Chapter 44: Unmentionable

As soon as Li Xiuyuan returned to the office, he was surrounded by strange, probing gazes from everyone. Early this morning, Li Xiuyuan had been abruptly taken away by Luo Yi. Those who managed to survive working in the county government office all possessed sharp wits and immense cunning; anyone a fraction slower to react would have already been chewed up and spat out by office politics.

Luo Yi taking Li Xiuyuan away was clearly a sign of favor. While Huang Wei could strut around unbothered simply because he was backed by Qu Hui, Li Xiuyuan now had Deputy Director Luo Yi in his corner. From this point onward, he too was considered someone in the General Section with deep and formidable backing.

However, as for the deeper truths and underlying motives, they were completely in the dark. Stationed wherever they were in the hierarchy, they could only see this superficial layer.

Faced with everyone's scrutiny, Li Xiuyuan remained utterly composed as he walked over and sat down at his desk.

Wang Zhitao had originally planned to invite Li Xiuyuan to lunch so he could probe about what had happened between him and Luo Yi. How on earth had Li Xiuyuan managed to get in good with Luo Yi? And might there be a chance for him to forge a connection with Luo Yi as well?

Working in the county government office, who wouldn't harbor ambitions of advancing their career?

Especially now that the General Section might soon promote a deputy section chief, everyone's minds were restless and stirred.

Yet at this moment, looking at the tranquil Li Xiuyuan, Wang Zhitao suddenly felt that his request would be somewhat presumptuous. He even began to hesitate about his plan to invite Li Xiuyuan to dinner.

In the official bureaucracy, it was far too common for people to undergo a drastic change in attitude the moment they gained a shred of power.

Previously, Li Xiuyuan had been a transparent nobody who eagerly addressed him as "Brother Wang" and fawned over him. But things were different now. Having latched onto Luo Yi, would Li Xiuyuan still care to hang out with outcasts of the General Section like him and Li Boyang?

After hesitating for a long time, Wang Zhitao finally mustered his courage and, putting on a casual facade, looked at Li Xiuyuan and said, "Xiuyuan, doing anything tonight? Let's grab dinner together. I've already asked Brother Li."

"Sure, my treat," Li Xiuyuan agreed without a moment's hesitation.

The rock hanging in Wang Zhitao's chest instantly dropped back into place. It seemed Li Xiuyuan hadn't changed after all! This came as a pleasant and unexpected surprise, prompting him to quickly chime in, "No, no, my treat. It's already settled."

Li Xiuyuan smiled and said nothing more. Originally, he had planned that if he were treating tonight, he would take Wang Zhitao and Li Boyang to his family's noodle restaurant.

After spending some time together, the relationship among the three of them could be pushed a step closer. Taking them to his family's restaurant was a gesture of intimacy. A single man needs helpers, and since his backing was currently just a superficial illusion, he undoubtedly needed close and reliable allies within the office.

However, since Wang Zhitao insisted on playing the host, Li Xiuyuan saw no reason to refuse. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

***

When work ended in the afternoon, the three of them waited a little while. Only after watching Qu Hui walk past their door and leave for the day did they finally pack up and depart. There was no help for it; earlier that morning, they had been reprimanded by Qu Hui precisely over leaving work hours, so even someone as bold as Li Boyang didn't dare to openly defy the rules.

The trio arrived at a small restaurant and began chatting about work-related matters. Before long, the atmosphere warmed up, though the dynamic among the three remained somewhat peculiar. Li Boyang wore a half-smile, looking very much like a spectator waiting for a good show.

Wang Zhitao opened his mouth several times to speak, only to swallow his words back down, while Li Xiuyuan acted as if nothing was amiss.

In the end, it was Li Xiuyuan who sighed, set down his wine glass, and broke the deadlock.

"Brother Wang, if there's something you want to ask, just ask directly. I'll tell you whatever I'm allowed to say, but please don't put me on the spot about the rest," Li Xiuyuan said, looking at Wang Zhitao. His words were airtight—sharing what could be shared and drawing a firm boundary against difficult questions, leaving himself ample room to maneuver.

"Xiuyuan, I just wanted to ask, how on earth did you get connected with Director Luo?" Wang Zhitao asked bluntly.

Hearing this, Li Xiuyuan's expression didn't change in the slightest; he had already guessed that Wang Zhitao would ask this. Seated nearby, Li Boyang also fixed his gaze on Li Xiuyuan, waiting for the answer.

Li Xiuyuan let out a wry smile and said, "This matter falls into the category of things I cannot talk about."

It wasn't that Li Xiuyuan was unwilling to share, but he was currently leveraging Luo Yi's prestige to protect himself. His actual relationship with Luo Yi was distant at best; if the truth leaked out and everyone found out, nobody would take him seriously anymore.

People like Wu Yiyi who genuinely possessed real backing, connections, and family influence could afford to talk about it openly, but someone like him? He wouldn't dare breathe a word of it.

"If we really have to trace the connection, it's through an elder in the family," Li Xiuyuan added with a vague explanation, noting Wang Zhitao's disappointed expression.

It wasn't a matter of distrusting Wang Zhitao; this kind of thing had nothing to do with trust. The moment a secret was shared with another person, it ceased to be a secret. If you couldn't even keep your own secrets, how could you expect others to keep them for you?

Li Boyang understood the situation clearly in his heart. Li Xiuyuan was indeed exceptionally clever and would never spill the beans. It was just Wang Zhitao who refused to give up and kept pressing for answers.

"Alright, let's drink," Li Boyang said, raising his glass to steer the conversation away from the topic. The three of them resumed their casual chatter.

Meanwhile, back at Li Xiuyuan's family noodle restaurant, Wang Chunhua arrived carrying some fresh vegetables harvested from her family's plot in her hometown.

"Qiuhua, here, catch," Wang Chunhua said, hoisting half a woven bag stuffed with vegetables.

Zhang Qiuhua took it with a puzzled expression. "Elder Sister Wang, what is this?"

"Oh, the vegetables are growing in our family's plot back home. My old man went back a couple of days ago and brought back way too many. We couldn't possibly finish them all, so I thought I'd bring some over for you," Wang Chunhua explained with a smile.

However, Zhang Qiuhua didn't believe a single word of this explanation. Since when was this about whether they could finish eating them? Wang Chunhua worked at the neighborhood community office—while community workers didn't amount to much in the eyes of high-level bureaucrats and were practically at the very bottom of the official hierarchy, to ordinary citizens, working in the community office carried weight, much like a village cadre. They were people who could actually help out with matters.

Normally, it was everyone else bringing gifts to curry favor with Wang Chunhua; when had Wang Chunhua ever gone out of her way to deliver things to others?

Couldn't finish eating? Was that even a reason?

"Elder Sister Wang, how can I accept this? You guys should eat it yourselves. We really can't..." Zhang Qiuhua didn't dare to take it.

"Oh, Sister Qiuhua, let's not stand on ceremony. I've already brought this little bit over, why are you still acting so polite? These vegetables are expensive to buy in the city, but they cost nothing back in the countryside. Just accept them with a clear conscience. The next time my old man goes back home, I'll have him bring back even more. Your little restaurant can make use of them, and it'll help you cut down on costs."

Listening to Wang Chunhua, Zhang Qiuhua felt as though the sun had risen from the west today. The two of them were simply neighbors living in the same residential complex, yet now Wang Chunhua was acting like an intimate sister, showing such thoughtful consideration for their family.

*Take your family's things to lower my family's costs?* Why did these words sound so incomprehensible no matter how she listened to them?

"This simply won't do..."

No matter what Wang Chunhua said, Zhang Qiuhua didn't dare accept the offer. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. She and her husband had lived honest, straightforward lives all their lives. Just then, Li Jianguo emerged from the back kitchen. As soon as he heard his wife explain the situation, he shook his head like a rattling drum—there was no way they dared to accept this.