Chapter 397 - 397 Chen Jia'an's Invitation
This was the main purpose of Lin Changlu's personal visit—to go through the motions of what was called a "returning conference." Their true aim was to invite key leaders to the event, including Huang Feiming, who had come down from the city to investigate a case, in order to acquaint themselves with him. You have to understand, Huang Feiming had been in the area for quite some time and had not accepted meal invitations even from the secretary and the county chief.
In fact, had it not been for Xu Changzhi being there, Huang Feiming would certainly have given face to these two men. But right now, he was too busy forging ties with Xu Changzhi to care about anyone else.
Lin Changlu was very good at currying favor; his main targets were the local county leaders. But since those leaders wouldn't necessarily give him the face he desired, he thought of using other methods to lure them in. And if Huang Feiming were to attend, they would undoubtedly come without fail.
Of course, Lin Changlu was not capable of inviting Huang Feiming himself, but looking at the relationship between Ye Qing and Huang Feiming, if Ye Qing were to go, Huang Feiming would surely feel obliged to attend as well, right?
Calculating this favorable outcome, Lin Changlu came in person, handled Gu Xianping's issue beautifully, and gained Ye Qing's satisfaction. Then, at the doorway, he made his request, and Ye Qing found it difficult to refuse and reluctantly agreed.
Seeing Ye Qing agree, Lin Changlu was overjoyed and thanked him profusely before excitedly taking the three individuals with him and leaving. With Director Huang and Li Kason toppled, he was now the most powerful person in the Education Bureau. If he managed to successfully invite Huang Feiming this time, the county leaders would surely hold him in high regard; he was almost certain to make a big leap forward, likely to become the Director himself!
Back in the hospital room, Gu Xianping was still wiping away tears. He looked at the two cards in his hand, his emotions still tumultuous.
Standing beside him, Chen Jun was visibly thrilled, saying, "Teacher Gu, you can finally go back to teaching. Those kids blessed to be taught by you are so lucky!"
Gu Xianping, with tears in his eyes, managed a smile and handed the salary card to Ye Qing, saying, "Ye Qing, when your doctor friend comes tomorrow, use the money in this card to advance a portion of the treatment fee."
"Teacher Gu, you don't have to worry about that!" Ye Qing said with a smile.
"Ye Qing, I was grateful to you for fronting the money when I was penniless. But now that I have money and you still want to advance me money, what does that make me?" Gu Xianping insisted, and without further discussion, stuffed the card into Ye Qing's pocket.
Seeing Gu Xianping's insistence, Ye Qing felt uncomfortable refusing and reluctantly accepted the card. However, he was resolved to set the money aside and find an opportunity to return it to Gu Xianping later; he certainly couldn't accept it.
As dusk fell, around six o'clock, Yuan Xiaoyu suddenly returned to the hospital.
Ye Qing was chatting with his father, Ye Changwen, in the room when he saw Yuan Xiaoyu come back and couldn't help asking, "Xiao Yu, why have you come back?"
"Brother, I need to talk to you about something," Yuan Xiaoyu called from the doorway.
"What's so secretive that you have to discuss it out here?" Zhou Hongxia muttered discontentedly.
Ye Qing chuckled, stood up, and walked outside; the two inside could only hear the whispering voices outside and nothing else.
Lying in bed, Ye Changwen suddenly whispered, "Could it be... could it be about setting Qingzi up with a girlfriend?"
"Really?" Zhou Hongxia was taken aback, then said, "If that's true, that would be great. Qingzi is already of age; it's time he settled down and got married!"
Ye Changwen nodded and replied, "Yes, indeed, it would be great if he could start his own family!"
"Alright, you needn't worry. Even if this time it isn't about introducing someone to Qingzi, I'll push her about it another day, get her to pay more attention, and that'll do!" Zhou Hongxia paused for a moment and then laughed, "Right, I think that Manager Lin Mengjie is pretty good. She's young, attractive, capable—such a good match for Qingzi!"
"Manager Lin?" Ye Changwen thought for a moment, then shook his head, "No, that girl's got too many schemes. Qingzi is straightforward in his actions; I don't think they'd be a good match."
Zhou Hongxia grumbled, "I think she's quite suitable, being young and capable, able to make money—it's a good match!"
Zhou Hongxia truly envied Lin Mengjie. Lin Mengjie was now in charge of all the entertainment venues owned by Old Fifth Yang, her status far above that of Yuan Xiaoyu. Zhou Hongxia's greatest dream was for her daughter Yuan Xiaoyu to follow in Lin Mengjie's footsteps, and if one day she could earn half or even one-tenth of Lin Mengjie's income, she would be completely satisfied with her life!
Zhou Hongxia's second dream involved her younger son, Yuan Xiaozheng. She too wished for Yuan Xiaozheng to attend a good school and afterward, to return and work at Old Fifth Yang's company like Yuan Xiaoyu. If he could become a leader or something of the sort, then she would have no worries for the rest of her life. Moreover, seeing the relationship between Old Fifth Yang and Ye Qing, she felt that this dream had a good chance of coming true. That's why she was brimming with confidence and hope in her daily life.
Life is just like that; when the family was so poor that they could hardly keep the pot boiling, every day was filled with quarrels over trifles. During those times, she was always wary of Ye Qing, as the family resources were scarce, and she wanted to secure a future for her children, not even having time to live a good life with Ye Changwen. But when things improved, with the children's lives on track, she no longer had so many worries. It was at that time that she could finally settle down and live peacefully with Ye Changwen, and the family no longer had the arguments they once did!
Outside the door, Yuan Xiaoyu pulled Ye Qing to a secluded spot and whispered, "Brother, it was Boss Yang who asked me to come back and discuss a matter with you."
"What matter?" Ye Qingqi asked, "Can't Yang just give me a call for whatever it is?"
"Fifth Brother is still busy with some guests and probably doesn't have time to make a call," Yuan Xiaoyu paused before continuing, "Boss Yang said County Chief Chen wants to invite Director Huang to dinner tonight. But Director Huang doesn't seem interested in going. So, he was wondering if you could arrange something on this end?"
Ye Qing knew that County Chief Chen Jia'an had a good relationship with Old Fifth Yang, with Chen Jia'an supporting Old Fifth Yang's ventures. Likewise, Old Fifth Yang would do his best to help Chen Jia'an with his affairs.
Huang Feiming had been in the county for nearly a day; the secretary and the county chief certainly knew and surely wanted to invite him to dinner. But with him busy entertaining Xu Changzhi, where would he find the time to dine with the two of them? Therefore, Chen Jia'an tried to find a way through Old Fifth Yang to have a chance to entertain Huang Feiming.
Such banquets, while seemingly just simple meals, are in fact laden with political significance. Especially under the current circumstances, if Chen Jia'an were to entertain Huang Feiming first, it would suggest Huang Feiming favored Chen Jia'an somewhat more, granting Chen Jia'an many more chips in the political game. So this matter was very important. Old Fifth Yang, busy with entertaining, inconveniently couldn't call Ye Qing about this matter, so he found someone significant to ask Ye Qing for help. Without a doubt, Ye Qing's sister Yuan Xiaoyu was the perfect choice!
After contemplating for a moment, Ye Qing nodded and said, "I'll try, but it might be best to invite them in my name, with Chen Jia'an in attendance."
Yuan Xiaoyu was overjoyed and replied, "All right, I'll report back to Boss Yang right away!"
Old Fifth Yang was anxiously awaiting a response; upon receiving this good news, he was over the moon and immediately called Chen Jia'an to inform him of this arrangement.
Chen Jia'an had initially wanted to personally invite Huang Feiming to dinner, but after several calls with Huang saying he was busy, Chen Jia'an was thrilled when Ye Qing arranged an opportunity for him and asked when to go to the restaurant on the spot.
Though it was said to be hosted by Ye Qing, in actuality, everything was arranged by Old Fifth Yang. With everything settled by Old Fifth Yang, and Ye Qing arriving at his villa, they all headed to the hotel.
On the way, Ye Qing told Xu Changzhi and Huang Feiming about Chen Jia'an's attendance. Huang Feiming, an old hand at this, almost immediately realized what was going on upon hearing Ye Qing's words. However, since Xu Changzhi hadn't made any comments, he naturally wouldn't object. As of now, he deferred to Xu Changzhi's preferences, indifferent to other matters.
Chen Jia'an had been waiting anxiously in the hotel's private room. Upon finally seeing Ye Qing and the others enter, Chen Jia'an stood up immediately and hurriedly went to greet them at the door. As Huang Feiming arrived, he excitedly went over to shake hands and exchange pleasantries.
After exchanging a few words with Chen Jia'an, Huang Feiming followed Xu Changzhi to the table to sit down. Chen Jia'an was a shrewd man and quickly noticed Huang Feiming's respectful attitude toward Xu Changzhi, causing him great curiosity. Why would someone like Huang Feiming need to be so courteous? Could it be that this young man also held some significant status?
Without causing a stir, Chen Jia'an discreetly went to the door and quietly called his secretary to immediately investigate the identity of the young man accompanying Huang Feiming. Meanwhile, he returned to the private room as if nothing had happened, treating everyone with polite deference.
Xu Changzhi and others had toured Old Fifth Yang's villa throughout the afternoon, growing quite familiar with Old Fifth Yang. Huang Feiming, in particular, was already becoming a good friend of Old Fifth Yang. Coupled with the relationship with Ye Qing, he was quite courteous toward Chen Jia'an. However, his main focus remained on Xu Changzhi.
Chen Jia'an was adept at reading the room and, seeing Huang Feiming's demeanor with Xu Changzhi, felt increasingly that this young man was extraordinary. Therefore, in his speech and manner, he treated Xu Changzhi with the utmost respect, daring not to be careless in the slightest.
Not long after the dishes were served, Chen Jia'an's secretary hurried back, flashing by the entrance of the private room.
Chen Jia'an immediately excused himself and rushed out, where his secretary waited, panting. The secretary's sweat-drenched appearance suggested he had run all the way back.
"What happened?" Chen Jia'an asked incredulously, "Why did you rush back so quickly?"
"I've... I've... found out..." Taking a deep breath to steady his breathing, the secretary looked at Chen Jia'an and said, "That young man... is the son of Xu Canjun!"
"What!?" Chen Jia'an's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, and even as the county chief, he was taken aback at that moment.