"Impossible! Why should my child be raised by soone else?"
Seeing that Chen Bin couldn’t understand her painstaking efforts, Zhao Xini felt a faint anger rising within her.
"Xiao Bin, can you grow up a bit? We’re mother and son. Even if this child is biologically yours, he can only call you his big brother, not father."
Slam! Chen Bin suddenly threw his bowl against the table and roared.
"Zhao Xini, do you really think of as your son? You’re my godmother; there’s no blood relation between us. Why won’t you marry ?"
Zhao Xini let out a soft sigh, her face filled with desolation.
"You’re still young, but I’m already thirty years old. A few more years and I’ll be old and unattractive..."
"I don’t care! You’re the only person I want to marry in this lifeti!"
"But I care! There are so many good won out there. I’m a widow—how could I possibly deserve you?"
As she spoke, tears began to well up in Zhao Xini’s eyes.
In that instant, Chen Bin panicked.
He quickly moved to Zhao Xini’s side and gently tried to console her, "Mom, let’s talk about this later. Don’t cry, okay? I’m sorry..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Zhao Xini steeled herself and snapped.
"Leave! From now on, don’t set foot through this door without my permission."
"Mom, I..."
"I said leave! Don’t you hear ?!"
Faced with Zhao Xini’s resolute expression, Chen Bin sighed deeply. He had no choice but to leave silently.
The mont the door slamd shut, Zhao Xini couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into tears.
To her, Chen Bin had such a bright future ahead of him.
If she kept clinging to him, it would inevitably ruin his chances of living a wonderful life.
So the only thing she could do was to drive him away.
Of course, Zhao Xini didn’t truly intend to sever ties with Chen Bin.
Her plan was simple: after remarriage, she hoped to ease the relationship between them gradually.
Once there was a stepfather in the picture, Chen Bin would surely stop his inappropriate behavior toward her.
Their bond would then return to that of a normal mother and son.
After leaving Zhao Xini’s house, Chen Bin took a taxi back to his dormitory in Qingshi County. On the way, he sent a ssage to Li ngying.
"ngying, are you there?"
She replied in seconds, "I’m here. What’s up?"
"My mom ntioned recently that she’s interested in a man. Do you know anything about this?"
"Interested in a man? I only know she went on a blind date recently. The man seed quite fond of her, but she didn’t appear very interested. Why are you asking this?"
Seeing the ssage, Chen Bin breathed a bit easier.
He guessed Zhao Xini’s words earlier had been to draw a clear line between them.
If she wasn’t keen on any man, then everything was still manageable.
"It’s nothing. My godfather only recently passed away, and I’m worried that my mom’s emotional state might push her into marrying soone random. That would be catastrophic. Could you help keep an eye on her for ?"
"Um... Isn’t that a bit inappropriate? After all, we’ve been best friends for years."
"Fine. Then let’s not contact each other ever again."
Faced with Chen Bin’s threat, Li ngying gave in almost imdiately.
She couldn’t bear to let go of the ’dragon’ that haunted her dreams.
"Alright then. Seeing how much you care about your godmother, I’ll keep an eye out. If anything happens with another man, I’ll notify you."
"Great! When it’s all sorted, I’ll make sure to reward you properly."
After sending the ssage, Chen Bin finally allowed himself a sigh of relief.
With Li ngying’s help, he could rest assured that if Zhao Xini tried to pursue another man, he would be inford imdiately.
As long as no one else stole ho base, there’d still be room for maneuver.
On Sunday morning, after finishing breakfast at the Qingshi County cafeteria, Chen Bin packed his luggage and, accompanied by Cheng Zhuang, boarded a long-distance bus to Dragon Mountain County.
During the ride, his mind was filled with scenes of how Zhao Xini had driven him away.
Taking a deep breath, his mood remained extrely gloomy.
He couldn’t understand: Wang Jun was already dead, so why would Zhao Xini prefer to marry soone else rather than him?
Still dazed, Chen Bin eventually arrived at the Dragon Mountain County Committee.
He was greeted on arrival by the staff at the Committee Office and quickly directed to the Organization Departnt, where he t Minister Zeng Hongwei.
Zeng Hongwei appeared to be in his fifties, with a thin physique.
Possibly due to severe nearsightedness, he wore an unusually thick pair of glasses.
Through the lenses, Chen Bin detected a calculating sharpness in his eyes.
Upon eting Chen Bin, Zeng Hongwei imdiately began showering him with praise.
Chen Bin didn’t take the words to heart, knowing they were rely platitudes.
Soon after, Zeng Hongwei entrusted Deputy Minister Lv Zhong with the task of accompanying Chen Bin to Qinghe Town to assu his role.
Compared to Zeng Hongwei, Lv Zhong was much more approachable.
During the ride to Qinghe Town, he actively discussed so relevant matters with Chen Bin.
However, as he listened, Chen Bin couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
Qinghe Town seed utterly lacking in highlights.
The uncertainty caused a wave of anxiety to settle in Chen Bin’s heart.
Being new and coming from another region, he worried about handling interpersonal relationships.
He particularly feared local resentnt toward outsiders.
Qinghe Town was conveniently close to the county seat, a drive of less than thirty minutes.
Upon arriving, Chen Bin imdiately noticed the town’s dilapidated state.
Even the worst town in Qingshi County easily outshone Qinghe Town.
Near the town governnt building, Chen Bin saw a group standing with banners welcoming him to his new post.
The sight lifted his spirits a little.
When the car stopped in front of the governnt building, Lv Zhong was the first to step out, followed closely by Chen Bin.
Leading the welcoming party was a middle-aged man with a buzz cut.
As soon as he greeted Lv Zhong, he broke into a wide smile.
"Minister Lv, welco to inspect our work."
Chen Bin’s initial impression of him was decent, but the sight of the man’s yellow-stained teeth made his stomach turn slightly.
The man was Su Xiangqian, Qinghe Town’s previous Party Secretary.
He had recently been reassigned to Dragon Mountain County’s Civil Affairs Bureau as Director.
His presence today was not only to welco Chen Bin but also to bid farewell to Qinghe Town.
"Secretary Su... Wait, I an Director Su."
Shaking Su Xiangqian’s hand, Lv Zhong said, "I’m not here to inspect work this ti. My primary task is to represent the County Committee in introducing Chen Bin to his new role."
With that, Lv Zhong introduced Chen Bin and Su Xiangqian.
"This is Comrade Chen Bin, Qinghe Town’s new Party Secretary. And this is Director Su Xiangqian from the County Civil Affairs Bureau."
"Hello, Secretary Chen. If I’m not mistaken, you should be the youngest leader in Qinghe Town’s history. A bright future indeed!"
Apart from his yellowed teeth, Su Xiangqian seed to be quite amiable.
He was especially warm when addressing Chen Bin.
"You’re too kind, Director Su. I’m new here and bound to face challenges. I’ll likely rely on your guidance from ti to ti."
Seeing Chen Bin’s polite deanor, Su Xiangqian waved his hand dismissively.
"Anyti you need advice, feel free to ask. I’m from Qinghe Town myself, and supporting new leadership is my obligation."
Admittedly, Chen Bin found these words rather comforting.
Just then, Lv Zhong scanned the crowd and couldn’t help but ask, "Where’s Mayor Lu and the others?"
No sooner had he spoken than a middle-aged man with a forced smile stepped forward.
"Mayor Lu is sick, as are the deputy mayor and deputy secretary."
Frowning slightly, Lv Zhong’s expression visibly darkened.
"What exactly is going on? Did they all get sick at the sa ti?"
"I wouldn’t know. All I know is they’ve filed for sick leave."
The mont these words fell, the atmosphere beca palpably tense.
It was obvious: soone was deliberately causing trouble for Chen Bin!
User Comments
0 comments from readers