Chapter 1: Strange Happenings

  In the office of the Legal Education Division of the Politics and Law Department of Nanfeng County Judicial Bureau, people gathered in groups of three or two, some chatting idly, others reading newspapers, with a very relaxed atmosphere.

  "Hey! The big tree in front of the office building was suddenly blown down by the wind, do you guys know?" A middle-aged woman in her forties said loudly in a small group of three people. Her voice was so loud that it almost spread to every corner of the office.

  "Hey! What's so surprising about that!" Another young man in his twenties responded with a nonchalant tone after hearing the middle-aged woman speak in an extremely serious manner.

  "Hey! Don't think this is a trivial matter, it's an omen!" The middle-aged woman said with a look of great surprise.

  "What omen?" Another middle-aged man in his fifties asked with great interest.

  "Forebodingly, a big tree in our compound is going to fall down." The middle-aged woman lowered her voice, not letting it carry too far.

  "Zhang Yi, what are you talking about? How can there be such an omen?" The young man said with a tone of disbelief.

  "Don't you believe me?" Zhang Yi saw that the young man didn't take her words seriously at all, and she asked back with a tone of discontent.

  "Not at all!" The young man replied firmly.

  "Which is good, you just wait and see! What I said this omen will definitely be accurate!" Zhang Yi also firmly believed.

  At this time, a middle-aged man also spoke up. "Aunt Zhang, what evidence do you have for that?" he asked Aunt Zhang.

  Aunt Zhang shook her head after hearing it. "No!" she replied.

  "What makes you so sure that this premonition of yours is accurate?" the middle-aged man asked, pressing Zhang's wife for an answer.

  "Anyway, what I said must be accurate." Zhang Yi insisted, although she couldn't answer the reason.

  "Alright! You said your premonition is definitely accurate! Then which big tree in our compound will fall?" The middle-aged man continued to press Zhang's wife for an answer.

  When the middle-aged man asked Zhang Yi like this, the young man couldn't help but interrupt and ask. "Yes! Which big tree are you talking about? There are only three big trees in our bureau, one director and two deputy directors. You say which one will fall?" He also pressed Zhang Yi to ask.

  Aunt Zhang was at a loss for words when they asked her like that. Just then, another young clerk from their department, the pretty girl Li Xiaoqian, happened to be passing by them. Aunt Zhang saw an opportunity to get rid of their questioning and immediately changed the subject, asking Li Xiaoqian: "Hey, Xiaoqian, didn't you say our new department head was coming today? Why hasn't he shown up yet?"

  Li Xiaoqian stopped when she heard Zhang Ayi ask this. "That's what was said above! I don't know either." She shook her head and replied.

  "Hey! What do you think this new department head will be like?" Zhang Yi continued to ask. She looked like she was still afraid that the middle-aged men would not let her off and continue to press her about which big tree in the organization would fall, so she pursued this newly discovered topic.

  Li Xiaoqian shook her head after hearing it. "I don't know either!" she replied.

  "Hey! Don't you think our new department head is quite mysterious? Not even his appearance, age or background are clear at all." Zhang Yi continued to probe into the matter.

  "Hey! I happen to have some information about this new department head?" The young man suddenly said.

  "Really!" Zhang Yi's face showed great interest. The others also looked eager to listen. They were naturally very interested in the news of a new department head.

  "I heard that our new department head used to work in the district government office!" The young man spilled out his information.

  "Is that all?" Zhang Yi asked in pursuit.

  "That's it!" The young man said with a helpless expression.

  "Hey! Is that all the information? I thought you knew a lot more!" Upon hearing the young man's response, Zhang Yi showed a disappointed look and said. The others were also very disappointed.

  "Why don't we guess?" suggested Li Xiaoxian, a young and beautiful girl, revealing her innocent and mischievous nature.

  "Guess? I think he must be an old man in his sixties, nearing retirement!" the young fellow guessed immediately.

  "What's your reason?" Zhang Yi asked with great interest after hearing it clearly.

  "Our Legal Department is the most important department in the whole company, can't anyone with qualifications come to work here?" The young man spoke out his reason.

  "Hmm! I think Little Li makes sense! Because our old department head was also around that age." the middle-aged man said in agreement.

  "No, I don't agree with your views!" said Zhang Yi.

  "What did you say?" The young man asked Zhang Yi with a discontented look after hearing her opposing their views.

  "I think it's a young cadre in his thirties, strong and capable." Zhang Ayi expressed her opinion.

  "Zhang Yi, what's your reason?" the middle-aged man asked.

  "My reason is also very simple! The reason is that this law major was originally a very promising position! The newcomer must also be a very promising person!" Zhang's aunt also spoke out her reason.

  The young and beautiful Li Xiaoxian also spoke up. "I agree with Aunt Zhang's view!" she said.

  "But we are convinced it was an old man in his sixties who came!" Little Li also insisted on what he had seen.

  "Yes, I also hold this view!" The middle-aged man echoed.

  Just as they were about to argue, a young man suddenly burst in. Seeing the young man suddenly rush into their office, they immediately stopped discussing. The young man was very handsome and elegant, with bright eyes and a spirited appearance. However, his clothes were very casual, as if he had simply grabbed something to wear without bothering to tidy up, and his hair was also very messy, as if he never bothered to comb it. This formed a strong contrast with the suit-and-tie, well-groomed civil servants here. But it was precisely this carefree attitude that brought out his unconventional charm.

  This young man came in with an extremely serious and solemn look, looking around everywhere. The civil servants saw that this person, who looked like a worker, had burst into their office, and they didn't take him seriously at all, with an arrogant attitude, each of them feeling very uncomfortable. After all, this is a national organ, a place of dignity and importance, how can you, a small character, be so casual here! The civil servants thought to themselves.

  At this time, young Li couldn't help but ask, "Hey! What are you doing?" he asked the intruder loudly.

  The intruder looked at Little Li after hearing him ask and asked sternly, "Why aren't you working? You're all just chatting idly?"

  When the middle-aged man, who was normally very calm and composed, heard this intruder counter-questioning them, he too could not bear it. "What business is it of yours?" he also asked loudly to the intruder.

  "What does it have to do with me?" The intruder retorted back.

  "Who are you? What's it to you?" Little Li explained why it was none of his business.

  The intruder heard Little Li ask this, straightened his body, looked around at the people who were staring at him like they were looking at a monster. "I'm your new department head! Does it concern you or not?" he said loudly.

  "What?" Little Li involuntarily cried out. The others looked at each other in extreme astonishment.