Volume 2: Chapter 22 - The Depressed Secretary (Part 1)

  Lao Gao's Santana drove exceptionally smoothly, and Tang Yi sat in the back row with his eyes closed, resting his mind. He had just attended the celebration meeting of the municipal party committee and thought of Lin Secretary's expressionless face at the meeting. Tang Yi felt a wave of disgust. He had extorted $10 million from Dasheng Electronics, which seemed unrelated to the municipal party committee, but in fact, Lin Secretary and others felt that it had ruined their negotiation results, losing face. So they looked at him with some displeasure. On the other hand, Vice Mayor Cheng Jianjun was exceptionally warm to him, insisting on inviting him home for a visit. Thinking about it, it was also laughable. Not long ago, they were still fighting each other to the death, but now Old Cheng seemed to be genuinely trying to win him over. In politics, there are no eternal enemies, and there are no eternal friends either.

  Open your eyes and look out the window, the glass reflection on the car window is a rapidly retreating poplar tree, pedestrians, bicycles. Suddenly heard Old Gao say in front: "Secretary Tang, there seems to be a soldier ahead who's having some trouble, do you want to intervene?" As he spoke, the car had already slowed down, this kind of old communist party member can't stand seeing injustice.

  Tang Yi looked ahead and saw that several tens of meters away, a group of men were surrounding a female soldier in green uniform, laughing and chatting about something. Judging from their appearance, those men didn't seem to be good people. The female soldier was holding a large suitcase, apparently waiting for the bus.

  Tang Yi frowned and said, "Go take a look."

  The Santana suddenly screeched to a halt, and under the huge impact, Tang Yi's body was thrust forward, his shoulders and chest constricted by the seatbelt. He looked up to see a figure stumbling and falling to the ground in front of the car. Tang Yi thought Old Gao had hit someone and asked, "Where did he hit him?" But upon closer inspection, he saw that it was those few small-time hooligans who were scattered all over the place, moaning and unable to get up from the ground. The female soldier calmly walked forward, pulling her luggage case behind her.

  Lao Gao chuckled: "Good guy, strong!" He started the car and as they got closer, Tang Yi saw the soldier's clear face and was stunned for a moment, as if he had seen him somewhere before. Suddenly, he remembered that this wasn't the coach from that night, whose name he couldn't recall, but such an outstanding person, even if he wanted to forget, it would be hard.

  Tang Yi thought for a moment and said, "Stop the car." Santana slowly stopped beside the female soldier. Tang Yi rolled down the window and shouted, "Going back to Yan Shan? Do you want a ride?"

  The female soldier turned around, saw Tang Yi stunned for a moment, her delicate and elegant face nodded slightly, then pulled the car door open and got in. Tang Yi hastily retreated to the other side to give her a seat, feeling surprised in his heart. The impression he had of this beautiful female soldier was that although she looked gentle and quiet, she should actually be very cold and proud by nature. He thought his greeting would go unnoticed, but unexpectedly she didn't say another word and got on the car.

  Santana continued to drive, and Tang Yi said somewhat apologetically: "Sorry, I think we met last time, but you probably don't remember me either. What's your name?" Sitting in a car without saying a word seemed a bit too awkward.

  The elegant female soldier said faintly: "I remember you, your name is Tang Yi, my surname is Ning, call me Little Sister, that's what my family calls me?"

  "Huh?" Tang Yi was taken aback, a wave of doubt in his heart. This female soldier looked elegant and refined, giving off an otherworldly feeling, but did she have some kind of mental issue? Your family calls you Little Sister, why should I also call you Little Sister?

  She frowned and didn't bother to respond, continuing to meditate with her eyes closed. The beautiful female soldier also remained silent, quietly gazing at the scenery outside the window.

  Half an hour later, the car entered Yan Shan Avenue, and the speed slowed down. Tang Yi sat up straight, started to unfasten his seatbelt, and casually asked: "Coach Ning, do you want me to drop you off at your residence?"

  The beautiful female soldier said: "No need."

  Tang Yi listened to her, word by word, as if every word was precious, and became even lazier to care about her, nor did he ask again. In his heart, he thought: after a while, I'll throw you out of my neighborhood gate, go wherever you want.

  The elegant female soldier looked out of the window and suddenly said: "Tang Yi, your current behavior is in violation of traffic regulations."

  Tang Yien let out a soft "ah" and ignored her, unfastening his seatbelt and stretching: "Comfortable!"

  "Knowing the mistake but not changing, is not a true man." The clear and beautiful female soldier suddenly popped out with a sentence, Tang Yi frowned, feeling depressed, how did this little girl become like a Northeastern big hero? In Northern dialect, "big hero" is a sarcastic term for someone who pretends to be something they're not.

  The car stopped at the entrance of Yongsheng Building, Tang Yi got out of the car, and Ning Xiaomei also got out with her luggage. Tang Yi greeted Lao Gao and walked towards the community with him. After a few steps, he found that Ning Xiaomei was following behind him. Tang Yi asked in surprise: "Do you live here too?"

  Ning Xiaomei shook her head: "I'll go take a look at your place and get to know you better."

  Tang Yi let out a "huh?" and thought he had hearing problems, "What did you say?"

  Ning Xiaomei saw Tang Yi's expression and nodded lightly: "Didn't Grandpa Tang tell you? I'm your girlfriend now, so it's natural that I want to understand you a bit more."

  Tang Yi looked at her in surprise, his mind a jumble, and just then stepped on the edge of the flower pool, stumbling precariously close to falling. Ning Xiaomei saw him and smiled slightly, but unfortunately it was fleeting, that elegant yet charming smile Tang Yi had no luck seeing.

  "Ah, you're the young lady from Beijing." Tang Yi looked Ning Xiaomei up and down, so it was her. Thinking about it, it made sense, with the surname Ning, from the Ning family of generals, the Military Commission, the Ning family's influence in the troops was unparalleled.

  Tang Yi frowned and said: "Are you my girlfriend? Do you like me?"

  Ning Xiaomei was indeed honest and shook her head lightly, saying calmly: "What's the point of liking or not liking?"

  Tang Yi heard her tone and felt a bit sympathetic, sighing: "So you're also being forced by your family."

  Ning Xiaomei's face remained calm as she said, "I'm not."

  Tang Yi was stunned again and said in surprise: "You're not? You agreed to be friends with me, but you don't like me!"

  Ning Xiaomei's delicate and refined face gently lifted, gazing at the white clouds floating in the blue sky, and said leisurely: "What does it matter whether you like it or not? What does it matter whether we get married or not? Life is like a fleeting cloud, why bother to see through it?"

  Tang Yi's eyes widened in shock, and she felt even more depressed. She thought to herself, "So you're a godly figure with great wisdom and intelligence! You see through the worldly dust? Marrying or not marrying is meaningless, and who you marry is also meaningless? How carefree! But you were brought up by the old nun and became muddle-headed, which can be understood. However, how can you be so open-minded that you entered the empty gate? Don't harm me!"

  "Hey, Ning Xiaomei, why don't you just become a nun?" Tang Yi said with some annoyance, his tone no longer polite.

  "I don't like that, Master said that when we become monks, we have to shave our heads." Ning Xiaomei furrowed her brow, revealing a hint of annoyance.

  Tang Yi couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, after all, she still had a little bit of a girl's nature, knowing how to love beauty.

  "Ning Xiaomei, I have a girlfriend, you know?!" Tang Yi brought out his trump card, "I won't leave her!"

  Ning Xiaomei's footsteps didn't stop, and she said indifferently: "Whatever." Tang Yi suddenly felt stifled, as if he had been punched hard in the cotton pile.

  Tang Yi walked home with a sullen expression, Ning Xiao Mei carrying a large suitcase behind him. The people in the neighborhood looked at Tang Yi with strange eyes, thinking that this man was really lacking in style. Some men were so jealous that they gritted their teeth, wondering why such a beautiful girl like an immortal fairy would be with someone like Tang Yi. If she were my girlfriend, I'd want to pamper her and treat her like a treasure. Why did the goddess-like sister not open her eyes and choose someone like this idiot?

  After entering the house, Tang Yi made a cup of tea. The sofa seemed to still have the sweet scent of Qi Jie, but she was already thousands of miles away. Tang Yi sighed and slowly sat down on the sofa.

  Ning Xiaomei put down her suitcase and walked to the window, staring blankly at the downstairs, the room fell into a silence.

  Tang Yi looked at Ning Xiaomei, speechless for a moment. This little girl was indeed a rare treasure in the world. It seemed that if he didn't pay attention to her, she could stand there quietly for a whole day.

  "Hey, Ning Xiaomei, why did you choose me? I heard there are many people chasing after you, and you don't care about liking or not liking someone, emotions or no emotions, just marrying whoever is available."

  Ning Xiaomei didn't even turn her head: "I recognized you from the photos I saw." completely defeating Tang Yi.

  "Hey, I'm hungry. Can't you, as my girlfriend, go cook some rice?" Tang Yi lazily ordered Ning Xiaomei, thinking that he would eventually drive her away.

  Ning Xiaomei said: "I don't know how to cook." She spoke with a straight face and an air of absolute certainty.

  Tang Yi furrowed his brow, wanting to say a few sarcastic words to her, but he let out a long sigh in his heart and gave up. She was just that kind of person, and even if she wasn't around, Second Uncle and the others would still find other women for him. Getting angry with her was a bit childish, so he thought of a way to make her understand his situation and persuade her to part ways amicably.

  "Hey, what do you want to eat? I'll go cook some rice."

  Ning Xiaomei said, "Whatever, I'll go change my clothes." She dragged her large suitcase into the bedroom. Tang Yi felt annoyed and suddenly remembered that there were still photos of Qi Jie on the bedside table, and several pieces of Qi Jie's underwear on the bed. As a single man living alone, Tang Yi was too lazy to clean up.

  Tang Yixin said, "If you want to see it, just look at it. You don't even know what it means to be jealous. As long as you understand jealousy, that's enough." He went into the kitchen, put on an apron, and started cooking. Tang Yixin was skilled in cooking, but he didn't want to cook for that proud girl. When steaming rice, he intentionally added less water; when stir-frying vegetables, he intentionally added more salt. He made a dish of stir-fried cabbage, braised cabbage, and mixed cabbage salad. After finishing, he couldn't help but laugh at himself - why was he being so childish?

  She brought out a rice cooker and several dishes of "assorted vegetables" to the dining table and shouted: "Dinner!"

  The sound of footsteps echoed, and Tang Yi turned his head. In front of him, a bright light appeared. At the entrance of the dining hall, Ning Xiaomei was wearing a elegant white casual fitted jacket on top and a pair of white straight-leg pants that accentuated her slender legs. She was dressed in all white, standing proudly like an ethereal fairy who had shed her military uniform, radiant and beyond compare.

  Tang Yi smiled: "Dressing like this is quite pretty." He lowered his head and only then saw that Ning Xiaomei had bluntly changed into a pair of slippers, a pair of delicate white plush slippers. Tang Yi smiled: "You don't take yourself as a guest."

  Ning Xiaomei didn't seem to notice his sarcasm, and only slightly nodded her head as she sat down at the dinner table: "Serve the rice." Tang Yi felt a bit helpless, thinking that he shouldn't tease her in the future either, it would only make himself feel more uncomfortable.

  Tang Yi filled a large bowl with rice for Ning Xiaomei, using the same bowl they normally used for soup. He also served himself a small portion, but he didn't know if the rice would be hard and difficult to chew. However, Tang Yi had no intention of tasting it at all.

  Ning Xiaomei slowly and calmly sent the rice into her mouth, slowly and calmly chewed, slowly and calmly picked up dishes, her face expressionless, without showing any abnormality.

  Watching her eat dish by dish, Tang Yi was stunned and thought to himself, "Could it be that my cooking is actually not bad?" He couldn't help but pick up a chopstick and put some in his mouth. Immediately, he felt his tongue go numb - salty! Extremely salty!