Chapter 511: The Aunt Has Arrived

He hung up the phone, saw the two girls looking at him with a strange expression, gave a dry laugh, and said, "Oh! I don't know how to tell you this, but my girlfriend is really annoying."

"That's why, over the phone, I give her a little face; if she dared say that to my face, I'd straighten her out right then and there. Giving her a little color, she dares to open a dye shop—she's really full of herself."

Hahahaha, before Su Yang finished speaking, Xie Siyang and Gao Peixia covered their mouths and laughed, saying, "A man's mouth is a lying devil; he lies not only to his own woman but also to other women."

In other respects, their experience and cultivation may be far inferior to others', but when it comes to this matter, they may not have eaten pork, but they've at least seen pigs run.

And yet they dare to criticize others? They'd probably end up kneeling outright.

Of course, as long as it's not exposed, we're still good friends.

Su Yang felt slightly embarrassed: "What are you laughing at?"

"After I drank too much last night, did I do anything outrageous? And you all are really something, leading the ruckus instead of protecting me. With over twenty people, even a production team's donkey couldn't drink that much!"

Xie Siyang said: "You didn't embarrass yourself, but you did something shocking. After drinking too much, you grabbed Secretary Fang's hand and wouldn't let go, going on about bracelets and such."

"We really can't bear to watch. Secretary Fang has such a good temperament; I reckon if it were another female leader, she'd have slapped you by now."

"Also, it's fortunate there were many people around; if it were just the two of you, you might have done something else that would leave us stunned."

Su Yang really wished he could slap himself twice; he knows exactly how he behaves when drunk, and at least he wouldn't hold onto another girl's hand.

This is 100% Fang Jingwen's doing—she always goes all out when she schemes against him, which explains why Zhou Ruohan is so angry. It seems he actually got hands-on with her yesterday, which shouldn't have happened.

Forget it; we shouldn't dwell on this—the more we think about it, the more embarrassed we feel. Isn't there a saying? Getting drunk isn't scary; what's scary is having someone help you remember what you did while drunk.

Of course, there are plenty of petty officials within the system who take advantage of drinks to grope and harass female subordinates, but he's not one of them—he's being wronged. If anyone's to blame for the groping, it's definitely Fang Jingwen who did it to him.

Things have come to this, and he doesn't have much to say. Facing Gao Peixia and Xie Siyang, he said, "You two go rest; I'm fine here. I expect that this afternoon, people from the Transport Department and the Tourism Bureau might come over, and then I'll still need to liaise with them on this project."

Xie Siyang and Gao Peixia were indeed at their wits' end; last night Su Yang kept vomiting and causing a ruckus, and they kept washing his face and cleaning up, which really wore them out.

After they left, Su Yang slept until 2 p. m., and to be precise, he was woken up by Li Xiangdong.

"Secretary Su, the Transport Department's leaders have arrived; I just brought them to the meeting room. Why don't you wash your face, get rid of the alcohol smell, and then go over?"

"Oh, by the way, the boss of Xia Tie Eight Bureau has also arrived; it seems he's quite familiar with the leaders in the Provincial Department. I wonder if the Provincial Department has already contracted our road project to Xia Tie Eight Bureau?"

"They're said to be a huge state-owned enterprise; just like other SOEs, once the funds are transferred to their account, they'll be lazy and slack off, and then we'll have nowhere to cry."

Su Yang said: "Haha, you're overthinking it. Most state-owned enterprises are fine; what you described is just a small minority."

"Besides, theoretically speaking, this little project of ours isn't even on their radar. If they actually came to the Transport Department on their own and took our project, that would be an honor for us."

"Otherwise, they're all taking on big provincial projects; who would waste time on our small project? All right, go keep them company—I'll wash my face, sober up, and be over in just a few minutes."

"You're lucky you haven't badmouthed us; otherwise I might really just drop your project. Anyway, this little project doesn't matter whether we profit or not, and the Provincial Department will still give me some face."

Before Su Yang finished speaking, a familiar voice sounded from outside the door, and then Qiao Yinyuan walked in from outside.

"Auntie, how did you come?" Su Yang felt quite surprised and also delighted.

It's the same road, but each company's progress, speed, and quality differ. If it's a normal small company, they wait until they get paid before starting work; if they keep subcontracting—second, third, fourth, fifth tiers—the final project quality can't be guaranteed.

But does Xiushui Xiang have time to wait? Su Yang had originally planned to advise the Transport Department people, letting them handle the bidding locally and make sure those well-connected households don't snatch the project—yet he didn't expect this convenient aunt to show up in person; how could he not be delighted?

"How could I not come? With just you and Ruo Han here, I wouldn't be at ease if I didn't come check on you, especially to see whether you..."

She trailed off there, and Su Yang coughed desperately, cleared his throat, and then she realized he'd been hiding their relationship in the countryside, which made her swallow the rest of her words.

Li Xiangdong saw this and quickly said, "Secretary Su, you two chat; I'll head out first."

Seeing Li Xiangdong leave, Qiao Yinyuan continued, "How long has it been, and you've already stirred up all this trouble? How do you manage to be so worrisome? People struggle bitterly to become officials just to make a living, yet you, a petty official, seem intent on throwing yourself into the fire."

"This has already happened several times in a row; yesterday I even called your father-in-law to ask if he'd be willing to let you go, at least to let you transition to a company for a while, and then you could come back—next time, at least return to a municipal directly-affiliated agency."

"That way your rank would rise faster, with less political performance pressure, and likewise, fewer dangers. You say these two incidents of yours—Ruo Han also works at the grassroots level, having seen too much; otherwise, how could she put up with it?"

"This is also why I made this special trip; my other purpose is to hurry up and get this road paved for you."

Su Yang said: "Thank you, Auntie; I appreciate your kindness, but I still want to start from the township level and build up step by step. If I went to a company for a transition, that would be a shortcoming for my growth, and I don't want to take that shortcut."

"And you've seen it yourself—in a place like Xiushui Xiang, if we don't seize the opportunity, thoroughly correct our work style, and turn this situation around, then there may be no chance left in the future. I can't just stand by while over twenty thousand common people in the whole township keep suffering."