Chapter 35: A Few Kind Words

After coming back from the restroom, Gu Yao returned with her usual expression, picked up her coat, and followed the man downstairs. She didn’t bring up the bill for now.

Zhou Zhengliang offered to give her a ride.

Surprisingly, Comrade Gu readily agreed and, under the gentle gaze of the senior official, got into the front passenger seat.

The car reached a certain intersection.

While waiting at a red light, the young woman could no longer hold back her true motive for getting into the car. She politely asked, “Secretary Zhou, would it be convenient for me to add you on WeChat?”

After asking, she carefully observed his expression.

She had already rehearsed her words in her mind and was prepared to explain herself at any moment to avoid any misunderstanding from the man.

But surprisingly—

Zhou Zhengliang didn’t show much reaction. His attention remained on the road ahead. He simply picked up his phone and handed it to her, indicating that she could add him herself.

Everything went smoothly… until the next second, when right after she added him, the sound of a money transfer notification chimed inside the car.

Oh no.

So awkward.

She hadn’t expected there to be a sound.

The tool used for her “crime” was right in her hand. Gu Yao pretended not to hear it and forced herself to click “accept.”

She put the phone back in place, and only then did the weight in her heart finally settle.

Her whole series of small movements were clearly observed by Zhou Zhengliang, and in his eyes, she looked adorably honest and simple.

When the light turned green, the car started moving.

Out of the corner of his eye, he smiled and said, “Now that we’ve added each other, change the note.”

Gu Yao instinctively looked down.

“Secretary Zhou.”

That’s right—already changed.

Then, she suddenly realized what the leader actually meant.

The title was too formal. If someone else saw it, it might give the wrong impression.

She thought for a moment.

How about “Big Leader”?

The girl fiddled with the note for quite a while, changing it over and over again. Only on the fifth attempt did she finally show a satisfied look on her face.

Zhou Zhengliang glanced over lightly and reminded her, “I do have a name, you know.”

Huh?

But calling him directly by name didn’t seem appropriate.

She looked troubled.

Regret flashed across her eyes. Had she known earlier, she wouldn’t have added him at all. This was what happened when you tried to be clever—you dug your own grave.

The car fell into silence.

The person beside him wasn’t responding. She kept her head down, staring at her phone, her little head drooping, clearly low on energy.

Zhou Zhengliang didn’t tease her anymore.

With a gentle tone, he comforted her: “Just write whatever you like. No need to overthink it.”

Oh.

Gu Yao finally put her phone away, completely at ease.

It was as if… she’d been waiting for him to say that.

Little brat—turns out she was deliberately putting on a show just now.

He never expected that one day, someone as meticulous as Secretary Zhou could be fooled.

When they got out of the car, the young woman, mindful of getting out but not looking back, completely forgot the bouquet in the back seat.

Watching her a few steps away, waving goodbye, Zhou Zhengliang left the driver’s seat, walked to the back, opened the door—

And quietly retrieved the flowers, walking over to hand them to her.

After a brief pause, Gu Yao took them.

A flash of doubt crossed her mind—Were these really a store giveaway for their anniversary?

In the end, she didn’t ask.

Some things, after all, weren’t worth overthinking.

—

On Monday at work, during her lunch break, she went upstairs to find Director Meng.

When asked whether she would accept the transfer to municipal government work, Gu Yao’s answer was clear: she wasn’t willing.

She said, “After careful consideration, I’ve decided to stay with the project department.”

Meng Changjun didn’t seem surprised at all.

He didn’t try to persuade her further. He just nodded and expressed his respect for Comrade Gu’s decision.

After she left, he picked up his phone and sent a WeChat message to Secretary Xu over at the municipal office.

Just one simple sentence:

[Turns out, I really do have better judgment than you.]

What did that mean?

Xu Mo was stunned: [She turned it down?]

[Yep.]

After reading the reply, he didn’t know what to say for a while.

He sighed softly—What a great opportunity.

Such a foolish girl.

—

Time passed quickly, and winter arrived.

About 30 kilometers from Dongjiao, Anle Town was the core area for a planned resort development. But recently, rumors had been spreading within the Development and Reform Commission that the project’s initial demolition phase was facing major delays.

The nursing home had become a holdout. The elderly residents—most of whom were over 70 and long-time locals—would be forced to leave their homeland if the building was torn down.

Back in the day, when the nursing home nearly went bankrupt, over a hundred households pooled money to save it. Some of the residents had no children, and they’d long regarded the place as their true home, with deep emotional ties.

The demolition team had been stationed outside the facility for more than two weeks, but because the elderly residents were emotionally distressed, they hadn’t dared take action.

For a high-profile development like this, time was money. The Hengyuan company was naturally in a panic.

Xia Wei leaned in and whispered, “Word has it that Hengyuan’s CEO privately approached the Deputy Mayor to ask the government to step in—and even brought cash. Guess what happened next?”

Right at the juicy part, she deliberately paused for effect.

Gu Yao couldn’t deny—she was curious too.

Once she had everyone’s attention, Xia Wei delivered the punchline: “He came back empty-handed.”

What did that mean?

The others looked at each other and urged her to continue with more details.

Only Gu Yao had a clear idea in her heart.

Even though the 518 case was over, the lingering pressure from Secretary Zhou’s crackdown on bureaucracy was still strong. The Deputy Mayor would have to be insane to risk getting caught in the act.

As expected, the CEO of Hengyuan had no chance of getting help.

So the demolition dragged on for over a month.

Until early December.

Eager to score political points, the second son of the Cheng family—one of the project leads—resorted to desperate measures. He planned to carry out a surprise demolition under cover of night, hoping the residents would all be asleep.

But things went wrong.

A video of the forced demolition was deliberately amplified and circulated online.

“An 80-year-old nearly buried alive while defending his home.”

The red-letter headline spread across the front page of every news site. In just one night, public opinion exploded across Qionghai like a storm.

Eventually, the news reached Zhou Zhengliang.

The morning after the incident, the Municipal Committee issued an order: the Anle Town development project was to be suspended immediately.

Until the nursing home’s relocation issue was properly addressed, no construction could resume. All responsible companies were required to submit a written report and resolution plan, and face an uncertain future in an upcoming government-business conference.

With a project worth billions now indefinitely halted, the potential losses were incalculable.

And yet, during this highly sensitive time, the government office building unexpectedly received an uninvited guest.

Cheng family’s second son showed up in a low-profile SUV. As always, he waited at the same spot—from 4 to 5 p.m.—hoping to see his ex-girlfriend.

But Gu Yao, ever since moving, had gotten used to entering and exiting through the east gate to catch the subway.

So, they completely missed each other.

Later, Cheng Mu, after some digging, finally discovered that she had moved out of the Xiangyang complex.

Friday marked the seventh day since the incident.

Just as Gu Yao arrived at her apartment building, she heard a man’s voice calling urgently behind her.

She turned toward the sound, her expression blank, watching as Cheng Mu walked up to her.

“Yao Yao.” Cheng Mu stopped a safe distance away, not wanting to startle her.

He stopped about half a meter from her.

Seeing he still had basic manners, Gu Yao set down her shopping bags, standing where she was and asked, “How did you find this place? What do you want this time?”

Cheng Mu let out a breath of relief.

The fact that she was still willing to talk meant there was still some hope left between them.

But as the silence dragged on, Gu Yao’s patience ran out. She picked up her groceries and turned to head into the apartment building.

In a panic, Cheng Mu blurted out, “That night at the hotel—I was drugged and completely out of it. I mistook Miss Tang for you. Yao Yao, I never meant to betray you.”

At those words, her steps halted.

Gu Yao slowly turned around, her gaze unreadable as she looked at him.

She recalled the truth her cousin had revealed earlier and instantly understood—it was all orchestrated by Madam Cheng, naturally for the sake of forging a marriage alliance between the Cheng and Tang families.

But what’s done is done.

And even without that incident, she and Cheng Mu were always doomed to part—it was only a matter of time.

“If you were the victim, then ending things peacefully is the most dignified way,” she said calmly, her voice flat in the biting winter wind. “Cheng Mu, you have your own life. Please stop bothering me. Let’s show each other some respect—don’t make this uglier than it already is.”

Cold. Detached. Unfeeling.

In that moment, it felt like something in his chest had split open, slowly bleeding out.

Cheng Mu knew—whatever he said now, it was too late.

He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse. “Yao Yao, could you… at least have one last meal with me? Just one. As a farewell.”

There it was—the real reason.

Second Young Master Cheng had become a businessman now.

He wouldn’t show up so diligently for an entire week without a motive.

Clearly, this had nothing to do with lingering feelings, and everything to do with his own interests.

Gu Yao didn’t even bother sparing him a second glance. She pulled her scarf tighter and kept walking.

“Yao Yao—!”

Cheng Mu stepped forward to block her path.

Only to be cut off coldly: “I have nothing of value to offer. You’ve got the wrong person, Second Young Master.”

Seeing how unyielding she was, he could only lower his posture. His eyes were pleading, almost desperate.

“Please, Yao Yao. Just this once.”

“I swear, after this—no matter if I live or die—I’ll never come to you again.”

“I’m begging you. Please.”

…

They stood locked in a standoff for nearly twenty minutes.

Gu Yao regretted not having left the security office’s number.

Half an hour later, they arrived at a hotel owned by Hengyuan Group.

On the eighth floor, in a private dining room elegantly furnished, she could already see everything inside from the hallway.

Madam Cheng was uncharacteristically plain today. Gone was her usual grandeur—her makeup was modest, her outfit simple, and she had even given up the seat of honor, a gesture typically reserved for elders.

When she greeted her with a courteous, “Miss Gu, please have a seat,” there wasn’t a trace of her usual condescension.

Gu Yao almost laughed.

Let’s see what kind of show this mother-son duo plans to put on today.

Once she felt the timing was right, Madam Cheng began fiddling with her wine glass, carefully choosing her words.

She remembered her husband’s repeated instructions before leaving the house—that whether the forced demolition scandal could be salvaged hinged on whether this girl was willing to let go of the past and speak up for Cheng Mu.

Though Cheng Shaoguo hadn’t said it outright, the implication was clear.

What caught Madam Cheng off guard was how this girl, fresh off a breakup, had managed to latch onto a high-ranking municipal leader almost immediately.

Quite the strategy.

Raising her glass with a smile, she said, “When I heard about the disagreement between you and A-Mu over the prenuptial agreement, I felt terrible. I’ve been wanting to apologize in person for a long time.”

“There’s no need,” Gu Yao replied, glancing at the time. “If your son hadn’t kept pestering me, I wouldn’t be sitting here. If Madam Cheng still intends to keep circling around the point, be my guest—I won’t stay to listen.”

Things were different now.

They were no longer in a relationship. There was no need to keep up pretenses or play nice.

As the wife of the Hengyuan Group’s chairman, Madam Cheng was used to being flattered and obeyed.

Yet here she was, swallowing her pride before a young girl barely out of school.

After a long pause, she collected herself and finally explained why they’d asked Gu Yao to come.

It was about the resort project’s indefinite suspension.

“The rumors online about an elderly man nearly being buried alive are completely unfounded. You know what kind of person A-Mu is—he never meant to hurt anyone. He just… acted without thinking, lacking experience.”

Madam Cheng’s voice began to tremble. “The board is grilling him, and his father has already issued an ultimatum—if this isn’t resolved soon, he’ll strip A-Mu of all his shares and send him abroad to fend for himself.”

“Miss Gu, our backs are against the wall. Please… for the sake of what you once had with A-Mu, help him.”

The more Gu Yao listened, the more confused she became.

She was just a junior civil servant. What could she possibly do?

Before she could even piece together her thoughts, Madam Cheng—eyes red—said, “You’re on good terms with Secretary Zhou. If you’d just say a few kind words to him, we’d be eternally grateful. The Cheng family won’t forget this kindness.”

She was speechless.

Then let out a dry laugh.

She and Secretary Zhou were on good terms?

Grabbing her bag from the chair beside her, Gu Yao stood up without a word.

But then, she paused.

She couldn’t leave so easily.

If she didn’t clarify things now, the rumors would only spread further—and that would surely damage the leader’s reputation.

So before leaving, she turned back, her expression serious and voice clear:

“First of all, I’m just a regular office staff member. I have zero influence over the resort project. I don’t know where you heard otherwise, but whatever it was—it’s ridiculous. I can’t help you, and I won’t pretend I can.

Second, if your project’s in trouble, maybe instead of wasting time scheming, you should reflect on how to actually solve the problem at its root. A corporation as big as Hengyuan can’t even come up with a proper solution? That’s laughable.”

Her rapid-fire rebuttal left Madam Cheng speechless.

That rumor—about her being close to Secretary Zhou—had come from her husband.

But judging by the girl’s reaction, it clearly wasn’t true. Could the intel have been wrong?

Now wasn’t the time to find out.

The air in the room had dropped to freezing, and there was no use continuing the conversation.

Madam Cheng was about to speak when someone beside her raised a hand to stop her.

Cheng Mu shook his head at his mother.

Gu Yao had already said her piece. She wasn’t interested in their little performance anymore. Without another glance, she turned and left the room.

It wasn’t until her figure disappeared completely through the door that Cheng Mu let out a dry laugh.

“You went through so much trouble to break us up,” he said coldly. “And now you’re groveling, asking her for help. Madam Cheng, doesn’t your face sting?”

“What did you just say?”

Seeing the indifferent look on her son’s face, Madam Cheng trembled with anger.

Pointing a shaking finger at him, she snapped, “Useless thing. If it weren’t for you, do you think I—”

“I never wanted to compete with my brother for anything,” Cheng Mu cut her off, voice emotionless. “It was always you—my mother—who insisted on using every dirty trick to put me in that position.”

After speaking, he slumped back in his chair, face pale as he lit a cigarette.

He took a deep drag, exhaling slowly, eyes lifeless, like a man already hollowed out.

Seeing her son like this, how could any mother not feel heartache?

But what could she do?

He wasn’t born to inherit.

And yet he was born into the Cheng family.

As it’s always been: the victor becomes king, the loser, nothing.

If he refused to fight…

Then the two of them—mother and son—would never have a place to stand.