Chapter 117: Chapter 18: The Iceberg Beauty Si Ruoqi
Just as he finished speaking, a family of three walked into the sales department. The young man leading them was the same one who had made the rude remarks moments earlier. Shaking off his parents, he strode over quickly.
"Auntie Li, you can’t be biased! I’m your best choice for a son-in-law, much better than that pretty boy, right?"
Wow, he just arrived and has already labeled Sun Dasheng a "pretty boy." He’s certainly a practiced mudslinger.
"Oh, it’s Director Chen." Li Qiu’s expression soured, but she couldn’t make a scene. The man was Chen Shicheng, in his thirties, the head of a county bureau with a senior official rank. The reason he’d climbed to this position wasn’t due to any outstanding ability; his parents had paved the way for his promotion.
Ordinarily, that wouldn’t matter. So what if he’s a director? He has no authority over me, so I can just dismiss it like a fart.
However, he happened to be her daughter’s direct supervisor, so she couldn’t afford to be cold to him. Her daughter’s job was on the line.
Chen Shicheng might have been ordinary in terms of ability, but his emotional intelligence was high. He immediately smiled and said, "Auntie Li, just call me Xiao Chen. Forget this ’Director’ business. You’re my elder, you can’t call me that."
"If my parents heard you, they’d break my legs!"
Just then, his parents walked over. They were all old acquaintances from within the government system and exchanged greetings.
"I’m sorry Shi Cheng is troubling you," his father said. "Young people should be free to love and marry whomever they choose."
Then, he turned to admonish his son, "Don’t think that just because you’ve become some small-time director, you can forget your place. So what if you were the county magistrate? Are you trying to use your authority to pressure people? That’s ridiculous."
The words were polite, but something about them felt off. It sounded less like he was scolding his son and more like he was implying *we* were the ones who didn’t know our place. And who were all those mentions of ’director’ really for?
"Heh... The younger generation can make their own decisions. I won’t interfere," Li Qiu said, her words just as pointed. "Besides, my daughter is used to life in a big city. She was in management at a Fortune 500 company, earning several hundred thousand a year. She’s fiercely independent. The only reason she came back was for our sake. If we tried to force her to marry someone she dislikes, she might just throw in the towel and return to the big city."
The meaning was clear: My daughter is highly capable and can make a living anywhere. If you push her, she won’t think twice about quitting this government job—it’s not that important to her. She’s not like our generation, who had no other options and were easily controlled.
Chen Shicheng’s face darkened, knowing she was taking a dig at him. Then he spotted Sun Dasheng in the crowd and walked over with a smile.
"This must be Senior Sun, right?"
His opening remark left Sun Dasheng completely baffled. Do I know him?
"It’s only natural that a senior like you wouldn’t recognize me. I’m from the class of ’08 at County High School, and you were from the class of ’06, two years ahead of me," Chen Shicheng explained. "Si Ruoqi was also in the class of ’08. We’re old classmates," he added casually.
This left Sun Dasheng confused. Why the hell is he telling me they were classmates?
"You both did very well academically," Chen Shicheng continued. "After the college entrance exams, your graduation photos were posted on the school’s wall of honor. Unlike me, who could only attend an ordinary university. It wasn’t until after graduation that I achieved a little success, and now I’m a director here in the county."
So that’s what this is about! I was wondering why he was beating around the bush. After all that, he’s still just showing off his pathetic directorship. He was basically saying, "What good were your great grades? Now you’re working under my supervision." Of course, that last part was aimed at Si Ruoqi.
"Qi Qi is working under me now," Chen Shicheng said, smiling at Sun Dasheng. "As old classmates, I’ll naturally look out for her. And you, Senior Sun? What big business are you in these days?"
Trying to scope me out? Sun Dasheng found it amusing. I’m not your rival. You’ve picked the wrong target.
Ignoring him, he turned to Madam Xie and said, "Mom, it’s getting late. Let’s hurry and buy the house. The snow is coming down harder, and the roads will be bad. We should head back soon."
Catching her son’s signal, Madam Xie took her cue. "My son’s right. Old Sun, what are you standing there for? Go see if Xiao Wang has everything settled."
After instructing her husband, she turned to her old colleague Li Qiu. "You folks should hurry up if you’re buying too. The forecast is for blizzards these next few days. If you miss your chance today, you’ll probably have to wait until after the New Year."
"Yes, yes. Honey, you go with Old Sun and check," Li Qiu said to her husband.
Wow, they’re all pros at ordering their husbands around.
Chen Shicheng was furious at being ignored. He approached Si Ruoqi, his face a mask of deep affection.
"Qi Qi, you know I’ve liked you since high school. Though I was married once, there were no feelings between us. It was an arranged marriage, my parents’ decision.
"When I heard you’d returned recently, you have no idea how happy I was. I divorced her right away, just so I could wait for you."
"I’m sorry, but I don’t like you." Si Ruoqi’s expression didn’t so much as flicker as she rejected him. She truly seemed to feel nothing for the man before her.
"Qi Qi, for a woman, choosing the right marriage is a lifelong matter. It’s okay if you don’t like me now. We can get the marriage certificate first. We can take our time cultivating our feelings later.
"Don’t worry. After we’re married, I’ll listen to your every word. I swear I’ll make you happy."
Good grief. A director, a man of considerable power and influence in this small county. What woman was out of his reach? Did he really need to be so desperate?