Official Career Storm
Chapter 279

Chapter 279: Chapter 279

Song Guanchao chose a table outside a barbecue restaurant and ordered skewers and drinks.

Zhou Qian took out a small mirror from her bag to touch up her makeup, and Song Guanchao couldn’t help but chuckle watching her.

Women truly are incomprehensible creatures.

They were about to eat and she was touching up her makeup now?

Ten minutes later, Fu Ying arrived.

Her outfit was simple—a pair of jeans paired with a round-neck T-shirt.

Her simple attire couldn’t hide her stunning figure; her jeans hugged her shapely and straight legs, while her slender waist accentuated her rounded buttocks.

Passers-by and other diners kept turning their heads to look at her.

As she got closer, she was surprised to see Zhou Qian sitting across from Song Guanchao.

She hadn’t expected that Song Guanchao’s friend would be a woman.

And a beautiful one at that.

With hair cascading over her shoulders, she moved with light grace.

Unsure of their relationship, she approached and said, "Secretary Song."

Hearing the voice, Zhou Qian looked up.

Such a beautiful woman.

And with such sophistication.

So this was Song Guanchao’s friend?

"Please, have a seat," Song Guanchao said as he pulled out a chair, introducing them. "This is Zhou Qian from Lingjiang TV Station, and this is Fu Ying, the vice-magistrate of Dujiang County."

The two women greeted each other.

At that moment, the skewers were served.

Zhou Qian spoke very little, leaving the conversation mostly to Song Guanchao and Fu Ying.

They both noticed her discomfort and seamlessly shifted the conversation to topics of her interest, ensuring she wasn’t left out.

Zhou Qian could sense that Song Guanchao and County Magistrate Fu were close; they didn’t seem like new acquaintances but more like old friends.

Moreover, as a woman, and a woman who felt an attraction to Song Guanchao, she acutely sensed that County Magistrate Fu might be interested in him in a romantic manner.

And it seemed Song Guanchao might share those feelings as well.

Though it was subtly displayed, she still noticed it.

Zhou Qian suddenly felt a sense of loss and a bit of anger.

She didn’t know why she felt angry, but she couldn’t control the emotion.

After they had eaten their fill, Song Guanchao said, "Miss Zhou, which hotel are you staying at? I’ll drive you there."

"There’s no need; I’ll just take a cab."

"Safety in Dujiang County isn’t great; let me take you. Besides, you’re so beautiful—what if something were to happen?"

"Am I beautiful?" Zhou Qian asked, looking at him.

"...Yes, very beautiful," Song Guanchao said, taken aback by her counter-question.

Zhou Qian noticed that during their exchange, County Magistrate Fu glanced at her.

As they left the street, Fu Ying said, "Secretary Song, I’ll head back first."

"Alright." Song Guanchao opened the car door and got in with Zhou Qian.

On the way, Zhou Qian remained silent; at first, Song Guanchao thought she might be tired. When they stopped at a red light and he glanced at her, he saw her gaze was hollow, as if she was lost in thought.

"Miss Zhou, are you feeling alright?"

Zhou Qian didn’t respond, but as they continued to drive, she suddenly said, "Why did you invite others to our dinner?"

It took a moment for Song Guanchao to understand her tone, which was laden with resentment.

He didn’t think inviting Fu Ying was inappropriate; after all, they were all friends.

But if one were to nitpick, it was indeed not quite suitable.

Yet, wasn’t her reaction a bit too much?

Observing her through the corner of his eye, Song Guanchao noticed sadness in her eyes.

A chill went through him as he suddenly had an ominous premonition.

Could this girl be interested in me?

He was never obtuse, especially when it came to emotions—he always had a keen intuition.

Moreover, if a woman showed interest in a man, assuming the man wasn’t suffering from Down Syndrome, it would be clear after a few interactions.

Song Guanchao really wanted to believe he was being presumptuous.

But Zhou Qian’s reactions, her demeanor, her tone, all made it impossible for him to deceive himself.

She was indeed interested in him.

Song Guanchao was perplexed—when had this started?

He carefully recalled their few interactions.

The first time was at a Chengda Company concert, which was their first encounter.

After that, they hadn’t seen each other for a while.

They met again during a robbery case.

He had saved Zhou Qian.

It was then that Zhou Qian’s impression of him changed.

She was no longer as cold as she had been during their first meeting.

After that came the Hui Po Company case, which he personally asked her to help with.

The real change occurred the second time.

By then, her feelings had become quite apparent.

It was because she proposed conducting an exclusive interview with him.

At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it, but looking back now, the issue was too significant.

However, she had managed to hide her feelings very well.

If it hadn’t been for tonight’s incident, she probably would have continued hiding them and not made them so obvious.

"It’s my fault."

Song Guanchao didn’t make excuses and immediately admitted his mistake, "Next time, I’ll invite you alone as an apology."

Zhou Qian’s mood gradually improved, though her lips were still pouted, as if she could hang an oil bottle from them.

She gently hummed a response, "Invite me when you’re less busy."

"Alright." Song Guanchao breathed a sigh of relief, but inside, he felt a bit frustrated.

His charm with the opposite sex was becoming a bit troublesome.

Back in university, his popularity with the opposite sex even made his roommates jealous.

Later, when he joined the army and didn’t see women, the issue disappeared.

It had made him forget the fact that he was quite a handsome man.

"Secretary Song, did you and County Magistrate Fu know each other a long time ago?"

"How did you know?"

"I could tell."

Song Guanchao was shocked, could it really be seen?

Zhou Qian added, "She likes you."

Song Guanchao was even more shocked and almost hit the wrong pedal.

Zhou Qian continued, "You like her too."

Song Guanchao opened his mouth, at a loss for words.

Just over the course of a barbecue, how could you see so much?

Were Fu Ying and I that obvious?

He stayed silent, quietly waiting for her to continue.

He wanted to know if Zhou Qian also figured out that he and Fu Ying had slept together.

"Am I right?" Zhou Qian asked.

"No." Song Guanchao firmly denied.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Oh, good that I guessed wrong." Zhou Qian’s face brightened with a smile again.

She knew Song Guanchao was deliberately denying it.

But she wanted to hear him deny it personally.

A man, in front of a woman, denying his relationship with another woman.

It means this man has a fondness for this woman.

He doesn’t want to be misunderstood by her.

Song Guanchao didn’t know what she was thinking; he simply didn’t want Zhou Qian to think of him and Fu Ying in that way.

Fu Ying was on the rise now, and he was the City Committee’s Secretary.

The two of them, given their statuses, it was best to avoid any interaction.

Otherwise, it could easily become fodder for gossip.

"We’re here."

The car stopped outside a four-star hotel in the county town, Song Guanchao said, "I won’t escort you up."

Zhou Qian asked, "Aren’t you staying here tonight?"

"I’m staying at the guesthouse." Song Guanchao lied without batting an eyelid.

"Oh, are you returning to Lingjiang tomorrow?"

"Not sure yet, it depends."

"I’ll let you know before I leave, and if you’re also leaving, I’ll ride with you."

"Alright."

He watched her enter the hotel, then Song Guanchao turned the car around and headed toward the County Committee Compound.

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om

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