Right path to power

After getting ready, Lin Xiao headed straight to Manyi Fried Rice Restaurant. On the way, He Saihua sent another message saying that she was delayed by something and would arrive a little later, and asked Lin Xiao to order her favorite dishes first.

Upon arrival, Lin Xiao realized that He Saihua had booked a private room, which made him instantly feel somewhat uncomfortable.

About ten minutes later, the door to the private room was pushed open again, and He Saihua, dressed in an exquisite outfit, walked in, accompanied by a faint fragrance.

Clearly, He Saihua at this moment is a completely different person from the township women's director she usually is!

"Sister Hua..."

"Have you been waiting long? Sorry, why did you stand up? Sit down, sit down quickly. Didn't I tell you to order your own food? Why didn't you order anything? We agreed that I would treat you to dinner tonight. So, order whatever you like, don't be shy."

He Saihua mumbled something, but Lin Xiao didn't say anything, only smiled faintly.

Afterwards, He Saihua took it upon herself to order some food and drinks.

"Sister Hua, I toast you. Thank you for taking care of me all this time."

Lin Xiao raised his glass and said that although he felt it wasn't a good time to drink tonight, he still filled his glass to the brim.

Regardless of the reason, He Saihua had indeed been helping him all along, which made him very grateful.

"No need to thank me. Actually, I just can't stand those guys, all of them so hypocritical. Come on, let's have a drink."

He Saihua downed her drink in one gulp, indicating that she was having a really good time today.

As they ate and chatted, He Saihua suggested that Lin Xiao take advantage of the "tailwind" of the municipal party secretary's visit to the county as much as possible, and make sure to show proper courtesy. This would make it much easier for him to be promoted or to return to the county.

"Xiaolin, listen to my advice. That's how it is in the system. Don't resist it. No matter how capable you are, if you don't have a leader who appreciates you, you'll remain unknown. As far as I know, you selected graduates are ranked after two years. If you don't seize this opportunity, you'll probably fall behind others."

He Saihua drank another glass of wine and, emboldened by the alcohol, continued, "I heard that Secretary Wang is looking forward to a new Songmao Village. I think you can use this as an excuse to report more on the progress of Songmao Village to Secretary Wang. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so you should seize it."

Often, a person only has a few opportunities in their life, and each missed one puts them further behind. Conversely, if one can seize every opportunity, life will definitely be different. Like me, for example, if I had seized them earlier… oh well, never mind.”

Lin Xiao guessed that He Saihua might have been thinking about her own situation, which reminded him of the coldness and warmth of human relationships he had experienced since returning from the county. The next second, he poured more wine into his glass.

"Sister Hua, I believe that anyone with a kind heart will surely have a good life. So, let's cheer each other on! Here, let me toast you again."

He Saihua smiled and raised her glass, saying, "Come on, everyone! Cheers!"

At this moment, He Saihua's face was slightly flushed, making her look even more charming.

"Xiao Lin, some people are spreading rumors that you and Secretary Wang are related. I refuted them on the spot and warned them not to gossip. I was afraid that some rumors would reach the leaders and say that you took advantage of the leaders' praise to act recklessly. That would not be a good thing for you."

"Sister Hua, would you believe me if I said I was the one who invited Secretary Wang here?"

Whether it was the alcohol taking effect or a moment of impulsiveness, Lin Xiao blurted out those words.

"You invited them?"

He Saihua looked puzzled, then smiled and said, "I believe you, I believe everything you say, haha!"

Although He Saihua said she believed it, Lin Xiao knew that she didn't completely believe it in her heart, so he didn't say anything more.

After drinking another glass, Lin Xiao said, "Sister Hua, I think that's enough. I have to be at work on time tomorrow. Otherwise, if I get caught skipping work without a valid reason again, I'm afraid no one can save me, haha."

After saying that, Lin Xiao got up and prepared to leave.

"Xiaolin, I promised to treat you, so you can't pay the bill. I'll pay."

Anticipating that Lin Xiao would likely go to the bar to pay the bill, He Saihua hurriedly got up, wanting to get there before Lin Xiao. However, she had overestimated her alcohol tolerance. She stumbled, and just as her body was about to fall heavily to the ground, a pair of strong arms instantly supported her.

At the same time, Lin Xiao's face turned red all the way to his neck, and he could clearly feel those soft and large breasts.

After helping He Saihua up, Lin Xiao quickly apologized, "Sister Hua, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, it was just..."

In fact, He Saihua was almost fully awake the moment she made contact. Her face was flushed, but it was not the same kind of flush caused by alcohol. However, the two were mixed together and it was indeed difficult to tell them apart.

"It's okay, I know, you don't need to worry about it."

After a brief moment of awkward silence, He Saihua was the first to leave the private room, and Lin Xiao, realizing what was happening, immediately followed.

Seeing Lin Xiao blocking her way, He Saihua said, "Didn't we agree that I was treating?"

"That's right. You booked the private room and ordered the food and drinks, but since you're treating, I'm paying. It's all the same."

"That won't do."

He Saihua tried to push forward, but when she was almost a millimeter away from Lin Xiao's chest, the scene from earlier flashed through her mind, so she stopped.

"Kobayashi, if you keep doing this, I'll get angry."

"Sister Hua, you really don't need to be so polite with me. I know your situation, so let me do it."

Then, Lin Xiao turned around and resolutely paid the bill.

He Saihua, standing behind Lin Xiao, was filled with emotion. She shook her head and then nodded, and stopped arguing with Lin Xiao about paying the bill.

As the two walked out of the restaurant, He Saihua said with a smile, "It's been so long since I've felt this relaxed. Thank you, Xiaolin."

Lin Xiao was still reeling from what had just happened, and couldn't help but be a little dazed. She blurted out, "What, Sister Hua?"

Seeing Lin Xiao's absent-minded expression, He Saihua turned her head and glanced at him. Noticing Lin Xiao's face had turned red again, she covered her mouth and laughed, "Haven't you had girlfriends before? It's not like you've never been intimate before, so why are you still shy? Is it because I'm a little different, haha!"

"Sister Hua, you..."

"It's alright, it's okay. You were just trying to help me up. If you hadn't done that, I would have fallen. It was your instinct, so there's really no need to worry about it. We're the only ones who know it."

Lin Xiao nodded, but didn't know what words would be the most appropriate to say in response at this moment.

The two walked in silence for a while until they reached another intersection.

"Your dorm should be this way, Xiao Lin?" He Saihua said, pointing to the fork in the road on the right.

"Yes."

"Oh, my house is this way." He Saihua then pointed to the fork in the road on the left.

"oh!"

"Wouldn't you like to invite me to your dorm for a chat, have some tea, and sober up a bit?"

"what?"

Lin Xiao didn't react for a moment. Just as he was about to say something but couldn't think of the words, He Saihua spoke again.

"Forget it, we went our separate ways at the same intersection last time, and it'll probably be the same this time. I'm going, I'll go on the left, you go on the right."

He Saihua strode towards the left fork in the road, while Lin Xiao hesitated for a moment before replying, "Okay, Sister Hua, be careful on the way."

He Saihua walked straight ahead without turning around, and simply raised her right hand and waved.

Watching that receding figure, Lin Xiao turned into the right fork in the road.

But just as he was walking forward without looking back, He Saihua, who was on the left side of the road, suddenly turned around. Watching Lin Xiao's figure grow increasingly blurry, she couldn't help but sigh:

Ultimately, we are just travelers on two different paths!