"Of course," Du Yuesheng could make such a joke, as Zhang Tianbao said, it was a kind of overture, a gesture of affection, wasn't it?
Liu Zhizhong just smiled and left satisfied.
In his view, Du Yuesheng was a straw bag of a secretary out of touch and incompetent.
But from the current interaction, it seemed that while Du was indeed a bit of a straw bag, he still had his own style and characteristics.
At least, Du Yuesheng played by the rules, unlike Zhang Zhengchang's overbearing and savage nature.
For instance, the last time Liu Zhizhong leveraged a recording to pressure Du Yuesheng, Du honored the agreement and handled things according to the rules, without ever bringing up the matter.
Therefore, Liu Zhizhong also dropped the subject, code for code, even deleting the recording.
In general, dealing with someone like Du Yuesheng was a lot more pleasant than with the likes of Zhang Zhengchang and Zhang Hongyang.
After leaving Du Yuesheng's office, Liu Zhizhong headed straight to the parking lot, planning to go home and buy some groceries on the way to cook lunch.
At the base of the building, he ran into none other than Lu Yuqing's secretary, Zhang Hong.
This beautiful, voluptuous Old Chu Girl, a pretty-faced woman, was Zhang Zhengchang's cousin niece and had been Zhang Yuxing's secretary when she was the secretary of the City Committee.
Now, Zhang Hong had become Lu Yuqing's secretary.
Originally, after Zhang Yuxing was promoted to become mayor, Zhang Hong should've followed her and become the City Government Chief Secretary.
However, Liu Zhizhong successfully blocked the move, and Zhang Hong stayed put.
And she has always hated Liu Zhizhong.
In the building lobby, Zhang Hong, collecting her parcels, bumped into Liu Zhizhong and greeted him with a cold face and a snort.
Liu Zhizhong continued to put on a friendly and generous front, kindly smiling as he greeted, "Secretary Zhang, long time no see!"
Zhang Hong sneered, holding a parcel in her hands, approached Liu Zhizhong, and whispered fiercely, "You eternal criminal of the Zhang Family, you still have the nerve to smile? Do you even have the face to? The Zhang Family holds a lot of sway in Yangzhou, you can't afford to offend them, have you finally come to grips with that? I heard you got sick, a heart problem? Brought on by anger, huh? Heh..."
A good verbal jab made Zhang Hong feel much better.
Liu Zhizhong thought to himself, what's there for this Old Chu Girl to show off about? I've even taken down your uncle so hard his balls have shattered. The Zhang Family will soon have no hold over me! But, do I need to explain that to you?
In his mind, Liu Zhizhong had the upper hand.
On the surface, he maintained his air of composure and grace, saying, "Secretary Zhang, don't be so hung up about some things! You're still young, unmarried, with a brighter future ahead! It's different for me, married and suppressed, with bleak prospects, sigh... But, to be honest, you're not getting any younger, it's time to consider dating and all that..."
These words hit Zhang Hong right in the sore spot, and she stamped her foot angrily, blushing with indignation as she scolded, "Get lost! I don't want to talk to you!"
Then, she turned and left, leaving behind a faint trail of her pleasant scent.
Liu Zhizhong took a deep breath and savored her fragrance, watching her shapely silhouette, feeling a tad provocative. Such a woman, heh, they say that her...hehe...
He muttered under his breath, "Ah, made you angry, didn't I? You asked for this."
Then, he cheerfully turned and went back to his car.
As soon as he got into the car, Lu Yuqing's call came through to his phone.
In fact, Lu Yuqing was right by her office window, cooling off with the air conditioning and watching Liu Zhizhong's car in the parking lot below.
As soon as Liu Zhizhong answered the call, Lu Yuqing started off with a plaintive note, "Zhizhong, what's up? You visited the City Committee Courtyard today, nostalgic for the old places, went to Minister Zhang's office, Secretary Du's office... Did you forget someone's office?"
Her tone carried a tinge of sentimental reproach, softening Liu Zhizhong's heart and giving him a surge of pleasure. But really, there were no secrets in the City Committee Courtyard! That little wench Zhang Hong must have already told Lu Yuqing!
"No, Secretary Lu, I just ran out of time and had to go home to cook lunch. I was actually thinking, if I had time, I would certainly visit your office, to relive old times, hehe..."
"You're cooking? Isn't your sister-in-law doing it? Hasn't she been really nice to you lately? How come the moment you're back, you're acting as a servant again?"
Lu Yuqing wasn't frustrated, as Liu Zhizhong's voice was pleasant to hear, making her feel comfortable and turning the conversation more casual.
Liu Zhizhong chuckled, "Heh, Mrs. Lu is feeling under the weather, Zhao Yan isn't home, Zhao Han isn't home either, so I have to cook! Isn't that how it should be?"
"What's wrong with your sister-in-law? Sick, or it's that time of the month?"
Hehe... Liu Zhizhong laughed, knowing it wasn't convenient to talk over the phone, and then said, "If you're free tonight, come over for dinner. I've got some pretty decent ingredients, heh... We'll talk business then, okay?"
"It's inconvenient over the phone."
"Alright then, I'll come over for dinner tonight, and then we can talk!"
"Mm, we'll be waiting for you tonight."
After hanging up, Liu Zhizhong felt waves of satisfaction.
Lu Yuqing, this elegant and beautiful official from the City Committee and his greatest benefactor in life, always deserved his best service!
Without her, where would he be today? It's important to remember to be grateful.
The car had barely left the City Committee Courtyard when Liu Zhizhong received a voice message from Du Yuesheng, which was quite straightforward.
"Zhizhong, I've given it much thought, and I believe you do need to make a trip to the hospital today, to visit the Old Secretary and show your sincere intentions, right?"
Liu Zhizhong felt pleased with himself. Look at that, Black Donkey Du was still looking out for me, standing by my side. Giving him the turtle blood was the right move, haha...
He immediately replied, "Okay, I'll follow the secretary's orders! Thank you!"