Official Career Storm
Chapter 397

Chapter 397: Chapter 397

It wasn’t because she was eloquent or that she could casually cite classics and scriptures.

It lay in the fact that she had a certain quality about her.

Even though she lived in the countryside and her clothes weren’t flashy, she was very clean, her silver hair meticulously combed.

This meant she had high standards for her appearance on a daily basis.

Moreover, she moved with a steady gait, and despite her age, she didn’t carry an air of twilight years.

It indicated that she normally focused on nurturing her health, perhaps even exercising, and she likely had a positive mindset.

Additionally, unlike the typical rural elderly woman who might feel uneasy around strangers,

she was not only at ease but also quickly took the initiative in conversation.

And more so, she wasn’t a chatterbox, not one to dwell on trivial household matters.

The old lady reminded her of her own grandmother.

In fact, in terms of presence, she felt that her grandmother was even slightly less imposing.

One must know that temperament and aura, aside from the inherent confidence given by family wealth, are greatly influenced by experience.

Without a broadened perspective or having gone through significant events, it’s tough to cultivate such qualities and presence.

How could such a senior be living in a small mountain village?

Approaching the river, the concrete path turned into a mud track.

Within a hundred meters of the riverbank was a wild growth of grass and reeds.

The mud track was soft and moist, and with every step, the sides of one’s shoes would be smeared with a layer of yellow mud.

The old lady concentrated on the Fishing Man’s footprints, stepping carefully, her cloth shoes remaining surprisingly clean.

When they were close to the shore, Wu Qiangwei caught sight of that familiar silhouette she hadn’t seen in days amidst the reeds.

He wore baggy shorts and a cartoon-print short-sleeve T-shirt, with a straw hat on his head, sitting on a stool, holding a fishing rod, staring at the stationary float on the surface of the water.

Seeing this figure, for some reason, her heartbeat suddenly quickened.

"Guan Chao, your friend is looking for you," the old lady’s voice pulled her back to reality.

Friend?

Song Guanchao wondered, who else is looking for me now?

Liu Lan Zhi visiting again?

Turning around and seeing Wu Qiangwei, Song Guanchao’s thoughts cleared instantly.

There she stood, surrounded by waist-high wild grass. A breeze swept through, bending the grass, and the loose strands of hair around her bun fluttered in the wind, the T-shirt flapping gently.

Song Guanchao seldom saw her in casual wear, but whenever she changed out of her suits, he was always taken aback by her stunning appearance.

This time was no exception.

Her tight capri jeans perfectly showcased her slender legs, and a bulge quietly swelled under her loose T-shirt; the wind pressed the fabric against her body, accentuating the beautiful contour.

The two of them gazed at each other from a distance; Song Guanchao’s eyes suddenly became a little dazed.

As she walked towards him, Song Guanchao’s attention gradually returned.

What was she doing here?

"Go on, take a walk with your friend," grandmother said, watching her grandson stare and patting his shoulder.

"Oh, okay."

Song Guanchao set down his fishing rod, bent over to wash his hands in the river, and walked over.

After the two had walked away, grandfather finally asked, "A classmate?"

"Not a classmate."

"A girlfriend?"

"Why so nosy?" Grandmother glared at him.

Grandfather said, "I think Lan Zhi is quite nice."

Grandmother glared at him again: "Don’t meddle in Guan Chao’s affairs."

The old lady, with her keen eyes, had immediately spotted Liu Lan Zhi’s feelings for Song Guanchao.

As for this girl, she couldn’t yet tell whether she had that kind of interest in her grandson.

But she did see that Song Guanchao was interested in this girl.

The two walked along the riverside for a while when Song Guanchao asked, "Secretary Wu, did you need to see me about something?"

Wu Qiangwei’s good mood was shattered by his calling her "Secretary Wu."

"It’s not working hours now."

"Oh." Song Guanchao asked, "So what did you want to see me for?"

Wu Qiangwei couldn’t hold back anymore, "Can’t I come to see you if nothing’s wrong?"

Hearing the resentment in her voice, Song Guanchao gave a sheepish smile, "Of course you can, but I was just worried about delaying your work."

Wu Qiangwei took a deep breath and said, "I asked Zeng Li to contact her brother. If the military is willing to intervene, we don’t need to worry about the provincial disciplinary action."

Song Guanchao suddenly looked at her intently, "You asked Zeng Li to say it?"

He had originally planned to approach Zeng Yingrong himself.

Given his relationship with Zeng Yingrong, this matter was really no big deal.

That’s why he never worried when he found out the reason he was being disciplined.

He hadn’t reached out yet because he was waiting to see if the other party would continue to play tricks on him.

He hadn’t expected Wu Qiangwei to take the initiative to reach out.

A feeling of happiness suddenly welled up inside him.

After all, Wu Qiangwei didn’t know about his connection with Zeng Yingrong.

She knew Zeng Li, so she certainly knew of Zeng Yingrong, but as for how good their relationship was, Song Guanchao doubted it was particularly strong.

Asking Zeng Yingrong to intervene over a mere warning meant owing him a favor.

The value of that was disproportionate.

It was precisely because of this that Song Guanchao felt happy.

It meant that he still had some significance in Wu Qiangwei’s heart.

"Mhm." Wu Qiangwei felt a bit awkward under his gaze and subconsciously began to play with her hair, saying, "If you were in the wrong, you should accept the punishment. But since you weren’t, of course I should help you seek justice."

"Heh heh," Song Guanchao chuckled.

After walking for a bit more, Wu Qiangwei asked softly, "Does it hurt?"

"Hm? What?"

Wu Qiangwei stopped and looked at his face, "Did it hurt that day?"

Song Guanchao realized she was talking about the day she hit him.

"It hurt quite a bit."

Thinking back to their conversation that day, Song Guanchao’s smile faded.

That day, both of them had gotten carried away with their emotions.

Song Guanchao had gotten worked up because he believed that Wu Qiangwei thought his actions had affected her.

He didn’t know if he had misunderstood her.

It wasn’t his fault, since Wu Qiangwei hadn’t made herself clear, and given the context of the situation, even if he had misunderstood, it was because Wu Qiangwei hadn’t been clear.

"I’m sorry," Wu Qiangwei said softly, lowering her head in apology.

Song Guanchao didn’t respond to her apology but asked instead, "Were you angry because something I did had an impact on you?"

He wanted to know the answer to this question; it was important to him.

Wu Qiangwei shook her head, "I was angry at you for keeping things from me, and even after I asked you, you still didn’t tell me the truth."

Hearing this response brought the smile back to Song Guanchao’s face.

Just as he thought, he had misunderstood.

Suddenly, he felt today’s gloomy weather shone brighter than the usual scorching sun.

"I didn’t keep it from you," Song Guanchao said. "I just forgot, and besides, you didn’t give me a chance to explain. Before I could even wrap my head around it, you were telling me to leave."

Wu Qiangwei pursed her lips, "I wasn’t in the right state of mind then. I’ll be more mindful in the future."

Song Guanchao almost thought he had misheard.

Was she openly acknowledging her mistake to me?

"Mhm," Song Guanchao replied cheerfully.

Wu Qiangwei asked, "Has the previous misunderstanding been cleared up?"

"Yeah, it’s good to talk it out." He liked this mode of interaction with Wu Qiangwei.

Straight to the point, reason through things.

Not like those drama queens, stirring up irrational trouble.

Wu Qiangwei nodded, then suddenly asked, "Did I tell you before that you should report everything you do to me?"

"Mhm."

"Then why didn’t you report to me when you went to see Tu Zhaorui this time?"

A twitch formed at the corner of Song Guanchao’s mouth as he looked at her slightly smug expression; suddenly, he felt a bit exasperated.

She did it on purpose!

This woman, she definitely did it on purpose!

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