Chapter 309: Minister Su, fifty years old?

Su Qing looked at Zhao De with a smile and said, "Xiao Zhao hasn't finished eating yet, right? Why don't you two continue eating? I'll excuse myself first."

Zhao De had also eaten enough. Seeing that Su Qing had something to do and was leaving first, he felt it wouldn't be very good for him and Su Jing to stay behind—he might even have to pay the bill himself. So he said, "Minister Su, I'm finished. Su Jing and I will leave too, shall we?"

Su Jing glanced at him sideways and said to Su Qing, "Cousin, we're leaving too. We won't delay you."

"You know, there are many things in the Provincial Committee, especially these social engagements. Sometimes there's no way around it," Su Qing said with an apologetic face.

"Cousin, I know. It's not easy for someone in such a high position as you, and the relationships in the Provincial Committee are complex; you can't offend anyone," Su Jing said, expressing her understanding. She had already stood up and was picking up her coat from the back of the chair to put it on.

Seeing this, Zhao De also stood up and said to Su Qing with a chuckle: "Minister Su, Su Jing is right. You go ahead and do your business; we've finished eating."

Only then did Su Qing stand up, call the waiter in, and sign the bill directly, which counted as paying.

Coming out of the restaurant, Su Qing had them get in the car together, dropped them off at the hotel, and then went to attend the dinner party with the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

Su Jing and Zhao De watched Su Qing's car drive away before turning and walking into the hotel. In the elevator, Zhao De couldn't help but praise Su Qing in front of Su Jing: "Su Jing, your cousin is really amazing. She's the Minister of the Provincial Organization Department at such a young age; it's truly admirable."

Su Jing widened her eyes and said, "My cousin is young?"

Zhao De had actually heard Li Shanshan say long ago that Su Qing was at least forty-five years old, but she looked like she was in her thirties. Her skin was fair, her appearance beautiful, and her figure hadn't lost its shape, so overall she was quite attractive—especially to a man like him who had a soft spot for young married women and mature women. She was full of lethal power, making him especially infatuated.

"She looks like she's in her thirties, and she's the Minister of the Provincial Organization Department in her thirties—isn't that amazing?" Zhao De said, deliberately pretending to be ignorant.

Su Jing laughed: "In her thirties? My cousin is old enough to be your mother, and you say she's in her thirties!"

"You mean Minister Su is... fifty years old?" Zhao De expressed disbelief, his expression very surprised.

Su Jing nodded and said, "Do you think my cousin is a fairy? Do you think it's that easy to climb to the position of Minister of the Provincial Organization Department? You calculate it yourself: starting from the grassroots, one position takes at least two years. By the time you climb to the position of Minister of the Provincial Organization Department, you're at least fifty."

"Then... then Minister Su maintains herself really well."

Su Jing said proudly, "That's right. My cousin was beautiful when she was young. Although she's older now, her figure and skin are still well-maintained, and she looks very young."

Exiting the elevator, Zhao De didn't want to go back to his room, so he pretended to follow Su Jing. When she opened her door, he followed her in.

When Su Jing turned to close the door, she realized Zhao De had followed her in and asked in surprise, "What are you coming in for?"

Zhao De said with a grin, "You're going to sleep so early? Let's chat for a while before sleeping!"

Su Jing lifted her chin and asked with raised eyebrows, "What do you want to chat about?" Ever since Zhao De entered her room under the guise of chatting last time and did that to her, she had become more vigilant about Zhao De seeking her out alone.

From her expression and tone, Zhao De sensed that this girl was guarding against him, so he chuckled: "I thought you really weren't angry anymore. It seems you're still taking that matter to heart!"

Zhao De deliberately provoked her. This silly girl Su Jing really was easily fooled. She pouted, rolled her eyes, and denied it: "Who said I'm still taking it to heart!"

"Then why are you still keeping me out?"

Su Jing turned around, swung her arms, walked straight to the bed, sat down, looked at him with a straight face, and asked, "What do you want to chat about?"

Zhao De chuckled, closed the door, and said unhurriedly, "Just chatting." As he said this, he walked over and sat down beside her, then suddenly said "Ah" and lifted his buttocks: "I didn't sit on your underwear again, did I?"

Zhao De was actually teasing her on purpose. Who knew that Su Jing, in her anxiety, was momentarily stunned? She even forgot that she had just returned from outside and hadn't taken off her bra. She glanced at the bed and found it empty. After making this gesture, she realized she had just returned from outside and burst into laughter, amused by herself.

"Su Jing, what are you laughing at?" Zhao De felt confused instead.

"Nothing... nothing." Su Jing covered her mouth and giggled, looking like she couldn't stop. A rosy color rose on her beautiful oval face, and she looked as delicate and charming as a budding flower.

Zhao De, feeling a bit concerned, slowly raised an arm, placed his hand on her back, patted it twice, and said, "I don't know what made you so happy."

Su Jing didn't mind him putting his hand on her back at all. She just pursed her lips and smiled for a while before straightening her waist, and his hand slid down naturally.

Zhao De was very interested in Su Qing's emotional life and took the opportunity to chat about her: "Su Jing, your cousin is the Minister of the Provincial Organization Department. Since she has such an amazing background, why don't you let her find you a job in some department of the Provincial Committee? Why stay in that backwater of Yuyang?"

"You think the Minister of the Provincial Organization Department can transfer people at will and cover the sky with one hand? Government recruitment is transparent now. If some department in the province really needs people, they have to hold public recruitment and take exams. It's not as simple as you think! It's already good enough that I can work at the Yuyang Coal Bureau."

"Oh, is that so? I really admire your cousin. For a woman to be able to reach the position of Minister of the Provincial Organization Department, I truly admire her to the point of bowing down. It's too amazing. There's a saying that behind every successful man there is a woman supporting him. For a successful woman like your cousin, there must be an even more amazing man behind her, right?"

"My cousin?" Su Jing glanced at him. "My cousin is still alone now. Where would there be a man more powerful than her behind her?"

Zhao De looked surprised and asked in disbelief: "You mean Minister Su is still alone? Not married yet?"

Su Jing shook her head and said, "She was married, but she divorced a few years ago. Now she's just alone. On the surface, she holds such a high position and is glorious, but her emotional life is a blank slate; there's not even a clue yet. You say, once a woman reaches her forties, even if she's good-looking, what man would dare to want her? Not to mention my cousin holds such a high position; what man wants to find a woman much stronger than himself? She's quite lonely alone."

So that means this charming, mature boss lady Su Qing has been all alone these past few years? A woman in her forties or fifties, in the prime of her passionate, tiger-and-wolf years, how could she endure the loneliness of living alone? Especially the physical loneliness and solitude—that's the most fatal thing.

Thinking of this, Zhao De began to have bad ideas about her. However, if he wanted to take down Su Qing this time, it wouldn't be as simple as in the past; it would definitely be a dangerous and unpredictable path.