All eyes turned to him, admiration and respect undisguised.

The prestige and popularity that Zhui Du Zhe had accumulated over the years were snatched away in a single day by a shameful fire master from Songhai.

It felt good to be respected, and Zhang Yuanqing subconsciously raised the drink beside him, only to see that it was cola. He was immediately furious.

"Who poured the cola? How can a real man indulge in such drinks? Bring me wine!" Xie Lingxi immediately said, "Yes, yes, it was my oversight. I'll bring Executive Zhang some wine right away," and poured him a glass of Brave the World beer.

Zhang Yuanqing picked up the glass and gulped it down. The beer was truly braving the world in his stomach.

It was so damn awful. He laughed豪迈 (háomài, bold and unrestrained), "Good wine, fill it up!"

The clerical staff and Xingzhe present all nodded in agreement. This was how a fire master should be.

The previous Sanqing Daozu executive was too calm, so calm that everyone suspected he wasn't a fire master.

Xie Lingxi filled another glass. Zhang Yuanqing picked it up and was about to enthusiastically display his social skills when he suddenly remembered that his current identity was that of a fire master.

Fire masters didn't say flowery things. Fire masters would only say: Brothers, you did a great job! Come on, drink up! This wine is really劲 (jìng, awesome)!

So, his thoughts turned, and he said loudly, "Brothers and sisters, you've worked hard. Everyone, drink this up, and then I'll give you a gift."

He gave the three beauties beside him a look.

The Queen led Annie and Xie Lingxi out of the cafeteria.

Everyone rose and watched them leave, their eyes flickering with anticipation. After finishing their first drink, the hungry crowd buried their heads and ate. The fire masters had the worst table manners, the scouts sat the most rigidly, and the others were somewhere in between.

Soon, Xie Lingxi, the Queen, and Annie returned, each pushing a cart. Silver suitcases were stacked on the carts.

Seeing them come in, everyone put down their chopsticks, stopped eating, and turned their heads.

Xie Lingxi and the others parked the carts by the tables. After getting Zhang Yuanqing's permission, they piled the suitcases on the tables.

With a "click," one of the large suitcases was opened, filled with stacks of red banknotes.

Clatter! Clatter!

The sound of chopsticks falling rang out. The members stared blankly at the money in the suitcase, unable to look away.

Zhang Yuanqing announced loudly, "There are thirty million here. I plan to divide it equally among everyone, so each person will get about two hundred and sixty thousand." Chopsticks fell one after another, followed by the sound of swallowing saliva.

A pair of eyes fixed on the bills, suddenly burning with passion.

Their average salary was only five or six thousand, plus a year's worth of performance bonuses, merit points, etc. The clerical staff made half that.

Two hundred and sixty thousand was five years' worth of savings for them.

Zhui Du Zhe, as a swordsman, had a drastic change in expression. He could see everyone's expressions. The longing and greed in his subordinates' eyes were almost out of control.

Zhui Du Zhe immediately stood up and said in a deep voice, "Executive Sanqing Daozu is joking with you. This is confiscated money that must be handed over to the Qinghe branch."

The desire and hope in everyone's eyes died down. Knowing that this was the rule, they forced a smile and said, "We almost believed it, hahaha."

"The cost of living in Nanming City isn't high. What would we do with so much money? The Qinghe branch will audit the accounts." ... "My current salary is enough to support my family."

Zhang Yuanqing expressionlessly scanned the crowd and repeated, "What I said just now is true and valid."

Everyone's expression changed. They looked at him silently, then at Zhui Du Zhe, waiting for a definite answer.

Zhui Du Zhe stared deeply at Zhang Yuanqing. "Let's talk in private."

Zhang Yuanqing stood up and followed him to the flower bed outside the restaurant. The autumn night was extremely cool, with a gentle breeze.

Zhui Du Zhe lit a cigarette, sucking the end until it glowed red, then exhaled forcefully, letting the white smoke drift away with the wind.

"I know you mean well, but it's not necessary," Zhui Du Zhe shook his head. "It's extremely harmful."

"How so?" Zhang Yuanqing also asked for a Fortune Brand cigarette and lit it.

He took a few puffs without inhaling. "Do you know, the salaries of the security officers and Lingjing Xingzhe on the border are not high. The higher-ups will give them hidden benefits and high compensation, allowing them to enjoy privileges and security, without any worries. However, they can never be given huge amounts of disposable funds."

Zhui Du Zhe stared at him. "When a person has money, they lose the spirit to fight desperately and the tenacious will to struggle. Only those who have nothing will do the hardest and most tiring jobs. That's human nature, and human nature can't stand the test of money. Giving them money isn't helping them; you're corrupting them."

Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "I understand, you can't test cadres with money. Which cadre can withstand such a test?"

Zhui Du Zhe said coldly, "Are you using movie lines to敷衍 (fūyǎn, fob off) me?"

He could tell that Sanqing Daozu hadn't taken those words to heart.

Zhang Yuanqing put away his smile and said seriously, "I'm a subjective idealist. I don't like listening to grand principles, but since we're talking about principles, I'll tell you one too. The ancients said, 'One who gathers firewood for the masses should not be allowed to freeze to death in the wind and snow,' isn't that also very reasonable?"

Zhui Du Zhe frowned, still disagreeing, but he had no words to retort.

"So, there are many principles in the world, and some principles are even contradictory, so there's no need to talk about principles when doing things. Just be subjective." Zhang Yuanqing flicked off the ashes. "Corruption is corruption, depravity is depravity. They've already made such great contributions to the border. Why should their lives be cheap? Do they have to become martyrs? They can take the money and leave Nanming City to live their own lives. Do we have to watch our brothers die one batch after another before replacing them with another?"

Zhui Du Zhe was stunned, unable to speak for a moment. After a long while, he said in a deep voice, "You are indeed a subjective person. I know who you are." Zhang Yuanqing curled his lips. "Remember to keep it a secret!"

He wasn't afraid of Zhui Du Zhe knowing his identity, because he wouldn't betray him. This was partly due to his good character, partly due to the camaraderie of fellow wanderers, and also because, even if he did betray him, Zhang Yuanqing wasn't afraid. He had a teleportation jade talisman in his hand, and with a single thought, he could return to the study in the Fu family's bay in Songhai, prostrate himself, and ask Fu Qingyang for help.

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