[Urban] Campus Maple Leaves Turn Red (Complete) - 22-24

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-22

Chapter 10: None of it was intentional (10)

Fine beads of sweat, flushed cheeks, and strands of damp hair entwined with a lazy expression. The soft-bodied sister-in-law leaned into her brother-in-law's arms, gently contracting her lower abdomen to enjoy the afterglow, while unconsciously stroking the hardened nipples on her brother-in-law's chest with her fingers.

"Brother-in-law, I want to stay in the room next to Fei'er."

As the rhythmic contractions of her lower abdomen gradually stopped, the sister-in-law breathed warm air from her soft lips and said to her brother-in-law.

"Sure, that room was just cleaned."

Gently tucking a strand of hair stuck to the sister-in-law's cheek behind her ear, her brother-in-law looked at her softly and agreed to her request, then asked, "Why don't you stay here?"

Glancing at her brother-in-law with her eyelids slightly, the sister-in-law snorted and said, "I do want to stay here, but did you say you'd let me stay?"

Yes, once you've slept in this seemingly enclosed eight-step bed, you'll find yourself falling in love with it. But liking it is one thing, if its previous owner hadn't actively asked you to stay, and had readily agreed to what you might have considered a slightly hesitant test, how would you have felt?

Old Li had been having trouble concentrating all morning because of Fei'er's mother, and with so many women in the house watching, he subconsciously agreed to his sister-in-law's request. He immediately realized his mistake and asked a follow-up question to try and make amends.

However, women are creatures who often only hear the first part of your statement and not the whole point, emphasizing the issues raised in the first part.

Having lived half a lifetime, he made a basic mistake like a child trying to hide his feelings. It's true that anyone, when faced with something that gives them a headache, will subconsciously choose to avoid it as much as possible.

No wonder. If it weren't for the incident with Fei'er's mother, Old Li wouldn't have made such a basic mistake. But now, Fei'er's mother is like a pot of boiling oil, and at this critical juncture, if his sister-in-law were to so brazenly occupy Old Li's bed, it would be like pouring cold water on that pot of boiling oil!

Adding cold water to boiling oil will cause it to explode! And Old Li, who is closest to Fei'er's mother's pot of boiling oil, could very well be scalded to death in the splattering hot oil! In such a life-or-death situation, it's understandable that Old Li subconsciously tried to avoid the situation.

The problem is that, facing his sister-in-law's accusations, Old Li can't continue explaining with the excuse that Wang Er next door never stole. Otherwise, before Fei'er's mother even explodes, his sister-in-law, who's riding on top of him with half of his thing inside her, will blow him away first.

Having lived half his life, like the legendary rat that turns into a bat from too much salt, Old Li, realizing the seriousness of the situation, shamelessly resorts to shameless tactics.

His act of being unreasonable is simply to confuse and divert his sister-in-law's attention, and the best way right now is to get that thing, which has been quiet for a while now, moving around.

Even knowing her brother-in-law is being unreasonable, if your child did the same harmlessly to you, wouldn't you just give him a good slap on the bottom? Clearly, when such misfortune occurs, it's because the child is too oblivious, failing to notice when the adults are in a bad mood.

Currently, Old Li's sister-in-law is in a really good mood. Moreover, a woman's interpretation of a man's words, taken in a detached and selective manner, is simply a way of maintaining her dignity; she doesn't need to be overly detailed. In other words, such a woman prefers the man to indulge her demureness at this moment, regardless of any attitude beyond feigned seriousness, to match her slightly unpleasant mood.

So Old Li was happy to cooperate (actually, it was a case of a simpleton marrying a beautiful wife, a lucky break) and his sister-in-law became even more coy and reserved. So, as they swayed and groaned, their movements became increasingly intimate and intimate...

Back on the eight-step bed, now quiet, the sister-in-law nestled in her brother-in-law's arms and told him something very unfortunate: her daughter, who was about to start junior high school, would also be coming to the 33rd Middle School with her older sister, Xiaozhu, after this semester, and would be living with Old Li. It

's only natural for a daughter to follow her mother, but the sister-in-law's emotional turmoil and family discord over the years were all due to her brother-in-law, Old Li. And the sister-in-law's daughter, though young, had long understood all of this thanks to the guidance of others! Naturally, a father is a father, and a mother is a mother, so all the resentment accumulated from the discord and separation of the parents was unreservedly directed at Old Li by his sister-in-law's eccentric and clever daughter. It

was one thing for her to dislike Old Li, her uncle, but the memory of him giving her a severe beating every time they met was a recurring nightmare for Old Li. He used to have this nightmare only a few times a year, but now it was happening to him every day, whether he looked at it or not. Old Li was truly unfortunate. Both

his daughter and Old Li were his flesh and blood; it was difficult for her, being both his sister-in-law and his mother. But that's how things were. He didn't want to lose his brother-in-law, nor could he abandon his beloved daughter. So, he decided to try putting this pair of sworn enemies together first. Perhaps by seeing each other every day, their feud could be resolved rather than perpetuated.

To be honest, the sister-in-law wanted to postpone this matter for a while before dealing with it. However, her daughter, who disliked Lao Li but was extremely close to Xiao Zhu, learned from Xiao Zhu that Xiao Zhu had transferred schools and that her mother was going to work as a political commissar at the Industrial Zone Public Security Bureau. Reluctant to part with her sister Xiao Zhu, and hearing that her mother was going to live with Lao Li, the daughter made a sudden yet unsurprising decision: she told her mother without hesitation, "If you live with Lao Li, then I will definitely live there too!"

She looked at Lao Li with a mix of apology, helplessness, and, more importantly, expectation. "Yes, Lao Li, you are a truly upright man. My daughter is here, so please be understanding!"

Haha, the lost horse from the old man's family has returned, but it broke the leg of the old man's son who loves riding. What about Lao Li? Faced with a cunning and mischievous little red horse, will he also have to break his leg before he can stay with his sister-in-law for life?

When he was riding on his sister-in-law's soft body, he should have known there would be a price to pay. So, with a bitter smile, while trying to comfort his sister-in-law, Old Li accepted everything, regardless of whether it was good or bad.

At lunchtime, Fei'er's mother and Fei'er sat down at the table on time. Although Fei'er's mother didn't even glance at Old Li sitting next to her, Old Li was already relieved and went to work at school that afternoon. Of course, there was a lot of work waiting

for him at school. Fei'er's mother was temporarily suppressing her anger. If he handled things carefully and didn't create any trouble, he should be able to get Fei'er's mother to accept his relationship with Fei'er within reasonable limits. As for his sister-in-law's daughter, who still harbors resentment towards him, it only became a real issue some time ago. In the meantime, he should maintain the status quo and manage his relationships with Dong Qin and the other women properly. Otherwise, he wouldn't be living in constant fear like he is now.

Dong Qin is aloof, Cheng Yan's attitude is unclear, and Dong Na is even more hesitant. Even if these three women want to continue their relationship with him in their own way, right now, at the slightest sign of trouble, they will scatter and leave him like birds perched on branches in the forest.

The problem is that these three women are too sensitive to each other right now, and even getting close to any one of them will trigger the others' reactions. Ideally, I'd like to have better opportunities to be alone with these three women, so I can better understand their boundaries, but such opportunities are extremely rare, both at home and at school.

I'm trying to create some such opportunities, but while these three women are sensitive to each other, they also prefer to keep the other two out of their sight as well as out of their sight. This means that whenever I appear, I'm facing a triangle formed by the three women.

A triangle whose size and angles change arbitrarily—does that mean the trigonometric values also change? The question is, should I start solving this trigonometric function from a single angle, or should I directly use the four quadrants to completely solve all three angles at once? (Hehe, Lao Mu hasn't passed math since the first year of junior high, and his best score was zero in high school. I hope everyone won't mind the factual errors.) That's true, the woman at the top always has to connect herself with two other women on two straight lines, so let's deal with the three women connected together.

Lao Li was pondering this in his office when someone pushed open the door without knocking. Lao Li knew who it was.

Sure enough, as the office door was almost open, Lao Li saw Yu Lian, Tian Tian, and a few others standing there. As for why Yu Lian and the other girls didn't immediately come in, it was because they had run into two other 'enemies' again.

Bai Xue and Yue Yue had finished their entrance exams and were waiting for their results, so they had plenty of free time. Since they had agreed with Lao Li to stay at his house for a while, the two girls had been thinking about it and came to the school today to confirm the dates with Lao Li.

Unfortunately, and even more coincidentally, when the two girls arrived at Old Li's office door, they saw Yu Lian and her group of "enemies" pushing open the door.

Originally in a good mood, the two girls, seeing that Yu Lian and her friends had arrived before them, didn't want their mood to be affected and wanted to avoid them until they left before approaching Old Li. However, while they thought this, Yuan Yuan, with her sharp eyes and mischievous nature (who had just regained the ability to walk after her foot injury), inadvertently turned around and saw the two girls they were trying to avoid. So, Yuan Yuan opened her mouth and started provoking them. Just as

Lin Xiangru avoided Lian Po not out of fear, so when faced with someone actually challenging him, these two girls, who clearly lacked Lin Xiangru's magnanimity, disregarded whether their mood was about to sour and directly accepted the challenge.

They accepted the challenge, but not to argue. So the two girls, hand in hand, silently walked over to Yuanyuan and the others who had stopped, and headed towards Old Li's office.

Yuanyuan was a troublemaker, or more accurately, a troublemaker. The other girls on the team usually didn't participate (of course, this lack of initiative was limited to the team members themselves). But once Yuanyuan stirred up trouble against someone else, and was about to suffer a loss, the team members would unite to protect her even if she was wrong.

Provoking others was wrong, but when it was clear who the target was, Yu Lian and Huimin and the other girls were truly united against a common enemy. This

unity meant a shared understanding; their action was to intentionally or unintentionally block the door to Old Li's office, preventing the two angry girls from entering.

They were both a head taller than the two little girls, and their strength training in the team was far beyond what the two girls could match. Knowing this, the two little girls wouldn't try to compete in a stamina contest by squeezing in. Instead, they defiantly raised their heads (otherwise they could see each other's faces) and firmly said, "Get out of the way! We need to see Teacher Li."

"Teacher Li isn't here. You two little brats should go cool off somewhere else," the teacher

replied sarcastically, looking down at the two girls with their small (even big eyes are small) round eyes.

"Whether Teacher Li is here or not is for us to see, we don't need you to tell us!"

In a quarrel, the other side had five or six members; one of them could easily take on both of them in a stamina contest. So, Yueyue wisely ignored the teacher's blatant provocation once again.

"Ha! You little brat's gotten all worked up! Yuanyuan says Teacher Li isn't here, and you two can't deny it!"

Huimin, usually the one who could discipline Yuanyuan the most, suddenly stepped forward and interjected before Yuanyuan could even speak.

"What, are you all having a meeting at the door?"

Yueyue's cheeks puffed out as she faced Huimin, but Old Li's voice came clearly from behind the girls blocking the door.

Yueyue hesitated for a moment, then deflated with a sigh, while Yuanyuan and Huimin exchanged knowing smiles before turning around.

Old Li, having finished speaking, had already returned to his seat, and the girls who had filed in stood clearly in two groups in front of him.

The team had already obtained video footage of some competitive matches, and the team was using this information for targeted tactical training. Since the training wasn't as intense as before, the girls, now with some free time, were thinking about other things.

"Zhang Nan, don't you have any training scheduled for this afternoon?"

While wondering if he could find something more to keep these energetic girls occupied, Old Li asked Zhang Nan, the team captain.

"We have a new tactical drill scheduled for this afternoon, so we'd like to ask Coach Li for some specific guidance,"

Tian Tian, who wasn't usually very responsive to Old Li, quickly answered, knowing that Old Li was worried the girls might be distracted and affect their later matches.

"Oh, I see. You can go back now, I'll be there in a bit."

Old Li understood the girls' feelings, but he had to put those aside for now, so he replied gently. They

missed Old Li, and even more so, they reminisced about the sweetness and excitement they shared with him. However, knowing their place, the girls suppressed their burgeoning passion, and with a touch of reluctance and helplessness, they all said goodbye and left amidst a lingering sense of loss.

Reluctance, helplessness, and a rising sense of loss gently and bitterly soaked into Lao Li's heart. At this moment, a voice suddenly surged in Lao Li's heart, a voice that wanted to keep these girls by his side for life.

After calming down a bit, Lao Li called Yueyue and Baixue to his side...

Volume 2: Passionate Maple Leaves

Chapter 1: One Step at a Time (1)

Several older sisters (even if they never admitted it) left very obediently in Teacher Li's place. Should Yueyue and I also behave better? When thinking this, Baixue met Lao Li's gaze and said, "Teacher, Yueyue and I really want to get to know Sister Xiaozhu. Do you think we can meet in the next few days?"

Lao Li had guessed what the two little girls were thinking as soon as they came in. To be honest, it wouldn't be a problem if these two little girls stayed at his house for a day or two. But the problem was that once these two little girls stayed at his house and didn't want to leave, Lao Li would have to think of a good explanation to persuade the parents of these two little girls. Because if things go wrong, Old Li could become a human trafficker who abducts underage girls. So, a few days ago, Old Li agreed to let the two girls stay at his house. But he hadn't figured out a good reason for them to come.

Bai Xue's reason for inviting her students to her home to meet her daughter was somewhat far-fetched and childish, but Old Li knew perfectly well that even he couldn't come up with such a reason. It was probably easier for Bai Xue's explanation to be accepted by her and Yueyue's parents.

However, their daughters' school break wouldn't start for a few more days, and there was a potential problem brewing in Old Li's backyard. So, Old Li discussed it with the two girls: "Go home and talk to your families first. As the inviter, I also need to inform their parents beforehand. If your parents have no objections, then in a few days, when your older sister Xiaozhu starts her break, I'll go with her to pick you up."

Knowing that Old Li was very busy these days, the two girls didn't mean to stay at his house for the next few days. They just wanted to visit him because they missed him, and also to finalize their visit schedule with him. Now that both goals had been achieved, the two little girls were so happy that they went up to kiss Old Li one after another, and then snuggled in his arms for a few more minutes.

In a few days, it would be the official performance of the city's education system's "July 1st" cultural performance. This afternoon, all participating units were to go to the Education Bureau for a rehearsal, which was also the Education Bureau's preliminary selection of the performances from each unit. Old Li, who had been alone in his office, checked the time and got up to leave.

This "July 1st" cultural performance was originally organized by the Qingjiang City Education Bureau, but for some reason, the City Culture and Sports Bureau also got involved. Because there were suddenly many more participating units, the preliminary selection of performances, which was originally to be conducted by the education bureaus of each district, was now being handled directly by the City Education Bureau. The

rehearsals and preliminary selections for all participating units began the day before yesterday, and Old Li's No. 33 Middle School was scheduled to perform second to last this afternoon, making it the second to last performance in the entire rehearsal and preliminary selection process.

In a formal performance, a program that appears last is usually the grand finale. However, being placed late in the preliminary rounds is practically a formality, something that can be skipped.

Old Li was one of the organizers and main performers of his school's program. His late arrival at the preliminary rounds wasn't due to a loss of confidence in his school's performance, but rather a desperate need for a quiet place to calm his racing mind.

It was 3 PM, and according to the program list Old Xu had received, this was just the beginning of the afternoon's rehearsals, with nine programs scheduled. Therefore, Old Li arriving a little later than the main group shouldn't be a big deal.

It took Old Li over forty minutes to drive from No. 33 Middle School to the preliminary rounds. After meeting up with his school's group, Old Xu delivered some unexpected news: the preliminary rounds would proceed as planned, but the Municipal Education Bureau would only select three programs this time. The root cause of this situation is no longer simply the matter of the Beicheng District Education Bureau co-organizing the event with the Culture and Sports Bureau, but rather a cultural performance jointly organized by the Municipal Party Committee Office and a series of related departments, including the Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department.

The Municipal Education Bureau had actually notified all district education bureaus of this change two weeks in advance. However, a staff member of the Beicheng District Education Bureau inadvertently overlooked No. 33 Middle School after notifying other relevant schools. Sure enough, when the Beicheng District Education Bureau was finalizing the list of participating units the day before yesterday, this staff member not only remembered No. 33 Middle School, but also failed to clearly explain the situation when hastily notifying the school.

The Municipal Education Bureau felt honored to participate in this performance under the leadership of the Municipal Party Committee, but considering that its subordinate units had prepared for the performance for some time, it couldn't let their hard work go to waste just because the Municipal Party Committee was involved. So, after discussion, the organizers of the Municipal Education Bureau decided that rehearsals by the subordinate units would continue, but the order would change. First, a preliminary selection would be held within the Education Bureau's system. Then, the selected programs would be put to a final performance, and based on their performance, three programs would be chosen to represent the Municipal Education Bureau in the city-organized arts festival.

The initial three representatives were one from a primary school, one from a middle school, and one from a unit directly under the Education Bureau. The 33rd Middle School, which only learned of the change last, was there this afternoon to participate in the middle school group's preliminary selection.

Overall, the 33rd Middle School's program should have passed the preliminary selection without much trouble. However, to advance further and break through the middle school group to participate in the city-wide festival, they would have no chance without absolute strength and something exceptionally outstanding.

Indeed, when the levels are comparable, the 33rd Middle School, nominally a stepchild within the Municipal Education Bureau, is practically sidelined just by a difference in general impressions.

To be honest, it's impossible for everyone from No. 33 Middle School who only just figured out the whole story not to feel resentful. But since they were treated like stepchildren, they had to be prepared to endure some grievances. However, this resentment, fueled by the frustration, was somewhat relieved after Lao Li, Tian Rong, and Lao Xu, three people accustomed to being wronged, took turns comforting them. Because they had no hope of advancing further, everyone relaxed their tense and excited feelings.

At 5 PM, all the performers from No. 33 Middle School were ready backstage, while some of the judges in the audience were already yawning and packing up to leave. This was understandable; the program had already reached a point where it was just a formality to avoid hurting the feelings of their subordinate unit, and the judges were only there to make a show of it.

The music started, the curtain rose, and Lao Li, the male lead dancer, stepped onto the center of the stage along with the other male actors. A series of dramatic transitions followed, and the female dancers, led by Dong Qin, appeared on stage to Cheng Yan's sweet and soulful singing.

Even with her stage costume on, Dong Qin's flushed face and the subtle shyness in her eyes were still clearly visible to Lao Li.

As he danced to the rhythm, Lao Li's thoughts drifted back to the dressing room before her performance…

Qingjiang City has a population of nearly ten million, with over a hundred directly affiliated middle schools under the unified management of the Municipal Education Bureau. Of these, thirty-seven are under the jurisdiction of the Beicheng District Education Bureau. To cooperate with the July 1st celebration performance organized by the Qingjiang Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, and to ensure the high quality of the Municipal Education Bureau's performances, while also demonstrating the fairness of the internal selection process, the Qingjiang Municipal Education Bureau made systematic and meticulous arrangements for the selection performance and assembled a judging panel with almost professional qualifications.

In this preliminary selection within the education bureau system, the Qingjiang Municipal Education Bureau allocated seven slots to the Beicheng District Education Bureau, and the performance order was determined by drawing lots.

This afternoon marks the final few performances of the selection process. Currently, the top four schools in terms of scores among those that have already performed should have secured their spots in the next round. The schools participating this afternoon will likely compete with those ranked fifth or lower for the remaining three qualifying spots.

Although he hadn't seen a single selection performance, Lao Li wasn't worried about No. 33 Middle School qualifying. So, he joined his school's large group backstage.

Besides the performers from various schools, there were many staff members and people waiting for the final results, making the backstage area quite noisy.

With his school's performance still a while away, and the noise making him a bit restless, he noticed a large, empty room next to the men's dressing room and decided to go in for some peace and quiet.

There was a small suite separated by a curtain in the large room, and the window of the suite faced the street. Old Li went to the window of the suite, enjoying the cool breeze through the open window while watching the crowds coming and going on the street outside.

After standing by the window for a while, a voice came from the large room behind the curtain. From the voice, it was clear that several people had entered the large room, and Old Li recognized one or two voices very well.

These must be some of the actresses from his school; weren't they supposed to be in the women's dressing room getting ready and changing into their costumes? Why were they here again? As Old Li thought this, he turned and walked over from the window.

Just as Old Li's hand was about to lift the curtain on the small suite door, the curtain was suddenly lifted.

On the other side of the curtain was Dong Qin, dressed only in a light jacket, her mouth wide open, but he abruptly suppressed a scream that was about to escape her lips. On this side of the curtain was Old Li, his eyes wide open, momentarily stunned.

*Whoosh!* Having recovered, Dong Qin quickly flung the curtain down, and *gulp!* As the curtain fell, Old Li swallowed hard.

Yes, Dong Qin's almost naked body alone was enough to dazzle Old Li, not to mention the several girls standing behind her by the row of lockers, their small bodies barely covered by their trembling, full breasts. Old Li's

eyes were dazzled by the sight of Dong Qin and the girls' white bodies, and even after swallowing hard, his throat felt dry. Now, cold sweat broke out on his forehead!

"Sister Dong, what's behind that curtain?"

Lulu's voice came through the curtain.

"N-nothing...it's just a storage room with a bunch of messy things."

Dong Qin's voice trembled slightly as she answered.

"Hey! Sister Dong, your face looks a little off? Are you alright?"

This voice must be Han Yue's.

"Ah...ah, it's nothing, maybe it's just a bit stuffy in this room. Everyone, hurry up and change, we need to go over there to put on makeup later."

Dong Qin's explanation was also hurried.

A chorus of agreement followed, then the sound of locker doors opening and closing. The footsteps from the main room gradually subsided, and then quiet fell.

Old Li vigorously wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, his heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled. Of course, Dong Qin was an adult, and she and Old Li had that kind of relationship, so even though she was startled to see him suddenly appear in a place he shouldn't have, she managed to control her emotions. If it weren't for Dong Qin's concealment, or if one of the girls who had been changing earlier had been so curious about the small suite that she insisted on peeking through the curtain, Old Li would have faced a much more serious situation than simply wiping the sweat from his brow.

Having dried his sweat and composed himself, Old Li quickly lifted the curtain and headed out.

At the closed door of the main room, Dong Qin watched Old Li hurry out, her face expressionless.

Hmph! " It's one thing that I didn't expose you for peeping in front of a bunch of girls, but that doesn't mean you, the peeping Tom, shouldn't offer some explanation!

" Looking at Dong Qin, Old Li, who had stopped, said sincerely, "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't know you'd be changing clothes here."

"It's a bit stuffy in here, so I went to the window inside for some fresh air. I really didn't mean to!"

Dong Qin's expression didn't change at all after his explanation, so Old Li quickly offered further clarification.

"You didn't mean to?"

Dong Qin, her lips slightly pursed, looked at Old Li seriously and asked.

"I really didn't mean to! I..."

It was a matter of conscience, and she was truly innocent, so Old Li not only explained verbally but also emphasized it with gestures.

"Hmph! You say you didn't do it on purpose, but you definitely did it intentionally! You think... you... no... um..."

Dong Qin interrupted Old Li, who was trying to excuse himself, emphasizing what she had just seen. However, she only emphasized half a sentence more than Old Li had, because Old Li, who was standing in front of her, stepped forward, grabbed her, and silenced her with a kiss.

After a struggle and a moment of incoherent speech, when Old Li's large hand slipped into Dong Qin's newly changed clothes, Dong Qin, seemingly weak all over, let Old Li do as he pleased.

The "doing" was nothing more than taking off Dong Qin's newly changed clothes again, and the "doing" was nothing more than touching and kissing every place on her body that he wanted to touch and kiss. Because in this place, unless Old Li was under the influence of aphrodisiacs and had lost his mind, he wouldn't actually do anything.

He licked away every drop of fluid secreted from Dong Qin's body and put her clothes back on, piece by piece. At this moment, Old Li didn't forget to explain the earlier misunderstanding in more detail.

The small suite was actually a dressing room. Dong Qin had gone there to check because she often performed there, and seeing the curtain made her want to verify. However, while she did verify it, she also discovered that Old Li was trapped inside.

The reason Old Li encountered this situation while trying to get some fresh air was that the original women's dressing room was too crowded and there were no lockers left for clothes. So, Dong Qin and the others who arrived later were led here by backstage staff. They brought

their own makeup supplies, and Old Li did Dong Qin's makeup in the small suite. When Dong Qin finished doing Old Li's makeup, Old Xu and Lulu hurriedly arrived.

The dance choreography for "Ten Red Army Farewells" included both solo and group performances. The opening sequence, the most captivating part of the group dance, saw Lulu, Hanyue, and several former model team girls escorting Dong Qin to Old Li. For some reason, the scene in the dressing room earlier flashed before Old Li's eyes again.

The crowd craning their necks to gaze into the distance on the Red Army stage conveyed a continuous, poignant farewell. As Cheng Yan uttered her final note, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

The results for all participating units were tallied. No. 33 Middle School ranked third, and among the schools performing that afternoon, only No. 14 Middle School and No. 33 Middle School qualified for the semi-finals.

Tomorrow is the official performance for the city's education system to celebrate July 1st, and it will also be the final day to determine which school will represent the education system at the city-wide event. It's already 6 PM, and to Old Li and the No. 33 Middle School performers' dismay, the school's Jinbei van has broken down and can't move.

It's about 20 kilometers from here back to the school, and we'd have to take everyone home one by one. The school's budget isn't as tight as it used to be, and the performance today was quite successful. So, Lao Li, Tian Rong, and Lao Xu decided to find a hotel to stay at tonight.

Chapter 1: One Step at a Time (2)

Dong Na's home is in the city, and it's not far from the hotel where No. 33 Middle School is staying. After dinner, Dong Na had arranged with Tian Rong to drive her home, but Tian Rong received a phone call and had to leave early. So, Tian Rong assigned the task of taking Dong Na home to Lao Li.

Dong Na has two children, her brother and her brother. However, after Dong Na's parents divorced when she was eleven, Dong Na lived with her mother, while her brother lived with her father. Old Li knew a little about Dong Na's family situation when Dong Na had just arrived at No. 33 Middle School. He overheard Tian Rong casually mentioning the college students who had recently been assigned to the school. Tian Rong happened to know Dong Na's brother, so he took the opportunity to tell him more about Dong Na's family situation.

Tian Rong went into detail about Dong Na's family background, specifically this kind of situation. This wasn't because Tian Rong was inherently gossipy; it was because Dong Na's brother was formerly one of the most promising young leaders in the Qingjiang City education system. Although her brother had been transferred to a county under Qingjiang City as executive deputy county head the year Dong Na joined the education system, this didn't mean he had lost influence within the Qingjiang City education system. On the contrary, the shift from a high-ranking leader in the city's education system to a powerful local official meant his influence had, in some ways, increased.

Indeed, a rising political star, and this promising, 29-year-old one at that, came from the education system. Anyone with a modicum of shrewdness in the education system would want to leave themselves some room for maneuver!

Dong Na and her brother were separated at a young age due to family reasons, but her brother always cared for his sister, and the bond between them was very strong. Dong Na was a very strong-willed person, so she rarely bothered her brother with her affairs. Even after she was recruited into the education system, she only called him afterward to tell him. Furthermore, she didn't mention to him at all that she was assigned to No. 33 Middle School a few months later.

Given her brother's influence within the education system, it's reasonable to assume that if he had simply spoken to his former colleagues, Dong Na would never have been assigned to No. 33 Middle School. The reason for this was that when Dong Na contacted her brother, besides telling him about her recruitment, she also subtly indicated that she hadn't yet revealed their relationship within the education system.

Knowing his sister's personality, Dong Na's brother felt it was best to let his somewhat idealistic sister adapt to reality for a few days before intervening at the appropriate time. However, less than three months later, Dong Na's mother contacted him in a great hurry. When Dong Na's brother heard that his sister had been inexplicably assigned to No. 33 Middle School, he immediately became anxious.

But when he called his sister in anger, she told him that No. 33 Middle School wasn't as bad as she had imagined, and she wanted to stay for a semester to try it out; if it didn't work out, they would decide later.

Although he felt sorry for his sister, she had always been someone who wanted to try everything, which left him somewhat helpless. So, after giving her some instructions, he was still worried and immediately contacted a former colleague. After contacting his former colleague, the colleague told him who was currently in charge of No. 33 Middle School.

Dong Na's brother and Lao Li were complete strangers, but he and Tian Rong were quite familiar with each other due to work. So he contacted Tian Rong, told him about Dong Na, and asked him to take good care of his sister this semester (because in Dong Na's brother's view, this semester was all it took; after that, no matter what, he would transfer his sister out of No. 33 Middle School). When Tian Rong introduced Dong Na to Lao Li, Lao Li felt that these newly assigned college graduates had performed very well after a period of observation, and he wondered if it was time to give these energetic young people more responsibilities. However, Tian Rong knew that while these newly assigned college graduates seemed promising to everyone, the reality was that No. 33 Middle School might not be able to retain them. So, Tian Rong used the introduction of these students as a pretext to subtly remind Lao Li of this.

Old Li wasn't a blockhead, so when Tian Rong said that, he understood that Tian Rong was saying that while the entire campus of No. 33 Middle School was filled with trees, there wasn't a single phoenix tree to attract phoenixes. In other words, these newly assigned college graduates would eventually fly to someone else's yard with phoenix trees. Those

who wanted to leave couldn't be kept, but Old Li thought about it and decided to give these college graduates some extra work. After all, they were just temporary helpers at the school, so they should be used as much as possible.

According to Tian Rong, Dong Na's mother was more anxious than anyone else for Dong Na to leave No. 33 Middle School. Because of this, she was furious and went to find Dong Na's brother, pointing her finger at him and yelling: "If you don't transfer your sister out of No. 33 Middle School right now, don't call me 'Mom' again!"

Dong Na would definitely be a competent and excellent teacher, and from his heart, Old Li wanted to keep her by his side. Whether for work-related reasons or his own feelings, keeping Dong Na seems to hinge on getting past her mother!

Old Li genuinely wants to persuade Dong Na's mother to stay, provided Dong Na is willing. However, there's a catch: first, if you want her to work at No. 33 Middle School, the school absolutely can't remain a stagnant mess. At the very least, you need to show her positive development before you can even bring yourself to say anything about it.

Second, there's Old Li's own selfish motives. He wants to keep this young woman under his control, even if he doesn't dare to say it openly. Besides, he's far from being as powerful as Nan Batian (a notorious bully), so shouldn't he at least show some consideration to her family?

If Dong Na really stays with him, wouldn't this visit be his first time, as an old, gray-bearded son-in-law, paying respects to his mother-in-law? As Old Li drove, his eyes glanced at Dong Na, who sat silently in the passenger seat, and he couldn't help but make a connection.

This was the heart of Qingjiang City; at current property prices, one square meter of commercial residential property here would cost around 8,000 RMB. Dong Na's family owned a duplex apartment of about 200 square meters, which suggested that Dong Na's mother was a very capable person.

Old Li parked his car next to a very nice black car (heh, Old Li wasn't very good at recognizing car brands) in the spot Dong Na had designated. After Old Li opened the car door for her, Dong Na silently picked up her handbag, got out, and walked ahead on her own.

Hesitating for a moment, Old Li locked his car and followed behind Dong Na.

The building is a fourteen-story mid-rise. Dong Na lives on the eighth floor, and Lao Li could estimate the size of her apartment as soon as he arrived. This is because Lao Li's aunt's stepmother lives in the same complex across from Dong Na's apartment—the Qingjiang Municipal Party Committee compound.

Lao Li's aunt has a friend who lives in the building above Dong Na's. This friend, whom Lao Li's aunt often sees, was someone Lao Li had asked her to deliver something to two years ago. When Lao Li saw Dong Na press the elevator button for the eighth floor, he couldn't help but scratch his head.

Sigh! The world is so small, especially when you don't want to be seen as an acquaintance. If someone sees you doing something unpleasant, it's almost certainly an acquaintance. And sure enough, Dong Na's apartment is that of Lao Li's aunt's friend.

As Dong Na unlocked the door, Lao Li, standing behind her, wondered: Is there anyone else in Dong Na's apartment right now?

Following behind Dong Na, the door was closed. Dong Na, who had already changed her shoes, went straight to the inner room. Old Li, who was left alone in the living room to dry in the sun, habitually touched the bridge of his nose with his finger before sitting down on the sofa.

"Xiao Na, you're back?"

As Old Li poured himself a glass of water and picked up a magazine from the coffee table, a woman's gentle voice called out.

Looking up in the direction of the voice, Old Li's throat, which he had just swallowed, suddenly felt parched! Yes, a woman who had just finished showering, wrapped in a towel up to her armpits, drying her wet hair as she walked up to you—not to mention the captivating sight of a beautiful woman emerging from the bath, even the smooth, slender legs beneath the towel could dazzle some people!

"Mom..."

Old Li, sitting on the sofa, didn't answer the woman wrapped in a bath towel's question because his throat was so dry. Dong Na, who had already changed in the inner room, came out while answering.

"Ah~" The woman wrapped in a bath towel had just finished drying her hair at that moment, but the person sitting opposite her on the sofa wasn't her daughter. So, the woman exclaimed in surprise, turned around, and disappeared in the direction she had come from.

I really didn't mean to! Seeing Dong Na walking towards him with a frosty expression, Old Li, who had originally wanted to explain, wisely shut his mouth after standing up.

Sure enough, Dong Na, who had already picked up a cushion from the sofa and held it above her head, saw Old Li's helpless state, gritted her teeth, threw the cushion onto the sofa, and then stretched out three delicate fingers, forcefully rotating them at an angle on Old Li's arm in a fit of anger.

The young woman, with her charmingly angry expression, stirred a tender feeling in Old Li's heart. He couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke her slightly flushed cheeks. The

woman, her fingers loosening their grip on Old Li's arm, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes, suddenly seemed to remember something and abruptly pushed him away. She then turned and sat down on the sofa opposite him with a huff.

"Little Li's here,"

said Dong Na, who was sitting opposite him, her face half-turned away, ignoring Old Li. However, the woman who had disappeared for a while, wrapped in a bath towel, had changed her clothes and came out to greet Old Li.

The woman who called Old Li "Little Li" was actually a few years younger than him, but she addressed him that way because she was a close friend of Old Li's aunt. So, sometimes age doesn't determine how others address you.

At this moment, everyone acted as if nothing had happened, so Old Li naturally replied, "Yeah, I just got here. Our school just finished a performance, and I brought Xiao Na back, so I thought I'd stop by." "

Your school? Xiao Li, you didn't go to No. 33 Middle School too, did you?"

Hearing Old Li's answer, the woman who had just come out asked in surprise.

"Yes, I've been at No. 33 Middle School for over a year."

Although No. 33 Middle School wasn't a very good school, everyone was sensitive about it. Even though Old Li felt uncomfortable inside, he didn't want to show it, so he calmly gave a brief introduction.

"Really? Then what are you doing at No. 33 Middle School, Xiao Li?"

The woman who had just come out was no longer surprised; she inquired about Old Li's work.

Knowing that Old Li was the principal of No. 33 Middle School, but still having a very negative impression of the school, the woman said, "Xiao Li, why did you go to that lousy school!" She also earnestly advised Old Li and Dong Na: What's the point of staying at that awful school? You should transfer out as soon as possible!

A school principal was told to his face that he and all the teachers should transfer out of that school immediately! This was a huge blow to his reputation as principal. However, it's human nature to want to move to a better place, so Old Li said he didn't want to leave No. 33 Middle School for the time being, without asking Dong Na's opinion on whether to stay.

Faced with her mother's strong persuasion, Dong Na stated her position decisively: "Mom, don't worry about my affairs. I know what to do."

She couldn't persuade her daughter herself, but even though Dong Na's mother wanted Old Li to persuade her to leave No. 33 Middle School, she couldn't say it out loud. Indeed, it's not appropriate to humiliate someone like that!

Since it was inappropriate to humiliate someone like that, and since persuading her daughter wouldn't be easy, Dong Na's mother quickly changed the subject, talking to Old Li about his aunt.

Old Li's aunt works in the Municipal Party Committee's Publicity Department, and her current task is to coordinate with other departments to prepare for the "July 1st" arts performance. However, this isn't what surprised Old Li and Dong Na. What surprised them was Dong Na's mother, who was one of the ten judges in the finals of the city's education system arts performance.

Their surprise stemmed from the coincidence, not from any doubt about Dong Na's mother's abilities. After all, Dong Na's mother was a pillar of the city's song and dance troupe years ago, and later became a choreographer. Even though she has now left the troupe to go into business and is a member of the Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference, her nearly twenty years in the arts field still speaks volumes about her judgment.

Since her daughter couldn't leave No. 33 Middle School anytime soon, even if she looked down on it, Dong Na's mother still wanted to express her opinion. So, she subtly mentioned to Old Li that she could contact the other judges.

It's not appropriate to refuse a kind offer, so after thanking Dong Na's mother, Old Li noticed it was getting late and said he had to take his leave.

"I just came home to get some things

," Dong Na explained to her mother as she hurried into her room to pack, then left with Old Li. They left the house

quickly, and apart from saying goodbye to her mother at the bottom of the stairs and getting into the car, Dong Na remained silent.

Seemingly used to Dong Na's aloofness when they were alone, Old Li didn't ask where she was going and drove off.

This was the dormitory assigned to Fei'er by the city television station. Even though Fei'er hadn't stayed here for a while, the room was still clean, thanks to the hourly cleaning service.

Seeing Dong Na standing hesitantly at the door, Old Li turned on the living room light, went over, and helped Dong Na into the room, closing the door behind him.

Lifting a strand of hair from Dong Na's forehead, Old Li looked tenderly at the slightly uneasy and shy woman before him, and slowly brought his lips to her cheek.

"No..."

The man's heavy breath brushed against her ear, and as if startled, Dong Na nervously tried to break free from Old Li's embrace.

"Xiao Na..."

Old Li tightened his arms slightly, gently calling her name in Dong Na's ear.

"I...I need a little time."

Perhaps the soft sound was reassuring, and Dong Na, no longer struggling, looked up at Old Li and said.

"Okay, then sit down first, I'll get you a glass of water."

Old Li readily agreed to Dong Na's request, and appropriately loosened his arms.

"I..."

After Old Li's arms loosened, Dong Na lowered her eyes and glanced at him hesitantly.

"What's wrong, Xiao Na?"

With heavy breathing and a soft voice, Old Li gently asked Dong Na, his arm around her waist.

"I..."

Dong Na was still hesitant to speak, but after a sudden pause, she began to struggle again.

It was at this moment that Lao Li's lips covered Dong Na's lips, and a sudden yet expected kiss began...

There are a lot of things to do, so the updates are a little slow, but the good thing is that the full version will be sent to the group, and everyone will be notified to check it.

11-15

Chapter 1: One Step at a Time (3)

The morning sunlight shone through the curtains and woke up the new day. Dong Na, who was curled up in Lao Li's arms, also opened her eyes at this time. The slightly hazy world gradually became clear in front of her, and Dong Na met Lao Li's warm and loving eyes.

The tender warmth, as gentle as the morning sun, the fatherly and brotherly love that permeated her heart—when all of this was so deeply imprinted in her heart, a title that almost spilled out rolled around in Dong Na's throat before she swallowed it back. She nestled even deeper into Lao Li's arms, feeling the strength of his chest against her skin, and slightly parted her legs, allowing his large hand, already there, to gently and easily soothe the faint pain that was creeping in…

Shyly, she let Lao Li caress her… The most secret and shy garden on her body underwent the most meticulous examination, and she shyly kept her eyes tightly closed. Her small hands almost unconsciously grabbed and ruffled Old Li's hair, letting his hot and moist tongue evenly and greedily apply warm healing medicine to her messy, slightly injured garden... In the morning,

more than a dozen teams that had passed the preliminary selection were rehearsing in the auditorium of No. 14 Middle School for the evening's official performance, and the order of appearance was determined by drawing lots.

According to the rehearsal order, Old Xu Jiu drew the second to last performance of No. 33 Middle School in the first half. After all the participating teams had gone through the stage and the specific performance time of each program was confirmed, the morning rehearsal ended.

Whether to go back to their own school or find a temporary place nearby to rest and prepare for the afternoon performance, Old Li was just about to ask Old Xu for his opinion on this issue when several people came up to Old Li and his group.

Although Lao Li wasn't very familiar with the vice principal of No. 14 Middle School, they had met a few times. Since No. 33 Middle School was now on their turf, Lao Li gestured to Tian Rong beside him and walked over to the group who had already greeted Lao Xu.

After some polite greetings, the slightly overweight but still enthusiastic vice principal from No. 14 Middle School explained the arrangements made by the Municipal Education Bureau.

The North District was quite far from the city center, and a team from an even more distant suburban middle school was also participating in the performance. Therefore, the Education Bureau entrusted No. 14 Middle School, which was organizing the performance, to host and arrange temporary rest areas for these visiting teams.

In the high school education of Qingjiang City, No. 3 Middle School frequently produced top scorers in the city's humanities and social sciences college entrance examinations, while No. 5 Middle School not only dominated the science and engineering college entrance examinations but also consistently led other middle schools in the city in overall science scores during mid-term and final exams each academic year.

For No. 5 Middle School, high school physics teaching has always been their source of pride, as for several years, their physics scores have consistently ranked first in every grade. However, this changed during a final exam two years ago. A first-year class from No. 14 Middle School achieved an average physics score higher than all first-year classes at No. 5 Middle School. The person who made history for No. 14 Middle School, a school known for its arts and culture, was Cheng Yan, walking at the back of Old Li's group, her face expressionless.

Taking first place from the strongest opponent, even if there might have been some element of chance, is undoubtedly a testament to strength. But here's the problem: a teacher with such high teaching ability should theoretically be highly valued by every school, but why is there such a significant difference in the level of attention given to Cheng Yan?

Indeed, the Municipal Education Bureau, in an effort to improve the teaching situation at No. 33 Middle School, had asked other middle schools to recommend teachers to bolster its teaching staff. However, only Cheng Yan, recommended by No. 14 Middle School, was actually selected. Perhaps, the recommendation of a highly capable teacher like Cheng Yan is, in another sense, a way of affirming her abilities.

From the moment she entered the gates of No. 14 Middle School, Cheng Yan's expression constantly shifted, drawing the attention of Tian Rong and Lao Li. When the smiling vice-principal of No. 14 Middle School appeared, Lao Li noticed that while Cheng Yan's expression remained unchanged, the corners of her eyes narrowed the moment she saw him.

Walking beside Lao Li, the smiling vice-principal seemed to have small, flickering eyes, and the more frequently these flickering eyes appeared, the more pronounced his smile became.

A vice-principal who always smiled and seemed approachable (according to Tian Rong's whispers to Lao Li, this vice-principal was currently the acting principal of No. 14 Middle School), in a middle school with a strong artistic atmosphere—yet when Lao Li's gaze swept over Cheng Yan's expressionless face, his heart stirred slightly.

There are many people with artistic talent within the education system, so four of the seven judges on the judging panel at the finals were from within the education system.

Perhaps it was returning to the school where she used to work, or perhaps it was having Lao Li by her side for an entire lunch break, or perhaps it was letting go of something that had been weighing on her mind—Cheng Yan's heartfelt and sweet singing not only added a lot to the performance of No. 33 Middle School, but also greatly helped the other performers from No. 33 Middle School, who were already relaxed, to perform at their best.

All fifteen programs were performed, and the artistic performance scores for each program were finally awarded. With a 0.3-point advantage, No. 33 Middle School led its strongest competitor, No. 14 Middle School.

The right to speak now went to the three people behind the judges' panel, meaning that these three people would decide the scores for the performances beyond artistic performance. These three people were very knowledgeable about commenting on things beyond art. They commented on many aspects, such as whether each program highlighted the main theme and whether it fully reflected the important moment of "July 1st".

The performance by No. 33 Middle School was the best in terms of artistic expression; however, it seemed to lack in highlighting the main theme, reflecting the times, and focusing on the central theme of "July 1st." Looking at these aspects, the performance by No. 14 Middle School, even among the three judges who spoke last and appeared to be the oldest, seemed to have some awareness of this issue. The youngest of the three judges,

who rarely expressed his opinions verbally but frequently nodded in support after the other two judges had given their comments, adjusted his microphone at this moment.

Over half a century of trials and tribulations, the leadership of the Party has always been the main theme. Using contemporary art forms to recreate those difficult years allows us to relive and remember the footsteps of our predecessors, which should inspire our pioneering spirit in the new era. "July 1st" is about reviewing history and looking to the future; this is the direction we must always and must continue to follow. The youngest judge gave No. 33 Middle School this comment, but did not award them a higher score. Thus, after combining the two scores, the final score of No. 14 Middle School slightly surpassed that of No. 33 Middle School.

However, this changed the entire situation, as the three final judges all mentioned one thing: since both programs were excellent, they should both participate in the city's "July 1st" celebration performance.

Second place wasn't the best result, but the opportunity to participate in the city's performance truly excited all the teachers and students from No. 33 Middle School. No sooner had Old Li and Dong Na returned from receiving their awards than they were surrounded by everyone asking: "Where are we going to celebrate tonight?"

An opportunity to represent the entire city's education system in a city-wide performance might seem like a superficial honor, perhaps lacking real significance. However, for No. 33 Middle School, a school eager to escape its predicament, it was a crucial starting point for changing its public image. Even Old Li, who wasn't usually concerned with appearances, took this opportunity very seriously. With everyone in such high spirits, Old Li readily entrusted the selection of the celebration location to Dong Qin and Old Xu.

Watching the last three commentators shake hands with the main leaders of the city's education system, Old Li muttered to himself, looking at the youngest commentator: "My brother-in-law is now the propaganda minister of the provincial party committee, how come he still has the leisure to come here and act all high and mighty? Doesn't he realize that his status might cause this little temple to collapse?"

Old Li's phone rang, but when he took it out, the caller ID seemed familiar, yet he couldn't quite place it. As he answered, following the large group from his school out, a familiar and cheerful greeting came through the phone. "

Don't talk about people during the day, don't talk about ghosts at night," and sure enough, Old Li had just finished muttering about his brother-in-law in his mind when his brother-in-law called.

Old Li's brother-in-law was a proper military academy graduate. After serving in the army for eight years, he rose to the rank of division-level officer. However, for some unknown reason, this brother-in-law, who had risen so rapidly in the military, suddenly transferred back to civilian life. Moreover, instead of returning directly to the provincial capital, he became the deputy mayor of a city within the same province. Three years later, Old Li's brother-in-law was promoted to mayor of another city.

In the same year he became mayor, Old Li's mother-in-law, his brother-in-law's biological mother, passed away due to illness. When his mother died, Old Li, who had already divorced his brother-in-law's sister, was away on a work trip abroad and unable to return immediately. Unable to attend the funeral, Old Li, who was not a son but acted like a filial son, mourned his brother-in-law's mother.

Regarding the divorce between his sister and Old Li, not only did Old Li's parents-in-law dislike their daughter, but Old Li's brother-in-law and sister-in-law also believed that their sister had made a grave mistake in the matter. For many years, their mother, who had been bedridden due to illness, had been cared for by Lao Li. Therefore, everyone in Lao Li's mother-in-law's family felt grateful to him, but also indebted to him.

Lao Li's brother-in-law had been transferred back to the provincial capital two months ago to serve as the head of the provincial propaganda department. He had originally planned to stay at home and have a good get-together with Lao Li, his brother-in-law (who wasn't actually his brother-in-law), but due to various reasons, they only met today. This

meeting wasn't intentional on Lao Li's brother-in-law's part; rather, it was because a colleague of the head of the Qingjiang City education system, whom he had previously worked in, invited him. Both the provincial and municipal governments attached great importance to the "July 1st" celebration, so Lao Li's newly appointed head of the provincial propaganda department coincidentally met his long-lost brother-in-law at this event.

After exchanging pleasantries, the real purpose of calling his brother-in-law was to invite Lao Li to a dinner party hosted by the Municipal Education Bureau. Partly, this was to give Lao Li a chance to sit down and chat; more importantly, since his brother-in-law had essentially been reassigned to the 33rd Middle School, inviting him to the dinner was a way of showing support for him.

Yes, his brother-in-law was always scheming and ambitious, but there was one thing about him: he seemed to always be taken advantage of at work. Before, being far away, he couldn't really help him, but now that he was back, he felt he had to do something, right?

After finishing the call with his brother-in-law and accepting the invitation, Lao Li told Lao Xu and Tian Rong about it. Generally speaking, Tian Rong is quite sensitive to major personnel changes in provincial and municipal governments and often hears insider information. This is because, although his father has passed away, his mother's family still lives in the provincial party committee compound.

Tian Rong had heard some rumors about the new head of the provincial propaganda department. Apparently, he was originally supposed to be transferred back to the province to become vice governor, but due to external factors, he was reassigned to the head of the propaganda department. Moreover, it's said that this appointment is just a transitional one, and he might soon be promoted to vice governor.

Speaking of Lao Li's ex-wife's family, Tian Rong only now realized who was who! Indeed, he hadn't paid much attention before because, based on Lao Li's behavior, it was hard to associate him with such a family. But now that everything was confirmed, he realized that Lao Li's ex-wife's family was actually this one.

Old Li's ex-wife's family, his father, was from the older generation who had fought and bled. Although he wasn't very educated, he apparently rose to the position of Party Secretary of Qingjiang City in his last year in office. Of his children's generation, only Old Li's brother-in-law truly entered politics, and he was very adept at leveraging

connections. Unlike his father's generation, who, lacking education and ambition, didn't utilize the extensive networks built by his brother-in-law for his own career advancement, Old Li's brother-in-law completely transformed the political landscape. He meticulously cultivated relationships with everyone around him, both in the military and in local government, which explains his smooth and steady rise through the ranks.

In contrast, Old Li, like something kept in a jar, seemed to shrink back the longer it was kept in office. In other words, the fact that Old Li's father-in-law still treated him like a son even after his divorce from his daughter suggests that Old Li shares some striking similarities with his father-in-law. Today, Old Li's brother-in-law's invitation to this occasion is entirely beneficial from every angle. So, after understanding the situation, Tian Rong immediately took charge, saying she would handle everything for the school team tonight, and that Old Li should get ready and go see his brother-in-law.

The two drinking parties started almost simultaneously, but in different locations. Perhaps because of the different locations and the different people drinking together, the atmosphere at the tables differed greatly.

On one side, toasts were exchanged enthusiastically, while on the other, the atmosphere was so subdued that even conversation was disjointed.

On one side, the lively atmosphere was heightened by the unexpected presence of someone who would never normally be expected to sit there, adding a touch of surprise and wistfulness to the banquet. On the other side, the quiet atmosphere arose from the sudden absence of someone who wouldn't normally attract much attention, making everyone realize that while someone might seem insignificant in your daily life, their quiet arrival or departure can subtly stir your emotions.

Old Li, not a heavy drinker, had been drinking heavily, so by the time the banquet was halfway over, he was practically a ghost. Finally, when everyone was about to leave, Old Li, barely recognizable, was helped into a car.

On the other side, Tian Rong and the group from No. 33 Middle School, who had also been drinking, had lost interest in their planned celebrations and were discussing whether it was time to go home.

The school's minibus wasn't fixed yet, but luckily, Old Li hadn't forgotten about it while drinking elsewhere. He mentioned it to his brother-in-law, and a 20-seat minibus pulled up in front of the group from No. 33 Middle School.

Of the people from No. 33 Middle School who came for the performance today, four lived in the city center, and Old Xu had already given them each a ride. The rest, whether teachers or students, all lived in the northern part of the city. When the minibus reached the northern part of the city, there were only eight or nine people left. Tian Rong noticed that the passengers were all women and girls.

The girls were all students, and they said they were going to the school dormitory. As for the women, although none of them said where they were going, Tian Rong knew exactly where they were going.

The arrangement had been made, but Dong Na, whom Zou Yang had expected to stay at the school with, said she wasn't going. Zou Yang kept praising Dong Na for being so loyal.

Thinking that there was plenty of room at Lao Li's house anyway, and perhaps due to a bit of a woman's tendency to show off, Dong Na, for reasons unknown, dragged Zou Yang along to stay at Lao Li's.

This was only discussed with Zou Yang when they were almost at school, but Lulu, sitting next to Zou Yang, overheard this, which changed things a bit.

During the recent rehearsals, Lulu, Hanyue, and Zou Yang had gotten along very well. Even though they were still in the same school after the city performance, they wouldn't have as much time together as they had these days. The agreement to stay in the school dormitory today was simply so the sisters could share a room and chat intimately. However, Zou Yang was only half-joking with Dong Na, but when Dong Na took it seriously, it dragged more people into the matter.

While the girls, led by Lulu, were doing what they had agreed on and Zou Yang was half-joking, Dong Na looked at Tian Rong and asked for her opinion. A few more wouldn't make much difference, and a few less wouldn't make much difference either. So, Tian Rong nodded to Dong Na, and the minibus didn't stop at the school gate, but drove directly towards Old Li's house.

Chapter 1: One Step at a Time (4)

Drinking is real, and getting drunk and unconscious is also real. It's true that Old Li, who is deeply drunk, is lying motionless on the bed. But the person in charge of taking care of Old Li would rather Old Li be drunk and run around like a madman, which would be much better than his current situation.

Of course, Old Li's current condition isn't life-threatening from drunkenness. For example, Old Li, who was just brought home by his brother-in-law, lay down on the bed and didn't move. Many drunk people vomit, and Old Li was no exception. So, at the perfect time, with only one person left to take care of him, he vomited.

Vomiting after drinking is common, but you can't just lie on your back and vomit! It's embarrassing, but it's one thing for Old Li to vomit on himself, but to vomit all over someone else's bed is unacceptable.

Vomiting on his back in bed, making a mess of himself and the bed, is manageable even if someone holds their nose and cleans up, but if someone is so drunk they're like a vegetable, completely immobile, it puts the person trying to help them in a difficult position.

Why? Even if Old Li didn't have Tyson's weight or Holyfield's height, he was still a grown man weighing over 60 kilograms. When he was like a pile of meat on a chopping board waiting to be lifted, even with two women working together, it would still take quite a bit of effort.

Fortunately, the two women, working together, managed to clean and wash Old Li and the bed thoroughly. However, this ordeal left both women covered in a good amount of sweat (haha, women's sweat is usually described as fragrant, but after a lot of physical exertion, the smell isn't much better than a man's). After taking turns showering, one of the women, perhaps worried that Old Li would need more attention, sat on the edge of the bed and watched him. The other woman, looking rather guilty, made an excuse and quietly slipped away to another room.

Old Li is sleeping in a bed that isn't the one he slept in when he was first carried back. It's the bed that the two women practically dragged him to this one with tremendous effort. And this bed, embarrassingly, was originally the bed that the woman sitting on the edge of the bed sleeps in every day.

The woman sitting on the edge of the bed heard about Old Li from others more than ten years ago, but she's only officially known him for six or seven years. From the time she first heard about Old Li to her interactions with him over the years, she's never seen him so drunk before, not even before she came here.

How could someone as usually composed as Old Li be reduced to this state? As the woman sitting on the edge of the bed pondered this question, she couldn't help but wonder: Is it true that you can't judge a book by its cover?

The bed Old Li is sleeping in now isn't his own; this is his father-in-law's house. Logically, even if Old Li was drunk, he should have been sent back to his own place, not brought here.

However, the reason Old Li was brought here was because of his brother-in-law. As for why Old Li's brother-in-law had such thoughts, it was entirely because seeing Old Li reminded him of his sister.

Old Li's brother-in-law's sister had already divorced him, but Old Li's brother-in-law knew even better who his divorced sister, Old Li's sister-in-law, truly cared for after all these years.

Old Li's brother-in-law brought the drunken Old Li here for three reasons: first, he assumed his sister should be home at this time; second, he thought that having his sister take care of Old Li would allow them to get to know each other better; and third, someone was willing to take the initiative to bring Old Li here.

That makes sense. His younger sister had harbored feelings for Lao Li for many years, but various reasons prevented her from resolving them. If Lao Li's brother-in-law had personally delivered Lao Li to his sister, she would surely be grateful (even if not explicitly) to her brother!

However, the situation is such that while Lao Li's brother-in-law is allowed to drink with him, if Lao Li were to drink with him and end up in this state, then even as his brother, he would have to carefully consider whether he was worthy of such treatment if he were to personally deliver Lao Li to his sister.

On the surface, Lao Li's sister-in-law is incredibly fierce towards him, but those who know her well understand how much she truly loves her brother-in-law despite her harsh words. In other words, while her brother-in-law, her sister-in-law, might be verbally aggressive, if someone else treated him the same way, this policewoman sister-in-law might actually pull out her gun and fight them to the death.

Old Li's brother-in-law knew his sister all too well, so the best way to avoid this situation—wanting to be a good person in front of his sister but not letting her pull out a gun to his head—was to use someone else.

But things aren't always as simple as you think. You wouldn't dare mess with your own sister, so how could you expect someone else to do it? However, Old Li's brother-in-law was truly remarkable. Not only was his official career going smoothly, but whenever he needed help, people would rush to his aid.

And these people were not only acquaintances of Old Li, but also people with whom he had a very close relationship. However, the reason for the close relationship isn't anything else, but rather that this person is Old Li's aunt's younger sister, meaning she's the younger sister of Old Li's brother-in-law's stepmother. Normally, Old Li's brother-in-law should call her "Aunt."

This woman, who is also Old Li's aunt's younger sister, is actually seven years younger than Old Li. She and her older sister came to work in the provincial capital around the same time. The older sister works at the Provincial Statistics Bureau, while the younger sister initially worked at the Municipal Women's Federation, and earlier this year transferred to the Municipal Education Bureau, where

she's considered one of the more influential figures. Old Li's aunt is very outgoing, and ever since she met Old Li, she's enjoyed using her straightforwardness to play small jokes on him.

For example, she'd ask Old Li, who is seven years older than her, to seriously call her "Aunt"...

For example, she'd pat Old Li on the shoulder, then look at him with a "you're such a good boy" expression...

and so on.

After a series of such gestures, Old Li would walk much faster than usual whenever he saw his aunt. But it was precisely this quickening of his pace upon seeing her that made his usually boisterous aunt, unable to fully enjoy herself, secretly solidify a thought in her mind: "You walk fast, huh? Wait until you have nowhere to go,

then we'll see!" With this firm belief, and constantly looking for such an opportunity, at the city education system's "July 1st" celebration banquet that evening, her eyes lit up when she saw Old Li!

So, after Old Li and the others had finished their drinks, and the banquet had entered the stage of free socializing, she raised her glass and approached Old Li.

After seeing his aunt in private, Old Li walked very quickly, but in such a public setting, he wouldn't immediately leave before his very tactful aunt. So, Old Li greeted his aunt with a smile.

If Old Li's aunt were to choose an opportunity to slow down his legs, she would definitely choose this particular occasion.

Why? Because people's alcohol tolerance is categorized by levels. Beginners are usually measured in ounces, intermediates in kilograms, advanced drinkers in kilograms, and the ultimate drinkers are those who drink like ordinary people drinking water.

Theoretically and practically, a high-level drinker versus an intermediate drinker is like Mike Tyson versus a middleweight boxer fighting for the title of world champion. However, if a top-tier athlete were to challenge a middleweight to a drinking contest, it would be like Xiang Yu, the mighty Hegemon of Western Chu, visiting a kindergarten one day, finding the strongest child, placing his dark, iron-like arm on the child's bed, and then, in the most amiable way, saying to the strong child: "Go all out, let's arm wrestle!"

Old Li, a man whose drinking capacity wouldn't even qualify as intermediate, had no idea that the smiling woman in front of him was, in a certain field, Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu who was challenging the strongest child in the kindergarten to an arm wrestling match.

Whether in family relationships or relationships with colleagues in education, this smiling woman was Old Li's superior. However, this extended from family to work relationships. The smiling woman, holding her glass, said to Old Li in a casual tone: "I'll drink it all, you can drink as you like."

Watching the woman down her full glass of wine in one gulp, still smiling, an inexplicable emotion stirred within Old Li. Perhaps even a wise sage, sensing the subtle disdain in the woman's casual tone, would feel the same emotions as Old Li. But

Old Li lacked the magnanimity of a sage; he was just an ordinary man with a slightly better temper. So, this subtle stirring of emotion—perhaps because the wine had already taken effect, or perhaps because of the woman's smiling, casual remark, "Go ahead and drink," made Old Li, who was usually careful with his alcohol intake, not only down his glass in one gulp, but also, unusually, pour himself a full glass, returning the woman's words and repeating, "I'll finish mine, you can drink as you like."

The polite toasts exchanged between Old Li and the woman in front of him were merely one cup each. However, because of this, more people brought glasses to Old Li. Given the way Old Li and the woman had drunk together, and considering the importance of saving face at banquets, Old Li continued the drinking ritual in the same manner as the woman, completing all the formalities. Meanwhile,

the mighty Xiang Yu, the King of Chu, merely propped his hand on the child's bed, quietly watching the child jump and leap with all his might in his performance, following his own script.

Indeed, if Xiang Yu had displayed his unparalleled strength from the start, not only Old Li, but anyone else would have refrained from attempting such a feat. However, this time, the Chu Overlord, disguised as a woman, wasn't just someone who knew how to use her strength (although with her strength, she could easily overpower everyone here). She merely displayed the symbol of her power lightly, and the rest was just Old Li's own antics. He

feared neither heaven nor earth, and was even less afraid of the Overlord's strength (because if he couldn't afford to offend her, he could at least avoid her). But what he feared most was that the Overlord herself had started to set traps.

Sure enough, Old Li's aunt, whose drinking prowess was comparable to an Overlord's, cleverly set a trap for him, making him drink almost twice as much as usual until he was completely drunk.

Old Li's brother-in-law, who had been observing coldly, was perfectly aware of everything, but he initially tried to subtly remind his brother-in-law. However, upon seeing the smiling eyes of the woman who was also his aunt, he decisively suppressed all his thoughts.

It was the smiling aunt who was telling Old Li's brother-in-law: "Don't get yourself into trouble."

The brother-in-law had successfully gotten himself completely drunk in the aunt's script, but what surprised Old Li's brother-in-law most was that the aunt would so readily offer to take Old Li home. Everyone in Old Li's brother-in-law's family knew that Old Li's sister-in-law was someone no one dared to mess with, not even the aunt in front of him or the aunt still at home.

Haha, Old Li's brother-in-law didn't know one thing: the aunt who had come here and was about to let Old Li get drunk was also afraid of her brother-in-law's sister-in-law, who was very protective of him. However, before coming here, Old Li's aunt and her sister-in-law had just broken up. Old Li's sister-in-law had said that the police station had a mission that night, and Old Li's sister-in-law wouldn't be home.

The aunt, who was drenched in sweat from taking care of Old Li with her older sister, didn't even wait for her sister to ask how Old Li had gotten so drunk. She quickly slipped away, saying she needed to take a shower, leaving her sister to take care of Old Li in the room.

It was obvious that only her younger sister could have gotten Old Li into such a state, but her sister was too slippery. She had just managed to give her a scolding when her sister had vanished in the blink of an eye. Thinking she'd settle the score with her sister tomorrow, the older sister continued wiping Old Li's face with a towel, and sat down on the edge of his bed.

Indeed, the older sister, being a woman herself, was also exhausted from all that fuss.

Over a decade ago, when Mr. Li's father-in-law was serving as the county party secretary in another county, his current aunt was a young woman who had just joined the county party committee office. It was through this connection that she met Mr. Li's very upright father-in-law.

After a period of working together, Mr. Li's father-in-law's decisive and efficient work style left a deep impression on the young woman. However, all of this remained merely a young woman's impression of a county party secretary's work, without any deeper implications.

This ordinary working relationship changed two years later. The young woman had married and was highly regarded by Mr. Li's father-in-law; she became the deputy director of the county party committee office. Mr.

Li's father-in-law had always kept his family in the provincial capital while he worked alone in another city. Now, the young woman, having become a woman, had to dedicate some of her energy to arranging and caring for Mr. Li's father-in-law's daily life.

Through work and life interactions, a bond gradually developed between the two people, who were significantly different in age, a relationship somewhere between siblings. This bond led to a deeper understanding between them.

The woman, now a woman herself, gradually learned about her father-in-law's family in the provincial capital through their conversations. Her father-in-law's

family wasn't particularly complicated, and she quickly grasped their dynamics. It was at this point that Lao Li, no longer considered part of his family, left a deep impression on her.

This was understandable; a man divorced from his wife had consistently cared for his bedridden mother-in-law for many years—a truly remarkable act. Lao Li's father-in-law, feeling guilty towards his wife, didn't bring her to live with him because of Lao Li's unwavering care for his mother-in-law. He believed he couldn't compare to Lao Li in this regard.

Later, Old Li's father-in-law was transferred to other counties and eventually returned to the provincial capital to serve as the municipal party secretary. He and the woman who had become the head of the county's organization department had only occasional phone calls and hadn't seen each other for several years.

The turning point came a few years ago with a chance encounter. The woman, now the deputy secretary of the county party committee, was in the provincial capital for work and unintentionally met Old Li's now-retired father-in-law.

This meeting led to renewed contact between the divorced deputy secretary and her former superior. With the help of some matchmakers, the woman, who had also been transferred from the county to the provincial capital, married Old Li's father-in-law, becoming the aunt of Old Li and the other younger members of his family.

Life after marrying Old Li's father-in-law was uneventful, but this uneventful life changed two years ago on the anniversary of Old Li's mother-in-law's death. That evening, Old Li's ex-wife quietly appeared before her family. Her return was purely for the purpose of paying respects to her mother, without Old Li or her daughter knowing.

However, Old Li's father-in-law disliked his own daughter intensely. He faithfully carried out his late wife's wish, forbidding her from visiting her mother's grave and even flew into a rage when confronted by her. This outburst caused the elderly man's blood pressure to spike, triggering a heart attack. Despite attempts to save him, he passed away.

Although this incident occurred shortly after Old Li's new aunt took office, Old Li and the other younger members of the family generally held a good impression of her. After Old Li's father-in-law passed away, his aunt not only didn't leave, but also continued to live in his father-in-law's house with Old Li's divorced sister-in-law and Old Li's daughter, Xiaozhu (who was studying in the city and lived with her aunt).

Now, Xiaozhu was boarding at school, and Old Li's sister-in-law was away on business today. Since his sister had brought Old Li, who was in such a drunken state, over, he had to take care of him.

She was furious, not because of taking care of Old Li, but because of her sister who had gotten him drunk and now was slinking away. But despite her anger, Old Li, lying in bed, was showing signs of becoming agitated. Ignoring her sister, the aunt quickly helped Old Li move his head to the edge of the bed, because if he vomited on the bed, she wouldn't have the strength to move him to another bed.

Old Li's body was still quite resilient; once he vomited once, he wouldn't vomit a second time. Now, he was experiencing a slight problem—his throat felt like it was burning dry from the alcohol, and he instinctively wanted some water.

Seeing that Old Li wasn't vomiting again but was mumbling for water, his aunt breathed a sigh of relief and quickly brought him some cooled water.

The coolness of the water soothed Old Li's parched throat, and he, still in a drunken stupor, greedily swallowed it like a baby's milk. As the burning sensation in his throat gradually subsided and his other bodily functions partially recovered, a unique fragrance, characteristic of a woman after a bath, wafted from Old Li's nose...

Chapter 1: One Step at a Time (5)

Accustomed to the comfort of sleeping with the fragrance of a woman's body in his arms, and even more accustomed to touching a woman's soft and supple body in his dreams, in his deep drunkenness, Old Li subconsciously embraced the woman sitting by the bed taking care of him.

It can be said that in his aunt's impression, Old Li was always well-mannered and dutiful. Because his aunt, who was quite confident in her figure and appearance, had never seen any invasiveness in Old Li's gaze since the day she met him, and as for other actions of a certain nature, they would never appear on Old Li.

But tonight, on this drunken night, Old Li actually pulled her into his arms without any restraint! Auntie was shocked! And with a woman's instinctive reaction, she tried to break free from Old Li's arms around her waist.

Frankly, getting Old Li from one bed to this one had already exhausted her, so when Old Li, still hungover, sensed her movements and unconsciously tightened his arms around her waist, her struggles seemed futile.

Thus, Auntie struggled and whispered rebukes as Old Li held her tightly, but he not only didn't loosen his grip, but also began muttering to himself… "

Good girl… don't move…

sleep well… we need to…"

Having no strength in her body was one thing, but the overwhelming sense of powerlessness was even more likely to make her give up. Even if she couldn't immediately break free from Old Li's embrace, Auntie would never simply give in. And it was Old Li's almost delirious babbling in his hangover, intermittently murmuring in his aunt's ear, that made her, already exhausted, almost frantically give up her last struggle. And

then, unexpectedly, the aunt, who had given up and didn't know what was about to happen, suddenly realized that with her surrender, not only did Old Li's previously tightened arms loosen, but his irritating babbling also stopped. Now, Old Li was sleeping soundly, his arms wrapped around his aunt, like a baby.

Quiet. Seeing Old Li suddenly fall asleep so peacefully, it was as if something had been released from her heart, and she too quieted down. It was this quiet that allowed the aunt to quietly observe Old Li sleeping soundly in his hangover.

He didn't reek of alcohol, nor did he have a rugged face; it was just a face with a nose slightly larger than average, but not particularly striking. This man, who could be considered an ordinary man, was now fast asleep, breathing evenly and deeply.

The aunt carefully adjusted her body to a more comfortable position on the bed, leaning against the headboard and turning her head slightly. The man before her, breathing evenly, and the strength he had exuded in his sleep, along with his few murmured words, flashed back and forth in her mind.

Perhaps afraid that any further movement would result in Old Li holding her tightly again, or perhaps these two experiences had exhausted her, she simply watched and listened. Maybe she was truly tired, or perhaps the night was just so quiet; she didn't know how much time had passed, but when the aunt's body finally sank completely onto the bed, her breathing became even softer and more even.

A series of crashing and banging sounds woke Old Li from his sleep. Looking around and listening carefully to the noises outside, Old Li now understood where he had been taken after getting drunk the night before.

Shaking his head and smiling wryly, Old Li, about to get out of bed, began searching the house for the clothes he had worn. He had been wearing them yesterday, but none of them were in the room. Looking at his pajamas, Old Li, who couldn't remember what had happened there the night before, reluctantly got out of bed.

His head felt heavy, his throat dry, and his joints seemed a little stiff. As he assessed his physical condition, Old Li casually opened the bedroom door.

Reaching the top of the stairs to the second floor, the crashing and banging sounds from the living room became increasingly clear, and Old Li could clearly hear his sister-in-law's scolding. Without stopping, Old Li peeked out from the top of the stairs.

It was already past nine in the morning. Old Li's sister-in-law stood in the middle of the living room, while Old Li's brother-in- law and the aunt who had drunk with Old Li the night before sat listlessly on the sofa

, listening to her lecture them. Old Li's sister-in-law had just returned from work at dawn. As soon as she entered the house, she saw her aunt already up in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Having worked all night, she greeted her aunt and went into the bathroom, wanting to wash away her fatigue.

However, the bathroom was not only a mess, but also reeked of an unbearable stench. Pinching her nose, she shoved her foot through the pile of jumbled things on the bathroom floor. The sight of the mess was horrifying, but the intense stench almost made her faint.

Just then, her aunt, also hurrying about, appeared at the bathroom door.

Without even asking her sister-in-law, the aunt, who was always intimidated by her sister-in-law's authority, blurted out the whole story of Old Li's drinking spree the previous night (of course, she held back some details). The aunt knew her brother-in-law even better than her sister, who had been married to him. So, seeing the mess in the bathroom, she knew exactly how drunk her brother-in-law had been!

It was her brother who had sent him, and her sister had gotten involved. Enraged, the aunt first called her brother, giving him ten minutes to get there, then stormed into her sister's room and dragged her off the bed. By the time Old Li was woken up by his sister-in-law's scolding and shoving, the poor brother-in-law and his aunt, who was arguably the culprit, had already received over two hours of re-education.

Old Li came downstairs, and the sister-in-law's almond-shaped eyes suddenly snapped open, fixed on her brother-in-law.

Just moments before, facing her brothers and aunt, she had acted like a housekeeper wielding a whip, reprimanding and intimidating the servants who had made mistakes. Now, she was facing her brother-in-law, but her words were full of reproach, making everyone feel nauseous. The other two, who had just been reprimanded, felt a pang of jealousy, thinking: "The difference between people is so vast!"

With the sister-in-law's attention completely on her brother-in-law, the brother-in-law and aunt, one feeling nauseous from the nausea and the other with a sour toothache, seized the opportunity and slipped away. After eating the breakfast his aunt had prepared, and being treated like a seriously ill patient by his sister-in-law, Old Li didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. When his sister-in-law came to his bedside again, he gently took her hands…

Only in moments like these could this woman shed the thorny outer garment that didn't belong to her. And only in moments like these, with sweat glistening in her hair and a hint of shyness in her languid expression, could Old Li's affection for her intensify.

At that moment, Old Li's mind seemed to drift back to over a decade ago, to a girl with two braids who had first seen him with innocent, curious, and slightly shy eyes, etching a tenderness into his heart that he now truly understood the weight of.

This tenderness, planted unintentionally in his heart, has not faded with the passage of over a decade; instead, it has grown even stronger.

He would cherish this woman who had silently waited for him for so long, for the passing years had allowed that innocent and shy girl to experience the most radiant years of her life in this waiting.

Life wouldn't offer another decade for someone to wait for, so when this waiting finally blossomed, let this deep love grow even stronger.

Thinking this, Old Li gently kissed the woman's slightly flushed cheeks; thinking this, his hands softly caressed her smooth back, slowly and tenderly…

On the evening of June 30th at 8:30 PM, the "July 1st" cultural performance, sponsored by the Qingjiang Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, was grandly staged at the Qingjiang Grand Theater.

Throughout the entire performance, from the opening remarks to the slow descent of the curtain, perhaps few, whether organizers or the majority of the audience, noticed subtle shifts in the VIP seating area.

For example, why did the provincial party committee's involvement appear at several crucial moments in an event organized by the municipal party committee? Even though Qingjiang City is the provincial capital, with both the provincial and municipal party committees located in the same city, why did the provincial party committee's influence repeatedly appear in an event hosted by the municipal party committee? Was there a specific reason behind this?

Furthermore, everyone in the VIP seats noticed that while it should have been a fairly ordinary event, and those invited were generally expected to attend, some people's arrivals, though perhaps only out of politeness, seemed to carry an air of uninvitedness.

Some say that political life is like the sky we see every day; sometimes you see thunder and lightning, but in the end, it's just a lot of noise and little rain. But more often than not, just before a true storm, only those with exceptional sensitivity and experience can discern the impending fury in the subtle details that nature inadvertently reveals.

It's like the calm before an earthquake; perhaps it's just muddy well water, or a swarm of small animals rushing past you—these subtle hints tell you of a massive, unstoppable event.

Old Li, having lived half his life and served as a leader in several departments, had never truly experienced the political life that every leader should have gone through. This wasn't because Old Li lacked political sensitivity or was inherently incapable of politics; he was simply too lazy and overly soft-hearted. Therefore, his primary concern regarding the calculating and ruthless nature of politics was to stay far away.

However, during this cultural performance, seemingly by chance, he noticed some clues. Although he didn't know who this impending political upheaval was targeting, he sensed the prelude to changes in the political landscape of the province or city.

The more gloomy the weather seems to indicate it's going to rain, the fewer people will stand on the street waiting to get soaked. But an unexpected, inconspicuous shower, where the sun is shining but the rain is falling, will leave many drenched.

Like a mother getting married, it doesn't matter who it is; Old Li knew he had no part in it. So, as he walked off the stage, his gaze swept over the faces of the VIPs before he turned and went backstage.

Those who were supposed to be sent home, if they had nothing to do at home, should be washing up and going to bed by now. But none of the eleven people still in the car gave a clear answer so that Old Li, who was temporarily acting as the driver, could take them to their destination.

Yes, where should they go? As Old Li was pondering this, Tian Rong, who had been sitting quietly in the passenger seat, gave him a hint: turn left here.

Linjiang Road, or more precisely, Old Linjiang Road, because after the Qingjiang River was diverted, all that remained was the deep and wide ditch that the Qingjiang River had left behind.

In Old Li's memory, none of the people still in the car lived in this area. However, since Tian Rong said she wanted to come here first, she must have her reasons. So, without asking any further questions, Old Li, at Tian Rong's instruction, turned left at an intersection on Old Linjiang Road.

The Red Shoes bar's eye-catching yet understated signboard immediately caught Old Li's eye, and he knew Tian Rong and her friends were definitely coming here.

Who could argue with that? In a place still bustling with activity late at night, only a place like this could stand out.

All ten women in the car (including four girls) got out, and as Old Li was the last to step out, someone was already waiting to greet Tian Rong and her friends at the Red Shoes bar entrance.

Looking at the two people greeting them, Old Li couldn't help but scratch his head. The two people greeting them were practically side-by-side: the bar manager and the proprietress of the Biyuan Restaurant. This unexpected yet not entirely unexpected reunion made Old Li's head-scratching understandable. Most

people who come to bars, aside from those who are depressed and determined to drown their sorrows, usually have something else to do on the side. And today, Tian Rong and her friends decided to come here, following the crowd—to have a few drinks and do something else on the side. So, led by the bar manager, Lao Li and his group entered a private room with a small suite.

Wine, juice (because four minors were also there) and some dried and fresh fruits were laid out, and everyone sat down casually.

The reason for coming here was to toast the outstanding performance of No. 33 Middle School, but in fact, Lao Li, the most core figure of No. 33 Middle School, did not say a word on this topic even after several rounds of drinks.

This was not because of anything else, but because the proprietress of Biyuan happened to sit next to Lao Li when everyone sat down casually, and this casualness made Lao Li's mouth almost sealed.

11-15

Chapter 1: One Step at a Time (6)

Some people wear their heart on their sleeves, while others seem not to care about anything. Compared to the much quieter Old Li, the proprietress of Biyuan, sitting beside him, seemed to have forgotten what had happened between her and Old Li. She was just as she had been when Old Li first met her—bold yet possessing a unique feminine charm.

There was no opportunity, and bringing up a somewhat somber topic now would be inappropriate. With this realization, Old Li, temporarily setting aside his worries, quickly adapted to the atmosphere and joined in the leisurely activities with all the women and girls present…

In the morning sunlight, after exercising, Old Li thought about what Qingyu had told him about the vocational school land issue the previous night, and couldn't help but reminisce about Qingyu's soft and delicate body.

Yes, time had grown Qingyu and the other children born in the 1980s into adults, and time had also given them the unique personalities of their generation.

It should be said that the post-80s generation was a source of confusion in the eyes of Old Li's generation. This confusion stems from two aspects: first, the bewilderment at the distinct and prominent personalities of this new generation; and second, the bewilderment at the inherent flaws in their distinct personalities that cannot be concealed.

However, this confusion remains just that—confusion. The reality is that a distinct and prominent personality like Qingyu's has left Old Li, who has deeply experienced her, with an irresistible allure.

Just last night, in Qingyu and Damei's room, after Damei finished explaining the progress of the vocational school land project, and Old Li shared his views on the matter, Qingyu and Damei fully revealed another side of themselves to Old Li—a side of living for the moment…

From the bathroom to the living room, and then from the living room into the bedroom, as the scenes from last night replayed in Old Li's mind, a sudden surge of emotion welled up within him, and he quickened his pace towards the room where Qingyu and Damei were still asleep.

The place where Old Li exercised in the morning was some distance from Da Mei and Qing Yu's room. The hot-hearted Old Li had only walked a few steps when he not only stopped, but his burning desire vanished.

It was Fei'er's mother, expressionless, appearing in front of him.

In Old Li's current home, because of his affair with Fei'er, whenever he saw Fei'er's mother—his mother-in-law, who was two or three years younger than him—he felt a guilty conscience, as if his body was covered in thorns, and he couldn't help but try to get as far away as possible.

Fei'er's mother, on the other hand, couldn't stand Old Li's despicable and vile nature. If it weren't for her daughter, she believed she would never want to see him again! But her daughter was there, and the situation was already irreversible, so even though Fei'er's mother tried to avoid seeing Old Li as much as possible, she still stayed with her daughter.

One person was constantly avoiding him, afraid to meet him, while the other genuinely disliked him and didn't want to see him at all. Yet, these two people, in such a relationship, bumped into each other face-to-face this morning.

Was it fate that they were destined to meet again? They were indeed enemies, but the road was certainly wide enough. In other words, this morning's encounter was intentional; Fei'er's mother had come to see Old Li.

After Fei'er became pregnant, Fei'er's mother had been taking care of her ever since, and the woman in the cheongsam had arranged for Fei'er to go to the maternal and child health center in the North District for her weekly prenatal checkups.

Originally, Fei'er's mother didn't know the truth about Fei'er's pregnancy, so she simply accompanied Fei'er to the weekly checkups—something a mother who cares about her daughter would do without hesitation. However, after learning the whole truth…

the more she learned, the more Fei'er's mother, driven by extreme disgust, not only stayed by her daughter's side but also couldn't tolerate the person she so vehemently disliked even coming near her daughter! Therefore, for some time now, Lao Li has barely been able to spend a few minutes with Fei'er.

From the preparations for the girls' basketball team at No. 33 Middle School to the junior high school entrance exams, and from preparing for the "July 1st" arts performance to the senior high school entrance exams, Lao Li has been tied up with a series of interconnected matters, leaving him with very little time to stay at home. Moreover, because of Fei'er's mother, Lao Li dares not linger around Fei'er and risk offending her, so it's truly rare to see Lao Li around Fei'er now.

You know, if someone really dislikes another person, avoiding seeing them, or trying to avoid seeing them as much as possible, is a rare form of peace of mind. But that's how things are; just when things seem to go everyone's way, something unexpected happens.

And the reason for Lao Li's "unexpected encounter" this morning stemmed from Fei'er's weekly prenatal checkup.

The person the woman in the cheongsam contacted casually remarked yesterday when Fei'er's mother accompanied her to her prenatal checkup: "Why is it always the baby's maternal grandmother who accompanies her to the checkup? Isn't the baby's father a little too busy with work?"

Faced with such an unintentional remark, Fei'er could still use a vague excuse to cover it up. However, the same unintentional remark ignited a firestorm of anger within Fei'er's mother!

Yes, whose child was her daughter carrying?! But look at this shameless old man, he not only sat down to settle things, but also avoided this crucial moment, leaving her and her daughter to face all of this! There's no such thing as a free lunch! This is utterly outrageous!

So, while accompanying her daughter for her checkup, Fei'er's mother remained silent, but as the anger she suppressed grew stronger, a conviction formed within her: "Hmph! You shameless old man, shouldn't we have some things to say?"

The weather this morning was truly lovely, and Fei'er's mother's mood was as bright and clear as after a volcanic eruption! Indeed, spitting venom at someone you utterly despise feels incredibly satisfying!

With a light step and a cheerful mood, Fei'er's mother walked ahead. Not only had her fiery enthusiasm been extinguished by a bucket of spittle, but she was also followed behind like a schoolchild after a scolding, head bowed and eyes downcast, eager to demonstrate her abilities. This was the first time Old Li had ever experienced something like this in his life. However, in this moment of clarity, Fei'er's mother forgot one thing: she had initially vehemently opposed Old Li's presence in her daughter's life, yet now she was the one leading him back to her daughter's side.

What Fei'er's mother didn't expect was that from this day forward, not only would her daughter Fei'er's life be completely changed, but Fei'er's own life would also undergo a dramatic transformation…

After Fei'er became pregnant, she experienced a few days of mild morning sickness. During that time, Fei'er's mother hadn't arrived, so Old Li personally took care of Fei'er's daily needs. The reason Old Li, a grown man, knew how to care for a pregnant woman was thanks to his first wife, Wei Hong.

Wei Hong's family was renowned for their ancestral bone-setting skills. However, in the past, in remote rural villages where transportation was inconvenient and medical resources were scarce, the Wei family's medical practice extended beyond treating bone injuries. Many people with other ailments would also seek treatment from nearby clinics.

Over time, in addition to their bone-setting methods, Wei Hong's ancestors accumulated numerous folk remedies for treating other diseases. While these remedies didn't form a systematic prescription system, they covered a wide range of ailments. After Wei Hong transitioned from a barefoot doctor in the countryside to a doctor at the Beicheng District People's Hospital, she undertook a crucial task: organizing and compiling these ancestral remedies.

Old Li arrived in Wei Hong's hometown decades ago during the massive "Down to the Countryside Movement." There, he not only met Wei Hong but also later married her. At that time, Lao Li was determined to settle down in Liumian Township for life. Since Wei Hong's father had no son, he considered Lao Li a son-in-law and wanted to pass on his ancestral medical skills.

One taught without reservation, and the other studied diligently. In those three years, Lao Li, who had been a doctor for decades, learned almost everything except for practical medical experience.

Unlike most educated youth who returned to the city many years ago, Lao Li didn't leave Xiao Fang, who remained in the village, heartbroken. Soon after returning to the city, he used his grandfather's connections to bring Wei Hong (and their child, Li Hongmian) to the city. Wei Hong continued her medical career, while Lao Li, although he learned more about medicine, unfortunately abandoned his studies halfway through. Even so, when Wei Hong was organizing the folk remedies passed down from her ancestors, Old Li's extensive knowledge came in very handy. In fact, more than half of what Wei Hong compiled was based on Old Li's memories.

Time took Wei Hong's life young, and Old Li's life afterwards had almost nothing to do with medicine. Perhaps these medical skills, along with those organized and published remedies, would be lost to time. But as time passed, during Old Li's leisurely days at the adult education office, he stumbled upon a post on an online forum questioning the necessity of the thousands-year-old system of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

This post deeply affected Old Li, who had once studied some Traditional Chinese Medicine. Indeed, in today's rapidly advancing technological world, is it truly time for the ancient, profound, and mysterious system of Traditional Chinese Medicine to fade into obscurity?

With these questions in mind and plenty of free time, Lao Li began comparing and contrasting modern medicine (mainly Western medicine) and traditional medicine according to his own understanding.

Traditional Chinese medicine, especially traditional Chinese medicine, lacks a modern interpretation, allowing people to re-examine a medical system that has existed for thousands of years from today's perspective.

This task was immense; Lao Li knew that if he, with only a rudimentary understanding of traditional Chinese medicine, were to do it, it would probably take him several lifetimes, and even if a national research institute were to do it, it would likely take two or three years to produce a complete understanding.

After comparing and contrasting, Lao Li, who realized he couldn't do anything, still gained some new insights.

These insights stemmed from the post questioning traditional Chinese medicine. Besides criticizing the lack of scientific basis in its general principles of medicine and pharmacology, the post specifically attacked traditional medicine's care for women during pregnancy and postpartum.

In rural areas, perhaps many people still follow tradition in caring for women before and after childbirth. After being tested in practice, these things did indeed have considerable problems. However, many people don't realize that these arguments used to attack Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) don't actually originate from TCM itself; they stem more from a tradition, a folk tradition formed under various constraints.

Since it was one of the opposing side's main arguments, Old Li began to browse extensively, from traditional Chinese medicine to modern medical and nursing concepts… After reading and browsing this vast amount of material, he still couldn't find a solution to refute the opposing side's arguments. Old Li, however, had almost become a half-baked obstetrician-gynecologist, combining TCM and Western medicine.

Perhaps at Old Li's age, even if he truly became a senior obstetrician-gynecologist, and even if he remarried, he probably wouldn't have the opportunity to personally apply what he had read and browsed to his spouse, putting theory into practice.

But life is unpredictable. He and Fei'er, who was originally his daughter-in-law, had this unexpected encounter. Fei'er, determined to have a child with Lao Li, even gave Lao Li, who had only glanced at the information but didn't know what to do with it, a new purpose.

So, Lao Li, ready to put his skills to good use on Fei'er and her unborn child, readily and meticulously crafted a prenatal and postnatal care plan for her.

Unfortunately, another example illustrating the unpredictability of life was the unexpected arrival of Fei'er's mother. To conceal their relationship, Lao Li and Fei'er had to quietly put aside the care plan that Lao Li had painstakingly prepared.

To be honest, even if such a care plan were presented to Fei'er's mother, aside from gleaning a father-in-law's specific concern for his daughter-in-law (who can argue with that, especially since the child in her belly is Old Li's grandson?), it would be difficult for most people to draw any deeper or broader connections. However, real society often provides examples to illustrate and explain certain phrases. For instance, the phrase "a guilty conscience needs no accuser" perfectly describes Old Li and Fei'er's eagerness to hide the care plan.

Her own daughter was pregnant with this shameless old man's child! And this old man, even more shameless, had ignored her completely these past few days! Filled with righteous indignation, Fei'er's mother came to find this shameless old man, Lao Li, on this bright sunny morning, wanting him to do what he was supposed to do.

What a big deal! She couldn't let the old man ignore her pregnant daughter!

To be honest, if it weren't for his fear of his mother-in-law, who was a few years younger than him, he wouldn't dare stay near Fei'er for long.

This little vixen, Fei'er—he wanted to have every part of her body in his mouth, every smile, every charming and intoxicating little mouth of hers. A kiss on his most aroused part, and he was completely oblivious to the vast world around him; he wanted to be lost in this world forever.

But ever since Tiger's mother-in-law came to Fei'er's side, everything, no matter how unbearable the torment was, no matter how much he thought about Fei'er every day, the result was that he was even more dry. In the air when his mother-in-law blinked her sharp eyes slightly, Old Li could give Fei'er an apologetic and affectionate look.

So now, following behind his mother-in-law, Old Li, who could rightfully walk to Fei'er's side, was that seemingly bitter face a reflection of his true feelings?

Chapter 1: One Step at a Time (7)

Mom and Old Li appeared in front of Fei'er one after the other, which surprised and puzzled Fei'er. However, in front of her mother, Fei'er still showed these feelings. She first greeted her mother, who had no expression on her face, and then, when her mother sat down, she gave Old Li, who was following behind, an inquiring look.

It's no wonder Fei'er was so cautious. On one side was her mother, and on the other was her man. With such a significant rift between them, and both equally important, Fei'er was caught in the middle, facing the most difficult situation. To be honest, Fei'er would be grateful if her mother and Lao Li could even maintain their current relationship. She was genuinely worried about what she would do if things got so bad that her mother and Lao Li couldn't even stay together.

Thankfully, even though her mother entered expressionlessly and sat down without saying a word, Lao Li, when Fei'er's probing gaze fell upon him, gave a barely perceptible nod and then shook his head. This eased Fei'er's anxiety to some extent.

Lao Li's nod meant that her mother had sent him there, while the shake conveyed two meanings: her mother's attitude hadn't ultimately changed. Therefore, they couldn't show anything too obvious, lest they touch upon her pent-up displeasure.

After carefully inquiring about Fei'er's recent health condition and reviewing all her medical records from the health center, Old Li essentially copied everything the doctor had said during Fei'er's examination, adding a few new points.

Rather than adding anything new, he concretized the doctor's general advice, such as the doctor's vague mention of strengthening nutrition and ensuring a balanced diet, which Old Li then translated into specific daily and meal plans. He also added a few extra things: a dietary supplement recipe he had hastily written down based on the current season and Fei'er's condition, as well as a plan for Fei'er to engage in moderate physical activity during pregnancy.

From the perspective of caring for a pregnant woman, Old Li's arrangements were remarkably comprehensive. Moreover, to show Fei'er's mother his sincerity, he had pulled out all the stops.

However, people often forget one thing, especially when they urgently need to change others' opinions: gradual progress is far better than rushing for quick results. Take Lao Li, for example. His intention was to show Fei'er's mother how well he cared for her. But he never expected that Fei'er's mother, after seeing his performance, would think: even if Lao Li already has two children, it's normal for him to have some experience in parenting. However, Lao Li's current behavior is almost that of a parenting expert, especially since his work and life have nothing to do with this area. In a sense, where did Lao Li get such extensive experience? Is it because he already has two children? Or does he simply have an interest and passion for it?

It seems that none of these explanations, upon closer analysis, are sufficiently convincing. So, what is the ultimate explanation for Lao Li's behavior? Fei'er's mother, still expressionless, glanced at Old Li with a hint of inquiry. She increasingly felt that even Old Li's calm demeanor seemed unreal.

Whatever he was hiding would eventually be revealed. Turning her gaze back to her daughter, Fei'er, Fei'er's mother thought to herself, then suppressed her earlier doubts.

Yes, there's still a long time; with time, everything will gradually become clear!

Old Li, who had been busy in Fei'er's room for almost an hour before emerging, was unaware that from the moment he left that room, for a considerable period, everything he did and every word he uttered, if heard or seen by anyone, would be questioned and then meticulously analyzed.

The final exams were over, and the suddenly quiet campus felt somewhat empty. The junior high school entrance exam results were out, and the senior high school entrance exam results were also finalized. These two new report cards were placed in front of Old Li, but his expression was unreadable.

Jiangzhong City's Third Middle School was the best middle school in the entire city. Looking at the results of this year's entrance exams, eleven students from the Third Middle School met the admission score for the Third Middle School, and even more students from the Third Middle School met the admission scores for top-tier schools like the Fifth and Fourteenth Middle Schools.

Although the current education system uses a regional enrollment system, due to the uneven distribution of educational resources and fierce competition among schools in various fields, the regional enrollment system is, to some extent, somewhat ineffective.

Take the Third Middle School, for example. Because of its abundant resources, especially in education funding, it not only fulfilled its assigned regional enrollment quota but also extended recruitment invitations to the entire city and even to the districts and counties under its jurisdiction.

Such recruitment invitations not only include the highest admission scores in the city, but also offer various preferential conditions that other schools cannot match during the recruitment process. For example, for some impoverished students with outstanding academic performance, the admission conditions offered by the Third Middle School are practically such that these students only need to prepare nothing to attend. Other top-tier middle schools in

the city, even if they don't have the same financial resources as the Third Middle School, offer equally attractive extra-quota admission conditions. It can be said that any student from the Thirty-Three Middle School who takes the high school entrance exam this year, as long as they reach the admission scores of these schools and are willing to study there, will definitely receive better educational opportunities than at the Thirty-Three Middle School.

What Lao Li is facing now is that the average score of No. 33 Middle School in this year's high school entrance examination is fourth in the city, and two students have entered the top ten in the city. This means that if these outstanding students choose to study in the top schools in the city, No. 33 Middle School will face a huge embarrassment in its own high school enrollment this year: the school will lose a large number of high-achieving students that it has cultivated.

Perhaps another set of results in front of Old Li could alleviate this situation to some extent. It's the college entrance examination results from No. 33 Middle School this year: out of 61 test-takers, one reached the admission score for Peking University, 28 reached the first-tier university admission score for any of the top 100 key universities in the country, and the remaining students who met the second- or third-tier university admission scores left less than ten students from No. 33 Middle School who didn't qualify.

From the first-tier university admission rate to the overall college entrance examination pass rate, No. 33 Middle School is among the top in the city. But can such a single college entrance examination result really keep the outstanding students from the middle school entrance examination at No. 33 Middle School to continue their studies?

This is both gratifying and worrying. Ultimately, it boils down to whether No. 33 Middle School can offer something tangible to alleviate the gap with other schools in terms of admission criteria.

Indeed, improving the hardware and software conditions of teaching, besides teacher quality, is just empty talk without substantial financial investment. Given the current situation of No. 33 Middle School, even if such an investment were made, could it fundamentally change people's choices? Ultimately, the choice of whether a student stays or leaves isn't up to the student, but rather their parents. However, these parents are more focused on practicalities.

The quality of a school's student body, to a certain extent, determines its competitiveness for the next few years. Every school will try its best to retain good students. Old Li isn't a saint, and none of the teachers at No. 33 Middle School have the magical ability to turn lead into gold. Therefore, Old Li needs to carefully consider this aspect as he faces the next academic year.

However, for now, Old Li is comparing the admission results of various middle schools in Jiangzhong City last year with No. 33 Middle School's results this year. The admission results of other schools in the city haven't been released yet, so for a short time, Old Li doesn't need to worry too much about this. With

this in mind, and since he had a rare free morning, Old Li put aside his thoughts and turned on his computer.

Grandpa Xiaozhu's daughter is on summer vacation, and she's made a deal with him: as long as she stays in the top three of her class, she'll play some games during the summer, which Grandpa is currently managing for her.

Grandpa logged into the game and meticulously checked and organized everything: character skills, game maps, new friends, and necessary items. Yes, in a few days, his daughter will be experiencing the fun of the game herself, and as her father and game manager, he wants to make sure everything is in order before handing it over to her.

Everything else in the game is fine, but the game friends she's added for leveling up and other reasons are giving Grandpa a headache.

These friends are all added by Grandpa, an adult, according to his own way of thinking, but his daughter Xiaozhu is only a high school student. How will she accept things from the adult world, which is still quite distant from her?

To be honest, Lao Li only had six or seven friends in the game. It was only when Lao Li was busy with other things and didn't have time to play that Fei'er, who wasn't exactly a game manager but often helped him with tasks, generously added over a dozen friends to his contacts.

Although most of these game friends were female characters, and these characters had helped Lao Li a lot when he was leveling up, even Lao Li himself rarely got to know them well, let alone Xiao Zhu, who hadn't really been exposed to the game. The

virtual world is both vast and small, a world that no one can truly understand. Once it truly connects with real life, many heartbreaking things inevitably come to light.

Xiao Zhu is just a high school student; she has so much to learn and deal with, both in the real world and the virtual world. Lao Li's concern is where he should stand when Xiao Zhu is exposed to these things.

Although his daughter is still a child, she has her own personal space, just like this game. When she wants to relax, it wouldn't be right for her father, Lao Li, to just stand by and watch. But if Lao Li isn't around, who knows which corner of this virtual world might have a masked guy sneak out?

Not eating for fear of choking is definitely not a good idea (for example, deleting all the game friends added in the game). Trusting his guidance and believing his daughter has the ability to discern right from wrong, Lao Li moved the cursor away from the delete button, and two SOS signals from the game arrived.

At the beginning of the game, Lao Li, who had just started completing game tasks under the guidance of his student Tan Liang, encountered three people in a place called Huashan on the game map.

They were all doing the same system task, but Lao Li, under the guidance of his student Tan Liang, had already mastered it, while these three, clearly novices, were now in dire straits. Seeing that these three newbies would immediately die without help, Lao Li, a semi-experienced player, stepped in to assist.

In doing so, he also completed his own system task and made three in-game friends. These

were three female characters, all playing the most stylish characters in the game – the "Young Hero." Since adding Lao Li as a friend, whenever they saw him online, they would level up together.

These three female characters, who were the first to add Lao Li as a friend, not only chose the character "Young Hero" but also generally only logged in on weekends, leading Lao Li to guess that they might be middle or high school students.

Perhaps Lao Li himself was a teacher, or perhaps his daughter was also going to try the game, so Lao Li always felt a strange sense of kinship with players in the virtual world who might be students, especially those who only logged in during their free time. So, after observing these three people for a while, Lao Li genuinely considered them friends.

Tan Liang shared a lot of game experience with Lao Li that others needed to repeatedly explore to master, and as Lao Li gradually mastered this experience, he also gained many items in the game.

For example, Lao Li, who already had a Crescent Moon Saber, gave a pair of Emei Daggers (a superior weapon) to the one in white among his three friends. He also gave a Yue Maiden Sword to the friend who always wore light purple, because she liked it very much. Because rare and high-quality items are very difficult to obtain in the game, after his two companions had their favorite weapons, he was slightly disappointed that the one in yellow liked it. After Lao Li spent a lot of effort to create a pair of top-quality Ruyi Flying Rings as a hidden weapon and gave them to her, she sent Lao Li a series of heart emojis expressing her gratitude in the game.

These three friends of Lao Li, who only logged on on Saturdays and Sundays, still encountered Lao Li even after joining the Sword Flower Palace, a sect established by a female character in the game, and followed him to level up.

A man with three beauties, even in a virtual world where it was unknown whether the other was male or female, Lao Li and his friends often attracted the attention of other players. Of course, many people's attention had only one purpose, which was to chop up Lao Li's character in the game.

They had fought a lot, and had both chopped down others and been chopped down by others, but Lao Li and his three original friends got along better and better. Seeing that his friend's distress location was not far from where he logged on, Lao Li quickly operated the mouse and started to take action.

Chapter 1: One Step at a Time (8)

Originally, the three game friends were inseparable, but today, for some reason, two of them were here, and even these two friends were in danger under the siege of five strong-looking guys.

The situation was critical. Without bothering to find out the reason, Old Li brandished his knife and charged into the crowd…

His unexpected attack, appearing behind five burly men, allowed him to cut down two of them with a single strike. While the remaining three were still stunned, Old Li, who had already rushed to reunite with his two friends, turned and pounced on the remaining three burly men…

The last burly man was also knocked to the ground by a pair of Ruyi Flying Rings wielded by Old Li's friend in yellow. The three friends, who hadn't experienced such a scene together for some time, somehow, as if by unspoken agreement, activated the voice chat system provided in the game—a system Old Li and his friends had never used before.

Two clear, excited voices chattered incessantly, seemingly vying for attention, but Old Li could basically understand what they meant.

The place in the game was called Xiangfei Lake, and although it had a nice-sounding name, it wasn't a good place to level up and gain experience. As for why Lao Li's two friends came here, it's because in the game's setting, once a player triggers certain storylines, they receive some small, top-tier equipment.

This equipment, obtained through triggering storylines, neither increases a player's attack power nor their defense. These small, exquisitely beautiful pieces are practically tailor-made for female players. Imagine, for a woman, wearing a unique and beautiful accessory in the entire game, even in this virtual world, is a source of immense joy.

While it's true that most of those trying their luck here are women, it seems that more than half of the players are male. This is understandable; whether in the real world or the virtual world, giving a woman such a hard-won, exquisite accessory will elicit more than just a smile from her.

Lao Li had come here a few times before with three friends to try their luck, but even with his consistently good luck in the game, he hadn't had the same success here; they always left empty-handed.

Old Li's three friends were deeply disappointed. Even Old Li, a middle-aged man, felt a bit uneasy after returning empty-handed several times. Today, Old Li's two friends came back to try their luck again, and unexpectedly, they actually triggered the event.

However, whether in real life or in this virtual world (and the virtual world is even more extreme), there are always people who covet good items that others have. Sure enough, Old Li's two friends had just happily obtained the accessories from the event when they encountered three groups of players lurking nearby.

Because Old Li's two friends hadn't been online for long, their levels weren't very high. Although they tried their best to defeat the first two groups, the third group of five burly men forced them to call for help.

Originally, since they had already joined the Sword Flower Palace, their first choice for help was to send a message to their own sect, but perhaps because they used to often level up with Old Li, they sent a signal to Old Li, who they didn't know was online.

Fortunately, Lao Li logged on today. Fortunately, Lao Li arrived in time and launched a surprise attack, finally rescuing his two friends from their predicament.

In the game, the two friends, amidst their excited conversation, didn't forget to show Lao Li what they had accomplished under such a perilous situation.

Lao Li remembered once when he was doing a system quest with Tan Liang and they passed by Xiangfei Lake. Tan Liang, one of the game's designers, had told Lao Li that there were many storylines at Xiangfei Lake, but only one was the most important.

This storyline featured Xiaolongnu from Jin Yong's novels, who left a token at Xiangfei Lake. The destined person who triggered this unique storyline could not only use this token to learn unparalleled martial arts in the Ancient Tomb, but also become the leader of the Ancient Tomb Sect.

You should know that in this game, the leaders of the major sects that players are familiar with are basically presided over by NPCs within the system. For players to reach this position, one must either create their own sect or, after much hardship, gain the recognition of the system and fellow sect members before they can possibly take over a sect.

The chance of becoming the leader of a sect simply by acquiring a token from a storyline is extremely rare in this entire game.

The ornaments held by Lao Li's two friends were three pure white flowers. It is said that Jin Yong himself had Yang Guo suffer from the poison of this flower, the Love Flower. The game's plot unfolds around this: Xiaolongnu, to commemorate her unwavering love with Yang Guo, specially used these jade-carved Love Flowers as tokens for those destined to enter the Ancient Tomb.

After understanding what his two friends had received, Lao Li couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. Yes, an old saying is true: "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime!"

Something that can save one countless days and nights of struggle (even if it's just between the keyboard and mouse) is too enviable.

Looking at his two friends, not only were their levels pitifully low, but their sect, Sword Flower Palace, wasn't even a top-tier sect in the game. In the world of martial arts, strength reigns supreme, and the so-called "treasure hunt" is one of the game's major selling points.

This means that Old Li's two low-level friends, along with their not-so-powerful sect, would face countless battles for the three Love Flowers once they obtained them.

Seeing that the system had already started spreading the news of the Love Flowers' appearance in the game, a somewhat anxious Old Li quickly interrupted his friends' excitement, pulling them to a very secluded corner amidst their reluctance and confusion.

The two excited girls hadn't noticed the system notification, and they were completely unaware of what the Love Flowers actually represented. Hearing Old Li's explanation, they were at a loss. "

Log off now, and then contact other members of your sect through other means to discuss it properly." Having no better solutions for the time being, Old Li had no choice but to log his friends off.

This was unavoidable. If these two were still online, and other envious players found them, Old Li knew he wasn't capable of protecting his two friends amidst the clashes and swords of heroes in countless games.

Having lost his two friends and finding himself with nothing else to do, Old Li suddenly remembered the system quest he'd agreed to do—catching a flower thief.

He opened his quest log and was surprised to find the quest, which should have expired, still active. Just as he was pondering this, he heard a soft chuckle.

He casually closed the quest log and checked the system message notification. As he looked up, following the footsteps, he saw that the quest was still active.

School was already on holiday, and even the teacher training scheduled for the break wouldn't start for several days. Old Li looked at the high school math teacher approaching him with some confusion.

"Hehe, Principal Li, why are you looking at me like that? Does it mean you don't welcome me to visit the school now that it's on holiday?"

Old Li was the school principal, but his teachers rarely paid attention to this superior-subordinate relationship. The math teacher from the second-year high school class, seeing Old Li looking at him with a puzzled expression, spoke up first with a smile.

His subordinates didn't take him seriously as principal, and Old Li himself preferred this easygoing attitude. Now, with a stern face, he said, "You're supposed to be resting and adjusting at home during the holiday. Why are you running to school for no reason? If you think you've rested enough, then the school offices need cleaning these days, so you can come and clean them."

"Hehe... Principal Li should be quite dignified when he's serious! Since you've already assigned the task, I think we'll start the cleaning from your office."

The math teacher, chuckling, practically rubbed Principal Li's neatly stern face if there hadn't been a table between them. Despite seemingly disregarding Principal Li, the math teacher was absolutely determined to get the job done, adopting a serious, ambitious stance. It didn't look like a cleaning job;

it looked more like a raid. Principal Li, utterly exasperated and exasperated with his subordinate, quickly stood up to stop him. One was determined to complete the task the principal had

just assigned, while the other, with a forced smile, tried every possible way to persuade the other to give up. Luckily, the one determined to do the work was mainly putting on an act, while the one trying to persuade was genuinely afraid that the other might actually take it seriously and have their office raided. After a back-and-forth exchange, both the one trying to persuade and the one wanting to do the work sat down.

The math teacher of the second-year high school class shouldn't normally be involved in the affairs of the third-year class. However, a third-year student who had just finished the college entrance exam lived next door to the math teacher, and the student's parents had a very good relationship with the teacher. This third-year student, who had achieved excellent results in the college entrance exam, was about to submit her application to universities, but her family's financial situation prevented her from choosing a better university to complete her studies.

As a neighbor and a teacher, the teacher couldn't bear to see a promising student lose her opportunities because of her family's financial situation. Wanting to help, and hoping the school could also offer assistance, the second-year math teacher approached the principal to discuss the matter.

Before the college entrance exam, Principal Li, together with the third-year homeroom teacher, had conducted a survey of the financial situations of all the third-year students' families. The conclusion was that a large proportion of the families of the third-year students at No. 33 Middle School were low- to middle-income. The various expenses required for attending university were a considerable burden for these families. It's fair to say that even if all the subsidies allocated by the Jiangzhong Municipal Education Commission for impoverished students were used, many families would still struggle to cover all the expenses during their university years.

Since the last preliminary survey, the school's main leaders, including Lao Li, Lao Xu, and Tian Rong, have discussed this issue multiple times. Their conclusion is that neither social, school, nor individual subsidies can fundamentally solve the problems faced by all low- and middle-income families. In other words, unless the economic conditions of low- and middle-income families improve, this problem will not be fundamentally resolved.

After discussing with other school leaders, Lao Li arranged for the parents of several academically outstanding but impoverished students in the senior year class to find work at the vocational school grounds merged with No. 33 Middle School. This means that after ensuring a stable income for these students' families, Lao Li and the school, in consultation with their parents, have allocated the subsidies allocated by the Municipal Education Commission to other students.

The municipal education commission only allocated a limited number of funding slots, which is a drop in the ocean compared to the large number of low- and middle-income families at No. 33 Middle School. Even if the school itself were to sponsor some students, how many could a financially strong school like No. 3 Middle School possibly sponsor? Let alone a school like No. 33 Middle School, which

is already burdened with debt. In fact, the math teacher at No. 33 Middle School is very aware of the problems it faces. Knowing that the school can no longer help, he still came to see Principal Li, which was primarily out of regret, and also partly out of a desire to try his luck.

Yes, what if Principal Li had some good news? Not coming would delay things.

Directly providing free financial aid to these students is unrealistic, so since receiving the college entrance exam results, one thing has been on Principal Li's mind. Since there are many children from low- and middle-income families in the school, creating a scholarship fund specifically for the school's students, either in the name of an individual or the school, seems like a feasible solution.

It's impossible for such a fund to completely provide free financial aid to every student. The reality is that the students receiving aid will repay a certain percentage when they are able to do so later. What Old Li hasn't decided on is the specific repayment percentage and method for each student.

Although the aid fund still needs further refinement (for example, Old Li himself could contribute some money to establish the fund), this doesn't prevent him from sharing this information with the math teacher sitting in front of him.

However, while the information was shared, Principal Li didn't anticipate the feeling of surprise and delight one would experience upon hearing unexpected good news about something they care about…

This math teacher from the second-year high school class was the first person to come to Old Li with a transfer order for his signature when Old Li first arrived at No. 33 Middle School. Although No. 7 Middle School in Jiangzhong City wasn't considered a top-tier school in the city, it was far superior to No. 33 Middle School at the time. Even though Old Li was the principal of No. 33 Middle School, he had no reason to stop the transfer.

The remaining teachers at No. 33 Middle School were already stretched thin. If a few more were transferred away, some classes might not even be able to hold regular classes. To be honest, Old Li didn't forcefully object to the teachers' transfers, but his earnest persuasion wasn't very effective.

Just like when Cheng Yan first arrived, Old Li discussed with the math teacher who had come to him with the transfer order. He would be responsible for contacting No. 7 Middle School in the city to retain the math teacher's transfer order for another semester (at the time, the Education Bureau even signed an agreement guaranteeing its effective execution). The math teacher's job was to stay at No. 33 Middle School for another semester, after which the transfer order would officially take effect the following semester.

A semester is neither long nor short, and during this semester, No. 33 Middle School paid its overdue teachers' salaries, and teaching work basically returned to normal. Although at the beginning of the next semester, two teachers who had received postponed transfer orders, like the math teacher, ultimately had their orders taken effect, after careful consideration, the math teacher and several other teachers did not mention the postponed transfer orders again.

The postponed transfer order remained in effect, and the math teacher continued teaching at No. 33 Middle School until today. An unexpected surprise arrived, and she, who had a very harmonious relationship with Principal Li, naturally grabbed his hand and repeatedly said, "This is wonderful!"

The math teacher was thirty-six years old and had a ten-year-old daughter, yet her figure exuded a mature woman's charm. If it were the same Old Li from a year ago, perhaps even a brief embrace from such a charming woman wouldn't have affected his simple thoughts. But Old Li, over a year later, has changed considerably. When the charming woman, in her joy, conveyed the delicate touch of her fingers and the subtle fragrance of her body through Old Li's large hands and nostrils, he unexpectedly felt an urge to embrace her.

A very charming woman, but she was a married woman. Perhaps his impulse stemmed from their increasingly harmonious relationship, or perhaps she was infected by his joy, or perhaps he was simply more easily drawn to her delicacy and fragrance. Quickly suppressing his momentary impulse, Old Li sat obediently after the math teacher released her hand.

Even a very charming married woman, when she attracts your attention, can you control the stirrings in your heart? Yes, there's an invisible wall called morality standing there; crossing it might bring divine retribution. Haha, I feel sorry for Old Li. Maybe we can all give him some ideas? Otherwise, not being able to see the wall might keep him up at night.

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