412: The ceiling-like existence among drivers

There were too many cars at the hotel entrance, so Lin Zifeng had Wang Zhongyu park the car in a parking lot about two or three hundred meters away from the hotel.

After Wang Zhongyu parked the car, the three of them got out one after another and walked toward the hotel.

Almost all of Li Qiang's relatives and friends had arrived. Li Qiang and his new bride stood in front of the hotel, constantly looking toward the road, searching for Lin Zifeng's car amidst the weaving traffic.

The parents of both sides stood behind the couple. Li Qiang's mother said somewhat anxiously, "Son, did you really make an appointment with the Secretary?"

"The wedding ceremony is starting in about ten minutes. Why haven't Secretary Lin and the others arrived yet?"

"Could the Secretary be busy and unable to come? Why don't you give Secretary Wang a call and ask?"

Li Qiang shook his head and said with confidence, "Since the Secretary promised me he would attend my wedding, he will definitely come."

"If the Secretary were truly delayed by an urgent matter, he would definitely call me in advance. Let's wait a bit longer! Anyway, everything is ready. We just need to be in position a minute or two beforehand."

Just as Li Qiang finished speaking, he saw Lin Zifeng and the other two appearing in their line of sight on foot.

Li Qiang's eyes lit up, and he said, "The Secretary and the others are here." He strode forward to meet them, and the others, seeing the trio, followed behind Li Qiang.

Lin Zifeng shook Li Qiang's hand while offering his wedding blessings.

After thanking him, Li Qiang introduced his family members to the three of them one by one.

The three offered their blessings to everyone. Chen Yuxi took a red envelope out of her bag, handed it to Li Qiang with a smile, and said, "Qiang Zi, you've been working by Zifeng's side all this time; you're no different from family to us."

"Today is the most important day of your life. Zifeng and I wish you two a long and happy marriage, to be of one heart forever, and to be blessed with a child soon."

"This is a small token of our appreciation. You must accept it."

Looking at the thick red envelope, which contained at least ten thousand yuan, Li Qiang said somewhat at a loss, "Sister-in-law, this is too much. I can't accept it. Your and the Secretary's attendance at our wedding is the greatest blessing for us."

As Li Qiang spoke, he tried to push it back, but Lin Zifeng reached out and pressed down on Li Qiang's hand.

"If your sister-in-law tells you to take it, then take it. Who refuses a blessing? Don't you know your sister-in-law's net worth?"

Hearing Lin Zifeng say this and knowing that Chen Yuxi was worth hundreds of millions, Li Qiang stopped refusing. After thanking them, he handed the red envelope to his wife beside him.

The group then escorted Lin Zifeng and Chen Yuxi toward the hotel.

Wang Zhongyu said as they walked, "Qiang Zi, my driving skills aren't as good as yours! There are so many cars and people today. Although there wasn't a traffic jam, for safety's sake, I still drove a bit slower. We arrived about ten minutes later than expected, but luckily we left early enough that it didn't delay the wedding."

"Brother Zhongyu, you did the right thing. Nothing is more important than the Secretary's safety."

After saying this, Li Qiang lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear and said, "Brother Zhongyu, the Secretary and Director Chen gave me such a large red envelope—it's almost three months of my salary. I feel a bit uneasy about it! How do you think I should return the favor?"

"Since the Secretary and Director Chen gave it to you, just accept it with peace of mind! As long as you serve the Secretary with all your heart in the future, that will be the best return for the Secretary and Director Chen."

"When I held the full-moon party for my daughter, the Secretary and Director Chen didn't attend, but Director Chen found out later and gave me a red envelope of ten thousand yuan too."

"I was also thinking about how to return the favor back then—you know, social reciprocity? So on Ningning's first birthday, I not only bought a toy as a gift but also secretly prepared a ten thousand yuan red envelope."

"Director Chen accepted the toy, but the red envelope was sternly rejected by her."

"I asked Director Chen why at the time, and she said that my dedicated and responsible work by the Secretary's side is the best form of reciprocity."

"They give us red envelopes as blessings, but if I give them such a large red envelope in return, it looks like bribery. If someone used that to make trouble, it would be bad for the Secretary."

"The Secretary set house rules long ago: when accepting gifts from relatives and friends, the value must never exceed two hundred yuan. Anything over that price is rejected without exception."

Li Qiang was younger than Lin Zifeng, so he called Chen Yuxi 'Sister-in-law.' Wang Zhongyu was two years older than Lin Zifeng, so he always addressed Chen Yuxi as 'Director Chen' to show his respect.

Hearing Wang Zhongyu's words, Li Qiang nodded and said, "Sister-in-law really is our Secretary's virtuous helper!"

The group entered the hotel. Lin Zifeng told Li Qiang and his family to go prepare for the wedding ceremony on stage. The three of them found a corner to sit in, ready to watch Li Qiang's wedding.

Ten minutes later, the wedding ceremony began on time. Amidst the melodious music, the various procedures unfolded smoothly.

After the couple exchanged wedding rings, the host announced that the groom could kiss the bride. Amidst enthusiastic applause, the two shared a passionate kiss, and then the wedding ceremony concluded.

Accompanied by the parents of both sides, Li Qiang brought his new wife over to Lin Zifeng and the others.

"Secretary, there are many guests outside. Shall we go to the Private Room inside for the meal?"

Li Qiang suggested.

Lin Zifeng didn't refuse. After all, with so many people outside, it wouldn't be very convenient to eat if people noticed him sitting in this corner and it drew everyone's attention.

So, guided by Li Qiang, the three of them followed the family toward the interior.

This finally caught the attention of some relatives and friends, who looked over at the group. Some Cadres who recognized Lin Zifeng and were attending Li Qiang's wedding stood up one after another to greet him.

Lin Zifeng nodded and smiled in response. It wasn't until the group entered the Private Room and the door was closed that everyone looked away and began to discuss in low voices.

One man, who worked at a company, said to the people beside him, "Am I seeing things? Our Yushu City Municipal Party Secretary actually came to attend a wedding? This is so down-to-earth!"

One of the people at the same table smiled and said, "From what you just said, I can tell you're a friend of the bride."

Seeing the other person nod in admission, this person continued, "I guessed right! You don't know the groom's situation!"

"The groom is our Municipal Party Secretary's driver. He's been driving for the Secretary for five or six years."

"I heard he started driving for the Secretary back when the Secretary was the Town Mayor of Heping Town."

"Now, he's not just the Secretary's driver; he's also the concurrent Deputy Director of the Logistics Department. He's already a solid deputy section level Cadre."

"It's not that surprising that the Secretary would come to his wedding."

Hearing this person's explanation, the man who spoke first nodded in realization and said, "So that's it. The groom is really lucky to have followed the right person. To be a deputy section level Cadre at such a young age—that's an achievement many people struggle for their whole lives!"

"The groom is amazing; he's definitely the ceiling of what a driver can be."

The relatives and friends at the table nodded in agreement. Such low-voiced discussions were heard throughout the hall.