After hanging up the phone, Song Guanchao glanced at the time; it was almost eleven o'clock.

It was the weekend today, and he didn't know whether Wu Qiangwei was taking a break.

"Beep beep..."

"What's up?"

Wu Qiangwei picked up quickly, presumably with her phone always in hand.

"Are you off today?"

"No, is there something you need?"

"I wanted to invite you to dinner."

"Next time." Wu Qiangwei asked, "Anything else?"

"No, that's it."

Song Guanchao felt as if she was in a particular hurry to hang up today.

What's going on with this?

Could she be chatting with Fan Jie?

The more Song Guanchao thought about it, the more likely it seemed, making him quite unsettled.

Like Wu Ming said, no matter how capable Wu Qiangwei was, she was completely inexperienced when it came to relationships.

Fan Jie, the seasoned player in the field of love, had quite a repertoire of tactics.

If he made up his mind to pursue her, Song Guanchao genuinely worried Wu Qiangwei could not withstand him.

He grabbed his car keys and left, bumping into Chen Yirou as he went out the door.

"Heading out?"

"Yes, got something to do."

Song Guanchao quickly left the dormitory. Chen Yirou was curious; how could someone who's not even from the Provincial City always be so busy?

Song Guanchao parked his car across the street from the City Government, peering through the window towards the building.

Around eleven-thirty, a black Land Rover drove into the parking lot.

Not long after, he saw Wu Qiangwei come out.

Then, he watched as Wu Qiangwei got into that black Land Rover.

As the car left the City Government, Song Guanchao squinted, noticing that the person in the driver's seat was indeed Fan Jie!

Damn it!

Song Guanchao cursed under his breath; the guy had actually started moving in.

What he couldn't understand was how Wu Qiangwei could go out with him so readily?

Wu Ming had shown her Fan Jie's situation, was she not concerned at all?

Clearly, she couldn't accept her own relationship with Qu Xiangru, so why was she so lenient with Fan Jie?

Song Guanchao felt terribly unbalanced inside.

He followed them to a high-end western restaurant.

Fan Jie got out of the car, casually opened the door to the passenger seat, elegantly offered a hand, but Wu Qiangwei didn't take it and got out on her own.

This made Song Guanchao feel a bit better.

"This probably isn't a date."

He muttered to himself, realizing he'd jumped to conclusions.

Who says just because a man and a woman go out, it must be a date?

Wu Qiangwei wasn't on break today; even during lunch, it was unlikely she'd go on a date.

In this regard, he felt he knew her quite well.

If it's not a date, then it's something else.

Perhaps they're discussing a collaboration?

It's Fan Jie, could he have something to ask Wu Qiangwei for help with?

The two are at least alumni after all.

Faced with an old classmate's request, perhaps she felt she couldn't refuse.

Right, that's probably it.

...

Fan Jie ordered and handed the menu to the server, then opened a bottle of sparkling water and placed it in front of her.

"Thank you."

Wu Qiangwei poured a glass, took a sip, and said, "You're saying your company is facing some obstacles?"

Fan Jie chuckled bitterly, "Let's not talk about that while eating, shall we?"

"We'll talk after lunch then."

When the steak arrived, Fan Jie picked up a knife and fork, "Let me cut it for you."

"No need, thank you."

Wu Qiangwei picked up the knife and fork, not bothering him.

Fan Jie could tell she was somewhat wary of him.

Though he couldn't remember what kind of person Wu Qiangwei was, he had inquired about her from college classmates, knowing her university situation.

In comparison, he found it hard to imagine that Wu Qiangwei from college had entered politics and become Mayor within a few short years.

It's truly surreal, unbelievable.

But he understood, Wu Qiangwei might possess notable abilities, yet more of it stemmed from her family.

She must have an extraordinary family backing her up.

Without such backing, no matter how capable she was, achieving such success at such a young age would be impossible.

Fan Jie was not in a hurry; he was a master in charming women, with considerable experience in this field.

One cannot eat hot tofu if one is too hasty.

Wu Qiangwei's liking for him during college didn't mean she still liked him now.

Especially now that she was Mayor, experienced enough, mature enough.

Yet, since she agreed to see him and didn't avoid seeing him, it meant deep down, she still held some thoughts about him.

Humans are like this, always restless for what they cannot obtain.

She had liked him once but never had him, so she's left with a sense of incompleteness.

No matter the gender, when given a chance to fill that gap, one tends to try.

Fan Jie believed this was Wu Qiangwei's mindset at the moment.

So, he shouldn't rush but proceed gradually.

If he succeeded, he'd never worry about anything again.

Thinking of Wu Qiangwei's status, Fan Jie felt a rush of excitement.

After lunch, Wu Qiangwei said, "How's your company's situation right now? Who's giving you a hard time on the City Government side?"

Fan Jie replied, "It's quite complicated to explain."

"No problem, tell me. If someone is abusing their power, I'll deal with it."

"Then I'll explain."

According to him, his company was planning to cooperate with a local high school, but their qualification was stuck in a lengthy review process.

He'd asked around and learned that it was the Vice Mayor in charge of education; his recent policy tightening had led to stricter scrutiny.

His explanation was indirect, but Wu Qiangwei understood his true message.

He insinuated that the Vice Mayor's so-called policy tightening was merely seeking a bribe.

Wu Qiangwei nodded, "I'll have someone investigate the matter."

"Thanks, old classmate."

"It's part of my job." Wu Qiangwei shook her head, not wanting to involve personal relations in this issue.

Being new to the Provincial City, she indeed needed a breakthrough from some angle.

She wiped her mouth, stood up and said, "I'm heading back."

"I'll give you a ride."

Wu Qiangwei did not refuse.

As they reached the parking lot, Fan Jie suddenly said, "Wait a moment."

Wu Qiangwei paused, watching as Fan Jie reached out to touch her hair suddenly.

Wu Qiangwei immediately frowned, about to scold him, but Fan Jie opened his hand, "Liu Xu."

Wu Qiangwei said nothing, opening the car door and getting in.

All of this was observed by Song Guanchao from a short distance away, sitting in his car.

His gaze turned cold and squinted.

This guy, actually started making moves!

The car returned to the City Government.

Fan Jie parked, taking out a ticket from the armrest box.

"I've formed a band, and there's a music festival coming up; my band will be performing. If you're not busy, you could come listen."

"Actually, my dream was always to make a living through singing, but dreams are dreams, reality forces compliance."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "If you're busy, forget it."

Wu Qiangwei didn't respond, took the ticket, nodded, and got out of the car.

Fan Jie watched her beautiful figure, a slight smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

He believed Wu Qiangwei would definitely come.

Because back then, she was attracted to him singing on stage.

The band was a temporary, paid addition, intended to evoke her memories.

If she came to the festival, Fan Jie was confident he'd win her over that night!

Wu Qiangwei walked into the government building, casually slipping the ticket into her pocket.

Fan Jie's little schemes were the easiest for her to see through.

The only reason she interacted with him was to observe Song Guanchao's reaction.

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.