Chapter 727

This accident left Zhao De at a loss for what to do. If he didn't go when Sister Su asked him to dinner, it would definitely be inexcusable. But he had already made an appointment to treat Zheng Ru to dinner tonight to realize his "long-cherished wish." These two things colliding left him at a loss. After thinking about it for a long time, he really didn't want to let go of this rare opportunity, so he replied to Su Qing, saying he had to work overtime tonight.

Who knew that just a few minutes before work ended, Su Qing called him directly and said with a smile, "What overtime? Your Division Chief Zheng is with me. Even if you have to work overtime, he said he'd specially approve you not to. Just come over after work."

Zhao De was stunned for a moment. How could that old guy be with Sister Su? The dinner party must have been set up by him, right? After thinking about it and not understanding, since Sister Su had already said so, he really couldn't find any excuse. Although he was extremely reluctant, he had no choice but to agree.

After hanging up the phone, Zheng Ru was also on a call. After she finished, he leaned over and said extremely apologetically, "Zheng Ru, I'm really sorry. My cousin has something for me to do tonight, so I can't treat you to dinner. How about I treat you another day? I'm really sorry."

"I was just about to tell you the same thing. I have something to do and can't go either. This is good; we both have things to do, so let's talk about it another day," Zheng Ru said, not angry at all.

This rare opportunity was missed just like that, which made Zhao De feel very regretful. Watching the swan meat he was about to eat slip away, and having to face her and fantasize all day, really didn't feel good. Thinking that he was only living that monotonous married life with Sister Su, it really wasn't very comfortable for Zhao De, who was like a fish in water among the flowers. Even if Su Qing were twenty years younger, as beautiful as a fairy, and had a devilish figure, riding on her body alone every day would eventually get boring. People often change their tastes when eating; it's the same with playing with women. Thinking of these things, Zhao De even regretted coming to the province. Thinking back to when he was working at the Yuyang Coal Bureau, how romantic and happy he was. From the bureau chief Zhang Ailing to those young and beautiful girls in the bureau, which one didn't he play with whenever he wanted? Changing tastes every day, that kind of carefree life couldn't be compared to this monotonous life now.

But what's the use of regretting now? There's no way; since he chose the path himself, he could only accept it as it came and slowly look for prey again.

After work, he packed his things and walked out of the Construction Committee gate with a very unhappy mood. He hailed a taxi on the side of the road and went directly to the 'Tian Ren Yi' restaurant. In the car, while regretting, he wondered what Zheng Tulu, that old guy, was inviting Sister Su to dinner for today. Was he going to report him? He had been behaving himself every day since he came here for a while and hadn't done anything out of line, let alone left any handle, so he didn't think too much about it.

Half an hour later, he arrived at the 'Tian Ren Yi' restaurant. Zhao De called Su Qing downstairs, asked for the private room number, and went directly in to find it. Outside the door, he tidied up his very unhappy mood, piled a smile on his face, and knocked on the door a few times gently. From inside came Su Qing's feminine voice: "Come in."

Zhao De pushed the door open and saw only Sister Su and Zheng Tulu sitting inside. Seeing him come, Zheng Tulu said enthusiastically, "Comrade Xiao Zhao is here."

"Division Chief Zheng, you're here too," Zhao De greeted him respectfully, walked to Sister Su's side, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

"Tonight, your Division Chief Zheng is treating Sister to dinner. You said you were working overtime and didn't want to come. Your Division Chief Zheng is here, so what overtime are you working?" Su Qing said with a light smile.

"I... I just started working, so I want to learn more," Zhao De was stunned for a moment and said with a smooth grin.

Zheng Tulu took the opportunity to say with a face full of smiles, "Minister Su, look, I was right, wasn't I? I said Comrade Xiao Zhao has performed very well since he came to the unit. He is very diligent and motivated in his work, so you don't have to worry. I will keep an eye on him for you. If he doesn't work hard, I will definitely criticize him."

Hearing him say this, Su Qing was very satisfied in her heart. A satisfied smile appeared on the corners of her mouth. She turned her head and instructed Zhao De, "Did you hear that? Division Chief Zheng has been watching you. You should perform well, have enthusiasm for your work, and have motivation. Don't lose face for me."

Zhao De nodded respectfully and said, "Su..." He was already used to calling her Sister Su and almost blurted it out, revealing the flaw and exposing their relationship. As soon as he said the word "Su," he quickly corrected himself without a trace, saying, "Cousin, don't worry. I will definitely work hard and not live up to the good intentions of you and our Division Chief Zheng."

"Comrade Xiao Zhao is a good young man. He is not only motivated in his work at the unit but also gets along well with his colleagues." Zheng Tulu was determined to make Zhao De his son-in-law and kept praising him in front of Su Qing. Such enthusiastic praise made Zhao De very uncomfortable and puzzled. He gave him a grateful smile, looked at the table which was still empty, and said with a grin, "Sister Su, you and Division Chief Zheng haven't ordered yet, right? I'll ask the waiter to bring the menu over." As he said this, he got up to go out. Zheng Tulu said from behind, "Comrade Xiao Zhao, no rush, no rush." As soon as he finished speaking, the private room door was pushed open, and Zheng Ru walked in.

Zhao De was just walking to the private room door, and the two bumped into each other face-to-face. Both looked at each other, puzzled. Zheng Ru looked at Su Qing again and understood what was going on. It turned out that Zheng Tulu had called before work, saying he was going to treat a big shot to dinner tonight and asked her to come over to accompany them. She didn't expect it to be Zhao De's cousin.

Zhao De was stunned for a moment, and he also knew what was going on. His surprised expression gradually calmed down. He smiled at Zheng Ru a bit awkwardly and said, "You're here too."

"What a coincidence," Zheng Ru said with a light smile.

Seeing his precious daughter come, Zheng Tulu quickly pulled out a chair beside him and greeted her: "Ruru, come in and sit. Everyone is waiting for you."

"Xiao Zheng is here," Su Qing greeted her with an approachable smile.

Out of politeness, Zheng Ru nodded at Su Qing with a smile and said, "Hello, Minister Su."

"Sit down. Once you sit down, let De call the waiter to bring the menu and order," Su Qing said.

Zheng Ru walked over and sat down beside Zheng Tulu. Zhao De called the waiter outside the private room to bring the menu over. Logically speaking, Su Qing had the highest authority at this table and should order first, but because of their special relationship, Zhao De was very good at handling things and pushed the menu to Zheng Tulu, saying, "Division Chief Zheng, you order."

If it were people from the Construction Committee eating together, Zheng Tulu would definitely be the first to order without hesitation. But today, Su Qing, the Minister of the Provincial Organization Department, whose rank was much higher than his, was present. Zheng Tulu definitely knew what to do, so he bent over and respectfully offered the menu to Su Qing again, saying with a grin, "Minister Su, you go first."

After some pushing back and forth, Su Qing ordered a few dishes at random and handed the menu to Zheng Tulu, who then ordered. After ordering, he enthusiastically offered it to Zhao De again, saying, "Comrade Xiao Zhao, you order. Order whatever you like."

Zheng Ru saw that her dad's enthusiasm for Zhao De was a bit excessive, appearing a bit servile, and felt very uncomfortable. She thought that Zhao De was his subordinate after all, and fawning over him in front of his cousin was too shameful. She glared at him unpleasantly.

Zhao De saw that the dishes were almost ordered, so he didn't order and handed the menu directly to Zheng Ru, who didn't order either.

"Minister Su, shall we serve the dishes?" Zheng Tulu asked for Su Qing's opinion with a grin. She nodded in agreement, and Zheng Tulu called the waiter to serve the dishes according to the menu.

Zhao De and Zheng Ru were both puzzled about the purpose of this dinner party tonight, and since it wasn't easy to ask directly, they could only prick up their ears and listen carefully to the conversation to see if they could figure out the reason.

Su Qing sipped her tea and smiled at Zheng Tulu, saying, "Old Zheng, thank you for this dinner today. Originally, I had already promised to attend the dinner party for the promotion of Provincial Secretary Zhao's wife tonight, but since you called, I pushed it aside."

Although Su Qing's words to Zheng Tulu seemed casual, they also contained implied meanings. One point was to hint to Zheng Tulu that she had pushed aside such an important dinner party to grace him with her presence, so you, Zheng Liangyu, should take good care of my cousin at the unit.

Not to mention the Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee Office, even an ordinary secretary of the Provincial Party Committee was often surrounded by provincial leaders. Even if his administrative rank might not be as high as Zheng Tulu's, he still had to show some respect. Therefore, Zheng Tulu felt flattered from the bottom of his heart that Su Qing could accept the invitation to this dinner, and he said excitedly with a smile, "Minister Su, you were able to push aside such an important matter and come to this dinner in your busy schedule. I should be the one thanking you."

Su Qing said with a smile, "Old Zheng, you are too polite. You are the one treating tonight; how can you thank me? Besides, my cousin works under you, so we can be considered old acquaintances. Don't thank each other like this; just be casual."