I was first in everything

Jian Shuyue and Tian Tian both felt a jolt of surprise. They stared at the blushing reporter and asked in unison, "Don't tell me you're..."

Zhou Xiaofan nodded bashfully and admitted, "I think I've fallen for him!"

Jian Shuyue and Tian Tian fell silent.

After a moment, the former asked tentatively, "Then what do you like about him?"

Zhou Xiaofan's eyes immediately lit up, and she hurriedly counted on her fingers. "So many things! I love how smart, brave, composed, and confident he is. I love that he has all the youthful spirit of a young man, but also the maturity and steadiness you usually only find in middle-aged men. I love how handsome and masculine he looks in uniform, and how eloquent and commanding he is onstage..."

As the reporter's little mouth rattled on, Jian Shuyue and Tian Tian were dumbfounded.

Fine, Zhou Yi was pretty decent.

But did she really have to sing his praises quite so extravagantly?

Was this a case of love being blind?

Or had she drunk some dodgy liquor today?

"Wait, doesn't Zhou Yi have a girlfriend?" Tian Tian seemed to remember something and offered the reminder.

"Didn't you two say his girlfriend broke up with him?" Zhou Xiaofan asked in confusion.

"Did we? Right, right. Honestly, my memory." A trace of embarrassment crossed Demon Tian's lovely, alluring face.

"I think Zhou Yi and I are really meant to be. Look, he's a police officer, and I'm a reporter. He was born in the Year of the Goat, and so was I. His surname is Zhou, and mine is too. When we have a child, wouldn't Zhouzhou be such a lovely nickname?" Zhou Xiaofan's eyes were full of longing. She had even thought up a name for their child.

Jian Shuyue and Tian Tian were utterly speechless.

They simply couldn't understand what inevitable professional bond existed between a police officer and a reporter.

And where had the rational, objective reporter they used to know gone?

Did they even know this lovestruck fool in front of them?

"Xiaofan, I really think you should calm down. Your current impression of Zhou Yi is entirely a product of your own idealization, not a genuinely objective assessment. Remember, true love isn't a fleeting attraction born of impulse. It's something that settles and deepens after standing the test of time."

Jian Shuyue, who had never been in a relationship herself, offered this earnest advice.

Zhou Xiaofan nodded thoughtfully.

That does sound reasonable.

But I'm not listening. I'm not listening.

She took out her phone and waved it, positively glowing. "Zhou Yi and I exchanged phone numbers, and we've arranged to have dinner together on Saturday."

Jian Shuyue and Tian Tian exchanged a look filled with complicated emotions.

I was first in everything, whether it was meeting Zhou Yi, hanging out with him, or falling for that guy-oh, wait, I haven't fallen for him yet.

But why does hearing that my friend is going on a date make me want to end our friendship?

To be honest, Zhou Yi had a good impression of Zhou Xiaofan.

She was pretty, with delicate features and an outgoing, easygoing personality.

Besides, they both had the surname Zhou and had been born in the Year of the Goat. One was a police officer, the other a reporter... They did seem to have quite a connection.

Well, at the very least, they were well suited to being friends.

So exchanging phone numbers was perfectly reasonable, wasn't it?

And meeting for a meal when they had some free time was perfectly reasonable too, wasn't it?

When Zhou Yi reached the door of the Public Security Management Brigade's office, he heard Zhu Jianping inside, boasting away in his distinctive ducklike voice.

"You guys really missed out by not going to the meeting room earlier. You didn't see how damn cool our brigade commander was. What a badass!"

"That TV reporter called Lin Fang must've been off her meds or something. She asked a whole bunch of bullshit questions to give our brigade commander a hard time. She didn't even fucking stop to think-who the hell was she? And who was our brigade commander? Huh? In just a few exchanges, he had that old hag choking on her words..."

Hmph. All Zhu Jianping knows how to do is suck up.

Still, he's pretty good at it.

Zhou Yi slowed his steps and quietly returned to his own office.

He lit a cigarette and began his habitual review of events.

First, today's interview.

Although Lin Fang did have a history of making things difficult for her interviewees and provoking them, her eager, blatant attempts to smear him today still seemed far too brazen, given that the publicity campaign was led by the municipal Party committee's publicity department in conjunction with the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and that municipal Party secretary Zhou Zhiyuan had issued explicit instructions.

Zhou Yi would be the last person to believe no one had put her up to it.

Anyone who dared give such instructions-and could make Lin Fang dare carry them out-had to possess the standing and power to rival the new municipal Party secretary.

There was only one such person in Anping City.

Of course, this was only his conjecture, but Zhou Yi believed he was almost certainly right.

In his previous life, the struggle between the new municipal Party secretary, Zhou Zhiyuan, and Mayor Chai Xiongwei had been fiercely hostile and had lasted a full three years.

Second, Xie Zhaolong!

By using Xie Zhaolong to do his dirty work, he had brought Tao Guozheng down without lifting a finger.

Did that make him feel pleased with himself?

No. Quite the opposite-he felt deeply helpless.

Because, as things stood, Xie Zhaolong was the only card he had to play.

If he hadn't needed to avenge Shen Mo's mistreatment, and if he hadn't wanted to strike back and deter certain people testing him, he would never have made use of a monster like Xie Zhaolong.

But once was enough. He still had to draw a clear line between them.

He had long since made up his mind: even if Xie Bingkun didn't finish Xie Zhaolong off, he would find a way to send that utterly depraved gangster to his death.

He had to seize every opportunity to build up political capital quickly.

Climbing the ladder one rung at a time was still too slow, and allies such as Jiang Xinting and Zheng Yifan would also need a long time to rise.

His most urgent task, then, was to find an established, powerful patron to latch onto.

So, Director, I've been performing so brilliantly and making myself so conspicuous. Why haven't you recommended me to County Chief Yan yet?

And Old Yan, honestly! I'm so capable and talented. Why haven't you come courting me like a ruler seeking a great adviser?

Brigade Commander Zhou exhaled a melancholy smoke ring, then sighed softly.

Ring, ring... Ring, ring...

As his phone suddenly rang, Zhou Yi hurriedly stubbed out his cigarette, picked up the phone, and pressed the answer button.

"Zhou, come downstairs right away. You're coming with me to the county government offices." Director Lei's gentle voice came through the phone.

Zhou Yi couldn't help raising an eyebrow. He had just been wishing for a powerful patron, and now one had come calling.

"Hello, Teacher Guo... Hello, Uncle Zhou!"

Jian Shuyue and Tian Tian bowed slightly and offered their gifts with both hands.

"You could've just come. Why bring anything?" Guo Dongmei said with a hint of reproach.

"It's a thoughtful gesture from Shu Yue and Tian. Just accept them." As he persuaded her, Old Zhou studied the two young women with a broad smile.

Ah, lovely girls are everywhere, so my son need never despair. Two fine young women stand before me; either would make a lovely daughter-in-law!

For some reason, Jian Shuyue and Tian Tian felt a little nervous.

They had come to visit Guo Dongmei partly because she had been their Chinese teacher, and partly, of course, because she was Zhou Yi's mother.

This was also the last item on their itinerary in Dongji County.

Afterward, they would drive to Anping Airport and fly straight back to Capital City.

Guo Dongmei looked from one to the other, marveling inwardly at how girls blossomed as they grew, becoming more beautiful with every passing year.

What a shame. Her son wasn't a worthy match for either of them!