Chapter 9192: Probe / Helplessness

  Ugh... I've been transmitting for nearly 40 minutes, it's not that I'm not punctual, I just can't get a signal, keep getting interference...

  "Hsss……" The scorching pain caused his originally furrowed eyebrows to relax, and he slowly extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray. Liu Zhengxing dialed Luo Zhenggang's private line: "Little Luo, hurry up and come over."

  Three minutes later, Luo rushed over hastily: "Secretary, is there something urgent?"

  "Sit down and talk..." On the pale face that has not seen sunlight for a long time, a passionate smile different from usual appeared: "It's been a long time since we brothers had a good chat, let's take this opportunity to have a good communication."

  Luo Zheng's heart skipped a beat, wasn't he thinking of urging him to sign with those engineering companies ahead of time? Earlier, he had mustered up the courage to express his concerns about those companies, but was rebuffed with a single sentence - "Don't just look at surface phenomena"

  Originally, I was delighted to have the big fat meat of new city renovation fall into my own hands, but now I truly feel that it is a hot potato that can't be thrown away or eaten. If I'm not careful, I might lose my life here.

  "Alright..." Liu Zhengxing leaned forward, warmly patting Luo Zhenggang on the back: "Mayor Yang has been working hard to communicate with the higher-ups about the new city project, I believe the approval day won't be too far away. The burden on your shoulders will increase then, are you mentally prepared?"

  "Got it, I'll take care of the quality issues in the new city district, don't worry, Secretary." Luo Zhenggang's heart was racing with anxiety, indeed it was about this matter, letting him build a shoddy building with a guilty conscience, he couldn't do it, but abandoning his family, he also couldn't do it.

  Liu Zhenghang's face flashed a hint of annoyance. Haven't seen such a stubborn person, thinking of today's affairs, he put on a smiling face: "Yes, quality problems are indeed the top priority, for companies that have won the bid, they must be supervised well."

  "I will." Luo Zheng had just been secretly puzzled that the other party hadn't mentioned the key issue yet, which wasn't like his usual style.

  "You're in charge, I'm at ease. Just a habitual reminder." Liu Zhenghang leaned comfortably against the back of his chair: "Me? I still often unconsciously treat you as that silly little kid who rushes forward with reckless abandon, haha..."

  "Thank you for the recognition and promotion, Secretary." Luo Zhenggang was increasingly unsure of the purpose behind the other's visit.

  "It can't be said that way. You've helped me a lot, by the way, I heard your father came to Island City. Is it true?" Liu Zhenghang's face was full of helplessness: "At that time, putting this number alone in the Eight Great Observatories was really inconvenient, some things are always known after the fact."

  "My father and Ye Er Fang came back together, and then they often lived at my place." Luo Zheng smiled awkwardly: "Considering the secretary is too busy, I didn't mention this matter."

  "This is where you're wrong, we're from the same place. The two old men are still distant relatives who have just turned 50, let's take some time to get together and make the old men happy."

  "Listen to the secretary's arrangement." Luo Zheng glanced at the time, could it be that he was called over just to chat and build relationships? Recently, it has indeed become a popular topic of conversation. However, he can confirm that Liu Zhengxing does not know about the Wen family matter, and is even more convinced that Yang Songping will not tell Liu Zhengxing about this matter. The Yang family? Ah, could Liu Zhengxing's attitude be because of the Yang family?

  "Really? It seems you don't consider me as a brother." Liu Zhenggang shook his head and sighed: "I've always considered you my own younger brother."

  "What can I do? The secretary is my mentor, my elder brother. If there's anything I've done that's not up to par, please point it out." As he thought about the key to the problem, Luo Zhenggang suddenly became calm.

  "You're quite the talker now, when did you learn to speak like that?" Liu Zhenghang's tone shifted: "Then let me ask you, why didn't you tell me about Ye's good news? After all, I'm her uncle."

  "Secretary. What happy event? That's just outsiders spreading rumors, if it were true I would have told you." Luo Zheng had mentally prepared himself and remained calm as usual.

  To be honest, I've had a crush on Ye for a long time. Your sister-in-law actually wanted to propose a marriage, but I stopped her. It's not that I don't like Ye, it's just that the child is too young, and I thought we could talk about it in two years. Who would have thought someone would beat me to it?

  "Your sister-in-law came to the office this morning and scolded me fiercely, just a little while after she left." Liu Zhenghang sighed: "I'm not qualified as a father. By the way, you said that Yang's family and Luo's family are getting married, is it a rumor? Give me the bottom line, what's going on?"

  He inquired about Yang Songping in a roundabout way, and the other party told him with a smile that Yang Xing had taken a liking to Luo Ye, and as parents, they must do their best for their children.

  As for this statement, he would be a fool to believe it. What puzzles him most is that the Yang family seems to be afraid of others not knowing about their engagement with the Luo family, and deliberately lets the news spread quickly. Does the Luo family have something that the Yang family is concerned about?

  If that's really the case, then some things would have to be done differently, and the personnel selection would also need to be reconsidered, otherwise it would be a loss without knowing how it was lost. This is also why he hurriedly asked Luo Zheng to come over just now.

  "Secretary, this matter can't be hidden from you. Since you've already said so much, I might as well tell the truth. Mayor Yang indeed intentionally arranged for Ye Er and Yang Xing to be together, but now things have taken a wrong turn."

  "We have an appointment with Mayor Yang and his family for dinner tonight, hopefully things will turn out well." Luo Zheng sighed in distress: "Alas! The Yang family can look down on Ye, it's also Ye's good fortune, who would have thought that something unexpected happened."

  Liu Zhenghang shook his head in disappointment: "So that's how it is, I thought I was going to drink the wine for Ye Er's engagement. What happened? Do you want me to help mediate?"

  "This matter is really not easy to mediate, it's not that I didn't tell the secretary, but this sudden truth is hard to know where to start. I'll take the liberty of extending an invitation, Secretary, if you have time tonight, would you like to join me?" As he thought quickly, Luo Zhenggang felt that letting the other party know some things was also a good way to solve the problem, and believed it could ease the pressure a bit.

  Liu Zhenghang thought for a moment and responded with relish, "Great, I also quite like Ye Er, let's go together to join in the fun." He had been waiting for this invitation, he had a premonition that at the banquet, he would definitely get the answer he wanted.

  "Thank you, Secretary. With you presiding over this, I believe things will go much more smoothly." Luo Zhenggang's words were sincere, and everyone was aware of his relationship with Liu Zhengxing. Therefore, going together not only wouldn't harm the situation but would also make the Yang family feel that he truly valued this matter.

  Liu Zhengxing's curiosity turned out to be a great help to him.

  ……

  Yang Xing admired the handsome self in the mirror, with a short haircut, white casual pants and a green T-shirt, wearing a pair of light beige leather sandals. Wang Lijiang frowned: "Son, why must you choose a green T-shirt? Mom thinks it looks good, but it's not formal enough."

  "Mom, Ye likes green apples, she'll understand what I mean." Yang Xing had a self-satisfied expression: "Soon to be my fiancée. Let's see if she still pretends later."

  "Even if your matter is settled temporarily, it's not possible to get engaged for the time being. After all, age is a factor and we can't stir up too much gossip. Besides, Xiaoyang called at noon, and Mom didn't want to delay that child, so she told her about you and Yuer."

  Wang Lijing sighed: "Actually, Mom really likes Xiao Yang. That child's devotion to you is truly unmatched, and our families are also a good match. If it weren't for the fact that you and your father both had your hearts set on Luo Ye, she would have been the best choice."

  Yang Xing's face was indifferent: "Tell her then, anyway she will find out sooner or later."

  "Son, can you tell me, is it that you really like Luo Ye or is it because your father said something about her family that made you think this way?" Wang Li's eyebrows furrowed.

  Yang Xing showed a faint smile: "What kind of mom hopes?"

  "It's very contradictory, in principle, if it's the second one, it will make your future development better, but it's not fair to Luo Ye. Wang Licheng looked at her son with a studying gaze: "People say that mothers know their children best, but mom really can't figure out what you're thinking."

  Yang Xing stepped forward and hugged his mom: "You're my old mom, so I'll tell the truth. Luo Ye is indeed my type, but if you say that just a few encounters made me infatuated with her to the point of no return... even I don't believe it myself. So, there are two sides to this, but I think this can also be considered as heaven's favor towards me?"

  Wang Lijian let out a sigh of relief: "I understand, Mom has been worried about this matter for the past few days. It's great that you can think this way."

  "Afraid I'll forget my mother and my future once I have a wife? Mom, you underestimate me too much." Yang Xing glanced at the time: "Let's go to the Luo's place to pick up Auntie Luo and Luo Ye, and then head to the hotel together?"

  "You little stinker, I'm starting to doubt your answer again. When have you ever been so thoughtful towards me?" Wang Liqing slapped her son on the back of his head: "Maybe it's just a sweet talker trying to coax mom."

  "Just pretend I'm coaxing you, doesn't that also mean I care about Mom?" The mother and son chatted and laughed as they went downstairs, but halfway down, they ran into Song Xiaoyang, who was rushing over. Yang Xing's face showed surprise: "Xiaoyang, how did you get here?"

  "I'm your best friend, how could I not come to your engagement?" Song Xiaoyang's sadness was clearly visible in her eyes, but a sweet smile hung on her face. Wang Lijiang felt a pang of heartache and hugged her: "You silly child, if I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have told you."

  Song Xiaoyang warmly hugged Wang Lihua: "Auntie, you can tell me this, it means you don't treat me as an outsider, I'm especially happy. After hanging up the phone, I hesitated for a long time before deciding to rush over. Ye is my sworn sister and Yang Xing is my best friend, how could I miss such an important day?"

  "It's probably Auntie misexpressed, today is just both parents having dinner and discussing this matter together, not a formal engagement, it doesn't count as a big deal." Wang Liqing gently smoothed out Song Xiaoyang's somewhat disheveled hair: "You poor child, you've been traveling by boat and carriage, has your family been informed?"

  "I don't know, I didn't tell them." Song Xiaoyang smiled and looked at Yang Xing: "Why not say a word? I came all the way here, but you don't feel moved at all?"

  "Moved, haha……, especially moved, just feel a little sorry for you, Xiao Yang, thank you, really thank you!" Yang Xing rarely showed his serious side, earlier when he saw Song Xiaoyang, he thought the other person was there to cause trouble, but unexpectedly it turned out to be like this, such magnanimity made him feel ashamed.

  "After all these years, I still haven't been able to make you like me, which means I'm just not good enough. But knowing that you've met someone you truly like makes me happy for you, and I hope you can be happy." Song Xiaoyang smiled awkwardly: "Auntie, don't laugh at my cheesy words, I really think this way."

  "Xiao Yang, this child is really heart-wrenching." Wang Lijiang was at a loss for words for the time being. She understood that the child was also fighting for his last hope, but no matter what she said, the other person's kindness towards her son moved her.

  Yang Xing looked at Song Xiaoyang with a slightly embarrassed expression: "Xiaoyang, I and mom are going to pick up Luo Ye and Wen Auntie. Are you coming together or..."

  Song Xiaoyang's expression was tangled: "It's been a long time since I saw Luo Ye, I miss her, but I don't know if she'll be unhappy to see me, after all, some things have changed."

  Wang Lijing sighed and said, "Xiao Yang, let's go together. Luo Ye is a sensible child, you've come all the way here, she'll understand."

  "Thank you, Auntie!" Song Xiaoyang's eyes were filled with joy and she secretly let out a sigh of relief.

  "Yèr, are you happy to see me?" Knocking on Luo's door. Song Xiaoyang was the first to bounce in.

  "Little sister, I'm so glad to see you, I've missed you to death!" Luo Ye enthusiastically hugged Song Xiao Yang. It felt like a reunion of sisters who hadn't seen each other for many years, and it left Song Xiao Yang stunned.

  "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to trouble you, could you come over?" Wen Xin hastily welcomed her over.

  Wang Lqing smiled and held onto Wen Shen: "Yang Xing this kid can't wait, he's coming over to pick you up. Hehe, we'll be relatives soon, why be so polite?"

  Her face lit up with an unnatural smile, and she chuckled: "Then let's go now." She turned back to shout: "Dad, Feng Er, we're leaving!"

  "Little sister Yang, when did you arrive?" Along the way, Luo Ye had been affectionately holding onto Song Xiao Yang's arm, but it was making her more and more uncertain - was she really clueless or didn't care or was just pretending...

  "I just arrived, it's not too late. My younger sister's big day, I heard that if I didn't come, it would be very impolite?" Song Xiaoyang smiled and took out a gift box: "The gift is given to you in advance."

  Luoye hastily pushed it back: "Little Yang sister, don't for now, this gift can be given at a more suitable time."

  "What's the difference between morning and evening?" Song Xiaoyang smiled in confusion.

  "It's different." Luo Ye smiled cutely: "You'll know when the time comes."

  As they spoke, they arrived at the gate of the compound. A taxi happened to be passing by. Yang Xing quickly stretched out his hand to stop it: "Aunt Wen, you and Grandpa and my mom get in first. We'll wait for the next one."

  When the next car arrived, Yang Xing chose the co-pilot seat with great style. Luo Feng, who had been extremely disgusted by his leather belt style, unexpectedly took a glance at him and her impression of him improved a little bit.

  Song Xiaoyang got on the bus but didn't mention the gift again, instead he started chatting with Luo Ye, and a certain leaf's lips curled up slightly, feeling happy - today is really a good day!

  ……

  When the group arrived at the hotel, the elders were all present. Seeing Liu Zhenghang chatting with Grandfather, Luo Ye suppressed the disgust in her heart and greeted him: "Uncle Liu is also here?"

  "Yes, Ye's matter, Uncle will certainly come." Liu Zhengxing warmly greeted and asked Yang Songping: "Did Xiaoyang also come?"

  "Liu uncle, I'm here too. Of course, I have to come on my dry sister's happy day." Song Xiaoyang took the opportunity to greet everyone and casually sat down beside Yang Xing. Yang Xing secretly glanced at Luo Ye beside him and saw that her expression was normal, so he quietly let out a sigh of relief.

  Yang Song swept a glance at the two empty seats: "Zheng Gang, are there any guests who haven't arrived yet?"

  "Yes, and there are two more who haven't arrived yet." Luo Zheng glanced at the time: "They should be arriving soon, this is also one of the reasons I invited Mayor Yang today, ah, what a bother!"

  "What's our reason?" Yang Songping was stunned: "Isn't it about discussing the matter of Xingxing and Ye'er? What's difficult about that?"

  Luo Zhenggang nodded: "Yes, it's about Ye Er's matter, but there's been a slight change. Let's talk about it when the guests arrive."

  "Alright, let's wait then." Yang Songping looked at his wife, Wang Lihua shook her head, Liu Zhenghang who was secretly pondering the meaning of their words was also confused, while Song Xiaoyang's smile became sweeter.

  "Just in time, we didn't arrive late, did we?" At the moment when the hour and minute hands coincided at six o'clock, Jiang Zheng and Ye Xuan arrived and sat down beside Luo Zhenggang and Luo Ye respectively.

  Luo Zhenggang smiled and said: "You guys are really punctual."

  "Jiang Zheng, when did you arrive?" Liu Zhengxing felt that he had grasped a clue, but it seemed to be somewhat off.

  Jiang Zheng smiled and said: "Yesterday, I came over to attend a meeting and also took care of some things entrusted to me."

  "Mayor Yang, let me introduce you to these two. Jiang Zheng is my best friend, and this is Ye Xuan, Jiang Zheng's colleague, who is also... " Luo Zheng paused for a moment: "the husband chosen by Ye Er's grandfather for her."

  Husband? Luo Zheng just said this in a roundabout way, but the meaning was very clear. Everyone's eyes turned to Ye Xuan, except for Yang Songping and his family, who were all confused and didn't know what kind of great person Luo Ye's grandfather was.

  Luoye's face was always accompanied by a shy and timid expression, with his head lowered, but his stomach was almost bursting with laughter. Uncle Jiang was indeed formidable, and the other party probably didn't dare to go find Grandma to verify.

  Song Xiaoyang suppressed her excitement and surprise, re-examining Ye Xuan, this tall, handsome man had already caught her attention when he came in, but she hadn't expected him to be of such an identity.

  However, this man is really cool and handsome, especially those deep purple eyes, which are enchanting and make people dizzy. If it weren't for Yang Xing in her heart, she would probably fall into them uncontrollably.

  "Really? You're telling the truth?" Yang Songping's face turned somewhat gloomy: "Then why didn't you mention this when I went to your house with Xingxing before?"

  "Mayor Yang, I didn't know about this beforehand either. It's not a child's matter to decide without consulting the elders. The child's grandfather was furious when he heard it, saying that I'm playing the piano randomly and that the child is too young to worry about such things. Moreover, he had already chosen a husband for Ye Er and was planning to mention it in two years."

  Just as Ye Xuan was about to come over with Jiang Zheng, the child's grandfather asked him to come and meet with Ye first. Luo Zhengyi had a bitter face: "With my identity, I don't even have the right to speak in front of the child's grandfather, I'm sorry to Mayor Yang."

  Yang Xing had already recognized Ye Xuan as the man he met last night, and looking at his own clothes, he was extremely annoyed. The other party was wearing a deep gray casual suit, looking mature and stable, while he really looked like a small bean paste.

  But he has to say that he is well-rested. Unlike ordinary children, he did not get angry and embarrassed, but calmly approached Wang Qi and whispered a few words in his ear.

  Yang Songping was also sizing up Ye Xuan, and after comparing him with his son, he indeed felt a bit disappointed. After hearing his wife's whisper, he glared at Luo Zhenggang in anger: "I don't know what kind of family the child's grandfather is from. I just want to know, this young man arrived yesterday, why didn't Mayor Luo give us some advance notice and prepare us mentally?"

  "Early this morning, I was busy with this matter. I believe Mayor Luo is also aware that almost every household in the compound knows about our Yang family's proposal to the Luo family. If you were not interested, you could have refused outright at the time. How can you toy with us like this?"

  "Mayor Yang, I really don't know how to bring it up, if it weren't for the trouble, I wouldn't have dragged Secretary Liu here as well. You can see from my attitude how much importance I attach to this matter..." Luo Zhenggang pretended to hesitate: "Luo Ye's maternal grandfather's family is the Wen family of the six big families, Mayor Yang should be able to understand my difficulties with your own family background."

  The old man's intention is to let Yexuan and Ye'er spend some time together first, if the two children feel suitable, then decide on future matters. The old man is still quite democratic."

  Liu Zhengxing quietly wiped a cold sweat, he and Luo Zheng had known each other for so many years, but never heard that Luo Zheng had any connection with the Wen family of Liu's six major families. Thinking about what he had done, it was a big deal.

  But then doubts arose again. Since Luo Zheng had such a strong background, why did he agree to his conditions? Was this just a cover-up?

  Forget it, just watch the show! At worst, he'll send someone to investigate later.

  Yang Songping remained silent with his head down, as if digesting the big news that Luo Zhenggang had just revealed. After a while, he raised his head: "Zhenggang, I do understand your difficulties, but have you told my family's situation to Old Master? Maybe let Xingxing compete fairly with this Mr. Ye?"

  "No way!" Ye Xuan's magnetic voice rang out categorically.

  Everyone's eyes were on him, and no one expected him to suddenly interject.

  "I won't let that happen!" Ye Xuan emphasized again, stretching out his long arm to wrap around Luo Ye's shoulder: "The daughter-in-law of the Ye family, how can I let others covet her?"

  "Night clan?" Yang Songping sank into thought for a moment: "You're not going to tell me that you're the Night of the six clans, are you?"

  "That's right!" Ye Xuan smiled faintly, exuding an aura of majesty around him.

  "My Yang family isn't much worse than the Ye family, and besides, Old Master Wen's intention is that you and Ye Er get along well to be considered close relatives. What qualifications do you have to make decisions for Luo Ye?" Yang Songping looked at Luo Zhenggang: "Zhenggang, I hope you can discuss this matter with Old Master and give the child a chance to choose."

  Just before Luo Zheng's ambiguous answer was naturally to make excuses for the future, after all, as time went on, it would inevitably raise suspicions. Unexpectedly, Yang Songping was so persistent.

  Today's update is delivered, especially thanks to 'Luohuayuwudie' smoke smoke, 'Astarhead' snowball, 'Gurenmao'.

  "Thanks for the big red envelope, especially thanks to 'Qiqi my love' for the big red packet, thanks to Pink Original Subscription for warming up my dear, I love you guys, today's extraction is killing me, and it's not on time again, don't blame me, I'm so anxious..."