Xiao Jian dragged his leaden-like footsteps, following Director Tang Chuan, Zhao Dong and his daughter Xiao Mingxia downstairs to invite people.

  Upon entering the hall, I saw that stunning woman still sitting there, dazzling to the point of being blinding. However, Shen Huan, who was wearing a steel plant uniform, was nowhere to be found.

  Xiao Jian's heart sank like it was tied to a stone:

  It's all over, he's offended him, and now he won't even eat dinner before leaving. Zhao Dong's future is ruined in his hands; if Director Tang finds out that he just offended Mei Xi, the mixed river dragon, how will he be able to get by in the bureau from now on?

  Xiao Jian's forehead was sweating profusely, with beads of sweat dripping down his cheeks.

  Tang Chuan didn't recognize Shen Huai either, and seeing such a beautiful girl sitting there, he knew she was Shen Huai's companion, but not seeing Shen Huai's shadow, he looked at Xiao Jian's son-in-law Zhao Dong with suspicion.

  Xiao Mingxia was also worried that Shen Huai had left Nan Garden in a huff and asked Chen Dan, "Where is Shen Huai?"

  Chen Dan saw Zhao Dong and Xiao Mingxia come downstairs, aside from Xiao Mingxia's father, there was also a middle-aged man with a big head and ears who came down. He stood up and said: "Secretary Xiong just came over, called Shen Hua away, saying that Secretary Tan is having dinner on the first floor, wants Shen Hua to go over and have dinner together. Shen Hua also said that after you finish drinking, Zhao Dong should go directly over and meet with Secretary Tan. Have you finished drinking?"

  Xiao Jian's brain was struck by two more flashes of lightning:

  Xiong Wenbin, Tan Qiping?

  Tan Qiping, Xiong Wenbin?

  Municipal Party Committee Secretary, Municipal Party Committee Office Director?

  "Director Tang, Uncle Xiao..." Zhao Dong didn't know why Shen Hua had pulled him over to meet with the Municipal Party Secretary, but many people would jump at the chance to meet with the Municipal Party Secretary, so he couldn't very well disobey Shen Hua's orders. Apologetically, he smiled at Tang Chuan and Xiao Mingjian.

  Tang Chuan also smiled understandingly, patted Zhao Dong's shoulder: "You go to Building No. 1 and greet Secretary Tan, I won't accompany you with Old Xiao, we'll wait for you here..."

  He knew that Zhou Yu, the district head, no matter how capable he was, couldn't compete with the municipal party secretary for customers. He knew he hadn't been summoned and didn't have the qualifications to squeeze in. It really didn't occur to him that Xiao Jian would find such a son-in-law; just the other day, he had heard him sighing and complaining about his daughter not listening to advice on her romantic relationships.

  Tang Chuan didn't know if Zhao Dong would let them stay in Building No. 1 for dinner, so to show his respect for Zhao Dong, he wanted to wait with Xiao Jian to confirm it.

  "Director Tang and Uncle went upstairs first to help me ask for leave from Director Zhou and General Zhou, I'll come over later to toast..." Zhao Dong couldn't really let his future father-in-law and Tang Chuan sit idly in the large hall downstairs.

  "What's this lady's name?" Tang Chuan looked at Chen Dan, who was even more beautiful than Xiao Jian's daughter. He knew that her relationship with Shen Hui must be extraordinary, so he didn't dare to neglect her.

  "This is Manager Chen Dan of Meixi Town's Zhuxi Hotel," Zhao Dong introduced on his behalf.

  Just sat here and chatted for half a day, Shen Hua and Chen Dan both decided to rename the reception station as Zhuxi Hotel, also determined to get rid of the official color of the reception station.

  Zhao Dong was also very careful and told others not to misinterpret Chen Dan's identity.

  "Oh, I've long heard of it," Tang Chuan had never actually heard of the Zhuxi Hotel before, but Shen Huai's female companion was not someone who could be called a sudden beauty, and she asked inquiringly, "Will Zhao Dong meet with Secretary Tan in the past? Or will Manager Chen give him some face?"

  "No, I'm here to study at Nanyuan. I'll take a walk around later." Chen Dan smiled apologetically, although Shen Hua told her to go with the flow, she didn't want to leave such an early and deep impression on him, so she just smiled and refused.

  "Mingxia, why don't you stay and keep Chen Dan company?" Zhao Dong said. He saw that Mingxia's mood didn't seem good either, so he let her stay in the hall with Chen Dan. It was true that they couldn't leave Chen Dan alone here.

  Tang Chuan didn't insist, watching Zhao Dong walk out of Cui Hua Building, then pulled Xiao Jian upstairs.

  Xiao Jian also didn't know what kind of relationship Chen Dan and Shen Huai had, at this time he couldn't suddenly force them to go up, could only let his daughter stay behind to accompany them.

  Watching her father go up with Director Tang, Xiao Mingxia couldn't bear it anymore, tears uncontrollably streaming down her face as she buried her head in the table and sobbed.

  Looking at Xiao Mingxia's trembling shoulders, Chen Dan could very well understand her emotions:

  Zhao Dong's relationship with Xiao Mingxia has never been approved by her family, and they even set up a dowry barrier for Zhao Dong to prevent them from getting married, Chen Dan had heard Shen Hua tell her about it.

  Just now, Xiao Mingxia's father gave Shen Hui a look, after all, he still looked down on Zhao Dong from the bottom of his heart. He looked down on Zhao Dong and the friends who came out to eat together - this matter, Shen Hui was at most embarrassed for a moment, only Zhao Dong and Xiao Mingxia in the middle were the most awkward.

  Looking at Xiao Mingxia's father's nervous and panicked appearance just now, it was clear that he knew Shen Hua's identity. Under the pressure of power, he became even more humble and pitiful. But no matter what, he was still Xiao Mingxia's father.

  "Perhaps it's because your parents have experienced poverty and hardship, they don't want you to go through it again," Chen Dan softly advised Xiao Mingxia, saying "If I were in your shoes, I would be delighted to have parents who could take care of everything for me, no need to struggle so hard..."

  Xiao Mingxia lifted her head up, and her carefully made-up face was also messed up from crying. In a childish tone, she said: "It's really embarrassing, I'm so embarrassed that it's even affecting my family."

  "I'm not an outsider," Chen Dan handed over a pack of tissues, helping Xiao Mingxia wipe away the tears on her face, and smiled, "Wipe your face clean, Zhao Dong and Shen Huai might stay there for dinner, let's take care of ourselves..."

  "By the way, what's the relationship between Shen Hua and Secretary Tan?" Xiao Mingxia's mood came quickly and went quickly, now she was curious about Shen Hua's background again.

  "I didn't know either, I just knew for the first time that he was acquainted with the municipal party secretary," Chen Dan said. "Living in a small place for a long time, the Mei Xi Town Party Secretary and the Mayor are like heaven, occasionally there's a deputy county head coming over, it's already a big deal... as for the Municipal Party Secretary, I have no impression at all..."

  "It was also the case that our principal had a fiery temper, and I was so scared that I didn't dare to speak. In the past, when Zhao Dong came to the kindergarten, others would call him Director Zhao, and I thought he was an unapproachable official. He asked me out to watch a movie, and I didn't dare refuse. One thing led to another, and I ended up being taken advantage of by him. Who knew that his position as director was actually worthless." Xiao Mingxia laughed.

  Chen Dan also smiled, thinking that although Xiao Mingxia's parents were a bit too pragmatic, Xiao Mingxia was able to live so innocently until now, which was not necessarily due to her parents' protection. In her heart, she sighed: what you gain is always at the expense of something else...

  **************

  Tang Chuan dragged Xiao Jian upstairs and, outside the private room door, exaggeratedly choked his neck: "You're so good, Xiao Jian! You found such a promising son-in-law, yet you're always sighing and complaining. Are you afraid someone will snatch him away from you? If I don't teach you a lesson later, this director will lose all credibility..."

  Xiao Jian felt uneasy in his heart, thinking that since Shen Hua still wanted Zhao Dong to meet with the municipal party secretary, he should not be angry about what happened earlier, but nothing could be said for sure. It was just like Tang Pangzi in front of him, who looked as close as a brother, but his tactics of stepping on people behind their backs made one's heart cold when thinking about it.

  "They're all grown up and have their own accomplishments," Xiao Jian smiled, but it was harder to smile than to cry, and the lingering fear in his heart had not dissipated. He forced a smile and said to Tang Chuan, "They don't even report work-related things to me, I didn't know he still knew Zhou Zong..."

  Tang Chuan smiled and pushed the door to enter, seeing Zhou Yu and Zhou Zhi Bai both looking over, he spread his hands and said: "Failed to complete the task entrusted by Director Zhou and General Manager Zhou, Secretary Xiong took a step ahead, saying it was Secretary Tan's instructions, calling Shen Hua away, Shen Hua stayed behind, asking Xiao Ke Zhang's son-in-law to meet with Secretary Tan..."

  Zhou Yu secretly let out a sigh of relief.

  Everyone knows that Bai also knew not to compete with the municipal party secretary for customers, and whispered to his sister: "This Shen Huai has the power of life and death over the Meixi Steel Plant. Next year, they are expected to increase production by a factor of two. With this big order, Pengyue's business volume can be supported. You used to work with Shen Huai in the municipal government, so you should at least be able to say a few words..."

  Zhou Yu gave his younger brother a displeased look, thinking to himself, "Just wait until you've met Shen Huan and then say that!" But he also found it strange, how could the rundown Meixi Steel Factory increase production by twice without any investment? It wasn't convenient to ask about this at the dinner table...

  Others heard that Xiao Jian's son-in-law also went to see the municipal party secretary with him, and they were all filled with envy.

  In this private room, although everyone has status and position in Donghua, how many people are qualified to show their faces in front of the municipal party secretary?

  Everyone naturally didn't mind Zhao Dong going directly to see the municipal party secretary without coming upstairs to greet everyone first, they weren't qualified to have the municipal party secretary wait there.

  Xiao Jian's heart was a jumble of emotions, he had no idea that Zhao Dong was the great general under Shen Hua, who had been on everyone's lips recently. He felt anxious and uneasy, and when faced with others' flattering words, he didn't dare to be overly proud, only saying: "Later, I'll have Zhao Dong give a toast to everyone."

  "It seems that the municipal party secretary has been invited to stay for dinner..." someone chimed in, with a hint of sourness in their heart, and couldn't help but think that they themselves hadn't managed to snag a good son-in-law like Zhang.

  Everyone knew that Xiao Jian's daughter had not followed him up and asked: "Where is Director Xiao's daughter?"

  "Secretary Shen has a female companion downstairs, Mingxia is accompanying her there, perhaps Secretary Shen and Zhao Dong will be back in a while..." Xiao Jian replied.

  Zhou Yuxin thought that Shen Huai was indeed a lustful master, and in just a few days after going to Mei Creek, he had already hooked up with one. She was also curious about what kind of girl would follow Shen Huai out.

  After waiting for a while, Xiao Jian went downstairs again to take a look and confirmed that Shen Hui and Zhao Dong had stayed in Building No. 1 to have dinner with Secretary Tan. Xiao Jian's heart was also inexplicably excited, and he started using the banquet here, no longer waiting for Shen Hui and Zhao Dong.

  Zhou Yu was still worried that Shen Huai would run into her brother and there would be a misunderstanding, so after hastily eating dinner, she had her brother drive her back.

  Zhou Zhi Bai and Zhou Yu were invited to dinner, and Tang Chuan and Xiao Jian accompanied them. Considering the face given, they couldn't ask Vice Mayor Zhou and his son to stay for ordinary dinner etiquette after Zhou Yu spilled tea on himself earlier and needed to go back and change; so they escorted Zhou Yu and Zhou Zhi Bai downstairs as they left.

  Arriving at the hall, Zhou Yu subconsciously glanced twice at the seat by the window overlooking the lake, where he saw a young woman sitting across from Xiao Jian's daughter.

  Even though they were a little far apart, Zhou Yu was still struck by the elegant and refined demeanor of the woman sitting there.

  Zhou Yu thought he was no less handsome than others, but had to admit that this woman had a youthful aura that he had long lost. Thinking that she was the woman Shen Huai had recently found, his heart inexplicably felt a twinge of sourness, and he turned his head to leave the hall...

  Tang Chuan, Xiao Jian and others from the District Construction Bureau saw off Zhou Yu and Zhou Zhi Bai, and when they returned to Cui Hua Lou, they continued with a feast, but were not subject to too many rules.