Gu Xixi was very smart, but the current situation was making her particularly annoyed. Seeing Cheng Jemin act as if nothing had happened, she thought for a moment and then suddenly tiptoed to give Cheng Jemin a peck on the cheek.
Everyone was stunned by the girl's actions. He Zhimin, the most composed one, smiled and said, "Xixi, if you two want to be affectionate, wait until after we finish eating. Doing this in front of us is really making us envious!"
"Sorry, Director He," Gu Xixi giggled, then playfully punched Cheng Jemin, "Stop teasing me, okay? I'll settle accounts with you after we finish eating!"
Gu Xixi's smile was full of charm, making her look like a blooming forsythia. Even though He Zhimin was older, he couldn't help but feel a flutter in his heart. Zhao Zijing was even more stunned, taking a while to recover.
The most uncomfortable one was Fu Junjie. He hadn't expected that after using all his tricks on Cheng Jemin, the guy could still sit there so calmly. What was even more infuriating was that Gu Xixi had shown her support for Cheng Jemin in such a way, which was truly intolerable.
"Gu Xixi, I will definitely conquer you! Only I am worthy of being your man!"
Fu Junjie forced a smile and said to Zhao Zijing, "Zijing, although Director Cheng works in the Water Resources Department, he is also a well-known writer in the department. Before Director He makes any corrections, why don't you ask Director Cheng to help you revise it?"
Saying this, he looked at Cheng Jemin, "Director Cheng, you won't refuse, right?"
Cheng Jemin saw Fu Junjie's smug smile and felt a surge of anger. It seemed that this guy was determined to make him miserable! Feeling the soft, delicate hand under the table holding his, Cheng Jemin felt a sense of warmth.
He hesitated for a moment, about to agree, when his pager suddenly rang!
Cheng Jemin picked up the pager and saw a message from Feng Changhai: "Call back quickly."
Why is Feng Changhai calling me now? Cheng Jemin was a bit puzzled, but he stood up and said, "I'll go make a call."
Fu Junjie, who had finally gotten Cheng Jemin in his grasp, wouldn't let him go so easily. He said, "You don't need to go out to make a call. Zijing, take out your mobile phone and let Director Cheng use it."
Zhao Zijing smiled lightly, took out a large mobile phone from his handbag, and handed it to Cheng Jemin, "Director Cheng, use this."
Seeing this, Cheng Jemin knew that these two guys were definitely afraid he would leave. He took the mobile phone and immediately called Feng Changhai.
"Director Feng, hello, this is Cheng Jemin," Cheng Jemin said softly as soon as the call connected.
Zhao Zijing's mobile phone was not only large but also had a loud speaker. As soon as Cheng Jemin finished speaking, everyone in the room could hear Feng Changhai's voice: "Jemin, where are you? If you haven't eaten, let's have a drink together."
"Director Feng, I'm having dinner with some leaders from the provincial government. How about I treat you tomorrow?" Cheng Jemin responded with a smile.
Feng Changhai continued, "Alright, tomorrow then. You better find a good place. I have some good news for you. Director Li of the Water Resources Department contacted Minister Ma of the Provincial Organization Department today. Minister Ma is very satisfied with our department's work, so he decided to give us the slot for the speech at the mobilization meeting for agricultural support. Prepare well, don't let Director Li down!"
Cheng Jemin couldn't believe his ears. Old Feng's call came at just the right time. Fu Junjie was using this to make him miserable, and now Old Feng's call came!
On the other end, Feng Changhai thought Cheng Jemin was stunned by the sudden good news and continued, "Jemin, Director Li really cares about you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have contacted Minister Ma personally. Tomorrow morning, you must thank Director Li. I won't disturb your dinner, see you tomorrow."
When Cheng Jemin hung up, the room was completely silent. Everyone in the room, being part of the system, knew that at such a mobilization meeting, there was usually only one official who would make a speech.
Now, from Cheng Jemin's phone call, it was clear that he had been chosen to make the speech. So, what about Zhao Zijing, who was hosting the dinner? He had wasted his efforts!
Zhao Zijing's face turned stiff. He had taken this speech very seriously. It wasn't just any speech; it was a speech at the provincial agricultural support meeting, in front of the provincial leaders. It could significantly boost his credentials.
The main reason Zhao Zijing had invited Fu Junjie to dinner was because Fu Junjie had secured this opportunity for him. But now, this opportunity might be lost.
Although it was just a phone call and not officially confirmed, in the political world, many people preferred to believe information from informal channels.
Fu Junjie was also extremely uncomfortable. Although he thought his connections were strong, if Minister Ma had agreed, the possibility of changing this decision was very high. Even if his connection was very close, they wouldn't risk offending the Deputy Minister of the Organization Department, his direct superior.
Damn, why did I let him make the call here!
"Ha ha, both Brother Zijing and Brother Jemin are going to the countryside for agricultural support and will also make speeches at the same time. This is a rare bond. I think the two of you should have a few drinks to celebrate. What do you all think?" He Zhimin, an old hand, didn't want the dinner to end before it started, so he laughed and tried to lighten the mood.
His words immediately made the atmosphere in the room more relaxed. Chen Xinhua, sitting on the other side, also chimed in, "Director He is right, you two should definitely have a few drinks."
"Right, a few drinks," Zhao Zijing, who knew the gravity of the situation, picked up his glass, forced a smile, and said to Cheng Jemin, "Director Cheng, our bond is indeed deep. I'll toast to you, hoping we can help each other in the future."
Cheng Jemin also smiled and raised his glass, clinking it with Zhao Zijing's and then drank the wine.
Just as Zhao Zijing was about to drink, the mobile phone on the table rang. He put down his glass, picked up the phone, and answered. As soon as he said "Hello," he heard a hoarse voice on the other end, "Brother, forget about the speech. Minister Ma has spoken, and there's nothing I can do."
Zhao Zijing's face turned dark. He mumbled a few words and hung up. Looking at the wine in his glass and then at Cheng Jemin, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Director Cheng, congratulations!"
Fu Junjie stood to the side, his face turning green. He didn't know what to say. This situation was like having his and Zhao Zijing's faces trampled on.
"Dear guests, the spicy shrimp is here!" A slender waitress walked in with a pot, and the mouth-watering aroma of spicy shrimp instantly filled the room.
There was a lot of food, but two of them had no appetite. Cheng Jemin, however, ate well, feeding half of the spicy shrimp to Gu Xixi.
After Fu Junjie and the others left in their car, Gu Xixi, who had been frowning, suddenly giggled, "Bad guy, did you arrange this on purpose? Did you know about the speech before we came to dinner?"
"Heaven and earth, I didn't ask anyone to make that call. I had given up on it and never expected Director Feng to call me like that," Cheng Jemin said with an innocent look.
Gu Xixi whispered, "Fu Junjie has some influence in the province, you need to be careful."
As Cheng Jemin and Gu Xixi walked to a crossroads, Gu Xixi suddenly felt a bit sad, "Jemin, I don't know where you'll go for the agricultural support. It won't be easy to take a walk with you in the future!"
Cheng Jemin also felt a bit reluctant. He and Gu Xixi were in a very close relationship, and going to the countryside for agricultural support meant they might not see each other for a week. But now, he had no other choice. Although he had Li Zhonghua's support in the department, he wasn't part of Li Zhonghua's inner circle, and Zhao Huazhong's hatred for him was growing.
Moreover, the current situation was irreversible!
With a determined heart, Cheng Jemin hugged Gu Xixi and said, "Xixi, if two people truly love each other, they don't need to be together every day. Besides, this agricultural support will be at most three years. I'll come back during this time!"
"Okay, you must promise to visit me when you have time. Otherwise, I'll come to find you," Gu Xixi hugged Cheng Jemin back, tears streaming down her face.
Cheng Jemin tightly held his beloved girl, and Fu Junjie's annoying face popped into his mind. Although he had embarrassed Fu Junjie this time, it wasn't a good thing that the guy was still纠缠着 Gu Xixi.
If his guess was correct, the reason he lost the opportunity to make the speech was closely related to Fu Junjie's machinations behind the scenes. But Cheng Jemin couldn't think of a good way to teach this scoundrel a lesson.
Although he had completely changed the course of his life in the past few days, he had very limited resources to use against Fu Junjie, who was in the Provincial Party Committee Office. Even for Dong Huacheng, a fallen dog, he could only use some small tricks through Feng Changhai, with no other good strategies. It was all because of his low position.
Deep dissatisfaction made Cheng Jemin's desire to climb the ranks even stronger. If he had power and status now, would Fu Junjie dare to treat him so recklessly? Would Dong Huacheng dare to make him carry apples...
Just as Cheng Jemin was lost in thought, a hurried figure ran over from the opposite direction. Cheng Jemin quickly pulled Gu Xixi to the side, or she might have been knocked over.
"Watch where you're going!"
"Brother Cheng, it's you." The man's voice was filled with surprise when he saw Cheng Jemin.
PS: Happy New Year to all my brothers!