Chapter 897

"Director Lan, you are too polite; it was just a small favor," Zhao Desan said with great generosity. Seeing her head lowered as if she had something on her mind, he took the opportunity to raise his glass and said, "Director Lan, come, let's toast to you escaping the clutches of that old bald donkey."

Director Lan raised her head and gave him a very strange look. A faint, charming smile flashed across the corners of her mouth, and she immediately raised her glass to clink it gently against his. She only took a small sip before putting the glass down. Red wine isn't usually easy to get drunk on, and seeing her drinking so cautiously made Zhao Desan anxious. He thought to himself that if he had known, he would have brought a bottle of Northeast Erguotou to get her drunk in three or four gulps, making up for the regrets of last night.

"Director Lan, now that you've finished cooking, why don't you take off your apron? Isn't it uncomfortable to keep it on?" Zhao Desan glanced at the apron she was wearing, wanting to see what kind of fiery charm her body would reveal under the silk pajamas once the apron was removed.

With Zhao Desan's "kind" reminder, Lan Mei realized she had forgotten to take off her apron. She smiled faintly, reached behind her back to untie the strings, took off the apron, and tossed it onto the back of a chair.

Zhao Desan's gaze immediately shifted to her chest. The collar of her camisole pajamas was very low, revealing a patch of skin as clear and white as snow, so tender and fair it was dizzying. A deep cleavage gradually extended into the neckline of her pajamas, and adorned with lace trim, Lan Mei's tall, full breasts appeared incredibly alluring. In an instant, he felt a strong sensation rush from his dantian straight to his brain. He blinked, struggling to keep a clear head, knowing he must not act rashly now; after all, he still felt a bit of fear when facing a woman with such a proud and aloof personality as Director Lan.

Seeing his gaze land below her neck, Lan Mei realized this guy couldn't hold himself back after seeing her flawless figure. She blushed slightly, raised her willow-leaf eyebrows, stared at him with an enchanting gaze, and asked unhurriedly, "Zhao Desan, what are you looking at?"

"Oh, nothing... I'm not looking at anything. Director Lan, hurry up and eat; the food will get cold if you don't." Zhao Desan immediately picked up his chopsticks, lowered his head to pick up some food, and while eating, gave Director Lan a silly grin.

Lan Mei gave him a coquettish glare, picked up her chopsticks, and while eating, asked him, "Zhao Desan, what friend was that girl who answered your phone today? Didn't you say you didn't have any friends in Xijing City?"

Damn! She still remembered that? "Oh, a friend from Yuyang. She came to Xijing to accompany her mother for medical treatment, so we just grabbed a meal together," Zhao Desan said, his mind racing, his expression calm and composed.

Lan Mei said "Oh," picked up her glass alone to take a sip of wine, picked up a piece of food, and began to eat with elegant, small bites.

Zhao Desan didn't want Director Lan to have any suspicions about Zhao Xue answering his phone, so he looked at her seriously, changed the subject, and asked, "Director Lan, what are you planning to do?"

"What do you mean, what am I planning to do?" Lan Mei frowned slightly, squinting her almond eyes, and looked at him, completely confused.

"About the old bald donkey, didn't you say you were going to report him?" Zhao Desan added.

As soon as Zheng the Bald Donkey was mentioned, Lan Mei's mood was affected. She put down her chopsticks, her originally enchanting gaze filled with a gloomy aura, and said word by word, "I will definitely report him. I want this scum among state cadres to be punished by the organization. I cannot just let him push me around. If he can use such despicable means to deal with me this time, he can use the same means to humiliate other female comrades in other units next time."

"Director Lan, but have you thought about what if reporting him has no effect at all? What if it's useless?" Zhao Desan asked with some concern.

Lan Mei scoffed and said, "It's impossible for it to be useless. If such serious violations of rules and discipline cannot be punished by the organization, wouldn't everything be in chaos? Besides, even if the effect isn't great, at least it will make him nervous and afraid, and we'll see if he dares to use such despicable and vulgar means to deal with others in the future. If, as you said, I chose to swallow my pride this time, even if he didn't have those photos in his hands, he would definitely use other ways to continue dealing with me."

Zhao Desan frowned and thought about it carefully, feeling that Director Lan was right. Facing a powerful enemy, only by showing one's own strong side and suppressing the opponent with momentum can one protect oneself. If one always retreats, in the end, one will be driven into a dead end and left to be manipulated by the enemy. This is a taboo in officialdom; one must be good at figuring out the opponent's psychology and fighting a psychological war. As long as he is reported, even if the higher-ups don't sanction him, they will at least call him in for a talk and issue a warning. If he does it again, the higher-ups certainly won't let him off so easily. After all, the Provincial Construction Committee is also a large government unit. Considering the long term, for the sake of the government's reputation, the organization might tolerate Zheng the Bald Donkey's minor acts of extortion, but if he goes too far and affects the reputation of the Party and the state, the organization probably won't let him run wild, right? "Director Lan, what you said is also true. The first time must absolutely not be tolerated. Besides, he doesn't have any leverage on you anymore, so you don't have to worry about any future troubles. Perhaps by reporting him, you'll make him realize that Director Lan is not someone to be trifled with, and he won't dare to find trouble with you so easily in the future," Zhao Desan said seriously.

Lan Mei nodded, smiled faintly, picked up her glass, took a small sip of wine, and said, "Let's eat. Let's not talk about this anymore. I mainly invited you to my home today to have a meal together, as a way for me to thank you, Xiao Zhao, for helping me with so much."

Zhao Desan laughed modestly, "Director Lan, you are too polite. You are my leader, and besides... besides, you were wronged, how could I, as your subordinate, stand by and watch? Since I feel I have the ability to help you, I will definitely do so, even if it means going through fire and water." Zhao Desan said eloquently, trying his best to shape himself into a hero like Spider-Man in front of Director Lan.

Lan Mei had long since experienced his silver tongue; he was too good at talking. So, hearing him say this, Lan Mei didn't find it surprising. She smiled faintly and casually brushed a strand of long hair that had fallen by her temple. This subtle movement looked so charming and had a unique appeal. Every gesture she made made Zhao Desan feel a unique charm, as if she were a magnet, attracting him bit by bit.