Chapter 35: The Administrative Office

Zhou Lingri printed out Sima’s employment information form, confirmed the signature, and issued him an access card. The card also served as a meal card, allowing him to swipe for meals at the first-floor cafeteria between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and again from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on workdays. When Sima inquired about the organization, Zhou Lingri explained that the "Gu Masters" were temporarily attached to the Anti-Doping Center, using this small building as a transitional office while their permanent site was still under development. Officially, they belonged to the “Second Department of Intelligence and Investigation.” The department head was Yang Zirong, with deputy heads Shao Jianbo and Zuo Shandiao; the former led the first field team, the latter the second.

The Anti-Doping Center was a colloquial name; its full title was the “Doping Detection Center of the Institute of Sports Medicine under the National Sports Administration.” It had occupied this old building for ten years before moving to a newer facility with better conditions. The “old building” was originally slated for demolition and reconstruction as a hotel, but during planning, it was discovered to be a protected heritage structure. They only made minor repairs and reinforcements, leaving the conditions somewhat inferior—drafty windows and doors, cold in winter and hot in summer, and no elevator, so they had to make do. The first floor housed the cafeteria, warehouse, security, and cleaning departments; the second and third floors contained offices and meeting rooms; the fourth floor held finance, medical, data, and archives rooms, with restricted access requiring special clearance.

Recently, four newcomers had joined, with Sima being the first to report. Once everyone arrived, they would undergo medical examinations and pre-job training together. For the time being, he would sit in the internal affairs office under Director Xue Dong’s guidance, familiarizing himself with the department’s workings. Director Xue was approachable and kind. The “Gu Masters” in the field teams were known for their fiery tempers, so if trouble arose, it was best not to confront them head-on. Safety came first—sometimes stepping back was the wisest course. The Second Department of Intelligence and Investigation always handled matters internally; calling the police was useless.

Before parting, Zhou Lingri reminded Sima about the official explanation for the “physiological abnormal secretion of adrenaline,” which was the sanctioned story to be maintained consistently in all public settings—no slip-ups allowed. As for his diploma, that was a bit tricky. The two universities involved would need to negotiate. Beijing Direct Foreign Language University was directly under the Ministry of Education and might not acknowledge the National Sports Bureau’s authority. However, Beijing Sports University was willing to back him up, possibly by transferring his enrollment so that, in four years, he could obtain a diploma from Beijing Sports University without affecting his promotion prospects in the Second Department.

Sima sat in the general office for quite a while, asking detailed questions, showing none of the naiveté typical of a newcomer. Zhou Lingri found herself explaining things at length despite disliking verbosity; it was her duty to be thorough. Her mood soured, and her impression of Sima worsened. That tactless fellow really should be sent to the field team to toughen up, to learn discretion and humility.

Finally, when Sima ceased questioning, Zhou Lingri hastened to escort him to complete his registration. She led him to the internal affairs office and left him with Xue Dong. Xue was young, in his twenties, energetic and fluent in the local Beijing dialect. He was polite to Sima and, after a brief chat, assigned him a vacant seat by the window. Xue explained that only he and Deputy Director Bian managed the internal affairs office, overseeing the cafeteria, warehouse, security, and cleaning—essentially the logistics department serving everyone. Being new, Sima had no urgent tasks yet—just running errands, delivering documents, working a standard nine-to-five schedule. Out of consideration for Sima’s “youthful ignorance,” Xue gave special advice to avoid conflicts with the field teams. Sima guessed that the field teams consisted of tough, hot-tempered men with formidable combat skills who were difficult to reason with. Past unpleasant clashes must have occurred, explaining the warnings from both Xue and Zhou.

Arriving empty-handed, Sima found his desk bare. Xue wrote a note instructing him to collect office supplies from the warehouse—stationery, paper, folders, stapler, water cup—everything necessary to present a professional image. Otherwise, the leadership would blame the internal affairs office. Sima understood Xue’s intent, drawing on past experience. He dutifully gathered the supplies, storing some in the drawer, arranging others on the desk, and brewed a cup of tea to create an office atmosphere. He found the process quite amusing.

Before long, it was time to leave work. Xue invited Sima to have dinner first, and Sima gladly followed him to the first-floor cafeteria to enjoy some “free, highly nutritious meals.” To his surprise, everyone was enthusiastic about dining. The entire building’s staff had come down, and Sima’s “spiritual Gu” inside him kept fluttering. Counting discreetly, he noted a total of twenty-three personnel, including Yang Zirong, Xue Dong, Zhou Lingri, and himself. Only nine were “Gu Masters,” and those with truly combat-capable Gu creatures were even fewer.

The cafeteria offered a buffet style: take as much as you want. There were two categories of dishes—“public stove” accessible to all, and “special stove” reserved exclusively for Gu Masters. Sima glanced at the “special stove,” which resembled meals designed for athletes: high protein, low fat, slow-cooked to preserve nutrition and flavor. The “public stove” featured no frills—stir-fried, pan-fried, roasted with heavy oils and sauces, including pork and offal, looking quite tempting. Sima even spotted some familiar dishes like garlic pork slices and twice-cooked pork.

Gu Masters needed to feed their internal Gu creatures, so their appetites were substantial. Even Zhou Lingri, who appeared immaculate and ethereal, sat down to eat several plates. No one could survive on mere air and dew—goddesses needed to eat, drink, and attend to bodily needs as well. Every month, they faced a few days of “bloody calamity.” Buddhist teachings described the human body as a “stinking skin bag,” and no matter how enlightened one might be, cleanliness was impossible. The so-called “Immaculate Gu” was a joke. While eating, Sima listened carefully to their conversation. Xue mentioned to Yang Zirong that lately, many Gu Masters were out on field assignments and seldom dined at home. The “special stove” food often went to waste, and he suggested cutting back accordingly. Yang told him the cafeteria was under the logistics office’s management and told Xue to handle it as he saw fit. Sima smiled knowingly—the phrase “handle it as you see fit” subtly implied that as long as nothing went wrong, all was well; but if problems arose, the responsibility fell squarely on the handler. Xue’s comment also revealed a key detail: nine Gu Masters dined in-house, roughly matching the number out on assignments. Otherwise, there would be no need to reduce the “special stove” portions.

Savoring his meal slowly, Sima spent over an hour dining, even finishing a bottle of accompanying wine—an imported Bordeaux from France, Lafite Rothschild, which looked vaguely familiar. He had a hunch that Director Xue was very likely Zhang Ke’s childhood playmate.

Sure enough, plenty of “special stove” food remained uneaten. Xue instructed the cafeteria to pack the leftovers uniformly and handed Sima a heavy bag to take home. Sima noticed every Gu Master carried a similar bag, including Zhou Lingri, who despite her delicate hands, didn’t want to leave it behind. He realized these were nourishing delicacies, exclusive benefits for Gu Masters that ordinary people could never access. Feeling pleased, Sima’s fondness for the organization grew instantly.