Chapter 413: Forcing the Issue

Guan Peishan was putting on airs and wouldn't come, but I couldn't just let it be.

Secretary Liu Qimeng already knew about this, so I couldn't go to Qilin Villa personally. If Guan Peishan didn't come, he would inevitably be caught in the net. Once Guan Peishan fell into it, no one could be sure how many unknown things would be triggered.

When a person is pushed to the limit, they will bite like a mad dog. I wasn't afraid of him biting me; I was afraid that after such a blow, the cadres of Chunshan County would be unable to recover. If I wanted to achieve something, without people's cooperation, I would be a lone palm unable to clap.

In a pile of rice, having a few mouse droppings isn't hard; as long as you are patient enough to pick them out, you won't discard the whole pile. Even if the pile of rice is mixed with old rice and moldy rice, it's just a matter of time and patience. As for the rice that is about to mold, as long as it can still be eaten, mixing it in with a pile of good rice won't ruin the taste or the mood.

After all, people need food to survive.

Between Guan Peishan and Liu Qimeng, I didn't want either of them to have an accident. As long as the two of them were fine, I could move freely. They were a pair of natural enemies, restraining and checking each other. This would inevitably free up space for me, and I could also play both sides.

For the first time in my life, I went home during work hours; I needed a quiet place to sort myself out. In the office, I couldn't control myself; people coming and going to ask for instructions couldn't be turned away.

When I got home, I smelled a musty odor. I only then remembered that since I moved in, apart from a few hours of sleep every night, I hadn't taken care of the room at all. The narcissus on the balcony was lush and green. But the withered leaves, falling into the water filled with dust, were like the withering after autumn, making one feel desolate.

A pair of leather shoes at the door was also covered in thick dust, like a declining old man, looking at the world alone.

I sighed, but had no mood to tidy up. I threw myself onto the bed and closed my eyes to rest.

Guan Peishan and Liu Qimeng's images jumped in my mind like a revolving lantern; the more I thought, the more annoyed I became, and my mood was at its worst.

I got up to the kitchen and turned on the gas stove, preparing to boil a pot of water to make tea, when I heard the door opposite open. I walked a few steps quickly and opened my door, seeing Li Lian carrying a few bags, about to enter her home.

Li Lian heard the door open, turned her head, saw it was me, and a flash of surprise crossed her eyes.

"Why are you home?" She asked, throwing the things into the room, but not entering, looking at me with a smile.

"I want to lie down for a while." I said, scanning her exquisite body, my heart surging.

"Tired?" She asked with concern, her expression flustered: "What's wrong?"

I sighed and said: "Even machines have times when they break. How can a person not have time to rest? I just want to be quiet for a while."

She said "Oh," a little disappointed by my answer.

"Nothing wrong?"

"Nothing wrong."

She said "Oh" again, her eyes looking into my room, tutting strangely: "Oh my, your room is a bit messy."

I smiled bitterly and didn't speak.

"I just said, a home without a woman, no matter how tough the man, will be as messy as a pigsty." She seemed to feel that what she said was a bit outrageous, and stuck out her tongue to make a face in embarrassment.

"I'll help you tidy up." She pushed me aside without question and entered my home.

There was an apron in the kitchen that Li Lian had provided back then. So she found the apron familiarly, tied it around her waist, and instantly became a pretty housewife, a sight that made one's heart move.

I closed the door and sat on the sofa, watching her busy here and there, my heart surprisingly peaceful.

The water boiled, making a sharp sound. Li Lian made me a cup of tea, placed it on the coffee table in front of me, and smiled beautifully: "Master, have some tea."

I waved for her to come over; she hesitated for a moment, but still came over and stood by my side, looking at me with a pair of hazy eyes.

Li Lian was a ripe woman; a woman in her thirties had the face and figure of a young girl. She was once one of the three flowers of Chunshan County and also a representative figure of Chunshan County's fashion world.

As the saying goes, a good woman matches an ugly man! This seems to be an unbreakable truth. Beautiful women usually marry husbands who are not presentable. I'm not saying Lao Mo is ugly; compared to his wife, Lao Mo's image is simply a fresh flower stuck in cow dung. No wonder people always sigh, all the good cabbage is arched by pigs!

A smile spread across the corners of my mouth. This look of mine was captured by Li Lian; she seemed to see through my thoughts and teased me: "What crooked ideas are you having again."

I pulled her to sit down, smelling the faint fragrance coming from her body, and couldn't help but feel my heart flutter.

A lonely man and a woman in the same room, a strong man, a delicate beauty. If nothing happened, who would believe it? Not to mention we had had physical intimacy before.

Li Lian seemed to feel my ill intentions; she consciously avoided my gaze, lowered her head, and played with her fingernails, looking pitiful.

I didn't make any other moves, just quietly breathing in her fragrance, enjoying the rare warmth.

"I still need to help you tidy up the bed. Your bed is too messy." She said in a low voice, getting up to leave.

I grabbed her hand, examined it before my eyes, and said: "Forget it. A man's bed, a woman had better not touch."

She giggled: "I'll just touch it, can you eat me?"

I smiled ambiguously, hugged her waist, and said: "I won't eat you, a kiss is fine, right."

She wanted to break free from my embrace, her face flushed red, muttering: "No."

"Why?" I asked in surprise.

"You are a man with a wife. Your wife is so beautiful, I'm just a broken flower, what's the point of kissing." She laughed without concealment: "You're a big County Magistrate, why do you always think about eating someone else's?"

I laughed: "Home-cooked food always tastes the same. Changing flavors not only improves appetite but also strengthens the body."

"Nonsense." She scolded with a smile: "It's best not to steal someone else's food. I'm afraid if you eat it, you won't be able to swallow it."

"Just watch and see if I can swallow it." I said, but my hand was not honest, reaching into the hem of her clothes, stroking her smooth skin, and instantly my mind was lost.

She pushed my hand away hard, not letting it continue forward. After struggling for a while, she sighed faintly and said: "It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that I think, don't let a broken flower like me ruin your tall image."

My heart skipped a beat, as if a basin of cold water had been poured over my head, and I instantly felt disheartened.

She was right. I wasn't the small secretary of the township government back then; my every word and action now was a model for the million people of Chunshan County.

I felt ashamed and didn't dare to look at her.

She saw my dejected look and burst out laughing: "I understand you. Actually, I want it even more."

I shook my head and said: "I'm sorry."

She became unhappy and shouted: "What's there to be sorry about? That you can take a fancy to me is my happiness. What virtue or ability do I have to make you move your heart? It's me who is sorry to you, I can't let you fall into self-reproach because of personal life details."

I pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and said: "I, this person, don't have enough willpower."

Li Lian laughed generously, saying: "Who has this willpower? You don't know our Lao Mo, back then this shameless thing, he forced the issue. Otherwise, would I have married him?"

I was amused by her and asked: "How did he force the issue?"

"He had just transferred back from the army that year, and someone introduced him to me. I met him once, to be honest, I didn't take a fancy to him. But he was truly shameless, pestering me to go home with him. Going home is going home, he was good, seeing my parents, he opened his mouth and called them Mom and Dad, scaring my whole family."

She giggled, as if recalling the sweetness of the past, a flush appearing on her face, charming and cute.

"From that day on, he didn't leave our house. It just so happened that his work after transferring back to the local area hadn't been settled, so he had plenty of time. During the day he followed behind my butt to work, at night he cooked and boiled water for my family. It made it seem like he was part of my family. You know my parents, they are honest people, seeing him like this. They all came to persuade me. I, this person, just don't have a firm stance."

She sighed, but there was not a trace of regret in her expression; instead, a kind of invisible sweetness rippled between her brows and eyes.

"Later, I also wanted to hold the attitude of trying it out, and agreed to date him for a while to see. Who knew this shameless thing, taking advantage of my parents not being home, climbed into my bed."

She was too shy to look at me, her voice getting lower and lower, until finally, she ran away like a rabbit.

Her sweet past was like a picture, fully displayed before my eyes. It made me suddenly feel my own despicable nature.

I feigned a laugh and said: "Lao Mo was also a soldier."

"He was a soldier in Tibet, a soldier at a border post at an altitude of 5,000 meters for eight years. If it weren't for that, could my Lao Mo be unable to have children?" Li Lian suddenly sobbed.

I was startled by her crying and comforted her: "Science is advanced now, don't worry."

"Actually, it's nothing. If there are no children, there are no children. We are discussing adopting one." She helped me make the bed, clapped her hands and said: "Alright. I'm going back."

Mentioning Lao Mo, I thought of Guan Peishan again, my heart skipped a beat, and I called Li Lian to stop: "Wait a moment, there's another matter."

She stopped and turned to ask me: "Something else?"

I said: "There's a matter, I'd like to ask you to make a trip."

"Say it."

"Help me go to Qilin Villa and invite Secretary Guan to the Huihuang Hotel."

"I'm not familiar with him, how can I invite him?"

"Just say I'm in Suxi Town and asked you to go. As for what means you use to invite him, I don't care. I only have one requirement: he must be invited."

Li Lian looked at me suspiciously, and after a long while, came to her senses and said: "Aren't you forcing a duck onto a perch?"

"No." I defended: "I'm asking you to help me."

"Is it important?"

"Very important!" I said, not looking at her, got up and walked to the bedroom door, saying: "I'm waiting for your call." ===== CHAPTER 414 =====