"Of course!" Lin Chuan nodded and said, "I've always considered you a friend."

"Thank you, Lin Chuan!" Fang Yuan said gratefully.

When they met again, it seemed there was a bit more strangeness and unfamiliarity between them. Sitting face to face, neither knew quite what to say. Lin Chuan laughed and said: "Would you like to sit in my office for a while?"

"No need." Fang Yuan shook her head and said: "Actually, I'm here today to say goodbye to you."

"Where... are you going?" Lin Chuan asked curiously.

"I might need to go away for a while." Fang Yuan smiled and said, "I don't know when I'll be able to return, so... I specifically came to see you. I hope you can forgive me for repeatedly conspiring with Bai Yifan to break you and Tang Yumeng apart."

"It's alright." Lin Chuan shook his head and said, "Anyway, all that is in the past."

"Thank you for your generosity." Fang Yuan smiled gently.

After speaking, Fang Yuan turned and got into the car, then stuck her head out and waved at Lin Chuan.

Lin Chuan waved back at her, and in the moment the Beetle drove off, Lin Chuan suddenly had a feeling, a sour feeling, as if this farewell was forever. For some reason, Lin Chuan seemed to have an illusion that once Fang Yuan left this time, she would never come back.

"Yo, feeling reluctant to part, huh?" A sour voice came from behind.

Lin Chuan turned his head to look at Zhou Rui and said, "Kiddo, we're just friends, why do you sound so jealous?"

"I'm not jealous!" Zhou Rui glared at Lin Chuan and said, "But your relationship with her is surely not as simple as just friends, right? I think there's more to it?"

"Well, you tell me." Lin Chuan said.

"The way she feels about you doesn't seem like just friends." Zhou Rui huffed, "Using my woman's intuition, I can tell her feelings for you are definitely not that of just an ordinary friend. She must like you."

"So what if she does?" Lin Chuan chuckled and said, "There are plenty of women who like me."

"You!" Zhou Rui raised her eyebrows and said, "You womanizer, you heartbreaker."

Lin Chuan grinned, stepped forward with disdain, wrapped one arm around Zhou Rui's waist, drew his face close, and said, "Don't you like me?"

"I... I... I certainly don't like you!" Zhou Rui quickly shook her head, her face turning red, and she dared not look directly into Lin Chuan's eyes.

Lin Chuan's hand climbed onto Zhou Rui's bottom, vigorously kneading it.

"No... don't!" Zhou Rui cried out in alarm.

"Really don't want to?" Lin Chuan's chest was almost pressed against Zhou Rui's, their fullness squeezed and almost popping out from the thin fabric. The pale chest and the tender grapes were almost clearly visible.

Lin Chuan almost couldn't hold back anymore, he swiftly let go and suppressed the boiling heat in his heart.

Blushing, Zhou Rui turned and ran towards her own office.

"Hahaha..." Lin Chuan immediately burst into laughter.

Zhou Rui clenched her teeth tightly; after running into the office, she hurriedly closed the door. It was her first time being so intimate with Lin Chuan. They were almost pressed together; she was held tightly in his arms, even her bottom he kneaded and squeezed. Zhou Rui's face was beet red; she locked herself in the office, almost out of breath.

Zhou Rui collapsed onto the sofa, her mind filled with wild thoughts.

.................

The incident at the sports stadium was nearing a resolution after consultations and discussions among various departments of the City Committee. The death of Ding Dahua had benefited some and saved others from disaster. This was a typical case of sacrificing one to save the many. Tang Yumeng was almost constantly busy every day, visiting the families of the deceased, holding press conferences, and constantly publicizing the progress of the incident. Furthermore, an expert panel was organized to re-assess the stadium's project to see if it was necessary to continue.

After all the busyness, Tang Yumeng had lost quite a bit of weight, and although Lin Chuan didn't say anything, he felt very heartbroken inside.

Before they knew it, the end of the month had approached, and the May Day holiday was just around the corner.

After a few days of busyness, the sports stadium issue was finally resolved with the strong offensive of the public relations department and media coverage. The families of the deceased workers received their compensation, and the injured workers got their medical expenses...

After work in the afternoon, the sun was still hanging in the western sky. The days have grown increasingly longer since the vernal equinox.

As soon as it was time to leave work, Song Ming grabbed his briefcase and left the office.

Seeing Song Ming off work, Lin Chuan quickly followed and intercepted him in the elevator.

"Lin Chuan, what do you want?" Song Ming looked at Lin Chuan.

"Secretary Song, how about I drive you home today?" Lin Chuan said with a smile.

"That wouldn't be appropriate, you are Secretary Tang's driver." Song Ming shook his head and said, "I'll just have Song Wen and Song Wu take me."

"Although I'm Secretary Tang's driver, I still draw my salary from the city government, right?" Lin Chuan said with a smile: "So, it's perfectly normal for me to give you a ride."

"What are you really up to?!" Song Ming knew Lin Chuan bore no good intentions.

"I have something in my hand that I want Secretary Song to see." Lin Chuan began.

"What is it?" Song Ming asked.

Lin Chuan smiled and said, "When we arrive at your home, I will naturally show you."

Song Ming immediately fell silent.

Coming out of the elevator, the Song brothers were waiting outside. Suddenly seeing Lin Chuan and Song Ming coming out together, both were slightly astonished. Everyone in the City Committee knew that Lin Chuan was Secretary Tang's man, and he hardly ever mixed with Deputy Secretary Song. Yet now, they were coming out of the same elevator, and it seemed like they were even having a conversation.

"Uncle, today..." Song Wen hadn't started speaking when Song Ming interrupted him, saying, "You guys go ahead today, have Lin Chuan drive me."

"What?!" Both were stunned.

Lin Chuan smiled and said, "Didn't you understand? Need me to repeat it? Hurry up and give me the keys."

"Give them to him!" Song Ming then spoke.

Feeling helpless, the two could only obediently hand over the keys to Lin Chuan. Holding the keys, Lin Chuan said with a smile, "Secretary Song, please."

Song Ming nodded slightly, and the two walked out together.

The Song brothers watched the scene, feeling it was somewhat unimaginable.

"Big brother, am I seeing things?" Song Wu urgently asked.

"No... No!" Song Wen shook his head, saying, "I thought I was seeing things."

"What's with uncle today?" Song Wu asked.

"Who knows!" Song Wen shook his head, before suddenly asking, "Do you think Lin Chuan is holding uncle hostage?"

"Impossible!" Song Wu immediately denied. Shaking his head he said, "If he were holding him hostage, how could uncle appear so natural and composed?"

"That's true!" Song Wen nodded slightly.

At this point, Song Ming's car had already slowly driven away from the City Committee building. Lin Chuan took out a smartphone from his pocket and very adeptly opened a video. He placed the phone directly on the central console. From the phone, Ding Dahua's voice came through: "It's all Liu Qiang. He took a red envelope of five million from me, and gave me the project..."

Seeing this video, Song Ming's face immediately darkened.

"What do you want?" Song Ming leaned back in his seat.

"Secretary Song, you're still not being forthright enough!" Lin Chuan said with an indifferent smile.

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