Chapter Twenty-Six: The level is too high; my humble cultivation can't handle it...
The next day at work, Luo Yan had just put her bag down in the office when Liu Su, like a weasel that had only smelled melon, scurried over.
"Quick, tell me the truth!" Liu Su asked excitedly in a breathy voice, glancing warily in the direction of Director Zheng's office. "Who was that lucky man who accompanied you to the premiere yesterday and made you 'repay him with your body'?!"
Luo Yan was in a state of confusion and didn't react for a moment: "What do you mean by offering yourself in marriage?"
"It's my WeChat Moments!" Liu Su pulled out her phone and quickly tapped the screen. "'Who will go to the premiere with me? I'll give myself to them!' Don't tell me you forgot! Who is it? Do I know them? Are they handsome? Are they as handsome as CEO Jiang?"
Luo Yan's mind went blank for a moment. How could she have forgotten about this?! Yesterday, she was so busy dealing with Luo Muyang and Xu Jinglan's "affair" and agonizing over her unspeakable feelings for Jiang Sui that she completely forgot about this deadly post on her WeChat Moments!
Did Jiang Sui see it? The kind of person who seems to never check his WeChat Moments, he probably... didn't see it, right?
But he was the one who suggested going to the movies yesterday. Did he see it? That's why he so "coincidentally" suggested going to the movies to repay a favor?!
This is even worse than Yang Xin publicly labeling her a homewrecker!
Luo Yan frantically grabbed her phone, opened her Moments, found the post, and deleted it at lightning speed.
It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost.
"Why did you delete it!" Liu Su cried out in anguish, "I didn't even have time to save it!"
"It was a slip of the hand, a mistake! It's a system bug!" Luo Yan argued defiantly, trying to fight fire with fire. "Didn't you see I sent a dog emoji? It meant that what I said before doesn't count, it was all a joke!"
Liu Su frowned: "Do I look like an idiot to you?"
"It looks like... oh no, it doesn't! Stop talking, Director Zheng will yell at us again if he hears us chatting during work hours!"
Luo Yan, with her sharp eyes, saw Director Zheng carrying that chipped enamel mug as he passed by the door, and immediately pretended to wipe the table.
Liu Su returned to her workstation dejectedly, her eyes clearly saying, "I'll find out."
Luo Yan appeared calm on the surface, but was inwardly filled with anxiety.
Did Jiang Sui see it or not? If he did, what would he think? Would he think she was a frivolous and infatuated woman? Although he never really thought she was very mature.
The office loudspeaker announced that all staff should attend a meeting in the lobby on the first floor at 9:30.
In the hall, Deputy Director Zhang, holding a microphone, spoke in a strong and clear voice: "Following instructions from higher authorities, in order to prepare for the review of our civilized city status and showcase our city's positive spirit, starting today, all office staff in the bureau and its subordinate units will be dispatched in batches to assist sanitation workers in cleaning fallen leaves from the main streets for three days! This is an important political task, and I hope everyone will demonstrate a spirit of not being afraid of hardship or fatigue and complete the task with high quality and quantity!"
A murmur of discussion immediately arose from below.
Luo Yan's lips twitched, and she muttered to Liu Su beside her, "We just swept the main road in front of the gate last week, and now we're sweeping it again. Is our Culture and Tourism Bureau trying to steal business from the Sanitation Bureau? This is just formalism!"
Liu Su said with a pained expression, "I just got my nails done..."
"What are you two whispering about? You're both so talkative!" Director Zheng growled, his gaze sweeping over like a searchlight. "Our Industry Department will lead the first batch. Go to the Logistics Department now to collect your tools. We'll be leaving in ten minutes!"
Half an hour later, on a main road lined with sycamore trees in Yu'an City, a group of sanitation workers with a unique style appeared. The men were dressed in suits and ties, and the women were wearing skirt suits and high heels. Each of them was holding a large bamboo broom or a shovel, and they were clumsily fighting against the golden fallen leaves all over the ground.
The logistics director shouted through a megaphone, "Director Zhao is personally inspecting the site, everyone pay attention!"
Luo Yan's heart skipped a beat. The bureau chief was coming in person? This was a great opportunity to make a name for herself!
She rolled up her sleeves, grabbed the largest bamboo broom, and got to work, striving to leave a deep impression of a "hard-working and good young woman" in the eyes of every passing leader.
"Sister Yan, it's all dust!" Liu Su covered her nose and hid far away.
"That's called enthusiasm!" Luo Yan swept with increasing vigor, as if she wasn't sweeping fallen leaves, but rather her damn bad luck and messy thoughts.
The bamboo broom swept down with tremendous force towards the pile of fallen leaves, and then... it scooped a person out of the pile of fallen leaves.
With a cry of pain, a middle-aged man in a navy blue jacket, who appeared to be slightly overweight, was spun around halfway by the sudden shovel strike and nearly fell into the nearby green belt.
Luo Yan stood there, broom in hand, stunned.
A... a miraculous transformation?!
The surrounding colleagues all stopped what they were doing and turned to look.
Liu Su timidly tugged at Luo Yan's sleeve: "This is our big leader, Director Zhao."
"Director Zhao...the Director? The one in charge?"
Luo Yan was dumbfounded. She had been working at the Bureau of Culture and Tourism for almost half a year, and the highest-ranking leader she had ever met was Deputy Director Zhang. She had only heard of this person in front of her, but had never seen him in person... no, the real person.
At this moment, the legendary Director Zhao, with a head full of sycamore tree debris, awkwardly straightened his glasses, which had been knocked askew, and pointed a trembling finger at Luo Yan: "Which department is this little girl from? She's not very tall, but she's surprisingly strong. I, weighing over 180 pounds, almost couldn't withstand her shovel!"
Director Zheng rushed forward and reached out to help him up: "Director Zhao, are you alright? This is Luo Yan, a new employee in our Industry Department. Luo, hurry up and apologize to Director Zhao!"
Luo Yan stammered, "I...I'm so sorry, Director Zhao, I...I didn't see you! I...I thought it was just a pile of fallen leaves, and I wanted to give it a fatal blow..."
Director Zheng nearly fainted: "I think you're trying to deliver a fatal blow! Are you sweeping fallen leaves or sweeping up the leaders?! Huh?!"
As Director Zhao cleaned the fallen leaves off his head and clothes with the help of his secretary, he waved his hand generously and said, "It's alright, it's alright. It's good that young comrades are energetic. Next time, look carefully before you shovel... Old Zheng, calm down. It's not a big deal. Look how scared you've made Comrade Luo. You've made the atmosphere tense!"
Finally, under the watchful eyes of her colleagues, Luo Yan swept up the remaining fallen leaves with tears welling up in her eyes from being choked by dust, and earned the glorious title of "Human Leaf Shredder".
In the afternoon, Jiang Sui led his technical team to the Culture and Tourism Bureau to prepare for the inspection of the third scenic spot.
Recalling the terrifying scene from that morning, Director Zheng said to Jiang Sui with lingering fear, "President Jiang, we're going to Cishou Temple this afternoon. It's full of ancient buildings, with many cultural relics like Buddha statues and inscriptions, so we need to be extra careful. Luo Yan almost knocked Director Zhao away while sweeping fallen leaves this morning. Let Liu Su go with you this time; she's more meticulous."
Luo Yan's heart sank.
Eager to impress, he not only alienated his boss, but also risked losing the opportunity to follow up on a project he had secured!
She subconsciously looked at Jiang Sui, her eyes filled with a sense of grievance and pleading that she herself was unaware of.
Jiang Sui's gaze lingered for two seconds on her face, which was filled with "I was wrong but I still want to do it," before turning to Director Zheng. He thought for a moment with a serious expression, and just when Luo Yan thought he couldn't wait to replace her, he finally spoke: "Director Zheng, I want to know the whole process of how Comrade Luo Yan knocked the leader away."
Luo Yan: "..."
Hey buddy, can you at least have a proper occasion for gossiping? You need to expose all the messes she's made up for her again!
Director Zheng was taken aback, clearly not expecting Jiang Sui to ask this. He wiped the water from his mouth and, though puzzled, told Jiang Sui in detail how Luo Yan had caused trouble that morning.
"I'm not entirely at ease with Comrade Luo Yan's current condition."
Jiang Sui nodded and said, "Director Zheng, I understand your considerations, but Comrade Luo Yan has been in charge of the historical and cultural materials and preliminary coordination for Cishou Temple. She is more familiar with the situation on site. After listening to what you just said, I think what happened this morning was just an accident. We all trust Comrade Luo Yan's sense of responsibility, so let her go. I will remind her to be careful."
Director Zheng seemed surprised that Jiang Sui would speak up for Luo Yan, and that his words were so reasonable and certain. He looked at the earnest Luo Yan, then at the calm Jiang Sui, "Since President Jiang has said so... Luo Yan, you better be on your guard. If you cause any more trouble, you'll be cleaning the toilets!"
"Yes! Thank you, Director Zheng! Thank you, General Manager Jiang!"
Luo Yan was instantly revived and gave Jiang Sui a grateful look, but he simply nodded at her to signal them to set off.
Cishou Temple has a long history, towering ancient trees, and a serene environment. It is indeed different from the previous two scenic spots that mainly feature natural scenery, and it exudes cultural heritage everywhere.
The technicians conducted an exceptionally thorough inspection, setting higher requirements for the installation locations of the wireless equipment and the concealment of the wiring, aiming to install the equipment more scientifically without damaging the original appearance of the ancient buildings.
Luo Yan also put away all her impetuousness and carefully followed behind Jiang Sui, her notebook filled with notes, her attitude humble and serious.
During a break, she took a bottle of water and sidled up to Jiang Sui. Looking at his profile as he looked up and examined the ancient tree, her ears involuntarily turned red again.
"Mr. Jiang, have some water... thank you."
Jiang Sui took the water and simply gave a faint "hmm".
"And... what I posted on my WeChat Moments..." Luo Yan hesitated for a long time before deciding to explain, "It was just something I said casually, a joke, don't misunderstand."
Jiang Sui turned his head, his eyes looking no different than usual, but Luo Yan's heart pounded.
After a moment, he slightly curled the corners of his mouth and said, "What WeChat Moments? I didn't see it."
"……ah?"
"What did you send? Do I need to see it?"
"No need! It's nothing! It's not important!"
"Let's go, next stop."
Jiang Sui withdrew her gaze, turned around, and strode forward.
Luo Yan stared blankly at the man's tall and composed back, her heart pounding.
Did he genuinely not see it, or did he see it but pretend not to?
No matter how I think about it... I feel that the latter scenario is more likely.
Holy crap, this guy's skill level is way too high!
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