Chapter 47: A Kept Man?

Just as Zhu Jianhui and Lin Jingya stood at the entrance of the Xiaokang Restaurant, Li Xiuyuan and Wu Yiyi inside had already finished most of their meal. In truth, Wu Yiyi would have liked to sit a while longer.

However, ever since discussing the tense and jittery atmosphere within the county government lately, Li Xiuyuan's mind had drifted away from the food. Although the conversation continued, his heart was clearly not in it. Sensing this, Wu Yiyi had no wish to make things difficult for him.

She simply decided to end the meal. When it came time to pay, Li Xiuyuan made a move to settle the bill, but Wu Yiyi beat him to it.

"Alright, I picked the place, so this treat is on me. If you're keen on playing host, I'll give you a chance next time," Wu Yiyi said with a smile, looking at Li Xiuyuan.

After a brief hesitation, Li Xiuyuan agreed. Once Wu Yiyi paid the bill, they walked out together. Li Xiuyuan was preoccupied, heavily weighing the potential impact on himself should Deputy Director Luo run into trouble.

Just as he had managed to secure his footing in the office by relying on Deputy Director Luo, an incident like this had to occur. Given Luo Yi's favor, he could easily have spent the next half-year smoothly in the county government office, but if Luo Yi fell...

His situation might end up even worse than before. After all, having accepted the karma of Deputy Director Luo's patronage, he would inevitably be implicated to some degree when the director fell from power.

When Wu Yiyi said that the higher-ups' affairs and Director Luo's situation had nothing to do with them, she was speaking from her own perspective and stance. For someone with her connections and background, such matters didn't matter as long as one wasn't too deeply entangled.

Yet for him, the reality was entirely different. How could he possibly remain unaffected? If Director Luo fell, he would no longer be able to stay in the county government office.

Still, according to what Wu Yiyi had mentioned, a crisis of such magnitude, capable of triggering high-level political shifts, also harbored opportunities. In his past life, he had started working three years later, leaving him with no distinct impression of events happening at this particular moment.

Nevertheless, major historical events, even after passing, always left behind whispers and fragments. They might be hidden within the unnoticed details of his previous life's memories. Li Xiuyuan racked his brains, searching through the shards of his past life's memory for any information related to this incident so he could prepare in advance. Knowing the future trajectory of events, he could even place bets early on, transforming the crisis into an opportunity.

Deep in thought and completely absorbed in his pondering, Li Xiuyuan nearly collided with an incoming customer as he stepped through the doorway.

Jolted back to reality, Li Xiuyuan instinctively apologized, "I'm sorry."

The other person spoke at the exact same time, "Excuse me."

As he spoke, Li Xiuyuan felt the voice sounded remarkably familiar. Looking up, he was stunned to see Lin Jingya. What a coincidence to run into her here.

On the other side, Lin Jingya looked equally bewildered and blurted out, "Li Xiuyuan?"

"Yeah," Li Xiuyuan nodded.

"Why are you here?" Lin Jingya asked instinctively, turning her head to glance at her boyfriend, Zhu Jianhui, standing beside her. Didn't he say this place was somewhere ordinary people couldn't even find? Didn't he claim this was where bureau chiefs and deputy bureau chiefs came to dine?

Li Xiuyuan had no idea of any special status attached to the place, nor was he aware of the tall tales Zhu Jianhui had spun for Lin Jingya. Hearing her question, he felt a bit puzzled. What was wrong with this place?

Was he somehow barred from being here?

"I'm here for a meal with a friend," Li Xiuyuan replied indifferently. Only then did Lin Jingya notice Wu Yiyi standing next to him. How should one describe Lin Jingya and Wu Yiyi? In terms of facial features, they were evenly matched. Without makeup, both hovered around a six or seven out of ten.

Of course, a seven out of ten could already be considered quite a beauty.

Add some makeup, and their attractiveness went without saying. Wang Zhitao had started working around the same time as Wu Yiyi, and the only reason he hadn't pursued her was his belief that his background wasn't impressive enough, compounded by the fact that they worked in the same office.

Looking at Wu Yiyi beside Li Xiuyuan, Lin Jingya opened her mouth, wanting to say something.

Zhu Jianhui chimed in from the side, "Xiaoya, is this that college classmate of yours?"

Zhu Jianhui was well aware of the past relationship between Li Xiuyuan and Lin Jingya, but mentioning an ex-boyfriend at a time like this certainly sounded awkward. Thus, he opted for a different framing. While speaking, he reached out to wrap his arm around Lin Jingya's waist, casting a provocative glance at Li Xiuyuan. Lin Jingya stiffened momentarily before nodding obediently.

By this point, Li Xiuyuan was also sizing up Zhu Jianhui. How to put it? His appearance was difficult to praise; this was the sort of man who, whenever a pretty girl was seen by his side, immediately signaled to everyone that he must possess some real clout.

Li Xiuyuan's gaze drifted toward the Audi parked nearby. It seemed this was the Audi driver who had parked outside his family's noodle shop the other day.

"Hello, my name is Zhu Jianhui. I work at the Land and Resources Bureau, and my father is the deputy director of the Industry and Commerce Bureau. May I ask who you are?" The Audi man spoke, though his words were not addressed to Li Xiuyuan. Instead, he looked at Wu Yiyi standing beside Li Xiuyuan and extended a hand, preparing to shake hers.

The Xiaokang Restaurant wasn't a place just anyone could track down. Those who came here were either leaders themselves or the children of high-ranking officials. The prominent figures in the county were all within this circle, and making a few connections wouldn't hurt.

As for Li Xiuyuan, Zhu Jianhui had long since heard about him from his colleague Li Xin—who happened to be Lin Jingya's best friend—mocking him as the "Noodle Prince" who couldn't even pass the civil service exam. He didn't hold him in any regard whatsoever.

Yet Wu Yiyi completely ignored Zhu Jianhui. Instead, she turned to Li Xiuyuan and asked, "Xiuyuan, are these two friends of yours?"

Seeing Wu Yiyi pay him no mind, Zhu Jianhui's expression instantly turned awkward. He had assumed that dropping his name would compel the other party to show some courtesy.

However, Li Xiuyuan's subsequent words made Zhu Jianhui even more uncomfortable. Li Xiuyuan shook his head directly and said, "I don't know them. Sister Yiyi, let's go."

"Alright," Wu Yiyi nodded, walking away gracefully with Li Xiuyuan and leaving Zhu Jianhui and Lin Jingya standing dumbfounded on the spot, Zhu Jianhui's hand still suspended mid-air.

"Xiaoya, how could you pick an ex-boyfriend like that? What kind of taste do you have?" Zhu Jianhui lashed out in frustration at Lin Jingya. Lin Jingya felt a wellspring of grievance in her heart. You're blaming me now? Wasn't it you who were so full of yourself and eager to shake her hand? Otherwise, how could this have happened?

Yet, facing this well-connected current boyfriend, Lin Jingya didn't dare lose her temper. It was only after passing the civil service exam that she truly understood: those starting out together in the same batch and assigned to the sub-district offices—those with connections and those without—led completely different lives.

The ones with connections had parents visiting leadership figures right after starting work, living a life of absolute ease in the office. Those without connections remained mere beasts of burden upon entering the workforce. The idealistic dream of stepping onto a glorious political career path was sheer nonsense; the pinnacle of their administrative authority was making free photocopies of test papers and study materials for their bosses' children.

"We were young back then, and didn't know any better," Lin Jingya explained defensively, playing the innocent white lotus. By this time, Wu Yiyi and Li Xiuyuan had already driven off in their car.

The red Accord cut through the night like a streak of light, gliding past the two of them. The evening breeze stirred Wu Yiyi's long hair, but neither she nor Li Xiuyuan inside the car spared a single glance at Zhu Jianhui and Lin Jingya standing at the entrance. They were completely ignored.

Standing at the doorway, Zhu Jianhui felt like an absolute clown, his expression exceptionally grim. Driving an Accord made you hot shit? Well, indeed, it did.

Zhu Jianhui let out a cold snort. "Your ex-boyfriend really is something else. I thought he was just a noodle-pulling prince, but who knew he was actually a kept man living off a woman?"

Lin Jingya's complexion turned equally unsightly. She never imagined that after breaking up with her, Li Xiuyuan would end up with someone so superior.

For a fleeting second, Lin Jingya was forced to admit that she simply couldn't compare to the woman currently by Li Xiuyuan's side.