Chapter 213: A Room Full of Female Comrades!

Around three o'clock in the afternoon, seeing that Jiang Jing had no other plans for the evening, Tang Ye dialed Chen Ping's number.

As soon as the call connected, Chen Ping's enthusiastic voice came through: "Section Chief Tang, I've already booked the place for tonight, please don't stand on ceremony with me! After we eat, shall we do some entertainment, play some mahjong, or go sing? If we go singing, I'll have to call over a few female comrades who can sing and dance to liven things up."

Tang Ye had little interest in this kind of business socializing, but being in officialdom, more networking was never a bad thing; being able to build good relations with these Chief Secretaries from the Municipal Government was an opportunity many cadres would kill for.

Besides, since Chen Ping had been the one organizing everything, Tang Ye didn't want to steal his thunder, so he replied: "Whatever works, Section Chief Chen, you just make the arrangements."

In the evening, Tang Ye arrived at the Ge Lai Yun Tian Hotel.

Chen Ping was already waiting in a luxury private room, and shortly after, several familiar faces walked in one after another.

Tang Ye hurried forward, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with each of them with a face full of smiles.

This time, Chen Ping had also invited Li Miao.

Li Miao remained as serious as ever; he took a tall glass, but only poured a shallow half-cup of wine.

When clinking glasses with others, he would only take a light sip, and no matter how much everyone urged him to drink, he remained unmoved, looking like someone who didn't want to be approached.

The banquet neared its end in a lukewarm atmosphere.

Chen Ping suggested: "Everyone, there's an internal karaoke room downstairs; let's go there, belt out a few songs, and relax!"

Li Miao politely but firmly refused: "Section Chief Chen, I usually love to sing, but tomorrow morning I have to go to the provincial capital for a meeting with Mayor Xiao; the responsibility is heavy. Another day I'll host, and everyone must do me the honor!"

Chen Ping smiled and replied: "Well, we certainly can't delay Mayor Xiao's work."

Having said that, he didn't press any further.

Tang Ye accompanied Chen Ping as they saw Li Miao downstairs.

On the way down, Tang Ye caught a glimpse of a subtle flash of disdain in Chen Ping's eyes, and he couldn't help but find it interesting.

Tang Ye had also intended to find an excuse to slip away.

But Chen Ping was quick-witted and fast-handed; he draped an arm over Tang Ye's shoulder and said, half-jokingly and half-seriously: "Section Chief Tang, don't you go learning from Section Chief Li and be a killjoy! I specifically called a few female comrades from the Education Bureau; they've been waiting for a long time. If you leave, everyone will be so disappointed."

Chen Ping was in Secretary Section Five and dealt with the Education Bureau daily; he was on familiar terms with the leaders of the education system, so arranging a gathering like this was second nature to him.

Unable to refuse such hospitality, Tang Ye followed him to the internal karaoke room.

The karaoke room had a minimalist decor style, looking more like a conference room, though the sound equipment was quite good.

At this moment, several female comrades were already inside singing their hearts out.

Tang Ye looked closely and was surprised to see Xiao Hui, feeling a slight jolt of astonishment on his face.

Xiao Hui naturally saw Tang Ye as well.

During this period, she had been single-mindedly plotting a transfer to the Education Bureau and had been getting very close to the Education Bureau leaders.

Today, she had suddenly received a call from a leader saying that some City Leaders were coming and that they needed to showcase their talents and even accompany them in dancing, which immediately made her want to back out.

But thinking of her job, she gritted her teeth and stayed.

She had intended to find an opportunity to leave quickly, but she hadn't expected to run into Tang Ye here.

She couldn't help but wonder: in Tang Ye's eyes, how would he see her?

A sense of self-mockery welled up within her.

Seeing Xiao Hui appear in such a setting, Tang Ye immediately thought of Shao Jinbo and couldn't help but break into a cold sweat for him.

Shao Jinbo had now been demoted to the Grassroots Court, and his former Deputy Section Level position was no longer of any use.

His uncle was clearly completely disappointed in him; as such, Xiao Hui's hope of transferring to the Municipal Education Bureau was becoming increasingly slim, and she could only try to strive for it herself.

Although Tang Ye had long known what kind of person Xiao Hui was, seeing her reach this point step by step, he still couldn't help but feel a sigh in his heart, lamenting the impermanence of the world.

One must never underestimate these female comrades in the education system.

In terms of looks and figure alone, they were far above the average standard.

They also possessed impressive academic backgrounds, having been nurtured by the knowledge and culture of higher learning institutions, and the aura they exuded was a delight to behold.

Among this group of female comrades, Xiao Hui was even more outstanding, quickly attracting everyone's gaze.

However, in an occasion like this, the most beautiful one is not necessarily the most favored.

Most men harbor a thought deep down that the more beautiful a woman is, the harder she is to approach and the harder she is to conquer.

Xiao Hui took the initiative to walk to Tang Ye's side and sat down next to him, a smile on her lips as she asked softly: "What? A room full of female comrades, and not one can catch Section Chief Tang's eye? Can't find a suitable dance partner?"

Tang Ye didn't want to get too entangled with Xiao Hui, so he replied nonchalantly: "No male comrades have taken the initiative to invite you to dance; it seems your appeal isn't quite enough."

A trace of self-mockery flashed across Xiao Hui's expression: "That's right, in this kind of setting, everyone is fond of those outgoing and generous opposites. I look cold on the outside, so naturally, I'm not well-liked."

Tang Ye couldn't help but laugh out loud: "How you say that, it sounds like you're indirectly scolding me!"

Xiao Hui playfully pouted and feigned annoyance: "Oh, how would I dare? You are a City Leader; even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare."

Tang Ye shrugged helplessly and corrected her: "Here, there are no leaders or anything of the sort."

Just then, a melodic dance tune began to play, and a glimmer of light flashed in Xiao Hui's eyes as she took the opportunity to suggest: "Dare to come down to the floor and dance a song with me?"

Tang Ye was slightly stunned, thinking to himself that in this place full of strangers, rather than finding someone random to dance awkwardly with, it would be better to partner with Xiao Hui, whom he was relatively familiar with, which would at least be less awkward.

So, he nodded slightly: "I'm not very good at dancing, you'll have to bear with me."

The two walked into the dance floor hand in hand, a scene that immediately won enthusiastic applause from Chen Ping.

Chen Ping had always felt that Xiao Hui was the most radiant and moving among the female comrades present and had secretly hoped to dance with her himself; he hadn't expected her to become Tang Ye's dance partner in the end, and he was filled with jealousy.

The other section chiefs, watching this scene, also revealed looks of envy.

On the dance floor, Tang Ye stood tall with his back straight, his gaze fixed forward, only lightly resting his fingertips on Xiao Hui's waist, showing his gentlemanly demeanor.

Even when facing a delicate and charming beauty like Xiao Hui, he strictly maintained his boundaries and kept the proper sense of reverence.

Xiao Hui keenly sensed Tang Ye's tension and reserve, as if she intentionally wanted to break through this barrier, constantly testing him.

Every time Tang Ye subconsciously retreated, she cleverly stepped forward.

Between the two, there was only a thin layer of clothing.

The subtle feeling of being near yet far, occasionally touching and then separating, made Xiao Hui feel both nervous and stimulated...