Chapter 42: An Unexpected Encounter

"Did you tell him my identity?" Guo Lin'an asked Zhao Jinhai beside him while Zhu Daodong went to the restroom.

"How could I? So, how is he? Not bad, right?" Zhao Jinhai asked with a grin.

"Hmm, he's okay. At least his drinking capacity is good." Guo Lin'an nodded.

"Captain, Old Battalion Commander, this guy is simply a freak. Eight catties of Maotai, even a bull would be knocked out, but he didn't even turn red." Xu Jun, who originally didn't believe Zhao Jinhai's boast about Zhu Daodong's drinking capacity, had to admit that Zhu Daodong drank two catties more than him. Now, Xu Jun's head was pounding, but Zhu Daodong? When he walked out, his steps were steady, as if nothing had happened.

"If he were in the army, he would definitely be a good soldier." Guo Lin'an nodded.

"He's not bad in civilian life either. He has a proper bachelor's degree." Zhao Jinhai smiled. Today, he had performed beyond his usual level, drinking five catties of Maotai and still chatting cheerfully.

"Let's see." Guo Lin'an said slowly. Zhu Daodong was just a secretary at the township government, without any administrative rank. Even if he wanted to transfer him to help, it would take three to five years.

"You're the county party secretary, of course you have the final say!" Zhao Jinhai said with a grin.

They thought they were being very secretive in the private room, but Zhu Daodong, who was in the restroom, could hear their every breath clearly. It wasn't that Zhu Daodong was deliberately eavesdropping; he was just curious about Guo Lin'an's identity. As a result, he heard everything they said, and when Zhao Jinhai mentioned "county party secretary," he almost stumbled and fell on the restroom floor.

Guo Lin'an is the county party secretary? Zhu Daodong slapped his forehead. Of course, he had conveyed the county party committee's documents many times, which included important instructions and speeches from Secretary Guo. But he hadn't thought of Guo Lin'an as the county party secretary just now. He only found the name familiar. How could he have imagined that he would meet the county party secretary just by going out for a drink with Zhao Jinhai?

No wonder Chen Shijie treated Zhao Jinhai with such respect. The secret was right here. Not just Chen Shijie, but Chen Shuli must also have known about the relationship between Zhao Jinhai and Guo Lin'an. Otherwise, his temporary transfer as a secretary wouldn't have been confirmed six months early.

Zhu Daodong stayed in the restroom for about ten minutes to calm down. If he returned with a nervous expression, it would create misunderstandings, no matter how he explained it. If he left a bad impression on Guo Lin'an, it would be a significant loss.

Meeting the county party secretary was certainly a good thing, but Zhu Daodong wasn't foolish enough to think that one drink would make him a close friend like Zhao Jinhai. He needed to maintain a normal attitude, neither getting overly excited about the connection nor giving up because of the lack of a relationship. Everything depended on himself. As long as he performed well, he wouldn't worry about promotion opportunities.

Not long after returning to the private room, Zhao Jinhai proposed that they all had things to do in the afternoon and should end the gathering. Both Guo Lin'an and Zhao Jinhai had rooms booked at Xiangshan Villa. Without a couple of hours of rest, they wouldn't be able to work in the afternoon. Fortunately, they had only been drinking for a little over an hour, so they still had an hour and a half to rest, which was enough to recover.

Zhu Daodong couldn't stay at the villa, so Xu Jun sent him back to the county town. Zhu Daodong remembered that this was his first visit to Chen Shuli's home, so he asked the driver to drop him off at the department store.

Earlier in the morning, Zhu Daodong had asked Wang Bo and learned that Chen Shuli's son was only five years old and still in kindergarten. Therefore, he bought the latest Transformers toy at the department store, which was very popular at the time.

Considering the timing, Chen Shuli was definitely still "exchanging" with Deputy Secretary Wang. Returning to Chen Shuli's home now would be inappropriate. Even if Chen Shuli's wife was at home, it would be awkward without Chen Shuli.

Where should he go? Zhu Daodong wandered the streets of the county town, thinking to himself. In the past, whenever he came to the county town, it was either to deliver documents for the township government or to accompany Li Jin as a laborer. He always rushed back after finishing his tasks, so it was rare to have leisure time.

"Zhu Daodong!"

Zhu Daodong was thinking about finding a teahouse to sit for a few hours when he suddenly heard someone calling him. He turned around and saw a girl with long hair, an oval face, arched eyebrows, a straight nose, a slender waist, and rosy lips, sitting not far away, smiling at him.

"Hello, Xiaoyu." Zhu Daodong, though he thought he had forgotten Tang Xiaoli, felt a pang in his heart when he saw her sister. The best and most effective way to forget is time. Time, like flowing water, can wash away everything, whether it's feelings or memories.

"Why are you standing here like a fool?" Tang Xiaoyu lightly tapped Zhu Daodong's shoulder, as if greeting a friend.

"I was walking, and suddenly the heavens issued a decree, telling me to wait for someone here. How could I dare to be negligent? And here you are." Zhu Daodong said with a grin. Last May, he had visited Tang Xiaoli's home and spent a day with her at Qingfeng Mountain in Yuhua County, where the scenery was breathtaking. It was then that he first met Tang Xiaoyu, who was lively and outgoing, and they got along very well.

"Rubbish, but I like it." Tang Xiaoyu smiled and was about to link her arm with Zhu Daodong's, but she realized that he was no longer her brother-in-law and hesitated, pulling her hand back.

"How is your job at the finance bureau?" Zhu Daodong asked.

"You're well-informed. I'm just getting by. And you, Secretary Zhu?" Tang Xiaoyu laughed lightly. In fact, her job was quite good. She was assigned to the Economic Construction Department of the finance bureau, which was responsible for the county's fiscal expenditures, a very important department. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that half of the finance bureau's power was in the Economic Construction Department.

"You say I'm well-informed, but you're even better. You know what's happening in the world while being in the government. I'm really impressed." Zhu Daodong was indeed surprised. He knew about Tang Xiaoyu's situation because he had heard it from Zhang Zhichun during a drink. But Tang Xiaoyu knowing that he was now a secretary at the township government was no small feat.

"Don't be so formal with me. Here's my phone number. Call me when you come to the county town." Tang Xiaoyu took out a pen and paper, wrote down her number, and handed it to Zhu Daodong.

Watching Tang Xiaoyu walk away, Zhu Daodong thought about throwing the paper away, but he instinctively put it in his pocket.

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End of Chapter 42

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