Chapter 1829

With this psychological burden, Zhao Desan appeared much more polite when speaking. He nodded to He Liping and said, "Deputy Director He, you must already know what happened in the unit today. I came to find you today to trouble you to help check the flow of these special construction funds."

"Giggle..." He Liping still had that cheerful and uninhibited personality. Seeing Zhao Desan's serious demeanor, she found it funny, so she poked Zhao Desan's waist hard and said with a smile, "Still 'Deputy Director He'? I really admire you; we have that kind of relationship, and you can still call me that!"

"Hehe," Zhao Desan felt a bit awkward at what He Liping said. He smiled and then said seriously, "After all, this is the unit, it's different from being outside. In the unit, we only talk about work; personal matters are pleasures outside of the eight-hour workday."

"Yo, I really didn't notice. Our Deputy Division Chief Liu went to Beijing for training and forgot about old feelings..." Speaking of this, He Liping deliberately paused to look at Zhao Desan's expression. Seeing that he was only a bit reserved and had no other aversion, she continued, "Could it be that the things you did in the warehouse for the first time also count as outside the eight-hour workday?"

"This..." Zhao Desan's face turned red at He Liping's question. He said embarrassedly, "That... that was a special situation. Who... who told you to be so beautiful!" Zhao Desan knew women quite well. Since he couldn't find a suitable excuse, he pushed the responsibility directly onto He Liping: because she was beautiful, he lost control. He thought He Liping would definitely accept this reason.

"Giggle..." He Liping was always that optimistic. Her silver-bell-like laughter almost became her identity. No matter where she went, as long as she was there, this pleasant sound would appear. With the laughter, He Liping moved closer to Zhao Desan and said, "Alright, put away that official-but-not-big-but-arrogant attitude of yours. I've seen too much of that and I'm already tired of it. It's better to return to your original self. That way I can be more relaxed and cooperate better with your work, don't you think?"

Zhao Desan felt that he was intentionally making things difficult for himself. The woman didn't feel pretentious at all, yet he, a grown man, was acting coy and putting on airs—wasn't that uncomfortable? Thinking of this, he changed his face and said with a grin, "That's best. We can balance work and life."

"Alright, you go back now. The matter needs to be handled. I'll pick you up tonight, and we'll find a place to have a good chat, how about that?" He Liping winked at Zhao Desan.

"Tonight?" Zhao Desan immediately thought of Lan Mei's invitation and the look in her eyes when she left. So he continued, "Sister He, tonight might not work. I've already arranged something."

"Why, is there something more important than this big matter in the unit?" He Liping asked with disdain.

He Liping's words were spot on and hit Zhao Desan right in the heart. Even if he went to Lan Mei's, it was precisely because this matter was directly related to her work relationship. Of course, he didn't know what that look in Lan Mei's eyes represented, so he also wanted to clarify this as soon as possible. But now the timing clashed, and he didn't have the ability to be in two places at once. What was he to do?

Zhao Desan's silence made He Liping feel inexplicable. Generally speaking, a man would only hesitate in the face of a major event if he had a date with a woman he was quite intimate with. Otherwise, no matter how important the matter was, he would first cancel the invitation of such a famous and beautiful woman, especially when it was something he needed to know most!

Thinking of this, He Liping felt a surge of jealousy from nowhere. She pouted, her face darkened, and she said angrily, "Forget it. Since you have something to do, we'll talk another day. But I might not be free another day."

"This..." Zhao Desan hesitated for a moment, then said quickly, "Alright, I promise you. I'll wait for you in the office when I get off work tonight."

"Seems very reluctant!" He Liping said, full of jealousy.

"No, not reluctant. I really made an appointment with someone else first. As the saying goes, 'a gentleman's word is his bond.' I don't want to be that kind of petty person who doesn't keep their word." Zhao Desan said, trying to excuse himself.

"Save it, you must have a date with some pretty girl!" He Liping said angrily.

"Hehe, Sister He, it seems you're a bit jealous. Really, there's no one; it's a matter at my home." Zhao Desan said, covering up.

"Forget it, I won't argue with you about this. Arguing only adds to my own troubles. It's settled then, see you after work tonight." He Liping wanted to say something else, but seeing that the timing wasn't right and that Zhao Desan had promised to discuss this with her tonight, she would wait until tonight to make him understand everything.

As soon as Zhao Desan came out of He Liping's office and went down to the first floor, he hurriedly called Lan Mei. After the call connected, Zhao Desan said tactfully, "Division Chief Lan, I have a temporary engagement tonight, I'm afraid I can't go to your place. How about... how about tomorrow?" ===== CHAPTER 1830 =====