Chapter 2017

"It's been a few months, kid. You look much more mature than before; you've got a real masculine air about you." Zhang Hui complimented Zhao Desan.

Being complimented like this by a woman for the first time—especially by a white-collar, sophisticated young married woman—Zhao Desan felt incredibly gratified. Feeling rather smug, he asked Zhang Hui, "In what way do I have a masculine air?"

Zhang Hui blinked her charming, large eyes, raised a jade-like hand, and without the slightest hesitation, reached toward his mouth. She gently stroked his stubble and said, "Look, your beard is coming in. This is what a man should look like."

Zhao Desan had wondered why Zhang Hui would say that; it turned out it was just because she saw the stubble on his face. He mocked himself inwardly, thinking that if it weren't for the mountain of messy problems lately leaving him frazzled, he wouldn't have let his beard grow out. Speaking of which, Zhao Desan felt he was aging rapidly. In the past, if he didn't shave for a week, nothing would show, but now, after just two days, his face would be dark and fuzzy. This sign had started ever since he discovered Zheng Jie had given him a glowing green hat. He felt he had truly given his heart to Zheng Jie, only to receive such heartless treatment in return. Although he had already given up on her, he had still been hurt deep down. While lost in these thoughts, he winked at Zhang Hui and said, "A man without hair on his face can't get things done, right?"

Zhang Hui was amused by Zhao Desan's irreverent demeanor and broke into a sweet smile. Her red lips and white teeth made Zhao Desan wish he could pull this sophisticated, charming young woman into his arms and take a few bites.

After Zhang Hui finished laughing, she looked at him with watery eyes and asked gently, "Have you resolved your personal affairs yet?"

"Guess," Zhao Desan said, playing coy now that Zhang Hui was asking about his private life.

"I'm not a tapeworm in your stomach; how could I guess?" Zhang Hui said, annoyed.

Bringing up this topic made Zhao Desan feel a bit heavy. Under normal circumstances, he rarely thought about it. He sighed with a heavy heart and said, "Not yet!"

Zhang Hui had always found it strange. With Zhao Desan's excellent qualifications—finding a good girl to marry should be a breeze—why hadn't he married yet? So, she asked in confusion, "You have the looks, a formal job, and you're witty and charming to women. Why aren't you married yet?"

"Haven't found the right one," Zhao Desan used this excuse to brush it off.

Zhang Hui rolled her eyes at him, clearly not believing him, and said, "Is it that your standards are too high, kid?"

"Maybe," Zhao Desan said with a chuckle.

Zhang Hui glanced at him and asked, "Then what kind are you looking for? Shall Sister Zhang introduce one to you?"

"Someone exactly like you, Sister Zhang," Zhao Desan said with a grin.

This was just making things difficult. Zhang Hui rolled her eyes at him and said, "Then I can't help you with that!"

Sitting beside Zhang Hui, looking at this sophisticated, charming young woman within arm's reach, Zhao Desan felt a strong urge. He really wanted to pull her into his arms and relive their past, but he didn't have the guts. For one, he was currently in a hostile state with the Lin family; if he slept with her and caused trouble, it wouldn't be worth it. Secondly, they were in the office; if He Liping suddenly discovered them, wouldn't that be a case of losing more than he gained? Being enemies with Zheng Tulu and offending He Liping would make his future days at the Construction Committee impossible.

Therefore, Zhao Desan suppressed that unbearable impulse, just feasting his eyes on the charming woman and chatting casually for a while. Zhang Hui seemed to sense that Zhao Desan had those thoughts about her. She, too, wanted to relive Zhao Desan's masculine prowess, but now, in order to get that plot of land, she had to serve Zheng Tulu wholeheartedly. It was absolutely impossible to rekindle her old love with Zhao Desan at this critical juncture. Thus, although they both understood each other's thoughts, they didn't make any excessive moves. Zhang Hui stayed in Zhao Desan's office for less than half an hour before making an excuse about having things to do and leaving. Watching her S-curve figure, especially her tight-fitting skirt that wrapped her buttocks into a round shape, Zhao Desan felt his heart race. Even long after she left, his mind was still filled with her increasingly charming figure and face. Accompanied by memories of the time in Yuyang City when Zhang Hui and that young woman with the same surname from the Public Security Bureau's household registration office had served him together, he felt it was incredible. He couldn't believe he had such glorious moments, playing a three-way game with two beautiful young women at home. Now, perhaps because he had come to Xijing, his goals in life were clearer, and his pursuit of his career was firmer; he truly didn't have as much sexual interest in these things as he did back at the Yuyang City Coal Bureau.

After Zhang Hui left the Construction Committee, she followed Lin Dafa's instructions and went straight to the Land Bureau to find Director Sun. Meanwhile, Zhao Desan was in his office recalling his past glory when he suddenly remembered the girl who had promised to wait for him and marry him. That girl was Zhao Xue. After returning to Yuyang from Xijing, Zhao Xue had been at home taking care of her mother, who had undergone major surgery. Occasionally, she would call Zhao Desan to check on him. Over these past two years, as Zhao Desan met more people and had more work, his calls to Zhao Xue gradually decreased. If it weren't for the sudden memory of her, he almost would have forgotten how long it had been since he last called her.

So, Zhao Desan picked up his phone and dialed that long-lost number. The call connected quickly. On the phone, Zhao Desan chatted with Zhao Xue about many things, telling her his inner thoughts he had never shared with anyone else: the difficulties he faced at work, interpersonal relationships at the unit, and his career planning. Aside from his affairs with women, he told Zhao Xue everything without reservation.

Zhao Xue said she would wait for him. Whenever he wanted to get married, she would walk down the aisle with him. After hanging up, Zhao Desan suddenly buried his face in his hands and wept. He didn't know why he was crying; perhaps he was moved by Zhao Xue, or perhaps he was thinking about the hardships of life. To outsiders, he might be a guy with a bright future, but only he knew how much backstabbing he had to face every day in the officialdom, which was filled with unwritten rules. He felt exhausted, but he had never changed his mind about things he had already decided, not even if ten cows tried to pull him back.

Zhao Desan decided to return to Yuyang during the National Day holiday to see Zhao Xue and preserve this hard-won relationship. Although he was a natural romantic, before entering the Coal Bureau, due to his family's poverty and lack of a proper job, he had always lived a hand-to-mouth existence. But after entering the Coal Bureau, Zhao Desan's story could be written as an inspirational novel about a loser's comeback. Coupled with his naturally superior looks, Zhao Desan's life became colorful. Starting with Director Zhang Ailing, almost none of the beautiful, wealthy women in the unit could escape his "blazing beauty" plan. Over the past few years, Zhao Desan couldn't say he had slept with countless women, but it was at least twenty. Almost every woman had had a short or long emotional entanglement with him, but the only one who didn't make him want to pull up his pants and leave was Zhao Xue. Regarding Zhao Xue, Zhao Desan had always held an attitude of "look but don't touch." Several times, when a little extra effort could have "lawfully executed" her, he chose to give up. It wasn't until later, when he realized Zhao Xue truly liked him, that he had intimate contact with her. To his pleasant surprise, Zhao Xue was actually a virgin. That night, when he climbed off Zhao Xue, panting, and saw the bright red rose on the snow-white sheets, Zhao Desan decided he would marry no one but Zhao Xue in this life. Although he had loved many women, compared to the others, Zhao Xue was undoubtedly the best candidate for marriage.

This morning, Zhao Desan's mind was full of Zhao Xue's beautiful image. Her face, without any makeup, was fresh and refined,

as mesmerizing as a lotus flower rising from the water. Her every smile, her clear and beautiful appearance, seemed to be happening right before his eyes. It seemed as if Zhao Xue's silver-bell-like, sweet laughter was still ringing in his ears.

He fell into a recollection of the past, a foolish smile blooming on his dazed face. His eyes looked blankly at the wall, a silly grin on his face, and even two lines of drool flowed from the corners of his mouth. He really looked quite ridiculous.

It wasn't until a "creak" of the door opening reached his ears that Zhao Desan suddenly snapped back to reality. He discovered that Lan Mei was already standing in front of him. She raised her beautiful eyebrows, her black, bright, watery eyes widened like a cow's, and her fiery red lips were wide open, clearly in a state of extreme astonishment. She was holding a lunch box in her hand.

Only when Zhao Desan suddenly discovered Lan Mei appearing before him, looking at him in such an unbelievable way, did he realize he had been a bit uncomposed. He quickly swallowed his saliva, wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, and said with a grin, "Section Chief Lan, why... why are you here?"