Chapter 908: Li Qiu Shui

In an instant, everyone's gaze once again focused on Su Yang's face.

Fang Jingwen's face was expressionless; it was impossible to tell whether she was resisting or anticipating.

Especially Zhou Ruohan, who wore a half-smile on her face.

Zhou Tong, however, hadn't figured out the situation; he said, "What's that? I think the little witch has a point—during the New Year, with lots of people crowded together it's lively. Their spot is actually pretty good; just the two of them, it's indeed a waste of space."

At the same time, he winked at Su Yang and quietly said to Su Yang and Fang Jingwen, "Sis, brother-in-law, you know each other, so that's easy—this is Deputy Department Head Fang's daughter; getting on good terms with her would also be a good thing for us."

Then he lowered his voice further and said, "According to the rumor, his father might possibly take over as Executive Vice Minister at year-end next year; by then I reckon if we try to cozy up to them, they might not even be willing."

Su Yang and Zhou Ruohan looked at Zhou Tong with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot.

Zhou Tong, not understanding, muttered, "What did I say wrong? No, isn't that the fact?"

Seeing that things were about to go awkward, the little witch simply said, "Why are you all hemming and hawing? We already knew each other before, acting like enemies—hurry up and sit down. In a moment there's still an activity; this spot is closer to the stage, so I'll be able to see better. I heard this is the biggest event of the year in our circle."

Hearing that, Zhou Ruohan said, "Then we'll sit here; the spot is indeed better." She then hooked her arm around Su Yang's and sat down beside Fang Jingwen.

Su Yang glanced at Liu Zixuan and felt sure the little witch was up to no good; he had originally wanted to change seats, but since Zhou Ruohan had already sat down, he couldn't very well say, "I feel a bit short of breath sitting here," lest he offend several people at once—not worth it.

Zhou Tong, on the other hand, dove into the fray without hesitation, sat down beside them, and immediately started pouring drinks for everyone like an old friend—and the seat he took was precisely the companion's seat.

Zhou Kai sat down silently beside Zhou Tong, and even now there's been no noticeable change in his expression.

After sitting down, Su Yang then asked, "Who was that golden‑haired girl just now? She seems to outrank Jia Guolong—he didn't even dare speak, yet she stepped forward to advise you; where does she get such confidence?"

Zhou Ruohan laughed and said, "Of course she outranks Jia Guolong; she has that confidence and backing—too bad Zhou Tong isn't interested in women."

Su Yang said, "What do you mean? I didn't catch that."

Fang Jingwen beside him said, "Her name is Li Qiu Shui; her great-uncle is Li Dezhong."

Su Yang understood instantly upon hearing it—no wonder she had such confidence, and no wonder when she spoke it provoked Zhou Tong to lash out violently; it turns out she's the niece of Municipal Party Committee Secretary Li Dezhong of Shan City.

Su Yang laughed, "Zhou Tong, it's all your fault, kid—if this causes people to bear a grudge against us, then it's all on you."

Zhou Tong pursed his lips and said, "Look at her arrogant, stuck‑up attitude—clearly she's never felt the blow of the socialist iron fist; of course a regular iron fist can't reach her, so it takes a steel‑like man like me to educate her."

Zhou Ruohan said, "Alright, alright, you'd better restrain yourself a bit—you still have to give people face when it's due; after all, her standing in our circle is near the top."

Zhou Tong said, "She's a niece, not a daughter—if we had to give face for every relative, then all their great‑aunts and great‑uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins by marriage would show up and we'd have to entertain them all. In short, one sentence: don't provoke me, and even less provoke you and your brother‑in‑law; otherwise I don't care who they are—I'll beat whoever deserves it, or else they'll forget what my fists look like."

Su Yang chuckled, "Alright, are you not afraid while I am? When you go off beating people and then dust off your hands and walk away, I still have to work down below; later they'll pin the whole bill on me—so tell me, am I being wronged?"

Liu Zixuan at the side said, "Alright, alright, stop dragging out your family affairs and stop treating us like air. Today I formally announce that Elder Sister Fang has joined our circle; from now on we'll be the very best of friends, we'll help each other and progress together."

"Of course, I could never go into politics—if you have any investment projects that can make money in your localities, be sure to call me. Elder Sister Fang, are you slated to take the top position next year? If so, remember to look after me."

Fang Jingwen nodded very discreetly and then said, "Don't go spouting nonsense about this—it's a matter of the Organization Department, not something I can decide on a whim. As long as I can handle my current work and finish the patch left by Elder Sister Ruohan, that'll be fine."

Liu Zixuan tilted his head and said, "You two have something going on, oh oh—I just remembered, you're one the predecessor and the other the successor, right?"

Zhou Ruohan glared at Liu Zixuan from the side and said, "How unpleasant to hear that—what do you mean 'former' and 'latter'? This is just a normal work handover."

Liu Zixuan immediately said, "Sister, I was wrong—I've always had poor grades and weak language organization skills back in school; according to current usage, wouldn't one be called 'the past' and the other 'the future'?"

Su Yang heard this and felt a black line across his forehead: "Liu Zixuan, can you shut that mouth? Your talk is getting more and more off‑key."

Liu Zixuan looked suspiciously at Su Yang, Zhou Ruohan, and Fang Jingwen, then said meaningfully, "Oh oh, I see now—I was superficial. I won't speak; I'll first penalize myself with two drinks, good things come in pairs, wishing you harmony in your future work and life."

Zhou Ruohan said, "Shut up—do you believe I'd really find a 7‑degree space to seal your mouth? Drink when you should drink, eat dumplings when you should eat dumplings."

The lively atmosphere that had just sprung up was completely doused by the little witch Liu Zixuan.

At this moment Su Yang also didn't dare speak, fearing that saying anything would provoke everyone's anger; he lowered his head and kept eating dumplings.

Zhang Jiangbo's whole body struggled in the excruciating pain of those two slaps; at this moment hatred, humiliation, and anger continually intertwined in his mind, continually igniting his body.

Several times this surge of fury was about to erupt skyward, about to launch a lethal strike at Zhou Tong's back.

But in the end he still managed to suppress it; compared to Tian Xiaofei, he remains somewhat more rational in such situations.

Because he knows that, in terms of fighting prowess, Zhou Tong is such that not only him, but even if you grabbed a dozen or so people from those present and had them rush him all at once, they still wouldn't be a match for Zhou Tong.

If everyone were armed, those few dozen of them combined still wouldn't be enough to take down that one person—and this point isn't just his view; everyone present highly agrees with it.

Because as early as five or six years ago, Zhou Tong had already done this sort of thing, and his opponents were then genuine street brawlers who'd actually fought on the streets.

But if he now just walked back without uttering a sound, would he still be a man? And if not, what else could he do?

All that could happen was his embarrassment's mother opening the door to embarrassment—embarrassment to the max.

Fortunately, at this moment Jia Guolong walked over to his side, together with Jia Guolong and the golden‑haired girl from just now: "Young Master Zhang, there's no need to get angry with this coarse person—his head is simple, his limbs well‑developed; I reckon Su Yang fed him a few lines and now he doesn't know which way is up."

"Besides, Su Yang is merely a son‑in‑law of the Zhou family—he's not even a legitimate lineage member, nor does he really count as one of us in this circle, so don't take it to heart. Anyway, there are plenty of opportunities to deal with him."

Li Qiu Shui also said, "Tonight is a crucial moment for Young Master Jia; we shouldn't affect his mood—later we hope Young Master Jia achieves instant success."

"As for Su Yang, I'll eventually make him regret it."