Chapter 27

When Yuan Xiaoyue left the office, Tu Wenyong, who was sitting opposite Xu Junran, chuckled and said, "Xiao Xu, I'm really benefiting from you, little brother."

Xu Junran smiled. Although they had only been in contact for two days, he could tell that Tu Wenyong was the type who liked to talk big but was actually a good person. Despite his carefree appearance, when it really mattered, he was quite dependable. After all, in yesterday's situation, facing over a dozen young men from Li Family Town, Tu Wenyong had stood in front of Yuan Xiaoyue with him.

"Brother Tu, stop teasing me. Yuan Xiaoyue just wants to treat me to a meal to thank me. Besides, aren't you coming too?" Xu Junran said with a smile. At this point, he didn't want to get involved in any romantic entanglements, especially not with Yuan Xiaoyue, who had admired his body in a past life.

Tu Wenyong gave a mysterious smile and said nothing more.

Xu Junran shook his head. This guy was great in every way, except for his personality, which was a bit of a headache.

When it was time to leave work, Yuan Xiaoyue had already packed up and was waiting by Xu Junran's side, smiling sweetly. "Brother Xu, let's go."

Tu Wenyong, standing nearby, was not pleased. "Xiaoyue, I've been waiting here for a while. Why didn't you call me?"

Yuan Xiaoyue smiled, revealing a shallow dimple. "Brother Tu, I was standing right next to you when I said that."

Tu Wenyong immediately brightened up. "That's true. You're a good girl, Xiaoyue. It's worth it for Brother Tu to take care of you."

Yuan Xiaoyue smiled and said, "How about this, Brother Tu, you bring your wife, and we'll all have dinner together, okay?"

"Sure, that sounds great. You two go ahead, I'll pick up my wife. You don't have to wait for me, just order the food."

With that, Tu Wenyong walked off without even acknowledging Xu Junran, leaving him looking puzzled.

"Brother Tu's wife works in the Personnel Department of the County Party Committee. She's a strong woman, much more capable than Brother Tu. I heard she might be promoted to deputy section chief by the end of the year," Yuan Xiaoyue explained with a smile, clearly aware that Xu Junran, being new to the County Party Committee, didn't know much about these things.

Xu Junran nodded thoughtfully. No wonder Tu Wenyong seemed so well-informed. On his first day, he had chatted with him about so much, probably because his wife worked in the Organization Department. It seemed that Brother Tu wasn't as foolish as he appeared.

Xu Junran chuckled to himself. After his rebirth, he had become a bit complacent. The political arena was like a battlefield, and every small figure in it had their hidden side. If he overlooked this, he wouldn't be able to advance.

Realizing this, Xu Junran felt a change in his mindset. More specifically, he had a clear goal for his future life.

With a smile, Xu Junran said to Yuan Xiaoyue, "Xiaoyue, you said you want to treat me to a meal, but I heard there aren't any restaurants in our county?"

He had indeed asked Li Yifeng about this. In Wude County, people still used food coupons and cloth coupons to buy things, and few had the spare money to eat out. The best place to eat in the entire county was the County Party Committee's guesthouse, but even there, only people of a certain rank were served.

As for private small restaurants, Xu Junran hadn't heard of any. He had planned to set one up in Li Family Town, as it could be a way to generate income.

Yuan Xiaoyue smiled and smoothed her hair. "Brother Xu, you don't know this, but we have a brewery in the county, and its canteen has been leased out and turned into a small restaurant. It's not big, but business is quite good."

"Really?" Xu Junran looked at Yuan Xiaoyue in surprise, not expecting her to know this.

"Hehe, it's run by my cousin," Yuan Xiaoyue said, covering her mouth with her hand and laughing.

Xu Junran smiled. He hadn't expected her to have such a playful side. In his past life, when he had interacted with Yuan Xiaoyue, she was already an adult, and a woman in her twenties wouldn't act like this. Their relationship had been awkward, and she was very different from the young girl she was now. Yuan Xiaoyue probably never imagined that in her past life, she would have such a tragic story.

The two of them chatted and walked toward the entrance of the County Party Committee.

Wude County's economy was underdeveloped, and the town had no notable scenery. Apart from a few two- or three-story government buildings, the only other decent structure was the four-story building of the County Credit Union. Most of the other areas were quite dilapidated.

"Brother Xu, you went to university in Beijing, right? You must have been to many places," Yuan Xiaoyue said with a smile as they walked.

Xu Junran laughed and shook his head. "Not really. There's not much to see around Jinghua University, and I was a bookworm, spending most of my time in the library. The other students were similar; everyone cherished the hard-earned opportunity to study."

He wasn't lying. Unlike the free and easy atmosphere of universities in later years, the first few batches of students after the resumption of the college entrance exam were extremely eager to learn. After being suppressed for over a decade, their thirst for knowledge exploded. Everyone who entered university treasured this opportunity and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to their studies. Some even needed to be chased out of the library by the staff.

Xu Junran was no different. In his memory, his adoptive father's university life was all about studying. If he hadn't been so focused, he wouldn't have lost his girlfriend to Huang Zixuan, the son of a high official.

Thinking of this, Xu Junran felt a deep anger. In this life, he would never let Huang Zixuan off, and he would make him taste the bitterness of losing everything.

"Brother Xu, Brother Xu, what's wrong?"

Xu Junran was lost in thought when he heard Yuan Xiaoyue's slightly playful call, snapping him back to reality. He smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I was just thinking about my time at school."

Yuan Xiaoyue smiled sweetly. "It's okay."

The two of them walked side by side toward the brewery. According to Yuan Xiaoyue, as one of the few state-owned small factories in Wude County, the brewery was doing relatively well, though its limited capacity meant it wasn't very large.

As they approached the brewery, at a turning point, a few young men walked toward them. The leader's eyes lit up when he saw Yuan Xiaoyue.

"Hey, isn't that Xiaoyue? Where are you going? Need a ride?"

Before he finished speaking, Xu Junran's face darkened.