Chapter 1190: A Fine Piece of Material for Officialdom!

"Where do you plan on taking County Magistrate Tang for a tour?"

"Let's go to the Summer Palace!"

"Alright, GOGOGO!" Mei Xia stepped on the gas, and the car darted forward rapidly.

Tang Ye secretly thought that Mei Xia's driving style was just like her personality: unrestrained and wild.

He recalled a writer's assessment of Yanjing girls—"Yanjing big girls at the foot of the imperial city."

Yanjing's "big girls" often displayed a grand demeanor; they were unconstrained by trifles and never pretentious.

They acted in a bold and straightforward manner, and whether facing the trivialities of life or emotional setbacks, they could laugh them off and were not easily trapped by adversity.

They had frank personalities; if they liked something, they liked it, and if they didn't, they didn't. They wouldn't hide or suppress their feelings.

This authentic attitude made them appear particularly sincere and reliable in interpersonal relationships.

These "big girls" were extremely loyal to their friends; as long as a friend was in trouble, they were always the first to stand up and help.

A sense of humor was innate to them; they were skilled at using witty language to resolve awkwardness and jokes to adjust the atmosphere, allowing people to feel their charm in a relaxed and pleasant environment.

They possessed a strong sense of independence and were unwilling to depend on anyone.

Whether financially or mentally, they pursued self-actualization and autonomy.

Sometimes, these "big girls" might speak quite directly, even a bit sharply, but their hearts were actually very kind and soft.

Although they could be fierce when losing their temper, they would quickly feel regret and guilt afterward.

Most importantly, these "big girls" cared a lot about "face" and always showed their best side in front of outsiders.

At the same time, they were also very disciplined, respected traditions and customs, and did things in an orderly manner.

"Secretary Shi, you've missed our social gathering three times. According to the rules, you have to be the host and organize the next one," Mei Xia complained.

Shi Yao smiled and readily said, "Treating everyone is no problem. It's just that I'm currently holding a temporary post in Dayu County. How about this: you all come to Dayu County together, and I guarantee I'll host you well."

Mei Xia rolled her eyes. "Go to Dayu County? That's too far. Forget it, just put it on my tab; we'll settle the bill together after you come back."

Shi Yao teased, "And what if I don't come back?"

Mei Xia said, "If you don't want to come back, I'm afraid Zhou Minshan won't agree."

After saying this, Mei Xia glanced at Tang Ye's expression through the rearview mirror.

No wonder Shi Yao had rushed back from Dayu County specifically for this young County Magistrate, worrying and helping him, even refusing to return to the family compound and preferring to stay in a hotel.

Tang Ye possessed great masculine charm; he was neither haughty nor humble, had a calm demeanor, and was truly a good piece of material for being an official.

As for Shi Yao's fiancé, Zhou Minshan, compared to Tang Ye, he was far too plain.

It was a pity that Tang Ye and Shi Yao grew up in different environments.

Otherwise, with their matching talent and looks, if they were a couple, they would truly be a perfect match, a pair of celestial beings.

Tang Ye knew that Mei Xia was observing his reaction.

He and Shi Yao were work partners; for her to probe him like this seemed a bit presumptuous.

However, he thought again: could it be that Shi Yao had discussed something with Mei Xia in private, causing Mei Xia to have a misunderstanding?

Thinking of himself becoming the subject of gossip between Shi Yao and her close friend, Tang Ye's rigid heart seemed to be struck by a small pebble.

Mei Xia dropped the two of them off at the entrance of the Summer Palace.

"I've delivered you to your destination. I'm off. I'll pick you up for dinner later; it's my treat tonight." Mei Xia winked at Shi Yao and immediately drove away.

Before Shi Yao could react, she noticed Tang Ye had already gone to the window to start buying tickets.

Tang Ye reached out his hand toward Shi Yao.

Shi Yao realized what he wanted and handed over her ID card.

Tang Ye glanced at the photo on the ID card.

The Shi Yao in the photo was youthful and beautiful, with bright eyes and white teeth, giving off a pure and sweet feeling.

Seeing Tang Ye staring at her ID photo, a blush rose to Shi Yao's cheeks, and she quickly snatched it back from Tang Ye's hand.

Tang Ye said with a smile, "Secretary Shi, I didn't expect your ID photo to be so good-looking. My ID photo is so ugly."

Seeing Tang Ye take out his own ID card, Shi Yao leaned over to look and couldn't help but laugh out loud. "It's indeed not very good-looking. You've changed quite a bit."

Seeing that the awkwardness had been resolved, Tang Ye smiled and said, "That's why I'm usually worried when I show my ID, afraid that people will say I took someone else's ID. You're different. Although there's a slight difference, you're essentially the same person, and both are very pretty."

Shi Yao's cheeks burned from Tang Ye's words.

After spending more time with Tang Ye, she discovered that he had a silver tongue; he probably hadn't lacked for romances.

Walking into the Summer Palace, Tang Ye and Shi Yao walked side by side.

Shi Yao explained the historical anecdotes of the Summer Palace to Tang Ye.

Tang Ye listened attentively, putting on an appearance of being ready to receive instruction.

"To the right are the Dehe Garden Theater, Xiequ Garden, and Suzhou Street; to the left are the Shuimu Ziqin Pier and the Long Corridor; further south is the Seventeen-Arch Bridge." Just as Shi Yao finished saying this, a pair of foreign guests suddenly walked over.

"Can you take a photo for us, please?"

Tang Ye took the camera and smiled, "Yes, my pleasure!"

Tang Ye helped the foreign couple take a photo.

The foreign man gave Tang Ye a thumbs up. "Good, thank you!"

The foreign woman gestured toward Tang Ye and Shi Yao.

Tang Ye understood what she meant: were they asking to take a photo of them together?

Tang Ye smiled and said, "We did not have a camera!"

The foreign man's eyes lit up, and he took out his camera. "I can lend it!"

Tang Ye was a bit sensitive about taking a photo together.

Shi Yao, however, felt it didn't matter and tugged on the corner of Tang Ye's shirt. "Don't let the foreigners think we're stingy; let's take one, shall we?"

Tang Ye smiled; since Shi Yao didn't mind, there was no need for him to be evasive.

After all, his relationship with Shi Yao was perfectly innocent.

Tang Ye and Shi Yao stood side by side.

Under the arrangement of the foreigner, the two stood very close together.

Shi Yao felt her heart beating violently.

Tang Ye pondered in his heart that after meeting Shi Yao this time, their relationship had risen from colleagues to friends.

This would still be helpful to him in the future.

How deep the waters of the Imperial City are cannot be gauged just by wading through them with one's legs.

Although he was following a grassroots path, once he reached a higher level, besides political achievements, he would also need to rely on external forces.

Shi Yao was a reliable external force!

After the photo was taken, the male foreigner gave Tang Ye a thumbs up, "Your wife is very beautiful!"

Both Tang Ye and Shi Yao had high levels of English proficiency, and neither of them spoke "mute English," so naturally, they both understood the meaning of this sentence.

The two exchanged a glance, seeing emotions other than embarrassment in each other's eyes.

The two smiled at each other with a tacit understanding, treating the matter with indifference.

Tang Ye thanked them in fluent English, "Thank you, I hope you have a happy time in Huaguo, and you are welcome to bring more friends to Huaguo."

Watching Tang Ye exchange contact information with this foreign couple.

Shi Yao felt anxious and restless, her thoughts running wild.

As for Tang Ye, his expression did not change, as if he did not care at all whether the other party had misunderstood...