Chapter 33: Sharing Drinks and Heart-to-Heart Talk with the Father-in-Law

The commendation from Provincial Committee No. 1, although merely verbal, is of great significance to Lin Dongfan.

This commendation symbolizes that his work over this period has already gained recognition from his superiors, helping to establish his position in the Anti-Corruption Bureau; henceforth, if He Yanqing wants to suppress him, he must first carefully weigh the pros and cons, and at least superficially restrain himself.

However, this can only be considered a good start.

To truly rise and become a formidable figure, one must wield the Tiger-Head Halberd and the Dog-Head Halberd and work tirelessly! Merely capturing Cheng Dao is certainly not enough; we must uproot the entire corrupt chain in Nanzhou City.

This is a battlefield of bayonet combat.

Before the next battle begins, Lin Dongfan steals a moment of leisure, returns home, takes a shower, flops onto the bed, and feels much more relaxed.

Home is far more comfortable than the battlefield.

He lifts the blanket and sniffs; it still retains his wife Chu Lingxi's body scent. This is the taste of love, intoxicating Lin Dongfan.

Chu Lingxi has also been busy lately.

Their cultural troupe has an ethnic dance that passed the selection of the Spring Festival Gala program group; she is the lead dancer, and these days she is either rehearsing or on the way to rehearsal.

Don't be fooled by her seemingly clueless daily life; she is very rigorous about matters in her professional field.

One minute on stage requires ten years of practice off stage; she holds extremely high standards for every dance detail, which is the main reason she stands out in the preliminary rounds.

"Come on, silly girl."

Lin Dongfan picks up the intimate photo on the bedside table, kisses it, and, filled with beautiful hopes for their future life, drifts into a sweet dream.

He sleeps until evening.

In his sleep he feels as if something has crawled into his ear, making it itchy.

Lin Dongfan absentmindedly scratches his ears twice, then turns over to continue sleeping; the other ear develops an unbearable itch, as if something fuzzy is crawling inside.

He rubs his eyes and sees Chu Lingxi sitting on the bedside, holding a feather and playing mischievously.

Her dimpled smile is beautiful.

Instantly it dispels Lin Dongfan's drowsy sleepiness.

Lin Dongfan laughs and grabs the seven-colored feather in her hand: "Where did you get this feather?"

"It fell off my dance costume; isn't it pretty? This is a real feather, not fake." Chu Lingxi smiles without showing her teeth, pure yet elegant.

"Not as pretty as my wife."

"Haha, you have good eyesight; we haven't seen each other in eight days—do you miss me?"

"I miss you to death; let's hold a meeting to study the project of creating new life."

Laughing, Lin Dongfan casually pulls Chu Lingxi into his embrace, lifts the blanket over their heads, and privately delves into discussing the project of creating new life.

From the hall comes Shen Kunlan's call: "Lingxi, your father is back; tell Dongfan to get up and eat."

The two under the blanket act as if they didn't hear; even if Chu Sir, who holds authority, returns, they cannot be stopped from exploring the creation of new life.

Half an hour later.

Chu Lingxi emerges from the room with a face full of blush, her hair still disheveled and not smoothed.

Shen Kunlan understands at a glance, shakes her head wordlessly: "My lady, please, could you at least look in the mirror before coming out?"

"Oh."

As a top figure in the obedient circle, Chu Lingxi doesn't ask why, turns back to the bedroom's private washroom, stands before the mirror, and instantly looks puzzled.

She really can't see what's wrong.

She turns to glance at Lin Dongfan, who is shaving, and asks: "Mom told me to look in the mirror before going out—what does she mean?"

"Just comb your hair." Lin Dongfan says.

Chu Lingxi gazes at her reflection; her willow brows are twisted into knots: "Being at home, not on stage, I really can't stand her."

"It's not about being at home or not; you go out in the morning with messy, fluffy hair and there's no problem, but now it's not acceptable." Lin Dongfan reminds her.

Hearing this, Chu Lingxi looks puzzled again: "What's the difference between morning and now?"

After thinking carefully,

Only then does she connect it to their recent unrestrained indulgence, and instantly she blushes embarrassedly all over her face.

She raises her little fist.

She shyly pounds Lin Dongfan's arm with her little fist: "How embarrassing, you didn't even remind me..."

"Mom doesn't mean to mock you; she's just reminding you to mind your image." Lin Dongfan laughs: "That's why we said we should buy a house—once we have our own little nest, you can run around naked at home and no one will care."

"You're the one who'd run naked all over the house."

Chu Lingxi, smiling bashfully, swings her little fist and hits Lin Dong once more.

But regarding buying a house, after Lin Dongfan put it that way, she still looks forward to it. Imagining being able to do whatever she wants at home, with no one interfering, that little life would be wonderfully comfortable.

The two tidy up their appearance and walk out of the room, one after the other.

The dishes in the dining room are about to get cold; the father-in-law sits in the host seat symbolizing the head of the household, the tableware already set, waiting for Lin Dongfan and Chu Lingxi to take their seats.

"Dongfan, come, have a couple of drinks with me."

As the saying goes, the mother-in-law likes the son-in-law more the more she sees him; in the Chu family, the father-in-law also finds the son-in-law increasingly pleasing to the eye.

Although Chu Jinsong carries an invisible, composed official aura, at the family banquet he still gives a warm, down-to-earth feeling, personally pouring wine for Lin Dongfan.

Lin Dongfan doesn't put on false modesty, joking: "Dad, you've poured it so full—can you handle it? Later, if you get drunk and pass out, I won't let you off."

"At your age, I could finish two bottles of this strength of liquor."

The liquor Chu Jinsong is pouring is 56-proof Guoyao, costing over ten thousand per bottle.

Usually, the Chu family keeps a low profile in public, but at home there are fewer restraints, especially regarding food and drink, where they occasionally indulge.

This is mainly because Teacher Shen has a high income.

Shen Kunlan is a renowned professor at the Nanzhou University College of Arts; she is often invited to give art lectures or serve as a judge on dance programs of certain TV stations, earning a considerable income.

Of course, Lin Dongfan's personal wealth is also continually growing.

Relying on his foresight from past-life memories, catching hot stocks in the market is a sure thing; he started with a capital of eight thousand yuan, and now his book value exceeds one hundred thousand.

You just need to admit you're getting old, drink slowly, your health is important.

Lin Dongfan was the first to raise his wine cup.

The care shown in this casual chat made Chu Jinsong feel very warm; Chu Jinsong smiled and clinked cups, saying, "Rest assured, I'm in good health."

Then I'll drink first as a sign of respect.

The two competitive men drank the 56-proof baijiu like water, neither willing to fall behind.

Shen Junlan, sitting nearby, didn't urge them to drink less, letting them enjoy themselves. Usually everyone's work is busy, and it's rare for the whole family to gather for a meal.

The sweet and naive Chu Lingxi just kept tasting dishes; tonight's spread was so abundant it left her dazzled.

"Husband, try this, it's delicious." Chu Lingxi picked up a crispy shrimp dumpling and gave it to Lin Dongfan, then also gave some to Chu Jinsong and Shen Junlan, saying, "Dad, Mom, you eat too."

"As expected, a married daughter is no longer kept; everything puts the husband first."

While laughing and chatting, Chu Jinsong recalled when he first married Shen Junlan; she was the same then, a pure soul with a hint of silliness.

Chu Jinsong teased Shen Junlan: "Silly girl, you've inherited your true teachings."

"What's wrong with inheriting my true teachings? I'm very happy now, and I believe Lingxi will also be happy in the future." Speaking and laughing, Shen Junlan unintentionally glanced at Lin Dongfan.

Lin Dongfan immediately understood: his father-in-law and mother-in-law were setting an example for a married couple.

The meaning was that he, Lin Dongfan, should learn from his father-in-law: no matter whether he prospers or suffers in officialdom, he must not let down his wife who has shared weal and woe.

"Dad, Mom, rest assured, no matter what happens in the future, I will never let Lingxi suffer injustice." Lin Dongfan expressed this while refilling his father-in-law's drink.

This clear attitude was seen by Chu Jinsong and Shen Junlan, and they felt pleased inside.

Chu Jinsong gently encouraged Lin Dongfan: "Work hard; if nothing unexpected happens, Chief Leng will soon transfer your personnel file to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, resolving your section-chief-level issue."

"Yeah, Chief Leng also mentioned this to me, saying that with my current qualifications I can only be promoted to section chief." Lin Dongfan said.

Chu Jinsong nodded: "Steady and solid, take it slow; this must not be rushed. If it causes your work record to not withstand review, that won't be good in the future either."

"Understood, for now I just want to solidly handle the case."

"It's good that you think that way; congratulations on your first victory."

Seeing that Lin Dongfan showed no impatience for quick gains, Chu Jinsong's face lit up with appreciation, feeling a hearty satisfaction that comes only after drinking one's fill.

In Chu Jinsong's view, genuine steadiness means handling more cases, especially big ones.

To make something of oneself, mere connections aren't enough, nor is mere strength; both must be combined, step by step, so that no flaw can be picked from one's work record.

After three rounds of drinks.

Chu Jinsong again solemnly reminded Lin Dongfan: "The mountain strongholds of Nanzhou are tough to crack; you need to be mentally prepared. Now Cheng Dao of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau has been arrested; those people on the ship will surely be plotting a counter‑strategy."

"He has his schemes, I have my ladders over the wall." Lin Dongfan smiled confidently.

Chu Jinsong said: "This is not just a contest of strategy, but a matter of life and death. Even a desperate dog will jump over a wall, let alone a tiger in officialdom. A true man‑eating tiger won't bare its fangs before you; it will strike when you're unprepared, going straight for the throat. From now on you must pay more attention to safety and not be careless."