Fortunately, Hu Chenrui quickly changed the subject, avoiding further discussion about special channels, leaving the last shred of dignity intact.
The second matter of the general meeting was to discuss future development.
"Our staff dormitory has been well-received by our bureau employees since its completion. Whether it's winter heating or summer cooling, everything has been working perfectly, and the occupancy rate is high," Hu Chenrui said with a smile. "The extra rooms have also been renovated and will serve as guest rooms for the bureau. When the Yinhai Bureau delegation arrives, we can officially put them to use."
The staff dormitory was a widely praised project. Jin Yu no longer needed to rent an apartment or commute to work. Now she could live and eat within the bureau premises, making her life practically perfect. While Chu Zhishui had to commute by car, the supernatural beings could skip even this step. This was especially beneficial for the Observation Department staff on duty, who no longer had to find their way home in the dark after night shifts.
The dormitory charged a nominal management fee, but it was negligible compared to outside rental prices. Except for Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao, almost all staff lived in the bureau.
Both Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao had their own rooms, though the former returned home daily for meals, and the latter spent most of his time on the round stool under the tree, rarely appearing in the dormitory.
"Besides the dormitory, we're now in the bureau's new office building, where future general meetings will be held. Once we've finished furnishing the offices, various departments will gradually relocate here. The old building will become exclusively for the Observation Department, which will solve the problem of insufficient underground space and supernatural energy leaking through the ducts."
The new office building had elevators, better views, and more space. Each department would receive new computers and desks. The old office building's basement housed the Observation Department's furnace, which was difficult to relocate, so it remained unchanged for now.
Finally, like the Yinhai Bureau, the Huaijiang Bureau's Observation Department had its own office building, preventing supernatural energy from rising and causing spatial distortions.
Miao Li casually waved her paw and nodded, "That's right, that building will be completely mine, and you won't be able to enter anymore. Cherish your last moments there."
Xin Yunmao sneered, "You're just getting the leftovers, all you can do is scratch up the old building."
Miao Li retorted disdainfully, "Well, I'm a cat, not a plant that needs to be kept in the backyard, just clinging to people."
Xin Yunmao: "!!?"
Hearing the conversation heading in this direction, Chu Zhishui lowered her head and coughed lightly, interrupting the impending war, and both parties reluctantly fell silent.
But Miao Li continued to cast meaningful glances at both the human and the supernatural being, as the black cat inspector now had a new job: strictly monitoring the conduct of bureau officials.
Hu Chenrui's eyes narrowed as he quickly mediated, changing the subject: "Currently, the tennis and basketball courts are in use, though the swimming pool hasn't been filled yet. The library and activity center are still under construction. Today, I'd like to discuss the cinema with everyone. Some staff members have suggested having a screening room in the bureau. Considering our small number of personnel, the cinema won't be too large and will be built as part of the activity center."
"When the Yinhai Bureau comes for their exchange visit, each department should submit some photos. We can edit them into a video to show Director Ye and others our spirit and the tremendous changes in the Huaijiang Bureau over these two years," he said with a smile. "Every department must submit materials, which will be organized by Ximing and then edited accordingly."
"Using the new cinema to show bureau videos?" Jin Yu mumbled quietly upon hearing this. "Isn't that a bit too..."
Chu Zhishui quipped, "Looks like Director Hu really wants to show off to Director Ye."
Hu Chenrui had to visit the Yinhai Bureau every year to discuss business expenses, and over the years, he had clearly accumulated some frustrations, hoping to give Ye Huayu a taste of his own medicine.
Since all departments had to submit materials, the Economic Development Department also needed to prepare photos.
After receiving the assignment, Jin Yu took charge of photography. Taking advantage of Chen Zhuhui's holiday at the bureau, she not only took group photos of the two humans and two supernatural beings but also specifically went to the tea garden to capture some work photos. The three supernatural beings in yellow, white, and black even managed to get into the photos – after all, they were the technical research and reform group, and their recent achievements had been significant.
Chu Zhishui asked Du Zigui and Lan Quan for help, obtaining photos of the Observation Bureau Direct Stores and the mermaid pearl powder industry. Combined with Jin Yu's photos, they finally gathered enough material for the Economic Development Department.
In the office, Chu Zhishui, Jin Yu, and Chen Zhuhui gathered to sort through the photos. Jin Yu gently scrolled with the mouse while Chu Zhishui and Chen Zhuhui stood on either side, viewing the content on the computer screen.
Seeing Old White on the screen, Chen Zhuhui suddenly felt moved and pleaded, "Sister Jin Yu, could you send me this photo? I think this is my first photo with Grandpa Xu."
She had few photos with her family members to begin with, only one from when her grandfather held her as a child. After her grandfather passed away, she rarely took photos except for school requirements.
Jin Yu readily agreed, "Of course, no problem, I'll send it to you."
"Just this one?" Chu Zhishui glanced at her teasingly, "At times like this, you should want them all, otherwise we'll be hurt."
Chen Zhuhui froze, meeting Chu Zhishui's clear gaze, and immediately realized she was joking. She blushed and said embarrassedly, "I misspoke, I want all the photos, please send me all the Economic Development Department ones."
"Alright, I'll package them all for you!" Jin Yu said with a laugh, "And send them to Director Hong too!"
Soon after, Chen Zhuhui received the group photos. As she slowly scrolled through her phone, looking at the Economic Development Department photos, she unconsciously smiled, her mood brightening as she confessed, "Working here must be the happiest thing that's happened to me..."
Chu Zhishui asked in surprise, "Does work really make you happy?"
"It's not just the work, being here makes me happy. It's much better than before anyway." Chen Zhuhui's finger scrolled across the screen, and she suddenly noticed something, asking curiously, "Oh, is this Sister Zhishui's personal photo?"
While most of the materials consisted of group photos focusing on work scenes, one photo stood out completely.
Hearing this, Chu Zhishui puzzled, leaning in to look at the phone screen: "What?"
On the screen, Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao stood by a railing, very close together, with Danshan's forests in the background.
"Did you go sightseeing?" Chen Zhuhui blinked, "It looks like an ID photo."
The human and supernatural being stood formally, with slightly stiff expressions despite their proximity, looking official and formal. With Danshan's autumn foliage in the background creating a reddish glow, it really did resemble some kind of identification photo.
Chu Zhishui: "?"
She definitely hadn't submitted this photo, and looked incredulously at a certain supernatural being, exclaiming, "When did you secretly add this!?"
Xin Yunmao sat in his seat, turning his head discreetly to look out the window, pretending to be deaf and mute.
If this photo fell into Hong Ximing's hands, it would definitely end up in the bureau's video. It needed to be rescued.
"Wait, did you already send it to Sister Hong?" Chu Zhishui anxiously held her head, "Is there any way to recall it?"
Jin Yu stared at the screen and replied, "It's already been received, can't recall it now."
Chu Zhishui made a last desperate attempt: "Zhuhui, please delete it from your phone..."
Chen Zhuhui clutched her phone tightly and smiled, "I'll keep this one safe."
Jin Yu: "I have it on my computer too."
After this lapse in conduct, Chu Zhishui deeply felt her authority slipping away: "..."
On the first day of the Yinhai Bureau delegation's visit to Huaijiang, Chu Zhishui politely declined to attend the screening, completely unwilling to face public execution.
At the Huaijiang Bureau, the once wild weeds had been cleared away, replaced by bright new buildings. Neat stone paths connected various areas, passing through a lush bamboo courtyard to reach the old building covered in ivy, and the spotless new building not far away.
As soon as Ye Huayu entered, he felt the dramatic transformation, stepping back in disbelief to check the Huaijiang Bureau's sign, making sure he hadn't come to the wrong place. Now, even the iron gate at the entrance had been renovated, along with the gleaming iron signboard.
Ye Huayu exclaimed in surprise, "Old Hu, your place is..."
"Just a backwater place, I hope you won't look down on it," Hu Chenrui, seeing the other's changing expression, felt deeply satisfied and leisurely led the way, "We can't compare to your Yinhai, we're just countryside folk."
While Ye Huayu still had an impression of the Huaijiang Bureau as poor and shabby, one glance at the nearby basketball court and swimming pool left him shocked: "How did you manage to build all this?"
The Yinhai Bureau also had a gym, but it was nowhere near as extravagant. After all, land in Yinhai City was extremely valuable, and being located in the city center with many people around, construction had to rely on manual labor, so it naturally couldn't be as luxurious.
The Huaijiang Bureau was in a remote location, so they could build extensively, and construction proceeded very quickly.
"Well, we just wanted to make it convenient for staff to exercise," Hu Chenrui said casually. "We're also considering building a golf course. You know we don't lack for anything here except mountains and land - that's country life for you."
Ye Huayu drew in a sharp breath when he heard this: "A golf course?"
"Yeah, isn't that popular in your area? They say there's a lot to learn about golf - it's what those rich people with too much time on their hands mess around with." Hu Chenrui smiled with narrowed eyes. "I don't know much about it myself - why don't you teach me? You must play golf often, having plenty of free time in Yinhai."
Ye Huayu felt these words were oddly familiar, just like their previous conversation about watches: "..."
After the tour, Hu Chenrui had his revenge by showing off the Huaijiang Bureau, and even insisted on taking Ye Huayu to the new screening room to watch a film about the bureau's history.
The screening room wasn't large, but the equipment was excellent - a high-definition screen and surround sound system that managed to give their modest local film a Hollywood-level impact.
"The sound system still isn't good enough, it hurts your ears, doesn't it?" Hu Chenrui sighed meaningfully. "Huaijiang Bureau still can't compare to your Yinhai Bureau - otherwise, you wouldn't have refused to come here back then."
Ye Huayu mumbled: "...Old Hu, you still remember that?"
"Hehe, of course I remember, you were everyone's first choice after all."
"..." Ye Huayu sensed the resentment and nervously swallowed, secretly studying Hu Chenrui's expression. Seeing that the other man appeared cheerful, he finally brought up the real matter at hand. "Since your bureau is quite stable now, would it be convenient to send support to Kong Sang recently?"
"Need money again?" Hu Chenrui objected, "You didn't usually ask for money twice a year before."
"It's not about money - it's about sending Miao Li and his team for support. Old Huang seems to be losing control of the situation."
Upon hearing this, Hu Chenrui's expression immediately turned solemn and asked, "Has the Dragon God Temple become more active?"
Ye Huayu nodded: "Yes, Old Huang didn't come to the last meeting because the Dragon God Temple in Kong Sang was extremely active, causing them to be short-handed during that period. Recently it's gotten even worse, and it feels like it's about to spiral out of control. He wants to ask me for support."
"But Yinhai is a big city with too much backlogged work, and Qiwu is busy catching fugitive merpeople lately, so both sides have limited manpower to spare. Since the Huaijiang Observation Department originally had the strongest force, I was wondering if Miao Li could lead a team to Kong Sang."
Hu Chenrui: "What if the Dragon God Temple's activity is a diversion? If we go to support them, what happens if our bureau gets attacked?"
Ye Huayu: "You don't need to send everyone - we from Yinhai will also send teams, and both sides should keep some defensive forces."
"Don't you know why Huaijiang is strong?" Hu Chenrui raised his eyebrows, "We have someone in our bureau..."
"But he's already joined the organization!" Ye Huayu slapped his thigh in sudden realization, "Oh right, thanks for reminding me! Then you can send more people - with him stationed here, it'll definitely be fine!"
"..." Hu Chenrui silently cursed his oversight in forgetting that Xin Yunmao had joined the organization, which reduced their deterrence - if they really wanted to cause trouble, they didn't need to join the organization.
"Miao Li can't lead the team as Huaijiang has its own work, but I'll send as many people as possible to help Kong Sang clear out the Dragon God Temple," Hu Chenrui said. "But you should be mentally prepared - this will definitely be a long-term operation, especially since the Demon Suppression Robe is ineffective against the Dragon God, so progress will inevitably be slow."
The Demon Suppression Robe, made from the Dragon God's hide, was effective against ordinary demons but had greatly reduced effects on the Dragon God and its followers. Although the Dragon God had weakened significantly compared to a thousand years ago and had been quartered and sealed, it was still a deified demon after all and retained some power.
Soon after, the Huaijiang Observation Department dispatched a team that quietly headed to Kong Sang without alerting other departments.
Miao Li remained at the Observation Department, and for most demons, nothing seemed to change at the bureau except that there were fewer people dining in the cafeteria.
On the weekend, Chu Zhishui was having a meal at home when her mother suddenly spoke up.
Xie Yan: "You're going to the new house tomorrow?"
"Yes," Chu Zhishui said. "Planning to buy some kitchen utensils."
"Why are you buying kitchen utensils?" Chu Xiaohe said unhurriedly. "We have plenty in our cabinets, you two can come and take them."
"?"
Chu Zhishui immediately straightened her back and said stiffly: "Dad..."
Chu Xiaohe calmly said: "What? Don't tell me you're the one buying them?"
"No, no," Chu Zhishui stared with wide eyes, flustered: "But how did you know?"
"You've always thought you were so clever since you were little, but your mom and I can see right through all your little schemes - you can't hide anything from us."
"..."
Hearing this, Chu Zhishui simply admitted: "Mm."
Xie Yan carefully asked: "You didn't want to bring him home to meet us?"
"No, I'm still considering it and need to ask his opinion," Chu Zhishui hemmed and hawed. "And I'm not sure if you can accept it."
Chu Xiaohe waved his hand generously: "What's there for us not to accept? If you like him, that's enough."
Chu Zhishui's gaze wandered: "But the situation is rather special..."
Chu Xiaohe speculated: "Is he from out of town? Job unstable? Complicated family situation?"
"No, he's local from Huaijiang, works in our bureau," she hesitated. "His family situation should be uncomplicated."
How could Xin Yunmao have family complications when he had no relatives?
Chu Xiaohe breathed a slight sigh of relief: "That sounds fine then. Is he not good-looking? Not tall enough?"
"His looks and height are fine, definitely above average."
"Could it be his moral character isn't good?" Chu Xiaohe exclaimed. "But I always thought you valued that the most."
Chu Zhishui hurriedly said: "No, no, no, his morals are fine too!"
Chu Xiaohe was confused: "Well, after all these questions, this person seems perfect. Why do you think we wouldn't accept him?"
Xie Yan: "Yeah, we can't find anything wrong with him."
"Dad, Mom, there's one situation you haven't mentioned yet..." Chu Zhishui wrung her hands, sweating as she tentatively spoke, "He has no flaws, but he might not be... human?"
"???"
