"Oh, I went to Minister Liu's office." Tang Yumeng smiled nonchalantly and said, "I won't be going to your lounge."

"Ah..." Lin Chuan looked baffled.

Tang Yumeng barely held back her laughter: "I need to hang up now, I have other things to handle."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Yumeng once again laughed so hard that she laid down on the desk, only daring to do so when the office was empty, and she could unrestrainedly express her emotions. Tang Yumeng laughed so hard that her stomach began to hurt; in her mind, she kept imagining Lin Chuan's expression. Was it surprise, shock, or just dumbfoundedness? She guessed his mouth was probably wide enough to fit a whole egg!

Tang Yumeng laughed until her face became flushed, she grabbed a tissue to wipe away the tears brimming in the corners of her eyes.

"Lin Chuan, you silly boy," Tang Yumeng said, shaking her head with a laugh.

Lin Chuan sat alone in the lounge, deep in thought; regardless, amidst the comings and goings in the lounge, no one paid attention to Lin Chuan's expression. Not until lunch break did Lin Chuan finally stand up and walk out.

Just as he left the lounge, he ran into Tang Yumeng.

"Sister, it's you?" Lin Chuan looked at Tang Yumeng in astonishment.

"Hmm." Tang Yumeng nodded and said, "Have lunch with me?"

Lin Chuan smiled and said, "Sure, happy to join the leader for lunch."

"Let's go," Tang Yumeng said in her usual calm and nonchalant manner.

The City Committee staff eat in the compound canteen, which is divided into various levels; the usual staff eat in the large canteen, while the officials of bureau level and above usually dine in the smaller canteen. The so-called smaller canteen was just a more exclusive setting where leaders had meals specially prepared by designated cooks. If you were at the ministerial level, you often had your own personal chef.

Lin Chuan happily joined Tang Yumeng for lunch, of course.

In the City Committee compound, as people left work, they went in groups towards the canteen. By walking beside Tang Yumeng, Lin Chuan inevitably attracted many envious, jealous, and resentful gazes, especially from the Song brothers. These two had long harbored affection for Tang Yumeng, but knowing their own status was nowhere near hers, they could only silently pine from afar. Now seeing Lin Chuan heading to the staff canteen with Tang Yumeng, how could they not be envious?

"Damn, this kid is actually going to eat with Tang Yumeng," Song Wen exclaimed angrily.

"He's just damn lucky," muttered Song Wu, annoyed.

Lin Chuan deliberately walked very close to Tang Yumeng, following the unwritten rules of bureaucracy: as a driver, one should either follow closely behind the secretary or lead the way in front. But here was Lin Chuan, swaggeringly walking shoulder to shoulder with Tang Yumeng, even attracting quite a few curious glances. People whispered among themselves.

Once they entered the canteen, Tang Yumeng headed straight for the large canteen.

"Sister, shouldn't you be going to the smaller canteen?" Lin Chuan asked.

"I seldom eat in the compound canteen," Tang Yumeng replied with a smile. "I occasionally eat here, but always in the large canteen."

"Really?" Lin Chuan watched as Tang Yumeng walked in and picked up a tray. The lady at the tray station smiled and said, "Secretary Tang, you're eating in the large canteen again today?"

"Hmm," Tang Yumeng nodded.

Lin Chuan had no choice but to quickly grab a stainless steel tray and head to the serving window. Many people stepped aside not just because Tang Yumeng was the City Secretary but also because she was a stunning beauty.

"Secretary Tang," Xiao Xue, holding her tray, exclaimed in surprise: "You are eating here too?"

"Yes," Tang Yumeng smiled. "Where are you sitting?"

"There..." Xiao Xue pointed to a group of beautiful women nearby.

Lin Chuan's heart blossomed with joy, seeing a big advantage in this arrangement as he might blend into the group of beauties, anticipating further envy from others. Tang Yumeng nodded: "Okay, Lin Chuan and I will join you in a bit."

"Sure," Xiao Xue nodded, not paying much mind to Lin Chuan.

Tang Yumeng ate a simple meal. Although the compound canteen had no charges and was subsidized by the City Committee funds, there were quite a few who ate as modestly as she did, especially the group of women. When Lin Chuan walked over with two trays, the group of girls were mostly stunned. One tray was filled with about half a pound of rice, and the other was piled high with dishes, mostly meat.

"Are you crazy?" Xiao Xue asked in surprise, "Don't force yourself to eat so much if you can't, it's free but you shouldn't waste."

"I'm not wasting," Lin Chuan said sheepishly. "This is just enough to fill me up."

*Pfft...*

The five or six beautiful women all laughed, Tang Yumeng herself was quite surprised: "Let it be, as long as he can finish it, after all, people are like iron, and food is like steel. You can't force how much someone should eat."

"Secretary Tang, you're really approachable," a pretty girl commented with a smile: "You even come to eat with us in the large canteen."

"Exactly, the other ministers all go to the smaller canteen," Xiao Xue nodded.

Everyone seemed to just accept it without any thought, but why could only the cadres above a certain rank dine in the small cafeteria? And ordinary staff had to settle for this place? Lin Chuan, the guy who never minced his words, asked, "Why can some people go to the small cafeteria, while we can only eat in the big one?"

"They're officials," Xiao Xue said with a laugh.

"The law says all people are equal. How are officials any different from us?" Lin Chuan said solemnly. "Aren't officials supposed to serve the people? Then why do they get special treatment when it comes to dining? This doesn't make any sense at all. The great leader once said that officials must not seek special privileges."

Xiao Xue found herself unable to refute Lin Chuan's argument.

At that moment, the elegant girl said, "Officials generally have a tougher time, so it's somewhat understandable that their meals are a bit better."

"The ones who work the hardest are the grassroots workers," Lin Chuan scoffed, "How many officials actually tire themselves out?"

"Shush..." Xiao Xue quickly shushed him, saying, "Don't talk about this here. Vent your frustrations at home if you must."

Lin Chuan smiled sheepishly while Tang Yumeng maintained her smile, chewing slowly and listening to what Lin Chuan was saying. In fact, her views weren't that different from Lin Chuan's, but some things are not easily changed when they are deeply rooted. Even Xiao Xue and other grassroots female officials like her had gradually become accustomed to these things. And being the Secretary of the City Committee herself, it was even less appropriate for her to challenge these norms.

Thus, if certain things exist, they must be there for a reason.

After being scolded by Xiao Xue, Lin Chuan began to concentrate on eating. However, the way he ate was indeed frightening – with a few gulps, the mountain-like pile of rice on his plate was visibly reduced by a large chunk. The mound of rice seemed to disappear at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Five or six girls put down their chopsticks, staring in astonishment at how Lin Chuan was eating, both the speed and his manner...

Tang Yumeng was also stunned.

"Why aren't you eating?" Lin Chuan looked at them curiously.

"Now I finally understand why he's piled up so much rice," the elegant girl laughed teasingly.

"Now I finally know what 'rice bucket' really means," Xiao Xue said in amazement.

Pfft...

Everyone immediately burst into laughter, unable to hold back. Tang Yumeng also showed a gentle smile, as Lin Chuan's eating style truly shocked her. Lin Chuan had served himself more than half a pound of rice, while she had only taken a little over two ounces. Even two ounces felt like too much for her, but Lin Chuan had swept his plate clean in less than five minutes. Wiping his mouth with his hand, he said, "I'm full, you guys…"

"Let's eat too," Xiao Xue said, at a loss for words.

At that moment, Tang Yumeng took out a tissue from her bag and handed it to Lin Chuan: "Wipe your mouth."

"Thanks, sis... I mean, Secretary Tang," Lin Chuan said with an awkward laugh.

Tang Yumeng gave him a white look, and Lin Chuan laughed loudly: "This tissue smells nice, it's Pino brand, no wonder."

"Secretary Tang, being such a refined person, of course uses Pino," Xiao Xue snorted softly. "You, a 'rice bucket' and a boor, I really wonder which girl would take a fancy to you!"

The corners of Tang Yumeng's mouth curved into a smile as she said, "Xiao Xue, I was actually considering introducing a girl to Lin Chuan. Do you have any suitable friends?"

"Secretary Tang, I really wouldn't want to push my friends into a fire pit," Xiao Xue said with a look of hurt.

"Actually, Lin Chuan is a pretty decent guy," Tang Yumeng said with a smile. "Don't get the wrong idea about him."

"It's Secretary Tang who has the eye for spotting real gems," Lin Chuan said, sitting with his legs crossed, habitually holding a cigarette.

"You? A gem?" Xiao Xue gave Lin Chuan a look and said, "I think you're more like a pig's head."

Pfft...

All the girls burst into laughter again, spitting out the rice in their mouths, including Tang Yumeng. This was the first time she laughed so brilliantly in public. Lin Chuan was the most unfortunate, as the girls were all facing him as they laughed, effectively covering his face with rice.

"Haha..." The five or six girls had settled down, but seeing Lin Chuan's face covered in rice, they burst into laughter again, their laughter as vibrant as the swaying branches of a tree.

Many men watched with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

"Damn, this guy made a killing today," Song Wen grumbled through clenched teeth. "Some of the prettiest girls in the agency were there."

"I really wish I were him," his companion said enviously.

"What kind of damn luck does Lin Chuan have?" Song Wu said, feeling disgruntled. "How could Tang Yumeng choose him to be her personal driver?"

"Who knows," a group of people shook their heads helplessly.

Song Wen's eyes turned red with envy as he looked from a distance; Lin Chuan seemed to be getting along famously with those beautiful girls. What annoyed Song Wen the most was that normally, these girls were so high and mighty, but today, they were nearly laughing their bras off because of Lin Chuan.

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