117: Chapter 117: Heart-to-Heart!

117: Chapter 117: Heart-to-Heart!

Whether willing or not, Ding Meixin had already become his official girlfriend.

Xu Qianli couldn’t let her just go back to Qingshan Town like that.

As soon as he grasped her hand, there came that sudden sensation of an electric current passing through, making them both involuntarily tingle and subconsciously look into each other’s eyes.

Xu Qianli didn’t know what was going on—whether it was that he and Ding Meixin were naturally meant to be, or if there was something special about their bodies that caused an electrical reaction.

In any case, there was definitely a spark between them.

Setting aside the moment she took the initiative in the movie theater yesterday, this beauty who had just transformed from a girl into a true woman was gentle, graceful, unassuming, and refreshing.

No matter how you looked at it, she was a superb woman.

To have someone like her as his girlfriend was his good fortune.

Now that he’d taken her hand, Xu Qianli had no intention of letting go.

Ding Meixin felt the warmth of Xu Qianli’s large hand, and a faint blush spread across her delicate face.

With her shy and compliant demeanor, she was incredibly endearing.

As for Liu Qian, she subconsciously withdrew her hand and gave Xu Qianli a fierce glare, hinting that he was being too intimate with her in front of Ding Meixin and that he should tone it down.

Xu Qianli didn’t care much about that.

After all, he had met Liu Qian first and even made her his lover.

Whether she liked it or not, he was not going to let go.

And so, Xu Qianli took the two beauties out on a date, shopping, eating, and simply having a great time until dusk.

After dinner, Ding Meixin insisted on returning to Qingshan Town.

She had classes early the next morning and couldn’t afford to delay them.

Unable to convince her to stay, Xu Qianli simply drove her back to Qingshan Town.

They say Jiang City was poor, the poorest among the three districts and nine counties of Zhongzhou City.

And Qingshan Town was the poorest among more than a dozen towns and townships in Jiang City.

With many mountains, the roads, neglected for years, were bumpy and narrow, and in many places bordered by cliffs.

Driving there was extremely dangerous—one side a mountain wall, the other a cliff.

Xu Qianli had set out in the evening, and by the time he arrived in Qingshan Town, it was already night.

Driving in such a place demanded utmost caution.

Then came another jolt—the car suddenly had a flat tire.

Fortunately, he wasn’t driving fast, and Xu Qianli’s quick reaction allowed him to safely pull the car over to the roadside.

After getting out to check, it turned out a nail had burst the tire.

Ding Meixin was incredibly nervous.

“What do we do, Director Xu?

There’s no village ahead or store behind.

Surely we won’t have to spend the night here?” she said, while looking around anxiously.

Surrounded by mountains, with no houses within a ten-mile radius and a high risk of wild animals, staying outdoors could be very dangerous.

“It’s okay, just a flat tire.

All we need to do is change it with the spare.

Go rest in the car for a while, I’ll switch the tires,” Xu Qianli said.

Xu Qianli rolled up his sleeves, got busy getting the spare tire out, found the wrench and jack, and started working.

Instead of getting into the car, Ding Meixin squatted by the side, propping her chin in her hands and intently watching Xu Qianli work.

Xu Qianli efficiently lifted the car with the jack, removed the old tire, replaced it with the spare, put away the jack, and quickly finished up.

Wiping his sweat, he glanced at Ding Meixin and saw her looking at him with admiration.

He smiled at her and said, “Hey, beautiful, it’s just a tire change—do you need to look at me with so much admiration?”

“Because you, Director Xu, are worthy of my admiration.

In my heart, you can do anything!”

“You’re so young, yet a high-ranking leader already.

How impressive.”

“Not just a high-ranking leader, but also skilled at changing tires.

Even more impressive.”

Hearing this, Xu Qianli couldn’t help but laugh and cry.

What was this beauty talking about?

It was as if she thought leaders were all useless, why on earth was changing a car tire considered praiseworthy?

“Cough cough, Meixin, I think you may have some misconceptions about us government officials.”

“About me as well, the misunderstanding is even bigger.”

“I might be a leader, but I’m just a tiny one, like a sesame seed.

Normally, I just handle some affairs for the County Government, perform some logistical work for the real leaders, and can’t be considered much of a person.”

“Of course, what happens later is uncertain.

Who knows, I might have the chance to climb to a higher position,”

said Xu Qianli.

Ding Meixin blinked her beautiful eyes and then furrowed her brows in deep thought for a while, stretching out a hand and pointing upwards.

“City Secretary?”

Pfft…

Xu Qianli was amused to laughter.

City Secretary, that’s not an easy position to hold.

You need a lot of luck and achievements to be able to get there.

However, having ambition is always good, Xu Qianli said, “I’ll take your auspicious words to heart, I’ll definitely strive to become the City Secretary in the future.

Alright, future City Secretary’s wife, the car’s fixed.

Shall we get going and drop you off at school?”

“Sure.”

Ding Meixin gave a sweet smile, tiptoed up to give Xu Qianli a peck on the cheek, then gracefully turned around, beaming as she got into the car.

Xu Qianli touched his dirty hand to his face and thought with alarm that he was in trouble.

This beautiful woman’s kiss had him all weak in the knees; how could he possibly bear to part with her in the future?

Facing her, Xu Qianli felt an even stronger sense of guilt.

As they got into the car, Xu Qianli started driving and brought up a topic, “Meixin, in fact, I’m not as perfect as you imagine, especially when it comes to relationships.”

“You don’t have to say it, Director Xu, I know, you big leaders have to socialize a lot, and putting on an act is inevitable.”

“And to build your own power, you would use some special methods, and being too straightforward can make it difficult to get by in officialdom, so it’s normal for you to go with the flow.”

“I thought it all through before I went to see you and before our arranged meeting yesterday.

I don’t mind it.”

“But there are some things I still have to make clear.

Although I don’t have a high status, I was an orphan taken in by someone else, and now I’m just a high school music teacher, but I have my principles.”

“I don’t care about any women you have outside, how many women there may be, but you must marry me, let me be your future wife!”

“Of course, with your status, there’s certainly no shortage of women better than me around you.

I’ve heard that the daughter of the County Party Secretary fancies you, swearing to marry no one but you.

Compared with those women, I’m nothing, probably not even someone you’d consider.”

“If you can’t accept my conditions, then let’s pretend that what happened yesterday never happened.

I won’t mind.”

Ding Meixin spoke these words very calmly, waiting for Xu Qianli to reply.

Xu Qianli looked at her tenderly; although she appeared calm, her body was slightly trembling, clearly extremely nervous.

Drawing in a deep breath, Xu Qianli gave his answer.

“Meixin, I’ve been in two relationships where I truly committed myself, but sadly, neither had a brave outcome.”

“Even though I’m no longer as naive as I was before, I’m still serious about relationships.”

“Now that we are together, I’m willing to sincerely work on it with you, to nurture our relationship, to let it grow strong and blossom fruitfully.”

“I’ll try to be a good boyfriend, to be kind to you, to care for you, to look after you, to give you affection, to make you…”

Before Xu Qianli could finish, Ding Meixin, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly lunged over and burst into tears, wailing in Xu Qianli’s arms.