Chapter 39 Xu Qingwan, Director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau

As Chen Zhuo walked near the entrance of the conference room, he saw Luo Bin and Manager Sun blocking the way. Without any intention of greeting them, he sidestepped and walked past them.

"Chen Zhuo, Young Master Chen." Luo Bin reached out to block him, a hint of arrogant amusement on his face. "I heard you got fired? What are you doing at the government building?"

Chen Zhuo stopped and turned his head to look at him, also smiling. He then gestured with his chin toward Manager Sun. "Young Master Luo, don't concern yourself with the wrong person. The one who got fired is him, not me."

He paused, slightly lifting his head as if deep in thought. "Oh... I heard he got fired because he offended someone while trying to help you."

Upon hearing this, Luo Bin's expression changed. The fingers holding his cigarette trembled slightly, and he quickly turned to look at Manager Sun.

Manager Sun was completely bewildered, not understanding what Chen Zhuo meant.

Then, as if realizing something, he pointed at Chen Zhuo, his face flushed red as he hissed, "The hell, it was you?"

Chen Ang shrugged, picked at his ear with his little finger, and said, "What are you saying, Manager Sun? I don't understand."

Luo Bin kept eyeing the situation between the two of them.

Doubt stirred in his heart. Where did that useless ex-husband Li Xue talked about get his confidence from?

Something was very wrong.

Before he could speak again, a series of footsteps echoed, and the corridor suddenly fell silent.

In an instant, everyone extinguished their cigarettes and adjusted their attire. Then, all eyes converged in the same direction.

A woman wearing a navy blue suit jacket was walking toward them.

Her short hair reached her shoulders. Although she wore light makeup, she was excessively refined; the brilliance of her features seemed to brighten the entire corridor.

She carried a document bag in her hand. Her pace was slow but steady, and her high heels clicked against the marble floor, one step after another, crisp and powerful.

Two government staff members followed behind her, whispering their reports.

She nodded occasionally, her gaze sweeping over the people on both sides of the corridor with a balanced focus, not lingering on any single face.

It was Director Xu Qingwan.

Luo Bin instinctively took half a step back to clear the way.

This newly appointed Director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau had been the focus of the entire county since the day she parachuted into Jiangning.

She was escorted to her post personally by the Party Secretary and the County Magistrate. It was said she had spent six years on an exchange program in Hong Kong before returning, after which she was transferred from a provincial-level department directly down to the county.

As soon as she took office, she branded it the county's number one project, pushing hard for the preservation of ancient architectural complexes combined with cultural and tourism development. This cut off the source of wealth for countless people who wanted to get rich off the mines.

However, her actions met with almost no resistance.

This was because not only was she a reserve cadre prioritized for development by the organization, but there were also rumors that she had an unattainable background.

While everyone else was composing themselves, Chen Zhuo froze.

Is that... Sister-in-law?

Chen Zhuo widened his eyes, staring straight at the woman with the inner radiance and graceful demeanor.

At this moment, only one thought occupied his mind: Why is Sister-in-law here?

When he was in the third year of middle school, Director Xu Qingwan and his brother had already been secretly dating for three years. How could he not know her? He had been calling her Sister-in-law from the very beginning.

He hadn't seen her since his family went bankrupt. He never expected her to be here today.

In front of the conference room door, Director Xu Qingwan stopped, her gaze resting on Chen Zhuo.

"Xiao Zhuo?"

Chen Zhuo looked up, his lips moving. "Sister-in..." The first syllable escaped, but got stuck in his throat, and the rest of the word was swallowed back.

Luo Bin froze, dumbfounded.

Chen Zhuo knows Director Xu Qingwan?

Manager Sun stood to the side, his mouth agape, his expression as if he had been slapped in the face.

He didn't know that Chen Zhuo actually knew this star official of the county.

And to think that she had greeted Chen Zhuo first.

For a moment, his brain couldn't function; it had crashed.

Director Xu Qingwan's expression didn't change, but her voice softened slightly, as if she were casually asking about someone she hadn't seen in a long time. "Is your brother... um... is everything alright at home?"

The voice was very soft, and the transition abrupt. Just as Chen Zhuo felt it was strange, his eyes caught her fingers clutching the document bag tightening suddenly.

"Everything is fine." He spat out the two words dryly, then didn't know what else to say.

"That's good." Director Xu Qingwan nodded and glanced at Chen Zhuo's name tag. "You work at Company?"

Her tone had returned to the professional air of a public official.

"Yes, for a few years now," Chen Zhuo said hurriedly.

Director Xu Qingwan looked at him, finally offering a faint smile. "Work hard. If there's an opportunity... we'll talk later."

After taking a step to the side, she paused for a second, as if she wanted to say something else, but then dismissed the thought before turning to leave.

The sound of her high heels gradually faded away. Chen Zhuo stood where he was, watching her back disappear into the conference room.

She had stopped there to chat with Chen Zhuo for less than ten seconds, but everyone in the corridor had seen that smile of hers.

It wasn't the smile used for meetings; it was the kind used when old acquaintances caught up, the kind no one had seen since she parachuted into Jiangning.

Chen Zhuo stood in the corridor, feeling the gazes from all directions piercing toward him.

He didn't look at anyone and followed behind Director Xu Qingwan into the conference room.

Throughout the meeting, Chen Zhuo was in a daze.

Director Xu Qingwan sat behind the nameplate on the podium, her voice as steady as ever. She spoke about the plan to convert the old mine site into a light luxury homestay, her tone devoid of extra emotion.

Chen Zhuo sat in the back row, not hearing a single word.

After the meeting, in the parking lot.

Luo Bin bent down and sat into that white Mercedes-Benz G63; Li Xue was already waiting inside.

He closed the car door, didn't start it immediately, lit a cigarette, and rolled the window down halfway.

"Do you think Chen Zhuo's family still has some kind of background?" He turned his head to look at Li Xue, his tone carrying uncertain probing.

"Background?" Li Xue was stunned for a moment. "What kind of background could he have? Don't you know the situation with his family? They've been bankrupt for seven years, and not even relatives want to visit their home."

However, as she said this, she inexplicably thought of the scene where Manager Sun was fired earlier, and she felt a bit uncertain.

"Earlier at the conference room entrance, the new Director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau, Director Xu, was very familiar with him. They chatted for quite a while, and she even smiled."

A look of confusion appeared in Li Xue's eyes. "Who? What Director Xu?"

"Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you." Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Luo Bin looked back at her. "Do you really not know his family's connections? Does his brother have connections in Bin City?"

"Impossible." Li Xue shook her head repeatedly. "I rarely speak to his brother, and his brother's wife rarely comes back to their hometown. Did that Director Xu you mentioned mistake him for someone else?"

Luo Bin nodded and remained silent for a moment, knowing that this woman was just a fool who didn't understand anything.

Mistake him for someone else? How could that be?

He crushed the cigarette, started the car, and the engine hummed lowly.

Li Xue leaned back in her seat. She noticed that Luo Bin was somewhat distracted after coming back from the meeting.

For a moment, she felt quite unsettled, just a bit hollow.

She wondered, could it be that she had missed something?

Then she shook her head, casting that groundless thought aside.

Looking back at Luo Bin, she wore a smile on her lips, her mind beginning to paint a picture of all the good days to come after their divorce.