Listening to Opera

The investigation into "Leji Delivery" is still ongoing. As the investigation specialist, He Mingzhou needs to continuously monitor its operations to ensure there are no violations. During this period, he occasionally visits the small courtyard of "Leji Delivery" in the west of the city to communicate with You Jiale and understand the situation.

That day, You Jiale had just finished dealing with a group of dawdling business partners and was about to catch her breath when she heard footsteps coming from the front yard.

He subconsciously looked up, "Lord He!" You Jiale's eyes darted around, "What wind blew you here today? Come in, come in!"

He Mingzhou smiled and nodded, raising a small, dark jar in his hand: "Don't call me sir. I passed by a tea shop today, and the shopkeeper said this is the first batch of Biluochun tea from before the rain this year. Would you like to try some?"

You Jiale was taken aback, then immediately took the jar. "Shouldn't this be my job? I didn't even have a chance to bribe you, and you beat me to it."

"If you really need something, bribing me won't help."

"Besides handling official business, I think you're quite nice and want to make friends. It's not about bribery or anything like that," He Mingzhou said naturally, his voice calm and gentle.

Soon, the aroma of tea wafted out, and the Biluochun tea looked vibrant green in the cup.

“Actually, I’ve always been quite curious,” He Mingzhou took a sip, looked up at him, “how did a young person like you come up with the idea of ​​starting a ‘food delivery’ business?”

“Because I… am a glutton.” You Jiale replied casually, her eyes darting around. “Brother He, have you ever had that craving for something, but it’s so far away, and you’re always so busy with work that you just can’t get it? I have, and it happens every few days. So I was thinking, could I create a platform to deliver all the delicious food from the streets and alleys to people’s doorsteps, so that people can eat their way through the whole city without leaving home?”

He Mingzhou couldn't help but chuckle: "You make it sound so easy, but behind it all is the operation, integration, and coordination of so many merchants and people. You're quite clever."

You Jiale blinked: "Brother He, are you praising me? Or are you subtly hinting that I should increase my self-examination efforts?"

He Mingzhou smiled slightly and said, "I'm telling the truth."

"Since you call me Brother He, how about I call you Jiale?"

After hearing this, You Jiale held the teacup and pretended to savor the tea seriously. "That's wonderful, I'm so honored."

Just as the two were chatting and drinking tea, a black sedan drove into the courtyard. Zhang Xiande had only come to find out about the situation following the investigation of "Leji Delivery," but he didn't expect to see He Mingzhou there as well.

Zhang Xiande's gaze swept over the two people chatting and laughing in the courtyard, and he noticed the admiration in He Mingzhou's eyes when he looked at You Jiale. His brows twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly.

He walked into the courtyard, his face still bearing his usual calm expression, and asked in a detached tone, "Is Commissioner He here too?"

You Jiale stood up, ran to Zhang Xiande with a smile, and replied, "Boss! Brother He and I were just talking about some things at 'Leji'."

“Brother He?” Zhang Xiande’s gaze paused almost imperceptibly.

He Mingzhou also stood up, nodded slightly, and said politely, "Mr. Zhang, I've heard so much about you."

Zhang Xiande simply nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping between the two men before pausing for a moment and then lazily sweeping over the jar of Biluochun tea and the two teacups on the table: "Looks like you're having a good chat."

You Jiale spoke faster than she thought: "Brother He is very professional. We will fully cooperate and have already checked all the information of our partner merchants again. There shouldn't be any problems!"

Zhang Xiande didn't press the matter further, but glanced at He Mingzhou out of the corner of his eye.

"I won't disturb you any longer, please continue." His calm tone carried a hint of displeasure.

He Mingzhou, being as astute as a man, immediately sensed that the atmosphere was a bit awkward and politely said, "If Mr. Zhang has time, we can sit down and have a chat together."

Zhang Xiande paused, turned around, and glanced at You Jiale through the air. "I'm really not a very interesting person. I can't have a lively chat with anyone."

Upon hearing this, You Jiale's smile froze for a moment. She quickly lowered her head to fiddle with the tea set, pretending to pour tea in a flustered manner, while muttering to herself: What's with the pretense?

Zhang Xiande didn't say anything more, but when he stared at You Jiale, he looked like a well-fed tiger lazily watching a little rabbit that couldn't hop around much.

He Mingzhou put down his teacup, his tone still gentle, but with a hint of probing: "A new teahouse recently opened in the city, and I heard you can also watch opera. They specially invited a famous actor from the south... Jiale, if you don't have any other plans, would you be interested in going to see it together?"

You Jiale was taken aback, her eyes darting around. Before she could respond, He Mingzhou added, "It's just a stroll in the street to clear my head, not about business." He said it quite naturally, his sincerity in wanting to make friends was clearly evident.

"Going to see a play..." You Jiale blinked, wondering what this man surnamed He was up to. She hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but smile. "I don't really know much about plays, but I can go and join in the fun and experience it."

Zhang Xiande suddenly interjected, "So Commissioner He is also knowledgeable about the world of Peking Opera."

He Mingzhou replied with a smile, "I just listen to the excitement occasionally; I wouldn't call myself an expert."

Zhang Xiande nodded, but then turned his gun on her, "You Jiale, have you been quite free lately?"

"Huh?" You Jiale's smile froze. "Which eye of yours saw me as having a lot of free time? I'm so busy that my heels could practically be used as brains."

A hint of a smile flashed across Zhang Xiande's eyes. "'Leji Delivery' has just received approval for a new batch of routes. Qin Zheng is arranging a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce and contract negotiations. You should go there in person."

"...You skinflint, you just can't stand to see me doing well..." You Jiale muttered softly.

Zhang Xiande acted as if he hadn't heard him and continued to instruct, "You also need to step in and keep things stable with the opening and promotion of those two new partner restaurants in the south of the city."

"Understood, boss!" You Jiale gritted her teeth.

He Mingzhou watched this scene with a thoughtful smile on his lips, without saying a word.

After You Jiale saw off Prefect He, Lin Zhi had been slacking off for a long time. Seeing Zhang Xiande suddenly appear, she couldn't help but whisper to You Jiale, "Tsk tsk, Jiale, you still say there's nothing between you two. Judging from the boss's expression today, you'd better watch out!" As she spoke, she gently nudged You Jiale's arm with her elbow, her face showing a look of anticipation.

Yu Jiale expressed her helplessness towards this kind of yaoi fangirl, saying, "You really shouldn't cause me any more trouble!"

After the initial investigation into "Leji Delivery" concluded, He Mingzhou turned out to be quite an interesting guy. He actually invited You Jiale to see a play, saying they wanted to enjoy a new performance by a famous Peking Opera actor and experience traditional culture together. You Jiale was incredibly busy, but she still managed to squeeze out a day to go.

The theater was hidden deep in the alley, with green bricks and gray tiles, and a vermilion gate. When you walked into the courtyard, the sound of gongs and drums rang out. On the stage, red and green sleeves fluttered. With a flick of the water sleeves, a bright voice pierced through the curtains, making people's ears ring.

While munching on the candied lotus root she had just bought, You Jiale listened with great interest: "What an amazing voice! If she sang 'The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau' from this corner, all the shops on the street would tremble with fear."

He Mingzhou, standing nearby, chuckled softly and tapped You Jiale's hand lightly with his folding fan: "Don't talk nonsense. That's a famous opera singer, the apprentice of 'Cheng Erniang,' who sings the famous line from 'Si Lang Visits His Mother,' 'I'm like a caged bird, unable to spread my wings.'"

You Jiale was tapped, but she wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, she moved closer to He Mingzhou and whispered, "You know what, I don't understand opera, but I find it quite captivating. The main thing is that it's not boring to watch it with you."

He Mingzhou looked at You Jiale, smiled casually, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Your relationship with Boss Zhang seems to be quite special?"

You Jiale chewed on the candied lotus root, not answering immediately, but blinking: "Special? How so?"

How come everyone knows about this mess? It's a terrible thing.

“He seems to care about you a lot.” He Mingzhou’s tone was gentle, but his eyes were quite focused. “There aren’t many people who can get Zhang Xiande to care about them.”

"It's all because I'm too handsome and have great professional skills," You Jiale shrugged with a grin. "If he doesn't care, who else can I care about?"

He Mingzhou chuckled: "You're quite good at patting yourself on the back."

"That's what he said too," You Jiale mumbled, taking a bite of the candied lotus root.

He Mingzhou chuckled, then changed the subject, his tone seemingly probing with a hint of ambiguity, "People like you are rare to find around Zhang Xiande."

You Jiale curled the corners of her mouth, revealing an expression that said, "That's only natural."

He Mingzhou smiled slightly, his tone unhurried: "So, I'm curious about your exact position beside Zhang Xiande. A subordinate? Or something more important?"