Official Career Storm
Chapter 146

Chapter 146: Chapter 146

Song Guanchao was about to ask her what was the matter when he heard Chu Xiao’e say, "I haven’t had the opportunity to thank you for last time, if you are free tonight, I’d like to take you out to dinner."

"Then I must make time," he responded.

After hanging up the phone, Song Guanchao said, "Secretary Chu has invited me to dinner tonight."

"Uh-huh."

It was just the two of them in the office. Even though the speaker wasn’t on, they were close enough that she could hear the entire conversation.

She glanced at Song Guanchao’s cheap suit and asked, "Do you only have one suit?"

"Two," Song Guanchao replied offhandedly. "One to wear and one to wash."

Wu Qiangwei said nothing more.

After lunch, Song Guanchao contacted Liang Hao again and asked him to get in touch with the school immediately to promote Liu Jie.

He thought it would be a simple task, but in the afternoon Liang Hao called to inform him that the principal of San Zhong was not cooperating.

Song Guanchao was somewhat shocked upon hearing this.

Liang Hao was now the Vice Mayor in charge of education; it wasn’t just any principal, even the head of the Education Bureau should follow his guidelines.

"What’s this principal’s name?"

"Liu Lei."

"Alright, I know. I’ll handle it."

"Brother, this matter...sigh."

"You’ve just taken office and haven’t settled in, it’s normal for people underneath to not give you face," Song Guanchao reassured him.

However, he was also aware that it wasn’t an issue of how long one had been in office.

A principal daring to outright refuse a Vice Mayor’s proposal must have some strong backing, otherwise he wouldn’t dare to do so.

Song Guanchao was curious about where Principal Liu’s confidence came from.

Suddenly, Song Guanchao remembered something.

If he was not mistaken, in the notebook left by Li Fuhai, there seemed to be evidence regarding this San Zhong Principal Liu!

He decided to go home that evening and have a good look.

After work.

Chu Xiao’e found him, "Secretary Song, have you finished your work?"

"I’ve finished."

"Then let’s go."

As they reached the parking lot, Chu Xiao’e said, "Let’s take my car."

They got into the car, and Chu Xiao’e was silent.

They had little interaction normally and the impression Song Guanchao had left during their first encounter wasn’t particularly friendly.

This time, because Song Guanchao had stepped forward and saved her daughter, her opinion of Song Guanchao had improved significantly.

But their relationship was still not very close, making the atmosphere in the car slightly awkward at the moment.

Song Guanchao broke the silence, "How is your daughter doing?"

"She’s doing well."

"That’s good."

The silence continued.

Song Guanchao touched his nose, feeling even more awkward.

It wasn’t until the car entered a high-end residential area that Song Guanchao belatedly realised, "Are we going to your place?"

"Yes," replied Chu Xiao’e. "I bought a lot of groceries."

Normally, inviting a guest, especially one who had saved a life, to a fancy restaurant would be completely appropriate.

However, some people believe that inviting someone home for dinner shows more heartfelt gratitude.

Clearly, Chu Xiao’e was of that opinion.

After getting out of the car, as they walked into the building and waited for the elevator, Song Guanchao remarked, "The property prices in this residential area aren’t cheap, are they?"

Chu Xiao’e glanced at him and said, "My ex-husband was a businessman, he bought the house and the car."

She added with a self-deprecating laugh, "I’m just a Secretary, even if I wanted to exploit my position, I couldn’t."

Song Guanchao knew she had misunderstood him and awkwardly said, "That’s not what I meant..."

Then he quickly caught on and asked, "Ex-husband?"

He remembered that it had always been rumored within the City Committee that her husband had passed away during their second year of marriage.

Being straightforward and speaking without thinking much, he asked directly, "Is your ex-husband still alive?"

Just then, the elevator arrived and Chu Xiao’e walked in, pressing the floor button.

Without showing any offense to Song Guanchao’s question, she answered calmly, "He had an affair during my pregnancy, so we got divorced. To maintain his dignity, I always tell others that he has passed away."

"..." Song Guanchao’s mouth twitched slightly, this woman, truly ruthless.

The elevator doors opened, and Chu Xiao’e approached the door, which was secured with a fingerprint lock.

Chu Xiao’e pressed the switch, and the living room, spanning over fifty square meters, instantly lit up.

Song Guanchao asked, "Isn’t your daughter home?"

"She usually stays with my parents."

Chu Xiao’e fetched a pair of men’s slippers, brand new, clearly just bought.

It was evident that she had made thorough preparations for inviting Song Guanchao over.

"Please sit on the sofa for a while, there are drinks in the fridge, I’ll go cook."

Chu Xiao’e was not one for small talk, she simply gave her instructions and headed to the kitchen.

She tied on an apron and her movements washing and chopping vegetables were extremely skilled, clearly a frequent cook.

After more than half an hour, a series of exquisite dishes were served on the table.

There were fish and meat, and even a large Australian lobster.

Just by the appearance, hardly inferior to what a restaurant chef would prepare.

She untied her apron, took out a bottle of red wine from the liquor cabinet, and asked, "Care for a drink?"

Song Guanchao nodded.

Chu Xiao’e removed the cork and fetched two red wine glasses.

She raised her glass and said, "Secretary Song, thank you."

Although she had thanked him already, this was the formal thanks.

"Anyone else would have done the same," Song Guanchao said modestly.

Chu Xiao’e smiled ambiguously, not committing to a response.

This was a matter of life and death, not a joke.

Without Song Guanchao, whether her daughter could have been rescued remained uncertain.

Truly, it was Song Guanchao who had given her daughter a second chance at life.

She drained her glass of red wine in one gulp, poured two more glasses, and downed three consecutive drinks before stopping.

With slightly chubby cheeks, a rosy flush arose, making her already captivating eyes sparkle even more dazzlingly.

Conversation between them was sparse, mostly about work.

Chu Xiao’e hardly brought up personal matters.

After the third round of drinks and the fifth course, Chu Xiao’e took a sip of wine and suddenly asked, "Have you recently been collecting evidence against Yan Dahai?"

Song Guanchao raised his eyes and hummed affirmatively.

Chu Xiao’e said, "But it seems you haven’t had much success."

"What do you suggest?" asked Song Guanchao.

"You might want to look into the principal of San Middle School, Liu Lei."

Song Guanchao’s interest was piqued, "Liu Lei?"

"There was a student suicide at San Middle some time ago, it caused quite a stir, and it was Yan Dahai who helped him suppress it."

Hearing this, Song Guanchao instantly understood why Liu Lei didn’t give face even to the Vice Mayor, Liang Hao.

This guy must have dealings with Yan Dahai.

It was likely that Yan Dahai, knowing he was facing sanctions, was thinking along the lines of ’if I’m going down, you’re coming with me,’ ready to fight Liu Jie to the bitter end.

And holding leverage over Liu Lei meant that even if Liang Hao personally made a phone call, Liu Lei could only refuse.

The root of the problem still lay with Yan Dahai!

"Thank you," said Song Guanchao.

He was not particularly concerned about this affair, as he already had a solution in mind.

But Chu Xiao’e had gone out of her way to provide him with information, and he could not ignore such help.

Chu Xiao’e smiled faintly, her slightly tipsy eyes bursting with allure, captivatuing Song Guanchao for a moment, making him stare in enchantment.

She flicked back her short hair covering her petite face, revealing a delicate profile. Seemingly affected by the alcohol, she stared intently at Song Guanchao and said, "You owe me an apology."

Seeing Song Guanchao looking somewhat perplexed, Chu Xiao’e reminded him, "The first time you came into my office, you were disrespectful."

Song Guanchao’s face flushed instantly as he apologized repeatedly, while Chu Xiao’e tilted her pale neck back and drained the last bit of red wine from her glass.

Then, standing up, she approached Song Guanchao, her eyes hazy, exhaling scents as sweet as orchids, slightly staggering, somewhat unsteady.

She took another half step forward, her slender legs clad in tight trousers touching his knees.

Then, she leaned directly towards him, bending her legs and sitting down on his lap.

The softness encased by the trousers sent Song Guanchao’s senses, already heightened by intoxication, spiraling, eliciting an immediate response.

Chu Xiao’e, also breathing somewhat rapidly, lowered her head, gazing at Song Guanchao from up close, her eyes evermore blurred.

Suddenly, she grabbed Song Guanchao’s hand and placed it on her shapely rear, saying, "Don’t you like to touch?"

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