Chapter 127 Government Agency Friendship "Xiao Ming, time for work..."
"Xiaoming, off to work?"
"Yes, off to work. Aunt He, are you going out to set up your stall?"
Early in the morning, Mingxi, having packed her things and slung her bag over her shoulder, had just stepped out of the house when she bumped into Aunt He in the yard. Aunt He was carrying a small bundle, all ready to go, clearly heading out to set up her stall.
Aunt He didn't deny it and readily admitted, "Yes, I'll go set up a stall."
A while ago, a girl from a textile factory bought some hair accessories from her. Because her hair accessories were of good quality and inexpensive, she recommended them to her friends. There were many female workers in the textile factory, and word spread quickly, making her stall famous.
Riding this wave of opportunity, her stall has been doing incredibly well lately.
Aunt He has had to start setting up her stall earlier.
If it gets a little later, there are more customers, and she won't be able to serve them all!
Aunt He waved her hand: "Oh, Xiaoming is in a hurry to set up his stall, so I won't talk to you now. We'll talk when I have time."
Aunt He carried her bundle and hurried away. Mingxi glanced down at her watch.
"Oh dear, it's getting late."
She also hurriedly got up and left.
As soon as Mingxi stepped out of the courtyard gate, she saw a bicycle parked at the gate. Her gaze moved upward and quickly met Wei Ning's, who was sitting on the bicycle with one leg propped up.
Mingxi's eyes widened: "Why are you here?"
Wei Ning replied matter-of-factly, "I'll be waiting to take you to work."
As he spoke, he patted the back of the bicycle: "Get on."
Mingxi hesitated for less than three seconds before nodding immediately and obediently jumping onto the back of Weining's bicycle.
If you can hitch a ride, why not?
Mingxi settled in and patted Weining on the shoulder: "Alright, let's go!"
"Let's go, hold on tight." Wei Ning lifted the leg that was supporting him on the ground, stepped on the pedal, and the bicycle quickly drove out of the alley.
Wei Ning rode his bicycle very steadily, without wobbling at all. Ming Xi sat on the back of his bicycle, swinging her legs with peace of mind.
The bicycle emerged from the winding alley and onto the main road. The ginkgo leaves on both sides of the road had turned yellow, making the whole street seem to be dyed yellow. The red brick walls in the background made the ginkgo leaves even more beautiful.
Mingxi blinked her eyes. She was pretty, but the smell was really not pleasant.
Ripe ginkgo fruits fell directly to the ground, filling the entire road with a strange stench. Mingxi covered her nose with one hand and hurriedly patted Weining's back with the other: "Hurry up, hurry up!"
If we don't leave now, we'll rot from the stench!
Wei Ning also found the smell offensive. He held his breath, pushed off with his feet, and quickly rode across the street. Only after the bicycle turned the corner of the next street did Mingxi and Wei Ning dare to breathe deeply.
Mingxi opened her mouth and took deep breaths of fresh air. At that moment, she heard Wei Ning's heavy breathing from ahead. She was startled and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Mingxi laughed so hard she almost fell over. Before she knew it, her head hit Wei Ning's back. Her nose bumped against Wei Ning's spine, and she immediately felt a sting in her nose and tears started to fall.
"Ooh~"
Mingxi cried out in pain. Wei Ning, who was in the front, noticed something was wrong, stopped the car, turned around, and saw Mingxi covering her nose. He quickly went over and asked, "What's wrong?"
Mingxi's eyes were red and brimming with tears. She looked completely pitiful as she covered her nose. She looked up and glared at Wei Ning fiercely: "I bumped my nose!"
Although it's impossible to blame Wei Ning for this, since she bumped into him herself, Mingxi couldn't help but take her anger out on him.
Wei Ning was taken aback for a moment, but he wasn't angry at Ming Xi's misplaced anger; instead, he laughed.
Wei Ning said softly, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault. My bones are too hard."
"snort."
Mingxi gave a light hum. Although she was a little angry with Wei Ning, she wasn't an unreasonable child and didn't need Wei Ning to coax her like that.
Mingxi wiped away her tears, her face stiffened, and she looked up at Wei Ning coldly, saying, "I'm fine now, let's keep going."
Her sudden change of expression left Wei Ning stunned.
Seeing that he hadn't moved, Mingxi's eyes widened: "Why aren't you leaving yet?"
Could it be that this person is deliberately retaliating because she didn't respond to his advances yesterday?
That won't do!
Nothing is more important than her perfect attendance bonus!
Mingxi poked Wei Ning's waist: "We'll be late if we don't leave now!"
"Oh!" Wei Ning snapped out of his daze and started the car again.
In that brief moment of stunned silence, he thought, "Cute."
She's cute when she's throwing a tantrum, cute when she changes her expression, and cute when she's puffing up in anger.
Mingxi, sitting in the back seat of the car, had no idea what he was thinking.
Mingxi felt she had made herself clear. She frankly told Weining that she was not currently considering dating or getting married.
Wei Ning wasn't intimidated by Ming Xi's words and asked naturally, "Then can I still pursue you?"
Mingxi was puzzled. She had said that she wasn't considering dating or getting married yet, so why was Wei Ning still thinking about pursuing her?
Wei Ning: "Just think of me as waiting in line, waiting for you to want to find a partner, can you give me a chance?"
Wei Ning stared intently at Ming Xi. Even though there was only a dim streetlamp in the alley at night, Ming Xi could still see the light in Wei Ning's eyes.
Looking at her like that, Mingxi couldn't bring herself to say anything perfunctory.
She couldn't help but think seriously about it. Actually, Wei Ning was a really nice person, and they got along quite well. Mainly, Wei Ning was very good at flattering her and fawning over her. When writing scripts for events, no matter what she wrote, Wei Ning would always praise her writing immediately, even if she just put a period at the end, Wei Ning would shower her with compliments. In addition, Wei Ning was very considerate; he would take care of her during meals, putting food on her plate; if she wanted water, the moment she reached for a cup, Wei Ning would bring her pre-cooled warm water.
Mingxi had privately remarked that someone like Wei Ning, if placed in ancient times, would be capable of great things.
He's good at flattering and taking care of people; he's definitely a treacherous eunuch in the making.
Of course, as someone who was being flattered and served by Wei Ning, Mingxi felt very comfortable.
After careful consideration, Mingxi felt that it wouldn't be too difficult for her to accept dating Wei Ning.
She spoke frankly: "I think you're a good person. If I were looking for a boyfriend, I would definitely consider you first."
Mingxi made a grand promise to Weining and then forgot all about the matter.
She said she wanted to be in a relationship, but she didn't say when she wanted to be in a relationship.
Wei Ning was so happy by those words that he didn't sleep all night. This morning, before dawn, he couldn't help but get out of bed and spend an hour looking at himself in the mirror. He took out all the clothes in his wardrobe, dressed up carefully, and without even having breakfast, he pushed his bicycle to wait for Mingxi outside her house.
Although she was delayed a bit on the way, Mingxi still arrived at work on time and was not late.
She had just sat down in the office when she saw Director Shen arrive.
Director Shen patted the folder in his hand and said, "I have something to announce, everyone listen carefully. The date for the staff association gathering has been set; it will be held this Saturday. Um, Li and Yu, you two..."
While Director Shen was still speaking, Mingxi and Sister Wang, who were sitting below, couldn't help but whisper to each other.
"The specific date has finally been set. It wasn't easy."
Mingxi couldn't help but nod, "That's right."
Initially, the women's federation was scheduled for late October, and they hurriedly completed all the preparations. However, the organization said that coordinating the time was inconvenient and that the event should be moved to the end of October. The women's federation had no choice but to change the date accordingly.
Just before the event, a serious crime occurred in the city, and the entire city's public security bureau worked overtime to solve the case. Naturally, the social gathering could not be held and had to be postponed again.
Mingxi: "I thought the social gathering would be postponed and eventually canceled, but I didn't expect it to be finalized."
Ms. Wang: "It's definitely not going to be canceled, after all, various government departments in the city are involved in this social gathering."
Mingxi: "That makes sense..."
Sister Wang: "I just hope that this get-together can be held smoothly and that it won't be postponed any further."
Mingxi: "I hope so too."
She quietly added, "I hope this social gathering won't be as chaotic as the last one."
Although the leaders and newspaper reporters were very satisfied with the last party, Mingxi knew in her heart how terrified she had been.
At the social gathering, there was almost a fight among the men over the women. Then there was Shen Mo and Yang Weihong. Shen Mo, a married man, pretending to be single to go on a blind date was already a huge problem. It was only thanks to Mingxi's timely intervention that Yang Weihong didn't barge into the event and cause a scene, and that Shen Mo didn't actually start a relationship with a woman at the gathering.
Otherwise, if this matter gets out and others find out that a married man had infiltrated their social event for unmarried young people, and his wife even came to the factory demanding an explanation, their social event would be completely ruined, and the Women's Federation would lose all face.
Speaking of this, Mingxi couldn't help but turn to look at Sister Wang: "Sister Wang, have all the information for the comrades who are participating in this social gathering been printed out?"
Sister Wang: "Don't worry, it's already printed out."
To avoid a repeat of Shen Mo's situation, the Women's Federation went to great lengths this time, compiling information on everyone who signed up for the matchmaking event. This included not only the participant's own information but also details about the potential partner's family. This information was obtained directly from the partner's factory and neighborhood office, with absolutely no falsification allowed. When the matchmaking event is held, this information will be posted on the wall at the entrance for all participants to reference, effectively preventing any unscrupulous individuals from using deception to commit marriage fraud.
Once bitten by a snake, twice shy.
Not only Mingxi, but all the comrades in the Women's Federation were traumatized by the fact that Shen Mo had managed to sneak into the last social gathering.
They all vowed to thoroughly investigate the information of those who registered for the event, and that anyone whose information was unclear would not be allowed to participate in the event.
Not only were the documents strictly reviewed, but security checks at the entrance were also extremely strict on the day of the social gathering.
This networking event was held at the Municipal Public Security Bureau.
With officers from the Municipal Public Security Bureau guarding the door, ordinary people simply cannot sneak in.
When Mingxi arrived early in the morning, she was stopped by the officers on duty at the entrance of the Public Security Bureau. Only after she took out her work ID from her bag and showed it to them were they allowed to enter.
Of course, this wasn't just Guangming Xi's treatment; all the comrades who came received the same treatment.
Sister Wang and the others were the same.
"Xiaoming, Xiaowei, come over here for a rehearsal!"
As soon as Mingxi entered the auditorium where the social gathering was being held, Sister Wang called her over for a rehearsal. She quickly took her script and went over to rehearse with Weining.
In fact, Mingxi and Weining had already rehearsed their lines countless times in private, so their coordination was definitely not a problem. This rehearsal was mainly to check if there were any issues with the flow, the sound and microphone systems, and the preparations made by the Municipal Public Security Bureau...
Mingxi and Weining each had a microphone and stood by the stage rehearsing their lines. The woman from the Municipal Public Security Bureau who came to hand over the duties to Sister Wang was a round-faced woman. Looking at Mingxi and Weining, she couldn't help but sigh, "Wow, I didn't expect your Women's Federation to have so many golden couples. Old Wang, we're all acquaintances. Tell me the truth, do these two young ladies and gentlemen have boyfriends? If not, look at how our comrades from the Municipal Bureau are behaving. We have quite a few good young ladies and gentlemen in the Municipal Bureau, and today's occasion is just right."
Sister Wang rolled her eyes: "Suitable? What do you mean suitable? Lao Fang, stop trying to matchmake people up."
When the round-faced woman surnamed Fang heard Sister Wang's blunt refusal, her face stiffened. However, she glanced at the side of the stage and saw Wei Ning standing side by side with her, his head tilted towards Mingxi. She then realized what was going on.
She smiled ambiguously: "Yes, yes, it was my fault for meddling and making things up."
Mingxi didn't notice the conversation between Sister Wang and Sister Fang; she was staring blankly at the doorway.
Did she just see Dong Chunling?
Mingxi scratched his head, his first thought being whether he had misread it.
How could Dong Chunling possibly be here?
She was neither qualified to register for today's social gathering, nor was she a staff member.
Logically speaking, she shouldn't even be able to get into the Municipal Public Security Bureau, so how could she possibly be at the entrance of the auditorium?
But that figure that flashed by at the entrance of the auditorium just now really looked like Dong Chunling!
Mingxi frowned, her eyes fixed on the entrance of the auditorium. She hadn't seen clearly just now, but if that person had passed by the entrance again, she would definitely have recognized whether it was Dong Chunling or not.
"Mingxi?"
Mingxi stared at the door for a long time, but the person who looked like Dong Chunling still hadn't appeared. Wei Ning, who was rehearsing with her, hadn't heard Mingxi's voice for a while, so he couldn't help but look up and call out her name.
"Huh? Ah!" Mingxi snapped out of her daze and looked at Wei Ning: "Is it my turn? Which part of the poem is it again?"
Wei Ning pointed to a section in the script and said, "We've reached this part."
"Oh, okay." Mingxi snapped out of her daze, looked away from the doorway, and focused on rehearsing with Wei Ning. Only after the rehearsal ended and Mingxi stepped off the stage did she turn her attention back to the person who resembled Dong Chunling.
Mingxi hesitated for a moment, then found Yu Xiaomin and said, "Sister Xiaomin, I think I saw a neighbor from our alley just now at the door."
Yu Xiaomin: "Hmm? What's wrong?"
Mingxi's expression was indescribable: "You know my neighbor too, she's Dong Chunling, the one whose relationship with the swindler Li Xiangdong was all the rage around here!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaomin's expression turned awkward: "Oh, it's her!"
Mingxi: "Yes, she's been busy looking for a partner lately. She even came to me before, wanting me to help her register for this matchmaking event, but I refused because she doesn't work in a government agency."
Mingxi's meaning was quite clear, and Yu Xiaomin reacted almost instantly: "You suspect that Dong Chunling is still unwilling to give up and has infiltrated?"
Mingxi nodded; she did indeed have this concern.
Yu Xiaomin frowned. Logically speaking, this possibility was almost non-existent.
With the city bureau's security checks being so strict, Dong Chunling shouldn't be able to sneak in.
But Yu Xiaomin knew Mingxi's personality well; she wasn't the kind of person who would make baseless accusations without evidence.
She was inclined to believe that Mingxi had indeed seen Dong Chunling.
Thinking about it, Yu Xiaomin's expression turned serious. She said, "Okay, you stay here and keep watch. I'll go outside and see if there are any suspicious people."
Mingxi nodded, and Yu Xiaomin rushed out in a flurry.
Yu Xiaomin walked around the auditorium but didn't find anything unusual. She frowned and was about to go back to the auditorium to report the situation to Mingxi when she saw a sneaky figure at the entrance of the auditorium.
It was a strange woman. Judging from her figure, Yu Xiaomin should not recognize her, and she was certain that this woman was not a member of the Public Security Bureau.
The officers from the Municipal Public Security Bureau were all wearing uniforms, but this woman wasn't.
Moreover, everyone in the auditorium was busy preparing and setting up, but this woman was doing nothing, just sticking her butt out and staring at the information of various comrades posted at the door. It looked very strange.
Yu Xiaomin stepped forward with a frown: "Comrade, what do you do?"
The woman who was called to a halt by Yu Xiaomin froze for a moment, then slowly turned her head.
Yu Xiaomin also found the other person's face unfamiliar.
In other words, Mingxi wasn't there. If Mingxi were here, she would definitely tell the person in front of her that he was Dong Chunling.
However, Yu Xiaomin did not know Dong Chunling's identity at this time; she just felt that Dong Chunling's whereabouts were strange.
Dong Chunling's expression stiffened, but fearing it would arouse suspicion, she gave a dry laugh and said, "I'm here to fill in for someone, to fill in for Liu Wenhong from the Women's Federation."
She said, "Liu Wenhong is feeling unwell today due to a cold, so she asked me to come and cover for her."
Yu Xiaomin hadn't remembered until she mentioned it, but now that she did, Yu Xiaomin remembered that Liu Wenhong had said she was asking for leave and looking for someone to cover her shift.
But even if you find someone to cover your shift, you can't just not do the work.
Yu Xiaomin frowned unhappily and said, "Fine, since you're here to fill in, then come and do the work. Come and help me out."
Yu Xiaomin pushed open the door and led Dong Chunling into the auditorium. Pointing to a pile of balloons on one side, she said, "Puff up these balloons first; we'll need them for decorations later."
After giving Dong Chunling her instructions, Yu Xiaomin turned around and went to find Mingxi.
Dong Chunling, on the other hand, was very unwilling and kept grumbling.
She claimed to be filling in for Liu Wenhong, but in reality, she just wanted to sneak in under the guise of helping out.
Liu Wenhong was also aware of this matter. The reason she cooperated with Dong Chunling was because Dong Chunling had spent a lot of money.
You should know that Dong Chunling spent twenty yuan to bribe Liu Wenhong!
She spent almost half a month's salary to get into the social event, and now she's expected to do chores like inflating balloons? What right does she have to do that?!
Dong Chunling grumbled and cursed, first complaining that Yu Xiaomin was annoying for making her do chores; then she cursed Liu Wenhong for being greedy, saying that although she was covering for Liu Wenhong's shift so that Liu Wenhong could rest, a win-win situation, Liu Wenhong insisted on paying her twenty yuan, refusing to let her cover if she didn't give it to her; she also cursed Mingxi for being cold and heartless, saying that Mingxi could have easily put her on the social event list with just a word, but Mingxi refused, forcing Dong Chunling to take the risk of bribing Liu Wenhong.
Dong Chunling is like a resentment generator; when she's in a bad mood, she'll hurl insults at anyone.
She gets yelled at whenever a dog walks past her.
However, she still remembered that she was outside, so she kept her voice very low, afraid of being discovered.
Even so, Dong Chunling was still spotted by the sharp-eyed Mingxi.
During the first rehearsal, there were some issues with the sound system. After a short rest, Mingxi quickly went on stage with Weining to begin the second rehearsal.
This time, as soon as she stood on the edge of the stage, she saw Dong Chunling, who was working hard to inflate balloons not far away in the audience.
I knew I wasn't mistaken!
Just then, Yu Xiaomin came over, and Mingxi quickly pointed in Dong Chunling's direction and said to Yu Xiaomin, "Sister Xiaomin, that's her, she's Dong Chunling."
Yu Xiaomin looked in the direction Mingxi was pointing, and her eyes widened the next second.
"Is she Dong Chunling?"
Mingxi noticed Yu Xiaomin's expression was off and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yu Xiaomin truthfully said, "I just ran into her outside the auditorium and pulled her in. She said she was there to fill in for Liu Wenhong."
Liu Wenhong?
Mingxi frowned. How did Dong Chunling get involved with Liu Wenhong?
Mingxi couldn't figure it out, but that wasn't the problem right now.
The question is, what should Dong Chunling do?
She didn't sneak in; she came openly to fill in for Liu Wenhong.
It wouldn't be appropriate for Mingxi and the others to kick her out again.
Yu Xiaomin took a deep breath and said to Mingxi, "Don't worry, leave this to me. She's just filling in, so she has to do the work. I'll hand over the backstage work to her and not let her come out, okay?"
Mingxi nodded. That was a good idea.
However, she still gave Yu Xiaomin one more piece of advice.
"Xiaomin, you must keep a close eye on her and prevent her from causing trouble."
Yu Xiaomin: "Don't worry!"
Yu Xiaomin rushed off the stage and took Dong Chunling backstage, assigning her a bunch of tasks.
Dong Chunling didn't react at first. Even though she was unwilling, she still worked obediently backstage in order not to be kicked out. She waited until it was almost time for the social event to start, and then she started to get anxious.
"Distinguished leaders, comrades, today..."
Music and the voices of two hosts speaking came from the stage in front of her, and Dong Chunling sensed something was wrong.
Wait, is the social gathering about to start?
She immediately dropped the broom and crawled out from backstage.
Dong Chunling tidied her hair and straightened her clothes, encouraging herself in her heart.
Dong Chunling, you can do it! You'll definitely find a good partner today and make Yan Zhiwen furious!
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