Chapter 216

Zhang Xiaoyan choked and coughed a few times, narrowed her eyes, frowned, and said, "Zhao Desan... do you want... do you want to take advantage of me again?"

"What's wrong? You'd rather be taken advantage of by that old guy Deputy Director Wang than let me?" Zhao Desan teased her on purpose. In fact, he had no feelings for her anymore; he didn't like eating Wang Anguo's leftovers all the time.

"You... you're so despicable!" Zhang Xiaoyan lowered her head and cursed him, then softened her tone and said shyly, "Not now, I have to work. Can we do it tonight?"

"I don't think I'm despicable. It's all the same whoever takes advantage. Besides, I didn't force you. It's fine if you don't agree, it doesn't matter."

"No... when did I not agree to you?" Zhang Xiaoyan muttered, "But not now, it's work hours, it's not convenient."

"Alright, hurry up and go do your work." Zhao Desan laughed, "I'm just teasing you."

Seeing that she had been played by him, Zhang Xiaoyan raised her face, glared at him fiercely, turned around in a huff, opened the door, slammed it shut with a "bang," and left.

Zhao Desan had teased Zhang Xiaoyan and was extremely triumphant to see her leave with a green face. He had no good feelings for anyone who was close to Wang Anguo. At first, he had a good impression of this quiet girl Zhang Xiaoyan, but this girl would stop at nothing for her future, not hesitating to sell her youth and body to be played with by that old guy, which made him gradually develop a sense of disgust toward her.

But public institutions were just like this. If you had no backing and no background, as a newcomer, no matter how capable you were, wanting to get promoted was a fantasy. In these public institutions full of intrigue and dark calculations, only by leaning against a mountain would you have a future. Without a leader to support you, you could only look at those who were rising rapidly and sigh.

Zhao Desan had now gotten close to Zhang Ailing, the top leader, and felt it was imperative to unite closely around her, take her as the center, satisfy her empty body and spiritual world, and seize this opportunity to climb up through her. It was precisely because Director Zhang had developed a physical dependence on him and took extra care of him that Wang Anguo had been unable to get rid of him, this thorn in his side, and simply couldn't do anything about him.

On Christmas afternoon, Zhao Desan was reciting sketch lines in his office when his phone vibrated twice. He put down the script, took the phone, and saw it was a message from Li Shanshan.

What does she want to do now? Zhao Desan squeezed a devious smile at the corner of his mouth and opened the message to see: "Zhao Desan, tomorrow is Christmas Eve, accompany me to stroll around the street."

Tomorrow is Christmas already, time really passes fast. In the blink of an eye, he had been working at the Coal Bureau for more than three months, Zhao Desan sighed in his heart and replied to Li Shanshan, agreeing to accompany her for Christmas Eve, but he just felt that why were Chinese people nowadays so worshipful of foreign things! They didn't pay any attention to their own country's traditional festivals, but the atmosphere of these foreign festivals was exceptionally strong. For Zhao Desan, the festivals he disliked the most were those that symbolized reunion. He lived alone now, his father had been sentenced to over ten years and was in prison, and it was considered good if he could find time to visit him twice a year. It wasn't that he didn't want to see his father, but he had already gotten used to living alone, and every time he saw him, he would feel sad and remember his childhood life.

This day passed boringly again. Apart from memorizing the sketch lines he was going to perform, he didn't do anything all day. The work in this public institution was just leisurely, and he was only managing the warehouse work in the Logistics Division, basically equivalent to a warehouse keeper. If there was nothing, there was nothing; if there was something, it was just the trivial matter of collecting office supplies, which he just had to register with Zhang Aiai or Fatty Sister, not costing him any effort.

The next day was Christmas. Before work ended, his phone beeped a few times. Without thinking, he guessed it was from Li Shanshan. He picked up the phone and saw the name Ma Lan on the screen. He opened it and saw a Christmas blessing message: "It doesn't matter if there's no chimney, don't worry if you haven't prepared socks. As long as your phone is on, you will receive the big gift I sent you. The words are short but the feelings are deep. After receiving it, the corners of your mouth will curve, and happiness will be endless!"

Zhao Desan received Ma Lan's blessing text message, and the corners of his mouth really couldn't help but curve, revealing a happy smile. He hadn't ignored Ma Lan these days, but she was busy on her side, and coupled with the fact that the incident of Ma Ting being raped just ended like that, he felt powerless and didn't know how to help her, and was embarrassed to disturb her again.

Now receiving Ma Lan's message made his heart feel endless and very warm. He also used his witty and flexible brain to compile a doggerel message and sent it to her: "Happiness is like a government document, more and more; appearance is like a political achievement project, better and better; troubles are like the unit's welfare, less and less; income is like national tax revenue, higher and higher; stocks are like housing price regulation, the more they are regulated, the more they rise; friendship is like a leader's speech, longer and longer; good mood is like a departmental meeting, every day; blessings are like superior inspections, arriving as soon as they are mentioned."

After sending the message, he was still holding the phone in a daze when the office door creaked open. Li Shanshan appeared at the office door wearing a black wool coat with shoulder straps, graceful and charming, with a unique style, a happy smile overflowing from the corners of her mouth, saying, "Not off work yet?"

Zhao Desan hurriedly put away his phone and laughed, "Isn't this waiting for you? What? You dressed up so gorgeously to go out and revel tonight, aren't you afraid of hooligans blocking the way?"

"Isn't that why I have you?" Li Shanshan had a happy smile on her face, gently closed the door, walked to the desk, and leaned against the edge of the table, her high heels tapping on the ground, saying, "Pack up your things, let's go out and play."

"I really don't understand, what's so fun about a foreign festival." Zhao Desan said with a light laugh, picked up his bag, zipped it up, took his coat off the back of the chair, stood up, and put it on.

"The street must be very lively tonight," Li Shanshan said expectantly, "I've already booked a booth at the bar. The bar has invited stars to sing tonight."

"Bullshit stars." Zhao Desan said with disdain. He hated those guys who relied on hype to get ahead the most, feeling that those guys were just actors.

"Are you... are you sincerely accompanying me or not?" Li Shanshan pouted and stared at him angrily.

"Accompanying, didn't I already promise you." Zhao Desan laughed lightly, zipped up his coat, carried his bag, and said, "Let's go, accompany you for Christmas Eve, and join in the fun."

Li Shanshan suddenly happily took his arm. Zhao Desan glanced at her sideways and said with a bitter expression, "Miss Li, this is the unit, people will gossip if they see us."

Li Shanshan let go immediately and said domineeringly, "Then let me take your arm when we get on the street later."

"Nonsense, there are so many people on the street tonight, if I don't look after you, and you take someone else's arm, I can't afford that responsibility," Zhao Desan joked, "Let's go, let's set off." He opened the office door, and a gust of cold wind blew in, making him shiver.

Li Shanshan followed him out of the office, locked the door, and walked side by side toward the Coal Bureau gate.

When they reached the front courtyard, they happened to run into Wang Anguo, who was opening the car door to get in. Seeing Li Shanshan and Zhao Desan walking together intimately, a fake smile squeezed onto his fat face, and he laughed, "Xiao Li and Xiao Zhao are off work together?"

Zhao Desan flattered him with a smile, "Yes, the leader is just off work too?"

"Mm, I heard from Section Chief Zhang that you reported a sketch program for the New Year's party, I'm looking forward to it."

"The leader is even concerned about these things of mine?" Zhao Desan laughed lightly.

"Xiao Zhao, you've worked under me for a period of time after all, no matter what, you're a talent who came out of Wang Anguo's hands, so I must pay attention. How is the preparation going?"

"Thanks for your concern, Leader, I'm still preparing." Zhao Desan said with a smile.

"That's fine, perform well, I'll enjoy your program, Comrade Xiao Zhao, when the time comes, hehe." Wang Anguo said with a smile, "Alright, I'm leaving first." He lowered his head and climbed into his special car.

"Drive slowly, Leader." Zhao Desan waved his hand with a smile, and he and Li Shanshan watched his car drive out of the Coal Bureau before walking out of the gate side by side.

Li Shanshan said the liveliest place at night was Jiefang Road Pedestrian Street. Looking around and seeing no one, she took Zhao Desan's arm, pulled him to the side of the road to hail a taxi, and went straight to Jiefang Road.

In the car, Zhao Desan asked Li Shanshan what she had been busy with these days. Li Shanshan said, "Nothing much, just helping Director Zhang pass documents and organize some files all day long."

"Director Zhang doesn't seem very busy lately. The Municipal Committee hasn't arranged any major events for the bureau, right?"

"Where would there be so many major events? On the first day after the New Year's holiday, Lin Dafa's Heihe Coal Mine will hold its opening foundation laying. I'll probably have to follow Director Zhang there. That place is too far, I really don't want to go!"

"You're still able to go, I don't even have the qualifications to go even if I want to!" Zhao Desan said with disappointment. After all, being able to follow Director Zhang in and out of various important occasions could be considered a kind of success. Unlike him, the only way he could get close to Director Zhang now was to sleep with her and do that thing. Only when Director Zhang was physically empty would she take the initiative to find him. Usually, when there was nothing to do, he could only stay in that one-third of an acre of land in the Logistics Division.

"Forget it, I actually think you're quite leisurely staying in the Logistics Division all day." Li Shanshan glanced at him, leaned her face against his shoulder, opened her mouth, wanted to say something, a look of shyness appeared on her face, and she stopped talking.

Zhao Desan felt uncomfortable being leaned on like this. Holding such a great beauty in his arms, with a great figure and a handsome face, it really made people feel pity. If it were someone else, perhaps they wouldn't be able to help but kiss that beautiful face, but Zhao Desan didn't lack women, and he had no heartfelt feelings for Li Shanshan. He just felt this girl was not bad, and since she liked being with him, he would just accompany her to play.

On Christmas Eve, Jiefang Road was truly crowded with people. The taxi was blocked far away and couldn't get in. The driver said, "Why don't you get off here? It can't get in, there are too many people."