Yuan found it quite interesting.

Just as ordinary people might find the lives of people from the metaphysics world like Chen Yuan fascinating, Chen Yuan was now equally intrigued by Yu Shenliu’s circle. In Chinese culture, people generally address others with a higher title out of courtesy. So although Yu Shenliu was a deputy mayor, everyone addressed him as “Mayor Yu.” Those who were his trusted aides or part of his faction simply called him “Mayor” to show their closer relationship. Everyone wore a warm smile and was unfailingly friendly, even toward Huo Jian and Chen Yuan, despite Chen Yuan knowing that his clothes really weren’t anything special.

The political world really did look like the most peaceful place of all. No matter how bitter their rivalry, political opponents could still appear perfectly cordial in public. And in the eyes of their superiors, everything was even more harmonious and prosperous.

Yet the more peaceful things looked on the surface, the more backstabbing and scheming there was likely to be underneath. Chen Yuan didn’t know whether the political world in this world was any different from the one in his previous world, but he knew that officials faced far more powerful karmic consequences than ordinary people.

The reason officials become officials in the first place is that they have more official fortune than ordinary people. This is the reward for the blessings and merits they have accumulated, because being an official allows them to better pursue their ambitions, accomplish more, and influence more people. The higher the position, the greater this advantage.

But precisely because they have these advantages, their every action has a greater impact. If they implement benevolent policies, many people can benefit, and the blessings they receive in return will naturally be substantial. If they do evil, they can harm an entire community, and the consequences they incur will naturally be immeasurable.

There is a folk tale about an official who accepted bribes and embezzled money, doing all sorts of wicked things. When he died and went to the underworld, King Yama was initially going to send him into the animal realm. But the judge pointed out that the official had once done a good deed that carried enormous merit. And what was this good deed? He had helped a married couple who had been separated during wartime reunite. Although this was certainly a good deed, an ordinary person would never accumulate such enormous merit from doing the same thing. That was precisely because he was an official, a role model for the people.

The position you hold determines the responsibility you should bear.

Chen Yuan glanced at Yu Shenliu’s back, wondering what kind of official Mayor Yu was. Judging solely from everything he had seen so far, he seemed like the sort of person Chen Yuan could get along with, and he seemed to have a good sense of responsibility as well.

As they entered the cafeteria, Chen Yuan looked up and immediately spotted someone familiar.

That married couple from before?

Qin Zui was about to be appointed Party Secretary of Yulei, a prefecture-level city, and had originally come to the provincial Party committee for training. That morning, he and his wife had reconciled. At noon, he happened to be invited by a fellow student from the Party School to have lunch with his wife at the municipal government cafeteria. When he looked up, he spotted a familiar figure.

Wasn’t that Master Chen from this morning?

Seeing Qin Zui looking over, the person beside him also glanced up. “That’s… Mayor Yu, who’s in charge of the economy in Jincheng.”

Only then did Qin Zui realize that Chen Yuan was walking slightly behind someone, and the person accompanying him was the deputy mayor of Jincheng?

Xu Jiaohua had also spotted Chen Yuan. As the good wife she was, she tugged at her husband’s sleeve and gestured for him to go over and say hello. She came from an influential family herself, so she naturally knew who Yu Shenliu was. As the new generation of the Yu family, he had risen to this position at such a young age, and his prospects were limitless. It would certainly be good if her husband could establish a connection with him. Besides, it was obvious that Chen Yuan and Yu Shenliu had a good relationship, and Chen Yuan was clearly no ordinary person either. It would be good to have some connection with him as well.

Before they could make a move, a woman happened to rush into the cafeteria. The moment she spotted Yu Shenliu, she hurried over.

“Mayor Yu!”

Yu Shenliu stopped. Although his expression remained unchanged, Chen Yuan noticed the headache beneath his calm exterior.

Chen Yuan glanced at the woman blocking Yu Shenliu’s way and couldn’t help curling the corners of his lips.

Her eyebrows were raised, with an exaggerated arch, and her eyes were sharp, with more white than pupil. She was clearly the stubborn, strong-willed type. People like this were the hardest to deal with. And judging from the situation, this must be one of the factors behind that “female calamity,” right?

After taking a discreet deep breath, Yu Shenliu said, “Madam Li, didn’t I tell you to come back this afternoon?”

“Mayor Yu, I know you have your difficulties, but can’t you spare a little time to deal with my problem? You were talking about protecting women’s rights just a few days ago. Now that I have a problem with my husband, who else am I supposed to turn to? He’s your subordinate, after all. If even you won’t do anything about him, who’s going to keep him in line? What am I supposed to do? I even work for the Women’s Federation. If I can’t protect my own rights when I’m supposed to be protecting women’s rights, then what’s the point?”

The moment Madam Li opened her mouth, she launched into a whole string of grand statements, and somehow they even sounded quite reasonable.

Yu Shenliu was truly at a loss. This was someone else’s private affair, yet Madam Li stubbornly insisted that he intervene. It simply wasn’t realistic. He had already told her that morning to talk things over with her husband first and come back in the afternoon. And yet even bringing Chen Yuan and Huo Jian out for a meal had turned into this. She was simply impossible to reason with!

“Excuse me, I’ll have to step away for a moment.”

Qin Zui and Xu Jiaohua were staring blankly at the sudden turn of events, just like everyone else. But the Party School classmate who had been sitting beside Qin Zui suddenly rose with a dark expression. After dropping that line, he rushed over in two or three strides and grabbed Madam Li.

Just when things seemed to have reached a dead end, the situation suddenly took another turn.

“Director Li?” Yu Shenliu looked at the man whose wife had brought him no end of trouble. He badly wanted to take his frustration out on him, but then he remembered that the man was one of his trusted aides, was attending the Party School and was about to be promoted. He also remembered what Chen Yuan had said earlier about not losing his temper. After taking two or three deep breaths, he forcibly suppressed his irritation.

“Husband?” Madam Li stared at her husband in a daze as well. She had assumed that since he was attending the Party School, he wouldn’t be at the municipal government for the next couple of weeks, so she had come to Yu Shenliu to deal with the “third party” she believed was involved. She never expected to find her own husband here in the cafeteria.

Director Li felt that he had completely lost face, and right in front of his superior and his Party School classmates, no less. Had this woman even thought about what she was doing? Was she trying to offend people on his behalf? Thinking of Mayor Qin’s wife, he couldn’t help but think of the old saying: When choosing a wife, choose a virtuous one.

“You’ve embarrassed us enough already. Come with me!” Lowering his voice, Director Li pulled his wife away, still smiling apologetically at Yu Shenliu. “Mayor Yu, I’m truly sorry. My wife was too impulsive.”

At this point, all Yu Shenliu could do was wave his hand to show that he didn’t mind.

“I told you. All you have to do is wait.” Chen Yuan said this softly from behind Yu Shenliu, making Yu Shenliu’s ear twitch.

So Chen Yuan’s prediction had come true again?

This was just… unscientific!

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