0077 86 The blue sky is high, the yellow earth is thick
The two remained locked in a stalemate, while the others waited to see what would happen. Pei Zhiyu turned to look at Zhou Xiye. The bright light reflecting off the trees cast an odd glow in her eyes. Pei Zhiyu slowly wiped her hands, then placed her hand on Zhou Xiye's knee, as if to comfort her, "Xiye, this is a token of Secretary Ling's goodwill; we should accept it."
Ling Xingzhi and Zhou Xiye looked at him at the same time. Ling Xingzhi smiled, weighed the painting in his hand, and looked back at Zhou Xiye. "This is a painting I gave you. I gave it to you in front of Teacher Hua and Minister Ye, so don't worry, I definitely won't use this painting to make a fuss."
He moved the painting closer.
Zhou Xiye lowered his eyes and shook his head, "Thank you for the gift, Secretary Ling, but I don't deserve it... I only know that Qi Baishi is famous for his shrimp paintings, but this shrimp and crab painting..."
Ling Xingzhi interrupted her, “Everyone knows that Qi Baishi is famous for his shrimp paintings, but few people know that he is also extremely good at painting crabs, so this shrimp and crab painting is even more precious.” He paused, “Zhou Xiye, I am very sincere.”
Zhou Xiye pushed the table, moved the chair back a few inches, stood up, and finally smiled a little as he looked at Ling Xingzhi. “My taste is naturally not as good as your lover’s. The right gift should be given to the right person. Why don’t you save it for your lover?”
Upon hearing her words, Ling Xingzhi chuckled, bent down to place the painting on her seat, turned around, picked up Zhou Xiye's wine glass, poured a glass of wine, toasted her, and drank it down in one gulp.
Zhou Xiye stared at him. It was rare to see Ling Xingzhi acting so recklessly and unrestrainedly. She couldn't figure out why he had come or what he wanted to get.
Setting down his wine glass, Ling Xingzhi tugged at his collar, casually unbuttoning a button. He glanced around; Hua Chunyang smiled, Ye Lifeng had his hands crossed on the table, and Yi Shuyuan toyed with his teacup. Ling Xingzhi tapped his fingers a few times on the table, then turned to Zhou Xiye, pointing in the air. "Little Zhou, who among these people do you think truly cares for you and hasn't treated you like a pawn?"
As soon as the words were spoken, subtle changes occurred in the expressions on everyone's faces.
Ling Xingzhi laughed and looked at Pei Zhiyu, "And you? Are you truly devoted to your wife?"
“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Pei Zhiyu said calmly. “But I can assure you that I have no ill intentions toward my wife.”
Upon hearing this, Ling Xingzhi smiled and shook his head.
“Secretary Ling, you don’t need to worry about my affairs. Besides, even a talented horse needs a discerning eye to find its patron. It’s not appropriate for you to make a hasty conclusion without knowing anything about it.”
Zhou Xiye's voice was rational and indifferent. Ling Xingzhi's smile faded after hearing it. He met her gaze and was about to speak when Hua Chunyang spoke up: "Little Ling, today is Zhou and Pei's big day. You'd better not..."
Ling Xingzhi slowly turned his head to look at Hua Chunyang, a smile on his lips but cold light in his eyes. "Teacher Hua, I'll just say a few more words. Please don't be impatient. You are a magnanimous person. Can't you tolerate a few words from a junior like me?"
Before Hua Chunyang could respond, Ling Xingzhi turned to look at Zhou Xiye. He didn't rush to speak, but carefully examined her, trying to see through her. The atmosphere became inexplicably tense. "Zhou Xiye, it's no use advising you. Zhou Peilai..." He drew out his words, "Is it no use either?"
Zhou Xiye's gaze suddenly sharpened. "Did you bring him here?"
Ling Xingzhi nodded calmly, feigning regret, and sighed, "It seems you don't like either of the two gifts I prepared today. Did you prefer the kind of gift from last time? Then I'll have to put in some effort to prepare one for you."
Zhou Xiye twitched the corners of her mouth, but the words she wanted to say were forced back down. Her chest heaved a little. Seeing the wine glass on the table, she picked it up, poured herself a glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Secretary Ling, I appreciate your kindness and thank you for your blessings. I also wish you a happy and harmonious married life."
Seeing her frustrated expression, Ling Xingzhi found it amusing that the fire, though seemingly contained within a thin veil, couldn't reach him. He chuckled, recalling her arrogant demeanor in front of him. However, to outsiders, his sudden laughter appeared utterly insane. Pei Zhiyu stood up and shielded Zhou Xiye behind her.
After Ling Xingzhi's breathing stabilized, he looked at the two people in front of him and nodded in satisfaction, "Good...good..."
He then took a few steps back, tilted his head to look at the two of them, a satisfied smile still on his lips, and raised his hand to touch the tip of his nose. "She probably doesn't like being rescued by a hero, but she had no choice but to do so because of these old foxes."
Pei Zhiyu remained very polite. "Secretary Ling, thank you for your gift. I will need your help with my work in the future." He did not want to offend Ling Xingzhi. A higher-ranking official can have an advantage. His agreement with Hua Chunyang was based on mutual interests. The Pei family remained neutral, and he could not afford to offend the Ling family.
Moreover, Zhou Xiye and Ling Xingzhi's relationship is mysterious and somewhat complicated, but none of that matters; she is his now.
Ling Xingzhi nodded and patted Pei Zhiyu on the shoulder. "Young man, you have remarkable skills and a promising future."
After saying this, he walked towards the door, his face flushed, whether from drinking too much or from the burning anger in his heart, it was hard to tell. "Teacher Hua, Minister Ye, President Yi, I apologize for disturbing you today. I will host a banquet for you another day. I hope you will forgive and forget about this."
Hua Chunyang didn't get up to see him off. After all, Ling Xingzhi had acted rudely first, and although he apologized, he showed no remorse on his face. He waved his hand and opened the door.
A cold wind carried sandalwood into the room.
Ling Xingzhi walked away without looking back. Zhou Xiye watched his back and seemed to smell a hint of alcohol.
The door closed, the cold air dissipated, and the sandalwood incense remained strong.
"Zhou Xiye, come with me for a moment."
Ye Lifeng stood up, tossed aside his napkin, and walked with a brisk pace. Zhou Xiye put down her wine glass, and Pei Zhiyu looked at her with concern. Zhou Xiye shook her head, turned around, and followed him. The room they went to was inside the main hall, a tea room in a side hall. As soon as they entered, they saw a boxwood bell-shaped Buddhist shrine carved against the wall.
"sit."
After Ye Lifeng sat down, he invited Zhou Xiye to sit down as well.
She sat down, looking at Ye Lifeng's expressionless face. He raised his hand and took a sip of tea. The aroma of tea filled the air. Zhou Xiye thought about it carefully. She really hadn't expected Ling Xingzhi's actions this time. If it were her, she definitely wouldn't have acted so rashly, as it would only leave them with a handle against her.
Even if he came to cause trouble, he shouldn't have given away the painting. Zhou Xiye reached out and turned the teacup. The Luohan cup felt smooth and cool to the touch, but the tea inside was still steaming.
The only possible reason Ling Xingzhi came to this meal was that he was very concerned about Zhou Xiye's marriage. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. This was a matter between the two of them, and had nothing to do with others, much less with partisan disputes.
"bite--"
Ye Lifeng put down his cup, and Zhou Xiye looked up and met his gaze. They looked at each other for a few seconds, and a smile slowly spread from Ye Lifeng's lips.
"He made a mistake with this move."
Zhou Xiye took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, and asked, "Minister Ye, do you think he cares more about my marriage or about my relationship with the Pei family?"
Ye Lifeng raised an eyebrow. "None of that matters. It's enough that he cares about you." He then changed the subject. "There's another negotiation coming up. I've almost got the premiership in my hands, but Ling Qingyun still doesn't want to budge. You need to keep a close eye on Ling Qingyun through Ling Xingzhi."
“Okay,” Zhou Xiye hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Minister, what about the position of mayor of Hangzhou…”
Ye Lifeng chuckled, "That goes without saying, it's yours of course. The transfer order will be issued after the Two Sessions, just wait."
"Thank you, Minister." Zhou Xiye noticed that Ye Lifeng's teacup was empty, so he picked up the teapot and poured him a cup.
"By the way, you need to sound out the Pei family's attitude. Even if there's no wedding, you'll definitely have to attend the tea ceremony to see how they treat you."
Zhou Xiye was naturally aware of this, but she was unsure how to handle relationships with e-commerce and tech upstarts after arriving in Hangzhou. "Minister, do I have any tasks to perform after arriving in Hangzhou?"
"What's the meaning?"
"You should be clear about the relationship between local and central governments. It has always been an unspoken issue, especially for wealthy local tyrants. Do you need their cooperation to get what you want?"
Ye Lifeng leaned back in his chair. "That's a problem, but local governments have never been able to participate in central government decision-making. It's just that even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. His Majesty values technological development and innovation, so naturally he wants to cooperate with them, of course, under our leadership..."
He pondered for a moment, looking at Zhou Xiye, twirling his teacup in his hand. After a few seconds, he asked Zhou Xiye, "What do you think we should do?"
Zhou Xiye saw that he didn't say anything.
Ye Lifeng smiled and said thoughtfully, "Go first, you'll know the specifics when you get there, and we'll discuss it then."
The black car rolled over fallen leaves by the roadside; the air was dry, and the dim yellow light reflected on the water's surface, causing it to ripple slightly.
The withered branches looked like monsters in the darkness, their shadows sweeping across Zhou Xiye's face.
Why didn't you tell me about your trip to Hangzhou?
Pei Zhiyu's voice was icy cold. For some reason, Zhou Xiye felt that he was just like a round water droplet on the edge of a lotus leaf in summer, beautiful but fragile.
"You didn't ask."
A fleeting emotion crossed Pei Zhiyu's dark eyes, and he asked softly, "When will you take office?"
"I'll take up my post as soon as the transfer order comes through."
Pei Zhiyu nodded and turned to look out the window.
The car stopped in front of the villa, hurried footsteps sounded, followed by the sound of the car door opening.
"When you see my mother and grandfather, just follow behind me," Pei Zhiyu said simply, holding Zhou Xiye's cold hand and looking at her profile. She added, "Tomorrow, I'll go with you to the hospital to see your parents. We should tell them the good news."
The two took a few steps forward. Zhou Xiye calmly withdrew his hand, looked at the steps in front of him and the crowd waiting for them, and replied indifferently, "No need, they don't care at all." After saying that, he walked up the steps.
Pei Zhiyu looked down at her hand, which was gripping the air, her Adam's apple bobbing, before turning to look at Zhou Xiye's back.
In the darkness of night, birds and beasts flew by, their feeble cries echoing through the air.
Pei Zhiyu froze, looked up, but the sky was pitch black and he couldn't see anything.
"Mr. Pei..."
Someone spoke beside him. Pei Zhiyu looked at Zhou Xiye, who was walking upstairs, and nodded, "Understood."
He then walked up the steps.
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