"Alright then." Lin Chuan nodded and said, "Since Minister Chen is so hospitable, I won't stand on ceremony."

"Hahaha, that's more like it." Minister Chen patted Lin Chuan on the shoulder and said, "Lin Chuan, do spend more time with Secretary Tang when you get the chance. And don't forget to say nice things about me. When I'm promoted to a higher position, I surely won't forget about you."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chuan realized this guy had an agenda, no wonder he's been buttering him up. Lin Chuan quickly replied with a smile, "Yes, yes, I'll definitely do that."

But inwardly he thought disdainfully, "Yeah, right, who wants to say anything nice about you? It's simply an insult to myself."

Of course, Lin Chuan didn't voice these thoughts but instead, exchanged some polite banter with Minister Chen.

After receiving his end-of-year bonus, Lin Chuan headed towards Tang Yumeng's office.

The office was very quiet, and Xiao Xue was nowhere to be seen. Lin Chuan pushed the door open and walked in. Tang Yumeng was diligently working at her desk, which was piled with documents, and she was holding a Parker fountain pen. Tang Yumeng looked extremely beautiful and quite endearing when she was focused. Lin Chuan looked at Tang Yumeng with a smile.

As Tang Yumeng quietly sat there, it felt as if a fresh fragrance was quietly spreading throughout the room, gradually permeating Lin Chuan's heart.

Like a lone plum blossom standing proudly in a quiet valley, she bloomed in tranquility and grace, indifferent to the eyes watching her, as if she was alone in a desolate field. Her eyes and brows radiated a sense of free-spirited romance.

Sometimes, beauty doesn't have to be about adornments, nor is it about appearances. It lies more in the beauty of character. At this moment, Tang Yumeng seemed like a lotus emerging from water, or like a lotus blossom drifting on a stream of water, so pure, unsullied by the mud.

"Sis..." Lin Chuan walked in.

"Huh?" Tang Yumeng was taken aback and said, "Why... why are you here?"

"The holiday is almost here, so I specially came to see you, sis." Lin Chuan replied with a smile.

"You're such a sly talker, it's been ages since I last saw you, where have you been hiding?" Tang Yumeng put down her pen and stood up, saying, "Is there a reason you suddenly came to see me?"

"No reason, just missed you." Lin Chuan walked over.

"I heard your logistics department handed out year-end bonuses?" Tang Yumeng asked curiously.

"Yeah." Lin Chuan nodded, saying, "I happened to be here today to collect the bonus. I got sixty thousand."

"Why so much?" Tang Yumeng was startled.

"Everyone else got thirty-nine thousand five hundred." Lin Chuan laughed heartily and said, "Me, who constantly arrives late, leaves early, and skips work, got the most. Haha..."

"You're something else, don't you feel guilty about accepting it?" Tang Yumeng glanced at Lin Chuan, annoyed.

"If someone dares to give it to me, why shouldn't I dare to take it?" Lin Chuan chuckled and said, "Besides, I contributed so much to Jiangbei City, taking an extra twenty-thousand isn't a problem, right?"

Tang Yumeng paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Sure, sure, even laziness has its justification?"

"Well, missing sis has its justification, doesn't it?" Lin Chuan asked.

"Go." Tang Yumeng replied annoyedly.

Lin Chuan's mouth curved into a smile, he walked over and then suddenly hugged Tang Yumeng. Grinning, he said, "Sis, did you miss me?"

"Of course I did!" Tang Yumeng blushed.

Lin Chuan lowered his head and then kissed Tang Yumeng.

Tang Yumeng hesitated at first, but in the end, Lin Chuan succeeded and the two embraced and kissed. Lin Chuan's kiss was passionate, his tongue quickly entered Tang Yumeng's mouth and swiftly held her tongue.

A confrontation between the two ensued.

Just then, Xiao Xue pushed the door open and came in.

"Ah!" Xiao Xue suddenly screamed, covering her mouth immediately. She forced herself to calm down.

Tang Yumeng hastily pushed Lin Chuan away, while Lin Chuan clung tightly to Tang Yumeng. After a wrestle, they finally separated. Tang Yumeng's hair was messy, and she glared fiercely at Lin Chuan, angrily saying, "You idiot, what are you doing?"

"We were kissing nicely, then suddenly..." Lin Chuan looked at Tang Yumeng, embarrassed.

"Xiao Xue came in." Tang Yumeng glared at Lin Chuan.

"Uh..." Lin Chuan looked at Xiao Xue beside him.

Xiao Xue covered her mouth, looking stupefied. However, by this point, she had already recollected her thoughts. She swallowed hard, her eyes darting around, seemingly unable to think of a good solution. Finally, Xiao Xue awkwardly said, "I... I... Secretary Tang, I..."

"Every time I ask you to knock, you forget." Tang Yumeng said helplessly.

"I..." Xiao Xue looked at Tang Yumeng awkwardly and said, "Secretary Tang, I... I didn't see anything just now, I... I really didn't see anything."

"Didn't see anything but still screamed?" Tang Yumeng glared at her.

"I... I saw a cockroach run past," Xiao Xue hurriedly said.

"What?" Tang Yumeng was taken aback, "A cockroach?"

"Yes... Yeah!" Xiao Xue quickly nodded.

"Get outta here, if you're going to come up with an excuse, at least make it plausible," Tang Yumeng glanced at Xiao Xue, annoyed.

"Secretary Tang, I..." Xiao Xue looked aggrieved.

"Alright, what's up?" Tang Yumeng asked.

"Aren't you supposed to attend a meeting at the Procuratorate this afternoon?" Xiao Xue said awkwardly, "The car's ready now, so... uh, you see..."

"Then let's go," Tang Yumeng nodded.

Soon after, Tang Yumeng quickly gathered her things, and as she was leaving, she looked at Lin Chuan and smiled, "Alright, sis has to work now, won't be keeping you company. Go have fun on your own."

Haha...

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xue immediately covered her mouth and laughed.

Lin Chuan looked aggrieved, just moments ago he was enjoying their intimacy, and all of a sudden, it was gone, as if it were just a fleeting illusion. Came fast, left fast.

Lin Chuan helplessly watched Tang Yumeng's departing figure.

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

With Tang Yumeng gone, Lin Chuan naturally didn't feel right staying any longer.

Being the City Secretary, and the head honcho of Jiangbei City, not to mention her youth, Tang Yumeng naturally became the focus of onlookers and her every action would be closely watched by many. Therefore, she must always present herself well and set a good example. Tang Yumeng didn't want to leave anyone any negative gossip or ammunition.

To gain recognition from everyone, to earn the approval of the entire city's residents. Tang Yumeng's schedule was practically packed. She personally took charge of many things, all just to earn people's approval.

Lin Chuan understood Tang Yumeng's concerns, so he had no choice but to agree with Tang Yumeng's approach.

Leaving the City Committee, the streets and alleys were filled with the festive spirit. Children on winter break ran around outside, some with pocket money to buy a few boxes of firecrackers to set off in the streets, scaring dogs into a frenzy. These mischievous kids often throw firecrackers randomly, and the frightened people dare not say much, but just cast disdainful glances at them.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed by.

And now came the last day of the year, Chinese New Year's Eve.

Chinese New Year's Eve is a day for family reunion, as well as a traditional festival for the Chinese. Also known as Lunar New Year's Eve, it's the last night of the lunar calendar month. "Chu," meaning to get rid of; "Xi," meaning night. To get rid of the old, ushering in the new, a time of renewal. Alongside Tomb-Sweeping Festival, Ghost Festival, and Double Ninth Festival, it's one of China's traditional ancestral worship festivals and part of Han character cultural circles.

New Year's Eve often falls on the 29th or 30th of the lunar month, hence also referred to as Year Thirty, one of the most significant Han festivals. The Han people pay close attention to it, with households bustling to clean and welcome ancestors back home for the celebration, offering rice cakes and tribute of three animals.

On this day, every household must put up couplets and begin ancestor worship activities.

Early on Year Thirty morning, Nuo Xiaoxi got up. She prepared quite a few items for ancestor worship.

By eight o'clock, everything was ready. She slipped into Lin Chuan's room, only to find him still asleep. Nuo Xiaoxi quietly walked over and pinched a lock of her hair, using it to tickle Lin Chuan's face and nose.

Haha...

Lin Chuan immediately sneezed. As he leisurely opened his eyes, seeing Nuo Xiaoxi teasing him with her hair, he quickly reached out to hug Nuo Xiaoxi and pulled her into his arms, teasingly said, "You naughty girl, do you believe I'll spank you?"

"I don't believe you," Nuo Xiaoxi puckered her lips.

Lin Chuan raised his hand and slapped her bottom.

Smack...

A clear sound rang out, making Nuo Xiaoxi's bottom tingle. Pouting, she said, "Brother Lin, you actually hit me!"

"You didn't believe me," Lin Chuan laughed, "That's what you get for being mischievous."

"I just came to wake you up," Nuo Xiaoxi snorted, puffing her cheeks as she said, "Don't you know it's Year Thirty today?"

"So what's up with Year Thirty?" Lin Chuan asked puzzledly.

He hadn't celebrated New Year's at home in many years, so Lin Chuan's mind seemed devoid of the concept. When he spent New Year's abroad, there were no new year customs, unless in a Chinese neighborhood where the festive atmosphere could be felt. Outside those areas, the new year feeling was nonexistent. Plus, Lin Chuan's missions often took him to remote areas, with few Chinese people around. So celebrations weren't part of his usual experience.

"Year Thirty is for ancestral worship," Nuo Xiaoxi glared at Lin Chuan, "We're going graveside visiting today."

"Oh, right," Lin Chuan immediately remembered that his mom once took him to the cemetery to visit his dad's grave a few years back during New Year's. How did he suddenly forget about it? Lin Chuan quickly got up and said, "Yeah, visiting graves. Almost forgot this part."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.