Reborn as a Noble's Son

Hearing Liu Bin’s words, Nie Zhenbang also began to ponder. After his appointment to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Secretary Ouyang Xia had always been the one to receive and arrange him. As for Secretary Zhuang Aiguo, there is no need to mention him. He is a leader of the party and the country. He is unequivocally the fifth-ranking leader at the central level. Being a person busy with numerous affairs, it naturally wouldn’t be possible for him to pay attention to a deputy department-level official like him.

The immediate superior in charge of supervision and discipline inspection is Deputy Secretary Zeng Youjie. Even though he is the direct leader, there has been little interaction between them as there have neither been huge cases nor any major issues.

Deputy Secretary Ouyang Xia is the standing deputy secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission and also in charge of the Personnel Organization department. However, dealing with him is the norm. But Deputy Secretary Liu Wei, who is in charge of the logistics and propaganda of the Discipline Inspection Commission, is suddenly looking for him. Nie Zhenbang couldn’t help but wonder.

After pondering for a moment, Nie Zhenbang immediately asked: “Brother Bin, what do you think Deputy Secretary Liu Wei is looking for me for? Is it because of matters concerning Ludong Province?”

Since Nie Zhenbang brought it up, although confounded at first, Liu Bin now feels compelled to speak up. Liu Wei has nothing to do with the corruption case in Ludong, as she is an official from Chubei Province. She had served as a worker in the Chuwu Auto City, the director of a workshop, the deputy secretary of the locomotive factory Discipline Inspection Commission. Later, she was transferred to serve as deputy secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission and member of the standing committee of Jiangbian District in Chuwu City, eventually rising to the position of deputy secretary of Chuwu City Discipline Inspection Commission and director of the Supervision Bureau.

Looking at Liu Wei’s career path, this woman has solely been working on the discipline inspection front, from an ordinary worker to her current status on this separate discipline inspection front. And she is a woman to boot. This is quite an anomaly.

Moreover, it can be confirmed that this woman is definitely not a simple character. After pondering the personality and work style of Liu Wei for a while, Liu Bin slowly said: “Old Third, it is hard to say. Comrade Liu Wei is usually quite low-key in the office courtyard. This time, her sudden seeking you out is hard to determine her real purpose.”

On the side, Gao Wei wore a look of disdain. Among themselves, in their own circle, Gao Wei’s true nature was revealed, not maintaining the calm and steady demeanor he would put on in front of others.

“Brother San, why do you care what she wants with you? Just go there once, and won’t that solve the problem? This kind of woman, I suspect, might be going through menopause and looking for something to do. Brother San, are you afraid of her? As long as she can’t grasp our handle, she can’t quite cover the sky with one hand, can she?” At this moment, Gao Wei had a bit of a devil-may-care attitude.

Nie Zhenbang and Liu Bin both laughed. Liu Bin even said, laughing: “Wei Zi, you are so sarcastic. Dare you to say this in front of her face. I bet you would be packing your belongings and heading home.”

At this moment, Gao Wei also joined in the laughter: “Brother Bin, do you take me for a fool? Insulting the leader in front of her face. Leaving everything else aside, this alone would get me in enough trouble. Stop teasing me.”

The 12th floor of the Discipline Inspection Commission Office Building

This is where the senior leaders of the Discipline Inspection Commission have their offices. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang was standing at the doorway of Liu Wei’s office. The signboard reading “Deputy Secretary’s Office” was pressuring Nie Zhenbang. Even though he’d met officials of regular ministerial level and deputy national level, and even several members of the Political Bureau, Nie Zhenbang felt somewhat nervous at this moment. Frankly speaking, it was the mystery that sparked fear of the unknown in Nie Zhenbang. After taking a deep breath, he straightened his dark woolen coat. His hair was meticulously groomed and his stature upright. This was Nie Zhenbang at his best.

Three years in the military have made his demeanor and manner impeccably military-like, imparting a sense of strict and upright character.

Knock, Knock!

Following two rhythmic knocks on the door, a method that has been researched and analyzed by so-called workplace elites and specialists of later generations, a calm and steady voice echoed from inside: “Come in.”

Upon entering Liu Wei’s office, which was neatly arranged, it could be seen that the decoration style and pattern of the entire Discipline Inspection Commission’s offices, irrespective of the size of the official rank, were the same. From Secretary Zhuang’s to the regular offices below, there was no extravagant or superfluous decoration. White walls, pure-colored tile floor, that was the layout of the office.

Liu Wei’s office, approximately sixty square metres in size, has a partitioned off section which acts as a reception area with a sofa and coffee table. Inside, there is a row of bookcases against the wall and a large office desk in the middle. At this moment, Liu Wei is sitting at her desk, engrossed in her writing.

Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang entering, Liu Wei did not intentionally act busy. Instead, she put down her work, looked up at Nie Zhenbang, and gestured towards the chair in front of her desk. She motioned for Nie Zhenbang to sit down and then slowly said, “Nie, do you know why I called you here?”

Nie Zhenbang was also sizing up Liu Wei at this moment. Liu Wei, about 57 years old, with neat short hair and metal-framed spectacles, exuded a solemn aura, perhaps due to her long-term work in disciplinary inspection. Dressed in a dark, feminine business suit, she sat upright in her chair, without any pretense. Yet, her presence exerted tremendous pressure.

This pressure was a result of Liu Wei’s position of authority and the powerful aura that came with it. Having met this famous iron lady of the disciplinary committee, who once intimidated the whole of Chubei Province, Nie Zhenbang indeed admired her to some extent.

Then, Nie Zhenbang stood up and said, “Vice Secretary Liu, I apologize for my ignorance. I am unsure why you asked to see me…?”

Standing up to answer a leader’s question is a display of courtesy. Nie Zhenbang was impeccable in this regard.

Internally, Liu Wei was quite satisfied with Nie Zhenbang’s behavior. Initially, she seemed to have a decent impression of him. However, Nie Zhenbang’s high-profile approach to work somewhat displeased her. When it came to formal titles, Liu Wei wasn’t fussy. In local agencies and those below provincial level, it was common to omit ‘Vice’ in someone’s title as long as the ‘Chief’ was not present. However, at Liu Wei’s level, the title ‘Vice’ always needed to be included as it was considered appropriate.

After a moment, she arranged her thoughts and then spoke with a stern tone, “Director Nie, I heard about the case you are working on in Ludong. What were you doing? Investigating a case or staging a thrilling, complex version of a Hong Kong and Taiwan crime film? Nie Zhenbang, is your work model involved in risking the lives of the comrades cultivated by our party and leaving everyone in a precarious survival situation? People say that you have strong work abilities and impressive work methods. However, in this investigation, I haven’t seen any abilities or standout traits of yours.”

After a series of rhetorical questions, Liu Wei’s voice had risen considerably. Even though it was a little grating, Nie Zhenbang had no choice but to listen.

Unfortunately, he had to admit that he had been arbitrarily making decisions regarding his job in disciplinary inspection. For instance, in the Ludong Province case, he could have contacted his comrades from the Ludong Province Disciplinary Committee as soon as he obtained substantial evidence, while Dameng County was still unaware of the situation. With local support, they certainly would not have ended up in such a dangerous predicament.

After a moment of silence, Nie Zhenbang nodded his head, his earnest expression and attitude indicated that he understood. He said solemnly, “Vice Secretary Liu, your criticism is correct. I was subjective in the investigation and did not coordinate well with the local disciplinary inspection authorities. I failed to contact the local comrades promptly, which nearly resulted in a dangerous situation. I take responsibility for this. I ask the organization to discipline me. In future work, I will make sure to strengthen my professional learning.”

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Liu Wei waved her hand. Indeed, it was not that big of an issue. However, she felt that Nie Zhenbang, despite his young age, held a high-ranking position. Based on his performance during this investigation, her impression was that Nie Zhenbang was promoted through family background and connections. Liu Wei loathed this kind of person who lacked skills but held a high office. This bias might have been due to her own working experience.

At this moment, having heard Nie Zhenbang speak and observed his manner and attitude, Liu Wei’s opinion of him had already changed significantly.

Moreover, since Nie Zhenbang had already admitted his mistake, she decided not to pursue the matter further. It wouldn’t be gracious on Liu Wei’s part to hold onto the issue, especially considering her status and authority.

Then, Liu Wei waved her hand and said, “All right, that’s enough. Don’t be so quick to ask for punishment. Nobody is born knowing everything and nobody is a genius. Instead of spending your time brooding over this, you should go back and examine past very good cases. Learn from the methods and experiences of your predecessors. That is what a party cadre should do.”

After pausing, she continued, “Okay. I have some other things to do. You can go back now. Reflect on what I said.”

Nie Zhenbang was a bit puzzled at the moment. Was Liu Wei like an unpredictable menopausal woman? However, she was already over fifty years old, so she should be past menopause. Or, was she simply berating him for the fun of it? Nie Zhenbang began to ponder this.

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