Chapter 882: Calm and Composed

"It's been such a long time since I've been in touch with you, Director Liu. Since I'm in Xijing, I thought I'd give you a call to say hello. I wonder if you have time tonight to squeeze in a meal and meet with this old subordinate of yours to catch up?" Ma Lan said with a smile.

Liu Jianguo was currently drinking with people from the Municipal Party Committee Office. Drinking with a bunch of big men naturally wasn't as enjoyable as drinking with a glamorous, mature woman. Thus, he immediately said with a chuckle, "I do, of course I do. Even if I didn't, Ma Lan, since you've come to Xijing City, I have to see you no matter what. You name a place, and I'll be there in a while."

Ma Lan wasn't very familiar with places to eat in Xijing, so she smiled seductively and said, "You should name the place, Director Liu. I'm not very familiar with Xijing. You pick a spot, and I'll head over there."

"Then... then you come to the Haitian Restaurant." Liu Jianguo was currently drinking at the Haitian Restaurant and didn't want to look for another place, so he thought for a moment and said directly.

"Alright then, Director Liu, we'll chat slowly when we meet in a while." Ma Lan said with a smile. After hanging up, she opened her navigation app and, guided by the navigation, headed toward the Haitian Restaurant.

After finishing that call, Liu Jianguo opened another private room at the Haitian Restaurant, ordered dishes, and returned to continue drinking with the people from the Municipal Party Committee Office. After waiting for nearly half an hour, Ma Lan arrived at the Haitian Restaurant and called him from the entrance.

"Little Lan, are you here?" Liu Jianguo asked with a hearty laugh over the phone. Having not seen Ma Lan for many years, and recalling her beautiful appearance and sexy, graceful figure, Liu Jianguo was somewhat anxious to see her.

Ma Lan stood at the Haitian Restaurant and said, "Director Liu, I'm at the entrance. Where are you?" She peered inside as she spoke.

"Alright, Little Lan, wait a moment, I'll come down to pick you up." After saying this, Liu Jianguo laughed and excused himself from the group. He walked out of the private room in high spirits. As he walked downstairs, he saw a woman standing at the entrance, wearing high heels and standing about 1.72 meters tall, peering inside. She had fair, tender skin, a beautiful face, and a graceful figure. Although he hadn't seen her for many years, the glamorous aura she radiated allowed Liu Jianguo to recognize Ma Lan at a glance. He walked toward her with a chuckle and waved to greet her: "Little Lan."

Hearing someone call her name, Ma Lan followed the sound and saw a man with a protruding belly and an official-looking air walking out with a face full of smiles. Because it had been too long since they last met, and because Liu Jianguo had become increasingly stout as his career progressed, Ma Lan didn't recognize him at first. It wasn't until Liu Jianguo walked closer that she suddenly realized who it was. She walked up with a smile, extended both hands to grasp his fleshy palms, and while shaking them, said with a seductive smile, "Director Liu, you've changed so much! You have more and more presence; I didn't recognize you for a moment."

Liu Jianguo held her delicate palms, reluctant to let go. He looked at Ma Lan with a chuckle, discovering that this woman hadn't changed at all after all these years. She was still as young and charming as ever, with skin that seemed ready to break at a touch, a trendy haircut that radiated youthful energy, and a figure that hadn't lost its shape—plump breasts and a round bottom. "Little Lan, you haven't changed at all in these years; you're still so beautiful and charming." Liu Jianguo held her hand, his heart itching, and forgot to let go for a while. He chuckled and looked her up and down, praising her endlessly.

Because there were so many people coming and going in the restaurant, Ma Lan felt embarrassed that he was still holding her hand after the handshake, so she intentionally pulled her hand back and said with a calm, smiling expression, "Director Liu, you really know how to talk. I'm old now; I'm almost forty."

Liu Jianguo looked at their joined hands and realized he had been a bit unseemly. He immediately let go, his fat, round face filled with a smile that anyone could see was ill-intentioned, and said, "Little Lan, you're really too modest. You're not old at all; you look just like a young married woman in her early thirties. You really are becoming more and more flavorful as you grow older."

With people passing by on both sides, Ma Lan felt very pleased by his compliments but also felt a bit embarrassed by the strange looks from other men passing by. She said with a smile, "Director Liu, you really know how to talk. You're a leader, after all. Shall we go inside and chat slowly?"

"Good, good, good." Liu Jianguo nodded with a chuckle and led Ma Lan into the Haitian Restaurant. As they walked toward the second floor, he would occasionally look at her with a smile. Seeing Ma Lan, whom he hadn't seen for several years, still as young and charming as before, not looking old at all, but rather having gained a bit more allure and maturity with age, with a coquettish demeanor and a thousand charms, Liu Jianguo, who was accustomed to the nightlife of song and dance, felt a powerful attraction radiating from her and couldn't help but feel moved by Ma Lan.

They arrived at the private room Liu Jianguo had arranged, and the two sat close together. Liu Jianguo had already ordered a table full of dishes and greeted her, "Little Lan, eat."

"You eat too, Director Liu." Having spent many years in the business world, Ma Lan had long since mastered the true nature of men. She was adept at using her youthful, beautiful appearance to employ a "beauty trap" to achieve her goals. In front of Liu Jianguo, she used her usual methods, appearing extremely coquettish.

Liu Jianguo looked at her with glowing eyes and chuckled. He immediately picked up some food to eat and asked her with a smile, "Little Lan, I heard your coal business in Yuyang has been very hot these past two years?"

"It's all thanks to your good fortune, Director Liu. You were the one who led me into the coal business. If it weren't for you helping me get that first coal mine, how would I, Ma Lan, be where I am today?" Ma Lan said with a shallow smile, her words smooth. She looked at Liu Jianguo with seductive eyes, which made him feel as if he had been electrocuted. He smiled and said, "If there's any benefit, I'm definitely the first to think of you, Little Lan. But then again, I helped you a lot when I was in Yuyang. Now that I've come to Xijing, I can't help you anymore, and I thought you had forgotten about me because you didn't need me."

"How could I ever forget your great kindness to me, Director Liu? That's why I called you as soon as I arrived in Xijing. I was afraid that since you're a big leader now, you wouldn't have the time to see me." Ma Lan said with a coquettish smile, her voice thin, which made Liu Jianguo feel a bit numb and tingly all over. Seeing her coquettish appearance and graceful, hot figure, he very much wanted to relive the unforgettable, passionate feeling he had enjoyed when he was her leader at the Yuyang Municipal Party Committee Office. His face filled with a kind and amiable smile, he looked at her unblinkingly and said, "Little Lan, to tell you the truth, ever since I was transferred to the Xijing Municipal Party Committee Office as director, I've indeed been much busier than when I was working at the Yuyang Municipal Party Committee Office. I actually had a social engagement when you called, but as soon as I heard it was you, I declined it. My heart is very excited to see you in Xijing."

Looking at the enthusiastic smile on Liu Jianguo's face, Ma Lan gave a shallow, seductive smile and said, "I'm truly flattered that you could decline a social engagement in the midst of your busy schedule to see me, Director Liu."

Liu Jianguo chuckled and asked, "Are you here in Xijing for business this time, Little Lan, or...?"

"To see Tingting." Ma Lan said with a smile. ===== CHAPTER 883 =====