Chapter 1154: Seeing each other every day

After all, he was in the same department as Xia Jian, and since they would be seeing each other every day, Zhao Desan didn't want to take things too far. He decided to take the opportunity to step down, softened his tone, and said: "Department Chief Xia, I didn't intend to go against you. As long as you treat everyone a bit better and don't always put on such a high-and-mighty attitude, I will definitely cooperate with your work. I also hope you can really get promoted to be the department chief. If you can't be the department chief, being a deputy department chief is fine too." Zhao Desan's last sentence could be taken two ways. After all, the news about the deputy department chief position came from Xia Jian's wife, A Fang, so he could be certain Xia Jian was secretly striving for this opportunity, and he wanted to test if there were any new developments regarding this news.

Sure enough, when the words "deputy department chief" were mentioned, Xia Jian's expression changed slightly. Seeing Zhao Desan's momentum soften, he could also regain some face. "Comrade Xiao Zhao, your words have given me a feeling of sudden enlightenment. Perhaps my way of doing things before was problematic. Thank you for the reminder; I will definitely pay attention to my methods. It was a misunderstanding between us; it's good that it's cleared up. As long as you don't affect the work of the Planning Department, I certainly won't deliberately go against you." Xia Jian wiped the cold sweat from his face; although his expression was still a bit awkward, he had found a way to back down.

Zhao Desan let out a lukewarm hum, straightened his chair, and began to do his own work. Although Xia Jian had regained some face, he had been humiliated, and being petty, how could he swallow this? Grabbing onto the small tail that Zhao Desan wasn't working properly, he got up, walked out of the office, and went to the restroom to call Lan Mei and report him.

As soon as the call connected, he complained: "Department Chief Lan, you really must discipline Zhao Desan."

Lan Mei had just arrived in Baoji and had been arranged to stay at the Jinjiang Inn by the reception staff for the Baoji City forum. She was opening her suitcase to organize her clothes. When she connected the call and heard Xia Jian say this, she asked: "Xiao Xia, what's going on?"

"Department Chief Lan, Comrade Xiao Zhao... he won't listen to my discipline, and he... he even wanted to hit me." Xia Jian said aggrievedly over the phone.

"He won't listen to your discipline? And he wanted to hit you?" Lan Mei was a bit surprised. She had specifically called Zhao Desan on the way there to tell him not to cause trouble. How could Xia Jian be reporting him right after she left?

"Yes, Department Chief Lan. You don't know, Comrade Xiao Zhao only knows how to watch movies and surf the internet during office hours. He doesn't do the work I assign at all." Xia Jian was bad-mouthing him behind his back, wanting to use Lan Mei to put pressure on Zhao Desan and settle a private grudge.

Upon hearing this, Lan Mei was indeed very angry and said: "Comrade Xiao Zhao is too presumptuous. Alright, Xiao Xia, I know. I'll call him right now!"

Afraid that Zhao Desan would retaliate if he knew he had reported him, Xia Jian quickly said: "Department Chief Lan, please don't say it was me who told you. If Zhao Desan finds out, he will definitely cause me trouble."

"Alright, I know. You go ahead and get busy." Lan Mei hung up the phone, sat on the bed, and angrily dialed Zhao Desan.

As soon as the call connected, Zhao Desan knew what was going on. He let out a hum and asked: "Department Chief Lan, did someone report me to you again?"

Zhao Desan struck first, leaving Lan Mei unable to vent her anger for a moment. She swallowed the harsh words she had intended to say, softened her tone, and chuckled: "Who said someone reported you to me? I've arrived in Baoji, just letting you know."

"You've already arrived?" Zhao Desan asked.

"Just arrived, just got settled into the hotel." Lan Mei said.

"Oh, and what about Zheng Tulu?" Zhao Desan was concerned about whether that guy would deliberately stay across from her or next door to make it convenient for him to scheme.

"Him, he's been arranged to stay downstairs." Lan Mei said. Mentioning Zheng Tulu affected her mood, so she changed the subject: "Comrade Xiao Zhao, I'll be gone for these ten days or so. Don't go doing whatever you want just because I'm not here to keep you in check. When it's time to work, you still have to work properly."

Zhao Desan said: "Department Chief Lan, don't worry. I definitely won't mess up what I'm supposed to do. I just can't stand Xia Jian's fox-borrowing-tiger-might, dog-relying-on-master's-power attitude, so I deliberately annoyed him. As long as I don't mess up, it's fine."

So that was it. Lan Mei knew that Xia Jian calling to say Zhao Desan wouldn't listen to discipline must have had a reason. Lan Mei knew Xia Jian very well; once a leader valued him, he would be so proud he'd want to show off to everyone he saw. "Don't go too far either. Listen when you should, don't make too big a scene; it's not good for anyone." Lan Mei chuckled and lectured him.

Zhao Desan said: "Got it." Then he asked with a mischievous smile: "When are you coming back?"

"In about ten days or so, why?" Lan Mei's tone also became tender.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to hold out for ten days." Zhao Desan said with a mischievous smile.

"If you can't hold out... solve it yourself." Lan Mei's tender tone carried a hint of shyness. After saying this, even she felt embarrassed, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.

"How do I solve it myself?" Zhao Desan asked with a wicked smile.

Lan Mei said shyly and stammeringly: "Beat... beat the airplane."

Damn! Hearing this word from such a cold and frosty beautiful young woman like Lan Mei really had a strange, provocative feeling. It instantly made Zhao Desan look at Lan Mei in a new light, and he smiled wickedly: "How can beating the airplane be as comfortable as doing the piston movement with you, Department Chief Lan?"

"I'm not talking to you anymore, you get indecent the more you talk." Lan Mei scolded coquettishly.

Just as Zhao Desan was hiding on the balcony flirting with Lan Mei on the phone, he suddenly saw the thirty-something young woman he had seen in Zheng Tulu's office that day drive into the Construction Committee, get out of the car, and walk into the office building. Thinking back to that moment when her gaze met his that day, those phoenix eyes seemed to carry an electric current, making him tremble slightly. He forgot for a moment that he was still on the phone, his gaze fixed straight on her.

"Comrade Xiao Zhao, why aren't you talking?" Lan Mei asked when she heard Zhao Desan stop talking.

"Oh, Department Chief Lan, I'm going to work now, let's talk when I'm free." Saying this, Zhao Desan hung up the phone, closed it, and trotted over to deliberately stand at the stairwell to wait for her to come up.

Soon, the sound of high heels stepping on the floorboards came. As the footsteps got closer, a thirty-something young woman appeared in his line of sight. Looking from afar, she was of medium height, with a round face, a waterfall of beautiful hair, and a figure that was plump but not greasy, exuding an incredibly charming and graceful air.

Zheng Tulu's taste was really not bad; any woman he took a fancy to also matched Zhao Desan's aesthetic. Human desire is endless, and Zhao Desan, who was in the age of youthful restlessness, was far from stopping his beauty-hunting actions. Seeing a beautiful woman, he had an instinctive, primitive reaction.

When He Liping walked up, she also seemed to feel a gaze staring at her. Relying on her intuition, she looked up and saw the handsome young man she had met once in Zheng Tulu's office standing at the stairwell.

Damn! He had been discovered. Zhao Desan immediately shifted his gaze away from her, took out his phone, and pressed it randomly, pretending to play with it to cover up his panic. He watched her secretly from the corner of his eye until He Liping was two steps away from coming up. Zhao Desan pretended to look at his phone and walked down. When they were walking toward each other, Zhao Desan deliberately blocked He Liping's path. They dodged left and right a few times before Zhao Desan moved to the side, deliberately appearing a bit awkward as he smiled and said: "Sorry."

He Liping was a bit angry at being messed with by this young man and gave him a white-eyed glare, but after all, she was an official and could keep her composure, so she said lightly: "It's okay." Then she continued to walk toward the third floor.

"May I ask if you are looking for our Director Zheng?" Zhao Desan asked, looking up at her.

He Liping stopped, turned her head, and said: "Yes."

"Our Director Zheng has gone to Baoji City for a meeting and won't be back for more than ten days." Zhao Desan said with an enthusiastic smile.

He Liping frowned slightly and asked: "Gone for a meeting?" ===== CHAPTER 1155 =====