Chapter 9

After work, Fang Zhicheng first called Qiu Hengde to ask if it was appropriate to visit today. Qiu Hengde happily gave him the address.

Fang Zhicheng was very adept at dealing with people and situations. Since he had been invited by Qiu Hengde, he naturally wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to get closer to him again.

Qiu Hengde is currently the deputy minister of the organization department and is expected to be promoted soon. If Fang Zhicheng can build a good relationship with him, his future prospects will undoubtedly be bright.

Fang Zhicheng originally wanted to buy more gifts, but since he had lent all his money to Cheng Bin, he was short of cash. He thought that if he bought too expensive a gift, it would seem too calculating, so he bought apples, bananas, and grapes from a department store.

Arriving at the municipal party committee's residential complex, Fang Zhicheng found Qiu Hengde's house and rang the doorbell. A pretty little girl came to open the door.

The little girl was about seven or eight years old, with a round, rosy face, neat pigtails, and shallow dimples at the corners of her mouth. However, she glared at Fang Zhicheng for a while, then disdainfully "hmmphed" and wiggled her hips as she ran inside, saying softly, "Auntie, there's a bad man outside."

"Bad man?" A woman in her thirties, wearing an apron, walked to the door with a puzzled look and stared at Fang Zhicheng up and down. "May I ask who you are looking for?"

Fang Zhicheng saw that Lele was hiding behind the woman, making faces at him, and laughed. "Hello, my name is Fang Zhicheng. I'm here to visit Minister Qiu."

"Oh! It's Xiao Fang!" The woman quickly opened the door and welcomed Fang Zhicheng in. Seeing the fruit in his hands, she smiled, "You could have just come over. Why bring fruit?"

Fang Zhicheng scratched his head. "Coming empty-handed would be impolite. A little fruit to show my appreciation." He realized that this elegant woman must be Qiu Hengde's wife, Xie Fang. She was actually over forty but looked much younger due to good care.

Lele sulked and said, "Auntie, didn't you say that people who bring gifts are bad? Why did you let the bad man in?"

Xie Fang gave Lele a light tap on the head and said sternly, "No talking nonsense. This uncle is your aunt's savior. How can he be a bad man?"

Lele pouted and sat on the sofa to watch TV. Soon, she was giggling at the cartoons.

Xie Fang poured Fang Zhicheng a cup of water and smiled. "Old Qiu won't be home for a while. You can sit on the sofa for a bit. I'll go to the kitchen and cook a few more dishes!"

Fang Zhicheng put the teacup on the coffee table, rolled up his sleeves, and smiled. "Sister Fang, how about I help you in the kitchen?"

Xie Fang was slightly taken aback and quickly waved her hands. "How can that be? You're a guest. How can I let you do the work?"

Fang Zhicheng smiled and entered the kitchen. Seeing the washed vegetables and meat on the cutting board, he took a knife and started cutting the vegetables skillfully. Xie Fang, seeing Fang Zhicheng's efficient movements, no longer tried to stop him and chatted with him casually. When they talked about family, she learned that Fang Zhicheng had no parents and couldn't help but sigh. "Poor children grow up fast. No wonder you are so sensible."

Fang Zhicheng smiled. "Although I lived with my mother, I never felt poor. My mother was very good to me. She taught me to enjoy life..."

Xie Fang admired him. "You are very good. It's rare to see such a sunny young man."

Around seven o'clock, the food was ready, and Qiu Hengde arrived home.

Qiu Hengde was very happy to see Fang Zhicheng. He scanned the table and said to Xie Fang, "Wife, can I apply for a little alcohol at lunch?"

"You always say you want to quit drinking, but you never succeed," Xie Fang said with a smile as she took a bottle of Maotai from the cabinet.

Qiu Hengde took the bottle, opened it, and smiled. "Xiao Fang, today I'm benefiting from you. If it weren't for you, your Aunt Xie wouldn't let me drink such good wine." Qiu Hengde was very serious at work but was humorous and lively in life.

Fang Zhicheng smiled. "Aunt Xie already told me that your blood pressure is a bit high and your stomach isn't good. You can't drink too much. She's not stingy with the wine; she's concerned about your health."

Xie Fang smiled. "Xiao Fang has high emotional intelligence. Old Qiu, you should learn from him!"

Qiu Hengde laughed and clinked glasses with Fang Zhicheng. He tilted his head back and finished the small glass of wine in one gulp, looking very generous.

Lele said softly, "Uncle, drink slowly. Uncle Fang's alcohol tolerance is definitely higher than yours. If you drink too fast, you'll get drunk."

Qiu Hengde touched Lele's pigtails and asked with a smile, "Why is Uncle Fang's alcohol tolerance higher than mine?"

Lele said softly, "Because Uncle Fang is taller!"

"Oh, so being taller means having a higher alcohol tolerance?" Qiu Hengde was amused by Lele's innocent words and picked a chicken leg, placing it on Lele's plate.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was warm and harmonious, which deeply moved Fang Zhicheng because it felt like home.

After dinner, Qiu Hengde called Fang Zhicheng to his study.

Qiu Hengde's study was filled with books, covering various disciplines and rich in content. From the appearance of the books, it was clear that Qiu Hengde often read them.

Qiu Hengde explained with a smile, "I have a peculiar habit of collecting books. These books have been collected since 1985. Although I haven't read every one, I have a good memory of most of their contents. Xiao Fang, do you like reading?"

Fang Zhicheng nodded. "I like reading, but compared to Minister Qiu's reading volume, it's not worth mentioning..."

"Oh? What kind of books do you like?" Qiu Hengde asked with a smile, also testing Fang Zhicheng. One can learn a lot about a person from their reading habits.

Fang Zhicheng smiled. "I like reading philosophy and psychology..."

Qiu Hengde raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "Can you give some examples?"

Fang Zhicheng said, "Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason' and Freud's 'The Interpretation of Dreams'..."

Qiu Hengde smiled and walked to the bookshelf, pointing with his finger, and found two books, handing them to Fang Zhicheng. "These two books are precious editions I found in 1992 and 1995. I'm giving them to you now."

Fang Zhicheng saw the historical feel of the book covers and quickly refused. "Such precious books, I can't accept them!"

Qiu Hengde waved his hand and said calmly, "What in this world is more precious than life? Giving you these books is to express my gratitude for your help. If you don't accept them, wouldn't it show that I'm not grateful for life?"

Seeing Qiu Hengde's seriousness, Fang Zhicheng accepted the books and said softly, "I will take good care of these books."

By giving the books, Qiu Hengde was expressing his gratitude. Fang Zhicheng could feel Qiu Hengde's kindness and was secretly glad that he had saved an upright person.

Afterward, Qiu Hengde talked with Fang Zhicheng for a while and also hinted that he would invite him to some gatherings in the future. These internal gatherings were for sharing information and building connections, and Qiu Hengde was grooming Fang Zhicheng, which made him feel very excited.

Fang Zhicheng stayed at the Qiu family's house for about half an hour. Seeing that it was already nine o'clock, he got up to leave. Lele was a bit unhappy and said softly, "Uncle Fang, can you stay and play with me a little longer?"

Fang Zhicheng tapped Lele's forehead and smiled. "Next time, Uncle Fang will take you to the amusement park, okay?"

"Okay!" Lele clapped her hands. "No lying, or you'll turn into Pinocchio!"

Fang Zhicheng extended his finger and hooked it with Lele's, promising, "Uncle Fang will definitely keep his word!"

Qiu Hengde, Xie Fang, and Lele saw Fang Zhicheng off downstairs. Just then, a beautiful young woman walked towards them. Lele ran over excitedly and said, "Mom! You finally came to pick me up?"

Fang Zhicheng looked at the young woman carefully and was secretly shocked. This young woman was none other than the famous news anchor in Yinzhou, Xie Yuxin. Xie Yuxin was Qiu Hengde's sister-in-law?

Xie Yuxin was an idol in the hearts of many men in Yinzhou. Fang Zhicheng never expected to see her in person and was momentarily stunned.

Xie Yuxin was dressed in a professional outfit, a tight pink blouse, and a knee-length black skirt. Her delicate, fair face, small, plump red lips, bright and clear eyes, and long, slender legs were like a dream.

Fang Zhicheng had been watching the news on Yinzhou TV for four years, not because he was interested in current affairs, but because he could see Xie Yuxin on the program. For a while, he had crazily collected information about Xie Yuxin online and learned that, despite her beautiful appearance, her personal life had not been smooth.

Xie Yuxin had once taken a break from her career to become a full-time housewife for her marriage, but the marriage was not happy. Xie Yuxin, with her strong personality, chose to divorce and raise her daughter alone.

When Xie Yuxin returned to the screen, she did not hide her identity as a single mother. With her efficient and fresh hosting style, she regained the support of the audience. In short, Xie Yuxin was a goddess in the hearts of the people of Yinzhou.

Lele held Xie Yuxin's delicate hand and introduced her. "Mom, this is Uncle Fang. He promised to take me to the amusement park on the weekend."

"Oh?" Xie Yuxin looked Fang Zhicheng up and down, then tapped Lele's small nose and said softly, "Lele, why are you troubling others so much?"

Lele lowered her head and said softly, "Mom, you never take me, so I can only go with Uncle Fang."

Fang Zhicheng, recovering from his brief daze, smiled. "Lele and I get along very well. If you trust me, I can take Lele to the amusement park on the weekend."

Xie Yuxin, meeting Fang Zhicheng for the first time, couldn't easily trust him and looked at her sister and brother-in-law with doubt. Xie Fang pulled Xie Yuxin aside and whispered a few words. Xie Yuxin then understood that this young man was her brother-in-law's savior.