First, then, love.

Shen Minghua walked ahead.

Today she wore a royal blue silk cheongsam with a white cashmere shawl, her hair was neatly styled, and she wore a set of emerald jewelry.

Exuding an air of nobility.

This is the aura of a female entrepreneur that she has cultivated through years of battling in the business world.

Even when deliberately restrained, it remains sharp.

Walking half a step behind her was He's father.

Today, Secretary He didn't wear his usual senior cadre jacket for meetings. Instead, he wore a navy blue Zhongshan suit, buttoned up to the top, with his hair neatly combed and wearing rimless glasses.

He looks like a gentle, elderly university professor.

But his every move exuded the official air cultivated in the provincial party committee compound.

He Zheng closed the door.

Shu Jianguo felt as if all the air in the private room had been sucked out, making it difficult to breathe.

He quickly walked around the chair and went to meet him.

He put on a respectful yet dignified smile that he had practiced countless times, his hands trembling slightly at his sides, ready to extend a handshake.

"Secretary He, Chairman Shen, you two..."

The polite conversation had just begun.

Shen Minghua's actions directly interrupted him. She walked over briskly in her high heels, a radiant smile blooming on her face.

She bypassed Shu Jianguo, who was reaching out his hand, and walked directly towards Lin Shufen.

He grabbed Lin Shufen's hand, held it tightly, and shook it up and down.

"Oh my! This must be my future mother-in-law!"

Shen Minghua's loud voice, with the straightforwardness characteristic of northerners, instantly shattered the suffocating sense of class in the private room.

"I thought you looked young when I saw you in the video yesterday, but seeing you in person today, your skin is so radiant, just like my younger sister! I don't know whether to call you 'mother-in-law' or 'little sister'!"

Lin Shufen was stunned by this sudden enthusiasm.

She stood there, mouth agape, completely forgetting all the polite words she had prepared.

"Mr. Shen... Mr. Shen, you're too kind. Please have a seat." Lin Shufen stammered in response.

"Don't call me Chairman Shen! That's too formal!"

Shen Minghua playfully patted Lin Shufen's hand.

"We're family now. Just call me Minghua, or He Zheng's mom!"

After saying that, Shen Minghua released Lin Shufen's hand.

He turned around and faced Shu Jianguo.

Shu Jianguo remained in a stiff stance, his hand still half-raised in the air, caught in a dilemma.

Shen Minghua put away her exaggerated, sisterly smile and became solemn and serious.

She proactively extended her right hand and presented it to Shu Jianguo.

Shu Jianguo quickly reached out and held her hands tightly.

"Father-in-law," Shen Minghua said, looking into Shu Jianguo's eyes with utmost sincerity.

"Our He family should have treated you to this meal long ago. We've been too busy with work and have neglected you. We're truly sorry."

She bowed slightly, adopting an extremely humble posture.

"Thank you for raising such an outstanding daughter, for teaching Yaoyao so well and making her so well-mannered."

Shen Minghua turned her head and glared at He Zheng, who was standing next to her as a background figure, her eyes full of disdain.

"This is too good for our family's uncouth man who only knows how to brandish knives and guns. Our He family is too good for him."

To climb high.

These two words, spoken by the chairman of Shengshi Real Estate, carry immense weight.

Shu Jianguo's eyes widened suddenly, his face filled with disbelief.

He had imagined ten thousand scenarios of being neglected, belittled, or treated with condescension and charity.

I never thought of this kind of thing.

Instead of using money and power to pressure him, the other party humbled themselves to the point of being humble and praised him highly.

At this moment, He's father also stepped forward.

With a gentle smile on his face, he reached out and grasped Shu Jianguo's hands, shaking them vigorously.

"Old Shu," He's father addressed him affectionately, with a hint of mutual respect.

"I've heard people from the Cultural Bureau in the province mention you before. They say that Director Shu has a strong pen, is upright, and is a true scholar."

Father He patted Shu Jianguo's hand and sighed.

"These days, there aren't many intellectuals like you who can endure poverty and loneliness. Our He family has been soldiers and politicians for generations, and we're full of the air of peasants. What we lack most is the cultural heritage of a scholarly family like your Shu family."

He's father looked at Shu Jianguo with eyes full of respect.

"It's He Zheng's good fortune that Yao Yao is marrying into our family, and it's also an honor for our He family. In the future, we should invite your father-in-law to visit us more often, so that we roughnecks can also get a taste of the cultured class."

boom.

Shu Jianguo felt as if something had exploded in his mind.

An indescribable surge of heat rushed up my spine and straight to the top of my head.

He spent his entire life struggling within the system.

Because of his aloof personality and refusal to flatter, he only ever became a deputy section chief, enduring countless scornful looks and neglect throughout his career.

What he values ​​most is his integrity as an intellectual.

Now, a high-ranking provincial official, holding his hand, affirmed his integrity and praised his knowledge in front of everyone, elevating the Shu family to the status of a scholarly family.

This would please him even more than giving him ten million.

Shu Jianguo's tense shoulders instantly relaxed.

The sticky cold sweat in his palms disappeared, and he stood up straight.

The smile on his face was no longer a fawning, ingratiating one, but a genuine, slightly reserved one.

"Secretary He... Father-in-law, you're too kind. We're all doing this for the child's good." Shu Jianguo's voice became loud and clear, neither humble nor arrogant.

At this moment, in front of the powerful and wealthy.

Shu Jianguo's integrity and upright character earned him great respect.