Two days later.
Central Party School.
Dong Xuebing did not drive. His Cayenne was severely damaged, and he asked someone to sell it for him. He got to walk to the Party School.
Dong Xuebing stood outside and looked at the majestic main gates.
Dong Xuebing walked through the gates with big strides.
“Please show your pass.” A guard stopped Dong Xuebing.
Dong Xuebing looked at him and passed him a brown envelope. “I am a course participant.”
The guard took out the documents and read them before returning them to Dong Xuebing. He points towards the northwest director. “The hall is over there. Walk straight and turn right.”
“Alright. Thank you.” Dong Xuebing kept the envelope.
A few men enter the Party School behind Dong Xuebing. They are also here for the training course.
This is Dong Xuebing’s first time at the Central Party School and the first time he passed by this area. The Party School looks like a university campus. There’s a row of shops like small canteens and barbers. These shops are located within the Party School. A few blocks of dormitories are located on both sides of the shops. These are old buildings, but it still looks impressive. Dong Xuebing knows many of the country’s top leaders were trained here, and he slowed down to look at those buildings.
The Party School is huge, and Dong Xuebing walked for almost ten minutes.
The hall is in front. A long table was set up in front of it for participants to register.
Dong Xuebing quickly walks over to queue up. He registered and received a card with his name, student number, and dormitory key. After that, he enters the hall with the rest. The hall is filled with people. This cohort has more than one hundred students, and the majority of them are middle-aged, and the rest are in their early thirties. The only person in his twenties is Dong Xuebing.
The opening ceremony starts in twenty minutes.
Dong Xuebing finds a seat at the back and waits.
“It’s been a while, Old Chen!”
“Old Lu, you are here too! I heard you were posted to the grassroots.”
“Yes. I was there for three years.”
“It’s not easy for us to meet. I heard Old Zhang is here too. Let’s have lunch together.”
“No problem. Let’s talk after the opening ceremony.”
Many of the participants know each other. Almost all of them had worked in the Government for at least ten years. Even if they don’t know each other, they have heard of each other from friends. But Dong Xuebing is different. He looks around and doesn’t know anyone. He had only worked for two years and didn’t have any strong network.
The opening ceremony starts.
The first speaker is the Central Party School’s Principal, Principal Yin. He welcomed the participants and started talking about the training program. He emphasized the ‘three changes’ each participant must make while in the Party School. The participant must change his mindset from a Leader to a student, switch from a working state to a learning state, and move from family life to group life. The Central Party School is the foundation for the Party Leaders. These ‘three changes will reinforce the participants’ training and learning attitude.
The ceremony lasted for more than an hour.
The teachers came forward with name lists to separate the participants into classes.
These name lists were prepared in advance. Dong Xuebing was assigned to class 3, the last class for Division Chief training. After the participants were assigned to their respective classes, they were brought to their classes. They picked the class monitor, representatives, etc. He was too young, and his rank was too low to be selected. But he doesn’t mind. He was here to learn and doesn’t intend to fight for these positions.
Before noon.
The class has no lessons today, and the course starts tomorrow.
Dong Xuebing went to his room in the dormitory with his luggage.
The door is slightly open, and someone seems to be inside.
This room is for two people, and the beds were placed on both sides.
Dong Xuebing enters the room and sees a man in his early thirties arranging his luggage on a bed. He knew this was his roommate and greeted him. “Hi.”
That man smiles. “Hi, are you my roommate?”
Dong Xuebing put his luggage down and shook that man’s hand. “I am Dong Xuebing. You can call me Xiao Dong.”
“I am Han Xinghua, from the Central Publicity Department.” Han Xinghua introduces himself.
Dong Xuebing heard it and told him he was a Prefecture level city’s Subdistrict Office Director.
Han Xinghua was surprised. He knows the Subdistrict Office Director is a Section Chief rank position. How come Dong Xuebing can attend the Division Chief training course? But he did not ask, and they started unpacking their luggage. Dong Xuebing can tell Han Xinghua, a Deputy Director in the Central Publicity Department, doesn’t take him seriously.
“Xiao Dong, I am going out for a while.” Han Xinghua smiles. “Let’s have lunch later.”
Dong Xuebing finished unpacking his luggage. “Sure, Brother Han.”
Han Xinghua took out his phone. “Let’s exchange numbers. What’s your number?”
Han Xinghua left after exchanging numbers.
Dong Xuebing closed the door and sat on his bed to call Qu Yunxuan, Luan Xiaoping, Yu Meixia, and Geng Yuehua. Aunt Xuan and her parents had arrived in the south, and Sister Yu and Qianqian stayed with their parents. He is alone in Beijing. This course is around one month, and he knows he will get bored.
Finally, Dong Xuebing calls Xie Huilan.
The phone rang for a while before Xie Huilan answered. She giggled. “Hello, what is it?”
Dong Xuebing replied. “Nothing much. I am bored.”
“Haha…. Have you finished reporting to the Party School?”
“Yes. I am in my room, and I got nothing to do.”
“Are you missing me?”
“Maybe.” Dong Xuebing replied. “Don’t overthink.”
“Really? I thought of giving you a surprise. Fine. Since you don’t miss me, then forget it. Bye.”
“Eh…. Eh…. Wait…. What surprise?”
“Why should I tell you when you don’t miss me?”
“I was joking with you. Hurry and tell me.”
“You are not sincere at all. I am not telling you now.”
“Stop playing around. Huilan, don’t make me anxious.”
“I am busy now. Bye. Haha….”
“Eh!”
Du… du… du… Xie Huilan hung up.
Dong Xuebing is mad. This Huilan likes to play jokes with him. Why must I follow your pace every time? But Xie Huilan had been overbearing and firm since they met, and he was attracted to her because of this trait.
I will deal with you sooner or later.
Dong Xuebing thought about the surprise Xie Huilan was talking about when his phone rang.
Dong Xuebing thought Xie Huilan had called, but it was Han Xinghua.
“Hello, Xiao Ping.”
“Xiao Dong. I had called a few friends and former colleagues to have lunch at the School’s cafeteria. It is almost noon. Want to join us?”
“Oh, is it fine for me to join?”
“We are all schoolmates. What’s wrong?”
“Alright. I am coming down now.”
“Ok. Let’s meet at the cafeteria.”
Dong Xuebing has nothing to do, and this is an opportunity to meet more people. He quickly tidied up and went downstairs.
The dormitory is similar to old hotel rooms with simple fittings. But it is spotless.
Dong Xuebing walked towards the north after leaving the dormitory and saw the old cafeteria building.
“Over here, Xiao Dong.” Han Xinghua waved. He was standing with four men and one woman.
Dong Xuebing quickly walks over.
Han Xinghua introduces Dong Xuebing to the rest. “Let me introduce myself. He is my roommate, Xiao Dong. A young Subdistrict Office Director.”
A middle-aged man blinked. “From a Provincial City?”
Dong Xuebing walked over and shook hands with them. “I am from a Prefecture City. I am here on an exceptional basis. Please take care of me.”
Prefecture City?
Section Chief Director?
Han Xinghua introduces his friends to Dong Xuebing. The woman is Director Mei, and the skinny man is Chief Zhang. The others are Secretary Chen and Chief Zheng. They are from the Central Government to Province Governments and Grassroot levels. But all of them are either Deputy Division Chief or Division Chief.
When all of them heard Dong Xuebing was only a Section Chief from a Subdistrict Office, they stopped showing their eagerness to befriend him.
