The Tempting Road to Becoming an Official

"I originally thought you could become a distinguished son-in-law, but now it seems there's no hope for that."

Chen Fang laughed at himself with self-mockery.

He said, "People claim that all are born equal, but that's nothing but deceitful gibberish. In reality, from the moment a person is born, they are branded with a class stamp. Just like Zhong Xiqian, her biggest worry might be what clothes to wear today or which handbag to carry, whereas the worries of some peers her age are whether they can have a full meal today or where to borrow money for their parents' medical bills."

"Are you trying to say that you and her are not from the same class?"

Fang Mei asked.

Chen Fang shook his head, yet his gaze became resolute.

He said, "No, I'm saying that I want to change this innate class structure. Perhaps I cannot make everyone I meet wealthy, but I will do my best to eradicate these injustices, even if the path is fraught with hardships."

After finishing this statement,

Chen Fang turned around and left.

That moment, Fang Mei stood still, as if she had just weathered a storm in her mind.

Looking at Chen Fang's retreating figure, she seemed to see something different about him now.

Diiing-a-ling.

The phone rang inopportunely.

Picking up the phone, she saw it was a call from Zhang Cheng.

"Hello, Brother Cheng."

"Have you guys taken care of the task I gave you?"

"Brother Cheng, we've searched through all of Chen Fang's personal effects and haven't found the so-called black notebook you mentioned. Is it possible that you were mistaken?"

Fang Mei asked.

On the phone,

Zhang Cheng was silent for a moment.

He said, "If that's the case, then you should pull back for now. I'll handle the matters down here myself."

"Brother Cheng—"

Fang Mei suddenly said.

Zhang Cheng paused and asked, "Is there something else?"

"Uh... no, Xiao Gui and I will come back tomorrow."

"Alright."

After that, Zhang Cheng hung up the call.

Strange, I'm sure I can't stand Chen Fang, but now that I'm finally going back, why do I feel a bit reluctant to leave?

Fang Mei asked herself.

...

The arrest of Yuan Zhenting.

It quickly caused an uproar in Fuguang Town.

The town government courtyard appeared to be blessed with a mild and gentle breeze.

But underneath, the undercurrents were already surging fiercely.

As soon as Chen Fang had returned to his office, there was a knock on the door.

Guo Zheng opened the door and turned to Chen Fang, saying, "Leader, Chief Qiu is here."

Chief Qiu?

Qiu Mingchen?

Chen Fang smiled inwardly and said, "Oh, invite him in then."

Upon opening the door, he was greeted by Qiu Mingchen's almost smile-like expression.

"Heh, Town Chief Chen, not busy, I hope?"

"No, I've just finished up. Was about to take a break."

Chen Fang replied.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Mingchen immediately said, "Then I won't disturb Town Chief Chen's rest. I'll come back later."

After saying this,

he made as if to leave.

Chen Fang said, "Since Chief Qiu is here, we might as well discuss matters."

Qiu Mingchen, fidgeting and nodding profusely, said, "Actually, there's nothing much. I came mainly to offer an apology to you, Town Chief Chen."

"Apologize? For what?"

"Heh, Town Chief Chen, I was deluded before and spoke out of turn during the meeting. I've regretted it a lot after returning. After much thought, I decided I had to apologize to Town Chief Chen personally."

Qiu Mingchen, the fellow, is a real weathercock.

Could it be that he has come to curry favor upon hearing about Yuan Zhenting's downfall?

Chen Fang smiled faintly.

He said, "Chief Qiu, you're taking it too seriously. Different opinions at a meeting are normal; that's democracy at work. No need to take it to heart."

"Town Chief Chen is truly magnanimous. I'm grateful. If there's ever anything I can do, just call on me," said Qiu Mingchen.

Hearing Chen Fang's words,

Qiu Mingchen finally felt relieved.

Chen Fang said, "Actually, I do have an issue. Chief Qiu, you know the Hongqing Variety Store located diagonally across from our town government, don't you?"

Qiu Mingchen frowned in thought, then said, "Yes, I know of it. The owner's name is Cui Hongqing, though I haven't dealt with him personally."

"I heard he has a cousin who works at your station, right?"

Qiu Mingchen pondered for a moment.

He said, "It should be Huang Youyu from our station. What's up? Does Chief Chen have something he needs to get done?"

Chen Fang paused, then said, "There is something indeed that I need to handle, and I hope Chief Qiu can lend his support."

The moment he heard there was a chance for redemption,

Qiu Mingchen couldn't have been happier.

He quickly said, "Support or not, just give your orders, Chief Chen."

Chen Fang cracked a slight smile.

He walked over to Qiu Mingchen's ear and whispered a few words.

Qiu Mingchen smacked his chest and said, "Rest assured, Chief Chen, I will make sure everything is arranged properly. You won't be disappointed."

...

It was indeed a hectic and breathtaking day.

After getting off work, he returned to his apartment.

Reflecting on the events of the past few days, Chen Fang was still somewhat shaken.

For him, this affair was a huge gamble.

If he won the bet, Xu Lianyun would become his solid support, and he would be able to firmly establish himself in Fuguang Town.

If he lost the bet,

the career path in Fuguang Town would turn into quicksand, where one could either get trapped forever or be suffocated by the encroaching mud, leading to an untimely demise.

Fortunately,

he won the bet.

The feeling of victory was quite exhilarating.

Just then, a faint sound reached his ears.

Chen Fang smiled knowingly.

He quickly switched off the bedroom light.

As expected,

a minute later,

the bedroom door was gently opened.

A figure slipped in.

That tall figure just stood by the bed, doing nothing, simply staring at Chen Fang.

She stood there for what seemed like several minutes.

The person let out a light sigh and was about to leave.

Just as she was tiptoeing towards the door, suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around her waist.

The figure jolted.

Attempting to resist, she was directly tackled by Chen Fang and thrown onto the bed.

Instinctively trying to struggle,

Chen Fang moved faster.

He sat squarely on top of her pelvis.

His hands pinned down hers firmly.

"Despicable, you were pretending to be asleep again!"

Fang Mei shouted angrily.

Chen Fang laughed and said, "Please, this is my house, you come and go as you please. That's called trespassing, you know? And you have the nerve to call me despicable?"

"I... I took a wrong turn, okay?"

"Took a wrong turn? You've ended up in my bedroom time and again by mistake? You just missed me, didn't you?"

Chen Fang teased.

Fang Mei's face turned red instantly.

She retorted, "I hate you the most, how could I miss you? You're nothing but a hooligan and a big jerk, always bullying me."

"Right, I do like bullying you."

Having said that,

Chen Fang let go of her hands.

He directly reached for Fang Mei's collar.

With a rip, he unzipped the tight jacket she was wearing.

"You shouldn't—"

Fang Mei hadn't managed to finish her sentence.

Chen Fang pulled down the bra in one swift movement.

Two eye-catching "headlights" began to sway conspicuously in front of him.

"You don't—"

She tried to resist again.

But she was still a step too slow.

Chen Fang leaned in, taking one of the pink "bulbs" on the headlights into his mouth...