Chapter 112: Chen Meng's Best Friend

Xiao Mei and her husband saw me out, walking along the path in the mottled lamplight toward the gate.

Xiao Deng didn't talk much, following behind us, occasionally reminding Xiao Mei to pay attention to the speed bumps under her feet. Passing by Secretary Chen's house, I saw it was brightly lit, with several high-end sedans parked at the door. Compared to the deserted Uncle He Zhi, his house was full of guests and sages.

There were mobile secret sentries at the secretary's door, which I didn't expect. A municipal party secretary, making security measures like Zhongnanhai, maybe this is the national condition, I thought.

Xiao Mei said softly, "Secretary Chen is not at home for the New Year, why are there so many people coming?"

I asked, "How do you know Secretary Chen is not at home?"

Xiao Mei laughed, "I and his nanny are managed by the Affairs Bureau. We have to go to the Affairs Bureau for a meeting every month. We go to the vegetable market together every day, of course I know."

I said, "If you want to engage in intelligence work, just get you guys."

Xiao Mei smiled charmingly, "Actually, we also have discipline, and generally don't tell these things to outsiders. You are different, you are family, no need to keep secrets."

After walking a few steps, she urged me, "If you have time, come see your uncle more. I found that Secretary He is lonely."

I nodded and agreed, "Sister Xiao Mei, my uncle's family is all in Zhangjiawan City, he is alone in our Hengyue, because it is hard to leave his hometown. When people are old, it is hard for us to understand the feeling of homesickness. I have to trouble you to care more about my uncle. If there is anything, you can call me directly." After finishing, I told her my mobile phone number.

Walking to the gate, the armed police on duty smiled at me and subconsciously puffed out his chest.

A car came over, the headlights made our eyes unable to open, Xiao Mei's husband muttered, "The street lights are so bright, and still turn on such big lights, bullying people, right."

I smiled, said goodbye to the couple, and prepared to hail a taxi home.

The car stopped in front of me, like a replay of the afternoon scene. This time, Huang Weiwei's head poked out, looking at me in surprise, "Is it Chen Feng?"

I smiled and said very definitely, "Who else could it be but me? Huang Weiwei."

She laughed heartily and got out of the car, looking at Xiao Mei and the others walking in front, and asked hesitantly, "Who are they?"

I said, "The leader's nanny."

"You know them?"

"I met them today."

"How did you meet?"

I smiled freely and said, "Is Beauty Huang now in the criminal investigation team of the Public Security Bureau?"

Huang Weiwei laughed embarrassedly and said, "Just curious."

"Where are you going?" I asked. I knew her family didn't live in the municipal committee family compound. I had been to their house, a place where rich and powerful people in Hengyue City lived. There were no armed police standing guard, but the security guards at the door were more arrogant than the armed police.

"Do you have anything to do?" She asked me, her eyes full of hope.

"Do you have anything to do?" I asked, indifferent.

"Chen Meng is having a party at home tonight, all her good friends from the newspaper are coming, and she called me."

I knew Chen Meng, I had seen her in the afternoon, but we weren't familiar. So I didn't want to get involved.

"She is my best friend, let's go. Chen Meng is Secretary Chen's daughter, she has no airs, don't worry." Huang Weiwei still enthusiastically invited me, not knowing that without Chen Meng in the afternoon, I wouldn't even be able to enter this gate.

I deliberately played dumb and asked, "Is it the municipal committee Secretary Chen?"

She nodded affirmatively, raised her hand to look at her watch, and said, "Let's go, I don't know many people from her newspaper, not many acquaintances, can't talk, I'm familiar with you, you accompany me."

I was still hesitating, Huang Weiwei said, "Secretary Chen and his wife are not at home, they went to Central Province for the Spring Festival. Only Chen Meng is at home."

The armed police clearly knew Huang Weiwei and let our car drive straight in without asking. Passing by Xiao Mei and the others, I saw them holding hands in the lamplight, whispering sweetly. My heart swayed, and I looked sideways at Huang Weiwei who was driving, suddenly feeling a beautiful rose blooming in front of me.

As soon as the door opened, Chen Meng looked at me standing behind Huang Weiwei in astonishment, her face changing colors several times, and finally smiled charmingly, took Huang Weiwei's hand, and said, "I was wondering why you haven't come for so long, so you met a handsome guy."

Her undisguised words almost made me blush. Fortunately, I was used to the sun in Suxi Township, and my face had been toughened by the mountains and waters of Suxi.

"Chen Feng, cadre of Suxi Township, Chunshan County, someone you often mention, no need to introduce, we know each other." Chen Meng was quick-tongued, dragging Huang Weiwei's hand and walking inside.

Huang Weiwei looked back at me, a trace of doubt in her eyes, I smiled, which was the answer.

Four or five people were sitting in the living room. When we entered, no one stood up to greet us. Old Chai's symphony flowed from the speakers. They all closed their eyes slightly, fingers tapping the rhythm on their legs, completely in the posture of an artistic life. Suddenly I felt very humble. In front of people listening to symphonies, I felt like a farmer sitting in the Golden Hall listening to Italian opera.

Chen Meng poured me a glass of red wine, the wine swaying like blood in the glass, shaking my eyes. I was at a loss, starting to regret coming with Huang Weiwei. In front of this group of high-brow people, I, a person from the countryside, was out of place with them. My hair stood up, cold sweat broke out, making me look extremely embarrassed.

Chen Meng seemed to see the state, smiled lightly, and said, "Relax, we are all friends."

I smiled bitterly, took a sip of wine, and looked around for Huang Weiwei. When people are embarrassed or in danger, their eyes like to look for familiar figures.

Huang Weiwei disappeared after entering. I looked around and didn't see her, so I pretended not to care and said, "I don't understand symphonies very well."

She smiled indifferently and said, "You were a top student at the Normal University back then, literature and art are connected. You say you don't understand, are you looking down on us, or are you conceited?"

This was aggressive. My heart was excited, and I blurted out, "Art and literature cannot be eaten as food."

She tilted her head and looked at me, contemptuously, "A small township cadre, as if you are concerned about the world, worrying about the country and the people?"

I still wanted to explain, but I saw Huang Weiwei coming over, saying softly, "Look at you two, why are you bickering? Such an elegant atmosphere, being disturbed by you two, it's become a vegetable market." After finishing, she giggled and went to tickle Chen Meng's armpit. Chen Meng tilted her body, holding back laughter, "Little girl, everything becomes a crow's mouth in your mouth."

Suddenly she leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Don't look at them as if they are enjoying it, someone was a farmer yesterday. Pretending is for you, this outsider, to see."

I really didn't understand the actions of these two women. Being among such a group of pretentious people, my butt felt like it was on a needle cushion, sitting and standing uneasy.

After a song, they all opened their eyes, as if they didn't see me, clinking glasses and drinking.

I am a person who is not willing to be lonely, I can't stand their style, so I took a wine glass to clink with Chen Meng. They seemed to have just discovered me, all looking at me in surprise.

Chen Meng simply introduced me, "Yu Feng, our friend." She pointed to Huang Weiwei and laughed, "Weiwei, why don't you introduce him grandly?"

Huang Weiwei laughed, "We came to your house as guests. It's the New Year, accompanying you to play elegant art, coming here is grand, how else to introduce?"

Several people from the newspaper handed me business cards. I glanced at them, most of them were director reporter titles.

I had to introduce myself, "Dear reporter friends, I am a township cadre in Chunshan County, sorry to disturb you. Sorry."

One of them shouted, "Chunshan County? Isn't there a place that doesn't have electricity or roads?"

I smiled and said, "That's right. It's Suxi Township where I am. However, they were all connected before the New Year."

The reporters praised, saying they all planned to go to Suxi Township for interviews and reports. Such a big thing, the Daily once published a special edition report, and Secretary He of the municipal committee personally cut the ribbon. He pointed to a thin man with glasses and asked, "Didn't you go with Secretary He?"

The thin man looked me up and down and said, "Why haven't I seen you in Chunshan County?"

I said, "I am an ordinary small township cadre, how can I enter the eyes of your big reporter. Ignoring me is a wise choice, achievements are the leader's, we small cadres, being able to do the work well is the explanation to the leader."

The reporters laughed and gave me a thumbs up, saying, "Without the hard work of you grassroots cadres, where would the leader's brilliant achievements come from."

Chen Meng sneered, "It seems that the leader's achievements are the blood and sweat of grassroots cadres."

Huang Weiwei saw that the atmosphere was wrong, and hurriedly came out to round things up, "What are you all here for? To play elegant art, right? Politics, that's what politicians play, what does it have to do with us?" She went over and hugged Chen Meng's shoulder, "These men, they all think they are politicians, let them discuss it, I'm too lazy to care."

Chen Meng said, "Aren't you a cadre?"

Huang Weiwei said, "What kind of cadre am I, just mixing along. I don't have your talent, otherwise, I would have played art too."

Chen Meng was teased by her and laughed, "Only you little girl, heartless, talking nonsense."

The speakers rang again, this time flowing out was the Swan Lake dance music. A reporter came over to invite Huang Weiwei to dance. She looked at me, handed her hand to his, and danced in the middle of the room. A reporter just wanted to come over to invite Chen Meng, Chen Meng handed the glass in her hand to me, and said, "Shall we dance one too?"

Holding her slender waist, we slid into a corner. Among the people with powder on their ears, Chen Meng whispered to me, "Weiwei, this girl, has a heavy heart."

I smiled noncommittally, her heavy heart had nothing to do with me. We are just people who met by chance, not even friends, at most a former colleague, and she is a colleague who is higher than me. ===== CHAPTER 113 =====

I smiled noncommittally; her worries had absolutely nothing to do with me. We were just people who had met by chance, not even friends, at most former colleagues—and she was a colleague who outranked me.