Chapter 42
One day after work, Bai Hewei received a phone call from Huo Ling, who informed him of the official date and time for his meeting with Director Yuan.
Checking his calendar, Bai Hewei decided he would submit his annual leave request the very next day. At the same time, he could book the plane tickets and reserve the hotel.
Although Huo Ling had offered to help handle the logistics, Bai Hewei ultimately refused.
There were some favors you could accept, but others you simply shouldn’t.
Besides, he wasn’t short on cash right now.
The one million yuan that Mister Number One had promised him had already been delivered.
Just yesterday, Bai Hewei had received a package containing a brand-new bank card, and inside that card sat a cool one million yuan.
This single card instantly elevated Bai Hewei into the comfortably well-off demographic.
Consequently, he really didn’t mind spending a bit of money on plane tickets and a hotel.
Bai Hewei also gave his parents and grandmother a heads-up so they could start packing.
“Didn’t we just go on a trip? How about we go next year instead?” His father was still a bit reluctant to spend. “We’ve already run around to quite a few places this year.”
“The capital is different,” Bai Hewei said, casting a glance at his father. “Next year is the major anniversary celebration. If we go to watch the national flag-raising ceremony then, we won’t even be able to squeeze through the crowd. And by the year after next, I can’t guarantee whether I’ll even have the time.”
“We’re going. Didn’t we already agree on it?” His grandmother settled the matter with finality. “Just pick a hotel with good value for the money. The capital is expensive.”
“Got it, Grandma.”
First thing the next morning, Bai Hewei coordinated his annual leave schedule with his colleagues before officially submitting his leave request form.
He then spent the entire morning comparing plane tickets and hotel prices across various platforms before finally locking both down.
Alright, everything is pretty much taken care of. Is there anything else I forgot to do?
Bai Hewei pondered seriously for a long moment before it finally clicked.
“Right, that talent recruitment exam for the border! Isn’t it about time for the exam?” Bai Hewei suddenly remembered this whole affair. He immediately opened his phone and logged into the personnel examination website to check the status.
Ever since he saw the staggering number of applicants last time, he had completely thrown this exam to the back of his mind.
He wouldn’t pass anyway.
Plus, he hadn’t reviewed at all.
Now that he remembered, Bai Hewei casually checked how many people had ultimately applied for the position he had registered for.
As of the day before registration closed (the final day’s numbers usually weren’t published), a total of 307 people had applied for this single position.
In addition, the personnel examination website had published the date for the written exam.
As fate would have it, it fell precisely during his annual leave.
“Forget it, I’m not going. I haven’t reviewed anyway, so going would be a waste of time. Besides, there’s no registration fee, so I’m not losing anything.” After agonizing for a couple of minutes, Bai Hewei immediately made the decision to skip the exam.
If he went, not only would he have to rush back and forth between two locations in a short time, but he would also have to shell out cash for new plane tickets and hotel rooms. The most critical point was that he hadn’t even completed a single practice paper up to this day. Going now would make him pure cannon fodder.
Yup, that settled it. He would just pretend he had never registered.
Next time. Next time, he would definitely review properly and prepare for the exam.
Meanwhile, over at the Border Special Operations Department, the staff had been pulling consecutive all-nighters for quite some time due to the massive influx of exam registrations.
Lately, Guan Yan and his team had been actively avoiding personnel from the Organization Department and the Human Resources Bureau.
Every single night, the members of those two departments could be heard joining forces to loudly curse out the Special Operations Department.
Even when their leaders walked past, they would get cursed out a couple of times.
What colleague relationships? What friendly neighbors? It had all turned to dust.
They only knew that because of the Special Operations Department’s absurd stunt, they had been working overtime for over a month straight, to the point where they couldn’t even remember which way their own front doors opened.
“The exam is tomorrow. We’ve finally made it to the end.” Guan Yan looked at his slightly receding hairline; his reflection in the mirror looked a good ten years older.
Once the exam was over, he would definitely find a beauty-type Evolver for some treatment to restore a bit of his handsome looks.
“Is Bai Hewei’s exam room fully prepared? Never mind the others, but Bai Hewei’s exam room must be meticulously arranged. When the time comes, we’ll crank up the difficulty of the physical test to disqualify people one after another. If we keep moving down the list, it’ll eventually reach Bai Hewei.” After discovering the massive number of applicants, Guan Yan and his team had immediately called a team meeting. In the end, they decided to use the physical test to filter the number of people making it to the interview stage.
As long as the physical test was strict enough, those ordinary Evolvers wouldn’t be able to pass at all. When they got disqualified one by one, the vacancy would naturally trickle down to Bai Hewei. It was just a bit tedious, that was all.
Guan Yan and his team felt immensely proud of this brilliant strategy they had concocted.
“Cap… Captain, we might have a slight problem.” A team member ran over with a miserable expression, completely flustered. “It’s already this late, and all the other candidates have already arrived at their hotels. But on Bai Hewei’s end, he hasn’t even booked a hotel, and there are no travel ticket records under his name either.”
“It looks like… he gave up on this exam.”
The team member looked ready to cry.
Who exactly had they been working themselves to the bone for all this time?
“Huh?” Guan Yan nearly fell off his chair. “What did you say? Bai Hewei gave up on the exam?”
“Yeah, Bai Hewei didn’t show up at all.”
“Hold on, I’ll call him. This shouldn’t be happening.” Guan Yan paced in circles anxiously. But seeing his subordinate’s utterly devastated expression, he could only force himself to calm down.
Something must have gone wrong.
How could Bai Hewei not show up for the exam?
Hadn’t they had a perfectly good chat before?
Guan Yan quickly dialed Bai Hewei’s number.
Feeling a bit guilty, Bai Hewei let the phone ring a few times before sluggishly picking it up.
“Captain Guan! Hello, hello, what brings you to call me out of the blue, hahaha.” Bai Hewei played dumb on purpose.
“Did you give up on our talent recruitment exam this time?” Guan Yan took two deep breaths, unable to hold back his question.
“Captain Guan, it’s not that I wanted to. But my parents really wanted to go to the capital to watch the flag-raising ceremony, so I have to accompany them. Plus, Director Yuan also wants to meet with me, so I definitely have to prioritize that side. Don’t you think it’s a crazy coincidence? The timing just happened to clash perfectly.”
“The exam is tomorrow. It wouldn’t be too late to do all those things after you finish the exam,” Guan Yan couldn’t help but urge.
That was precisely why they had scheduled the exam so soon!
“Captain Guan, I thought it over carefully, and I really just don’t want to move so far away from home, I’m sorry,” Bai Hewei sighed. “In the future, if your team ever needs my help with anything, I’ll definitely head over. But I still love my hometown, so I’ll definitely stay here.”
Guan Yan was so exasperated he didn’t even know what to say, and he couldn’t even remember how he ended up hanging up the phone.
“Hahaha, what an idiot! If Guan Yan hadn’t made that call, Bai Hewei might have continued to register the next time the border held an exam. But now that he called, Bai Hewei will definitely avoid registering again just to validate his own excuse.” Huo Ling roared with laughter, nearly dying of amusement at his colleagues’ idiotic move.
Serves them right for trying to snatch his guy!
Look at that—their grand plan blew up right in their faces!
If Bai Hewei were that easy to steal away, wouldn’t it make it look like his own department hadn’t put in any effort at all?
And it didn’t even require a registration fee!
When there’s zero sunk cost at the start, giving up is naturally a whole lot easier.
“I’m in a great mood today, I’ll treat everyone to afternoon tea in a bit, hahaha,” Huo Ling announced grandly. “Trying to snatch someone from my hands? Keep dreaming!”
Bai Hewei wasn’t thinking about all that drama.
He just felt a massive weight lift from his chest. Without the exam to worry about, he wouldn’t have to stress over test scores, and he could enjoy this annual leave completely burden-free.
As soon as his annual leave commenced, Bai Hewei boarded a plane with his family.
He had booked a chain hotel, securing two rooms—one for him and his father, and the other for his mother and grandmother. Upon checking in, he explicitly requested the receptionist to place their rooms adjacent to each other for convenience when going out.
Following the travel itineraries he had researched, Bai Hewei guided his family through various tourist attractions.
“Mom, Dad, I won’t be able to accompany you tomorrow. It just so happens that one of my university classmates is in Beijing, so we plan to grab a bite together,” Bai Hewei announced a day in advance.
“No problem, you go ahead. Being university classmates is a rare bond, who knows how many more times you’ll get to meet in the future?” His father waved a hand grandly. “Don’t worry, we’ll go make our wishes tomorrow. We know the route; we can take the subway directly there.”
“Alright.” Bai Hewei smiled, feeling quite reassured by his father’s capability to handle things.
Early the next morning, Bai Hewei discreetly got into a car that had come to pick him up, which drove straight toward the heart of the capital.
Since Director Yuan Heqing wanted to meet him, Bai Hewei naturally couldn’t just show up in an ostentatious manner.
A day prior, Director Yuan’s secretary had contacted Bai Hewei to arrange the time and location and dispatch a vehicle to pick him up, keeping everything strictly low-profile.
The car sent for him was a Hongqi.
Bai Hewei had only ever seen this particular model of Hongqi car in short viral videos online.
Inside the vehicle, aside from the driver, sat a man and a woman.
The woman sat in the front passenger seat, looking quite refined and quiet, while the man sat in the back. Upon seeing Bai Hewei, the man opened the car door for him.
“Hello, I am one of Director Yuan’s secretaries. You can just call me Xiao Zhang,” the woman in the passenger seat said with a smile. “The gentleman next to you is Captain Jia Kaiji from the Central Special Operations Department. He is responsible for guarding our safety on this trip. Though with you here, Mr. Bai, we are probably as safe as can be.”
Other people might not know the results of Bai Hewei’s tests, but as Yuan Heqing’s secretary, it was impossible for Xiao Zhang not to know.
“Not at all, not at all.” Bai Hewei waved his hands repeatedly, acting highly courteous to both of them.
Setting Xiao Zhang aside—to be able to serve as Director Yuan’s secretary meant she was undoubtedly another absolute god of civil service examinations, possessing top-tier operational capabilities.
At Director Yuan’s current rank, she was entitled to multiple secretaries. Due to gender considerations, a female leader’s secretaries were generally female, just as male leaders generally employed male secretaries to avoid potential gossip. The higher the official rank, the more imperative it was to avoid giving people any reason to talk.
Jia Kaiji also looked at Bai Hewei with curiosity. His assignment as the guard for this trip was primarily because he was a defense-type Evolver, confident in protecting everyone inside the vehicle regardless of the type of assault they might encounter.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that only two people had come to pick up Bai Hewei; in reality, along the roads leading to the central state organs, an Evolver from the Special Operations Department was stationed at designated checkpoints every set distance.
“Report, report. The target vehicle has passed successfully. No anomalies.”
“Report. The target vehicle has passed Checkpoint 3. No anomalies.”
“Report…”
It was only after Bai Hewei’s car entered the high-security perimeter that these Evolvers finally left their posts.
Although they didn’t know the exact details of Bai Hewei’s test results, the news that he had shattered multiple records could not be entirely hidden. This naturally filled many Evolvers with immense curiosity toward him.
Jia Kaiji had heard plenty of rumors regarding Bai Hewei, but none of them struck him as forcefully as this first face-to-face encounter.
Bai Hewei really didn’t look like an Evolver at all.
He possessed absolutely none of the arrogance typical of the world’s strongest powerhouse.
Is this what a true powerhouse is like? The more powerful they are, the more low-profile and humble they remain!
Little did he know, Bai Hewei was secretly swallowing a breath of cold air upon spotting the shoulder insignia on Jia Kaiji’s uniform.
The rank of these two individuals was bound to be far higher than he had imagined!
Despite encountering a minor traffic jam—as avoiding congestion in the capital was practically impossible—Bai Hewei and his companions successfully drove straight into the Great Hall of the People.
Xiao Zhang pulled out her credentials, guiding Bai Hewei through multiple facial-recognition security checks before leading him directly into an office inside a low-rise building to sit down.
“Mr. Bai, please make yourself comfortable for a moment. Director Yuan will be right over as soon as she finishes a phone call. Please have some tea.” Xiao Zhang poured a cup of warm water for Bai Hewei, speaking with a warm smile. “I’ll step out first. If you need anything, just call for me.”
Bai Hewei nodded, quickly taking two sips of water to settle his nerves.
Less than two minutes later, the office door pushed open.
A familiar face appeared before Bai Hewei.
Given how frequently she appeared on the news, how could it not be familiar?
During his prior review of current affairs knowledge, Bai Hewei had crossed paths with this face countless times.
The news cameras actually made Director Yuan look older than she was; in reality, she was slightly leaner and more youthful than she appeared on television, looking roughly the same age as his own mother.
Yuan Heqing wasn’t wearing a military uniform. Instead, she was dressed quite casually in ordinary trousers and a white shirt. With her shoulder-length short hair, she looked gentle and intellectual, bearing absolutely no trace of the “Iron Lady” persona on the surface.
She had opened the door herself upon entering without a massive entourage trailing behind her, looking just like a friendly neighborhood auntie.
“Di… Director Yuan, hello. I am Bai Hewei.”
Bai Hewei stood up instinctively to greet her, his voice betraying an uncontrollable nervousness.
He snuck a glance, then snuck another.
A living person!
A living, breathing Yuan Heqing.
If his parents were to see this, they would probably be too tongue-tied from nervousness to speak. In comparison, he counted as relatively composed, ensuring he didn’t bring shame to his household!
“No need to be nervous, please sit.” Yuan Heqing smiled, taking the lead to sit down.
“I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while, but my schedule has been rather packed, so it kept getting delayed. I finally get to see you today.” Yuan Heqing looked Bai Hewei over and smiled. “I’m surely not that terrifying. Have a sip of water to calm down first.”
Only then did Bai Hewei realize he was breaking out in a slight sweat.
There was no helping it; having a titan whom you could only ever see on the news suddenly materialize right in front of you was overwhelming. Not fainting on the spot was already a stellar performance.
Even the mayor of their prefecture-level city probably wouldn’t get the chance to have such a one-on-one, face-to-face conversation with Director Yuan.
Bai Hewei took two sips of water to steady his heart.
“I’ve seen your test results. To be completely honest, they are spectacular. Among the Evolvers across the entire world, not a single one can be found who outperforms you.” Yuan Heqing expressed profound admiration for Bai Hewei’s capabilities. “So, what are your thoughts?”
“My thoughts?” Bai Hewei repeated, a bit dazed. “I… I don’t really know either.”
“Since you have already become an Evolver—and the world’s strongest Evolver whom the entire globe is watching—it will likely be very difficult for your life to remain entirely peaceful moving forward.” Yuan Heqing spoke in a soft tone, but her words sent a jolt of anxiety through the listener. “The crises you will face in the future will likely be incredibly frequent. Do you wish to fight across the land as an Evolver, or do you wish to continue working at your sub-district office?”
“You must know that the authority the organization can grant me is entirely different from what Huo Ling and the others can offer,” Yuan Heqing said with a gentle smile. “If you are willing, I can sign the paperwork right now to specially recruit you into the Central Special Operations Department, starting you off with the treatment benefits of a head section chief level. If you can consistently rack up achievements and act with absolute fairness, perhaps by the time you are nearing retirement, you could even step into the position I hold right now.”
A ministry-level position?!
When other leaders made grand promises, it was called dangling a carrot, but when Yuan Heqing told you something, it was eighty percent guaranteed to be set in stone.
Bai Hewei’s mind went into a frenzy of calculations. If he ever reached this rank, mayors and provincial governors would have to take a number and wait in line just to see him. If he returned to his old hometown, even the county chief would have to pay a personal visit to his doorstep.
Returning home in glory—there was no grander version than this.
Furthermore, this was a special recruitment pathway, starting directly at the central government level!
This was worlds faster than taking any exam, and the compensation packages were vastly superior.
With a massive golden pillar like Director Yuan to lean on, the likes of Huo Ling and Guan Yan wouldn’t even be fit to carry his shoes.
Bai Hewei’s breathing grew ragged.
This was simply too much of a temptation for a cadre!
Yuan Heqing didn’t press him, quietly awaiting Bai Hewei’s response.
After a long moment, following a fierce internal tug-of-war in his mind, Bai Hewei ultimately made his decision.
“Thank you for your kindness, Director Yuan, but I think I’ll pass.” Bai Hewei shook his head.
“You don’t wish to enter the system to serve the country?” Yuan Heqing teased lightly.
“Of course I want to, I dream about it every day! But precisely because I want so badly to secure a permanent position, I hope I can pass the exam based on my own true capabilities!” Bai Hewei said with absolute earnestness.
“Director Yuan, I believe you’ve also heard that I actually became an Evolver completely out of nowhere overnight. Before that, I was just an utterly ordinary guy, a temporary worker at a sub-district office,” Bai Hewei said sheepishly. “To this day, it all feels deeply surreal to me, like I’m trapped in a dream.”
In the dream, he had suddenly become an Evolver, the strongest in the world, and then one organization after another, one Evolver after another, suddenly materialized before him.
It felt entirely like a plot out of a television drama.
Throughout this process, feeling the gazes other people directed at him and experiencing their deferential attitudes, Bai Hewei didn’t feel the slightest bit proud or self-satisfied. Instead, he felt a lingering sense of trepidation.
Because their respect for him wasn’t because he was Bai Hewei, but rather because of the superpower he possessed. And this superpower hadn’t been earned through his own hard work; it had simply dropped into his lap out of nowhere.
It felt exactly like a massive prank pulled by fate.
A guy who couldn’t even win five yuan from a lottery ticket had suddenly hit the grandest jackpot in the entire world.
The absurdity of it felt like a dream.
“I don’t know when the superpower inside me might just vanish. Just as abruptly as it arrived, it might leave just as suddenly,” Bai Hewei confessed, giving voice to his deepest anxieties. “That’s why I don’t dare use my superpower to secure too many things. I’m afraid I might suddenly lose it all, in which case it would have been better never to have had it in the first place.”
“Even if a day comes where you lose your superpower, the organization will not abandon you; we will simply reassign you to a position better suited to your capabilities,” Yuan Heqing reassured him. “You can place your trust in us on this point.”
“I believe that.” Bai Hewei smiled. “Precisely because of that, I want to secure a permanent post through my own hard work. Only then can I truly feel at peace.”
Special recruitment, after all, always carried a slight air of being irregular or unearned.
Bai Hewei wanted others to recognize his own self, rather than his status as the world’s strongest Evolver.
Yuan Heqing gazed silently at Bai Hewei for a long time, realizing she seemed somewhat unable to fully read him.
Within Bai Hewei’s nature lay a sense of contradiction that he himself remained oblivious to. This contradiction drove him to make choices that appeared irrational or abnormal to outsiders.
He was already a temporary worker, yet he cared this intensely about the legitimacy of the procedure? But special recruitment was also fully guaranteed by law. The moment one entered the system, they would be recognized.
Yet the point Bai Hewei agonized over was never how to obtain the position, but rather the method used to obtain it.
However, Bai Hewei himself didn’t realize it.
He possessed an obsession with “compliance” that he couldn’t even perceive within himself.
An ordinary person, after enduring so many failed exam attempts, would have accepted a special recruitment offer without the slightest hesitation. Even if it carried a few minor flaws, it was infinitely better than failing the exam indefinitely.
Bai Hewei assumed his choice was completely flawless, but it was precisely this that exposed the underlying issue.
This was highly unusual.
Perhaps the secrets harbored by Bai Hewei were truly numerous. Just as Wen Zhiyi had suggested, it was highly probable that Bai Hewei had undergone a secondary or even tertiary awakening, whereas before that, his record was a complete blank.
Countless thoughts flashed through Yuan Heqing’s mind, but ultimately, she kept them to herself.
No matter the circumstances, Bai Hewei was an outstanding youth of their nation who had consistently stood on their side. Therefore, even if Bai Hewei was hiding something or harbored other reservations, she saw no reason to pry down to the root.
Could it be that their nation couldn’t accommodate an Evolver who simply desired a stable, peaceful life?
Even if that person was Bai Hewei.
“If this is your true thought, then I respect your opinion.” Yuan Heqing laced her fingers together, her attitude gentle. “Then I can only wish you an early success on the imperial examinations. Once you pass, I will also send you a gift—though of course, it will be delivered after the public notice period has safely cleared.”
Bai Hewei happily accepted the blessing.
Yuan Heqing chatted with Bai Hewei for a bit longer, offering words of encouragement. She also gifted him a copy of the latest compilation of policy theories, as well as a volume titled Selected Works of Outstanding Writing published internally by the state organs.
Bai Hewei clutched the books, unable to put them down. Materials like these couldn’t be found anywhere on the internet; the essays inside were all masterpieces written by exam gods after being refined by years of actual administrative work. Every single piece was pure gold!
Just these two books alone made his dedicated trip to the capital completely worthwhile.
Once Bai Hewei was escorted out by Xiao Zhang and the others, he looked up at the open sky, then glanced down at the books in his hands, finally experiencing a genuine sense of reality.
It feels like I really just had a meeting with an incredible figure.
Bai Hewei grinned, walking away in absolute high spirits.
Author’s Note:
Bai Hewei: I’m a man who has seen the grand stages of the world now.
