Chapter 16 – Men’s Jacket

Guo Yao had no idea what her father was thinking, but sometimes letting words out was truly cathartic.

Moments later, the clock in the living room chimed—it was exactly eight.

Guo Jingming snapped back to reality.

He picked up his car keys from the divider behind him and gestured to his daughter. “Go pack up, I’ll drive you back to the hotel.”

“No need. I’m staying home tonight. Got the okay from my supervisor.”

As soon as she said that, Teacher Shen looked surprised. “Even after work, you still have to report to your superiors?”

“Of course. When you’re on a business trip, basic discipline still applies,” Guo Jingming replied, setting down the keys and rolling up his sleeves as he walked toward the kitchen. “I’ll do the dishes. You go get her bed ready.”

Little Comrade Guo raised her hand with a proposal.

“Dad can take the guest room. I want to sleep with Mom—”

Before she could finish, Director Guo ruthlessly cut her off. “Out of the question.”

Uh.

Guo Yao gave Shen Min a pitiful look, silently asking for comfort.

Shen Min chuckled, stroked her daughter’s hair, and said gently, “Be good. Maybe next time.”

“…”

It’s always next time.

So frustrating.

Before bed, Guo Yao opened her WeChat chat window. The message she’d sent Cheng Mu earlier that day was still unanswered—completely radio silent.

She tried calling, but the line was busy.

She frowned. Could he really have ended up in a holding cell?

Her mind replayed that morning in the official car—how one of the top leaders had coldly given instructions to Secretary Xu.

As the saying goes: “Literature can’t beat business, business can’t beat politics.”

In the face of power, what was the chairman of Hengyuan anyway? Would Secretary Zhou really give him any leeway?

Guo Yao buried her face in the pillow, suppressing the urge to ask Secretary Xu for inside info, and reminded herself to calm down.

Think thrice before acting.

Hopefully Second Young Master Cheng would learn a lesson from this.

Also, about that livestream proposal—he still owed her an explanation.

She stared up at the bedroom ceiling. In a half-dreamy state, flashes of moments from their six-month relationship played through her mind.

A soft sigh escaped her lips.

And with it, a realization:

So this is what being in a relationship is like. Nothing too special.

At the same time, at Junyi Hotel—

A discussion on a stalled real estate development had just concluded. After forty minutes, the county party committee offered a preliminary resolution.

Once everyone left, Xu Mo stayed behind to double-check the next day’s inspection schedule.

While reviewing the document, he noticed a new name had suddenly appeared on the list of attendees.

With a thoughtful tone, he said, “If I’m not mistaken, this was a last-minute addition made this afternoon.”

He pushed the laptop across the coffee table for the leader to see.

Silence hung in the room.

Beneath the soft white light, Zhou Zhengliang sat on the couch, long legs crossed, eyes half-closed as he pressed his fingers to his brow, showing no reaction.

He didn’t even need to look to guess who was added—

Director of the Inspection Office, Guo Jingming.

Those people—if only they put as much energy into solving real issues as they did reading between the lines—they wouldn’t be running around like headless chickens, hitting dead ends at every turn.

Lack of ability wasn’t the core issue.

The key was lack of will.

What Tang County lacked was far more than just money.

It was getting late. After his brief report, Xu Mo gathered his files and laptop, ready to leave.

Just before heading out, he added one more thing: “The chairman of Hengyuan Group called me, said he wanted to request a meeting with you. Most likely has to do with the resort project and his son blocking the car earlier today.”

Based on Secretary Zhou’s usual manner, he wouldn’t typically entertain such requests.

But it was still Xu Mo’s duty to report the situation. Whether to meet or not was for the leader to decide.

After a brief silence, Zhou Zhengliang replied in a calm tone, “After we return, choose a time outside work hours. Have Cheng Shaoguo go to Yufeng Clubhouse.”

Xu Mo was genuinely surprised.

Secretary Zhou actually agreed?

And not only that—he chose a private venue. Official business was usually conducted at City Hall. Personal matters were the rare exception.

But what personal matter could there possibly be between Secretary Zhou and the chairman of Hengyuan?

Even if he was curious, Xu Mo knew it wasn’t his place to pry as a subordinate.

He gathered his thoughts, gave the man a polite nod, and said, “Have a good rest,” before heading out.

The door closed behind him.

A few seconds later, silence returned to the room.

Zhou Zhengliang stood from the sofa, picked up a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the coffee table, and walked slowly to the window.

Smoke curled around his fingers.

In the early summer nights of Tang County, the weather was far more pleasant than in the city of Qionghai.

He looked out at the soft, glowing lights in the distance. The little town, under a veil of darkness, looked peaceful and serene.

Perhaps it was this quiet scene that brought a certain truth to mind—

Beautiful landscapes raise beautiful minds.

Realizing the whimsy of that thought, he gave a faint chuckle. It was getting late, so he stubbed out the half-burned cigarette and headed toward the bathroom.

After washing up and drying his hands, his gaze casually swept across the marble countertop.

There, beside the misted-over mirror, lay a black hair tie. Probably left behind by that careless girl before switching rooms.

The soft elastic band had a small four-leaf clover charm adorned with rhinestones. Faint traces of shampoo and her scent lingered in the air.

He held it in his palm, rubbing it gently between his fingers as he looked down at it.

This afternoon, during their walk through the ancient town, she was wearing the same kind. She probably wasn’t planning on coming back for it.

As a leader, he hadn’t noticed that his attention toward this junior subordinate had already gone well beyond professional boundaries.

Over thirty, Zhou Zhengliang’s emotional life had always been sparse—no one had ever really caught his eye.

So what was it about this young girl?

Status, no matter how exalted, couldn’t always escape human weakness.

Where does affection even begin?

Perhaps even he—the person involved—had no answer.

The next day, the county committee made a rare move away from their usual cautious style. Led by the county party secretary, a grand entourage accompanied Secretary Zhou to inspect two major factories in the suburbs:

Tang Liquor and Tang Vinegar.

Back in the day, these brands had established a decent reputation within the province, but due to poor management, they had gradually fallen into decline over the years.

Standing inside the rich aroma of the distillery, watching the artisans carefully carry out every step of the brewing process—it was heartbreaking to think how, after years of hard work and sealed cellars, once their products entered the market, no one seemed to care.

The county committee attributed it to the county’s lack of fame and its remote location. With tourism as the main pillar of the local economy, poor transportation made it difficult to attract sufficient visitor traffic—among other issues.

As County Magistrate Song reached the end of his explanation, Gu Yao couldn’t help but turn her head away, feeling increasingly bitter as she listened.

If everything was this difficult…

Then wasn’t this the perfect chance to bring it up with the big leader?

She took a deep breath and was just about to speak when Director Gu beside her shot her a look to stop her.

Silent communication.

Old Gu’s message was clear: Know your role, don’t speak out of turn when the leaders are making decisions.

??

A row of question marks popped up in her mind. She didn’t understand why her father would—

Just then, the people ahead stopped walking, and several gazes turned their way.

In the vast warehouse, the father and daughter standing alone stood out conspicuously.

Seeing this, County Magistrate Song was about to ask something, when Secretary Zhou cut in mid-way.

From a short distance away, the man’s gaze landed steadily on the two of them and he said in a calm tone, “Director Gu, what are your thoughts on the obstacles facing tourism development?”

Gu Yao’s clear eyes shifted slightly.

See? Whether you stick your head out or not, the knife’s still coming. Might as well get it over with faster.

Gu Jingming hadn’t expected that, as the head of the inspection office—a position with no real power—he’d be publicly called on by a municipal leader in this kind of setting.

He turned to look at his precious daughter—secretly gloating.

This little rascal really doesn’t take me seriously.

Pulling himself together, Gu Jingming stepped forward and responded with a composed expression:
“In the internet age, no information is truly isolated.
Especially with the popularity of short videos, as long as the county leadership is willing to put aside their egos and participate in promotional efforts themselves, showcasing Tang County through a unique lens as a historical and cultural city—within a year, the account’s follower count will at least rival that of neighboring Nanning.”

Speaking of Nanning, its geographical disadvantages were even worse than theirs.

So why was their tourism sector thriving?

Gu Jingming didn’t know much about new media, but that didn’t stop him from stating the truth.

To some extent, he and his daughter shared certain traits:
They stayed quiet until they struck—and when they did, they left no room for retreat.

The whole room went silent, and the county committee members looked dumbfounded.

Get those two old-school leaders to film short videos themselves?

Director Gu really dared to say it.

As for Zhou Zhengliang, he didn’t comment, instead tossing the decision to the county party secretary and Magistrate Song. His subtle gaze waited for them to respond.

Ten long seconds passed—an inner battle between pride and duty.

Finally, both the county secretary and Magistrate Song gave in with a sigh.

“We’ll give it a try.”

Before the topic moved on, Magistrate Song added, “Since Director Gu is ahead of the trend, he shouldn’t be absent from the promotional efforts either.”

“I’ll write the copy. You do the filming,” Gu Jingming delegated coolly.

Trying to pull me in? Let’s see who suffers more.

So what if you’re good at writing?

Looking at the stifled expressions of the two county leaders, Gu Yao couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.

Out of sight, she quietly gave her father a thumbs-up.

Director Gu, well played.

On the way back, Gu Yao leaned close to her dad and asked if he wanted to take some time to learn video editing from her—better to have more skills than fewer.

But he shook his head.
“Know your role and duties. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t steal the publicity department’s job.”

Fair point.

At last, she realized—with age comes wisdom.

Due to limited time, they couldn’t stay in one place too long.

After lunch and a short break, the inspection team packed up and headed downstairs to depart for their next destination.

As the Coaster bus slowly pulled out of the parking lot under the county officials’ watchful eyes, Zhou Zhengliang issued three instructions in a row in the first half of the ride. Secretary Xu had his hands full.

Sitting near the back in the second-to-last row, Gu Yao kept hearing terms like Tang County, economic reform, tourism support, education overhaul, high-speed rail construction, budget allocation…

All the information flooded in, making her feel like she was hallucinating.

Relaxing at last, she unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

When the bus made a stop at a service area, Zhou Zhengliang glanced back and noticed the girl peacefully asleep in the back row.

He silently watched her for a few seconds.

Then looked away and told the driver, “The AC is too cold. Turn it up a few degrees.”

“Yes, Secretary Zhou.”

The temperature was already a comfortable 22°C.

But if the leader felt cold, his word was final.

She slept straight through until the toll station.

Around her, phones were ringing nonstop—several department heads were dealing with work matters. Gu Yao, empty-handed, felt a bit guilty.

What stunned her more was that she somehow ended up with a man’s jacket over her.

Her first guess: Secretary Xu.

But the next second, she got a WeChat notification.

Xu Mo:
“The jacket belongs to Secretary Zhou. Just hand it to me when we get off.”

Whose…?

Who did he say it belonged to?!

Dazed, Gu Yao typed with trembling hands:
“It’s not April Fools’ Day. You must be joking.”

The text practically oozed disbelief and panic.

Xu Mo chuckled silently.

What could he even say about this girl?

Too timid for her own good.

Knows How to Keep a Distance