Chapter 432: Playing the Local Emperor (2)

I could only nod; I couldn't get a single word out.

"Think about it yourself. Once you've thought it through, give me a call." He stood up, his gaze sweeping across the wall full of books, and praised: "My old classmate here is truly a man of great learning."

He took a few steps, stopped, turned his head back, and said to me: "Little Chen, regarding the counterfeit money case in Chunshan County, you need to pull yourself out of it."

I nodded earnestly and said: "Governor Lin, I wasn't involved in it to begin with."

"Good, good." Governor Lin said with a smile: "The public security waters are deep. If you don't have good swimming skills, don't go into the water lightly. Otherwise, if you drown, you won't even know how you died."

These few sentences from Governor Lin were blunt and simple, yet they were like a sharp sword, piercing through all the hypocrisy.

He returned to his chair and sat down, waving at me as he said: "Go and call Little Xi in."

As if granted a reprieve, I hurriedly pulled the door open and went out.

Seeing me come out, Lin Xiaoxi stood up and asked: "Are you done talking?"

I shook my head and said: "Governor Lin wants you to go in."

Lin Xiaoxi glanced at me and walked past me. She looked back and called out: "Chen Feng, aren't you coming in?"

I waved my hand and said: "I'm not going."

Lin Xiaoxi raised her willow-leaf eyebrows and said chidingly: "Fool, you want to get scolded by Governor Lin?"

Guan Peishan laughed and said: "Little Chen, go on. Governor Lin must have important matters to entrust to you."

I had no choice but to follow Lin Xiaoxi back into the room.

Seeing the two of us enter, Governor Lin was all smiles and beckoned us over.

He took Lin Xiaoxi's hand in one of his, grabbed my hand with the other, placed Lin Xiaoxi's hand into mine, and said earnestly: "Chen Feng, remember, from today on, I am entrusting Little Xi to you."

I was startled and wanted to pull my hand back, but I found Governor Lin's hand to be firm and powerful.

"You must cherish her as you cherish your own eyes!"

My heart was in turmoil; I looked up at Lin Xiaoxi, who was blushing, looking incredibly shy. Her fair, delicate hand in mine felt like a scorching hot iron rod, searing my fragile nerves.

"Can you do it?" Governor Lin asked me in a deep voice.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, I smiled bitterly and said: "Governor Lin, I will take good care of Little Xi. Don't you worry!"

My words were ambiguous and could be interpreted in any way.

Governor Lin, however, would not let me play it slick and simply laid it out: "The person the little girl has fallen in love with is you!"

In fact, I had long anticipated the ending of the story; Governor Lin telling me the story so earnestly was merely setting the stage for this current scene.

But how could he know that my beloved was Huang Weiwei?

I felt I couldn't let him continue to misunderstand, so I gathered my courage and said: "Governor Lin, I have a sweetheart."

Governor Lin looked at me in astonishment, then glanced at his daughter Lin Xiaoxi, hesitated for a long moment, and sighed: "Are you married?"

I shook my head and said: "Not yet."

Governor Lin laughed as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and said: "Since you aren't married, our Little Xi still has a chance. Love is a matter of fair competition." He thought for a moment and asked me: "Who is the other person?"

I hesitated to speak; revealing Huang Weiwei would be a sign of disrespect to her. Not saying it, however, would make it impossible to satisfy Governor Lin.

Seeing my hesitation, Governor Lin let go of our hands and said: "It's fine if you don't say it. But you must give me a guarantee that you will ensure they have a principle of fair competition."

This approach of Governor Lin's went beyond what an ordinary person would do. In this world, few fathers would lower their status for their daughters. In a father's eyes, daughters are always proud princesses. To fathers everywhere, giving their daughter to any man is a pain in their hearts.

Lin Xiaoxi was already incredibly shy. Her face was as red as the morning clouds on the horizon, or like a delicate, vibrant peach blossom.

She didn't dare look at me and, acting like a spoiled child, shouted at her father: "Dad, what are you doing?"

Governor Lin lovingly hugged his daughter's shoulders and said with infinite loss: "Little Xi, I cannot let you be even a little bit unhappy ever again. Remember, you are your father's life, your father's hope, and the only thought your mother and father have left in this world."

This heartfelt confession from Governor Lin made tears well up in Lin Xiaoxi's eyes. Even I felt as if a giant boulder were blocking my heart.

"Dad." Lin Xiaoxi called out, opened her arms, hugged her father's waist, pressed her head against his chest, and cried silently.

This father and daughter had been in a cold war for over twenty years. Now that the floodgates of emotion had opened again, the outpouring of years of feelings could no longer be controlled.

Governor Lin patted his daughter's back lovingly and said with deep emotion: "Little Xi, you must be brave! Life is about constant struggle. In this world, nothing is handed to you on a silver platter. Everything requires us to fight for it. Even if we end up with nothing, as long as we have tried, we will have no regrets in this life."

Lin Xiaoxi nodded earnestly, looked at me with a shy smile through her tear-filled eyes, and then buried her head back into her father's chest, not daring to look at me again.

"Dad, I want to go back to Central Province. Chen Feng is going too." Lin Xiaoxi said straightforwardly, acting spoiled.

"Good, that's good." Governor Lin laughed heartily and said: "As long as Chen Feng is willing, he can be transferred to my office immediately to serve as my secretary."

"Really?" Lin Xiaoxi looked at me with pleasant surprise and asked: "Chen Feng, are you willing?"

I said without hesitation: "I cannot go."

Governor Lin and his daughter looked at me in surprise.

I said: "It's not that I don't want to go. Serving the leadership is my honor and my duty. It's just that I have only just taken on the role of Deputy County Magistrate of Chunshan County, and I haven't done anything yet. If I just walk away now, what will others say about me?"

"Why do you care about gossip?" Lin Xiaoxi pouted in dissatisfaction.

"I'm not afraid of gossip. I believe that as a cadre, in everything I do, I must not only be worthy of the trust the Party has placed in us, but also be worthy of my own conscience."

Governor Lin nodded in approval.

My confidence grew, and my courage surged.

"Chunshan County is currently at a critical stage of development. If I leave now, many things will be delayed. For example, the tourism resources I am planning to develop—the contracts are signed, and the first installment of funds has arrived. Can I leave?"

"Is the banquet not going to happen without you?" Lin Xiaoxi was still angry.

I said softly: "Little Xi, you have also spent so many years in Chunshan County. Don't you want to see Chunshan County take on a brand-new look?"

Lin Xiaoxi was momentarily speechless; she stared at me with wide eyes and said nothing.

Governor Lin laughed: "Little Chen, you are a fine cadre. This idea of yours is excellent. First, achieve something at the grassroots level, and then you will be promoted in a legitimate and honorable way. Good, good, good."

"What's so good about it? He just wants to be a local emperor in that place." Lin Xiaoxi hit the nail on the head regarding my thoughts.