I carefully selected the hot pot restaurant run by the wife of Xiong Jifei, the director of the development zone office, as the gathering place for the three of us.
Since I was transferred to the development zone, Xiong Jifei has always respected me, especially after I took charge of the daily work, he has been very helpful. In particular, in promoting the information center construction project, he worked tirelessly to coordinate various resources for Qian Aning and greatly promoted the progress of the project.
I decided to express my gratitude with practical actions, so I cleverly arranged some low-end reception activities in the development zone at his wife's hot pot restaurant, which can be regarded as a return for his support. This time, the three of us chose this place for our small game.
To ensure privacy, I reserved a private room in the back, with exactly three chairs. I also specifically asked them to avoid being disturbed by outsiders as much as possible.
Sure enough, Lao Wu arrived as promised. We drank tea and waited for Lao Ba to arrive. In the relaxed atmosphere, Lao Wu inadvertently turned the topic to Lin Xun: "Old man, Ms. Lin is really a rare good person, beautiful, kind-hearted, and a billionaire."
I immediately understood his hidden meaning. Apparently, he had heard some rumors about Lin Xun and me.
So, I jokingly responded, "Fifth brother, are you interested in her? Be careful of the Fifth Sister-in-law's 'Hedong Lion Roar', she will definitely take away your 'tool of crime'."
He smiled and shook his head: "Don't joke with me, I'm talking about your relationship, why are you bringing it up with me? Don't you know how much I have? Besides, your sister-in-law takes care of everything at home. Even if I want to take Chen Shimei's place, I can't bear to abandon my first wife."
I continued, "Fifth brother, it's really not easy to live in two places. Have you ever thought about buying a property here? Next spring, a new residential community will be developed next to the development zone. I can help you make some connections and buy one at a low price, so that your family can be reunited."
Hearing this, Lao Wu shook his head and said, "Old man, it's not that I haven't thought about this problem, but the child's future education must be taken into consideration. Our current house is located in a good school district, so the child is guaranteed to go to a good school in the future. But if we move here, the teaching conditions and teaching level will be incomparable. For this reason alone, it's worth it for your sister-in-law and I to suffer a little bit of homesickness."
I nodded in appreciation. Changing the subject, I said to Lao Wu bluntly, "Fifth Brother, Mr. Lin and I are really not suitable for each other."
Lao Wu looked surprised: "She is single and you are widowed. Isn't it natural for them to get together? Do you think she is older? You can't have children anyway, so this shouldn't be a problem. Your sister-in-law is only a few years older than me. Let me tell you, my wife knows how to love people better when she is older."
I jokingly responded, "Where does it hurt? Let me see." Then I made a gesture to touch his crotch.
He shook his head and said seriously, "Old man, why are you making such jokes? Come on, tell me what the problem is between you two."
I sighed and explained, "You asked if there was any love between Lin Xun and me. Of course there was. We are all human. I know how good she is to me. She has hinted to me many times that she is interested, so that's not a problem. But the problem is that she is in business and I am in politics, and there are many conflicts of interest between us. If I get together with her, even if I really don't transfer any interests, will anyone believe it? If the two of us get together, the result will not only hurt her, but also me."
Lao Wu sighed when he heard this: "You people who are pursuing a career in government always value the black veil on your head more than anything else. With General Lin's wealth, even if you don't become a poor official, you will never have to worry about food and clothing for several lifetimes."
I smiled helplessly: "Fifth brother, we studied hard for twelve years and finally got into college. Is it just for eating well and dressing well? Is studying to serve the country and the ideal just for a living?"
Lao Wu raised his thumb sincerely and said, "Old man, just for what you said, I will drink tea with you instead of wine."
As soon as the two of us raised our teacups and drank them, Lao Ba pushed the door open and came in. He was obviously in a bad mood. He simply greeted us and sat quietly in his seat, just like Xu Shu entering Cao's camp - he didn't say a word and looked very depressed.
As the dishes were served one after another, the mushrooms in the hot pot began to roll happily, and the steam quickly filled the entire private room, making the three of us feel as if we were in a misty wonderland.
After a glass of wine, I felt the time was right, so I said, "We were the best of friends during college. We were so good that we wore the same pair of pants and discussed small deals together all day long."
My words immediately resonated with the two of them. Lao Ba temporarily forgot his worries and recounted with relish the interesting stories of the time when we set up a newspaper stand at night. Those days of laughter and sweat seemed to come back to his mind.
Seeing that the atmosphere was almost heated, I changed the subject and said, "Back then, my fifth brother and I didn't trust each other and were afraid that we would misuse our money. In the end, we felt that you, Eighth Brother, were honest and reliable, so we both felt that it was safest to give the public funds to you for safekeeping, and you would also be the one to keep the accounts."
Hearing this, Lao Wu agreed with a smile, "Yes, Lao Ba, that is a debt of conscience. You really did not let us down. Although these transactions ended in 'loss of life and loss of troops', the trust you showed was great."
Lao Wu's words "suck that person" touched my sensitive nerves. I glared at him and asked half-jokingly, "Fifth brother, when you asked me to do this deal, did you want me to win over Zhou Xintong so that you could take advantage of it? After all, you and she are from the same hometown."
When Lao Wu heard this, he touched his chest and smiled helplessly: "God knows, old man, you are really an old man. How can you look at me like this? Am I the kind of person who values women over friendship?"
Lao Ba was confused and asked in confusion: "Brother is Brother, why do you say 'you are really an old man'?"
I explained with a smile: "This 'old man' doesn't really mean that I'm ranked number one, but that I'm sometimes a little 'silly' and don't know how to adapt. Ma Sanli said that there is an old man in the crosstalk "Fishing" who is this kind of person. This 'old man' has become a meme, used to describe people who are a little bit fierce."
After hearing this, Lao Ba suddenly realized and laughed. The atmosphere became much more relaxed in an instant.
I saw that the topic was going off topic, so I quickly got back to the point: "In fact, it was precisely because of Eighth Brother's obedient, honest and reliable nature that when Liu Yun asked me to look for a factory manager, I recommended him without hesitation."
Lao Ba obviously heard the hidden meaning in my words. He waved his hands and interrupted me: "Wait, brother, I know everything you said. Although I am stupid, I am not the 'old man' you say."
This time it was Lao Wu's turn to be confused. He asked curiously, "What are you two singing?"
I didn't answer Lao Wu directly, but said with great emotion: "During the four years of study, I have developed two kinds of love. The love between a man and a woman is for Zhou Xintong, and the love between brothers is for the two of you. A friend in need is a friend indeed. When I was divorced and unemployed, it was you, Lao Ba, who took me in. Although I didn't fight back in the end and even made a fuss, I feel embarrassed to talk about it. But I will never forget the friendship you have for me, Lao Ba. Later, Linxun invested in building a factory and was in urgent need of management talents. I just called you and you two completely trusted me and came to help without hesitation. It was not easy to leave your family and career."
After that, I picked up my glass, clinked glasses with them, and drank it all in one gulp. My words also infected them, and they also drank it all in one gulp.
Lao Ba's eyes were red, and he choked up and said, "Brother, I feel guilty and sorry for you."
I suppressed my sadness and said, "I will never believe that you would do anything to let down the company and Mr. Lin. Just open up to me and tell me if you really encounter any difficulties. My fifth brother and I are here, and the three of us can handle it together like we did back then."
I spoke loudly, and Lao Wu also echoed with great enthusiasm: "Your brother is right, Lao Ba, what kind of problem did you encounter?"
Old Eight looked worried and sighed, "Fifth Brother, I've mentioned this to you before. Isn't it that little devil named Miyamoto who's been making things difficult for me?"
I corrected him softly, "His last name is Miyazaki, not Miyamoto."
Lao Ba seemed a little annoyed: "I don't care if he is Miyazaki or Miyamoto, this little devil is against me in every way."
I couldn't help but laugh, and when he calmed down, I gently comforted him: "Old Eight, conflicts between managers within a company are common in the workplace, but this cannot become a cause of chaos and disorder in our financial management."
Lao Ba looked aggrieved, as if his pent-up emotions had finally found an outlet: "You're usually too busy, so I can't pour out my grievances to you. Today, I'll just pour them out all at once."
As he was talking, he raised his glass to drink, and I quickly held his hand down: "We haven't explained the matter clearly yet, put the wine aside, there's no rush."
He put down the cup, looked me straight in the eyes, and started to complain: "Brother, you have worked in Xiang Town, you understand the situation there better than anyone else. Some people in the town are like a group of flies hovering over their heads, staring closely at this tempting 'fat meat' of the enterprise and refusing to let go.
Take the school holding a sports meet, for example. They will send an invitation. If you don't go, they will be sly and make irresponsible remarks, and even make things difficult for the company in some aspects. When it comes to various festivals, there are even more reasons. For example, you have to sponsor the Women's Federation on March 8th Women's Day, express your gratitude to the Youth League Committee on May 4th Youth Day, and the Armed Forces Department on August 1st Army Day. Not to mention that you have to send gifts to the Education Bureau on Teachers' Day and visit the nursing home with gifts on Double Ninth Festival. Although these are under the banner of public welfare, they are still acceptable to people.
The most unbearable thing is that the town leaders often come to greet you. If there is a wedding or funeral at home, can you not go? Especially Zhang Qiming, who succeeded you as the deputy mayor, he would go to the company every few days. Even when his third aunt had a birthday, he would not forget to inform you and ask you to go and show your support. "