Chen Ziming had to go to work in the afternoon, so he drove Su Yue to school.
"Our exams start tomorrow. Officer Chen, don't forget our promise," she emphasized again before getting out of the car, still uneasy.
The implication was that he shouldn't disturb her studies.
"Alright." Seeing her serious expression, he chuckled and reached out to ruffle her hair.
The next second, he leaned in and gently kissed her lips.
"Tell me before the last exam, and I'll pick you up," he instructed, adding,
"Study hard, sweetheart."
Su Yue's skin crawled again. It seemed ever since he discovered she was sensitive to that word, he liked calling her that.
But thinking they wouldn't see each other for several days, she didn't object. She kept smiling and replied, "Okay."
After bidding him farewell, she got out of the car.
When Chen Ziming returned to the station, the chief suddenly summoned him.
"The leadership at the Ministry specifically requested you to deliver this file," the chief said, sitting in his office chair, holding a manila envelope and pushing it towards him with a kindly smile.
"Which leader?" he asked, a little puzzled.
He knew most of the leaders at the Ministry, and they all appreciated him. In the past, when other leaders had requests, they would directly call his secretary.
This was the first time the chief had notified him.
"Director Su Minghua."
Director Su... that was the person he'd met with Su Yue at the restaurant last time.
A guess suddenly popped into Chen Ziming's mind, but he didn't say anything more. He took the file, said goodbye to the chief, and drove to the Ministry of Public Security.
In the office.
Su Minghua was signing documents while his secretary, Xiao Ning, stood by quietly, waiting.
"Has Chen Ziming arrived?" Su Minghua asked after finishing the signing and handing the papers to him.
"He's on his way," Xiao Ning replied.
On his way.
A subtle, meaningful smile flickered across Su Minghua's face.
Although he was a leader, he didn't directly oversee Chen Ziming's work area. While his position looked high-ranking, he had little real power, so he technically had no authority to guide Chen Ziming.
Furthermore, Chen Ziming was famously part of the "third generation" of Beijing's political elite, with his grandfather and father holding high positions, his maternal grandfather being a staggeringly wealthy entrepreneur, and his mother the chairperson of a central state-owned enterprise. He was truly born with a silver spoon.
Yet, he also possessed genuine ability.
Being so outstanding and dazzling, it was difficult for him to approach Chen Ziming on a normal basis. The last time they met at dinner, Chen Ziming had only greeted him out of respect and chatted for a while due to Director Lin's presence.
However, he had no opportunity to summon him directly like this.
He was planning a grand strategy.
Someone knocked on the door. He came back to his senses, regained his composure as a leader, and said steadily:
"Come in."
Chen Ziming opened the door, walked up to him, placed the file down, and said,
"Your file, Director Su."
"Good, just put it here. Come and sit," Su Minghua said, standing up and smiling politely at him before moving to the guest sofa and sitting down.
Chen Ziming didn't say much and followed him, sitting down.
"What tea would you like? I'll make some for you." Su Minghua adopted the demeanor of a kind leader.
"No, thank you, Director Su. The station is busy, and I need to get back quickly."
"You're quite grounded in grassroots work, that's good," Su Minghua smiled. Then, he stopped beating around the bush. He picked up his phone, flipped through it a few times, and pushed it towards him.
"The man in this photo, is that you?"
It was the selfie he took with Su Yue that day.
He was slightly taken aback but quickly regained his composure. He had already guessed the general situation on the way.
Su Minghua and Su Yue shared the same surname.
Combined with Su Yue's unusual reaction after meeting Su Minghua that day... they must have a connection.
And now, he could be even more certain.
It was a father-daughter relationship.
"It's me, Director Su." Although his answer was still steady, his tone weakened slightly.
It felt like he had somewhat wronged them, as if he had "abducted" someone else's daughter.
"You should know our relationship by now," Su Minghua's smile faded slightly, and he leaned back on the sofa. A hint of anger could be heard in his voice.