Chapter 486

Suxi after the heavy rain appeared so messy. Only the air was incomparably fresh, flowing into every corner, making people forget the frustration brought by the mess.

The young Suxi Town seemed to be preparing for an exam; everything appeared tense but orderly.

A small town that rose from the flat ground was now brightly lit. People were rushing back and forth on every street. They were cleaning up the mess brought by the heavy rain, wanting to dress Suxi up to be gorgeous yet dignified before dawn.

This night, Suxi was destined to be sleepless!

After some tenderness, I stood by the window, looking at the pitch-black night sky outside, filled with worry. I was afraid of another heavy rain; if the heavens didn't cooperate and another heavy rain came, even if we tried our best, we would be unable to save the situation.

Yue Bai stood by the bed, tidying up her messy clothes. Our tenderness just now had actually stopped at the right time; facing Yue Bai, whose face was like a peach blossom, I forcibly suppressed my impulses.

"Let's go out for a walk." Yue Bai asked me softly. She had already tidied her clothes and regained her capability.

"Alright!" I said, picking up my phone from the nightstand, ready to go out.

Just as I was about to leave, the phone rang. It was Yu Wei calling, asking if I had rested and saying someone wanted to see me.

I asked in surprise, "Who?"

Yu Wei said, "Team Leader Guo."

I said "Oh" and asked, "It's so late, he hasn't slept yet?"

Yu Wei laughed, "We are having a late-night snack, Team Leader Guo is asking if you want to join us."

I refused, "Forget it, I'm not hungry."

Just as I was about to hang up, Guo Wei's voice came through: "Great County Magistrate Chen, won't you give us some face?"

I hesitated and said, "Brother Guo, it's so late and you're still having a late-night snack. This life of yours is quite comfortable. My life is bitter, I don't have time to accompany you."

Guo Wei laughed loudly on the phone, "Don't talk so much nonsense, come or not, just say the word. However, I'll tell you, we brothers are gathering tonight; who knows what year or month it will be before we can gather again."

I was startled and said, "Brother Guo, what do you mean by that?"

Guo Wei hesitated and said, "Come, and you'll understand."

Guo Wei left me with a suspense, making me feel anxious. Moreover, having heard from Deng Hanyu that he had brought a peerless beauty, my curiosity was instantly piqued.

"Where?" I asked.

"Besides Boss Qian's hotel, is there any other place in your Suxi to eat late-night snacks?" Guo Wei hung up the phone after saying this.

I held the receiver and said to Yue Bai, "Lao Qian's hotel has a night market?"

"Yes." Yue Bai blushed, as if some memory had been triggered, smiled unnaturally, and said, "Xiao Xue wanted to do it. The business is quite good. Don't look at Suxi as a small place; the food is internationally connected."

"We're going to Lao Qian's hotel." I said, "Guo Wei is there."

"I know." Yue Bai said lightly, "He came over in the afternoon and toured Suxi."

"What did he tour?"

"I don't know. I didn't have time to accompany him. It rained so hard in the afternoon, I was worried to death, how could I have the mood to go around with him."

"He used to be your leader." I teased her, "People leave and the tea goes cold."

The blush on Yue Bai's face became even more charming; she said with a flushed face, "I didn't mean that."

I patted her arm and comforted her, "I'm just joking. Now let's go to Lao Qian's hotel together."

Lao Qian's Suxi Hotel is only one street away from the Town Government, and it takes less than five minutes to walk there.

We met many people along the way, most of them coming and going in a hurry. They all had tasks; after the heavy rain, Yue Bai broke down the restoration tasks and gave strict orders—whoever messes up, suffers.

The entrance of Suxi Hotel was shining brightly, and the restaurant on the left side of the lobby was bustling with noise.

As soon as I entered, I saw Xuelai, wearing bright, light makeup, warmly greeting guests. She saw me, a look of surprise flashed across her face, and she trotted over, smiling, "So late, coming for a late-night snack?"

Xuelai's outfit was incompatible with a town cadre. I turned to Yue Bai in confusion and asked, "What's going on?"

Yue Bai smiled, "Xiao Xue resigned from her position as Youth League Committee Secretary and is now partnering with Lao Qian to open the hotel. I haven't had time to report it to you yet. I wanted to tell you after the event ended."

My heart stirred with excitement. Damn it! These women treat their cadre status like child's play. They really don't know the height of the sky or the depth of the earth.

"Nonsense." I cursed in a low voice, not looking at Xuelai, and asked, "Where are Team Leader Guo and the others?"

Xuelai seemed to sense my displeasure; she smiled indifferently, scanned the lobby, and whispered, "Follow me." She walked forward gracefully, and Yue Bai and I followed behind her, greeting people having late-night snacks as we walked.

There were quite a few unfamiliar faces, and I thought to myself, where did these people pop up from?

I have been in Suxi for eight years and know every mountain and stream in Suxi. To speak boastfully, this stone of Suxi has already been warmed in my arms.

In Laoyingzui, where Suxi Town is located, there is almost no one I don't know, from eighty-year-old elders to three-year-old toddlers. Even people like Qian Youyu's Yuetang Village, I am basically familiar with their faces.

But the people eating late-night snacks here, I mostly don't recognize. Judging by their dress and appearance, they don't seem to be local farmers.

Yue Bai saw my confusion, took a few quick steps to lean in, and whispered, "These people are all bosses who came to Suxi to do business, outsiders."

I said "Oh" in surprise. Suxi hasn't opened for business yet, what business is there to do?

Yue Bai explained, "We have a hot spring resort here, who doesn't know this news? Now taking the first step is seizing the opportunity. So these people, having heard about this, all swarmed over. Many people have expressed that they want to build hotels in Suxi."

I looked at her and didn't say anything.

Yue Bai smiled shyly and whispered, "I wanted to report it to you, but I've been too busy lately. I think, anyway, they are bringing money to invest, so it's not a bad thing. Besides, even if we used sticks to drive them away now, they wouldn't leave. So I thought, after we finish the official relocation, we'll take the time to handle these matters properly."

Yue Bai's words flowed through my heart like an electric current. This was the first time I had heard such good news. Originally, a new town with no industry and no commerce—I had been worrying about how to develop the next step of the plan. Now, hearing Yue Bai say this, my mood suddenly brightened.

The matter of pulling Liu Misi to invest in Suxi tourism back then finally saw the dawn of hope.

"Keep them!" I instructed in a low voice, "They are the future of Suxi."

Yue Bai nodded seriously, smiling and greeting people she knew from time to time.

Turning past the lobby, a small path led to several private rooms.

This was a VIP reception room specially set aside by Qian Youyu, which I had been to before.

Xuelai opened a door, and I looked over, instantly feeling as if I had been struck by lightning, tongue-tied and unable to make a sound.

Inside the room was a large round table, with a few people sitting sparsely.

These few people made me open my mouth, unable to close it.

Guo Wei saw me, stood up, hugged my shoulders, and laughed loudly, "The landlord is here. Everyone welcome."

Before I could speak, someone at the table laughed, "Reward him with a cup first."

It was Xu Mengda speaking. I had no idea when he had arrived in Suxi. And how did he know Guo Wei? I was completely confused.

"What? Don't you recognize me? Little brother." Seeing that I couldn't speak for a long time, Xu Mengda stood up with a smile, pulled me to the table, and said, "Come, come, come, let me introduce you."

Yu Wei had long since stood up and moved to the side; he took my leather bag and phone from my hands and pushed a chair under my butt.

"Brother Mengda, you didn't even tell me when you came." I blamed him, hugged his waist affectionately, and said loudly, "No need to introduce me, I know them all."

Indeed, I know them all! Among these people, I am familiar with Guo Wei, I am familiar with Xu Mengda, and only one woman with her head lowered, whose appearance I couldn't see clearly, was hard to judge.

"Sit down first." As soon as Xu Mengda sat down, he ordered Yu Wei, "Go, find a large cup for your boss."

I waved my hands, "Brother Xu, I can't, there's still a big matter not yet finished."

Xu Mengda laughed, "What big matter, isn't it just a ribbon-cutting and foundation-laying ceremony? Don't worry, my people have already arranged everything. You just need to show up and say a few words then."

I smiled bitterly, "Do I dare not show up? Provincial Governor Lin is coming, and there's also an American big boss; this is what it means to have money and power."

Xu Mengda didn't take my words and called Guo Wei over, "Xiao Guo, you represent the Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department and toast County Magistrate Chen."

I was greatly shocked. Guo Wei represents the Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department—what does that mean?

Seeing my surprised look, Xu Mengda smiled, "You know Xiao Guo too; you worked together in the past. Now he has been transferred to the Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department; although it's not a high position, it counts as a promotion. So, you must drink this cup of wine from Xiao Guo no matter what."

I still wanted to decline, but the woman with her head lowered finally looked up. When I saw her, I was instantly like a statue molded from mud.

It was Xue Bing!

She parted her red lips slightly and said like an oriole singing, "This cup also has half of mine."

Guo Wei went over gently, supporting Xue Bing's chair, and said, "It's a must, my wife said, this is a toast from both of us as a couple. Chen Feng, whether you drink or not, it's up to you."

My heart was in a mess, and I actually had the urge to cry. This woman I once loved deeply had now become someone else's wife; even if my heart were as hard as iron, it would have melted instantly at this moment under the high temperature.

People, only when they lose something do they feel incomparable pain.

I hesitated, my heart aching, holding the wine glass, looking around in a daze.

"I'll drink it." Xue Bing stood up, took the wine glass from Guo Wei's hand without a word, and downed it in one gulp.

The strong liquor was like fire, instantly making her face look like spring flowers.

She coughed, not looking at me.

Guo Wei on the side seemed to have been suddenly awakened, hurriedly reaching out to pat her back, blaming her, "Wife, don't you want your throat anymore?"

Xue Bing smiled faintly and said, "It's just a cup of wine, it's fine."

Xu Mengda tapped the table and said, "Little brother, look, the girl has already drunk it, and you're still acting like a woman, what are you dawdling for?"

I had no choice but to pour the full cup of wine down my throat and swallow it. This cup of wine felt incomparably bitter, like coptis, rapidly invading my meridians.

"Brother Xiao Guo, don't be nervous yet. Xiao Xue is now the pillar of our Central Province; her golden voice has brought glory to our Central Province." Xu Mengda laughed, "That's why, I heard Xiao Xue is from your Suxi, so I invited her here to sing a song at the hometown celebration."

I was confused and didn't understand the meaning of his words.

Xu Mengda explained, "Xiao Xue represented Central Province in the National Young Singers Competition this year and won the gold medal! A song, 'Who Doesn't Say My Hometown is Good,' stunned the audience! Experts commented that such a voice is rare in a thousand years. That's why, as soon as the competition ended, the Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department transferred her to the Provincial Drama Troupe. Now she is a National First-Class Actor and a young singer."

I was stunned, my heart churning like the sea.

"Such excellent talent must be protected. Her daily life must be taken care of. The province originally wanted to arrange for someone special, but hearing that Xiao Xue has a lover in her hometown, they simply transferred them together. That's why Xiao Guo also went to the Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department." Xu Mengda sipped his wine and said, "One in the drama troupe, one in the propaganda department. It solved the problem of living apart and eliminated worries. Xiao Xue just needs to sing well and sing the style of our Central Province to the international stage."

It's not surprising that Xu Mengda knows these inside stories. He has a father who is the Minister of the Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department, he himself runs a media company, and he spent several years in the propaganda department before.

But Xu Mengda will never know until he dies that Xue Bing, whom he praises constantly, was my lover a few years ago!