Chapter 19

The air became increasingly thick and sticky, and the voices of the people around them and the sound of wheels rolling seemed to fade away, becoming mere background noise for the two of them.

Zheng Xiaorou could clearly hear the pounding of her own heartbeat, and all the blood in her body rushed to her face. She didn’t dare to think about how red she must look right now!

She didn’t bother to ask him if the item was valuable; instead, as if afraid of being seen, she hurriedly shoved it into her bag.

“Xiaorou, will you promise me?”

Even though he knew that her attitude was essentially an agreement, Lu Yongzhang still wanted to hear her admit it in person.

He wanted to remember this moment, where something he had never even dared to dream of in his past life was happening right before his eyes. He had to make sure the beginning of this event was without any regrets.

Zheng Xiaorou’s face burned like fire; she instinctively covered her face with her hands, her voice barely above a whisper but her tone firm: “I promise!”

After saying that, she shyly lowered her eyes, unable to look at the person beside her.

For a long time, neither of them spoke.

When she finally lifted her eyes, feeling a bit more at ease, she discovered that Lu Yongzhang was gazing deeply at her. Suddenly, her heart felt like it had ignited into a blazing fire, causing her to quickly look away.

Watching Zheng Xiaorou’s shy expression as he looked at her, Lu Yongzhang felt an immense and unfamiliar sense of satisfaction.

He restrained himself even though he had many things he wanted to say.

He changed the subject: “Big brother and his family are doing well.”

It was evident that Zheng Tianchao genuinely cared for her; his sister-in-law was kind and practical, and his niece was innocent and adorable.

When Zheng Tianchao was mentioned, Zheng Xiaorou’s face lit up with affection. “Big brother is the person who dotes on me the most.”

Seeing her expression, Lu Yongzhang felt unprecedented calm and softness in his heart.

He was grateful that the familial love Zheng Xiaorou had missed in her previous life seemed to be compensated for in this one.

But soon after, a twinge of jealousy arose within him. Her desire to possess her trust and affection for her brother made him blurt out, “From now on, I will be the one who dotes on you the most.”

He had always maintained a principled and aloof demeanor, his presence so at odds with those around him that it felt as if he belonged to another world.

This was the very reason Zheng Xiaorou had initially approached him.

She had never expected that someone like him would one day say something so direct, so heartfelt that it made her heartbeat quicken.

Yet, she could not deny that his words moved her deeply.

She had received love letters from Cheng Qian before, but they paled in comparison to Lu Yongzhang’s straightforward declaration.

It wasn’t simply the difference between spoken words and written ones; Zheng Xiaorou couldn’t pinpoint the reason, but she knew her heart was racing.

“Xiaorou, I will make it happen,” he said.

Zheng Xiaorou’s face turned crimson, and she felt that whatever she responded with would be inappropriate.

Lu Yongzhang was already content with her reaction. He cleared his throat and asked, “How’s your review going lately?”

“Slowly but surely. My foundation was too weak before.” Hearing him stop pressing her with questirelieved Zheng Xiaoroulief, but the new topic didn’t lighten her mood much. “It’s a bit difficult.”

Forget about the college entrance exam questions; even the notes and homework that Zheng Tianlei brought back each day were enough to keep her occupied for half the day.

Zheng Xiaorou realized she had overestimated her own learning ability. At this pace, she wouldn’tcouldn’t pass the exam next year—or even the year after.

“Do you want to go to school, or do you just want to change your situation?”

“What’s the difference? I feel like only the college entrance exam can change my life.” In Zheng Xiaorou’s eyes, getting a job in an organization was a dead-end. She recalled what her brother had said, “Also, don’t take what Dad said to heart. My brother said that if he goes step by step, he’ll get a salary increase next year. In short, what I mean is that you don’t have to do anything.”

“For the important people and important things in your life, I will take them to heart,” Lu Yongzhang replied, his words carrying deep meaning. He then continued, “The college entrance exam is just a means. If you want to change your situation, there are other ways. What I want to say is that we need to plan our futures together. If you have that thought, I will find a way to make it happen.”

This statement shook Zheng Xiaorou even more than his previous confession. She couldn’t help but look up at him, and it was no surprise when their eyes met again. “Thank you. Honestly, I’m quite content right now. My family is around me, I have a job, friends, and now I even have… you.”

There were certainly things and people she didn’t like, but that was how life was, wasn’t it? Most things didn’t go as planned. Compared to many others, she felt she was incredibly lucky.

“Take your time to think about it,” Lu Yongzhang said, gazing deeply at her. He would strive to put himself ahead of everyone else.

Zheng Xiaorou might not have noticed it herself, but her disappointment with Father Zheng was quite evident.

She had instinctively said, “My family is around me,” which casually included Father Zheng. However, Zheng Xiaorou’s personality, if she considered her parents to be the most important people, would have said, “Mom and Dad are here.” She had always been a person who valued rules.

But he also saw her deep attachment to her family, a sentiment more profound than he had imagined.

This reminded him once again that she had already begun a new life; her relatives in this life were different from those in her previous one.

Lu Yongzhang felt a tremor of doubt about the actions he had planned regarding Father Zheng.

This was the first time he had ever wavered in his strategies and arrangements.

As they walked back to Sanzhul, the journey took just over an hour despite being only a few stops away.

He walked her all the way to the door, still feeling a bit reluctant to part, but he knew Zheng Xiaorou must be tired from walking. He quietly said, “You’ve had a long day. Later, soak your feet in hot water and massage them well.”

“Okay.”

“Xiaorou, I’m really happy,” Lu Yongzhang said from the heart.

Walking this stretch of road with her made him feel blissful.

Zheng Xiaorou found it incredible that she had walked the entire way with him without a thought of stopping. As she stood in front of her home’s entrance, she suddenly remembered the item in her bag. “Is there something special about that pair of cups?”

“This is a pair of rhino horn cups,” Lu Yongzhang said, his voice clear and resonant. After talking throughout the walk, his throat felt slightly dry, adding to the magnetic quality of his voice, which was quite enchanting to hear. “They symbolize a deep connection. Xiaorou, this is my confession.”

Zheng Xiaorou’s heart stuttered for a moment, and then she asked a rather unromantic question, “They must be expensive, right?”

“They’re not expensive…”

Just then, Zheng Tianlei awkwardly opened the pavilion window and called out, “Sister! Brother Lu! Why are you guys back so late? I left the house a quarter of an hour after you, and I’m already home!”

Zheng Xiaorou felt too shy to look up, but Lu Yongzhang replied openly, “We’re different from you; of course, we had to go shopping.”

After hearing Zheng Tianlei’s shout, he calmly told her, “I’ll watch you go in. See you tomorrow morning.”

Zheng Xiaorou walked to the door, turned around to glance at him, and then pushed the door open to enter.

This sudden attachment to another person was a feeling she had never experienced before.

Lu Yongzhang watched her go inside before turning to head back to his own place.

Before long, Pang Haifan, who had agreed to meet him, arrived, panting and complaining, “I swear, if you’re not back this time, I’m done dealing with you!”

He was still frustrated from having come over last time and finding no one there, his face drooping as he trembled with exasperation.

Lu Yongzhang calmly let him in, pouring tea and laying out cigarettes. In the moment before, the aggrieved Pang Haifan had instantly relaxed.

“You just know this trick! Hit me with a stick and then give me a sweet date, right? I’m just damned!”

Pang Haifan dejectedly sat down to drink tea. After letting out a sigh of relief, he smacked his lips. “Let’s get down to business first. After that, I’ll go back and catch a few more hours of sleep.”

“The lead on Cheng Qian that you asked me to investigate—his family is the biggest problem. They’ve been receiving remittances from abroad for a long time, but there’s no evidence of normal communication with overseas contacts. However… if I continue to investigate, I’ll have to report to your dad. I can’t take it any further, you understand?”

“That’s enough. What is the deal behind Cheng Qian’s work?”

“I only found out that he is an old acquaintance of the cinema director; I haven’t found anything else…”

“Doesn’t matter. That’s enough. I can take it from here. What about the situation with the head of the publishing house?”

“Ah, you’d better ask your cousin about that.” Pang Haifan suspiciously averted his gaze.

“What hasn’t she told you? Hurry up and finish. I have things to do.” Lu Yongzhang slightly squinted his eyes, not paying attention to the expression on his face.

Pang Haifan’s face flushed red: “Well, the Team Leader and the director of the printing factory are best friends.

This job was introduced to her by the director, and they’ve known each other for many years, so it’s not easy to investigate.

I found out that at the beginning of this year, a batch of books had been printed, and the Proofreading Department finally deemed them acceptable. I don’t know if it’s related.”

Lu Yongzhang nodded: “That part is none of your concern; I’ll handle it.”

“What are you going to do?” Pang Haifan asked with curiosity.

The last time Li Mingqi came to apologize was a matter that made Pang Haifan scratch his head, eager to know what had happened in between.

The information he had gathered could only prove that Li Mingqi had fabricated lies for his sister, and he had done it quite cleverly. Based on his experience, he would have only received a scolding at most, but what was the outcome? Li Mingqi ended up in prison!

Not to mention anything else, how did that guy manage to kneel in front of Zheng Xiaorou and apologize in front of everyone in the alley?

Lu Yongzhang smiled with an air of tranquility: “It’s just a little trick.”

“What little trick? Hurry up and tell me!”

Lu Yongzhang naturally wouldn’t share his well-practiced methods with him; those were things that people in uniforms could not do. It was a pity that his helpers were limited, and the progress was slow.

After finishing with Pang Haifan, he prepared some materials and then waited for the night to fall so he could change his outfit and head out.

—o—o—o—

A few days later, the publishing house erupted with shocking news: the Proofreading Department had changed its leader in a single day and astonishingly promoted one of the positions to permanent.

To minimize the impact, the personnel tasked with taking away the former Team Leader were brought in through the back door, and the new Team Leader, Fu Dongyun, assumed her position that same day.

Sitting at the regular meeting table, Fu Dongyun looked bewildered. “I’m the Team Leader?”

No one had expected the former Team Leader, who had maintained her connections so tightly, to be suddenly removed.

The Chief had a grim expression; the previous proofreading Team Leader had always performed well, and the reason for her arrest was actually for the crime of “damaging national assets.” To put it bluntly, this scandal was a slap in the face for him, as such disgraceful incidents had occurred right under his nose without him noticing.

“Yes, according to seniority, it was your turn,” the top leader instructed the branch secretary. “This week, organize a training session on moral education and conduct a self-examination. We need to keep everyone on high alert from top to bottom.”

Amid this fervent self-examination and correction process, the news about Zheng Xiaorou being promoted to a permanent position quietly slipped under the radar.