Chapter 29: Men Should Take the Initiative

  Working in the government office, most of the time is still quite idle. Liu Siyuan spent the entire afternoon browsing newspapers and surfing the internet, and when he got tired of sitting, he would go to other departments to chat with colleagues.

  He also took the time to instruct his secretary to decline an invitation from a female public relations officer of Xinyuan Chemical Factory. He stated unequivocally that your company has shown no determination to treat its wastewater discharge, which is truly disappointing. Unless someone in charge comes with sincerity, there's no need for a meeting. If you have any questions about specific policies, please contact the Environmental Protection Bureau.

  In his boredom, he suddenly received a call from Chen Lan. On the phone, Chen Lan first asked him how his last blind date went. Liu Siyuan had already thought of an excuse and said that it was okay, thank you to Sister Chen for helping to set them up, but the other party didn't seem to like himself, which was really regrettable and also didn't live up to Sister Chen's kindness.

  He thought he had gotten away with it, but Chen Lan was furious as soon as she heard the news and gave him a good scolding, asking which idiot told him that the girl wasn't interested in him. She clearly told him that the truth was exactly the opposite, the girl actually liked him, but he didn't even call her after that, and today the girl took the initiative to find Chen Lan and ask if it was true that he wasn't interested in her.

  Liu Siyuan only felt a sense of bewilderment, how could Chen Jun have taken a liking to himself? He immediately thought that things were going badly, the words had already been spoken and couldn't be taken back. As expected, Chen Lan became more and more energetic in her speech, constantly criticizing him for not being proactive enough as a man, saying that women are all reserved, and even said that this heaven-sent good match would be struck by lightning if he didn't cherish it. In the end, Liu Siyuan couldn't withstand it anymore and could only repeatedly promise to contact her soon.

  Helpless, he could only make a phone call. When she heard his voice, Chen Jun seemed to be somewhat surprised, but when he hesitated and asked her if she had time to go see a movie together tomorrow, the latter readily agreed, and then added that as a secretary, her time was not her own, and if Mayor Wang had temporary work arrangements, she would inform him in advance and could only reschedule.

  Tonight he made an appointment with his old classmate Shen Dafei. In the evening, he went home first and picked up Ding Hui who was dressed up beautifully, then went directly to the Sichuan restaurant opened by Shen Dafei. The restaurant is located next to the famous food street in Hanjiang City, the location is not bad, and the grade should be considered mid-range, mainly catering to small white-collar workers or small well-off families gathering.

  Liu Siyuan had only met Shen Daifei a few times after graduating from junior high school. The key player on the basketball court back then had now become prosperous, with his belly clearly bulging out. If he continued to develop like this, he wouldn't be able to see his own toes even if he lowered his head.

  He was not good at studying back then and didn't get into high school. After graduating from vocational school, he said he was going to do business, but other classmates weren't clear about what specific business he did. Now Liu Siyuan finally understands that it turns out he opened a restaurant. Looking at this restaurant, the scale is not small either, with two floors and more than a dozen private rooms. It seems that in recent years, he has also been thriving.

  Shen Da Fei hosted a banquet in the innermost private room on the second floor. If viewed through Liu Si Yuan's eyes before graduation, it would be considered quite high-end. However, today's Liu Ke is no longer a novice and has seen his fair share of the world, so he just took it in stride. Of course, Ding Hui, who hadn't graduated yet, couldn't help but sigh a little. She wore a plaid mini skirt that day, revealing her white legs, causing someone to swallow hard several times. Her top was a white printed small cape, pure and innocent with a hint of sensuality. Ever since the two almost crossed the final line, Ding Hui's temperament had undergone some changes that were difficult to put into words. How to describe it? She had become more charming and alluring while still being pure.

  It's a coincidence that Da Fei's girlfriend, Tian Tian, is also from Hanjiang University and knows Ding Hui. In the midst of the two girls' surprise, the atmosphere at the dinner table became even more lively. Tian Tian has a round face and looks quite lovely, with an appearance that is at least above average, slightly inferior to Ding Hui's.

  "Wow, you're still quite low-key, huh? You opened such a big restaurant, but it seems like not many classmates know about it." Liu Siyuan said with a smile.

  "Ah, can't read books, so I just did this. Just after graduation, I opened a small restaurant in my hometown county town, and at most, it could only fit six tables, haha. Fortunately, these years have been good luck, borrowing the east wind of reform and opening up, now this restaurant is also considered to be on a small scale, and I've also gone from a small county town to the provincial capital." Shen Da Fei said with great fanfare. "On the contrary, Siyuan, nowadays you're a civil servant, holding an iron rice bowl, I'm envious to no end."

  Liu Siyuan sighed and said: "Alas, okay Da Fei, with our salary, to be honest, if you hadn't treated us today, I wouldn't have been able to afford this meal."

  "Alright, alright, stop pretending in front of me! Do you need to pay for your own meals?!"

  "Right, Liu Ge, I heard that your civil servant salary is basically fixed and your wife doesn't have to work?" Tian Tian suddenly chimed in.

  Liu Siyuan was embarrassed and hastily said: "This little wisdom can prove that I have social engagements outside, but most of the time I still go home for dinner."

  As soon as the words came out, I regretted it. Tian Tian was indeed exaggerated and exclaimed: "Oh, so you two are already living together?"

  Ding Hui's small face flushed red, and she gazed at a certain careless guy with a resentful stare before saying: "He lives in a rented house outside, I'm preparing for the national exam, sometimes I go to his place to review my lessons."

  "Oh." Tian Tian drew out a long tone and said: "And then you just stayed there? Hehe, it turns out that our Ding Hui classmate was won over like this."

  To be honest, her guess was basically accurate. Liu Siyuan was speechless for a moment, and quickly changed the subject: "Dafei, how's business lately?"

  "Ah!" He let out a long sigh, and after a while said: "Business is okay, recently borrowed some money from the bank, and also borrowed some from friends, planning to open another store on Shanglin Road."

  "Wow, Da Fei is really something, Shanglin Road is a golden zone after all." Liu Siyuan sighed.

  "Ah, so there are many restaurants on that side too, and several of them serve Sichuan cuisine, it's tough!" Shen Daifei looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

  "Hey Da Fei, why don't you tell Liu Ge about it? Isn't he working in the government? Maybe he can help us out!" Tian Tian couldn't help but shout, "Those guys are really going too far!"

  At this time, Liu Siyuan also understood that indeed nothing is recorded in the three treasure halls without a reason. Da Fei remembered that his old classmate wasn't coming because of deep feelings, but because he had something to ask of him. Moreover, looking at him like that, it's likely that he was also forced into desperation and was trying every possible means to cure his illness.

  But that's how society is now, people interact with each other very realistically. In the country, relationships are indeed the most important capital. Liu Siyuan smiled and said: "Dafei, I work in the municipal government compound, just a small soldier, not necessarily able to help, but if you have something to say, it's okay, if I can really help, I'll definitely do my best."

  Shen Da Fei then awkwardly told him all about it.

  Shanglin Road is a very central place in Hankou, extremely prosperous. Shen Dafeng finally rented a storefront in a large shopping mall with great difficulty and borrowed some money, planning to make a big show and open a new restaurant.

  It turns out that Da Fei has been doing business for some years and understands the rules, but this time he still seriously underestimated the depth of the water there. He didn't expect his competitor to be able to settle with the health bureau to such an extent, and simply found some excuses to delay issuing a health permit. This directly led to the restaurant being unable to open for business, and the beautifully decorated restaurant was left empty, with rent still being paid every month, and salaries for employees who had already been hired also had to be paid, resulting in incalculable losses.

  Health Bureau? Other municipal bureaus, Liu Siyuan didn't have much of a relationship with them, but the Health Bureau... it just so happened that he remembered that just yesterday afternoon, their director Wei Dachao personally called him to ask for his opinion on the summary meeting for the food poisoning incident at Hanjiang University.

  After all, he is a deputy department-level cadre, and it's already strange enough that he personally called him, this newly promoted deputy department head. What's even more exaggerated is that his tone was completely without any airs, as if wanting to interact with him on an equal footing. This made him also feel that things were not normal, and at the time he was thinking that no one gives gifts for nothing, either a trick or a trap, and in his heart he wanted to keep some distance from him. Unexpectedly, that evening he just happened to run into something related to the Health Bureau.

  He directly called Wei Da, the director of the household, but Liu Siyuan was still a bit apprehensive. However, he suddenly thought of someone: Wang Heyuan, whose rank was very low, and perhaps could be contacted.

  After a moment of consideration, Liu Siyuan finally spoke up under the expectant gazes of Da Fei and Tian Tian: "Actually, I do know someone at the Health Bureau. I'll give them a call to ask. However, my friend is just a low-ranking officer, so don't have too high of expectations."

  After finishing speaking, he took out his mobile phone and dialed Wang Heyuan's number in front of them.

  It just so happens that Wang Heyuan was also thinking of us Liu Ke at this time. The reason is that he was suddenly called to the office by the big boss of the bureau during the day, which made him a little surprised and honored. Director Wei first talked about ten minutes of nonsense, asked about his work in a pretentious way, and encouraged him with a few words. Then, he changed his tone and mentioned Comrade Liu Siyuan. He clearly remembered Director Wei's original words at that time, without missing a single word:

  "Comrade Little Wang, recently the municipal party committee and government have been paying great attention to the cultivation of young cadres. As long as you have ability, you will definitely be promoted. Comrade Liu Siyuan from the Municipal Supervision Office has already become a deputy director in charge of real work. Therefore, our bureau's young people should learn more from him. When I have time, I also want to meet him and hope he can come to our Health Bureau to give you all a lecture."

  Wang Heyuan was distracted for the entire day after coming out, putting all his energy into pondering the leader's words, and finally came to the conclusion that Wei Ju just wanted to get in touch with Liu Ke and improve their relationship, but couldn't put down her airs, knowing that she had a bit of a connection with Liu Ke, and wanting to arrange something through him.

  Just in time when I was worried about what excuse to use to find Liu Ke, I received his call and was overjoyed, thinking that God was helping me! Adding fuel to the fire!