Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Running to the Provincial Capital

Leaving the Party and Government Office, Wang Jian became an ordinary village cadre. His work was quite relaxed, with no one managing or questioning him. Every time there was a meeting, he became the loneliest person in the venue. Others would point at him and say, "Look, this guy dared to report to the provincial governor. It's already good that the township leaders didn't fire him!"

Feeling increasingly isolated, Wang Jian realized how unwelcome it was to not play by the rules of the political arena. The issues he cared about and spoke of were merely worrying for nothing, as the ancients said, "Those who eat meat will plan it, why should I interfere?" Even if he wanted to show off, he should have reported step by step, perhaps gaining the favor of the higher-level leaders, such as Zhang Zeguang and Feng Guoqiang. Now, it seemed that everything would turn to nothing.

After thinking for a few days, Wang Jian decided to go to the provincial capital and meet Chen Yu. Since staying in Xianhe Township offered no future, why not explore other paths and venture out? He asked Zhang Zeguang for a few days off, and Zhang, perhaps knowing Wang Jian's thoughts, agreed.

Riding in a car to the provincial capital, this was where Wang Jian had spent four years of his university life. Everything was so familiar, and it was far more prosperous than Xianhe Township. Many of his classmates had stayed in the provincial capital to develop, while he had gone to a remote and poor place to work, although he was a respected civil servant, he was at the most basic level!

"Jian, let me take you to my company first!" Chen Yu came to pick up Wang Jian in his newly bought car, which made Wang Jian quite envious. Both of them had graduated not long ago, but the difference was immediately apparent. It would take many years of working in the countryside to afford a car.

"Sure, since you have a car, you can take me wherever you want, just don't sell me!" Wang Jian joked.

"Ha, if you were a beauty, I might think of selling you. But you're a big guy, who would buy you? By the way, Jian, did Lin Feifei really break up with you? Back in the day, when you were the student council president, she chased after you like crazy!"

Hearing Chen Yu mention the past, Wang Jian fell into deep thought. Back in university, he had been so popular. After enrolling, he became the class president, then joined the student council, serving as a minister, vice president, and finally president. Walking around campus, he had countless female fans, and Lin Feifei was one of them. She also served as the cultural minister in the student council. They were a perfect match, and everyone envied them.

Lin Feifei came from a city family, while Wang Jian was just a boy from a farming family. His parents were overjoyed when they learned he had a city girlfriend. However, when graduation came, Wang Jian returned to his hometown to work as an ordinary township cadre in a remote place. After much thought, Lin Feifei changed her attitude and firmly broke up with Wang Jian. Thinking about it, Wang Jian felt heartache. Now, Lin Feifei's phone number had changed, and he couldn't even contact her.

"All that is in the past, let's not mention it. Tell me about you, have you managed to win Zhang Meilu's heart?" Wang Jian asked lazily.

"Ha, we're almost having a child!" Chen Yu said happily.

"What, you're already married?" Wang Jian was shocked.

"Not yet, we're planning to get married after the child is born!"

Chen Yu's progress was impressive, and Wang Jian was impressed. Back in the day, Zhang Meilu was the proudest girl in the class. Although not the most beautiful, her气质 was unmatched. Chen Yu, with his potbelly, seemed unlikely to win her heart. But he pursued her relentlessly, sending flowers to her dormitory, helping her with meals and seating, and even considered having Wang Jian play the bad guy so he could be the hero. He later abandoned the idea, thinking it too risky.

"Chen Yu, you're really something, you're so persistent!" Wang Jian praised.

Chen Yu smiled bitterly, "What persistence? If I hadn't worked hard to build a company and made some money, all my persistence would be useless!"

A common plight for men, Wang Jian thought. If he hadn't returned to his hometown as a civil servant and if his family hadn't been poor, Lin Feifei wouldn't have left him.

"Tonight, I'll gather a few classmates for a reunion, and we'll get drunk together!" Chen Yu said as he drove the car to a building.

Getting out of the car, Chen Yu led Wang Jian to the eleventh floor of the building. There were three offices belonging to Chen Yu's company, and a few employees greeted them politely.

"What kind of business does your company mainly do?" Wang Jian couldn't help but ask.

Chen Yu laughed, "Mainly we do foreign trade in agricultural products, exporting to South Korea and Japan."

"Do you also do vegetable business?" Wang Jian asked, thinking of the vegetable greenhouse farmers in Xianhe Township.

"Of course, we mainly do vegetables right now!" Chen Yu answered.

"If we grow vegetables in the countryside, will you buy them?" Wang Jian thought of the vegetable greenhouse farmers in Xianhe Township.

"We will, but they must meet technical requirements. Export vegetables have strict standards, no pesticide residues, and must be on a large scale to be worth our while!" Chen Yu explained seriously.

Wang Jian felt deflated. The farmers in Xianhe Township didn't meet the requirements. Chen Yu saw this and laughed, "Jian, are you thinking of growing vegetables in the countryside? You're a civil servant, you can't do that!"

"I'm not thinking of growing them myself, but I want to help the farmers develop vegetable farming to get rich." Wang Jian said.

"Ha, Jian, you're a true civil servant, always thinking of leading the people to prosperity!" Chen Yu laughed.

"Not really, it's just an idea. I've told you, I want to work with you!"

"Ha, you better keep your word!"

The two laughed and joked. In the evening, Chen Yu gathered a group of classmates for a reunion at a hotel.

About five or six classmates came, all invited by Chen Yu. Most were civil servants in the provincial capital. As a businessman, it was essential for Chen Yu to maintain relationships with classmates in government positions.

Chen Yu greeted guests at the door. After a while, he came to Wang Jian and whispered, "Bad news, Lin Feifei is coming too!"

"She's coming? Did you invite her?" Wang Jian wanted to see Lin Feifei but was unsure what would happen if they met, so he didn't ask Chen Yu to invite her.

"Given your relationship, would I invite her? Zhao Yixuan from the Provincial Party Committee Office invited her, and I couldn't do anything about it." Chen Yu said helplessly.

"Zhao Yixuan? She works at the Provincial Party Committee Office?" Wang Jian was surprised. Zhao Yixuan wasn't very active in school, and her studies were average. He had never paid much attention to her, but now she worked at the Provincial Party Committee Office.

"I just heard about it, so I invited her. As a businessman, it's an honor to have a classmate in the Provincial Party Committee Office. I heard she used to have a crush on you. Maybe this is your chance to reconnect, and it would make things easier for me!" Chen Yu winked and nudged.

"Don't be ridiculous, a crush on me? How would I know!"

"Ha, if you knew, it wouldn't be a crush anymore!"

Just then, more classmates arrived, and Chen Yu hurried to greet them. Soon, Zhao Yixuan and Lin Feifei walked in, arm in arm.

Seeing Wang Jian, both were taken aback for a moment, then Zhao Yixuan smiled, "The class president is here too!"

Looking at Zhao Yixuan, Wang Jian realized she had become much more beautiful. How had he not noticed her before? Now, even Lin Feifei seemed less attractive next to her!

"Yixuan, Feifei, you're here!" Wang Jian stood up and forced a smile.

He thought Lin Feifei might feel awkward, but she showed no signs of it. She just smiled and sat down with Zhao Yixuan, making Wang Jian feel uncomfortable.

"Come, it's rare for us classmates to gather, let's have a toast!" After everyone was seated, Chen Yu raised his glass.

In school, Wang Jian would have been the one to speak, and Chen Yu wanted him to do so today, but he refused. It wasn't appropriate; things were different now. Chen Yu was hosting, and it wouldn't be right for Wang Jian to speak.

All the classmates at the table worked at least in provincial-level units. Lin Feifei had also passed the exam to work in a municipal office, which explained why she was close to Zhao Yixuan. Their positions were better than Wang Jian's, creating a stark contrast in his mind.

"Class president, let me toast you!" Zhao Yixuan raised her glass to Wang Jian, surprising everyone. After all, Wang Jian, though once popular in school, was now just a small-town cadre.

Feeling honored, Wang Jian wondered if Zhao Yixuan really had a crush on him.

"Yixuan, I'll toast you!" Wang Jian adjusted his mood, raised a large glass of white wine, and drank it in one go.

Zhao Yixuan, impressed by Wang Jian's manliness, also finished her glass of red wine in one go.

With Zhao Yixuan leading, others started toasting Wang Jian, the old class president. Lin Feifei, of course, did not.

"Feifei, let me toast you!" Wang Jian, being a man, couldn't be petty and raised his glass to Lin Feifei.

"I don't drink, let's skip it!" Lin Feifei turned her head, showing disdain. Chen Yu interjected, "Feifei can't drink, so she'll have tea instead. I'll join you."

Chen Yu's words saved Wang Jian from an awkward situation. He was angry, not expecting Lin Feifei to act this way. Even though they had broken up, they were still classmates, and there was no need to embarrass him in public.

As the toasts continued, Wang Jian gradually drank too much. By nine o'clock, everyone dispersed. At the hotel entrance, a BMW pulled up, and a young man waved. Lin Feifei walked over, turned to call Zhao Yixuan, but she declined, saying she had other plans. Lin Feifei then got into the BMW and left, watched by everyone.

"Feifei is doing well now; that must be her boyfriend!" a classmate said tactlessly.

Everyone glanced at Wang Jian but said nothing.

"How are you getting home, Yixuan?" Chen Yu asked Zhao Yixuan, who was standing on the steps.

"I'll take a taxi!" Zhao Yixuan replied.

"That won't do, it's not safe at night. I'll drive you." Chen Yu drove over, and the other classmates, who had rides, joined in, taking Zhao Yixuan and Wang Jian with them.

At the Provincial Party Committee compound, Zhao Yixuan got out and said to Chen Yu, "Chen Yu, I think Wang Jian is drunk. Take care of him."

"No problem, don't worry!" Chen Yu drove away with a smile.

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End of Chapter Three