Rebirth of Bloody Romance

Zhong Yuemin's words were like a stone thrown into a lake, making the originally noisy house instantly quiet.

Everyone's eyes turned to Zhong Yuemin, who was smiling and looking at them with firm eyes.

Zhou Xiaobai, who was sitting next to him, turned his head slightly to look at Zhong Yuemin, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes. He nodded gently and said, "Yuemin, you are really thoughtful. It's really not easy for the driver to wait outside in such a cold weather. Who is the driver outside? Do I know him?"

At this time, Secretary Liu and Director Zhao exchanged glances. Secretary Liu said with a kind smile on his face, "Teacher Zhong, to be honest, our driver Xiao Qi had already eaten before leaving. I specifically told him so, for fear that it would cause trouble to you all."

When Zhou Xiaobai heard that it was Xiao Qi, he quickly told Director Zhao, "Xiao Qi used to drive for me. I'll go call him in."

However, Director Zhao quickly stood up and said, "Since District Chief Zhou and Teacher Zhong have said so, let Comrade Xiao Qi come in and drink some hot soup to warm himself up, right?"

Having said that, Director Zhao stood up and walked towards the door, apparently intending to call the driver in person.

Not long after, Director Zhao came in with a young man wearing a thick cotton jacket and a cotton hat.

This person is the driver Xiao Qi. Xiao Qi looked a little uneasy, rubbing the corners of his clothes with his hands, as if he felt a little nervous and restrained about suddenly entering this room.

"Xiao Qi, come, come, come, come and sit down, and try this steaming hot meal just out of the pot!" Zhou Xiaobai smiled, waved to Xiao Qi enthusiastically and called him loudly.

Seeing this, Xiao Qi hurriedly waved his hands and said quickly, "No, no, no, District Chief Zhou, thank you so much for your kindness, but I have just eaten, so I won't bother you anymore!"

When Zhou Xiaobai heard this, he immediately responded, "Hey, what's the big deal if you've already eaten? Can you still be full? Come on, eat more! Yuemin, go get Xiaoqi a bowl."

Before he finished speaking, Zhong Yuemin quickly took out a bowl and a pair of chopsticks from the cupboard, and walked quickly to Xiao Qi and handed them to him.

Xiao Qi looked at the bowl and chopsticks handed to him, hesitated for a moment and then reached out to take them. Then, he smiled shyly and said softly, "Well, in that case, I'm really not polite! Thank you, District Chief Zhou, for your warm hospitality, and Teacher Zhong, for helping me with the bowl and chopsticks!"

Zhou Xiaobai waved his hand. "Xiao Qi, why are you so polite? I troubled you a lot when I was in Jinqiu County."

When Zhou Xiaobai was in Jinqiu County, Xiao Qi was her driver, and the two of them had some friendship.

In the middle of a spacious and bright living room, there was a huge round table. Zhong Yuemin took Secretary Liu and the others to sit down.

At first, there was a hint of restraint in the air, but soon this atmosphere was broken. Several people began to talk and laugh, and the sound of voices rose and fell, and the whole scene gradually became lively.

Xiao Qi, who was sitting at the corner of the table, was the driver tonight and had the important mission of escorting Secretary Liu back safely. He knew very well that he couldn't drink, so the glass in front of him remained empty, as if he was silently upholding his responsibility.

At the same time, the two young children, Xiao Shihua and Xiao Haichen, were too young to participate in this drinking party among adults, so they sat aside obediently. The cups in front of them were filled with brightly colored, sweet and delicious juice.

Zhong Yuemin smiled and gracefully picked up the bottle, filling each person's glass with amber white wine.

Secretary Liu gently picked up the wine glass in front of him, put it under his nose, and took a deep breath. Suddenly, a mellow aroma of wine came to his nose, making him feel relaxed and happy.

"This wine is good!" Secretary Liu's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but praise loudly. "The aroma of the wine depends on the age of the cellar. The older the cellar, the better the wine. I have never tasted this kind of Moutai."

After hearing this, Zhong Yuemin smiled slightly and raised his glass to Secretary Liu. "Secretary Liu is really an expert."

Zhong Yuemin took out a bottle of 54% five-star Moutai, which was crystal clear and fragrant. This wine might not be a rare thing for Zhong Yuemin, but he knew its preciousness.

Because they are not available in the market, but Zhong Yuemin has everything in his home. Some are gifts from others, and some are exchanges from others.

This wine is so authentic! Not only is it mellow, but it doesn't make you drunk at all. Everyone took a sip from their glasses and felt that the taste was refreshing and pleasant, so they drank happily without any fear. In a blink of an eye, the three bottles of white wine were empty.

At this moment, the atmosphere at the table was extremely lively, with everyone chatting and chatting, making it very lively.

However, the topics discussed were nothing more than praises for Zhou Xiaobai and Zhong Yuemin.

Amidst all the flattery, Zhong Yuemin finally realized the deeper meaning of what Lin Shufang and his wife Zhou Xiaobai had said: it turns out that when asking someone to do something for you, you have to have the right attitude, and when doing favors for someone, you have to be particular about the methods and ways.

Zhou Xiaobai looked embarrassed, as if he had some words that were hard to say. At this time, Zhong Yuemin stepped forward and said unequivocally, "Secretary Liu, I will give you a definite answer as soon as possible on whether this matter can be accomplished. You also know that it is indeed very difficult to accomplish this matter."

These words may not be appropriate for Zhou Xiaobai to say, but for Zhong Yuemin, they are of no psychological burden at all.

Hearing Zhong Yuemin's statement, Secretary Liu stood up excitedly, raised the wine glass in his hand, and said sincerely, "District Head Zhou, Teacher Zhong, let me express my heartfelt thanks to you two on behalf of all the people of Jinqiu County! No matter what the final result is, the people of our county will always remember your deep friendship!"

Zhong Yuemin couldn't help laughing after hearing these words. He was talking to his wife Zhou Xiaobai!

Look at Secretary Liu, he almost said clearly, "I will remember your kindness and will listen to you in everything from now on"!

Zhou Xiaobai's face was filled with a satisfied smile. She stood up gracefully, raised the wine glass in her hand, and responded with a smile, "Secretary Liu, you are too polite. Don't worry, Yuemin will definitely go all out and spare no effort."

As Zhong Yuemin watched his wife handling the situation with ease, he thought to himself: Oh my, this officialdom is really a big dye vat! Even his simple and kind-hearted wife has been tainted by it.

Look at him now, his mind and eyes are full of little thoughts and calculations, he is almost becoming a human cunning man!

The meal was a great pleasure for both hosts and guests. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Zhong Yuemin and Zhou Xiaobai warmly and attentively escorted Secretary Liu and Director Zhao to the alley entrance.

Zhong Yuemin has been spinning like a top these days. The school is about to welcome the final exams, and this important task of preparing the exam papers has fallen squarely on his shoulders.

You know, in previous years, such things would have nothing to do with Zhong Yuemin.

However, things are different now, because he has been promoted to Associate Professor Zhong! As the saying goes, with great ability comes great responsibility, so the responsibility of making the test paper this time naturally fell to him.

Also, if nothing unexpected happens, Professor Zhong can get a salary increase!

However, Zhong Yuemin still had a problem in his heart, that is the word "deputy". He always felt that if he could get rid of this word and become a full professor, it would be even more perfect.

"Professor Yue, when can I remove the word 'deputy'?" Zhong Yuemin asked tentatively.

Professor Yue listened to his words, glanced at him coldly, and then said slowly, "The first bird to stick its head out gets shot, do you understand?"

When Zhong Yuemin heard this, his heart skipped a beat, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. He quickly shut his mouth and never dared to mention the matter of becoming a full professor again. He understood that Professor Yue was reminding him not to be too ostentatious and to be restrained. At this critical juncture, if he really became the "first bird to stick his head out", he would probably be in endless trouble.

Inside the office, sunlight shines through the window onto the ground, creating patches of mottled light and shadow.

It was mid-afternoon and the whole room was shrouded in silence.

However, in this silence, a sudden phone call suddenly rang, instantly tearing the tranquility apart.

Xie Min, who was sitting at her desk and concentrating on her work, picked up the phone. "Hello! Who are you looking for?"

Then Xie Min called to Zhong Yuemin, "Xiao Zhong, the phone is calling for you!"

"Okay, I'll be there right away!" Zhong Yuemin responded quickly, then put down the documents in his hand, stood up and strode towards the phone.

Coming to the phone, Zhong Yuemin reached out and grabbed the receiver, and skillfully put it to his ear, then introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Zhong Yuemin, who are you?"

A familiar female voice soon came from the other end of the phone. "Zhong Laoer, their business has been settled, you go and tell them." The person who spoke was Lin Shufang.

"Oh my, that's great. Thank you so much, sister!" When Zhong Yuemin heard that the problem had been successfully resolved, a bright smile appeared on his face.

However, the joy only lasted for a moment, and Zhong Yuemin keenly noticed that there seemed to be something wrong with Lin Shufang's voice - the originally clear and pleasant voice now sounded a little hoarse and low, and was accompanied by a slight cough from time to time.

So, Zhong Yuemin hurriedly asked with concern, "Big sister, what's wrong with you? I can hear that your voice doesn't sound right. Did you catch a cold by accident?"

Lin Shufang coughed lightly and nodded helplessly, "Well, maybe I didn't cover myself with the quilt properly when I slept last night, so I caught a cold."

After hearing this, Zhong Yuemin's heart tightened and his worry became stronger. You know, Lin Shufang is an extremely strong woman. No matter how big the difficulties and setbacks she encounters, she rarely shows her vulnerable side.

Therefore, Zhong Yuemin hurriedly and anxiously advised, "Big sister, go to the hospital right away, don't delay your treatment!"

Unexpectedly, Lin Shufang didn't care about his concern at all, and even seemed a little annoyed. She replied unhappily, "Okay, okay, I know what's going on, you don't need to bother me. You're just worrying about nothing!"

After saying that, there was a crisp "click" sound, and the person on the other end of the phone hung up mercilessly.

Associate Professor Zhong stood there blankly, holding the microphone in his hand, and was at a loss for a moment. He never expected that his full concern would be met with such a cold response, which really made him feel a little confused.

Helplessly, Associate Professor Zhong could only smile bitterly, shook his head slowly, and then gently put the microphone back in place. As he turned around and walked slowly back to his seat, he was still thinking in his mind: What's wrong with this woman today? Did she take the wrong medicine? Otherwise, why did her temper become so irritable and impulsive?

Although Zhong Yuemin was a little disappointed by the incident, business was more important. He sorted out his feelings and decided to find a public phone outside the school gate to tell Director Zhao of the Jinqiu County Office in Beijing the good news.

Walking to the telephone booth outside the school, Zhong Yuemin inserted a coin and dialed the number. Director Zhao's voice soon came from the other end of the phone. "Hello."

"Hello! Director Zhao, I'm Zhong Yuemin."

"Hello, Teacher Zhong!" Director Zhao's voice sounded very kind.

Zhong Yuemin said directly, "Director Zhao, the document for Jinqiu County has been completed."

The person on the other end of the phone was obviously stunned for a moment, and then Director Zhao could not hide his joy. "Really? That's great! Teacher Zhong, you really helped us a lot."

Zhong Yuemin could even hear Secretary Liu next to him saying "OK, OK, OK" several times in succession.

Director Zhao continued, "Teacher Zhong, thank you so much. When you are on vacation, we will go to your house to find you and thank you very much. We will definitely not let you help us in vain."

When Zhong Yuemin heard this, he hurriedly said, "Director Zhao, please don't do this. I'm not helping you for any reward. If you do these nonsense again, we won't contact each other anymore."

At this time, Secretary Liu answered the phone, his voice full of smiles. "Hello, Professor Zhong, your help is always remembered by the people of Jinqiu County. So, I will invite you and District Chief Zhou to dinner. You can't refuse this, right? You must come."

"Let's see if we have time by then. It's very busy at the end of the year."

After chatting for a few minutes, he hung up the phone in a hurry.

Secretary Liu and Director Zhao expressed their happiness and gratitude on the other end of the phone, but after Zhong Yuemin hung up the phone, he felt an inexplicable complex emotion in his heart.

Zhong Yuemin found himself extremely sensitive to the changes in these titles - from the initial "Comrade Zhong", to the later "Teacher Zhong", and now "Professor Zhong", each change was like a subtle movement of the scale in the other person's heart.

"People! They are so realistic." Zhong Yuemin murmured to himself, feeling that behind these titles lies the constant re-evaluation of people's status and value.