At this moment, Chen Fang had no idea.

Because of a single sentence from Hou Jingjing,

his career was about to encounter another set of ups and downs.

Currently, he was still at a small restaurant, dining with Zhong Xiqian.

The meal was simple: three dishes and two bowls of noodles, devoured with relish.

They cleaned their plates.

Chen Fang wiped his mouth with a napkin.

He asked, "Have the issues with both conglomerates been settled?"

Zhong Xiqian nodded and replied, "Dad visited the detention center once and his health deteriorated, so I had him rest. Now, I am responsible for the company's affairs. I have appointed professional managers for both conglomerates and discarded the family-based management approach, which makes things a lot easier for everyone."

""What are your plans for the future?""

Chen Fang inquired.

Zhong Xiqian smiled slightly and said, "I don't have any specific plans, I just want to be closer to the person I love."

Hearing this,

Chen Fang couldn't help but cough.

Zhong Xiqian asked with a challenging look, "What? Don't you want to know who I'm talking about when I say 'the person I love'?"

"Is it me?"

Chen Fang asked.

Zhong Xiqian boldly nodded her head,

and said, "I've told you before, I've always liked you, but my dad always stopped me. Now he's come around and even encouraged me to find you. So, wherever you are, I'll be there too. I don't want to lose you anymore."

At this point,

she lowered her head and murmured, "Actually, I wanted to say that on the day you left, but I didn't have the courage. During this time, I've thought it through. If I don't be brave, I will never get another chance."

"I am not a good man, unfaithful, promiscuous, and unreliable,"

Chen Fang said.

Zhong Xiqian laughed and said, "I know, there are many women who admire you and a lot of them favor you; this also shows that my taste is not bad. I wouldn't want a man who is disliked by his uncles and not loved by his grandmothers."

Chen Fang shivered.

When he looked at Zhong Xiqian again, he felt like he was seeing someone he didn't recognize.

Not saying anything, he felt disappointed.

But now that it had been said, he didn't know what to do.

He was a walking contradiction.

He quickly paused and asked, "The child... what's the child's name?"

"There was so much happening during the birth that I didn't give it much thought, but when I was pregnant, I named her Zhong Cheng, with the nickname Chengcheng."

This name,

warmed Chen Fang's heart.

"Cheng" being homophonic with "Chen," and Zhong Cheng translating to "loyalty," indeed made for a very good name.

"Let's go with Chengcheng then; I think it sounds nice,"

Chen Fang said.

Zhong Xiqian asked, "If she takes the surname Zhong, Zhong Cheng is a good name, but what if her surname is Chen, what should her name be then?"

"If her surname is Chen, then let's call her Chen Cheng, simple and dignified, I think..."

Chen Fang blurted out without thinking,

but cut himself off halfway.

Looking abruptly at Zhong Xiqian, he realized that his words carried a certain "implication."

Seeing Chen Fang's flustered behavior, Zhong Xiqian couldn't help but laugh out loud,

and said, "Okay, okay, let's end this topic here; let's not talk about it anymore. Let's discuss work. We've made history this time. I suspect there will be a lot of big shots coming to Guyang City to ride the wave. Looks like you'll be busy again."

Chen Fang gave a wry smile.

He said, "Guyang City is the last provincially-managed county-level city, and it never had a high status in the province or any resource favors. This time, it's all thanks to your help that we've really made a splash, but now we've caught the attention of all sorts of demons and monsters, which is quite a helplessness. I just got a call, and tomorrow a deputy provincial governor is coming for an inspection, and he specifically requested that I accompany him."

Having said that.

He sighed deeply.

His face full of helplessness.

Zhong Xiqian said, "For you, this is also an opportunity. As the Deputy Mayor, you've made a name for yourself, and provincial leaders have also remembered your name. This could increase your chances of being promoted."

Chen Fang shook his head.

He said, "That may not necessarily be the case. The officialdom doesn't really like people who stand out. There are many Economic Development Zones throughout the province, and by standing out, who knows how many people now bear a grudge against me, especially those leaders whose projects they personally oversaw. They must be cursing all eighteen generations of my ancestors by now."

"The deputy provincial governor coming tomorrow too?"

Zhong Xiqian asked.

Chen Fang nodded and said, "Deputy Governor Li Yuting. The Economic Development Zone in Jinxi City, that's his pet project. Since it started development the year before last, it has been lukewarm at best. His coming to our Guyang City is partly to ride on our popularity, and surely to see if there's an opportunity to undermine our work. In short, it's definitely not anything good."

As soon as he finished speaking.

A voice came from behind.

It said, "Young man, don't always assume the worst in others. Maybe he's just coming to learn. Not everyone has ulterior motives, right?"

Chen Fang turned around abruptly.

At a table behind him.

Sat a man in his sixties or seventies.

Dressed very simply.

His hair was largely white.

In front of him was also a bowl of noodles, the broth completely finished.

"Old man, eavesdropping on other's conversations is not a good habit," Chen Fang said.

The old man laughed and replied, "This is a public place, you're sitting right in front of me. Even if I didn't want to listen, I would have heard everything anyway. It's not like I can cover my ears while eating, can I?"

After that.

His gaze fell on the three small dishes in front of Chen Fang.

He asked, "Are you going to finish those dishes?"

Upon hearing this.

Zhong Xiqian hurriedly said, "No, no, we're already full."

She stood up and moved all three small dishes to the old man's table.

The old man, without any hesitation, began to try the food.

As he ate, he still commented, "You young people are so wasteful. Back in our day if we had such food, so many people wouldn't have starved to death. Times have changed, people won't go hungry anymore."

"Sir, have you had enough to eat? If not, I can order something else for you?" Zhong Xiqian asked, as she sat down opposite the old man, very considerately.

The old man's interest perked up.

He asked, "Are you treating?"

"It's my treat, eat whatever you like," Zhong Xiqian said.

The old man chuckled and said, "Then I'll have another bowl of noodles, and uh... how about a pork chop too?"

"Sure, no problem at all."

Zhong Xiqian quickly called the waiter over.

After placing the order.

Zhong Xiqian said, "Sir, it's rare to see someone of your age who can still eat so much."

"Well, I'm just a hungry ghost. Maybe it's because I never had enough to eat when I was younger, so now that I'm old I can really eat. To me, being able to eat my fill is the happiest thing in the world," the old man said cheerfully.

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