Chapter 14

Before 6:30 in the morning, Zhou Zhou was already at the community gate, pushing her suitcase.

She didn’t like making others wait. No matter what, she always arrived 10–15 minutes early. It was a small detail, but she often got compliments for it. In work, the best way to support others is not to hold them back.

It’s a matter of attitude.

Wangjing is not close to H City. By the time they got the call from Mayor Xu and arrived at the airport, it was already after 8 o’clock.

On the way, Zhou Zhou showed Mayor Xu the materials she had rushed to finish the night before.

Mayor Xu only pointed out a few small issues, no major changes.

Zhou Zhou planned to fix them on the plane.

She had two computers at home, a desktop and a laptop. The laptop was a must-have for business trips.

The flight was two hours, enough time to finish revising and even read some books.

But Mayor Xu said, “It’s not urgent. You need it tomorrow. Fix it at the hotel tonight.”

He really respected this young woman. She had worked alone abroad for years, returned home for her family, and kept working steadily and seriously. She worked overtime, went to rural areas as needed, never complained, and sometimes thought even more carefully than her leaders. This was enough to make her memorable.

People said she was strict, but she just wanted her secretaries to be more careful and thorough. Honestly, very few young people can do those three things nowadays. Some act proud just because they graduated from a top university and worked two years in government. But every job is long and challenging. Only steady, small streams eventually join the big ocean. The flashy waves are just noise.

Mayor Xu had worked for decades. What he valued most was Zhou Zhou’s toughness. She was calm when faced with rumors and focused on her work.

She wasn’t afraid to be a small, unnoticed stream, steadily moving toward her goals, slowly gaining strength and expanding her path.

Mayor Xu thought, this young woman is so determined and young, even without connections, she should be very successful later.

During the trip, Mayor Xu didn’t want it to feel like a meeting, so he asked gently, “Zhou Zhou, how old are you this year?”

“Twenty-nine.”

“That’s not young anymore. Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Not yet.” Zhou Zhou wondered if he was trying to set her up.

Oh no, what a tricky question!

Say no and offend the boss. Say yes and who knows what will happen?

Luckily, Mayor Xu wasn’t nosy. He smiled kindly, “I was married at your age. You’re still single? I’ve heard many people like you.”

This… was like a death sentence!

Zhou Zhou smiled awkwardly, “Haha… not really.”

“Not interested?”

A young, beautiful, top-school graduate like her, with impressive experience, not interested in ordinary guys—understandable.

Zhou Zhou felt more awkward and quickly said, “No, no…”

Some guys she hadn’t even met, how could she say yes or no?

And honestly, among the men left at related units, not many were normal.

When she first came back, a divorced deputy director with a child even approached her, asking if she wanted to marry, but it felt like giving orders.

She didn’t know exactly what kind of person she wanted for life, but she knew that unequal relationships weren’t right.

Mayor Xu was curious, “What kind of person do you like?”

Zhou Zhou thought a moment and said, “Someone motivated, neat, and gentle.” Then added, “I don’t like macho men.”

Of course, it’s best to have mutual understanding, so they can talk and not just be stuck in daily chores.

Life is long. Without someone who understands and respects you, it’s hard.

This sounds easy but is actually rare.

Mayor Xu laughed, “You probably haven’t dated yet. Is there anyone suitable around? If so, don’t miss your chance.”

“Not really…” She nervously touched her ear.

They were busy, and she wasn’t good at socializing, so no one yet.

Mayor Xu asked about her parents, then seriously said like an elder, “If you find someone, hold on to them. You’re not young anymore, and your parents would be relieved if you settled down.”

Seeing Zhou Zhou nod thoughtfully, he added, “Ideals and reality differ, but you’re a good girl and shouldn’t give up easily. You have to balance. Character is most important, more than family background or money. Two good people won’t live badly. But don’t ignore conditions either. You can’t marry just for charity.”

These were sincere and rare words.

Zhou Zhou felt lucky to have such good leaders at work, and sincerely replied, “Thank you, I’ll remember that.”

Then the announcement said their flight was boarding.

Zhou Zhou stood up and felt her phone vibrate. It was a WeChat message from Cheng Yanran.

“Director Zhou, boarding yet?”

She quickly typed, “Just about to.”

He replied quickly, “I told Manager He last night to upgrade your father’s car to the high version. It should be ready by Thursday.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Safe trip.” Then sent, “Waiting for you to come back.”

Cheng Yanran didn’t want to bother her, so he ended the chat.

But Zhou Zhou read those four words, “Waiting for you to come back,” and felt a little strange inside.

Those simple words somehow carried a sweet, lover-like feeling.

Since she was traveling with the mayor, no one pushed her suitcase. Luckily, both had small suitcases, so Zhou Zhou pushed one with each hand and couldn’t check her phone much. Soon, she pushed the strange feeling away.

Although Mayor Xu said no need to rush fixing the materials on the plane, Zhou Zhou saw he wasn’t interested in chatting, so she took her laptop from her bag, plugged in a USB drive, and got to work.

The flight was long, so she refined and polished the materials she had written the night before.

When she finished, the plane was about to land.

She packed up and looked out the window. Wangjing, a modern, industrial, tech city, was almost there.