"Are you angry, Miss Cheng?" Chen Feng asked deliberately.
"I'm not angry. You have many women around you now, Huizi Fengdao, Qin Yan, Yoko Ieha, Cui Liya... I'm nothing compared to them," Miss Cheng said, suppressing her jealousy.
"Miss Cheng, is that how you see me?"
"Isn't it? Everyone says men are pigs, as long as there are women, no matter if they're beautiful or ugly, they'll jump into bed with them..." Cheng Lu said, holding back tears.
"Miss Cheng, you're talking about other men. I'm not like that. Let me put it this way, if I were truly as you imagine, would I have returned to Mingshan Town? Wouldn't it be better for me to live comfortably in the provincial capital with Huizi Fengdao?" Chen Feng countered.
"Then tell me, what kind of man are you?" Cheng Lu's mood began to improve.
"In other aspects, I don't know what kind of man I am. However, I am certain of one thing: I am very devoted." With that, Chen Feng pulled Cheng Lu into his arms.
To be honest, Cheng Lu, like Qin Yan, was one of the earliest benefactors in his life. Whether or not they were officially a couple now, he should try to make Cheng Lu happy. Cheng Lu was the young lady of Jiangcheng; why did she come to the grassroots of officialdom? It was all because of him. This woman had such deep feelings for him; it would be a betrayal of his conscience to treat her coldly!
"Chen Feng, you're not an ordinary man. Your future is limitless. I never thought of monopolizing you. However, if you ignore me for a long time, I really feel terrible." After saying this, Cheng Lu could no longer hold back her tears and they began to flow.
Chen Feng immediately helped Cheng Lu wipe away her tears. Seeing Chen Feng so gently wiping her tears, Cheng Lu's emotions surged. Without a word, she pushed Chen Feng onto the chair.
"Chen Feng, no matter what you say today, I will become your woman." Cheng Lu said as she began to unbutton Chen Feng's clothes.
"Miss Cheng, you mustn't be impulsive," Chen Feng advised immediately.
"I want to be impulsive," Cheng Lu pouted.
"You can be impulsive, but have you considered that you are different from other women?" To stop Cheng Lu from acting impulsively, Chen Feng resorted to blustering.
"How am I different from others?" Cheng Lu took the bait and stopped pulling at his clothes.
"Other women, whether I can have them or not, I can still have them. At worst, we fall out and never see each other again. But we two cannot be like that. We are meant to spend a lifetime together. If we act impulsively now and your family finds out, do you think we can still be together?" Chen Feng asked with feigned seriousness.
"That makes sense, but constantly waiting like this isn't a solution either," Cheng Lu said with a hint of grievance.
"Good food is worth the wait. We need to learn to wait," Chen Feng seized the opportunity.
"Alright, we'll wait. By the way, Chen Feng, are you coming to Mingshan Town as the Deputy Town Mayor in charge of economy?" Cheng Lu changed the subject.
"No," Chen Feng released Cheng Lu and sat down on the chair calmly.
"How is that possible? Who else in Mingshan Town is more suitable than you to be the Deputy Town Mayor in charge of the economy?" Cheng Lu asked, puzzled.
"Miss Cheng, you've been in officialdom for quite some time. You should understand some things. In officialdom, ability is never the first priority. I've been away from Mingshan Town for a long time. During this period, the leadership team of Mingshan Town has already been established and is tightly knit. It's practically impossible for me to get involved again," Chen Feng explained earnestly.
"Don't you have Town Mayor Qin? She's your former leader. With just one word from her, the Deputy Town Mayor in charge of the economy could be yours, right?" Cheng Lu probed.
"Town Mayor Qin could help me with this, but I refused," Chen Feng replied truthfully.
"What? You refused? Why?" Cheng Lu asked, completely bewildered.
"As you said, Qin Yan is my former leader. Since she's my former leader, I can't be selfish and only look out for my own interests without considering hers. Town Mayor Qin could have forced me to become the Deputy Town Mayor in charge of the economy against the opposition of others in the Mingshan Town leadership. However, doing so would have greatly impacted Qin Yan. Without the cooperation of a stable leadership team, it would be difficult for Town Mayor Qin to accomplish anything."
"Chen Feng, you are just too soft-hearted, always considering others. If it were me, honestly, I wouldn't think so much. The position of Deputy Town Mayor of Mingshan Town was originally yours, and it would have been reasonable for you to continue in it. Sigh, forget it, being kind-hearted is also a good thing. By the way, if you're not the Deputy Town Mayor of Mingshan Town, what are you planning to do in Mingshan Town?" Cheng Lu asked.
"Director of the Industrial Zone Development and Reform Committee."
"What? Just a director? Isn't that a demotion?" Cheng Lu was taken aback.
"It is indeed a demotion," Chen Feng replied calmly.
"This is too much of a欺负人 (qī fù rén - bullying)! They know that Mingshan Town's current state is inseparable from you, Chen Feng. Now, after all this, your official position is getting smaller and smaller. Forget it, we won't stand for this. Let's return to Jiangcheng. I'll talk to my relatives, and I can guarantee you a position in Jiangcheng." Cheng Lu said indignantly.
"Miss Cheng, calm down," Chen Feng said with a relaxed smile.
"I can't calm down! I'm so angry I could explode, how can I calm down?"
"Miss Cheng, I'll ask you a few questions. After you answer them, you can calm down."
"Ask away."
"In officialdom, will you never have enemies?"
"Definitely not. Officialdom is like the martial world; where there is the martial world, there are grievances."
"Since you believe that in officialdom, avoiding enemies is impossible, then isn't it normal to be unexpectedly set up by an enemy?"
"Of course, it's normal. Don't just talk about you being set up by enemies in officialdom. My relative holds a very high position in Jiangcheng, and they are also often set up by enemies."
"Then isn't that it? Since being set up by enemies is unavoidable, then accept it with equanimity. If you can't even accept minor setbacks, how can you deal with a larger world? I look at it very philosophically. This time, being set up by those people from Liangfang Town and Mingshan Town is just a lesson learned."
Chen Feng's series of rhetorical questions convinced Cheng Lu.
"Chen Feng, I understand. Don't worry, I will do my best as your subordinate and fulfill my role as the Deputy Director of the Mingshan Town Industrial Zone Development and Reform Committee." Cheng Lu replied earnestly.
"Chen Feng, does this mean we're going to start attracting investment?" Cheng Lu probed.
"That's exactly what it means. Miss Cheng, you've learned a lot by working alongside Town Mayor Qin recently," Chen Feng said with satisfaction.
"But the problem is, the current investment environment is quite harsh. You know, the government is implementing a 'strong provincial capital' strategy. Slightly larger projects are all being moved to the provincial capital. How can we attract investment?" Cheng Lu said with difficulty.
"There are policies, and there are countermeasures," Chen Feng replied.
"What countermeasures?"
"We can split large projects into several smaller ones. This way, the project funding amount will be less than the threshold for the 'strong provincial capital' policy, and the provincial authorities won't focus on them." Chen Feng said calmly.
"Chen Feng, your mind is truly brilliant. You always find solutions. Amazing! By the way, Chen Feng, what kind of projects do you think are best for Mingshan Town to attract recently?" Cheng Lu asked excitedly.
"What do you think?" Chen Feng countered with a smile. Chen Lu had been with Qin Yan for a considerable time; he wanted to test if her capabilities in officialdom had improved.