“Has it been naughty today?”
Seeing Lin Chuxia’s small hand resting on her swollen belly, Qin Yang’s big hand also covered it.
As soon as he touched the woman’s hand, he felt the belly bulge; even with a hand in between, it was obvious.
“Is the little one kicking you again?”
From initially being curious and expectant about the baby’s movements to now, Qin Yang watched as the little one practiced tai chi in his wife’s belly at any given moment, and he began to feel sorry for her.
Sometimes, seeing her belly get deformed from the kicks, he worried that it might hurt her.
Even though Lin Chuxia repeatedly assured him that it didn’t feel too intense, he was still unsettled.
Lin Chuxia smiled slightly, “The little one is very good; he just knows dad is home and is welcoming you.”
Qin Yang lowered his head and kissed her cheek, “Always trying to sweet-talk me,” he said, holding her again and then glancing at her notebook, “Why are you working on these things again? Didn’t we agree you wouldn’t be working recently?”
“It’s a rare opportunity. I initially thought of letting Su Wensong and Ms. Zhuang have some contact, but after thinking about it, it seemed inappropriate. If we can get this done, not only will our food factory business grow, but my business empire can add another division.”
“My dear wife, while thinking about expanding your business empire, can you remember you have a husband who is supposed to be handling these tasks?”
It didn’t make sense for his wife to charge forward into battles while he enjoyed a comfortable life behind the scenes.
Lin Chuxia disagreed, “There’s nothing about who should do what. You and I, as a couple, are a whole unit. Whatever we do, it’s for this family,” and for their child in the future, “Besides, you have your duties, and I have my pursuits. I’ve told you I enjoy this kind of work.”
Lin Chuxia indeed had said that before, and Qin Yang immediately found himself at a loss.
“Then promise me you’ll take care of yourself.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of myself.”
Qin Yang didn’t delay any longer, knowing Lin Chuxia might get hungry easily, and quickly headed to the kitchen to prepare a meal.
During their meal, Qin Yang unexpectedly brought up something about work.
“I probably won’t be home for lunch tomorrow. Vice Minister Liu’s transfer order has come down; we’ve been doing handovers these past few days, and tomorrow he’s officially leaving the department. A few of us from the unit are planning a get-together.”
Lin Chuxia nodded, “Okay, I can handle lunch myself, don’t worry about me.”
“And… if there are any rumors around the family compound lately, don’t let them get to you. Let them say whatever they want; you don’t need to pay them any mind. Others may make things sound complicated, but do you trust me?”
Lin Chuxia looked up to see Qin Yang appearing rather earnest for once and suddenly laughed, “If I don’t trust you, then who? Silly.”
Qin Yang laughed along, “Is everyone outside saying that after Vice Minister Liu leaves, Feng Dajun will take his place?”
Lin Chuxia nodded without denying and added, “I also know that most of these rumors probably came directly from Sister-in-law Feng herself.”
Qin Yang snickered, “Feng Dajun indeed has the capability, and he has the ambition too. Li Wei once told me that as soon as he learned Vice Minister Liu was leaving earlier this year, he started preparing for it.”
Lin Chuxia added a piece of food to Qin Yang’s plate.
Clearly, hearing such news from someone inside was quite interesting.
Feng Dajun had the ability and ambition, and he’d been making efforts in this direction since before the New Year.
Yet now, hearing Qin Yang talk about it meant that the hard work some people had put in might be for naught?
Whether Feng Dajun becomes vice minister or not, she wasn’t interested, but imagining Sister-in-law Feng boasting in the compound and then seeing her pride dashed if Feng Dajun didn’t get the position was quite amusing.
One wonders if Feng Dajun is aware of Sister-in-law Feng’s revelations.
He probably doesn’t.
Often, the last person to know about such rumors is the person involved.
Indeed, what Qin Yang said next confirmed Lin Chuxia’s thoughts.
But she only expected the beginning, not the ending.
Qin Yang’s exact words were, “If I don’t enter this competition, the vice minister position should indeed go to Feng Dajun.”
“So you want to become the vice minister?” Lin Chuxia truly didn’t know Qin Yang had such ambition.
“I hadn’t thought about it before. But after seeing Sister-in-law Feng bullying you, I wanted to stand up for you. Now seeing how hard you work, I want even more to reach a higher position, to be deserving of someone as outstanding as you.”
Lin Chuxia chuckled.
This way of retaliating against Sister-in-law Feng indeed packs a bigger punch than any other method.
Lin Chuxia didn’t have to wait long; the day after Vice Minister Liu left, Qin Yang’s appointment came through.
Officially appointed as vice minister.
When the news broke, the unit didn’t react much.
Qin Yang’s credentials and work abilities were well-known; him being appointed to this position was not surprising.
The most significant reaction came from the family compound.
Sister-in-law Feng had acted so jubilant when good things were happening, everyone practically assumed the vice minister position was a done deal for Feng Dajun’s family.
After all, it had been known for a while that Vice Minister Liu was leaving, so it seemed justifiable if someone had been pre-selected.
More so, no one would boast loudly about something that wasn’t even slightly confirmed.
Yet there was one who did.
Those who were envious and disliked seeing Sister-in-law Feng proud when they thought Feng Dajun would be promoted now found joy in her downfall.
And those who had gone out of their way to curry favor with Sister-in-law Feng for the sake of their own husbands couldn’t take back what they’d given and felt bitter about their losses.
For a time, Sister-in-law Feng didn’t dare show her face outside her door.
That wasn’t even her most significant fear; she dreaded what would happen if Feng Dajun found out what she’d done—he surely wouldn’t forgive her.
However, this worry didn’t last long. Feng Dajun found out the day after the appointment was finalized.
It was one of his competitors who actually came and mocked him face to face.
Not getting the vice minister position had already left Feng Dajun dissatisfied. Upon hearing the mockery, he discovered what his wife had been up to.
He hadn’t felt ashamed when the appointment went to someone else because he acknowledged such outcomes of battles as common.
Moreover, he admired Qin Yang’s abilities.
Earlier, he felt that the vice minister role was undoubtedly his because he understood Qin Yang’s character.
The man was a workaholic, ordinarily indifferent to official positions, not competitive, unconcerned with such matters, and more interested in the technical side of things.
Plus, Qin Yang detested officialdom, so he didn’t consider Qin Yang as a contender.
Thus, even if he lost to Qin Yang, he didn’t feel ashamed.
But when faced with the sarcastic remarks of another competitor, he felt utterly disgraced.