Chapter 28: The Time Has Not Yet Come

  The goal of the two was the top floor cafe of the hotel, where the lights were dim but the decorations were exquisite and luxurious. Each table had a candle on it, and with the flickering light, there was an inexplicable ambiguous atmosphere. In front, there was a small stage, where several foreigners were playing jazz music.

  The place was Fang Xinyu's choice, and she seemed to be familiar with it too. She quickly ordered a latte. Liu Siyuan ordered a cappuccino, which had been quite popular in recent years, mainly because he hadn't tried it before and wanted to give it a shot.

  "I'm really sorry, it's so late and I've brought you out." Liu Siyuan scratched his head and said.

  "It's okay, I wasn't sleeping anyway."

  "How have you been lately?" The person who asked this question was somewhat hypocritical, as the two of them often talked on the phone and met in person, mainly because Liu Siyuan would occasionally ask her for advice on some official matters.

  "Never mind then, how about you? How's your development with Xiao Hui going?" Fang Xintu asked back casually.

  Liu Siyuan didn't expect her to bring up the topic on her own, so he could only honestly say: "Actually, I don't know what kind of relationship we are either. If you say we're boyfriend and girlfriend, we've never explicitly confirmed it. But if you say we're not, you also know that we live together."

  Fang Xinyu lowered her head and thought for a long time before saying, "Tell the truth, don't you have any feelings for Xiaohui?"

  Liu Siyuan thought for a moment and seemed to have that meaning, seeing him silent, she continued: "I think if you really don't like her, it's better to say clearly earlier, this unclear situation is harming both people."

  Liu Siyuan nodded, but in fact, he was worried that although nothing had happened between him and Ding Hui, they had been intimate several times. If he said he didn't have feelings for her now, it would be somewhat insincere and of poor quality.

  For a while both of them remained silent, except for the music and the hushed conversations from the next table, there was only the soft sound of stirring coffee.

  "Have you fallen in love with someone?" Fang Xintu suddenly asked, lifting her head.

  Liu Siyuan was taken aback and sighed inwardly, thinking that the person he liked was indeed her, but he didn't dare to say it out loud. Should he confess or not? It was another difficult decision to make.

  Every time he was in a dilemma, he would habitually rely on that notebook to get some hints. It's just that taking out the notebook to write something in this situation might be really inappropriate, or else she would really think he's a pervert.

  He could only stammer and say ambiguously: "I guess so, but I think she definitely won't like me, so it doesn't really matter anyway."

  Fang Xin Yu nodded slightly, her eyes somewhat dazed. She dragged out the words: "Actually, a person's heart is the hardest to guess. Maybe she's thinking of you too?"

  Liu Siyuan smiled wryly and thought to himself, "You're chatting with me right now, aren't you? I'm not wrong about this."

  Fang Xinyu gently stirred her coffee and changed the subject, asking: "En, Siyuan, what is your goal in wanting to become a civil servant?"

  Liu Siyuan was asked by her and didn't know how to answer, after thinking for a while, he smiled bitterly and said: "I said I want to serve the people, you probably won't believe it either. To be honest, my original intention of taking the civil service exam is just to get a stable job, nothing more."

  She asked: "That's perfectly understandable, so what about now? After working for more than a year, don't you feel any different?"

  Liu Siyuan honestly said: "Believe it or not, I really haven't thought about this issue. Recently, several things have been going on and my mind has been preoccupied. You can also say that I'm like a monk who rings the bell for one day, wherever I go is where I'll be."

  Fang Xinyu stopped stirring her coffee and looked at him, her expression gradually becoming serious: "You're in such good condition now, you should set a goal for yourself."

  Liu Siyuan scratched his head and said, "Heh heh, I didn't think of that. To be honest, I don't think I'm cut out for being an official. Lately, I've been coming to bother you all the time, it's really embarrassing..."

  "It's okay, I have time too." Fang Xin smiled and said: "Actually, I've always been envious of you..."

  "What's so enviable about me?" Liu Siyuan asked in surprise.

  "Of course, because you're a man. In the official circles, men have an inherent advantage."

  Liu Siyuan thought for a moment and tried to comfort her: "Now there are also many female high-ranking officials..."

  Fang Xinyu smiled and shook her head, saying: "Don't try to fool me like I'm a kid either. All nine members of the Politburo Standing Committee are male comrades, among the 25 members of the Political Bureau, there is only one female member, who is also relatively marginalized as a State Councilor... Among the dozens of provincial and ministerial officials, there is only one female provincial Party secretary in southern Fujian..."

  Liu Siyuan was momentarily speechless, and then she continued the topic from earlier: "So, you don't have to worry about disturbing me. I've actually placed all my hopes on you. Sometimes, watching you grow step by step, I feel a sense of accomplishment too. That feeling is like I'm being recognized myself..."

  Fang Xinyu's charming smile had seriously gotten to someone's heart, so should he confess or not? So he came up with a plan: use the excuse of going to the bathroom and then ask his laptop.

  On his way to the bathroom, he kept praying that this stuff would work at a time like this! He didn't know if it was the prayer that worked, but a miracle happened. When he opened his laptop in the cubicle and was about to write down the problem, four blue font characters suddenly appeared...

  "Sorry to keep you waiting for so long." He apologized as he sat back down.

  Fang Xinyu shook her head and smiled sweetly: "It's okay, this band is great, I really like them."

  Liu Siyuan forced a smile, but what came to his mind was the four words that his laptop had prompted earlier: The time has not come yet.

  Being with someone you like, time always flies by quickly. The two of them chatted until very late, so Liu Siyuan was half an hour late the next day and made up some excuse to explain it to their new director, Yao Yuan.

  Yao Yuan politely said, "Director Liu, in principle, you don't need to report your attendance one by one. Our work has its particularity, and as an old inspector, I believe in your self-awareness." This made Liu Siyuan feel a twinge of guilt.

  Back at her seat, Ouyang Qian immediately came up and said: "Boss, why are you so late? You didn't go on a date with a beauty last night and didn't sleep well, did you?"

  Liu Siyuan was inwardly shocked by her intuition, while on the surface she could only laugh and cry, saying: "Ouyang comrade, don't slander randomly, okay?"

  The latter curled her lips and said, "Cut it out, who knows, all men are dead set on virtue." This remark was a bit too broad, causing several male comrades in the neighboring department to express their dissatisfaction.

  "I'm talking about Ou Yang, just because Liu Ke is a bit of a ladies' man, it doesn't mean all men are like that, does it?" Xiang Lang couldn't help but jump out and explain.

  "Who was talking to you? I'm reporting work to the leader, what are you yelling about?" Ouyang Qian glared with her big eyes and spoke fiercely. But her appearance was much more lovely than fierce.

  "Hey, Comrade Ouyang, how about this: when you have some free time later, help me collect some newspapers and cut out all the news and comments related to Xin Yuan Chemicals. Also, gather any online posts or opinions. Liu Siyuan interrupted the two who were arguing and said, "By the way, for this kind of work, please ask Xing Ge for guidance, he has a lot of experience."

  "Oh, okay." Ouyang Qian replied, "By the way, Liu Ke, my birthday is coming up soon, don't forget to prepare a gift for me!"

  "Huh? When's your birthday?" Liu Siyuan reflexively asked back.

  "Hmph, you don't even know!" Ouyang Qian glared at him with puffed up cheeks, not responding, and turned back to her own seat, sullenly silent.

  "Hey, Liu Ke, you're too indifferent to your colleagues. Isn't Xiao Qian's birthday this Saturday?" Xiang Lang suddenly jumped out from who-knows-where. Then he discovered Ouyang Qian's murderous gaze and was scared away again.

  "That little brat is so annoying, one day I'll get rid of him!" Ouyang Qian muttered to herself with a vicious tone. After a while, she ran to Liu Siyuan who was reading the newspaper and said with a hint of coquetry, "Siyuan ge, since you already know it's my birthday, do you have any plans?" In her opinion, this level of hinting was already her limit, but unfortunately, some people just didn't understand.

  "Plans? How are you planning to spend your birthday, Xiao Qian?" Liu Siyuan asked with some confusion.

  "I'm still thinking about it, but will Siyuan Ge come to celebrate my birthday with me?" Ouyang Qian was driven crazy by someone's slowness and could only almost say it directly.

  It's also important to get along with Director Ouyang's daughter, Liu Siyuan immediately said: "This is no problem, since Comrade Ouyang invited me, of course I will come, just notify me when the time comes, even if it's at the ends of the earth."

  "You said it, can we go to the ends of the earth?" Ouyang Qian walked away with a satisfied look on her face. Seeing her sneaky smile, someone couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.