Uncle Zheng, What a Coincidence (Please Bookmark)

The ceiling!

Someone from above!

A city leader? A provincial leader? Or...

Watching Section Chief Guo and his group tidy themselves up and hurry downstairs to greet the visitor at the lobby entrance.

Jiang Hongfei held his wineglass, breathing rapidly. It was as if he had been struck by a gold brick. He had never expected good fortune to come knocking twice in a single day.

He had thought he was merely attending a simple family gathering, only to run into Section Chief Guo's birthday celebration.

He had barely spent ten minutes offering birthday wishes in the private room before a major leader arrived.

It seemed today was truly his lucky day.

After enduring for so long, it was finally his time to soar!

Jiang Hongfei paced back and forth. One bottle of Maotai given to Section Chief Guo could leave a good impression.

But before a leader even greater than Section Chief Guo, would one bottle of Maotai be enough?

No!

Far from enough!

Gritting his teeth as though making some great decision, Jiang Hongfei looked at Jiang Shu, who had yet to leave. "Xiao Shu, stay in the private room. When the Maotai arrives, take it and wait for my message."

With that, Jiang Hongfei headed toward the hotel manager's office. He had met the manager a few times before. If he could use that connection to prepare some fine red wine and tea in advance, he would surely gain a great deal of face before the leader later!

As for the Jiang Family gathering?

It made no difference whether he went or not!

What could be more important than his career?

About half an hour later.

Hotel lobby.

A government sedan slowly pulled up at the entrance.

Section Chief Guo and the others, who had been waiting outside, immediately went forward and opened the car door. Section Chief Guo bent deeply at the waist. "Hello, Director Zheng, hello. I'm Xiao Guo from the Culture and Tourism Bureau..."

"The director made arrangements just now and told me I must receive you properly."

"There's no need to make such a grand fuss. Keep it simple."

The middle-aged man stepping out of the car frowned slightly. Seeing the crowd at the entrance, he said, "The guest later is quite important. Section Chief Guo, just find two or three people to accompany us."

"Yes... yes, of course."

Section Chief Guo's face flushed with nervousness. He hurriedly waved his hand, signaling everyone from the department to disperse. He kept only two trusted subordinates, then closely followed Director Zheng toward the private room.

Before long, they arrived at the private room. Director Zheng pushed the door open and entered. Section Chief Guo glanced at the room number outside, snapped a photo, and sent it to Jiang Hongfei: "Come quickly."

"Sit. No need to stand on ceremony."

Director Zheng sat in the seat of honor. He casually selected several signature dishes from the menu handed over by the waiter, then set it down and said to Section Chief Guo, who had only half his butt on the chair:

"The Culture and Tourism Bureau's burden will grow heavier this year. Section Chief Guo, you must shoulder it well." Director Zheng's voice was steady, but Section Chief Guo felt as though he were about to float into the sky.

The bureau director had hinted at this to him last month. Now that Director Zheng was saying the same thing, it seemed the Culture and Tourism Bureau was about to take off. The heavier the bureau's burden, the higher his, Section Chief Guo's, standing would be.

His fortieth birthday had brought another joyous occasion.

It truly matched Jiang Hongfei's words: "May you stay forever young and rise higher with every step."

That kid had been ignorant before.

But now, perhaps he could become one of his lucky generals.

Section Chief Guo secretly reveled in his delight.

More than ten minutes later, a capable-looking short-haired woman in formal work attire pushed open the private room door. Behind her stood a girl wearing sunglasses.

The girl's hair fell to her waist, and a dark green oversized cloak wrapped around her entire body, concealing her figure.

She walked straight to Director Zheng, removed her sunglasses, and revealed a stunning yet familiar face. "Hello, Director Zheng."

"Hello, Miss Ye."

Director Zheng rose to his feet and shook the girl's hand. "Thank you, Miss Ye, for supporting our Jicheng. I believe that once this Martial Arts Promotional Video is successfully filmed, it will surely spark a new trend."

"I'm only following the tide of the times."

Ye Zhenzhen smiled.

As a celebrity, she could not be considered part of high society, but she had access to plenty of information. Thus, after receiving invitations from several cities, she first chose the city where her grandfather lived and came here to film the promotional video.

The two sat down to talk. Section Chief Guo occasionally chimed in as well, and the atmosphere at the table was harmonious.

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door. Jiang Hongfei poked his head in, carrying a full tea set on the tray in his hands.

"Hello, Director Zheng. Hello, Section Chief Guo."

Seeing Ye Zhenzhen seated there, Jiang Hongfei's heart skipped a beat. But he quickly recovered. So what if she was a celebrity? Before power and influence, even the biggest stars had to lower themselves!

Without letting his gaze wander, he poured tea from the teapot into each cup. The fragrance of tea spread through every seat.

"Director Zheng, this is Xiao Jiang from our department," Section Chief Guo explained. When Jiang Hongfei came to his side, he lightly kicked him.

Fine tea was certainly good.

But how could it compare to Maotai when it came to bringing people closer?

"It should be here soon."

Jiang Hongfei naturally understood Section Chief Guo's hint and replied in a low voice. He was anxious as well. The moment he had prepared the tea set, he had rushed over, afraid that arriving late would prevent him from joining the atmosphere at the table right away.

He had thought that for something as simple as delivering a bottle of Maotai, Jiang Shu and the waiter should have been waiting at the door long ago.

Yet even now, there was not the slightest sign of them!

If the dishes were served before the Maotai came out, what would be the point?

Jiang Hongfei could not help opening WeiXun and sending Jiang Shu a message: "Why aren't you here yet? Hurry, hurry! Bring it straight in!"

The message sank like a stone into the sea, with no reply.

Amid the laughter and conversation around the table, Jiang Hongfei grew more and more anxious. Even his scalp began to itch.

Knock, knock, knock.

At last, someone knocked on the door.

Jiang Hongfei, who had been watching the entrance all along, immediately stood and hurried over.

The waiter pushed the door open and entered, carrying a bottle of Maotai on the tray.

Jiang Hongfei let out a long breath. Beaming with delight, he took the Maotai from the waiter. Without caring that his cousin was still standing at the door, he turned and walked straight toward the dining table, preparing to pour Director Zheng the first glass.

At the doorway, Jiang Shu's lowered eyes were utterly calm.

His cousin was becoming more and more utilitarian.

If his grandparents had not been there tonight, wanting to see Jiang Hongfei, their eldest grandson, why would he have followed him all the way here?

But this was as far as it went.

"Go back early. Grandpa and Grandma are waiting."

Giving Jiang Hongfei's back one final reminder, Jiang Shu did not even care to see who this so-called major leader was. He turned to leave.

He simply could not bring himself to acknowledge a cousin like this.

If Grandpa and Grandma truly wanted to see him, then let Jiang Yongren come instead.

"Jiang Hongfei's cousin is far too thoughtless!"

Section Chief Guo, who happened to be drinking tea, nearly lost his grip on the cup as a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

This was not an ordinary dinner gathering among friends!

No matter how low Jiang Hongfei's status was, he was now accompanying Director Zheng!

No matter how important his family was, could they be more important than Director Zheng?

Outrageous!

He hurriedly rose, intending to reprimand the youth.

But then, a voice suddenly rang out beside him. "Student Jiang Shu?"

The voice was extremely familiar. It crossed the not-so-large private room and reached Jiang Shu's ears just as he turned around.

Jiang Shu looked back and saw the middle-aged man in the seat of honor smiling at him.

At once, a trace of awkwardness appeared on his face.

"Uncle Zheng, what a coincidence."