Chapter 54 Chauvinism

"According to the latest news coming down, the former county magistrate was transferred away nearly a month ago, and a successor has already been decided. Executive Deputy County Magistrate Li Chunsheng will take over the post of county magistrate, and it will be announced before long."

"Furthermore, according to reliable sources, the current county party secretary will also be transferred away soon," Xu Guoli said, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"If Li Chunsheng becomes the county magistrate, then where does that leave us..." Hong Haifeng asked, feeling a bit anxious. He knew that Xu Guoli had always been aligned with Luo Weimin, the head of the Organization Department, and Luo Weimin and Li Chunsheng had been sworn enemies for over a decade.

More importantly, Wang Yunfei was Li Chunsheng's man. Whether Xu Guoli could manage a transfer once Li Chunsheng took office was one thing; the critical issue was that even if he stayed in Bishan, he would likely be suppressed by Wang Yunfei.

"This situation has both a good side and a bad side. The bright side is that there were rumors earlier that Li Chunsheng would take over as the county party secretary, which would have been the most fatal outcome for us. At least now, the worst-case scenario hasn't happened."

"That's true," Hong Haifeng nodded, deeply agreeing with this assessment.

"As for the bad side, it goes without saying. In the future, I might have to look to Wang Yunfei for approval here in Bishan. With Li Chunsheng as the county magistrate—previously on equal footing with Department Head Luo, but now clearly overshadowing him—I must quickly find a reliable connection. Otherwise, who knows if Li Chunsheng, instigated by Wang Yunfei, will make me his primary target?" Xu Guoli said with a troubled expression.

"Doesn't the party secretary have the final say on personnel matters? Plus, with Department Head Luo still here, what are you afraid of?" Hong Haifeng did not understand.

"Are you an idiot? Li Chunsheng is a local faction leader taking over as county magistrate, and by convention, the new county party secretary will definitely be brought in from the outside. Will a newly arrived party secretary pick a fight with a powerful local faction leader like Li Chunsheng before they have even found their footing?" Xu Guoli glared at Hong Haifeng.

Hong Haifeng was stunned, finally grasping Xu Guoli's meaning.

"Then what should we do?"

"Didn't I just tell you? Hurry up and finalize things between your sister and Qin Feng. As long as their relationship is made official, I will be the matchmaker. If Li Chunsheng ever wants to make a move against me, I can use my status as the matchmaker to approach Hu Jiayun. Do you understand?"

"Right, Secretary Xu, I'll figure something out and get them to agree to this as soon as possible," Hong Haifeng nodded hurriedly. If Xu Guoli fell from power, his own political career would come to an end.

For the entire week that the inspection work had been underway, Qin Feng had essentially gone without sleep at night. Knowing that his team members would not be on duty after dark, he had no choice but to ride his motorcycle around alone every night.

Yet, after persisting for just one week, Qin Feng felt he could no longer go on, simply because he was too exhausted.

On Saturday afternoon, just as Qin Feng returned from inspecting the fire-prevention zone, having skipped lunch and hastily buying a cup of instant noodles to bring upstairs, he received a phone call from Hong Haifeng inviting him over for dinner that evening.

Qin Feng found this somewhat inexplicable. His interactions with Hong Haifeng were limited, and their relationship was far from close enough for casual home-cooked visits.

Still, since Hong Haifeng was a leader of sorts, Qin Feng felt obliged to attend despite his utter exhaustion.

He went home, took a shower, and then rode his motorcycle down to Hong Haifeng's residence.

Qin Feng had originally assumed that Hong Haifeng was hosting some kind of banquet for a specific purpose. However, upon stepping inside, he discovered there were no outsiders at all. Aside from Hong Haifeng and his wife, he was the only guest—and of course, Hong Moon was there too, which left Qin Feng bewildered, utterly clueless as to what game Hong Haifeng was playing.

"Ah, Qin Feng is here! Come in, come in, take a seat. Hong Moon, what are you still sitting there for? Go pour some tea!" Hong Haifeng called out warmly upon seeing Qin Feng enter, urging his sister to serve tea.

"Please don't go to any trouble," Qin Feng said, placing the gifts he had brought onto the table. Showing up empty-handed to someone's home for the first time was simply out of the question.

Hong Haifeng pulled Qin Feng down onto the sofa, and the two began chatting while smoking. At that moment, Hong Moon brought over a cup of tea and placed it in front of Qin Feng. As their eyes met, her face flushed instantly. She looked at Qin Feng and said, "Have some tea. It's a bit hot, be careful."

"Oh, thank you!" Qin Feng nodded.

"Hong Moon, keep Qin Feng company for a while. I'll go inside and help your sister out," Hong Haifeng told her.

"I'll go help. You wouldn't even know what to do since you never step foot in the kitchen," Hong Moon stood up to protest.

"Sit right here and chat properly with Qin Feng. I'll go help," Hong Haifeng glared at Hong Moon before heading into the kitchen.

Left alone in the living room, Qin Feng and Hong Moon found themselves in a silence that felt exceptionally quiet and somewhat awkward.

Hong Moon glanced at Qin Feng, and seeing that he was looking right back at her, her face turned red all over again.

"What game do you think your brother is playing today? Why did he suddenly invite me over for dinner? I don't see any other guests here either. Is there an occasion today?" Qin Feng asked curiously.

"I have no idea. I was at work this afternoon when he called and told me to get off early and come home for dinner. You arrived just shortly after I did, so I'm completely in the dark," Hong Moon explained.

Qin Feng pondered for a moment, then let out a helpless chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I think I can probably guess why your brother invited me over for dinner," Qin Feng smiled.

"Why?" Hong Moon asked, her curiosity piqued.

"To play matchmaker for the two of us."

As soon as Qin Feng finished speaking, Hong Moon's face turned even redder. She didn't dare meet his gaze and muttered, "Don't talk nonsense."

"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you'll see in a minute. When we're eating and drinking later, your brother will definitely bring this up. Want to make a bet?"

"I am not betting with you," Hong Moon said, her face glowing red as she nervously rubbed her hands together.

Sensing her tension, Qin Feng stopped teasing her and changed the subject. "So, how is it going? Are you getting along with the computer okay? Any issues?"

"No issues at all. It works great."

"Don't you live here?"

"No, I live in the dormitory provided by my workplace. I often have night shifts, so living here is inconvenient."

"Right, speaking of which, I almost forgot. Give me your WeChat ID, and I'll transfer the money for the meal you treated me to last time."

"There's no need. That was my treat; I should be the one treating you to dinner."

"Where on earth would I put my face as a grown man letting a woman pay for the meal?" Qin Feng said, feigning anger.

Unable to out-stubborn him, Hong Moon pulled out her phone to add him as a contact while muttering under her breath, "Such machismo."