Marry a female star at a bargain price

Chapter 274, page 275: A Heart-to-Heart Talk with My Father-in-Law
The best way to spend May Day is to stay home and relax!

The outside world is overcrowded.

Lin Xiao was at home, peaceful and serene.

Approaching thirty, Lin Xiao found himself increasingly enjoying this time alone... well, if taking care of a child counts as being alone!

Of course, as the deputy director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau.

Lin Xiao's work may be quite leisurely on weekdays, but holidays are definitely the busiest time, especially since the brand of the Chaoshuihe Cultural Festival has been fully established during the Spring Festival holiday.

Not to mention the whole country.

At least within Nanzhou Province, especially in Ninghai and Yizhou areas, it is already a household name.

So, on the eve of May Day.

After the Anyang County Culture and Tourism Bureau released a promotional video for the "Culture Festival - May Day Event" on its official account, it immediately garnered tens of thousands of comments and likes.

As an official account at the county level.

This level of popularity is definitely considered to have gone viral, after all, even top celebrities can't get tens of thousands of comments on every Weibo post.

The Anyang County Culture and Tourism Bureau has now surpassed Chaobai Town to become the new top influencer among official accounts in Nanzhou Province.

Of course, this achievement is mainly due to the influence of the big star Chung Ka-man.

For the May Day special performance, Zhong Jiawen, the "cultural festival ambassador," will continue to join the show.

The county's Bureau of Culture and Tourism has never officially announced that Zhong Jiawen is the spokesperson for the cultural festival.

But now, in the minds of netizens in Nanzhou Province, the name "Zhong Jiawen" has become synonymous with the "Chaoshuihe Cultural Festival".

"They're not husband and wife in name, but they're husband and wife in practice?" Lin Xiao thought to himself.

Everyone in the county's Culture and Tourism Bureau is aware of this.

Fang Danian was still smug, after all, when the woman takes the initiative, the man never loses out.

Lin Xiao, however, remained vigilant throughout.

Because he firmly believed that this woman was no pushover; she was the one who schemed and manipulated others, and no one could possibly gain any advantage from her.

Even though he had already seen this through, he was completely powerless to resist.

Because now, Chung Ka-man isn't playing dirty tricks with him, but rather is openly and honestly plotting a "open strategy."

Lin Xiao had no choice but to let her, as a "second-tier singer," jump and dance on the simple stage of his small fifth-tier county town, sweating profusely and working very hard.

amount……

Lin Xiao himself was a little moved.

Especially after learning through his wife's agent, Chen Jiajia, that Zhong Jiawen had been dumped by her sugar daddy.

Chung Ka-man's resources have plummeted.

But since they were popular before, they still have some recognition.

So it's heartbreaking to see such a big star reduced to being a spokesperson for a cultural festival in a small county.

Even Fang Danian felt it was too much to bear, and firmly reported to the county that he wanted to give Zhong Jiawen a formal image spokesperson title!

Lin Xiao couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he simply let it go.

Anyway, he's going to leave soon.

A few days before Labor Day, rumors about his impending "promotion" spread more and more wildly within Anyang County.

Even his old classmate Jia Kai called to ask him, "Are you being transferred?"

Jia Kai was promoted last year; he no longer served as the county head's secretary and was promoted to deputy director of the county's Development and Reform Commission.

In terms of rank, he is now at the same level as Lin Xiao, both being deputy section chiefs.

Lin Xiao was still completely bewildered when his old classmate asked him the question.

"No, who told you all this?"

That's what everyone says!

Jia Kai's tone was filled with envy and pride, "Don't you know that since the fire in Chaobai Town last National Day, you've become famous throughout Anyang County? At the beginning of this year, you won the provincial advanced award, and you've become a celebrity that everyone envies and is jealous of! Who doesn't know you, Deputy Director Lin?!"

Lin Xiao was speechless for a moment.

What's going on? Did you debut in the entertainment industry in your past life, and now you're debuting within the system?!
"No, who told you that?"

"Do I need to hear this from others?" Jia Kai said very seriously. "Generally, after receiving a city-level advanced award, you'll be promoted and given important responsibilities. As for provincial-level advanced awards, it goes without saying that these can be deducted from your evaluation period on your resume!"

Lin Xiao looked completely bewildered: "What does 'deducting from the probationary period' mean?"

Jia Kai was quite surprised: "You really don't know, are you just pretending not to know?"

Lin Xiao was even more confused.

"I really don't know! What do you mean?"

"Hey, I'm impressed!"

Jia Kai laughed and joked, "You, Deputy Director Lin, hold a high position and wield great power, and you really only focus on doing big things, not caring about these trivial matters..."

Lin Xiao and he exchanged a long verbal sparring match.

Jia Kai then said, "It takes at least two years to be promoted from deputy section chief to section chief, you must know that, right?"

"know."

"But if you receive a provincial-level advanced award, you can offset it for one year, and you can get promoted after two years!"

"Is this happening?"

"Of course! That's how it is in Nanzhou. I don't know if other places have this rule!"

"Oh……"

Lin Xiao was amazed and nodded.

Then she became doubtful: "No, this is only theoretical, right? It's not like you're guaranteed a promotion after two years! Just like, not everyone who's been a deputy section chief for three years is guaranteed a promotion to section chief, right? There are plenty of people who have been deputy section chiefs for over ten years, or even section chiefs for over ten years, and still haven't been promoted..."

Jia Kai said, "That makes sense, of course. But being an outstanding provincial-level official means you're not just anyone. The organization gives you this honor, so they're definitely going to give you important responsibilities, especially since you're so young! As far as I know, several of last year's outstanding provincial-level officials have already been promoted and taken up new posts. You, Deputy Director Lin, are a household name throughout the province. How could the organization forget you? There's no smoke without fire; your bright future is definitely on its way..."

Lin Xiao was momentarily speechless.

Only then did he realize why the whole unit was spreading rumors that he was going to be transferred, while he himself was completely unaware of it.

It turns out they all came to their conclusions based on convention and guesswork, just like Jia Kai.

According to this process, he has indeed met the standards now, since he was promoted to deputy section chief in October of the year before last, which is a year and a half ago.

According to normal procedures, it definitely hasn't reached the required age yet.

But if Jia Kai's statement about "provincial-level excellence deducting one year's credit" is true, then I am indeed qualified now, and even exceed it.

But on this land of China, there will always be a mystery.

Theoretically possible means it's not possible, and theoretically impossible means it's possible.

Although the claim that provincial-level advanced contributions can be deducted for one year exists, it is rarely actually applied to individual cadres.

Those who are promoted for being outstanding have almost all worked in their original positions for several years or even more than ten or twenty years, and have long since met the qualifications and years of service.

If you receive an "Outstanding" award, it means you've been recognized by higher-level organizations, so it's only natural that your original organization would promote you as soon as possible.

Lin Xiao's situation cannot be included in this category at all.

Therefore, although he was surprised by Jia Kai's explanation, he didn't take it to heart at all.

He was more concerned about another piece of news.

"Hey, let me ask you something. I recently heard that Yizhou is going to change its top player. Have you heard about this?"

"I've heard about it!"

"Who told you that? What's going on?"

"No comment!"

"Hey? Is that you, buddy? Are you playing riddles with me?"

"Too much talk leads to mistakes!"

"You can't tell me either? I won't record it!"

“It’s a matter of great importance!”

"..."

Lin Xiao knew he wouldn't get anything out of Jia Kai, so he might as well tell him to get lost.

However, Jia Kai's attitude made him take it seriously.

Although he didn't explicitly state the details, his cryptic attitude only further proves that the rumors are not unfounded.

Lin Xiao felt nervous.

After all, his father-in-law had been transferred to Yizhou for less than two years, not even halfway through his term, so he would definitely not be replaced unless there were special circumstances.

But if special circumstances occur, it will most likely be a bad thing!

Lin Xiao couldn't help but worry about his father-in-law.

Although his actions of abandoning his wife and daughter and adopting his son some time ago were not ethical, they were far from being morally reprehensible.

Lin Xiao still respected him from the bottom of his heart.

He didn't want anything to happen to his father-in-law, no matter what...

"Hey? Something's wrong!"

Lin Xiao suddenly realized something was wrong and thought to himself, "For so many years, my father-in-law has maintained the persona of a loving husband and father, and he's stuck to it for over twenty years. To say that this is all an act is just too much!"

"If it wasn't an act, then even if he desperately wanted a grandson, he wouldn't turn his back on his wife and children so easily after his wish was dashed... And less than three months later, news broke that he was going to be transferred to another position..."

Lin Xiao felt more and more uneasy.

After hanging up Jia Kai's call, he sat alone in his office for a long time, increasingly feeling that Han Haijun's recent change of heart was illogical and had ulterior motives.

He wanted to call his father-in-law directly to ask about the situation.

But the thought that if his father-in-law really had special circumstances, he might not hesitate to sever ties with his wife and children to "cover up" the situation.

If I make this call now, I probably won't get any information.

After all, even Jia Kai, this "little techie," was tight-lipped and refused to say anything more.

Han Haijun, as the person involved, is insightful and clear-headed, and he orchestrated the annual drama of abandoning his wife and daughter.

He was even less likely to say anything.

After figuring this out, Lin Xiao put down the phone, vaguely feeling that pretending not to know anything and remaining unchanged was the most rational decision.

He was a little helpless.

Ultimately, it's because I'm currently in a very low position; I have neither the right nor the ability to get involved in my father-in-law's affairs.

Even if he found out, what could he do?

"So, is it because I'm not standing high enough?"

"Or rather... is it necessary for me to strive for a higher position?"

If you had asked him this question a year ago, his answer would definitely have been no.

He had only one purpose in life: to live a meaningful life.

But now, knowing that his family is facing difficulties but he is powerless to help, this feeling has shaken his life beliefs that he has held for more than ten years.

What constitutes a meaningful thing?

If achieving one's life goals counts, then does protecting one's family count?
Lin Xiao stared at the various documents on his computer screen and the messy files on his desktop, feeling utterly lost.

……

With the May Day holiday over, more than half of the month has already passed.

May 27th marks the 100th day since Lin Xiaoxi was born.

After three months of careful nurturing, Ms. Lin has become increasingly plump and adorable. She used to only cry, but now she has learned to smile.

However, what's outrageous is...

This little baby only lets his dad hold him, but never smiles at him.

At home, she would often snuggle in Lin Xiao's arms or sit on his shoulder, giggling as others teased her. But whenever Lin Xiao teased her, she would either put on a serious face or burst into tears.

Lin Xiao initially didn't believe it, thinking it was just a coincidence. But after trying more than ten times with the same result, he resigned himself to his fate.

"So, this girl only treated me like a human rocking chair, not like a person at all!!"

Lin Xiao resigned himself to his fate in frustration.

Han Xixi held her daughter, both gloating and extremely worried: "Lin Xiao, whose temper did your daughter take after? She's so vengeful... She still holds a grudge against you for cutting off her breast milk and won't forgive you!"

"..."

Lin Xiao was completely convinced.

He has always considered himself to be easygoing and not the kind of person who is petty or vindictive. He forgets many unpleasant or disgusting things as soon as they happen.

But to make matters worse, she had such a vengeful daughter. Where can you go to reason with her?
Following one's own nature? Not at all!

Taken after my wife? My wife is so soft, cute and adorable, she's even less like her!
Lin Xiao couldn't solve the case, so he could only accept one fact: a child's personality is innate, and while there may be some influence from the environment, the effect is negligible!

Lin Xiao accepted his fate with a sense of peace.

My daughter hates me? No problem!

Her personality is great; she'll never suffer any losses in the future!
"Honey, Xiao Chu's 100-day celebration is in a few days... Should we invite your dad again?"

After hesitating for a few days, Lin Xiao finally decided to have a good talk with his wife about the matter after putting his daughter to sleep.

Xixi is recovering well these days.

After completing her postpartum confinement period, she persisted in exercising, and her weight quickly returned to its pre-pregnancy level, making her look exactly the same.

However, it might just be Lin Xiao's imagination.

She always felt that her wife's face still looked like a young girl's, but she had gained a lot of the gentleness of a mother, and her overall temperament was quite different.

Upon hearing her husband's question, Xixi, who was tidying up her clothes, suddenly stopped.

"Do you think we should invite them?" she countered.

"Logically, we should definitely invite them!"

Lin Xiao said truthfully, "Even if he and your mother have separated, he is still Xiao Chu's maternal grandfather, and that relationship cannot be severed. It's his business if he doesn't come, but it's wrong of us not to invite him!"

Xi Xi didn't speak for a moment, but the gentle expression on her face quickly turned cold.

After a while.

"No, not invited!" she said coldly.

"what?"

“He has a son now, how could he possibly remember me and Xiao Chu! Xiao Chu was three months old, and he didn’t visit her once, nor did he make a single phone call!”

Xi Xi became increasingly angry as she spoke, "Xiao Chu doesn't need this kind of grandfather, and neither do I..."

Xixi didn't finish her sentence; her voice was already hoarse, and she felt an urge to cry again.

Seeing this, Lin Xiao quickly said, "Alright, alright, no need to invite me, I shouldn't have brought this up..."

He felt regret.

Lately, thanks to the meticulous care of the whole family, my wife has recovered her health and her mood has improved a lot. She is no longer secretly heartbroken because of her father's "abandonment".

If I hadn't reopened her wounds today, her painful memories wouldn't have been stirred up again.

However, Xi Xi's resolute attitude still surprised Lin Xiao.

After all, every time she thought about her father these past few months, she would secretly shed tears, feeling as aggrieved as a little girl abandoned by her father.

But now, her attitude has become fierce, as if she wants to never have anything to do with Han Haijun again.

Lin Xiao was stunned.

This was the first time he had ever seen this expression on his wife, and he felt a little scared.

"Now I know where my daughter got her vengeful nature from!" he thought to himself.

Given his wife's attitude, Lin Xiao dared not secretly contact his father-in-law.

However, what he didn't expect was...

Three months later, his father-in-law contacted him and asked him to come to Yizhou when he had time, saying it was a gift for Xiao Chu's 100th day.

Lin Xiao readily agreed.

To reiterate, even if the father-in-law wronged his wife and daughter, he ultimately did not wrong him.

He would never turn against someone under any circumstances.

Moreover, he still had many doubts about the rumors of his father-in-law being transferred.

So after get off work that afternoon.

Lin Xiao told Xi Xi that he had to work overtime, and then drove to Yizhou, heading straight to Han Haijun's residence in Yizhou.

The mayor was already waiting for him at home.

After three months apart, Lin Xiao noticed that his father-in-law had aged considerably.

He used to be a spirited and radiant leader, but now he has become a frail and tired old man.

Even though he is only fifty years old this year.

Lin Xiao was shocked to see him like this.

It's hard to tell whether this change in him is due to a broken family or a setback in his career.

Lin Xiao was shocked, but he tried his best to keep his expression normal.

After letting him into the house, Han Haijun took a box from the bookcase, opened it, and found a longevity lock inside.

"It's for Xiao Chu, you can keep it!" Han Haijun said calmly.

Lin Xiao hesitated for a moment, then took it: "Okay, thank you, Dad."

The South Korean Navy waved its hand.

The house isn't big, just two bedrooms and a living room, but it's kept fairly clean.

It used to be just a place for him to stay in Yizhou, but since his divorce, it has now become his home.

There is a coffee table in the living room with tea sets on it, continuing the Han Navy's long-standing habit of drinking tea.

He sat down and boiled water to make tea.

Lin Xiao knew his father-in-law had something to say, so he sat down beside him.

"You must have heard about the recent news about me, right?" Han Haijun asked directly with a calm smile.

"Ah."

His father-in-law brought it up, so he stopped hiding it and readily agreed.

The South Korean Navy nodded, but did not continue the topic.

This made Lin Xiao extremely anxious, and he finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Dad... are you alright?"

Han Haijun glanced at him sideways, his expression inscrutable, his emotions flickering, as if trying to discern whether his son-in-law's inquiry stemmed from genuine concern or from worry about losing his support in the future.

The South Korean Navy spent a long time analyzing the situation but ultimately failed to reach an answer.

Heart is under the kyte!
He had always been confident in his ability to judge people, but after suffering such a huge setback this time, he would never dare to be so arrogant again.

However, the reason I called Lin Xiao over today was to explain some things to him.

Besides, my own affairs have already been settled, so there's nothing I can't say.

"It's all alright now."

Han Haijun sighed and said quietly.

Hearing this reply, Lin Xiao's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

The house fell silent for a moment, except for the gurgling sound of the teapot boiling water.

"Aren't you curious about what it is?" Han Haijun suddenly asked.

"Ok?"

Lin Xiao was taken aback, then laughed, "As long as you're alright, I'm relieved! It's better for me to know as little as possible about the rest!"

The South Korean navy officer paused, his hand holding the teapot still.

Turning to look at Lin Xiao again, she saw his peaceful smile and sincere eyes.

For some reason, my heart, which had been in turmoil these past few days, suddenly calmed down and became peaceful.

He smiled with relief, poured a cup of tea, and personally handed it to Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao accepted it with a sense of trepidation.

"Aren't you angry with me?" Han Haijun retorted.

"You mean the day Xixi was discharged from the hospital?"

"Ah."

"angry!"

Lin Xiao said directly.

Han Haijun was taken aback. He thought that since his son-in-law was sitting here, even if he was really angry, he would at least pretend to say a few polite words, such as "it's all in the past" or "we're still family."

Unexpectedly, he refused to do any pretense or superficial work, and his straightforwardness left everyone speechless.

After a long pause, Han Haijun finally burst into laughter, his disheveled expression regaining its radiance.

Lin Xiao was somewhat puzzled.

"It's good to be angry! You should be angry, you should be angry!"

"??"

Lin Xiao looked completely bewildered.

However, seeing his father-in-law's reaction, he became even more convinced of his judgment—the strange incident of Han Haijun suddenly changing his temperament and abandoning his wife and daughter was indeed due to some hidden reason.

However, before he could ask any further questions...

Han Haijun said directly, "But that's all in the past. I didn't call you here today to explain anything or ask for your forgiveness. I heard that a child's 100-day celebration is very important, and elders have to give red envelopes to ensure the child's safety and longevity... This longevity lock is a token of my affection; please give it to your child!"

Lin Xiao was speechless for a moment, his thoughts were very complicated.

He knew that even if he pressed his father-in-law for details, he wouldn't necessarily say much.

But if he didn't ask, he would always feel uneasy.

After hesitating for a long time, he said, "Dad, I have a question for you... Did you really adopt Uncle Xixi's son into your name?"

The South Korean Navy was surprised that he would ask this question.

After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head: "No."

Lin Xiao's expression relaxed, and he suddenly understood: "Then I understand everything... I will put the longevity lock on Xiao Chu, thank you, Dad!"

The South Korean Navy smiled but did not answer.

What are your next steps?

"He'll probably be transferred back to Ninghai to a nominal position. We'll see what the organization decides!"

"Yes, going back to Ninghai is good... What about you and Mom?"

"never mind!"

Han Haijun smiled calmly, "You should have noticed by now that we are both strong-willed people. We've spent half our lives tormenting and tolerating each other, and we seem to be very respectful to each other, but actually neither of us is comfortable with each other."

"Now that we've broken up by some twist of fate, whatever the reason, at least we're both relieved. Life is long, she'll have her own life from now on, and I'm happy to be carefree, fishing and drinking tea by myself, it'll be quite nice..."

As Han Haijun spoke, he leisurely sipped his tea, his face showing a relaxed and carefree expression.

Lin Xiao was a little confused; the CPU was almost overheating.

What does this mean?
The adoption was fake, the farce was fake, but the divorce turned out to be real?
He had already convinced himself that his father-in-law's sudden change in temperament three months ago, transforming him from a loving husband and father who doted on his wife and daughter into a selfish and self-serving man who only cared about his "grandson," was merely a charade to protect his wife and daughter from being implicated in a serious challenge to his career.

Following this logic: now that the storm has passed, shouldn't you hurry up and reconcile with your wife and daughter?
What's going on? Did they take it all for real?
Or was this actually the father-in-law's original intention?
Lin Xiao really couldn't understand it.

You have to admit, your father-in-law is still your father-in-law. Even if he has suffered a major setback in his career, he can't be easily seen through by you.

Lin Xiao was deeply shocked and couldn't say a word.

(End of this chapter)