"Family matters," Su Jiang mentioned briefly as they walked and talked, "Right! Aren’t you almost twenty-nine, Xu Qigang? Married yet?"
"Soon?" Su Jiang looked at him in surprise, "That girl has some nerve, daring to marry you, the ’Living Yama’. She wouldn’t happen to be some kind of she-demon, would she?" If she wasn’t a she-demon, how could she dare to marry the Living Yama?
Back on the Southern Border Battlefield, he had played matchmaker several times. The moment girls heard they were to marry a battle-hardened hero, they agreed on the spot. Yet this fellow had always scared them off with his cold facade.
Some of the more timid girls even cried from fright, and he didn’t even try to console them.
Xu Qigang’s handsome face darkened slightly, "President, you shouldn’t say that; the girl marrying me is very outstanding." His cold expression softened significantly as he spoke, and there was even a fleeting glimmer of a smile in his eyes.
Su Jiang sharply caught the smile in his eyes and was a bit shocked.
"I have a niece, and I was considering offering her to you if she was suitable. That way, I could rest easy knowing her future was secure. But now that you have a wife, I won’t disrupt that," Su Jiang lamented not having a daughter to marry off to Xu Qigang. His son-in-law would have been an able and esteemed ally—imagine the status that would afford!
Now, with a niece available, it was the same situation, yet this guy was already getting married.
"No need, President," Xu Qigang refused without hesitation.
"The more you refuse, the more regret I feel." Very few could refuse the power and influence of the Su Family, and not everyone of his own status would have the strength to do so.
"..." Xu Qigang had trouble responding to such kindness from the old leader, so he shifted the topic. "President, the General Union Dance Troupe is just ahead. Would you like to visit? If you’re interested in seeing something, the Qianjin Song and Dance Troupe has a bigger reputation."
The Rescue Association was affiliated with the General Union, and they worked closely on many tasks; even their addresses were next to each other. Exiting the Rescue Association building, one could see the General Union’s building right across the street.
"No need! Let’s just take a look ahead." Su Jiang now associated the word ’Qianjin’ with Su Yun, which triggered his irritation.
"You’re still so bad at making conversation," Su Jiang was exasperated with Xu Qigang. When he spoke to others, it was an effort to keep the conversation going, but what about him?
He would speak at length, and all he’d get in return was a grunt. He acted more like the boss than the president himself.
Inside Practice Room No.1 of the Song and Dance Troupe, Teacher Qiu Bai and Yang Wenying stood side by side, both more solemn than the other. Qiu Bai’s brow was slightly furrowed as she watched Hai Lan on stage, unable to hide the disappointment in her eyes.
This was the person she had put so much effort into recruiting, and their performance wasn’t even as good as the first time she had seen them at the Dance College.
"Heh..." Yang Wenying chuckled coldly, "How does it feel? A bit disappointed, aren’t you?"
"You..." Qiu Bai gave her an exasperated look, "Can’t you say something less sarcastic? Is this troupe yours or mine?"
"It’s mine, but you were the one who brought this person here! I don’t have enough clout to snatch someone from under Su Yun’s nose." She hadn’t wanted to deal with such a formidable figure; how easy could it be to handle the wife of the president’s son?
Qiu Bai, with her good temperament, couldn’t utter words like those of Yang Wenying and could only silently watch the stage, speechless for a long while.
"Stop!" Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she shouted and walked onto the stage.
"What’s the matter, Teacher Qiu Bai?" Hai Lan had been dancing well, and having waited so long for her solo performance at the Song and Dance Troupe, she couldn’t understand why it was being stopped so soon.