Chapter 417: Tang Ye Becomes a Strategist for Wife-Chasing!

After the meeting adjourned, Tang Ye had just sat down at his desk.

Zhao Bin knocked on the door and walked in, carrying a set of gleaming keys in his hand.

"County Magistrate Tang, following Secretary Han's instructions, we have rented a three-bedroom apartment for you in the Fumin Residential Quarter near the County Government. The place has already been cleaned, and I had Lin Heng buy daily necessities, so you can move in at any time."

Tang Ye took the keys and asked softly, "Would a three-bedroom apartment exceed the standards?"

Zhao Bin smiled upon hearing this, as if he had long known Tang Ye would have this concern.

"I knew you would be wary of this, so I specifically reported it to Secretary Han. He personally filed it with the County Commission for Discipline Inspection, so the procedures are compliant."

Only then did Tang Ye set his mind at ease and thank him sincerely: "I've troubled you."

"You are too polite, County Magistrate Tang." Zhao Bin waved his hand. "If you have any needs, just give the order."

After Zhao Bin left, Tang Ye rubbed the keys with his fingertips and suddenly remembered something.

He wondered if Cheng Lin had already moved out of the hotel.

Although the hotel had staff to clean it, it was, after all, only suitable for a temporary stay.

While he was pondering this, the landline on his desk suddenly rang.

Seeing that the caller ID was Cheng Lin, Tang Ye picked up immediately.

"Has the Municipal Government Office rented a place for you yet?" Cheng Lin's voice came through the receiver, carrying concern.

"It's rented, a three-bedroom apartment." Tang Ye replied with a smile, then asked in return, "Sister, what about you? Have you moved out too?"

"Yes, but I'm not in the same residential quarter as you."

Cheng Lin's answer made Tang Ye's heart stir slightly; he wondered if this was an intentional arrangement.

He joked with a smile: "Then it won't be convenient to eat dinner together in the future."

"It's not far, a five-minute walk." Cheng Lin paused, her tone carrying a hint of a smile, "Besides, I'm not very good at cooking. If I really want to mooch a meal, I'll be the one going to your place."

"My cooking skills are decent, you're welcome anytime." Tang Ye laughed heartily.

The other end of the line went quiet for a moment, and when Cheng Lin's voice sounded again, it was much softer.

"Let's have dinner together tonight to celebrate that our efforts during this period have yielded results."

"Alright, but I must be the host today." Tang Ye proactively suggested.

Cheng Lin chuckled: "As you wish."

After work, Tang Ye walked into the newly rented apartment.

Although the interior decoration showed signs of age, the furniture and sofa were newly purchased. The beds in the master bedroom and guest bedroom were covered with brand-new sheets and bedding, and there was also a room that had been set up as a study.

Lin Heng had reported to Tang Ye that the internet cable in the house had also been connected.

In 2007, for an ordinary family, internet fees were a significant living expense.

Although a civil servant's salary was not considered generous, once they reached a certain level, they could enjoy some hidden benefits.

He boiled a pot of hot water, then went to a restaurant outside the residential quarter to book a private room and dialed Cheng Lin's phone to tell her the address.

About ten minutes later, the door to the private room was pushed open, and Cheng Lin walked in gracefully.

Today, she was wearing a plain white shirt with a butterfly-shaped brooch pinned to the collar, its diamond-encrusted wings trembling gently with her movements;

On her lower half were black dress trousers as straight as a ruler, the creases so sharp they seemed capable of cutting the air, and she wore a pair of black flat leather shoes on her feet;

Beneath her ear-length short hair, two silver stud earrings shimmered in and out of view under the lights.

Tang Ye thought to himself that this was the most standard, appropriate attire for a female civil servant—exquisite yet steady, capable yet elegant.

"Sister, you look really spirited today!" He smiled and handed her the menu.

Cheng Lin shot him a look of annoyance: "That sounds like a lie; I dress like this every day."

Tang Ye laughed in spite of himself: "The style of dress may be similar, but the mood is different every day. The brightness in your eyes today makes you glow."

Cheng Lin curled her lips perfunctorily: "Thanks for the compliment, you look quite pleasing to the eye today too."

The two looked at each other and smiled, a tacit understanding filling the air.

Cheng Lin ordered two dishes, Tang Ye added three more, and before long, the dishes were served one after another.

He raised his wine glass.

"Sister, 'Where there is a will, there is a way; break the cauldrons and sink the boats, and the hundred and twenty Qin passes will eventually belong to Chu; the painstaking will not be failed by Heaven; sleep on brushwood and taste gall, and three thousand Yue troops can swallow Wu.' Let's have a drink to celebrate our successful cooperation!"

Cheng Lin's glass clinked lightly against his: "Cheers! I hope we can continue to build on this and strive to secure more projects."

The spiciness burned from the tip of her tongue to her stomach, but it could not extinguish the flame in her heart.

Why become a civil servant?

Some people think it's an iron rice bowl, that it provides a certain social status, and that one can find a good wife.

But Tang Ye did not see it that way.

Possessing power allows one to control their own destiny, and even more, to change the destiny of a group of people.

As the wine went down her throat, she remarked with emotion: "The difficulty of this project was not small, but fortunately, the National Level Project settling in Suiyuan added bargaining chips, and the credit should mainly be attributed to you."

"Sister, don't be modest," Tang Ye shook his head and smiled, "If you hadn't run back and forth to the provincial capital so many times, how could it have gone so smoothly? It can only be said that you are too low-key, and even your opponents underestimated your energy."

Cheng Lin couldn't help but laugh: "You're flattering me again."

"Not a word of falsehood," Tang Ye said with a serious expression.

Hanxing Group was a project with a scale of ten billion, and the forces behind it were surging in the dark; the consequences were truly hard to predict.

To put it bluntly, Shen Mingcheng had not conducted a detailed investigation into Cheng Lin, leading to a strategic misjudgment.

Cheng Lin suddenly changed the subject: "There is one thing I've been curious about: what exactly did you say to Qin Mingyuan that night?"

Tang Ye raised an eyebrow: "Why, is he still giving you a hard time?"

She gave a wry smile: "It's not that he's giving me a hard time; it's like he's a different person."

Tang Ye realized and laughed: "I told him that if he wants to remarry you, he can't use coercive methods; he has to change his tactics and pursue you all over again."

"No wonder he's been sending such mushy messages lately!" Cheng Lin looked at him in surprise, "So it was you instigating it behind the scenes."

"If we cannot be husband and wife, let us not become enemies." Tang Ye put away his smile and explained patiently, "Qin Mingyuan has an impulsive nature; I was afraid he would do something irrational that would affect you, so I thought of this method. Once he realizes there is no response and loses his momentum, he naturally won't pester you anymore."

Cheng Lin helplessly brushed back her bangs, "Your way of thinking really makes one not know whether to laugh or cry... Very well, let him be; I am too lazy to rack my brains over it anyway."

Tang Ye softly persuaded, "Actually, the ex-husband is quite simple-minded. I had a drink with him, and now he treats me as his strategist for pursuing his wife. He sends me messages early every morning; if you don't reply to his messages, he gets worked up with me. Sometimes, I even have the feeling that it's me who is dating him."

Cheng Lin couldn't help but laugh out loud, "It's been hard on you. It's mainly because you have strong approachability and can get along well with anyone."

Tang Ye spread his hands and gave a wry smile, "Sis, I have sacrificed too much for you!"

Cheng Lin's smile rippled in her eyes, "A sacrifice well made, keep up the effort!"

Tang Ye and Cheng Lin said goodbye downstairs; he did not escort Cheng Lin back to her residence.

It was mainly because he was afraid of being seen by others, which would invite rumors and gossip.

Tang Ye returned to his residence and took out his key to open the door, when suddenly, the sound of a door opening came from the opposite unit.

He looked toward the sound.

The door opposite opened, but it was a woman who backed out from inside.

Judging from her back, the woman had a tall figure, about one meter seven.

She was slender yet curvy, her skin was like snow, smooth and delicate, and her beautiful hair hung down her back like a waterfall.