Chapter 468: I Want to Keep Following You!

Under Tang Ye's warm invitation, Guo Liang walked into his residence.

The apartment was not luxuriously decorated, but it looked neat and refreshing.

Tang Ye walked into the room to explain things to Du Xi, after which Du Xi walked out of the bedroom with a sincere apology on her face: "Town Mayor Guo, I'm sorry, I misunderstood you just now."

Guo Liang had met Du Xi a few times, but they were not familiar with each other. He sat up straight and said, "Captain Du, please don't say that. It was my sudden visit; I didn't give any notice beforehand."

Du Xi poured a glass of water for Guo Liang and continued, "Tang Ye emphasized to me that if anyone comes to the house to give gifts, I must firmly refuse, so I sometimes find various excuses to decline. If I had known it was you, I definitely would have opened the door wide to welcome you."

Seeing that Du Xi had spoken openly, Guo Liang smiled and replied, "Hearing you say that makes me feel like an exception, which makes me feel very honored."

Du Xi smiled and invited him: "Stay for lunch at home today. Tang Ye is cooking himself, so you can't leave."

"Alright!" Guo Liang rarely did housework at home; Xu Miao handled everything, and he never cooked.

Tang Ye was busy in the kitchen wearing an apron, and Du Xi watched him from the side with eyes full of smiles.

Guo Liang sighed inwardly: No wonder Du Chengfeng was willing to marry his daughter to Tang Ye.

Most women would be moved if they met a man like this!

The doorbell rang, and Guo Liang walked over to open the door.

The woman outside was a bit surprised and instinctively took a step back, thinking she had knocked on the wrong door.

Guo Liang quickly said, "Are you here to see County Magistrate Tang? I'm a guest at his home. He's cooking in the kitchen, so I'm helping him open the door."

A look of sudden realization appeared in the woman's eyes. She swept a cold glance at Guo Liang and didn't engage him in conversation.

Guo Liang muttered to himself: This woman is really cold.

At this moment, Du Xi walked out of the kitchen, stepped forward to take Chen Lan's hand, and asked with a smile, "Why are you here?"

Chen Lan smiled and said, "I just happened to be free, so I came over to look around. I brought two bottles of red wine; a French friend gave them to me, so I brought them for you and Tang Ye to try."

Du Xi picked up the red wine to examine it and sighed, "Neither Tang Ye nor I know anything about red wine. Why don't you take it back and drink it yourself?"

Chen Lan shook her head and said with a smile, "How can I take back something I've already given as a gift?"

Guo Liang watched Chen Lan and Du Xi chatting happily and felt a bit awkward being there, but he tried to tell himself: As long as I'm not embarrassed, the ones who are embarrassed are others.

Hearing the commotion outside, Tang Ye walked out to greet Chen Lan: "It's a pity we're having hairy crabs for lunch today, otherwise we could have had the red wine you brought."

Chen Lan asked curiously, "Can't you eat crab and red wine together?"

Tang Ye explained, "Crabs have a high purine content. Interacting with the alcohol in red wine might increase the risk of a gout flare-up. Additionally, the alcohol in red wine might irritate the gastrointestinal tract, and combined with the cold nature of the crab, it could lead to indigestion or stomach discomfort."

Chen Lan said in surprise, "You really know quite a lot."

"I used to be a Secretary for a leader, so this is essential common knowledge," Tang Ye said with a smile before walking back into the kitchen.

Du Xi and Chen Lan went into the bedroom; they had topics that belonged between women to discuss.

Guo Liang stood next to Tang Ye; although he couldn't help much, he gave Tang Ye plenty of emotional motivation.

"County Magistrate Tang, your knife skills are excellent!"

"County Magistrate Tang, you can actually toss the wok!"

"County Magistrate Tang, the aroma is already coming out. I don't even need to taste it; just seeing the color, I know it's delicious!"

……

In the bedroom, Chen Lan asked curiously about Guo Liang's identity: "Du Xi, who is that middle-aged man outside?"

Du Xi did not hide it: "He is a former colleague of Tang Ye."

Chen Lan frowned and said, "That man looks shifty and glib; he doesn't look like a good person at all."

Du Xi was stunned for a moment, thinking that she had a similar impression of Guo Liang, but she explained anyway: "He was Tang Ye's colleague back in Pinghu. The two of them have a good relationship, and he came here specifically to deliver hairy crabs."

Chen Lan pondered to herself: If nothing else, this person must be asking Tang Ye for a favor.

Compared to Shen Mingcheng, Tang Ye's attitude toward these people was completely different.

Shen Mingcheng always put on an arrogant air, while Tang Ye kept Guo Liang at home for a meal.

From this point of view, Tang Ye was indeed more approachable.

During the meal, Tang Ye introduced Chen Lan to Guo Liang: "Guo, let me introduce you. This is Du Xi's cousin, and also the wife of Secretary Mingcheng."

A flash of light appeared in Guo Liang's eyes, and he quickly raised his glass: "So it's Mrs. Shen. No wonder you looked familiar! Let me toast you!"

Chen Lan gave a faint smile and clinked glasses lightly with Guo Liang.

Tang Ye thought to himself that although Chen Lan's attitude toward him and Du Xi had softened, she still maintained her usual demeanor toward others.

It seemed that the arrogance in her bones was ultimately difficult to change completely.

Seeing this, Guo Liang felt relieved instead.

No wonder Chen Lan never looked at him directly.

As Shen Mingcheng's wife, she certainly had the confidence to do so.

Watching Guo Liang's fawning, smiling face, Chen Lan only felt disgusted, thinking to herself that this man was truly thick-skinned.

Even if Tang Ye's cooking was impressive, there was no need to be so sycophantic.

She looked at Tang Ye carefully and saw that although he had a smile on his face, he was clearly not carried away by Guo Liang's flattery.

After the meal, Du Xi and Chen Lan cleared the table.

Tang Ye invited Guo Liang into the study to drink tea and chat.

Guo Liang first reported the recent situation in Pinghu to Tang Ye: "During this period, there have been major changes in personnel arrangements in Pinghu. After the Pinghu Resort Project was separated, whenever they encounter difficult matters, they push them to us; but when we need coordination, they pass the buck everywhere.

There are a few holdout households that we haven't been able to negotiate with, and they have instead complained to the county, saying we aren't cooperating with the work. Because of this, I've been criticized quite a bit.

Sigh, County Magistrate Tang, I truly miss the time when you were in office. Back then, every problem could be solved easily, unlike now where I'm tied hand and foot, and I don't even get credit for the work I do."

Tang Ye smiled faintly: "Although Pinghu has now entered a period of stable development, various problems will emerge one after another. You must maintain a good mindset."

Guo Liang took a deep breath, his eyes slightly red as he said: "County Magistrate Tang, I heard that there are quite a few vacancies in Suiyuan now. Do you think it's possible... for me to transfer to Suiyuan and continue to follow you?"

Tang Ye had long known that this was the reason for Guo Liang's visit, so he said: "You are well-informed. Suiyuan County does indeed have many opportunities now. However, transferring you to Suiyuan is not that simple in terms of procedures."

Guo Liang's file was in Tianling County, and the transfer of a Deputy Section-Level Cadre was usually limited to within the city.

If he wanted to transfer from Tianling to Suiyuan across counties, the difficulty of maneuvering it would be immense.

Seeing that Tang Ye did not directly agree, Guo Liang felt a bit disappointed, but he immediately smiled and said, "I was just speaking off the cuff. Please rest assured, old leader, no matter what position I am in, I will always be your soldier."

Tang Ye smiled and patted his shoulder, correcting him, "Guo, don't underestimate the weight you carry in my heart—you will always be my friend, and also my partner."